The Kitchen Mirror

The Sandwich that Made it All Better

2011-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

I know that comfort eating is one of the most unhealthy things we can do in terms of diet and nutrition. For one, we usually end up eating all the wrong things. What sounds better than your bests friend's chocolate chip cookies when you've just had the worst day at work? Ever?

My eating habits since returning from our travels have been weird to say the least. One day I hardly want to look at food, the next day I can't get enough bread, and then the next, I'm all about the vegetables.

A veritable cornucopia on a plate...

This was one of those vegetable days. I had been working on a project that was not only super complex, but in a field of work I'm relatively new to, so the mental gymnastics going on for a couple weeks were starting to overwhelm. I needed comfort food. Lucky for my body, I'd recently discovered a local bakery that makes a fantastic vegetarian sandwich. I really loved it, so I decided to see if I could recreate it at home.

And as you've probably figured out by now, it was pretty darn easy. I mean, vegetables. Look what's in the sandwich and you've got your blueprints. The only trick was finding a delicious, but not-too-unhealthy, spread to go on the bread.

I finally settled on a combination of homemade pesto-mayonnaise and dijon mustard. And it hit the spot. The bakery serves their version on multigrain sandwich bread, but I used a couple different varieties. I tried a pugliese bread, sliced thick, and a seeded baguette style bread-- both were good, and better suited to a huge pile of vegetables than thin sandwich bread.

The (veggie) Sandwich that Made it All Better
created from taste-bud memory, adapted from the Paradise Veggie Sandwich

Two slices of sturdy bread of your choice
1 Tbs. mayonnaise
1 Tbs. pesto
1 tsp. dijon or spicy mustard
1/2 large roasted red bell pepper, sliced in 1 inch strips
Cucumber, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch rounds or strips
1 tomato, sliced
dark green lettuce - choose a variety like red-leaf or romaine
thinly sliced red onions
goat cheese crumbles or preferred cheese
fresh ground pepper to taste

To assemble your sandwich, first combine the mayonnaise and pesto in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. You'll have plenty of this yumminess left over for another sandwich, burger, pita... whatever!

Warm the bread slightly in the oven or toaster, then spread one slice with the pesto mayonnaise to taste. On the other slice, spread the dijon (You may need more or less, to taste.)

Layer the vegetables on one slice of the bread and top with crumbled goat cheese; then add the pepper if desired. The warm bread will soften the goat cheese just slightly and it will sort of melt into the vegetables. Top with the remaining bread slice and bite into heaven. And you can even feel good about it.

Apple Cranberry French Toast

2010-12-16T18:30:00.001-08:00

As the holidays approach, so do the millions of potlucks and events I've found myself cooking and baking for. I had a brief period of panic last week when I couldn't figure out what to make for a couple events where I would be providing dessert. I figured it out and all is well. In fact, at least one of those items will pop up here later (probably after the holidays, when I have some extra free time).

Anyway, last Sunday my knitting group hosted a brunch-themed potluck and I knew JUST what I wanted to make. Last year around the holidays, my friend Angie posted a picture of Apple Cranberry French Toast & I added it to the list of things to make. It was PERFECT for a brunch party.

The recipe is so easy that you won't believe how tasty it is. It does take a little thought ahead of time, as the whole thing has to soak at least overnight before you bake it, but SO WORTH IT.

From Angie's version:

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 teaspoons cinnamon (divided)
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1 loaf Italian or French Bread, cut into 1-inch slices
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1. Combine brown sugar, butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Add apples and cranberries, toss to coat well. Spread apple mixture evenly over bottom of baking dish Arrange slices of bread on top.

2. Mix eggs, milk, vanilla, and remaining 2 teaspoons cinnamon until well blended.
Pour mixture over bread, soaking bread completely. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 24
hours.

3. Bake, covered with aluminum foil in a preheated 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.
Uncover and bake 5 minutes longer ( I baked it 10 minutes longer). Remove from
oven; let stand 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Makes 12 servings.

The only thing I really did differently is that I used some apples Mindy & I had canned from our trip to Eckert's last year. They were Fuji's canned in a light simple syrup, so I probably should have used just a smidge less sugar.

Go ahead, make up a batch to toss in the oven for Christmas morning. By the time all the presents are unwrapped, you'll have a tasty breakfast ready to eat.

Pumpkin Squash Soup

2010-11-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

My lovely friend, Wendy, has the good fortune of living in the equally lovely town of Flagstaff, Arizona. I love Flagstaff and have hoped many times to live there. Among the many beautiful characteristics of the town are the distinct changes of season. When autumn begins to turn to winter, you know that cold, crisp weather is about to set in.

Still, autumn in Flagstaff is full of sunshine, blue skies, and celebrations like Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the day celebrating the time of year in which the boundaries that separate the living and the dead are at their weakest. It's a tradition that's gaining a foothold in the American West and a perfect way to observe and commemorate a time of year when we're getting ready to turn inward and hunker down for the winter.

This recipe was Wendy's contribution to a Dia de los Muertos celebration with friends, and as I look out my window at the 15 inches of snow that fell this weekend, it seems like just what I need!

Pumpkin Squash Soup
Photographs by Wendy

Pumpkin Squash Soup

(Gluten free, vegetarian)

Yield: 4 ½ qt of soup

Ingredients:

1 3-4 pound pumpkin (yield about 8 cups of pulp)

1 medium butternut squash (yield 4 cups of pulp)

1 apple (tart variety like Granny Smith)

1 medium onion

1 3” piece fresh ginger root

6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

64 oz. vegetable broth, or more as necessary

1 fresh pomegranate

Scrub the pumpkin and squash thoroughly. Cut in half, remove seeds and membranes. Reserve the seeds for pepitos.

Coat the outside shells with extra virgin olive oil and place cavity-side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast at 350 degrees for about an hour or until pulp is soft. Skin will be golden.

Use care when removing from oven as steam will be trapped in the cavity. Carefully invert the pieces to allow steam to escape. Allow to cool.

Scrape out the pulp with a large spoon or remove skin and cut the pulp into large pieces. Discard the skin. This step may be done the day before and refrigerated until soup is prepared.

Combine and set aside:

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp all spice

1 tsp nutmeg

Medium chop:

1 onion

1 apple, peeled and cored

Mince:

3” piece of fresh ginger (Soup4)

In large kettle or stock pot:

Heat about 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Sauté the onion, apple, and ginger until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the cinnamon, all spice, and nutmeg into the pot (will coat the onion, apple, and ginger).

Stir well. Cook until lightly caramelized, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the reserved pumpkin and squash pulp. Mix well.

Add 64 oz. vegetable broth. Add more liquid as needed.

Add kosher salt (about 1 tsp) and fresh ground pepper (about 1/2 tsp).

Simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally. Everything should be soft and tender.

Puree with immersion blender or in small batches in a standard blender or food processor. Use care with hot liquids in free standing blender or food processor.

Remove seeds from pomegranate, set aside for garnish.

Ladle into bowls for serving. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds and pepitos over the top.

pumpkins, butternut squash, pepitos, roasted pumpkin meat
photographs by Wendy

Pepitos

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

pumpkin seeds reserved from soup recipe

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

garlic powder

Separate pumpkin seeds from membrane under running water. When all the membrane has been removed, lay seeds on paper towels and allow to dry overnight.

When seeds are dry, pick out any remaining membrane fragments from seeds.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; pre heat oven to 275 degrees.

Gently coat seeds with extra virgin olive oil by turning with hands or spoon.

Spread in a single layer on baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt and garlic powder (if desired).

Other spices to consider: chili powder, red pepper, black pepper.

Place in preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes. Gently stir seeds after 15 minutes and repeat roasting and stirring for up to an hour til the seeds are lightly browned and crisp.

Toss with more salt and garlic before last baking.

Carefully pick up parchment paper and move seeds to cool surface.

Allow to cool.

Sprinkle on soup as it is served.

Store leftovers in an air tight container.

Now go make this (I am!) and share it with friends. 'Cause if you're about to get snowed in for a day or so (as we are) you'll want all the company you can get. Besides, they'll love you for it, even if you aren't planning for a visit from the dead.

Somewhere beyond the kitchen...

2010-10-25T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hello! I'm back, finally back, from a long and wonderful adventure. I had every intention of dropping by here from time to time to tease you with glimpses of all the amazing food I was encountering in all the amazing places I was so fortunate to visit.

Unfortunately, our first week was plagued by problems accessing and then making use of, internet connections. And as time wore on, I kept thinking I'd do it "tomorrow." And well, obviously, I never did. I did take pictures, though, and I can't wait to share them with you. But, that has to wait. I've a few million things on my plat right now, because not only did we up and leave the country for five weeks, right before we left, my husband accepted a job in a new state, quit his old one, we moved out of our house, put everything in storage and hoped for the best when we returned!

We're back, in our new state, looking for a new home, enrolling the kids in school...etc, etc. And so far it's been terrific. But a little crazy. Late fall landed here just about the time we did and snow (seriously! snow!) is forecast for this week. We left Southern California in early September and are utterly unprepared for late fall mountain weather.

But whatever-- we're embracing the craziness and moving forward. It just means that some already neglected things are getting pushed a little further back for now. I look forward to having the time-- and the space-- to really sit down and write about our adventures. Until then, I'll leave you with something beautiful... because as delicious as the food was, it still couldn't hold a candle to moments like this:

Baked Kale Chips

2010-10-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Something about the produce section of my local grocery stores scares me. It's not the fruit section, but the vegetables. I can pick up pretty much any fruit and know that I can just eat it raw. Not a problem. But the veggies? Some of them I had NO IDEA what to do with. It doesn't help that they aren't always labeled well, either.

Just today, I stopped in my local grocery to pick up some things for dinner & stopped to look at the greens because I wanted to pick up some kale. Except I've never bought kale before & I wasn't entirely sure what it looked like in raw form. I wandered the section for a bit, eventually coming upon the "greens, 99¢ a bunch" section. Okay. Upon closer inspection, the only "greens" in this section were collard greens & kale. Now, I know what collard greens look like in raw form, even if only because I have to feed them to Mindy's iguana when I go over to petsit for them. By process of elimination, the other unmarked "greens" in that section had to be the kale.

But why the need for kale? Because I have friends who turn them into kale chips and talk about them. A lot. So I needed to try it out for myself.

I originally saw these at Smitten Kitchen, though the basics are really up to you.

Ingredients:

1 bunch kale

1tbsp olive oil

sea salt, to taste

Take your kale & remove the center stem/rib. Then chop or tear into pieces - bite size is probably best, I went a bit bigger with mine. Shake with olive oil to coat, then sprinkle with sea salt. Place in a single layer on cookie sheet, bake for 20 minutes at 300º F.

I have a small oven & small cookie sheet, so I only did 1/2 the bunch & I had about 5 batches go through my oven.

The jury is still out. I can't stop eating them, but the taste is slightly odd. Not in a bad way, but just...odd. I can't really explain it.

A Cookie Quandary

2010-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have a quandary. No. I have a problem, and I need your help.

I love big fat cakey soft Chocolate Chip Cookies.

These, however, are my cookies:

Ya, not so fat and cakey and soft.

This cookie came from the same recipe I've used for years. It's the same recipe that has always, consistently yielded cakey, soft, delicious cookies.

So tell friends: WHY is this suddenly happening to my favorite cookie? What could have suddenly changed, when I am making the cookie the way I always have with the ingredients I've always used?

Spinach Salad

2010-09-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Spinach, it seems, has transcended it's age-old reputation as a vegetable worthy of a gag reflex. Or perhaps, it's just that we've all learned to prepare it better. Whatever it is, spinach has become one of the most popular greens in America. We eat it cooked, raw, in casseroles, in dips, and in all forms of salads.

It's also a nutrition powerhouse. It's fat free, cholesterol free and high in vitamins A and C, fiber, folate, iron, and magnesium, and not too shabby on Calcium either.

These days, Popeye isn't the only one eatin' his spinach. Maybe my kids are a little different than your average 4 & 10 year olds, but they would rather have a pile of spinach on their plate than any other green, especially iceberg lettuce. While my style of spinach salad goes a little too far for their tastes, they'll never turn up their noses as long as "all that STUFF!" (as my son puts it) is kept to a minimum. However strange they are, they're like lots of kids in their preference for keeping things plain and simple. My four year old will eat spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, peas, broccoli, and cranberries... as long as they are all in separate piles on her plate. And heaven forbid I dress a salad, for that might be the end of life as we know it. The fact is, children's taste buds develop over time, maturing at different stages.

Despite our differences of opinion about what should go on a spinach salad, its presence at the table is nearly always welcomed. For me, it can stand alone as a meal, especially if I've thrown in lots of that STUFF my kid hates so much. But spinach salad is also a great accompaniment since you can compliment so many different flavors by changing up what you put in, or on, your salad.

This recipe is kind of my stand-by; I change it very little at any give time. You might call it "everything but the kitchen sink salad."

Spinach Salad

4 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and dried
1 cup romaine lettuce, torn or cut into bite sized pieces
1 medium red bell pepper (yellow is nice too), diced
3 medium roma tomatoes diced or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, diced (optional)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (I like unsweetened)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese feta

3 Tbs. Olive oil
2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1/8 tsp. each salt and pepper
1 tsp. mixed dried herbs, such as italian, herbs de Provence, etc.

After rinsing the spinach and allowing it to air dry, pour into a large mixing bowl. If your spinach leaves are large, you may want to tear them gently into smaller pieces.

Add the next eight ingredients on the list, then toss with olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and mixed herbs/spices. Combine well to thoroughly mix the goat cheese in, as it will "melt" into the oil and vinegar to create a beautifully creamy dressing.

Adjust seasoning to taste and serve immediately.

The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (Ever)

2010-08-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

Yet another wonderful, gluten-free recipe has landed in my hands without so much as cracking a recipe book or search of my favorite food blogs!

A few weeks ago, I took a little me-only mini vacation and met one of my best girlfriends for a long weekend of cooking, lunching, sleeping in, and talking-- all without children hanging from our sleeves. (A novel concept for most moms, but one I highly recommend!)

One of our cooking endeavors was desert. Now, my friend is a contradiction of sorts: she's a of lover-of-sweets meets health-nut, so the recipe she showed me was not only delicious, but healthy too. Alright, maybe healthy is too strong of a word, but it is certainly far above your old chocolate chip recipe when it comes to nutrition. There's more of the good stuff you want in your diet, and less of the stuff you could do without. After all, when was the last time you had a cookie that was gluten-free, high in protein, but low in sodium and saturated fat? Oh, and tasted awesome?

If it's been a while, this cookie is for you. But no matter what your outlook on nutrition, these cookies are the perfect satisfier when you've got a sweet tooth, which I pretty much always do. They're sweet, rich, and cake-like fluffy. You can make them as drop cookies too, but they are delicate when baked and turn out perfectly as a cookie bar. They're completely flour-less, instead using almond butter as a base. The almond butter adds an unusual nutty flavor and delicate crumb.

They're also a great if you have children around who like to help in the kitchen. With only six* ingredients, little measuring, and a quick, minimally messy assembly, they're easy to prepare and clean up.

Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars (Ever)
Adapted by Kristy from ~~Foods to Live By~~ ~~by Myra Goodman~~
UPDATE: Sorry for the error! Kristy let me know that her adaptation was based on a recipe in Clean Eating Magazine.

1 16 oz. jar almond butter
1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt* (see note below)
2 extra large eggs
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips

*if using salted almond butter, omit the 1/2 tsp. of salt.

Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.

Combine all of the ingredients, except chocolate chips, in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. I like my stand mixer for this because it blends the almond butter so smoothly.

Mix until well blended and smooth. When the mixture is smooth and looks slightly crumbly, gently stir in the chocolate chips. Your dough won't look like a classic flour-based dough; rather, it will pull away from the sides of the bowl and look crumbly. You'll notice that it easily comes back together with gentle patting.

Transfer the cookie dough into and ungreased 9" x 11" glass baking pan. (Reduce baking temperature to 350 F degrees if using a dark pan.) Using a silicone scraper or clean fingers, pat the dough evenly through the pan.

Bake in the center of the oven for 20 - 25 minutes. Test for doneness using a clean knife inserted about and inch from the center. If they are done, the knife will come out clean.

Cool completely before cutting.

Now, go ruin your healthy cookie by putting some vanilla ice cream on top!

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

2010-06-02T08:28:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's the addiction to cupcakes and sugar. Maybe it's that I like feeding people. Maybe it's that I find baking the easiest food to experiment with. Whatever it is, when Mindy & her husband were putting together a small bbq over the weekend, I was told that I was responsible for dessert.

So the first thing I did was hit up the bookmarks on my computer (as I'm still trying to work my way through them as I add more and more) and found that I had bookmarked two separate buttermilk cakes. In the end, I went with the Smitten Kitchen recipe for Raspberry Buttermilk Cake.

The changes I made to the recipe were minor. I omitted the lemon zest & replaced the sugar dusting on top with a raw cane sugar.

In the end, I came home with an empty plate and no cake left. It got great reviews after dinner, people were especially fond of the crunch that the sugar gave the top of the cake.

But at least I had leftover buttermilk, so I was able to make some delicious Oatmeal Buttermilk Muffins to which I also added a dash of cinnamon & vanilla and filled with Trader Joe's Golden Berry Blend (raisins, dried cranberries, blueberries, & I don't know what else - deliciousness, though).

Thai Cucumber Salad with Lemon Grass

2010-05-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't know it from the weather around here, but the calendar tells me it's getting mighty close to summer.

Where we should be having warm, sunny days, beginning with morning fog and ending with the calm serenity of a summer night, we're instead alternating between clouds, cold, and wind.

And oh! How the wind has been blowing! Word on the street (or harbor, as it may be) is that in May, our fair Island can usually expect one "gale force" wind warning during the month. Yet, with still five days to go, we've already had four days of gale force winds. And for those of us who commute to the mainland from time to time, gale force winds mean cancelled plans and rolling seas. If you're lucky (or unlucky!) enough to catch a boat that's running during a period of rough seas, you'll be accompanied by more than a few poor souls clutching their plastic bags or clinging to the top-deck railings, trying-- sometimes fruitlessly-- not to get sick.

Despite summer weather being MIA in these parts, apparently it's behaving appropriately somewhere in California, since I've been getting loads of great produce-- most of it from the surrounding region.

I recently picked up some very nice cucumbers and made one of my favorite warm-wether salads. I figured that if it's not actually going to be warm, I'm at least going to start eating all the foods I wait so patiently for each spring and summer.

For this week's Tuesday Supper, I made a Thai Cucumber and Lemon Grass Salad. Slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and very refreshing. I get awfully tired of green salads of lettuce and pasta salads with all the usual accompaniments. So when cucumbers hit the market, I love to make this delicious salad.

The spiciness comes from the jalapeño in it. You can control how spicy your salad is by removing the veins and seeds of the jalapeño and adjusting the amount used. Additionally, a larger, plumper pepper is likely to be less spicy than a smaller, compact, dark green one.

This recipe is a modified version of one I found in a Whole Foods Market Cookbook I purchased years ago.

