A Little Spoon

Moving!

2009-05-02T12:38:00.003-06:00

For the sake of the few who read this, I am moving my blog to www.waitingforsunday.wordpress.com. I just like Wordpress better. And it gives me a chance to start over. Who couldn't use that? So please, check it out.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart

2009-04-04T20:48:00.004-06:00

I always debate about desserts. There are only two of us, and Brian and I don't need to eat a whole cake. And Brian doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, so then I end up eating three-fourths of the cake. Not good for my bottom half.

But every once in a while I find something that gets his attention. This Strawberry Tart is my newest find. It may look complicated, but it's really not so bad. Trust me.

For Crust:
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
3 T sugar
1/4 t. salt
7 T butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 375.
Mix these together in a bowl with your fingertips. I tried using a fork, but it doesn't work for me. Mix just until it resembles a coarse meal.

1 egg yolk
1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 t. lemon juice
3 T cold water

Stir these together in a class or coffee cup. Then drizzle it over your flour mixture and stir with a fork until the mixture comes together.

Knead with floured hands on a lightly floured surface until a dough forms, then gently fold over and knead 4 or 5 times. Press into a small disk. Place in the center of the tart pan (I used a pie pan, since my tart pan and cheesecake pans have both gone on vacation, apparently.) Cover with plastic wrap, and use your fingers to press the dough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.

**At first, I wasn't going to do this, because it seemed silly. But I decided to try it, and it was made the crust so easy! I always have a hard time with press-in dough, it ends up with holes, but this was perfect! Please don't skip this step!**

Freeze the dough for 10 minutes. Line the pan with foil and bake until the edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue to bake until the shell is deep golden all over, about 20 minutes more. Cool in the pan for at least 45 minutes.

For Topping:
1 1/2 lb strawberries, trimmed and sliced
1/3 C sugar

Stir these together in a bowl and let stand, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

For Filling:
8 oz mascarpone cheese
8 oz cream cheese**
2 T sour cream
2 T half and half
1/4 C powdered sugar
1 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon zest
3/4 t. vanilla

**The recipe originally called for 2 cups of mascarpone cheese, but the stuff is so expensive I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So I substituted with the cream cheese, sour cream and half and half.**

Let the mascarpone and cream cheese sit out for a while to get soft. Then whisk all of the filling ingredients together.

Topping, Continued:
3/4 C ruby port

Strain strawberries in a colander set over a small saucepan, returning berries to their bowl. Add the port to the saucepan and boil until the liquid is reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool slightly.

Assembly:
Spread cheese mix in the cooled crust. Top with strawberries and drizzle the glaze over. Chill for at least 1 hour, if you can wait that long!

This Week's Menu

2009-04-04T20:01:00.004-06:00

In an effort to be better about actually posting recipes and such, I plan to post the week's recipes. Hopefully, I'll also be better about sticking to my menu, too. So, this week we are having:

Oven-Fried Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
Swiss Chard with Bacon and Walnuts
Strawberry Tart

Really Homemade Pizza
Spinach Salad

Oven-Roasted Salmon with Fennel and Dill
Assorted Veg

I usually only plan 3 meals for a week, since with only two of us leftovers fill up the off nights. But just in case I need a filler, I always have the makings for waffles or pancakes on hand. We love having breakfast for dinner.

Okay, recipes and some pics to follow.

Basil Cubes

2009-02-21T18:12:00.005-07:00

Basil is one of my very favorite herbs. Besides being tasty and versatile, my favorite thing is how when I'm desperately tired of winter, a little basil brings the scent of summer back to me. I've been feeling that way lately. Not that we really had much of a winter here, but still. I'm itching to start planting things. Last summer I had these huge basil plants in my front yard; almost every other day I could go out in the evening and harvest bowls full of the leaves. It was amazing how huge the plants were. And then I could smell it on my hands all night long.

However, I was really at a loss as to what to do with all that basil. I gave a lot of it away, along with some tomatoes, but people started to get tired of it. So I made basil cubes.

