A Spiced Life

I love spices. I have nearly 40 spice jars and numerous other bagged bulk spices that I don’t have matching jars for yet. Back before I started cooking more ethnic foods, my life was without spice beyond that of black pepper and granulated garlic.  It was a boring life. And then I met curry and my life changed forever, and then it changed again when I met masalas. And I could never go back. 

But before all that, every year at Christmas, I would get a small glimpse into what must be paradise for those who love spices. I loved (and still do) the crispy, peppery, little gingersnaps, and the pungent fruit cake laden with nuts dates and candied fruits. I could eat them both the whole holiday season long - for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

But there comes the sensible question each year when it we begin to bake our Christmas cookies - how many types of cookies should we make this year? And since I don’t actually have my own army, the answer should not be in the double digits although my initial list always begins there.  Then I have to whittle down the list to the must haves based on family vote and then I’m left inwardly skulking because the cookies I really want but definitely do not need get struck from the list. I don’t skulk for long because it is very difficult to skulk when your kitchen smells of butter, brown sugar and spices.

So this year I thought to myself, why not cheat?  I don’t cheat very often, but sometimes you have to and so I did. I smooshed two recipes together to make a singular spicy, fruitnutty cookie that is chewy and pairs perfectly with my morning coffee and my evening tea and isn’t bad at snacktime with a glass of milk either.

 

Let it snow Cookies!

Handmade gifts, including home cooked gifts really exemplify the giving nature of the holiday season. When mass produced items eclipsed lovingly created gifts, something of Christmas was lost forever. That’s why I bake. It is my way of putting me into my giving. Christmas is one of the greatest times for people who do not cook to get into the kitchen and try their hand at something. It also is a time for experienced cooks to get in the kitchen and prove their salt worth.

This it the perfect time for you to involve your children and your families in creating something that says you are important to me. It is a time to bond and for many it can be very educational. Sugar cookies are a wonderful opportunity for parents to tell the Christmas story, selecting nativity cookie cutters that are in the shapes of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wisemen, Baby Jesus, donkeys and camels. Jewish parents can purchase Hanukkah cookie cutters in the shape of a menorah, torah, chai, dreidle, star and shofar. African American parents can purchase cookie cutters in the shape of a chalice, fruits and vegetables for the Masao, a candle holder, corn, and gifts for their Kwanzaa celebration and serve them a on straw mat. And by now I’m sure you’ve got the point.

My recipe is eggless due to the food allergies in my family, but the benefit is that you little ones can play with and eat as much of the dough they want without worrying about contamination from uncooked eggs. I also use real butter in my sugar cookies.  It’s an obsession of mine.

Aldfre-don't

When I think of alfredo sauce, I start sweating in anticipation of all the work it’s going to take to walk off those calories.  Butter, Parmesan cheese, heavy cream…what could be more indulgent? A flourless chocolate torte with ganache? Yep. But even that has less calories per serving than most purchased alfredo sauce served over pasta. But it’s so good!!!

When you indulge in alfredo at a restaurant, you could easily find yourself consuming all of your daily calories, if not more, in a single sitting. If you eat out at a good Italian place only once a year then there really isn’t a problem.  You need to indulge sometimes, and date night really isn’t the time to think about your diet; have fun! But if you find yourself wanting alfredo more often than that then it’s time to think about how to put this decadent dish on a diet, and I have the solution – mockfredo.

I don’t often suggest using margarine, but in this case, it is needed to reduce the caloric load. Then instead of cream, you have skim milk and a low-fat or fat free cream cheese to keep that creamy texture. I would never take away the cheese, so it’s still there, but not as much as I would use for the real deal.  Made this way, it has only 1/3 the calories and a big punch of flavor that makes you feel like you’re doing something naughtier than you really are. And it’s super simple.  It’s made first in a blender and then warmed in the microwave to prevent the oil in the cheese and sauce from separating and then served over pasta - Gnocchi is my favorite for this dish. It’s delectable, but don’t take my word for it!

Why did the chicken cross the rice paddy?

