The Art of Cooking

As many of you who know me well*...I love to cook. Not only do I love to cook, I love food, I love ingredients, I love cookbooks, I love techniques and I love to experiment. LOVE IT! Nothing gives me more joy, with the exception of my family, to try out new concoctions on friends and family and get their feedback. I consider it art.

As I stand here and sort out green tomatoes I think...what will I do with all of these? Sure sure, I can make "fried green tomatoes," or "green tomato relish"...while good...I can only eat so much of it. So now what? I search cooking websites and cookbooks for inspiration.**

While what ended up being wasn't fancy, we have many jars of green salsa from my own "recipe." My first attempt at it with unripened tomatoes. Smoked in our fireplace, no less. Darn tasty in my opinion...and friends' too!


*Recently a friend who knows these facts came to me with a potential proposition...which has gotten my wheels-a-turning on a potential business opportunity! Stay tuned!!!
**Also, those who know me know that I have shelves and shelves of cookbooks but actually rarely make an actual recipe from them. Why you ask? I use them as a basis for my own recipes. Flavor combinations. And then I wing it...with the exception of baking. I suck at wing-baking.

One year ago today - October 15, 2008

One year ago today we celebrated our first year as a family with what else? Reflection, time together and Chinese food! Today we continued our tradition...

And while many changes have occurred during the past year...some things always remain the same.

2007 - 2009

Turn off the lights...

summer is over.

Yes, that's right...the harvest has come to an end (at least in my garden). Yesterday afternoon I heard that we were going to have a hard freeze during the night so that afternoon I went out to gather the rest of the fruits. Much to my dismay, we'd had a freeze the previous night. Some things were protected enough or hardy enough to have made it through, but others were not so fortunate.

I gathered up all of the herbs to be dried or frozen, tomatoes (red and green), a big bag of arugula, most of the bunching onions and the rest of the zucchini.

And this is what we woke up to.

While I'm never all that thrilled to see the first snow, CiBaby couldn't wait long enough to get out of her jammies in order to get out there!

First Day of School! A new begining...

Today was the official start of CiBaby's formal education...PRESCHOOL! Now, as some of you may recall, last year she was a pre-preschool dropout...but this year...this year will be different, I hope.

Last week we visited our new school during an Open House and CiBaby was adamant about telling me that "today is not a school day." Of course this continued today too. When I told her that indeed today was a school day and that it was going to be SUPER FUN! (in my best cheerleaderesque persona) she declared she didn't want to go. She was "too nervous to be away from Mama." Awwwe how sweet, but kid, you're goin'...and it's going to be GREAT!

So today we made it a super fun day. First we met up with friends for a playdate, and thankfully her best bud Wibby had just come from school and said it was "super fun." Then it was a rush home for a quick bite to eat and change of clothes and off we went to school. Before leaving I did remind CiBaby that she might have to tell her teachers that she has to go potty (yes, we're still working on that). Well, upon arriving with our special bottle, that she picked out herself, of soy milk and special snacks (incase the snack o' the day is something she cannot eat) she told me she had to go potty. We rushed to the bathroom, sat her down to hear her say, "it not coming." That's when we talked about how sometimes when we feel nervous we feel like we have to go...come'on, y'all know what I'm talking about.

Once back in the room a spot opened up at the playdough table...SCORE! And best of all, it was right next to one (she has 4) of the teachers. She sat down, the teacher engaged her right away and when I said goodbye, the teacher said, "Don't worry, I will be here with you until your Mama comes back to get you." Dang! I knew I picked a great school for her!!!

Fast forward a couple hours, an ice tea and adult conversation and it was time to pick CiBaby up from school. I scooted home, got T-Daddy and off we went...we didn't want to be late. It went great and we couldn't be more relieved. She was "all-smiles, all day." YIPPY!!!

And off we go.

Not just a "fair" day...

A State Fair Day!!!

What a great day at The Fair! A bike ride to and from and met up with G-Mama and Bopa for lots of walking, hopping, skipping, running, petting, eating fun!!!

The Eat Local Challenge: Day 17

With the bounty of the harvest kicking in...fresh tomatoes, ripe off the vine, eggplant and zucchini begging to be picked and used...I couldn't wait to cook up a batch of Ratatouille!

Sebha del Hdaree

Ratatouille with Dates from Cooking at the Kasbah by Kitty Morse

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed and diced

3 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 fresh rosemary sprig

1 bay leaf

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 eggplant, peeled and cubed

2 zucchini, cubed

1/2 cup dates, pitted and chopped

2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 Tbsp slivered almonds, toasted

Preheat the oven to 375F. In a medium enameled casserole over medium-high heat, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil and saute the onion and pepper until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, rosemary, bay leaf, and garlic. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil and cook the eggplant and zucchini until the zucchini are golden, 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Add the eggplant, zucchini, dates and paprika to the mixture in the casserole. Stir to blend.

