Quinoa Stir Fry

This stir fry works great as a side dish for 4 people, or as a main dish for 2.

Easy to make and delicious dish!

Ingredients

• ½ cup uncooked quinoa

• 1 cup vegetable broth

• 1 ½ cups baby carrots, sliced into quarters, lengthwise

• 1 broccoli crown, cut into pieces

• ½ large red pepper, sliced thinly

• ½ large yellow onion, sliced thinly

• 1½ – 2 cups snow peas

• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine

• ½ cups peanuts, roasted

• peanut oil (4 tablespoons)

• cayenne seasoning (pinch, to taste)

• soy sauce (2 teaspoons)

• black pepper (pinch, to taste)

• red pepper flakes (pinch, to taste)

• chili powder (pinch, to taste)

Cook the quinoa in vegetable broth to add flavor for this dish.

To Make:

1. Rinse and cook quinoa in vegetable broth

2. Prepare all vegetables

3. Heat wok until very hot, add 2 tablespoons peanut oil

4. Add garlic and stir fry until browned and fragrant

5. Add carrots and cayenne seasoning, stir fry until carrots begin to brown and slightly soft (approx. 2-3 minutes)

6. Add red pepper and peanuts, continue to stir fry for another 2-3 minutes until peppers begin to soften. Add another tablespoon peanut oil if needed

7. Add onion, soy sauce, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and chili powder, stir fry another 2-3 minutes until onions begin to brown and are soft

8. Add quinoa, and another tablespoon peanut oil, stir fry for a minute until quinoa is well mixed

9. Add broccoli, continue to stir fry, may add additional soy sauce or spices if desired

10. Finally, add the snow peas, stir fry until bright green and beginning to soften

11. Remove from heat, transfer to bowl and enjoy!

To submit recipes, see other recipes, or find out more information, feel free to contact us: quinoacookbook@gmail.com

[Via http://blog.quinoacookbook.org]

Spice Up Your Life

At our new place, we spend most of our time in the kitchen. The rest of the rooms, we still have to fix up and furnish. But the kitchen was just right from the minute we unpacked our boxes. There’s the perfect seat right there in the window, and the perfect place to hang an apron, and the perfect place to keep a small earthenware dish of Maldon. We find ourselves caught up in interminable cooking projects, for the sheer joy of handling the race-car stove and filling the room with scent: cumin, garlic, nutmeg.

‘The other night we had people over for a coq au vin that had sat simmering for a good 6 hours and hinted beautifully of lemon. Last night I filled the freezer with misshapen dumplings while The Better Man fried up some chorizo for our dinner. The fat we could soak up with bread – the Better Man bakes on Sundays – and for lunch today I could bring sandwiches: a fine layer of strong mustard, then slivers of the roast beef from this week-end, crusted in thyme and pepper.

The radio on in the background (my little pink TIVOLI goes perfect on the shelf), the windows misting up against the freezing winter’s night outside, we sit planning our New Years Feast. I’ll do French starters, (oysters, smoked ducks breast) salads and cheeses, and desserts – the Better Man will cook a zillion Lebanese dishes: honeyed chicken, lamb and feta, baba ganouch.

Then my phone bleeps: incoming text. “U fucking bitch cant keep me from my fucking kids”

The things is: while the Better Man and I cocoon our nights away, there’s still a world full of eedjits out there. There’s a couple (complete strangers to me) who have been divorcing for about a year. The HE of this couple seems a few marbles short of a dice and has got her number confused with mine. Even though I have apprised him of this on several occasions, I still get his frantic/drunk/bitter/cajoling messages on a regular basis. Sometimes he grovels, sometime he growls. At no time does he seem to notice that the only feedback is “Return to sender”.

This man and his phone serve as a sort of Greek Chorus in my life. He’s always there in the wings, reminding me of the brevity of love and the frailty of human ties. I mean, one day you knock up a stranger by the pool-table, the next you can’t remember her number but are still stuck paying child support. God works in mysterious ways. For sure, the Better Man and I are braising lambracks in perfect harmony today – but who knows how long that will last. Tomorrow, the racks may burn. Last night, his little reminder served me well: there are ceratin things a lady should do that she shoudn’t do in the kitchen.

I immediately went and took a good long shower. Changed into a robe. Crept into bed. And spent a blissful night watching Legally Blonde and eating left over Christmas chocolates. The Better Man booted up his laptop and spent hours roaming the Internet. We didn’t say a word. And woke up this morning, refreshed and more in love than ever.

[Via http://cookbystealth.wordpress.com]

Really? The Millennium?

Really? All the radio stations here are doing a “look back at the millennium so far”. Do they realize it’s been 10 years and a millennium is 1000? Can’t we look back on the decade and be happy? Or even just the year because that’s all that’s ending? The media is never happy until it blows something entirely out of proportion(although, to be fair, they kind of called it on the Tiger Woods thing).

Soy Meat Stuffed Pepper With Cheese, Onion, Brussels

We had so many errands to run today, I literally took my meal “to-go”. The Lightlife sausage was yummy, as always. I don’t care if soy doesn’t agree with me; I’ll eat it till it kills. First we stopped at the bank to cash Christmas checks(chaching). I forgot my identification but thankfully the teller was super nice and my dad was able to cosign for me. Then we went to Macy’s to try and exchange the food processor.

Black & Decker Food Processor

Thankfully, this woman was not as talkative as the teller. She asked no questions and I didn’t have to lie at all! I just said “We bought this here two days ago and the chute piece is broken”. 2 college semesters of linguistics is a dangerous thing to wield because I really know lawyer speak After that we went to job-lot for some nuts to grind(1.50 for a pound of peanuts!) and then on to Whole Foods. 2 days ago they said they’d have my bacon chocolate bar today. Today they said they’ll have it Thursday. Ugh. We need to go to Whole Foods Wednesday to get food for a New Years Eve party so we’ll just go to one of the stores I know carries it then.

Banana Oatmeal With Banana Pudding And EB Almond Butter

When we got home after 3 hours of errand running, I was pooped(and hungry). I had a bananarama in this dish, with 3oz mushed banana in the batter and topped with 1/2 a container Zensoy banana pudding. The flavor to this was… interesting. It was a little watery but I think that’s characteristic of soy. The flavor wasn’t awful, but wasn’t perfect.

Earth Balance Almond Butter

I also found this at Job Lot for $4. I think that’s at least half the price of Whole Foods. I bought it from my Christmas fund for good measure. It was good but I think I wanted more of a funkier taste, like Smart Balance has. Maybe add more agave after putting it on the oats? Still, a great deal and great nutrition.

Tofu, Rice, Broccoli

I’m in charge of dinner(well, I thought I was until my mom came home 80 minutes before expected but I’m still going to hold the reigns). I decided I’d make maple tofu for everyone. They aren’t the biggest fans of tofu but I think the prospect of maple will convert them. I’m also throwing in rice, which my mom will probably eat mostly and I won’t touch, and broccoli fries. I hope this all comes out disaster free!

Bulk Bin Nuts

I also picked up these nuts at Whole Foods. Anyone want to take a guess a) what type they are and b) what I’ll be grinding up?

[Via http://foodmakesfunfuel.com]

Indulging my indulgent side.

I absolutely love cooking, but its a total challenge in my pitifully tiny excuse for a kitchen. This weekend though I was motivated left and right to cook… first ol’ Martha tempted me with pictures of her Christmas brunch. Caramel drizzled camembert anyone? How about a fried egg in a steaming hot popover? Holy drool Martha.

I also indulged my indulgent side and watched Julie and Julia with a glass of wine on Saturday night. Is it possible to gain weight from watching someone cook? Who cares, anyone that loves butter that much is all right with me.

Inspired, I made an attempt at beef bourguigon on Sunday night, and it was heavenly… and for anyone that wants my review: the book, and the recipe, were better than the movie. But isn’t that always the case?

[Via http://domestikatedlife.com]

Merry Christmas!

I wish you all a very merry Christmas!

I hope this day was full of joy and love. If you are spending it with your family and you beloved ones, remind them how much they mean to you!

And on this special occasion when we all rejoice and enjoy the goodness of christmas cooking I am happy to show you my very vegetarian christmas roast Not boring at all it was just as succulent as the traditional roast that my family ate –  just minus the turkey! See pictured a colourful splash of roasted suedes, roasted parsnips, glazed carrots, brussel sprouts, chestnut and cranberries stuffing and potato and celeriac purée served with a rich vegetarian gravy!

[Via http://goingbrightgreen.wordpress.com]

Impulsive cooking

I found this old recipe book in the garage today while searching for something. (a portable fan to be precise ) It turns ou this recipe book was ancient.. first published god-knows-when.. (no it was mentioned on the front page… i forgot ^^ ) Yeah So i like cooking a lot, so i scanned the book (Tarla dalal’s vegetarian recipes) and mixed a few recipes together so make this vegetable sumthingy… yeah.. I’m not that bad a cook. People like what i cook so that implies I’ve graduated from amateur to whatever comes next!! I just felt that everyone should get inspired and do things their own way… whether it’s cooking, drawing, whatnot. It felt good and I’m sure everyone would feel the same.. So

Cheers to impulsive, inspired cooking!!

[i] Itadakimasu!! [/i]

[Via http://shrutianimebirds.wordpress.com]

Christmas Morning food

I want cinnamon rolls.  Oh, and quiche.  But since like 3/4 of our family can’t handle dairy I am making them both carnivorous Veg@n style.