During the late 17^th century and early 18^th century rice production in the South Carolina Low County was nearing a peak with slave trading and holding as its silent partner.  The slaves of the deep south hailed from exotic heavily spiced West Africa, West Indies and the Spice Islands to name only a few. For all they left behind, they brought with them the memories of their homelands and the knowledge how to cook off the land.

There are many dishes that we owe to the memories of the slaves that were ported to our shores. One that I love is Chicken Bog. This dish consists of just the scraps that the slaves were allowed that were not good enough for the slave holders and their families - the skin and bones of chicken, rice from the rice paddies or bogs, salt and pepper. The bones and skin were set to simmer while the slaves were in the field, when they returned the bones were removed any precious meat reserved, the rice added and in 20 minutes a hot mixture was done that was heavily peppered then served hot.

You will find this on menus all over the low country.  They serve it for fund raisers, at church socials, and sunday dinner. Today we have the luxury of having more than the bones and skin of the chicken. We have a whole chicken, an onion and a few stalks of celery. But I don’t want to travel too far from the classic version so we will stop there - and to tell the truth, in all it’s simplicity, there really is nothing more needed.

Is it a fruit or a vegetable?

What is Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie? I honestly can’t remember a single Thanksgiving since I was a child that this traditional favorite hasn’t found it way onto my plate - for breakfast and dessert. Traditional pumpkin pie really doesn’t deserve any tweaking because it is just fine the way it is. But then again, if I didn’t tweak then I just wouldn’t be me. I have included the original that is probably in every mother’s recipe repertoire. And then I have included my spicy version as well. And pumpkin is a fruit! Imagine that! Enjoy!

Hunny! Where did you get those fabulous pearls!?

A good southern girl always had a nice set of pearls, or so I’ve been told. I don’t. But I do have a great Creamed Pearl Onion recipe for you! I never had Creamed Pearl Onions until I was an adult, but I can imagine that my grandfather would have loved them. We didn’t grow a lot of onions in our garden, but grandpa devoted quite a few rows of his meager garden to the lovely ladies.  

When we would visit, he would get so excited showing us his gardening successes that he would grab hold of a bunch or two and rip them out of the ground and then start munching. I always assumed they were quite crunchy (read: gritty) and passed on the snack. His excitement was understandable. He lived on some of the sandiest land in our community, and if you could get anything to grow, it was time for celebration. My grandmother coaxed a few of her rose bushes to produce buds each year and she was about as proud of those roses as my grandfather was of his onions.

Grandpa would send us home with a few of the onions and my mom would simply wash them and serve them raw with our summer lunches.  They were quite sweet, with just a note of pungency. That’s why, when a friend of ours in NY made us Creamed Pearl Onions, I just knew they would be good, and they were.  This year my husband is making them as his addition to our Thanksgiving meal. We use the frozen onions, because peeling that many little fresh onions would make me postal, and who needs that at Thanksgiving? They simmer in butter for a bit to cook and then you make a béchamel sauce, with a little herb added and you are done! What could be easier?

Under Sweet Potato Duress

Sweet potatoes are about a southern as grits. You can bet that if there is a celebration, that there will be a sweet potato casserole somewhere. Although my youngest daughter has never even crossed the Mason Dixon, she is a firm believer in this tradition as well, so every year, without doubt, Grandma Net’s Sweet Potato Casserole is her choice to make for Thanksgiving. It is creamy and sweet, and should be served as dessert, but somehow makes it on the table for dinner instead.

Over the years, changes have been made.  We have life threatening egg and nut allergies in our family.  I can’t remember for certain if there were eggs in the original version, but do I know for a fact that there was a pecan streusel topping that was my favorite that for years has been omitted. I’ll include it for you though! I think the filling is so rich that it really needs to be offset with something other than marshmallows, but that is my daughter’s favorite, so we have compromised and just put a single ring around the edge of the big marshmallows and left the center open.

Not-Your-Mother’s Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole in my husband’s family is sacred.  You do not mess with the green bean casserole. I do not buy into these types of allegiances, and feel that if you find a better tasting way to prepare something, then by all means.  While I am pretty certain that the majority of his family members still do not subscribe to my line of thought, this green bean casserole has been accepted with praise and that is good enough for me. Baby steps!

