Monday, August 31, 2009

Mise En Place

Mise en place, it is a culinary term meaning pre-preparation and is the key ingredient in a successful kitchen and a successful life.

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As fall is set to begin and labor day approaches I am still hard at work. For most people are going back to school or returning to the daily grind of work. Life in the restaurant industry is almost 24/7, it can be at times depressing as in the slapstick comedy “Waiting” and at times interesting as in the romantic comedy “No Reservations”. My weekends are opposite yours I’m sure. I can get away on a Wednesday and Thursday, but come Friday my week (that right not weekend) begins.

I have always loved restaurants and still want one of my own one day. For now I am a manager at a fast casual burger joint outside Boston. I’m not a chef, but like the 1000s of other QSRs (industry slang for fast food)  places out there; many managers would join me in saying they aren’t chefs too.  I respect and admire chefs, and have had 2years of basic cooking training myself; but chef school costs money I & my family simply don’t have.

In my relatively short time as a manager I have seen all types of employees in all shapes, sizes, ages, races, religions, et al. From good souls to devil seeds in this economy it is still hard to train, monitor, and retain a perfect $8/hr dishwasher. So like any chef would know, you have to improvise. In a short year I have learned how to do just that as well as, multitask, think ahead, manipulate, and above all maintain a positive environment in order to  (at most times) get the day done and over with smoothly.

I am no longer a rookie manager, my foodservice career started in college washing dishes and now 4years later I’m still washing dishes, but able to do so while driving my own car and paying rent for my own place. This blog will  showcase high, low, and any interesting (and believe me there will be lots of them) from the past, present, and upcoming days as my career in this thing we call hospitality is just beginning. So sit back, enjoy, and may I help you?

[Via http://notachef.wordpress.com]

rebound Sunday, 8/30

Ah, to be restored to health.  It’s so easy to take it for granted.  Today was the first day in ten that I haven’t felt less than healthy, haven’t needed a nap.  I hereby solemnly swear to be grateful for my health every single solitary day.  Actually, I do write “healthy” in the number one or two slot on my gratitude list every morning, but from here on out I’m really gonna savor it. 

Got my life back today, and this is what an abundant Sunday looks like:  up around 7, breakfast, meditation group, dupont circle farmer’s market, walk to the river, lunch, book club, hours on the phone with friends, big dinner cooking, a little baking, catching up on the emails, getting ready for the work week – no way I could have done all that if I weren’t restored to health.  So very grateful.

 Breakfast:  lemon water; quinoa, strawberries, cashews, cinnamon; chai.  Slice and stir:  4 minutes.  Out of watercress, and just couldn’t stomach a julienne of kale this morning.

 Lunch:  nettle tea; decaf soy latte; seafood refresco with extra avocado; cucumber with dulse; tomato; radish; green beans; half a kale empanada; half a tilapia empanada.  Slice and serve:  6 minutes.  I haven’t been to the Dupont Circle farmer’s market since last year, but I fell right back into my favorite lunch routine:  that seafood refresco is to die for.  I’ll taste red onion for the next day or so, but it’s totally worth it.  The empanadas are new to me, pretty tasty but I’d like them more full of stuff.  A kale empanada.  How could I not buy that?

 Dinner:  water; sweet potato and mustard greens in coconut milk over brown rice.  Slice, saute, boil, simmer, stew:  60 minutes.  Oh, I do love to cook.  And this recipe is so delicious with the coriander, cinnamon and cayenne.  And in my happy bowl?  I could weep.

 Snack:  quinoa cookies; decaf.  I made these with quinoa flakes, whole wheat flour, honey, peanut butter…  and threw in grain-sweetened chocolate chips and cranberries to boot.  A whole stick of butter makes them crispy and delicious.  Now if I can just stop at two.  Or three.

[Via http://howetoeat.wordpress.com]

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Delicious Citrus Chicken

The other day my boyfriend and I decided to experiment a little while cooking, and came up with a delicious citrus sauce which we then used on chicken.