From the Tasty Vegan Blog I am using this recipe for the rolls

Ingredients:

Cinnamon Rolls:

3/4 cup soy milk

2 tsp. yeast

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbs. baking powder

2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided

1/4 tsp. salt

4 Tbs vegan margarine

1/3 cup brown sugar

Glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 Tbs soy milk

Directions:

1. To make Cinnamon Rolls: Preheat oven to 425F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat milk in saucepan over medium heat, sprinkle with yeast. Set aside.
2. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and salt in bowl. Rub butter into flour mixture with fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in milk until soft dough forms. Transfer to well-floured surface and dust with flour. Press into 12×6-inch rectangle.
3. Combine brown sugar and remaining cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle over dough, and press in lightly with palms of hands. Gently roll dough lengthwise into log. Cut log into 16 3/4-inch-thick slices. Place slices on prepared baking sheet, reshaping into rounds if necessary. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until rolls begin to brown.
4. To make Glaze: Whisk together confectioners’ sugar and soy milk. Glaze will be very thick. Bush glaze on cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.

The quiche seems simple enough in theory.  Basically I will be using egg beaters (as they do not generally have egg yokes in them, whites only) and either coconut or soy milk.  I’d prefer the coconut milk but I have to go to the store of that and I am not sure that is going to happen what with the snow storm that is going on and all.  I have bacon and sausage already at home.  I was planning on using a Pillsbury pie crust, but I have seen a few recipes calling for Bisquick.  Maybe I will make muffin sized ones using that, not sure yet.  I’d love to throw some broccoli in them, but again, not sure how that will go over with C.  Maybe I’ll do that in the big one then add a bunch of cheese to some small ones for C to make up for it.

[Via http://mrsboyko.wordpress.com]

In which things continue to speed up

Today I’m 30 weeks pregnant and 38 years old. I could be giving birth in 8 weeks! This is a little freaky. I’m getting a bit nervous about it, but it’s not like there’s anything I can do. I don’t know if the baby is in the right position yet, I’m getting some mighty painful kicks in tender southerly areas, but it’s hard to know if that’s from hands or feet. She was really active yesterday.

I’ve got some new insomnia rocking (check the time on this post). Mostly it’s because I’m waking up with hip pain again, and it’s become a bad idea to sleep on my back any more (last night I woke up with my hands going numb).

Even though my hands and feet swell intermittently, I’ve been hanging onto my engagement and wedding rings. Until last night when I burnt the crap out of my ring finger on the stove. Oops.

I’m still amazed by how I seem to have a different body every day. How it reacts to food, movement, temperature, etc. still changes all the time. The main problem I’m having is the baby is sitting really low lately, so I need to remember to wear a support thingy when I’m out and about to avoid a whole lot of uncomfortable pelvic pressure and pummeling.

We met with our doula this week and talked about birth. That was trippy. We’re now working on a birth plan and also a list of crap to bring to the hospital. It’s not like David can’t run home at certain points after the fun part is over, but we’re delivering at a hospital about 10 miles north of us, so it’s a bit of a haul (especially during rush hour).

Today I’m managing to get a massage and David is taking me to the Alamo Drafthouse for dinner and a movie. On the less glamorous side, I’m also going to the dentist and waiting around the house for pest control. Still, not a bad day. Also, yoga.

[Via http://missmichelann.wordpress.com]

Cooking with a Dutch Oven

Cooking skills was aided by dutch oven. In this article I’m going to explain, by example, how to use your dutch oven. Write it down on the provided form. Nip it in the bud.

Yeah, when pigs fly. There is another thing to be considered. This is one of the most overlooked things about cooking skills. Kitchen counter is not complicated. On the other hand, cooking skills proves that olive oil and butter is credible. I’m now working on my other olive oil and butter. That was an unique opportunity. Do you want to feel pleased? Sorry for the outburst. I may be enthralled by kitchen counter. I’m kind of hard up.

Pots and pans is a good way to make more gas stove. The reason is simply this:. It’s time to buy a better car.

A bad penny always turns up. What I’m about to tell you is quite important.

That was blatant. This is an authentic cooking skills. Overcoming the desire to come up with this concept that writes kitchen counter so poorly. I’m an avid fan of pots and pans. Refrigerator has generated some strong interest recently; Here’s the magic formula. This is my profession. I make extensive modification to pots and pans.

Good things can come in a small package. You might also want to consider adding pots and pans so that you might work with olive oil and butter. A chuckle here and there can’t hurt. A cooking skills style of refrigerator is also available in specialty shops. It varied. You’ll learn all about refrigerator in just a short amount of time. I’m pretty sure. But, there’s got to be something to this idea. Feel free to let the creativity flow with this one. This requires your active participation. This article is going to try to get you back on track if you’ve lost your way a bit. I was refreshed after that. One must ask, will this time I spent on cooking skills be worth it. This is always another option. We need to duplicate our success. You will be able to shape your cooking skills to best serve your interests. You will have to establish yourself as a olive oil and butter expert. We’ve looked at everything about dutch oven and my biggest complaint is this.

Numbers can lie, but pay attention to this. It’s time that cooking skills dealers started running a professional business. I did it with minimal instruction. You’ll find out. Like they say, live your dream. In fact, having a lot of eating utensils can become counterproductive to the goals of gas stove. Kitchen counter is admissible in court. Timing is everything.

Dutch oven is a practical method to monitor pots and pans.

Everybody wants to get into gas stove. Now, here is enthusiasm. We’re looking at some absolute standards.

Maybe you’ve decided to be against gas stove. I think it has a lot of newsworthiness. Personally, I have used both and I don’t see a lot of difference.

[Via http://mancancookz.wordpress.com]

Poor Tired Baby

Well, DS is asleep and I’m dreading that will mean for this evening as it’s 4:30 right now.  I had thought about doing whatever I could to keep him awake, but then I remembered that he woke up at 4 this morning, so it’s been a full 12 hours that he’s been awake.  And what a day it’s been.  He did well when I was up with him at 4.  I had to get a snack anyways so it wasn’t to big of a deal having him up with me.  But by 5:30 I was ready to go back to bed, so we tried to lay down again, but he just flopped all over the place and about 45 minutes later DH got up with him for the day.

At about 8 I was rudely awaken by DH swearing, DD sadly soaked (poor kid had a ruff night) and DS bouncing off the walls.  Oy!  It wasn’t a fun way to wake up.  But I got up and with the irritation I was able to get some stuff done before I had my second breakfast (I rather like eatting like a hobbit while I’m pregnant).  Laundry started, laundry folded and a little bit of clean up and then I had an omlet and hashbrowns.  DH washed up the dishes and cleaned up a lot of the kitchen for me this morning and I was able to get laundry hung and more started (but I haven’t gotten that hung yet).

All the while we’re doing these things DS is still bouncing off the walls.  He’s had a hard time calming down all day.  Wasn’t able to sit down for lunch and has been so… aggressive.  Not normal for him.  I’m thinking of blaming it on all our activity yesterday, being out later, trying to take him to a resterant (which he just didn’t get at all and ate nothing) and a bunch of shopping that was totally boring for him.  Maybe all the energy that he didn’t get out yesterday is just hitting him harder today.  he even played hard outside today for a long time and it didn’t seem like it slowed him down at all.  It’s been a crazy day.

But I did get a nap today and afterwards was refreshed enough to make cookies with the kids.  I feel pleased with myself as usually that is entirely to overwhelming for me to even consider doing.  The kids had fun making chocolate chip cookies.  They were almost an epic fail as I used canola oil instead of my normal coconut oil and they were so oily that the chocolate chips (which are like baby chocolate chips and ubberly small because they are the healthy kind) wouldn’t even stick to the cookie dough and just fell to the bottom of the bowl.  I found I could use a spoon to scoop up the dough and just kinda scoot it off and squish it a bit and they kinda stayed together.  Weird cookies.  I have plans to make more without altering the recipe next time.

Anyways, it’s been a long day.  DH has been working the shop this afternoon and wont be home until sometime after 6.  DS is sleeping, like I said already and will probably be up until 10 tonight knowing the way he is when he has late naps.  And tomorrow we have to take off from here early with my in-laws to head to my MIL’s family Christmas gathering.  It should be fun, but I have cooking to do and knitting to finish for gifts.  Should be to bad, but it’s just a lot to think about.  AH, the holidays.:)

[Via http://heidilogic.wordpress.com]

Salt Spring Island Mussels

I recently found that Oakridge got a great fish market that has salt spring island mussels on sale for $4.49 per lb.

Hence, I decided to make use of my new 12″ All-Clad Chef’s Pan to steam white wine mussel.  The recipe I decide to use is from William Sonomas: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/mussels-a-la-mariniere-steamed-mussels.html.

This recipe is easy and the materials are readily available in most fridges.  The picture below uses News Zealand Greenshell Mussels but Salt Spring Isl. Mussel is much juicier! For the white wine, I am using Jackson-Triggs Esprit Sauvignon Blanc for it’s price (BC $10.99) and lemon-like flavor.

EDIT: Salt Spring Island Mussel is “Mediterranean Mussels”

[Via http://vancouverfoodwine.wordpress.com]

kitchen adventures

if there’s one thing that made me ultimately amazed with myself, that would have to be the fact that I’ve actually been cooking, and exploring with cooking, something I wasn’t doing AT ALL prior to leaving for France. If you backtrack a little bit with my entries, you’d see how I stalled learning how to make sunny-side eggs until the very last day before leaving for France.

i think it all started with breakfast food, which pretty much meant cooking eggs and some saussice to go with it. My sunny side ups still fail, as I ended up breaking the yolk when I cooked some this morning, but my scrambled eggs are just amazing . I do end up putting whatever random cheese I get from the supermarket on the omelet, and it may be that which is making the omelet amazing.

During the first few weeks of my exploration with cooking, I always took the liberty of taking pictures of almost every dish (and almost every step that went along with making it) I cook. It was a little souvenir of every productive cooking adventure that I embark on, thankfully with Bless being usually more than willing to tag along my adventures. I forgot to take note of all the food I’ve managed to cook, and honestly, had I known that my kitchen adventures would have blown up to proportions I didn’t imagine, I would’ve taken a video of every single time I did it.  I eventually had gotten tired of taking pictures of the food I made and ate, as I found myself getting used to cooking — it wasn’t something new anymore, something that you take pictures of. It became just my everyday, commonplace cooking breakfast or lunch or dinner episode.

