Either this December, or one a few years past, you heard about a fabulous program called a CSA from a friend or cousin or random stranger at the Farmer's Market. It sounded great! Join in the harvest! Support local farmers! Get lots of fresh, organic veggies each week! A check or two later and all you had to do was wait until summer rolled around for some fabulous treats. Your kitchen was going to look like the front cover of Fine Cooking every night!
Skip forward a few months: are you tired of the same old salad with bitter greens? Do you have a crisper drawer full of unknown or slightly sad looking veggies? Have you scoured the internet for any clue as to what to do with two tiny pickling cucumbers or half a bunch of pac choi?
Same here.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
kidstuffs: Lazy Daisy Donuts
It's a snow day at the End of the Main Line...and all the way down to Philly and on into Jersey. 10-14 inches, whoo! This, of course, means that two and a half hours into the day, we have already made "fancy" breakfast, are on our second cup of hot chocolate (and third cup of coffee), made two projects and the baby is starting to get up from his first nap.
This is a Nana recipe. The original Nana, my great grandmother, would make large, fresh biscuits, then cut out the holes with a shot glass and deep fry them (in lard!) to golden brown on each side, then immediately dust them with powdered sugar until they were glistening with a layer of sweet fatty goodness. They were then gobbled up instantly. If you could wait, they were fantastic cooled and hardened with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee, but they rarely got to that stage. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, feel free to make these with fresh biscuit dough.
At our house, we made the lazy kind. These were devised by the current Nana, my mother, who is well on the way to having a cookbook's worth of recipes using biscuits from a can.
The kid loves biscuits from a can. Yes, they are processed and made from who knows what and all...but you can't beat them for keeping a kid entertained for a good 30 minutes while you make the real dinner. The kid loves opening the can (which can be a 10 minute process in itself), pulling them out, deciding whether to roll them out and cut shapes with cookie cutters or leave them as is...it is a big decision each and every time. And you can't beat them for a quick and easy breakfast treat.
These donuts take only a few minutes to make, or entertain kids for a good 30-45 minutes, depending on age and intensity of falling snow, if you let them do each step not involving heat sources. Measuring and cutting butter is a 5 minute activity, plus math! Whoo!
We happened to have the flaky buttermilk biscuits today, but any can of biscuits will do for this "recipe". To make them into donuts: preheat oven to about 375 or 400 degrees (if you have something else cooking, just toss them in at the same temp as long as it is over 350). Melt about 2T. butter in a small bowl, and put about 1/4 c. sugar in another bowl, with a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg if you feel like it. Pop open your biscuits and punch out a hole with a shot glass, bottlecap, whatever you have about that works. If you are feeling creative, find a small cookie cutter - flowers or hearts are popular around here, though we have been known to use the smallest dinosaur from time to time. Dip in the butter, then the sugar, place dipped side up on a foil lined (easy cleanup!) baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden brown. The sugar will be hot when done, so make sure you let them cool for a minute or two before calling the kids away from their stations at the window, desperately looking for the first flakes of snow.
Enjoy!
What counts as "fancy" breakfast? Lazy Daisy Donuts!
This is a Nana recipe. The original Nana, my great grandmother, would make large, fresh biscuits, then cut out the holes with a shot glass and deep fry them (in lard!) to golden brown on each side, then immediately dust them with powdered sugar until they were glistening with a layer of sweet fatty goodness. They were then gobbled up instantly. If you could wait, they were fantastic cooled and hardened with a cup of hot chocolate or coffee, but they rarely got to that stage. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, feel free to make these with fresh biscuit dough.
At our house, we made the lazy kind. These were devised by the current Nana, my mother, who is well on the way to having a cookbook's worth of recipes using biscuits from a can.
The kid loves biscuits from a can. Yes, they are processed and made from who knows what and all...but you can't beat them for keeping a kid entertained for a good 30 minutes while you make the real dinner. The kid loves opening the can (which can be a 10 minute process in itself), pulling them out, deciding whether to roll them out and cut shapes with cookie cutters or leave them as is...it is a big decision each and every time. And you can't beat them for a quick and easy breakfast treat.
These donuts take only a few minutes to make, or entertain kids for a good 30-45 minutes, depending on age and intensity of falling snow, if you let them do each step not involving heat sources. Measuring and cutting butter is a 5 minute activity, plus math! Whoo!