Thai Cucumber Salad with Lemon Grass

Salad:

2 lb. cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

3 large scallions, white and green parts, chopped

1 medium jalapeño, finely chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

2 stalks thinly sliced lemon grass, whites only

1/2 cup roasted peanuts, whole or coarsely chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/2 tsp. toasted sesame seed oil

2 Tbs. honey

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. salt

Prepare the dressing first, by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup. Whisk to blend well and dissolve the honey. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the first four salad ingredients, keeping the peanuts aside for now. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to coat thoroughly. Let the salad marinate in the dressing for about an hour in the refrigerator. Ten minutes prior to serving, remove the salad and let stand at room temperature. Sprinkle the peanuts over the top and serve.

Shallot and Garlic Butter Sauce with Green Beans

2010-04-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

Some days, I find my best cooking— the most delicious, the most interesting— is a product of necessity. Or more accurately, my sheer lack of organization. You'd think that after two years of living in the middle of nowhere, I'd have learned to plan a little better.

But if you thought that, you'd be wrong.

I still find myself staring at the pantry from time to time, wishing I had just remembered this ingredient or had a little more of that. This is especially true when I'm called upon to contribute something to a meal made by someone else.

Such was my predicament one Friday evening when my neighbor invited us to join him, and a small group of film-makers who were spending a couple days filming on the Island, for dinner. What he didn't mention at the time was that he needed me to bring a dish as well. He'd prepared a fantastic venison roast, which he then braised in chilies and homemade grape jam. The spicy-sweet combination was unexpected and delicious!

So there I was again, last minute, staring at the pantry and the mostly-empty vegetable drawer, trying to come up with something. Something that would complement the rich, sweet flavor of the venison.

I usually think of butter sauces (not the same thing as a butter and cream based white sauce) in conjunction with things like fish, shellfish, or sometimes chicken. Pairing things like garlic, butter, shallots, and an acid, like vinegar or lemon, are classic parings for things like shrimp and pasta. But since I wasn't working with any of those things, in fact, no meat at all, I turned to my sparse vegetable drawer.

What I did have was the ingredients for a basic butter sauce: 4 large shallots, garlic, plus some beautiful fresh green beans. Not only are green beans one of my favorite fresh vegetables, but their vibrant color, which intensifies when they're lightly steamed, really adds beauty and liveliness to a meat-heavy meal.

This sauce is versatile and simple to prepare, with ingredients which, even in my disorganized pantry, are usually on hand. The rich butter, piquant garlic, and tangy-sweet lemon are an excellent combination and worked perfectly with the roasted venison.

I served the beans, lightly steamed and tossed in the sauce, on a bed of steamed rice to stretch the servings for 10 people. But it's a terrific addition to pasta as well. If you want to forego the vegetables in this one, you can substitute shrimp or cooked chicken pieces. But to me, the beans were almost the best part!

Shallot and Garlic Butter Sauce

1 lb. trimmed green beans

4 large shallots, very thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt (omit salt if using salted butter)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Thoroughly rinse green beans and trim the tips. If the beans are very long, cut them in half, or to about 2-3 inches in length. Steam the beans for about 5-6 minutes, or until just tender and bright green.

In a bowl, combine shallots, garlic, lemon juice, and salt, and stir well.

In a large skillet or saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the shallot mixture to the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until shallots are soft and highly fragrant.

Add the steamed beans to the pan and toss to coat. Remove from heat.

Serve over pasta, rice, or chicken or fish, and season with black pepper to taste.

Don't worry about your garlic breath: everyone else will have it too!

Quick Lunchtime Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

2010-04-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure you'd be hard pressed to find an American kid who doesn't love mac-n-cheese.

Unless, of course, you asked my kid.

My nine-year old HATES packaged Mac-n-Cheese, which, apparently is pretty much what they serve in his school lunch room. My three-year old on the other hand, loves it. If I ever decided that I was never going to cook actual food again, she would be quite happy to subsist on Annie's Organic mac-n-cheese for the rest of her life.

But since that's not going to happen, I've come up with several alternatives to the unhealthy processed varieties. While I'm pleased to know that when I make an exception and buy Annie's Organic, my kids will get a slightly better "food" than some of the of the other brands out there, processed is processed no matter how you package it. And THAT is something I try hard to avoid.

I make homemade Macaroni and Cheese using adaptations of different recipes, including my basic Baked Macaroni and Cheese and a no-bake version of Spicy Macaroni and Cheese adapted from the Pioneer Woman. But what about lunch? Those boxed mac-n-cheese mixes sure do come in handy at lunch time, when, unless you have a herd of cowboys to feed, a la Pioneer Woman, a full sized casserole that takes an hour to prep & bake just isn't realistic. Likewise, pleasing hungry kids is sometimes a "now or never" proposition.

This quick, delicious recipe, with just 5 ingredients, takes only 10-15 minutes to prepare and makes for a warm, satisfying lunch. Serve it with uncooked vegetable sticks for a crunchy combination, or add frozen or fresh vegetables to the pasta during the last 3 minutes of cooking. The smooth, creamy texture will tempt even die-hard loyalists to the box.

Quick Homemade Mac-n-Cheese

1/2 lb. uncooked pasta (macaroni, cavatappi, bow ties, etc.)
3/4 cup shredded mild or medium cheddar cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream (or, substitute whole milk)
salt and pepper to taste

In a 6 quart pan, boil water sufficient to cover the pasta; cook for 10 minutes to al dente, or according to directions.

If you're adding vegetables, do so during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

While the pasta is cooking, shred the cheese using the fine side of your cheese grater.

Drain pasta and set aside.

Return the hot pan to the stove, but turn off the heat. Pour the drained pasta back into the pan and add the cream or milk, stirring to combine. Then add the cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Could it be simpler? This homemade dish takes no more time than a boxed mac-n-cheese mix and is certainly more fulfilling. And unless you only speak Navi, there are no ingredients you can't pronounce either.

A Visit to L.A.'s BabyCakes NYC Bakery

2010-03-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

I might never have experienced the deliciousness that is babycakes NYC bakery if I didn't know so many people who struggle with wheat and gluten sensitivities or intolerance.

So many of my friends, particularly those who LOVE food, are gluten-free eaters, or are, at least, learning to be. It's a long road. Especially in our food culture where preparing one's own food is the exception rather than the norm. It's hard to find a processed food out there that doesn't have gluten.

Even wholesome, innocent oatmeal can have gluten. Thank goodness for Bob's Red Mill!

I'm grateful that making the change to a gluten-free diet is not something I have had to worry about. But with so many people for whom I love to cook who can not eat gluten, learning to incorporate gluten-free recipes has been a part of my agenda. At the very least, I'm more conscious and aware of the surprising places you find the stuff.

Gluten itself is not a bad thing. It's a naturally occurring protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and other grains related to wheat (such as spelt). It's what makes bread chewy. It's also a big part of why bread rises, as gluten retains gases when the bread is cooked: like those little air pockets you find in baguette, for example. Some breads, cakes, etc. use techniques that use these properties of gluten to make them what they are.

But for some people, gluten can cause all kinds of problems.

If you're anything like me, the thought abandoning things like cakes, cookies, pastries, and pizza dough (Oh! pizza dough!) may just be too much.

Thankfully there are not only a world of resources out there for learning to cook and bake gluten-free, but it's also becoming easier to find these foods in different kinds of restaurants and bakeries, including babycakes NYC.

I recently bought the BabyCakes cookbook for a friend and can't wait to borrow it!

Babycakes NYC started in New York City and recently opened a location in Los Angeles. Since themoment I heard of its opening, I've been itching to visit it and try out their renowned treats, especially the sandwich cookies.

Thanks to a twist of fate, I got the opportunity not only to go to babycakes this week, but also spend the day with a good friend who I see all too rarely. We had a food filled, sunny, warm day in Los Angeles where we hit babycakes, the Downtown Farmer's Market, and a swank little tea shop on Melrose Avenue.

We started out the morning with breakfast (and I use the term really loosely) at the bakery where I'm pretty sure I consumed a day and a half's worth sweetness. While I loved the Skinny Bun I had, it may have been a little overkill for the first meal of the day. I also brought home a load of goodies for my Islanders, including four princess cupcakes, two cinnamon-sugar doughnuts, two amazing red velvet cupcakes, and their chocolate chip sandwich cookies, all gluten-free, casein-free, and vegan. And if you're doubting how good they can be, my nine-year old gives them all the seal of approval and thinks the princess cupcakes, especially, "are awesome!"

If you happen to be in L.A., you can find babycakes at:
babycakes NYC
130 East 6th Street
Los Angeles, CA
213-623-5555

or, hit their original location in New York City...

Some more resources and information about gluten and gluten-free cooking/baking:
Gluten Free Girl and the Chef (the best GF pie crust I've seen yet)
What is gluten?
The Gluten Free Goddess
celiac.com

Banana Nutella Bread

2010-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

I am easily suggestible. I'm an advertisers wet dream, really. If you suggest something, I will want to run out and buy it, bake it, or eat it right away. It's a sickness. People twitter new recipes and they almost immediately go into my bookmarks. Someone suggested a dinner idea recently & I went looking for a recipe for it (especially since it fit in with the no meat, no sugar, no caffeine thing I'm doing at the moment. The "no caffeine" part lasted until I took excedrin for my headache 36 hours after I started. GO FIGURE).

So when one of my knitting people twittered a link to this recipe for Nutella Swirled Banana Bread, I had to try it. Even better, I had 4 overripe bananas sitting in my kitchen just WAITING to be turned into banana bread. Because I buy them and then forget they exist until they're only good for banana bread. It's a sick little cycle.

Naturally, I made a few small changes to try to make this healthier and use up the bananas I had on hand. Here's what I did:

4 small to medium mashed very ripe bananas

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/3-1/2 cup Nutella

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large bread pan (I always just spray it down with Pam).

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium/large bowl using an electric mixer. Mix in remaining ingredients (except the Nutella) until combined.

Pour about half the batter into your greased loaf pan. Top with half the Nutella & swirl it into the batter. Repeat with the second half of the batter & Nutella.

Bake about 65 minutes (mine only baked for about 45-50 & was a little too moist, so next time I'd leave it in another 5-10 minutes, but my toothpick was clean!). Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then remove it to a wire rack to cool completely.

The Nutella in these does get all ooey gooey the next day (and next), so this is not a clean bread to eat. But oh, it's delicious. Try it now. Don't make it mere days before you decide to try to go off sugar. It's not a good idea.

Fantastically Delicious Pear Bread

2010-02-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

This is part of a continuing series of posts chronicling favorite internet recipes we've encountered over the years. Some recipes are in their original form, while most have been adapted to fit our personal tastes and cooking styles.

I've come to the realization that after a particularly bad day at work, I like to bake a little comfort food. Okay, a lot of comfort food.

This is both good and bad. It's good because said bad day usually happens on Tuesday, so I have baked deliciousness to take to knit group on Wednesdays. It's bad because I DON'T NEED TO KEEP BAKING. *sigh* What's a girl to do? Bake, bake, and bake some more.

This recipe was made a full month ago, after seeing a version my friend Shannon made. I NEEDED to make this bread. It looked too good to pass up.

I started with this recipe from SmittenKitchen and modified it a bit to TRY to make a healthier version. I've posted the recipe with my changes below.

3 cups all-purpose wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup egg beaters (or egg replacer of your choice)
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 large firm, ripe pears, depending on size (you’ll need 2 grated cups total, but I don’t recommend you grate them until you are about to use them, so they don’t brown)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and lightly grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans.
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, and stir with a fork to mix everything well.
Peel and core pears, then grate them. You’ll want two grated cups total; set them briefly aside. In a medium bowl, combine the applesauce, egg beaters, sugar, grated pear, and vanilla, and stir to mix everything well. Scrape the pear mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until the flour disappears and the batter is evenly moistened.
Quickly scrape the batter into the prepared pans and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 60 to 70 minutes, or until the bread is handsomely browned and firm on top and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack or folded kitchen towel for about 10 minutes. Then turn it out onto a plate or a wire rack to cool completely, top side up. Serve it as is, sprinkle it with confectioners sugar or drizzle it with a simple glaze made from whisking 3 tablespoons buttermilk, a dash of vanilla and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar together.

I'm fairly sure I baked mine for less time, although I can't remember now. Maybe 55 minutes? My oven tends to run a little bit hot, though, so I often wind up baking things less than the recipe calls for.

Tortellini Soup

2010-02-22T11:17:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by my friend Darcy who resides in northern Florida. With the crazy winter weather that has hit the East Coast of late— extending all the way down to usually warm Southern climes, she's experimenting with cold weather food! Thanks for joining us Darcy! ~Annie

There is nothing as satisfying as hot soup when you've got a winter chill. Here in North Florida, we are not used to quite as much winter weather as we've had this year so I decided to kick this recipe up a notch with a spicy sausage. Bring on the heat! If you prefer something milder, my sister-in-law highly recommends substituting a mild turkey sausage with spinach leaves where I've gone for spicy turkey sausage and collard greens.

42 oz chicken broth (Organic broth from Costco is a great option)
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes with oregano, garlic and basil
1lb spicy Italian turkey sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
9oz package whole wheat 3 cheese tortellini
1/2 bag (or more) collard greens, washed and trimmed
1 tbsp fennel seeds
salt or garlic salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese, grated

Remove sausage casings, brown and drain. Add meat to soup pot along with onion and garlic. When onions are soft, add diced tomatoes, broth, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Simmer at least one hour.

15 minutes before serving, bring soup to a rapid boil. Add tortellini and collard greens. Check seasonings. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Bloody Valentine Cupcakes

2010-02-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

I despise Valentine's Day & generally all that goes with it. I hate that it's a day people in relationships feel forced to do something kind. I hate that it's marketed as a romantic day. I hate the commercialism, the jewelry, the flowers.

I feel like people who are doing kind things for each other on Valentine's Day &/or saying "I love you" then, but not doing it the rest of the year are really losing the meaning. I feel like things done on V-day are things that should be done every day. Or at least more often than once a year.

It's just a Hallmark holiday that makes people feel bad about themselves if they don't get something or if they don't have someone.

I do like the candy, though. But I love candy.

Anyway, my Wednesday night knit group has been talking about doing a February Lady Sweater party for a while - many of us have knit the sweater, so we thought it would be fun to all get together in February and wear our sweaters. When Rachel suggested a combination potluck/February Lady party, she came up with a Bloody Valentine theme.

Now there's a Valentine's theme I can get behind.

Immediately my brain went into overdrive. What could I do with cupcakes? How could I make them bloody AND delicious?

I saw these, which are awesome, yet WAY beyond my skill set.

So I decided to go with Black Forest Cupcakes filled with cherry pie filling, then do a little more blood on top.

The blood on top was my sticking point. How could I make my cupcakes drip blood? I needed a cross between a liquid and a gel, yet I couldn't come up with one. The closest I could get was that red gel decorating icing you get in the decorating section of the grocery store.

Mindy suggested that I could somehow heat it up to liquify it some. We had visions of the gel in a spoon over my stovetop - it would have been like sugar was my heroin. Which it kind of is.

I mentioned my quandary at my Sunday knit group (yes, I go to two different knit groups. I love my knitting & socializing. And Sunday's group comes with coffee. Delicious delicious coffee), where Shannon looked at me and said "food coloring & corn syrup". OF COURSE. She is the master baker of the group, so I should have asked her in the first place. Duh.

How were the bloody cupcakes? Bloody delicious! I loved the little bit of tartness I got from the cherries & the juice/gel soaked into the cupcakes to keep them nice and moist (which is good because this cake recipe is a bit dry). I wanted something that didn't need refrigerated, so an actual whipped cream topping was out. I used canned instead.

I used the Black Forest Cupcake basics from Cupcake Project, including her version of the cake recipe, which I'm posting below with my notes.

Makes around 16 cupcakes (my version made 19 cupcakes & 16 mini cupcakes.)

1 2/3 C all-purpose flour
2/3 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 C butter
1 1/2 C white sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 C buttermilk

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs and vanilla extract.
Beat in flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk, until combined.
Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 F for twenty minutes or until cupcakes bounce back when touched.

I think I may have overbeat my eggs, sugar, and butter - it turned out SUPER fluffy, which led to flat topped cupcakes. This made the next step a little harder:

To fill the cupcakes, I used a canned cherry pie filling. Cut a hole in the tops of the cupcakes, fill with 2-3 cherries & juice/gel, then replace the tops. I found that I had to cut a bit of the cake out so the tops would go back on reasonably.

Frosting: Like I said, I used a canned frosting - whipped cream flavored. I piped it on, then let it set for about 20 minutes before adding the "blood".

For the "blood", I mixed corn syrup with red food coloring until it was a nice shade of red. Then I dripped it onto the frosting with some pipettes. No, not kidding. I didn't have a syringe.

Add a maraschino cherry on top & you're done!

Just a warning - these don't travel great. If you can keep them upright & not touching, they're fine. But the minute they topple over, the tops come back off and you're left with frosting on the bottom of your container & a terrifying looking cupcake.

Solielune - Sun and Moon Bread

2010-02-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

I have a friend here on the Island who is a better cook and better baker than me. She's especially good at breads, and exceptionally generous, so I often get to taste her creations. She makes these wonderful little rolls, whose name I haven't a clue, that are topped with toasted pepitas, and are oh so good! She also makes oatmeal bread, wheat breads, raisin walnut bread, tomato basil bread, you name it.

She recently lent me one of her favorite bread recipe books, Bread for all Seasons, and as I read through it, I stumbled on a recipe for Solielune, or Sun and Moon Bread. I'd had this bread many yeas ago, and seeing the recipe inspired me to try my hand at it. Also called Sally Lunn in England, it's similar to a brioche. The recipe I worked from called for baking it in a buttered bundt or angel food cake pan, though traditionally, it may have been prepared as small cakes, like brioche. I opted to bake mine in buttered muffin tins and ramekins because I love individual sized snacks that can be packed with us for a trip to town or just a personal sweet treasure.

This dough is thick and sticky, not an easy dough to work with. On the upside though, there is no kneading. The dough is very yeasty and the rise is almost a little frightening. I actually imagined scenes from some 1950's horror spoof in which an aproned house wife runs screaming from her kitchen as the monstrous bread begins to take over.

Lucky for us, it didn't take over, but rather treated us to an especially delightful, lightly sweet snack. Rich and buttery with a hint of lemon, this yeasty, delicious treat will inspire visions of tea parties, lacy kerchiefs, and delicate porcelain, and perhaps even Alice and the Rabbit.

And yet... these little mini-breads I made, looking more like comical mushrooms with tops spilling over their stems, were very satisfying. We topped them with some sweet butter for a snack that held us over well into the dinner hour.

Here is my adaptation of the recipe, modified as much out of necessity as inspiration.

Solielune — Sun and Moon Bread

1 Tbs. dry yeast (1 quarter ounce package)
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup warm water (about 110º)
1 cup milk
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut up*
1 tsp. lemon extract*
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 1/2 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of one lemon

In a 4 cup glass measuring cup, combine yeast, 1/4 tsp. sugar, and warm water; stir to dissolve. Let stand until the mixture is foamy. (Recipe indicated 10 minutes, but I found it only took a few minutes.)

In a glass bowl in the microwave, or a heavy pan over the stove over low heat, warm the milk to about 110º. Add the butter and melt slowly, maintaing a temperature of about 110º. When the butter is melted, remove from the heat and set aside. Add 1 tsp. lemon extract and stir gently to combine.

