Honey Wheat Bread

It was on a day, not too far ago, that I fell down one of those infamous Internet rabbit holes. Through a series of twists and turns, I found myself looking at a defense of kneading bread. Having tried no-knead bread making with so-so success, I was curious as to how different a kneaded bread could be. I printed the recipe, ensured I had the needed ingredients (more on that in a sentence) and got started.

A challenge immediately presented itself - I did not have enough whole wheat flour. Hmm. Covering the remaining balance of whole wheat flour with all-purpose would not make that much of a difference, would it? In confidence, I mixed my flours, melted my butter and honey mixture and got to kneading for the requisite 10 minutes. Problems immediately arose. The dough was stuck to the counter and, more importantly, to my hands. I feared the dough was sentient and I would slowly be subsumed into the yeast borg or something. A lot of "dustings" of flour later (read: 1-2 cups more), the dough was mostly contained and had that elastic, non-Blob look to it. Rise time! (Note: photo below shows about 1/5 the amount of dough that was stuck on hand prior to cleaning.)

And boy how it rose. The dough's sentience was once again considered. I quickly squashed that idea by punching down the dough and placing it into the loaf pan to rise again. One hour later and I think my dough was about to have little loaf babies. It was huge. I named it mega-bread. I probably should have split the dough in two, but why have two loaves when you can have one loaf of mega-bread, right? 

Thankfully, the baking solidified the ever-expanding bread and we ate. Very good, if a little dry. I wonder why...

Cut to this week. Honey Wheat Bread, attempt #2. This time with the proper amount of whole wheat flour, and a quick prayer that Aaron would not find a dough wife when he returned home. I began to smile when I started kneading. No dough hands! I could move it on the counter and, you know, knead! I love kneading when my hands are free from the yeast borg! Kneading was this great intuitive moment when I had to use my senses to figure out if and when my dough was ready - when tacky turns to sticky and I need flour, when elasticity is perfect and I should step away from the dough. 

A rest, a punch down, and another rest, and the dough was luxuriating in the oven, transforming into bread. I found every ounce of self control in my body and did not tear into the loaf the moment it came out of the oven. I may have snagged a slice and buttered it, though. This time yielded a normal-sized loaf, better crumb, less dense, and a recipe Aaron demands be made weekly. 

31 Before 31: A Year in Review

I did not do so great at accomplishing the goals on my 31 Before 31 List. Not outstanding at all. However, I would say that some of these list items were accomplished in a more abstract or unexpected way. Therefore, here are my reasons and justifications for not doing more of the things on my list.

Overall reasons: I/Aaron and I had a lot less free time than I assumed. And, as many of these involved him to some degree, it was harder to accomplish. Also, first year of marriage was not a walk in the park. With Aaron finishing his dissertation, us up-in-the-air regarding where/if/when we will move, and other things going on in our lives and those of our friends, life was stressed and strained. So, generally on the weekends we were happy just to be in the same room and not going anywhere. 

The List (how ominous!)

1. Ride a Roller Coaster - Not accomplished, unless you count this roller coaster of a year.

2. Go to a professional football or basketball game - Not accomplished, though I hope to do both while we are in Atlanta (more on that in a later post). I did go to a Carolina Railhawks soccer game, so I was not without live sporting events.

3. Go camping with Aaron for two nights - Not accomplished, but I did sleep on an air mattress for a bit during our move. Still does not count, does it?

4. Make Creme Brulee - like I would not do this one - accomplished!  I have my torch and am ready to make creme brulee whenever I please!

5. Read three books from my compilation "100 Best Books" list - I read two - Atonement and The War of the Worlds - but could not get that last one in. Admittedly, Anna Karenina  and Atlas Shrugged still frighten me with their heft.

6. Visit a state I have never been to - I can now cross Kentucky off the list, thanks to my cousin Katie getting married there. 

7. Take the Amtrak with Aaron for a weekend getaway - Not accomplished, but I did send Aaron off on his first Amtrak journey to Washington, D.C.

8. Train and then run in a 5K - not accomplished...again. One day, I will put my running shoes on and do this! 

9. Make my grandmother's rump roast for friends - not accomplished, the making it for friends or anyone.  I have lived a year without rump roast, how sad.

10. Throw a movie-themed party - not accomplished due to embarrassment about the perpetual state of moving in/moving out in our apartment. Have I mentioned that between Aaron and I we moved three times in a year? Yeah, not recommended.

11. Figure out how to play Wii Golf - accomplished! The Wii Golf demons are exorcised and, while I am not good, I am less frustrated when playing now, which was the point of this item.

12. Watch four movies from AFI's 100 Best Movies List - half accomplished? I think I watched two - Bringing Up Baby and Doctor Strangelove - but there is a chance another snuck in there and I forgot to take note of it. Not too worried, especially since I am further along in this list than my books list.

13. Go to the Outer Banks - not accomplished. Aaron and I decided to revisit Asheville instead of the Outer Banks. I still would like to go there, but it is a little farther to drive now.

14. Read the Old Testament in a year - dead in the water. I got way behind on this from the start. Since my goal in doing this was to read all the books I have not yet, maybe I will skip the first few books and jump to major and minor prophets, the ones I know I have not read.

15. Read the biographies of George Washington and John Adams - not accomplished. I barely finished His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis before the cutoff date. Largely due to the fact that the book was a little dry and I found I knew more about Washington than I realized.

16. Spend Christmas and Aaron's birthday with Aaron for the first time - accomplished! Yes, it took me seven years, but I finally saw him over the holidays. I think the fact we are married now helped a little.

17. Eat dessert at Hayes-Barton Cafe - not accomplish, but I think I found a better dessert place in Raleigh - PieBird!!  If you are ever in the Raleigh area, eat there. Great dinners (shepherd's pie is astoundingly good) and excellent desserts.  Salted Honey Pie for me and Bananas in Pajamas for Aaron!

