tabicakes

Brown Food

Roast gravy 005

The food life's been pretty dull around here lately.  Honestly, the most exciting food we've eaten has been the leftover Halloween candy.  And now that the Snickers are gone, what's there to look forward to?

I'm headed out of town again, so I thought I'd leave you with a post to tide you over until next week.  We've all had leftovers from an old-fashioned roast beef, right? 

Saute 1/2 onion and 1/2 bell pepper in a little oil until soft.  Add a 1 T. tomato paste and stir for a minute.  Add 2 cups of leftover shredded roast beef.  Add 2 cups leftover beef broth and a splash of worcestershire sauce.  Make a slurry of 2 T. cornstarch and 2 T. cold water (You may need 3T depending on how thick you want the gravy).  Add to mixture, stir and let come to a boil until thickened.  Serve over potatoes, egg noodles, or toast.  (A little dollop of sour cream is good with this...gives it a stroganoff taste).

FYI - As of yesterday, Tangie's back on her feet.  Let's hope she provides the much needed inspiration for the next post.  Have a great week!

An American in Paris

French onion soup

I wouldn't go as far as calling myself a Francophile, but I do enjoy those things French on occasion.  I'm fond of the composers Debussy and Ravel (duh, I'm a harpist).  My favorite local restaurant is French.  I tried to learn to speak French in my car with cassette tapes.  It didn't work, I'm a visual learner.  Although, I do have very fond memories of repeating "Salut, Christoph" while zipping down the highway.  And I didn't read it, but was very intrigued by the book and author of French Women Don't Get Fat.  Apparently, the secret is to savor each bite.  My guess is that overweight people savor too...just more of it.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to get to spend a week in Paris with my sister.  We had a good time, but two things were very disappointing. 

1.  The food.  How can this be you ask?  Well, yes, we did find a lovely little patisserie and a chocolatier that we frequented often.  I just didn't have very good luck ordering in restaurants.  It seemed that no matter what I chose, and I thought I was choosing different items at each restaurant, I ended up with a plate of fatty beef and fries.  The first meal was great, the second and third was humorous, but by the end of the week I was quite sick of it actually.

2.  The lack of a language barrier. I guess I was a bit naive to think that I may end up having to learn a bit of French to survive the week.  No such luck.  Everyone that glanced in our direction knew we were Americans before we opened our mouths.  Are we that unstylish?  I assure you we were not wearing New-Balance tennis shoes.  And they all seemed to speak English, so surprise, no need for the French language in Paris.  At one of the restaurants I carefully pronounced in my best French that I would like a particular menu item.  The waiter looked at me, obviously very bored, and said, "You mean the cheese plate?" in his best English.  Oh, the embarrassment.

I hate to admit the best part of the trip in my opinion wasn't the Louvre, Eiffel Tour, the accordian player on the subway, or the plain charm of Paris, but was our Segway tour through the city.  It was just the two of us plus the guide (I think he thought we were cute), so we got a very personalized and uncharacteristically lengthy (5 hour) tour of Paris.  Segways are fun, and we each fell off just once.

French Onion Soup
adapted from Eleanor Moscatel: Six Arrondissement, Paris
Bon Appetit, May 1991

2 T butter
2 T olive oil
5-6 onions, sliced
3 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 c. red wine
4 c. beef broth
1 squirt Dijon mustard
1 splash balsamic vinegar

Melt butter in oil in a dutch oven over medium-low heat.  Add onions, garlic, and bay leaf and saute until very tender and brown, about 2 hours.  Add thyme and stir one minute.  Add wine and simmer until reduced to a glaze, about 3 minutes.  Stir in broth, mustard and vinegar.  Simmer 20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Cheese and crackers alternative

A little effort goes a long way.  Try this alternative to your normal cheese and crackers...a little shaved cheese, salami, roasted red pepper, blanched asparagus, and toasted baguette.  Easy and tasty.

T and P's for Tangie

Tangie's ill

My best girlfriend in the kitchen - Tangerina Jolie, just kidding I really don't have a name for her, but let's call her Tangie - has taken a fall.  Literally.

A word of warning: Do not let your KitchenAid mixer knead dough without supervision.  My negligence cost Tangie a 3-4 week bedrest. 