Ingredients

1 lemon

1 lime

honey

olive oil

garlic powder

basil

Juice the lemon and the lime. Add in the honey and olive oil. The citrus juice, honey, and olive oil should be in a 3:2:1 ration, so if you have 3 tbsp of citrus juice, use 2 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp olive oil. Add in the basil and garlic powder (or whatever herbs and spices you prefer), and mix well. Once it’s mixed, let it thicken over medium heat to desired consistency. Drizzle it over whatever you’re using it on.

This was extremely delicious on chicken and rice, but I’m sure there are plenty of other things it would also taste incredible with.

[Via http://olorime.wordpress.com]

165. bad soup

I have a confession to make.

I made bad soup today. It was my first attempt at using a crockpot, which my beloved friend Katie gave to Chris and me as a wedding present; I based my attempt at soup off of a recipe Katie had given me for Basic Soup. Tomatoes. Onions. Garlic. Etc. I hung around the house, smelling the soup as it stewed for hours and hours. It smelled amazing as I went through my daily blog reads — as I paid my doctor’s bills — as I filled out my university hiring forms for teaching — as I watched bad television out of the corner of my eye — as I chatted online with my friend Joanne, who is helping me with a new banner for this blog.

I lay on the loveseat with my laptop and inhaled the soup-fumes, glancing at the clock. Was it three hours yet? No, not yet. Not time for soup yet. Now? Yes, at six-thirty, I could try the soup. The onions had gone translucent. I spooned myself a bowl. I even took a picture of the soup with my iSight, in preparation for blogging about it later. (It was not photogenic.)

Like I said, the soup was bad, and I was so sad that I had somehow ruined it. I ate three-fourths of a bowl out of dogged persistence (it’s okay, right? no, it’s really not… eh, maybe I should just stop) and then called Mr. Spot’s for some chili cheese fries. It’s okay, though. Next time I’ll make a truly bangin’ batch of soup…

[Via http://fashionforwriters.com]

Saturday, August 29, 2009

The Real Reason Martha Stewart Went to Prison

I’ll bet you guys thought it was because of insider trading, right?  Common misunderstanding.  The real reason is this cake:

The Calorie Police (Richness and Decadence Division) swarmed on her kitchen when she completed this cake.  And then of course, because she published the recipe, they also go her for intent to distribute.  Poor gal.  Never saw it coming.

But seriously.  Look at this thing.  This cake is ridiculous.  It is 5 layers of 8 inch round chocolate chip cookies, with cream cheese frosting in between.  Do not make this cake.  And if for some strange reason, you find that somehow the cake has made itself and is just sitting there on your kitchen counter, for Heaven’s sake DON’T eat it!  You don’t want to end up like Martha.

This against-the-laws-of-the-calorie-police cake was commissioned by my husband for his birthday.  I made this thing once before…several years back.  I can’t remember the occasion…when is there ever an occasion for such decadence?  Anyhow, my hubby has a weak spot for cookies, so this is a fun choice for his birthday.

And speaking of birthdays, a very important one slipped past without a blog post from yours truly!  I think I put off adding a post about it because it feels like such a huge milestone to me that I really don’t have words for it.  On July 18, my precious baby boy turned ONE.  I am completely in awe of at God’s grace to us this past year.  Just thinking back to those H A R D first few days and months, worrying myself sick about Simon’s health…and now here he is…a silly, rambunctious and HEALTHY little boy.  God is so good.  We have truly felt His goodness FOLLOW us this year.  Psalm 23:6 says that “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.”  And Charles Spurgeon expounds, “Goodness supplies our needs, and mercy blots out our sins.”  I mean…what else could we possibly need?  God is so, so, so good.

Here are some highlights from Simon’s birthday.  And a couple more cakes.  Simon’s birthday was Dr. Seuss-themed.  We had such a good time hanging out with friends.  It was an incredibly special time.

This is Simon’s “smash” cake.  I was aiming for a Cat in the Hat cake.

This was the cake for everyone else.  Terrible picture…sorry.  I missed getting a picture of it before it was sliced.  It’s a Lime Icebox Cake…I LOVE this cake.  It is so refreshing!  And that’s Dr. Seuss’ “The Birthday Book” in the background…that’s the Great Birthday Bird in the picture.

Here are some highlights…

Happy Birthday, Simon.  You bring me so much joy.