18. Try one new recipe or dish a month - done! I found that I do this monthly anyway, so it was an easy list item to cross off. Group Favorite: Cowboy Caviar, Dinner fav: Fried Chicken Saltimboca, Dessert Favs: Oatmeal Pie and Salty Honey Pie

19. Read 26 Books - so very accomplished. I read more than I thought, so my 2012 reading goal is 30 books. I am currently five books ahead of my goal. I think I may need to increase it for 2013. Best Reads: Atonement by Ian McEwan, Zone One by Colson Whitehead, and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

20. Have people over for dinner four times - total fail. Although I did bring dinner over to other people's homes. Not the goal, though. Hopefully I will do better at this in the new place.

21. Floss regularly - nope. I do not like flossing. I know I need to do it, but nothing about it appeals to me...except the whole thing about fewer cavities and keeping my teeth. New place, new routines? Fingers crossed!

22. Reach 75 geocaches found - not accomplished. I think I went from 45 to 50 over the course of the year, and that is only because we went geocaching with a friend while in Indiana over Christmas. It was cold but fun.

23. Make different homemade breads six times - Well, I think I made four: quick breads, rolls, and muffins. Bread making is hard! Things don't rise correctly, are sticky or too dry, too dense, not cooked through. It is frustrating at times to bake bread.

24. Figure out a working monthly budget for groceries - done! I am still working on making a meal for dinner on a regular basis and not relying on sandwiches or (homemade) chicken nuggets, but I am getting there. Refrigerator pies (a more gender neutral way of saying quiche) have been a lifesaver.

25. Put together a jigsaw of over 1000 pieces - argh! Double argh! Over Thanksgiving, my parents set up a card table with a 1500 piece puzzle for Aaron and I to do. We worked on that thing day and night. However, we had to leave it with probably 100-150 pieces left. My parents said I should count it, the purist in me says no, so I will leave it up to your discretion as to whether I accomplished this goal or not.

26. Give blood - seriously, you thought I would actually do this? Ha! I get tunnel vision when I see someone with the colorful arm wrap after giving blood. It is not the blood, it is the needle. I am going to stop writing about this now before I faint or something.

27. Go to the Farmers Market once a month - nope. Did not go there at all!

28. Make a dish with mussels - Yes, I made a dish with mussels. Yes, it was the mussels you buy frozen in their own sauce and only have to reheat. Yes, I counted it.

29. Aaron's choice: Write a 6,000 word short story where the key plot point involves a chair - Sorry, bud, but I did not write it. I think I scared myself after making a list of chairs. Do you realize how many plot points there are involving a chair?! 

30. Make paella - I did not do this, but I am going to one day. I have the saffron and everything.  

31. Create an Easter Egg Hunt for Aaron - This was awesome to watch. I wound string around the apartment leading to the first Easter Egg that had a little treat (candy or Target dollar bin thing) and a clue to where the next egg was hidden. A dozen eggs later and Aaron received the grand prize - The Muppets movie! 

There is my list of mostly unaccomplished things. I have found over the past two years I have done this that goal-setting is great, but it is also okay not to have done them all. Some goals should be easy to do and some aspirational. Because, if you only set goals for yourself you knew you could easily accomplish, how would you grow? With that said, I am not doing a 32 Before 32 list. Instead, I am making a list of things I want to do while I live in Atlanta. Some will be about seeing and doing Atlanta-centric things (Coke Museum, Braves games, etc) while others will be about my own personal growth (books to read, 5K's to run, etc). And I am going to allow the list to flex and grow as I find out more about this city I am living in. 

Memorial Day Vacation

(Sorry for the great delay in posting this, summer here has been a little crazy.  More details on that as soon as I am at liberty to post said details.)

Aaron and I celebrated the completion of his dissertation and official start in life as a (not a real) doctor with a trip to the mountains and the lake.  First stop was Asheville to return to where we spent a bit of our honeymoon. We chose this time to see more of the city and had a great time casually meandering around this unique and odd town. Austin may ask for people to keep it weird, but Asheville more or less abides in weirdness.  

Day 1:
After church we hit the road and happily drove away from the beaches and up to the mountains for Memorial Day. After some food suggestions from the hotel concierge, we settled on going to Mayfel's, a Louisiana-inspired restaurant that did not come up in my pre-trip research. Situated next door to the better known Tupelo Honey Cafe (more on that later), Mayfel's both suffers and benefits from Tupelo's higher profile. Hungry diners unwilling to wait at Tupelo often find their way to Mayfel's. Not a bad runner-up, I would have to say. 
After handily winning in the food ordering category last time we were in Asheville, I was looking to retain my crown while Aaron sought redemption. I quickly chose my dish - Fried Catfish Po'boy - thus taking Aaron's first choice away, leaving him to settle with the jambalaya. It was clear who the winner was the moment they arrived - me!  While Aaron's dish suffered from rice issues, my catfish was piping hot, with the perfect amount of remoulade and coleslaw on bread that was soft but stood up to the juices. So comfortingly good.  I want it again just thinking about it, mmm...

However, to his credit, Aaron won the dessert category. We visited French Broad Chocolates to pick up some truffles to bring home (we had some on the honeymoon, and I bought some for Aaron's Christmas stocking) and Aaron laid his little eyes upon a chocolate creme brulee.  He was nice enough to split it with me, though I have no idea how someone could finish it on their own.  It is not the amount that will get you; it is the deep, velvet richness of the chocolate that would have made me throw in the spoon halfway through if I were eating it alone. We have not partaken of any of the truffles yet, but we have not had one we did not like before and am pretty sure the record will stay the same.

