Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Best Christmas Kitchen Gifts

I tend to pick a theme when suggesting gift ideas, and apparently this year's was food. Or, food-related stuffs. I unwrapped books, a carving set, glassware, and tons of chocolates. Here are a few of my favorite things.

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. While Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma certainly carried a message, it attempted to present evidence rather than forcefully argue a point. 48 pages in, In Defense of Food proves to actually be quite the manifesto -- less research-heavy journalism, more crowd-rallying call to arms (or maybe a call to asparagus) against the vast western conspiracy of processed food-like products. It's a short book, and engaging, fairly repetitive and predictable, but still researched, informative, and convincing. In summary (right there on the cover): "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Words to live by.


A small covered casserole dish, perfect for side dishes. I used it right away, for a crispy, buttery potatoes on Christmas night -- look for this in another post.

Giant glass canisters for flour, sugar, and ... ? I put these on my wish list, without quite realizing how huge they are. But they're perfect. One enormous tub of flour, one of sugar, and a third currently full of dog biscuits -- while this looks cute, I've discovered that sealed glass jars of meat-flavored treats get smelly when sitting in the sun. The contents may need to change.

Lots of Starbucks. While the 'bucks may not be my favorite coffee ever, I like the Christmas blend well enough. Very fortunate, since we've had about four pounds of it this season. Brian's mom threw in some instant, just in case. :)

Mysterious spinning vegetable chopper. I've never seen this item before, but Brian's mom labeled the gift tag one of her "most-used kitchen gadgets." It works with some kind of pulley, and as long as I don't sent the metal blades flying helicopter-style through the kitchen, the promise of fresh salsa is very exciting.

Stemless wine glasses. Sometimes it pays to ask for exactly what you want. The set my mom picked out are big (17 ounces), which makes them good for things other than wine. Water. Or eggnog. Or maybe something with coffee -- who wants Christmas blend? I've got four pounds!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

White vegetable lasagna

Brian asked when we might start eating solid foods again, and I realized my winter soup binge had gone on too long.

I also had a box of sweet potatoes leftover from Thanksgiving, and this recipe used them all -- a good thing, since sweet potatoes do not generally excite me and they may otherwise have sat in the corner of the kitchen until Easter. This vegetable lasagna used them well: the very
lengthy baking time made them sweet and soft, and the texture worked perfectly in lasagna.

So I've never made lasagna before, and I'm not quite sure this counts: no meat or tomato sauce means this does not have traditional lasagna flavor. But true to lasagna form, it has a long recipe with many layers. Don't be daunted -- there's nothing difficult. Just be generous with seasoning, spices and flavorful ingredients (garlic and onion), and make sure you have everything before you start.


White vegetable lasagna
(adapted from another blogger, who adapted it from Cooking Light. I un-lightened it a bit.)

Ingredients for white sauce:
  • 3 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into ½ inch thick slices (I used the food processor -- messy looking slices, but it doesn't matter for this.)
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 shallot, coarsely chopped
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 1/2 T flour
  • 3/4 C grated Parmesan
Ingredients for the other layers:
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 10oz fresh spinach
  • 10 oz ricotta cheese (I used about 2/3 of a 15oz package)
  • 2-3 oz fresh mozzarella, either purchased in pearl form or sliced very thin
  • 9 no-boil lasagna noodles
Roast the sweet potato slices. This can be done earlier in the day, or even a day ahead. Preheat oven to 450°. Spray 2 - 3 large baking sheets with cooking spray and spread sweet potato slices in a thin layer. Season generously. Roast 20 minutes, turn, and roast another 20 minutes or until tender (about 40 minutes total). Turn the oven down to 375° (for final baking of lasagna).

Make the white sauce. Combine onion, milk, nutmeg, cinnamon, and bay leaf in a medium sauce pan and heat on medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and let the sauce stand 15 minutes (this is when the flavors of onion + bay leaf infuse into the milk). Strain out solids and discard, saving the milk mixture. Return milk to the pan and whisk in flour. Season with salt and pepper (about 1/2 tsp each). Cook over medium, whisking, until sauce is thick, about 5 - 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan.

