Cheese Grits

 We don't have the cheese grits recipe posted here? This is a problem because this is the first place I look for it.

 Betsy, write whatever ode you desire in the comments. I'm just going to get the recipe up so I can get back to cooking them.

 

Cheese Grits a la Cannon

Revised 2020
Combination of Junior League of Gwinnett and North Fulton Co., 2001, More with Less p. 160, and experience:

Ingredients (Proposed for Xmas 2003)

1 c. Mr. George’s grits
4 c water
1/3 c. margarine
2 c. cheese
1 tsp. Worchester sauce
6 drops Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten 

Directions

Melt in 3 qt saucepan:
    2 Tbsp. butter
Sauté in butter:
    2 cloves garlic, minced

Add: 
      4 c. water
    3/4 tsp salt
    1/2 tsp. pepper
    1/4 tsp. mustard
    1/4 tsp. turmeric
Bring to boil.

Gradually add while stirring: 
    1 c. Dixie Lily GF yellow grits
Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer 3-5 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. 

Preheat oven.

Remove from heat.
Stir in:
    2 eggs, beaten
    2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
    4-8 drops hot sauce (1/8 tsp.)

Pour into a greased 2 qt. souffle dish. (Anne’s white oval casserole should work well.)  Sprinkle with paprika to taste.

Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until puffed and light brown.  
(Alternate baking directions:  Bake at 275° for 1 hour.  Bake at 350° for 25-30 min.)  

How to test it’s done trick from web:
USDA recommendation:  center reaches 160°.

 

Strawberry Layer Cake

 My final weekday free before I started a new job, I decided to bake a cake. Gotta take advantage of the flexibility while I could, and a cake felt appropriately celebratory. 

 Given that June is strawberry season in the Northeast, I wanted to feature them. Strawberry shortcake is perfection, but I had already made that these season and was looking for a more elaborate project. I ended up piecing together a couple recipes into a layer cake piled with berries.

Jason has less of a sweet-tooth than me, and even he mentioned thinking about it a week later, so I'm writing it up for future strawberry seasons. Could be a possible birthday cake for June birthdays.

 

 

Strawberry layer cake

Cake

Single recipe of King Arthur's Tender White Cake minus the almond extract split between three 7-inch round pans. I baked this the night before and left covered at room temp over night.

Whipped chamomile ricotta cream

Adapted from Half-Baked Harvest 

• Fresh chamomile flowers from the CSA (optional)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
  
• 16 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese
  
• A tbsp or two sugar
  
• Vanilla extract
  

Night before steep the chamomile in the cream.

Strain the cream into a large bowl (the bowl of a stand mixer if using). Discard the chamomile. Add the ricotta. Whip them together using a mixer until the ricotta is smooth and the cream has fluffed, 5 to 6 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar and a touch of vanilla extract, and whip for another minute.

Assembly

• Cake
• Whipped chamomile ricotta cream
•  Fresh strawberries, washed and halved or quartered depending on size

Layer the cake layers each with about a third of the cream and berries. Serve immediately. Call neighbors and bring them a slice. Can keep in the refrigerator of a few days, but since the berries aren't cooked, best not to push it too long.

Hoppin' John

 Every year, I google vegetarian hoppin' john recipes and every year I'm disappoint. Either it doesn't look like what I want, so I don't make it, or I try it and the flavor profile is too similar to the collards, or it's bland. This year's is the best I remember trying. Flavorful and paired nicely with the four pepper collards without duplicating the same flavor profile. I might not stick with it exactly, but it's a good base to start from.

Ingredients

• ~1/3 lb dried black eyed peas
• 1 onion
• 1 stalk celery
• ~1/2 a large poblano leftover from collards
• 1 orange bell pepper
• a few sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• salt 
• olive oil
  
• ~2/3 can of fire roasted tomatoes
• rice (I used brown jasmine because it's what I had on hand)
  

1. Soak beans beforehand. (I know, I know! I basically never do, but I did this time.)

2. Start rice cooker with rice.

3. Dice and saute the onion and celery in a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a dutch oven or similar pot.

4. While sauteing, dice the peppers. When the onion and celery have softened, add the peppers and saute a bit more.

5. When all the vegetables are soft, add the thyme, bay leaves, and salt. Stir a couple of times then add the black eyed peas (drained) and enough water to cover them comfortably.

6. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the peas are all but done.

7. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer a few minutes more.

8. Take off the heat. Stir peas mixture, including some of the broth, into the rice. May have some peas left over. That's fine. It makes a good soup, too.

A New Tradition for Christmas Eve Soup

Sometime in the '90's, we established the Christmas Eve tradition of crockpot clam chowder, cornbread, salad, and cookies for dinner. It worked as something that was easy to prep during the day, finish after (or between) the Christmas Eve church service(s). Outside of out usual diet, so it felt special.

John's mom also makes clam chowder on Christmas Eve, at least some of the time, so it seemed like a reasonable idea to keep that tradition going as we establish the next generation of traditions.

Except I didn't really want to make a meat focused tradition? Even seafood! While no one in our household is vegetarian at the moment, it is not a stretch to imagine hosting friends or family who are. (Even though right now, our local friends are pescatarians. Though we do have some fish allergies in the social circle...)

