2010: I LOVE January

2010 has been good to me so far.

My new year’s resolutions have stuck.

I spent January with the positive affirmation of “I LOVE January. I LOVE January.” Repeated over and over until it was April, nearly.

No potato chips, not hard at this time of year but porch season will be the true test.


No McDonald’s which is only an issue on long car trips to the cabin or Milwaukee, I shall be tested on that this week.

Exercise and housework before knitting. I am happy to report that while I am down five pounds I am also down five pairs of felted mittens.

No alcohol for Lent may become no alcohol for then next many years as the oldests social life if ramping up and I need to have my wits about me for late night parent pick ups.


A new beginning running program has me skipping in public, much to my children’s embarrassment, but running without the knee pain and twisted ankle of last year’s thwarted attempt.

In other news

My new best friend is my prescription strength Vitamin D. After a few weeks the lethargy that has been plaguing me since I became a mother nearly 15 years ago is abating.

My netflix life has enjoyed the series Doc Martin, William and Mary and Mad Men.

My ipod life has loved listening to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Everybody Ona Move by Michael Franti and Spearhead and Start the Commotion byt the Wise Guys.

Since I last posted a have put on a baby shower, Thompson cousin gathering, baked potato bar Lenten supper for a hundred (Lutherans love crack), a birthday party for the low fat, no meat, no shellfish, no chocolate, not too rich, newest 42 year old in the neighborhood, Palm Sunday for 200 and I have made a host of new recipes that are good enough to share, in link form.

Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew from Cooking Light. My sister was the first to try this and it has been in heavy rotation ever since. Not a very spring like dish but bookmark it for next fall.

Pasta with Asparagus, Pancetta and Pine Nuts also from Cooking Light but I made it a la Cooking right by using 8 ounces of bacon instead of 2 ounces of pancetta, a mix of whole wheat and regular pasta and 1 1/2 recipe of the lemon and olive oil dressing. I cannot wait to make this again.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas My parents are the proud owners of a functioning computer and my mother discovered this recipe on allrecipes.com. It is great. I prepare my chicken in the crockpot using this recipe, and use La Victoria Salsa Jalapena which is labeled Extra Hot and a green chile enchilada sauce. My sister used a canned jalapena salsa the first time she made it and it was red so she reported that the sour cream mixture had a very unpleasing pink tinge. I have adapted the recipe to reflect G and F's sensitivity to spiciness by whirling together the sour cream, cilantro and green enchilada sauce reserving some of it an then whirling in the jalapena salsa. I have prepared it with flour and corn tortillas and it is good either way.

Chickpea and Spinach Salad with Yogurt Dressing This is from Food Network's Elie Krieger and I made it for the aforementioned birthday party. The yogurt dressing is good but not an obligation.

Beet Hummus Very pretty, very good, if you like beets. I am now the proud owner of a very large jar of tahini so if you are going to make this let me spot you the tahini. From the wonderful food blog Simply Recipes. I love her caramel sauce.

Fudgy, Chewy, Cakey Brownies by my food heroine Pam Anderson. My new go to brownie recipe. My only complaint she suggest letting them cool for 3 hours. Are you kidding me?

Go North Young Man

Photo by kosmatka365

The H left this morning for a week of Up North schooling with his school. He passed the crucial temperature test, no one was allowed to board the bus if they had a temperature of 100 or above, and left his dad behind while he waited with his friends. This child, born and raised in Minnesota, to Wisconsin born and raised parents, has never been further north in his home state than Round Lake outside of Aitkin. Can I help it if my internal compass draws me east to Marinette County and beyond?

I made him one of his favorite meals for dinner last night, despite his uncharacteristically crabby attitude throughout the day. My family is glutton like in their love of salmon. If left to their own will they would each eat a pound a piece, including the cat.

Here is my most fool proof salmon recipe. It is originally from Bon Appetit and my parents where the first to try it all those years ago.


ROSEMARY-ROASTED SALMON

2 large bunches fresh rosemary
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 2-pound center-cut salmon fillet with skin
2 large lemons, thinly sliced
1/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange half of rosemary sprigs in single layer in center of heavy baking sheet. Arrange sliced red onion atop rosemary. Place salmon, skin side down, atop red onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover salmon with remaining rosemary sprigs. Arrange lemon slices over rosemary. Drizzle olive oil over. Sprinkle lemon slices with salt. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Roast salmon until just cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer salmon to plates. Serve with roasted onions and lemon slices.

