Freezer Friday: One Simple Marinade Base to Make 5 Unique Marinades

I've been on a real chicken kick the last few days experimenting with a ton of flavor ideas to add some real jazz to my family's table with very little extra effort on my part. Why? Because school started this week.  I've got a ton to do.  I don't need to worry about dinner on top of everything else in my zany but perfect nut-fest of a life. Right? 

 We all  need recipes like that! Today I'm saving you the effort of having to test a bazillion ideas. These are keepers...all of them! I'm really partial to making the base and putting it a gallon bag a few times, then just adding the flavor additions to the separate bags.  Then add chicken and throw it in the freezer! It's marinated and ready to bake or grill when you defrost it later. Boom yes!  Yes, I do use Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil in this recipe. They sent me several cases of it to play with and I've been super impressed with the high smoke point and buttery flavors that it adds to my cooking. A high smoking point, by the way, is the best way to ensure that you won't be adding free radicals to your diet. 

Marinade Base

1 cup  Ahuacatlan Avocado Oil

1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

One batch of marinade base will season 1 1/2 lbs of chicken. It's the perfect amount for a fast meal.  Simply combine the ingredients in a gallon sized bag and transfer chicken to the bag.  Allow to marinate at least an hour in the fridge, but I prefer overnight.  Then, drain marinade and bake or grill as desired. 

Here's the flavor options:

Lime Poppyseed

Add 3 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds 

2 Tbsp. lime zest 

Greek Festival

To base add: 

3 Tbsp. fresh minced dill

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp.  ground fennel seeds

 Garnish with kalamata olives and diced red pepper after cooking.

Orange and Onion Balsamic

To base add: 

3 Tbsp. orange zest

1/4 cup garlic

1/4 cup minced white onion

Raspberry and Rosemary

To base add:

1/4 cup raspberry juice concentrate 

1 Tbsp. minced rosemary

1 tsp fennel, ground

Hawaiian Pineapple Orange Guava

To base add:

1/2 cup Pineapple Orange Guava Juice concentrate

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

1 Tsp. garlic

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

There you go! Easy and delicious marinades to make your life simple!

Always My Very Best,

Your Friend Chef Tess

Profiling of a Killer...Salad. Herb Alchemy 101 (4 Salads from One basic Recipe)

I was blessed to be a guest on the The Morning Scramble AZTV7 with the legendary PAT McMAHON and LISA SCHNEIDER-CIPRIANO.  It was one of the most pleasant experiences ever!  They were just simply adorable down there at the studio and warmly welcoming.  I always appreciate that!  It was such a treat! Oh mercy. I just said, "treat"...like my granny. It was such an awesome dude-fest rockin'-down party event. There. Phew. I can't use granny words yet. Oopsie Daisy.  {Crap. Just did it again. Granny word.} Ya know what? Who cares if I use a granny word? I don't.  

Okay. Photo opp:
Aaaaaa-freakin'-dorable. See?!

 On the show we talked about a few recipes and flavor profiles and I wanted to share them here on the blog.  Oh I also wanted to just kiss Pat...but I think he would have taken it wrong. Such a cool guy!  Lisa shared some really great stories about her culinary genius kiddos. She. Has. Triplets. I have no excuse for having a fat butt.  

Okay. Now...as for the recipes.  These are the ones I share in my herb and spice class, but in the class you will get a freakish ton more of information...and you'll get to taste the salads I make. So you should still come to classes darlings.  I do however realize that there are some of you who live waaaaay out of town and I have not forgotten any of you. 


Herb Alchemy 101 Cooking Without a Recipe

How many just read the words "herbs and spices without a recipe" and panic set in? I can hear you saying, "I don't cook like that! I need a recipe.” If that is you, then this post is for you. I want you to try to let go of your cooking inhibitions and think with your heart. If my 11 year old can do this, you most definitely can do it! I believe in you!

So to begin with a basic explanation, herbs are the aromatic leaves, flowers, and stems of plants and spices are seeds and the bark of aromatic edible plants. Fresh or dry herbs and spices will work in cooking applications, but make sure you smell inside the jar. If it smells like the spice or herb, then the stuff inside is still full of flavor. Most spices will need to be in ground or grated form for cooking or baking. If you don't have a spice mill (not many people do), then just buy them pre-ground. 

Below is the basic outline of some flavors that work together well. Follow the steps and you will find success.   

Step 1: Begin with the pasta salad base.

Chef Tess’ Pasta Salad 101

Basic Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta of your choice, cooked al dente and seasoned well with salt and pepper

1 cup chopped bell pepper

1 cup carrots, shredded or chopped

1 stalk celery, sliced thin

½ medium red onion, sliced thin or chopped fine

Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl. 

Step 2: Make one batch of basic vinaigrette.

Basic Vinaigrette for Pennies a Jar! (FAT free available)

Ingredients:

¾ cup olive or vegetable oil (flavored oils are great)

¼ cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 tsp. fresh pressed garlic

Herbs and spices (see below for variations)

Salt and pepper

Directions: Whisk oil and vinegar with other ingredients in a bowl. Start with a half teaspoon at a time of the herb or spice you want to add and then sample. Adjust flavors according to your taste. For one batch of salad, you will need one batch of salad dressing. Want a fat free salad dressing? You can make this dressing almost completely free of fat if you have ultra gel and juice or broth! Use ¾ cup vegetable broth or juice in place of the oil. In a cold sauce pan, combine the broth or juice with 2 tablespoons of ultra gel. Add the liquid slowly and whisk well. Next add the vinegar and remaining herbs and spices, adjusting the same as above when tasting. Use the dressing immediately and keep refrigerated. If the dressing gets too thick, simply add a little more liquid to thin it out.