Tonight we tested a French Onion Soup, and I think it might just work. If we could manage it on a day with morning and evening services, with a toddler who is off his normal sleep schedule, and a quick visit from a friend between church and dinner, it gives me hope that it will be possible to continue in years where we're running around to other Christmas Eve commitments and visits. 

Like the clam chowder, it's a dish that feels out of our usual routine. Despite being a straightforward recipe, I think it's likely to stay that way; it's not the filling meal of a soup that we usually turn to. If I order French Onion Soup at a restaurant, it's likely to be a starter or a side. Tonight's salad was heavy on chickpeas, and incorporating that level of protein elsewhere in the meal makes sense. It's a lighter meal that leaves plenty of space for chocolate cakes or cookies or other desserts. Which seems fitting for the occasion.

Tonight's recipe does not need to be the definitive tradition! But writing it down now gives us a place to keep notes on what has been done.

Vegetarian French Onion Soup for the Slow Cooker

Adapted mostly from Southern Living, Food 52, and Simply Recipes.

• 2 to 3 pounds of Sweet Onions, thinly sliced
  
• 1.5 teaspoons sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 0.5 teaspoons black pepper
• 0.25 cup melted butter
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 quart vegetable scrap stock 
• Bit of white wine
• 1 Tablespoon molasses
• 1 smashed garlic clove
  
• 10 shakes of dried thyme
• Stale sourdough for gluten eaters. Toasted gluten free bread for those with allergies.
• Gruyere cheese
  

Last night, I sliced the onions and put them in the crock with the sugar, salt, and black pepper. Left them in the refrigerator overnight (it was strongly scented when I opened it this morning). This morning I pulled them out, put the insert in the electric pot itself, and stirred in the melted butter, tossed in the bay leaf. Turned the whole contraption on high and went about the day. The onions released their juices and changed color over the course of the day. I stirred them around lunch time and again before we left for the afternoon Mass.*

When we got home in the evening, I microwaved the stock.** While the stock was warming, I drizzled in a bit of white wine (we don't have sherry vinegar, and do have a bottle in the fridge that gets cooked with). Once that was incorporated (and had a bit of time to cook off the alcohol), I added a spoonful of molasses and the smashed garlic clove. When the stock was warmed, I poured it into the pot and added in 10 shakes of the dried thyme.

Ideally this would all reach a simmer and the flavors would meld over the course of, checks the reference recipes, a half hour or so. Realistically, I preheated the oven, grated the cheese, and pulled together a salad and then rushed to get food to the very hungry toddler.

Ladled soup into ramekins on a cookie tray. Topped with the appropriate breads (different colors of ramekin for the different types of bread). Added a generous amount of cheese to each. Set the broiler to low and slid the whole thing into the oven. A few minutes later, pulled it out, and served.

* One possible change to consider is doing the onions on low overnight instead of high during the day. I'm curious if that would get them to a deeper caramelization than they reached today. Could also let the lid be ajar a bit more frequently during the day.

** Two notes on the stock. First, most recipes call for more than what I used, but it was what we had on hand. Second, if the week before has an inkling of cooking with dried mushrooms, I would totally upgrade to mushroom stock.

Cabbage Slaw

This summer, I'm trying to do a better job at hosting friends over to grill in the garden. It takes a bit of planning to figure out which friends to invite together and reserve the grills if it's going to be a large enough group. And of course, there is the menu.

For summertime, my go-to grilling main is brats and similar sausages. They're straightforward and usually precooked all the way through, so I don't fret about not cooking them enough in the middle. (I'm getting better at grilling but still learning!) Veggies from the CSA or other seasonal produce go on the grill, too. Many of my vegetarian (and some omnivorous) friends like Beyond Meat, so I'll pick up Beyond Brats, too.

I like slaw on my brats, and it makes a good side for others. Earlier this summer, I searched through my cookbooks looking for the type of slaw I was remembering from my childhood. Not the mayonnaise one. The other, vinegary one. Struck out in More-with-Less. Didn't find it in Jane Brody. Eventually pulled out the Whitmire Memorial Library cookbook, and voila, there were multiple recipes that fit the bill. This recipe is modified from Twenty-Four Hour Slaw by Peggy Bullard and Cabbage Slaw by Pam Alexander.

Cabbage Slaw

Grate the following (a food processor is your friend here):

• Half a small cabbage
• One carrot (or two if small)
• One small white onion

Heat together until the sugar dissolves:

• 1/3 c apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1/3 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• mustard seeds
• celery seeds

In a bowl, mix the grated ingredients to distribute. Pour the sauce mixture over the cabbage. Mix. Cool in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

 Note: if you shred more than needed, then you've got a base for okonomiyaki ready to go.

GF Chex Mix

Many of our holiday traditional snacks are gluten filled, but chex mix is easily made gluten free. Celia, Mom and Dad's former congregant made excellent chex mix. This is based on her recipe, which is adapted from the chex original. Given that I made the second batch of the week today (it's a hit with the neighbors), recording here for future reference.

1/2 c. (1 stick) butter or margarine
1.5 tsp. seasoned salt**
5 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 clove minced or pressed garlic
2 2/3 c Corn Chex*
2 2/3 c Cheerios
2 2/3 c Rice Chex
1 c. salted mixed nuts
1-2 c. GF pretzels

Preheat oven to 250°. Melt butter in large shallow roasting pan (15x10x2 inches) in oven. Remove.