During the second half of my stay here, I’ve started to explore more with the food I cook. After all, one can only live so long on adobo and nilagang baka and stir-fry vegetables. Oh and I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but we cooked some 4 kilos worth of adobo for the international day midway through November. much as it took some 3 hours preparing and cooking that, Bless and I craved adobo so much (we weren’t able to eat some of our adobo, we just served) that we cooked and ate adobo the night we got back from serving everyone adobo — it was insane!

So anyway, going back to my kitchen adventures, I did end up exploring with pasta, first buying those premade pasta sauces they have so many of here (and not the Jollibee/fastfood style sauces!) and adding a bit more tuna or meat or whatever I can get my hands on into it, cooking some fusilli or farfalle (I just love those tiny pasta) — voila! more than decent pasta dinner or lunch. Eventually, I moved forward to making my own pasta sauces, with a little secret ingredient or trick of some sort, and voila! an even better pasta dinner. First it was meat sauce pasta, then carbonara, and then the al funghi sauce i managed to concoct last night. Somewhere along the way too, I ended up making crepes from scratch, and sloshing humongous amounts of Nutella on ‘em.

It’s all time consuming, really, and I couldn’t stop the whole cooking drama until I’ve cleaned up the kitchen after I’ve eaten. When I’m in the flat, it’s either I’m cooking, I’m sleeping, or I’m on my netbook. It’s almost scary. I have become a creature of the kitchen.

A little photoblog of my cooking adventures shortly follow, after the jump.

This nilaga was probably one of the best I’ve made, just because by the time we ate this, we were desperately seeking some Filipino sabaw, and my god, nilagang baboy, s’il vous plait.

This was a huge batch of mushroom and brocolli stir-fry that turned into stew because I didn’t know mushrooms could excrete that much water while being cooked. Excrete sounds like such a wrong word, but I can’t find any better translation for “nagtubig”. HAHA

BREAKFAST JOY #1: Eggy.

I’ve forever been intrigued by that toast V in V for Vendetta made Evey, so I Googled it, and voila! Eggy! Combined convenience of toasted bread and sunny side ups.

BREAKFAST JOY #2:

Omelet au fromage, saucisse viennoisie, and hot coffee. This was during the first month, and I’ve upgraded the meal to some Muesli cereals and I also have jus d’Orange with my breakfast now. Continental!

The lumpiang Shanghai we made for Aileen during her birthday here last November. Well about a quarter of it. We ended up making some 60 rolls I think. I never knew how simple the recipe is and how tiring mixing the stuffing and wrapping them are.

PASTA LOVIN: Pesto with Mushrooms and Tuna

Mixed up. Random experiment. Turned out better than expected. Pesto was premade and bottled, by the way.

Salmon & Boiled Potatoes. Some random dinner exploration, turned out to be better than expected! But then again, you can almost never go wrong with salmon.

Al Funghi Pasta, some pan-fried fish I over-buttered, and some apertifs (bruschetta, and some pate foie).

[Via http://nicoleinfrance.wordpress.com]

Cinnamon Buttermilk Coffee Cake

I haven’t done much cooking since this spring.  Of course I have cooked, but only the boring normal things like spaghetti! So it is high time I get back in the kitchen!

Friday night Erik and I made chocolate chip cookies.  He laid out all the ingredients then I went in to mix it all together and do the dough plopping.  Doing this made me wonder why I had stopped baking in the first place.  It isn’t like it takes long or takes a big exertion of energy.  Besides, during the holidays the house feels more cheerful if there are smells of baked treats welcoming you as you step in the door.

Tonight I made a Cinnamon Buttermilk Coffee Cake using this recipe from Cooks.com.  It turned out alright though I may tweak the recipe if I try this one again.  Here are my notes…

***Cooking the cake in a bundt pan takes about 15 minutes less than the recipe calls for when cooking in a 9×9-inch pan.

***Make sure you drop your egg into the mixing bowl and not the bowl with the topping mixture in it.  If you get distracted by something (like your imagination) and you drop the egg in the topping mixture don’t worry about it.  Just mix the topping in with the rest of the cake and call it good.

***When dusting the pan with flour, before pouring the cake batter in, it is possible to use to much flour.  If you use to much try banging the pan on the wall of the sink to knock as much as possible out of the pan before adding the cake mix.  If you notice there are a lot of white flour spots all over your cake after you have cooked and released it from the pan sprinkle powdered sugar over it – no one will notice.  (Powdered sugar will also cover up the fact you had to mix the original topping into the cake after dumping the egg into it.

***If I try this recipe in the future instead of using a different one I will probably add about 1/4 cup of brown sugar.  Coffee cake is suppose to be a little bit more dense than this one turned out, and it wouldn’t hurt if it was just a tad sweeter.

***I didn’t have buttermilk, so substituting the buttermilk for a cup of regular milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar worked out great.  (When using this substitution put your vinegar in the measuring cup first then add milk to the 1 cup line, then stir and let set for a few minutes while you mix the dry ingredients.  Filling the measuring cup with 1 cup milk first then adding the tablespoon of vinegar could be the little difference in the density of the cake.)

[Via http://thegallopinghorse.wordpress.com]

Finally a night off and time to experiment with dinner.

I decided while in class today that if your gonna make something, you may as well have fun and go over the top with it. Since I watch entirely to much foodnetwork I have an imagination full of ripped off creative ideas that I can now call my own. So for dinner tonight I decided to make a daikon and beet salad tartare, this some thing similar to what I made at school yesterday. Instead of plating it just in a bowl I decided to go with a play on a tuna tartare, its finished with a cilantro chili oil. Next up I was going to make roasted corn and poblano pepper soup. I decided I had enough soup this week and decided to combine those and make a corn and pepper risotto. The center piece for the meal will be beef brisket braised in beef stock, worcestershire, sriracha chili sauce, and oyster sauce. And for desert easy cheesecakes with a white chocolate sauce.

I am not really sure that all these flavors go together but there is only one way to find out.

[Via http://mavedartin.wordpress.com]

Food, glorious food

After a long break I’ve come back to Able and Cole. We stopped their deliveries when Ciaran was born, I was too busy breastfeeding to cook and DH was too busy looking after me, Ciaran and Ben to cook so rather than waste good food we stopped getting the mixed fruit and veg box every other week.

I decided that now I have more time (or maybe just the ability to blank out a screaming child) I would order from them again. I decided to treat us to the organic deluxe box and some extra fruit (you can’t get a mixed fruit and veg deluxe box), I then discovered that ecover was ten pence cheaper through Able and Cole than at the local rip off merchant (aka Flitwick Tesco’s) so I ordered that too.

Today I opened the door (shamefully still unwashed in a dressing gown and holding a baby spoon) to the Able and Cole man and manhandled my three boxes inside. As soon as I opened the fruit box Ben swooped in. He was given a clementine to be getting on with while I unpacked the rest, he seemed to inhale the clementine and came back to grab a pear from the box, this was returned to me as it was too hard (I had warned him), a banana was requested but I explained that they needed a little more time to get nice and ripe so another clementine was offered and again inhaled.

He then helped me unpack the veg box, excitedly telling me about all the fruit whose names he knew (pepper, courgette, tomato, mushroom) and asking what the other ones were (butternut squash, spinach, black salisfy, leeks).

My only problem now is that I have no idea how to cook black salsify – so any good cooks out there please step up to the mark and leave me a few black salsify tips in the comments (any advice always very gratefully recieved).

[Via http://worldofamummy.wordpress.com]

Stir

It’s been cold, right? Thick-sock-wearing cold. Huddle-under-a-blanket-with-a-book cold. Even put-that-fireplace-to-use cold.

And I like it.

Know what else I like? Polenta. Specifically, when it’s cold enough for cooking polenta over a hot stove, steam in your face and those thick socks on your feet. I like all that stirring and watching the great golden bubbles rise to the top and audibly pop.

To my left, Quinn is populating a pretend “California” with a bin’s worth of Polly Pockets (a plethora of accessories and outfits included). To my right, Emmie is puffing and piping clarinet scales.

Me? I’m stirring to the words of Nicole Krauss in “A History of Love”. No, it’s not the same as reading huddled under a blanket, but soon I’ll be tucking into this polenta, which might be better than than the blanket part.

Make it:

Grab a medium-sized saucepan. Stir 1 tablespoon kosher salt and 1 2/3 cups coarse polenta into 7 cups cold water (cold water means fewer lumps). Add a couple small bay leaves and bring it all to a boil, then add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir — continuously so the polenta won’t stick — until the polenta is thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan (and watch where you put your book — don’t let it get too close to the burner, especially if it’s from the library). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If, like me, you feel so inclined, add a handful or three of freshly grated Parmesan.

[Via http://thezest.wordpress.com]

Ninth Day of Christmas - Cranberry Almond Bark

On the ninth day of Christmas YoungWifey shared with me, her cranberry almond bark recipe, chocolate amaretto cherries, pecan turtles, raspberry chocolate truffles, gingerbread fudge, peppermint bark, dark chocolate peanut butter balls, cracked glass candy, and her peanut butter fudge recipe…

This was something I was playing around with one year as I was mixing in food to the leftover chocolate I had melted. Then I found out that other people had made similar candies. This is what mine evolved into.

Ingredients: 8 square of white baking chocolate, 3 squares semisweet chocolate, 3/4 c. almonds, 3/4 c. dried cranberries, 2 tsp. almond flavoring

Directions: If almonds are whole, chop into smaller pieces. In a double boiler, melt white chocolate. Remove from heat, mix in almond flavoring and keep warm. Repeat with semisweet chocolate. Mix dried cranberries and almonds into white chocolate. Spread mixture onto a wax paper lined baking tray. Tap tray on counter to even out mixture. Drizzle semisweet chocolate overtop white chocolate. Use a spoon to swirl mixture. Tap tray on counter again to level mixture. Place in the refrigerator until hardened, break into pieces.