In a large bowl, combine flours, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt. Add milk/butter mixture to the four along with the eggs, vanilla, and yeast mixture and beat until smooth using a hand mixer on low or by hand.

The dough will be more like a thick, sticky batter at this point. Grease one side of a sheet of plastic wrap, cover dough, and let it rise at room temperature (68º-72º) for about 90 minutes or until about doubled in size.

After rising, spoon the dough into very well buttered over-sized muffin tins or ramekins. This is best achieved using a lightly greased flexible silicone spatula to scoop the dough into the tins. Replace the greased plastic wrap (re-grease if necessary; trust me, this stuff is sticky!) and let stand for about 45 minutes until again doubled in size.

Center oven rack and preheat oven to 350º.

Remove plastic wrap and sprinkle the tops of each bread with a equal amounts of lemon zest. Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes, checking for doneness every 5 minutes after the first 15 minutes. The mini-breads are done when they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When done, remove from the pan and cool a rack for 10 minutes. Serve slightly warm with butter. And maybe even a tea party...

*If you don't have unsalted butter, salted butter may be used, but reduce the salt in the recipe by at least half. Additionally, 1 Tbs. lemon zest may be substituted for the lemon extract. Likewise, the recipe indicates that 1/4 tsp. each of allspice and mace may be substituted for lemon altogether. The bread may also be prepared in a 10-inch bundt or angel food cake pan.

4-3-2-1 Apple Cake with Walnut-Pecan Streusel

2010-01-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

With all the activity on Sunday, I found myself ill prepared for our Tuesday Supper club. I hadn't even thought about cooking on Monday, and by Tuesday afternoon, I realized I hadn't planned anything for the 18 or so hungry AmeriCorps students who would be joining us for supper.

As is usually the case when I find myself scrambling for something to make, I turned to the baking sections of my favorite cookbooks. I needed ideas!

It was too late in the day to make bread.

There would surely be several main dishes, rice dishes, stews, and appetizers on offer from our other guests.

Dessert is a no-fail crowd pleaser, so all I had to do was figure something that would feed everybody!

I opted for a basic 4-3-2-1 Cake (4-3-2-1 is the ratio of eggs to flour to sugar to butter), embellished and modified to fit what I had on hand. This recipe makes two 9-inch round cakes, so in addition to this cake, I also made a simple frosting (1 1/4 cup butter, 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and one teaspoon almond extract, beaten until lights and fluffy) with which to frost the second cake. I sprinkled the top of the cake with toasted, unsweetened coconut shavings.

Both cakes were a hit, and the AmeriCorps kids, who've spent the last few cold and rainy weeks camping and laboring outdoors, were pretty much in heaven. Food. Cake. A warm fire. They made for an easy crowd to please, not to mention great company.

My favorite of the two cakes is the one presented here, but the frosted cake was none too shabby, and would make a lovely birthday or holiday cake. The cake is dee-light-fully delicate, moist, and springy. A really good go-to recipe.

4-3-2-1 Apple Cake with Walnut Pecan Streusel
Inspired by The Art of Simple F ood by Alice Waters

To make the topping:

2 large tart apples, such as Braeburn

1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/3 cup oil (grape seed, safflower, canola, coconut...)

4 Tbs. cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnut pieces

1 cup chopped pecans

Peel and core the apples, then slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices. Set aside.

Combine the flour, oil, sugar, cinnamon and nuts in a bolw and mix thoroughly with a pastry blender or fork. Set aside.

To make the cake:

3 cups flour, sifted then measured
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (reduce or omit the salt if using salted butter)

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

All of your ingredients should be at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line the bottom of two round 9-inch cake pans with parchment. Liberally butter the parchment paper and sides of the pan, then dust with flour to lightly coat. Set aside.

Sift roughly 3+ cups of flour into a bowl. Measure out three cups of flour by using a spoon to fill the measuring cup and level with the edge of a knife. Pour each cup into a small bowl. Add the salt (if using) and baking powder to the flour.

Separate the eggs into two bowls. Set aside.

In another large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add slowly add the sugar and continue mixing until it is light in texture and very pale in color. Add the vanilla and stir to combine.

Next, add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring to combine after each one. Continue mixing until all the egg yolks are combined and the mixture is fluffy.

Add one-third of the flour mixture and combine, then alternate 1/2 cup of milk, followed by another third of the flour mixture, 1/2 cup milk, and the final third of the flour mixture. Mixing just until combined.

Now, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks (this may be easiest with an electric mixer or hand beater).

Add one third of the egg whites to the cake batter and stir to combine. Then, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour equal amounts of batter into each pan. Top the cakes with apple slices to evenly cover the top. Then sprinkle the nut streusel topping evenly over each cake.

Bake on the center rack of the over for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out free of cake.

Let cool 20 minutes, then run a knife dipped in very hot water around the outside edge of each cake. Let cool nearly completely before serving.

Venison Sausage — Adventures in learning a craft

2010-01-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

Talk about Do-It-Yourself. There is something immensely challenging, yet hugely rewarding about making your own food.

Not just cooking it. Or growing it. But rendering something from Animal to Food.

I spent all day Sunday— a fantastic day at that— learning how to make sausage. It was a long day with a sharp learning curve, but it was a great day.

Granted, the Animal came to me already well on its way to Food.

My friend Charlie is a hunter and guide here on the Island. This past season he guided deer hunters five days a week, and did more butchering than I can fathom in a lifetime myself. Often, the hunters would take the choicest cuts of the meat and leave the rest of the Animal for the guides.

So, in addition to the deer he hunted for himself, Charlie had a great deal of meat given to him by other hunters. These cuts are generally what people think of as "scrap" and will often throw away. Some however was comprised of smaller but still very nice pieces of meat.

But Charlie is a no-waste kind of guy. He's made sausage from his venison, as well as from lamb, a few times before. But this Sunday he found himself with about 30 pounds of meat that needed to be trimmed and prepared.

I, of course, saw my chance. That's right: I've been dying to learn this, not to mention partake in some of the delicious venison. (Really, who knew my kids and I would love this stuff so much?)

Like the set-up my husband put together there?

He and several neighbors spent most of the day playing frisbee, hiking, and making

cocktails, occasionally stopping to grimacing at the carnage that had overtaken my kitchen.

Most of our day was spent trimming the meat— removing the sinewy connective tissue from the flesh, then cutting it into chunks for the grinder. Because venison is very lean, there's generally not enough fat on the animal to make a good sausage, so we supplemented with pork fat purchased from the grocery butcher.

Sorting through all of the meat, we found that we had 5 to 10 pounds of shank meat. All the meat had been deboned, but shanks are essentially the animal's calves, so they are tough and sinewy with lots of that connective tissue. After spending an inordinate amount of time trimming a few shanks, which were so thinly layered with meat, we finally gave up on those and decided we'd split the meat, making stock with some and braising the rest of the shanks for dinner instead. I was inspired by this recipe from Hank Shaw. (More on that later)

With quick, experienced hands, Charlie did the bulk of the trimming while I labored over each piece, asking over and over again "Like this? Is this right?"

Charlie trims meat from connective tissue, far more expertly than I do.

At last, with most of the meat trimmed, we placed it in the freezer to chill, and turned to trimming the fat. It's important for the meat and fat to be very cold so that when they are fed through the grinder as well as during mixing, they stay separate, though smashed together. If it's too warm, the fat will emulsify and mix with the meat rather than stay in pieces. If this happens, your sausage will take on a mealy, dry texture as all the fat is pulled out of the meat during cooking. Start with very cold meat and fat, and if your working environment is warm (68 degree or so) place the ground meat in a bowl half way submerged in an ice bath.

The ground meat/fat mixture rests in an ice bath in the sink to keep it cold.

While the meat and fat chilled, we turned our attention to spices. The choices for how to flavor sausage are about limitless. We opted to do ours in two separate batches; for the first we worked from Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn, Ratio by Michael Ruhlman, and The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg. Inspired by a recipe for lamb sausage with citrus and olives, we ended up with a unique mix including a strong citrus undertone, salty-tart olives, wild mushrooms gathered just outside our back door, and smoky ancho chile to balance the citrus.

All three of these books are amazing resources, but I'm especially smitten with Ratio.

After grinding, mixing, testing, remixing, and testing again, the ground sausage was finished!

See the little bits of olives and mushrooms in there?

Until we start our next batch later this week, my three year old served as the official sampler and she and I enjoyed a breakfast of venison sausage and eggs the other morning. I for one LOVED the sausage. It is a delicious balance of citrus sweetness, salty, tangy, and smokey.

And how cool is it to be able to say "Hey kids, mommy made that sausage and raised the chickens that laid the eggs!"

Come back and visit later in the week for the amazing (seriously, crazy good) braised venison shanks feast that topped off our day!

Quesadillas with Spicy Fajita Vegetables

2010-01-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

Quesadillas are a favorite in my house. They are everyday good and everyday easy. And if you play your cards right, they're healthy too.

My little hoodlums like theirs relative plain: just your standard tortilla with cheese; thank ye, ma'am.

My husband likes his full of all kinds of stuff. Sometimes, you'd barely recognize it as a quesadilla, except for the tortilla.

I like mine with vegetables. Maybe some chicken. But lots and lots of vegetables.

Since my husband works just down the dirt road from our house, I can practically holler at him when lunch is ready. So, we often throw together quesadillas for weekday lunch since anyone who's here can make theirs exactly how they like it.

These delicious quesadillas with spicy fajita-style vegetables are my favorites!

Quesadillas with Spicy Fajita Vegetables

4 large whole wheat flour tortillas*
1 to 1 1/3 cup shredded cheddar, jack, or pepper jack cheese
1 medium bell pepper, cut in thin strips
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, about 5" x 1", sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper**
1/4 tsp ground oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
juice of 1 lime (about 1 Tbs)

olive oil, for drizzling
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Prepare all of your ingredients and have at the ready.

Heat a light drizzle of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Saute the onions, bell peppers, garlic and zucchini until they just begin to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the cayenne, cumin, oregano, and black pepper.

Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes, or until peppers begin to get soft. Add the lime juice and stir to coat, allowing the liquid to cook down, about 30 seconds.

Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside. Carefully wipe down the pan with some thick paper towels, then return to the heat and increase heat to medium high. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into the bottom of the pan and swirl to coat.

Place a tortilla in the center of the pan and spread about 1/4 - 1/3 cup of shredded cheese across one side of the tortilla. Allow the cheese to just begin to melt, then add desired amount (about 1/3 cup) of vegetables on top of the cheese. Fold the remaining tortilla over the vegetables and cook until the underside is slightly browned, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Carefully turn the quesadilla over using tongs to hold the open end securely shut and a spatula to flip it over. Brown lightly on the other side.

Remove to a plate or warming tray and either serve immediately or keep warm in the oven until all have been prepared. Serve sprinkled with cilantro, pico de gallo, and a dollop of sour cream.

*If you have a little more time, and the inclination, home made masa tortillas can't be beat. My lunchtime recipe uses store-bought tortillas.

**Reduce the cayenne to 1/4 tsp or less if you prefer a dish that's not spicy.

Spicy Chorizo Rice

2010-01-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you love spicy, this is for you.

I'm not kidding here. This stuff is trés piquant. Muy picante, if you will. It is oh, so, soooo good.

And I think you'll like it a lot.

When I was a kid, we used to go camping every summer at a lake in the Sierra Nevada. One of my favorite camp days was the one during which it inevitably rained, and we all packed into the pick-up and went down the hill to a little lodge at Ice House. In my memories, we arrived for breakfast and stayed much of the day hanging out playing arcade games and pool in the bar. The kids all got hot cocoa and snacks, while the grown-ups (I'm sure) partook in a beer. Or three. Or six.

Second only to rain days at the lodge, my favorite food day was always the day we had barbecued chorizo, stacked on squishy white-bread rolls with lots and lots of mayo and mustard.

I can't imagine eating that today and, in all honesty, am a little grossed out that I ate it so willingly and with such gusto back then. Chorizo is good, good stuff. But not exactly the basis of a healthful diet. Which is probably why my parents only made it once a year.

Lucky for me, there's soyrizo.

Now you all know that I usually stay away from things that are processed. And soy-chorizo is clearly a processed food. But ya know, I LOVE it and it's in my "sometimes" category (as Cookie Monster would now say), so I occasionally partake in all it's salty, yummy, spiciness. I use soyrizo when I make Migas too.

And, ahem, if you've ever read the ingredient list on a package of "real" chorizo, you might switch too.

I came by this recipe from my dad when I was visiting recently and had been itching to make it. I dare you to try this recipe and tell me it's not delicious, or at least as good as "real" chorizo.

Oh, and if you just want a rich, flavorful, spicy dish but don't actually want to breath fire, leave out the cayenne and/or crushed red peppers.

Spicy Soy Chorizo

1 12 oz. package soyrizo or chorizo
1 cup white or brown rice*
2 Tb. olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow or red onion, chopped
1 anaheim chili, seeded & chopped**
1 green or red bell pepper
1 tsp. cayenne or crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
16 - 20 oz. stock (veg., chicken, etc.) or water

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Remove soyrizo (or chorizo) from the casing. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute soyrizo in 1 Tbs. olive oil until lightly browned. If using chorizo, omit the oil as you'll have plenty of fat content in the meat; cook through. Remove soyrizo/chorizo from the pan and set aside. Do not drain any remaining oil and/or fat.

Saute the chopped onions, chiles, and bell peppers, along with the optional cayenne or red pepper, just to sweat, about 2 minutes.

Add the rice and saute until slightly opaque.

Add 16 oz. of stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 - 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir half way through and check liquid level. Add up to 4 oz. additional liquid as necessary.

When rice is cooked, remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Then gently fold in the soyrizo or chorizo. Serve topped with chopped cilantro (and a beer to cool the heat!).

*brown rice will require longer cooking & more liquid
**if you can't get fresh chiles, canned will work in a pinch

Bloggers Unite for Haiti

2010-01-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

Every day, in every part of the world, there are people in need. People suffering. Every day, everywhere, something happens that forces peoples lives upside-down. Every day, in everyplace, there is opportunity to help friends, neighbors... strangers.

photo by Eduardo Munoz, Reuters

Today the need is so great in Haiti that it may seem utterly overwhelming to think that some small donation—a small act of faith— can make a difference when hundreds of thousand of people may have lost their lives. Where families are forever and irrevocably altered. Where hardship that was already so extreme has been exponentially magnified by natural disaster.

photo by Eduardo Munoz, Reuters

Beyond the pain of the devastation, searching for survivors, and burying the dead, Haiti's food, water and medical systems are desperately crippled.

It's sometimes hard to believe the cliche that "every little bit helps," but it can.

Please help me to give just a little bit more.

I will donate ten cents (10¢) for every comment I receive between now and Friday, January 14, at 8:00 p.m. to be split equally between Yele Haiti and Doctors Without Borders (Medicins sans Bordeurs).

You can also help by going donating to one of these organizations on behalf of Haiti:

* Text YELE to 501501 to contribute $5 to Yele Haiti.

* Text HAITI to 90999 to contribute to the Red Cross.

* Call Red Cross 1-800-435-7669 to make your donation to the Red Cross.

* Paypal Donation through Hope for Haiti

* Donate to Doctors Without Borders.

* In Canada, donations can be made by text message to the Salvation Army’s Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief relief fund. Donors in Canada can text the world “HAITI” to 45678 from any Rogers Wireless or Bell Mobility phone to contribute $5.00 to The Salvation Army.

(thanks to Judy for the list of resources above.)

visit Bloggers Unite for more information!

Dutch Pancakes - "Big Dutch Babies"

2010-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

**I'm reviving this delicious breakfast from the archives, because I think it is so, so worth it! It's an easy way to make an impressive breakfast spread too. I made this on Christmas morning and it was wonderful. Brought back lots of memories from Christmases past! Thanks for the recipe, mom!

One of my fondest food memories is of Big Dutch Babies, or more commonly, Dutch Pancakes. These rich, fluffy, egg-y, custardy wonders graced our breakfast table on special occasions like Christmas, Easter, and birthdays. They were always my first request when given the choice.

To this day, they make me think of my mother and of family gatherings at the breakfast table. And, to this day, they are still the top request when the family gathers at my parent's house for a holiday. Looking back, and looking at my recipe, I realize why this simple dish was reserved for special occasions: with all this butter and eggs, it's certainly not low fat or low calorie. Not to mention the syrups and jams and sugar!

The recipe doesn't require a cast iron pan to turn out just beautifully, but there's something about the richly seasoned pan that really adds something to the finished dish.

We serve and eat them in lots of different ways, and all are delicious! My favorite is with butter, lemon juice, and powdered sugar, while my dad prefers his with jam. My kids are fans of Maple Syrup (the real stuff, please!).

With the weekend approaching, I think I just might make a batch myself and wallow in memories of my childhood. And of course, the most delectable pancakes this side of the crepe.

Big Dutch Babies

Pan size Butter Eggs Milk/Flour

2-3 qt 1/4 cup 3 3/4 cup

3-4 qt 1/3 cup 4 1 cup

4-4 1/2 qt 1/2 cup 5 1 1/4 cup
4 1/2-5 qt 1/2 cup 6 1 1/2 cup

Put butter in the pan and place in a preheated 425 degree oven.

Beat eggs until lemony. Add milk, then flour and whisk smooth. Pour into the pan with fully melted butter. Cook 20-25 minutes.

The center should be set and the edges will be puffed up into big, golden bubbles. Slice in the pan and serve hot with your favorite toppings.

Oh, and if you make them, what time should I arrive for breakfast?

Winter Strawberries

2010-01-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

I almost feel guilty for posting this when I know that much of the country is in deep freeze at the moment.

Almost. But not really.

This week I got these amazingly lovely, sweet, delicious strawberries at the market. And guess what?

They aren't from Mexico. Or Chile. Or Peru.

They're from Orange County, just 26 short miles away from me.

For all the things that I dislike about living in Southern California, there really are many wonderful attributes. You can't beat little gems like local strawberries in January!

Salted Crispy Treats

2010-01-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays, I did a lot of baking. A LOT. I whipped out some old standards (Guinness Cupcakes, anyone?) and tried a few new recipes I found just for the various events I attended.

One recipe I trotted out for the family Christmas Eve gathering were the Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats from Smitten Kitchen.*

I love all things salty/sweet, so adding salt to rice krispie treats seems like it would be a no-brainer. I don't know why I didn't think of it myself.

I didn't make any modifications to the recipe, although I'm not sure if I browned the butter or just melted it really thoroughly. I hadn't browned butter before & I was terrified of burning it and ruining the whole batch, so I may have removed it from the heat a bit early. I did, however, sprinkle a little extra sea salt over the tops of the treats right after I pressed them into the pan.

The treats were a huge hit at the party, although I wanted to eat them all myself. My cousin's response to them was awesome. "Did you use salt or crack in these? Because I can't stop eating them". There were very few left by the time I hit the road to head home & I almost wish I had brought them home with me. Alas, I left them for the family.

Next time I make these (oh, yes, there will be a next time), I'll likely try out this cereal instead of Rice Krispies - I just found out from Stef at Cupcake Project (via twitter) that Rice Krispies are harborers of high fructose corn syrup, which I've mostly cut from my diet. Stef also suggested the Erewhon version as a good substitute. As long as I can find good alternatives**, it's easier to do than you'd think.