Side note on French Broad Chocolates: When we were there on our honeymoon, there was a lady sketching people in the store unobserved (at least by the people she was sketching). When we came this time, she was there again, sketching another patron of the chocolate company. Aaron quipped that next time we come (and there will be a next time), if she is there we should ask her to sketch us. So, I am putting it out there - lady at French Broad Chocolates who sketches with charcoal, we would like you to draw us, please!

Day 2:
Free breakfast at the hotel to save our taste buds for the plans we have today.

Our goal on our one full day in Asheville was to take a walking tour of downtown. However, it being Memorial Day, the place to get the walking tour maps was closed.  Wop-wop.  Undeterred, we spent some time at Mast General Store where we bought some clothes and candy. We then ventured to one of the more unique coffee shops you will encounter - Double Decker Coffee Company situated in a British double decker bus (pictured). Not only was the novelty amusing, our Creme Brulee Latte and Peppermint Bark Mocha were quite good. Aaron's latte tasted like toasted marshmallows and warm goodness. 

We meandered around downtown a little more, checking out a couple of art stores/galleries, making our way to Grove Arcade, an older building that has been converted to commercial and residential space. The highlight for us was Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar. A beautiful multi-story used bookstore melds elegantly with a wine bar. While I enjoyed a chair and air conditioning, Aaron found a couple books to add to the bookcase at home. I think we could have spent a day or two looking at all the books. However, linner was calling...

We staved off hunger as long as possible in hopes our beloved Tupelo Honey Cafe would not be busy around 3 pm, a perfect time for linner (lunch+dinner). We were wrong; they were busy, but the wait was only 25 minutes or so. For drinks, Aaron ordered a beer flight with (memory, don't fail me now!) Carolina Brewery Firecracker, Pisgah Brewing Blueberry Wheat...and two others that, as you can surmise, paled in comparison.  I opted for the Ginger Muddled Mojito, which is a great summer drink, if a teensy bit heavy on the ginger for my taste.

There was some debate regarding what to order.  Should one of us order the Fried Chicken Saltimbocca that I enjoyed so much on the honeymoon and recreating at home? Go for a more recently created at home pork tenderloin to compare? In the end, Aaron went for the Mountain Trout with Spinach Beurre Blanc and I chose Not Your Mama's Meatloaf (pictured). Aaron's was like three meals in one with the trout, goat cheese grits, and roasted red peppers - all of which was fantastic.  I am not a big fan of meatloaf, with many I have tried being dry and garnished with ketchup, something I have not understood.  Meatloaf is not a hamburger, thus ketchup should not be present. Tupelo's meatloaf not only has bacon in it, but is topped with a rosemary tomato shallot gravy.  The smoke from the bacon melds with the gravy to make an almost barbecue sauce taste. Although, I think my version of macaroni and cheese is better than what was on my plate here. 

The only question left was what we should eat next time. Maybe dabble in the sandwich and burger portion of the menu, or eat breakfast there?  Hmm...

Days 3-5:
Before we traveled to our next destination, a friend's lake house, we of course had to eat breakfast. Aaron picked Early Girl Eatery, and we are both happy we went there. Like much of Asheville, Early Girl is focused on local, sustainable food, and breakfast is a great place to get a little of all that.  I went for one of their daily specials, a Quiche with green tomatoes, local cheese curd, and prosciutto.  The crust was sturdy enough to hold the egg mixture without flopping over, but still flaky and light.  The green tomato was a little bland and one note, but the salty prosciutto was incredible and the cheese melded seamlessly with the eggs. 

Aaron ordered what I coined Thanksgiving for Breakfast, better known at Early Girl as Sausage and Sweet Potato Scramble. It has mushrooms, bacon, green onion, pork and sweet potatoes with a biscuit on the side. After tasting one another's breakfasts, we decided we liked what we ordered best, which seemed in theme with our food orders throughout the trip. Yum, yum, yum!

We then hit the road and headed to the lake, which was the "do little to nothing" part of the trip.  Over the two days we were there, we floated in the lake, watched movies, I beat Aaron twice at Trivial Pursuit (this is HUGE, people, huge!), shot some basketball, and watched a lot of geese and goslings waddle about. For food, we went with our old standby Mini Man Burgers, some brats, and brownies ala mode (with Salted Caramel Sauce from Trader Joe's - I wanted to bathe in it!). 

After returning home, we both agreed this was one of our best vacations ever, together or apart. A perfect balance of doing and not doing anything. Asheville is our city to escape to, build a mountain home near, visit as much as possible, retire in...you get the idea. We love it. And the lake house, oh the lake house. We asked our friends after returning if we could be unofficially adopted into their family so we can go there every weekend without feeling (as) guilty. Overall, it was the perfect re-balance to life that we needed, and a time we will remember well, and one we will seek to recreate throughout our life together.

Dinner Aflame

Monday night I made perhaps one of the best meals ever. And I am not just saying that because fire was involved. Care to venture a guess? No, not s'mores, not Baked Alaska, not Banana's Foster (yuck!). Care to make some Flaming Shrimp and Grits?


First of all, do not be intimidated by the fire. This recipe is easy, showy, and does not take too long. Aaron loves grits, loves them, and I have yet to understand the appeal. But, I am learning to like polenta. They are close cousins, grits being in my mind white, bland, and blobular while polenta is yellow, savory, and smooth. The grits (really polenta) has a whole load of goodness - whole milk, butter, and cheddar cheese. The key here is not keeping the pot too hot. Not only do the grits dry out, it also creates its very own volcanic eruption of cornmeal magma. Low heat, whisking occasionally will keep it smooth and happy. Your unburnt forearms will thank you.


Now, to the fun part! After peeling and deveining the shrimp, throw them in a non-stick skillet for a minute or two. Turn off the heat, add two ounces of bourbon whiskey, and light those shrimp...with a long match or stick lighter.  Turn the heat back on and keep tossing until the fire extinguishes itself.  Add a little salt, pepper, and hot sauce, and place over the grits. 
The whiskey does not create a sauce, but it cooks the shrimp through while retaining the moisture so you are not faced with rubber shrimp. Extremely flavorful and gosh darn fun!


