We love cauliflower mash in my house. It is so good yet so much healthier than mashed potatoes. Plus check out the gorgeous Yellow Citrus Cauliflower I picked up from Satur Farms, so fabulous! That really made this batch so special. I know people have been making this dish for years, but it is just so satisfying and always a great side dish.  Instead of margarine or butter I normally use Brummel and Brummel All Natural Yogurt Spread and I love it! Click on the link and see how great the stats are compared to regular butter or margarine. I also use almond or soy milk instead of whipping cream. Of course whipping cream would make this sinfully great, but my version is still pretty amazing!

Cauliflower Mash

1-2 heads cauliflower, trimmed
sea salt
1/4 cup whipping cream, soy milk, almond milk or regular milk (or more to taste)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine (or less, to save on calories)

Cut the cauliflower, including the core, into large pieces/ Use a steamer to cook the cauliflower till they are tender, 15-20 minutes. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor or Vita-mix. Add the liquid and butter and puree until completely smooth. Season to taste with salt.

Despite the unseasonably warm and sunny weather we’ve been having here in the Hudson valley lately,  I was craving some good old-fashioned comfort food today. The kind of food you can throw in a bowl and curl up in a fuzzy blanket with.  But I was also totally exhausted after staying up until 4 a.m working on a presentation. This made the task of searching for the “perfect” recipe on the internet (or checking one of my favorite blogs) seem a little daunting. I just wanted to eat, without t to get sucked into comparing recipes all night long.

Luckily, I had enough common sense to finally use one of the cookbooks in the huge pile on top of our fridge (which sadly, often sit up there all lonely while my housemates and I find exciting recipes online with lots of pretty pictures to use instead. Today was an exception!).

It was. the best. decision. that I made all day. Savory and satisfying, and just heavy enough for what I was in thhe mood for.

Plus, I finally got a chance to try out a new recipe from The Best of Bloodroot: Volume One Vegetarian Recipes (full citation info listed below).

The cookbook has dozens and dozens of fantastic recipes influenced by cuisine from all around the globe. Volume One is all vegetarian recipes, Volume Two is all vegan recipes. The recipes have been developed and collected by the authors Selma Miriam and Noel Furie, who own the restaurant Bloodroot in Bridgeport, CT. For over thirty years, Bloodroot has stuck out both for its tasty seasonally changed menu and its political stances.

The restaurant is self-described as a ‘vegetarian feminist’ eatery. A lot of people who have never had the chance to visit Bloodroot in person wonder what this means. When you walk into the restaurant, it feels more like a vibrant community hall than a formal eating establishment.  The room is filled with worn wooden tables and mismatched chairs, the walls cluttered with old photographs and trinkets. And in the back corner of the large room, books and magazines line the shelves: everything from knitting tips to animal rights activist info, to womens studies and GLBT studies books.  It’s very easy to feel at home at Bloodroot if you share their political ideals (which I do, for the most part). But even if that isn’t your bag o’ chips, come just to enjoy the food. You will not regret the decision, and if you’re an omnivore, you’ll probably be presently surprised. This is the kind of restaurant that shows how delicious vegetarian food can be when it’s done right.

After looking at the menu of various soups, salads, entrees, and homemade breads (written on a chalkboard and changed frequently) you place your order with the woman seated at a desk, complete with an old fashioned rotary telephone.  Come to think of it, they may have updated the phone recently, but only very reluctantly, and out of necessity in order to make orders through companies which required a touch tone number pad.

Every time I have been to eat, Selma has been working behind the desk. The woman just has this look about her like she knows you, even if you’ve never met. And she will almost definitely remember you if you come back, even if you’ve only been once before.

After placing your order and paying, the woman at the desk gives you a ticket, which you take to the kitchen window and hand to a cook. Once your meal is ready, they call you up by your name from the ticket.

Once you’re done with your meal, it is your responsibility to clear your setting. No waitstaff, just kitchen staff and a general manager.

Check it out!

I’ve listed the original recipe below, and put my modifications in brackets:

-1 1/2 pounds large button mushrooms

-1 large Spanish onion [I prefer shallots so I chopped a few up pretty finely]

-2 cloves crushed garlic [I minced mine]

-2 tablespoons grapeseed oil [Olive oil works just as well, but be careful not to turn the heat up too much as olive oil has a lower burning point than many other oils]

-1 tablespoon good quality Hungarian paprika

-1 teaspoon dried thyme

-1/2 cup dry sherry [I used sherry and also threw in a splash of some white wine I had lying around]

-1 tablespoon tomato paste

-2 bay leaves

-1/4 cup tamari [soy sauce works well here as a substitute]

-4 oz. cream cheese [this can be omitted for a vegan version, the flavor is still fantastic]

-1 cup sour cream [this can also be admitted to veganize the recipe with almost no loss to the flavor]

-freshly ground black pepper

-1 tablespoon lemon juice

-a splash of brandy [this can be omitted if you don't have any on hand]

-egg noodles [or the noodle of your choice. I used egg free noodles to accommodate vegan diners]

-poppy seeds and chopped straight parsley (for topping) [don't stress if you don't have these on hand, it tastes fantastic even without a garnish]

Mushroom Stroganoff

This easy stroganoff, from animal rights activist Esther Meckler, has exceptionally fine flavor.

1. Slice 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms. Slice 1 large Spanish onion. Turn into frying pan with 2 cloves crushed garlic and 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil. Fry over highest heat [again, keep the heat on the lower side if using olive oil instead of grapeseed.]. Add 1 tablespoon good quality Hungarian paprika and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Cook, stirring well, until mushrooms are well browned.