Cover tightly and bake until the vegetables are tender, 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and discard the rosemary and the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with toasted almonds. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Summertime Fun

What a great mother/daughter day.

Was it worth the time?

Do you ever ask yourself that question? "Is doing X going to make any difference in the world?"

Since adopting CiBaby I have been on two different adoption panels, each time with CiBaby (that's who the audience really wants to see), July 2008 was without T-Daddy and the most recent, October 2008, was with him . The second one I feel was successful in that not only did we meet some really neat people who are now consider friends, but that people seemed to be really engaged and were asking questions.

But the first. The first one is the one I struggled with. I was a little nervous. Not so much as to what I was going to say, but the fact that I was there alone with CiBaby. I worried about what would happen if she was uncomfortable sitting in front of a bunch of strangers staring at her. If she fussed, what would I do? Take her out myself, since there was no way on God's green earth that she would go into a playroom without me?! But she did great...or at least there was snacks to keep her occupied.

And what was I going to dress her in? We always saw people dressing their children up in really cute outfits, a perfectly groomed little Asian girl in a pretty dress with hair all done....but reality is not so. Reality is not always picture perfect. And although we had the outfits...outfits galore...I opted to put her in some fairly everyday clothes, clothing I knew she would be comfortable in as it was familiar.

While everything went fine, no one in the audience asked any questions. We were kind of the odd-family-out as we were the only ones that had adopted a Waiting International Child, so we didn't necessarily hit some radars...still no questions of anyone. All of this took a chunk of time, mentally and physically, and that left me wondering...was this worth the time? Was everyone so drained from the class, and it was such a beautiful Friday afternoon in July, people wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible?

Not until today, over a year later, was my question answered. We went to a function for adoptive families through T-Daddy's work and not long after arriving, a woman, whom I've never met, stopped to talk to me. Apparently she was in that first class where I spoke. She told me "thank you" that apparently some things I said made a difference and helped them get to the point they are at in their adoption.

So while a lot of things that come out of our mouths are inconsequential to the masses, we occasionally, and unknowingly, say things to people that hit home and make a difference in their lives. And I guess not all of our cosmic questions can be answered all of the time, but sometimes they are.

The Eat Local Challenge: Day 10

This recipe has been a favorite of mine going back to my childhood. G-Mama use to wait until the zucchini were bursting at the seams and all of a sudden we got a mammoth one...what do do with it? Stuff it, of course!

Hint: start with the tomato sauce so it all comes together at about the same time.


Stuffed Zucchini

4 medium zucchini, scrubbed and peel removed in stripes (you could take it all off or leave it all on, I just did stripes)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 lb ground beef
1 egg beaten
3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
6 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp dried OR 2 tsp fresh oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 pepper
(tomato sauce recipe, below)

Cut zucchini lengthwise, scoop out inside leaving 1/4" shell. Chop pulp coarsely. Heat olive oil, brown onions 8-10 minutes on medium heat until soft. Add zucchini pulp and garlic, cook 5 minutes longer. Scoop into mesh colander and set over bowl to drain.

Brown beef, drain well.

In a medium mixing bowl, take vegetable mixture and meat and add egg and breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. Spoon evenly into zucchini shells, mounded. Bake in a shallow dish with warm tomato sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375F for 30 minutes, then 15 minutes uncovered.

Tomato sauce for stuffed zucchini:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 lbs plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped OR 1 big can of plum tomatoes (not drained)
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
black pepper, to taste

Simmer on low for 40 minutes. Press through a sieve or food mill (I never do this, but do it if you like a really smooth, seed-free sauce)

Make no beans about it...

making beans from their humble dried form is easier than...well, easy!

While I don't consider myself a novice cook, I've always been oddly intimidated by dried beans. The selection of dried beans is so awesome, not to mention very economical, but every time I made them, they never turned out. They were still really hard after hours of soaking and simmering on the stove to only dry out and burn, but still hard. A total disappointment.

So in an effort not only to eat local, but to also eat our pantry down, yesterday I looked a bag of dried pinto beans straight in the eye and opened it in an attempt to make beans! Now, I'm fairly sure that I've always looked at the bag before...but this time it had different directions/suggestions that I don't recall ever seeing (and grant it, I've never bought 10 lbs of beans at one time either). You can use your slow cooker to make the beans. WHAT?!??? I (think I) can do that!!!

After soaking the beans for 6 hours at room temperature (or 8 hours in the refrigerator) I put those bad boys in the crockpot, covered with about 1 inch of water, turned the sucker on low and let them do their thing for about 10 hours. Viola! BEANS that were neither hard, dry nor burned!

I hope this information not only expands your cooking knowledge and bean choices, but also your wallet with all of the money you will save!