Step 3: Add flavor profile to dressing & mix salad. 

Dressing Variations These herb and spice suggestions are to be used in the basic vinaigrette recipe to customize the recipe to fit your need. Add the flavor combinations directly to the basic pasta salad recipe. Come up with your own and try mixing and matching fresh veggies as they are in season. You can even add seasonal fruit you like. For hearty dinners, add some roasted chicken or beef. Try marinating your meat in the vinaigrette to save a lot of money instead of buying those fancy bottles of pre-made stuff. You can do this! It can be very liberating, but for you folks who just want a grab and go dressing fix, just use the pre-made spice blends.


These are lists of flavors that work together for the cuisine you want to create they are not a complete list. They are intended to get you started. 

Italian

Herbs: Basil, rosemary, thyme, flat leaf parsley, marjoram

Spices: Fennel, caraway, crushed red pepper, celery seed

Flavoring: Hard cheeses like parmesan, asiago, olives, roasted peppers, citrus zest, capers

Greek

Herbs: Dill, oregano, rosemary, mint, parsley,

Spices: Fennel, anise, black pepper, dill seed

Flavoring: Feta cheese, olives, pickled peppers

Mexican

Herbs: Cilantro, oregano, thyme

Spice: Cumin, coriander, chile pods, black pepper, allspice

Flavoring: Lime zest, roasted corn, green onions, radish, black olives

Asian

Herbs: Cilantro, mint, lemon grass, sesame oil (use 2 tsp. in place of some of the oil)

Spices: Cumin, chile paste, curry paste, fennel, ginger

Flavoring: Lime zest, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, citrus zest, peanuts or cashews

©Chef Stephanie Petersen. 2011. All rights reserved. Copies NOT permitted without written consent from the author even for personal or church use! Chef Stephanie Petersen can be contacted at Stephanie@cheftessbakeresse.com and is Chef Tess on Facebook and Twitter. www.cheftessbakeresse.com 

There you go darlings. Begin learning some flavor profiles. I'll be posting more in the future! I promise.

Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess

Here are the blends that started it all!

 
The highest quality. The best flavors. A blessing to our family when you buy them here. Thank you so much.

French Dressing

Well, I want to kick off salad week with something that I use a lot. I think it is a good base for what we will be doing and I wanted to be sure that everyone has the same advantage I have. I think one of life's simple basic skills is learning how t make salad dressing from scratch.

One experience I remember with great fondness is the joy I had making gallons and gallons of salad dressing at the resort to go on seemingly endless plates of salad. That is where I first learned how to make Homemade Ranch Dressing . Ironically it wasn't something I picked up at culinary school, even though I'm almost certain it was covered...I might have been flirting during that lecture. At any rate, being involved with banquets was very labor intensive. Oh...I don't miss that at all. Honestly. Granted, the opportunity was invaluable in my salad dressing experience, it's not one I relished. No pun intended. If you've never had homemade French Dressing, you are in for a shock. It's not at all like the stuff you get in jars. I think the flavor is immensely better. Personally, I'd take the home made dressing any day on just a simple salad. I had one today. I make much smaller batches of salad dressing now. This one makes just about a cup of dressing. Perfect for the average family. Cost wise, it's pennies compared to dollars that you may spend on a jar of commercially prepared dressing. It's saved my budget on many occasions. You may be shocked to see what is on the list. You probably already have it in your house. So...let's make salad dressing.

French Dressing
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp garlic powder (or one fresh clove pressed)
1/4 cup vinegar or lemon juice
3/4 cup salad oil
1 T minced onion


I combine the dry ingredients in jar with a tight fitting lid.

Add the vinegar (I had to put in a shameless plug for this apple cider vinegar that I love. I think it's divine), oil, onion and seal tightly.

Shake and shake. I try to get at least 2 minutes of vigorous exercise a day. Well...at least salad dressing related exercise.

Now the secret to amazing salads...lightly toss the dressing with the salad. I only use about 3T of dressing to a head of lettuce. Just for flavor and a little sheen. Oh never overpower the salad with dressing. It's meant to add dimension, not take center stage.

In the words of one of my mentors, "It's a garnish, not a hair-do". Meaning...keep it as an accent not as the focus.

French Dressing is the base of a lot of the dressings I make. I will share some great details about how to make the fat free varieties as well. You won't want to miss out. We'll see you later this week when I share more of the salad making world.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Need Ranch Dressing but don't want all the added chemicals and junk? Here's something you'll really like. It's been Cobb salads here for a long time. Ace is on a kick. He gets those sometimes and wants something specific quite often. How it came to be Cobb salad, I'm not sure. But, they must have ranch dressing, and not just any will do, it has to be just perfectly thin and thick at the same time. A good clingin' dressin' (no that's not a Star Trek reference) . Here's my recipe:

Homemade Ranch de Chef Tess
1 cup low fat mayo
1 cup low fat buttermilk (or milk, but I like buttermilk)
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic granules
2 T fresh chopped parsley (or 1 T dry)
salt and fresh cracked pepper
dash of dill or paprika if desired.

That 's it folks. Mix it all up until smooth. Aren't you glad I just saved you a ton on bottled dressing? So for southwest ranch, add 1tsp chile powder. For bacon ranch, add 1/4 tsp liquid smoke and 2T crumbled bacon. For good blue cheese, add 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese.

There you go!