2. Add 1/2 cup dry sherry, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 cup tamari, 4 oz. cream cheese, and 1 cup sour cream.  Bring to a simmer and finish seasoning with a little freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and a splash of brandy.  If stroganoff is too thick, dilute with water.

3. Serve over cooked egg noodles with poppy seeds and chopped straight leaf parsley.

4 servings.

From:

Miriam, Selma, Noel Furie, and Lagusta Yearwood. The Best of Bloodroot: Volume
One, Vegetarian Recipes. Vol. 1. Bridgeport, CT: Anomaly Press, 2007.

Stay warm and well fed,

l. dunn

]]> http://dawnspitfire.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/chili/ Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:23:19 +0000 dawnspitfire http://dawnspitfire.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/chili/

Today is Chili…

 click on photos to view UP CLOSE! ~but then you will see I like greasy food

Because I am making it for my son, basically, I have to go the No Beans Chili’

There are endless lists of Chili recipes, and just as many opinions and/or debates. Okay, arguments or even fights!

I just had to make a recipe from what I had in my pantry.

So this is it…

(For accurate measurements, you might want to follow No Beans About It – Chili)

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Crumble the ground beef into a stock pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook stirring frequently until beef is evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

2. Season with chili powder, oregano, cumin and hot sauce. Stir in the tomatoes and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 1 hour – or longer if you have time. Stir occasionally to prevent burning on the bottom.

Now y’all know you can vary things here. Like BACON ;D beans, Worcestershire sauce , etc….

Or even use this for Chili Hot Dogs or Chili fries???

It turned out very good! And it also turns out to be good that I picked up a lot from my Aunt Ann aka Missy (Italian = plenty if company stops in.)

I ended up with an old ‘OH excuse me!’ EX neighbor unexpectedly stopping by to visit. He is a sweet older man, Dwayne, and he, my son, I and even Lily enjoyed this chili. Although Lily had to drink a lot of milk!

bon appetit, dawnspitfire!

No blue box, please!

It was a full week around our house.  Ann had taken the bulk of Friday off from work so she could do some seasonal decorating in preparation for our neighborhood Holiday House Tour.

We needed an easy meal that would be quick to prepare yet thoroughly satisfying. What would be better than a big casserole of baked macaroni and cheese?

I’m not talking about that screaming yellow stuff that comes in kit form from the famous blue box.

Marketing hyperbole aside, there is no comparison between the mass-market product and homemade Mac and Cheese. And I know from personal experience.

When I was in college and had grown weary of the cafeteria food at school, I would either hit up one of the local “all you can eats” or forage for something in my dorm room. 

Somewhere along the way I had acquired an electric popcorn popper…basically a metal pot with a built in heating element. It had a lid; at least a two quart capacity and I discovered I could also boil water in it. This made it quite handy for various low-tech cooking chores. One such application was preparing the boxed variety of Mac and Cheese mixes.

I have to admit, every time I made a batch of that day-glow concoction, I felt a twinge of betrayal to Mom’s home cooking in general and her Mac and Cheese in particular. But, it was cheap and filling…the obviously selling point from Kraft (and other manufacturers) to harried housewives and budget-conscious consumers everywhere.

It wasn’t until I got my second post-graduation apartment and acquired a roommate that I was able to leave the box mix behind and return to the comforts of the made from scratch version that I had grown up with.

Now, it’s not like there’s anything tricky about Mom’s version. It’s just what my sister and I  knew as Mac and Cheese as we were growing up. It was a common meal that provided me with one of my first culinary chores: whittling the block of cheese down into 3/8″ or so cubes.  And, of course, I happilyly ate any pieces that didn’t conform to size specificiations.

My assumption was that every one’s childhood Mac and Cheese experience was the same as mine. Mom, or Grandma, or a favorite Aunt had a from-scratch recipe that was the standard version you grew up with.

The boxed version was only used by college students, lonely singles or people without access to basic cooking facilities. Nobody was raised on the “blue box.”

I don’t remember when my wife first tasted my mother’s Mac and Cheese. I do remember her being blown away.  Seems as though Ann had never had the homemade, from scratch version before.

Now, Mac and Cheese, like so many comfort foods, has seen its share of upscale revisions. We recentlhy tasted a version that incorporated lobster into the dish.

Macbar in New York City was recently featured in a story about Mac and Cheese on CBS‘ Sunday Morning. It’s a restaurant that specializes in Macaroni and Cheese, period.

There’s also S’MAC (short for Sarita’s Mac and Cheese), another restaurant that specializes in this comfort food staple.

Truth is, I haven’t been above messing with the basic recipe myself. On various occasions I have added cut up hot dogs to the mix, or chopped tomatoes. Just yesterday, I chopped up a couple of ounces of pancetta and tossed it into a bowl of leftover Mac and Cheese before reheating it in the microwave.

The dish is so basic it lends itself easily to myriad variations. Still, it’s that plain, homemade version that satisfies like none other.  Mom knows best.

Mom’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese

• 1# elbow macaroni
• 1# of longhorn cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 tbs butter
• Salt & pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook elbow macaroni in salted water until tender. Drain and add to casserole dish. Season with salt, pepper and butter. Stir in cubed cheese and milk. Bake for 30-45 minutes, covered.

For a crispy top, remove cover for last 20-25 minutes of baking.

I am not much in the mind for cooking, that is new, and possibly a bit worrying. I cook so much now for others, with a full day of prep, followed by 2 days at the market, and two 16 hour days in a row at that, that I find I have little enthusiasm for cooking for myself at home. Call me jaded.