[Via http://themixers.wordpress.com]

a plethora of playdough

As inexpensive as store-bought Playdoh might be, my kids always have more fun when they each get to make their very own batch.  Here are a few different recipes to choose from…

Basic Playdough (w/ cream of tartar)

1/2 cup salt

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp cream of tartar

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup water

food coloring

Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly. When the dough has a good consistency (will start to form a ball), remove from the pan and knead until smooth. The dough will be HOT, so definitely something for an adult to do!

*

*

Basic Playdough (w/ alum)

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup salt

1 Tbsp alum

2 cups flour

2 Tbsp oil

food coloring

Dissolve salt and alum in boiling water.  Add food coloring, oil, and flour.  Knead until smooth.

*

Kool-Aid Playdough

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup salt

1 pkg Kool-aid powder

1 cup boiling water

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

In mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.  Add oil and water.  Stir & knead until smooth.  (note: you can always just heat in a saucepan if you don’t want to work with boiling water)

*

*

Peanut Butter Playdough #1

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup powedered milk

1/2 cup honey

Mix in bowl, knead until smooth.  Play, eat, & enjoy!

*

Peanut Butter Playdough #2

Mix equal parts peanut butter and cornstarch.  Knead until smooth.  Enjoy!

*

Chocolate Playdough

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup salt

1/2 Tbsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup water

Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly. When the dough has a good consistency (will start to form a ball), remove from the pan and knead until smooth. The dough will be HOT, so definitely something for an adult to do!

*

Fun tips…

add flavor extracts (cinnamon, mint, vanilla, etc)

add glitter & sparkles

add food coloring after kneading to make a swirl effect

subsitute baby oil for vegetable oil

(our favorite thing to do with playdough is to make it relate to the season or holiday using the above tips!)

*

[Via http://sevenlittlemonkeys.wordpress.com]

Friday, August 28, 2009

Packing Lunches

For much of last school year, I couldn’t quite get the lunch-packing right.  I gave this one peanut butter and jelly, and he stopped liking peanut butter last week.  What was I thinking?  I gave that one a banana, and she doesn’t eat bananas any more.  She likes apples.  But the other one, she only likes apples without the peel.  But if you peel them, then pack them, they turn brown.  And who wants to eat brown apples?

I lost track of how many mornings they’d whine and complain about what I was packing them.  They’d come home from school with a lunchbag half-full of uneaten food and ask with great exasperation, “Why’d you give me string cheese?  I don’t eat cheese anymore!  I’m STARVING!”

And then one day I had an epiphany:  if I didn’t pack their lunches, they couldn’t blame me for packing the wrong thing.  I realized their hands weren’t painted on; they could pack their own lunches!

However, I didn’t want them packing just any old thing.  I mean, what if one of them packed himself three granola bars and called it lunch?  I wanted them to do the work, but I’m the overprotective, bit of a control-freak momma, so the Lunch List was born.

After I buy groceries, I make this list.  I write down all the choices for a snack, a main lunch dish, lunch sides, and dessert.  They may choose one thing from each column.  And after breakfast, my kids in second, fifth, and sixth grades pack their own lunchbags.  (The third grader is homeschooled.)

At our school, kindergarten is only from 8:00 to 12:15, so my kindergarten son only has to take a snack.  Some days I help him pack his snack, but other days he does it himself.  He can put a handful of Wheat Thins in a baggie, and he can grab a homemade granola bar out of the fridge (I make them, cut them, and individually wrap them, then store them in the fridge).

Do I have to clean up graham cracker crumbs from the counters some mornings?  Yes.  Does my second grader get peanut butter all over the knife handle and the outside of the peanut butter jar?  Yes.  Do they sometimes forget a spoon and end up sucking applesauce from the little Ziploc container or licking it out with their tongues?  Yes.  But I think it’s good for them to learn responsibility.  I think it’s good for them to make some choices.  I also think it’s good to give them guidelines in which to make those choices, which is why I love my Lunch List so much.

Now if they don’t like their lunches, it’s their own fault.  The absence of whining and complaining is a beautiful thing.  The Lunch List is a beautiful thing.