*I have so many of her recipes bookmarked right now it's ridiculous.

**The holdout? Dr. Pepper. I can't drink diet sodas because of the aspartame. I also remembered AS I WAS WRITING THIS that I was going to have friends bring me some Dublin Dr. Pepper (made with cane sugar!) from their trip to Texas over the holidays. Shoot.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

2010-01-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

So, my holidays were pretty great. How about yours? Though, I do kind of feel like I was abducted and have at last been dropped back into my real life.

What is it about holidays and vacation that make us feel like were living, temporarily, apart from our real selves?

My son attends a school in which many of the families take their children out of school for extended trips around the holidays, as many of them visit far away families and "home" in Mexico and Central America. Rather than dealing with those extended absences, the school decided this year to give the students a three week break for the holidays. Now, if you're a nine year-old kid, this is pretty much like winning the lottery. He was SO excited. And at first, so was I. But then it dawned on me that three weeks off school meant three weeks at home. with me. in winter. While most of his friends were on vacation in Mexico.

Clearly, we needed to get off the Island too! And that we did. We spent 10 fun, relaxing days in the mountains near Yosemite, where we visited family and old friends.

And I did not cook one single time.

Getting back into the groove has been tough, as we're still in vacation mode until school starts tomorrow morning. But to get us all back into that feeling of home, we whipped up some fantastic Chocolate Chip Banana Bread!

This recipe is a variation on my favorite "Best Banana Bread Ever," but you can also add other delightfully homey flavors like crystalized ginger, like Jess did in her adaptation of Molly Weizenberg's recipe from A Home Made Life. The basis for my recipe came to me from my father-in-law, and is a much requested treat whenever we visit him. Our addition of chocolate just makes it all the more irresistible!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

3 very ripe medium bananas
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
8 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour one standard sized loaf pan or three mini loaf pans. I use an olive oil spray that is so light it doesn't impart any of the fruity olive flavor. If you prefer, simply drip a tiny amount of oil into the pan and smear it around to coat all the edges. Or use butter if you're not afraid of even more fat & calories!

In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the metal blade, process butter and bananas until finely chopped; about 10 seconds.

Add the remaining ingredients, except nuts and chocolate chips, and process until smooth; about another 10 seconds.

Add nuts if desired, and pulse just to incorporate nuts and lightly chop if they are whole.

Add chocolate chips and pulse on low just to combine.

Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pan(s) and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before cutting.

These can be stored in the refrigerator and also freeze well. But really, they're not going to last that long anyway! You'll want to eat the whole loaf as soon as it's out of the oven!

Cookies for the Holidays

2009-12-14T14:23:00.000-08:00

It's entirely possible I went overboard baking this year for Christmas. I decided that I wanted to bake some, as I often do. I picked up a couple holiday baking magazines to check out new ideas, bookmarking several recipes as I went. I also found a couple interesting recipes online this year and added them to my bookmarks tab. So, since I added sticky notes and bookmarks, I effectively added several recipes to my "I need to try this" list.

The short list:

9 types of cookies
1 candy
2 types of quick breads (mini-loaves)
8 previously untested recipes

I went through:

4 pounds of butter
1 cup shortening
1 cup oil
19 eggs
14 cups of sugar
18 3/4 cups of flour
6 bags of chocolate chips (white, semi-sweet, & dark chocolate/mint)
14 teaspoons vanilla (2 1/3 ounces)
2 cups coconut
3 1/2 cups of nuts
7 1/2 cups of oats
1 1/2 cups of raisins

You'll note that I did not even attempt to make any of these "healthy" cookies. I used shortening AND oil, for the love of arteries. And 4 pounds of REAL butter (although I can't see that margarine is much better for you in the long run with all the extra saturated fat you get in order to cut down on general fat content. I'll stick with the real thing, thanks). Oy.

I put together containers for my knit group of 9 people, a container to mail off to a friend in Chicago, and will be putting one together to take to knit night at my LYS on Wednesday and I will STILL have a ton of cookies left.

I tend to go big or go home. I don't know how to do things small scale. Lucky thing my friend Shannon drew my name in our knit group gift exchange and got me a book teaching me how to bake small batches. There are recipes in there that make all of 2 cookies. I need to know things like that since I don't need 8 billion cookies sitting around tempting me to eat them.

The cookies - starting just before 12 o'clock & moving clockwise (first time recipes for me in green):

Chocolate Chip (classic Nestle Tollhouse recipe)
Cowboy Cookies (recipe) - I did not toast the pecans & I used regular semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of chunks. Yummy.
Jess's Lipstick Granola Cruncher Cookies (also known as World's Best Cookies) - these definitely benefit from the oil, even though it seems like a lot. These cookies are divine. A little crunch, dry and crumbly but moist at the same time. Fabulous.
Vanilla Salted Peanut Cookies (see recipe below)
Cinnamon Spiced Hot Chocolate Cookies (recipe) - These were really good, especially if you know someone who loves spicy foods. They got crispy and had a bit of a kick thanks to the cayenne pepper.
Spicy Molasses Cookies (see recipe below)
Mint Chocolate Delights (recipe)
Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies (recipe) - I had made these a couple years ago & they were drier than I wanted. So this time I added a box of chocolate instant pudding mix and an extra egg. I would definitely do that again, but mix the cake mix & pudding mix together first. I tried to mix in the pudding mix first and it gummed up the dough and my mixer. Ooops.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (center) (recipe) - My standard recipe for these.

I also made two quick breads: an Eggnog bread & a Coconut Banana Bread. Plus a batch of peppermint bark to give to Mindy as part of her knit group gift. All three things I hadn't tried before, all three turned out good.

There is not one recipe I tried this year that I wouldn't make again. They all worked fabulously.

Vanilla Salted Peanut Cookies:

Recipe from Ultimate Cookies magazine

These turned out well, but I made the mistake of using low-sodium dry roasted peanuts, so there's not enough salty to the sweet. In the future, I will make sure to use full sodium peanuts and maybe cut down a little on the sugar. I also inadvertently chose three recipes with coconut in them, so in this one I decided to omit the coconut.

3/4 cup shortening

2 cups packed brown sugar (I always use dark unless the recipe specifies otherwise)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt (I used sea salt in all my baking this year and it turned out just fine)

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

2 cups oats

1 cup dry-roasted peanuts

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup coconut (as I discovered, optional)

Preheat oven to 375F. In large bowl, beat shortening on high for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, baking soda, and salt, beating until combined. Beat in eggs & vanilla until mixed, then beat in flour. Stir in oats, raisins, and coconut.
Drop by rounded teaspoon (I used a small cookie scoop - best purchase EVER) about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 7-9 minutes until edges are light brown. Let stand for 2 minutes, remove to wire rack to cool.

Spicy Molasses Cookies

from Ultimate Cookies magazine.

Note: all spices are ground unless specified otherwise.

1 3/4 cups flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup dark molasses (I used black strap molasses)

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup coarse, raw, or pearl sugar (I used raw sugar).

Mix together the flours, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, allspice, cloves, salt, & pepper.
In separate bowl, beat butter and shortening together on medium/high for 30 seconds. Add sugars, beating until combined. Beat in egg yolk, molasses, & vanilla until mixed together. Beat in flour mixture slowly. Cover & chill dough for at least an hour.
Preheat oven to 375F. Shape dough into 1 inch balls (I used the cookie scoop here, too), then roll in coarse sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes. Let stand 1 minute, the remove to wire racks to cool.

Brown Rice with Edamame and Almonds

2009-12-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

This very simple, yet very healthy dish comes from Wendy. Wendy cooks, quilts, nurses, and creates in the beautiful mountains of Northern Arizona.

~Annie

My quilt quild has a huge potluck holiday party every year. This year I was signed up to bring a salad. I hadn’t been to the grocery store in almost 2 weeks (I’ve been busy!) and so my challenge was to make something out of what I had on hand. I didn't have a lot to work with, but I did have some frozen edamame. I found an edamame salad recipe that I thought I’d try, but when I made the dressing I just didn’t like the smell or the taste. It was time to create something myself.

I love the combo of ginger, soy, garlic, and honey, so decided to wing it and here’s what came out... it was a hit with just a tiny bit left after the food line died down. I had the leftovers for lunch today and it was even better.

Brown Rice and Edamame with Almonds

2 1/2 cups water

1 cup brown rice

2 1/2 cups shelled, steamed edamame beans

1 cup roasted almonds

2 generous Tbs honey
2 tbsp fresh shredded/minced ginger
1 clove crushed garlic

1/3 cup soy sauce

Bring 2 ½ c water to a boil; add 1 cup brown rice. Reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes until all the water is absorbed.

Steam edamame according to package directions, or about 5-7 minutes. Cool and remove the pods. You’ll need about 2-3 cups of the edamame “beans”

While the rice and edamame are cooking, prepare the dressing.

Whisk together honey, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. In a serving dish, combine the rice, edamame, and almonds and toss with the dressing.

Refrigerate for 2-3 hrs or overnight.

So easy, so good, so healthy..... I’ll make it again!

Homemade Vegetable Stock

2009-12-01T08:31:00.000-08:00

STOP right there!

You were going to throw out all of those leftover vegetable trimmings from Thanksgiving, weren't you?

You're done cooking, the meal is over, and you've got piles of trimmings from all those dishes you cooked, right? Onions, carrot peels, potatoes, garlic. Maybe you've got a few things that didn't make the cut and have started to get a little wilty and not-so-appealing looking?

Rich, golden vegetable stock is a staple in the refrigerator: this home made version is

both tastier and more healthful than store bought varieties.

Don't throw them in the compost heap or garbage. There is a perfect, beautiful, and rewarding use for them. And it is easy as the pie you are ever so sick of eating!

Home made vegetable stock is like gold in the refrigerator. So many of the basic recipes and foods we make call for large amounts of water, especially soups, stews, rice and grains, etc. Vegetable (or chicken or fish or beef...) stock is a flavorful way to really enliven everyday food preparation.

Home made stock is also richer and tastier, but with less sodium. So it's a good deal all around: you keep food scraps out of the landfill, you get a delicious, easy to make, wholesome stock, and you have no additional out of pocket cost.

Dried herbs, like these dried thyme leaves, enhance the flavor of a slow simmered stock

You may also be able to score some past-their prime vegetables from your farmer's market. Many vendors will sharply discount the remaining produce at the end of the day, if not give it to you for nothing. They likely do not want to take it back to the farm or packing house with them, since it may spoil or be otherwise damaged before they are ready to sell again.

These rich, buttery 'pacific gold' potatoes were the only item I didn't have left-over from other meals.

Their smooth, buttery, earthy flavor makes them a worthwhile addition, even if you have to buy them fresh.

Here's a delicious basic recipe that will yield about 11-12 cups of stock. Store the stock in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or freeze in small portions for use later. Frozen, it will keep for about three months.

Vegetable Stock

12 cups water
2 large carrots, peels intact, coarsely chopped
one large onion, with skin, coarsely chopped
5-6 green onions
2 medium potatoes, with skins, quartered
4 large cloves garlic, peels removed
1 large zucchini (courgette), coarsely chopped
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, about 2 in. each
2 sprigs basil with leaves
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
pinch of cayenne

cheesecloth, for straining

other possible additions:
You can substitute or add any of the following as well.

trimmings from dark greens such as kale, chard, purslane, etc.
leaves and stem from cauliflower
celery & celery leaves
leeks
turnips
parsnips
squash
mushroom stems

First, begin by washing your vegetables. It may be tempting to think that since you're cooking them, you needn't bother. But your finished product is the hearty, golden liquid left from a long, slow simmer. You want clean vegetables for this. Be sure to remove any dirt as well as bad spots. Vegetables slightly past their prime are perfect for this recipe, but rotting and decaying are not.

Combine vegetables, herbs, salt, and spices in a large stock pot filled with 12 cups of water. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil and stir. Reduce heat and simmer for three hours.

After three hours, remove the stock from the heat. Prepare a very large bowl and a metal mesh sieve. Using a measuring cup or ladle, pour the stock through the sieve into the bowl, separating the solids as you go.

Once you've removed the solids, line the strainer or sieve with clean cheesecloth, overlapping the edge by at least an inch. Repeat the straining process using the cheesecloth to remove the fine sludge left at the bottom.

Transfer the stock to containers (I use 3 cup mason jars), cover loosely with a clean cloth, and let cool partially. When the stock is cooled cover with an airtight lid and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

To freeze in glass, be sure to leave about two inches of airspace at the top of the jar to allow for the expanding liquid as it freezes.

Use your stock in place of water for soup bases, stews, rice, beans, and anything for which you'd otherwise use water, stock, or broth.

Southwest Chili

2009-11-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

Since I made a commitment to making and blogging about those recipes I’ve tagged, put in binders, sticky noted, and paper clipped, I figured I’d better get on it!

I’ve never been a big fan of chili, because I’ve never been a big fan of beans. (Are you singing “Beans, beans, the magical fruit” right now? Because I am.) However, my kiddo and I went to a Halloween party recently (on Halloween, natch) and my friend Lorna Doone served up some chili with fixin’s. Kiddo, who will complain if he’s being served something other than pizza or burritos, ate it up like I hadn’t fed him in a week. (Don’t worry, he had eaten earlier that day. Breakfast, lunch and at least one snack. I promise.) The meat to bean ratio looked ok by me, so I had a bowl and was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I overheard Lorna telling another guest how she just kind of threw it together with a little this and a little that. Being an avid recipe follower, I knew that wouldn’t work for me. So, it's on. The quest for the Perfect Family Chili.

I’ve always known Big T (the husband) was a fan of chili, and had some recipes tagged with paper clips in a few cookbooks. It must have been from back when I was a much more adventurous cook and was still trying to impress him. The one I opted to make is from a Better Homes and Gardens, All-Time Favorites Slow Cooker Magazine from 2004. It had that meat to bean balance I was looking for, looked easy, and didn’t have the word “alarm” in it.

Southwest Chili
2 lbs ground beef
2 cups chopped onion
½ cup chopped green or red sweet pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 ½ cups water
1 12-oz can tomato paste
1 15-oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp salt
½ to 1 tsp ground red pepper
½ tsp ground cumin

In a very large skillet, cook ground beef, onion sweet pepper, and garlic until meat is brown. Drain fat. Place mixture in a 4 ½-6 qt. slow cooker. Stir together the water and tomato paste. Add to slow cooker along with red kidney beans, Great Northern beans, undrained tomatoes, mustard, chili powder, black pepper, salt, ground red pepper, and cumin. Stir to combine.
Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours, or on high heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Makes 8 servings.

Changes made: not much, just used about a cup of red peppers that I had in my freezer. Also put out shredded cheddar, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips for toppings.

I did photograph the chili both in the crockpot and in the bowl all fixed up, but my photography skills need a lot of work. This reminds me that I’m going to sign up for a Photoshop class this winter. Oh, yeah! It also reminds me that I need to use the good camera for these types of pictures.

Verdict: Kiddo loved it and ate two bowls, but Big T and I thought it was pretty bland. I was right about it being a good meat to bean ratio, so that’s a plus. I don’t know if I should have seasoned the meat while I was cooking it, or added more spices. If anyone has any ideas how to make this recipe better, let me know (or lemmeneaux as my friend Katy would say). In the meantime, I’ll keep looking for a good chili recipe that has bigger flavor but low heat for our sensitive PNW palate.

Chocolate Chai Spice Cupcakes

2009-11-20T08:15:00.001-08:00

I found (or was sent) this recipe for Chocolate Chai Spice cupcakes at least 2 years ago, maybe more. And it sat in my bookmarks for those entire 2+ years without me trying them, partially because I didn't have cardamom, partially because they looked like a lot of work.

When knit night friend Selena was back in town in October, I had promised to make her some cupcakes. I didn't want to make the same ones I had done last time I went cupcake crazy, but wanted something special. I decided to break out this recipe and get down to business.

The day I was baking the cupcakes, I was looking over the recipe at work to make sure I had everything I needed to get started. My twitter status updates that day were about cupcakes, with such gems as:

(Please excuse the poor photochoppery here - I'm without photoshop as I write, so have to improvise).

There were also discussions on if I could use applesauce in place of some of the butter because, HOLY MOSES THAT'S A LOT OF BUTTER. And that was just in the cupcakes & did not include the 2 sticks in the frosting. In the end, though, I said "screw it" and just went with the recipe as written. With all 5 sticks of butter.

I bake things like this and wonder why I'm not on the weight loss train at the moment. Hmm. Let me think about that some more.

The cupcakes turned out fabulous - I think Mindy said they were her new favorite cupcake or something to that effect. It's been a month since I made them, I can barely remember my name at this point.

The recipe, lifted from Chockylit with my notes in italics:

Chai Spice Mix

2 teaspoons fennel, whole (I used ground because I could find it & don't have a food processor)
2 teaspoons cloves, whole (again, I used ground)
1 tablespoon cardamom, ground
2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
2 teaspoons ginger, ground

1. With a small food processor, grind up the whole fennel and cloves.
2. Transfer to a small bowl and add remaining spices. Mix to combine. (Obviously I just mixed mine all together since I didn't have to use a food processor.)

The ones that aren't chocolate are a failed experiment in sweet potato cupcakes. Lesson: Don't try other recipes when you have a perfectly good one already.

Chocolate Chai Spice Cupcakes
24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven
200 gram bar of Valrhona 61% cacao (Ghiradelli works well if you can't find Valrhona easily).
3 sticks butter
2-1/4 cups sugar
8 eggs
1-1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 teaspoons chai spice mix
pinch of salt
1. Chop chocolate and transfer into the bowl of a standing mixer.
2. Add butter to the chocolate and place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until chocolate melts and butter is combined. Time to come clean - I don't have a real mixer, I have a hand held one. And until about 2 weeks ago, I didn't have a proper bowl for melting and mixing. So I just melt things directly over the heat on my gas stove and it works FINE as long as I don't forget it's there and keep stirring. Seriously.
3. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Let mixture cool for 10 minutes.
4. Beat in an electric mixer for 3 minutes.
5. Add one egg at a time, mixing for 30 seconds between each Or be lazy like me and add the eggs 2 at a time, then mix until they're blended in.
6. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, chai spice mix, and a pinch of salt into the mixture and mix until blended. Yes, I actually sifted it in. It was quite nice, too. Except that I don't have a real sifter, just one of the small wire strainer doohickeys, so it took a little longer to sift through that than it would with an old school sifter like this one. My parents had that sifter. It was fantastic.
7. Scoop into cupcake cups and bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

I think, other than the mixer issue, I did everything just like she says there.

I let my cupcakes cool overnight. My ironing board makes a great cooling rack since I lack counter space. I have no idea how I'm going to be able to bake for Christmas with no counter space.

Chai Spice Buttercream Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup milk I may have forgotten the milk and used water instead because I was reading two recipes at once. I should not multi-task when baking. Or did I do that with a different recipe? I did it once and everything turned out fine. Now I think I did that with the peanut butter frosting, though. Hmm.
2 teaspoons chai spice mix I think I used at least 3 tsp, maybe more. I still have some of the mix left.
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger I did not use this.
1. Beat butter until creamy, scrape bowl.
2. Add 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar, milk, spice mix, and ginger. Beat until combined.
3. Add more powdered sugar as needed to get piping consistency.