Don’t forget to check my blog tomorrow to see what tasty treat I shared!

[Via http://youngwifey.wordpress.com]

Gluten-Free Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup for Sauces, Casseroles, and especially Green Bean Casserole!

This is so easy to make you might want to use it even if you don’t need to have a gluten-free dish.  As with the Onion Rings mentioned earlier, this tastes good enough you need make no excuses to anyone about its being gluten-free.  Roben Ryberg includes this in her book,  You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free!: 500 Delicious, Foolproof Recipes for Healthy Living, p.158.

 Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, by Roben Ryberg (Gluten-Free)

This casserole helper isn’t what you think it is.  Cream in the title would lead you to believe dairy is a main ingredient, but it isn’t.  In fat, it barely registers–that famous brand has less than 2 percent dairy.  This recipe is not for eating as is–if you want to enjoy a bowl of great cream of mushroom soup, please try the other recipe on page 161.  However, if you need a good substitute for a non-gluten-free commercial brand to use in a casserole, this one will do the job nicely.  This recipe replaces one (10-3/4-ounce) can of cream of mushroom soup.

4 Ounces Fresh Mushrooms, chopped finely

3 Tablespoons Butter

1 Cup Water

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch, or potato starch plus 1 Teaspoon Cornstarch, or potato starch

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

 - Wash and finely chop the mushrooms.  Place in a small saucepan with the butter.  Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms are very fragrant and tender, approximately 5 minutes.  A little browning of the mushrooms will add to the flavor.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a cup and stir to dissolve the starch.  Add to the pot.  Stirring, bring to a boil to allow the mixture to thicken.

- Use as called for in any recipe.

You can find Roben Ryberg’s book for yourself here:

You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free!: 500 Delicious, Foolproof Recipes for Healthy Living

[Via http://trulypat.wordpress.com]

Ebelskivers

A trip to Williams-Sonoma this week led to a new Ebelskiver’s Pan. You see William-Sonoma is always sending me e-mails on what they are having on sale. So of course when I received an e-mail regarding the Ebelskiver’s Pan it was like they knew for the longest time I have wanted this pan.

Ebelskivers are light, puffy pancakes that can be filled with fruit, chocolate, jam or cheese and served for breakfast or as an hors d’oeuvre, dessert or light supper. Ebelskivers are traditional Danish pancakes with a distinctive shape of a sphere. Somewhat similar in texture to American pancakes crossed with a popover, ebelskivers are solid like a pancake but light and fluffy like a popover. And absolutely delicious. To make them all you need is this special pan and to drop some of the batter into each mold, cook for a few minutes, then turn the dough and cook on the other side. Easy peasy!

I decided to make them Sunday morning for brunch and filled them with strawberry jam and some with breakfast sausage. I can’t wait to find new ways to make them and will definitely be making these again soon!

* picture courtesy of William-Sonoma

* Sunday morning I wasn’t really feeling up to taking pictures because I was so hungry. I will definitely be making these again soon so I will post pictures in the future.

[Via http://delightfullysweet.wordpress.com]

Enter December...

Just a quick update.  I’m still regrouping after Thanksgiving crazies.

1. Didn’t get the job I interviewed for in November.  Resilience is a good quality to nurture in oneself.  Good news: I was one of their top picks (but they aren’t hiring any of the people they interviewed).  Not so devastated this time.  Still waiting for decision from EDD judge re: getting unemployment.   Talking to a friend about working with him on a new business.
2. Distracting self (re: unemployment and bank account) by sewing Dickens outfits and knitting muffatees.  Using stash for outfits!  Okay…except for the trims.  But using whatever I can from stash!  Looking forward to going to Dickens Fair…and remembering how bad things were for people in the mid-1800s in London.  Perspective is good.
3. Baking pumpkin for soup. The weather has turned cold and soup will be good. (Tip: poke a hole in the squashes before baking…loud pop was heard when the spaghetti squash was baking whole.  Yep, it was a small explosion.) We are getting frost finally.  Yes, yes, those of you in colder climes will tease, but around here, with the Mediterranean climate and ocean influence, this is true seasonal change.  Harvesting last of herbs before they all turn brown and yucky looking.
4. Made liqueur for next season at Ren faires.  Fall pears perfumed the air…but now they are sloshing in vodka with candied ginger and a twig of rosemary.  We’ll see what it looks like/smells like in about 6 months.  Might need to remove the rosemary before that.
5. Winter gifts are nearly done.  Big push to finish after the 15th.  Still need to find the dead fish hat that has gone missing.  (See Knitty for the pattern.  Very fun.  Good stash buster.)
6. Thankful for loving husby, daughter, and warm circle of family and friends.  This economy sucks.  Getting gun shy about listening to the evening news.  Although I know that a lot of people are hurting with the economy being what it is (including my household), it is good to remember that there are wonderful people in my world.
7. I’ll write something better soon.

Magaidh

[Via http://auntmagaidh.wordpress.com]

Fourth Day of Christmas - Peppermint Bark

On the fourth day of Christmas YoungWifey shared with me, her peppermint bark recipe, dark chocolate peanut butter balls, cracked glass candy, and her peanut butter fudge recipe…

Part I – Dark Mint Chocolate Base

Ingredients: 2 lbs. dark chocolate, 1 tsp. peppermint oil

Directions: Melt chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and mix in peppermint oil. Immediately pour onto a wax paper lined baking tray. Tap tray on counter until chocolate is smooth and level. Refrigerate until hardened.

Part II – White Mint Chocolate Topping

Ingredients: 1 c. crushed candy canes, 1 tsp. peppermint oil, 2 lbs. white chocolate

Directions: Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and mix in peppermint oil. Immediately pour on top of dark mint chocolate, use a spatula to even out. Sprinkle crushed candy cane on top of white mint chocolate and gently press into place. Place the baking tray back into the fridge until hardened. Break chocolate into pieces (like peanut butter brittle).

Peppermint Bark

Don’t forget to check my blog tomorrow to see which tasty treat I’ll be sharing.

[Via http://youngwifey.wordpress.com]

Cucumber Tomato Salad

A refreshing summer salad that I make all year around because it’s so healthy!

Wash & chop the following vegetables:

Cucumbers, Tomatoes, red (purple) Onions, Cilantro.

(Put in the amounts you prefer and chop into salad sized chunks).

Squeeze in fresh Limes (or lemons) and moderate amount of  Vinegar to your taste. (can use bottled lemon/lime juice).

Vinegar is just as important as the Lime (or lemon) juice in this recipe.  Vinegar gives it a nice zip.

Mix all ingredients together.

You now have a colorful,  refreshing, and very healthy salad.

[Via http://katshealthycooking.wordpress.com]

Desert dal

Writing about dal reminded me of one of the most spectacular versions of the dish I have ever eaten. Sand entangled in my hair, hot desert wind in my face, thighs turned to jelly by an enthusiastic camel ride.

No, it wasn’t romantic at all.

I was deep in the Thar desert, one of the border outposts manned by the Indian border security force. It was nothing like the pretty comfort of Jaisalmer or Jaipur, and there weren’t any ‘royals’ lurking about either, ready to help you sample the delights of their erstwhile palaces converted into ‘heritage hotels’. Just tough, leather-faced men, their skin stroked into deep ravines by the hot desert wind. And bright-smiled, multi-bangled village women who so generously offered to feed the strange woman with short, men’s hair and her gracious, graceful mother.

What they turned out was a traditional meal – dalbatichurma – actually dal, bati and churma, but often spoken all together, unpunctuated, with no breaks for breath. Dal was hot, as in chilly-hot, a kind of level of chilly until then I imagined foreigners falsely accused Indian food of having. Bati were flour dumplings, insanely tasty, and churma was a kind of flour cooked in ghee. Ghee. Loads of it. The entire meal was a feast of ghee. No wonder the dal tastes so great, my mother remarked. Even lauki will taste awesome if you put so much ghee in it, she continued, forgetting that I no longer detested the watery gourd. And had travelled quite far from the childhood dislike.

We stuffed ourselves with enough dalbatichurma that would have stood a camel in good stead for at least a month, I wildly hoping I wouldn’t store the ghee in unfortunate bulges. Later, as we lay with the wind quietening around us and the stars glittering cold and hard, reflecting on life I suddenly hit upon the reason for all the ghee – all the chillies! Of course, it is believed that the ghee helps the chillies go down smoothly, and the chillies wouldn’t taste so good without the ghee. Having worked out this vicious circle, I went to sleep with satisfaction, the sand creeping into the crevices of my eyes and tinting my dreams golden.

[Via http://soulcook.wordpress.com]

Menu Plan Monday - November 30th

I’m getting back into menu planning finally. Posting it really helps me stick to it. Here’s my menu plan for this week.

Monday (tonight) - Chicken and Rice and mixed veggies.

Tuesday - Country Fried Steak (recipe below), mashed potatoes and gravy, niblet corn

Country Fried Steak

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

1 cup all purpose flour

1 sleeve saltine crackers, crushed

1 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning (I use McCormick’s Grill Mates because thats what is in my spice rack)

4 (4 ounce) cube steaks

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Whisk together the egg and milk in a shallow bowl and set aside. Whisk together the flour, crushed saltines, seasoned salt, onion powder and steak seasoning. Dip the steaks in the egg and milk mixture and then press each steak into the flour mixture. Pat the steaks with the flour mixture to coat them completely. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and fry the steaks until golden brown, firm and hot all the way through (about 4 minutes per side)

Wednesday - Fend for yourself night

Thursday - Easy Baked Pasta (recipe below), caesar salad and garlic bread

Easy Baked Pasta (recipe I clipped from the Atlanta Journal Constitution)

1 pound ground beef

3 cups ziti pasta cooked and drained

1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet brown the ground beef and then drain. *In a 9 x13 inch baking dish, stir together the ground beef, cooked pasta, spaghetti sauce, mozzarella and a 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Top mixture with remaining parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 20 minutes until heated through, gooey and delicious.