[Via http://myderbe.wordpress.com]

A Peek at a Day in the Paleo-Zone

In addition to doing CrossFit, I have been part of the CF gym’s paleo challenge over the summer.  Eating paleo means we eat meat, vegetables, fruit, and some seeds and nuts.  We eat no dairy, grains, or sugar.  It is of course 100 % gluten-free!  Being able to make this change with so many other supportive people and the guidance of the trainers has made this a rather painless switch. 

Last week I decided to try the paleo-zone plan, primarily because I have been feeling so great on paleo that I wanted to try balancing out my foods with the goal of more energy and less snacking (a better hormonal response.)  Eating paleo-zone means your daily food is of both a high quality and a high quantity.

Here is a day in my eating life…

Breakfast

 

Lunch

 

Dinner Salad

 

Dinner's Main Dish

 

Dessert

 

Another look at my new favorite-mixed berries with pecans and a drizzle of coconut milk

[Via http://nourishing.wordpress.com]

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thoughtless Thursday: Chipotle Chicken Soup

I have had a hankering to do something with chopotle chilis in adobo sauce.  Don’t ask me why.  I’ve never used them before.  But there is this soup that a local restaurant had a couple of summers ago, Baja Chicken Enchilada, that was fabulous and awesome and they dropped it before I could duplicate it.  This is not that soup (as there is nothing enchilada like about what I put in here), but that was sort of the inspiration in spirit of this concoction.  We’re huge fans of taco soup, chili, and tortilla soup, so it seemed like a good time to add some other Mexican themed soup to the mix and a new entry for Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.  I started with the vegetables I use as a base for both taco and tortilla soup, then started adding things.  Since I love sweet potatoes so much with chili powder, I thought they might be a good addition to this–some sweet to help balance out the spicy.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 can black beans, drained
  • 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, w/ liquid
  • 1 can rotel tomatoes, w/ liquid
  • 1/2 jar roasted red peppers, diced (no liquid)
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled, and diced
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely minced (I have no idea what smoking does to the seeds, but I removed most of them) [Cook's note: If you prefer less spicy, use fewer peppers...this version is REALLY spicy]
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • salt to taste

Directions:  Throw it all in the crock pot and let her cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8.  Easy peasy.  Like taco or tortilla soup or chili, you can certainly serve this with sour cream and cheddar or pepper jack cheese.  As described here, sour cream was definitely necessary to cool down the heat of this soup.

This came out at 5 servings at 365 calories and 6 grams of fat (without the sour cream and cheese).

[Via http://potsandplots.wordpress.com]

How to make moist yummy banana bread-A tutorial!

You’ve seen the recipe before on my blog-in zucchini bread form, but here’s a tutorial on how to make rockin’ banana bread. I’ve tried a thousand recipes for banana bread and I keep coming back to this one as the best.

The secret to great banana bread is really ripe bananas, a good solid sweet bread recipe (our grandmas might’ve called it batter bread), and plenty of spices to kick it up a notch-as our dear friend, Emeril would say!

This recipe fits the bill, and I promise you that you don’t need to be the Next Food Network Star or a contestant on Top Chef in order to make this dish transform you into a rock star in the kitchen.

Well, enough of all this blabbin’, let’s get to cooking.

We’ll start with a quick tip for ripening bananas quickly:

If you buy your bananas at the store and they are still green, but you’d like to make banana bread tomorrow, you’ll need to grab a paper bag (like from the grocery store), a bunch of bananas, an apple or a tomato (optional, but speeds the process up considerably), and a little bit of time.

Put the bunch of bananas in the bottom of the paper bag along with an apple or tomato, and seal the paper bag. Open every 12-24 hours to check, then re-close your bag until the bananas are the desired ripeness. They will brown much faster than if you seperated them on the counter. There’s a chemical that the apple puts off that helps ripen the bananas. Do NOT refrigerate the bananas-ever-b/c once you do, you’ve lost the ability for the banana to ever get past the ripeness it was at when you put it in the fridge, and you’ll never get banana bread-quality bananas out of them!

Next, let’s gather our ingredients:

3 eggs

1 c. oil

1 Tbl. vanilla

2 1/4 c. sugar

2 c. mashed bananas (4-6, and don’t forget to mash them before you measure!)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. baking soda

3 c. flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1 Tbl. cinnamon (yes, this is a LOT of cinnamon, but it’s what makes this recipe great, so don’t skimp on it!)

