Recipes

I was introduced to a lot of foods and food tricks while at college ... reconstituted dried eggs (although I’m not sure that really counts as food), the use of ketchup to disguise scrambled eggs made from reconstituted eggs, veal, and several others that escape me at the moment—probably because they were deservedly forgettable. Not so the granola. I’m not sure what their source was, but it was excellent granola: crisp, with a hint of sweetness, and a good ratio of raisins and nuts to the oat base.

Since then, I have looked high and low for good granola; and in the process, I’ve sometimes paid quite dearly for it too. It was our very own Polka who first encouraged my thoughts of making my own—and who, in the process, reminded me that in some parts of the world the stuff goes under the term muesli. After collecting several recipes and experimenting with a few, I really don’t see myself buying the mass-produced product ever again—especially since, as Wendy McElroy points out, it’s easy to dehydrate one’s own produce. Using dried fruit is a boon in another way—the cook can experiment with varying combinations that simply aren’t possible with fruits that ripen at differing times in the season. It isn’t a good candidate for long-term storage [thanks, SRS and Mama, for correcting me on this!], but it’s so easy and good that it’s worth doing.

Did you go through the "red meat is bad" scare and eat nothing but chicken until you were sick to death of it? I sure did. The budget wouldn't stretch to buy fish very often, and there's only so much tuna I'm willing to eat under any circumstances, so I was pretty much stuck with chicken and cheese of one sort or another. And no, I don't eat soy anything either.

The other major drawback to this time frame was the idea that ALL fats were bad, so the chicken was skinless and as fat free as possible. Cubed sawdust comes to mind...

Even though I've made bread most of my life, I had a challenge learning how to adapt to a much higher elevation than I was used to. I was having consistent problems with over rising, rising too fast, and large airholes in the bread because of it. I tried lots of things, from reducing the yeast to reducing the temperature, but I couldn't get the slow, steady rise that makes for smooth texture and easy slicing... until now.

This recipe is a favorite and comes from "Sundays at Moosewood," a collection of the very special recipes from the vegetarian collective in Ithaca, New York.

I decided to alphabetize by category after all, just to be different. :)

First, let me say that most of my recipes are very simple and plain. I believe strongly in whole foods and natural ingredients, but I do not worry about any particular school of thought as to what foods are "good" or "bad" other than that, and I don't do "organic." If you want to consider that, you just need to find "organic" ingredients or make substitutions where necessary.

Now that I’ve typed that title, I guess there isn’t much else that’s edible that starts “squ” ... but I’m being specific because I want to reserve “S” for something else. (You may have noticed this pattern in action already. A nice way to expand the alphabet, no?) Although I greatly enjoy summer squashes, my focus today is on the amazing variety of winter squashes available these days. If all you’ve had is canned pumpkin, well, I feel for you ... you really haven’t had pumpkin.

As far back as I can remember, I have adored the flavor of squashes. My mom and I were the only ones who liked acorn squash, so she’d buy one, bake it, and we’d each enjoy half. Other squashes weren’t readily available back then. We lived close enough to the annual Circleville Pumpkin Show to make that an occasional family trip; I enjoyed it a lot, despite the plentiful wasps and bees trying to get some last food set by for winter. That festival was probably my first inkling that more things can be done with pumpkin—and related squashes—than just pumpkin pie. And it is very gratifying to see more pumpkins used as food, instead of just Halloween decorations. Some pumpkins, usually referred to as “sugar pumpkins”, have been bred specifically for eating; these tend to be too small for carving. I’ve cooked larger ones sold for carving—not knowing any better—and just like any other nonprocessed food, have found a good deal of variability in the flavor and texture. So far they’ve all been perfectly usable, especially since I have a trick that hasn’t failed me yet. (I haven’t tried the tiny decorative pumpkins, nor the giants that have been bred solely to be immense.)

Watermelon is wonderful. The combination of juicy yet crunchy flesh has appealed to me for as long as I can recall—and I never outgrew the fun of seed–spitting contests. But how does one cook with watermelon? Well, let’s go into the kitchen to check it out.

Snolf the First’s birthday was the other day, and he requested a coconut cake. I didn’t have one in my repertoire, so I found a good prospect online. The only problem I saw is that it called for a lemon curd between the layers, and I knew Snolf I wouldn’t be too keen on that. Instead, I chose to make pastry cream, and flavor it with a bit of coconut-flavored rum. It wasn’t until I started making the frosting that I realized I had a fundamental compatibility problem.

Summer is in full bloom here on the prairie and with it, as every year, come back memories of my childhood almost always spent with either set of grandparents. They are my fondest memories from my childhood and interestingly they have something in common- a kind of freedom provided by the old and the wise in my family.

Lobo and I undertook a recon mission a few days ago—we visited an upscale supermarket in the area, in hopes they’d have a larger selection of Asian goods than the other stores in the area. We were wrong on that, but were pleasantly surprised to find competitive prices on a few things (not enough to make regular stops there worthwhile, however).

I did find something in the dairy section that got my culinary coils all knotted up. Imagine this mashup: the epitome of 1970s-tech “convenience” foods, processed and packaged in a pressurized can for squirting, then consuming; and current organic food mania.