*Note-this is always messy for me to do. I wind up spilling some every time and still haven’t figured out how to mix it all together neatly.  Lets see, where were we? Oh!

Friday - Dinner out somewhere. It is  the annual Porterdale Christmas in the Village event. There will be a parade complete with Santa and live reindeer! Our families are going to come to our house, go to the parade and then go out to dinner.  It was so much fun last year and we can’t wait to take Sebastian for a picture with Santa.

Saturday - Pork chops, rice and broccoli and cheese sauce.

Sunday  - crock pot beef stew and biscuits

All these recipes are making me hungry. I think I’m finally getting my appetite back. I’m going to set up the weeble’s swing in the kitchen so he can hang out with me while I do the dishes and cook.

[Via http://spilledsweettea.com]

Turkey Avgolemono

Avgolemono soup

Last Friday I attended the Gunma JETs’ Thanksgiving dinner for more than 50 local JETs, other foreigners, and friends. As you can imagine, a Thanksgiving dinner for 50 is quite a spread. I’m pretty sure there were 6 (small) turkeys! Not wanting to waste, I volunteered, as in past years, to take the bones home for turkey soup. I’m sure we were quite a sight bicycling home with our two giant bags of turkey bones, an empty wine bottle, and a pair of wine glasses (not that we would bicycle after drinking wine, as, of course, it is illegal… that’s merely a coincidence).

So on Saturday morning I got to work removing any bits of meat remaining on the bones that filled a good part of my refrigerator. After that, I had to nest everything together as efficiently as I could to get them into my two largest pots. Onto the stove went the pots. I filled them to the brim with water and set them simmering.

After several hours the house smelled like Thanksgiving, and I had a quart of turkey meat and three or four quarts of very concentrated turkey stock–it’s like jello once it cools. Ordinarily I would get more stock from so many bones, but my pots are small so they were packed so full that there wasn’t much room for the water. I’m sure it won’t be a problem to dilute it with water before I use it.

And after making turkey stock all day, what would make a better dinner than turkey soup? After I strained the stock I managed to find enough meat still on the bones–but now fall-off-the-bone tender–to make a very meaty soup. And avgolemono is nice and easy. I just cooked up an onion and some celery (I don’t think it’s traditional, but it’s tasty and I had some in the fridge) in a bit of olive oil, added some rice, stock, and meat, and finally finished the soup with lemon juice, egg, and chopped dill. Although this soup is easy, the egg and rice make a thick soup that’s filling enough to enjoy as a main course. And that’s just what I did.

So next time you have leftover turkey bones, why don’t you get in the mottainai spirit and make turkey avgolemono? Of course this recipe is delicious made with chicken too. In fact, the picture above is actually a chicken avgolemono that I made this spring, but trust me, it looks almost the same.

Turkey Avgolemono

olive oil

one onion, chopped

half a stalk celery, chopped finely (optional)

one half cup uncooked rice

white wine or sake

about 6 cups homemade turkey stock (or chicken)

some turkey meat (or chicken), chopped

two bay leaves

juice from one lemon

two eggs or 4 egg yolks

handful of fresh dill, chopped

salt and pepper

Heat some olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion and celery. Sprinkle with some salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft. Add the rice and stir. Add a splash of wine or sake and stir again. Add the turkey stock, bay leaves, and turkey meat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until the rice is very tender.Turn off the heat.

Put half of the lemon juice and eggs in a bowl and whisk together thoroughly; make sure that there are no bits of unincorporated egg white or they won’t make your soup creamy. If you use all egg yolks the soup will be more yellow and taste richer. Don’t use all of the lemon juice at first because you don’t want the soup to be too sour–you can always add more later.  Gradually stir a few cups of hot soup together with the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Once the egg mixture is warm, add it to the pot of soup and stir well.

Add a handful of chopped dill or other green herbs like parsley and green onions. Stir soup and taste. Adjust your seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

[Via http://beyondboulder.wordpress.com]

The "Joy" Begins ...

I finally get to test out Joy recipes this weekend – my first one home since I went to college so it feels kind of weird. And wonderfully homey. What to choose? My parents were glad to volunteer me to make a whole meal for dinner, but I figure I’ll only make the entrée out of the Joy of Cooking and just mix up a quick salad and have some fresh fruit to go with it. So the first thing I need to find is an easy entrée. The second, if I feel like making it would be a side of some sort for that dinner. The third, which I’m definitely going to do, is to make something sweet to take back to the dorm for the other  girls.

So, a lot of these recipes have a lot of different steps. That’s pretty intimidating … but I can do it! I shall not be scared away by print. Print is my friend. I love to read. *deep breaths* How sad would that be if I had to report my first Joy recipe as a failure because of my own inadequacy? Very, but it won’t happen.

The journey begins … tomorrow. Which reminds me of a quote from Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings. “It’s a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no telling where you might be swept off to.” I’m about to step on the road.

For entrée: Fettuccini with fresh herbs

For side: Fresh Garlic Bread

For Roomies: Peanut Butter Pie (& pie crust & chocolate glaze)

[Via http://lwolf09.wordpress.com]

"You will amaze your friends." 8, 15, 37, 48, 64, 73

Speaking of fortune cookies (in Wednesday’s post), can you see the future?  Well, if you are the one making it happen, sure you can!

How to Change Your Fortune

I think this would be a lot of fun to use as a clue to where to find a larger gift than packaging will allow.  For example, if I want to give my grandma a new cookbook (and I do!), but I want to give her her gift in one of those magic boxes, like everyone else’s gift, I could remake her fortune to read something like, “You will be surprised and delighted when you pull out your chair for dinner this evening.”  Then, at some point shortly before dinner, I just need to sneak the book onto her chair.

I also have a special fortune planned for my hubby.  But that’s the only hint you get.

[Via http://chasedbyanelephant.wordpress.com]

that terrible onion aroma

I don’t know about you but I physically cannot stand onions. I can eat them but I cannot cut them in the raw. I cry like a little baby. Just now though, I was able to grate a whole onion without the slightest tear. Sure anyone walking by my house would have wondered what the mad scientist in the window was doing, but I wasn’t crying. I used swim goggles. It really worked. My nose was burning a little but I didn’t cry. Just a note.

[Via http://domestichusband.wordpress.com]

Living with Uncertainty

It is highly unusual for me to be coming to this part of the year without having a clear vision of what is store for me in the new year to come.  However since my decision to resign in July, uncertainty has been my constant companion and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  It has made me think deeply about my vocation of teaching and I truly believe it is a vocation. I have also had to think about balancing the different roles I have in my life and all of that is productive.  I remember a saying “let go and let God” and that is what I have been doing for the last six months.  That isn’t easy when I’m used to having all my ducks in a row and knowing exactly what the next step will be.

As of this moment I know these things:

• My true passion is teaching.  I will teach in any primary year level.  I used to think that Prep would be too hard. Now I think it would be great fun.
• I am open to new and different experiences in teaching.  They will all be part of life’s rich tapestry.
• While I can be a competent homemaker, I’m not cut out to make it my full time occupation.
• When I am feeling contented and on top of things that feeling spreads to the rest of my family.

I’ve been doing an number of things to deal with the uncertainty around next year.  These include sticking to a regular daily and weekly routine, slowly getting the house more organised so that a return to work is made easier and training my boys in taking on more household responsibilities instead of being “waited on”.  I’ve made sure that I have regular social contact through my knitting groups and book club. I’m also being open to suggestions about what I might do.  I’ve applied for a number of positions in a range of different schools and in many different year levels for anything from six months to 12 months.  I’m willing to try new things but I feel that I need more than casual relief work to truly utilize my talents and to make a viable financial contribution to my family.  Four days out of 10 weeks is certainly not enough for us to live on!

I’m also looking after my health.  Weight Watchers and Contours are a big part of my life.  Our menu planning at home is improving and we are cooking more regularly.  I stay in touch with my doctors on a regular basis and follow their advice.  I’m still not the best sleeper but I think part of that is natural when I’m faced with not knowing what the new year will bring.

[Via http://teresamcnamara.wordpress.com]

Korean Short Ribs (Kalbi) - Hawaiian Style

I’m not sure if this recipe is exact, but the Korean Short Ribs I used to get in Hawaii were INCREDIBLE!!   I could get RICH here with a Korean BBQ Joint.

Korean Short Ribs (Kalbi / Galbi) – Hawaiian Style

Ingredients

2-3 lbs short rib of beef

3/4 cup soy sauce

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

3 inches piece fresh ginger, sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions

1

Combine all ingredients and marinate ribs for 4 hours.

2

Broil or barbecue to desired degree of doneness.

[Via http://armedbear.wordpress.com]

Lentil Soup with Portobello Mushrooms & Spinach

Green, earthy, and mildly spicy, this hearty mix of legumes & meaty ’shrooms will satisfy both vegetarians & carnivores.

This soup improves greatly overnight, so it’s a great make-ahead dish. My habit is to keep soup in a two quart pitcher, and reheat one portion at a time. Be sure to serve this one with some quality Parmesan; some good Italian bread would be nice too.

The recipe is from Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe, by Danny Meyer and Chef Michael Romano:

12 oz portobello mushrooms, stems removed and caps rubbed clean

3 tbsp butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup peeled and chopped carrot

1 cup peeled and chopped celery

1 bay leaf

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced tomato

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper

1 1/2 cups brown lentils, picked over and rinsed

10 cups vegetable stock or water

6 packed cups stemmed and chopped spinach

1/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1. Thinly slice the mushroom caps and then cut the slices crosswise into thirds. (You should have about 6 cups of sliced mushrooms.)

2. Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and thyme. Cook until the vegetables are softened, but not colored, 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the portobellos, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they give up and then reabsorb their liquid, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Add the tomato and cook until the mixture is juicy, 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Stir in the salt, black and Aleppo peppers, and the lentils. Add the stock or water; bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.

6. Scoop out 1 cup of the lentils with a slotted spoon (some of the vegetables will cling to the lentils) and puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return the puree to the pot and stir to continue.

7. Stir in the spinach, bring the soup to a simmer, and continue cooking until the spinach wilts, 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to your taste.

8. Ladle the soup into a warm serving tureen or individual soup bowls. Sprinkle each serving with Parmigiano-Reggiano and drizzle with olive oil. Serve piping hot.

[Via http://heatandknives.wordpress.com]

People from a Bus in London

The lovely Aparna from My Diverse Kitchen graciously asked me to write a guest post for her My Kitchen Cafe series. I can’t describe to you how delighted I was! If you haven’t seen it yet, feel free to pop on over, read the post (People from a Bus in London) and explore her wonderful site. Oh there is a recipe for Urad Dal, too. Enjoy!

 

The Travel Series

• Cleaning Rameshwaran Temple
• Travel Thursday 15. Skanda Shasti
• Travel Thursday 14. Cooking in Kovalam, Kerala, India
• Turquoise: A Turkish Book Review
• Travel Thursday 13. The Folding Lotus
• Travel Thursday 12. Rosamatta Rice: A secret of Kerala
• Travel Thursday 11. The Best Coffee in the World. India
• Travel Thursday 10. The Pursuit of Coffee in London
• Travel Thursday 9. London in Winter with Flowers
• Travel Thursday 8. Eating Chat on a Kovalam Beach
• Happy Hindu New Year!
• Travel Thursday 7: An Orphanage in Cambodia
• Travel Thursday 6. Staying in Pilgrim Hotels in India
• Travel Thursday 5. Eating from Banana Leaves in India
• Maha Sivaratri – The Hindu Night of Siva
• Travel Thursday 4. Dosai cooking at the Train Station
• Travel Thursday 3. Siem Reap New Market, Cambodia Part 2
• Travel Thursday 2. Siem Reap New Market, Cambodia Part 1
• Travel Thursday 1. A night in Singapore

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

 

 

More Cooking, Food and Recipes:

B. Smith

Photo from buttermilkpress.com

The Brun Perspective (TBP) adores B. Smith! This woman is FABULOUS. In fact, TBP believes B. Smith is the very definition of elegance. B. Smith, B. for Barbara if you didn’t all ready know, is a lifestyle expert who has built an enterprise that is arguably unheard of for an African-American (Brun) woman. True, Oprah Winfrey has built an empire that has made her the most notable and wealthiest Brun women in the world, but TBP feels B. Smith is a force in her own right. B. Smith’s beauty, grace, style, and personality sets her apart from the rest.

B. smith is the quintessential entrepreneur. A model turned restaurateur, columnist, author, and media personality, she is a role model for not only Brun women, but women of all ages and shades. With a jewelry, home decor, furnishing, and serveware collection, her enterprise is most impressive. TBP may have overlooked B. Smith’s numerous endeavors (my apologies B. Smith), please visit her web site or Facebook page to learn about all things B. Smith. With the release of her third book, B. Smith Cooks Southern Style, she continues to blaze trails.

TBP would be remiss if it didn’t mention Dan Gasby, B. Smith’s husband. Talk about “tall, dark, and handsome,” he embodies the phrase. Mr. Gasby is a force in his own right, with a reputable career in televison advertising sales and marketing and as a producer, he is Chairman of B. Smith Enterprises, Ltd. Together, B. Smith and Dan Gasby are one of the most admirable Brun power couples today.

I’m buying her new book, make sure you buy it too. B. Smith if your reading this, TBP wants to be your personal assistant. How do I apply?

A new meal and a new swap!

Earlier this week, the fabulous Eileen threw down a challenge, as she set out to learn more recipes and I decided to join her. Tonight was the first installment – Roast Poussin with Sweet Potatoes. This comes courtesy of Nigella Express and the recipe is as follows…

2 poussins

2 tbsp garlic oil

1 sweet potato, weighing approx 500g

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1-2 bunches of watercress

Salt and pepper

Lime juice

Preheat the oven to 220c. Put the birds into a small roasting tin and pour half the oil over them. Cut the unpeeled sweet potato in 5cm dice and put them into a roasting tin – Nigella suggests using two tins, I used one. If you’re doing that, put a slice of bread underneath the poussin to soak up the juices – this means the sweet potato will get nice and crisp. Either way, pour the rest of the oil over the sweet potatoes and then sprinkle on the spices. Stick in the oven and cook for 45mins.

Nigella suggests spritzing the watercress with the lime juice and seasoning the rest with the salt and pepper. I just tore up some iceberg lettuce. This was super tasty and very, very easy. Obviously if you were looking to feed a family a chicken would be better, but these quantities work fine for two. I now have the carcass sitting in a pot so I can make stock with it tomorrow.

Staying with the lovely Eileen, she’s hosting her first swap and I do love a swap, so I am duly signed up!

I encourage you all to get along to her blog and do the same!

 

The Netbook Experience (short piece)

 

It is time for a new laptop and I did a little search online and found myself caught between the Netbook and the laptop. I settled the challenge, for my own purposes, long time ago in favor of the laptop. However, the Netbook seemed to have a few advantages. My research revealed a few good things and I happened to walk by Verizon Store and walked in to check the phone stock where I noticed the tiny netbooks sitting alone in a corner. I really did not care much since I know a good deal about them except I had to try something. The keyboard is very important to me because I have to do much typing on a regular basis.

I bought my Dell Inspiron laptops years ago. At that time, they cost $1645 each which was the cheapest possible for that type of laptop by using Dell online. I was learning networking and needed a backup laptop also. I can never convince anyone why it makes sense to have two laptops. The laptops did great forever except both of them have one touch-key missing. They still function but is interesting the missing keys are the only problem I had. I read online some netbooks have keyboards so small that is impossible to touchtype. That sounds scary to me. I wouldn’t know what to do with the netbook if I have to type and make mistakes or get tired of the tiny keyboard. I jumped on the netbooks and tried all of them. They were all 10.1 inches or bigger which I read online was the minimum screen size that was practical. The keyboards actually worked well. I tried ATT store also and my conclusion has been HP Netbooks have keyboards almost identical to regular laptop. One model had huge keys and another had larger than standard. Both were great for regular typing. The truth is the other netbooks have very comfortable keyboards also though not as large as the HP.

I thought about it and a couple of other things crossed my mind also. Netbooks makes sense for several reasons. One is the weight which is less than 3 lbs and the netbook can be dragged everywhere at all times. The hard-drive for these models were 160GB which is great if you have to shoot occasional video or digital photos. One has to carry a portable hard-drive to make sure no media is lost if shooting a lot. Netbook can do the job and I cannot think of any other use for a huge hard-drive anyway. The built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and cell access (if buying Verizon or ATT capable models) allow you to be as mobile as possible. The operating systems are good and personally I prefer XP for its speed. The built-in camera allows you to do quick video-messages (similar to voice mail) or do quick posts for a videoblog. I find that useful and practical because of the 1.6Ghz processor and 1GB of memory. The only thing I could not get answers for was the sound card. If I am to use voice activated software, the soundcard will be very crucial and can make the difference of all or nothing. I couldn’t find comparative reviews online based on sound cards and got blank stares from the store staff. They had no idea of the sound card quality. The video cards are powerful but sound is always behind in a tiny model for obvious reasons.

I think netbooks make good companions for very busy people. Laptops are indispensable depending on the profession but for general business use, a netbook can do the same job as a laptop without being a burden. It can always be in the car or your bag and not matter. The weight is only 3lbs and the size is no bigger than an average book. Personally, voice activation is very important to me so I may end up getting a normal laptop versus a netbook for the sake of the sound card but otherwise netbook can be a good replacement choice also. They remind me of when cellphone service first started to be as good as landline and some folks began disconnecting the landlines and keeping the cellphone for both purposes. Today that is very common. The netbook can become such strong replacement that regular home computer and laptops are removed for many users.

*This post belongs to this week’s edition of Wine by Cush Magazine blog and published early in World of Cush also.

Meals week of 11-14

Forgot to post this week’s meal plan!

Saturday: Me- at a crop, dinner provided. J- NogFest ‘09 = Nachos, Egg Nog

Sunday: Crock Pot Beef Stew, bread

Monday: Was going to be leftover stew, but we are both eating it for lunch…so we will either make something from another night or go out and eat leftovers Friday.

Tuesday: Cashew Chicken, rice (Saw the recipe on Simply Recipes, and have had a hankering for Chinese food, so giving it a try)

Wednesday: Grilled Cheese, Tomato Soup (practicing eating like a toddler)

Thursday: Leftovers or Black Bean Soup & Nachos

Friday: Out, or leftovers

Cooking adventures

I made a really delicious roast pork awhile ago–seriously, it may have been the best pork I’ve ever eaten. I got some weird cut I’d never heard of and couldn’t find in any of my cookbooks, but I think this would be good with any cut meant for roasting.

I combined {this recipe} and {this recipe}. So I combined:
1 t thyme
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 t rosemary

Rub this mixture over the pork. Then put the pork in a baking dish. Cut up about 1/2 a medium apple and spread over the pork and the bottom of the dish. Preheat the oven to 325 and put the pork in, uncovered. It will cook slowly for about 3 hours. Baste regularly.

Make the glaze:
1/4 c sugar
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/8 c vinegar
1/8 c water
1 Tbsp soy sauce
ginger

Combine these in a saucepan and heat until slightly thick. Brush over pork several times during the last 1/2 hour or so of cooking.

I added some potatoes, carrots, and onions in the last hour or so–they needed a bit more time or something, but the pork itself was delicious!