Seriously, y'all, this frosting was amazing. I still have some in my freezer because I didn't use it all.

This recipe has definitely earned a place in my personal arsenal of baking. They turned out great, really weren't that much work, and were devoured almost instantly. YUM.

Cannellini and Pearl Barley Soup

2009-11-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

It's getting to be soup weather around here.

Not too cold yet, but just right for simmering a pot of soup on the stove as I go about my day. Or, better yet, pile everything in the slow cooker and head out the door.

I'm a really big fan of soups, and since a trip to town usually involves several hours away from the house just to make the trip worthwhile, I often turn to my well-worn slow cooker to do the cooking while I'm away. In my world, it's the next best thing to having an actual cook!

When I was a kid, my parents made a wonderful, rich bean and pasta soup that is still one of my favorites. Since perfecting that one years ago, I've been working variations on the theme. This soup, hearty yet not too heavy, combines beans with tender, slightly nutty, pearl barley. Bright carrots and leeks bring the earthy grains and legumes alive. You can make this soup purely vegetarian, and it's wonderful. But I also love the addition of the sausage for a rich, smokey quality that really warms and satisfies on a brisk fall day. You can also omit the red pepper if you don't like spice. While the small 1/8 tsp. amount won't set off any alarms, it does give it just a little kick that I really like.

Bright greens and orange illuminate...

photo by Annie

Cannellini and Pearl Barley Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large carrot, chopped
2 small leeks, whites and light greens, sliced in rounds
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 Tbs. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried sage
1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans (or any white bean)
1/2 cup uncooked dry pearl barley
2 1/2 cups each vegetable stock and water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 lb. smoked turkey or lamb sausage - optional

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute leeks, carrots, celery, thyme, oregano, and parsley until leeks begin to become tender. Add the sage and cook another 30 seconds. Remove from heat and transfer into the pot of a 5 qt. slow cooker.

Slice sausages in half and cook, in the same saute pan as the vegetables, until deeply browned on the outside. Add to the slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, stir well to combine, and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours.

Serve with freshly shredded gruyere, parmesan, or your favorite cheese and fresh ground pepper.

Dried Apples: it must be autumn

2009-11-13T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today I knew for sure it was autumn.

It was the apples. They are everywhere, and I could not be happier, because folks, I love me up some apples!

photo by DeusXFlorida

CC 2.0

A couple weeks ago, my husband and I were put in charge of the apple pie contest at our town's first annual Fall Festival. After the pies were judged, we opened up the booth and sold slices for $1.00 each. We had a line down the street before they even announced it and a mad rush as soon as we started cutting.

Of course, my husband and I might not be the best choices to work at an Apple Pie booth, as we both, um, "tested" the pies more than a few times. You know, just to make sure our customers were getting a quality product.

So, today, apples and autumn were on my mind. I love dried fruit in general, but apples are pretty much the top of my list, with mangoes a very close second. I made a batch of dried apples before our summer backpacking trip and the kids and I devoured them in the first day. I knew I needed a substantial stash for this season, so 10 lbs. is just my first batch.

photo by Marmot

CC 2.0

Having made apple sauce in the past, and frequently using apples in my baking and cooking, I had had just about enough of hand peeling apples and trying to cut away the core then slice them uniformly. I soooo coveted an apple peeler/corer/slicer, but could never get myself to spend the money on one. But good fortune smiled on me this week and I found an unused one at a thrift store for $5! I figured, heck, if it only lasted for this 10 lbs. of apples, it would still be worth it to me. Besides, the name of this contraption "Apple Machine" (not just peeler/corer/slicer) was written on the box solely in French: La machine des pommes. And of course, anything with the product name written in French must be a great product right? Certainly better than simple "the machine".

So, how 'bout them apples? Please do not even try to tell me that you could resist something that amusingly cute for just $5.

And, can I just say: stop being so damned frugal and buy yourself a machine des pommes, post-haste! It is so, so very worth it. I peeled, cored, and sliced 10 lbs. of apples in about 10 minutes, including fiddling with the first-use adjustments for la machine. Even my exceedingly frugal husband was won over by it's awesomeness. Plus, my kids think it's way cool to eat curly apple rings.

finished apples, polished off immediately after the photograph...

and la machine des pommes, a curiosity for my 9 year old, who is now enthralled with apple peeling

I love making apple sauce and apple butter as well, but dried apple pieces can't be beat for a snack. What's your method for prepping and preserving apples?

How to Dry Apples

You'll need:
10 lbs apples, sweet variety

Method:
Wash the apples and allow to dry, or pat dry with a clean towel. It helps if you can get apples without a waxy coating (i.e. not from the super market) as wax coating makes peeling more difficult, both by hand and machine. If you've got a machine des pommes, your prep work will be surprisingly quick and easy, about 10 minutes for 10 lbs. of apples. The slicer mechanism gave me slices about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. The firmer the apple, the better the result too. For uniform results, you'll want the slices to be about the same thickness.

The drying will likely take about 5-8 hours at 150-170 degrees, depending on your method. I used a high capacity home dehydrator and it took about six hours. I will probably use slightly less time the next batch I make. While this one tastes great and worked out beautifully, I like a slightly more leathery, chewy dried apple and these are firmer.

Spread the apple slices evenly across your drying tray. Pieces may be densely spaced, but not touching. Center the rack(s) in the dehydrator and close the drying door. Set the temperature to between 140 and 170 degrees for five hours, checking occasionally after three hours, until apple reach desired consistency.

Ten pounds of apples yielded about two quarts of dried fruit. You won't likely need to worry about storing that much fruit for a long time. You'll probably eat it long before it has a chance to expire!

Store your dried apples in an airtight container or zipper-top bag (with the air pushed out) in a cool, dark place. They will keep for at least a couple of months, if not longer. Alaternately, you can also vacuum seal them (such as "seal-a-meal") in smaller portions and keep the unopened portions in the refrigerator. If you store them in the refrigerator, be sure they are tightly sealed so they don't absorb moisture from the refrigerator.

A new feature

2009-11-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about pursuing a project similar to the one Nupur at One Hot Stove has started, working through the recipes she's bookmarked online (the aptly named Bookmark Project). I had been thinking of ways to kick up the variety in the kitchen lately & remembered her project, although my recipes are often printed out and placed in a binder for me to cook later.

When I mentioned this idea, fellow Stonecutter Wiwwa said that she has a similar problem with the binder full of recipes to try, so we're going to collaborate on this project together.

For my part of the project, I'm going to try to work through the recipes I have printed, bookmarked, saved, or what have you. Since I'm really trying to be healthy, I'll be attempting healthier versions of most of my recipes*. This will also give me a reason to go through my cookbooks & mark the recipes I'd like to try, then force me to try them sometime.

*Unless they were healthy to begin with, of course.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

2009-11-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

photo by Annie

Oh autumn, how I love thee! Truly my favorite time of year, autumn is full of possibilities. I know that for many, autumn is a time for taking stock, hunkering down, and getting ready for the winter— literally and figuratively. There are leaves to rake, gutters to clean out, all the trappings of summer to be stashed away until next season. Not to mention mentally readying oneself for a season of cold, gloomy weather, with darkness descending at seemingly inhuman hours.

But for me, autumn is also a time of infinite potential. We haven't yet reached the shortest days of the season and though temperatures are dipping into the 30s and 40s at night here at the ranch, daytime is warm enough for a few hours at the beach or in the garden. The lazy days of summer have been swept off and children all over the Island are more active and involved. Tourist season is nearly over, and the sleepy little town I love is emerging from the hustle and frenzied pace of summer.

Autumn skies seem bluer than summer skies with a quality of light unique to the season as the sun creeps stubbornly southward. And miraculously, strange little comforts, like my lawn turning green again, and the native plants beginning to poke through the dry summer remains, rejuvenate me. Our Island is a desert isle in the truest sense, and being one not to try to conquer mother nature at every turn, I tend to let things take their seasonal course. That is, except of course for my edible garden. For that, I wage merciless battle. Alas, I lost the battle this year, so I've not late season crops to harvest. But I'm filled with anticipation for starting my winter crops: onions, garlic, and greens. I confess: Living in such a mild climate has it's advantages. Mild winters mean I can grow edibles nearly 10 months of the year.

Almost terrifying how unattractive my tart shell is, eh? Don't worry, it was

covered in roasted squash and onions, for a beautiful orangey disguise.

Some of my favorite foods appear in autumn as well. And while summer is too warm and free spirited for baking and ovens, autumn just begs for roasting and baking hearty root vegetables and squash. My favorite squash, above all others, is butternut squash. This recipe is for a savory tart, pairing butternut squash, roasted and pureed with sweet, rich caramelized onions. It's a tasty, surprising mingling of sweet, savory, nutty, and earthy, and sure to warm and satisfy.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

Inspired by an old recipe from Gourmet Magazine, November 1998

Tart crust:

1 recipe tart or pastry dough. I use this recipe from David Lebovitz's web site because it is crazy, ridiculously simple, and tastes wonderful. And any pastry recipe that doesn't require rolling, I'm all over it.

Filling:

1 medium butternut squash, about 1 1/2 lb.

3 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 Tbs. unsalted butter, divided

4 springs fresh rosemary (about 1 inch long each)

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp rubber sage

1 tsp fine sea salt

1/2 tsp ground white pepper

1 large yellow onion

2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. butter

1 tsp balsamic or white balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs water

1 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup cream

3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/3 cup plain feta or crumbled goat cheese

1/3 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 tsp cayenne

salt and black pepper to taste

4 slices whole whet bread

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 450°.

Slice your quash in half and remove the seeds using a large spoon, scraping out any of the veiny center. Place the sqash cut side up on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Using 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, drizzle oil over the squash and use fingers to coat the surface. Divide the 1 Tbs. of butter evenly, and cut into thin pieces. Dot the butter along the edges and in the center of the squash. Place two sprigs of rosemary in each half and sprinkle the thyme, sage, and white pepper evenly over each half of squash.

Roast the squash in the upper third portion of the oven for about 40 minutes or until very tender when pierced with a fork. When tender, remove from the oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Reduce oven temperature to 375°.

While the squash is roasting, prepare the onions as follows:

Slice onions into thin (1/8 inch) slices. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. When oils are hot, add onions and cook slowly until they become very soft and the butter and oil begin to form a thick sauce on the onions. If they look slightly dry, add up tablespoon of water. Then, cover and let cook on medium-low heat until onions are soft, thick, and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure against burning.

Add about 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar about 30 seconds before removing onions from the heat. Stir well to coat and cook off any excess liquid.

When the squash is cool enough to handle, discard the rosemary sprigs and scoop the tender flesh out of the shell.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine squash, caramelized onions, egg, cream, cheeses, cayenne, and salt & pepper to taste. Process until well blended, about 20 seconds. The mixture will be smooth with small bits of onion and cheese visible.

To make the bread crumb topping, process the bread slices, 1/4 cup parmesan, and 1/2 tsp paprika in a food processor until it forms a course meal. Of course, in a pinch, pre-made bread crumbs work just dandy.

Spoon the squash and onion mixture into the prepared tart crust and evenly sprinkle the breadcrumbs across the top. Bake at 375° for 35 -40 minutes or until set.

Let cool for 5 minutes before serving to fully set.

Growing and Preserving

2009-11-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

Growing my own food is one of my greatest pleasures. Sometimes it's a highly successful endeavor, while others it's an exercise is patience and tenacity. But harvesting and eating something I've grown myself gives me such a sense of satisfaction, I keep coming back to the garden season after season.

Last year's sugar snap peas

I'm learning a great deal about what it takes to feed myself (and how very grateful I am that there are farmers who dedicate their lives to the vocation!) as I strive to grow more and more of my food myself. I love that I know exactly what went into my food, where it came from, and that it was my hands, my heart, and those of my family who participated in the garden that coaxed a living, growing thing from simple soil and that it could actually feed us!

Whether it's a simple window-box herb garden or full kitchen garden, growing food is a deeply rewarding exercise.

Though we live in one of the easiest growing climates in the world, we by no means grow all our own food. We try, each season to do better, grow more; that doesn't always work and some years, like this one, we end up cultivating the world's best wildlife-buffet. The ravens ravaged our fruit trees while the squirrels, quail, and foxes devoured pretty much everything else.

Last year, not a thing was touched. In fact, I had enough to give away at the local organic food co-op more than once.

Most of my harvests are relatively small and we eat the foods immediately. There's nothing like a vegetable picked 10 feet from your kitchen to remind you of how delicious fresh food really is! A carrot or zucchini plucked from the vine and eaten in just minutes can even win over a skeptical toddler.

Ahhhh, the yukon gold potatoes... such promise at this stage.

And then, there were the squirrels. Le sigh.

Whether I have a little extra from the garden or pick up extra at the market, I also love to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables. I dry apples; pickle cucumbers; freeze corn, berries, and zucchini; dry, stew, sauce, and salsify tomatoes; and if I *ever* get a decent apricot crop before the birds get them, I'll be making jam as well.

Preserving foods is a great way to keep summer alive just a little longer, but it also saves nutrients, money, and time. Most preserving can be as simple as drying or freezing, which takes just a small amount of active prep-time.

Gardening and preserving food is growing in popularity, and the resources available to those interested in trying it are numerous.

I've got several recipes and "how to" guides here already and plan to add more. If you've got a wonderful technique, trick, or recipe for preserving food, I'd love to hear it. What's your favorite thing to preserve? Do you garden? Is your garden big or small? Thriving or, like mine, struggling?

Here are a few links to get you started:
Los Angeles Common Ground Garden Program
   Gardening tips, ideas, questions & answers
Watch Your Garden Grow
   Gardening answers from the U. of Illinois Master Gardeners.
Seed Savers
   Sharing and saving Heirloom seeds
Gardener's Supply Company
   Garden How-to guides
   Kitchen Garden Planer (good for beginners!)

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Great resource for a variety of home canning techniques
National Center for Home Food Preserving
   Research-based canning & preserving info from the U. of Georgia

A little more about me

2009-10-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

UPDATE:
Well, it's November, 2010, and we've escaped our exile on the lovely Santa Catalina Island. While I was (ever so!) ready to leave the Island, I deeply, deeply miss the wonderful people there. On a daily basis, my heart aches for the friends we left behind. But we took with us so much love, friendship, and amazing experience. I know we'll visit the Island again and drink in its beauty, and, most of all, the powerful relationships we forged there.

So now, who am I? Where am I? Well, still here eating, cooking, and writing. Took a little break for some awesome traveling adventures. Moved from a desert island to the Rocky Mountains. From sea breezes to snowflakes. My chickens found a new home, with people who love them as much as we did. And they've got friends now to boot. Turtles also found a home in a much larger pond and with friends as well. Still have the husband, kids, and lunatic dog.

It's a different world here in the big city than that tiny little ranch on a tiny little island. And I'm embracing the changes and discovering new challenges and triumphs every day.

Basically, life is good. A little different, but good.

**************************************
Welcome! I'm Annie. It's good to see you here!

I'm a wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, exile to a small desert island, caretaker to 3 chickens, 2 turtles, and one slightly lunatic dog. I eat, cook, and write from a historic ranch in the middle of a beautiful island.

I was raised in Northern California, where my consciousness still seems rather stuck, but am currently exiled to this tiny desert Island off the coast of Southern California. I often forget that since I'm now officially from "SoCal" I probably shouldn't be making fun of it anymore. When I enter my location on a questionnaire, I get to select "United States, minor outlying islands" rather than just USA, which is of course way more interesting than noting that my little Island inspired a song as supremely goofy as "26 Miles" by The Four Preps.

I started this blog because I happen to know some truly inspiring and wonderful people who also happen to be great cooks. They share with me a love of food, but from new and interesting perspectives that are not always my own. I brought us all together here to share what we were doing, eating, cooking, and thinking about in our everyday kitchens. But of course, life moves perpetually forward, and, though we're all still sharing our thoughts on food, may of these wonderful cooks no longer had the time, resources, or just plain desire to be part of a blog. And I completely understand. Burn out creeps up on bloggers real easy!

Though I've taken the reigns here, you'll still be seeing some of them from time to time (I hope!) as we collaborate on new projects.

My professional background is in media communications, primarily for non-profit public health organizations, including the University of California Cooperative Extension in the Nutrition Services branch. Combine my background working with families and communities in spreading the word about food, nutrition, and healthy eating; my love of food and cooking; and being a parent striving to raise healthy adventurous eaters, and you've pretty much summed up my interests and what I write about here.

One of my favorite quotes about food goes something like this:

"Tis better to eat beer and franks,
with cheer and thanks
than sprouts and bread
with doubts and dread"

While I often focus on healthy, sustainably and ethically grown food, I also believe that the spirit of sharing a meal and making and sharing traditions is deeply important. And I hope that is reflected here as well, beacause it's an important part of my everyday life.

The Kitchen Mirror is a celebration of everyday cooks, here to share what goes on in, and what comes out of, our kitchens.

It is our everyday joys, triumphs, challenges and discoveries that define us as cooks and keep our food traditions alive— the everday care and attention to our food and our families (be it a family of one or of many)— that sustain us.

All too often, our admiration for the very talented and innovative chefs, restaurants, and writers among us overshadows the wealth of food, culture, and economics knowledge that is ingrained in American kitchens. If you want to know where the money's going in many a household, ask the cook. Looking for connections to generations past? Pick up grandma's recipe book. Grappling with what to eat in an increasingly confusing food environment? Ask your grandparents what they ate as children.

Food does not just fill an empty belly. It nourishes, inspires, connects, and satisfies us.

Unless otherwise attributed or noted, all photographs, images, and textual material are protected under the Creative Commons license described HERE.

I welcome comments and appreciate new ideas, so please, get it touch and lets talk!

You can contact me, or other conritubors, by sending an email to eatcookwrite [at] gmail [dot] com.

Changes are afoot

2009-10-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

photo by Annie

I tried to think of an amusing, but not too cliche title for this post, but really, I'm pretty sure it's all cliche by now.

Ch-ch-changes...
Doin' some housecleaning...
Under construction...

The first thing you might notice is up there in the address bar:

Hoorah!! I finally transferred things to my own domain name! I'm now simply www.kitchenmirror.com. Blogger will automatically redirect the old address right here, so if you forget or if you've got it book marked the old way, you'll still get here and find everything. (At least that's what they tell me! You can let me know if something's not working.)

raspberries by epSos.de

mushrooms by Annie

We're still hosted by blogger/blogspot because I've been really pleased with it and see no reason to change that aspect. I've found that bloggers in general have pretty strong opinions about their hosting platform, but I've had no problem with blogger/blogspot, and unless something changes, they've got my loyalty for now.

Amazing porchetta sandwich from Il Canne Rosso at the Ferry Building in San Francisco

photo by Annie

Also, coming very soon, the Kitchen Mirror will be getting a bit of a new look. Nothing crazy or dramatically different, but updated and, I think, even easier to use and navigate. I'm excited to see it evolve and I think you'll like it too! You'll also start seeing a little bit of advertising. I'm going to keep it as minimal as possible, and as unobtrusive as possible. I finally decided that I need to make this form of personal creative expression pay for itself at least a little bit.