She was kneading the potentially delicious herb bread faithfully.  I left her for only a minute.  When I heard her rocking and bouncing on the counter, I lept to my feet, but arrived in the kitchen moments too late.  Tangie had already bounced herself off of the counter and onto the floor.  She laid there on her side, sadly still faithfully mixing.  However, all of the dough had flung itself all over the kitchen.  Have you tried to clean up bits of sticky bread dough?  It's tough. (no pun intended).  Tangie had broken her back.

The good news is that I live within 5 miles of one of the few service shops in the country that work on KitchenAid mixers.  Can you believe it?  They've diagnosed and ordered the part and that's that.  No cookies for a while.

Attention, Class!

Roasted tomato and red pepper soup 003

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT:

Go quickly to your garden or farmer's market and snatch up the last of this season's tomatoes and red bell peppers.  Make this soup.  Eat.  Enjoy!  Five page report due on Monday.

I cannot say enough good things about this soup.  It's so pure!  Vegetables and Water!  159 calories.  Flavor off the charts!  I left out the thyme, topped it with a little pesto and served it with a pesto grilled cheese sandwich.

Penne w/sausage, chard and pine nuts

Penne with sausage, chard and pine nuts

I've just started reading David Kamp's The United States of Arugula.  The book outlines the "eating revolution" of the last century and how we've become a food obsessed nation.  Normal ingredients today, such as avocados and arugula, seemed exotic twenty years ago.  This trend toward "gourmet" eating is evident in my family's pasta history.  My parents, from farms in rural America, did not grow up eating pasta.  I, also from rural America though I was a town kid, grew up eating some pasta in the form of spaghetti with Ragu, mac and cheese, and lasagna.  Back then I didn't really know that pasta existed without a red sauce or cheese.  We've all come a long way.

I found the above recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine.  We've never subscribed to the magazine but have picked it up in check out lines a time or two.  It's a salivating read, so I was especially excited to find out that they have launched a website fairly recently.  You've got to become a member to get unlimited access to all of their recipes, but a few are available for free, like Penne with Sausage, Swiss Chard and Pine Nuts.  This was so tasty.  Perfect for this time of year.

Yum yum, but not Tom Yum

Thai soup 007

We've got a favorite Thai place.  It's delicious.  The waitress calls me cutie.  Their wall's paint color is a color I'd like in my living room.  It's kind of a greenish, brownish, goldish.  The diners in the next booth always have interesting conversations we can eavesdrop on.  Did I mention it's delicious?

We've been trying to eat out a bit less.  It's not like an order of Phad Thai is expensive, it's just that I can never resist the $12 Tom Yum soup in addition to my entree.  It adds up.  Have you had Tom Yum?  It is yum yum yum! and worth every penny.  It comes in this fantastic flaming moat bowl!  Watch out or you'll catch your sleeve on fire.  Dangerous and Delicious!  My favorite soup.

Aromatic Rice-Noodle and Beef Soup is not Tom Yum.  It was yum, but not the yum, yum, yum of Tom Yum.   I left out the mint, as I'm not sure I like mint in savory foods and didn't want to spring for one of those overpriced plastic containers of droopy herbs.  Added mushrooms as well.  It was a good dinner and satisfied my Thai craving for a few days.

Vegetable Moussaka

Moussaka

I really like casseroles.  They're a warm, one-pot, easy, forgiving, and tasty food.  However, I've long tired of the casseroles that read canned cream soup and rice or canned cream soup and pasta.  There's got to be another casserole.

Enter Vegetable Moussaka.  I've not made the traditional Greek moussaka, but I've eaten it on a few occasions.  I must say that I enjoyed this vegetable version a little more.  Granted this is a bit more work than the typical casserole, but you can do it.

My Changes:  Halved the recipe.  Because I had some shredded cooked chicken to use, I replaced the carrots with this.  Also didn't use near as much oil.  Otherwise, I pretty much followed everything else.  If you have eggplant to use, you must try it.

Falling

Pumpkin bars

Fall is here.  I'm a summer lover, so I'm not too excited about it.  Although, I am ready for soups and warm cozy dishes.  