Next, we mash the bananas. Ripe bananas are not only more flavorful in banana bread, but they also are easier to mash! Break them up into a small bowl or large measuring container, using a fork or potato masher to mash them to a liquidy pulp.

Beat eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla.

Add mashed bananas. Batter will be thin.

Add dry ingredients, mix well. (Please note that my bananas sat on the counter for a bit after mashing, and therefore were a little browner than they might typically be, which may’ve affected the color of the batter at this stage.

Grease and flour pan, pour batter into pans-batter will still be pretty thin, much thinner than most banana bread recipes, so don’t panic. Also, please note that in these pictures I used my silicone baking pans, so I only sprayed them with cooking oil spray instead of greasing and flouring the pan, but if going with a traditional metal or glass pan, you’re going to want to grease and flour the pan as per the directions. There’s a really cool “grease and flour” spray out there nowadays that makes this so easy:

But if you don’t have access to this luxury time saver, you could always do it the old fashioned way.

The batter in the pans, before going into the oven.

Bake 1 hr. at 325. Makes 1 bundt or 2 regular loaves. Remove from pan right away. Do Not Overcook! You can optionally add 1 cup of nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruits, whatever you’d like really, but we like it plain. Whenever I’m making it for a crowd, I’m sure to avoid putting nuts into it b/c of all the people with nut allergies. If I do use nuts, I avoid walnuts at all costs, b/c I believe that walnuts dry out a batter worse than anything I’ve ever seen, so I go with chopped pecans. It’s whatever makes you and your family and friends happy that matters, so go with what sounds good!

And there’s one of my beautiful banana bread loaves, see how easy that was?

[Via http://homemadewithlove.wordpress.com]

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Honey and Almond stuffed French Toast

This yummy stuffed french toast recipe made for a wonderful Saturday morning! I honestly liked this better than the stuffed french toast at I-HOP. It actually tasted like french toast instead of a doughnut.

You’ll need:

4 slices of bread (we used honey-wheat bread, mmm!)

4 ounces cream cheese

1 Tablespoon honey

2 Tablespoons of almonds

2 eggs (beaten)

1/3-1/2 cup milk

1/2 Teaspoon vanilla

Let cream cheese soften. Combine milk, beaten eggs and vanilla. Coat bread slices in egg mixture and cook on a griddle or in a skillet until lightly browned. While toast is cooking combine cream cheese, honey and almonds in a food processor. When bread is lightly browned spread cream cheese evenly over two slices of bread. Top with remaining bread slices and additional honey (if desired).

Serves 2

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Let me know what you think.

[Via http://lifeink.wordpress.com]

The FOOD Blog

~~Okay, so as many of you all know ( or for those who have visited my blog and read the “about me” section), I’m currently going to cooking school. I LOVE COOKING!!!!!! ♥♥♥~~

Altho my parents didnt think it was a very good carreer choice, I went for it any ways because cooking makes me happy.

“Do something that makes you happy” I’ve always stuck by it. Right now I work as a part time cashier at a grocery store and theres nothing more than I want to do is QUIT my job.

But sadly, it pays my bills and my habits. I chose cooking instead of nursing because i wanted to do something good and that makes me happy for the rest of my life.

Sorry mom and dad, I dont want to be mesirable with a carreer im not interested at. Sure the mony pays good but…what the hell!!!

So here are some of the things I’ve made while i was in my first year of cooking school.

 

This is a mushroom terrine (terrine meaning gelatine) with apples and red onion sauteed in honey and vinegar.

 

The re-invented chicken soup.  I added carrots, peas, fennel, red peppers and turnips~~

 

 

 

 

Nothing says Italian food better han PASTA!!!! I got a great mark

cooking up this amazing Canneloni. It’s stuffed with cheese and mushrooms and topped it with a nice rose sauce. This a best comfort for cold and rainy nights~~ ^____________^~~

 

 

 

And lastly, a little dessert. This one was from my Baking class. I think this was the most frustrating amongst all my classes…..Not only was our pastry chef a woman, she was also moody  T_______T . Other than that, this was was FUN, FUN, FUN!!!! Pigging out on chocolate everyday, just try and eat it without the biatch catching a glimpse of you. Or else you’re screwed for the day.

