Nirmala's Cooking Corner

Cook's Illustrated Pumpkin Pie

2010-12-01T01:09:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I was gluttonous and not unhappy about it in the least. I also got a lot of rest and spent time with my "brother" Toby, the rat terrier mix, who is clearly now top dog in our family. His first Thanksgiving with my family and he's plated and served first; fed twice! Unbelievable what happens during the empty nest phase -- the spoiling is much worse than I imagined.

Anyway, I'm in charge of making pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and I'm happy to do so. I LOVE LOVE LOVE pumpkin pie. It's an understatement. I could eat it all year long and not lose interest. I have made pumpkin pie for the last five years since my family. How come my sister is the only one that comes away with not bringing anything?!!

I decided to try the Cook's Illustrated Pumpkin Pie as I read it was the be all, end all of pumpkin pies. It has wonderful ingredients like heavy cream, whole milk, eggs and egg yolks, cinnamon and fresh ginger all things that come right to my heart. So I made it and as you can see, it is really gorgeous, isn't? But I didn't like it as much as the recipe off the Libby's can. To be fair, the texture of this pie is silky smooth because you have to strain the pumpkin and the secret ingredient but you can't taste the spices that make pumpkin pie pumpkin pie, you know?

It was more pumpkin-y than I expected. I couldn't taste any cinnamon or ginger or any of the other spices that usually shine through. It was good but not the be all of pies AND it took way more time than the Libby recipe. I'm going back to the version I love best which I think I will make again at Christmas.

Enjoy!

I'm not going to re write the recipe as a quick google search will promptly bring up oodles and oodles of recipes and pictures. Can you tell I have blogger burnout?

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Black Beans and Chili Dressing

2010-11-15T00:03:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, I haven't blogged in 10 days, and it has been the most freeing experience. I'm some times surprised at how much time it takes to cook, shoot pictures AND blog. It is a bit time consuming especially when you have so many other things to do. A lot more than I would like to admit. Truth be told, I've been really pooped, wiped out, in fact. It all started last weekend when to save money, I decided to dig out a trench 25' long x 1 ' wide x 6" deep. I probably saved $300. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it was fun and I surprised myself at how relatively quickly I did it. And I impressed the contractor, no small feat given his perfectionist qualities. So impressed, I helped make and pour concrete. It was fun but also wiped me out. I wish I could say I slept better but I was so tired I couldn't sleep. I didn't hurt myself or anything, and I wasn't particularly sore, but I just haven't been feeling like myself.

So that project took me out. I've been napping throughout the day and eating a lot. I'm now convinced that I can do all sorts of other yard projects, including digging up and putting down pavers. I can't wait.

This hearty savory salad will fill you up and make you wish for more cool fall days.

Time: 45 minutes

4 Servings

Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1.5 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 large onion, preferably red, chopped
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 to 2 T minced fresh hot chili, like jalapeno
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 cups cooked black beans, drained (canned are great!)
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, seed and finely chopped
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Put sweet potatoes and onions on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 T olive oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes being to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven keep on pan until ready to mix with dressing.

2. Put chilies in blender or mini food processor along with the garlic, like juice, remaining olive oil and sprinkle of slat and pepper. Process until blended.

3 . Put warm vegetables in a large bowl with beans and bell pepper; toss with dressing and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to date .

bon app!

And real quick. I need ideas, big time. Friend getting married Dec. 11. She's asking friends to make appetizers for 15 people. The parameters are 50 pieces, on our own plates, limited prep area, no fridge or oven, finger foods only. Plates, no forks. I have an ice chest to potentially carry food. Food will be traveling 50 miles and will be on the from road and not "fridged" from 1 PM to 4PM when it will be served.

What the heck do I make?

Banana Bread | Healthy Snack

2010-11-04T01:01:00.000-07:00

I usually poo-poo anything low-fat. I don't believe in no-fat or low-fat foods. I'm fortunate not have to worry about calories or where they come from (please don't hate me). The doctor recently suggested that I would be in better shape if I gained a few pounds. Outside of this, I eat whole fat everything including milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream because it is much more gratifying. Plus, I actually eat less of the item than say they're lower fat/cal version. My craving is fulfilled and I haven't eaten something with substitutes and additives.

Given this, I was surprised that I wanted to try this low- fat version of banana bread. I tried it only because it came out of Cook's Illustrated and if they like it, it must be pretty good. Plus, did you know that a slice of banana bread has 220 calories and 6 grams of fat?! This is actually not horrible considering the alternatives but Cook's was challenged to come up with something leaner, moist and full of banana flavor.

Their secret ingredients, fat-free cream cheese (I know, fat-free!) and roasted bananas which makes them sweeter, hence less sugar is required. Have you ever roasted bananas? It was my first time, and it really made the bread pop. My guinea pigs devoured the bread -- it was gone in two days. Given the low-fat content, I'm not sure this version would freeze well. Eat pronto!

Makes one 8-inch loaf

Ingredients
- 4 large ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 c sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 T canola oil
- 2 ounces fat-free cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces and chilled

Preparation
1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly coat and 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with the vegetable oil spray and set aside.

2. Bake the bananas (skins on) on a rimmed baking sheet until the skins are completely black, about 20 minutes. (Do not turn off the oven.) Set the bananas aside to cool at room temperature.

3. Peel the bananas, then mash them with a potato masher in a small bowl until smooth. Measure out and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the mashed bananas, discarding any excess.

4. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together with a handheld mixer on medium-low speed until combined. Add the oil and cream cheese, 1 piece at a time, and mix until only -ea-size pieces of the cream cheese remain, about 1 minute. Slowly beat in the egg mixture, then add the mashed bananas and beat until incorporate, about 30 seconds.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.

6. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving. (The bread can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up toe 3 days.)

I found that I need an additional 10 minutes though I have an oven thermometer that helps me gets the temperature just right.

Potato Curry with Tomatoes

2010-10-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is getting ready for the first major holiday of 2010. Yes, Halloween counts. I'm actually going to an evening group meditation sit tomorrow so I won't get to see the cute neighborhood kids dressed up. What are you all up to?

The Indian cooking continues with oohs and aahs from the family. I'm hearing that my bread and Indian food are causing weight gain. I think it's because they are over eating. I just cook. I don't provide portion control services. That's extra!

I've been making recipes from my little Indian cook book on a weekly basis with lots of success. So far, all the recipes I've tried (all three of the 1001) have been great! Easy, tasty and complete within 45 minutes. This one too. I love the potatoes and tomatoes together. The spices are amazing together in this combination. You could use this spice combo and vary the vegetables (and the cooking times accordingly). Thus, far this has become the family and friends favorite.

Serve with your favorite Indian bread or whole wheat tortillas, like I did. I promise you yumminess.

Ingredients
- 1 lb potatoes
- 4 T oil (I use half the amount called for in recipes, otherwise it is too much!)
- 2.5 tsp mustard seeds
- 2.5 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 2.5 tsp ground red chili
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- salt to taste
- 14 ounce canned diced tomatoes
- 2/3 c water
- 2 T lemon juice
- 1 T chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Preparation
1. Boil the potatoes in their skins then drain, peel and cut in 1/4 inch diameter. I would boil until a knife can pierce the potato easily, about 10-15 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a heavy-based pan and fry mustard seeds over medium heat until the start crackling. Add the cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds until lightly browned. Stir in the potato pieces and fry until lightly browned. Stir in the coriander, cumin, garam masala, chili, turmeric and salt.

3. Stir in tomatoes and cook until the water has been absorbed. Pour in the water, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Note: I took the pictures after I followed the above recipe to a T. I found that the sauce was rather thick and a little chalky so I thinned it out with additional water, making it as saucy as I wanted, sort of medium thick. Add water to your desired consistency.

Happy Halloween!

Walnut Bread

2010-10-25T00:07:00.000-07:00

My baking kick continues and now that the weather has definitively cooled, I have more to bake. Plus with a hungry brood of appreciative soles to feed, I feel nothing but desire to please those that eat my fare day in and day out without complaint.

After trying out a few no knead breads and not being as satisfied as I would like, I decided to go back to kneaded breads. I'm REALLY glad I did. I made this very easy walnut bread from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It's dense, hearty, nutritious and scrumptious!. It also has the added bonus of making two loaves for all your efforts. A very deal for the work put in. Freeze one for later!

I love this bread untoasted with butter and cheese. I loved it toasted, with butter again, and sardines and avocado. I've been eating a slice or two a day of the high fiber content. No guilt here.

Try it out and tell me what you think.

Ingredients
- 2 1/2 c warm water
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 envelope)
- 1/4 cup roasted walnut oil (I used regular walnut oil)
- 1 T honey or malt syrup
- 1/ 2 c nonfat dry milk
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup wheat bran if whole-wheat flour is smooth
- 3 to 4 c whole-wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
- About 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts, preferably blanched and roasted
- Melter butter for top

Preparation
1. Stir yeast into 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl and set it aside while you gather your ingredients

2. Put 2 1/4 c warm water in a mixing bowl and stir in the oil, honey, dry milk, and salt. Add bran and whole wheat flour (If you add 1 cup bran, then reduce wheat flour to 2 to 3 cups). Beat well until batter is smooth. Add enough all-purpose flour to make a heavy dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, then add walnuts. Turn the dough out onto a counter and knead until smooth (won't be perfectly smooth with the use of wheat flour), adding more white flour as needed to keep it from sticking. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, turn it once, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise until doubled, about 1.5 hours.

3. Turn the dough out and cut it into two or three pieces (I did two). Shape each piece into a tight ball, cupping around the dough to give it a plump, round shape. Place each ball on an oiled baking sheet, cover, and set aside until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. During the last 15 minutes, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

4. Slash breads, making three or four parallel cuts across the loaves, then brush with melted butter. Bake until a rich brown crust is formed and the bread is done, about 40 minutes.

Blanched and Roasted Walnuts
This simple process really improves the flavor of shelled walnuts that aren't freshly cracked. Bring a pan of water to a boil, add walnuts, and let them stand for a 1 minute. Drain and wick up the excess moisture with at towel. Spread them out on a sheet pan, then roast in a 300 degree F oven until they've dried out, about 20 minutes. Remove them as soon as they are dry.

Tortilla Espanola

2010-10-20T03:55:00.000-07:00

I've been busy hosting dinner parties and it's been fun. I enjoy hosting friends and family; this week I've been doing it on a weekly basis. I like to cook foods that make people feel special which can some times be time consuming. But because I work full time and have a packed schedule of daily meditation, yoga, gardening, writing, blogging, cooking, cleaning house, etc. I like to cook food that is tasty, fuss free, and allows me to be an attentive host. Apologies for the less than ideal picture.

So easy and tasty, it's one of my favorite dishes to make on the fly. Supplement with a green salad with avocado, tomatoes and pomegranate, and a dense wheat bread with cheese, and you have the perfect quick dinner party meal. You probably the ingredients for all three of these dishes in your kitchen now. This meal is guaranteed to fly off the table; there were no leftovers.

I previously blogged about this dish back in 2006, using Deborah Madison's recipe. Mark Bittman was my chef this week. His recipe is more simple with fewer ingredients. I love this one too. The eggs were moist and the potato perfectly cooked through. Some of the potatoes on top were a little crunchy, like potato chips and they were yummy, really. Next time, I think I will add a dash of chili flakes for a little heat. I couldn't stop picking at it until the guests arrived.

Makes at least 4 servings

45 minutes or less

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

- 1 pound waxy red or white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch slices (I didn't peel)

- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

- 1 large onion, sliced

- 1 red pepper, stemmed, peeled if desired, seeded and sliced

- 1 tsp minced garlic

- 6 eggs

- 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Preparation

1. Place about half the olive oil in a large oven proof skillet, preferably non-stick, and turn the heat to medium. Add the potato slices and season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook, turning gently from time to time, until they soften, about 20 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon.

2. Add the remaining oil to the pan, followed by the onion and red pepper, and cook, stirring occassionally, until nice and soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

3. Return potatoes to the skillet, and turn the heat to medium low. Continue to cook, turning with spatula, for about 5 more minutes. Beat the eggs wiht parsley.

4. Turn the heat to low and pour the eggs over the potatoes, undisturbed, for about 5 minutes. Transfer from the oven and bake until the mixture is set, about 10 minutes more. Remove the pan and cool to room temperature before cutting into chunks wedges. Serve.

Bittman calls for first cooking the potatoes, and then the onions and red pepper separately. Not sure why. This takes more time than necessary but I followed his recipe exactly except that I had two skillets working simultaneously. Below I present easy modifications.

My modifications. I thought steps 1 and 2 could be combined to save time in one very large skillet. First cook potatoes and onions together, and then in the last 5 minutes add red pepper. Then continue with the garlic, and the remainder of the recipe. I felt that my potatoes were soft enough so I didn't cook the potatoes more in Step 3. Rather, I jumped right to adding the eggs. I think this will save you time. Something we can all use a little more of, no?!

Golden Beet and Greens Soup | Simple Soup

2010-10-15T03:10:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, I grocery shop with the weather in mind and only once a week. Last time I shopped it was cool fall day. The sun was out and the air was crisp perfect for fall foods like soups, curries and Indian food, and bread making. Then the weather did a 180 and it's been 80+ degrees this whole week -- beach weather calling for salads, melons, and less cooking! Don't get me wrong, I love the heat especially since it's unusual and short lived in this area but when the heat turns up, I like to cook less. You? Isn't it funny how that happens?

I've been playing catch up with a few Sunset magazine recipes. I recommend the Oct 2009 issue (yeah, I'm really behind) of Sunset for their roasted red pepper soup, fennel apple bisque, mushrooms in sherry shallot broth, and this lovely golden beet and beet greens soup. To be fair, I was not a huge fan as much as I love beets. I grew them from seed earlier this year and will be planting them again in a few weeks for a Spring harvest. I love the sweetness and how they look when they've been roasted or steamed. But in this soup, I didn't care for the sweetness with the savory. Friends really loved the soup and I don' think they were just being nice.

I do love how quickly this recipe comes together with very few ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen. It's even quicker if you cook the beets the night before, and it's pretty to look at too.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

- 3 large golden beets

- 1 small, thinly sliced red onion

- 2 large garlic cloves, minced

- 1-2 T olive oil

- 4-5 C vegetable or chicken broth

Preparation

1. Trim stems from beets (leave 1 inch attached to beets) and cutting off leafy tops. Discard stems from tops; cut leaves crosswise into thin shreds. Note: Beet greens do not last long so if you don't plan on using greens the day you purchase beets, I recommend buying beets without the greens and substituting 4 ounces of another green like chard, spinach, kale, or your favorite green.

2. Simmer beets until tender, 35- 45 minutes, first bringing them to a boil. Drain and cool. Remove skins and stems, then cut beets thinly crosswise into circles.

3. Saute 1 small, thinly sliced red onion with minced garlic cloves in olive oil until slightly browned. Add beets and 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Stir in beet greens (or other greens) and cook until greens are wilted, about 1 minute. Add broth to soup to thin it, if you like, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Spicy Cauliflower and Peas | Easy Indian

2010-10-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I had friends over for dinner. The chocolate chip cookies made it to the dinner -- I exhibited a lot of will power! I cooked Indian to expand my repertoire from the motherland. It was also the easiest way to feed a friend who is both trying out a vegan and gluten free diet. Kind of tough but very doable. Plus, one of the three dishes was in the freezer which then required me to make only two dishes, one that I knew how to make and a new one! The starter course was the lentil sambar that I wrote about a few posts ago. I also made this absolutely scrumptious and easy cauliflower and pea dish which takes about 45 minutes max (probably less once you've made it at least once) including the chopping up of the cauliflower and grinding up of the cumin and coriander, unless you already have them in the ground form.

Personally, I now keep only the seeds because the potency of these spices lasts longer. Plus, I enjoy using the mortar and pestle to grind up spices. It's a relaxing to pound away the troubles of the day and simultaneously have mouth watering aromas waft up to your nose. It's a win-win. This dish is great for those that love cauliflower -- I've used all varieties including green, white, orange and purple -- and are vegetarian or vegan. It's fairly quick and can be served with dal, rice, raita, etc. The dish is also extremely attractive and tastes and looks great with short grain brown rice. It's a good blend of spices and is not too hot, not like the hot I've described with curry and sambar powders.

This recipe had a few errors that I correct for, like cooking the cauliflower for 40 minutes. The cauliflower will cook in approx. 15-20 minutes and the dish, if served alone, probably does not serve 4-6, more like 2-3.

Yes, the dish does appear fluorescent yellow. That's the turmeric in action!

Ingredients

- 6 T oil

- 1 tsp mustard seeds

- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

- 1 inch ginger root, minced

- 1 medium cauliflower, cut into small florets

- 2 tsp ground coriander

- 1 tsp garam masala

- 1 tsp ground cumin

- 1/2 tsp ground red chili, (reduce to 1/4 tsp if you're sensitive to spice)

- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric

- salt to taste

- 2/3 c water

- 9 oz peas (frozen is fine!)

Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-base pan and fry the mustard seeds over medium heat until the start crackling (cover with lid so you don't get splattered).

2. Add the cumin seeds and fry until browned.

3. Add the ginger and cauliflower and fry for 10 minutes until lightly browned.

4. Stir in the coriander, garam masala, cumin, chili, turmeric, salt and water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender, stirring occasionally.