Stir in seasoned salt, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Add Chex and nuts. Mix until all pieces are coated. Bake in over 1 hour. Spread on absorbent paper to cool. [Editor: uh, paper towels.] Store in container with tight fitting lid.

Helpful hint from Chex: Party Mix may be frozen, so you can save time when you make
a double batch. (Celia's comment: If you have enough large pans.) Thaw at room
temperature in container in which it was stored.

*Celia prefers Crispix, but it’s not GF according to John’s research.

**Seasoned salt: 

1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp paprika
1/16 tsp. (aka pinch) turmeric

Dill Dip

Our garden plot came with dill volunteers. We tried to protect them as we rebuilt our bed, but only one survived.

That said, one dill plant is still a decent amount of dill. Maybe not for all our pickling dreams. But we're pulling it early because it was next to the tomatoes and we'd rather not have the tomatoes growth stunted. But there was no question what the first thing to make with it was.

Dill dip is a classic summer dish for John.  4th of July? Dill dip. Birthday potluck picnic in the park? Dill dip. It's the condiment for hanging out with friends, drinking iced beverage of choice, eating chips. (The recipe says it's great with raw veggies. Which is true. I still think it's better with chips.)

The recipe is in the binder of recipes from family and friends that his parents gave him around the time he graduated from college.

Dill Dip

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons dill seed or dill weed

2 teaspoons seasoned salt

3 Tablespoons minced onions

3 Tablespoons parsley

 

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate. Let sit at least one day to allow flavor to set in. Excellent with all raw vegetables.

Rhubarb ginger pie

 Happy pi day! I still had frozen rhubarb in the freezer from last summer, so I decided rhubarb pie was called for. Much like pecan pie, every time I set out to bake a rhubarb custard pie, I try to recall which recipe I decided on last time and always forget. Was it Nana's? The other one from Nana's cookbook? Or the one from the other cookbook? I did remember that I've paired ginger with rhubarb before to much success, so I went with that.

Here's today's version, a 6 inch ~deep dish pie. Next time, defrost rhubarb. Today's filling was runny, which I suspect was due to the water in the frozen rhubarb. Still delicious.

Ingredients:

• Pie crust (I default to easy oil or combo butter/shortening. You do you.)

Filling:

• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp cream (milk would be fine)
  
• ~3/4 cup sugar
• 1.5 Tbsp flour
• a pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• a knob (1.5 Tbsp?) diced fresh ginger
  
• ~2 cups frozen rhubarb
  

Crumb topping:

• flour
• whole wheat flour
• brown sugar
• powdered ginger
  

Make filling. Pour into bottom crust. Make crumb topping. Scatter on top. If feeling crafty for pie day, cut a pi shape out of leftover crust and place on top. Bake in 375-400 degree oven for an hour. Left cool. Devour.

Christmas Cassoulet Experiment

We didn't have anywhere to rush off to on Christmas Day this year, no family brunch to attend. This gave us more time to relax but presented a conundrum: what to have for Christmas dinner.

------------------------

I got off the waitlist for the Rancho Gordo bean club this fall. (I know, I know.) My first shipment came with Cassoulet beans. I only had a vague sense of what cassoulet was. I dutifully googled cassoulet recipes. 6 hours in the oven? Waaaaaaaaaaaaay more meat than I ever cook? I can use them in a vegetarian soup, thank you very much.

-------------------------

I half jokingly, half seriously mentioned cassoulet while looking up recipes again. "What's that?" "A French casserole with duck, but we could use chicken, and sausage and ham hocks." "Okay." "Oh, and the beans I got." "Sure. Make a shopping list."

-------------------------

After researching a dozen recipes, I tabulated the baking times and temps. Tried to balance slow cooked goodness and not running the oven all day long, deliciousness without too much fat. I followed Rancho Gordo and Serious Eats' recipes the most closely but was inspired by many others and my own instincts. Here's what I did. 

What I did

 

0.8 lb Rancho Gordo Cassoulet beans

0.5 lb  loose sausage

3 Chicken thighs with skin and bones

½ large onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1.5 Bay leaf

2 sprigs of parsley

1 stalk celery, diced, + some celery greens

5ish cloves garlic, divided

~1 tsp dried thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

5 peppercorns

6 cloves

3 Tbsp tomato paste

 

1. Soak beans overnight in salted water.

2. Drain beans and add new water. Cook beans with herbs (parsley, celery greens, rosemary; dried thyme, peppercorns, cloves in a tea bag) and garlic. 18 minutes in instant pot. Natural release for 20 minutes. [Next time cook less or on stovetop. Did not hold shape.] Remove herbs.

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken thighs in a bit of canola oil on medium high. 10 minutes first side, skin side down. 5ish minutes the second side.

4. Remove chicken. Divide sausage into 6 patties. Brown sausage on both sides. Remove sausage. Drain most of extra fat.

5. Saute onion, carrot, and celery. Add garlic when mirepoix begins to soften.  Add tomato paste. Puree veggies with a bit of the bean liquid.

6. Layer ingredients in ovenproof dish. Put ⅓ of beans on bottom. Mix in some of the vegetable puree. Place the sausage patties on top. Add a thin layer of beans and vegetable puree. Place the chicken on top, skin side up. Add the remainder of the beans and vegetable puree. Add enough bean liquid to submerge the top layer of beans.

