It is always exciting to start a new year with even more plans and goals than the next! I look forward to what 2012 brings us as a family and I am excited about the future! Adam has started preschool again and we are also working with him on potty training. We have been working on that for the past two weeks so it has been very busy, but he is having a lot of success so the extra time and effort is really paying off. I think it was the right age to really get going on the potty training!
I have also started teaching English as a Second Language classes again and now I am back to teaching the beginning level. I am really enjoying it so far. It is often challenging but very rewarding at the same time.
A More Solidified Business Idea and Plan:
For Christmas I got a book about running a personal chef business. I have read it and also I have started to work on plans for a business. I was told about a business start up website by a friend called Start Up Nation. On there they have ten steps to start a business. I have done step one, which is creating a Life Plan. I think that this plan was very helpful because it allowed me to focus on what I feel comfortable doing and what will work with my lifestyle.
I have decided that I will order a weekly supply of vegetables and fruits in the form of a local CSA (community supported agriculture) from a local farm. I will take what I get weekly and create meals and baked goods from it. My hope is that through this exercise I can create a personal chef business that helps people use their CSA boxes and support local farms at the same time. I like this idea because it combines my passion for food and cooking with my love of supporting local farms and businesses. I realized that I really enjoyed working with local farms in creating our baked goods when we ran the Farmer's Tea booth at the Oregon City Farmer's Market and that I could translate skills I learned there into a new business. This will be a long process, but it will be well worth the time it takes to create. I will enjoy each step along the way!
I wish you all the same joy in learning and discovering your true passions! It is well worth it!
This is a delicious chowder! I got the recipe from the cookbook "Portland's Palate." I changed it a bit and added some pepper bacon to it.
1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cups celery (4 stalks) finely chopped (I omitted the celery)
3 cups mashed potatoes (3 potatoes, peeled, cut into thirds, boiled and mashed- do not whip)
2 1/2 cups half and half
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 pounds cooked bay shrimp (salad shrimp), divided
salt and white pepper
shrimp, green onion and bacon for garnish
1. In a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium heat cook the bacon. Take some of the grease out of the pan after cooking. Set the cooked bacon on a paper towel lined plate. Melt the butter in the same pan and cook the onion in it until softened- about 8 minutes.
2. Add potatoes and half and half and stir.
3. Stir in wine and season with salt pepper. Reduce heat to medium low. Heat 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Just before serving, stir in 1 pound shrimp and simmer 5 minutes. If soup is too thick, thin with 1/2 cup half and half.
Serve the soup with crumbled bacon, extra shrimp and chopped green onion.
This is a cake that I made for Three Kings Day. It is a Mexican holiday that is always on January 6th. It is customary to serve tamales with side dishes and then this cake for dessert along with hot chocolate or punch. There are plastic babies hidden inside the cake. The people who get the babies must throw the next tamale party on February 2nd.
This makes two 9-inch coffee cakes
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 1 package (1/4 Oz.) active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup warm water, (105-115 degrees)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup regular or light sour cream
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/4 cups bread flour
Filling:
3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange rind
Icing:
1+ cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract (I used some pineapple extract I had)
+ Colored sugars if desired
Instructions- Cake:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in eggs, sugar, sour cream, melted butter, salt and 2 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Gradually mix in remaining flour until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Wash and grease large bowl. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 5 to 8 minutes, adding additional flour if necessary to make a moderately soft dough.
Place dough in the large bowl, and turn to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place, 45 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled. Meanwhile, prepare filling and glaze. Coat 2 (9 inch round) cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Punch down dough and turn out on a lightly floured surface.
Divide dough in half; shape each piece into a ball. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Roll ball into a 12 inch circle. Brush with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and sprinkle half the filling evenly over the circle. Cut the circle into 12 wedges. Roll up each wedge starting at the wide end. Arrange in the pan, large end out and point side down. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cover, let rise in a warm place until light, about 30-40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a deep golden brown. Let rest in the pans on a cooling rack 5 minutes. Then carefully turn out on cooling racks. Set racks on waxed paper to catch glaze drips. Glaze with the vanilla or coconut glaze. If desired, sprinkle colored sugar on top of the glaze.
Instructions: Filling:
Combine the coconut, milk, orange rind and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until the mixture is creamy. Remove from heat until you are ready to use the filling in the coffeecake.
Instructions: Glaze:
Ponche Navideno:
This is a hot, fruit Christmas punch that I decided to make for Three Kings Day this January 6th. I got the recipe from my dear friend Miguel who I met in high school in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico while I was an exchange student there.
1/4 pound tamarindo pods, peeled and washed
2 apples, cored and chopped
5 small guavas, chopped (guayabas)
1 sugar cane, chopped and peeled (1 large cane or several pieces) (cana)
2 oranges, peeled and cut into sections
1/4 pound tejocote (kind of like small quince)
1/4 cup chopped dried plums or prunes
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 pound piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar cylinders)
1-2 cups granulated sugar
3-4 cinnamon sticks
1. Fill a very large stockpot with the 5 quarts of water.
2. Put all of the other ingredients listed in the pot. Bring to a boil and boil until the fruit is soft- about 1 hour. You may want to simmer this for quite a while before your party as the flavor improves with more cooking.
3. Serve hot in mugs and enjoy!!
This makes a lot of ponche, but it lasts a while and is very good over ice in a glass too!
