Lemon Cucumber Salad

<p>This is the simplest, shortest ingredient list recipe I have posted and possibly will ever post in the future but its worth taking the time to share it.</p>
<p>This summer I have been fortunate to share a very productive produce garden with my mother. We have ended up with so much more we know how to deal with. English cucumbers, wax beans, green beans, eggplant, several varieties of peppers most of which sweet, carrots which are yet to be harvested, orange pear tomatoes producing 2-3 cups per day, and then there's the squash. You cannot imagine the amount of summer squash and patty pans that can be produced by three plants in one summer...</p>
<p>None of these, however are the subject of tonights writings. When looking the catalogues of seeds and plants I saw a picture that jogged a very fond memory. I can't for the life of me remember where I originally had them but I remembered biting into it like an apple and loving it. The catalogue was showing lemon cucumbers. </p>
<p>They are named such not because of a lemony flavor but because of their yellow color and round shape. The are sweeter than a normal cucumber and are just all around amazing. I had to plant some. </p>
<p>The crop is coming in now and its wonderful. I've been taking one for lunch and just eating it like an apple but I've been thinking it needed just a little something extra to enhance their natural flavors. </p>
<p>Well today as I was harvesting them one dropped and split open partially. It was still usable but needed to be used immediately. Now was my chance to try it out. It was as simple as I had imagined and even better tasting. This was all done to taste but I would suggest adding all of these things with a very light hand.</p><p>Lemon cucumbers dived bite sized</p><p>Salt</p><p>Sugar</p><p>Lemon juice</p><p>Toss these things together ever so lightly so there is just enough to taste them subtlely in every bite. Enjoy this light and refreshing summer salad!

Roasted Potato Salad

This one felt genius before I made it and turned out ever better once it was made. My mother, my two year old and even my 8 month old could not get enough and I was right there with them.

It's so basic and simple I can't believe I never thought of it before.

Ingredients:
1 lb bag of red fingerling potatoes
1/4 c olive oil
Dried mint
Salt
Ground black pepper (better if you have a grinder)
1 tbs chopped fresh chives
1/4 c light sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the potatoes into bite sized pieces and toss them in the bowl with the olive oil, mint, sea salt and pepper. Once mixed spread across a foiled oven safe pan and pour the extra oil over the top of it. Roast for 30-45 min, stirring only once or twice to make sure both sides of the potatoes are nicely browned.

Once browned remove them from the oven and let them cool. Once they are cooled toss with the chives and sour cream. Serve and enjoy!!

Homemade Cheese Tortellini with Pesto Hollandaise Sauce

I have learned by now that watching Chopped at 6 in the morning leads to a full day of plotting what I'm going to make for dinner. To be honest, for the life of me I can't even remember what gave me the original spark but by 6:30 this morning and had settled on the fact that I was going to make homemade cheese tortellini and grilled salmon both with a pesto hollandaise sauce. So the journey ensued.

This is the second time I've made fresh pasta and I have to say its really fairly easy. Granted I have a secret weapon that makes it a little easier for me. Before I was born my parents were given a pasta maker, which rolls the dough thinner and thinner and if I wanted to has a setting to cut it into one of two different spaghetti thicknesses. I have actually had this in my possession for years, but never got up the guts to try it. The idea of making your own pasta sounds so laborious and I was so scared I was going to mess it up. Finally a few weeks ago I decided I was going to try it. I bought some semolina flour and found that it was shockingly easy. I'm sure similar results could be obtained with a rolling pin and a little more diligence than what was require from the pasta maker, but I promise you, its worth it!

I was cooking for 3-4, but I like to have leftovers so I made a little extra. In a food processor combine 2 1/4 cup semolina flour and 3 eggs. If when you are done blending it it is still a little stiff and dry add the tiniest amount of water. You are looking for it to be no longer crumbly when you fold it and just the slightest bit sticky (too sticky and you won't be able to work with it). Roll the dough out in sheets. As thin as you feel comfortable with because remember it will expand when you cook it so if you start fairly thick it will end up being chewier once its cooked. Use a glass or a round cookie cutter to cut the dough into circles.