7. Bake for 1.5 hours at 325F. Break skin on top and stir it back into the top layer. Bake 40 minutes at  335F. Debate if ready. Break skin and stir back in. Bake 20 more minutes at 335F. Serve.

    

    We served with rolls and a kale-apple-carrot-pecan salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. It was good, and I'd make it again, yet I wouldn't seek it out or make it a must-do tradition. Part of the enjoyment was in the experiment itself.

Baked Oatmeal

 I never liked grits.

For a Girl Raised In The South it feels like sacrilege. And yet, for 30 years, it was my truth. 

So even though I now order shrimp and grits at restaurants and make grits bowls with roasted veggies often enough that I used up the entire bag a houseguest gave us, it still feels like a primary* part of my identity is not liking grits.

 Christmas smells like cheese grits. Which I would dutifully try. Eating my grit and then going back to coffee cake. (At least until my last healthy holiday at home, when I actually liked them. And then ate a serving. And so John doesn't know that I don't like grits.)

We talked about making cheese grits for this Covidtine Christmas, but we used up our fancy houseguest bag. So switching to the baked oatmeal that John's mom makes felt reasonable. It even used up the can of pears that neither of us remembers buying. Acquisition from a previous roommate? Perhaps. Luxury anyway? Yes.

Baked Oatmeal

1.5 cups rolled oats (4.5 ounces)

1.5 cups thinly sliced peaches (canned peaches in juice may be used; or pears/blueberries. Could add nuts)

1/4 cups sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

3 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350º.

Grease 8 inch square baking pan. (Or whatever casserole/dutch oven you want to use.)

Combine oats, fruit, and sugar. 

In another bowl combine egg, vanilla, almond extract, and milk. Whisk together

Add liquids to oat mixture. Mix well. 

Pour into baking dish and bake uncovered for 50 minutes.

*Primary as in original. Not primary as in most important.

Pecan Pie

Every Thanksgiving, I look up a bunch of pecan pie recipes. I look in church cookbooks; google for recommendations; check blogs that I trust. I even look at the pecan pie recipe on the corn syrup bottle. And every year, I end up making a recipe that’s a combination of several of the above, but I never record what I did. So this year, I’m writing it down. Not necessarily to repeat, but such that I remember what I’ve tried before.

Crust (Based on Julia’s)

2/3 cup white flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold butter
2 Tbsp shortening
3 Tbsp cold water

Make crust. Refrigerate.

Filling*

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup + enough molasses to get up to a scant half cup
1 1/4 cup good quality pecans
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs beaten
6 Tbsp butter

Heat the butter, sugar, and syrup on the stovetop until boiling. (Roll out crust while waiting to heat up. Stick 9in pie plate back in fridge once prepped.) Take off heat. Stir in vanilla, eggs, and pecans. Pour into the prepared crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45ish minutes. Let cool at room temperature for 2 hours+ before cutting.

*After designing this from a hodge podge of recipes, I noticed the pie recipe on the pecan bag is remarkably similar.
 

Eggplant Kottu Roti

 Kottu is a Sri Lankan street dish made with godamba roti stir fried with curry and eggs. I discovered it through Kottu House, a now closed restaurant[1] on the LES, which my coworkers and I frequented when our coworking space was around the corner. Even after we moved offices to another neighborhood, a couple of us would periodically venture back to get our favorites. My go to was the Garden Kottu: an eggplant, chiles, and tomato sauce curry.

In the spring, I googled for recipes but didn't find quite what I was looking for, and some of the ones that appeared more authentic and reasonable had ingredients I didn't have on hand: pandan leaves, Sri Lankan curry powder, curry leaves, godamba roti. Normally, I'd be up for the adventure of tracking them all down. This is New York City, after all. But with the quarantine, we were limiting grocery shopping trips, and I wasn't going to venture into a store unless I was stocking up.

A couple of recipes mentioned Indian paratha as a substitute for roti. It's flaky like Sri Lankan roti. I grabbed a pack of frozen paratha from Trader Joe's and stuck it in the freezer. Last week, I bought a giant eggplant from the farmer's market and decided it was finally time to try to make kottu. I ended up combining four recipes, using some substitutions that they suggested (e.g. garam masala as the curry powder). This is clearly not an authentic recipe, yet the taste was a reasonable approximation of what I remembered. It was milder than the ones at Kottu House (the mild there was approximately the same spiciness as medium at many Thai restaurants). Next time I'd add another hot pepper or more curry powder or both. I'll continue to experiment with it.

While I made this with the Garden Kottu in mind, it was a good way to use up a variety of CSA veggies that were lingering in the fridge. The set of veggies isn't a precise prescriptions. Feel free to mix it up. You can even do a coconut milk based curry if you'd like.

[1] Given my last post, it seems like a trend of quarantine is me attempting to replicate favorite foods from defunct NYC restaurants.