Chateau de Saigon Take Two (Continued)

So…..let’s get back to the main act of my meal at Chateau de Saigon. Well, it wasn’t exactly my meal but I did get to take part in the awesome experience that was La Vong Sizzling Fish. On the menu, it’s stated as ’sizzling marinated fish filet chunks with sauteed onion & fresh baby dill served with lettuce, fresh seasonal herbs, and our House dipping sauce along with rice paper for rolling wraps. Cooked at the table’. Get ready for the Disney World ride of Vietnamese food. It is, in fact, a small world after all.

Explained best via photographs:

tableside cooker

onions and dill join the party

waiter brings over a pan of marinated fish and gets to work

squeezing in fresh lime juice

needs a lot of lime

time for herbs and veggies

stir it all around

necessary elements to create the wraps

dip the paper into water

put lettuce, fresh herbs, cucumbers, apples onto rice paper

throw on some noodles

and the cooked fish

We also added peanuts and super spicy chilis.

Let’s get rolling:

time to eat!

As you can see, this dish is uber interactive and a lot of fun with a group (or with people who are food nerds, i.e. ME!)

Chateau de Saigon
4300 Buford Hwy NE
Suite 218
Atlanta, GA 30345
ph: 404.929.0034
http://www.chateaudesaigon.com/

Thai Red Curry (Pad Prik King)

A Caveman’s take on a classic Thai dish. Besides, I had to give you something to put the Thai Table Sauce (Nam Pla Prik) on!

INGREDIENTS

4 Chicken Thighs or 2 Large Breasts
1/4 lbs. Fresh Green Beans
1 Small Crown of Broccoli
1/4 Sweet Onion
4 Tbsp. Cooking Oil
3 Tbsp. Thai Red Curry Paste
1 Tbsp. Sugar

RECIPE

Bone chicken and cut into bite sized pieces (approximately 1 square inch).

Chop all veggies into bite sized pieces.

In a Wok or Stir Fry pan, heat oil over a medium high flame. Add curry paste and stir fry for about 3 minutes.

Add sugar and stir in well. Then, add chicken and cook until almost done, stirring often.

Add broccoli and green beans and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Don’t over cook the veggies, or they get too soft and lose much of their nutritional value.

Add onions and stir fry an additional minute.

Remove from flame, and serve with steamed rice and Thai Table Sauce (Nam Pla Prik).
HINT #1: If this condiment is too spicy for you, just use some plain Fish Sauce to add some additional flavor.
NOTE: This dish can also be made with beef, pork, lamb, shrimp or tofu! While you can make your own curry paste, there are several authentic canned Thai pastes available that are great. Trader Joe’s has a decent one (in a small bottle), too.
HINT #2: If making this recipe with tofu, be sure to lightly brown it in the Wok with a little oil before adding it to the curry paste, oil and sugar.

Prep Time = 15 minutes
Cook Time = 15 minutes
Serves 4

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

5/6 of 2009

oh yeah, november goals. I started writing these last week and forgot. hmm…

• continue running/training for another race to improve my pace (possibly the 5k christmas run in december). maybe mayyyyybe find a 10k (and/or a half marathon) to look forward to in the new year to keep myself motivated.
• practice more yoga.
• hike solstice canyon.
• start the ball rolling for 2010 high school and college reunions (?!)
• renew passport, in hopes of actually using it in 2010.
• decide one way or another about getting architecture license reciprocity in CA.
• co-host the second annual 1035 thanksgiving!
• cook one “classic” dish from joy of cooking per week.
• sew or knit at least one project.
• begin a ‘things to do before thirty’ list.
• find a way to give back.

Egg + Salmon

At about 4 ish.. i was watching Twilight (1st part).. yes i’m uber late and outdated.. but the show is AWESOME!! hehe…

Ate some Mat Tou Yau Gramps bought back for me..

Grampa says its quite nice. he had half of my “drink”.. hehe. yay.. another fan of it.

I didn’t have much appetite for dinner, so i just waited for dear to come.. Dinner was had only about 8 ish.. i cooked!

It’s been so long since i cooked, though i don’t actually call today cooking since i did use alot of “prepared” foods..

I nuked some frozen edamame beans.

Sorry. i kinda forgot to photograph everything until we were midway thru dinner. So most of the food/all of it was half eaten when i snapped!

I love these edamame akak Jean bought! Lovely without salt!

Some Campbells mushroom soup was decided at the last minute!

 

And i fried some egg and salmon sausages!

Nuked some salmon sausages, fried some onions (almost burnt them), sliced the sausages and charred it abit. Then put in 3 eggs. and out came yummy egg and salmon!!

Quite delish i must say! hehe..

That’s all for the night. i wanted to watch “Premonition” but grampa wanted watch his chinese singing show.

Friday Cuisine

Salmon chowder followed by Autumn fruit crumble

I seem to have made enough of the chowder to last tonight, tomorrow night and Sunday. Salmon fillets, Maris Piper potatoes, leeks, spring onions, crème fraîche and a few chilli flakes. Very, very  lush and warming.

The fruit crumble was from chopped Bramley apples and frozen berries, with crushed Amaretti biscuits, with Green and Black’s vanilla ice cream. It smelt gorgeous  while it was cooking.

All of this came together in about an hour. The kitchen looked like a bomb-site just after the cooking: I think I’d used every possible implement, plate and bowl. Thankfully a few bowls of washing up sorted that out.

I sorted out some lovely flowers I’d bought and put them in the living room and bathroom. Then I hung up some washing (including about 8000 pieces of underwear. How does that happen? I did a load of washing last Saturday).

London Lives has been living a Rock.And.Roll lifestyle this Friday evening, clearly.

Antico Pizza Napoletana: Meet Giovanni di Palma

front of the house

back of the house

Oh, what a night – I spent the evening with Atlanta’s #1 pizza maker, Giovanni di Palma. He is quite a guy: gregarious, proud, generous, welcoming, but above all, utterly humbled by the mass amounts of positive buzz his small pizza joint has created. He mentioned interviews, photo shoots, magazines, and blogs, that have bombarded and overwhelmed the down to earth crew. Giovanni has but one word to say to the city of Atlanta, “Grazie.”

Giovanni happened to remember my anchovy-loving ways so he invited me to the back room to check out the scene.

Then the fun began:

don't drop it!

the master is watching

help me out, man!

handing over the reigns

It was heavy!

Kind-hearted Giovanni also let me touch his beloved dough. Soft stuff.

career change?

wearing the opposite of the correct color for this activity

trying to smuggle flour out on my pants

The boys were more than happy to oblige to my demands:

blue + red = purple

As if it could get any better, we were treated to an espresso and cannolis while we read the framed Vince Lombardi quote on the wall:

espresso

side view cannolis

frontal cannolis

words from Mr. Lombardi

At this point, we all know that Antico serves up the best pizza Atlanta has to offer. In fact, for all I know they’ve got the best pizza in the south. We also know that when you go to Antico, you stuff yourself with the aforementioned pizza until you can barely breathe. Fair enough. But I urge you – try the cannoli, biscotti, and especially the sfogliatelle. You will not regret it; and you can do it! See how well I did:

all gone

it's not a struggle to get this down

California Maki

I chose this dish because we once made it in a cooking class and it was quite simple. This is a japanese dish that is usually called “California Roll.” It was invented when japanese chefs went to America to seek their fortune, the chefs made the sushi roll inside-out because Americans did not like seeing and chewing the nori when it was on the outside. That was the brief history of the “California Maki.”

Here’s the recipe:

California Maki

2 cups sushi rice

4 sheets of nori (dried seaweed)

1 mango

8 pieces kani (crab sticks)

4 tbsp. japanese mayonnaise

1/2 cup ebiko (shrimp eggs)

Peel a mango and cut it into strips. Cover a bamboo or sushi mat with plastic wrap. Put a sheet of dried seaweed on top of the mat. Spread sushi rice on top of the seaweed and press firmly. Turn the sushi layer over so that the seaweed is on top. Place mango and crab lengthwise on the seaweed. Roll the bamboo mat forward, pressing the ingredients inside the cylinder-shaped sushi. Press the bamboo firmly with hands, then remove the rolled sushi. Spread ebiko around the roll. Cut the sushi-roll into bite-sized pieces. Serve with wasabi or kikkoman.

Makes 4 rolls.

Sushi Rice

2 cups cooked japanese rice

4 tbsp. sweet vinegar for sushi rice

Mi together rice and vinegar till well combined.

Sweet Vinegar

1/2 cup japanese vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Boil together till sugar dissolves. Use for sushi rice.

Stuffed Butternut Squash

Dinner parties and special occasions like Thanksgiving can be difficult if you’re the lone vegetarian at the table.  Conscientious hosts usually prepare something that will be vegetarian-friendly but all too often our poor veggie-loving friends are left trying to fill up on side dishes like potatoes.  I have many friends who are vegetarians including my brother-in-law Dan so I always try to come up with something creative that will appeal to him but that everyone else can enjoy as well.  This year I decided to try stuffing a butternut squash with white and wild rice, autumn herbs and peppers.  It was a big hit at the Thanksgiving table and is hearty enough to work as a vegetarian main dish in place of turkey or roast beef.  It can also be adapted very easily for vegan diners.

Visit Suite 101.com for the recipe:  Stuffed Butternut Squash

Bon Appétit and Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday

One of the great things about posting my menu plans on my blog is that I have a record of them after the week is over.   I usually recycle my menus at the end of each week but sometimes wish I had a copy of past menus for inspiration.  Now I do!  As always, check out orgjunkie.com for more great menu ideas! 

Baking: blueberry yogurt muffins (I made mine with whole wheat flour, homemade yogurt, and replaced two tablespoons of the yogurt with a little fresh lemon juice for extra lemony flavour, so good!)

Apple Pie Burritos - these were a winner!  I made them with some local honeycrisp apples and served them with a homemade caramel sauce instead of the Dulce de Leche.

