So, I don't really have any new food adventures to share (although my very first gluten-free loaf of bread is in the oven as we speak!), but I am feeling chatty and two delightful things just happened. No one is physically around to share them with so you all get to hear them. They are pretty small things and will probably lose some of their delightfulness when I try to write them down, but nonetheless, here they are...
I was out enjoying a glorious "its-winter-but-I'm-going-to-tease-you-and-pretend-it-is-spring" Colorado afternoon on a trail that runs through a gully out behind my neighborhood. My pace was alternately jogging (I know, its shocking!), walking and picking my way through the mud. I was gingerly making my way through a very muddy patch and, since I hadn't seen a single person in 45 minutes, was also singing along with my iPod to the country song, 99% Sure I've Never Been Here Before. I was at the particularly fun "ninety-nine point, ninety-nine point, na-na-NA-na-NA-na-na" part when I glanced up and saw a father and his son watching me and looking extremely amused! Sigh... Its a good thing I have learned to laugh at myself!
Then a little bit later I was nearly back to my house and was walking by the little neighborhood park at the end of our street and I saw a little boy climbing on some of the equipment. He looked to be about 4 years old and he was completely decked out in a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads and shin guards! I almost laughed out loud when I saw him and I am laughing out loud while I write this. Poor kid! The thing is, I have a lurking suspicion that I would be capable of doing the same thing to my poor unborn children. Lord help them! Hopefully many of you will still know me someday when I have kids. Please smack me upside the head if I send them to the playground in full body armor. I am giving you permission ahead of time!
Thats all. Today has been a particularly nice day and it is nice to find enjoyment in simple things. I know a couple of you reading this do the gluten-free thing, so I will let you know how this bread turns out!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Thai Coconut Sticky Rice
I got to have dinner with my sweet roommate, Samantha this past Wednesday night. She had a coupon for a local Thai place where if you spent $35, you got $25 off (so $5 bucks each is a great deal for dinner). The funny part was that I think the most expensive item on the menu was $7 so it was a stretch for she and I to come up with a $35 tab! The result of our efforts was a completely gluttonous (is that a word??) Thai feast including soup and appetizers and an entree and drinks and dessert (and ice cream to go for her parents). The dessert we chose was a Coconut Sticky Rice with fresh mango. I am not usually a huge fan of coconut milk, unless it is combined with curry (in which case I get SUPER excited!). However, something about this dish totally worked and I was hooked after the first bite! My mind went where it usually goes: "I bet I can make this" so I spent my lunch breaks this week researching sweet, sticky rice recipes online.
And now, here is my recommendation for the your weekend (I know... I am not giving you very much notice since it is already Saturday night!). Go to the closest grocery store, buy a bag of sushi rice (sometimes called sticky rice), a can of coconut milk and a nice, ripe mango. Get home as quickly as possible and continue with the following instructions:
- Cook 1 cup of the sticky rice according to package directions.
- Simultaneously, bring 3/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp salt to a boil.
- Once the rice has cooked, combine it with the coconut milk mixture and put the whole thing in a covered bowl on the counter for about an hour to cool. I think this dish is technically supposed to be served at room temperature. But if you just can't wait, you could technically break the rules and eat it warm.
- While the rice is cooling, put another 1/2 cup coconut milk in the pan with 1 tsp of sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, a dash of vanilla and just under 1 Tablespoon of Tapioca starch (I didn't have any of this and used corn starch, which worked fine). Heat until it thickens.
- Put rice in bowls, add chopped mango, drizzle your sauce on top and sit yourself down to properly savor this treat!
(Side note: The recipe called for toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle on top, but I did not have any and did not want to spend $8 on a large jar at the store. I may try to find a smaller container of them for next time...)
Hope you enjoy a lovely weekend!
And now, here is my recommendation for the your weekend (I know... I am not giving you very much notice since it is already Saturday night!). Go to the closest grocery store, buy a bag of sushi rice (sometimes called sticky rice), a can of coconut milk and a nice, ripe mango. Get home as quickly as possible and continue with the following instructions:
- Cook 1 cup of the sticky rice according to package directions.
- Simultaneously, bring 3/4 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp salt to a boil.
- Once the rice has cooked, combine it with the coconut milk mixture and put the whole thing in a covered bowl on the counter for about an hour to cool. I think this dish is technically supposed to be served at room temperature. But if you just can't wait, you could technically break the rules and eat it warm.
- While the rice is cooling, put another 1/2 cup coconut milk in the pan with 1 tsp of sugar, 1/8 tsp salt, a dash of vanilla and just under 1 Tablespoon of Tapioca starch (I didn't have any of this and used corn starch, which worked fine). Heat until it thickens.
