I don’t know about you, but I love Christmas music. It’s almost a shame that we only listen to it this time each year (even though I have been known to listen to a Christmas song on my iPod ANY time of the year, if it comes up on shuffle).

Most people know the standards (“Jingle Bells,” “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”) and the novelty recordings (“Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer,” “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas”) but what I want to focus on today are my top 10 Christmas songs that you have probably never heard. Most of these fall into the rock/indie rock category.

Candypants – The Happiest Time Of The Year

Julian Casablancas – I Wish It Was Christmas Today
Cover of the SNL song written by Horatio Sanz

Eugene Edwards – Dear Mom and Dad

Eels – Everything’s Gonna Be Cool This Christmas

Grandaddy – Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland
Sample lyric: “In the meadow we can build a snowman, and pretend that he is Alan Parsons.”

Low – Just Like Christmas

The Raveonettes – Come On Santa

Shonen Knife – Space Christmas

Stew – Now I Have It All (It’s Christmas Time Again)
Free MP3 available to download at Stewsongs.com

The Weepies – All That I Want
This was featured in a Target commercial last year, and it instantly became one of my favorite Christmas songs.

In my opinion, all of these songs make a fine addition to any Christmas mix. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.

Chicago Chicken Stew – Chicken stew with carrots, potatoes, turnips and squash

This chicken stew is simply fabulous and hearty, without being too heavy or unhealthy.  I made my first batch in my largest pot last week, and it was gone before the night was over.  Considering that there are only two of us, that just might make this dish the most popular thing I have ever made.  And that’s saying a lot…

To start, warm some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it is sizzling.  Add onions, half of your garlic, Northwoods seasoning, some salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Cook for about five minutes until the onions are becoming translucent.

Add in potatoes, turnips, carrots, squash and half a cup of chicken broth and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Cook for another five or so minutes, stirring frequently so that vegetables are exposed to the bottom of the pot and the chicken broth.

Add the chicken breasts and cook for another ten minutes.  Move the contents of your pot out of the way with your spoon, add the flour and stir until the flour is absorbed, about one minute.

Add the rest of the chicken broth, the red wine, sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, remaining garlic and bay leaves.   Stir, cover and let the mixture come to a boil.   Once at a boil, turn down to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After fifteen minutes, taste and add additional Northwoods seasoning, salt and/or pepper if needed.

Once the thirty minutes has passed, carefully take the chicken breasts out and cut them into bite-sized pieces and add back to the pot.  Cook for another fifteen minutes and enjoy!

Note – the longer you cook this stew, the more flavor it will have.  Also, any type of soup or stew always tastes best the day after you make it, so you may want to double or triple this recipe to have leftovers!

Olive Oil (extra virgin – always!)
Garlic, 6 cloves
Onions, 2 medium or 1.5 large
Carrots, 4 peeled and diced
Potatoes, 10 small or 4-5 medium
Turnip, 1 large
Bottleneck Squash, .5 Medium or 1 small
Chicken Breast, 2 large
Flour, 2 tablespoons
Sugar, 2 teaspoons
Balsamic Vinegar or White Balsamic Vinegar (I used aged white),  1 tablespoon
Bay Leaves, 4 crushed leaves
Red Wine, .5 Cup (any kind you like to drink will do)
Chicken Stock (I used low sodium so I can salt to my taste), 4-5 cups
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Northwoods Seasoning (from Penzeys – containing Salt, Sweet Paprika, Pepper Thyme, Rosemary, Garlic and Chipotle

Think I have a hot stew dish kinda working.  I use some soup, then add meat, and frozen veg and leave in the slow cooker.  Usually comes out edible.  Today I fancied something hot ( could be because of the snow on the ground ) with dumplings.

I have never cooked dumplings before.  Most recipe websites have fancy recipes but not a basic simple one.  I have a copy of the Joy of Cooking, but it is still in Canada.  At some point I will ship everything over and use it again.  So I searched the web and found a new website http://www.basic-recipes.net there were several dumpling recipes, and most seemed simple enough.  So I tried one.

Mix Flour and Baking Soda with a bit of Salt in a bowl.

Then add egg and milk.

I didn’t have the spices it told me to use to I added mixed herbs.

Then place a spoonful into the stew and cook for 15 minutes.