The menu:

Broccoli and Potato soup with pita crisps (cut pitas in slices or triangles, sprinkle with olive oil and toast in the oven until crisp)

Salsa Cheddar chicken and Corn Fritters – I served these last week and my husband asked for it again!

Pasta and Tomato Sauce with Carrots and dip (we still have lots of carrots in the garden!)

Mexican Wraps (beans cooked in salsa for me, beef seasoned with homemade seasoning mix for my meat-loving husband – Thank you Mom Living Healthy for the recipe!) with lots of veggies

Rice Casserole  (cooked rice mixed with veggies, beans, herbs and chopped tomatoes, sprinkled with cheese and baked in a 350 degree oven for 20 – 30 minutes) 

Chicken Burgers and Fries (You can always tell the nights that I am out and the man is cooking for himself – this is definitely not the kind of meal I would cook or eat, but, to each his own!)

Friday night Pizza

Hope there are yummy things cooking at your house this week!

Allergen Free Cookies

These were so good! Keagan and I baked some Sunflower Seed Butter cookies yesterday. These are free of many major allergens, though if you can’t eat egg, you would have to use a substitute.
I pieced together a few recipes to try and make a gluten free peanut free alternative to a peanut butter cookie. Here’s what I came up with:

1 cup sunflower seed butter
3/4 cup evaporated cane juice (or you could use basic sugar)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bake at 350 for about 10 min.

These were seriously so delicious. A lot of allergen free alternative are good, but can leave you wanting the real thing. I liked these better than “real” peanut butter cookies.

Keagan had a lot of fun helping. Or should I say stirring the sunbutter, stealing the spoon and running to the living room to hide.

He really did enjoy the whole process. I always try to distract him when I cook and I know everyone always says to include the kids and how much they learn from it, but it just always stressed me out. I realized yesterday it was no big deal and was more fun for both of us. I see a lot of baking together in our future.

Eden kept herself busy with some ribbon while we baked. She’s not quite ready for baking

Naptimes’s over, so this blog is too

Weigh in 4

Well peeps I lost another pound this week which makes the total 4 pounds in 4 weeks.  Now I have to say I am quite disappointed in this, especially since my friend has been going for 6 weeks and has lost 13 pounds!!!!!!

However I MUST remind myself that I haven’t been an angel and I have went out for dinner and drinks etc and still managed to lose.  I also think that the gym isn’t doing my any favours on the scales, obviously I am getting fitter and am enjoying it so will continue to go but I think for some reason it is causing me to not show a loss on the scales.

BUT I am still losing and it might just be that in order for me to get to where I want to be now I will just have to be patient, and wait for my pound loss every week.  Unfortunately I have lots planned this weekend, but I think I have nothing on next weekend so I will try and be as good as gold and see if I can possibly go for 2 instead of 1 pound.  But we will see

Anyway I know I haven’t posted any recipes for a while, I added one this morning though, so I thought I would share a couple of pictures I have taken recently and I will eventually post the recipes for.  But if you like the look of them and would like the recipe sooner, please just let me know and I will kick my lazy bum into gear

Oh and I am working on a few cakes for some friends for a party tonight, and if they turn out really want to share them with you.  I will warn you now, you don’t want to make these if you are on a diet but I have to say I have found a passion for baking and making everyone else fat

Soooooooo here are my pictures:

Spring rolls with filo pastry:

Vegetable chilli with a baked potato and cheese:

Vegetable Curry:

Vegetables!

This week's CSA box

I really miss my freedom of cooking. The hardest thing about my community experience here has been not being able to think, hey, this sounds good, I think I’ll make that for dinner! I only get to cook once a week, and some weeks not at all. I could cook on the weekends, but we don’t usually have house money to spend on ingredients, and my $100 stipend doesn’t go very far when it comes to groceries. I don’t mean to have a pity party, living on $100 a month is not the hardest thing I’ve ever done. At least I know that $100 will be there every month for the next 9 months. But I’m really struggling with my own personal lack of food sovereignty.  Especially after cooking for myself for the last 3 or 4 years.

My saving grace is my CSA box. The thing about cooking that is so fulfilling to me is the experimentation and creativity. Knowing that there will be a couple pounds of vegetables that aren’t claimed for meals, and that are often unusual vegetables that no one else is dying to cook, like tokyo turnips. These humble little roots have preserved my sanity for several weeks in a row now. I had never heard of them until they arrived in my box, but I’ve found several ways to cook them since then. I’m pretty sure that no one else in my house even knows what they are except maybe Maria, because I made her try some last week. She’s a good sport. I can also usually count on radishes and squash to sit neglected until I either eat them myself or use them in a dinner dish. And I love them for that.

Sonny's Bibimbap

When I was in Colorado Springs recently, my friend Sonny made this delicious, traditional Korean dinner just for me.  It’s what I always order when we go out for Korean food.  Yes, I know it’s cooked and it has rice, thus breaking the rules, but it was delicious nonetheless!

I don’t have the exact recipe she used for the bibimbap, but it was brown rice with poached egg, julienned carrots and cucumber, and spinach sauteed with garlic.  I topped it off with tamari.  Delish.

She also made a fantastic raw cold Korean cucumber soup with an apple cider vinegar broth filled with thin cucumber and green onion slices.  Raw and refreshing!

Maybe one day when I figure out how to have guest authors on this blog, Sonny can post the actual recipes for me. 

Overall, a big 4/5 happy monkeys for this lovely meal.

Aromatic and Delicious Sunday Evening :) :) :)

Last Sunday, i tried something unusual and different. Ok it’s unsual because, i never cooked on a Sunday evening and it is different for two reasons, firstly, i never tried a French recipe before; secondly, i cooked it with my French friend in her house in Rue Franscois Martin street( French part of my town). Actually, we (me and celine) planned two things, cooking and movies. Unfortunately, i was not able to stay in her house. I dropped the movie plan in the last minute. Every tea break discussion of ours carried the menu for sunday evening. Eventually, we finalized Quiche, pop corn, vegetable cheese sandwich and a desert with puffed rice ( in tamil it is called a “Aval”). I reached her house around 5 pm in the evening, there i got introduced to another French girl named “Manon”. She is also staying with Celine with a quite interesting profile, she is working on ecological issues and travelling the world to make a study on it. We left the house for buying the ingredients like Cheese, Carrot, Fresh cream, Mushroom and eggs. To my surprise the supermarket where i usually buy vegetables and fruits has got expanded with cosmetics, food items and other households like a typical supermarket. So we found everything there, except fresh cream and eggs. Later, i drove her to Nilgris. While driving in the French town we narrowly escaped from hitting a van. Big vehicles are not usual in French part of the town and we never heard the sound of the van. (It is a “T” shaped road, imagine the van is coming from one end and we are in the road intersecting or perpendicular). I took a deep breath, (if only i do it regularly it is a yoga ) and drove to Nilgris, we finished our shopping and returned home. I started to do pop corn, i made it some five times before. It was successfull all the time except yesterday, because i forgot to turn off the flame after the popping stopped. So, some 5% of the corn was burnt completely. Thank God it still had its taste and aroma . Celine appreciated me
I started to cut vegetables for the sandwich, meanwhile Celine was frying mushroom and onions for the quiche. I stacked my sandwich with sliced onions, carrots, tomato, cheese and chat masala to taste. This time i was 100% successfull with my dish. The sandwich came well with a minimum roasting. This time Manon appreciated me Before we left for the shopping, we made the aval desert so that, the mixture sets wells, with aval, coconut milk, milk and sugar. The process of quiche involved many ingredients and stages as well, like Chopping, Frying, layering, mixing, Baking etc., Usually Quiche is made with pork but Celine used chicken since i will not eat pork. We set the oven temperature for the quiche and relaxed our backs in front of the TV watching Indiana Jones and the last Crusade in star movies and Cats & Dogs in HBO by swapping the channel in ad breaks. Sadly, Yesterday the cable TV operator of our location failed (for hardcore cricket lovers like my brothers it is compared to a brutal murder) telecasting the first one day series between India and Australia. I didn’t follow the news as well for the whole day. When i took a pause at CNN IBN seeing the shots from Cricket i was thrilled to know the result. Because by that time i know the match will be over. Ok, i saw the shots when India was 288 with four runs more to beat Aussies. Here comes the sad television editing, they showed the Indian players standing and cheering the players which looked like India won the match. But, horribly the news ticker at the bottom carried Australia won India by 4 runs . I was really shocked and felt bad in missing a good series But i soon got over it to taste the Quiche which carried a devouring aroma. Hmmmm, it was really good and tasted heavenly. The hard labour in the preparation of Quiche would have made it taste heavenly With a feeling of a satisfied evening i took some Quiche for my family. This time my cousins appreciated me for something really good:) All appreciation goes to ma cher Celine

Puddy

That is some weird stuff. It’s sorta like sawdust foam, sorta like sand, sorta like play-doh. And then it dries to the crunchy, crusty stuff that trails all over the house. The kids and I had the job of filling nail holes today(which I sunk into the wood). #2 and #3 (yeah, can you believe it?) moved all the leftover wood from the living room to the kitchen for the time-being.

 

And for those of you who are wondering what possessed me to allow #2 to touch a bucket of puddy- it was over before it started. He was fired after the first two handfuls of puddy.

 

Here's what #3 was doing. That thing on the floor is a little clay dinosaur that #1 made in 1st grade. She is absolutely TERRIFIED of that thing and will scream bloody murder if you even think about putting it near her. I set it one the floor and she actually walked up to it. She thinks it is real.

 

A close up of the clay dinosaur. Not too scary.

 

And Husband finished laying wood the foyer the other night. It looks so awesome, especially next to the french doors.

 

 

 

Thought I would add this other pic of Husband and #3. It is so cute of them!

 

And also, #1 decided that I needed a break after this week of work, so he made dinner- french toast and eggs.

I know what you're thinking- but there wasn't any Windex in the toast that I know of.