5. Stir in the peas and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Sprinkle the cilantro and serve hot.

Where the Cookie Crumbles

2010-10-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Everyone has their favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Who doesn't? Who didn't enjoy making the chocolate chip cookies from the back of the Toll-House package or some other recipe. Licking the leftover batter from the spatula was a highlight. Not one speck of batter was wasted, was it?! Raw eggs, who cared.

While Cook's Illustrated says this recipe is the best, and it might very well be, there are countless of wonderful mouth watering recipes. I haven't tried them all to say definitively if this the best but I love it. Cook's goal was to perfect the back-of-the-bag classic with a cookie that was crisp at the edges, chewy in the middle, and full of rich toffee flavor. I've been wanting to make these cookies forever! They made over 700 cookies to perfect this recipe! Given the butter content in these, their staff must have gained weight!

What did I love about this recipe? What's not to love. Butter is one of the main ingredients. Every cookie has almost 1 T of butter. If you believe butter makes everything better than you'll adore these cookies. The butter is melted and browned so that it can caramelize in the oven more which allows for crispy edges and toffee flavor. An added bonus is that you don't need a standing mixer to make these. I also love the nooks and crannies vs. the some times smooth texture that may occur.

I also enjoyed the technique of whisking and resting (read below in the recipe) which develops the deep toffeelike flavor without adding toffee. The high fat content allows these babies to freeze well. A lot are in the freezer now and will be shared with friends this weekend when they come over for an all Indian dinner. I can't wait. In the mean time, I'm trying to stay away from the freezer so there will be some left. We'll see! Can you see where I took a bite (around 10/11 o'clock)?!

Tell me, where does your cookie crumble?!

And before I forget, I want to thank Anu, at My Kitchen Skills, for giving me the Sunshine Award. It made my day brighter on our first fall day. Thank you! I need to pass the award and will do so in the next few weeks.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 16 cookies

Ingredients

- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

- 1/2 tsp baking soda

- 14 T unsalted butter

- 1/2 cup granulated sugar

- 3/4 c packed dark brown sugar

- 1 tsp table salt

- 2 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 large egg

- 1 large egg yolk

- 1 1/4 c semisweet chocolate chips or chunks

- 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)

1. Adjust oven rack to middle rack and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

2. Heat 10 T butter in 10 inch skillet over medium high-heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and, using heatproof spatula, transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir in remaining 4 T butter into hot butter until completely melted.

3. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla to bowl with butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Add egg and yolk and whisk until mixture is smooth with no sugar lumps remaining, about 30 seconds. Let mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whisk for 30 seconds. Repeat process of resting and whisking 2 more times until mixture is thick, smooth and shiny. Using rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in flour mixture until just combined, about 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (if using), giving dough final stir to ensure no flour pockets remain.

4. Divide dough into 16 portions, each about 3 T (or use #24 cookie scoop). Arrange 2 inches part on prepared baking sheets, 8 dough balls per sheet.

5. Bake cookies 1 tray at a time until cookies are golden brown and still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, 10 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets half way through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack, cool cookies completely before serving.

Buttermilk Pot Style Bread

2010-10-04T01:23:00.000-07:00

This is it, my final no knead bread before having to return the book to the library. I thought I was going to be sad about it. In fact, I had been searching to buy a used copy online because I think it would be a great reference. Plus, I wanted to continue my quest to make a new bread every week to 10 days, rather than shell out the $$ to buy a loaf at the store.

Initially, I thought it was me but after making three different loaves, I'm convinced the recipes are good, but not the best.

I started with Peasant Style Pot Bread, probably the best of the three I made from this book. It was like eye candy. Beautiful to look and the scent that filled my home was wonderful. It But like some eye candy, it lacked depth. It had good, if slightly salty flavor. Not as good as the almost no knead bread.

The second was the French walnut bread. Not sure what made it French but I loved the use of walnuts. This bread was good but still not great. In fact, it was not as good as some nut breads I've purchased at the store. A negative for me was the difficulty in stirring the nuts into the dough before the 2nd rise. The nuts were not evenly distributed, and ultimately I believe this affected the loaf.

For my final hurrah (3 week limit at the library) I chose the buttermilk pot style bread because the picture was stunning. Light colored bread flecked with coarse salt, it was perfection. That should have been my tip off. You see, the picture and the description of the recipe did not jive, namely, the recipe said to bake the bread until it was deep brown. The picture of it was not even close to deep brown, it was more like the color of corn bread but slightly lighter. Once again, I had difficulty stirring in the buttermilk powder after the 1st rise. In fact, I had to use my hands to knead it in. I thought this was no knead bread! It was nearly impossible to stir in the powder. I mostly got it in but where it didn't, after it was baked, there were small yellow chunks, almost like the consistency of yolk in the hard boiled egg, on the softer side.

The loaf was not as light and as airy as I thought it would be. It was a little dense and soft. I would skip the coarse salt. It makes the bread look great BUT where you get a bit of coarse salt, you also get a large dose of saltiness. Not good. So after a few days, I picked off all the salt and that helped. It makes really great toast.

I recommend checking out the book at your local library, and trying some of the recipes. Start with a simple one just to gain your confidence and to realize how little work is required to make bread. I learned a lot. I continue to make bread every 10 days or so. Until Cook's Illustrated makes another no knead or almost knead bread, I'll continue with their original recipe. Love it.

Lentil Sambar

2010-09-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm Indian and I don't cook a lot of Indian. My friends ask if I cook Indian and I bashfully say I don't. I don't know why. I know plenty of people from you name it ethnicity that don't prepare the foods they grew up with.

I love eating Indian food. I love eating my mom's Indian food the best. I don't know why but I had it in my mind that it takes a long time to prepare Indian food. And I'm sure it does if you prepare everything from scratch like all the curries and various powders. Perhaps this was reinforced by having a stay at home mom that prepared the most amazing Indian and non-Indian meals at home. She was in the kitchen a lot; happily, I think. As much as I love to cook, I don't want to be in the kitchen too much. I want to eat well without fuss.

In graduate school my mom gifted me the classic 1000 indian recipes cookbook. It's not fancy at all. It's not written by some famous Indian cook with stories about his/her childhood and what the dish means to them blah blah blah. It's no frills with some but not a lot of pictures. Mom chose it because she said it describes the cooking and preparation the way she does it so she figured it had to be good. Well, it is! Every single recipe I've tried has been a success. This is not to say that I think it's perfect. I have found cooking times and the number the dish serves to be off.

This book has sat on my bookshelf without much use until recently when I decided it's time to get into preparing Indian food again. I've been blown away about how little time some dishes take including this one, which was done in under 45 minutes with the vegetable prep. You just have to all the ingredients which you can get at your local Indian or Asian food store. Once you have the main ingredients you can whip up anything in very little time.

Thick and fiery sambars are the first course (in my case, the only course!) in any south Indian meal. They are served steaming hot with plain cooked rice and a vegetable accompaniment. Almost any vegetable can be used. The tamarind has a cooling effect and has the unique property of preserving the vitamins of the vegetables cooked in it! Did you know this?

Serves 4

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup red lentils

- 1 T oil

- 1/2 tsp fenugreek

- 1 tsp mustard seeds

- 1/2 tsp asafoetida

- 1 dried red chili, halved

- 2-3 curry leaves (I skipped because I didn't have these)

- 8 oz mixed vegetables (radish, onion, potato, carrots, bell pepper are great)

- 1 T tamarind pulp (you can make your own, it's easy, recipe below; or you can buy the pulp in a container. Mom says the pre-made pulp makes the food look black but will taste fine).

- 1 cup water

- 1 tbsp sambar powder

- 1/2 tsp turmeric

- salt to taste

- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. Cook the lentils in boiling water for about 1 hour until tender then drain. (Note, red lentils do not take 1 hour to become tender, try 20 minutes; first book error)

2. Heat the oil and fry the mustard, fenugreek and cumin seeds, asafoetida, red chili and curry leaves until the mustard seeds start crackling.

3. Add the green chilies and vegetables and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tamarind pulp, water, sambar powder, turmeric and salt. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in lentils, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot with rice.

Note -- to test for 'spicey' level of sambar powder, lick finger and dip into powder; taste; the powder will taste raw for sure but this will indicate how hot the powder is, and hence how much you should add. I guarantee you will need less than 1 T. I multiplied this recipe by 4 which means I should have used 4 T sambar power. I used 2 T and it was still hot. The primary ingredient in sambar powder is ground dried red chilies if this indicates how fiery this dish can be. My sambar powder came straight from the aunties back in India.

Tamarind pulp

- 11 oz dried tamarind

- 2 1/2 c hot water

1. Soak dried tamarind overnight in the hot water or boil it for 15 minutes over medium heat.

2. Rub tamarind through the fingers to reduce it to a pulp then rub through a sieve and collect pulp. Discard husks. Excess pulp can be frozen.

French Walnut Bread

2010-09-26T16:42:00.000-07:00

This is a super easy, sinfully simple bread to make. It comes straight from Kneadlessly Simple. In fact, I'm not sure I did make it. The bread makes itself! All I did was mix flour, sugar, salt, yeast, water and walnuts. A day and half later, I had bread. Amazing.

This bread is earthy, nutty-tasting, and is great with butter, goat cheese, any cheese really. Half the flower is whole wheat. The crust is crisp but not as crisp as the crust in the Peasant Style Pot bread or Almost No Knead bread. And it did not get the beautiful round dome shape that other breads get. I performed all the requisite steps. In fact, it rose but not as much, and it came out a little flat. Not deflated but flat. I suspect the crispiness and dome eluded me because this recipe did not require the Dutch oven (or other pot) to be preheated in the oven.

Anyone else make this bread with the same result?

This bread makes great toast and goes well with curried carrot soup. Perfect for cooler fall weather and sharing with friends. Break bread with your friends. They'll love you even more than they already do.

This is my second Kneadlessly Simple recipe and I have to say that I still prefer the almost no knead bread. I think it has better flavor and crust, and if you can believe it, is easier to make and takes less time.

Yield: 1 large loaf, 12 to 14 slices

Ingredients

- 2 c whole wheat flour, plus extra as needed

- 2 c unbleached all-purpose white flour or white bread flour

- 1 tsp granulated sugar

- 2 tsp table salt

- 3/4 tsp instant yeast, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast

- 2 c ice water, plus more if needed

- Walnut oil or flavorless vegetable oil for coating dough top and baking pot

- 1 1/2 c fresh, fine-quality walnut halves

First Rise: In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the whole wheat and white flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Vigorously stir in the water, scraping down the bowl and mixing until the dough is well blended and smooth. If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, a bit at a time, stir in just enough more water to blend the ingredients; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be very stiff (it's stiff if you find it difficult to stir). Brush or spray the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.

Meanwhile, reserve 4 perfect walnut halves for garnish. Spread the remainder on a baking sheet and lightly toast, stirring several times, in a preheated oven for 325 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until fragrant and just lightly browned. Let cool. Chop finely (in a food processor, if desired).

Second Rise: Vigorously stir the cooled walnuts into the dough. Note: This was extremely challenging; the nuts were not spread uniformly throughout the dough. If it is not stiff, stir in enough more whole wheat flour to make it hard to stir. Using an oiled rubber spatula, lift and fold the dough in towards the center, working all the way around the bowl. Invert it into a well-oiled, then flour-dusted, 3-quart (or larger) heavy metal pot (or use a flat-bottomed round casserole with a lid). Brush or spray the top with oil, then smooth out the surace with an oiled rubber spatula or fingertips. Cut 1/2-inch-deep slashes to from an X in the center top; well-oiled kitchen shears work best. Put the 4 untoasted walnut halves in the angles of the X for garnish; press down very firmly to imbed them. Cover the pot with its lid.

Let Rise Using Any of These Methods: For a 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1- to 2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate 4 to 24 hours, then set out at room temperature. Continue until the dough doubles from its deflated size.

Baking Preliminaries: 15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees F. Lightly dust the dough top with whole wheat flour.

Baking: Bake on the lower rack, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the top is well-browned and a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles clinging to the bottom. Then bake for 5 to 10 minutes more to ensure the center is done (if the particles are moist then definitely bake longer). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the loaf to the rack, running a knife around the edges to loosen if necessary (I used parchment instead of the oil and flour method -- this has typically not worked for me).

Serving and Storing: The loaf tastes and slices best at room temperature. Cool completely before storing airtight in plastic or foil. The bread will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

Classic French Onion Soup

2010-09-22T01:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I can get through this post. This recipe took forever, really it did. Well, about 4 hours. We didn't eat dinner until after 9 PM, may be closer to 10, I can't remember. I was so tired, I had appetite suppression. Perhaps you know this feeling. You cook and cook and cook, and at the end you just don't want to eat. It was all a blur.

Hanging out with friends I hadn't seen in almost 6 months, we decided to cook up a storm. There were two birthdays to celebrate, one a newlywed, the other a parent for almost 2 years. Friends selected the recipes and kindly purchased all the ingredients for almost 5 dishes! All I brought was a frozen tiramisu since I was the out-of-towner with no kitchen or ingredients to prepare anything more exciting.

We had the whole day to prepare this soup but misreading the recipe through us for a loop. I thought the recipe would take about 60 minutes. NO NO NO NO! It was 60 minutes for STEP 2, and there are 5 steps! You got to love Cook's Illustrated. The soup was great, and devoured by all. Would I make it again? Probably not. It's a lot of fuss for a soup, and there are other soups I would much rather eat that don't take nearly as long. Nevertheless it was a lot of fun and I couldn't imagine spending a better way with friends and family.

Serves 6

Ingredients

Soup

- 3 T unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces

- 4 lbs onions (about 6 large), halved pole to pole and sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick

- 2 c water, plus extra for deglazing

- 1/2 cup dry sherry

- 4 c low-sodium chicken broth

- 2 cup beef broth

- 6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine

- 1 bay leaf

Croutons

- 1 small baguette

- 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

1. FOR THE SOUP: Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray the inside of a large (at least 7 quart) Dutch oven with vegetable oil spray. Add the butter, onions, and 1 tsp salt to the pot. Cook, covered, for 1 hour. (The onions will be most and slightly reduced in volume). Remove the pot from the oven and stir the onions, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot. Return the pot to the oven with the lid slightly ajar and continue to cook until the onions are very soft and golden brown, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours longer, stirring the onions and scraping the bottom and sides after 1 hour.

Note: We used a metal stock pot and it was mostly fine. However, due to uneven heating, some of the onions burned onto the pan, and it was very very hard to remove. I think the enameled Dutch oven may work better for this reason.

2. Carefully remove pot from oven and place over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom and sides of the pot, until the liquid evaporates and the onions brown, 15 to 20 minutes, reducing the heat to medium if the onions are browning to quickly. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pot bottom is coated with a dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. (Scrape any browned bits that collect on the spoon back into the onions.) Stir in 1/4 cup water, scraping the pot bottom to loosen the crust, and cook until the water evaporates and the pot bottom has formed another dark crust, 6 to 8 minutes. Repeat the process of deglazing 2 or 3 more times, until the onions are very dark brown. Stir in the sherry and cook, stirring frequently, until the sherry evaporates, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in 2 cups water, the chicken broth, beef broth, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 tsp salt, scraping up any final bits of browned crust on the bottom and sides of the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes. Remove and discard thyme and bay leaf, then season with the salt and pepper to taste.

4. FOR THE CROUTONS: While the soup simmers, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until dry, crisp and golden at the edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

5. Adjust an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on the baking sheet and fill each with about 1 3/4 cups of the soup. Top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap the slices) and sprinkle evenly with the Gruyere. Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around the edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve.

Curried Carrot Soup

2010-09-18T17:39:00.000-07:00

My fridge was empty, very, very empty. I was not interested in my go to food, eggs. Too many of them had killed the taste for me. I was uninterested in running to the grocery store -- too crowded on Fridays; it takes the joy out of shopping when I have to fight through the maze of people to get produce.

What could I make? I had carrots, onions, broth, spices. Google saved the day again. Curried carrot soup. Amazing. Simple, easy, fast, AND tasty. Six ingredients total. Probably six ingredients you have on your shelf. Minimal prep, it's a win win.

I caution you on the curry. I used authentic curry straight from the Indian grocery store. It was spicy! Adding salt helps. A BIG dolop of Trader Joe's Whole Fat European Style Yogurt also helped. If you use curry powder from the regular grocery store, it's probably on the mild side and you will be fine.

This soup is great with grilled cheese or quesadillas or toasted french walnut bread.

Peasant Style Pot Bread

2010-09-13T09:34:00.000-07:00

I checked out Kneadlessly Simple from the library. I had to wait several weeks because it is an extremely popular book and there were others waiting to get their hands on it too. I HIGHLY recommend the book. You'll want to make every recipe; these breads are enticing and you can practically smell the bread out of the book. I wish this book had a scratch 'n sniff feature. I've limited myself to making one loaf every week to ten days or so because otherwise I run around like a mad woman.

This recipe has a crispier crust than the Almost No Knead bread but I think the flavor of the Almost No Knead is better. Both have moist crumb and are definitely better than what you could buy at your local grocery store.

It's so easy I want to call these ridiculously simple recipes. You probably have all the ingredients in your kitchen. The beauty of these recipes is that you make them work to your schedule and not the other way around. There's time in the fridge which is any where from 3-10 hours. Then the rise at room temperature, any where from 12-18 hours or 18-24 hours; and then the second rise which can be done at either temp for 1.5 to 2.5 hours or the accelerated rise at 1-2 hours, or the extended rise of 4 hours in the fridge. It really works around your schedule, really it does.

My only modification would be to reduce the salt slightly. Some tasters found it slightly salty especially vs. the Almost No Knead Bread.