I do however, crave something really healthy. My body is battered and I feel a bit weary. I also want to hide out at home and eat here.  It has been a very challenging month. Something quick that I can make that sings of hearty full flavour, that will settle my tum, and soothe my frazzled senses. It sounds like I need a good solid soup.

But, what soup? I am not really in the mind for something complicated, I want it to be fresh and wholesome. I am thinking back to my pea & ham soup that I made for the market on Thursday, and sadly forgot to photograph! The absence of my DSLR is making a very bad blogger of me. I am so disappointed with the results from my old point and shoot, I find that I am demotivated on the photographic front, so until I replace it and get my mojo back, please forgive the crap photos.

Back to the soup, it was very good in my humble opinion, and as an Italian customer said, it had the essence of the pig. You really can’t beat a good soup at this time of year and this one  is one of my favourites, made simply with Irish ham hocks, lots of fresh veg for stock, and an abundance of peas, nestled in a gentle and translucent onion & garlic base.

But, what for now? Sadly, I have no ham hock or peas so I can’t recreate. I do have some fantastic leftover gammon, savoy cabbage, lentils and lots of vegetables. That sounds like a soup to me! It also sounds comforting and nurturing, which is just perfect for today. And a little naughty with that glint of salty ham. I don’t want to be too good after all!  I love that it’s that fabled Irish combination of bacon & cabbage, that we were all raised on, like it or lump it. I lumped it at the time, and hated the sulphurous odours emanating from the kitchen, however, I have matured into a bacon & cabbage loving lass, so bring it on.

So, this really is not posh or glamorous, but it’s good home cooked food. There’s lots of body from the lentils mingling with chunks of ham, ribbons of cabbage, and the occasional sweet carrot.  It’s frugal, it’s tasty and I’d wager that it’s healthy. I served it with some home made croutons made with seasoned day old bread fried in oil until crispy. Perfect.

Makes enough for 4. Tuck in!

Ingredients:

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves
1.5l good stock, ham if you have it, chicken otherwise
300g red lentils
300g chopped cooked gammon (can substitute bacon)
Small head of savoy cabbage (can substitute other greens), shredded

Method:

Saute the onion and carrot in olive oil over a medium heat until the onion is translucent.
Add the garlic and saute for a further 30 seconds.
Add the stock, the lentils, bay leaves and the ham. Cook for 15 minutes or so until the lentils are mushy.
Remove the bay leaves and add the cabbage.
Cook for a further 5 minutes until the cabbage is just soft but still a lovely green colour.
Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
Serve immediately with good crusty bread or croutons

We saw the first signs of snow yesterday.  It was actually raining with large snowflake globs mixed in.  Very cold, very wet.  I decided it was time for a warm bowl of chili.

Usually, I make a very simple chili with chicken, veggies, and chili powder, but this weekend I wanted to try something a little different – a spicy, smoky chili with beef and beer.  I always get a little nervous venturing away from how I normally do things.  I figure, why mess with a good thing.  How could I go wrong with a recipe that calls for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, and beer!

We live in a very Polish neighborhood, hence the reason I chose a Polish beer.  We discovered Zywiec beer at a restaurant nearby where you can get an appetizer, Polish plate entrée, dessert and a beer all for around $12.  This price for the amount and quality of the food is highly unusual in New York.

The best thing about chili is that it is low maintenance and versatile.  You can pop all of the ingredients in a pot and in a couple of hours, it’s done.  Chili can be enjoyed on its own, on french fries, on hot dogs, on a baked potato, etc.  We like our chili with Jiffy cornbread, cheddar cheese, and a cold beer.

Football and a pot of chili on the stove.  What could be better?

Chili (adapted from The Eclectic Cook)

1 TBS olive oil
1 green pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 onions, diced
5 or 6 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBS chili powder
2 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS cumin
2 TBS chopped chipotle chiles in adobo, plus a few TBS sauce
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne
3 lbs ground chuck
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 bottle beer
2 cups beef broth or stock
2 (19 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Salt to taste

Sauté the onions, pepper, jalapeno, and garlic over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, chipotle peppers, oregano, coriander and cayenne pepper.  Cook for another few minutes, until the spices are fragrant.  Add the beef and cook over medium-high heat until browned, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.  Add the crushed tomatoes, beer, beef broth or stock, brown sugar and the kidney beans.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer partly uncovered until chili has thickened, 1½ to 2 hours.  Taste for salt and adjust other spices as needed.  You may want to add a few TBS of adobo sauce.  Serve with grated cheese and cornbread, if desired.

]]> http://cometakeflight.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/recipe-baked-ziti/ Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:56:51 +0000 Anonymous http://cometakeflight.wordpress.com/2009/12/06/recipe-baked-ziti/

     I found an incredibly easy recipe for Baked Ziti recently that I wanted to share.  It has the added bonus of having vegetables in it, so you can have your comfort food and tell yourself that it’s healthy!  If you have any picky eaters in your family, this is perfect because they’ll never know they’re eating vegetables.  Enjoy the recipe and let me know what you think!

Baked Ziti

1 box of penne pasta

3 cups tomato sauce (I sneak vegetables into this too)

4 cauliflower florets, grated (or equal amount of another grated vegetable)

6 – 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

1)  Preheat your oven to 350F.  Then start cooking the pasta.  I won’t insult you by telling you how to cook it!

2)  When the pasta is cooked and drained, spray a lasagna sized casserole dish with cooking spray, and put in the pasta.  Follow that with the tomato sauce, then top that with the grated vegetables which in turn are topped by the grated cheese.

3)  Bake this for 20 to 30 minutes.  Before serving, you can garnish it with some chopped fresh herbs like parsley, basil or oregano.