Happy sixth lunaversary, Aaron!

2011, in review

So, all my previous attempts at writing a year 2011 wrap-up stalled out.  Instead of a couple posts on my year, behold - the year in list! (In no particular order)


- I got married to Mr. Aaron-man, who constantly amazes me with how creatively loving a person can be.  And where one's love is located.  The metatarsal was the latest location of his love for me.    


- I surpassed my goal of reading 26 books in a year by two books.


- Some dear friends and family passed away.  Tim, Amy, and Nanny are dearly missed.


- Favorite dessert I did not make: Honey and Sea Salt Pie at Piebird


- Favorite dessert I made and can remember: Cookies and Cream Ice Cream.  It is AB's vanilla ice cream with a box (yes, a box) of crunched Oreos


- Favorite meal out: Tie between the Fried Shrimp Gnocchi at Top of the Hill and Chicken Saltimobocca at Tupelo Honey Cafe.  I totally won in ordering food while on the honeymoon.


- Favorite meal I made: Corn and Cheese Chowder...ooh, and Panko-crusted Salmon


- Least favorite meal I made: Any time I made chicken noodle soup.  I am beginning to think I just do not like chicken noodle soup. 


- Favorite book I read: Matterhorn, without a doubt. Even now when I am looking at the shelves for the next book to read, I pause on this one, tempting myself to read it again.


- Least favorite book I read: Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer.  This book, by an author whose work I love, made me so angry.  Krakauer let his personal opinions and beliefs cloud the story and Pat Tillman kind of seemed like a jerk.


- Favorite food find: Gyoza sauce from Trader Joe's


- Product obsessions: Aveeno lotion and Mighty Leaf Tropical Green Tea


- Kitchen tool addition of the year: My blender...and my mandolin...and my salad spinner...wedding presents are the best!


- Household addition: Aaron (duh!)...and our awesome bed of awesomeness, the Tempurpedic. 


- I have too many... Dish towels, wooden spoons, and blankets


- I do not have enough... Things to wear, comfy reading places


- Favorite spot: Caribou Coffee with Aaron after geocaching


- Cutest moment: Haydie-bug flirting with Aaron over Thanksgiving.  (It may have been my BIL being the flower girl at the wedding when Haydie-bug got stage fright, but I was waiting in the wings, and thus unable to see.)


- Least favorite place: Schmacy's housewares department - over and over again


There are probably large chunks of my 2011 year I am missing here, but I think I hit most of the high notes.  2012 is going to be another big year of big changes - graduations, new jobs, maybe new cities, and a whole lot of "who knows" thrown in!

Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potato

Welcome to 2012, long time no see.  Aaron and I are still working out who uses the computer when, so my postings have faltered of late due to that...and becoming mildly entranced with a silly Facebook game (thanks, Fliss).  However, sometimes a dish is so good, even silly Facebook games take a backseat.  Such is the case with Vegetarian Slow Cooker Chili with Sweet Potatoes.  


In order to imbue our meals with a little something different, reach that goal of a new dish every month, and because I like trying new things, at the end of every month I pull out all the magazines I have for the next month (end of January, pull out February mags) and check out the recipes.  If something looks tasty, I make a note on a post-it with dish and page, and slap it on the front of the magazine.  At the end of December I went through this routine while most likely watching football and uncovered this treasure of a recipe.  Healthier than most chili, sweet potatoes, and slow cooker.  The only things that would make this recipe more enticing are bacon and avocado, which you are welcome to add on top.


The chili has a great balance of spicy (both heat and spices) with a little sweet kick from the sweet potato.  I also made some great cornbread (secret's in the buttermilk) and added a dollop of sour cream and crunched tortilla chips.  On the chili, not the cornbread.  Perfect football food, perfect cozy winter food.  Even though Aaron would argue it is not winter if there is not 2 feet of snow on the ground.  Fine, perfect below 60 degrees food.  

Oatmeal Obsession

Both Aaron and I enjoy a good breakfast.  For proof  you need go no further than our wedding rehearsal dinner - eggs, bacon, pancakes, and biscuits from Flying Biscuit.  We are breakfast people.  However, weekday breakfasts suffer from a shortage on time.  For awhile I made a smoothie every morning, but with the weather attempting to turn colder, a warmer breakfast was called for.  Enter the oatmeal!  I'd make a serving of oatmeal in the evening - 1/2 cup oats, dash of salt, handful of dried cranberries, and a bit of brown sugar - and add a little water at work to to cook it the following morning.  Unsurprisingly, my taste buds grew rather dull of the same thing day in and day out.  And then I found my oatmeal nirvana - baked oatmeal.

As a general rule in my kitchen, the first time I make a recipe I try to make it by the book.  Unless, of course, I am missing an ingredient or five, then I improvise.  However, I had to change this recipe from the outset - no bananas or pecans for me, thank you very much.  (Sorry Aaron.  But at least you will never have to share your banana nut bread with me.)  The first time I made this oatmeal, I used thawed peaches and blackberries with sliced almonds for crunch.  Very tasty, very purple.  Second go 'round I stayed with the peaches and blackberries, and threw a few blueberries in.  Sadly, this batch contained a small "oopsie" on my part when I did not let the butter cool enough and it scrambled the eggs a little.  

But this last time, oh this last time, baked oatmeal bliss!  I maintained my base of peaches, but upped the amount to about half a bag of thawed peach pieces and remembered to let the butter cool a little before it was introduced to the eggs. And, I used cherries.  They are bursts of tart, flavorful joy in my mouth.  The oatmeal baked perfectly, so it is a little crunchy and a little creamy depending on what area and strata of the oatmeal I got.  (I am still not sold on the almonds, but cannot think of anything else to substitute.  Any ideas?  Pecans and walnuts are not welcomed guests in my mouth.)