In the coming months, I'll also be working with a couple fantastic ladies on a new project that we'll be sharing here on the blog. I'm hoping it all comes together well, because it's a really fun idea.

Keep your eyes peeled for a new look and some delicious new ideas!

A Sally Creation....Autumn Pie

2009-10-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

It's not often I make up a recipe from nowhere.....I usually make things my Mother made when I was a kid, or look at Delia Smith or recipes online. But I felt like being creative. And I had a ton of things in the fridge and cupboard.......so here it is - it was a huge success so I thought I'd share as I haven't posted for AGES.....I was thinking like a Cottage Pie or a Shepherds pie -made with either beef mince or lamb mince, topped with mashed potato and baked....and this is what I came up with. Autumn Pie a la Sally

I fried 2 onions, a green pepper, a 500g pack of turkey mince, 1 green pepper and 1 courgette (zuchini to my American readers) in a little olive oil. I added a little sprinkle of herby good w ith everything salt and let it fry for a while until the mince was brown (or as brown as turkey mince gets). I added a tin of Heinz Beans and a tin of Heinz Tomato soup. I also added some flour to thicken it up and let it bubble on the hob for a while and I added a splish of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce too. In the meantime I boiled some swede carrot and potato cut into chunks, then mashed it with a little milk and some butter. Once the turkey mix had thickened and the veg softened I spooned the orange mash on top and popped it in the oven.

It was VERY orange. Hence the name. I really wasn't sure how it would turn out...but Oscar LOVED it. He is currently eating his second bowlful. He asked if he could have Autumn Pie every weekend from now on. Even Rob liked it - he didn't add Tony's Creole Seasoning to it either (which he often does to my cooking). Toby refuses to try it. His loss as Oscar is eating his portion!

It was so yummy. And you can adapt it I'm sure - use any kind of mince or use chick peas or other pulses if you want a meat free version. It's low fat, packed with protein and fibre and loads of veggies. And Oscar couldn't get enough!

Pasta with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

2009-10-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

I love pasta. There, I said it. I'm not afraid of pasta. Or carbs.

That's right, I throw caution to the wind!

OK, not really. I just happen to think that grains have a place in my diet, especially whole grains and pastas like brown rice pasta. If you look at the list of the ingredients, you will be astonished how many there are:

ONE.

WHOLE GRAIN BROWN RICE (organic in this case)

MMMM. Brown rice pasta with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

(And will you look at that, I finally got my lighting right!)

But what makes pasta really, really, really outstanding is what you put on it. To me, some of the most delicious pasta accents are the simplest.

I love to toss pasta with some very good extra virgin olive oil, a little garlic, and some freshly shredded parmesan cheese. Maybe a little fresh ground black pepper and you have simple bliss.

Another favorite is Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce. It's a very simple dish as well and can be tweaked just a little for so many variations. Maybe add some garlic, or a little roasted eggplant. Zucchini is sublime. Spice it up with some cayenne. Go wild and throw in some mushrooms. Why not?

No matter how you toss it (heh, that's punny, no?) it's a light, flavorful, healthy meal. With only a half cup of cream for a dish that makes four large servings or six smaller ones, you really needn't worry about the fat. And I promise, it simply will not work right with half and half or milk. Scouts honor.

My recipe was inspired by a couple different takes on the classic, including one of my favorite appetizers in which I pair roasted red peppers with cream cheese and spicy cajun seasonings. This has just a hint of spice, so you can use either cayenne pepper for just a little bit of heat or crushed red pepper flakes to turn the heat up a notch or two. Likewise, if you get it a little too spicy, you can add a tad more cream to mellow things out.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Sauce

oil for brushing

4 large red bell peppers, roasted and skins removed

4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 Tbs. olive oil, divided

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley, divided

freshly shredded or shaved parmesan cheese

1 lb. whole grain dried pasta, cooked according to package instructions or 1 lb. fresh pasta, cooked slightly al dente.

The sweet, smokey flavor of this sauce comes from slowly roasting the bell peppers either in the oven or over flame. I do mine on the BBQ. Leave the peppers whole, but cut off the stem and remove the seeds and core. Brush with a small amount of oil and place in a grill preheated to medium-high (about 400 degrees). Roast over medium high heat, turning frequently, until the outside is blackened and slightly bubbly.

Remove from the grill and seal in a zipper-top bag. Let stand for about 10 minutes. As the peppers cool, the steam will loosen the skin making it easy to remove.

While the peppers cool, gently cook the chopped garlic over medium heat until just tender. Gently cooking the garlic will release the oil so your garlic is flavorful but not overpowering of the other flavors in the sauce.

Once cooled, remove the peppers from the bag and peel away the skins and discard. Then, chop the peppers coarsely and place in a blender or food processor. Add the chopped garlic and 1 tsp. of the olive oil. Blend until smooth.

Check the consistency of the pepper mixture. If it seems too thick, add up to 2 additional teaspoons of oil or warm water to achieve a soft paste. Add the cayenne, cumin, salt, and black pepper, and blend to combine well.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Pour the pepper mixture into the heated pan and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Slowly stir in the cream, and return to a simmer, stirring continuously.

Remove sauce from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of chopped parsley.

Serve pasta and sauce tossed in a large serving bowl or individual portions topped with sauce. Garnish will the remaining parsley and a generous portion of shaved parmesan.

**Pssst. Hey you. Don't tell anybody, but, if you don't want to roast peppers, and you happen to have a jar (20-24 oz.) of roasted bell peppers on hand, you could substitute it for the freshly roasted ones. The flavor is not as rich, but they'll do in a pickle. Or if you just don't feel like making them from scratch. *wink*

Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins (aka "fruit & veggie muffins")

2009-10-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

What's the story, Morning Glory?

Breakfast is often a challenge in our house. With the long bus ride to school, my nine year old has to be out the door by about a quarter to seven each morning. That makes for an awfully early breakfast, which he is often just not up for. Of course, breakfast is probably the most crucial meal of the day, especially for a busy, active school kid. In our home, we not only avoid sugary cereals, but most cold cereals altogether. The whys of it are long and involved, but essentially, cold cereals just don't provide good nutrition, let alone "staying power" for the long day ahead.

Morning Glory Muffins, choc full of fruits, vegetables, and nuts!

So what's a mom to do?

Our morning staples are often eggs with whole grain toast, oatmeal, or whole grain banana pancakes. But, as my 4th grader (who also happens to be a PhD in EVERYTHING) pointed out recently, he gets bored with the same things. And who's to blame him? He wants SO BADLY to eat cereal for breakfast, and sometimes I relent, but I try to keep breakfasts healthy, filling, and not too much of a chore to eat at 6:00 a.m.!

One of our favorite substitute breakfasts are these delicious, healthy, and totally kid pleasing Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins. Serve them up with a bowl of yogurt and you've got a seriously tasty, seriously filling, and seriously health start to the day.

The recipe was inspired by a recipe on the Whole Foods web site and modified first by Kristy and then by me. With autumn fruits now in season in most places, these muffins make a great treat for day in or on the run, as they travel well and stay moist for up to 5 days in a sealed container the refrigerator.

Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins

This recipe makes 16-18 muffins
Note: If you use the brown sugar instead of apple sauce or brown rice syrup, be sure to add a little bit of extra oil.

1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, sifted (or a mix of equal parts all purpose and whole wheat)
1/2 cup organic evaporated cane sugar
1/3 cup organic apple sauce (or 1/4 cup brown rice syrup or 1/4 cup brown sugar)
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 Fuji apples, chopped (or other sweet apples or pears, or combination)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, shredded (zucchini is great too!)
1/4 cup plus 4 Tbs. shredded unsweetened coconut, divided
2 Tbs. flax seed meal
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or both

Position your oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, apple sauce (or brown rice syrup or brown sugar), baking soda, cinnamon and salt, breaking up any lumps in the sugar with a fork or whisk.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla. Add to the large bowl and mix until just combined.

Add the apples, raisins, dried cherries, carrots, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, flax meal, and nuts. Stir gently until well combined.

Spoon mixture into paper-lined muffin tins. For maximum yield, fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. For larger muffins with tops that rise and spill just over, fill muffin cups just below full. Sprinkle the tops with remaining coconut and bake for 20-30 minutes or until done when toothpick-tested.

Allow the muffins to cool on a cooling rack until well set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for two days, or up to five days in the refrigerator.

Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystalized Ginger

2009-10-03T12:51:00.000-07:00

It’s fall – and it feels like it. Sunday was pleasant and warm, getting hot in the sun waiting for brunch (at the Screen Door), but by Tuesday I was wearing tights and extra layers and bringing a jacket to work.

That means it’s chilly enough for knee socks and banana bread and an extra round of coffee. Oh, who am I kidding – I’d be baking banana bread even without the cool weather! I came across a recipe the other morning, following I don’t know how many random links to find this blog that shares a recipe from Molly Wizenberg’s A Homemade Life for Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystalized Ginger. I really enjoyed A Homemade Life when I read it back in July, but hot days in July are not ideal for banana bread. So I was quite pleased to come across it when I had a few overripe bananas and some free time on my hands.

The bread is nicely decadent and very moist - and in my opinion, there are few things worse than a dry quick bread. Follow the link above and try for yourself – I only had two bananas, so I added about an extra half cup of yogurt, since that perfectly polished off a carton of plain, cream-top that I’d been ignoring in favor of Greek style yogurt. Oh, and I threw in some nutmeg and cinnamon because quick breads don’t seem quite right without them. The extra yogurt may have made the bottom of the loaf a bit denser than the top, and the chocolate chips sunk to the bottom a little, but overall it's a winner. There's just enough ginger for the occasional zing - it doesn't overwhelm the bread. The bites with chocolate are my favorite, but the plain stretches of bread have a nice banana flavor and a great crumb. I'll definitely make it again - maybe as muffins.

My off-Island adventures to San Francisco for BlogHer Food '09

2009-09-30T14:32:00.000-07:00

I am home (finally, after many hours on the road Monday) from a fantastic weekend in San Francisco and beyond. I'd forgotten how much I love that city. Or maybe it's just the ability to appreciate it in a different way, now that my life is so different.

The San Francisco Bay Bridge and Angel Island

with Oakland in the background.

As some of you know, I attended the BlogHer Food '09 Conference at the St. Regis in San Francisco. First, let me say that the St. Regis is just a stunning hotel. It's beautifully designed and decorated, filled with some impressive works of art. It sits across the street from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and attached to the Museum of African Diaspora. I did not stay at the hotel, as $450+ per night is just not my style, and more importantly, not my budget. Besides, if I were going to spend $450 in one night, it would not be on a bed, but on gobs of food in that amazing city.

The St. Regis Hotel is filled with a wide variety of art.

This sculpture piece adorns the foyer between

the registration desk and the Elevators.

San Francisco is in a really good food place right now. The city is always interesting and exciting, and there's always good food to be had, whether it's a whole in the wall or a starred establishment. But right now, there's a lot going on in the food world, and San Francisco is really benefitting from it. Add to that the city's choice to really embrace local, organic, seasonal, fresh, and sustainable food sources, and you have the makings for some truly interesting and creative new restaurants as well as traditional fare enlivened by the "fresh from the field/tree/vine" flavors that local sourcing brings to life.

So, San Francisco makes for the perfect place to gather a bunch of food bloggers. If you're dying to know details about the conference, you can get some great archives of the live-blog posts by various attendees by visiting these BlogHer Food '09 Live Bloggers. But here are a few impressions I took away from the Conference.

First, since I know this is on many of your minds, YES, I did get to meet both David Lebovitz and The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond). Both very brief, "Hi, nice to meet you, thanks for the great presentation/book" type meetings. I'm not really into fawning over celebrities, and yes, people like this are kind of celebrities in my world. The only famous people I have ever met have been writers (be they book, blog, or magazine) and a couple musicians who were well beyond their era of fame. But these are people whose work I admire, respect, and by which I am entertained.

Ree Drummond seemed like a very genuine person and somewhat on the shy side. But hey, after saying hello to a couple hundred adoring blog readers, maybe she was overwhelmed (I was overwhelmed). This was a very, very chatty bunch of people. After networking for something like 6 hours straight, I had had enough and kind of wanted to run screaming from the hotel like a crazy woman. Not that anyone in San Francisco would have noticed...

David Lebovitz, pastry chef and author of The Sweet Life in Paris.

I got a much better shot of him posed, looking at the camera, with no

random person in the background. But I like this one because

he's smiling so naturally.

I met David Lebovitz briefly when I took my copy of his book The Sweet Life in Paris to a book signing he did at Fog City News prior to the Conference. David was witty, friendly, very good natured, and generous. He let me and my friend April act like complete nerds and tell our story of how he recommended the perfect chocolate gift (Maison du Chocolat) for April when she was undergoing Chemotherapy and we realized that she therefore wouldn't be able to make the trip to Paris that we'd been hoping to make in the near future, a trip that would be very chocolate-centric! I don't know if he remembered the letter I wrote to him at the time, as I'm sure the requests he gets are inumerable, but his suggestion was indeed perfect and he agreed that Maison du Chocolat is probably among the best chocolate anywhere and if you've endured chemo, you not only deserve the best chocolate, but you are officially justified in eating as much of it as you darn well want to. Forever.

Oh, and he was also gracious in humoring me when I jumped back in line (cutting, like a good Parisian?) to take his photograph before I left. I honestly didn't think he'd stop signing for a photograph, so I ended up holding up a number of guests waiting their turn. Oops.

OK, so maybe I fawned just a little. But seriously, he's got great recipes, chocolate, Paris, and truly funny story telling going for him. How can one not be a big fan?

I also had the opportunity to see and old friend that I haven't seen in about 7 years. It wasn't until I read over the speaker bios for the Conference that I realized that she'd be there. Michelle owns a very nice, and award winning, blog called Wine Girl. Based out of Cincinnati, Michelle is tackling a food niche generally dominated by people in or near California's Napa Valley, so her approach is really refreshing to see.

Michelle, aka Wine Girl, and me at BlogHer Food 09's disastrous Bertolli lunch.

Fortunately, good company made up for what the meal was lacking.

The Conference sessions themselves were very good. I really liked the structure of the Conference— divided into three tracks— highlighting topics in Vocational, Visual, and Values categories. I chose to participate in one of each category to get a good taste of not only three varied subjects, but the talented bloggers and speakers sharing their knowledge. The schedule as a whole ran smoothly and, for the most part, on time— not an easy task at any conference. BlogHer staff were also delightful people who seemed to enjoy their time there as well. And I loved the fact that they had a donation center (benefitting a San Francisco food bank) set up so that attendees could donate any of their swag items they didn't want or couldn't carry home.

Like many people, my only substantial complaint about the day was the choice of lunch. Lunch was sponsored by Bertolli Frozen Meals. Yep, you read that right. There we were at the St. Regis in San Francisco, at a conference populated by people obsessed (to put it mildly) with food, and they served us reheated frozen dinners. I understand the value of sponsorships in planning and executing a Conference, especially one in which the registration was kept below $100 (which I appreciated greatly). But this was probably not the right crowd for frozen, pre-packaged meals: a serious miss of a potentially influential target audience. As Wine Girl noted, Bertolli would have had greater success with this group had they stuck to highlighting their olive oil to create fresh meals. Even their bottled pasta sauce would likely have been better received than pre-packaged meals, all of which were lacking real distinctive flavor. The appetizer salad, freshly created by chef Rocco diSpiritu was good, and made a very attractive and appetizing centerpiece to the tables. And, as attractive and charming as diSpiritu was, the highly active nature of his presentation, coupled with the excessive volume on the gallery sound system made the "networking lunch" a bit more anxious than productive. Wine for the event was provided by St. Supery winery and featured a Cabrnet Sauvignon, a Merlot, and a Chardonnay.

The beautiful place setting at lunch in the Grand Gallery at the St. Regis Hotel,

San Francisco. Wine by St. Supery and a salad by chef Rocco diSpiritu.

The sessions concluded with a lively keynote by Elise Bauer, Ree Drummond, and David Lebovitz, entitled "Food Blogging: Now and Forever". All three speakers were entertaining and informative. With three very different approaches to blogging and food, the closing keynote session wrapped things up nicely.

Closing session was topped off with a terrace cocktail party at the St. Regis. Alas, after a full day, I was spent and couldn't bear the thought of two more hours of networking, however wonderful the company or perfect the evening. SInce I would be leaving at 6:00 a.m. the next morning for an 11.5 mile hike through Muir Woods and up Mt. Tamalpais, I decided to hoof it back to BART for what turned out to be a relaxing ride out of the city with great views of a gorgeous Bay Area sunset.

Finally, I had the opportunity to be interviewed on SisterAct Blog Talk Radio about blogging, food, and the Conference. I was the second guest in a one-hour show, soI don't appear until about minute 40. That was my way of hiding, cause y'all know that I just LOVE being the center of attention. In fact, I'm pretty sure I did a good job of being nearly invisible at the Conference...

Red Lentil Soup

2009-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry, no pix on this one (maybe tomorrow)....

One of my favorite restaurants here has the ultimate-to-die-for red lentil soup, so I set out on a quest to find a similar recipe. And I came across the Epicurious version.

Very simple recipe of sauteed veggies (in EVOO), red lentils and broth. I added some diced red bell pepper, more onion, more garlic than the recipe called for and used organic veggie broth instead of chicken. The recipe was incredibly bland as it was cooking (the only spices being the broth, some cumin, S&P), so when I tasted it, I knew it needed more of everything.

So I added some fresh dried basil, Tony Chacherre's seasoning, and a curious thing in my cupboard called Greek seasoning.... more kosher salt, fresh ground pepper.

And it was perfect. Served with green salad with feta, walnuts, and rasp vinegarette, brown bread, and the only nod to not being a totally vegan meal... a bit of shredded cheese.

Filling, low calorie, and very delicious... and there is enough here for guests on Tuesday....

Blackberry Cobbler

2009-09-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

I've just realized that there are food items in my flickr stream that never made it to any blog. So, let's get started.

Back in July one of the local grocery stores had a sale on blackberries, so I bought some. Then they sat in my fridge until I had to do something with them, so I bought some more to have enough to make a blackberry cobbler. I merged a couple different recipes to create my cobbler, but the basis is this one from Betty Crocker.

Ingredients:

3 pints fresh blackberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp backing powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1/2 cup butter, melted*

optional: whipped cream

*I ALWAYS use butter when I'm baking. I know that there are lower calorie options, but the flavor is SO MUCH BETTER with straight up butter. Margarine is not an option if I'm baking.

Mix the blackberries & sugar together in a medium bowl, let stand about 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 F

Mix together dry ingredients (flour, spices, baking powder, salt) in large bowl. Stir in the milk, then the melted butter. Pour into an 8x8 square pan. Spoon blackberry mixture over the batter.

If desired, sprinkle more sugar over the top of the blackberries.

Bake 45-55 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with whipped cream. YUM.

(cross-posted on my personal blog)

Drying tomatoes

2009-09-21T14:00:00.000-07:00

It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.

The saying is attributed to American humorist, Lewis Grizzard. Whether the attribution is accurate, I can't say for sure, but the sentiment is spot on.

There are few flavors more delightful than a ripe tomato. And a homegrown tomato is as close to perfect as you can get. A favorite past time of many a gardener, and many a kid in mid-summer, is to pluck a ripe, juicy tomato straight from the vine and savor it warm, standing in the garden. One of the few garden tasks my 9 year old doesn't have to be asked twice to do is harvest tomatoes. How many never reach the basket, destined instead for his belly, I don't know.