I came to Japan this time with a far different attitude than when I came as a study abroad student.  Having decided, entirely of my own volition, to move to Japan, and spent over a year preparing myself, my relocation had far greater resonance than what amounted to a spur of the moment decision to study abroad, a spontaneous reaction to a respected teacher’s suggestion.  So while I spent a good deal of my time bemoaning the things I missed about America — particularly food — the last time I lived in Japan, I’ve been more or less content this time around.  Even my culinary forays have involved learning how to cook traditional Japanese dishes, rather than the dishes from home I could no longer easily access.

But it was inevitable that at some point, my love for Japan would fail me and I’d long for a taste of home.  My first intense craving for Mexican came just a few days ago, when stymied as to what to have for lunch and pressed for time, I wanted more than anything to swing by Chipotle for a burrito.

And then tonight, before my cravings had driven me to desperation and costly homemade meals (i.e. a $150 lasagna and cheesecake dinner), Sen and I stumbled upon something fantastic.  While driving towards a mall in Tsuchiura, a nearby town, we were keeping an eye out for someplace to eat.  Having passed nothing but ramen shops on our way, and possessing a fierce loyalty to one particular ramen shop, we ventured off our path and spied a sign in the distance for something called Cook Barn.

Sen questioned whether or not it was actually a restaurant, claiming that it sounded like a cookware shop, but either way, I wanted to go to there.  So Sen obliged and pulled in (even though she apparently hates cookware stores since most cooking implements are made of metal) and we were dazzled to find that it was actually a steak restaurant.

Clearly, whoever owned the restaurant had been to America.  He knew. The walls were decorated with cowboy hats and rifles and cows.  Our enormous knives sat in a Budweiser mug next to wooden chopsticks.  Hidden in the corner was a Christmas tree made of corks.  We were in love before our food even arrived.  They even had onion flowers and buffalo wings on the menu.  Sen couldn’t conceal her glee — and obviously neither could I.  We oohed and ahhed and high fived repeatedly, all before they even brought our food.  When he finally brought it — sizzling deliciously on a hot metal plate — we swooned.

We spent the entire meal alternately moaning in ecstasy and proclaiming, “Yeah mon!” while bumping fists, much to the amusement of our waiter, who miraculously kept my shot glass of a water cup fill in spite of my ridiculous consumption.

We were so sated and happy when we finished our meals that we decided to leave a clear message for the staff:

What better way to celebrate the holiday season than lots of delicious food with some of my favorites?

Thus, the Jingle Bacon, O Holy Eggs, and Reindeer shaped pancakes brunch was born. (except we made regular pancakes).

On Friday night we went in caravan to Victory Brewing Company in Downingtown. They had some pretty excellent beers, and I managed to get myself slightly tipsy. We all slept over in Malvern, PA, which was, conveniently, having a christmas festival.

Saturday morning was, of course, epic. My stomach can’t really deal with beer anymore, and I woke up at 6:45 am feeling queasy. I had dragged my running gear out to my friend’s house, so I sucked it up, put it on, and ran 2.5 miles through the streets of Malvern. I was feeling pretty gross, so I took quite a few walking breaks, and still ended up with something like a 10:45 pace. Yahoo! Not bad, not bad at all.

And then… we cooked.

(I was in charge of the eggs)

This is 12 eggs, beat up with a bunch of shredded cheese, some feta, some milk, salt and pepper. YUM.

Needless to say, we were STUFFED and quite happy. We sat around the living room and listened to the clippety-clop of horse hooves and bells ringing outside. Also, it SNOWED. Could not have been more perfect, the end.

One of my favorite childhood winter foods (yes, we had “winter” in Southern California) was beef stew, straight from the oven. Cooking it in the oven was my grandma’s recipe and not par for the course, but as a child I was always slightly disappointed with a “stew” that was a bit thin and made on the stove.

Last night, with weather forecasts predicting 5-6″ of snow, we sat around our computers trying to think of appropriate recipes for a good, old-fashioned Snow Day. What I longed for, more than anything, was beef stew like grandma used to make. But my dad can’t have red meat, and a classic beef stew can’t do without the red meat. Soups were discussed–maybe a Senate bean soup or a thick split pea? But nothing felt hearty and comforting and “Snow Day” enough.

On the stove, ready to be put in the pan.

And then, and then. I stumbled on this recipe. Another Ina Garten recipe. We had most of the ingredients on hand. It was a CHICKEN stew. And it was baked! I had to try it.

Not sure why I used a black plate, but...the finished product! By the way, eat this in a BOWL. With a SPOON. Don't be silly like me.

Gentle readers, let me tell you. It was a perfect post-Thanksgiving, use-up-leftover-turkey, comfort-yourself-on-a-cold-day, soup. It may be THE perfect comfort stew/soup. It’s creamy, flavorful, and hearty, and should be the first thing anyone grabs when they come in from the cold.

What’s even better is that this stew is fully adaptable. Use whatever veggies and poultry and seasonings you have on hand. Make the biscuits that go on top according to the recipe, or make your favorite savory biscuits, or buy some Pillsbury and stick ‘em on top.

It’s a pet peeve of mine when I read reviews of recipes that say, “This recipe was great, but I changed this-and-this-and-this,” so I try to follow recipes exactly the first time…but…*sheepish*…I…err…didn’t follow it exactly. I tried to! In my defense, I only CHOSE to change one thing; the other differences came from health issues/pantry issues.