In a bowl mix about (I guesstimated this so thats why I say "about") 1 cup ricotta cheese, 1/4-1/2 cup cream cheese (I used the whipped kind because I wanted to keep them on the lighter and fluffier side) and 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella. Mix them thoroughly together. Depending on the size of your circles put 1-2 tsb of filling in a line in the middle of each circle, leaving room around the edges. Have a cup of water handy because you need to wet all around the edge of each circle. Once wetted slightly fold the circles in half, pinching the two edges together. Place your pinkie finger in the middle of the pillow you have just created and fold the corners around your finger and pinch them together. Set each one aside in a way that will not leave them touching each other.

Note! If your pasta at any point while you are trying to fold it has dried out and is trying to crack while you are trying to fold it, moisten towels and leave them over your pasta for about 15 min to soften them up.

You can leave these like this for a bit while you get the rest of the meal going. Get your salmon fillets out and lay them on a plate and sprinkle olive oil over them and give them a change to absorb a little bit of it while you make your sauce.

For the sauce first you want to melt 1/2 cup butter. Leave it to the side to cool a little because you don't want it curdling your eggs. In a blender mix 3 egg yolks, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dry mustard and 1 tbs lemon juice. Once the butter is cooled and while it is blending slowly drizzle in the butter. The sauce will thicken up and you have a traditional hollandaise base. Chop up about 2 cups of basil and throw in the blender along with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and 1/4 cup pine nuts. Blend away until it is all thoroughly chopped and mixed. It is supposed to be a thick sauce, but if it is too thick for your liking melt some more butter, LET IT COOL, and add more.

Start a pot of water going and sprinkle in a little bit of salt. If you ever wondered why recipes say to do this its not just for the flavor. It also raises the boiling temperature so by the time it boils and you're ready to use the water it is at a hotter temperature. At the same time while you're starting that start up your grill. Keep in mind that once you add the pasta it will only take a few minutes. Fresh pasta does NOT take as long as dried pasta.

Grill the salmon until you get nice char marks and it is cooked in the middle. Drop the tortellini in the water and boil for just a few minutes until it is at the texture you prefer. Plate the pasta and the salmon side by side and drizzle your sauce over both, dusting the pasta with a little more Parmesan. I also chopped up a little tomato on the side and tossed it with a sweet and sour poppy seed dressing that I had. I apologize that only have a picture of the pasta and not the salmon. It got eaten a little too quickly. :) I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Baked-In-Apple Pies

I got the idea for these when I saw a picture of them a friend posted from pintrest. I thought it was a brilliant idea and one I had to make. Of course I didn't think to look at the recipe cause I knew I could wing it so they are my recipe, but someone else's brilliant initial idea.

Start by making the pie dough. Keep in mind this recipe made about 2/3 more than I needed but I figured its always good to have frozen pie dough ready, but feel free to cut it if you don't want extra.

Mix 3 cups flour and 3 tbs sugar. Cut in 1 cup of butter. After thoroughly mixed, slowly pour in 1/3 cup cold water. Put it on parchment paper and knead it into a solid mass. Wrap up and put it in the fridge while you prepare the apples.

Now I won't even try to pretend that emptying out theses apples wasn't a time consuming effort, thus why I only made six, but they were so cool looking I had to try it. You will notice the carnage from the apple massacre in the background of one of the photos. This is the technique that I used.

Cut off the tops of 6 green apples, just enough to remove most of the base of the stem. Use a small knife to go around and create the wall where you want it to be. Cut across the apple to create triangles which are easier to remove, making sure to cut around the core. After that, I used a combination of the knife and a grapefruit spoon to carve out the rest. You will accidentally poke thru once or twice but its not a big deal, they will just drip a little, but it won't change the taste or even the look much. Make sure you cut off as many usable bits from the core as you can. Put all of the usable pieces in a bowl. If them changing color bothers you toss them with the tiniest bit of lemon juice. I did but then stopped worrying about it because once they are coated they are brown anyways.

Once those are emptied take one more apple and peel and core it. Chop them into similarly sized pieces as the ones that came out of your other apples. Don't worry, no one thinks you were able to manage a consistent size, we are going for a smallish range. Mix all the apple pieces together with 1/2 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, about 1 tbs ground cinnamon and about 1-2 tbs of maple syrup. Mix together and fill the apples with the mixture, packing firm as tight as possible (you will regret missing any!) and having each apple slightly heaping is fine because the dough will hold it in.