I think I diluted the soup too much, but not bad.  The dumplings expanded, didn’t expect that so the top was all dumpling.  and below was a lovely hot stew!

The dumplings were a bit bland, will have to experiment and try some herbs and spices to add to them, will have lots of practice over the next little while, think we are in a cold spell!

Katherine

How do I say this? My Dad’s side of the family could be considered the more, “eccentric?” side of the family.  As a whole, the paternal side of my family is the side that tends to do a lot of hands-on stuff and to get pretty creative in the kitchen.  My Mom though, is of course, chock-full of craftiness and her own brand of eccentricity. My Dad, his sisters and my Grandparents were all born overseas so this may have something to do with their eccentricities. My Dad was born in England, my Grandmother in Lithuania and my aunts in Southern Africa and New Zealand, so together, they’ve brought with them and acquired some interesting tastes from the different places they’ve been.

My aunt Maria and uncle Cort took the plunge years ago and moved to the Caribbean. They set up shop on Grand Cayman and ended up living there for about 12 years.  I got to visit Cayman first when I was about 16 and have been back several times since then with Chelsea and everyone else in the family has visited several times. Maria and Cort don’t live there anymore but the spirit of the island is part of us all and is the theme of our annual Christmas get-together. The Caribbean couldn’t seem any further from the Midwest in the middle of December but if you fill a home with some decorations reminiscent of the island and the aromas of its food and drink, you may just think you are there.  O.k. I admit, it’s a stretch, but still a lot of fun.

Mom tenderizing conch meat

flouring oxtails

Tropical inside, un-tropical outside

The menu for the event is always an array of Caymanian and Caribbean specialties. The menu consists of home-made oxtail stew, conch stew, beans and rice, sauteed sweet plantains, lobster, meat patties, sorrel drink, ginger beer, rum cake and fresh mango. The beef patties are shipped fresh (frozen) from the island (You can find them at The Caribbean American Baking Company on Howard St. in Chicago too).  It’s funny how these rich and comforting foods seem just as appropriate in the frigid Midwest as they do on a tropical island. You’d think that the island cuisine would be light and chilled but ironically, that’s not the case.  In fact, you don’t see many islanders eating sandwiches for lunch, rather, you see them dining on a daily stew  in a restaurant or hitting up the deli steam tables full of fresh-made stews, plantains and rice at the grocery store.

Caribbean stovetop

Conch stew with "sea pies"

Caribbean plate

Tortuga rum cake and fresh fruit

Sorrel drink, mango punch, ginger beer and Tortuga rum

Sorrel drink, made with the flower calyces of a certain kind of hibiscus, is one of my favorite Caribbean beverages and always served at the Caribbean Christmas dinner. It’s similar to the Mexican liquado, Jamaica (pronounced ha-mike-ah). The fresh or dried flowers are steeped in water which is then sweetened and seasoned with spices like ginger and cinnamon. I was excited to find out, just last week, that Gayla Trail of the gardening blog, You Grow Girl, has been in Dominica studying its flora and fauna, including the species of hibiscus that is used for sorrel drink and blogged about it here.  After reading her post I was more than ready to enjoy some sorrel drink spiked with Tortuga Rum from Cayman. Sorrel can also be “fortified” with a splash of red wine, which was originally intended to be used as a preservative or it can be enjoyed on it’s own over ice or with a splash of ginger beer.

Here’s You Grow Girl’s recipe for sorrel drink. My aunt’s recipe uses the same formula but she adds a little touch of cinnamon to hers.

Image of hibiscus for sorrel from You Grow Girl.com

Optional variations on the drink include adding fizzy water (we like this best), orange zest, cloves, lime, or a couple of shots of rum to make rum punch.

Ingredients

* 1 cup hibiscus calyces (dried or fresh)
* 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh ginger
* 1 tablespoon cane sugar, honey, or agave syrup (or to taste)
* 4 cups hot water

Method

1. Steep hibiscus calyces, ginger, and sugar in hot water for several hours.
2. Once cooled, place in the fridge and continue to steep for as little or as long as you prefer (up to 2 days).
3. Strain out the plant parts and serve with ice.

Makes approx. 4 cups.

This is what I lived on in hard times. It is cheap, filling, warming and good for you, make it by the gallon load (you think I’m joking, I have a one and a half-gallon pan) and it serves an army.  It is also delicious. This has also starred a lead role taking a giant Tupperware of it to Glade and a two-day techno party in the Peaks. If you are uber skint it will feed you for a week on a fiver.