So, without further ado, here is my list of changes to the recipe:

• In the biscuits, I used oat flour instead of white flour, partially because we were out of white, and mostly because my dad can’t have white flour. (I used a combination of white and oat in the roux for the soup, since oat flour doesn’t thicken in the same way.)
• I used Thanksgiving turkey instead of following any of the chicken instructions, because it doesn’t make sense to go out and cook chicken when you have a freezer full of leftover turkey.
• I left out the bouillon cubes altogether. We don’t have them on hand, and my mom asked me to leave them out for health reasons. (I still heated the chicken stock, guessing it had something chemically to do with the roux.)
• And…drumroll…I added garlic! None of you should be surprised. I add it to 90% of any savory recipe I cook. But I recommend keeping this step in. I added about 5 or 6 minced cloves of assorted size in with the onions. Don’t be worried about adding a lot–the longer you cook garlic, the more the taste mellows. The garlic smell was overwhelming at first, but by the time I tasted the finished product, the garlic was merely a subtle layer of flavor

After putting the biscuit dough on the stew. I put the extra biscuits on the cookie sheet. (Do NOT skip the cookie sheet. The stew definitely bubbled over.)

My thoughts on the recipe itself:

• Well, I’m no biscuit-making expert, so I am not sure what went wrong with them. They didn’t rise. They tasted good, though. My dad thought their texture ended up close to shortbread. You’ve got to love a recipe that still tastes wonderful even when the biscuits on top don’t rise. I think maybe I overworked the dough, or…something. I don’t think it’s the recipe. If you choose to make another biscuit recipe, I’d still add in the parsley. The flavor of those biscuits really complimented the stew, and I’m pretty sure it was the parsley that was responsible for it.
• I loved everything about the flavor of this stew. I almost added tarragon (because we had some leftover, too), but I decided I wanted to go with the “original” flavors. I am sure you could put in whatever herb you wanted, and whatever vegetables you wanted, but I’d try the original version just once. Pearl onions, carrots, peas–PERFECT comfort food. The parsley was just right, too.
• The recipe calls for the carrots to be blanched (I cooked them a little longer than 2 minutes, though), and I had to blanch the pearl onions, too, in order to peel them. Don’t skip this step. The recipe really doesn’t have a lot of simmering time to cook those carrots, so if you skip blanching them, you might get crunchy carrots in your stew. (Bleck.) As it stands, the carrots come out just right. Tender, but still with some “shape” to them. I blanched the carrots in the same water I used for the pearl onions.
• My mom suggested covering the whole pan in puff pastry instead of biscuits. How delicious would that be? I had a “pot pie” once at a restaurant that had a layer of puff pastry on top (no other crust involved), and the top of the pastry was covered in kosher salt and pepper. It was absolutely mouthwatering. Speaking of pot pie, the stew would make a great filling for a pot pie. Just make an extra pie crust on Thanksgiving day, and bada-bing, bada-boom, you’ve got pot pie!

The recipe is under the cut!

Chicken Stew with Biscuits

by Ina Garten, from The Barefoot Contessa, “Stress-Free Dinner Party”

Ingredients

• 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots (4 carrots), blanched for 2 minutes
• 1 10-ounce package frozen peas (2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

For the biscuits:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 3/4 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions, and parsley. Mix well. Place the stew in a 10 x 13 x 2-inch oval or rectangular baking dish. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the biscuits. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Add the half-and-half and combine on low speed. Mix in the parsley. Dump the dough out on a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out to 3/8-inch thick. Cut out twelve circles with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter.

Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling. Brush them with egg wash, and return the dish to the oven. Bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the biscuits are brown and the stew is bubbly.

Note: To make in advance, refrigerate the chicken stew and biscuits separately. Bake the stew for 25 minutes, then place the biscuits on top, and bake for another 30 minutes, until done.

View of the snow from inside Saigon Bistro

I woke up this morning to find a pleasant surprise outside my window: the first snow of the season! I was so excited to run outside and build a snowman, but then I realized it was only 8:30 in the morning (which, on a weekend, is early for me). So I crawled back into bed and decided to wait until the afternoon, dreaming of the winter wonderland that would be waiting for me.

Silly me. By the time I woke up again, it was 2:30p! I hurriedly put on my coat and dragged my boyfriend outside with me. But, alas, the beautiful white snowflakes that greeted me earlier this morning had turned into brown slush. It was cold, grey, rainy, and just plain dreary outside! And to add insult to injury, we were both FAMISHED. (Sorry for sounding like a negative Nancy, but I was really disappointed!)

Dining room at Saigon Bistro

Cold weather always makes me crave noodle soups (must be the Asian in me) and luckily, Saigon Bistro was there to save the day. This sleek Vietnamese eatery opened fairly recently and took over the space that used to house the Fractured Prune and Aioli. With the lack of decent pho restaurants in the District, I’m truly grateful for Saigon Bistro’s arrival.

My boyfriend and I both ordered small beef noodle soups, or pho. Our soups arrived fairly quickly and piping hot, along with the usual condiments of bean sprouts, basil, jalepenos, and lime wedges. The noodles were just the right amount of chewy and served with generous portions of well done brisket and rare beef. The broth tasted light and fresh, though lacking the strong anise flavor that I love in Pho 75’s. Despite this, it was still a respectable bowl of pho and certainly satisfied my craving.

Small beef noodle soup #3

At $7.99 for a small pho, Saigon Bistro is a bit more expensive than Pho 75. But, hey, I think the extra $3 is worth it, especially for not having to trek all the way out to Rosslyn or Falls Church for decent pho on a cold winter day. Saigon Bistro’s menu offers more variety, too. I will definitely be back to try the rice dishes (which are skewers of chicken, shrimp, or beef served with rice, salad, and fish sauce) and clay pot dishes (if these are similar to Hong Kong style bao zai fan, I’ll be so happy). Nothing on the menu exceeds $15 and portions are generous.