Strawberry Shortcake ( with a hint of liquor)

[Via http://katwinalunatica.wordpress.com]

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Garden Fresh Cucumber Pasta Salad

Oh, those wacky curcurbits. How is it that you look your cucumber vines over at 8pm one evening, finding only little sprites of spikey cukes peeking out beneath the pretty yellow flowers, but the very next morning, as you’re hurrying to the car for work, you notice that the little sprites are now fully formed veggies. And by the time you get home, they’re almost beyond their perfect eating/pickling size? What’s up with that?

I’ve never been able to figure it out, how they grow so fast, but taste so good. So, the challenge becomes, what do you do with all these cukes (beside load up your unsuspecting neighbor’s front porch in the middle of the night)? Canning is always a good choice (dill pickles, bread and butter pickles, pickle relish, yum). Refrigerator pickles are another. I love adding cukes to my tomato and mozzarella salads. [Okay, let's see, one-two-three-four still left. Wow, those things are prolific....]

They’re also quite refreshing in a pasta salad with a dill-based dressing. 15 minutes of prep, 2 hours in the fridge, and you’ve got a great little side to go with whatever you’ve slapped on the grill.

Garden Fresh Cucumber Pasta Salad   12 oz cavatappi pasta (or elbows or fusilli, whatevah. It’s all good.)   1 cup mayonnaise (I used Kraft’s new Olive Oil mayo)   1 cup low-fat sour cream   1/2 cup milk   1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)   1 tablespoon sugar   1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed   1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper   1/2 teaspoon salt   1 large cucumber, thinly sliced (it’s up to you whether you seed it; personally, I like the seeds)   1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are particularly yummy and attractive)   1 small sweet bell pepper, chopped

Prepare the cavatappi according to instructions on the package. Rinse with cool water to take the heat off.

In a large bowl, stir the mayo, sour cream and milk together until well-blended. (A whisk can speed that process along.) Then add the vinegar and sugar, and blend well.

Add the dill, pepper and salt, and give another whirl or two. Then gently stir in the veggies, bringing up the dressing from the bottom to coat the veggies. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours (sometimes, when I haven’t planned as well as I should, I stick the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes, then transfer to the fridge. That gives it a little jump on the cooling.) If the pasta salad is dry from cooling, add a little bit more of your favorite among the mayo, sour cream and milk, and stir again.

[Via http://soupaddict.wordpress.com]

Peach Cobbler - from Eli's Cheesecake

Remember a few weeks ago when I visited Eli’s Cheesecake and their fabulous Farmer’s Market?  Well, I neglected to mention that while Eli’s primarily makes cheesecake, they also make a lot of yummy, delicious baked goods (and savory goods, too!).  Jeff went back with me to visit the Farmer’s Market and I learned that his “most favorite dessert” is peach cobbler – perhaps because the peach stand was offering this Eli’s/Wright College recipe for it.  Well, I decided to be a nice wife and have now made this recipe twice – both times successfully!  Jeff has declared it his favorite dish I make which, while a compliment, makes me feel like all of those other, more complicated efforts were a big waste (because this is so easy).

It’s still peach season so grab some peaches and enjoy! Thanks Eli’s and your partner Wright College for this recipe.

Eli’s/Wright College Farmers Market Peach Cobbler

1 stick (4 oz.) butter, melted

1C. plus 3T. granulated sugar, divided

1C. all-purpose flour

2tsp. baking powder

1/4tsp. salt

1C. milk (skim is fine)

1tsp. vanilla extract

3-4 ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced

1/2tsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Pour melted butter into a 2-quart baking dish (11×7 or 8 inch square). In a mixing bowl, combine one cup of sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt; stir to blend.  Stir in milk and vanilla until blended.  Pour batter over melted butter. Toss peaches with remaining 3tsp. of sugar and 1/2tsp. of cinnamon.  Arrange the peach slices over the batter. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  Top will be browned and cake will begin to pull away from sides of pan.

Serves 6

BTW – I took a photo of our partially eaten cobbler to insert in the post.  Jeff said the photo looked like chicken instead of cobbler – well, he does like meat!