Speaking of the dough, time to get it out of the fridge! Roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut in strips 1/2 inch wide and about 4-5 inch long. Weave 6 strips (3 one direction and 3 the other) into a latice work on your work surface and then transfer to the apple (trust me, its easier that way). Lightly press the ends onto the sides of the apple so it contours around the top of the apple. Bake them at 375 degrees for about 30-45 minutes, or until the crust is lightly brown. Serve and enjoy!!tec

The Pizza Of The Gods- Greek Pesto Pizza

Sometimes when inspiration strikes it is a little 'Aha!' moment that makes you smile quietly to yourself and sometimes it hits you like a clap of thunder sent upon you straight from Thor himself. This pizza was one of them. It sprung from ingredients I already had and the knowledge that I had a little time before we had to eat. It turned into a little more of a focaccia bread, but I still think of it as a pizza. Other than picking off the mushrooms it was even devoured by my not-quite-two-year-old.

You know those people who freeze leftovers if there are large amounts but never end up using them because by the time they remember they are freezer burned? Yeah, I'm one of those people. A month or two ago I made a pesto sauce for some pasta and I had twice as much as I needed so I froze half, expecting to find it in 6 months time and have to toss it and the tupperware because I was too scared to open it. Much to my surprise I not only remembered it, but I came up with an ingenious use for it!

Pesto Sauce
(Unfortunately this is one of those recipes I do by taste so I don't really have proportions for you but just add ingredients until you get the consistency you prefer)
-Fresh basil leaves
-Olive oil
-Fresh garlic
-Parmesan cheese (the fresher the better)
-Roasted pine nuts

Put everything in the food processor and blend until creamy.

One thing in my kitchen I have learned to love and don't think I could live without at this point is my bread maker. They really are amazing inventions. All I have to do is throw the ingredients in, as haphazardly as I please, and come back when it has either turned it to dough or fully baked it. It's the perfect way to make pizza dough.

Pizza Dough
-1 2/3 cup warm water
-2 Tbs oil
-2 Tbs salt
-4 1/2 cups bread flour
-2 tsp yeast

Now for the assembly of one of the tastiest pizzas ever made!
-1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
-A handful of kalamata olives, sliced.
-3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
-The pesto sauce
-Feta cheese
-2/3 of the batch of pizza dough

Divide the pizza dough in two and form into circles and press into glass pie dishes. Spread the pesto sauce across the bottom of each pie. Spread the artichoke hearts in between the two pies, crushing them up with your fingers as much as you can to get it broken up as small as you can. Spread mushrooms and olives across them. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 12-15 min. Cut, serve and enjoy the pizza of the Greek gods! :)

Vanilla Walnut Cupcakes With Buttercream Frosting And Bananas Foster

Sometimes the Food Network gets me in trouble. This is one of those times. One show I enjoy watching is Cupcake Wars. Three teams of professional cupcake makers battle to create pretty, tasty cupcakes for some form of large event. The final challenge is to create 1,000 cupcakes in two hours for said event. I enjoy watching it because of odd flavor combinations and the amazing things they can do with decorations.

On this particular day, they commented on how a particular vanilla cake was spoungy, moist and all around tasty. I don't have much experience making cupcakes, but anytime is a good time to start. So I decided to try to come up with my own different, tasty, cupcake. I remembered that I had some over ripe bananas. I then had the thought of carmelizing them in some form of alcohol and after a little research found that this was the start of bananas foster. An idea was born!

I started out with a very tasty sounding vanilla cake recipe.
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
5 tbs butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts (or very goarsly ground)

With a preheated oven, I combined the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl. In the stand mixer I combined the butter and sugar. Once mixed well I added the eggs and the vanilla and then the dry ingredients slowly. Add in the walnuts. Scoop the batter into the muffin trays already lined with cupcake liners. bake for about 20 min or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Next I found a great recipe for buttercream icing.
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk

In the stand mixer cream the butter. Mix in the sugar and vanilla. Add milk until it reaches the desired consistency. You probably won't need that much milk, but have it ready in case you do. This comes from a recipe that I had to cut in fourths, considering the original recipe called for 8 cups of sugar and I figured that might be a little much for my small amount of cupcakes. Technically the recipe when cut would call for 1/8 cup, but most people don't have 1/8 cup measures.

