Happy Hygge

Winter arrived early this year. It will be a week tomorrow. A week of shoveling, shoveling again, and shoveling some more. Heavy, wet, icy, and unyielding until you scoop it up and it slides back down onto the sidewalk. The lake path is compromised. There are paths that will not be cleared again until the spring. It feels like late January, early February without the warm memories of the holiday behind us and the hope of spring ahead of us. We decided to confront it full on and have a hygge gathering with the neighbor clan. The invite went like this:

Hello everyone - welcome to winter.  It kind of sucks already, so we are having a Hygge festival on Saturday around 5:30 or 6:00.  What is Hygge?  It's basically the Danish concept of "cozy."  Please read this Jim Walsh article:

 http://www.minnpost.com/arts-culture/2013/12/our-hygge-moment-how-danish-cultural-concept-can-help-cut-through-dark-minnesot Candles, soup, drinks, tunes, neighbors.  That is all you need.   Please let us know if you can make it - all are welcome in from the cold and dark! We will make different kinds of soups.  Feel free to bring any side dishes, wine, beer etc.  I will have some brewski's on hand too.

The best response came from across the alley, "I did not know you can grill soup."

We served recipes that have shown up here before, beef barley soup, and pumpkin cookies and a few that are in rotation in my kitchen but previously unpublished. Read on for my recipe for Chicken and Potatoes Curry soup, and links to Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple and Red Lentil Soup and my pursuit of the Cossetta's maple vinaigrette.

Chicken curry soup with potatoes

This is a collection of three recipes blending into one. Substitutions abound but here is how I go about making it.

The Chicken

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped into large pieces

1 yellow onion chopped into large chunks

2-3 stalks of celery chopped into large chunks

2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning mix, recipe below

Taco Seasoning mix

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine chicken thighs, carrots, celery, onion and taco seasoning mix in a large bowl. Place on an aluminum foil lined rimmed baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Reserve juices, discard vegetables and coarsely chop chicken. The chicken can also be prepared in a crock pot on high for 3 hours or low for 5.

Indian Potatoes

5 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

Indian spice mix, recipe below

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon salt 

Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a 12-14 inch skillet until hot and shimmering, add spice mixture and saute in oil for 30 seconds, add potatoes and stir to coat.  Add 1/3 cup of water, cover and reduce to a simmer. Check potatoes after 12 minutes. If they are tender remove from the heat otherwise cook for another two minutes. Additional water can be added at this time if necessary.

Curry Sauce

Purchase a jar of Thai Kitchen brand Red Curry Paste. Follow the directions on the back of the jar. It will ask you to add a can of coconut milk, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar,  1 to tablespoons of fish sauce and 1/4 cup of Thai basil. I always add the fish sauce. Add the reserved liquid from the chicken and additional chicken or vegetable broth/stock depending on how soupy or stew like I would like the final product to be. Stir in the prepared chicken and potatoes and allow flavors to blend on low heat for at least 30 minutes.

Serve with Sriracha sauce.

Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple and Red Lentil Soup

Maple Vinaigrette

Meredith’s Shower ™

The last of the Hendricks children, Meredith,  is getting married in March. This weekend friends and family gathered to celebrate our bride-to-be and I put forth an offering to my patron saint of extended family, and the official patron Saint of Scotland, Saint Andrew. I thought that it was fitting that Meredith’s Shower™  should fall on the same week that Scotland had a referendum regarding independence . The Scots voted to stay with Britain just as I would always vote to stay with Clan Hendricks.

The following is the menu that was served. There are links where the recipe has already been shared online.

 I must give credit where credit is due. Moe vetted out and prepared the Farro Salad and Meghan brought the amazing Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars. 

My Spinach Feta triangles really have no specific recipe. I combine two boxes of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well squeezed out with 14 ounces of good greek feta and then I just follow the directions on the back of the phyllo box.

 The spinach salad is inspired by the Spinach Cranberry salad from Cossetta in Saint Paul. If you have not been to Cossetta since their recent expansion you need to treat yourself to a field trip. As I have yet to successfully recreate at home their Maple Rice Wine vinaigrette I  buy it there. I substitute diced Swiss cheese for the cost prohibitive imported parrano Italian cheese, throw in some dried cranberries and the Maple Glazed Pecans from the Tartine cookbook. I think the pecans may be my 2014 teacher gift. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the Tartine cookbook. It is the source of my croissant recipe, fruit gallette crust and the lemon bars.

