We have had so many fun times in the past two weeks and again time flies by so quickly. I want to be able to capture all of the special moments that I can on this blog before they fade away. Sometimes since I am such a busy bee and always thinking ahead I sometimes have trouble living in the moment, but it is so important to enjoy each and every day we have with family and friends.I especially love to share moments that I have with my son Adam. I love sharing important events and the cooking I do day to day here because it helps me connect with people and remember that every day is special.
I have talked a lot on this blog about chasing a dream of a food career. It has taken many shapes but I finally realized that in order to dedicate more time to my passion for food and my dream to work in it I must leave behind my current part time career as a teacher at some point so that I can focus on creating a business and a career for me that will be something I truly love to do. I dearly love teaching and my students are wonderful, but I am very excited about the opportunity to start a business or create something with food because it is a big part of my life. I almost feel like it is destiny or something that I have been training for my whole life and now I have the chance to create this dream step by step. Once I stop teaching I will begin to take some business courses and some cake decorating courses to strengthen my skills in that area. I am not sure if I will become a personal chef/baker or own some other type of business, but my journey will point me in the right direction, I am sure of that. I am ready and willing to take this leap of faith!
This year I still plan on cooking and baking as much as I possibly can with our CSA (community supported agriculture) box because I still think it is a very good idea to team up with local farmers and people in the community who want and need creative and healthy cooking for their meals. I love to support as many people around me as I can in my endeavors. Please join me on this blog to find out what culinary adventure awaits! Dream big and often, we can create our own delicious story! Please enjoy the following recipes and stories from my life in the last couple of weeks.
Recipes:
Chicken Rice Soup:
This is a recipe by Emeril that I found online. It is so delicious! I especially like the spinach in the soup! I ended up using some creole seasoning that I had bought for another recipe instead of his spice mix. I also added corn for the extra veggie as it was what I had in the freezer. I love how the corn tastes with the other vegetables and the rice.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chicken (3 pounds) boned, skinned, and visible fat removed, diced, (save the bones and carcass)
Essence, recipe follows
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
4 bay leaves
2 cups assorted chopped fresh vegetables, such has beans, zucchini, yellow squash, or cabbage, small dice
1 1/2 cups torn spinach leaves, cleaned and stemmed
Pinch crushed red pepper
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 pound long grain white rice, uncooked
Directions:
In a large sauce pot, heat the olive oil. Season the chicken with Essence. When the oil is hot, add the chicken, bones and carcass and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the meat and bones are brown. Remove the bones and carcass. Add the onions, celery, carrots, green onions, garlic, parsley, basil, and bay leaves. Season with Essence. Saute the vegetables for 4 minutes. Add the chopped vegetables, spinach, and crushed red pepper and saute for 1 minute. Add the stock and rice, bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Re-season if necessary. Serve hot.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 2/3 cup
I made this pie upon my husband's request. We had a pie shell in the freezer that I had made before, so instead of making the graham cracker crust in the recipe below I baked this all butter pie shell ahead of time to a golden brown and then proceeded with the filling for the pie. This pie is so delicious and creamy! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup margarine, melted
2/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks, beaten
2 teaspoons butter, softened
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup white sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture firmly in bottom of a 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 6 to 8 minutes.
Combine 2/3 cup white sugar, cornstarch, and salt in saucepan. Blend milk and egg yolks; gradually stir into sugar mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in butter, vanilla, and pineapple. Pour into crust. Press plastic wrap over top of filling. Chill at least 2 hours.
In a large mixing bowl, combine whipping cream, confectioners' sugar, and almond extract. Whip to stiff peaks and pipe or spoon onto pie. Serve immediately.
Vanilla Panna Cotta:
This is a Food Network recipe that I have been using for special occasions for several years. It is one of my husband's favorites and he picked this dessert for his birthday. I love to serve it in martini glasses because it makes it very special! You can also make them in ramekins. I also often top these with berries or chocolate.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
4 cups heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 cup sugar
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the water and gelatin and let soak about 10 minutes (do not stir). Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the cream, vanilla bean and sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. As soon as it simmers, turn off the heat and add the gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve the gelatin. If the gelatin doesn't completely dissolve in 3 minutes, return the mixture to the heat and warm gently until dissolved. Pour the mixture into 6 to 8 ramekins or dessert cups. Chill, uncovered, 2 hours.