If you click on the title of this post the recipe is available on A Chow Life, a wonderful blog. She wrote the whole recipe out -- it's rather long -- so I would prefer not to rewrite it.

Tomato Curry Frittata

2010-09-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

I know, it seems like all I blog about are eggs and bread. It seems to get boring but it doesn't. There are so many different ways to make eggs and it tastes different every time, really. My folks were visiting this weekend and they're kind of a tough crowd. Both like spicy food, deeming anything not spicey, blah. One is vegetarian +. By plus I mean low or no sugar, no fat, no egg yolks, no fruit, no this no that. At times I find these restrictions excruciating. I'm mostly vegetarian and know how to cook vegetarian very well but all these other complexities it makes me throw my hands in the air. Then I came to the grand conclusion that I would do my best. If they want to eat it, great and if not, then they're on their own. After all, my being mostly vegetarian (I eat seafood) doesn't stop my family from serving chicken when I visit. And I eat it, without complaint.

The inspiration for this dish came from my mom, who would use this filling to make omelets. The filling is extremely satisfying, exceptionally savory, and not overwhelmingly spicy. Rather than make individual omelets I decided to make a frittata so I wouldn't have to stand at the stove. It came out pretty well but the bottom burned a little. Not sure why since I made this a few weeks ago without the burning. Even with the burned bottom, it still tasted great. The mom was pleased with the results, and she's an exceptional cook.

Ingredients

- 2 T olive oil

- 6-12 eggs

- 1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes

- 1 medium or large onion

- 1 1/2 tsp cumin

- 1/2 tsp mustard seed

- 1/4 tsp chili powder

- chopped cilantro to taste

- 1/8 tsp asafoetida

-1/2 tsp

To make filling, see below. The filling can be made in advance and stored for 3 days in the fridge.

1. While heating 1-2 T olive oil in medium to large skillet over medium heat, roughly chop onion and tomato. Add mustard seeds, cover with lid until the popping sound subsides. Add asafoetida, cumin and chili powder. Let cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant.

2. Add onion and sautee until soft, about 7-10 minutes. Add chopped tomato. Simmer with lid on until tomatoes are really soft and skins come off, about 20 to 30 minutes (passive cooking). You don't really have to watch this too closely. Add salt to taste, approximately 1/2 tsp. Start with 1/4 tsp and increase in 1/4 tsp increments to find your appropriate salt level. If you like tomato chunks then you're done. My mom likes more of a puree so I mashed the tomatoes a bit. Add chopped cilantro to taste. Don't worry if the filling has kick. It will mellow out with the addition of eggs.

At this point you can use the puree to make either omelets or frittatas. For omelets, just beat 2-3 eggs (for 1 serving), add as much tomato filling as you like, beat some more, pour into heated skillet (kind of like an egg pancake), and then cook with a little oil. For omelets, I like having more filling to eggs so I may add as much as a 1/4 to 1/3 cup filling.

For frittata, read below.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Place oil in 10-inch cast iron skillet, and turn heat to medium. While it's heating, beat together eggs, 2 cups tomato filling (1 cup for 5-6 egg frittata, 2 cups for 10-12 egg frittata), salt and pepper. When oil is hot, pour eggs into skillet and turn heat to medium low. Cook undisturbed for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the frittata is firm. FYI, I made a 10 egg omelet and it really filled up the 10-inch skillet.

5. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Then check every 5-10 minutes or so, just until the top of the frittata is no longer runny. Garnish with more cilantro and serve hot or at room temperature. Total bake time is about 30 minutes.

Best Quick Tomato Sauce

2010-09-02T01:22:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling off for the last few months which mainly presents itself as lack of appetite and no cravings. I can go almost the whole day without feeling hunger. Not surprisingly, at the end of the day, pow, I'm starving. Those that know me well, know this is shocking. No appetite. No cravings. This is not a Nirmala they know. Needless to say, these days, when I crave something, I absolutely have to have it. For the past several weeks, I've had ice cream for lunch about 3 times a week. I indulge in high calorie treats without worry. I was slender to begin with; more slender now. I need the calories.

Last night, I wanted pasta with this quick tomato sauce. I don't know why. With all the tomatoes available, why would I make tomato sauce created from canned tomatoes?! Well, this tomato sauce is AMAZING. It's fresh, aromatic, buttery and simply divine. It's also low effort and done in about the time it takes to boil water and get the pasta cooked. It's perfect every time. Canned tomatoes offer consistency especially the Muir Glen and Tuttorosso brands. According to Cook's Illustrated, who created this recipe, these brands heat their tomatoes at lower temperatures to preserve the enzymes that can make a tomato taste fresh!

Anyway, last night the hunger really took over. In fact, I had to make everything in this recipe twice though I've made this recipe several times. First, I decided to try using crushed fire roasted tomatoes. BIG mistake. The smokey taste overwhelmed the whole dish. You know when you crave something you crave it exactly how you imagine it. This smokey version was not even close to what I imagined. It was the horrible very distant relative. I tossed it. I rarely toss food. I despise food waste. Then I over salted the pasta water; the pasta had to be tossed too. An hour later, everything was perfect. I dove right in and relished every single scrumptious bite, the sauce cascading into the little conch shells. It was magnificent. I had this for brunch today. I recommend this recipe regardless of whether tomatoes are in season.

My only comment about this recipe is that it says that the recipe makes about 3 cups of sauce, enough for 1 lb of pasta. I find that it's really only good for about 1/2 pound. My preference is more sauce than pasta so depending on your taste, you'll figure out what you need.

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

- 2 T unsalted butter

- 1/4 grated onion (using large holes on box grater -- be prepared for eye watering experience)

- 1/4 tsp dried oregano

- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed

- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I couldn't find crushed; I used diced then pureed in food processor; hand held blender would work well too)

- 1/4 tsp sugar

- 2 T coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

- 1 T extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil; season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Don't forget the Parmesan on top!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

2010-08-29T00:41:00.000-07:00

No doubt about it, I'm on a bread kick. I've been itching to bake bread. The unusual 90 degree weather, which I thoroughly enjoyed as did my tomatoes and squash, precluded me from turning on the oven. It was hot enough without the oven on, and I was not going to contribute more heat on a Spare the Air day. On the first cool day, I was ready to dive in again.

While I wait for Kneadlessy Simple to become available at the library, I have to make due with recipes from my existing cookbooks. Sigh. What to make?! So many choices not enough running to justify carb over load. I need to be judicious. I eat a lot of crusty cranberry nut bread. It's versatile, being good as both as a sweet and savory. I love it with both butter or peanut butter and sardines, not together, of course! Yummy.

I settled on Cinnamon Raisin which is not exactly the crusty cranberry nut bread but a great bread too. I found this recipe on Life's a batch and then you bake which she found on Allrecipes.com and modified. Here's my recipe so that you don't have to find two sources, like I did!

This baby rose like it was nobody's business. When I rolled it up, the dough filled out so I wasn't sure what it would be like waiting for it to "double" in 45 minutes. Perhaps I didn't needed to punch it out more?

This bread was moist and while not super sweet, I will omit the honey next time around. Friends loved it! Great with butter and a cup of tea in the morning!

Makes 1 large loaf

Ingredients
- 3/4 c warm water
- 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
- 3/4 c warm milk
- 4 T honey
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 c all purpose flour
- 2 c white whole wheat flour (the original called for whole wheat)
- 1 c raisins (the original recipe calls for 1/3 c raisins which I followed and found that there was 1 raisin every other slice)

Filling
- 2-3 T butter, melted
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 c brown sugar

Preparation
1. Place the warm water and honey in large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast, stir until dissolved and let stand until creamy.

2. Add the warm milk, salt, and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; blend well. Stir in white whole wheat flour and mix well.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Note: if you use white whole wheat or whole wheat, the surface may still be rough; this is normal!

4. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn the dough to grease the top. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

5. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Punch the dough down and turn onto a lightly floured surface.

6. Roll out dough until about 1/2-1" thickness and spread melted butter, then top with brown sugar and cinnamon. Roll up the dough and tuck in the ends. Roll tightly so that you get more of a cinnamon swirl when you slice into your bread. Form into a loaf and place into the prepared pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

7. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until top is golden brown and the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove loaf from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Eggs, They're What's for Dinner.....and Lunch, Brunch

2010-08-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Eggs. You got to love them. Inexpensive, they make for quick meals and tasty meals. A few weeks ago I wrote about a kale frittata. It was great but on the thin side. I like thicker "meaty" frittatas. At a friend's suggestion, I decided to try my 10 inch cast iron skillet (as opposed to the 12 inch All Clad skillet), and it was definitely thicker though it took longer to cook, a trade off.

I followed the recipe I previous wrote about but used a 10 inch cast iron skillet. I also decided to spice up the kale. This sized skillet can hold up to 12 eggs (really full) plus filling. 10 eggs is probably better. You'll probably need 20 minutes in the oven but check after 10 minutes. It definitely made for a thicker hunkier slice which was thoroughly enjoyed by friends.

For about 2 cups of curried kale, use the following recipe:

Ingredients

- 1 bunch of kale

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 1/2 tsp garam masala

- 1/2 tsp mustard seed

- 1/2 freshly ground cumin

- 1 tbs oil

- salt to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet, add mustard seed and cover skillet with lid until you the popping finishes. Add onion, saute for 7 minutes until lightly golden. Add cumin and garam masala, and saute for another minute. Add kale, and cook until desired tenderness is reached. Add salt.

Lemonade with Mint Syrup

2010-08-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

Excuse the bread crumbs, please. They are from the bread below, and before I had a chance to clean up the counter, I was on to my next picture...

By the time 8-8:30 AM rolls around, I've usually meditated for 1 hour and run 3 to 5 miles. FYI, the meditation occurs almost every day but the running is a 3 day a week activity. I don't run every day! It's hard enough 3 times a week. Running is what allows me to eat bread every day so it's a must do activity.

Anyway, by the time I get home, I'm thirsty and water is not what I crave. Truthfully, some times I crave coke. I know, so BAD but you can't help what you crave sometimes. Fortunately I don't ever have any of it at home or I would be in trouble. Instead, I try to crave lemonade, and now with a minty twist, it's all I can think about during my run.

I despise food waste regardless of how little I may spend on a particular item. I bought mint for a recipe, and of course had a huge amount to use up. What to do? I decided to make mint syrup but then what? Mint juleps, mohitos, etc. At 8:30 AM it's probably not appropriate. Why not lemonade with a little mint syrup?! It's really refreshing on a hot or cool day, and really hits the spot without all the caffeine and high fructose sugar. Would also be fabulous with lime or sparkling water.

On my way in to the house, I grab a few lemons from my tree. Or on good days, I grab lemon juice cubes from the freezer. If you want to make a single serving, use 1 lemon juice cube (approx. 2 tbs), 1 cup of water, and 2 tbs mint syrup, and 1 tsp of sugar or to taste.

Approximately 4-6 serving

Ingredients

- 3/4 c lemon juice

- 3/4 c mint syrup (see recipe below)

- 6 cups water

- 1/4 cup sugar or to taste

Preparation

Place ingredients together in a pitcher, stir and serve with ice.

Mint Syrup

- 2 c water

- 2 c sugar

- 1 1/2 to 2 c chopped mint

Preparation

In a small sauce pan, place water, sugar and mint. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Take off heat, and let steep over night. Strain mint, and store in air tight container in the fridge for approximately 3 weeks.

Almost No Knead Bread

2010-08-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

Raise your hand if you love bread. My hand is raised. Raise your hand if you're tired of paying $$ for crusty bread. My hand is raised. I buy crusty bread on a weekly basis, probably about $4 for 12 to 16 ounces. The breads I choose are on the less expensive side too. I could easily spend $5 or $6 loaf.

Why not make my own bread, you may think? Who doesn't love the smell of freshly made bread. It's wonderful. What stops me? Not kneading. I find kneading therapeutic. I'm, however, NOT a fan of the first and second rise. Who has time? I guess there is time, sometimes, BUT then I feel stuck at home or if I'm out and about then I feel like I have to rush home to complete the requisite steps. I don't like feeling controlled by bread or bread making.

Last year, may be two years ago, I saw Mark Bittman's No Knead Bread in the New York Times A recipe in which I could be away for hours at a time and still make bread. A win-win. I worked backwards from when I wanted the bread to pop out of the oven and put together the dough. 20 hours later, I had a thin burnt loaf. The parts that weren't burnt were tasty but I was not impressed enough to try again until today.

As you may recall, I spent a ridiculous sum on a Cook's Illustrated magazine a few months ago. To make it pay off, I've slowly but surely going through the vegetarian recipes, one of which is this Almost No Knead Bread, which improves up on the Bittman recipe. The recipe was without problems but I was not. After picking up all the ingredients and making the dough, I realized within 30 minutes that I had made a critical error, I used active dry and NOT instant yeast. A quick on line search suggested my bread would not succeed. Was I irritated with myself? You better believe it. 2 hours later after running around to find instant yeast (stores should sell it larger quantities than those dinky packets!) I had my precious dough.

18 hours later at 8 AM I kneaded it. 2 hours later I popped my baby into the oven. 50 minutes later it came out, round gorgeous perfection if I do say so myself. Now I'm waiting for it to cool down so that I can eat it, another 2 hours. Will report back later on flavor.

Are there are almost no knead recipes that incorporate other types of flour and/or ingredients like nuts, olives etc.

Ingredients

-3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface

-1/4 tsp INSTANT yeast

-1 1/2 tsp table salt

-3/4 c plus 2 T water, at room temp.

-1/4 c plus 2 T mild-flavored lager (Budweiser was recommended; stronger tasting beers will make the bread taste like beer)

-1 T white vinegar

1. Whisk flour, yeast and salt in large bowl. Add water, beer and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temp for 8 to 18 hours (I waited 18).

2. Lay 18 by 12-inch sheet of parchment inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

3. About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6 to 8 quart heavy bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough, and using sharp knife, make one 6-inch long, 1/2-inch deep slit a long top of dough. Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot. (Let excess parchment hang over pot edge.) Cover pot and place in oven. Reduce oven temp to 425 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees (I don't have this, so I didn't do this), 20 to 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

4. To store, wrap bread tightly in plastic wrap, then in foil; freeze for up to 1 month.

5. To serve, remove foil and plastic wrap, rewrap with foil, and defrost at room temp for 2 hours. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Back foil-wrapped bread on baking sheet until heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve.

Bean Puree and Kale Stir Fry

2010-08-11T01:46:00.000-07:00

I love beans but am tired of opening a can to weird slimy textured stuff. After years of reading about the cost effectiveness and improved taste of home prepared dried beans, I had to try it. I had been daunted. It takes time to prepare beans, more time than I thought I had. Who has time to soak beans over night and then three hours cook them?

Not me.

Not until I started watching some of Mark Bittman's NY Times videos, praising to the high heavens, home cooked beans. He is one of my favorite cook book authors; he makes cooking simple and accessible. He convinced me that I did not need to soak the beans. An overnight soak may cut cooking time by 30 minutes.

An hour and a half later, I had perfectly texture salted beans. It was a low effort low attention preparation too, meaning for those that multi-task, you can work on other home activities! Bonus. The trick is to make a lot, more than one serving, and to freeze whatever you don't expect to use in the next few days. So I now have eight cups of beans in four quart sized bags. Now, I just need to know what I'm going to cook on any given day so that I can have the where with all to bring out one of those bags to defrost!

After preparing, you can either freeze them in their juice or store them in the fridge for 3-6 days. Two days later, I made bean puree which truly rivals mashed potatoes. They are just as tasty, if not tastier, and so much healthier. These will not make your glycemic index shoot through the roof.

I decided to pair the bean puree with a wonderful kale stir fry. I'm on a kale kick since it's one of those bang for your buck foods. Healthful and value laden in so many ways. The only modification I made is that I added the bread crumbs at the end. I pushed the kale to one side of the pan, dropped a tiny bit of olive oil, and then toasted the bread crumbs so that they were brown and crispy, and then proceeded to mix in the kale. This dish was a hit. Combined with the bean puree, you have very healthy comfort food!

Basic Beans from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Time: 30 minutes to 2 hours, largely unattended

Ingredients

-Any quantity of dried beans

-Salt

-Water

Preparation

1. Place beans in large port with water to cover. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil; skim foam if necessary. Turn heat down so the beans simmer. Cover loosely.

2. Cook stirring occasionally, until the beans begin to become tender; add about 1 tsp salter per 1/2 pound of beans, or to taste.

3. Continue to cook, stirring gently, until beans are as tender as you lik; add additional water if necessary. Drain and serve, or use in other recipes, or store covered, in their cooking liquid, in the fridge (3 days) or freezer (3 months).

I checked on the beans every 30 minutes. Different beans, even of the same type, cook differently depending on how old they are etc. One night, I cooked one white bean and after 30 minutes, they were still very very firm. Another night, I tried another white beans, and after 30 minutes, they were tender. So watch out so you can control texture.

White Bean Puree

Makes 4 servings

Time: 10 minutes with precooked beans

Ingredients

-3 cups drained cooked or canned navy or other white bean

-1 cup bean cooking liquid, or chicken, beef, or vegetable broth

-3 T butter

-Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Puree the beans by putting the through a food mill or using a blender (I have a great blender but found that the food processor is best); add as much liquid as you need to make a smooth but not water puree

2. Place in microwave-proof dish or medium non-stick pan along with the butter. Heat gently until the butter melts and the beans are hot; season with salt and pepper.