Saute the spinach (can be completed while milk is resting for 15 minutes). In large pan, saute the garlic briefly in olive oil over medium heat. When softened, add a large handful of spinach -- enough to fill the pan -- and a big sprinkle of salt. Turn the spinach with kitchen tongs as it wilts. If not all the spinach will fit in the pan at once, remove the first batch to a plate when wilted, and add the second half.

Assemble your lasagna in layers: sauce, pasta, sauce, spinach, sweet potatoes, ricotta, pasta, sauce, spinach, sweet potatoes, ricotta, pasta, sauce, mozzarella. All layers should be thin, but take care to spread the sauce sparingly. Spray the interior of a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a thin layer of sauce in the dish, and top with three lasagna noodles (overlapping slightly). Spread a thin layer of sauce on the noodles. Add a layer of spinach, then a layer of sweet potato, then a layer of ricotta -- you may need to crumble/smash the ricotta into bits and spread around, since it's not quite liquid enough to spread. Over ricotta, add a second layer of pasta, then sauce, then spinach, then sweet potatoes, then ricotta, then a final layers of pasta. Top it with the last layer of sauce, then spread your mozzarella over everything -- either dot the top with your pearls of mozzarella, or lay out very thin slices.

Spray a large piece of tinfoil with cooking spray, and tent over assembled dish. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Top should begin to brown just slightly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

One last Christmas cookie: Bourbon Balls


These bourbon balls are a little messy but incredible easy: crush cookies, melt chocolate, mix and shape. No baking -- just be prepared for chocolate-and-bourbon-covered hands.


Rum or Bourbon Balls
  • 1 C semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 3 T light corn syrup
  • 1/2 C dark rum or bourbon
  • 2 1/2 C finely crushed vanilla wafer cookies (~ 10 ounces)
  • 1 C finely chopped nuts
  • 1/2 C sanding sugar
Melt chocolate chips, either in a double boiler or the microwave. (In the microwave, heat on high for about 2 minutes, stopping to stir every 30 seconds. Don't overheat! Remove from microwave when mostly melted, and stir to melt the rest.) Whisk corn syrup and regular sugar into the chocolate, then add bourbon.

Combine crushed vanilla wafers and nuts in a separate bowl, then add chocolate mixture and stir to blend well. Chill dough in fridge for at least half an hour.

Place remaining 1/2 cup of sugar in shallow bowl. For each cookie, roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball, then roll in sanding sugar to coat evenly. If sugar dissolves into cookies too much, roll in sugar a second time or dust with sugar.

You could also try rolling in powdered sugar (coating very generously) or finely crushed nuts, instead of sugar.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Bacon, bacon everywhere

A year or so ago, I tried to convince a couple ladies at work that bacon was trendy. They didn't buy it, but the evidence is now overwhelming: bacon is clearly the trendiest food since cupcakes.

A woman at work last week mentioned that a friend's party is bacon-themed. A little quick browsing online suggests this is not an uncommon option for grown-up birthdays. Planning your own bacon-themed party? Here are a few suggestions for the evening.

To get in perfect sparkling-fresh form for the party, don't just brush: floss with bacon.

Wondering what to wear? Perfect protection from grease spatters: a chic bacon apron.


Start the party with appetizers. Sure, you could offer the popular bacon-wrapped dates. But doesn't bacon-wrapped bacon just sound more ... bacony? (Below, from Cowgirl's Country Life.)


For the salad course: Bacon Cups and Bowls.

Take a break from pure bacon with Lentil and Bacon soup. (Note that with salty bacon in a recipe like this, using a low-sodium broth or stock is very important.)

Just drinks tonight? Opt for a bacon-oriented cocktail.

For large-scale bacon wrapping and draping: the Bacon Weave.

For the dessert course: Dean & Deluca bacon peanut brittle. Or a bacon chocolate bar. Or combine your foodie trends with a cupcake: choose from dark chocolate with bacon or French toast with bacon. (Below, from lifewithcake.com)


For the perfect sandwich of bacon-related leftovers: The Original Baconnaise (also check out bacon salt and baconnaise light -- I know when I'm craving mayo and cured meats together, I'm definitely hoping for something light).