 Ingredients

• Fennel seeds
• Green coriander (my cilantro went to seed, so I channeled Samin Nosrat)
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• a bit of red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• powdered ginger since I was out of fresh
• garam masala
• 2 jalapenos deseeded and diced (could have done 3 for this quantity veggies)
  
• 1 green pepper deseeded and diced
• 1 turnip julienned
• 3ish cups eggplant cubed
• some thinly sliced cabbage (my pan was full, so I didn't use much)
  
• 1 tomato diced
• the end of a tube of tomato paste
•  2 Tbsp soy sauce
• oil
  
•  2.5 eggs (I did 2 eggs + an egg white as I had egg whites on hand), beaten
  
• 2.5 paratha (sri lankan roti is traditional)

Method

1. If using frozen paratha, cook in frying pan per directions on package. Meanwhile, chop veggies.
2. Scramble eggs in a bit of oil. Set eggs and paratha to the side.
3. Add a bit more oil to the pan. Toast fennel seeds. Add coriander. For less than a minute.
4. Add the leeks and red onion, garlic, jalapenos, and bell pepper. Saute for a couple minutes.
5. Add eggplant and saute until it's softened.
6. Add garam masala, tomato, tomato paste, and soy sauce. Let the tomato get juicy and create a bit of sauce.
7. Add turnip and cabbage. Cook until everything looks almost done.
8. Slice the paratha (medium sized, shouldn't be too small). Add paratha and scrambled eggs to the pan with everything else. Toss and cook for a couple more minutes.
9. Remove from heat and serve.
   

Black bean hummus

For a few weeks in May each year, Runner and Stone makes a cheddar ramp spelt bread. I love it and try to seek it out each year. Perhaps, I'm a sucker for seasonal specials. Last year, I missed it. This year, I called ahead, found out it was only available on weekends, and prepaid for a loaf for Saturday.

After devouring the first couple of slices straight, I decided to make black bean hummus to go with the bread. The first time I remember regularly eating, or perhaps even trying, black bean hummus was when I interned in Boulder a decade ago. (I know.) Blue Moose of Boulder, a local brand, made a black bean and lime hummus which I ate with Udi's cheddar jalapeno bread from the farmer's market. A quintessential food from that summer.

Later, Queens Kickshaw became a favorite place to meet friends when I ventured to Astoria. Julia took me there first. Another time, I met Mabel for dinner only to find out that she and Matt had gotten married at City Hall that morning. (I insisted that we get carrot cake for dessert.) Kickshaw closed in 2017, yet I still periodically google their menu looking for the gouda grilled cheese. Black bean hummus, guava jam, pickled jalapeños, side green salad with jalapeño vinaigrette.

This time I didn't have gouda on hand. Instead, I created an open face sandwich by smearing cream cheese nearing expiration on the bread, followed by black bean hummus, topped with guava paste. Would make again.

I don't have an exact recipe for black bean hummus. I make it by feel each time. The below are the typical ingredients, though I suspect black beans are the only ingredient that I always include.

• Black beans, either canned or already cooked (can use a mixture of chickpeas and black beans. I typically use all black beans)
• Tahini
• Smoked paprika
• Cumin
• Pickled hot peppers
• Garlic
• Lime. Lots of lime. Add a bit of vinegar if you don't have enough lime.
• Olive oil and/or bean water
• Salt, if the beans weren't salted