- Put rice in bowls, add chopped mango, drizzle your sauce on top and sit yourself down to properly savor this treat!
(Side note: The recipe called for toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle on top, but I did not have any and did not want to spend $8 on a large jar at the store. I may try to find a smaller container of them for next time...)
Hope you enjoy a lovely weekend!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Lemon Poppy Seed Yumminess
If I want my body to remain on speaking terms with me, I have to keep my wheat/gluten consumption to a minimum. This is rather inconvenient for someone who loves dessert (hence my totally irrational excitement over the discovery of dark chocolate and port!). Not long after I started this blog, I found another, much fancier, food blog done by a woman whose name I don't know. I have quickly become a fan. This past weekend, she posted a recipe for a Lemon Poppy Seed cake. I immediately noticed that the entire cake recipe calls for only 1/2 cup of flour. My dessert-loving antenna perked right up and I tried the recipe this evening. Delicious! If lemon cake and lemon pudding were to meet and fall in love and get married, this cake would be their baby. It is a super strange recipe on all fronts: very little flour or sugar, but a whole 1/2 cup of corn starch and 8 egg yolks! The texture is surprisingly "light", but also strangely creamy. I am going to direct you to this lady's blog (so long as you promise to still read mine) for the recipe and instructions:
Smitten Kitchen: Poppy Seed Lemon Cake
If you decide to try it, here are a few things that I found:
- At first the idea of using nearly a whole dozen eggs (and just their yolks at that) almost made me abandon ship. But then I decided that a dozen eggs cost about $2 and so even if I did waste all those egg whites, it wasn't really that big of a deal. Then this afternoon, I learned that egg whites can be frozen. I am not sure that I will ever use them, but I did freeze little baggies of 2 egg whites each for future use...
- I do not have a tube pan and really dislike trying to grease bundt pans with all those little ridges, so I just used a 9in x 9in brownie pan. I still greased and floured the dish and turned it over to serve the finished square cake by itself (instead of serving it out of the pan like brownies).
- I bought the poppy seeds in the baking section at the grocery store. The little $2.99 container was just shy of a 1/2 cup.
- She says to grease a sheet of foil and cover the dish while baking. I did this but the cake still stuck to the foil when it rose and I ended up just taking it off for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
- I don't know if this is a funky Colorado elevation thing or just the fact that I used a different kind of pan, but she cooked her cake for 40 minutes and it took mine an hour and 20 minutes. I judged it as done when the middle stopped jiggling and the edges were light brown and starting to pull away from the edges.
- Lastly, once the cake had cooled a tiny bit, I dusted it with powdered sugar on top. My mom used to have this funny little metal cup with a mesh bottom and you turned a handle to sift powdered sugar out. I don't have anything like that but I do have a wire mesh strainer. I put the powdered sugar in that and lightly tapped the side to let the powdered sugar dust come out the bottom. I felt just like Marmie in Little Women (the movie) in the scene where it is Christmas and they are in the kitchen and Meg and Jo are arguing about whether Meg should marry John Brooks or not. While they are talking, Marmie is dusting this cake with powdered sugar just the same way I did it. That was a nice, domestic moment for me: dusting my cake and feeling like Marmie in Little Women!
If you try this one, let me know if you enjoy it!
Smitten Kitchen: Poppy Seed Lemon Cake
If you decide to try it, here are a few things that I found:
- At first the idea of using nearly a whole dozen eggs (and just their yolks at that) almost made me abandon ship. But then I decided that a dozen eggs cost about $2 and so even if I did waste all those egg whites, it wasn't really that big of a deal. Then this afternoon, I learned that egg whites can be frozen. I am not sure that I will ever use them, but I did freeze little baggies of 2 egg whites each for future use...
- I do not have a tube pan and really dislike trying to grease bundt pans with all those little ridges, so I just used a 9in x 9in brownie pan. I still greased and floured the dish and turned it over to serve the finished square cake by itself (instead of serving it out of the pan like brownies).
- I bought the poppy seeds in the baking section at the grocery store. The little $2.99 container was just shy of a 1/2 cup.
- She says to grease a sheet of foil and cover the dish while baking. I did this but the cake still stuck to the foil when it rose and I ended up just taking it off for the last 20 minutes of cooking.
- I don't know if this is a funky Colorado elevation thing or just the fact that I used a different kind of pan, but she cooked her cake for 40 minutes and it took mine an hour and 20 minutes. I judged it as done when the middle stopped jiggling and the edges were light brown and starting to pull away from the edges.