To serve panna cotta, dip the cups in hot water for 10 seconds, then turn the panna cottas out onto dessert plates (or, serve in the cups).
Multi-grain Bread:
This is a Martha Stewart recipe that is a basic white bread recipe that can be made into different types of bread. I really like the taste of this bread and how soft it is in the center!
This is a lovely multi-grain bread that is delicious and also very healthy!1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (two 1/4-ounce envelopes)
2 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees)
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons honey
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for bowl, pans, and brushing
3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup rye flour- or any other whole grain flour
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface and dusting
4 teaspoons coarse salt
1/3 cup bulgur (or any whole grain cereal)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 pint flaxseeds ( I just added some more oats)
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds ( I used some chopped almonds I had)
1 egg white
Directions:
1. Soak 1/3 cup bulgur in 1/2 cup warm water for 20 minutes; set aside. Sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup water. Add 2 teaspoons honey. Whisk until yeast dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle or dough-hook attachment. Add butter and remaining 1 1/2 cups water and 3 tablespoons honey. Whisk flour with salt; add 3 cups to yeast. Mix on low speed until smooth. Mix in soaked bulgur, 1/2 cup rolled oats, 1/4 cup flaxseeds, and 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds. Add remaining 4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing until dough comes away from sides of bowl and forms a ragged, slightly sticky ball. Butter a large bowl.
2. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. Shape into a ball. Transfer to prepared bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
3. Let dough stand in a warm place until it doubles in volume (it should not spring back when pressed), about 1 hour. Butter two 4 1/2-by-8 1/2-inch loaf pans. Punch down dough; divide in half.
4. Shape 1 dough half into an 8 1/2-inch-long rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick). Fold long sides of dough in to middle, overlapping slightly. Press seam to seal. Transfer dough, seam side down, to pan. Repeat with remaining dough. Brush tops of loaves with egg wash (beaten egg white mixed with water), not butter, and sprinkle with oats and sunflower seeds. Dab tops with egg wash to help adhere.
5. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drape loaves with plastic. Let stand until dough rises about 1 inch above tops of pans, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Bake, rotating pans after 20 minutes, until tops are golden brown, about 45 minutes. Transfer to wire racks. Let cool slightly; turn out loaves. Let cool completely before slicing.
I got this recipe from the blog "The Italian Dish". I changed the dish a bit by adding in almonds instead of the pine nuts and I also added in some sun dried tomatoes. It was so delicious! Enjoy!
I love the roasted peppers in the sauce!
serves 4
4 red and yellow bell peppers1 small jar of sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil
about 2-3 ounces of parmigiano reggiano cheese, cut into chunks
1 clove of garlic, peeled
large pinch of both sea salt and course pepper
1/2 teaspoon red hot chili pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
handful of flat leaf parsley or fresh basil
1/4 cup pine nuts (or almonds & hazelnuts)
12 ounces linguini
Preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil. Place peppers on baking sheet and broil, turning as they blacken, until all sides are charred. Place hot peppers in a paper sack and let steam for 10 minutes.
Remove peppers and let cool until they are cool enough to handle. Pick off blackened skin until almost all skin is removed. It should easily slip off. Slice off tops, cut peppers in half and carefully remove seeds. Set peppers aside until you are ready to make the sauce.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Place cheese chunks in a food processor and grind. Place the peppers, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, seasonings, olive oil and parsley in the food processor and process until just slightly chunky. Place sauce in a large serving bowl.
Boil pasta until al dente (slightly less than whatever the box says) and remove pasta with tongs to serving bowl, retaining the pasta water. Add about 1/8 cup of the hot pasta water to the sauce and pasta and toss well, coating all the linguini. If still too dry, add a couple of tablespoons of hot pasta water.
Toss with pine nuts or chopped almonds or hazelnuts and serve with additional cheese, if you like.