Blend ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Salad Strategy

CSA day! Today we got spinach, white scallions and green garlic (both already chopped off with ends in water in the windowsill, because let's grow more flavor), salsify (which I have never had),  carrots, purple radishes (so pretty! and with greens attached), scarlet turnips, more carrots (there were two bags), and zucchini. It seems early for the zukes. I want asparagus. That's a proper spring vegetable! And I haven't had any yet because it hasn't come in the box and we have enough vegetables that I'm not buying it from the store.

~~~

For lunch, I made a salad. Today's was a simple salad: spinach, chickpeas, radish, carrot, turnip,  feta, dressing. Though I'm coming to think of most of my salads as fancy to present, simple to make. Assembly of a basic components.

These are the building blocks of most of my salads.

• Greens
• Grains
• Lentils/beans (Bonus if you've been marinating them.)
• Raw veggies (Do you have a mandoline? It makes my salads feel very fancy.)
• Cooked veggies (I've been using this recipe quite frequently recently)
• Seasonal fresh fruit
• Fritters (Smashed veggies, falafel, risotto fritters. Meat options would probably go at this level too. Or a fried egg.)
• Cheese
• Dried fruit, whatever the season
• Nuts/seeds (Maybe even a savory granola? Croutons if you can! Crispy beans if you'd rather.)

Choose items from at least three of the categories. Probably not more than five or six of them. Usually I build my salad with things at the top of the list going into the plate first as a base and things at the bottom of the list being added later as toppings. Add a dressing or sauce,

Some winners from this winter's boxes:

• Radishes sliced paper thin + grapefruit segments + goat cheese + rose vinaigrette
• Mixed greens + sliced carrots and radishes + smashed sunchokes + sriracha-mayo-lemon dip
• Mixed greens + marinated lentils + mixed roasted veggies + blue cheese + a homemade balsamic dressing
• Kale + chickpeas + daikon radish + caesar dressing

The Box

In the past 12 hours, I have texted with friends in opposite coastal cities about signing up for a summer CSA box. I have also unloaded the Winter CSA box that my household received today. And signed up for our summer shares of produce, fruit, eggs, bread, and gluten-free bread.

I know not everyone can sign up for a CSA. For one thing, they're not actually available everywhere. There aren't really farmer's markets around our parents, though there may be people selling produce out the back of their pick-up. (I googled anyway and was happily surprised that the state agriculture department lists one in their county. Their website was not operational though.) Second, they're not always affordable, especially for everyone worried about pay in this time of record-splintering time.* (This morning was not cheap for ours. It is 5-6 months of food after all.) That said this is the year to do a CSA, if you are at all thinking about it.

Why CSA this season?

1. Seasonal produce. Support local farmers. You know. The usual reasons.

2. This is the year to both make sure that you are getting fresh produce AND also limit contact while obtaining said produce.

3. You can pick it up outside. My current one involves absolutely zero contact with another human.

4. It shortens trips to grocery stores and farmer's markets. (Once our fruit share kicks in, we'll go to the store for dry goods, dairy, juice, and citrus?) Reduces viral load for everyone.

5. Let's face it, travel ain't happening this CSA season like it would in other seasons. So you don't need to think as much about when you're going to be gone and not use the box. You will be there. You will want to eat.

6. It lets you pre-buy food AND also not take options out of the grocery store for the people who can't afford to stock up.

7. It is the year of home cooking experimentation! Join the fun! What better way than the classic? 

In the spirit of cooking experimentation, I'm going to try to share some of my strategies for cooking through the box. Maybe we can think of it as our virtual cookbook to share comfort foods with friends during this time of distance? Or is that what this blog was originally?

* I get that it's not quite the spirit of supporting the farmer, but I would love if CSA's did a monthly signup that would match WIC/EBT dollars the way some farmer's markets do. Guarantee food delivery throughout the month.

Sick Food Stockpile

I look at the post I wrote two weeks ago and it already feels so long ago.

That morning I was feeling my disappointment in the primary elections. Later in the week, I listened to the comments around campaign suspensions. I watched interviews with candidates still running. And rewatched Warren again and again and again.

I was aware of coronavirus being in the US, I'd even already bought the next pack of toilet paper that we need. When I went to the grocery store that week I stocked up a little bit more than usual. And in every grocery run after that. (Our cheese drawer is a little bit ridiculous right now.)

Now it feels like we're in the last gasp of breath before the storm. We know it's coming, but we don't know how bad it's really going to be. We social distance and shelter in place. We disinfect door handles and wash hands as soon as we enter the apartment. Take off the clothes we were wearing outside and put them in the laundry.

I wrote notes on post-its and left them around the floor.
Hi Neighbor,
Don't want you to feel abandoned during our social distancing. If you can't make a supply/grocery run, I'm happy to be on your list of people who may be able to help.
Sarah ###

My pantry is blessedly (or embarrassingly) full for someone who lives in an apartment. It's the way I've lived ever since I lived an hour away from the town where I did most of the grocery shopping and 100 miles away from Walmart. Even now, with a view of the grocery store from my window, I keep extra groceries in the closet. (In my defense, a lot of it is the different varieties of gluten free flour. And you don't want to run out of the right cereals, because the stores that sell those are farther away.)  This is how while the media reports of buying beans, rice, and canned tomatoes, I end up buying cheese, hummus, bananas, and wasabi. For us, it's mostly been a usual week's grocery run.

We have food in the apartment to last us for two weeks if (when?) we need to quarantine. The trick for now is anticipating what food we want if we're sick. Normally, the healthy person would go to the store to get the ginger ale, the bananas, the potatoes, or the rotisserie chicken. (I've even dashed in for those when I've been the sick one.) We won't do that this time.

Instead, I've set aside a box of food for if my time comes. Trying to guess what I'll want (that will also keep for however long it needs).

•  Rolled oats
•  Candied ginger
•  Raisins
•  Box of soup that's been in the pantry since we moved here
•  Dehydrated soup mix