I usually bake this up Sunday afternoons and it probably makes 4-6 servings, depending on who is doing the serving.  Boys eat a lot.  This recipe has the potential to be permanently affixed to the fridge through these winter months.  And oh the possibilities.  Apples and cranberries, berries galore, maybe even banana nut for Aaron one of these times.  

Cast Iron Chocolate Chip Cookie

Last night for my Bible Study group, I made a chocolate chip skillet cookie. And it was amazing...and so simple! I doubled the recipe and used a larger cast iron skillet since we have some hungry men in our group. And, unlike last time I made food at the new place, I had all the needed ingredients. Instead of only dark chocolate, I used a mix of Ghirardelli semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, which turned out wonderfully. They are different sizes so it was a nice variance within the cookie.

The skillet gave the edge of the cookie a chewy texture while still keeping the middle soft and gooey. With the doubled recipe and larger skillet size, I also doubled the cooking time to 30 minutes. I think next time I will pull it out a minute or two earlier since I like the gooey more than chewy, but there is a little for everyone with this cookie. The only odd thing was that I thought it a little on the salty side. I am not sure if it was the chocolate I used or if I added too much salt, or if my taste buds were off.

The only addition I would make would be a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream or a tall glass of milk. Indulgent and simple, two things not often found together. Tasty tasty!

Alton Brown Feeds Us

I am a newly minted married missus! The wedding went quite well and the honeymoon was wonderfully relaxing. Once I have all the pictures uploaded to my computer, I will have to show you some of the great food we ate. Aaron and I both agreed that I won in the food ordering most meals, but his dinners were not shabby, either.

The first food we made together as a married duo was, what else, mini man burgers. We are now the proud owners of four sets of garlic and onion powder spice jars. Aaron brought two sets into the marriage, myself one, and one was purchase on the honeymoon for the mini man burgers. So, if you have a recipe that includes onion powder and/or garlic powder, we would happily accept it. We may even invite you over for dinner to share in the onion and garlic powder bounty.

Once we came back home, I set out to make two new dishes for our new life. The first up was potstickers. I adapted Alton Brown’s recipe in a few ways because the store did not have ground pork (turkey was substituted) and, in our merging of assets, some of my assets have yet to relocate. Namely, the Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Determined to soldier on, I substituted Stubb’s BBQ sauce for Worcestershire, and a little white sugar and molasses for brown sugar. Not quite the same, but it turned out tasty, with a little Southwest flair. It took about two hours to make and cook all the potstickers, but we have eaten them at three meals now, so the time put in was well worth it.

The other new dish I tried was a little lighter fare. I stuck with Alton Brown and made Artichoke Pasta Salad. Quick to throw together and a great summer salad. Cooked some chicken breast (with onion and garlic powder!) and shredded it, cut up some perfectly ripe grape tomatoes, some herbs and tossed with pasta. I like it just a little warm because the herbs perk it up a little. The two things I would adapt next time is using more artichoke and adding a little cooked pancetta for that crunchy, salty kick.

I am not sure what is next on the radar of dishes to make, but I will have fun discovering them!

Nooooooo!

Say it ain't so...Good Eats is ending! I do not doubt Alton Brown when he says good things are on the horizon; I just hope they will be available on my horizon. AB is the person who reminded me after college how fun cooking can be. He is also the person I used to lure Aaron into the kitchen, a true miracle from what I understand. Alton (yes, we are on a first name basis, though he may not know it yet) is the guy I go to when I want to make something new but am not sure what. I have yet to make a recipe of his that is not stellar and worth repeating, sharing, and/or feasting upon. I will miss Good Eats and be watching like a hawk to see when and how AB will show up next to demonstrate his knowledge, humor and culinary abilities.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

I know I am a month early, but I cannot keep this little gem of a recipe hidden for another month. Also, I probably will not remember to post about this recipe a month from now. Or it will come in July. Kind of makes you the reader wonder at all the things I have on my "to blog" list that have been left unpublished for a couple months. And, "to blog" sounds a lot like "to blathe" which also sounds like "true love."

Back to the recipe! I saw it online one day and thought it made for a tasty dinner and good bring to work food. Behold, Irish Beef Hand Pies. I have made these twice, once for Aaron and once for my small group, and both times they turned out fairly decent. The biggest issue I ran into was the store bought pie crust dough yielded thin and delicate pies, which created Irish Beef Fork Pies. Still good, just not as portable. What is great about this recipe is it gives you freezing directions, so you can make a batch, bake some, freeze some, and have pre-made dinner a week later when you are crazy busy and just as hungry.

Also great? Easily customizable. Add some shredded carrots, spicy sauces, BBQ sauce, or onions and make a whole new pie! A definite recipe winner, and one I will hold onto for a long time. No pun intended.

30 Before 30: Cake!

It was not a mistake that "make a layered cake from scratch" was goal #1 on my list. In fact, I knew the exact cake I was going to make when I wrote goal #1 down. I have had this recipe since 2003! The Austin American-Statesman published a recipe for a chocolate creme de menthe cake and I quickly commandeered the entire Food section and have kept it in my recipe binder ever since, waiting for the day when I had reason to make this three-layered cake of chocolate minty (hopefully) goodness.

That time came recently to the benefit of my small group as an apology to Weischedad for not bringing dessert the previous week. As he informed me, everyone has a spiritual gift. Mine is dessert; his is consumption. I was not living out my spiritual gift and therefore hindering his ability to live out his as well. With that word of wisdom and truth spoken into my life, I decided this would be the week I make a layered cake.

The cake itself is easy to make and actually similar to a recipe I have for sour cream chocolate cake. The frosting is a ganache, which was even easier to make - some heavy cream and a lot of semi-sweet chocolate. No, this is not a diet cake in any way, shape or form. The challenge for me came in the assembling of it. I am not known for my dexterity or balance, and both were needed when stacking and icing this cake. The three layers went on easily enough, and then came putting the ganache over the surface of the cake.