I really don’t like canned green beans, but for a casserole, I think that texture and flavor is pretty trademark and cannot be avoided, so I still use the canned frenched beans. I also think the trademark fried onion topping is also expected, I kept them, if only so that the family could recognize the dish. There are sautéed sweet onions and mushrooms, green beans, a slightly tangy sour cream béchamel sauce and lots of cheddar cheese, plus the traditional crunchy onion topping.

Prime Time!

I really don’t like turkey. I think that most turkeys that are cooked for Thanksgiving are butchered the first time at the slaughter house, and then they are butchered again on Thanksgiving in the kitchen, and that is not counting the actual carving of the turkey at the table.

I have been married for 15 years, and I know that I have made 3 turkeys that have been perfect. The white meat was juicy and not dry, and the dark meat was still juicy, it was flavorful and tasted like seasoning as well as turkey and it was cooked thru. Every year that I was successful I had brined my turkey. It is time consuming and then there are the leftovers. If you don’t like turkey, then leftovers really aren’t all that fun to be creative with.

Last year I forwent the turkey, which I understand is sacrilege to some. But if you recall my post from yesterday, if it doesn’t make the list of favorites, then it doesn’t have to be made just because it is traditional. Make new traditions! Last year we did a country ham, and this year I am doing prime rib. I made my first prime rib last year at Christmas and my husband is still talking about it, so I thought it was time to go there again. And the best part - leftovers, if there are any, are eagerly awaited.

I strongly advise that if you are intending on roasting any meat, including turkey and prime rib, that you invest in a digital thermometer that can be left in your meat that you can program for the internal temperature that you are looking for.  If you have a thermometer that is circular that has general reads of rare, done, well done, you are going to be sorely disappointed with your finished product. If you have a thermometer that is not oven safe, then you will have to keep poking at your meat, putting more holes in it letting all the good juices run out. If you buy it at a specialty cooking store this gadget will run you upwards of $60.00 but if you go to a restaurant supply store, you can get it for around $25.00. That’s a deal!

A Menu for a Successful Thanksgiving

How far in advance do you start planning your Thanksgiving menu? For me it depends how many guests I’ll have at the table.  One year in Rochester we had nearly 20 friends and family and surprisingly there was very little planning and much success. My kitchen was quite small and not all that well equipped. Everyone was charged with bringing their favorite holiday dish.  That took the stress off of me as the host and I didn’t have to spend a lot either.  Some cooked along side me, some brought their dishes nearly finished and put the final touches on at my place.  We rearranged much furniture and all ate at a communal table.

Phở ‘sho!

Phở, pronounced fuh, is a Vietnamese noodle soup that our family has come to love during our tenure in Seattle. Phở houses are about as plentiful as Starbucks.  Each one boasts very delicate differences in the aromatic broth that is the base of this bone warming soup. I am not Vietnamese, and I do not have the knowledge of what in particular differentiates one Phở house from another other than that I like what they are serving.  This is such a simple dish to serve at home and costs only pocket change.

If I have a time to sit around all day on a Saturday and simmer the broth then I will make the beef base that flavors it from scratch with soup marrow bones, onion and ginger.  If I want to make it really quickly for dinner after a long day at work, then I use a really good beef broth (Better than Bouillon is always my choice), and the spice packet that I get from the local Asian market. I know a lot of you are not fortunate enough to have an Asian market at your disposal, but I think I have a pretty good take on it that does not require a visit to one.

Guess who's sleeping on the sofa?

I made pot roast last week and I needed to find a way to use the leftovers. In the same week my husband had asked me what meat pies were. We know what pot pies are, but since the question arose out of watching Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and in specific, Lovett’s rather uncompelling interpretation of the British favorite, I thought I should investigate further.

                                                                                     

I really didn’t know what a real British meat pie was, and I’m still not sure I completely know, but it lead me in a fun direction, at least until my husband called it a Hot Pocket. He very nearly didn’t get to eat dinner. No matter what your loved ones decide to call it, it’s sumptuous.

It’s a Miracle!

If I told you there is a single ingredient that is available to every American for mere pennies a pound that is a veritable miracle food would you believe me?