After slurping down the last of my pho, I felt refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to head back out into the cold. I forgot all about my earlier grumpiness and left Saigon Bistro with a full belly and a smile on my face.

Saigon Bistro

2153 P St. NW (near the corner of P & 22nd St.)

Washington, DC 20036

202-558-6188

I would love to have me some Urban Outfitters. Mmmm.

As you probably can tell, I’ve been doing an awful lot of online browsing lately. But I can’t bring myself to buy anything yet, considering the expenditure that has/is/will take place due to the wedding.

Today, I had a super-gratifying dim sum brunch with Mon and Yang. I love getting those booths at Imperial Treasure, with the low-hanging lights, plush seats and dark furnishings. Oh, and of course, the dim sum – and the company – is glorious. Very soul-fulfilling.

After that, Mon and I adjourned to my designer’s studio to do a little bit of negotiations (heh heh). We managed to get the dress to a state we were all happy with, and while I wouldn’t say it was the vision of my dress dreams* (and I’m not sure I have only 1 dream dress), it’s still a pretty nice dress.

And I’m getting married in it. Ha! That, and the fact that it is a heartfelt gift from my parents, makes it awesome.

*a Vera, Lhullier, Rosa Clara, Elie Saab,  or a Keveza – i.e., a ridiculously expensive dream

{screencaps by me, from Urban Outfitters}

A cold day and a hot bowl of soup go hand in hand.  This is a basic recipe for making your own chicken soup.  Much better than that metallic tasting canned stuff and very easy to make.  And it’s a one pot dish!  This one is pretty much my mom’s recipe from back in the day except she would make her own noodles. 

Chicken and Noodle Soup

1 chicken, cut into about 6 to 8 pieces
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bag of carrots, chopped
1/2 stalk of celery, chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground pepper
1 Tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
1 package egg noodles

You can usually find a chicken in the poultry section that has already been cut up (labeled something crazy like “whole chicken cut up”).  First thing you need to do is prep all of your ingredients as listed above.  If I’m feeling especially industrious, I will pull the skin off of the chicken since this is where a lot of fat exists.  Place everything except the noodles in a large pot and fill with cold water until covered by about 2 inches.  Slowly bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour and a half.  While it is boiling, check every 20 minutes or so and skim the foam off of the top.  This will make your soup taste and look better in the end. 

Now for the fun part.  Fish the chicken pieces out with a slotted spoon, let them cool enough to handle and take the meat off of the bone.  Meanwhile back in soup pot with the veggies and broth, add your noodles and cook per the instructions on the package.  Add the meat back in.   Taste and adjust for seasoning and enjoy!

A simple lunch of pizza with goat cheese, onions, roasted pepper, crushed tomatoes, and chili peppers.

Hello Lovely Blog world!

Well I am on the mend. In no thanks to my current eating. Which has included a lot of:

some…

(hot chocolate, in case you couldn’t tell…)

a bowl of…

I always just want comfort food when I’m sick. I’m not very good at eating super healthy foods that will heal me. Don’t worry though; I’ve had some good ol’ tomato soup a couple of times and maybe a few clementines so I’m definitely getting in some Vitmamin C. I’ve just mixed in the above foods… and maybe a pizza pop or two (*blushes* I haven’t had a pizza pop in goodness knows how long, but I got a strange craving for one yesterday and just gave in…).

Other than that life has been study study study. All my papers are out of the way, my TA for a course I had yesterday was such a dear. We had a presentation to do, and I went with hopes I’d be strong enough, but I just couldn’t go through with it. I asked my group if they’d be okay with me leaving, and they said yeah, that’s fine. And my TA agreed as well, I asked about making up marks and she said she’d let me know. And apparently I don’t have to worry about it, which is great. I mean I did all the work… I just didn’t present it, but my group did.

On another note, since I’m not eating all my produce it’s starting to look like this:

Super ripe! I don’t know how I’ll feel about fruit tomorrow, so in the spirit of procrastination I was proactive and did a bunch of chopping this evening:

And into the freezer they went! I see I caught my shadow, dang university dorm room lighting!

Alright, I can’t procrastinate anymore, I only have the ittiest bit left on this section of physiology, so I’m off to finish it up!

Night.

Just in time for Hanukkah, which starts on December 11th, here are tips from the American Dietetic Association on how to keep your potato pancakes (latkes) healthy. The healthier you make them, the more you can eat Happy Hanukkah!

Healthy Hanukkah Latkes

December 4, 2009

As Hanukkah draws near, families everywhere will celebrate with a staple of the traditional Hanukkah dinner table: potato latkes.

Latkes are a fried pancake usually made from grated potatoes mixed with eggs, onions, matzo meal and seasonings. They are often served with a topping of apple sauce or sour cream.

To cut calories on this holiday favorite, try egg whites or egg substitutes instead of eggs to hold the latke together. You can also swap full-fat sour cream and processed apple sauce with a low-fat or no-fat sour cream or homemade applesauce. Peel and chop apples and boil in a small amount of water until they are soft enough to mash.

Produced by ADA’s Public Relations Team

Source: The American Dietetic Association

In the spirit of full disclosure, this one goes straight in the stolen category.  I’ve copied and pasted it here just in case someday the owner’s website goes down.  I tested several different recipes a few years ago and this was the clear winner.