4 servings


Bon Appétit, February 2000

A Chicken in Every Crockpot

I love my crockpot, I love my sister, and I love the blog crockpot365.com so when Maggie said that the rotisserie chicken crockpot recipe from crockpot365 was very good I gave it a go. I did use the optional 4 cloves of garlic and quartered onion. I cooked it on high for 3 hours and then kept it on warm until the rest of the dinner was ready. I fished out the four cloves of garlic and mashed them into the naughty mashed potatoes and I made gravy with the ample juices. It was very good and very easy. I am eagerly awaiting my copy of Make It Fast, Cook It Slow the cookbook based on crockpot365 from the library.

This week whole chickens are on sale at Rainbow for .99 a pound.

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken

1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 pounds)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, I cut back the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of chili pepper (probably not necessary)
4 whole garlic cloves (optional)
1 yellow onion, quartered (optional)

The Directions

I used a 6 quart crockpot for a 5 pound bird. It fit nicely.

Skin the chicken and get rid of the neck and other stuff from the cavity.

In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Plop the bird breast-side down into the crockpot.

If desired, shove 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours, or on low for 8. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat.

Naughty Mashed Potatoes

Prepare mashed potatoes as usual but instead of adding milk stir in 4 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, and the four cloves of garlic from above. Season with salt and pepper.

Let the wild rumpus start

It was the King of Keratoconus' 43rd birthday last week and we celebrated with Julia Child's infamous Boeuf Bourguignon, chocolate cake a la Cafe Latte Turtle Cake and a diorama of Where the Wild Things Are. I have been making this cake for a few years now but I have always used chocolate ganache for the frosting. This time I used the frosting from the recipe and though it seemed too sweet right out of the bowl it was just perfect on the cake. If I can scrounge up two cups of flour this may become today's home from school snack.

Cafe Latte Turtle Cake

Cake

1 egg
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 TABLESPOON baking soda, I have inadvertently made it with one teaspoon of baking soda not good
1 cup hot coffee

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9 inch round cake pans, it can also be made in a 9x13 inch pan. Combine egg, oil and buttermilk. In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture, mixing well. Slowly mix in the hot coffee. Turn into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes if in two round pans or 40-45 in the 13x9 pan. Frost when cooled.

Frosting

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup caramel topping
1 cup toasted pecans

Mix sugar and milk in a saucepan, add butter and bring to a boil. Place chocolate chips in a bowl and pour hot mixture over them and mix until smooth. Spread over cooled cake. Drizzle caramel topping over the frosting and crunch toasted pecans over caramel.

By Request: Mexican Rice

Neighbor Sherry requested that I post this recipe on the blog. It is the wicked cousin of the most caloric mac and cheese you have ever had. My mother has been making it for years and it continues to be my vegetarian brother John's welcome home meal. I wonder what kind of makeover Cooking Light would give this? I wonder how it would taste with quinoa? Hey, Costco now has a 4 pound bag of organic quinoa for $10.49. That is a bargin.

Mexican Rice

1 cup onion chopped
1/4 cup butter
5 cups cooked rice
1 pint sour cream
1 cup cottage cheese
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 4 ounce can chopped green chiles
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350. Saute onions in butter. Mix the onions, rice, sour cream, cottage cheese, bay leaf, salt, pepper and green chiles together. Pour half of the rice mixture into a greased 12x8 pan (12x8 must be some weird 1970's size, I like to use a corning ware 2.8 liter oval ) cover with half of the cheese. Repeat. Sprinkle parsley on top and bake for 30 minutes.

When the school year came to a close nearly seven weeks ago the thing I was most looking forward to was making lunch at lunchtime. This summer, is our first summer “off” since 2000. Someone or another has been attending year round school for eight years. I imagine year round school is magic if you live in San Diego but not so smart if you live in Minnesota. Having the summer off has been even better than I hoped. I have enjoyed preparing breakfast at breakfast time (it is cold cereal a lot more often than you would think) and “making lunch” around 12:00 pm. “You can make your own sandwich.” Is my new mantra.