Blueberry Muffins

2010-08-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

I've been searching high and low for an AMAZING blueberry muffin recipe. I've tried lots of recipes but this is definitely the best one to date. This muffin has lots of blueberries, not overly sweet, and none of the dreaded (at least to me) the overly sweet streudal topping. I found this recipe at A Chow Life. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!

Summer's Best: Grilled Peaches

2010-08-03T01:31:00.000-07:00

This is a really fast and easy dessert. I mean, I can't even call it home made because all I did was slice peaches in half, placed them on the grill, and removed them when they were softened and had grill marks. Serve with vanilla ice cream. It's a summer time hit!

Meditteranean Plum Tart

2010-07-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Isn't the internet amazing? I type in a few ingredients and in seconds I find recipes. I was looking for a quick and easy way to use very ripe plums and leftover phyllo. Meditteranean plum tart appeared! Given how juicy the plums are I would use more phyllo and thicken the plums with more flour (the recipe calls for 3T cornstarch, and I used 4T flour; try 6T, if using flour). The phyllo crust on top was crispy but the where the fruit was sitting, the phyllo was a little soggy and more so after a day so lots of phyllo!

I skipped making the lattices. More work than it was worth, and because the plums are so bright and beautiful, the color pops a lot more. Also, I used butter and not vegetable oil between the phyllo layers. Butter makes everything better! Incredibly easy, and even more delicious. Very impressive low effort baked good.

Tomato Tart

2010-07-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Isn't it frustrating when your own family does not want to eat a meal that you would lovingly prepare because they would prefer to eat meat. Really?! Meat! Especially something as delicious as tomato tart. So forget it, I won't. I will make it for some one who does, like friends. We loved it; along with another friend, we devoured it! Everything tastes better when it's shared, doesn't?

I love Sunset magazine. Love it! Every recipe works so well including this (click on title of entry fro recipe). I've never worked with phyllo and thought this would be an easy way to work with it. It was! You just have to work quickly because phyllo dries out quickly, even when covered with a damp cloth.

This is so light, tasty and flaky. It's light on the cheese and oh so flavorful. I highly recommend it as an appetizer.

Mystery Squash

2010-07-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

Purchased from the local nursery (ab0ve)

From the compost (above)

The trials and tribulations of gardening continue. I compost, and harvested compost can be weedy. The most interesting looking things sprout and a lot of it is stuff I don't want like weeds, at least I think they're weeds and am not patient enough to find out because I want to plant and grow stuff. After the last round of harvested compost, I noticed a lot of very hardy green leaves growing so while we plucked a lot of them, I let two grow just to see what they become. And this is what they look like now! Ginormous. I think they're some sort of squash. The downstairs neighbors who contribute to the compost bin said they ate a lot of different types of squash this past winter. I am SO hoping I something out of it because it's beginning to consume our yard.

The ironic thing is that the composted squash is doing A LOT better than the one I purchased. Anyone have any ideas of what kind of squash is coming out of the compost?

And finally, the first squash blossom!! The tomatoes are coming up too! I guess I was impatient.

Steamed Snap Peas

2010-07-17T01:07:00.000-07:00

I grew these snap peas. I grew what I eat! It's amazing. As I mentioned before, home grown snap peas are nothing like what you get in the store. They are so much livelier in the mouth. And they are So easy to grow, so easy.

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
-Snap peas
-A little butter
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Chopped parsley

Preparation
Bring water to a boil and steam peas for 3 minutes. In a bowl, place butter, salt and pepper. When peas are bright green place in bowl and toss with ingredients.

So quick!

Dutch Babies and Blueberry Compote

2010-07-13T02:10:00.000-07:00

I read some food blogs, but have never really tried recipes from others' blogs. But I saw this recipe on Sommer's blog, a spicy perspective, and had to try it because there were so few ingredients and all were available in my fridge so it was a no brainer. Since I was hosting a special guest with a hearty appetite, I thought why not. The only thing I would change about the recipe is the amount of butter used. I used the 2T in the batter but I found that I did not need 4T to coat the cupcake bakeware, more like 2T. Also, if you do not have vanilla sugar, than add 1 tsp vanilla, keeping the sugar amount the same.

I made a very easy blueberry compote as an alternative for syrup (though they were delicious with syrup and powder sugar) that I found on the food network website, Ellie Krieger's recipe. I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was. Super easy with ingredients found at home. Could be used in oatmeal, pancakes, french toast etc. The compote is runny so I would add 1-2 tsp of flour to thicken it or cornstarch depending on what you have on hand.

Dutch babies are yummy and light. They aren't every day fare but make a wonderful weekend treat.

Sauteed Green Beans

2010-07-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

I love using fresh seasonal vegetables with the most minimal amount of ingredients to enhance their natural goodness. Green beans are in season and absolutely wonderful with a little olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs. Plus this recipe was a great way to use the All Clad skillet! Any recipe that requires the use skillet is one I'm going to make. This recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated.

Serves 4

Time: 30 minutes or less, I think

Ingredients

-1 T olive oil

-1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut in to 2-inch lengths on the bias

-3 garlic cloves

-1/4 cup water

-1 T chopped fresh parsley

-T tsp fresh lemon juice

1. Heat he oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet medium heat until just smoking. Add the green beans, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Ad the water, cover and cook until the beans are bright green but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to high, and continue to cook until the water evaporates and the beans are crisp-tender and lightly browned 3 to 5 minutes longer.

3. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bon appetit!

Kale Frittata

2010-07-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I purchased the All Clad 12 inch skillet based on Cook's Illustrated recommendation. Well, I recommend it too. It's wonderful. Omelets are super tender, fonds develop. Not only can you use it on the stove but you can use it in the oven too. I've been struggling for years to make frittatas by flipping them but inevitably half the contents slide onto my kitchen floor! Big mess. So I was very excited to try this skillet out in the oven. I bought it on sale for $90 in the New Year at Sur la Table; it usually goes for $135.

I found this recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food.

Time: 30 minutes or so

Ingredients

-2 T butter or olive oil

- 5 or 6 eggs

-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or other cheese

-Salt and freshly ground pepper

-Minced parsley leaves for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the butter or oil in a medium-to-large ovenproof skillet, preferably non-stick, and turn the heat to medium. While it's heating, beat together the eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. When the butter melts or the oil is hot, pour the eggs into the skillet and turn the heat to medium low. Cook, undisturbed for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom of the frittata is firm.

3. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake, checking every 5 minutes or so, just until the top of the frittata is no longer runny; 10 to 20 minutes more. Garnish and serve hot or at room temperature.

So this is the basic frittata. If you want to add a vegetable like kale, Bittman suggests adding one cup chopped kale or other green. I find kale is a little tough so I recommend sauteing the kale in olive oil and shallots until it is wilted a bit. Then proceed with step 2 above.

Also, do check the eggs every 5 minutes. I did not read that instruction and looked at frittata after 10 minutes, and it was done and may be on the dry side. So watch carefully, and enjoy!

Simple, easy and healthy.

Snap Peas

2010-07-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

Snap peas are so hardy and easy to grow. I think mine will be ready to harvest in a week or so! Can't wait. At least something is coming along. My second set of radishes are not great. You win some, you lose some. It's all in the name of learning and having fun.

Roasted Vegetables

2010-06-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

Every year summer comes and I have all these grand plans to make food with fruit and veggies at the height of the season, and it never seems to come to fruition. One, I don't like turning on an oven and two, when everything is good as is why would you hide or mask the true flavors of nature's splendor? So I try to keep it simple, enhancing everything with a little salt and pepper.

Roasted veggies are no exception so easy and simple.

40 minutes in the oven at 425 degrees

Ingredients
-Your favorite summer vegetables, mine include green cauliflower, parsnips, carrots and onions
-olive oil to cover your veggies
-salt
-pepper

Place in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.

Radishes

2010-06-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so not everything is doing poorly in my garden. I planted radishes from seed, and in 20 days, yes, I had a whole crop of radishes ready to go. They are quick, easy, and low maintenance. And they taste so much better than what you get at the store, spicy and juicy. As I mentioned previously, I had a successful winter harvest of beets (not so successful with my second crop). Now I have radishes, scallions and snap peas. The cooler weather helps these guys along.

Mango Banana Smoothie

2010-06-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is my go to snack to hold me over before I have a meal. It's not calorie dense enough to be be a meal alone, like breakfast but it's good when I come home hungry from work.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Preparation

Ingredients

1 banana

Plain whole fat yogurt (as much or as little as you like)

2 autulfo (manila) mangoes

Peel and slice mangos, slice bananas and throw into a blender with yogurt. Blend until smooth. Drink and enjoy!

I made this with one mango and the taste was mild. I could taste more banana than mango. So double the amount of mango or half the amount of banana to get your desired flavor.

Poached Shrimp Salad

2010-06-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

I was reading Light and Healthy 2010, again. I do actually use and read other cookbooks and magazines but lately have been absorbed into this magazine because I spent $8 for it! I know, $8. I never spend $8 for a magazine so I figure I have to make a number of the recipes.

I really wanted to make this to try out the poaching technique. I've never poached fish or shrimp, and this seemed so quick that I decided to give it ago, and I'm really glad I did. This recipe, as simple as it is, really infuses the shrimp with flavor without over cooking it. The shrimp is light, fresh and seasoned.

So the poaching part comes from Light and Healthy 2010. The rest of the salad is my friend's. He makes it all the time, and we decided to add shrimp to it to make it a very filling one dish meal!

Serves 4

Shrimp
1 lemon, halved
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 pound extra large shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined

Salad and dressing
2 large heads of butterhead, but I used red leaf lettuce
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large pomelo or grapefruit, peeled an pith removed, segmented
1 shallot, minced but not super finely
white balsamic
olive oil
1/4 tsp salt

For the shrimp
Place 3 cups water in medium sauce pan and squeeze the juice of both lemon halves into the water. Add the squeezed lemon halves, bay leaf, and peppercorns to the water, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, add the shrimp, cover and let sit for 8 minutes, have ready a bowl filled with ice water.

Drain shrimp, discarding the lemon halves, bay leaf and peppercorns. Immediately transfer shrimp to the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and let them sit in the ice water until they are chilled, about 3 minutes. Drain the shrimp from the water, transfer them into a large bowl, and refrigerate until needed (I did not do this since I was putting them into the salad right away).

For the salad and dressing
In the bowl in which you will toss the salad, place shallots with balsamic vinegar (enough to just cover them) . When the shallots turn pinkish or red, add the olive oil, approximately 3 to 1. Add salt, and whisk together until the dressing has the consistency of egg yolk, kind of slimey like.

Add lettuce, citrus fruit, avocado and shrimp. Toss together and serve.

Skillet Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

2010-06-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

This recipe was quick and easy, and from Light and Healthy 2010 by America's Test Kitchen, a quick and easy side dish that's typically made in the oven but can be made on the stove if your oven is occupied.

Serves 4

Ingredients
-12 ounces carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick on the bias
-12 ounces parsnips, peeled and sliced 1/2 inch thick on the bias
-3/4 cup water
-1/2 tsp salt
-3/4 tsp sugar
-1 T canola oil
-chopped parsley
-pepper

1. Bring carrots, water, oil, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a 12-inch nonstick over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring occassionally, until the carrots begin to soften 7-9 minutes.

2. Uncover, increase heat to high, and add the parsnips. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has completely evaporated and the carrots and parsnips are tender and well browned, about 15 minutes longer.

3. Off the heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Since I didn't have parsnips, I doubled the amount of carrots.

Weather monopolizing the garden

2010-06-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

This year, I was all set to go with my garden, planting more than I did last year. Last year, I grew only tomatoes from plant starts I purchased at my local nursery. Three tomato plants, 1 Sun Gold, and 2 Super Sweet 100s, produced over 1200 tomatoes! For a month and a half, we ate the most wonderful tomato salads. It was all I could do from eating them before they were to be served at dinner. They were like candy.

Amazing, I thought. My investment really paid off. I took copious notes about when I planted, fertilized etc. hoping that it would pay off again this year. While I've had some success this year, including a successful harvest of winter beets (pictures below in a previous post) and spring lettuce, I'm mildly concerned that my tomatoes just aren't going to be productive.

First, it's been rainier and cooler longer in 2010 than the same time last year. I recently read an article in our local newspaper that stated a year ago in May 2009, we had record breaking heat. I didn't know it was record breaking. I thought it was normal! Perhaps that's why my tomato and bell peppers did exceptionally well. Tomatoes love sun AND heat. So I thought I was doing well when I planted my tomatoes in mid-April like I did last year, 6 this time. I planted some of the same variety and two new kinds.

As soon as I planted them, a cold spell hit and then I noticed that my plants were getting the tell tale signs of being cold. I wrapped them in the row cover to keep them warm and then they sprouted and grew beautifully. Now they are taller than I am (5'2") with some flowers but no fruit. Perhaps they expended all their energy on growing. According to my 2009 garden notes, on July 15, I wrote that the tomatoes are starting to ripen, and more fruit appearing. Well, it's 2010 and there is no fruit. On July 30, 2009, I picked my first sweet little tomato. I'm both grateful and scornful of my notes. Grateful because I have a comparison, scornful because I can't fool myself into believing that my crop will come.

Will I have anything to harvest this year?! I am hopeful for heat later in the summer and perhaps an overdue crop? Cross your fingers.

Creamy polenta with wild mushrooms, spinach and tomatoes

2010-06-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

I loved this recipe which is straight out of Light and Healthy 2010 by America's Test Kitchen. It was earthy, warm, comforting. The one thing I didn't like was how juicy the dish became. Some juice is necessary but this was a lot, and I think it may have to do with the first part of cooking the mushrooms covered. When I make this again, I will cook the mushrooms on high heat w/out salt until they are softened and browned and then add salt at the end.

Serves 4

For the topping:
2 pounds cremini mushrooms, halved if small, quartered if large
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, minced after being reconstituted
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces baby spinahc
12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
Black pepper

For the polenta:
4 cups water
salt
1 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
1/2 cup Parmesan, divided
1 T unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
black pepper

For the topping, compile cremini mushrooms, onion, oil, porcini mushrooms, rosemary and 1/4 tsp salt in a large Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stir occassionally, until the vegetables are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook, stirring occassionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes.

Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add spinach, one handful at a time, and cook until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook until just softened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside off the heat to keep warm.

Meanwhile, bring water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slowly add cornmeal, whisking constantly in a circular motion to prevent clumping.

Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring often and vigorously, making sure to scrape the corners of the pot, until all the polenta becomes soft and smooth, 10 to 15 minutes. Off the heat, vigorously stir in half the cheese and all the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the polenta among 4 bowls. Divide vegetable mixture evenly among bowls, arranging it on top of the polenta. Sprinkle each portion with remaining cheese and serve.

Harvesting Butterhead

2010-06-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Again

2010-05-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

I first made these in June 2007 and love them but the chocolate was a little soft and didn't really harden, even in the fridge. After reviewing a few comments, I found out that if you half the amount of the heavy cream the chocolate will harden in the fridge. These were perfect!

Butterhead lettuce

2010-05-08T13:20:00.001-07:00

April 2010

May 2010

How do you know your butterhead lettuce is ready to harvest? I started these from seed in early March, transplanted them in early April, and now it's May. It looks like lettuce but not the lettuce I see at the store that has more leaves, the head is fuller. Are mine not ready or is homegrown lettuce different than what you find in the store?

Beets from my Garden!!

2010-04-28T09:26:00.001-07:00

Beets from my garden! I could not have been more excited. I grew them from seed the winter, can't remember when exactly, may be October or November. It was an experiment. I planted and told myself I wouldn't tend to them too much since the days were getting shorter. I watered them initially and then when Fall Back (daylight savings occurred), I stopped going into the garden since it was too dark to see anything. On the weekend, I noticed that they were growing and doing pretty well and before I knew it, it was time to pick them, and this is the first batch I picked. I had never been so excited. I have a second batch going now, and I'll probably get a bigger and better batch since I will be thinning them for better growth. Can't wait!

Fancy Grilled Cheese

2010-02-25T18:58:00.000-08:00

Quick easy and something everything will love, grilled cheese. It was a favorite food when I was a toddler, and I loved those Kraft cheese singles in between two pieces of whole wheat toast. Now, I've upgraded the bread and cheese so that I can have a very quick, hearty, and satisfying meal in less time than it takes to slice the bread and grate the cheese!

Ingredients
- Some kind of walnut bread from Trader Joe's, I think, sliced thinly so that it's not overly bread
-Aged chedder, shredded so it melts more quickly

Preparation
Spray pan with canola oil, place sandwich on pan, let cook until golden on one side. It helps to place a heavy object, like a mug, on the sandwich to really squish it. Flip. Let other side cook until golden. Enjoy

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

2010-02-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

I was flipping through the Oct 2009 Sunset magazine and thought I would try out one of their quick and easy soups. It's good and I think the brand of vegetable broth used makes a difference. I used Trader Joe's vegetable broth and I think it marred the taste since I could really taste the celery in the stock. It really just came through. Cook's Illustrated has done taste tests of vegetable broth and they recommend the organic Swanson's Vegetable broth, so I'll try again since I think this could be a great recipe.

Click on title of entry to access recipe.

Dal

2010-02-01T07:10:00.000-08:00

There's nothing like dal on a cold winter's evening, especially one that takes 40 minutes to make! This recipe is SO quick and tasty, it's definitely a go to recipe for week night meals. More so, since you only have to chop 1 food item! It's warm, hearty, flavorful, high in fiber and protein. You wouldn't know it was so good for you because it's so darn tasty. Prepared several times in the last few weeks, I haven't become bored yet. To create more variety, try different types of lentils. I like red the best because they are the quickest! This recipe comes from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.