Unbelievably Good Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
¼ pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
½ cup sugar
¾ cup tightly packed light brown sugar
1 ½ t. vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
7 oz bittersweet chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1) Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

2) Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars on low speed until it is smooth and lump free, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

3) Add the vanilla and egg and beat on low speed for 15 seconds, or until fully incorporated. Do not overbeat. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

4) On low speed, add the flour mixture. Beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the chocolate chunks and mix until they are just incorporated. If using a hand mixer, use a wooden spoon to stir them in. Refrigerate dough for at least an hour.

5) Preheat oven to 350. Adjust racks to lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Spoon the dough using a cookie scooper 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheets. (makes about 23 3-inch round cookies)

6) Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden brown around the edges, turning the sheets front to back and switching racks halfway through.

Remove the sheet from the oven and carefully slide the parchment or Silpats directly onto a work surface. When cookies are set, remove them to a cooling rack. Wait at least 5 minutes before serving or 20 minutes before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Thanks http://wordstoeatby.blogspot.com/.

Macaroni and cheese is one of life’s simple pleasures.  We all grew up eating Kraft’s version and that still has it’s proper time and place.  But when it’s cold out or around the holidays or you’re watching too much Food Network, you want something just a bit more substantial.  And gooey.  Many folks have probably eaten or at least heard of Martha Stewarts $40 Crack n Cheese.  You know- 5 plus different kinds of cheeses, some sharp (or at least odd flavors) for young kids.  That’s not what I was looking for.  I want something my 2 year old will enjoy just as much as me.  And come back for more, saying ‘mo mac n cheese please!’.

Macaroni and cheese

1 pkg macaroni (16oz)
3 T Butter
1/3 c flour
2 1/2 c milk (warmed in microwave for a minute)
2 t dry mustard (ground)
2 t black pepper (ground)
3 c sharp cheddar
1/2 lb velvetta (a quarter of one standard brick)

Cook the noodles al dente per the directions on the package.  Because you end up warming (cooking) the noodles further in the cheese sauce, make sure to not over cook them!  Mushy noodles will ruin the whole dish and can’t be saved.  As soon as they are done cooking, drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water.  I read somewhere and now have experienced that this will make the texture of the finished dish smoother as the excess starch on the pasta messes up the final product if you miss this step. 

Make the roux by putting the butter and flour in a pan and cooking on medium low heat for a couple of minutes.  Whisk in milk, mustard and pepper, crank the heat up to medium and bring to a slow boil for about 10 minutes.  This will help cook out the raw flour taste of the roux.  Feel free to use half and half or cream as a substitute for milk to make even tastier.  Once it’s done cooking, lower the heat and add in the cheese and stir every so often until melted.  The finished cheese sauce should have a pancake batter consistency.  Never made pancakes?  Well you should try it sometime as they are quite nice. 

Cut off the heat and stir in the macaroni.  Congrats, you’re now ready to eat!

Once again, Need drives me over to Invention, plops me down and makes me like it. I am poor — which fact the ATM informed me, yet again, just as I was about to get some money for lunch. I abandoned the plan and rode my bike home with my mouth hanging open to catch the snowflakes.

Thoroughly chilled, I looked in the fridge. Nothing. I grit my teeth, I girded my loins, I spit. Really? Nothing? No. A fiction. First of all, there are so many condiments a person could live on those alone for a week. Second, I have greens growing in the garden, miso paste, and always some dried noodles. I’ve eaten it a million times before, but still it always feels like Invention pulled magically from an empty fridge.

So this is what I eat when I am cold and poor and lazy. Miso soup, which, to quote M.F.K. Fisher, “can be stretched this way or that and made country-simple or town-elegant.” (Naturally I have been reading Fisher’s thoughts on thrift — still standing, sturdily! — How to Cook a Wolf.)

Boil a bowl’s worth of water with a piece of kombu. Add a handful of bean-thread or rice-stick noodles. Give them a couple of minutes. Add a handful each of fresh spinach and frozen corn. If the noodles are done, pour the soup into the bowl. Mix in yellow miso paste, maybe 1.5 T for a bowl, but to taste. Add sesame oil.

It’s been a long week, kids.  I don’t know if it’s the let down after the excitement of having a four day weekend or the *&$^(#%^!@ bell ringers on every corner or the tourists stopping to ooh and ahh over traffic lights and jamming up the sidewalks, but I am seriously considering staying home until January 2.  I am trying to get into the holiday spirit, but since I don’t think it’s appropriate to bring a flask of Maker’s Mark to work, it’s slow going.

Of course, cooking has kind of taken a back seat since all I really want to do is have Frosted Flakes for dinner, but last night I really needed something a little more comforting (especially since snow was in the forecast).  I got home late and opened my refrigerator to discover I had the following: olives, mustard, one tortilla, an onion, milk and potatoes.  A survey of the pantry led me to black beans, saltines and brownie mix.  As tempted as I was to just make the brownies and call it a day, I realized that I could make black bean burritos and I instantly felt better (and thank goodness there is a 7-11 downstairs so I could pay $5 for some Monterrey Jack cheese). 

I haven’t made this in ages, but years ago when I lived with three vegetarians, I ate more black bean burritos than anyone really ever should.  One of my roommates made up the recipe and it supplemented the rice and soy sauce, canned soup and spaghetti with olive oil and Kraft parmesan we ate on a regular basis (no sodium deficiencies for us, obviously!). 

The burritos were incredibly easy and we always had the ingredients in the house, which meant that we’d make them for dinner or as a 4am snack.  We told ourselves that they were totally healthy–fiber! protein! dairy!–and they are until you add half a cup of sour cream and eat 3 of them in one sitting. 

It was the perfect thing to have after a long day, though, because the curry and cumin make it taste as though you really put in a lot of effort, when actually it takes 20 minutes from start to finish. 