When I think of bigos I immediately feel like I'm about to open presents. See, for me it's the ultimate Christmas dish and one of the perfect comfort dishes. It is a meal ideal for entertaining guests and a good topic for a conversation about Poland, its culture and history. It is so because it's a dish similar to Russian and German dishes and very often when I introduce someone to it they say "But this is so German!" or something of a similar effect. Yes, I perfectly understand why anyone would think so- bigos is mostly sauerkraut and meat so you can't get any more German than that.

Longer ago than I care to admit, a dear friend asked me about making pie crust. And since today is that person’s birthday, I figured evidence that I hadn’t forgotten that request might make a suitable birthday gift.

When done well, pie crust is a deep brown, delectable testament to the near-miraculous effect of heat on a few simple ingredients. Tender and flaky, it serves as a perfect embrace for fresh fruits, pudding, or whatever tasty filling a cook can devise. Pie crust can also be intimidating as hell to make, because the quality of those simple ingredients really matters. So does the cook’s handling of them. I am by no means an expert pie baker, but I am adequate and if I had regular practice, I’m confident I could become an expert one. So could you; and here are my tips and an excellent recipe for starting down that path. Let’s head into the kitchen!

A while back I read an enthusiastic endorsement of a new cheesecake cookbook on a foodie site; being a cheesecake lover, I clicked through to Amazon to check it out. The cookbook is apparently based on a successful restaurant’s New York-style cheesecake recipes. But a few things in an editorial review turned me off of the book, and of their cheesecakes. My primary objection is the use of corn starch in the cheesecake. Now, I know that restaurants need to be as concerned with food appearance as much as taste, but as something of a cheesecake snob, I do not like extra binders in my cheesecake. The cheese and eggs should be sufficient—no flour, gelatin, or corn starch should be necessary to get a smooth cheesecake. They can add off flavors and textures to the cake. I’ve never had a problem with cracks in my cheesecakes, and I’ve never gone to the lengths described to accomplish a picture-perfect cheesecake—I don’t use extra binders, I don’t use a water bath, and I bake the cheesecakes at typical (325–350° F) temperatures.

All that said, making a pretty and delectable cheesecake is one of the trickier propositions I’ve encountered. Still, all that’s required is some extra care in preparing the batter and baking the cake. For starters, one must plan ahead: cheesecakes taste best after mellowing about 24 hours after they’re baked. Follow me into the kitchen if you’re interested in the secrets of homemade cheesecake success.

I realized last night that I was almost out of my last batch of home made schnapps, so thought it would be a good time to share the recipe here.

Before I start, and just for the sake of argument - those who are purists or like to work a lot harder than necessary... here are some links to other methods.

Brewing Real Schnapps by distilling - without a real "still"
What are Schnapps and Cordials?
Complete, exhaustive recipes and directions here.

So! Start out with JUST ripe, fresh fruit if at all possible. Frozen fruit is ok, as long as it is top quality and JUST ripe when frozen. (Good luck unless you picked it and froze it yourself. sigh) Wash and clean (peel if needed, core, remove stems, pits, etc.) carefully, then allow to drain thoroughly. Fruit that turns dark on exposure to air can be sprinkled with vitamin C powder. Grind some C tablets with a mortar and pestil - just remember to wash out the chili powder you ground up last!! LOL

Chop fine or run through food processor on coarse setting. Don't puree.

ratio is 1 pound clean, dry fruit to 1.5 cup everclear or 95% grain alcohol PLUS 1.5 cup filtered or distilled water. OR you can use 3 cups of 80 proof Vodka. Some vodka has a funky flavor, so the better quality the better the finished product will taste. I won't use vodka at all since I started with the Everclear - but the vodka is ok if you can't get the other.

DO NOT ADD SUGAR at this point.

Mix these in a sterile glass or stainless steel container with a good tight seal. Allow to stand in a cool, dark place for 2 to 4 weeks. Pour through a fine metal strainer into a clean glass jar. Allow it to drip and don't press. The fruit pulp will make wonderful topping for all sorts of things, so don't even DREAM of discarding it! It can be frozen in ice cube trays and then put in plastic bags to be used little by little.

When you have the pulpless product in the glass jar you can choose whether or not to add sugar - or how much. The standard recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup white granulated sugar for the batch size above. That much sugar may or may not dissolve immediately, but will be ok eventually. Don't use more, however. This should be sealed again and left to age in a cool, dark place for about 3 months.

I have plans to try some plain honey instead of sugar on the next batch. The honey would be especially good with some of the herb liquors like peppermint or spearmint. I want to do some with chamomile and maybe one with rosemary too.

For an herbal recipe, start with the 1.5 cup water, boiling. Add 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the dry herb and allow to steep until the water is cold or longer for bark (cinnamon) or seeds (like dill). Strain out the herbs and add the alcohol, then sweeten or bottle unsweetened. It doesn't need the same "working" time as the fruit, though it will improve in flavor with age.

One of my favorites is made with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves and apple juice concentrate for the water. This one definitely needs the sugar. It's dynamite on/with hot apple pie or to make "mulled cider" in a flash. Use a recipe for apple pie spice mix to get the proportions. I'll look it up and try to remember to add it later.

Whew! Have fun with this. I need to go find something to drink! [G]

Sunni's turkey roasting account spurred me to share my own methods and recipes here. Cooking is certainly one shining example of the idea that there is more than one "right" way to do things! I'll have to try her method one of these days, and thought some of you might enjoy reading about mine.

This method is good for any size turkey, and for any wild game birds. There are some extra tricks for the wild birds, however, so ask me if you want those too.