The Eat Local Challenge: Day 6

The other day I purchased a large bag (around 4-5 lbs) of green beans at the Farmers' Market with the intention of eating some and processing some for the freezer. Well, to my dismay I didn't care much for them...at least steamed. They were a bit too mature (a bit tough and dry), although they had decent flavor...so in order to save them I had to find a recipe to use them up that would somehow eliminate the parts I didn't like. The following soup did the trick (with a little bit of recipe manipulation)!!!

Green Bean Soup (Transylvania style!)*

2 lbs fresh green beans
1 large clove of garlic
1 handful fresh parsley
1 pinch of salt
4 slices Canadian bacon, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped
1-1/2 Tbsp butter, divided
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup Goat's milk yogurt (for the lactose challenged in the family)
3 Tbsp rice vinegar

In a large pot over medium heat, combine green beans, garlic, parsley, salt and water to cover, and cook until beans are tender.

Reserve 2 cups of water from cooked beans, transfer bean mixture into blender and puree, in batches, until smooth. Return to stove and put over low heat.

Fry Canadian bacon until browned, add to bean puree. Add 1 Tbsp butter and cook onions over low to lightly caramelize, add 1/2 Tbsp butter and flour, stirring until brown. Slowly add reserved water, stirring slowly and constantly to prevent lumps.

Cook onion/flour mixture to thicken a bit, then add to the bean soup and bring to a boil. Stir in yogurt (warm up yogurt by spooning some of the hot soup into a large bowl with yogurt first, then add back into the kettle) and vinegar.

Serve with warm bread.

We hope you like it, it was a big hit at our dinning table tonight!


*The original recipe can be found on All-Recipes.com

The Eat Local Challenge: Day 4

Steamed Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

(Nplooj Zaub Pob Qhwv Cub)

from Cooking from the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America

The mixture used to fill these glistening, fat cabbage bundles is similar to egg roll filling, and, like egg roll filling, every Hmong cook makes it a little bit differently.

Ingredients

10+ outer leaves from 2 large heads of American* or napa cabbage

(or substitute iceberg lettuce leaves)

3 - 2oz packages (bundles) Asian vermicelli noodles (aka cellophane, bean thread or glass noodles)

1 lb ground pork*, chicken or turkey

4 green onions*, white and green parts, chopped fine

1/4 cup cilantro*, finely chopped

1 small can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 medium-sized carrots, finely shredded

6 pieces black fungus (they are really black when dry)

6 medium-sized white mushrooms*, chopped fine

1 tsp salt

1 tsp MSG (optional, I did not use it)

1/2 tsp course-ground black pepper

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

a few drops sesame oil (I used about 2 tsp)

2 eggs, stirred

Preparation

Remove and wash the large outer leaves of the cabbage, being careful not to tear them. With a paring knife, cut any tough root-end away from each leaf. In a large pan, bring 3 quarts of water to boil. Once the water is boiling, submerge 1 cabbage leaf (or lettuce leaf) at a time in the water for a second or two. The leaves should become pliable but not limp. Drain and lay the leaves on a plate and set aside.

While preparing the leaves, soak the vermicelli noodles in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes (or follow the directions on the package), or until soft. Using a fine-mesh colander, completely drain the noodles (and rinse and drain, otherwise they become one huge mass of noodles and are hard to mix later). With kitchen shears, snip the noodles into approximately 1-inch lengths. In a large bowl, use your hands to mix the ground meat with the noodles, green onions, cilantro, water chestnuts, carrots, black fungus and mushrooms. Add the salt, MSG (if using), black pepper, oyster sauce and sesame oil. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.

Using a plate as a work surface, place 1 cabbage leaf on the plate and about 1/3 cup of the filling on the leaf. Roll up the leaf as you would an egg roll, tucking in the sides as you roll. Discard any leaves that have large tears, since the filling would leak out (small tears do not matter). To steam the stuffed leaves, fill a large flat bottomed bamboo** or metal steamer half full of water and set it on the stove over high heat to boil. (I put my bamboo steamer into my wok and it works very nicely.) Gently place each stuffed leaf in the top part of the steaming pan. The stuffed leaves can be stacked on top of each other. Cover the pan and steam the stuffed leaves for about 30 minutes. Remove the steamer from the stove, take the lid off of the steamer, and allow the steam to escape. Then carefully lift each stuffed leaf onto a serving platter. Serve hot.

In the end I have to say they were delicious!!! The only things I would do differently is increase the salt by maybe a 1/2 tsp, up the pepper to at least 1 tsp, and maybe double the cilantro. We also dipped our rolls in a mixture (in 1/3 increments) of soy sauce, mirin and water.

Note: when there were options, the ingredients that were bolded were the ones I chose to use.

+ I ended up filled 25 leaves with 1/3 cup filling (it made a lot of filling!)...if that gives you any idea.

* All locally grown/raised.

**Make sure you line the bottom of the bamboo steamer with some of your extra, too small cabbage leaves...otherwise you will pick up some of the bamboo taste.