Thanks for reading Bright-Yellow!  Don’t forget to subscribe on the upper right hand corner (that way you won’t miss a day of Bright-Yellow!) and share Bright-Yellow with others!

[Via http://brightyellowblog.wordpress.com]

Monday, August 24, 2009

41 Year Old More Beautiful Inside than Out

I’ve reached an age wherein I am still single and is full of ideas. Ideas can only be vibrant when it is placed into good use. I have a passion for food preparation and am have still to avail of a full culinary course in order for me to become a full pledge chef. I’ve always wanted to put up a restaurant with a more affordable gourmet menu. I also would like to combine my passion for food with my passion for the charity work. Have a dish or two representing the beneficiary of the month. That would be so awesome!!! Shooting 2 birds with 1 stone.

[Via http://melodious34.wordpress.com]

More than just the ravioli...

…It’s not that I am not working on any projects. Quite the contrary. But today felt so inundated with eye-popping chatter of all the things on my list, i just couldn’t go on. Something had to happen, and it did. I made ravioli from scratch. Customized someone’s swiss chard filling recipe, pumped it full of ricotta. The sauce could have been different, but i realized all too late that we were out of bot the garlec and the cream. So i made a five minute brown butter sage sauce, fresh tomatoes and basil and parmesan on top. A glass of wine.

It was so deliciously right, to labor for a few hours to make a meal. I miss that, even knowing full well that i couldn’t make it into a habit. But seriously, how strange! I also learned a few tricks about using my pasta machine.

This was a small post and I just had to share something that surprised me and made me happy. I still feel overwhelmed by EVERYTHING, but there’s this sense of the present that food gives you, the food you spend some time with. And yes, that’s a different me, but there’s the balance. Have to post the pictures and the recipe once all the ravioli are finished and in the fridge.

[Via http://marvelouserror.wordpress.com]

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Rainy Day Ramble

Sorry, a verbal ramble, not the walking kind. Although the boy and I might do that later tonight.

So, what will all the torrential downpours and thunderstorms and mists we’ve been having, and the fact that I still have my air conditioning on (it’s still quite hot and humid out – feels a bit like the rainforest, actually) and the fact that I start classes at U Albany just over a week (eeek!) has made it seem very autumnal outside.

For once, though, I’m not craving autumn. All the rain and oppressively humid heat we had this summer made me long for more than just the few bright days of perfect weather we received. So really, it hasn’t felt much like summer at all. Usually by now, even when not going back to school, I’ll have been craving fall for going on a month, at least. But now? I’m a bit wistful that summer is coming to a close.

Though I’m anxious about getting a job (still no responses yet, but I’m patient), it has been really, really nice to have this summer off and to myself. Yes, sometimes I get bored, but I had the opportunity to bake! And even clean! Okay, no, that one doesn’t deserve an exclamation point, but still. It’s nice to have a clean house. I’ve also had time to play music, learn guitar, and more recently, write.

Yes, it is fiction, yes it somehow pertains to food, and no, I think this time it might actually NOT be crap. Oh, it’s chick lit, that’s certifiable, but it’s young adult (YA to all you librarians out there) chick lit, not borderline erotica. I’m only 23 pages in so far, but I’m optimistic. It’s nice to be writing again. And unlike several previous attempts at a similar storyline (all of which never quite seemed to turn out right, except the last one, but then I got stuck), this one actually keeps going places. I have a plotline. It’s amazing. I never have a plotline. Unfortunately, I foree getting stuck on telling the upcoming parts of the plot. That’s the problem with plots. They don’t let you ramble around and explore your characters and let whatever happen because you’re too busy trying to figure out how to get to the next point in the story. *sigh* Oh well.

And no, you can’t read it. Not yet, anyway. Like all good writers, at least a little of it is based in personal facts and experiences. We’ll see how long of a tribute/disclaimer I’d have to publish in the front section of the book – were, of course, this ever to turn into a book, and even more unlikelily get published.

The boy and I try to be pretty active. We go on long, fast-paced walks. We go hiking. We go swimming. But, we both love good food. And I generally love (or at the very least, like) cooking it. So we consume a lot of it. Which means not-quite-so-trim middles sometimes. I’m lucky, however, that the boy thinks that curvy girls are gorgeous and models in magazines are, in his words, “too skinny.”