Of course, the last few weeks I've noticed the obvious changes of leaves turning, colder nights, men going crazy for football, etc.  However, fall really sank in yesterday at the DMV.   It was the end of the month, so it was the last day for everyone to renew their tags.  I went late in the day, and it was overflowing with people.  I sat on the floor waited in line for two hours, so I had plenty of time to notice that every other woman has already changed out her summer purse for her fall purse.  Am I the only woman in America still carrying her basket summer purse?  I was just getting used to its size.  I've got to remedy this, but I'm just not ready.

Pumpkins, a real sign of fall.  Husband needed a side dish for a work party, so I thought I'd try these pumpkin bars from Paula Deen.  Delicious!  Like the other Paula Deen recipe I've tried, they're loaded with fat and sugar.  Loaded.  Don't eat these on a empty stomach...instant sugar coma.  If I was making these for just husband and me, I probably would have lightened them up a bit, but for others not a chance.

Perfect for your next fall party!

Kid Cookies

Brownie button

My students and I are preparing for our first studio recital.  They're spending extra time practicing, and I'm spending extra time baking.  Baking!?!  We're all going to need treats when this is all over, so this week I've been making cookies for after the performance.

I'm trying to come up with a few sophisticated cookies, if there is such a thing, but still keeping them kid friendly.  I've always had my eye on these Brownie Buttons from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours.  This was the perfect opportunity to try them out.  And according to the recipe they freeze well, so they'll be nice and fresh on the big day.

Brownie Buttons
Makes 16
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

1/4 c. + 2 T flour
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
2 1/2 oz. 72% dark chocolate
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
1 large egg
2 oz. white chocolate

Heat over to 350 degrees.  Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.

Melt butter, chocolate and brown sugar in a saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula.  When the mixture is smooth, remove from heat and cool for a minute or two.

Stir in the vanilla and egg.  When the mixture is well blended, add the flour and stir only until incorporated.  You should have a smooth glossy batter.

Spoon the batter into 16 of the muffin cups, using about a teaspoon of batter to fill each cup 3/4 full.  Put a teaspoon of water into the empty cups.

Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until the buttons spring back when touched.  Remove brownie buttons and cool on racks.

Melt the white chocolate in a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.  Stir constantly.  As soon as the chocolate is smooth, remove from heat.

One by one, dip the tops of the buttons into the white chocolate, twirling the buttons so that you get a little swirl at the center of eahc one and the excess chocolate drips back into the bowl.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set the glaze.

 

Pb & j thumbprint (Changed)

I've also got every kid's favorite combo, peanut butter and jelly, in the freezer in the form of these cute little thumbprint cookies...also from Dorie Greenspan.

Bad To the Bone

Apple cake 003

Is your look a little edgy?  Do you wish it was?  Sometimes I do.   

Not too long ago, I was out and about shopping with my mother.  We drove by a young adult with multicolored hair.  She expressed how unattractive she thought it was.  I confessed that I liked it.  I've never colored my hair, and have never had the desire to color it a normal color like blond, brunette, etc.  I have a normal color.  I want stripes, not small highlighted stripes, big chunky ones specifically in dark pink and platinum.  Much to the delight of my mother, and Husband by the way, I also confessed that I would never have the guts to do it.   And the older I get the sillier it seems.  Maybe in my 80s.  I'll need something to hide they gray by then. 

I don't have my ears pierced.   And besides the time when I was 10, I don't know that I've ever really wanted to do it.  However, I've often desired getting my nose pierced.  A sparkly little diamond. I'd look good, right?  Again, no guts.

The kitchen is where I get my thrills.  When I need fat and sugar, I take risks.  Take this apple cake for example, I broke a lot of rules:

1.  Can you believe I didn't read the recipe before starting?  Mid-way through I found out I didn't have a couple of ingredients.
2.  Kept at it, substituting and leaving out at will.
3.  No sifting or leveling of the flour.  I used the wrong kind of flour too!
4.  Grated the apples instead of cutting into small pieces.
5.  Used a different shaped pan than reccommended.

For the brown sugar glaze, I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out terrible.  It was hard and crackly.  

What does this tell you?  I wish I could leave this post with an after school special message, "Like breaking the rules causes trouble every time," but the evidence is to the contrary here.