If you don’t have the right ingredients, improvise: Kidney Beans can replace the chickpeas for example. You can add celery, celeriac, turnip, and so on, anything cheap and nourishing.

It is also good for Them Veggie Types.

Ingredients:

1 Head Garlic.

2 Large Onions

2 Leeks

1 Giant Swede

2 tins Chickpeas

3 Tins Tomatoes

1 Pint stock (use stock cubes, the salt kick does you good!)

1 tblsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Chilli Power

Big knob of butter (or even margarine) for frying.

1) Prepare the onion, garlic, leeks, swede by chopping, peeling, slicing as necessary. Big chunks of swede are good, it makes you feel you have something meaty in there.

2) Heat the butter in a big pan and add the onion, garlic and cumin seeds. After about five minutes frying add the leeks and swede. Fry for a further 5 minutes, then add the chilli powder and mix up well.

3) Add the chickpeas (drained), the tomatoes and the stock, stirring the break the tomatoes up a bit.

4) Simmer for about 20 minutes until the swede is done.

Serve with bread and butter (brown sliced and marge for the authentic experience). On Giro Day grated cheese can be added on top. Cheapo Cider makes a good drink to go with it!

Elk sirloin stew with garnet sweet potatoes, white sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, spices, spring onions.  Chef Toni

While I am certainly confused as to why we are currently on our second snow day in a row for the great blizzard of 2009 (the roads in my neighborhood are clear), I’m not going to argue about it.  Even after three years in Baltimore, my Michigan upbringing rails against the nonsensical reasoning for closing schools here.  Hopefully the school systems will cut their losses for the week and cancel tomorrow as well out of the goodness of their hearts.  Probably not likely, but something to hope for.  I’m packing the car today just in cases.

Since it has been atypically cold and snowy here, I’ve been seriously craving some comfort food.  Last time’s agvolemono soup was more of a craving for the comforts of Michigan specifically; this time around, I came up with some beef stew that hit the general spot.  I’ve added the title classic to this because, really, this is pretty no-frills.  But damn is it good.

Beef stew has one of those scents that instantly brings me back to childhood, even though I can’t really remember the last time I had it at home.  My mom would have it simmering in this gigantic pot that was crazy heavy and a total pain in the ass to wash–it never really fit properly in the sink basin.  We’d have Pilsbury rolls and my dad would only eat his stew on top of those, despite the fact that stew is clearly a dish for bowls.  When I got the stew going, the wine simmering and the marjoram, thyme, oregano and basil cooking on the beef had the house smelling like good old home for hours.

I don’t know why I haven’t made this more often since leaving home.  As long as you have a couple of hours, it’s a breeze to do; everything just has to sit for a while.  The prep is super easy, too, and the clean-up is simple, too (though, the roommate does that when I cook).  And, goddamn, it reminds me of home, which, this week before Christmas, has been a major theme in all aspects of my life.  I’m going to have to work it into my Sunday-night repertoire, because it is so satisfying.

Recipe: Beef Stew from Joy (I’ve been really enjoying going to this lately, rather than das Internet)

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tsp. dried herbs, divided (basil, thyme, marjoram, oregano for me)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 lbs. beef, cut into cubes.  The smaller the cubes, the faster this cooks, obviously.
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 carrot chopped (divided–is that the right word here?  You’ll use them at different times)
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 pint of mushrooms, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 cup red wine (I used a cab from a box, and it was still delicious.  Don’t go overboard or anything.)
• 3-4 potatoes (use whatever kind of potato you want.  I used redskins because they were what we had, and it was an ample amount of potato, no matter how small they were.)
• Salt/pepper to taste

Season the beef with salt/pepper, and 1/2 of the dried seasonings.  Dredge the beef chunks in flour.  In a big pot or dutch oven put the olive oil.  Drop beef in in batches to brown on all sides, then remove.  Don’t do it all at once, or it takes a long time to do (lesson learned!).  Once the beef is out and sitting, put in the veggies, reserving some of the carrot for later.  Cook on medium high heat until the onions are soft, about 5.  Add the bay leaves, the other half of the spices, and some more salt/pepper.  Add meat back in, and cover it up with the beef stock and wine.  Stir, and let it come to a boil.  Then, lower the heat to a simmer, and let it sit for about an hour and a half to two hours.  Watch a movie.  Read a book.  Think about maybe getting some work done and watch a few episodes of CSI: Miami.  Then come back, and add the potatoes and the rest of the carrots.  (I added mushrooms here, too)  Cook for another 40 minutes or so, then serve.