I was getting impatient. The ganache was cool, but not thickened enough to ice, or is it frost? But my desire to see the final product outweighed my patience. So I poured. And, as expected, ganache slid beautifully down the cake, coating it with a lovely layer of chocolate...and then onto the plate and then the counter. What was my reaction? Stick my hand under the ganache waterfall and catch it. But once I had a handful of chocolate, I was unsure how to relocate it to the cake. Yes, it was messy. I got into the swing of icing and filling in the cracks between layers. One final hurdle - the chocolate sprinkles. Thank goodness for sprinkles, for they cover a cake-full of irregularities. No one notices the chasm between layers when sprinkles are there to distract!

The cake, refrigerated and looking more like the Statesman's picture, safely made its way to small group where it was happily devoured by Weischedad and company. I did have a moment of panic when cutting and the knife did not quickly slide through. "Uh-oh," I thought, "Did I forget to take the parchment off the cake layers?!" No, it was only the Andes mints giving a little resistance. Everyone ate and said they liked it, and I was able to help a brother fulfill his Christian calling as a consumer of food.

Will I make a layered cake again? Absolutely. Will it be anytime soon? Nope.

A Sandwich for Saturday

I have kind of gone lax on cooking dinners lately. Do you ever get in those funks? It seems I am constantly cleaning pots and pans in my kitchen, only to turn around and get them dirty again for the next meal. And I have run low on ideas. I have plenty of things I would like to make, only none of them stand out from the pack. And so I have a bagel for dinner. Or popcorn. Or cereal. However, this weekend Aaron was over at my place and, after a day of geocaching and a laundry adventure, I felt he should have something better than whatever I can cobble together from my fridge. So, we made Cuban sandwiches.

If I had known how easy these were to make, I think I would have made these a lot earlier on in life. Some lunch meat, cheese, a pickle, mustard and a roll and you are good to go. I do not have a panini press, so I used two cast iron skillets to flatten and toast the sandwiches. From experience, I learned if you do it this way, it is best to flip the sandwiches midway through or bread not on the hot pan will get mushy, not crispy. Throw in a side of chips and a cool beverage and you have great quick eats. So good and quick Aaron and I had Cuban sandwiches again Sunday for lunch.

I am going to keep this sandwich in my back pocket for future quick and tasty dinners. Maybe next time I will try to recreate some beloved sandwiches from restaurants that are now far from home. Grilled Indigo from Blue Baker, anyone?

30 Before 30: Pad Thai

As part of my 30 Before 30 list, last Friday I endeavored to make pad thai. From the outside, this dish was slightly daunting. Strange ingredients, quick cooking steps, and an unknown outcome. This is a dish that is so representative of a culture and national cuisine, I was afraid I would totally flub it.

My love of pad thai began on a trip Aaron and I took to San Francisco. One night after a day of sight-seeing, we were starved and looking for some good grub to eat close to our hotel. We happened upon King of Thai Noodle House off Union Square. Aaron was in the mood for curry, if I recall, and I thought I would try something new and go for pad thai. We ordered it to go, paid our cash, and returned to the hotel to eat dinner and watch a movie. Maybe it was the day of walking up and down San Francisco's hills, maybe they put some special stomach-expanding sauce in the dish, but I ate about two people's worth of pad thai in about 10 minutes. So incredibly good. So good in fact that Aaron and I went back the next night and I ordered the exact same thing. Aaron ordered something that was no doubt grossly inferior to my pad thai.

Ever since then I have hesitantly ordered pad thai at a couple places and been disappointed. So, I took it upon myself to figure out how to make it at home. I used Alton Brown's recipe and gathered the ingredients from the grocery store and Asian market. Strangest ingredients are the dried shrimp (you can see their little eye balls!), tamarind paste, and palm sugar.

This is one of those dishes when, after I make it, I am not completely sure of anything. Was the tofu done? Did the rice noodles soak long enough? If I find a rejuvenated dried shrimp, will I eat it? Am I about to give Aaron and myself food poisoning?

Thankfully no food poisoning occurred, I only found one dried shrimp, and the pad thai was pretty good. It is not yet on par with King of Thai, but I know I can make it again and hone my pad thai making skills. Very filling, great reheated, and a nice break from the norm of dinners.

Although I am going to hide my bag of dried shrimp until I make it again (they stare at me!), I am sure it will not be too long until I try my hand at pad thai again.

Cast Iron Cooking: Upside-Down Apple Tart

What did I do before I inherited my grandmother's cast iron? It amazes me I managed to survive in the kitchen without cast iron pans. The latest cast iron creation came to me courtesy of Southern Living magazine. Say hello to Upside-Down Apple Tart.


This is not a picture of my tart. Though it could have looked like that if the following things had not occurred:

- I was making it for my small group on Wednesday and I wanted it to be hot for them. However, I do not have enough time after work to peel the apples and cook it. So, I peeled the apples on Tuesday, which was not a problem except I think it gave the apples the chance to lose some of their liquid. Which, in turn, led to the syrup part not thickening and the apples got a little mushy. Still good eats, the apples were more amorphous than the above picture displays.

- Since I cooked it after work and before small group, I had a very small window of time to work. I could not wait for the sauce to thicken more and once the oven timer went off, out the door I went to small group.

- Because the sauce was not as thick as desired and the crust (which is amazing!) may not have cooked as long as it could have to reach the perfect golden brown crust, when Aaron and I flipped the not-so-light cast iron pan filled with tart over, "shifting" occurred. That is to say, it nearly fell off the plate and onto the table. But all was well and only a few globs of apple/sauce fell overboard.

- The tart goes great with ice cream, by the way. Too bad I left the quart I bought for it at home.