The Menu

Spinach Feta Triangles

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Spinach Salad with Cranberries, Glazed Pecans, Swiss cheese and Maple Vinaigrette

Roasted Shrimp Salad with Dill, Cucumber and LemonPepper Vinaigrette

Farro Salad with Roasted Corn, Red Pepper and Red Onion

Quinoa Salad with Apple, Fennel and Arugula

Lemon Bars

Apricot Crumble Bar

Brownies

Spiced Pumpkin Cookies

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

The Recipes

Fruit Preserve Crumble Bars

Adapted from Ina Garten's Raspberry Crumble Bars

2  sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/3  cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
10-12 ounces fruit preserves, I like raspberry or apricot
Confectioners' sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed just until combined. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla.

Sift the flour and salt together and, with the mixer on low, slowly add to the butter mixture, mixing until it al comes together in large crubles. Turn the dough out on a board. Lightly pat two-thirds of the dough evenly on the bottom of a 9 inch square baking pan, or my favorite the 7 x 11 inch pan, and about 1/4-inch up the sides. Spread with the jam, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Evenly distribute the remaining crumbles of dough on top of the jam, covering most of the surface. Bake the bars for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Cool completely and cut into bars. Sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar.

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin or squash

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Frosting

¼ cup butter

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1/8 teaspoon salt

¼ cup milk

2 cups powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 F degrees. Grease 2 cookies sheets

To make cookies: In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add egg.  Beat until blended. Beat in pumpkin and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until blended.

To bake cookies: Spoon heaping teaspoons of dough onto cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the tops feel firm: These cookies are cake-like and require a little longer baking time than most cookies.) Repeat with remaining dough. Immediately transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.

To make frosting: Place butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 to 40 seconds, or until melted. Stir in brown sugar and salt. Microwave  on HIGH for 1 to 2 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature.

Transfer to mixture bowl. Beat in milk on medium-low until blended. Continue beating and slowly add enough powdered sugar to make a smooth and creamy frosting that is the right consistency for spreading.

Christmas Eve Beef Tenderloin

This has been on the menu at McGuire family Christmas Eve ever since I was at the kids table.

Peppered Beef Tenderloin with Mustard and Horseradish Sauce

Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

BEEF:
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns
2 teaspoons whole green peppercorns
2 teaspoons coarse salt
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 2-pound beef tenderloin, trimmed
Additional fresh parsley

Preparation

For Sauce: Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate sauce until ready to serve. (Sauce can be prepared 2 days ahead.)

For Beef: Coarsely grind all peppercorns in spice grinder or blender. Transfer peppercorns to bowl. Mix in salt. Whisk mustard, butter and 1 cup chopped parsley in medium bowl to blend. Rub all over tenderloin. Roll tenderloin in peppercorn mixture, coating completely (can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place tenderloin on rack set in shallow baking pan. Roast until meat thermometer inserted into center registers 130F for rare, about 20-25 minutes. Transfer roast to platter. Let stand for 10 minutes. Cut roast into slices. Arrange on platter. Surround with parsley. Serve with sauce.

What the F requests the F gets: French Silk Pie

Someone just turned 11 and requested French Silk pie for her dessert. I have purchased it in the past and it always tasted vaguely of Perkins refrigerator display case so this time I made it from scratch. It was very, very good. It might have had something to do with the fancy Belcolade bittersweet chocolate discs I used that were intended for my pursuit of the perfect Rustica cookie rip off. I now think I have the makings of a Patisserie 46 Tristan copycat tart. The F was concerned that if I made it from scratch there would be no chocolate curls. Thanks to the Pioneer Woman there were even chocolate curls. 

French Silk Chocolate Pie

1 cup heavy cream, chilled
3 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in to 1/2" cubes and softened
1 pie shell (9-inch)

With electric mixer on medium-high speed, whip cream to stiff peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer whipped cream to small bowl and refrigerate.