In a food processor, mix up your clean basil with a little bit of olive oil, then scrape it out into an ice cube tray. Freeze for a couple of hours, then seal them in an airtight container. The cubes are the perfect size to pull out for a quick pesto or to drop in some soup.

I also tried drying some, but in my opinion the flavor holds up much better when frozen. You could use this method to save the excess basil when you buy it fresh at the store.

Easy Pesto Recipe
2 Cups Basil Leaves, or 4 or so cubes, thawed
3 good-size garlic cloves, peeled
1 Cup shelled walnuts or pine nuts
1/2 Cup olive oil
1 heaping Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper

Combine the basil, garlic and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Turn the motor off, add the cheese, a big pinch of salt and a bunch of pepper. Process briefly to combine, then scrape out into a bowl and cover until ready to use.

This makes enough pesto for two meals for us, so I freeze half of it. The other half I usually just toss with some hot pasta and top with grilled chicken. Sometimes I add a little ricotta cheese, too. It's also great on bruschetta, or on some hot steamed veggies. Enjoy!

More Bread

2009-02-19T08:32:00.002-07:00

I love making bread. So far, though, I have encountered two problems.

One, it makes me eat a lot more bread. There is just no comparing store bread to homemade. It's better for you, it makes your house smell wonderful, and it just takes so incredibly good. But I'm going to have to start running or something.

Two, it's very unpredictable. So far I have successfully made potato bread, wheat bread, and pita. I have failed at sourdough and wheat bread. The same wheat recipe came out wonderful the first time and refused to rise the second time. I could understand failing the first try and then fixing it, but no, I had to do it backwards. I think the difference is where I chose to rise the dough. In my successful breads I put the dough to rise on the dryer. Our house stays cool all the time, so putting it in the kitchen just isn't warm enough for the little yeasties. But the dryer works perfectly. The problem is that I don't always have enough laundry to keep up with my bread demands.

Bread

2009-02-02T17:17:00.002-07:00

I went to a bread making class on Saturday. I really didn't learn very much about making bread, since the teacher was very scattered and kept walking off into the kitchen while he was talking. But I was still super inspired to make bread. It takes time, sure, but it's so worth it. Homemade bread, even when it's not great, is so much better than what you can buy. So I bought a big fatty bread book, The Bread Bible. It's a little intimidating, but I've made it to the third page. So far, so good.

New Obsession

2009-01-29T20:29:00.002-07:00

My new favorite chef/cookbook author is Jamie Oliver. Yes, the Naked Chef. I love the way he approaches food, and his recipes are great. I love the way he writes, too. You should check him out.

Our First Geocache

2009-01-19T17:20:00.003-07:00

A Day in the Life of a Beagle

2009-01-19T16:53:00.006-07:00

Today was a great day.

First we laid on the bed for a long time and listened to Brian and Audrey make fun of the news.

Then we got to go out to THE DESERT! SO MANY SMELLS!

First we run like idiots.

Elwood almost always following Jake.

Oh, I think we found something...

(They're supposed to hunt for rabbits. This was the home of a rat.)

Then we run around some more and look really cute.

A little bird's nest, just for fun.

Thanksgiving Pics

2008-12-21T09:33:00.008-07:00

I currently don't have access to my Thanksgiving recipes, since my brother-in-law is asleep in the room with all my stuff, but I thought I would go ahead and post some pics for you to drool over.

Titus the Chipotle Turkey
Titus Undone

An Untouched Plate
How it Eats
Pie, Glorious Pie
I will never go back to plain pumpkin pie

I know it's silly to do this much for just Brian and me, but I have so much fun with it. And then I don't have to cook for a whole week after Thanksgiving. I keep telling myself that I'm practicing for someday when people come to my house for Thanksgiving, so I don't have a Griswold Family Experience.

Coming soon!