Fudge Brownies:
This is a recipe that I cut out of Gourmet magazine a while back. It is the best brownie recipe I have ever tried and I love how it is almost like flour-less chocolate cake and so rich!
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
8 oz. fine quality bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao if marked) I like to use Giradhelli bars
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350F with rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 13x9 inch baking pan.
2. Melt butter and chocolate in a 3 quart heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. (Or you can carefully microwave the butter and chocolate together 30 seconds at a time in a glass bowl or measuring cup, stirring in between each session.) Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Whisk in sugar and vanilla. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time until mixture is glossy and smooth.
3. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, and salt, then whisk into chocolate mixture until combined.
4. Spread batter in pan and bake until a pick inserted in the center comes out with crumbs, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool completely.
Enjoy this special treat!
Whole Wheat Irish Soda Bread:
This is a recipe from the book "Breads" from the Williams Sonoma Kitchen Library. This is a book I gave to my mom as a gift a long time ago. I love this Irish soda bread because it is much more moist than most soda breads. I think this comes from the yogurt in the dough. Enjoy! I made this at my parent's house as we celebrated St. Patrick's day together a day early with some lovely corned beef, potatoes, cabbage and rutabaga. All of the vegetables came from my parent's garden! I also added some of my mom's homemade raisins into the dough.
2 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat bran (or you can just add 1/4 cup more oats)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1. Place a heavy baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 425F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, wheat bran, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and rub it with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the yogurt and raisins (if using) and stir to blend as evenly as possible, forming a rough ball.
3. Sprinkle a little flour on a clean work surface and set the ball of dough on it. Flatten slightly into a 7 inch dome. Using a sharp knife, cut a shallow X from one side of the loaf to the other. Using a large spatula, transfer the loaf to the preheated baking sheet and bake until well risen, brown and crusty and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 30-35 minutes. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and cool.
Cut into wedges and serve with butter.
Old English Oat Bread:
This recipe is also from the book "Breads" by the William's Sonoma Kitchen Library. I love how soft this bread is and it is so pretty made into round loaves. Yum!
Ingredients:
1 cup old fashioned oats, plus extra for tops of loaves
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dark molasses
2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 package or 2 1/2 teaspoons quick rise yeast
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon water, for glaze
Directions:
1. Place 1 cup oats in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric stand mixer. In a saucepan over low heat, combine the milk, water and butter and bring to a boil. Pour over the oats and let stand until lukewarm, about 30 minutes; stir often to hasten cooling.
2. Stir in the molasses, 1 1/2 cups of the flour, salt and yeast. Gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough that holds its shape.
3. Knead by hand or with a dough hook. adding flour as necessary. Knead by hand or with a dough hook, adding flour as necessary. Knead by hand until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes; knead by hook until dough is not sticky and pulls cleanly from the bowl sides, 6-7 minutes.
4. Form the dough into a ball and place in a clean, greased bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 45-60 minutes.
5. Lightly flour a heavy baking sheet. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and press flat. Cut in half knead briefly and form each half into a ball, stretching the sides down and under. Place well apart on the prepared baking sheet and flatten slightly. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 20-30 minutes.
6. Preheat an oven to 425F.
7. Uncover the loaves, brush with the glaze and sprinkle with oats. Bake until golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottoms, 25-30 minutes. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool.
Green Bean and Chicken Stir Fry:
This is another Emeril recipe that I found online. I ended up adding a few extra chopped cashews as I love the flavor of these nuts in the stir fry. Also, I did not add the red pepper flakes or the pepper sauce to the stir fry since we were serving it to Adam as well.
This stir fry is the best!
Ingredients:
- 6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, very thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon Asian spice blend
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 pound green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut into 3-inch lengths
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup roughly chopped cashews
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon lightly toasted white sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons roasted garlic-red pepper sauce (recommended: Sriracha)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Chopped green onions, for garnish
Directions:
In a bowl, combine the chicken, 4 1/2 teaspoons of the soy sauce, and Asian spice blend. Toss to coat and let sit for 10 minutes.