And really? There is nothing better than melted cheese and little bit of spice to make you forget that winter hasn’t even technically started and you still have to do holiday shopping.  Someone pass the Maker’s…

Black Bean Burritos

• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon hot curry
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• whole wheat tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Add the olive oil to a sauce pan set over medium heat and saute the onions, until wilted.  Add the garlic and black beans.  Stir and let simmer for about 5 minutes.  Remove from stove, add the corn (still frozen. Told you it was super easy!) and let sit while you grate the cheese (this will let the corn thaw).

Add a layer of the bean/corn mixture to middle of tortilla, top with cheese and fold into burrito.  Place on foil or cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted.  Top with salsa and sour cream (if you actually have either of those things in your refrigerator, unlike me).

I’ve finally roused from my Thanksgiving-induced coma, and now I must share with you one of the recipes that helped put me there.

My Gramma Ford is a marvelous woman. Wife of a pastor, she has many a tried-and-true Church Lady recipe, and her favored techniques would make Paula Dean get all smiley-crazy-eyes. Seriously, have you seen that show Paula’s Party? She’s either half-tipsy, or very … odd.

Moving on! Two years ago, we had Thanksgiving at my Gramma’s house and I was introduced to the Chicken-Noodles. It’s warm. Rich. Full of flavor and thick, dumpling-like noodles. Comfort Food with capital letters. Easily my favorite dish in the massive holiday buffet that year. I had, in fact, been daydreaming about it ever since.

This year, The Husband and I packed The Kids into The Car and made The Drive to Gramma’s house. A thousand miles away. I wish I was exaggerating. But alas, I am not. Many a member of my extended family would be gathering, for lo, it was Thanksgiving.

And so it happened that my sister and I sat my Gramma down in her tiny kitchen and let her boss us around. Step by supervised step, the recipe for the Chicken Noodles was revealed. And I was stunned – STUNNED! – at how very simple it is. My sister faithfully wrote down every little step of this process, and there just weren’t that many. Photos were taken. Gramma’s kitchen is All Flourescent Lighting All The Time, so the pics are a bit odd. But please, don’t let that stop you from making this recipe. Your soul craves it, even if you don’t know it yet.

Gramma Ford’s Chicken Noodles (prep time: minimal, cook time: 20-30 minutes, happy time: eternal)
2-3 bags Reames Egg Noodles (16 -oz, frozen)
3+ quarts chicken broth (or stock)
1 large can chicken breast (or whatever cooked chicken you have available)
1 stick of butter
black pepper to taste

There is not a single vegetable of any kind involved. We’re not going for nutrition, here. You want fiber and vitamins, have a salad on the side. The Chicken-Noodles are not here to be nutritious. They’re here to wrap your soul in all the warm, homey comfort that can be found on a grandmother’s kitchen. And they do it well.

First things first. You may, as I did, wonder: what on earth are Reames Egg Noodles?

Egg noodles. Name o' "Reames". Go figure.

These noodles are only about 2-3 inches long, but they’re thick and dumplin-y. Gramma says to use the frozen noodles. At first I was dubious, but I know better than to question my Gramma in her own kitchen about her own recipe. Respect the territory of another. Besideswhich, the frozen noodles, as they cook, get the sauce all starchy and rich. Good times.

Heat up the chicken broth, and drop the noodles in. Cook ‘em up like the package says to.

If you can use a big soup pot that's probably older than you, all the better.

These said to boil them for 20 minutes. We shorted it a bit, because they would finish off in the crock pot.

Now, let’s make peace with this …

Hello, lover.

Yes, okay. It’s butter. Salted, sweet cream butter. You can use whatever kind of butter you like, but please. Please. I’m begging you. For the sake of the integrity of this down-home Comfort Food. Use real butter.

I’m no butter snob. I’m usually the first to suggest substituting with margarine. But for this recipe, real butter makes the magic happen. And you want the magic to happen, don’t you?

Of course you do!

Yeah, that’s right. Just drop the entire stick of butter right in the middle of the chicken broth and noodles. Watch it melt sensuously together. Cackle a bit. I know I did.

If you’re not making the full Army Of Family To Feed batch of this recipe, you can cut back on the butter. If you think it’ll help you sleep at night. Just know that if you do, a Pastor’s wife in Indiana will be very gently disappointed in you.

Stir it all together and let it bubble away. Add some black pepper, fresh-cracked if you’ve got it.

Not required: getting the shadow of your kid sister's arm in the photo.

Have mercy. This is wicked delish already. And we're not even done.

While the noodles keep cooking in their buttery peppery goodness, we prep the chicken. And by “prep” I mean ….

Obtain can.

Open can. Drain of juices.

Break up chicken chunks a bit. Add to noodles.

THIS RECIPE IS SO COMPLICATED!

Heh.

Ahem.

Anyway, stir it all together.  You don’t have to use canned chicken – I intend to dice up some leftover chicken and Thanksgiving turkey for a batch later this week. Canned is just what we had, and it’s cheap and yummy, and it’s what Gramma said to use. And what Gramma says, goes.

Cook till the noodles are almost as tender as you want them. Then … and this is crucial …

Get my Gramma to taste it.

It may or may not need a dash of salt. Maybe a smidge more pepper. But honestly, that’s it.

Noodles. Chicken broth. Butter. Chicken. Pepper. Done.

Let it simmer on the stove and just get richer and more fantastic. Or if you’re cooking a banquet and you need the stove space, pour it all into a crockpot and just nibble on it all day long. And what a wonderful day that will be!

And Gramma, lay out the good china. Some random people who read about you on the internet are coming over with spoonsful of Chicken-Noodles. I’m sure they’re all very nice.