2008-12-11T18:59:00.002-07:00

I have many many updates to do, and thanks to the appearance of my new MAC! I am able to access a computer again. Poor Brian has been so swamped with work lately that I just can't bear to wrench the computer away from him. And my kids have a concert tomorrow -- please pray for me! Rehearsal today was a total disaster. No exaggeration. It made me want to puke. But soon, there will be many many recipes. Thanksgiving! Christmas! Hooray!

Chile Rellenos

2008-10-05T18:39:00.004-06:00

For those of you who don't live in New Mexico, I'm very sorry. Every fall we have this wonderful time when the green chiles are picked and all over the state you can smell them roasting. It has to be one of my favorite smells ever. And this year I bought a whole bushel of chiles. It's a major hassle to separate them and freeze them, but I don't think I can live without them. Even when I move I intend to come back every fall and get more.

And every fall around chile roasting time I make lots of things with chile. Some people are crazy and go as far as green chile ice cream, or green chile apple pie. I just can't bring myself to do it. I stick with tradition -- enchiladas, stew, eggs, and rellenos.

This is my first time making rellenos. Rellenos are chiles that are stuffed with something (usually cheese) and then battered and deep fried. It's a beautiful thing. I looked at many recipes and found lots of strange things. Like people who put shrimp or fruit in them. Ick. And I called my friend who is Mexican and a fantastic cook, but she was busy. So I decided to wing it. And look what I got

So, here's my white-girl Mexican recipe for Chile Rellenos
8 whole roasted green chiles, peeled (I leave the seeds in because I like the spice)
Mexican cheese (like asadero) cut in long skinny rectangles to fit inside the chile
3 eggs, separated
Flour
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying

Cut a small slit in the chile. Carefully stuff it with cheese. If you need to, use toothpicks to hold it together. Beat the egg whites until they are fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix the yolks with 1 T flour, and then fold that mixture into the whites. Be careful not to deflate the whites by mixing too much. In a pie pan, sprinkle some flour and mix with salt and pepper. Roll the chiles in the flour, then in the egg mix, and then drop into really hot oil. Fry for a couple of minutes until the chile is beautiful golden brown. Then enjoy! Be careful of any toothpicks!

Possibly the Best Appetizer Ever!

2008-10-05T18:27:00.001-06:00

I have recently discovered what I believe to be the best appetizer ever. That is, if you love tomatoes. It seems time consuming, but it's really not so bad. And well worth it, I promise

Oven Roasted Tomatoes
1 Cup of Olive Oil
2 pounds tomatoes, halved lengthwise and seeded (I used a combo of really good canned and the few home-grown that were ready)
Oregano
3/4 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. parsley, minced
Goat cheese (at room temp)
Bread (Baguette or something similar)

Preheat the oven to 250. Cover the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan with olive oil. Lay the tomatoes in the pan, cut side up. Sprinkle with oregano, sugar and salt. Drizzle with about 1/2 cup olive oil. Bake for about an hour. Turn tomatoes over with tongs, and bake for another hour. Turn them over again. Bake a little longer, until they are soft and really dark red. When they are ready, transfer them to a bowl. This last part should take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.

When the bottom of the bowl is covered with tomatoes, layer in the garlic and parsley. As you add more layers of tomatoes, add more garlic and parsley. When everybody's in the bowl, pour on whatever oil is in the baking pan, and add more oil to cover the tomatoes. Let them sit for at least two hours at room temp.

Serve with goat cheese and bread slices and red wine. Make sure the cheese is at room temp, or it will be crumbly. When warm it spreads perfectly on the bread. I can't think of anything tastier.

If for some reason you don't finish it all, cover and store for up to 5 days. Bring back to room temp before serving.

Slightly off topic, but still important...

2008-09-24T20:19:00.002-06:00

I know this blog is supposed to be about food, but my job is of course a big part of my life, too. I think I have the best job in the world. I get to sing and dance and play all day. I don't really have to grade stuff, I only see the kids for a little while so I don't really have to deal with discipline, and I'm pretty much the most popular teacher at school. Not really through any personal virtues, but what I teach is just so much fun.