I prepared the dish slightly differently than the recipe, such that only 1 pot is needed for the whole recipe and the spices get cooked with the onion in the beginning rather than at the end.

Apparently this recipe serves 6 -- I don't think so since my cooking buddy and I ate almost all of it in one sitting, and we weren't overly hungry. Double the recipe.

Ingredients
-1.5 c red or brown lentils, yellow or green split pea, or split, hulled mung beans
-4 c water
-2 dried chiles, whole (I used 1/4 tsp red chili powder)
-1/4 tsp turmeric
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp cumin seeds
-1 c chopped onions
-1 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
-1 T fresh lemon juice (I skipped this)
-1/2 -1 tsp garam masala (I used 1)
-2 T vegetable oil
salt to taste

In a large pot (dutch oven), heat the oil, add the cumin seeds (I also added 1/2 tsp mustard seeds), and cook for 10 or15 seconds (when the popping stops you're ready). Stir in onions and ginger and cook until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Even if the onions are not yet brown, add garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric, cook for another 5 minutes.

Add lentils, peas, or beans, and salt and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring often, until very tender. This will take about 30 minutes for red lentils, 45 minutes for peas, or an hour or more for mung beans. It may be necessary to add more water to prevent sticking, but only 1/2 cup at a time. If you want a thicker soup don't add water. If you want a saucy soup, add more water.

Variations
Spinach dal: Add 4 cups of chopped, fresh spinach to the onions after they have sauteed for 5 minutes, and then cook for 5 minutes more. (I forgot to add spinach in the beginning so I did it at the end, and it was fine. It will wilt in the heat -- my mom suggests adding the spinach in the end other wise the spinach will overcook and the nutrients it provides will be lost).

Eat as is or serve with bread.

Barley, Leek, Mushroom and Greens Soup

2010-01-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

I was in Washington, DC for the holidays, and it was COLD! Nothing like a little soup to warm up and detox from the overload of French style holiday cooking. It takes about an hour total with prep but prep is not time consuming.

This is another earthy, warm, easy to make soup! Just loved it. My 8 year old nephew said, "Nirmala, I like your soup." Apparently, he never says that about anyone's cooking.

This recipe comes from the Dec 2009 issue of Bon Appetit.

Wild Rice, Butternut Squash, and Cannellini Stew

2010-01-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

This recipe is SO delicious, it's unbelievable that it's done in about 30 minutes! It's warm, earthy, and perfect for the unrelenting rainy weather we've been having in California. Also a big plus are the various short cuts you can take (suggested in the recipe itself), including purchasing precooked wild rice and cubed butternut squash. I tried the cubed butternut squash and think it tastes better with fresh. The squash was more tender, and melted in my mouth. I've made this soup about 3 times now, and it tastes equally great if not better if you substitute the chard with kale.

It's a MUST try. DELICIOUS!

This recipe comes from Jan 2010 issue of Sunset magazine.

Figs w/ Goat Cheese

2009-07-11T21:12:00.000-07:00

Bought these figs at Monterey Market, and they were so wonderful! So sweet. Another version of nature's candy. As I ate one, I rummaged for the leftover goat cheese in the fridge, they were even more amazing. The sweetness goes really well with the salty goat cheese. Ate it all up before I could take a picture!

Broccoli Rabe, Navy Beans, and Mushrooms

2009-06-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

I love Mark Bittman, The Minimalist, and columnist for the New York Times. At the beginning of the year he wrote a column about kitchen must haves which inspired and convinced me to toss aside canned beans in favor of dried. Canned beans are pretty cheap, convenient, and allow me to make meals very quickly. At times, I find the texture questionable especially of kidney and cannellini beans, and the liquid is just kind of weird.

So I purchased a bag of dried navy beans, cheaper than canned. I soaked them over night which actually requires forethought, and then cooked them in the pressure cooker for 20 to 25 minutes with salt, and they were AWESOME. The texture was so different, cooked but firm, not mushy. And they did not fall apart when I tossed them in salads or in this dish.

This Minimalist is right again, they taste SO much better.

Ingredients
- 1 cup navy beans (soaked over night)
- 1 head of broccoli rabe
- 1/2 pound or more mushrooms
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 3 cloves (or to your taste) of garlic
- 1 cup bean liquid (the liquid the beans were cooked in)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 to 4 T olive oil

First, I have to say I made this recipe as I went so the ingredient list was really to taste, a kind of a fly by the seat of my pants thing.

Soak beans over night, and then cook in the pressure cooker for about 20 to 25 minutes. I added 5 times the water than beans (so for 1 cup of beans, cook in 5 cups of water). Add salt to the water. If you forget the overnight soak, cook for 1.5 hours. Be sure to save some liquid from the beans.

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil, add broccoli rabe and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how tender you like your greens. Drain well, and then roughly chop.

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots, cooking until golden. Add mushrooms and garlic, cook until mushrooms are browned. Add chopped broccoli rabe and cooked navy beans. If a little dry, add some of the saved liquid. Taste for salt. Add pepper, and then serve.

Blueberry Muffins

2009-06-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

I use A LOT of Deborah Madison's recipe. Why not? EVERY recipe I've tried from her Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is excellent, and turns out as she describes. Recipe after recipe, I've not had one dud. So when I need a recipe, I turn to her, confident that I'll produce a successful dish, even if it takes time.

These blueberry muffins were tasty, moist, and heart warming. And it was the first muffin recipe that was true to the amount. You really do get 12 VERY nicely rounded muffins in a standard muffin tin. These muffins also freeze very well. After defrosting over night, place in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and it's like they came out of the oven.

I used 1/2 cup sugar because I'm trying to watch my sugar and found that it was a little less sweet than I would like though if you put a dollop of nice jam, it would be perfect. Next time, I think I'll increase the sugar to 3/4 cup. Also, watch the bake time. I checked the muffins at 20 minutes (5 minutes a head of recommended bake time) and they were done. Next time, I might check in at 17-18.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour or whole-wheat pastry flour (I used all purpose)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup canola oil or butter, melted (I used butter)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup blueberries (blackberries and raspberries would also work)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray, oil, or butter muffin tins. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wets in a second bowl, then combine them with a few swift strokes. Using a rubber spatula, stir the batter up from the bottom of the bowl to make sure that there aren't any pockets of flour. Don't beat the batter, and don't worry about an uneven appearance. Spoon or scoop the batter into tins, going nearly to the top for nicely rounded muffin. Bake in the upper third of the oven until browned and well risen, about 25 minutes. Turn out muffins and serve.

Cucumber Salad

2009-06-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

I was at our weekly farmer's market where the summer time produce is gorgeous, including these cucumbers (should have taken pictures of the whole) which were so much better than what you get at the local grocery store. These cucumbers did not require any peeling prior to eating, which I love because I'm always looking for ways to save time.

This salad is simple and tasty, and can be prepared in about 10 minutes. Chop up some cucumbers, add olive oil, vinegar, and a pinch sugar, and you're good to go.

Basil Puree

2009-06-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

I wanted to use all the wonderful basil growing in my garden without making pesto pasta so I made a simple basil puree (courtesy of Deborah Madison) and used that as the sauce for a simple summer pizza. At the farmer's market and the new fabulous Berkeley Bowl, I bought mushrooms, shallots, and fresh mozzarella. Out of the freezer, I pulled a white whole wheat crust that I had made a few months ago, which turned out pretty well but was a little dense (since wheat does not rise as well).

Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients
-2 cups basil
-1/2 cup olive oil
-3 cloves of garlic
-1/2 tsp salt

In a food processer, add all the ingredients and chop until smooth and creamy, and spreadable.

I think it was very strong tasty, which I like, but I think I would have may be used slightly less of the puree on the pizza.

Dal Makhani (Creamy Black Lentils)

2009-06-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was looking for a quick and easy recipe for the black lentils I had in a glass jar, staring at me for the last year or so. My goal was to only use ingredients I have at home, and not have to run out to the store to get anything. Well, I definitely found this recipe, and even excluded ingredients because I didn't have them, and it was SO totally successful.

I left out the tomato and tomato paste since I didn't have them on hand, and I skipped the tempering at the end. Also, when I initially read this recipe, I missed the part about soaking the beans overnight. I did not do this and it still worked. If you don't soak the beans, add more water and cook longer. The key to the water is to add 5 times the amount of water than bean. So if you use 1 cup of beans, put in 5 cups of water. And cook for 20 minutes, first bringing it to a boil in the pressure cooker, and than reducing heat slightly to high. If you find that it is still too nutty for you, cook again but for less time, being sure not to scorch the bottom. I almost did this.

This dish is SO incredibly flavorful, and tastes just wonderful with steamed corn tortillas. And it's SO easy.

Crappy Red Velvet Cupcakes

2009-06-06T12:17:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to an engagement party thrown by co-workers. The weather is beautiful, food's going to be on the grill, there will be drinks, and I wanted to do something special for everyone who put this amazing party together so I thought I would make Red Velvet Cupcakes which hints at love! I found the recipe in February 2009 Runner's World Magazine and thought it would be successful given that the recipe comes from two runners who own How Sweet It Is bake shop in New York City.

When I think of red velvet, I think of a moist light dark chocolate muffin with sweet cream cheese frosting on top. That's pretty much what I think all cupcakes should be like...light, fluffy, with a nice butter cream frosting that sets off the not super sweet muffin.

Well, this recipe did not turn out well at all. While this was my first time making these cupcakes, it was not my first time making cupcakes in general, and considering my previous successes, I would like to think it was not me that caused the ensuing poor results. I followed the recipe exactly, excluding the food coloring. The cupcake, after being baked, did not even look like it was chocolate. It was a very light brown, like mocha or walnut. The cupcake was also very dense and was poorly flavored. It did not taste like chocolate. After trying one without the frosting, I decided I could not bring these cupcakes to the party. I didn't even bother making the frosting. I'm throwing them all out because they're not worthy enough to serve to folks. If I'm not eating it, I'm not serving it to anyone else, especially people who are putting together a nice afternoon shin ding. I was sort of surprised to see that 3 individuals gave it positive reviews in the magazine.

I'm back to the drawing board with red velvet cupcakes.

Spaghetti with Garlic, Parsley, and Bread Crumbs

2009-06-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

This is a quick easy dish made with ingredients easily found around your home. I liked it though I think it would taste better with home grown parsley as opposed to store bought since the scent was not there. Would make it again, probably with more parsley.

Ingredients

- 1 pound spaghetti (substituted penne)

- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (reduced to 1/4 cup)

- 4 garlic cloves, chopped

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

- 1/2 cup mixed freshly grated Parmesan and pecorino Romano (I only used Parmesan)

- 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs crisped in 1 T olive oil

Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted boiling water. Meanwhile, warm the oil with the garlic and pepper flakes in a wide skillet over medium heat. As soon as the garlic starts to color, remove from the heat.

Drain the spaghetti, shaking off excess water, and put it in a warmed pasta bowl. Pour the mixture over the top and toss with parsley and cheese. Taste fro salt, season with pepper, and serve with bread crumbs scattered on top.

Pink Grapefruit Salad with Cilantro Dressing

2009-04-18T09:48:00.001-07:00

This is such an amazing and it takes all of 10 to 15 minutes to put together.

Ingredients
- 1 bag of Trader Joe's Organic Spring Mix
- 1 medium pink grapefruit or pomello, peeled

Salad Dressing
- Olive oil
- White vinegar
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 1 to 2 T cilantro, chopped
- Salt and pepper

Place mixed greens in large bowl along with grapefruit. If possible, remove skin so that only grapefruit flesh is available. The skin makes the grapefruit slightly bitter.

Chop shallots and place in small bowl with vinegar to mellow out shallows. Add oil, cilantro, salt and pepper and then stir. don't know the measurements because I just eye it and go by taste.

Enjoy!

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe

2009-04-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

This is an easy breezy recipe that takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. It's healthy, beautiful, and quick. You may even have all the ingredients in your kitchen! Of course, it comes from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Cook Time: 30 minutes or less

Ingredients
- 1 bunch of broccoli rabe, about 1 1/2 pounds (substituted broccoli)
- 12 ounces orecchiette (substituted fusilli and used entire 16 oz)
- salt
-4 T olive oil, plus extra to finish
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (use more, say 4 or 5)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- grated Parmesan
- lemon wedges

Preparation
While the pasta water is heating, peel the lower stems of the broccoli rabe, then add the whole bunch to boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes, then remove it with a strainer and coarsely chop. Start cooking the pasta in boiling salted water.

For the above step, to save time and water, I used pre-chopped broccoli so that it went from bag to boiling water without fuss. I also used the same pot and water to first cook the broccoli and then the pasta so that there would be less cleaning at the end.

Meanwhile, warm the oil, the garlic and pepper flakes in a wide skillet over medium heat until fragrant (until sliced garlic is a light toasty brown). Add the broccoli rabe and cook gently, occasionally adding a little pasta water to the pan so it does not dry out. Drain the pasta, add it directly into the greens, and toss with a spoonful of the extra virgin olive oil, salt to taste, and add a little Parmesan. Toss well and serve with additional dusting of cheese and wedge of lemon on each plate.

Onion Galette with Mustard Cream

2009-03-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

Deborah Madison hits another one out of the ball park. This galette goes great with a mixed green salad or a side of green beans tossed in olive oil and herbs.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 25 to 35 minutes

Ingredients
- Galette dough (see June 2007 entry)
- 3 T Butter
- 6 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
- 1 T chopped thyme or rosemary (less if using dried herbs)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 T Dijon mustard mixed with 1/4 cup cream
- 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan

Preparation
Make dough and set aside

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and thyme and cook stirring occasionally, until they soften and turn golden, about 15 minutes. Add the winde, cook until it has reduced, then season with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, combine all but 2 T of egg with the mustard cream. Stir in the onion, bread crumbs, and cheese.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll the dough into a 14 inch circle. Put the onion on the dough, leaving a 2 to 3 inch edge. Fold the dough over the onion and brush with the reserved egg. Bake until shing and golden, about 25 minutes.

Stir-Fried Shrimp with Black Beans

2008-06-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

This is Mark Bittman's recipe. So simple so good so quick it emphasizes a staple in Chinese cuisine, the fermented black bean which gives off so much flavor. I would keep everything about the recipe the same except that I would double the amount of bok choy/cabbage and skip the vegetable broth for water since it interferes with the flavor. To make it even more quick, use frozen already deveined shrimp. Serve with short grain brown rice for a healthy meal.

Quinoa as Stuffing

2008-05-19T20:37:00.000-07:00

Now this is truly a dish that takes under 30 minutes, especially if you skip stuffing the red peppers and oven baking. Canned beans and defrosted frozen shrimp make this dish move super quickly. Instead, you may opt to chop up the red pepper and throw them in the dish itself rather than stuffing them. If you want to be completely vegetarian than skip the shrimp and add tofu or double the amount of beans. For leftovers, double the recipe.

Fresh cilantro is vital to this dish -- it adds a lot of freshness and flavor. The second time I made this dish, I cooked the quinoa in water (vs. vegetable broth) to lower the sodium intake. There's more flavor when cooked in broth so go for it!

Dried Strawberries

2008-05-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

Fruit Drying -- Strawberries

2008-05-11T06:58:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try my hand at fruit drying for some time. Growing up, my mom dried apples because we grew so many we couldn't give enough of them away. My favorite dehydrator item was her home made spicy fruit rolls and they were awesome! Sweet, tart, and spicy they gave our taste buds a run for their money. We would hover over the dehydrator waiting for those rolls to dry out so we could eat!

Recently, a friend mentioned that dried strawberries are awesome and not being able to find them at stores we decided to dry them ourselves. Using the dehydrator that I grew up with, we chopped up a half flat of strawberries. They shrink rather quickly. If you look at the top picture, the tray on the left was on top of the stack, and the one the right was on the bottom, closest the heat source. After one hour, look at the difference. They shrank a lot as the strawberries were no longer filling out the trays.

Sunday Brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel

2008-02-23T23:33:00.000-08:00

Over the long weekend, I went to Yosemite and the trip was amazing. I hadn't been in the winter when snow is on the ground and there was a lot of it with the tumultuous weather. The Merced, more or less runs parallel to the main road into the valley, contains these huge boulders and they were covered in layers of untouched white snow. You could count the number of snow falls with each layer, and reminded of time spent in the Shenandoah Valley.

The purpose of this trip was to snow shoe, eat more than we deserved to, and relax. I hadn't snow shoed and it's really good exercise, especially for the stomach. Not that snow showing works the stomach at all. It's more that I slipped down a bank and was all twisted up. The next thing I know one member of our party is busting up in a huge case of the giggles, which set me off, and got the rest of the party going except for one who observed us with concern or perhaps confusion? We snow showed 6 miles the first day and four the next day. Sadly, it wasn't enough to compensate for all the eating we did. I wish I had pictures to show you the fall -- it's kind of funny.

On Sunday, we scored brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel, which was a slight miracle given that we made reservations the night before over a long holiday weekend. The guys were really given rather poor choices for brunch, 7:45 to 8 AM and 1PM. Who wants to eat that early, and who could be up without being, well, cranky. To rectify the situation, the girls decided to work it, and the next thing we knew, we had reservations for 9:30! For those not familiar with the Ahwahnee, it was originally built at the turn of the last century to host the wealthy so that they would not have to "rough" it in Yosemite. And certainly, you won't being roughing it. With huge fireplaces (think the size of walls) and comfortable couches, you could easily fall asleep for several hours. You don't have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy the fires, brunch, and other cool things about the hotel.