This summer I have found out that I love the Saint Paul Urban Tennis program. My children love SPUT the way I love ECFE. I love walking with the F as she bikes to and from tennis. I love it when my boys bike off together to buy cap guns or water balloons from Walgreens or Snyders even though I chant “ I am a mom of the 70’s.” until they roll back into the yard. Baseball has been great for everyone even though it consumed us Monday through Friday nights. H is on a team with kids he played basketball with in kindergarten. They even have the same coach. Roberto used to have to call time-outs to tie shoes. Now girls show up to watch the boys play. Years of playing baseball with a brother 4 years older has finally paid off for G and he has out grown the poor sport syndrome that plagues me still today. It is why I avoid playing passive-aggressive contract rummy at the cabin. The F has been lucky enough to have a myriad of other sisters to play with on the sidelines.

This recipe is my new favorite dip. It is great with sweet potato fries, tacos and any kind of chip.


My thanks to Emeril.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 pounds of sweet potatoes
Cooking oil spray, as needed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Spicy Sour Cream Dipping Sauce, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Cut the potatoes into ½-inch strips. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and generously spray with cooking oil. Toss the sweet potato fries in the extra virgin olive oil and divide among the two baking sheets. Place in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, tossing once during cooking. Bake until they are caramelized and nicely browned.

Yield: 4 servings

Spicy Sour Cream Dipping Sauce:

¾ cup sour cream
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon cilantro or parsley
¼ teaspoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon lime zest
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well to mix through.
Yield: ¾ cup

Spring Comes to Como Park

To celebrate the blooming of the lilacs, lily of the valley and the crabapple trees I had few people over for lunch the other day.

A huge thank you to my man, the King of Keratoconus, for all of the unsolicited help with the dishes and for forgiving me when I got crabby when he changed my playlist whilst I was having my last minute shower. I do not deserve his amiable nature most of the time, but he is very well fed.

Here are a few of the recipes I served.

First off credit where credit is due, and he will call me on it if I don't. My brother introduced me to this Barefoot Contessa recipe last summer at the cabin. It was the favorite main dish of the day. The runners up were Wild Rice Salad, which I made with half wild rice and half wheat berries and a crustless quiche, the recipe came from Cooking Light, enough said.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo


Kosher salt
Good olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

All three desserts were winners but two have been previously unpublished here. This Rhubarb cake recipe comes from an old church cookbook of my mother's.

Rhubarb Cake

½ cup butter at room temperature, the original calls for shortening but I only use shortening in cookies and pie crusts
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk (soured or buttermilk)
2 cups rhubarb (cut fine)

Topping
½ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
The original topping calls for 3/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease or spray a 9x13 pan. Cream butter, add sugar, egg and vanilla. Blend flour, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Milk in alternately with milk. Use low speed on mixer. Fold in rhubarb. Pour into pan. Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over the top of the cake. Bake for 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipping cream.

Jockey Club Cheesecake

This is the first cheesecake that I remember having during the cheesecake extravaganza that swept America in the early 80’s. My sister has adapted it to avoid the unsweetened chocolate from seizing. The ingredient amounts are suspicious. We suspect that it should read ¾ cup of sour cream but neither of us is willing to take a chance with the familiar.


Crust
1 ½ cups crushed Graeme cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Filling
2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese (room temperature)
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
¾ tablespoon sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ ounces unsweetened chocolate melted

Topping
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Combine the crust ingredients and pat into a 9 inch spring form pan. Surround the outside of the pan with aluminum foil in the event that the pan leaks excess butter.

Cream the cream cheese, mix in the sugar gradually and add the eggs one at a time. Blend in the orange juice, sour cream and vanilla. Pour cream cheese batter into the pan. Pour the melted chocolate evenly over the top of the cake and cut through the batter with a knife several times for a marbled effect. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. Combine the topping ingredients together in a separate bowl and spread evenly over the top of the cake. Bake 15 minutes longer. Allow the cake cool completely before refrigerating. Raspberry Coulis is a great accompaniment to this cheesecake.