I know I am very blessed too in that I have a great job position. Some music teachers have no money to spend on equipment, many don't even have a classroom, and are thought of as a waste of time and money by administrators and fellow teachers. I admit there are a few teachers at the school who think I am just a babysitter, but most are pretty respectful of me. And I have a fantastic administrator who supports what I do, and more money than I know how to spend. Seriously, I have never spent this much money in my life. I have every instrument I could ever desire, plus backups. It's ridiculous and fabulous.

However, I have been pretty discouraged this week. I have been making recordings of students to audition for a choir. And thus far have not found even one that I will send to the judges. Some I might keep just to listen to and laugh over when I've had too much wine. Still, I feel that it reflects poorly on me when my kids can't sing. But then I remind myself that I am a good teacher. I know that. I have LOTS of room to improve, but for my second year I'm doing pretty good. These kids, however, have had only two years of good music instruction, and I guess singing is harder than I thought it was.

I think deep down I always believed most people could sing on pitch without having to work at it. It was never that hard for me. And being a musician I probably surrounded myself with other musical people. I am blessed with a very musical family, too. I don't know if I ever heard someone really awful until I started teaching. So much of musical aptitude has to do with childhood. Growing up I always remember singing. My grandma sang all the time, and my mom. Those are some of my best childhood memories. A kid asked me the other day how I know so many songs, and I said most of them I remember from when I was little. Children aren't sung to anymore, or rocked, they don't listen to music, they're told to be quiet when they sing. And music is quickly becoming a lost art, which terrifies me. So, thanks Granny, and Mom, and Donna, and Dad, for singing to me, for giving me music to listen to, for letting me sing.

Sorry!

2008-09-07T16:46:00.002-06:00

Sorry for the delay in posts, but I am pretty much unable to use my computer right now. The office is in such a state of disarray that I can only stand to be in here for about two minutes. And our laptop has decided it doesn't want to work anymore. I'll try to get something worked out soon.

Random

2008-08-07T20:38:00.003-06:00

May I just say that the public school system is RIDICULOUS! Out of respect for some I cannot name people or even specific incidents, but after seeing this it's no wonder there are so may idiots in the world. And don't even get me started on the parents.

And on a totally different front, my dog Jake really loves the smell of my shampoo. If I sit on the couch with wet hair, he climbs on the back of it so he can try to rub my head. I know it sounds totally weird, but he is not really an affectionate dog, so from him it's really sweet.

Some important tools

2008-08-03T18:25:00.004-06:00

These are just a few of my most used tools in the kitchen...

1. A good knife. Yesterday I just got a new Calphalon Santoku knife, it's fantastic. I know they can be expensive, but it makes prep so much better. Trust me.

2. A good non-stick skillet. I have a set of really good non-stick pans, and I use my 10 inch skillet probably five times as much as the rest. Eggs don't stick, neither does anything else. It's beautiful.

3. A rice cooker. Yes, I bought one, and it works with brown rice! I have finally conquered the art of cooking rice! Plus I intend to use it as a steamer at some point in the near future.

4. A salad spinner. This always seemed a little silly to me, until I got one. Brian and I like to eat salad, but with only two of us it would always go bad before we could finish it. Then I got my spinner, and now we can have salad again! Hooray!

5. A pasta pot. I would eat pasta every day if Brian didn't get bored with it so easily. Plus, I would probably get really fat. But still we have it pretty often, and the pasta pot is fantastic. It also works really well for potatoes, too.

Pasta Carbonara

2008-07-28T17:29:00.004-06:00

Okay, here's my super-easy favorite pasta recipe. Around here we call it "Bacon and Egg Pasta" because everytime I say "Pasta Carbonara" Brian looks at me like I just sprouted a second head or something.