Combine eggs, sugar, and water in large heatproof bowl set over medium saucepan filled with ½ inch barely simmering water (don’t let bowl touch water). With electric mixer on medium speed, beat until egg mixture is thickened and registers 160 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and continue to beat egg mixture until fluffy and cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Add chocolate and vanilla to cool egg mixture and beat until incorporated. Beat in butter, a few pieces at a time, until well combined. Using spatula, fold in whipped cream until no streaks of white remain. Scrape filling into pie shell and refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours and up to 24 hours. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

From Cook's Country

When my birthday rolled around four days later here is the cake I received. Thankfully my nephew did not plant a Parmesan toenail in the cake.

Pilaf if you please: Grilled Salmon Steaks with Black Butter

This recipe has been a go to salmon recipe for years. This winter I made a batch, smeared it on the salmon and then decided to stir what was left in the bowl into the jasmine rice I prepared. It was outstanding. Now I make a batch just to put in the rice.  Either way I always skip the butter.

SPICY GRILLED SALMON STEAKS WITH BLACK BUTTER

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, I use 1/8 teaspoon because we are cayenne wimps
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 salmon steaks (1 pound) each about 1 inch thick
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a bowl stir together the black pepper, the paprika, the cayenne, the garlic, the onion, the thyme, the salt, and the oil until the mixture forms a stiff paste. Pat the paste onto both sides of each salmon steak. Heat an oiled ridged grill pan over moderately high heat until it is smoking and in it sauté the salmon for is cooking, in a small skillet cook the butter over moderate heat, swirling the skillet, until it is dark brown, but do not let it burn. Transfer the salmon to heated plates and pour the butter over it.

Serves 2

Gourmet, September 1990

Thai Basil Chicken

My favorite thing from Big Bowl home edition. Fortunately you can download a copy of this cookbook to your tablet or Kindle through Overdrive.

Shrimp and Chicken with Thai Basil and Red Onion

4 ounces boneless chicken breast, sliced

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon sesame oil, Kadoya brand preferred

½ teaspoon salt, do not double if increasing the recipe

4 ounces shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half lengthwise, I have yet to make this with shrimp

3 tablespoons fish sauce, Flying Crab brand preferred

2 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

5 teaspoons sugar

1 cup peanut oil or canola oil

1 cup cut-up red onions (cut into 1-inch square pieces)

1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced

1 teaspoon fresh garlic minced

1 teaspoon finely minced lemongrass, the lemongrass in a tube works great, thanks Moe

¼ cup tightly packed Thai basil leaves

1 tablespoon chopped roasted peanuts, I skip this

2 teaspoons ground dried shrimp, I skip this

Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish, I only use this if I have it on hand

Put the chicken breast in a small bowl and mix with 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, ½ teaspoon of sesame oil and the ½ teaspoon of salt. Add the shrimp to the bowl. Mix in the remaining cornstarch and sesame oil. Set aside.

Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar.

In a wok or skillet, heat 1 cup of peanut oil over medium-high heat. When hot but not smoking, add the chicken and shrimp, and cook, stirring to separate the pieces. When the pieces change color, remove to a colander to drain, reserving the oil.

Heat a clean wok or skillet to hot and add ¼ cup of the reserved oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring until they just become transparent. Add the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and stir briefly. Turn the heat to high and re-add the chicken and shrimp. Stir and add the fish sauce mixture. Bring just to a boil, stir in the basil, and remove from the heat. Stir in the peanuts and dried shrimp. Garnish with the cilantro and serve with rice.

Serves 2 to 3 as part of a larger meal.

Maura’s adaptation:

When I make this for my family of 5 I usually slice up 4 boneless chicken breast and omit the shrimp altogether. I triple the amount of cornstarch and sesame oil but not the salt.

I double the sauce mixture as follows:

1/3 cup fish sauce

1/3 cup  lime juice

3 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of water

I double the red onion and often times add a mixture of red, yellow and orange peppers to stretch it.

I skip the peanuts and dried shimp.

I use only enough oil to sauté the chicken then I wipe out the pan and add only enough oil to sauté the onions and peppers.

I serve it over jasmine rice

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?