In a large wok or saute pan, heat the oil over high heat. Add the chicken and stirring constantly, cook until brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beans and stir-fry until wrinkled, stirring, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 10 seconds. Add the cashews, hoisin, remaining 3 teaspoons of soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, red pepper sauce and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and serve immediately, over white or basmati rice. Garnish with green onions.
A Special Pasta Project with Adam:
Adam rolling out the pasta dough.
This is a fun food project to do with kids. I did this with my son Adam, age 3 1/2 at home and he had a great time. He stuck with the project until it was done and really had a great time eating a “seven” or an “A.” I think that this would be a fun mini-meal or snack project for kids of any age or any preschool or kindergarten class. I hope to try it out soon with a larger group.
The pasta shapes that Adam made. He loved to cut out numbers and letters! He said as he was eating- "Oh, I'm eating an 8 now!"
Pasta Cut- Out Dough:
1 ½ cups unbleached white four
¾ cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
1. Place the flour in a large bowl, make a small circle in the middle. Put in the olive oil and the salt and start mixing with a fork. Continue while pouring in the water little by little.
2. Once you have mixed all of the ingredients together, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it on a floured surface until it is soft and elastic.
3. It is time now to flatten and unfold it with a rolling pin and then cut it into shapes with cookie cutters. It is fun to use letters, numbers and any other shapes that you have.
4. Place cut outs on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap until you are ready to boil them.
5. When you are ready to boil the pasta, boil a large pot of water with a pinch of salt in it and a small amount of olive oil to prevent the shapes from sticking together. Boil the pasta for about 10 minutes.
Tomato Sauce:
This is a sauce that I made up based on another spaghetti sauce that I usually make. This sauce can be made quicker by letting it simmer for a shorter time, especially if it is to be used for a mini-meal in class. The kids can help measure and stir all of the ingredients together. My son helped measure out the herbs.
Olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/3 cup red wine (optional of course for a kids project)
2-3 cups fresh tomatoes or 1 large can of chopped, stewed tomatoes
1 small jar of sun dried tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a large saucepan.
2. Saute the onion and garlic until soft.
3. If using, add the red wine and reduce the mixture until it becomes syrupy and thicker.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
5. Simmer on low heat for 1-2 hours, the flavors will meld well if the sauce is cooked for a long time.
Rachel's Wedding:
Paul, Adam and I at my cousin Rachel's wedding.
On March 9, 2012 we attended my cousin Rachel's wedding at the Crown Ballroom in downtown Portland. It was such a lovely affair! It was an extremely elegant wedding with beautiful black, white, red and feather decorations.
Everyone was dressed up so nicely for the special evening and it was a lovely ceremony. I especially loved the beautiful wedding dress my cousin Rachel wore. I loved the black accents and the sparkles!
The lovely centerpieces on the tables at Rachel and Rein's wedding.
Adam had great fun on the dance floor- he ran around dancing on the stage for quite a while during the dinner hour. He was hooked as soon as he saw the disco ball! What fun!
Paul's 40th Birthday:
Adam at Toshi's Restaurant with a tempura "smile."
On March 10th we celebrated Paul's 40th birthday! It was such a nice weekend because we got to have Paul's Mom Noriko and her husband Duane visit us! They celebrated together with us as we had a nice dinner out at Toshi's restaurant. We enjoyed sushi, miso soup, rice, salad, fish, tempura and much more! So delicious! Then, we went back home to have panna cotta and chocolate dipped strawberries for dessert. Yum!
Adam and Paul ready to blow out the candles!
Adam and I did some secret shopping in the morning and I asked Adam to pick out decorations and a gift of his choosing for Daddy. He chose some colorful streamers, balloons and star confetti. I had him help decorate the table and chairs for the festivities that evening. He sure had fun!
Also, Adam wanted to pick out some clothes for Daddy so he picked out a short sleeved green plaid shirt, a pair of jeans and some socks.
Big Dreams:
In closing this blog for today I want to share with you all that I have always been one to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves to me. I am so excited that I will have time to plan a big dream in the food world. I realize that I love food because it brings all of us together in a joyful celebration. That is what I enjoy most about life, celebrating every moment together! Enjoy your week!
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