The recipe in the book calls for a little thickening, but they said DO NOT  USE FLOUR.  I don’t know why, something about irremovable chunks, which kind of freaked me out a bit.  I didn’t, and it was still fine, but if you’re some kind of purist (or more educated than I), thicken it.  The suggestion that good old Irma gives is for Kneaded Butter (which there is another recipe for), or a roux, which is a word that I just learned.

Whatever.  The stew was good without it anyway.

The idea here is to use 2 pounds total of a variety of fish, so if you cannot find (or don’t like) one of the fishes below, just replace it with something that works for you.  When preparing a variety of dishes, a great time/effort/stress saver, is to include a stew.

Ingredients:

• 1             Onion (medium, peeled, chopped coarsely, about 3/4 C)
• 3 TB      Garlic (peeled, chopped coarsely)
• 1/4 C    Parsley (remove most of the stems)
• 3 TB      Basil leaves
• 1/2 C    Lucini Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 C    dry white wine
• 2 C         Lucini Organic Tuscan Plum Tomatoes (chopped coarsely)
• 2 C         Stock (fish or seafood stock would be optimal, but vegetable and poultry will work as well)
• 2 TB      Lucini Pinot Noir Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Salt (sea)
• 1/2 LB  Squid (cleaned very well, cut into 1-inch rings, octopus or even shucked clams can substitute)
• 1/2 LB  Swordfish (skin removed, cut into 1-inch cubes)
• 1/2 LB  Shrimp  (shelled – I use U/20)
• 1/4 LB  Scallops
• 1/4 L B Sole (or another firm white fish, cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 2 TB  Lucini Lemon-Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 TB  Lucini Chili-Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 8        slices of Bread (1-inch tick, toasted)

Preparation:

Mince the onion, garlic, parsley and basil together.  Heat the oil in a heavy-duty pot and stir in the minced vegetable mixture.  Cook over low heat until the ingredients soften (about 5 minutes).  Raise the heat to high, pour in the wine and cook until reduced by half.  Lower heat and stir in the tomatoes, stock and salt.  When bubbles just begin to appear on the sides of the pot, add the fish and then cook just until the fish turns opaque or whitish looking and flakes easily with a fork, and the shrimp have turned pink.  Meanwhile, toast several slices of bread and rub them with a garlic-infused oil.

Stir in the chili and lemon oils and correct the salt, pepper and vinegar, if necessary.  Once the fish is done, line the bottoms of your bowls with the toasted bread, ladle the cacciucco over them, and serve.

Honestly, I’ve fallen in love with a cutting board…

The John Boos Cutting Board, that is…and O, how fine it is!

Now, this isn’t just any ol’ cutting board, aside from the fact that it’s incredibly well crafted and aesthetically pleasing to the eye, this John Boos cutting board can handle anything you desire.  The best part? It’s reversible…yes, you’ve heard me correctly, the easy to grip side hand grips allow you to flip the cutting board and start chopping right away on the other side.  I opted for the Maple Board as I think the wood  looks incredibly beautiful on my counter top.  This professional cutting board is cream finished with beeswax and used in many fine restaurants all over the country…now, who wouldn’t love one of these babies in their kitchen?

Today I was hard at work in my tiny kitchen…chopping, dicing, slicing…you name it, I did it!  That’s why good ol’ John Boos came in handy.  I opted for a vegetable stew to warm me up on this chilly December day.

Hearty Chickpea n’ Veggie Stew

Ingredients

• 2 cups green beans, trimmed and cut in half
• 2 cups onion, sliced
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 large zucchini, cut into 1″ cubes
• 2 yellow bell peppers, sliced
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1′” cubes
• 2 sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1 3/4 cup all natural tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 4 fresh basil leaves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

• In a large stock pot, add onions, olive oil and garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes.
• Add all remaining ingredients and cook, covered, on low heat for 6-7 hours or until vegetables are tender.
• Enjoy!

OK, well technically black and grey – but you get the idea!