We happened to have the flaky buttermilk biscuits today, but any can of biscuits will do for this "recipe". To make them into donuts: preheat oven to about 375 or 400 degrees (if you have something else cooking, just toss them in at the same temp as long as it is over 350). Melt about 2T. butter in a small bowl, and put about 1/4 c. sugar in another bowl, with a touch of cinnamon or nutmeg if you feel like it. Pop open your biscuits and punch out a hole with a shot glass, bottlecap, whatever you have about that works. If you are feeling creative, find a small cookie cutter - flowers or hearts are popular around here, though we have been known to use the smallest dinosaur from time to time. Dip in the butter, then the sugar, place dipped side up on a foil lined (easy cleanup!) baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes until golden brown. The sugar will be hot when done, so make sure you let them cool for a minute or two before calling the kids away from their stations at the window, desperately looking for the first flakes of snow.
Enjoy!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
cocktail: Screwdriver
Most trendy cocktails these days tend to be whisky based and that's great but don't discount a well made simple screwdriver or any other vodka based drink for that matter. Since the drink is so simple, OJ + vodka = screwdriver, the quality of the ingredients is of upmost importance.
I prefer to squeeze my OJ fresh. Clementines make screwdriver, not only for their flavor but also their convenience. They're about the same size of a lime and fit into a hand squeezer. Some tangerines fit nicely as well. In this version I used some of both. You'll also want to strain the juice since pulp in a screwdriver isn't very desirable.
There seems to be a lot of disagreement as to how important the brand of vodka is and whether or not quality is noticeable. I've been in the camp that thinks that you need not spend a lot to find high quality tasting vodka. After all it is a neutral spirit. My opinion changed sharply though when I tasted Boyd and Blair Potato Vodka. The texture is silky and has almost a cream like mouthfeel and isn't prohibitively expensive ~$30 for 750ml.
My favorite screwdriver:
2 parts fresh OJ (clementines & tangerines)
1 part Boyd and Blair Potato Vodka
shake with ice. Serve up or on a rock.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
cocktail: Cranberry Tart
I love cranberry juice, especially in the winter. I made a bunch of cranberry syrups for each holiday, with other flavorings depending on what else we are cooking, and always used them up within a few days. On the last trip to the store, I grabbed their simplest cranberry juice, like I usually do...except I was at Whole Foods, and it was just plain cranberries mixed with water. When I did my usual (ice, vodka, cranberry, DRINK), I was met with SOUR. I like drinks that are bitter or sour, but this was too sour to drink straight, that night anyway.
I was lazy - I just added some OJ to sweeten it up and made it a night. BUT, fast forward 24 hours, and I decided to have some fun with it! This is still a sour, pucker up drink, but a nice refresher. On a warm summer night on the deck, it would be perfect.
With no further ado...
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Cranberry Tart
1 part Aperol
1.5 part vodka
2 parts good Cranberry Juice
4-5 dashes Orange Bitters
Seltzer
Stir first four ingredients in glass. Add ice and stir again. Top with seltzer. Add garnishes if feeling fancy. Enjoy!
I was lazy - I just added some OJ to sweeten it up and made it a night. BUT, fast forward 24 hours, and I decided to have some fun with it! This is still a sour, pucker up drink, but a nice refresher. On a warm summer night on the deck, it would be perfect.
With no further ado...
Cranberry Tart
1 part Aperol
1.5 part vodka
2 parts good Cranberry Juice
4-5 dashes Orange Bitters
Seltzer
Stir first four ingredients in glass. Add ice and stir again. Top with seltzer. Add garnishes if feeling fancy. Enjoy!
kidstuffs: Fish & Veggie Nuggets
The kid is a picky eater. She seems to gather nutrients from the air, like a whale straining plankton from the sea it is swimming through, rather than actually eating. Preferred foods fall in the Tan category - waffles, crackers, hummus, chicken fingers...but hey! Those we can work with!
Full disclaimer: the kid fully believes these are normal chicken nuggets, like the ones that come out of a bag from the grocery store or out of the drive thru at Chick Fil A, just look different because they are homemade. While I normally do not advocate lying to kids*, I will deny to my dying day that these are anything but chicken nuggets made with chicken, bread crumbs and cheese when she is in the room.
* She says after a day of packing away all the Xmas crap around the house and fully realizing that the Santa lie that we are deep inside is just a freaking ticking time bomb bound to explode at any moment. Frack.
ANYWAY. The kid LOVES these. Even Matt eats these. I have gotten kids who won't eat carbs (WHAT?) and kids that only eat carbs (LIKE ME!) to eat these. They are served arranged on a plate around a massive pile of ketchup - hey! another vegetable! - and downed by the half dozen.
These are great for improvising. You can easily make them with actual bread crumbs - the cheap premade seasoned ones from the store or your own homemade - if you prefer. You can actually use any type of crumby flour you have about - mix some almond meal and whole wheat flour, coarse ground chickpea flour, etc., etc. You can also add in some grated hard cheese if you feel like it. Use whatever veggies you have about, fresh or frozen. I tend toward ones that will resemble chicken when steamed and mashed - i.e. light brown-ish. If your kid or self doesn't mind green or red or orange, go to town on the varieties!