Moral of the story: This is a great and easy dessert to make and it elicits oohs, aahs and yums. However, perhaps you can learn from my experience and do all of the recipe in one day. Except for the dough - that can be done a day ahead without any ill effects. And, as a fellow small grouper admitted later, it makes for a great breakfast the next day. Better than a pop tart!

A Corny Salad

A few weeks ago, my Bible study group started back up after summer break with a taco night. Assigned to bring a side, and short on any quick recipes that would compliment tacos well, I took to the internet and who should come through but Paula Deen. Her Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad was just the thing I was looking for - clean, fresh, light, and Tex Mex-ish. Since this was a last minute dish, I made a few substitutions, by necessity and personal preference. I was not able to use fresh corn, so I used frozen shoe peg corn, which worked great. My grocery store was running a special on cherry tomatoes, so there were none to be found. Instead, I used a mix of varietal small tomatoes, which made for a more colorful and varied texture. Some were meatier, some more delicate. And, I used two avocados because I like avocados and one did not create enough chunks to merit one piece of avocado per spoonful.

If success of a dish is based on how the bowl that holds it looks at the end of the night, then this recipe is a keeper. I think if some people were left alone with the bowl, they would have licked it clean. The lime and cilantro created a clean taste while the crunchy, tart and creamy textures of the veggies made for great mouth feel, and it was pleasing to the eye as well with reds, yellows, greens and purples. I think this salad would go great beside some grilled chicken or steak at a Saturday cookout. A perfect summer dish.

Cup of (Frozen) Joe

Over the weekend of July 4, Aaron and I took part in one of my family's summer traditions and made some homemade ice cream. Since Aaron was here only for the weekend, I let him be the deciding vote in what type of ice cream we made. Unsurprisingly for anyone that knows Aaron, he went for the coffee ice cream. Luckily, I like coffee ice cream, so I entered into its creation happy with the prospect.

All in all it was fairly simple to make. Some whole milk and heavy cream were heated over the stove along with coffee grounds, then let to sit for a few minutes so the coffee could infuse. The recipe called for the coffee to be strained with cheesecloth and, not having any, I tried coffee filters. This failed miserably, and messily thanks to yours truly. Approximately one tablespoon got through the filter before it stopped completely. I next used a mesh sieve, which was not as fine as it needed to be, but worked more or less. A few stray ground got through, but they were small enough not to be very noticeable.

While the cream and coffee mixture cooled a little, I whipped up egg yolks and sugar, then slowly added the warm cream mixture to the eggs. This was strained again to remove any egg that cooked and some more of the grounds. This mix went into a glass bowl and was placed on top of a pot with some simmering water. Let the custard-ization begin!

While Aaron watched Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on ESPN, I stirred and stirred and stirred this mix over the water, waiting for it to thicken. The recipe said it would take 10-15 minutes for it to thicken and coat the back of the spoon. 30 minutes in Aaron and I decided a thin coat was a coat nonetheless and set it in the fridge to cool for an hour.

A little more than an hour later, and after some regular stirring to keep a skin from forming, into the ice cream maker bowl it went. We let it churn for 20 or so minutes while we watched some Food, Inc. then into the freezer it went to chill a few hours.

Later that evening, it was ice cream time! As per the recipe, I whipped some whipping cream (imagine that!), scooped the ice cream into coffee mugs, dollop of whipped cream on top with a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Voila, frozen coffee!

This coffee ice cream, more than any other I have tried, tastes like a person made a cup of joe with some cream and sugar and threw it into the freezer. There is no question what type of ice cream this is. It was not too sweet, very creamy, and had a wonderfully smooth texture. Definitely not for people who are so-so on their adoration of coffee flavor, or who like their morning coffee with 8 sugars and 3 creams, as one of my coworkers does. Will I make it again? For Aaron and other coffee lovers, yes, but probably not if it is just me eating it.

Atkins Shmatkins

This year has been unofficially declared "The Year of the Bread" in my kitchen. I am not sure what muse has come upon me, but I have been drawn to bread recipes with an undeniable force. Bread, as I have found, is that happy medium of being somewhat healthy, baking fun, and not sugar-rich. It all started when I was reorganizing my recipe binders (cue the cloudy dream fade)...

Generally, if I print, clip or jot down a recipe, I am going to use it in the next week. However, there are a few recipes that have made their way i

nto my binder that have not been tested for real world success at my hands. One of these recipes happened to be one on bread. Since I had an extra amount of time on my hands earlier this year (thanks economy!), I decided I needed a way to use up some daytime hours, bake something, and do it on the cheap. Little did I know how cheap I would get, and how excellently it would turn out. Behold, no knead bread!

I know, I know, I am about the five millionth person to get on the no knead train, but I am proud to be a follower. Why? Because I have freshly made, some time-scheduling required bread for pennies. The key to this bread is to plan out when things need to happen. I suggest starting the dough on a Friday evening when you will be home in the morning/early afternoon Saturday. The recipe is easy to follow, but I will note that my dough does not rise upward so much as spread like The Blob, so do not fear if yours does the same. The rises and beautifying happens when it bakes. Which brings up another note. I do not (yet) have a dutch oven, or a 10 quart anything, so I have taken to using my Corningware 5 quart casserole dish. It works perfectly. The bread may be a little more dense than it should be by the letter of the recipe, but it is not anything someone will complain about. It is crusty and artisan bready and perfect for soup sopping.

Later on this year, I got a craving for raisin bread. Maybe a Food Network personality made a loaf and I wanted one too. I honestly cannot recall why this came about, but it did and strongly. How strong? I made two batches in 3 days. Yeah. That strong. And I should note the recipe I used makes 3 loaves each. Yes, the amount is bananas....errr...raisins. And before you think I ate them all, I shared with people - Aaron, my small group, my pastors' families, and a couple others enjoyed the benefits of my obsesssion. This bread turns out so very good. Toasted with a little butter on it, makes my mouth happy. It is the perfect morning munch, or afternoon munch...or after dinner dessert munch. The only things I did differently from recipe is I used a half and half mix of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour, which made it a little heartier, I guess. After the dough had risen, I divided the dough in thirds rather than try roll one huge piece of dough on my limited workspace.