Now for the finale!!
1/4 butter
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 1/2 tbs rum
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 bananas, peeled and cut into coins

In a deep skillet melt the butter. Add in rum, sugar and vanilla. When it starts to bubble add the bananas and cook until they are hot.

When all of the elements are cooled ice the cupcakes and let it set for a few minutes. Next add just a few pieces of banana on top of each cupcake. In my picture I hadn't waited long enough for things to cool so it was a little messy, but it was still mighty tasty!!

Congo Squares and Too Much Nutmeg

   One of my favorite deserts growing up were Congo Squares, also known as blonde brownies. I have absolutely no idea where the name Congo Squares came from and I should really ask my mother about that, but all I know is that's what we called them growing up. My mother had (and still has) a little box of index cards with recipes in it. As a kid, it was almost a little box of joy, excitement and anticipation. If that box was on the counter you knew that one of the old favorites and family classics was in progress.
   Because of their familiarity and my comfort level with them, those recipes often became my first attempts at baking. When I was 11 I was at home, either because of a holiday or had come home at the end of the school day, and I decided I wanted to make Congo Squares. I went to that little tan box and pulled out the recipe and then called my mother to make sure she wouldn't mind if I made them. She asked me if we had all the ingredients and I told her that I had checked and we did. She gave me the go-ahead with the only caveat being that I needed to make sure to clean up afterwards.
   I rolled up my sleeves and went to work. I went about gathering my ingredients and setting them on the counter. I went down the hand-written list. Flour, check. Baking powder, check. Salt, check. Shortening, we use butter in my house so check. Eggs, check. 1 cup chopped nutmeg. Hmm, I don't remember my mother using nutmeg when she made them. Oh well, its on the recipe, I just must not remember. A package of chocolates or raisins, check.
   I mixed the dry ingredients in a small bowl, measuring them all out carefully, I do remember measuring out a cup of nutmeg and thinking my mother must go thru a lot of nutmeg since there would only be enough in the container for two batches of Congo Squares. Then I mixed the melted butter and brown sugar in the stand mixer. Next I added the eggs one at a time and slowly added the dry ingredients a little at a time. Lastly I added in the chocolate chips.
   I spread the mix in a greased baking dish and put it in the already preheated oven at 350 degrees. I set the timer and went to the other room to wait for the deliciousness to be done. When they were ready the dog and I went back into the kitchen to retrieve the tasty goodness. I pulled them out and cut them into squares and tasted one. They were terrible, absolutely inedible! The dog was still standing next to me still and I decided to try to give him my piece I had just cut myself. He took one stiff of it and walked out of the kitchen and this was the dog that had eaten three spoonfuls of ground horseradish and went back for more!! My best guess was that there must have somehow been too much nutmeg. I scraped the rest out of the pan, threw it away and put the pan in the sink to soak.
   My mother came home later and walked into the kitchen. She looked around for the Congo Squares and didn't see them anywhere, but did see the pan soaking. Amazed that I might have finished off all the Congo Squares by myself, she came and found me in the living room. She said "Ariel, where are the Congo Squares?"
I said "Oh, I threw them out. They had too much nutmeg in them."
"Nutmeg? I don't remember the recipe calling for any nutmeg..."
"Yeah, it called for a cup of chopped nutmeg."
"A CUP?!?!"
I took her into the kitchen to show her the recipe and show her that I wasn't crazy. I pulled it out and showed her where it said nutmeg. It turns out that in my mother's cursive handwriting I had read nutmeg where it really said nutmeats, a term for nuts that I had never heard before. It also turns out that nutmeg in large quantities is poisonous so its a good think that neither I or the dog ate it.
   Most people upon hearing this story asked my mother "You HAD a cup of nutmeg?!". It turns out what I thought would have been a two serving sized container of nutmeg was more like a life-time supply that would last most people at least 5 years. That is, of course, unless they are trying to make Congo Squares....