And make sure to pay homage to the most famous man in Bacon: Sir Francis. The artist has no personal connection to nicely cured pork, but he did establish the Scientific Method -- something any hypothesizing and experimenting chef can appreciate. Francis Bacon's birthday is exactly one month away -- making today the perfect time to start party-planning.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

A Little Trip To Fishs Eddy

Need the perfect platter, quaint cups, or monogrammed mug for a kitchenwares-loving friend? Direct your browser or Manhattan-based feet to Fishs Eddy, the independent retailer of all charming things dining and serving. The name comes from an upstate town.

These vintage flower storage jars were a housewarming present from Kelsey, who told me about the store. Storing leftovers isn't exactly a thrill, but selecting the best retro floral pattern to suit your stew or salad adds some variety.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Delicata Squash with Kale

Some people -- not naming any names here -- go a bit overboard with the Christmas treats: hot cocoa and eggnog lattes, Chex mix, and a month-long roller coaster of sugar rushes and crashes from cookies, cakes, and candy canes. Let's not even discuss Christmas cocktails.

This Delicata Squash with Kale and Cranberry Beans is an awesome alternative to another plate of gingerbread. Beans give protein and fiber, while kale provides more healthy benefits per calorie than almost any other food (according to worldshealthiestfoods.org) -- an excellent option for offsetting the empty calories of the holidays. And delicata, a winter squash, offers vitamins A and C, plus calcium and more fiber. Delicata is also super pretty, rich yellow and striped, so the finished dish looks and tastes delish.


I skipped the cranberry beans, but including them would make this a nice vegetarian offering at a big dinner. The rest of the recipe I followed closely, and there was nothing particularly tricky. The quantity of sauce looks skimpy, but it worked. If the kale doesn't wilt enough when you add the sauce, I'd pop in the microwave for a minute or two till it reaches the desired wiltiness.
  • 1-2 delicata squashes (2lbs), halved, seeded and sliced into 1/2-inch thick half-circles
  • 1 T + 1 tsp olive oil
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 5oz kale (about half a bunch), stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 large shallot, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 T red-wine vinegar (I had none, so subbed lemon juice for acid)
  • 15 ounces cranberry beans, drained and rinsed (I omitted)
Toss squash half-circles with 1 tsp oil and roast at 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.

Mix balsamic and honey. Brush some over the top of the squash (save the rest). Bake squash for another 5 minutes.

Put prepped kale in a large bowl. Heat 1 T oil over medium heat, and add shallot and garlic. Cook until soft, , then add red-wine vinegar and remaining vinegar-honey mixture. Bring to a boil, then immediately pour hot dressing over kale. Add salt, pepper, squash and beans. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and let stand for 5 minutes. Toss until kale wilts slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Ultimate Comfort Food


I have a confession that you most surely will not believe: I cannot cook a grilled cheese sandwich. Really, I'm not lying. While I liked to think of myself as a pretty decent cook, the most basic of all food preparations - the grilled cheese - still seems to elude me. Cheese, bread, and butter. What could go wrong. Well, I'll tell you what can go wrong -- a not just singed, but completely charred, burnt mess of a sandwich. My mom will attest. Growing up, she faithfully prepared those I-got-home-late-I-need-to-eat-NOW grilled cheesy goodness because she knew if she didn't, a whole loaf of bread and block of cheese may end up in the trash.

That is, until last night. Last night I decided to meet my fear of the grilled cheese sandwich head-on. Oh, yes, I would make the mother of all grilled cheeses. No Kraft Singles here folks.