But this, and some “fat” blogs I ran across the other day, have gotten me thinking about society and health and body image. Now, I know I’m a bit overweight. I could stand to lose 20-25 lbs. But I don’t want to get any smaller than a size 10, because it simply wouldn’t work with my frame. Because if the girls and the hips and the bum stayed relatively the same size, but I lost a ton of weight around my middle, I would look like Barbie. And in a creepy way. How do I know this? I’ve sucked in all the way in front of a mirror, so sue me.

The thing is, I think I’m a relatively healthy person. I try to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, I love whole grains, and we eat at home more often than not, which means we tend to eat smaller portions and not as many calorie-high foods. However, I’m not afraid of butter or heavy cream or olive oil. I am scant with my salt and I try to be scant with my sugar. And I’m not adding a stick of butter to a pot of green beans, here, folks. The thing is, I don’t understand why someone who is a size 6, but maybe eats nothing but cheeseburgers – no lettuce – is considered to be “healthier” than I am.

Well, maybe this comes from the same group of wackos who think that puffed corn cereal “made with whole grain” is somehow healthier than eating a bowl of steel cut oatmeal. Hello? Steel cut oatmeal = 100% whole grain, 0% processing! Well, except for the bit where they cut the whole oat kernels into little pieces. Hence the “steel cut.”

Honestly? I think it would be a good idea to get rid of a lot of the confusing labels. And the ingredients list should have to list percentages (as in, Ingredients: whole wheat, 95%, butter, 3%, sugar, 1%, salt, 1%). And probably places of origin, too. And I’m not just talking putting “China” somewhere on the container (Price Chopper frozen apple juice concentrate, I’m looking at you!). I’m talking, “Orange County, NY.” Any more specific would get a little confusing.

Don’t you think clear-cut labelling like that would be better than all the damn confusing and misleading labels on the front of the box? Well, it would be nice to keep the Fair Trade ones. And maybe the organic ones, although you could just have that listed in the ingredients list, too, which they already do.

*sigh* I guess the easiest, least confusing, healthiest for you thing to do would be to just avoid buying most processed foods. I do, with the exception of some breakfast cereals (nom, nom, nom!), 12 grain sandwich bread, pasta, and some boxed rices. And occasional bags of chocolate chips for baking. Oh, and I forgot condiments (who has time to make their own ketchup and mustard?). They don’t count. Everything else is pretty much purchased in whole form: vegetables, fruit, meat, eggs, dairy, cheese. Sometimes it comes in cans, tomatoes especially, but I’m trying to get away from that, too. I even have a stock of various dried beans. Now if I could only remember to soak them.

Okay, wow, this has been a bit of a ramble. To sum it up: Kind-of-yay autumn, eek school, eek job, yay free time, yay baking, yay writing, boo poor societal body image, boo processed food, yay whole food!

Now that I’m freaked out about school starting, I should probably go purchase books. : (

[Via http://citygirlcountryfood.wordpress.com]

Spanish Drinking Chocolate

Tonight was the first foray into the wonderful world of period chocolate.  It started with  91% chocolate from South America and ended with 4 happy women. 16th century drinking chocolate is thick, spicy, and decadent indulgence.  Armed with research about the drink, spice variations and type of chocolate used,. I set about experimentation. The chocolate was as close to pure dark chocolate as you could get. I used whole spices and then ground them prior to use. All spices are ones they would have used in medieval Spain.  The first experimentation was what I would call a resounding success.

Recipe:

2 cups of water

10 oz of dark chocolate

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp mace

1/2 tsp cardamon

1/2 tsp clove

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 vanilla bean, scrapped

1. Boil water and turn off heat

2. Add chocolate and let it sit in the pot for 5 minutes

3. Whisk to combine water and melted chocolate

4. Add spices and whisk well

5. Add sugar and whisk well

6. Let sit for 5 minutes for flavors to blend/marry

7. Serve warm in 2oz portions

It is extremely rich and thick chocolate. It is unlike American hot chocolate and is meant to be sipped and savored, rather than gulped. Full documentation will be forthcoming in the next week or so.

[Via http://alysten.wordpress.com]