2 3/4 cup flour
2 1/1 tsp. baking powder
1.2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
2 1/4 cup brown sugar (1 lb)
3 eggs
1 cup chopped nutmeats
1 package raisins or chocolates

Pan Seared Pepper Crusted Ahi Tuna and Roasted Mushroom and Sunchoke Bisque

    I love to watch the food network. It gives me exposure to ingredients and techniques that I normally wouldn't have. Some ingredients come up multiple times and I store them in the back of my head and keep an eye out for them. One such ingredient that comes up on "Chopped" every so often is a sunchoke, or also called a Jerusalem artichoke. I honestly have no idea what the thing is but every time it came up on the show them seemed to be happy about it and create tasty sounding dishes.
   So the other day when I was at a veggie store that I like to frequent because of its variety I came across a package of sunchokes. I had no idea what I was going to make with them but I bought them none the less and brought them home. This morning I sat down and started searching. Most people were saying to just treat it like a potato, but it looks like a ginger root so I figured there had to be a little more to it than that.
   After some more searching I found a recipe that sounded amazing and decided to go for it. The recipe was for a Roasted Mushroom and Sunchoke Bisque and I figured I would make some form of chicken with it. I figured the bisque would be great on its own but I was cooking it for the Friday shabbat (sabbath) meal and it is a meal that is supposed to be a little grander. I had most of the ingredients but had to head to the store for a few minor items.
  While looking around the store, however, I came up with a much better idea than the chicken. I've been on a fish kick recently and I saw on sale some really nice ahi tuna steaks. While I have had seared ahi tuna in restaurants I hadn't ever made it and I thought it could go very nicely with the bisque. So I bought a few steaks of it at a very good price and brought it home.
  I started by slicing the sunchokes. The recipe said that as long as I scrub them I could leave the skins on and they would taste great. As I sliced into them they do have a similar smell and texture to a potato but it is also different. There is a sharpness to it that reminded me of horseradish. However, it doesn't bite like horseradish. My best description is a cross between a potato and a horseradish, but it doesn't do it justice. Try one. They're great!
  Anyways, I sliced the sunchokes and diced the yukon gold potato and mixed that with minced garlic and a drizzle of olive oil and season with it with sea salt and cracked pepper in a dish large enough to spread them out. In another dish I took the sliced mushrooms and drizzled them with olive oil as well and put both in the oven at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. While that was roasting I heated up the butter in a stew pot. Then sauteed the onions until they were translucent.
   Add in the roasted veggies into the stew pot. Add in 2 cups of water and 3 cups of mushroom broth, chopped fresh sage and sprinkle with sea salt. If you have never had mushroom broth, keep your eye out for it. It is super tasty and can be used for many recipes. Stew the flavors together on a simmer for 20 minutes.
   While it was simmering I created a marinade for the fish. Soy sauce, toasted sesame seed oil, mirin and tons of freshly ground pepper. Setting the fish to marinade for a bit, make sure to flip in half way thru. When the bisque was done simmering I let it cool for a few minutes. Then on to the blender. Blend it in batches, filling no more than half of the blender with each batch. Make sure you get all the chunks pureed and blended. Put it all back in the pot and add 1/2 cup of milk, stir and set back to simmer.
  As that simmered I seared the tuna. Melt some butter in the pan and add some more fresh ground pepper and a few spoonfuls of the marinade. Make sure its nice and hot. Sear the fish on both sides (its a fish that is great raw so don't be scared that the center is raw). It is a little over cooked in the picture because it continued to cook after I took it off the plate and this was the extra piece so it had cooked a little more than it should have.
  One might think that the fish would be the highlight of the meal but the bisque was in the end. It had such a rich, complex flavor. It was amazingly addicting. I can't wait to have more of it tomorrow for lunch because I know it will be amazing reheated as well. If you ever come across sunchokes try this recipe!! You will fall in love with it as quickly as I did.

Bisque
1lb Sunchokes
1 Yukon gold potato
2 minced garlic cloves
8 oz sliced mushrooms (I prefer crimini)
About 2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
1/2 of a large yellow onion
1 tbs chopped fresh sage
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 cups water
3 cups mushroom broth
1/2 cup milk

Ahi Tuna
Tuna
Toasted sesame seed oil
Soy Sauce
Mirin

Note: The bisque was originally a vegan recipe and I'm sure it would be just as good! Just substitute butter with vegan butter and the milk with soy milk.