The goods:
- In my opinion, any good grilled cheese starts with the bread - Macrina Bakery's Rustic Potato was my loaf of choice for the night - though next time I may try to use Essential Baking Company's Rosemary Diamante.
-And, any grilled cheese is only as good as the type/quality of cheese you use. I decided to use a Gruyere (brand uncertain) & Beecher's Smoked Cheddar (all sliced paper thin for maximum melting)
- Caramelized onions: Saute about 1/2 an onion in butter with a splash of olive oil, a pinch of brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste for a good 10-15 minutes. Onions should be soft, drippy and delicious.
-Thinly sliced Roma tomatoes

You know the drill. Slather some butter on the bread, and layer the cheese, onions and tomatoes in order of preference. Now, here's where 27 years of failed grilled cheeses went wrong - the temperature. I always tried to cook mine too quickly and cranked up the heat. The result - burned bread, and cheese that never fully melts.

But not this time. This time, I turned my heat down low -- way low (probably too low now that I think about it, as it took the sandwiches about 20 min to cook!) You want the cheese and bread to cook SLOWLY together. Flip often so both sides get equal amounts of heat. Remove from skillet when the bread has turned a lovely golden brown.

Serve with with a bowl of delicious homemade tomato soup (recipe from Giada's Kitchen, New Italian Favorites) and you've got the ultimate comfort food for a wintry evening in.

Gingerbread Snowflakes


Winter and the holiday season snuck up on me this year -- I can't believe Christmas is next week.

We've sent the cards, hung the stocking and trimmed the tree. And, of course, we baked the cookies.

Melissa came over last Friday, with recipes and lots of chocolate for some fudgey chocolate cookies. I opted for gingerbread snowflakes from Martha Stewart. The recipe includes lots of spices -- ground ginger, clove, cinnamon plus the molasses. Compared with the minimal sprinkle of cinnamon or vanilla most recipes require, I love dumping in the rich-colored teaspoons of spice here.


The recipe was simple, but the dough was difficult to handle. After hours in the fridge, it was still not chilled enough to roll out. It went into the freezer for a while, but my Martha-recommended method of rolling the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap still left me with gobs of goopy dough.

So I scrapped the plastic-wrap method and covered my counter with flour, rolling and dusting and incorporating more until the dough had a reasonable texture. I know overworking the dough and adding too much flour are detrimental to cookie texture, but sometimes a baker must take risks.


The final results: a chewy and soft cookie, not the crunchy gingersnap I expected, and definitely not the tough, overworked cookie I fear. With some royal icing and sanding sugar, they look perfectly festive for the holidays. :)

Friday, December 11, 2009

Rustic kale soup

If there's one thing shih tzus love, it's food blogging. Buster, seen above, supervises all my efforts, and he was particularly excited about this rustic kale soup with a little beef, grains, and lots of vegetables. As a connoisseur of carrot and celery sticks, Buster knew a soup so packed with vegetables would be thoroughly satisfying and delicious.

I based this on the "White Bean Soup with Greens and Rice" from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (from which I do cook everything), but I modified it quite a bit -- using the suggested variation with beef, leaving out the beans, and generally making it into a totally different soup. Here's a rough outline:
  • 1/2 lb of kale, stems removed and chopped, leaves cut into bite-size squares
  • Two carrots, chopped
  • Two celery stalks, chopped
  • One onion, diced
  • 1/2 C dry quinoa
  • 1/2 C dry brown rice
  • 1/2 lb of beef, cut into very small bites
  • 5 cups beef or vegetable stock, or water
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
Sautee the onion, brown the beef, then add the rest of the ingredients and cover with water and simmer until the grains are thoroughly cooked and the vegetables are tender. You could be more precise and add the vegetables one at a time, but nothing in here is delicate enough to cause trouble if it cooks a few extra minutes.

The finished product was quite packed with ingredients, not much spare broth for them to swim around in, but everything seems super healthy -- perfect for the ultra cold weather we've had here recently.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

A Spoonful of Cuteness

OK, I know, I know...$92 for some measuring spoons?! Not a very smart or practical purchase. But really, what splurge ever is? Just look at how cute they are! I love the simplicity and variety of the bird shapes and am dying to hang these up in my new kitchen. The bottom baby spoons are a more reasonable $22, perfect for a unique shower gift.