12 oz pasta (approx) Any kind will do. I like little ones, they mix better.
8 slices of bacon (we really like bacon)
2 eggs
Parmesan cheese
Parsley
Hot red pepper flakes

Cook the pasta. Please remember to salt the water when it boils, it makes the pasta so much better! Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small pieces and cook them until they are crispy. Drain on a paper towel.

Put the eggs into the bowl you're going to serve from. Stir them up with a fork until they are all mixed up. When the pasta is finished, drain it and immediately put it in the bowl with the eggs, tossing the pasta to coat. The heat of the pasta will cook any ick out of the eggs. Add the bacon, toss a little more, and serve. When serving, top with lots of parsley and cheese, and as much red pepper as you like. Enjoy!

The Easy Way to Chop an Onion

2008-07-19T21:44:00.009-06:00

Chopping an onion can seem like a difficult thing. It's got that slippery papery skin and it slides around and it smells funny. And a whole lot of recipes called for chopped onions, so I think it's something that everyone needs to learn to do the least amount of difficulty. So here's my easy way to chop an onion.

1. Get a sharp knife. A dull knife is a dangerous knife. Cut the ends off of the onion.

2. Cut the onion in half.

3. Peel the paper skin off the onion, lay it on its flat side, and slice the onion. Be sure to keep the slices together, so that you can easily turn the group of slices sideways and slice again, resulting in a chopped onion. Good luck!

Happy 4th!

2008-07-04T15:12:00.006-06:00

I'm really not all that patriotic, and I've never understood the fascination with fireworks, but I like any excuse to cook a party meal. Today's menu is:

Barbeque Bacon Cheddar Burgers
Carmelized Onions
Homemade Peach Ice Cream

I know, there are really no vegetables, but when no veg is listed, assume salad. I'm trying. Recipes below...

Barbeque Bacon Cheddar Burgers
(a close tie with Green Chile Cheesburger for top burger ever)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 to 3 lbs ground meat of choice
1/2 C BBQ sauce
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. chili powder (more if you like it hot)
1/2 t. salt
A couple grinds of black pepper

Bacon slices
Cheddar cheese slices
Buns

Procedure:
In the morning mix the burgers. I like very lean beef, but you have to add stuff to keep it from being really dry. Hence the sauce. Mix all ingredients in a medium to large bowl. Use your hands, they're going to get dirty anyway. Avoid mixing too much, it will make the meat tough. Once well mixed, form into 1 inch thick patties. I used 2 1/2 pounds of meat and got 8 burgers. Cover patties and chill until ready to grill, at least 2 hours.

Grill about 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Only turn once! This will help keep them juicy. Top with cheddar for the last minute of grilling, also adding buns to grill so they will be nice and toasty.

Saucy Carmelized Onions
Ingredients:
2 T. olive oil
2 large onions, cut into 1/8 inch thick slices
1/4 t. chili powder
1/4 t. salt
A couple grinds of black pepper
1/3 C canned beef broth
1/2 C purchased barbecue sauce
1 scant T. apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

Procedure:
Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until onions begin to brown, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add salt, pepper and chili powder. Add broth, BBQ and vinegar. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Homemade Peach Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 24.5 oz jars peaches in syrup
1/4 C Splenda (Be sure to use the kind that measures like sugar)
1/4 C sugar
3 egg yolks
4 C milk
1 C half and half
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon

Procedure:
Okay, this is the hardest one to make by far, but it's worth the time. Plus, you don't really have to work hard on the other stuff. First, drain the peaches, reserving the syrup. Chop them up, put them in a bowl with the Splenda and sugar. (This is my attempt at being healthy. A compromise.) Put the reserved peach syrup in a small saucepan, turn it on high and let it boil until it reduces down to 1 cup. This took me about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and milk. Turn on medium low heat and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring constantly. You really need to stir constantly! Do not let it boil. The milk mixture is ready when it begins to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Trust me, stick a spoon in and you'll know what I mean. Occasionally stir the peach syrup, too.