- Lastly, once the cake had cooled a tiny bit, I dusted it with powdered sugar on top. My mom used to have this funny little metal cup with a mesh bottom and you turned a handle to sift powdered sugar out. I don't have anything like that but I do have a wire mesh strainer. I put the powdered sugar in that and lightly tapped the side to let the powdered sugar dust come out the bottom. I felt just like Marmie in Little Women (the movie) in the scene where it is Christmas and they are in the kitchen and Meg and Jo are arguing about whether Meg should marry John Brooks or not. While they are talking, Marmie is dusting this cake with powdered sugar just the same way I did it. That was a nice, domestic moment for me: dusting my cake and feeling like Marmie in Little Women!
If you try this one, let me know if you enjoy it!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
A New Favorite Thing!
Well... The end of the holiday season found me in possession of two new and unexpected gifts: 4 Filet Mignon Steaks and a bottle of Port. As previously discussed, cooking red meat intimidates the heck out of me and Filet Mignon was no exception. If anything, knowing it is an expensive cut of meat made me more nervous because if I "killed" it, I would feel like I wasted something really precious. As far as Port, I had heard of it, but had no idea what it tasted like or if I would like it. I had, however, seen it as an ingredient in several recipes so I did some homework to see what would happen if I put the Filet Mignon and the Port together...
I found a Filet Mignon recipe with a Port Wine Mushroom sauce. If you are anything like me, you read that and thought !!YUM!! So I made plans to cook my fancy meal this past Monday evening. The Filet Mignon turned out wonderful, the sauce was "so-so".
1. After reading up about how to cook those fancy-schmancy little steaks, I found several sources that recommended simply cooking them in a pan with a little olive oil over a high heat for a short period of time. Apparently overcooking filet mignon is considered a travesty so I heated the oil almost to the smoking point and then put my little steaks in the pan for 3 minutes on each side. I then let them sit for another 3 minutes with the pan covered but removed from the heat. They turned out delicious!
2. The sauce was very simple: Shallots, garlic, wild mushrooms, a pinch of sugar, salt & pepper sauteed in a little olive oil. Then you add a cup of the Port and boil for a few minutes and then 3 cups of chicken broth and boil for another 1/2 hour. The flavor was good but the sauce did not thicken at all so it was like pouring soup over my steak. I also thought that it would have tasted just as good with some white wine or sherry. Which brings me to point # 3.
3. I mentioned my bottle of Port to a co-worker and she told me that the proper way to consume Port is to sip it while nibbling Dark Chocolate. It just so happened that I had some Dove Dark Chocolate and so I poured myself a tiny glass and sipped and nibbled while cooking my meal (And I might add, felt very sophisticated while I was doing it!). Well... No sooner had I started sipping and nibbling, then I greatly regretted putting a whole cup of that lovely Port in my sauce! The Port and the dark chocolate together were completely wonderful and in a strange way, more satisfying to me than a whole piece of cake or other traditional dessert would have been.
So the moral of this story is: If you find yourself in possession of a bottle of Port, save it for sipping and dark chocolate nibbling and just use wine or sherry in your dinner sauce!
I found a Filet Mignon recipe with a Port Wine Mushroom sauce. If you are anything like me, you read that and thought !!YUM!! So I made plans to cook my fancy meal this past Monday evening. The Filet Mignon turned out wonderful, the sauce was "so-so".
1. After reading up about how to cook those fancy-schmancy little steaks, I found several sources that recommended simply cooking them in a pan with a little olive oil over a high heat for a short period of time. Apparently overcooking filet mignon is considered a travesty so I heated the oil almost to the smoking point and then put my little steaks in the pan for 3 minutes on each side. I then let them sit for another 3 minutes with the pan covered but removed from the heat. They turned out delicious!
2. The sauce was very simple: Shallots, garlic, wild mushrooms, a pinch of sugar, salt & pepper sauteed in a little olive oil. Then you add a cup of the Port and boil for a few minutes and then 3 cups of chicken broth and boil for another 1/2 hour. The flavor was good but the sauce did not thicken at all so it was like pouring soup over my steak. I also thought that it would have tasted just as good with some white wine or sherry. Which brings me to point # 3.
3. I mentioned my bottle of Port to a co-worker and she told me that the proper way to consume Port is to sip it while nibbling Dark Chocolate. It just so happened that I had some Dove Dark Chocolate and so I poured myself a tiny glass and sipped and nibbled while cooking my meal (And I might add, felt very sophisticated while I was doing it!). Well... No sooner had I started sipping and nibbling, then I greatly regretted putting a whole cup of that lovely Port in my sauce! The Port and the dark chocolate together were completely wonderful and in a strange way, more satisfying to me than a whole piece of cake or other traditional dessert would have been.