I missed doing the blog! I haven’t even been here that long, and I didn’t realize how much I would miss it! But to not be able to blog or read anyone else’s? Whoa. Serious withdrawal over here, let me tell ya! Also, taking an unanticipated break made me realize how the blog makes me more responsible for what I eat, or don’t eat. Taking pictures of everything definitely keeps me accountable! 

So, let’s kick things off with Sunday breakfast at home, shall we?
 Wheat bagel with fat free STRAWBERRY cream cheese. Delish!
(Oh, and check out that kitchen rooster )

Momma made herself a heaping plate of international goodness
(International because it’s FRENCH toast, get it? Oh man, you don’t have to laugh haha..)

The best part about watching my Mom make this was that she used fresh bread and soy milk with the egg. Go Momma Sue, for making “healthy” french toast. And the other fab thing about her? She ate all that she made, and she did it with class. Sometimes it’s nice to see people just eat, you know? Again – go Mom.

Then, after some serious Martha Stewart watching, I made a big decision. I took my virgin hair to get HIGHLIGHTED! Whoa, it was craziness, and my Mamasita was definitely nervous, but we both really liked it in the end! I’ve had some pretty drastic hair changes. I’ve had really long hair, all the way to a pixie cut. Ever since the short style, I’ve been growing it out. It’s not as long as I’d like it yet, but it’s getting there. And the short cut lasted about a year, so that was good. I remember when I first told my boyfriend at the time that I was going to get it cut. You know boys – hair and butts. But he totally supported me. (Can we all tell that I am still in love with this boy? He’s the one from my Thanksgiving Break tryst…who knows what Winter Break will bring!)

Ralph Lauren launch party. Loved the hair, hate the skinny!  

Curly version, prom with the boy. Yuck, his hair does not look like that anymore haha

Anyway, introducing the lighter color – honey highlights. Yikes! Phew, that’s actually a little nerve wrecking to post a picture of myself. (Kind of like a before and after type deal.) It’s actually a little therapeutic. At first I think, “Gosh, are people going to think, ‘Oh look at how fat she is now that she has put some meat back on her bones.’” But you know, I don’t think anyone will think that. I just went to go visit my old teachers at my high school on Thursday, and the first thing they all had to say was, “Wow you look great!” And it made me feel great. No one has to worry about my health or happiness anymore by looking at me. They can look at me and KNOW I’m healthy and happy. Whoo! (Plus, please. Check out those angles in this picture Tyra Banks! )

Lunch was leftover stew that my Mom made for dinner last night. DELICIOUS! I loooooove my Mom’s stew and she made it without the meat.

This was the tiny cactus bowl I used to use for my cheerios back in my youth. I had this x2. 

I spent the rest of the day in lovely bliss with my lovely friends – awesome to have, “the family” back in my life. We watched Ratatouille and I got to play with my friend’s baby the whole time. She is already the most beautiful little girl I have ever met, and so joyous! The only down part to the whole thing, was that my friend’s boyfriend (Mother and Father of the baby) is my ex’s cousin. I love hanging out with him, but he always teases me about him. And today, Mercedes (my friend) said, “Yeah whatever happened with Ryan? I really liked him.” I liked him too. In order to make it into, “the family” you really have to be sort of approved by everyone – whether you’re a friend or potential boyfriend/girlfriend. I guess maybe that sounds weird, but we have a very tight knit group. Any boyfriend I’ve ever had has fit in really well with us all, but I never was in love with any of them the way Ryan and I were… I guess to some extent it makes me feel better that I’m still not really over it, because no one else is really over it. We were an epic relationship, I have to say.

OK – enough mush!

After hours of tear inducing laughter, I dropped my friend Harry back at home and came home to a lovely sit down dinner of chili.

Another classic Mom dish. Made with Boca crumbles. Perfect for a chilly night!

It’s so nice to sit at the table and have a discussion while having dinner. I think a lot of times we end up eating watching TV or doing other things, even if we’re still doing those things together. It was really nice to just sit down and enjoy a meal and recap the day.

 And just for my own proud heart’s sake, here is our Christmas tree! I collect ornaments, so I love decorating the tree. I get them as a present every year for my own family’s tree one day. These ornaments combined with my Grandma Rose’s antique ornaments make me love our tree so much. It looks so beautiful, if I do say so myself!