Each piece is individually hand cast by a husband and wife team based out of Fall River, MA and are available at Beehive Kitchenware on Etsy or at their website www.beehivekitchenware.com.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Guest Blogger: Rosemary Parmesan Puffs


Growing up, there was really only 1 cook in the kitchen - my mom. My dad was sort of the pinch hitter, brought in off the bench for big events like Thanksgiving and Christmas to bake and carve the turkey and possibly mash a potato or two. He also whipped up some pretty mean Raggedy Ann birthday cakes for yours truly. However, in the past five or six years (much to my mom's surprise and delight) my dad has fast-tracked to foodie and chef extraordinaire. Though of course, like all modest and selfless fathers, he's the last to admit it, shrugging off our praises as "simply following the recipe". Well dad, I'm here to say, that you can follow the recipe and still be a horrible chef. Case in point: Not Always the Bread Winner.

My dad stumbled across this recipe while searching for Thanksgiving appetizers. The recipe is a simple and quick appetizer - perfect when you've got five other 1st and 2nd courses to prepare. The result of this recipe are, to quote the chef, "tiny cheesy gougeres that are delicious and kind of retro-Frenchy". I would just call the recipe absolutely delicious.

Rosemary Parmesan Puffs
Recipe from: Star Palate by Chef Kathy CaseyRecipe Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 22-25 minutes per batch
Yield: about 50 Puffs

Ingredients:
½ cup Water
½ cup Whole Milk
6 tablespoons Butter
1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh Rosemary
½ teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon minced Garlic
1 cup Flour
4 large Eggs
3/4 cup grated high-quality Parmesan Cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring water, milk, butter, rosemary, salt, and garlic to a boil over medium-high heat in a heavy medium-sized saucepan. All at once, add the flour and stir in quickly with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring-mixture will come away from the sides of the pan and become thick and stiff. Keep stirring and turning over for about 1 minute (you want to dry the mixture out a bit).

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and, with a handheld or standing mixer, mix on medium-high speed. Add 1 egg. As soon as egg is partially incorporated, increase mixer speed to high. Add remaining eggs ONE AT A TIME after each previous egg is well incorporated. Mixture should be smooth. Mix in the Parmesan.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. You will need 2 or 3 baking sheets, or work in batches (if you don’t have parchment paper, lightly spray baking sheets with nonstick vegetable spray and watch the cheese puff bottoms closely to prevent over-browning). Drop mixture by heaping teaspoonfuls-they should be the size of large marbles-onto parchment; or you can pipe it from a large piping bag fitted with a large plain tip.

Bake on upper rack of oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until puffs are golden. Serve warm. If you are short of baking sheets, have more balls ready on sheets of parchment. When a batch of puffs is done, remove the baking sheet from the oven, pull off the parchment filled with cooked puffs, and quickly add the next parchment sheet of puffs.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Chocolate-Ginger Brownies


It felt like a cookie-baking night, so I got out my Martha Stewart's Cookies to browse. The book looks small, but has a ton of recipes (some traditional, some new, most interesting and reliable) and a very helpful photo table of contents that makes searching for the perfect treat very easy.
 
When I saw the Chocolate-Ginger Brownies I was sold. Perhaps not quite a cookie, but close enough. And with ginger, cinnamon, ground clove, and nutmeg (lots extra, in my kitchen), it has some familiar wintery flavors. And, while brownies always take a disappointingly long time to bake, this recipe is super quick and simple and only dirties one pot. 


Thursday, December 3, 2009

Pizza for a Cause

Four people brutally murdered. Four families torn apart just days after Thanksgiving and weeks before Christmas. There may not be anything anyone can do to lessen the grief and pain of these devastated families, but there is something small YOU can do to help.

Next Tuesday and Wednesday (December 8th and 9th), Papa John's pizza locations in King, Pierce and Kitsap counties will be donating 100% of their profits to the families of the four Lakewood police officers that were killed last week. To find a store location near you, please click here.

Now, Papa John's may not be my favorite pizza place in town, but this just brought it up a few points in my book -- not in taste, but in heart.

Help spread the word.