Tomatoes prepped and ready for drying

Tomatoes are a staple in my kitchen. When not eating them raw, sliced thick with just a sprinkle of sea salt, I can them, make them into sauces and salsa, and dry them.

Last summer I had such an abundance of tomatoes, I nearly ran out of ideas for preserving them. Most were made into sauce and salsa, but a late maturing crop came when my freezer was stuffed to bursting with bottles of salsa and marinara sauce set up for winter. This last crop, I decided to dry exclusively.

There are literally thousands of web pages with great information about the best way to dry and preserve tomatoes. Some people dry them then vacuum seal them. Others pack them in oil (though oil-packed tomatoes require care for safety). Some roast tomatoes then dry-can them in hot water baths or pressure cookers. Still other make them into chutneys. You'll also find a great variety of techniques for drying: sun, dehydrator, warm air drying, oven drying, etc. And each source has definite opinion about "the best". One common theme is that drying the tomatoes too quickly at a high heat, such as in an oven, can deprive them of the essential oils that give them their distinctly sweet, rich, tangy, tomatoey taste.

Drying tomatoes outdoors isn't a great option for me, as I live on an island where our nights, however mild, still reach dew point readily, thus leaving too much moisture in the air to adequately dry the tomatoes. Though I bring them in at night, the general humidity is too high to satisfactorily dry tomatoes without battling mold.

I opted to dry my tomatoes indoors. But where to put trays of tomatoes where the dog, the kids, and my husband and I would not disturb their progress? Ah, the oven! But without heating the oven.

The technique worked great, and kept the tomatoes safe from disturbance. It takes a couple days for the drying to complete and the result is a tomato that is richly sweet and slightly leathery or chewy. Once the tomatoes were dried, I opted to freeze them so I could use small portions without opening the seal of a jar and speeding the deterioration process. Dried tomatoes will keep in sealed bags or containers for up to six months in the freezer.

No-heat, oven dried tomatoes

Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.

Start with 5-7 lbs. of ripe tomatoes, preferably small, about the size of half a baseball.

Clean and dry thoroughly and remove the leaves, stem, and core. Slice each tomato in half lengthwise, starting at the stem end and slicing downward. Gently squeeze out about half of the seeds and juice as excess liquid will prevent the tomato from drying. Be careful to avoid losing the tender inner 'meat' of the tomato that holds much of the flavor.

Place the tomatoes with the cut side up on the lined baking sheets. At this point you can spray a very thin coat of olive oil on the tops, or leave as is. A light sprinkling of salt also gives added flavor, but is unnecessary if you're a tomato purist.

Many instructions for drying tomatoes will indicate setting your oven to 150 degrees F and then turning it off, allowing the residual heat to slowly dry the tomatoes. Oddly, my oven doesn't actually set below 200 degrees.

However, I often use my oven with just the interior oven light on to create a warm, yet protected, environment for rising bread dough. It seemed logical that the same method would work for slow-drying tomatoes. And indeed it did. Like a charm!

So, place your tomato-filled baking sheets in the center of the oven and turn on the interior oven light. Allow the tomatoes to dry for several hours and up to several days. Check the tomatoes regularly to gauge their doneness as well as make sure your haven't got any mold going.* The tomatoes are ready when they are slightly leathery, or after about 2 days.

*Hank Shaw at honest-food.net found that a little bit of red wine vinegar can do the trick in combating mold. He's also got a great tip for quickly drying tomatoes using a baker's silpat— a method I'm excited to try soon.

Related links on drying and storing tomatoes:

UC Extension Service — Nutrition, Family and Consumer Sciences (PDF file)

Squirreling it Away - Dried tomatoes

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

How to freeze fresh fruit

2009-09-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to look at berries this beautiful and think of anything other than eating them fresh off the bush. But autumn is creeping up on us and freezing fresh fruits and vegetables is the simplest way to preserve the abundance summer!

Photograph by lepiaf.geo

Creative Commons License

I love canning; don't get me wrong. There are so many wonderful preparations for foods preserved through home canning. From fruits to jellies to jams to pickles. From chutneys to sauces to oils. Sometimes though, I like to have the option of a food that is relatively unprocessed. A food that, when defrosted, is pretty much what it was when I froze it. Freezing also preserves taste and nutritional quality better that canning. That said, you can also freeze dehydrated or pre-prepped but uncooked foods.

Summer fruits are the one's I most often freeze. Especially those that come into season and abundance for a relatively short period of time, like blueberries. I don't know the characteristics of blueberries in other parts of the country, but here on California's southern coast, the season is short and hits with a bang.

Local foods are my favorite, for a variety of reasons. Seriously, what tastes better, a fruit picked ripe from a plant or tree just a few miles (or better yet, feet) away, or something picked before it was ripe and shipped hundreds or thousands of miles over the course of two weeks? Likewise, given the choice, I want to support a food-chain that supports my local community. It benefits farmers, workers, and local businesses.

Living on an island, nothing is as local as I'd like it to be unless it comes from my garden or that of a friend or neighbor. But I do what I can, when I can, to choose foods grown in the regions of California closest to me, and by family farmers who care about the connection between farmer and eater. I love talking with the farmer who brings his produce out to the island for our farmers' market. I love even more talking to the family who sails their boat over a few times each season to sell the fruits and vegetables from their "farm in progress"!

I can get blueberries that are grown regionally, meaning south of The Grapevine, California's geographical dividing line between Southern California and the rest of the state. When these make it to my farmers' market, I buy up as many boxes as I can make room for, and set to work preparing them for winter.

I've contemplated drying blueberries since they are pretty much as close to bliss as one can get without it involving chocolate, caramel, or coffee, but, do you know how many blueberries it takes to make a small sandwich baggie full of dried blueberries? A whole heck of a lot! So, freezing it is. The berries make a great addition to fruit smoothies, as well as pancakes, breads, and muffins.

How to freeze fresh blueberries

First, select the freshest ripe blueberries you can find.

Gently wash the berries in cool water, removing any stems, leaves, or damaged berries.

Line a baking sheet with an absorbent towel or paper towels. Transfer washed blueberries to the tray and allow to dry thoroughly.

When completely dry, remove the towel and line the baking sheet again with parchment paper or wax paper. Spread the berries in a single layer across the sheet.

Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least twenty minutes to flash freeze the berries. They will not be frozen through, but will be solid and will not stick together in clumps when frozen. If any berries are sticking together, gently separate before final freezing.

Carefully transfer the berries from the baking sheet to storage bags or containers and place in the freezer again to freeze through. Complete freezing may take up to two hours. Be sure to label the containers with the name of the food and the date they were frozen. They should keep for several months in the freezer.*

The USDA notes "because freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only." (via USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service; and Food Democracy) Remember however, that once something has been defrosted, it can not safely be refrozen.

Tomatillo Salsa

2009-09-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

While they look an awful lot like a tomato, tomatillos are not, in fact, simply a green tomato. The two are related however, as both are members of the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. The tomatillo is thought to have originated in Mexico, where it is still found in wild-growing populations as well as in cultivation. It's a popular guest at most any Mexican meal and lends a unique tart flavor to spicy dishes.

The tomatillo looks much like a tomato once it's outer papery husk is removed. Usually bright green when ripe, some varieties are yellow or even purple.

One of my favorite parts of a Mexican meal is the salsa, be it red or green. I often make salsa fresca (uncooked tomato salsa) as well as salsa picante (cooked). But I had never made salsa verde, whose primary component is the bright green, tart tomatillo, until recently. While at the market last week I picked up about 3 lbs. of some of the hugest tomatillos I'd ever seen. They were beautifully ripe and just begging to be made into a delicious salsa verde.

Tomatillo salsa is a simple sauce, with basic, fresh ingredients combining in delightful harmony. Cooked lightly and then pureed, it's easy as pie to make— even on your first try!

Tomatillo Salsa

This being my first attempt at tomatillo salsa, I looked to several sources for inspiration and ultimately came up with this version. My ratios are adapted mainly from a recipe on the New York Times food blog Bitten and from an older version of this Williams Sonoma cookbook.

1.5 lbs ripe tomatillos, husks removed

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 large jalapeno chili, seeds and veins removed

1/3 cup chopped white onion

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1/4 cup roasted green anaheim chili, diced (aprox. 4 oz. can)

1 Tbs. white vinegar

2 Tbs. water

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

salt & pepper to taste

Remove the papery husk from the tomatillo and discard. Gently rinse the tomatillos in water.

Remove the stem and core of the tomatillo, then coarsely chop. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeno*, and green chilies to the heated pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is just beginning to get tender. Add the tomatillos, vinegar, and water and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and allow to cool before transferring to the blender or food processor. When the tomatillo mixture is cool, pour it into a blender and puree for about 10 seconds. The mixture will be soft from cooking and will take only a few pulses of the blender to adequately process.

Transfer the processed tomatillo salsa to a bowl and stir in the chopped cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. The salsa can be served warm, at room temperature, or chilled. It will keep for about 5 to 7 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. That is, if you actually have any left after the first few minutes!

Serve with fresh tortilla chips or as an accompaniment to a spicy main dish.

*Most jalapenos will have a rich chili flavor with only moderate heat. If you want a spicier salsa, leave the white veins in when you chop it. Be sure to either wear gloves or wash your hands very thoroughly after handling the jalapeno, as the oils can irritate eyes and skin.

Summer fruit smoothies and popsicles

2009-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

How many summer fruits can you get into one ice cold, creamy treat?

When my now-nine year old was a toddler, he was almost impossible to feed. He wasn't picky— he ate a surprising variety of foods for his age. He just didn't like to eat, and would eat only tiny amounts at a sitting. Given the choice, he would have happily lived on a diet of water, milk, and juice.

It was in those years that my husband and I perfected the smoothie. While it's not a substitute for "real food", it was a life saver when our son went through a phase in which he just didn't want to eat.

Our smoothie recipe is still a hit with him, and has become a favorite for his little sister as well. We use a combination of fresh and frozen organic fruits, plain organic whole milk yogurt, a little milk to adjust the texture, and if the fruit is somewhat tart, we sweeten it with a very small amount of sugar. I like to freeze summer fruits that I buy at the farmers' market for use throughout fall and winter, but store bought frozen fruit works great too when I run out (as I inevitably do).

My kids have no idea what a packaged popsicle looks like. And their friends actually think it's "cool" (for now anyway) that I can MAKE popsicles.

I generally make an extra large batch as well and freeze the leftovers into popsicles. My kids are so accustomed to this treat that they have no virtually idea what store bought popsicles look like.

Summer fruit smoothies and popsicles

3/4 cup frozen strawberry pieces

3/4 cup frozen mango, peach, or nectarine pieces

1/3 cup frozen raspberries

1/4 cup frozen blueberries

1 ripe banana

1 cup organic plain whole fat yogurt

1/4 cup milk

1-3 Tbs. organic sugar

In alternating layers, combine the frozen fruit, banana, yogurt, and milk in a blender. Layering the frozen and liquid ingredients will aid in smoother mixing and prevent the blender from stopping up on the harder frozen pieces.

Pulsing the blender on high speed, blend until smooth and creamy. The texture will be thick, so add a bit more milk if you like a thinner smoothie. Taste and adjust sweetness as necessary with up to three tablespoons of sugar. I find that the fruit is usually sweet enough as is, but if the plain yogurt is too tart for your taste, add some sugar.

Additionally, up to a teaspoon of vanilla extract also will help cut some of the tanginess of the yogurt.

Serve in a tall glass with a straw for a classic fun "malt shop" style treat.

To save the leftover smoothie as popsicles, pour the smoothie into reusable popsicle molds or ice trays and freeze. If you use ice trays, you'll want to cover them with some plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn and keep them from absorbing the taste and smell of the freezer.

Grilled asparagus in balsamic vinaigrette marinade

2009-08-24T20:00:00.000-07:00

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. It's versatile, sturdy, healthy, and delicious! And, it appeals to both of my children. When it comes to vegetables, you really can't beat that.

I love asparagus in stir fry dishes, sautés, baked, casseroles, salads, pasta— you name it. But my favorite method, the one I always fall back on for both flavor and ease, is grilled asparagus.

Cooking asparagus, marinated in a mixture of oil, vinegar, garlic, and spices, over an outdoor grill is by far my favorite. I love how the spears remain lightly al dente yet the tips are crispy with the tiniest hint of charring. The direct flame also keeps the distinctive asparagus flavor inside while the vinaigrette marinade highlights the toasty outside.

Grilled asparagus in balsamic vinaigrette marinade

This is my preferred combination of herbs/spices; feel free to adjust them to suit your tastes. I've also made this recipe using a cajun blend of spices that is terrific as well.

1 large bunch fresh asparagus spears (about 1 lb.), rinsed and trimmed

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. white balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, finely minced or 2 tsp. dried garlic

1 tsp each:

dried basil, thyme, oregano, sage

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

a pinch of sugar, to taste

Place the cleaned and trimmed asparagus spears in a shallow, rectangular baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, herbs, salt, and pepper. Whisk with a fork to combine. Taste the marinade mixture and adjust spices accordingly. Add the sugar as needed to balance the flavors.

Drizzle the vinaigrette marinade over the asparagus spears and turn gently to coat. Let stand, covered, for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat your grill.

Place the spears in a single layer directly on the grill. Cook over medium heat and flame (approximately 350 degrees) for about 3 minutes per side, or until just tender when pierced with a fork and the tips have become lightly crisped.

This makes a wonderful side served along with meats and fish; or serve as an appetizer with spicy charred lemon mayonnaise. Or, if you're asparagus obsessed like me and my kids, just eat it right off the grill for dinner.

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette with Cornmeal Crumb Topping

2009-08-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

I prepared this post waaayyyy back in May, but neglected it until now. So, here you go: a springtime post in late summer!

With spring comes the anticipated arrival of both strawberries and rhubarb. The two are, of course, a classic pairing in American desserts, and have been on my mind since I first saw those dark red shoots laying wait in the produce aisle. (My farmers' market hasn't had them yet.) Strawberries made their appearance a while ago, but just recently have I been seeing ones that are grown more locally, rather that far off places like Mexico or Chile. Though, where I live, Mexico may actually be local depending on where they're grown!

I try to buy organic strawberries whenever I can because strawberries are ranked #6 on the list of "dirty dozen". That is, foods with the most pesticide and chemical fertilizer contamination when "conventionally" grown. If you have to make a choice about what foods to buy organic (and I often do) this list is an important guide.

I was pleasantly surprised at the produce in my tiny "super"mar

ket this weekend. Notorious for being under stocked with fresh foods, and quite often carrying items that are at or near expiration, not to mention looking and tasting like they're on their way out, our little market was noticeably well stocked, and on Memorial Day no less. I ended up walking out with a full cart of fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy, and lots of inspiration for delicious recipes to celebrate the bounty of spring.

Tonight is Tuesday Supper, so I decided to make a strawberry rhubarb dessert. And since my current pastry obsession is galette dough, what I've offered up is a strawberry rhubarb galette with cornmeal crumb topping— it's sweet, tart, flaky, buttery, smooth, crunchy, and delightful! The cornmeal is a really fun addition to a crumb topping, but if you're not into crunchy, go ahead and substitute regular flour.

So, it really does look like pizza, doesn't it?

As a side note, take a look at David Lebovitz's post Rhubarb Tart FAIL. He was sorely disappointed that his tart (which I'm sure tasted fantastic) looked an awful lot like pizza. As I took mine from the oven, I had to laugh. It looks exactly like pizza! Even more so with crumb the topping. But, it tasted really good, and that's what really matters right, at least here in my home kitchen?

Make one yourself and let me know if you figure out how to make it look like something other than a pizza. Short of putting a top crust on it, that is...

Strawberry Rhubarb Galette with Cornmeal Crumb Topping

1 recipe galette dough (refer to the recipe for Spring Vegetable Galette from April, 2009)

1 lb. rhubarb, cut into 1" pieces

1 1/2 lb. strawberries, stems removed and quartered

2 - 6 Tbs. evaporated cane sugar, divided

3 tsp. cornstarch mixed with water

3 heaping Tbs. corn meal or polenta

3 heaping Tbs. flour

4 Tbs. brown sugar

3 Tbs. ice cold butter

2 tsp. sugar (optional)

Begin by preparing the galette dough, which will need to rest in the fridge for a hour.

While the dough rests, prepare the fruit. Place the cut fruit and 2 Tbs. of sugar into a large sauce pan over medium-low heat. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes. The fruit mixture should become thick with lots of juices in the pan. Taste the fruit to judge sweetness. Depending on the sweetness of your berries, you may need between 2 and 4 more tablespoons of sugar. In this case, I used about 4 Tbs. Continue to stew the fruit, adjusting sugar as you go, until the fruit if soft and falling apart.

Slowly add your cornstarch and water mixture, one teaspoon at a time, until the fruit mixture reaches a thick, spoonable texture— not as thick as jam, but not soupy, or the juices will flood your crust.

After the dough has rested for an hour, turn it out onto a well floured sheet of parchment paper. Beginning in the center of the dough ball and using the palm of your hand, gently pat it out toward the edges to form a rough circle. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to form a 12 inch circle. Once your circle s formed, transfer the parchment paper to baking sheet. You can bake your galette right on the parchment paper, or if you prefer, flip it over (carefully!) onto the un-greased baking sheet.

Leaving at least a 1 1/2 inch space around the edge of your dough, spoon the fruit filling onto the center of the dough. Gently fold the edges of the dough up over the fruit, pinching and crimping it together as you go to form a pocketed edge. Your galette will look like a pie whose crust was too large and fell in over the rim.

Prepare the crumb topping by placing the cornmeal, flour, brown sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture forms a coarse crumb. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the fruit mixture evenly. If desired, sprinkle the edges of the galette dough with up to 2 tsp. of granulated sugar.

Bake in a 400 degree oven until the dough is a golden brown and the center is bubbly.

Remove and allow to cool for about 15 minutes so fruit may set. It's delicious on its own or served with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Rotini with Chicken Sausage

2009-07-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been trying to do two things: 1. Make out a menu for the week ahead of time so I know what I need to cook my various healthy meals. 2. Use up the stuff in my freezer so I can restock it with more yummy goodness from Trader Joe's.

This often leads to testing out some new recipes. One of the things hanging out in my freezer was some Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage from Trader Joe's (I love Trader Joe's so much). So I did a little searching and found this recipe and (once again) modified it to suit my own tastes as follows:

2 cans Red Gold Diced Tomatoes with garlic & olive oil

3 cups dry wheat rotini

4 links Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Chicken Sausage

2 cups fresh spinach

2 cups baby portabella mushrooms, sliced (I just dumped in the whole small container)

Cook rotini according to package directions. While water is heating for the rotini, start to make your sauce. Slice sausage into pieces, toss in sauce pan and heat through (TJ's are already cooked, so they don't take long). Add mushrooms & saute until tender. Pour tomatoes over sausage and mushrooms. Add spinach and turn burner to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes (until rotini is done cooking). Drain the pasta & toss with the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan if desired & serve up with a nice crusty bread. Mmm, bread.

You can add more garlic when you add the tomatoes if you want, but since it was in my tomatoes & sausage, I didn't figure it was necessary.