Here’s the full view, and us putting up the tree. (Post hair color! hehe)

Wow, sorry that this post was filled with so many personal pictures! Now I’m settling in to watch a night of awesome TV – i.e., Kendra’s baby special and the new Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Ah, classiness at it’s finest.

- Do you have a lot of sit down meals with your family/significant other? Do you prefer that?
- Have you been hit by the, “Blizzard of 2009″?! 

This is a quick chili that has a different type of flavor than your usual tomato-based stew. This does not simmer for hours, just about 20-30 minutes, so the individual flavors are still there and you can pick them out. This has a very fresh flavor and was modified from a recipe in Real Simple magazine. The rice is a garnish or could be a simple side dish.

Ingredients for Rice:
2 cups prepared rice, bulgur wheat or quinoa
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 c chopped parsley or cilantro
1/2 fresh banana pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 c chopped green onion, green parts only
A little salt and pepper to taste

Mix all these together and set aside. Or you can prep the rice and mix everything together at the end.

Rice Garnish

Ingredients for Chili:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 large onion
3.5 fresh banana peppers, seeded and finely diced (or less if you prefer)
green onions, white parts only
1/2 c carrots, finely diced
2 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 can diced tomatoes with chili peppers, with the juice
veggie stock or water
1 can white navy or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white corn, drained and rinsed
2 TBSP sugar

Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat and add the onions, peppers and carrots. Add garlic and seasonings and cook for about 2-3 more minutes. Add tomatoes and juice, use the can as a measuring cup and fill with veggie stock, then add it in.Turn up the heat and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Add beans and corn and reduce heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes or so, adding sugar after about 10 minutes.

Chili after about 20 minutes

Re-heat your rice mix in the microwave. Serve it piping hot with the rice mix on top. I also added some Vermont White Cheddar in this picture:

Good Stuff!

Three hour preptime, perfect for a wintry Sunday dinner

Ingredients:

4lbs beef short ribs, bone in cut 2″ thick by 4″ length
I carrot, diced
1 med onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 beer (lager or other mild type)/ could be wine as well
2 cups chicken broth
1 can tomato paste (or diced tomatoes if you prefer)
1 bay leaf
fresh parsley
fresh thyme
fresh rosemary
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Trim meat of excess fat. Season tribs with salt and pepper and coat in flour
3. Place heavy bottomed dutch oven over med high heat add some oil and allow to get nice and hot
4. Brown ribs on all sides, in batches if necessary, set ribs aside when finished
5. Discard oil and return pan to stove, add more oil and cook, onions, carrots and garlic
6. While veggies cook combine tomato paste with one cup of chicken broth
7. When veggies are browned add mixture to pan and scrape the bottom of the pan clean. Reduce liquid by 1/3
8. Add remaning stock, herbs and ribs. Pour in beer (or wine) so the liquid just covers the meat.
9. Cover the pot and place in the oven
10. Cook ribs until they are fork tneder 2 1/2 – 3 hours (while they are cooking make the Spaetzle)
11. When finished remove ribs from pot and skim off fat. Return pot to stove and reduce liquid for sauce. Add seasoning if needed.

For the Spaetzle:

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
finely chopped parsley
1 diced shallot

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil.
2. In a bowl whisk together eggs milk and herbs, season with salt and pepper
3. Add flour to bowl and beat until incorporated, it should be a thick pancake batter consistancy
4. Working in batches, press the dough through the holes of a colander (or cheese grater or other kitchen item with lots of holes) into the boiling water. The dough will form small dumplings.
5. The Spaetzle will float when finished, scoop out with a slotted spoon and drizzle with olive oil so it doesnt stick, repeat until finished.
6. Set aside to cool until ribs are ready
7. When ready heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add butter and diced shallot. Sautee until soft then add Spaetlze, cook until golden brown.
8. Plate Spaetzle add 1 hunk of meat per plate and cover with sauce.
9. Undo your top button and dig in!
10. Serve with crusty bread.

With only five meatballs left over, and no desire to heat them up and eat them as they were, I decided to get creative and make something with them. Since there are spices in these meatballs, I figured that I would take this Northern European dish and make something with a Mediterranean taste, added a little cumin and served it over quinoa, which was really meant to be couscous, but there just wasn’t enough for the two of us.