There is. Here are some of its more notable properties. It’s a vegetable. It has very high levels of Vitamin C and depending on how it is cooked, it maintains a lot of it so that it can be absorbed by your body. Vitamin C is important todevelop and maintain healthy skin, teeth and bones. It is a natural antioxidant. And because your body can’t produce vitamin C, it is important to round out your diet in fruits and vegetable full of the good stuff.  More about vitamin C can be found here.

This miracle food has also been proven to be high in iron and sulfur, to lower cholesterol and to help detoxify the liver. Because of its sulfuric properties, it is rumored to reduce stomach ulcers when eaten raw and prevent infection when applied topically to wounds. The latter application is not needed with modern medicine but it has been used ground up in poultices for hundred of years to prevent infection. The next ideas are a little more vague on true outcome, but still being investigated as a natural addition to the diet to prevent certain ailments such as Alzheimer’s and stomach, prostate, and intestinal cancers.

Every country in the world has its own variety of this vegetable. Germans and Russians like Koreans, Chinese and Japanese can’t imagine their cultures without it. Have you guessed yet what this may be? Cabbage, of course! Americans tend to shy away from this very cool vegetable, primarily due to the smell when the vegetable releases its sulfuric compounds while cooking. But sometimes we just need to get over it to enjoy something so plentiful, healthful and inexpensive.

We never grew cabbage on the farm. I first experienced cabbage in its natural environment when my husband, then fiancé, visited a friend at the family home in upstate NY.  There were acres and acres of cabbages, just like in the Cabbage Patch Doll commercials, but without the scary little baby attached. It took another ten years however before I got over the hump with the smell, and just the general ignorance of how versatile this vegetable can be. I am glad that I overcame this stumbling block. We now enjoy cabbage and its healthful properties often on an average of about two times a week.

The following is one of my most favorite recipes using cabbage.

Country Lovin’

As with any child, when I was little, the more I could get my hands in the better. Sunday biscuits fit that bill perfectly. I would never be one of those girls that couldn’t find a good husband – a girl that couldn’t make a biscuit would never find a good husband, or something like that.

My mom made biscuits with self rising flour, Crisco and milk. I have had 15 years of perfecting my biscuits and she would cringe if she knew that I have taken some liberties with her recipe, which makes a very good biscuit. Well actually my recipe is so far from her recipe, that I guess they aren’t even related. Sorry Mom.

I think technique is the key and I approach mine with scientific precision. If you deviate from my instructions and end up breaking a tooth on the rocks that come out of your oven, then you can’t sue me. You’ve been warned.

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs!

When the weather turns, meatballs show up in our house. It’s not quite as magical as it sounds.  I make them and enlist the kids help rolling them because I make a quadruple batch and that’s a lot of rolling. With the meatballs that I amass, I can make meatball soup, meatball sandwiches, pasta and meatballs and phộ. The choices go on and on. Today I’m going to post the recipe for the meatballs as well as meatball soup.

I have adapted a meatball recipe I found 5 years ago on an anniversary trip to the coast of Oregon. Jason went surfing and I stayed at the bed and breakfast and read. I loved the recipe book so much that Jason bought it for me when we returned to Seattle - Every Night Italian by Guiliano Hazan.  A lot of the recipes have eggs which are not allowed in our family due to allergies. The eggs have been removed from this recipe and a few odd items added.

Barbeque is NOT a verb

I’m southern girl.  Shocking, I know. Southern folk aren’t often given the culinary credit they are due.  But thankfully, that does not apply to Barbeque.  The whole world knows that Barbeque is the crown jewel of the American South.

As so very eloquently sung by Rhett & Link & the Homestead Pickers…"Barbeque is not a verb. Barbeque is not a grill. Barbeque is meat, prepared in very special way, which varies on where you go."

This has got to be one of my most favorite videos of all time.  I can’t tell you how many times I have had to share it with others in order to correct their sad misconceptions of barbeque. Sorry sir, that hibatchi is not a barbeque.

The following is my recipe for our winter pulled pork barbeque that hails from a North Carolina pallet of flavors. I specified winter because we are forced indoors here in Seattle in the fall and winter so we don’t have access to our grill.  Our Summer barbeque is plentiful and nothing at all like this.  I'm sure you'll see some in due time. 