Brunch is overwhelming -- there are so many choices. It's hard to know where to begin. They have oysters, salmon, personalized omelettes, all sorts of hot dishes like mac & cheese, mashed potatoes (highly recommend), tilapia with wild rice, fried chicken and shrimp, shrimp cocktail, desserts and so much more. The food is good; the service is good. What is really impressive about the Ahwahnee is the room in which meals are served -- it's quite grand. Super high ceilings, almost floor to ceiling windows that showcase Yosemite's natural beauty. The views probably enhance the food. Be prepared to eat slowly and spend a leisurely morning eating your way through many many courses. It's time very well spent.

Greek Yogurt

2008-02-08T09:29:00.001-08:00

Photo by TSW

Who doesn't love Greek Yogurt? The thick super creamy yogurt is something I live for, especially with honey. A few friends decided to make some with their very own home made yogurt, strain it and make Greek yogurt. Bottom line, buy it. It was good but for a 27 oz container yields a scant cup of Greek yogurt in a little over 2 hours. The Greeks would have scoffed at our technique, I'm sure.

Rainy Day Sunday Preserved Meyer Lemons

2008-02-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

Fresh off the tree

Getting a head ourselves -- in the jars before salting!

Finally, we got it right!

What do you do when there is a break in stormy weather, you run 7 miles, of which 3.5 were up hill and you make lemon preserves. Perhaps more challenging than running up is running down without hurting yourself. Fortunately, the East Bay has some of the most spectacular views of the Bay so on the way down I periodically stopped to enjoy the view which I don't dare do on the way up for the fear of never making it to the top, learning from experience. I absolutely needed to run and while it did rain on my way down, it was worth it to be a little cold.

A friend has the most amazing Meyer lemon tree (it's auspicious you know) and another friend had a list of at least 100 things to do with Meyer lemons so they decided to make Meyer lemon preserves and invited me to join them. It sounds fancy but it's not. Arguably, making preserves was easier than the run though it did take us an hour to get going since there was talking, snacking, and talking some more which is one of many rainy Sunday afternoon luxuries. The process was all very simple. I think the biggest challenge will be how to use them and once we figure it out, and you better believe I'll be writing about it! Placed in canning jars, they make beautiful gifts though I'm not sure who I would give them to.

Remember to toss lemons with salt before putting them in jars. We were so excited we just threw those lemons into the jar.

The only modifications that were made is that in a few of the jars we added cinnamon sticks and cardamom. They reminded me of the Indian version of lemon pickle that my mom makes but a lot less spicy.

Blueberry Cornmeal Scones

2008-01-30T19:15:00.000-08:00

Photos by TSW

Cooking is about creating memories which is why it is so much more fun with friends. More important than the end result, is the process of cooking, being present in the moment, and creating a collection of memories. Everything about cooking, the camaraderie, scents, ingredients, instantly makes me nostalgic, mindful of the power of the past, and hopeful about the future. It's amazing how potent memories are.

I had forgotten how much fun it is to cook with others, especially with folks that know how to cook or at the very least, enjoy the process. With a new friend, we made blueberry cornmeal scones for the aforementioned brunch. It was his vision and he had really thought about it so I went with it. I'm kind of a rigid cook partly because I want everything to be super successful so I find myself in uncharted territory when I go out on a limb. But it's 2008, and with all the changes I've made in other aspects of my life, cooking should be no exception. Plus, since as the sous-chef, it was not my role to say anything but to really just follow along. The scones were fabulous and showed me how to have fun in changing things up.

We followed the recipe I used for blueberry scones, and made the following modifications:

-2 1/4 c flour and 3/4 c polenta
-2/3 cup full fat raw milk +1 tbs
-1/2 cup blueberries (frozen are fine)
-1/2 cup corn kernels

So I used a little more liquid than what is called for and the dough was more moist than usual because I used less flour (2 1/4 vs 3 c). Polenta does not absorb liquid as much so....but it turned out fine. You may want to start with 1/3 cup and add more in as you go.

See the corn kernels? Don't these look better than the ones I previously blogged about? These were as scones should be...crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Coffee would be the perfect mate I think.

Cook and create your own memories!

Blueberry Lemon Cake

2008-01-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

Photo by TSW

What do you when you're invited to a New Year's brunch where you know one person and no one else? You try to kick some cooking butt. It was a week in which I had too many things to do between work and social activities, three of which were on Saturday alone! Every day I was in bed no earlier than midnight and quite frankly, I wouldn't have had it any other way so I was forced to make something simple and delicious. Usually when I make things for potlucks, I really like to go over top. Thinking back to 2003 when I made baked goods for our monthly meetings I recall a blueberry lemon pound cake which everyone loved but then simultaneously complained about their diets being ruined (it was a femaled dominated work place). It's not my fault if they have no self control. I could not find that recipe but I found this slightly less heart-unfriendly recipe. You know that pound cake got it's name from the pound of butter that is required to make it.

I thought this recipe was awesome. I didn't alter it in any way and while some reviewers complained that it was too sweet I thought it was perfect. The lemon pops if you use enough and I think that's the key to reducing the sweetness. In addition to a solid recipe, I credit my new fabulous bake ware for the beautiful presentation. Williams-Sonoma Nonstick Goldtouch Loaf Pan, 1 lb. ($19) is the most highly rated loaf pan tested by America's Test Kitchen.

My only complaint, which is true of all sweet breads, is that the ends are cooked through before the center. Any solutions to this?

Since I followed this recipe to a T and it's available online, I dare not rewrite the recipe. Click on the title of this entry and you'll l have the recipe.

Simple is best!

I'm Back Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-01-19T00:34:00.001-08:00

photo by TSW

I know, it's been FOREVER since I last updated my blog. At about the time I posted my last entry, I started a new job for which there was and still is a huge learning curve, and I just did not have the bandwidth to be creative in the kitchen. At the end of the day, all I did was eat cereal and crawl into bed which was nothing to write about. I cooked, just not new items. And my camera went MIA in March which left me more sad and defeated then I already was or would admit to. And while friends happily lent me cameras I couldn't impose anymore. Not that I got a new camera for this entry....But it's a new year, I'm in a better space at work, and I have the energy (almost too much some say) to blog about food again. Plus since I've doubled the number of miles I run a week, I'm constantly hungry and need to cook more to keep up with all my cravings. I can't keep enough food around anymore.

I've been wanting to write about this recipe for months. In October, Susie and I hosted our own hugely successful tea time in Chicago where these cookies were served to rave reviews. Joe, the man who rocks the shaved head look, Susie's husband, has a dairy allergy and this recipe met all of his allergy requirements with some substitutions. By their amazing taste you would never guess how healthy they really are. These are the truly guiltless cookie and they aren't fat or sugar free. So quick, so easy, so tasty, so not Chips Ahoy. And they freeze really well if one can manage not eat them all when they come out of the oven.

A lot of cooking is about making new memories and recreating old one's or at least capturing the sentiment behind the memory. For example, I remember that I both burned my left hand and sliced my left thumb for Chicago tea time. Was it worth it -- totally. Thank goodness I only remember the humor in it all. But in general, the scent of these cookies baking conjures images of autumns in all the great cities I've lived in, like walking into my warm home after a mid-afternoon walk through the leaves.

Ingredients
-1 c. pumpkin
-3/4 c. sugar (I reduced this to 1/2 cup -- think less is more)
-1/2 c. oil
-1 egg
-2 c. flour (I ground up 1 cup oatmeal to pack in more fiber -- think substance vs. fluff)
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp. milk
-1 c. chocolate chips (semi-sweet is always best)
-1 tsp. vanilla
-Nuts (optional)

Preparation
Dissolve baking soda in milk; set aside. In large bowl add pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg; stir. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Spoon onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until done.

While these cookies "look" perfect. They aren't -- they're missing cinnamon which is absolutely necessary since it enhances the taste of the pumpkin.

Indulge; cook and create your own memories.

Coconut & Lime Cupcakes

2007-09-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

I made these cupcakes because Quirky Cupcake was hosting the Cupcake Hero event with the key ingredient being lime, which had to be used in the cake or frosting. I generally love really simple cupcakes but this ingredient inspired me to the more exotic and unusual. Since I'm always trying to expand my horizons I decided to make something out of the ordinary. The recipe comes from The Artful Cupcake. The cupcake was not too sweet and went well with the sweet-tart frosting. The frosting contained the lime and I thought it was great. Tart but not so tart that you cringe. It helped cut down the sweetness of the frosting.

A big plus of this recipe is that it does not waste any thing. While the cupcakes required egg whites, the yolks could then be used for the frosting! Next time I might soak the coconut for longer but it definitely added texture to the cupcake. The picture is so-so and doesn't do justice to the cupcake at all.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients -- Coconut Cupcakes
-3/4 cup wide strips unsweetened coconut
-1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut milk
-1 egg
-3 egg whites
-2 3/4 cup cake flour
-1 T baking powder
-1/2 tsp salt
-8 oz unsalted butter, room temp.
-1 1/2 cups sugar

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350%. Prepare muffin pans with nonstick spray. If you want cupcakes to have smooth sides, don't use baking cups.

2. Soak the coconut strips in 1/4 cup of the coconut milk. Set aside.

3. Combine the remaining cup of coconut milk with the egg and egg whites.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

5. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the soaked coconut flakes.

6. Add egg mixture to the butter mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the flour mixture in 2 parts. Between additions, mix thoroughly and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

7. Pour the batter in those prepared pans, filling approximately halfway. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are starting to color.

8. Let the cupcakes rest a few minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before icing.

Ingredients -- Lime Curd
-1 tsp water
-1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
-1/2 cup sugar
-Juice of 3 limes
-Green food coloring
-Zest of 1 lime
-2 ounces unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces

Preparation
1. Put the water in a small mixing bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it to soften.

2. In heavy saucepan, whisk the egg yolks and sugar to blend thoroughly. Whisk in the lime juice.

3. Place the saucepan on medium heat. Stirring constantly (but not vigorously) with a wooden spoon, cook the mixture until begins to steam and then thickens. When you can draw a line with your finger across the curd on the back of the stirring spoon and the line stays without dripping, take it off the heat.

4. Strain the curd into the mixing bowl with the gelatin, and whisk to incorporate.

5. Put a drop of green food coloring in a small dish, and use a tooth pick transfer just a smidgen to the mixture (a full drop might make the mixture too dark). Stir to see the effect. Continue until you reach the desired pale green.

6. Add the zest and butter, and whisk until the butter is melted and everything is an even color.

7. Refrigerate 30 minutes, or until the lime curd has thickened to a spreadable consistency.

I'm ready for some much needed sleep!

Mushroom Galette

2007-09-26T23:38:00.000-07:00

Ursula and I before we dug in.

This galette was just amazing, as is every item I've made from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Deborah Madison did some serious testing of her recipes because they are all excellent. I don't have the words to describe the sensation that came over me when I ate this galette. It was wonderful. I was speechless.

If you love mushrooms than this recipe is a must try. It's savory, fragrant, tasty, and good to look at. It is rather labor intensive and quite the production so share with friends who can appreciate the effort. On a whim I invited two friends over at the last minute and I was fortunate that they were able to come over since there was no way I could eat this all by myself.

Ingredients
-Galette Dough (see June 2007 recipes)
-2 Cups Quick Mushroom Stock (Deborah makes her own stock; I used store bought vegetable broth)
-2 to 3 tsp Dijon mustard to taste
-Aged red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar (made this so long ago couldn't tell you how much I used; a few T)
-1 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
-2 tsp minced rosemary or 1 tsp dried
-salt and freshly milled pepper
-2 pinches red pepper flakes
-1/2 pound portobello or shiitake mushrooms
-1 lb large white mushrooms
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-3 T tomato paste
-1 T butter
-2 T chopped parsley
-2 T melted butter or beaten egg for glaze

Preparation
Make the dough.

Season the stock with a few tsp mustard and just enough vinegar to sharpen the flavors. Set aside.

Heat 1 T of the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and rosemary and cook over medium heat until the onion is lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Season 1/2 tsp salt , a little pepper, and the red pepper flakes. Remove to a bowl.

Heat half the remaining oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add half the mushrooms and saute until browned, then season with salt and pepper. Remove to the bowl with the onions. Then repeat with the remaining mushrooms. Return everything to the pan, add the garlic and tomato paste diluted with a few spoonfuls of stock , and a tsp of the vinegar. Add the remaining stock, bring to a boil, then stir in the butter and the parsley. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain, reserving the juices.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roll out the dough for one large galette. Loosely fold the dough over the filling and brush it with melted butter. Bake until the crust is browned, about40 minutes. Heat any reserved juices and spoon them into the mushrooms.

Zucchini Frittata with Marjoram

2007-09-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

Frittatas are quick, easy, and versatile. They can be made for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. They can also be served as appetizers. They are sturdy so travel very well for picnics and may be served room temperature or warm.

This particular recipe was so delicious, quick and easy, more so if you have a food processor to grate the zucchini. Of course, this recipe comes fromVegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Every recipe turns out very very well. There is zucchini everywhere now and it requires so very little to make it taste amazing. A little oil and a few herbs and you have a wonderful side.

Any vegetable would work for this recipe though zucchini is the only vegetable that would require the 20 minutes of salt sitting, as it draws out the moisture so the frittata is not watery.

Ingredients
-1 1/4 pounds zucchini, coarsely grated
- Salt and freshly milled pepper
-3 T olive oil
-6 eggs
-1 large garlic clove, crushed or minced
-1 T chopped marjoram (used basil instead)
-1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Preparation
Toss the zucchini with 1 tsp salt and set it aside in a colander for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse briefly, then squeeze dry.

Warm half the oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently until its' dry and flecked with gold in a few places, about 6 minutes. Transfer the zucchini to a bowl and wipe out the pan.

Beat the eggs with a few pinches of salt and some pepper, the stir in garlic, zucchini, marjoram, and cheese. Add the remaining oil to the pan over medium, and when it's hot, add the eggs. Lower the heat, cook for a minute until bottom is golden. Place a plate over the skillet, secure both plate and skillet with your hands, and invert the entire thing. Slide eggs back in, and finish cooking, another 2 to 3 minutes, and slide back on to a plate.

Eat!

Raspberry & Chocolate Scones

2007-09-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

These scones were amazing, just amazing. Chocolate and raspberries are two peas in a pod. Good by themselves, even better together. The scones were crispy on the outside soft and moist on the inside. I did learn a trick about getting the outside of scones more crispy which is to sprinkle a little powdered sugar and broil for a few seconds after they've been baked. Do be careful because you could ruin a perfectly fine batch of scones if you're not watching closely. I was hosting a brunch and got distracted by the talking and while the scones looked like they're burned, they're not! They had perfect taste though they were not aesthetically perfect.

I'm not writing out the recipe because it can be found at the Joy of Baking (click on title to take you the recipe).

Cinnamon Rolls

2007-09-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it! I made cinnamon rolls and they were awesome! I made them in honor of Carey, a friend who I've known for seven years and hadn't seen in five. These were amazing at 10 AM and again at 2 AM when we were up catching up on life! This recipe, minus the glaze, come from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Cinnamon rolls are relatively easy to make but the dough requires a bit of time. Since I wanted to focus on my friend, I made the cinnamon rolls one week in advance and froze them before letting them rise the 2nd time. I defrosted over night in the fridge and let them rise at room temperature for 2 hours before baking them.

Classic Sandwich Bread Recipe
-2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
-1/2 tsp sugar
-1 cup warm milk
-1 T honey
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
-2 cups all purpose flour
-3 to 4 bread flour (used all purpose)

In a small bowl, stir 1/2 cup warm water and the yeast together, add the sugar, and set aside until foam, about 10 minutes. In a larger bowl, combine the milk, 1 cup warm water and salt, then stir in the proofed yeast. Using a wooden , work in the flour a cup at a time until you have a shaggy, heavy dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn it out onto a lightly floured counter and gradually kneed in the remaining flour until the dough is smooth and resilient, about 5 minutes. Put it in a deep oiled bowl, turning it so that the top is oiled too. Cover with a damp towel and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, an hour or longer.

If you use this particular dough recipe, cut the recipe in half or make the full amount and use half for bread.

Filling
-1 T ground cinnamon
-1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (didn't have any)
-1/2 cup raisins or currants
-2 T melted butter

While dough is rising, mix the cinnamon, brown sugar, nuts, and raisins in a small bowl.

Push the dough down. Roll half the dough into a 12 x 156 inch rectangle. Brush it with the melted butter, sprinkle the sugar mixture over the surface, and tightly roll up lengthwise. Slice into rounds about inch wide and set them in the butter- coated pan, cut side facing up. Don't hesitate to cram them together. Let them rise for 30 minutes.

If you want to freeze, place sliced rounds in the freezer. Don't let them rise the 2nd time.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the roll in the center of the oven until well risen and browned, about 30 minutes. I don't know why but all the recipes said to invert them onto a serving plate --the sugar will have caramelized and coated the rolls.

Click here for the glaze recipe -- it may seem a little thick but if you slab it on after the rolls come out of the oven, it just melts and oozes. Very good!

Having never made cinnamon rolls, I found this video super helpful for rolling and cutting up the rolls.

Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce

2007-09-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

Wow! I'm about a week behind in posting. It's enough to cook but to also blog about it can be difficult at times. I don't know how you all do it with work, life, etc. I tip my hat to you.