This is the kind of dish that my kids are going to groan over, just like I groaned over my mother’s creative uses of leftovers. I will have to figure out a way to make it interesting, or convince them that it isn’t leftovers. Poor kids, hopefully with their Neapolitan father, who has a rich history of recycling left over food, they will think it’s cool, then again, who knows.

We are in the process of moving right now, and like my last post, I made this dish with what I had on hand, there haven’t been too many trips to the grocery store this week and I have had a tendency to forget at least three things every time I make a trip, making cooking a seriously creative effort. Thank goodness that when it comes to food, my husband is very easy to please.

Swedish Meatball Mediterranean Stew Creation

• leftover meatballs
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1/2 cup of canned tomatoes
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups of quinoa
• 3 cups of water for quinoa
• salt to taste

Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about five minutes. Add the celery and the carrots, cook, stirring, until the carrots and celery are tender, and then add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a bit, about 10 to 15 minutes. Fill the tomato cans with water and add to the pot. Bring to a simmer and turn the heat to low. You can add the meatballs at this point, crumbling them into the stew and stirring to combine.

In the meantime make the quinoa, I tend to make quinoa the same way that I make rice. Throwing it in the pot with water and salt, bringing it to a boil over high heat and then turning the heat down to a simmer and covering the pot. If you have your own method, I say, go for it!

When the quinoa is perfectly cooked, after about 20 minutes. Plate the quinoa and serve with the stew smothering it.

One Year Ago: Ligurian Shop Windows, Puntarelle, & Ristorante in Lavagna

My wife learned how to make this in Paris, and taught me. Annika always eats it right up – maybe because it’s fun to dig the mussels out of their shells, maybe because kids like clear soup. Not sure why we seem to have it on Friday nights, but we do.

1 small onion, chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/4 lb. ham, coarsely chopped – any kind, whatever you have hanging around
1 lb mussels
1 small handful fresh herbs (cilantro is good, and easy to find this time of year)
2 cups white wine you would actually drink

Saute the onion in half the butter.
When transparent and slightly browned, add the wine and ham, and bring the mix to a simmer.
Add the mussels and herbs, and steam for 5 minutes or until open.
Divide the mussels into bowls and pour the wine broth on top.

Serve with a lot of crusty bread that’s been heated up in the oven, and some room temperature brie cheese.

I made this venison stew for my mother’s 70th birthday, and when I proudly served her up a bowl of “gulyas” she corrected me; “This is a porcolt,” she said.  Porcolt, spelled in the Hungarian language, has dots over both o-s, and is pronounced something like “per-cult”.  It’s a stew similar to a gulyas, but where a gulyas is typically more of a soup, this stew is thicker, and begins with searing the meat used.  And being me, of course I screwed with Tradition most horrifically, and added things I’ve not yet seen in most standard gulyas recipes.  Mostly, I wanted a ton of flavor to offset the chet-mojo in the dish…. So, porcolt it is!

Stew v. 2

about 1.5 lbs venison round steak

3 T flour

1 t salt

2 to 3 T extra virgin Olive oil

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 T paprika

black pepper and salt to taste

2 – 3 potatoes

2 – 3 peeled, chopped tomatoes

1 C water

2 peppers, chopped coarsely (red, green, orange, or yellow)

2 C red wine (cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, or similar wine that pairs well with red meat)

*optional: beef stock or tomato juice to thin stew, Johnny’s seasoning salt to taste

mix flour and salt in a 1 quart zipper-bag, add a handful of venison at a time and shake to dredge Heat stew pot on medium high, then add oil, and add venison, small amounts at a time, quickly browning all sides, then removing to a bowl.  Add more oil if necessary, lower heat slightly, and add onions to empty pot. When onions are slightly wilted, add garlic and paprika, then add venison, salt, and pepper. Simmer together briefly, then add potatoes and enough water to barely cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low (about 15 minutes) add wine and peppers, simmer about another 30 minutes, testing flavor and adjusting seasonings and liquid if necessary.

I’m starting a blog about websites with stupid names.

Seeing the rats have once again invaded the supplies Lieutenant Tye Co loads his riffle and prepares to shoot the vermin one by one. There are blast marks all over the floors where Tye has tried and failed in the past. He figures if he just keeps trying he’ll get them one of these days.

Lieutenant Co also knows that Commander Block won’t be happy with the fact that there will be no turkey for lunch. Perhaps he would like a rat stew . . .