Bean and Cheese Enchilada Casserole and Lessons Learned From Costuming

I went to college to study theatre, specifically costuming. My costuming teacher's name was Paulette and she would always tell us "Its not a mistake, its a design choice!". That is the lesson that I bring with me into the kitchen today.

This meal didn't start off as a casserole. It began as my attempt at reasonably traditional enchiladas. I had made enchiladas one time before and had made them with flour tortillas since it was what I had, instead of the traditional corn tortillas. This time, however I was prepared and had bought the correct tortillas. Not having much experience using corn tortillas I didn't know it is best to warm up the tortillas first to make them more pliable. If you don't and try to roll them they crack and break quite easily.

In addition to this issue I had made the filling for my enchiladas a little too runny so even if the tortillas had stayed whole there was no way they would have stayed stuffed. So imagine you've created a wonderful blend of flavors that is just perfect but when you actually try to construct the enchiladas you are left with an oozing, crumbling mess. What do you do? Design choice! It's a casserole!

Since I knew the flavors were all there and wonderful it was more a matter of presentation. I continued to lie them in the dish with them crumbling, knowing it didn't matter what they looked like as a casserole and also realizing that it meant I could do a second layer and get away with it. I appologize if I don't have exact proportions for some things, I cook by feel and guesstimation.

1 large sweet yellow onion
1 can of corn and bell pepper Mexican mix or frozen roasted corn
2 cans of black beans
About 1/2 cup of chopped green chili (ill explain this more in the description)
2 cans of red enchilada sauce (or green if you prefer)
2 cups shredded Mexican mix cheese
Chili powder to taste
Cumin to taste
1 package of corn tortillas
1 can of refried beans
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Starting off I chopped and saute the onion in a little bit of oil. Once it is starting to get transulcent add in the corn and beans and contiune to heat thru. When it comes to the chili, I have just moved to New Mexico, a state that actually has an official question which is "red or green?", refering to the color of pepper you prefer. I happen to prefer a mild green chili and I can get chopped in a frozen tub that you thaw when ready to use. If you don't have access to any form of pepper then the dish will still be good, just not quite as good. Add the chili peppers, chili power and cumin and one can of the enchilada sauce and heat thru. The longer you have to stew them together the better the flavors will meld, but if you're in a hurry this can be done in about 10-15 min of cooking (I prefer to let it stew for about 30-45 min at low heat). Right before you think its ready to take off the heat melt 1 cup of the cheese into the mix.

Either line the casserole dish with foil or cooking spray. Fill the tortillas with the filling and line them up side by side in the dish. Then put a thin layer of the refried beans (I just rub a little across the top of each tortilla). If you have room in the dish put another layer of enchiladas and refried beans. Top with the second can of enchilada sauce and any extra filling that you have room for (I end up making two casserole dishes worth since it freezes so well). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake for 30 min or until the cheese starts to turn golden. Serve with sour cream (because sour cream makes EVERYTHING better). Enjoy!!

Bran Muffins and Childhood Memories

Bran muffins, for many people, evokes a thought of dry, flavorless health food that is very uncleverly disguised as a muffin. But if you use the right recipe they can be sweet, moist and super tasty.

Everyone has foods that they remember from their childhood. The ones that evoke the strongest memories always seem to be the foods that we haven't had for a while and suddenly come back into our lives. Today for me this was bran muffins.

Bran muffins, for me, evoke a memory of waking up in the morning to a sweet smell of baked good wafting from the kitchen. Then sitting around the table with eggs-in-a-basket or scrambled eggs and bran muffins with butter and jam.

I am staying with my mother for a little bit and was going thru the pantry for the pancake mix when I came across the All-Bran cereal. Immediately I went for my moms old recipe box and found the bran muffin recipe. It is simply the recipe that was taken off the box with a few minor changes but it is so tasty not many changes are needed.

Once they are cooked simply cut them and half and spread on butter and jam (I prefer blackberry) or honey. They are a great source of guilt free energy and when they are fresh out of the oven the perfect thing for a Saturday morning.

1 1/2 cup All-Bran cereal
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup skim milk
2 egg whites (or one whole one)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a large bowl or mixer blend milk, eggs and oil. Add the dry ingredient mix a little at a time. Spoon into muffin tray and name for 20 min or until golden.

