Keen-wah!

So a long while back a reader, Brandon B, asked for something flavorful and exciting. He is stuck in a rut eating organic chicken and brown rice which I would consider a very healthy torture technique. First, I would advise Brandon, and any of you others who are interested, to read the book “The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals” by Michael Pollan (primarily because Michael’s narrative is most easily readable and digestible by the general population, however there are many other great reads out there). Most organic poultry isn’t anywhere worth the price you would be paying especially if you are buying it in any supermarket, unless it has the farmer’s name on it. However, there is a number of ‘real’ free range and ‘truly’ organic poultry farms in the US where you can buy direct from the farmer. Those are worth the money you spend.

So Brandon, today, I am going to give you a great recipe for simple, flavorful, pan roasted chicken and teach you how to make a pan sauce with it. I really do not like cooking chicken breasts and never really use them, but I will for you. They are so often boring and dry - an ugly flaccid slab of white meat, only useful for nutritious intake, but certainly not for visual appeal. But not today.

On the subject of brown rice…um, why? I know you probably don’t eat it every day, but this is America! You have options! Quinoa, barley, spelt, farro, couscous, corn…Today I’m choosing for you and it is Quinoa.

My parental advice - lie to your children!

It’s nearly that time again. I’m sure all of you mother’s out there know what I’m talking about. It’s that moment when your kids arrive home from school and eat everything in sight, as if they haven’t eaten a morsel since you packed them off this morning. How then do you keep them from being bored and not always grabbing for the sugary nonsense snacks?

Trick them! It’s the best thing about being a Mom. You can lie without impunity in order to keep them safe and healthy - right?  I have one of the greatest recipe lies out there in the food trickery world. They think they are getting a decadent, sugary snack, when in fact they are getting a single or even double serving of fruit and a serving of dairy and they’ll be begging for more. How’s that for a trick?

Dim Sum good dumplings

I lost my day job last week. I had been hanging on by a thread since right after Thanksgiving and right before Christmas which is why I’ve been MIA since that time.  Granted that job didn’t bring me nearly as much joy as cooking does, it certainly paid for the ingredients. So until future notice, I am on a shoestring budget while trying to keep the same level of flavor and interest in my daily dinners for my family. I welcome the challenge.

So yesterday afternoon I opened the fridge to assess my fixin’s and they were slim! I had some pork chops that I got on clearance, a scant bunch of cilantro, a half a head of cabbage. But what I really wanted was pot stickers. So I headed off to the store and bought ginger, Thai basil, and gyoza wrappers and headed home to play. I really wasn’t sure where I was going when I started (that happened often) so I made enough filling for 12 dozen! Yes, way too many for just a dinner, but they freeze easily and are perfect for a quick, healthy dinner in just 5-10 minutes. An hour and a half later I had 8.5 dozen pot stickers with enough filling for 4 dozen more or in other terms 3 dinners for a family of five at a price of $10.00! Sweet! I’m thinking that is a pretty good deal.

I have paired down my recipe to make about 40 because that is the number of gyoza wrappers in a single pack. There are a few items that make it super easy to make your own dumplings. A food processor to mince your filling, a bamboo steamer to cook them in a healthy way, and a dumpling gadget for about $1.00 (this is crucial since I am a white girl without a surrogate Asian grandma), cooking spray, time and patience.

Oh those lovely buttons!

I love, love, love mushrooms.  They are earthy and meaty and are just so lovely in stews, sauces and soups, without adding a lot of unneeded calories. But some days you want decadent and my ultimate favorite decadent way to enjoy mushrooms is stuffed. Stuffed mushrooms can get really over-dramatized, especially in the restaurant world. The other day I visited an unnamed establishment and the mushrooms came out to the table drowning in a puddle of oil. I was so sad I didn't even want to eat them. And for love's sake, hold the lobster and shrimp and oysters please. I like simple and quick and yummy.