In any case my friend of 15 years returned to California and to celebrate her return she came down for a weekend visit. I made another Ellie Krieger dish and it was decent. I followed the recipe exactly but we found that the sauce was missing that "umph" again. It was certainly tasty and easy to make but... I'm not sure. We added fresh basil and that helped but still felt that something was missing. Adding grated Parmesan cheese was a nice addition.

The big pluses of this dish are that it is has very few ingredients and comes together so quickly, say the time it takes to get the pasta cooked up. Two pots and a food processor are required, not too bad, especially if you have a dishwasher. Clean up is easy.

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry

2007-09-09T21:24:00.000-07:00

I saw Ellie Krieger make this dish on the Food Network a few months ago and it looked absolutely enticing. I love fish and I love curry. I also loved how quickly this dish came together on the show. Very little prep and everything in one pot! Below I write about my modifications since the recipe is already available online.

The dish looks better than it tastes. I thought the dish was good but it was kind of missing that "umph" I look for in great food. I'm not sure what was missing, but I just didn't feel that satisfied. I definitely preferred the salmon to the rock fish and would suggest a stronger tasting fish. Or perhaps I should have started eating the milder tasting fish and working my way up rather than the other way around!

My Modifications
-Used salmon and rock fish(bought fresh but then frozen)
-Skipped the scallions because I didn't have any
-Used Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste (which is what Ellie used on the show)
-Used vegetable broth
-Used frozen chopped spinach

I followed the recipe almost exactly as described except that I added an additional 1/2 cup coconut milk after a taste test nearly took my mouth out. It was too spicy! I did not use a low sodium broth so I didn't add salt but it really did need it and I forgot to salt the fish. So add the salt. I also used frozen spinach and rather than cooking it separately and having yet another dish to wash, I just added it to the pot when the fish was nearly finished cooking. You could do this with fresh too, I'm sure! Perhaps using a little less red curry paste would help.

It is quick, easy, and decent.

I've Been Tagged!

2007-09-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

June from Thyme for Food tagged me so now I will reveal a few tidbits about myself. Before I begin, here are the rules:

Players must list one fact, word or tidbit that is somehow relevant to their life for each letter of their first or middle name.
When players are tagged they need to write their own blog-post containing their own first or middle name game facts, word or tidbit.
At the end of their blog-post choose one person for each letter of your name to tag.
Don’t forget to leave a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
If I've tagged YOU, please join in on the fun!

My name is NIRMALA.

Nancy Drew mysteries were a childhood favorite. Could read one a day. Today, I don't read as many mysteries but am some times draw to Dateline's murder/court room trial shows and the various Law & Orders.

Ina Garten is one my favorite Food Network personalities. Prior to her career in food, she work worked for the federal government which is somewhat similar to the line of work I do now.

Red is one of my favorite colors. So are orange and magenta. Color makes me feel happy and is an expression of my personality. I try to wear color every day though you wouldn't know it by my recent pictures.

Mango sticky rice is one my favorite desserts. Love the sweetness of mangoes mixed with soft sticky sweet rice. Could eat it every day!

Arrogance is a quality a I greatly dislike in people.

Lilies, particularly tiger lilies are a favorite flower. The beauty of the flower is enhanced by the amazing scent. I also adore gladiolas. Flowers bring me joy.

America's Test Kitchen is one of my favorite shows. They love making recipes perfect -- I can get behind that. Their tips and tricks are great too. I am also fond of the all their equipment tests.

You're it!

Homemade with Love
Kevin of Closet Cooking
The Culinary Princess
Erik of Baking in Oregon
Andrea of Rookie Cookery
Judith of Shortcut to Mushrooms: A Vegetarian Foodblog
Take it or Leave it
Paul of Cookies, Et Cetera

Thank you June for tagging me!

Blueberry Pie, Backyard BBQ, and Burgers

2007-08-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

go together like bees and honey. Actually, many foods go with backyard BBQs. I was fortunate to make something that started with the letter B so that the title of my entry could be full of them. This past Sunday, Ron and Ursula, he's in the picture above, hosted a backyard BBQ to celebrate summer and the finer things in life. In honor of such an event, I made blueberry pie (see Jan 2007 for filling details; see May 2007 for pie crust). The second time around, this pie was even better.

I found my recipe on cook's illustrated and I disagree with one step which is to wait 15 minutes to roll out the dough if it's been in the fridge. When I have waited, I find that the butter softens before I can roll out the dough so this time I rolled it out straight from the fridge and it was so much easier to work with and I felt that my pastry was even more flaky, light, and crisp. The pie went so fast the hosts and I almost didn't get any!

Question: I did all this fancy crimping of the edges and it clearly does not show. Now, how does one get the crimping to remain crimped for beautiful results, like they do in bakeries?

The other picture is of Ron holding up chicken apple sausages trying to tempt me into submission. I have been mostly vegetarian for years but the past few months I've been tempted by meat and have indulged when eating out with friends. A few weeks ago, I went to Korean BBQ where I had great fish and thought I had reached my meat saturation when I wasn't even tempted by the meat on the grill. The next day I went to a local festival and the craving for meat returned when I saw corn dogs. There's nothing like meat on a stick. Last week I came to the conclusion that I could not make the decision to be vegetarian until I have fried chicken and steak. I sort of had friend chicken last Friday and it was darn tasty. My friends are convinced that if I have steak, I'll never go back. In any case, an hour later, I had a sausage. It was SO good. I compensated by eating lots of fruits and vegetables. Good things do come in small packages!

Yes, there were burgers but I didn't have any. They looked amazing though.

Pizza

2007-08-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

Homemade pizza is so good and relatively easy to make. I was inspired by other foodies making their own dough and after reading several recipes decided that I had worked myself into a frenzy for no reason. Never made a yeasted dough in my life and thought I would give it a try. It was easier than I thought but the process is a little long with having to wait for the dough to rise, punch down, and rise again. Next time, I'm going to make more and freeze the dough. Apparently, the best time is to freeze after the dough has risen for the first and has been punched down. When you're ready to use, defrost in the fridge over night and let rise for 30-60 minutes or so.

Too tired to write much else though I am seriously thinking about making cinnamon rolls now that I know I can deal with yeast!

Foodie BlogRoll

2007-08-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

Live well, be well, eat well, and drink well! Join the Foodie Blog Roll. There are so many folks creating fantastic edibles and writing about it. Thanks to the Queen of Leftovers for thinking of such a novel idea.

I must also thank Kevin, of closetcooking, for helping me keep all my entries single spaced! He cooks every day and blogs about it. It's nothing short of amazing.

Tomato-Basil Pesto

2007-08-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

I really dislike it when I have to buy a bunch of basil for a recipe that calls for a whopping 2 T. Today, I was determined to use something with the remainder, and I think I hit a home run with this tasty topping which is so versatile. Deborah Madison suggests using this red pesto to season soups or to spread on grilled cheese sandwiches (yummo!). I decided it would be a good topping for whole wheat crackers and it was awesome. The garlic is sharp and contrasts with the sweetness of the basil and tomato paste. The cheese gives the side creaminess and salt, without having to add it from an outside source. So easy, so simple, so tasty, so scrumptious. It's a no effort crowd pleaser.

Makes about 3/4 cup
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
-2 garlic cloves,
-salt
-1 1/2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (use slightly less)
-1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
-2 to 3 T tomato paste

Preparation
Pound the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mortar until smooth. Chop the basil in a food processor and gradually add the oil to make a coarse puree. Remove and stir into the garlic with the cheese and tomato paste.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

2007-08-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

I've learned my lesson. I now share cupcakes. The last time I made cupcakes and blogged about it, I received a friendly scolding from Patti on the virtues of sharing such delectables treats with the neighbors (namely her and her husband, Patrick). I know! Patti and Pat! It kills me too.

I adore home made cupcakes; can't get enough of them; could eat them for every meal. I always love sharing my food with others but there's something about cupcakes that makes me a little selfish. Every tiny morsel brings back grade school memories when all the moms would bring cupcakes to school to celebrate their child's birthday. I greatly disliked my ugly little plaid uniform, knee high socks, and blue velcro tennies that I was forced to wear 5 days a week but lived for those birthdays and other school parties. Those moms, especially my own, were darn good bakers.

I decided to make chocolate. Having recently tasted chocolate cupcakes from the "hot" local bakery, I decided to make my own. I didn't think the ones I tried were all that -- they looked good but didn't taste like chocolate, kind of like a really attractive person with no personality. This recipe is kind of annoying with the whole X cup + Y T bit but you do what you have to do to get a good cupcake. You bring it! This recipe was great. Light, fluffy, moist, and chocolate-y. I loved the use of melted chocolate rather than cocoa powder.

This recipe is by Nancy Kux of Nancy's Fancies which was written up in the SF Chronicle.

Ingredients
-1 1/2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (use Pound Plus from Trader Joe's; inexpensive, high quality)
-1 cup +2 T cake flour
-3/4 tsp baking soda
-1/8 tsp salt
-2 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, at room temp.
-3/4 cup + 2 T sugar
-1/2 tsp vanilla
-1 large egg, at room temp.
-1/2 + 2 T water
-chocolate frosting (see July 2007 entries)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over warm water. Set aside to cool slightly.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar for about 2 minutes, until fluffy. Add vanilla and egg. Beat on high speed for 4-5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl from time to time. Slowly pour chocolate into butter mixture, beating on medium speed until fully incorporated.

Add the dry ingredients alternating with the water in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Mix until fully combined. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling each about three-quarters full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top of the muffins springs back when lightly touched in the center, and a wooden toothpick inserted in the cakes comes out free of uncooked batter.

Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

Yields 12 cupcakes.

Red Peppers Stuffed with Corn and Fresh Mozzarella

2007-08-13T23:07:00.000-07:00

Bell peppers are naturally abundant in August which inspired me to make this dish which I found in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I went to my local farmer's market where I spent a rather leisurely Saturday morning perusing all the produce twice before making purchases for this dish. It's amazing the little tidbits you learn about produce and the farms they grow on. I love the stories people have to share. I also love all samples; I was stuffed by the time I finished shopping.

When I read the recipe it seemed like a lot of stuffing for just 2 peppers but I used almost every single morsel of stuffing. Those peppers have bottomless pits. There was probably about a half a cup left after stuffing all the peppers. The stuffing alone could be a meal in of itself. Quick, simple, easy, and delicious; this recipe uses some of summers finest ingredients (except the garlic pictured).

My taste tester and I disagreed on the salt level of the dish. When I tasted the filling, I felt that it had enough salt from the cheese so I didn't add any as Madison's book suggests. But after eating one of the peppers in the final stage, I felt that I should have added a bit of salt to enhance the flavor. But the taste tester thought the salt level was perfect. I say add the salt but taste the filling first, after it's cooled a bit.

Makes 2-4 servings
Cooking Time: 30 minutes, Prep is about 15

Ingredients
-2 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise
-2 T butter
-1 bunch scallions, including the firm greens, thinly sliced
-2 1/2 to 3 cups kernels from 5 ears of corn (common on, Deborah! Too much work. I used frozen)
-2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (skipped the peeling, etc.)
-1 fresh mozzarella cheese, 4 to 5 ounces, finely diced, or 1 cup grated Cheddar or Jack (used Jack)
-2 T finely sliced basil leaves
-2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
-Salt and pepper
-Paprika

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a baking dish just large enough to hold the peppers. If the red peppers won't stand upright, slice them lengthwise in half, leaving the stem end intact. Steam them for 5 minutes and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the scallions, corn, and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Turn of heat and stir in the cheese, basil, and half the bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the peppers and top with the remaining bread crumbs. Set them in the prepared dish, add a few tablespoons water to the dish, cover, and bake until the corn is hot and peppers are cooked, about 25 minutes. Uncover and brown the tops under the broiler. Dust with paprika and serve.

Now get out and enjoy your local farmer's market.

KM, you were "by my side" while I shopped. Te pierdo.

Making Eggs in a Basket

2007-08-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

I received a few requests on how to make eggs in a basket. I thought I was the only one that didn't!

Ingredients
-Eggs (obvious)
-Bread (preferably wheat)
-Butter or oil (butter tastes best)
-Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Heat pan on medium heat with butter/oil. Make a hole in the bread using a cookie cutter. The traditional hole is circular but as you can see from the pictures, I made a star to make it more fun! Place bread on pan and then crack egg into the hole. Season with salt and pepper. After a few minutes or so, when the underside of the bread is toasted, flip. They key is to have the eggs and toast cook at the same rate. You don't want the eggs done before the bread is toasted.

I hope these instructions help!

Eggs in a Basket

2007-08-11T07:57:00.000-07:00

are the classic camping food. I was partly inspired by all my friends' camping trips which I sadly could not participate in due to all my end of July work jaunts. There's something very comforting about a piece of warm toast with an egg in the middle. After a few challenging work weeks, I decided that I didn't need to wait for my next camping trip to enjoy such a treat.

Hearing about camping trips and stories, of course, jogged my memory back to the 10th grade. We were on our class bonding trip in Yosemite. I was sharing a tent with at least 4 other girls. Some boys thought it would be humorous to surround our tent with cookies so that the bears would come, and indeed they did! What were they thinking?! Did they not realize that we knew their plan before they did it? We came up with the buddy system to mitigate scary situations. My buddy's time came, we peaked our heads out, saw the glow-in-the-dark bear eyes, and ran for it. The bears were harmless enough. While we didn't bond with the guys in any way they would have liked, we girls certainly did. After a sleepless night and a 4 AM wake up call for the 18 mile hike to Half Dome, we were a lot grouchier than the bears. The cute rugged scruffy older brother of one our teacher's handing us eggs-in-a-basket with a smile slightly lifted our spirits and made our little girl hearts palpitate; re-energized we set out, beating the guys to the top was priceless!

Peach Galette

2007-08-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

Peaches are summer's nectar. Their fragrance nature's perfume. The bright orange yellow blush reminds me of sunsets in polluted cities I lived in and bygone days when I would pass an entire afternoon picking peaches off a friend's tree, the juices dripping down my face while we stuffed ourselves silly, to the point of illness. I was deliriously high on sugar.

To show my gratitude to a book club member for helping me out a few months ago, I decided to make peach galette to share while we discussed Middlesex this evening. I actually wanted to make apricot galette but their season ended in July, and the taste test at Whole Foods quickly convinced me that I needed to move on to better fruit. After a discussion with a friendly shopper, the produce guy, and three taste tests, I ended up with more peaches than I knew what to do with. Much to my surprise, the best tasting peaches at Whole Foods were the conventionally grown ones; they were also $2 a pound more expensive than the organic ones! It was so worth it.

The galette was delicious. I thought it would be super sweet because the peaches were so very sweet, plus I added a few tablespoons of sugar but it was simply scrumptious if I do say so myself. I bet this would be great with nectarines. It's their peak season too. Eat fruit, be happy! At the very least, buy lots of fruit, cut and freeze to make summer treats in the dead of winter when such luxurious fruit is not available!

Ingredients
-Galette Dough (see June 2007 entries)
-1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (used about a 1/2 cup; see previous entry on prep)
-3 to 4 ripe peaches, sliced thinly
-3 T butter, melted
-3 T sugar or more to taste

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll the dough into a 14 inch circle (do this on top of parchment paper). Leaving a 2 inch border, cover the center of the dough with bread crumbs (necessary to keep crust crispy with all the juices). Arrange peaches over the crumbs, making a single layer. Fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, overlapping to make wide pleats. Brush the dough with butter and drizzle any remaining butter over the fruit. Sprinkle both the crust and peaches with sugar. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 375 and continue baking until fruit is tender and crust is browned, 20 to 25 minutes more. Remove and let cool to lukewarm before serving.

So I skipped the butter step which I don't recommend. It really does help the crust brown more easily. Seriously, after 1 1/2 sticks, what's another 3 T. Don't skimp on the butter!

If using apricots, select 12 large, ripe, fragrant ones.

Dry Bread Crumbs

2007-08-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

Before

After

Homemade dry bread crumbs are to die for. The lack of uniformity, scent, rough texture, and taste made me a convert today. They are so easy to make. Not as easy as buying them but it's worth the extra effort.

Ingredients
-Any type of bread (used La Brea French bread)

Preparation
Slice bread bread and place on a sheet pan. Set in oven at 200 degrees F until they're dry, crisp, and golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes. Let cool, and the grind in a food processor until fine. They will keep for weeks in an airtight container. Two slices bread yields about 1/2 cup bread crumbs.

So having a renter's oven, after 45 minutes the bread was crispy and not brown, so I increased the temperature to 350 or so, and left them in there until they were quite brown, probably another 20 minutes or so. I lost track of the time because I was singing to some rather cheesy 80s songs. Once I get going, I kind of can't stop.

Anyhow, homemade leave store bought crumbs in the dust!

Susie's Cookin'

2007-08-03T00:28:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention another one of Chicago's greats: Susie's home cooking. She loves to eat and cook; a girl after my own heart. After a hectic week in New York, I arrived to a home cooked meal at Susie's. How nice is that? It was simple and SO delicious. We had baked chicken with bread crumbs, roasted broccoli, mashed potatoes (with soy milk; couldn't taste the difference), and dinner rolls. There were very few ingredients yet there was so much flavor. While I had eaten at some fairly nice restaurants during my NY travels, this meal by far was the best meal I had all week. I devoured it.

I have to say it is quite the treat and such a luxury when any one cooks for me. Among my friends, I cook the most. So generally when I have people over I cook, otherwise we go out. And while I definitely love to cook and share food with friends, it is so nice to eat meals prepared by others. They taste better when you haven't slaved away! At Susie's, there was nothing to be done. I walked in and dinner was served. No prep, no dishes, nothing. It was just what I needed.