This recipe is prepared hands free in the slow cooker, with nearly no work at all.  I really hope you enjoy it.  We do!

Wowzers! That’s got bite!

Baked Very Garlicky Chicken, with Green Beans and Winter Squash
(Printable Recipe)

• 8 chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts pounded
• 1 cup Italian flavored bread crumbs
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• ½ cup crushed garlic or 15 garlic cloves crushed
• ¼ cup olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium sized (three fists) winter squash (acorn, butternut…)
• 4 cups frozen or fresh green beans
• Butter

Combine the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in your food processor and puree. Put the chicken into a zip top gallon bag and pour the garlic mixture over the chicken.

Prep a baking sheet by covering it with foil.

Combine the bread crumbs and parmesan in a mixing bowl.  Dip each piece of chicken into the bread crumbs, pressing to coat well and lay each piece out on the baking sheet without allowing the pieces to touch.

Stone Soup is not just a children's story...

In one of my more creative moments when the kids were little one of them asked what was for dinner, and “Stone Soup” was my reply. At this time in our lives, Jason and I lived a very meager existence and sometimes I was a bit nervous about what was going to make it to the table for dinner. That night, James, my oldest, offered up his favorite, very perfect stone for the first rendition of this dish, and then things started going into the pot.

Soup is one of the more creative dishes. Liberties abound.  Your proteins flavor it, your legumes or grains bulk it up, your herbs season it and your vegetables round it out. And the best part is - there is no recipe! Well not really. It is in fact many recipes.  You could have stone soup for a year and never repeat the same meal. It’s hearty and filling and you’ll never know it was a shoestring offering.  

I’m going to be using six beans in this Stone Soup.  I never by the mixed bean bags because they mix little itty bitty lentils with big ‘ole lima beans and the little ones turn to mush while the big ones stay hard. So I’ve just learned to do with beans that are relatively the same size.  I used dried beans and I get them from the bulk section of the grocery store. If you don’t have a bulk section, then you can get six bags of six different dried beans and keep the leftovers on hand until next time.

Time's a ticking...

The following recipe is a casserole style meal that can be frozen in advance. Dinner can be done in 30 minutes with an inital prep time of 30-40 minutes for two or three dinners.  Defrost in the fridge the morning of if you will be serving it for dinner. It's even pretty enough to send over to a sick friend's home to give her the evening off.

Chicken Noodle Bake with Vegetables and Mushrooms (Printable Recipe)

Don’t Disregard the Dizzy Chicken – Day 7

Barbequed Chicken Pizza (Printable Recipe)

Don’t Disregard the Dizzy Chicken – Day 6

Chicken Corn Chowder (Printable Recipe)

Don’t Disregard the Dizzy Chicken – Day 5

Enchilada Pie (Printable Recipe)

Makes 4-6 dinners

Don’t Disregard the Dizzy Chicken – Day 4

Because it is not authentic at all, but uses the original as inspiration, the name of my offering tonight is…

Don’t Disregard the Dizzy Chicken – Day 3

The last two days were really traditional home-style comfort food.  But today I’m feeling a little spicier and want a Mexican flavored meal. I offer…

Don’t Disregard the Dizzy Chicken – Day 2

Let’s face it, I’m beat and I’ll bet you are too.  These long days at work coupled with the sun setting sooner begs for a quick and easy, but satisfying hot dinner. Let’s assume you had some of that tasty rotisserie chicken left over yesterday, if not then you’ll need another today. Pull all the meat off the bones, discarding the bones and skin.

Don’t Disregard the Dizzy Chicken – Day 1

Convenience is the most prized asset of a harried housewife.  Marketing companies know this and they will make things very, very convenient. But to what detriment?  Your wallet? Absolutely. The earth?  You bet ‘cha. Taste? Yep. So when is convenience really convenient?

I am a spice and herb addict.  I buy chopped fresh garlic in food service quantities.  Why? Because I really love the taste of garlic, but I hate the smell of it on my fingers and it’s dirt cheap and best of all, convenient.  I also like the convenience of having fresh herbs in my freezer.  I will pop basil, parsley and cilantro in the freezer if I’ve used all I’m going to use at the moment because the remainder would spoil.  The freezer stops the spoilage but creates another problem. 