A weekend or two ago I was trying to come up with something to do with the leftover rosemary I had from the chicken I made the previous weekend. Then I remembered I had a recipe from Central Market (I miss you!) for rosemary focaccia that I had not made in a bit. So, I made a batch. Well, half a batch, being that a full recipe makes two and by the time I got to eating loaf two (is it a loaf if it is flat?) it could be going bad. So very good. I want to go buy deli meats and cheeses I should not eat and make beautiful sandwiches with arugula and fancy spreads and carmelized red onion.

I now realize I am quickly becoming my own Loaves of Love lady. (For those not familiar with my Austin church/former workplace, Loaves of Love is a ministry where a group of ladies from the church bakes bread and a team delivers the bread to first time visitors as a way to connect with them more personally and say hello in a nice, friendly neighborly way. I suppose it is not a bad title to have.)

What's up next on the bread making radar? I have a few recipes begging to be made, but I am waiting for a good event or gathering to make it. Mainly so I do not eat it all myself.

The Night of the Chicken

On a recent Friday night, Aaron and I invited one of his grad school friends and wife for dinner and games. I went into this night with some wariness given the wife is pregnant and going through the sudden absence of a gag reflex and a yet to be fully realized list of foods to steer clear of. I like an exciting time when people come over, but not one involving someone becoming ill. After being reassured that my choices in food would not come back to haunt me, I started cooking.

I decided to make red potatoes and sauteed broccoli for the sides as they are simple to make and taste yummy. No special recipe for the potatoes -cut in fourths, boil until tender and let everyone salt, pepper, butter and sour cream to their preference. The broccoli I blanched and let drain and cool while I warmed up some minced garlic in melted butter with a little bit of lemon zest. I tossed the broccoli in after few minutes, squirted some lemon juice over it and let it heat up. Tasty tasty...and I got Aaron to eat lemon. Bwa ha ha!

The main course came together out of an unexpected special at the store followed by a need to free up freezer space. A few months ago I was getting groceries, trying to get a pack of chicken breasts when my endeavor was thwarted by a few ladies in front of the chicken area who were looking at every single whole chicken. What would normally prove a minor annoyance worked well for me as it gave me opportunity to see that the whole chickens were on super duper sale, hence the gaggle of women. So, I bought two, and in my freezer they have sat since. I took the opportunity of guests to bring one out for dinner.

Here is a note for all you people who think they would like to roast a whole chicken. Make sure to read the small print lest you end up like me. Because you do not want to end up like me. My chicken may have been a super duper deal, but it also had its giblets. Attached. To the chicken. Inside the cavity. Just hanging out. Squishy. Gross. And me without a latex glove or boyfriend around to scoop out whatever giblets are. Ew ew, a thousand time ew. It may have lasted only a few seconds, but I have scars to last a lifetime.

De-gibleting completed and after a moment to regain my composure, I was able to move on with my regularly scheduled chicken prepping. This was the first time I brined a chicken, something I have been curious to try. Hard to tell how well it worked, but it got its hour-long soak in salty garlic and rosemary water. After its soak, the chicken got a nice massage of olive oil, garlic and rosemary and then was placed in the oven for cooking. About an hour later, it was ready to eat. So we ate. And it was juicy and tasty and not too garlic rosemary overpowering. Yay!

Our guests brought dessert - chocolate pound cake with cream cheese frosting - which we ate between rounds of Killer Bunnies. It was a fun evening of getting to know them better and eat tasty food. And no one threw up.

(Sorry no pictures - we were too busy eating the food to think about pictures.)

Full and Dim Sum

New food/culture experience alert! I do not know when or how my approach to food changed, but some time along the path of my life, I decided in a "try anything once" mentality to food. Maybe it was all those mission trips where it is best not to ask what kind of meat is in front of you, maybe it was a greater appreciation for taste and flavor over pizza and burgers. In any case, in the past years I have tried out new dishes, spices, flavors and textures with varying amounts of approval and enjoyment. Not so much on the spicy curries, bring on Vietnamese and Cuban.

Recently, I was met with yet another new food experience - dim sum! Before going to eat, I first had to do the required research into dim sum. I may try anything once, but I want to know what I am getting myself into! I learned dim sum is not a dish, it is a meal or type of cuisine. Kind of the Chinese version of Spain's tapas. Aaron and I went with our small group leaders Ben and Rachel to Neo-Asia Restaurant. I was the only one who had not had dim sum before, so I relied on their expertise and knowledge to lead me in the right direction.

How dim sum works is perhaps the largest obstacle to overcome, and one of the neater things, in my opinion. Servers push carts of food around the restaurant, stopping by your table to offer you what is on their carts. At Neo-Asia each cart had a different "theme" - meats, seafood, noodles and rice, desserts, etc. it is kind of like a buffet where the buffet comes to you. Each dish has three or four pieces on it, so it makes it great to share with a couple of friends.

Everything we tried was great. I have no clue what the name of it was, or in some cases the protein, but it was tasty! With four of us, it was great since we could try more things than if two people were eating dim sum. Favorite things were the salted shrimp and this rice...thing that was wrapped in some sort of leaf. Oh, and the Chinese broccoli. I would eat that every day if I could.

We continued our Asian journey with a trip to the Asian market for bubble tea and reading unique English translations for food. We saw lamp meat (aka, lamb) and pork bums (buns). And unique food. As a warning, do not visit the meat section of an Asian market if you have a weak stomach. Do visit it if you wish to scare your roommate when they open the fridge or freezer.