Being with Susie made me think about my other cooking friends and influences. Certainly my mom. She always prepares great food. Among friends, I can count all my cooking friends on one hand: Susie, Sam, Dustin, and Roneil. Come to think of it, all them live in the Midwest, except for me. All but one attended the U of C. I'm the outlier. What does that say?

All my cooking friends have been doing so since at least college, if not before. I was the late bloomer. Dustin knows more about Indian cooking than I do though he can't tell the difference between 2 T and 2 tsp to save his life! In our final two years of college, he lived one block away which was great for me. Once, he came over with two pots in hand because he was in the middle of cooking, and his stove quit working, could he use mine. Then there's Sam, the baker extraordinaire. I remember when her folks sent her a pumpkin they had grown in Maine for our Thanksgiving meal. She baked it and used the puree to make pumpkin muffins which I promptly stuffed myself with. Roneil was the king of vegetarian cooking and he never ever looked at a recipe, not once! He fed me happily and regularly when we lived in DC. He just threw things together and the food always tasted good!

I cook fairly regularly now, and when I reflect on how it is that I got to here, I look at my family and friends. It's not like any of them sat me down and said that I had to cook more. They did what they always did with passion, flare, humor, and style. They shared; it rubbed off and completely inspired me to do the same. I tip my hat to all of you.

Capitol City Brewing Company - Capitol Hill

2007-08-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

Come here for the drinks, stay for the stories, go elsewhere for the food. On Monday night, my colleague, a few of her friends from the Peace Corp, and I went to dinner at Capitol City Brewing Company. When I lived in DC, I ate here once but couldn't remember the food. And there's a reason why.

So we ordered a round of beers which was great. My colleague and I had the pale ale, which we liked, while one friend had the raspberry wheat, which had a rather enticing magenta tint to it. There's something about the color of a drink...Over drinks, the Peace Corp stories from Paraguay started to flow like Niagara falls in the spring. There was talk of eating poisonous foods, creatures burying themselves under skin, and shaving heads. While the stories were totally engrossing and funny, I was glad we weren't eating just yet because some of them made my stomach churn just a little. There were lots of references to looking up things on Wikipedia which I will once I finish writing this up. The company was so fine. It's amazing how good company can make you over look the food you're eating.

Dinner came. I'm really careful about what I order. While I was attracted to the crab cake sandwich, I didn't think it would be their speciality so I went with what I thought could not be messed up, fish tacos. The tortillas were dry, actually I think stale was more like it. The fish was fried. I love fried fish even though it's so bad for you but this fish didn't taste like anything. The lettuce was skimpy and the cheese, cakey. It was rather bland. Don't order the fish tacos.

The Nest Lounge: Red Robin Bar

2007-07-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

We came into Washington, DC very late last night and the hotel restaurant was closed so the staff (so nice!) walked us over to this lounge located in the hotel. It was surprisingly great. Hotel food, I have found, is generally offers sub-par food but at the Willard InterContinental, it's very very good. My colleague and I decided to split an ahi tuna burger with fries because we both dislike going to be on a full stomach.

The sandwich was awesome. The chef split the sandwich for us and put it on two plates so that we wouldn't have to fuss and make a mess, which I did plenty of while eating. The tuna refused to stay between the bun. It was thoughtful of them to do so particularly since we didn't specifically request it. The tuna was thick and cooked to perfection. A very good sized sandwich. I'm glad we shared. The wait staff, very nice. The sandwich was $15 without tip. I would eat here again, for sure.

Tea -- Drake Hotel

2007-07-29T20:56:00.001-07:00

Celebrating 10 years of friendship!

If I haven't already made it clear, me encanta Chicago. Chicago is a fantabulous city, enhanced by my amazing friends. Chicago is home to a laundry list of greats: food, hot dogs, people, neighborhoods, baseball, restaurants, architecture, history, art, live music, comedy, culture, museums, weather (yes, even the weather), and tea-time.

At 10 AM, I'm on the phone with Camish.

Me: Susie's made reservations for us to have tea at the Drake?
C: What?! Imagine the "Wha'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" tone with her right eyebrow raised, eyes looking down her nose, and one hand on her hip. The classic Camisha move was in full force. You mean like what the Brits do? Skeptical but game she inquired, What do I wear?
Me: The classic tea outfit, of course. Jeans, t-shirt, flip flops. I laughed.

We arrived for our 1 PM seating, the lobby infused with the scent of tiger lilies, my favorite flower. The menu is fixed except for the tea. I had Darjeeling, while the troublesome two had wild blackberry and ginger peach. Once again, I set aside my vegetarian ways to fully experience tea-time.

We gave those trays a once over and were skeptical. How could those dinky little sandwiches with no crusts (top plate) and three slices of banana nut bread and currant scones (2nd plate) possibly fill up the 3 biggest eaters in Chicago-land. We dug in, all the while being regal and refined.

I started with the tomato and cheese on white bread. It was good, very good, in fact. Then I went for the ham and asparagus sandwich, which actually looked like sushi because it was rolled. It was better than the tomato/cheese. My favorite, hands down, was the roast beef on wheat, which had very tasty mayo. In between the savories, I dipped down to try the scones, which were excellent. Personally though, I just loved the savory and would have preferred to have more it than the sweet, which says a lot considering how much I adore sweets and butter. Much to our surprise, we were stuffed before the dessert plate came out but that did not prevent us from chowing down even more! The flavors are so wholesome, so satisfying, and so rich that you become incredibly full though everything is rather small.

We ate, chatted away, laughed, took a break, ate some more, made fun of the woman seated next to the fountain who took her tea a little too seriously by wearing pearls and a big ol' hat (think Queen of England), and bemoaned the fact, and I mean bemoaned, that our group was incomplete without Sam, the fourth friend in our circle. We raised our glasses to her.

Camisha was so smitten with our activity she couldn't stop talking about it; she's a convert and has developed a whole theme for her daughter's birthday. As she said, "If this doesn't put a little bourge in Morgan, I don't know what will!" It was such a memorable and fun way to spend the afternoon. Every time I think about tea, I can't help but smile. We''ll alway have this memory.

Tea at the Drake is about $35/person, including tip. While the tea was great, Susie swears by the one at the Peninsula Hotel, which is also slightly less expensive. On Sunday tea (at the Peninsula) commences at 4 PM, a little late. Try Saturday! Reservations are not necessary.

cr, sb, y sg vosotros amo.

White Castle -- Chicago

2007-07-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

Dare I say it? I ate White Castle at 3 AM on Saturday morning and it was so good. You see all that food? A mere $8. We had a mini burger, chicken rings, and onion rings. White Castle is a Chicago institution, like In 'N Out Burger is to California. The little burgers are a perfect size. They're even smaller than the McDonald's burger. Perfect for little tots.

I keep eating meat. It's a phase, I think. It's kind of like the rebellious teenage phase. I just need to get it out of my system. I think White Castle did me in.

Adesso -- Chicago

2007-07-25T19:27:00.001-07:00

Chicago is a fabulous place to visit, eat, and just be. The people are friendly, nice, and down to earth. In contrast, I found that people in New York don't really make eye contact with others. Another reason why I love Chicago is that during the summers you can eat outside in the evenings in shorts or a skirt, and not worry about getting cold. In the Bay Area, that's definitely not the case except during a heat wave or under a heat lamp which is not the same.

On Saturday afternoon, I met a friend that I hadn't seen in seven years for lunch. Funny how life works. While we lived and worked in the same city for 2 years, we never ran into the other. In any case, we met at a small but very cute restaurant in the Lakeview District of Chicago, just south of Wrigley Field. It's a cute hip area.

We sat outside because the weather was a fabulous 75 degrees with no humidity. Truthfully, I really wanted humidity. I kind of miss it. Over lunch we caught up on our lives and what each had done. He had a chicken arugula salad with Parmesan cheese and I had the mushroom and goat cheese frittata with a salad, which was one of the specials for the day. I enjoyed my frittata but I don't think it was better than the frittatas I've made. In fact, I would argue that it was probably too egg-y, and didn't have enough mushrooms. But over all it was good.

For dessert, we shared tiramisu made at the restaurant. Of course, after ordering it, I remembered my lactose intolerance. The tiramisu was excellent. We had tried to order wine but the restaurant was located across the street from a church and there is an old city ordinance that doesn't allow restaurants to sell alcohol if that's the case. However, you are allowed to BYOB, which is true of the other restaurants in the vicinity. After 4 cups of decaf, I was completely caffeinated.

We probably spent 2+ hours and I never once felt rushed. I would definitely eat here again.

West Indian Food -- Brooklyn

2007-07-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we had lunch with our client on the 1100 block of Nostrand Ave in Brooklyn between Long Island Ave and Lincoln Road on the even number side of the street. Can't remember the name of the place but the food was just amazing. At lunch they have a buffet where you can select from at least 20 items, everything from goat curry to chicken curry to jerk salmon to BBQ chicken to sweet potatoes, and so much more. I was completely overwhelmed. This is not what you call vegetarian friendly but I really wanted to relish and experience West Indian food in its entirety so I ate meat. It was so worth it.

After getting a play-by-play on all the dishes, I got a little salad (not West Indian), sweet potatoes, goat curry, and beans and rice. It was amazing. Deliciosa. Then I noticed the salmon on my client's plate and was bummed, but he kindly shared a piece so my momentary anxiety on having missed out on some thing special dissipated rather quickly. In total, my lunch with a bottled water was under $6! The amount is determined by weight.

I'm Indian but didn't know what West Indian food was. Actually, I still really don't. I'm much more familiar with the North/South distinction which I could write a dissertation on. But I know that in Trinidad, Guyana, and the Caribbean in general, there are lots of Indians. In fact, I learned that Guyana's population is 50% Indian. So West Indian food seems to be a combination of classic Indian dishes like curries mixed with traditional Caribbean food like sweet potatoes, plantains, etc. I know I'm not describing all the nuances so I dare not go further.

It was so worth it to set aside my mostly vegetarian ways to eat well.

Morimoto -- Manhattan

2007-07-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

It was restaurant week so my childhood friend made reservations for us to enjoy lunch at the Iron Chef's restaurant! It's sort of funny because she actually lives very close to me in California but her work brought her out to Manhattan for the summer, so it was totally awesome to enjoy NYC with her in a new place. I was particularly excited about this restaurant because I love the Iron Chef show on the Food Network Channel. He always makes fabulously creative food.

I decided to opt for the pre-fixed sushi lunch (which isn't terribly creative at all). The lunch which usually goes for $35 was $25 and very generous. The meal started with a mixed green salad and miso soup followed by the 6 pieces of spicy tuna roll and 8 pieces of nigiri, including eel, salmon, tuna, yellow tail, tuna, shrimp, and two other pieces of nigiri I can't remember. All of it was delicious.

Our brownie dessert was pretty good though I think I could make better brownies. But it was nice to have something sweet after all the salt.

While it was all very very good I have to say it wasn't anything that I hadn't experience before, in terms of quality, which was excellent. The ambiance was, of course, very New York. At our 2 PM seating the place was hopping. The bathrooms were unlike anything I've experienced before, with heated and adjustable seats. There were so many buttons, I didn't know what they were for. And the downstairs bar was something reminiscent out of Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Or at least, I could imagine it being that way.

I was happy to have done it, and would do it again, even if I had to pay more.

Food & Travel

2007-07-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

These last few entries are out of order. In my excitement to get entries out, I completely forgot to write about Sankaku Sushi & Noodle before Rae. In any case, I've been traveling for work since late Tuesday afternoon through Sunday evening. That's a lot of meals out. I generally eat 1-2, may be 3 meals out a week, if that. Working out won't be an option though the hotel apparently has a nice facility since I had to choose between taking a laptop or my running shoes. The running shoes were sadly left behind.

In any case, after 2 7 AM mornings, and no breakfast or lunch on Tuesday before my flight, I was ravenous when I arrived at SFO. I was determined to eat well. I walked by Klein's deli (though I later picked up a garden salad for the flight) and Guava Java (a definite no), and found Sankaku in the United Terminal. I recently read that sushi is one of the most healthful things you can eat while traveling but was reluctant to try sushi at the airport. Instead, I opted for a salmon bowl which came with a nice piece of salmon over a bowl of rice. Very simple and tasty. At $9.50, a good deal compared to other less tasty options.

Rae, Philadelphia's 30th Street Station

2007-07-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't posted in some time and it's because I was traveling to New York City, Philadelphia, and Chicago for work this week so I couldn't cook. Instead, this week, I decided I should report on foods and restaurants I've tried out while away on my travels.

On Wed. afternoon we met clients at Rae at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station. Rae is this cute uber modern restaurant attached to the station itself so if you're waiting for your train; it's a good place to have drinks, meals, or snacks. The sides of this restaurant are large sheets of glass from which you can people and car watch. It was poring out so it was nice not to have to step out of the station to get to the restaurant.

We arrived a t 3:30PM. A little too early for dinner so we shared a Caesar salad, had coffee and iced tea, and munched on this hor dourves table that was available to patrons. It was AWESOME! A variety of cheeses, fondue, breads, crackers, fruit, marinated figs, and salamis were served. The marinated figs, I hadn't tasted anything like them. They were amazing. The service was friendly. I recommend this place if you're taking the train to/from Philly. The dinner menu looked a little pricey but the food I saw other people eating did look delicious.

It was a good thing my colleague and I ate those snacks. While we returned to Manhattan at 7 PM we didn't get back to our hotel until 9 PM because of the steam pipe incident at Grand Central Station. Our hotel was only a few blocks away and since every street was blocked off we had to walk around in a rather large circle to go the mere 5 blocks we would have otherwise!

Blueberry Scones

2007-07-15T12:42:00.000-07:00

I just adore scones but don't love that they don't taste so good when I've purchased them in stores, restaurants, and coffee shops. They're dry, too sweet, hard as rocks, and not fluffy. Having wanted to make scones forever, I decided to forge ahead after a friend shared her recipe. Plus, Sunday mornings scream scones with a nice cup of coffee or tea. The recipe, like my friend, is kick-ass, and I think I hit a grand slam in preparing them. They were perfect -- slightly crispy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside, and just perfectly sweet. The home was filled with the smell of butter and blueberries. What a way to wake up!

I've made low-fat scones and lived to blog about them. I shouldn't have. They weren't nearly as good. Not even close. The fat is what makes a scone successful. And if you use good fats, then a scone isn't nearly as unhealthy as one would think.

Ingredients
-3 cups flour
-4 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-8 T butter

Cut butter into the dry ingredients listed above (until coarse, you want little chunks of butter the size of peas). Stir in wet ingredients listed below:

-1/2 cup sugar
-1 large egg, beaten
-2/3 cup buttermilk (I used low fat only because that was the smallest container available, otherwise I would have gone full fat)
-1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Stir until just mixed. Divide dough into two parts, and pat each into a circle. Cut each circle into 6 wedges. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes until brown.

The dough is very sticky so I would flour your hands when you pat down otherwise you'll end up with a lot of dough on your hand, like I did. Don't be tempted to add any more liquid even if you think the batter is dry. It will come together, especially if you use frozen blueberries and they start to thaw a bit. Adding more liquid will just make the dough that much more sticky.

Enjoy!

My Babies

2007-07-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

My tomato plants are growing so fast! The one you see above is just one of six seeds I planted. 5 of 6 germinated. Not bad. I held out hope for the 6th one but it's a no show. I got a rather late start due to delays so I decided to go with a variety that would produce fruit rather quickly, which left me with the early girl variety. This tomato has a very short growth period of 52 days versus the typical 80 plus. I'm not convinced because my babies still look rather runt like. It's been 2 weeks since the seeds germinated and 3 weeks since planting. Every morning I walk out on to my front porch waiting to see them bursting. I need more patience!

Vanilla Cupcakes and Chocolate Frosting

2007-07-04T15:54:00.001-07:00

Cheers! Toasting our 14 year friendship!

What do you do when your very good friend comes into town? Well, I made the food that we bonded over when we first met. In our case, lots chips and salsa (we were the reason Tostitos and Pace Picante saw higher than usual earnings during those years) and boxed cake fueled us through late night study dates, rants about all things Italian, and 80's music marathons.

For our reunion, I decided to take it up a notch and make cupcakes from scratch because anything from a box no longer makes the grade, unless you're in elementary school.

I made vanilla cupcakes and frosting previously (December 2006 recipes) but given our predilection for chocolate, I decided to go for a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting. The frosting was amazing. Not too sweet, not too stiff, and tasted like true chocolate. Home made frosting is the opposite of anything Duncan Hines produces.

While I thought the frosting I made in December was good, it is even better now. Partly, it was the addition of chocolate, but mostly I think it was the weather. In December, though I whipped the heck out of the frosting, and I mean beat it for a solid 7 minutes, I just could not get it to be lightly and fluffy. And while I live in a relatively mild climate, it makes a big difference. Today, in the middle of a heat wave, the frosting came together so quickly. I couldn't believe butter could be so airy!

Ingredients for Frosting
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (let sit on counter over night)
-1 and 3/4 cups powdered sugar
-1/4 cup cocoa powder (use unsweetened)
-2 T milk
-1 tsp vanilla

Preparation
Beat butter until creamy, about 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla, and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, if not longer.

Yields enough frosting for 12 cupcakes very very generously. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for a week or frozen indefinitely.

These cupcakes were really very good, made even more sweet by sharing with a friend who knows you so well that no words are necessary to feel understood.