EQUIPMENT: This recipe uses a food processor or high powered mixer (such as a Vitamix). However, if you aren't making your own almond crumbs and don't mind a more chunky consistency, just a bowl and a potato masher will do fine.
recipe - Fish Nuggets
Makes about 30 nuggets
Crumbs
2 c. almonds
1 t. flax seeds
Toss into mixer or processor. Pulse until ground. You may need to use a spatula to scrape around the sides a few times to get everything a similar consistency. It doesn't need to be super fine, just crumby. If you plan on making these a few times or could use the crumbs in other recipes, just make a bunch and keep them in a sealed container. You can use more or less (or none) flax seeds, if you prefer. They do not grind well, but are small enough that they work fine in the coating.
Filling
6-8 oz. white fish fillets (I use frozen tilapia fillets, which are easy to always keep on hand)
10-12 oz. fresh or frozen vegetables (Some of my faves: cauliflower; mixed butternut squash & broccoli)
1 egg
seasoning
Vegetable Oil (for cooking - I like olive, but any bland version would do)
Cover a cookie tray with aluminum foil, drizzle some olive oil on it and spread so the foil is evenly coated. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Steam your fish over simmering water until well cooked and flaking. Pull the fish out of the steamer and set aside to cool and put the vegetables in the steamer. Let them cook until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Put the vegetables, fish and egg into your mixer or processor with some salt and pepper, and any other seasonings you might want - cumin, paprika & red pepper flakes for a Tex-Mex take; dried oregano, parsley & basil for Italian, etc. - and pulse until well mixed. It doesn't have to be super whipped, just until it all comes together. Dump into a bowl and let cool until you can handle it, if it isn't already. You can also just mash it together in a bowl with a potato masher or wooden spoon if you prefer. If it is too liquid to form into nuggets, toss some of your bread crumbs to absorb and make it nugget-able.
Put your crumbs in a wide, shallow bowl. With clean hands (reminder if you are cooking with kids to tell them to wash your hands, because you already knew that! Right? RIGHT?!), grab about a tablespoon or so of fish mix, shape into a vaguely nugget form, drop into crumbs, gently turn over and pile some more crumbs around the sides to make sure they are evenly covered. Gently shake off excess and place on your oiled foil covered sheet. Repeat with the rest of the nuggets. Leave some room around the nuggets on your pan, to allow the sides room to cook AND make it easier to flip.
Drizzle some more oil over the nuggets and put in the heated oven. Cook for about 12-15 minutes until browned, then flip and cook another 5-8 minutes until brown and crunchy. Serve for dinner with ketchup or fancier dips if you are feeling up it. Put any extra nuggets on a plate and toss in the freezer for a few hours or overnight until firm, then put in a freezer bag to store. Use within a month or so. To reheat, toss on a pan in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until heated through, or on a pan on the stove, or the microwave...basically, heat through in some manner depending on what else you are already heating up.
Enjoy! Tell the kids they are eating chicken nuggets and let them chow down while knowing you are actually feeding them tons of veggies, nutrients, protein, healthy fats & lies.
Full disclaimer: the kid fully believes these are normal chicken nuggets, like the ones that come out of a bag from the grocery store or out of the drive thru at Chick Fil A, just look different because they are homemade. While I normally do not advocate lying to kids*, I will deny to my dying day that these are anything but chicken nuggets made with chicken, bread crumbs and cheese when she is in the room.
* She says after a day of packing away all the Xmas crap around the house and fully realizing that the Santa lie that we are deep inside is just a freaking ticking time bomb bound to explode at any moment. Frack.
ANYWAY. The kid LOVES these. Even Matt eats these. I have gotten kids who won't eat carbs (WHAT?) and kids that only eat carbs (LIKE ME!) to eat these. They are served arranged on a plate around a massive pile of ketchup - hey! another vegetable! - and downed by the half dozen.
These are great for improvising. You can easily make them with actual bread crumbs - the cheap premade seasoned ones from the store or your own homemade - if you prefer. You can actually use any type of crumby flour you have about - mix some almond meal and whole wheat flour, coarse ground chickpea flour, etc., etc. You can also add in some grated hard cheese if you feel like it. Use whatever veggies you have about, fresh or frozen. I tend toward ones that will resemble chicken when steamed and mashed - i.e. light brown-ish. If your kid or self doesn't mind green or red or orange, go to town on the varieties!