•  Saltine crackers
•  Jar of applesauce
•  Carton of apple juice
•  Six pack of ginger ale

I left the tea (licorice!) in the cupboard. Ideally we'll have potatoes and bananas on hand. Scrambled eggs to be soft on my throat--does that mean making sure that I have at least a half dozen on hand? What about when I want toast with my eggs? I think this is when I message the neighbors I've only met through text and ask them to make a run for me? Or call someone from church for the same?

How are you holding up? What are you reaching for in the pantry or refrigerator? Are you saving anything special?

Saturday mornings, Spring 2020

Saturday morning pancakes are a breakfast tradition. While I am a firm believer that nothing will top Dad's multigrain masterpieces, I am proud that we found Alice Medrich's basic gluten free pancake recipe to experiment with for the celiac. (Flavor Flours is our go-to baking cookbook these days.)

During Lent this year, our household is giving up sweets. Which apparently means no Saturday morning pancakes? (This is not the tradition I grew up with.) Since it's the one breakfast that we eat together, I still wanted something special. Even though our fast is a practice of self-discipline, I still want to mark it with more than the daily cereal/oatmeal/yogurt/smoothie/grapefruit. So we brainstormed brunch level breakfast ideas that are 1) not-sweet, 2) gluten-free, and 3) vegetarian. Not surprisingly, eggs play a key role. More suggestions welcome!

Lenten Brunch Brainstorm

  •  Breakfast taco
  •  Huevos rancheros
  •  Huevos divorcidos
  •  Migas
  •  Eggs in purgatory*
  •  Tomato shakshuka*
  •  Green shakshuka*
  •  Cheesy souffle with salad*
  •  Omelette*
  •  Roasted veggie hash with fried egg
  •  Grits bowl with veggies and side of fruit
  •  Congee
  •  Baked oatmeal

*Means that I want a version served with good bread or toast. Please omit for those for whom this is poison.

"Tex-Mex"

I've never moved in winter before.
  
Haven't really moved without a job lined up either.

And this is the first time that moving coincided with a shift in diet. (Reduced gluten because of allergies in the household. Heart healthy because of reminders about genetics.)

All to say, this is a good time to explore recipes. What better place than a freshly passed down Sunday School cookbook? A new lentil soup recipe seems like the thing for cold weather.

I'm not sure what makes this Tex-Mex.  My best guess is that it's the vinegar.

You could just as easily call it Cajun. You'd be wrong. But then, well, maybe not any more wrong than the working title?

Whatever the title, it's a kicky lentil soup. Compared to Ms. Cutler, I use less bacon (you can leave it out all together), vegetable stock, and forget the tomatoes. (I legit forgot the tomatoes the first time I made the soup. Remembered them the second time, and while it added another serving worth of soup it wasn't nearly as kicky.) My roux was made with glutinous rice flour per Serious Eats gluten-free suggestion, but if you don't have a gluten concern sticking with the white flour should be fine.

Kicky Lentil Soup

2 slices of bacon
1.25 cups brown lentils
6.5 cups vegetable stock
1 onion
1 carrot
1 bell pepper
3 Tablespoons butter
3 Tablespoons glutinous rice flour (aka sweet rice flour)
1 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

Cook lentils in 5 cups of vegetable stock. (I set the pressure cooker for 9 minutes.)
Cook the bacon, if you're using it. (I put mine in the oven at 400º.)
Chop the onion and start it sautéing in a pan with some oil. Consider adding some mushroom, even though it's not in the ingredient list. Next, peel and cut up a carrot. Add it to the pan. Then, the bell pepper. And maybe whatever hot pepper that's in the vegetable drawer and needs to be consumed....
When the vegetables are softened and the lentils are cooked, add the vegetables to the lentils. Crumble in the bacon--it's done cooking by now.
Let the soup simmer for bit.
While that's happening make a roux in the skillet that is empty again. Melt your butter over medium-low heat. Add in the glutinous rice flour (or white flour). Cook, constantly stirring, for five minutes. Turn the roux into gravy by adding the remaining 1.5 cups of stock, teaspoon of salt, and 2 Tablespoons of cider vinegar.
Stir the gravy into the simmering soup. Let the flavors meld as it cooks a bit longer.
Serve with an array of hot sauces and decide which is your favorite pairing.

Butter mints magic

The holy grail of butter mints

Betty McEachin's butter mints were legendary growing up. Our grandmother savored them and only spare us a taste. They were cool and buttery and melt-your-mouth magical.

For as long as I remember, we were told that the recipe was a family secret. I made butter mints growing up using a recipe from American Girl magazine. I'd dye the dough and sculpt snowmen, Santas, and the North Polar Bear. My creations may have measured up in creativity and design, but they didn't compare to Betty McEachin's in taste. When Mom suggested I make mints for the wedding preception, Grandmom said that she thought she could get Betty McEachin's recipe, and procure it, she did. She passed it along saying, "The real trick, as I'm sure Betsy knows, is a cold marble slab."

The American Girl recipe that got me started. It's a completely different technique than pulled butter mints.

I had no idea that a marble slab was required or even suggested and didn't own one. Marble slab made me think of the ice cream chain, not mints. Buying one ended up being the longest step in the process. We waited for the family store to get them in, but they kept being delayed. I considered calling up a contractor to see if they had any odd-sized pieces. In the end, I went the easy route and ordered online.

Leading up to the preception, I finally got my marble slab and made a practice run. They stuck all over my hands! I quickly discovered that the directions weren't joking when it said to butter your hands. I was apprehensive that I'd somehow pull them too much, so they ended up softening and not holding their shape after I cut them. Delicious nevertheless. Traveling with the mints didn't make much sense, so I planned to make some once I was in state for the preception.

A couple of evenings before the preception, I boiled up more butter, sugar, and water and began pulling and pulling the mints. Like before, the mixture stuck all over my hands. I wanted the mints to hold their shape this time, so I pulled and pulled. The mixture kept sticking everywhere, and then, suddenly it turned to sandy crumbs.

Huh? I was startled. Had I pulled it too hard? Was it something I said? I stuck the sugar crumbs back into the pot and added more water and boiled it back to a syrup again. This time, I didn't pull quite as long and began snipping off pieces before it turned too sandy. Once again, the mints didn't hold their shape, but they did soften and melted in our mouths. After a bit of research, I discovered that the problem was likely the humidity. It had poured that afternoon, and rainy days are suboptimal for candy making.