Manicotti:
This is a Cook's Country magazine recipe. Even though the recipe is simpler it does take some time to prepare. It is surely worth the effort though. It is amazingly delicious!
Meat Sauce:
1 onion, chopped
6 ounces sliced deli pepperoni
1 pound 85 percent lean ground beef
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I used one 6-8 ounce can- I like a lot of tomato flavor!)
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
Manicotti Filling/Noodles:
3 cups ricotta cheese (I like to use the whole milk variety)
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil (I used 2 teaspoons dried basil)
16 no-boil lasagne noodles
1. Grind Meat: Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 375F. Pulse onion and pepperoni in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add beef and pulse until thoroughly combined.
2. Make Sauce: Transfer beef mixture to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, breaking up mixture with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer 1 cup beef mixture to paper towel lined plate and reserve. Add tomato paste, garlic and pepper flakes to pot with remaining meat mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Prepare Filling: Combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella, 1 cup provolone, egg, salt, pepper, basil and reserved meat mixture in a large bowl. Pour 2 quarts boiling water into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Soak noodles in the water until pliable, about 5 minutes. Drain noodles on a kitchen towel. Pour off water and dry baking dish.
4. Assemble and Bake: Spread half of the sauce mixture on the bottom of the 13x9 baking dish. Top each soaked noodle with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture and roll it into a tube shape. Place the tubes side by side in the baking dish on top of the sauce. When all of the rolls are in place, put the remaining sauce on top. I ended up with a little extra filling and I put it on the sides of the rolls.
Bake, covered in foil until bubbling around the edges, about 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake for about 5 more minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Enjoy!
Multi-Grain Bread:
This is a recipe that I got from a lovely book that my mom gave me called "Great Breads" I love that you can use many different grains and mix and match ingredients in this bread. It is an incredible loaf! I love how soft it is in the inside and how nutty it tastes without being too heavy! It is a lovely bread for toast! Today I had some with peanut butter and also a small piece with butter on it! Yum!
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons molasses
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
For the dough:
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup barley flakes (I used Scottish oats)
3/4 cup bulgar or cracked wheat (I used cracked wheat)
2/3 cup millet flour or cornmeal (I used millet flour)
1/2 cup soy flour, or chickpea flour (I used garbanzo bean flour)
+ about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of whole wheat flour to use in the kneading stage
For the loaves:
1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash
1 heaping tablespoon sesame seeds
1. Get out two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. Make the sponge: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl. Stir in the honey and molasses. With a wooden spoon or large whisk, stir in the white and whole wheat flours, 1 cup at a time.
When all of the flour has been added, stir by hand about 100 times, turning the bowl as you stir. Scrape down the sides from time to time. The sponge should be about the consistency of thick mud.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and set it in a warm place for 1 hour, until bubbly.
4. Make the dough: Fold the oil, and then the salt, into the sponge, using a large wooden spoon and turning the bowl between folds. Fold in the grains and soy, chickpea or garbanzo bean flour, one at a time.
5. Fold in 1 cup of the whole wheat flour, the dough should hold together in a sticky mass. Place one large handful of flour on the work surface (counter-top or kneading board) and scrape out the dough onto it. Flour your hands and begin kneading the dough, adding flour as needed. Knead for about 10-15 minutes, adding more flour when the dough becomes too sticky. The dough should be dense, but still elastic and be smooth although a bit tacky when finished.
Form the dough into a ball and place into an oiled, large bowl. Turn the dough to cover all of the surfaces with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.
After 1 hour, punch down the dough, cover it again and then let it rise for 45-60 minutes, or until almost doubled in bulk.
6. To Make the Loaves: Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead a couple of times and divide the dough in half. Form into 2 loaves (roll out each piece into a long rectangle with a rolling pin, then roll up into a log to form a loaf) and place in the loaf pans, turn the loaf to coat all sides with oil and then place right side up.
Brush the loaves lightly with the egg wash and sprinkle them with sesame seeds. Cover the loaves and let rise 20-45 minutes or until the tops of the loaves curve above the sides of the pans.
About 30 minutes before baking, heat the oven to 375F, with the rack in the middle.
Slash the loaves across the top with a razor blade or sharp knife. Bake for 50-60 minutes. The bread is done when it is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of the loaf.
Remove loaves from pans and cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy!!
Spiced Sugar Cookies:
This is a "secret family recipe" that Paul found for me online. I added a new twist by rolling the cookies in spiced turbinado sugar before baking them. They are divine! I love how they are crunchy and sugary on the outside but they are nice and soft on the inside!
Ingredients
2 sticks of softened butter
3 egg yolks
2 cups of sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
For rolling cookies: 1/2 cup turbinado sugar +1 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg. Mix the sugar and spice together in a shallow bowl and roll the cookies in it until it sticks on all sides.
Directions
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl of a stand mixer. The mixture will be a bit "pebbly" but will come together the next day when you form balls and roll them in the sugar mixture.
2. Refrigerate the ingredients overnight (this makes it possible to roll the cookies). Roll into small balls, then roll the balls in the spiced sugar.
3. Bake on greased cookie sheets in preheated 325 degree oven. If you are placing two cookie sheets in the oven at once, bake them for 5-6 minutes, then switch the sheets from top to bottom for even baking. Check cookies after 12 minutes. They will look puffed but not golden brown. Let the cookies cool 5-6 minutes on the cookie sheets before you use a spatula to move them to a cooling rack. They will deflate after a few minutes and form cracks.
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