EQUIPMENT: This recipe uses a food processor or high powered mixer (such as a Vitamix). However, if you aren't making your own almond crumbs and don't mind a more chunky consistency, just a bowl and a potato masher will do fine.
recipe - Fish Nuggets
Makes about 30 nuggets
Crumbs
2 c. almonds
1 t. flax seeds
Toss into mixer or processor. Pulse until ground. You may need to use a spatula to scrape around the sides a few times to get everything a similar consistency. It doesn't need to be super fine, just crumby. If you plan on making these a few times or could use the crumbs in other recipes, just make a bunch and keep them in a sealed container. You can use more or less (or none) flax seeds, if you prefer. They do not grind well, but are small enough that they work fine in the coating.
Filling
6-8 oz. white fish fillets (I use frozen tilapia fillets, which are easy to always keep on hand)
10-12 oz. fresh or frozen vegetables (Some of my faves: cauliflower; mixed butternut squash & broccoli)
1 egg
seasoning
Vegetable Oil (for cooking - I like olive, but any bland version would do)
Cover a cookie tray with aluminum foil, drizzle some olive oil on it and spread so the foil is evenly coated. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Steam your fish over simmering water until well cooked and flaking. Pull the fish out of the steamer and set aside to cool and put the vegetables in the steamer. Let them cook until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Put the vegetables, fish and egg into your mixer or processor with some salt and pepper, and any other seasonings you might want - cumin, paprika & red pepper flakes for a Tex-Mex take; dried oregano, parsley & basil for Italian, etc. - and pulse until well mixed. It doesn't have to be super whipped, just until it all comes together. Dump into a bowl and let cool until you can handle it, if it isn't already. You can also just mash it together in a bowl with a potato masher or wooden spoon if you prefer. If it is too liquid to form into nuggets, toss some of your bread crumbs to absorb and make it nugget-able.
Put your crumbs in a wide, shallow bowl. With clean hands (reminder if you are cooking with kids to tell them to wash your hands, because you already knew that! Right? RIGHT?!), grab about a tablespoon or so of fish mix, shape into a vaguely nugget form, drop into crumbs, gently turn over and pile some more crumbs around the sides to make sure they are evenly covered. Gently shake off excess and place on your oiled foil covered sheet. Repeat with the rest of the nuggets. Leave some room around the nuggets on your pan, to allow the sides room to cook AND make it easier to flip.
Drizzle some more oil over the nuggets and put in the heated oven. Cook for about 12-15 minutes until browned, then flip and cook another 5-8 minutes until brown and crunchy. Serve for dinner with ketchup or fancier dips if you are feeling up it. Put any extra nuggets on a plate and toss in the freezer for a few hours or overnight until firm, then put in a freezer bag to store. Use within a month or so. To reheat, toss on a pan in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until heated through, or on a pan on the stove, or the microwave...basically, heat through in some manner depending on what else you are already heating up.
Enjoy! Tell the kids they are eating chicken nuggets and let them chow down while knowing you are actually feeding them tons of veggies, nutrients, protein, healthy fats & lies.
bacon, egg, and cheese modernist style
Today I tried out this concept to create a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich using modernist techniques. Based on the above photo you can tell I'm still struggling with a good visual. However, the result tasted pretty good. I started with the French Scrambled Eggs recipe from Modernist Cuisine. From there I decided to make a parfait out of the other parts of a BEC sandwich: bacon and croutons (toast).
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| torn crispy bacon |
 |
| salty croutons |
All I did here was cook bacon until it was crisped enough to crumble with little effort. The croutons are covered in olive oil and truffle salt. Next step was to make the eggs. To emulsify the eggs you'll need a whipping siphon.
French Scrambled Eggs
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
60g butter
60g milk
salt
Blend. Cook sous vide @ ~160f or to the temp that matches the consistency you desire. Once cooked blend/whip again, transfer to a whipping siphon and charge.
First I tried to layer croutons - egg - bacon (repeat). The bacon didn't stand up too well so I blended the bacon and croutons together and increased the crouton to egg ratio until I had something like this:
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| another try this one didn't have enough crouton |
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| torching bacon should work right? Nope, miserable failure. Just fry it. |
Sunday, January 5, 2014
cocktail: Martha's Regret
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1-1.5oz Cherry Bounce
1oz Whisky (I used Jack)
0.5oz Fernet Branca
0.5oz Punt e Mes
chocolate bitters
Spanish bitters
Stir with ice
Serve on a rock
Enough for two
There's probably a good chance you don't have Cherry Bounce sitting around. If this is the case then try substituting in port or Aperol/Campari. Use your imagination, anything a bit sweet and fruity will work. Cheers!
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