Do you remember in science when you were looking at onion skin under the microscope? It looks similar to an orange segment but flat. Well, imagine that the leaves of all these fresh herbs are orange segments and when we freeze the segment, all the little follicles (which are actually just single cells filled with juice) burst because of the water expanding as it freezes. So when the orange segment defrosts it is just a mushy, unappealing globule.  The same thing happens to the herbs. 

Why do I mention this? Well for convenience, of course! Because all the properties of the fresh herb are still there, except the crisp, fresh appearance, you can have fresh herbs anytime you need them. For any recipe that you need a fresh herb that will become incorporated into the dish you can use frozen herbs. This just opened up a whole new world of availability.  You can have summer herbs in the winter! And you’re not spending your money on little things like fresh herbs every week, which can cost up to $3.00 per pack.

The second most convenient thing available to the home cooks…rotisserie chickens. These little golden, juicy, beauties are such a timesaver. They are piping hot and at $5.99 a pop ($4.99 at Costco), they are a steal too.  You can’t buy a whole chicken for that.  Chances are, you like chicken.  Americans on average eat over 84 pounds of chicken per person each year. It is so versatile.

A prepared home cook is a successful home cook

I have set aside Sunday afternoon as my shopping day. I will often make brunch for the family in order to get them all to the table, I will then print out my Shopping list (which I have attached for you) and then we will decide as a family what is for dinner each day for the next week.  It makes shopping very easy.  We do quick runs to the freezer to see what meals are already prepped, I check off on the list what is needed to complete the meals we have chosen, check off the staple items that we are low on or out of, and then I go to three places.  Costco is first, Central Market is second and the neighborhood grocery store is third. This method cuts out entirely the habit of purchasing items you don’t need. 

A Beginning

I am starting a new blogging series for my friends have asked for cooking assistance. I know from the experience that is as equally as hard to work all day as it is to chase around your little ones as a stay at home mom - then comes dinner time.  Both working moms and stay at home moms (and dads too) want to provide their growing families with a nutritious meal that isn't going to take a lot of time or energy - as if by this time you have either.  The meals that you find in the supermarket that are designed for this purpose are usually filled with mediocre ingredients and only compensates with additives and preservatives. That isn’t what you want to give your little ones or yourself for that matter. 

There are a few rules you want to remember for feeding your families. The first thing to remember is that you need your meals to be rounded.  Too much protein in your meal makes you feel bloated and sleepy and it’s usually higher in fat.  Too much carbohydrates and you get an initial rush and then you crash, this hold especially true for complex carbohydrates.  A balance of the two and you feel satisfied for much longer and you don’t have to ride the protein/ carbohydrate rollercoaster. Grandma had it right, go figure, without all the input from modern science (although she did try to fry everything!). A small piece of protein, two or so veggies and a starch usually is a good rule of thumb.

The second thing you need to remember is all things in moderation.  You may like Italian style food, but that does not mean pasta every day.  You may like Mexican style food but that does not mean tortilla chips and salsa at every meal.  You will get bored and your body will feel the effects of not having a variety of foods.

The third thing is it really does take a few tries to gain a taste for something out of the ordinary, and that is OK.  The trick is to keep trying and stop being so darned hardheaded.  If you frown when you eat, you are less likely to have an open mind because you are telling yourself right off the bat that you don’t like it and that you are not going to like it. Tell your children and your spouses if you must, “You’re frowning. You’re not even giving it a chance.” This works really well for kids. Adults however, well, to put it delicately, sometimes act like spoiled kids, and they dig their heels in harder than your children will.  But just like children, if they are hungry, they will eat.

I will post recipes with ingredients that you may not be familiar with.  That’s OK.  We are expanding our horizons here just email me and ask me about it and I will let you know if there are substitutions that I can offer up. If the spice level is too high in something, reduce it. If you need more salt, add it. Food is about what you like to eat along beside what is good for you.  Just because it’s good doesn’t mean that it’s bad for you and vice versa. You feedback is welcomed.