When the syrup is reduced, add it to the peach/sugar mixture. Pour into a food processor and pulse until smooth. The milk mixture should be ready by now. Remove from heat and whisk in peach mixture. Then stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover and chill for 4 hours.

Follow your ice-cream maker's instructions to do the actual freezing.

I know it seems really tedious, but the result is well worth it!

The Point

2008-07-03T11:41:00.004-06:00

I thought I should give an explanation of my blog. I have been avoiding blogging because I really didn't think others cared about what I had to say. What's the point of it if I don't have regular epiphanies, something that might make a little sense of the world? And believe me, my everyday life is not that inspiring.

And then I started thinking about food. (Honestly, food is never very far from my mind. I like to eat every two hours or so!) Over the years I have met enough people who are completely clueless in the kitchen to make me wonder if I could help. I love to cook. I don't claim to be an expert, but I can handle myself with a set of knives. And I love to teach. To teach someone to enjoy cooking is a lot of fun for me. I think it's sad that families don't eat together anymore, or if they do it's often either at a restaurant with a playground, takeout brought home in boxes and bags, or something from the freezer with ingredients you can't pronounce.

The media has also played a role in my adventure into blogland. Watching the news lately I find myself disturbed by what Brian and I like to call "Fat America Syndrome" or FAS for short. It's too easy to eat fast food and processed junk, especially if you are clueless in the kitchen. And as I get older I find that I'm in danger of getting lazy and falling prey to FAS, I realize that I need to do something about it now, before all the bad things become a habit. Don't get me wrong, I love pizza and french fries as much as anyone, but moderation is the key, a key that many Americans seem to have lost.

I love to watch cooking shows, when I can. I love to read cookbooks (I know, I'm a nerd) and cooking magazines. But many of those recipes are so out of reach for the normal person. As fantastic as a recipe may look and sound, I'm not going to go out and buy a cartful of obscure ingredients to use in one recipe. Chances are I'll use it once, and then the rest of the package will sit on a shelf for months, until I find it unrecognizable in the back of the fridge. I really struggle with this. With just Brian and me, I have to plan menus carefully. We don't want to eat spaghetti every day, but I also don't want to be wasteful, and it's hard to buy or cook for just two. The key, I have learned, is planning a week of meals that use common ingredients.

So here's the goal: to post recipes that are healthy, relatively inexpensive, and taste good. Also, to organize those recipes so that you can use common ingredients and not get bored. And, to give little lessons on kitchen procedures that many people don't know, simply from lack of practice. As cheesy as it is, I really believe the kitchen is the heart of the home, and getting more people cooking would be a good thing. Maybe more families will eat at the table together, or sisters will bond while washing the dishes together, or maybe you'll just learn an easy way to chop an onion.

So let me know what you think...What kitchen tips do you have? What would you like to learn? What recipes do your families love?

A Kitchen Adventure

2008-07-02T19:34:00.002-06:00

Tonight my husband came up with a great quote for my blog -- "I don't want to be racist, but do they make a brown rice cooker?"

We are in the midst of a kitchen adventure. Since we didn't really have a plan for dinner tonight, Brian said he would make dinner. I love it when he cooks. However, it usually involves a crockpot, maybe a little too much cajun seasoning, and takes at least two hours longer than I want.

Tonight we did not opt for the crockpot, which is great since it means I won't have to eat the same leftovers for a week. It's hard for just the two of us to each a whole crockpot worth of gumbo, as much as I love it. Still, our meal did involve rice. And therein lies the crisis. I can usually handle myself in the kitchen, but rice is my white whale. I have been struggling to properly cook rice for as long as I've been cooking. My rice is always undercooked or burned or takes three hours. I know, I know, I should buy a rice cooker, but it just feels like cheating. People have been cooking rice for centuries without that fancy countertop gadget, why can't I? But after years and years of fighting this whale, I think it's time to give in. But does a rice cooker work for brown rice? I'll let you know what I discover.