Panko Crusted Fish and Chips with Broccoli and Cauliflower Cassarole and the dreaded Roux!!

Whenever I cook fish it is always because it was the one that looked the best when I got to the store. If you go to the store for a specific type of fish and buy it just because its the cheapest or because you planned on it with little regard for the quality then your dish will only disappoint you. As a general rule make sure it doesn't look dull or slimey and has a rich color (if it is a fish that is supposed to have color).

Yesterday, after getting a good idea of what was on sale at what stores, I headed out to do a little shopping. At Albertsons I saw cod fillets that looked mighty tasty and had the added bonus of being on sale! The rest of the meal was decided by what was in my fridge and pantry already and were decided when I got home.

I like to make sure I have a protein, a starch and a veggie for every meal. I just like the balance of it all and it helps keep me in check and makes sure I don't do all starches (I'm a carb queen). So I decided on a cauliflower and broccoli casserole. I started off chopping up the broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. I figure it only takes a few extra minutes to chop them up small enough to be bite-sized instead of the two-bite size that I've seen so many people do and it makes the dish something you don't need to use a knife for.

Threw them in a pot to boil (I would have steamed them to keep more nutrients but I didn't have the equipment to steam that much at once and was too lazy to steam it in batches). While that cooked I made a roux. They aren't as scary as they sound! I used to be petrified by them and said I "Rue a Roux!" but once you know what to expect they aren't that bad. Head up your oil or butter (I use butter when I can) and once it is heated and/or melted add your flour in slowly. The slowness is so it doesn't clump too much. If it does, don't worry, you can stir a lot of that out. Then add either your warmed milk (warmed so it doesn't curdle) or chicken stock (for this recipe its milk) slowly, stirring constantly. DO NOT PANIC!! It will turn to the consistency of mashed potatoes. This part always freaked me out because it looked like I was doing it wrong. Keep adding your liquid (it'll take way more than you think) until you get it to the consistency you are looking for. If you make it too runny just keep cooking it and it will thicken up again. Just make sure to keep stirring.

At this point I added shredded cheddar and mozzarella (about a cup) and ground some pepper into the roux. In a casserole dish I put the now lightly boiled cauliflower and broccoli in the bottom and pour the roux over it and top with a little more cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 min.

Now to my starch! I decided on homemade chips. Very, very simple if you have a mandolin slicer. I like to use milti-colored boiling potatoes because the purple potatoes are so pretty in the mix but this time I used yukon golds. Slice them as thin as you dare. Heat up a layer of oil on the bottom of a deep fry pan just a little deeper than the thickness of your chips. I like to toss one of the little bits into the oil and use that as a guage to see if the oil is hot enough and just throw that bit away since its likely to have gotten soggy. DON'T LET THE OIL START SMOKING!! Toss in the slices and flip with tongs if needed and then set them on a plate with a paper towel once they are crunchy (I test by tapping them with the tongs) and then dust them with sea salt.

Finally the fish. Get out three bowls or deep plates. Put flour in one, beaten eggs in another and panko crumbs in another (You can use bread crumbs instead, but panko has such a nice texture and taste). First dip the fish in the flour, next the egg, next the crumbs and into the pan with the oil left over from the chips (if there isn't enough add a little more oil and let it heat up before you put in the fish). Cook on each side until it gets lightly brown.

Serve up and enjoy!!

Cook 'n' Kvetch

I grew up in a family where cooking has always been important. My mother always says that she only speaks one language but she cooks fluently in about seven. Combine this with the Jewish culture that can define every single holiday by saying "They tried to kill us, they didn't succeed, lets eat!" and I guess you could say I was born to love it.

For me, though, it has become so much more than a thing I have to do or even a cultural imperative. It has become one of the best stress relievers I have found. Cooking is something that I can work as much or as little as I have the energy for and have an immediate reward. I can enjoy it myself, I can share it with others (which is by far the best part, as far as I'm concerned), I can learn from it and make it better and there are always more things to learn about and experiment with.

In addition to sharing these meals with my boys (one of which is not old enough to actually eat them, just look at them longingly) I have decided share my trials and tribulations with the void and anyone else out there is interested in listening.

So sit about, relax and have fun cooking and kvetching with me!!