Last weekend, we had a master class with Betty McEachin. We learned not to stir the pot as the contents boil and that peppermint oil is the way to go. And we pulled and we pulled and we pulled.

Pouring the boiling syrup onto the marble slab.

Ingredients
3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 Tbsp margarine*
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp oil of peppermint*
* Betty said that it's probably fine to do 100% butter instead of 50/50 butter/margarine, but to use oil of peppermint rather than extract. She often finds oil of peppermint at drug stores.

1. Combine all of the ingredients except the oil of peppermint in a pot on the stove. Bring to a boil, and let it boil without stirring until mixture reaches 260-265 degrees F. This is hard ball stage. You can confirm the consistency by putting a bit on a spoon and then sticking it into a bowl of water.
2. While waiting for the mixture to reach temperature, liberally butter your marble slab. If it's a hot day, you should have already cooled down your marble slab by places ice cubes on it to chill the marble and then wiping it dry. If it's winter and cold out, no need to chill your marble beforehand.
3. When the mixture reaches 260-265, turn off the heat and pour the syrup over the marble, being sure to spread it over the surface.
4. Dab the peppermint across the surface of the syrup.
5. Butter your hands. Stretch the edges out to increase the surface area and allow the mixture to cool faster. As the edges cool, fold them back over the mixture and pull out areas that haven't yet cooled.
6. Once it has cooled enough to handle, start pulling. A single twist per each pull in order to create the ridges. See video for what it looks like.
7. Keep pulling until it begins to get hard. Then, lay your cord out on wax paper and begin cutting with kitchen shears. The cord should be ~1 inch thick and you should aim to cut the mint pieces ~1/4 inch thick. (I had always imagined that it was the reverse.) Do not let the cut mints touch on the wax paper once they're cut. Otherwise, they'll stick together.
8. Pack in airtight container with wax paper between the layers. Again, spread the mints out so that they don't touch.
9. It will take a day or so for the mints to cream, though no one will blame you if you go ahead and try one or three while they're still in their taffy state. ;)

Tips

• Too hard means that the mints were overcooked. Sandy means that the mints were under cooked.
• Do not stir the boiling mixture. Don't do it. I know you'll want to fuss over it.
• You can stir in food coloring right before pouring onto the marble if you like.
• Keep mints at room temperature. Can freeze in an airtight container. Let warm up to room temperature before giving away.
• You can't compete with the master who has been making these for decades. Her touch will always be the epitome of butter mints.

Packing the cut mints away, and maybe snitching a couple tastes, too.

Fridge breakfast, pantry dinner

Let's assert the premise that I like to travel. But that completely disrupts routine. And sometimes you get back from a visit and realize there's only a few days before the next trip and you can go to the grocery store, but really don't need to stock up on things. And I'm not as good at market shopping of only buying for that day's meal. Especially when I'm tired from traveling.

Repeat this every week or two for a season.

Then have your first weekend at home in a month. Decide you want to cook. Determine you don't really want to go grocery shopping. Invite friends over for breakfast. Open the pantry and see what you have.....

Breakfast: Kaiserschmarrn

It's been 6 years since I was first introduced to kaiserschmarrn. My notes describe it as, "It's like an omelet met a pancake. Sweet, but not cloyingly so. Unless you add jam and syrup and sugar. But then you're asking for the sweetness. Perfect for weekend mornings."  Here's this morning's adaptation:

Ingredients (served 3, lightly)

• 4 eggs (large)
• ~1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 heaping Tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup flour
• Handful of raisins
• Pouring of orange juice
• 2 peaches from travels to Carolina
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• (Forgot the salt. Didn't notice it. But should add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.) 
• Maple syrup

Directions

1.  Put the raisins in a small bowl and pour orange juice over to soak them in.
2.  Beat the eggs, yogurt, vanilla, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
3.  Slowly add in the flour, whisk until everything is smooth and even.
4.  Pull out the large skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add in a bit more butter if what you tried first doesn't cover the pan.
5.  While the butter is melting, peel and slice the peaches.
6.  Once the butter is melted, add the raisins and orange juice to the batter. Pour the batter into the pan. Make sure the raisins are evenly distributed throughout. Arrange peaches in the batter.
7.  Cook undisturbed for for several minutes. Then start lifting the edges to let batter run underneath. Once the bottom is set, use the spatula to cut strips that you can flip over. Let the other side brown. Keep cutting into bite-size rectangles.
8.  Serve with maple syrup and a additional peach slices. (And iced tea in wine glasses to feel fancy.)

Dinner: Enfrijoladas

Enfrijoladas were a recent discovery after I cooked a passel of beans in the crockpot. While I do not always have fresh cooked beans that need to be used, I definitely keep a can of beans in the pantry. And now a jar of chipotle peppers too. (Hint: freeze extra peppers in mini muffin tins.) Last night's adaptation:

Ingredients

• 6 corn tortillas
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 3 chipotle peppers
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 cup of frozen spinach
• Cheddar cheese, grated
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Slice the onion. Heat olive oil in skillet and saute onion over medium heat until translucent.
3. Drain the can of beans. Rinse beans and put in blender with broth, chipotle peppers, and garlic cloves. Blend away into a sauce.
4. Heat the spinach. Squeeze out excess water. Add spinach to onion.
5. Pour a bit of the bean sauce into the bottom of your baking dish (last night was the cast iron skillet).  Pour some more bean sauce into a pie plate. 
6. Take a tortilla and dip it into the bean sauce. Flip it over, getting it thouroughly covered. Fill with the spinach-onion mixture and cheddar cheese. Roll closed and place in the baking dish, seam side down.
7. Repeat with other tortillas until you're out of space.
8. Pour some more sauce over the dish. Top with extra cheese. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is at your desired level of meltedness.
9. Serve immediately. (Extra sauce can be frozen.)