This made a good 6 servings - I had mine for dinner & then shared a few at lunch the next day with coworkers. I also took the remaining leftovers to my friend to feed her and her husband for lunch. Since it got such good reviews from everyone, it's definitely going on my repeat list.

Don't Really Have any Yummy Food Goodness, but...

2009-07-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty much just reveling in the satisfaction of my garden. It's been hot out here in my corner of the Pacific Northwest--well into the triple digits, which sucks for me and my girls who can't go outside to play, but my garden seems to love it, judging from how everything has exploded the last couple of weeks.

The other morning I went out when it was cool (i.e 90), and harvested pear tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, early girl tomatoes, MANY pickling cucumbers, some green beans, some radishes, some carrots, and last night we made BLTs with home-grown L and home-grown T.

In addition to the great sense of joy and peace tending my garden gives me (I truly dig gardening--who knew?!), the girls clamor to eat the vegetables they helped cultivate. Nea has always been a veggie eater, but Sarah: not so much. Not unless you give her a cereal bowl of ranch dressing and a baby carrot she can use for a spoon. Veggies are a ranch dressing delivery device.

Even if you don't have a garden, take advantage of Farmer's Market season being in full-swing. At our local market, I can buy wine, free-range, grass fed beef (num yummy!), hundreds of different kinds of produce, peaches, nectarines, apricots, berries, fresh baked breads, honey, eggs, jams, salsas and tons of other stuff. All from local farmers and ranchers, who become familiar faces and are a wealth of knowledge about how to prepare or cultivate their wares.

I love summer!

A Feast in the Wilderness

2009-07-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

There are few more rewarding things than a meal shared among friends.

Except maybe a meal served among friends prepared over an open fire amidst the high peaks of the Ansel Adams Wilderness after a long day of hiking.

We recently enjoyed just such a meal (or three rather) when we backpacked a section of the Wilderness at the very south end of Yosemite National Park. The meals were extra special for a couple reasons: the trip was a birthday celebration for my son (an annual trip that I joined for the first time this year) and the food, though some of it traveled many miles along with us, was hunted, grown, or caught by US! Knowing you can provide so much of your sustenance without relying on the supermarket or food industry is truly rewarding, but when you get down to, it JUST TASTES BETTER!

Upper Chain Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness

Our neighbor, friend, and backpacking companion, Charlie, hunted the Venison on Catalina Island. I grew many of the vegetables in my garden, and we all caught the fish at our camp spot, though only a half dozen were kept for dinner; the rest we released. The fish in the high Sierra lake we camped at were just begging to be caught. Even our nine year-old first-time fly fishermen caught in excess of two dozen fish before they got tired of fishing and headed for a lingering snow field sheltered by a north-facing mountainside.

We served our meals with pre-cooked brown rice from Trader Joe's that only required heating, but you can do it yourself by boiling the rice at home, and, once it's cooled, storing it in a sealed, airtight bag (think seal-a-meal). Brown rice pasta is quick cooking, so it takes only a few minutes and won't run-down your camp fuel supply.

We cooked most everything over an open campfire either in the dutch oven or on sticks (the old fashioned way!) and this was truly the best camp food I've ever had. Indeed, it actually ranked as some of my favorite food ever, though I can't say how big a role the scenery, companions, and hiking played in that.

Here's a little taste of two of our meals, dessert included, since it was a birthday don'tchaknow!

The menu

Venison and wild mushrooms braised in red wine
Ratatouille served over brown rice and brown rice pasta
Roasted Brook Trout
Chocolate cake

Venison and wild mushrooms braised in red wine

*Oh how I wish I had a picture to share, but darkness thwarted us!

1.5 lb. venison loin
2 oz. dried wild mushrooms (we used Trader Joe's wild mushroom medley)
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup water
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. goat milk butter
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
salt
pepper
all-purpose herb mixture
extra water

Prepare the fire ahead of time to ready the coals. When the coals are hot, create a depression the size of your Dutch oven toward the edge of the fire. Make sure you can easily and safely access the coals and oven.

Place about 1 Tbs. of the olive oil in the bottom of a dutch oven to coat, spreading the oil over the sides of the pan. Place the uncut venison loin in the bottom of the pan and coat with the remaining oil and goat butter. Add the mushrooms, garlic, red wine, water, salt, pepper, and herbs, and stir to combine all. The mushrooms should be more or less submerged in the liquid.

Place the Dutch oven, covered, into the depression in your hot coals and build the coals up around the edge of the oven, about 1/2 way up the sides. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and turning the venison once, until the meat is desired doneness and mushrooms are tender. If the liquid level gets too low to partially cover the meat, add a little extra water or wine as desired. Add any additional seasoning to taste and serve. The mushroom-wine sauce makes a delicious sauce over rice or vegetables.

High Country Ratatouille

Ratatouille, before cooking, ready to go onto the coals

2 medium zucchini (about 1 lb.), cut in 1/2" pieces
6 oz. sun dried tomatoes, reconstituted in olive oil or water
1 cup chopped fresh red and yellow bell peppers
3 large bell peppers, roasted ahead of time, packed in oil and herbs
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 heaping Tbs. all-purpose herb mixture with dried onions

Using the same method as above, prepare the coals in the fire.

Combine all ingredients in the Dutch oven and simmer over the coals, covered, for about 15 minutes or until zucchini is tender.

Serve over brown rice and pasta. It is absolutely DELICIOUS!

Brook Trout roasted over a fire

Fresh from the water, these Brook Trout show off their beautiful colors and markings.

Their looks are second only to their delicate flavor.

Here's the simplest recipe of the bunch, but so seriously delicious. Have you ever eaten fish that were literally just taken out of the water? So good!

6 Brook Trout
Olive oil
Salt

Sit at the edge of a pristine High Sierra Lake. Catch some fish.

Clean your fish. (Don't be squeamish!)

Rub with a little oil and sprinkle of salt.

Skewer each fish with a long, sharp-pointed stick.

Cook over the open fire until done. You know, when they look all shriveled and demonic. :)

Chocolate Camp Cake

For our cake, we adapted a basic recipe for Brownies from the Whole Foods website. We modified the recipe using only whole wheat pastry flour, two eggs, goat milk butter, and goat's milk rather than cow's milk. Prepare and bag all of the dry ingredients ahead of time at home.

6 tablespoons cocoa powder
2/3 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 cup plus 3 Tbs. whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) melted goat's milk butter
1/4 cup goat's milk
2 eggs

In the Dutch oven, combine the dry ingredients with the 2 eggs, goat's milk butter, and goat's milk. Stir well, cover, and cook in the prepared coals for about 20 minutes. Check the cake frequently as the Dutch oven will cook it more quickly than your home oven.

Our cake turned out slightly over cooked around the edges, but that was easily remedied by dribbling a slice with a little left over goat's milk and some whiskey. (Heh, don't judge now, we were backpacking in the wilderness!)

If camping gets any better than this, don't tell me, 'cause I might just hit the trail for good.

Chicken Taco Stew

2009-07-20T18:36:00.000-07:00

A while back I broke out my crock pot for the first time and busted out some yummy Chicken Taco Stew.

I started with this recipe and made a few minor changes. Mainly, I used a can of crushed tomatoes instead of a can of tomato juice because I didn't have tomato juice. And I went with a low-sodium taco seasoning because it's good to cut down on the salt.

I actually prepped the corn, beans, onions, & seasonings the night before then put them in the fridge until the next morning when I added the chicken and turned the crock pot on.

After I let it cook and get all mixed together, I sprinkled it with a little bit of cheese and garnished with blue corn tortilla chips. All in all, this turned out really good, although perhaps a bit too tomato-y. I'd definitely try the tomato juice instead of crushed tomatoes next time. :)

Southwest style potatoes & zucchini gratin

2009-07-13T21:10:00.000-07:00

So, hey, welcome to SUMMER!

How did that happen? I feel like I haven't stopped running since about June 12. Oh, wait. That was my kid's last day of school, so I actually haven't stopped running since then.

We've been in summer vacation mode ever since, and I've barely stopped long enough to cook, let alone write. I actually made this delicious recipe (and began my blog post) back when it was still spring time. But, since I'm so behind on cooking and writing (though of course, I'm still enjoying the eating part!), I'll leave you with this and a promise of better attention to this old blog.

Potatoes au gratin are a classic preparation of a classic and much loved root vegetable. It's hard to beat the combination: hearty potatoes, rich cream, smooth and mellow Gruyere or Emmental, maybe a few sprigs of thyme.

In this twist on the classic, I've added zucchini, pasilla chiles, che

ddar, parmesan and oregano to the mix for a southwestern inspired spring casserole.

In my neck of the woods, the zucchini plants are already producing but the temperatures are still mild, with thick fog rolling in in the evenings. Perfect weather for a hearty gratin, served with fresh greens and spicy cajun turkey burgers.

Southwest-style Potato, Zucchini & Pasilla Gratin

1/2 cup English cheddar
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan
2 cups cream
1 cup 1/2 & 1/2 or milk
3/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground oregano or dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

5 large yellow potatoes or Yukon Gold variety potatoes (about 2 lbs.), sliced into 1/8 - 1/4 inch rounds
2 medium zucchini (about 1 inch diameter by 7 inches long), sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
1 extra large pasilla chile, chopped (should yield at least 1/2 cup chopped)
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Place your oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the first eight ingredients (through the ground black pepper) in a large bowl and stir to combine.

Add the sliced potatoes, zucchini, pasilla chile, and yellow onion. Gently stir/fold to combine and coat with cream mixture.

In a large cast iron skillet or heavy bottomed 9" x 11" casserole dish, melt the butter in the heated oven. Once melted, carefully remove the skillet and pour in the potato mixture. Season the top with any additional salt and pepper, as desired.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until the top is a dark golden brown and the cream has thickened.

Bacon-fest 2009

2009-07-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

I actually have a couple of food related things to talk about, but as I have just returned home from a bacon-tastic knit night, we'll start with my bacon-themed foods.

Bacon-fest came about somehow last Wednesday at knit night and once plans were finalized, I said "I'll bring Pig Candy!" Which was the plan until the weekend when I was trying to fall asleep & could not get my brain to stop working. At some point, one of my thoughts was peanut butter & banana bread pudding topped with pig candy. I figured it was either one of the worst ideas ever or one of the best, but I couldn't decide which.

Believe it or not, it actually worked. So I give you Elvis Bread Pudding. I started with a basic bread pudding recipe and (obviously) modified it heavily to get the final result.

This is the single serve portion I baked with the 9x13 pan. There was no way I was serving this without trying it first.

Ingredients:

1lb sweet white bread (I used a local store brand's "sweet mini loaves")

2 cups milk (nonfat is fine)

3 cups fat free half-and-half

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3 eggs beaten

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, melted*

2 bananas, sliced

3 pieces pig candy (see recipe below) or 3 pieces crispy bacon crumbled & extra brown sugar for dusting

*Do not make my mistake and heat this in the jar unless you're sure that all the foil from the top has been removed. I swear, sometimes we can make the simplest mistakes while cooking. Also, this step just makes it easier to mix the peanut butter into everything else.

Preheat the oven to 350 (if you make the pig candy first, your oven will already be at 350).

Tear or cut bread into chunks. Place into large bowl & pour half & half and milk over the bread. Let soak for at least 10 minutes (I probably went 20). Add the sliced bananas to the bread mixture & stir. Beat eggs in small bowl & then stir in your peanut butter (you want to make sure the peanut butter isn't going to clump up when you add it to the bread mixture). Add the egg/peanut butter stuff & your sugars to the bread mixture and mix well.

Pour the mix into a 9x13 pan (I would probably recommend a little nonstick cooking spray first). Sprinkle crumbled pig candy or bacon & sugar on top.

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes until pudding is firm (it will still be quite moist, though).

Pig Candy*

1 lb bacon (use the cheap stuff. The really cheap stuff. I did not and mine didn't get crispy enough)

dark brown sugar

Coat bacon in brown sugar. Place on racks over a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 until crispy (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven, let cool BRIEFLY & then remove to waxed paper. Otherwise it will stick to the racks.

*I don't know if it's worth the trouble, really. My entire apartment still smells like brown sugar coated bacon. And have you ever tried to coat bacon in brown sugar? It's not as easy as it sounds - the sugar doesn't want to stick.

If you want to include bacon in the Elvis Bread Pudding, just crumble up some nice crispy pieces & then sprinkle them over the top. Dust the top with brown sugar and voila. Same difference.

As for the rest of the bacon-themed dishes for the potluck? There were many and they were delicious.

I'm going to go have a little bacon induced heart attack now.

Baked Mandarin Chicken

2009-06-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't been doing a lot in the kitchen lately - most of my meals have involved tossing a piece of fish or chicken in the oven and some frozen veggies in the microwave. When I do get "creative", it means I've added garlic to my pizza sauce for my Boboli. This is not the cooking that makes for a great blog post. So I've been quiet.

But today there was something new in my oven.

For a while I've been thinking about actually planning out my meals a week or two ahead of time so that (a) I will know that I have food in the house to make a few different things and (b) I won't have to come home from work or the gym or wherever and try to THINK about what to cook. (b) has been my downfall for several months, so I think it will be good to have a plan.

Tonight was my grocery store run, so I found and decided to try a new recipe for Day 1 of my new dinner plan. I started with this recipe for Baked Mandarin Chicken from SparkRecipes.com

with a few minor changes

(before it went in the oven)

My changes:

I used 2 bunches of broccoli (they seemed small), 1 10.5oz can of mandarin oranges in juice instead of syrup, and because I couldn't find a Mandarin Sauce in the store this evening, I used a bottle of Orange Ginger marinade I already had. I also omitted the green onions, mostly because I forgot to buy them (but also because I'm not a huge fan). Oh, I also used only about a half a teaspoon of ginger to season the chicken since there was also ginger in the sauce & I used way more garlic. I love garlic.

(cooked!)

This turned out well & will be on my list to make again & I have leftovers for a couple days worth of lunches. Yay!

Potato Skins with the Good Stuff Still In 'Em

2009-05-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Potato Skins are one of those nostalgic treats that take me back to the days when I didn't know, let alone care, much about the nutritional content of my food or whether it came from a field, a box, or a freezer case. I loved the salty, fatty, yumminess, paired with sweet tomatoes, tangy sour cream, and spicy salsa.

These days I'm way more aware of what I eat. Some might say a wee bit overboard in analyzing the quality of my food— for nutrition, cleanliness, safety, and source. But that's me, and it works for me, so I go with it. What remains true is that I LOVE POTATO SKINS, but no matter how you slice it, they are still way unhealthy.

Now, I'm not one to shy away from carbs. I like my carbs. I believe in their value to good health as part of a balanced and well-rounded way of eating.

Nutritionally, potatoes are packed with goodness. While the old cliche that all the nutrition in a potato is in the skin isn't quite true (the most nutritious part is just under the skin), one medium sized potato (white or sweet) has about 5% of the protein most people need in a day and is a good source of vitamins C and B6 as well as potassium and fiber. The same potato has about 88 calories and is a complex carbohydrate* (as opposed to a simple carb, which turns to sugar quickly).

So, what makes Potato Skins, those delicious, irresistible variety on the menu of nearly every bar and restaurant from sea to shining sea so unhealthy? Sadly, it's the mounds of high fat toppings like butter/margarine, cheese, and sour cream that replace the equally delicious but nutritionally valuable potato that gets scooped out.

Since I love Potato Skins but try to save my high fat foods for baking and dessert endeavors (which I'm simply NOT willing to give up), I came up with a healthier alternative that truly tastes delicious and fulfills my craving when it comes along. It uses the whole potato and doesn't look much like the traditional version, as it's not a "boat" filled with stuff, but gives me not only the taste I'm looking for, but a better nutritional profile. The black beans add protein as well. With so many healthy, tasty ingredients, less cheese and a tiny dollop of sour cream go a long way.

Good Stuff Potato Skins

5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, or any preferred variety
olive oil cooking spray or 1 Tbs. olive or grape seed oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup cheddar or jack cheese or part-skim cheese
2/3 cup black beans
4 green onions, chopped
2 ripe, medium tomatoes, chopped
handful of cilantro, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
4 Tbs. reduced fat sour cream**

Leaving the skin on, cut potatoes into cubes of approximately 1 1/2 inch. Place in a medium pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil until just tender when pierced with a fork. Drain and set aside for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, cover potatoes with cooking spray or 1 Tbs. oil and toss to coat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread potatoes in a single layer over the pan. The potato pieces should be very close together, but not piled on top of each other. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle the black beans and cheese on top of the potatoes, spreading evenly. For a spicier version, season with crushed red peppers, sliced jalapenos, or cayenne before adding the cheese.

Bake in a 375 F degree oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from the pan to a serving platter or individual dishes.

Top each serving of potatoes with chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and, if desired, 1 Tbs. sour cream.

Garnish with thin slices of fresh avocado. If you like a more traditional representation, go for some crumbled pieces of crisp bacon on top.

*American Dietetic Association, Complete Food and Nutrition Guide; 2nd Ed., 2002

**When choosing lower-fat products, try to choose foods without fat replacers which can be high in sugar (or other scary, unnatural additives). Look for foods made with components of lower fat content, such as sour cream and cheese made with low-fat or skim milk, rather than a sugar-based fat replacer.

Egg Drop Soup, aka Homework!

2009-05-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of my dear friends, Kim, came to visit me recently with her 17 year old foster daughter. We'll just call her L. so we don't break any of those foster-system rules about minors and all that.

L. was a very sweet and outgoing young lady who was a great pleasure to have visit. (My two year old is still asking about her!) This was also L.'s first trip ever to the beach, so we tried our best to get her lots of time with the sand, surf, and sun. Because the trip didn't coincide with her school's spring vacation, she took a week off and brought all her school work with her. One of her assignments, for a home-economics type class, was to prepare a dish and write about what she did.

I love how the cooked egg looks like little flowers floating around in the broth.

Since Kim and L. were here for our Tuesday Supper that week, she decided to make a dinner contribution of her assignment. And I decided to document it for posterity (Not that L. reads some nerdy old lady's food blog, but whatever...).

One of L.'s favorite dishes is Egg Drop Soup, so that's what she decided to share with us. It was delicious, and played well to a crowded house full of hungry guests.

Separating the yolks proved harder than it looks.

(Why yes, that is my kid's play kitchen in the background...)

Egg Drop Soup

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

L. doubled the recipe, but ingredients listed below are for a single recipe, serving about 4 - 6.

4 cups chicken broth, divided

1/8 tsp ground ginger (or 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated)

2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 Tbs. cornstarch

2 eggs

1 egg yolk

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolk. Set aside until broth mixtures are ready.

In a small bowl, stir together 3/4 of a cup of chicken broth and 1 1/2 Tbs. corn starch and set aside.

Place 3 1/4 cups of chicken broth in a medium sauce pan. Stir in the salt, ginger, and chopped chives. Bring to a gentle boil.

Slowly drizzle (this is the "drop" part) the whisked egg mixture into the boiling broth. The eggs will cook immediately, forming light, flowery-looking clusters. After all the egg has been added and cooked, add the remaining broth/corn starch mixture and cook until soup reaches desired consistency.

The soup can also be prepared several hours ahead of time and reheated as necessary.