So the moral of this story is: If you find yourself in possession of a bottle of Port, save it for sipping and dark chocolate nibbling and just use wine or sherry in your dinner sauce!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year & Spicy Caramel Popcorn
Happy New Year Loved Ones!
It is 5pm and I confess it feels like it should be lunch time. I guess that is what happens when you get out of bed around noon and eat "breakfast" at 1:30pm! I actually woke up much earlier but enjoyed a couple hours in bed with my journal and a cup of coffee, celebrating the first part of 2010 with Jesus. I really love the beginning of a a new year and the sense of expectation in my heart.
However, the rest of the day has been sheer laziness, watching movies in my PJ's with two of my sweet roommates. We decided to break for snacks about 1/2 an hour ago and we descended on the kitchen to come up with something special. Samantha is finishing up some spring rolls as we speak and I made a bowl of Spicy Caramel Popcorn for dessert. I found this recipe over the weekend on another cooking blog that I just started following. It is a nice, unexpected twist on normal caramel corn with a tasty mixture of sweet, salty and spicy. Hope you enjoy!
Spicy Caramel Popcorn
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 cups salted peanuts (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups sugar
3 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup water
- My roommates and I have 3 different kinds of popcorn makers: oil popper (WOW, I just found a typo! I originally typed "oil pooper! How funny!), air popper and microwave popper. If you have something like this, just pop the popcorn that way. If not, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat in a pot with a lid. Add the popcorn, fit the lid and keep the pot moving until all the kernels have popped (or pooped, whichever way you prefer to look at it) Set aside in a bowl and toss with peanuts, if using.
- In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and cayenne pepper
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt and water. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture becomes a light, golden brown caramel color. (I found it incredibly difficult not to stir! The mixture practically begged me to participate in its golden, bubbly loveliness by stirring. I don't know why these instructions say not to, but other than dipping my spoon in there once because I just couldn't resist, I obeyed and did not stir)
- Remove caramel from heat and wisk in baking soda/pepper mixture. It will foam up a bit.
- Immediately pour over popcorn and toss.
- Spread caramel corn onto two baking sheets and allow to cool. As it cools, separate into smaller chunks.
- TIP: The recipe I used advised coating the bowl, spoons and baking sheets with a light layer of non-stick cooking spray. This was very helpful when handling the popcorn.
*P.S. I apologize for the "pooping" comments on step one if that grosses you out. I made that first typo and then every time I wrote the word "pop", I would start to giggle thinking about "poop" and I guess I am a little loopy today!
It is 5pm and I confess it feels like it should be lunch time. I guess that is what happens when you get out of bed around noon and eat "breakfast" at 1:30pm! I actually woke up much earlier but enjoyed a couple hours in bed with my journal and a cup of coffee, celebrating the first part of 2010 with Jesus. I really love the beginning of a a new year and the sense of expectation in my heart.
However, the rest of the day has been sheer laziness, watching movies in my PJ's with two of my sweet roommates. We decided to break for snacks about 1/2 an hour ago and we descended on the kitchen to come up with something special. Samantha is finishing up some spring rolls as we speak and I made a bowl of Spicy Caramel Popcorn for dessert. I found this recipe over the weekend on another cooking blog that I just started following. It is a nice, unexpected twist on normal caramel corn with a tasty mixture of sweet, salty and spicy. Hope you enjoy!
Spicy Caramel Popcorn
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 cups salted peanuts (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups sugar
3 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup water
- My roommates and I have 3 different kinds of popcorn makers: oil popper (WOW, I just found a typo! I originally typed "oil pooper! How funny!), air popper and microwave popper. If you have something like this, just pop the popcorn that way. If not, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat in a pot with a lid. Add the popcorn, fit the lid and keep the pot moving until all the kernels have popped (or pooped, whichever way you prefer to look at it) Set aside in a bowl and toss with peanuts, if using.
- In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and cayenne pepper
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt and water. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture becomes a light, golden brown caramel color. (I found it incredibly difficult not to stir! The mixture practically begged me to participate in its golden, bubbly loveliness by stirring. I don't know why these instructions say not to, but other than dipping my spoon in there once because I just couldn't resist, I obeyed and did not stir)
- Remove caramel from heat and wisk in baking soda/pepper mixture. It will foam up a bit.
- Immediately pour over popcorn and toss.
- Spread caramel corn onto two baking sheets and allow to cool. As it cools, separate into smaller chunks.
- TIP: The recipe I used advised coating the bowl, spoons and baking sheets with a light layer of non-stick cooking spray. This was very helpful when handling the popcorn.
*P.S. I apologize for the "pooping" comments on step one if that grosses you out. I made that first typo and then every time I wrote the word "pop", I would start to giggle thinking about "poop" and I guess I am a little loopy today!
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