Book Group

Tonight was book group, we all met at Eustacia's house. It's a treat when she hosts- because she makes amazing pizza. I say this all the time, but if I could eat only one thing for the rest of my life it would be pizza, and Stai's is really good. Her crust is chewy with a little crunch around the edges, the tomato sauce is hearty and perfectly thick, and the cheese is not overwhelming but subtly sharp. She takes tenderlovingcare with her veggies, she really enjoys veggies- so she knows exactly how to prepare them and meld them into the pizza. My favorite is her roasted veggie, but Hubbabubba loves her pesto eggplant which is on wholewheat crust (he won't babysit unless I bring him back pizza). Stai actually got me over my eggplant fear with a slice or two of that pizza.

I offered to make dessert, and in honor of Valentines Day I decided to try a rich, moist, endless chocolate pound cake. Hub got me Jacques Torres' "A Year In Chocolate" for Chanukah, and I have been dying to do his pound cake recipe. It calls for 15 eggs, 1 pound of butter, a vanilla bean, cocoa, and some honey, how could it be anything less than sublime, right? I must've done something totally wrong, because it was dry and dissappointingly weak in the chocolate department. I have been known to be a tad haphazard with my measurements. And I don't think this cavalier approach works well with French Pastry Chef baking.

As always it was a good time. I didn't read the book, but it sounded good. I'm hosting next month, to make up for my disappointing cake. I'm thinking of doing a fondue night- 2 savory cheese fondues and 2 dessert fondues. To be continued.... It's nice to have a mini-celebration every month. Forget about stuff for a while, and just get a chance to be with girlfriends to talk and relate without interruption for 3 or 4 hours,wine and food included.

Crock Pot Pulled BBQ Chicken

Lately I've been exploring the world of crock pot cookery. How awesome is it that you can just throw a whole bunch of things in a crock pot- set it on low, and then 6 -8 hrs. later have a table-ready hot meal?
Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
Place boneless skinless chicken breasts on bottom of crock pot. Chop up one med. onion, place in bowl with 1 can of tomato sauce, 1/4 c. apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp. yellow mustard, 3 tbsp. brown sugar, 2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. basil, 1/4 tsp. oregano. Mix well and then pour over chicken breasts. Set crock pot to low. After 5 hours use two forks to shred chicken breasts. Cover and let cook for another hour.

Pad Thai: I Did It My Way

The monday after the superbowl, and I'm blanking about what to serve la famiglia for dinner as I dawdle down the supermarket aisles. Still feeling the effects of the deep-fried chicken wings and a deluxe burger, I curse my weak-willed deviation from my clean eating plan, and contemplate a liquid fast for the next two days. But who cares about me and my digestive system when there's a nest full of little birdies relying on me fill their beaks with tasty morsels. Carrot Juice with a side of wheatgrass would just not be an acceptable dinner to my little chickadees. Which brings me back to the supermarket and what to make for supper. Boring, boring, boring...it's all so boring- the casseroles and the quiches and the stews of my usual weeknight repertoire. Until I get to the Asian food section, and I have a mental flash of a gorgeous, glistening mound of pad thai noodles studded with chopped peanuts and morsels of tofu, and crunchy green snow peas. I didn't have a recipe, but had a vague notion of what makes up a Pad Thai. I bought the rice noodles, Thai chili sauce, snow peas and hoped I had everything else I would need at home (peanuts, limes...). It turned out pretty good, my little birdies slurping up their noodles without much squawking is proof enough for me. Authentic traditional Pad Thai requires tamarind, fish sauce, cilantro, and Thai chili paste- which I didn't use, so instead it's Pad Thai my way.

Pad Thai-My Way
Drain 1/2 block of extra-firm tofu sliced into 1" slabs, when sufficiently drained (20-30 mins) slather with chili sauce with pastry brush. Slice into 1" nuggets, place on baking sheet and broil for 10-15 minutes until nice 'n roasty. In the meanwhile: bring a pot of water to a boil, add half a box of rice noodles and cook until water returns to a boil. Quickly remove noodles and drain them. Rinse in cold water to stop from cooking. The noodles at this point are very al dente- worry not, after sauteeing in the sauce they will be were you want them. Heat 1/4 c. veg oil in a wok or saute pan. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, 3 tbsp. Thai chili sauce, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce. Cook for about a minute or two, until it thickens a bit. Then add 2 beaten eggs, constantly stirring- until eggs are soft set. Add the noodles to the pan, toss and saute for about 5 minutes. Add a bunch of thinly sliced scallions, julienned snow peas, and a handful of bean sprouts and the juice of half a lime. Toss to mix. Garnish with chopped dry roasted peanuts

Birthday Brownies

Yesterday we threw kiddle #1 a hoppin' 6th birthday bash. Following the cues of his latest obsession: Star Wars, I rented a movie projector and an 8 ft. screen. We blacked out the windows in our living room, and set up rows of chairs to simulate a movie theater experience, and ran "Clone Wars" to an essentially full house. At my local party supply store I found mini popcorn boxes, and I offered the little critters a choice of buttered or caramel chocolate (guess which one I ran out of inside the first hour...). I was amazed by how long most of these kids could sit watching a 98 minute movie.
While there is definitely an argument to be made for contracting out kiddie parties, I am a sucker for at-home fiestas. I love the homespun, cozy, old-school feel of it all. I love coming up with a theme with the birthday kid and following it through from decorations to tableware to party favors. And I gotta give myself props for locating inexpensive lightsabers and handing them out at the finale- the kids were loopy for these glow sticks. They shut off the lights in the rec room and had glow-in-the-dark duels, and that's right about when the party came to a close- and to our relief without injury or incident (something I don't take for granted).
The cake was a pile of brownies festooned with b'day candles. We decided that dessert (after the obligatory pizza course) would be brownie hot fudge sundaes. I whipped up a couple of batches of brownies (recipe below) and made a pretty good hot fudge sauce- good, not great because it was a touch too sweet. I provided the option of whipped cream, and set out bowls of M&M's, sprinkles, crushed oreo's, and mini marshmallows. They were free to decorate their dollop of vanilla ice cream laden brownies to their hearts content, and believe me they did.
I tried to finish my concoction but couldn't go further than spoonful #4- too rich, too sweet, too much. However I had no trouble scarfing down a couple of these brownies straight. They're made with 13 ounces of semi sweet chocolate, so they are not too sweet, are rich and full of deep chocolate-ness.

Birthday Brownies (adapted from Nigella Lawson's recipe)
Grease your brownie pan and preheat oven to 350F. In a heavy saucepan melt 1 1/2 c. butter and 13 oz. chopped semi sweet chocolate, let cool a little. In a bowl beat 6 eggs, 1 tbsp. vanilla, and 1 2/3 c. of sugar. In another bowl mix 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp. salt. Beat melted chocolate into the egg mixture, and then add the flour. Beat to combine, and then pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 40 minutes ( I like my btownies firm and almost cake-like).

Frugality: The Next Big Thing

Pizza Night. And not a moment too soon.
Monday Night: Veggies and tofu in Thai peanut sauce (see previous post).
Tuesday: Turkey Chili.
Wednesday: Tuscan bean vegetable saute (delicious in flavor, gorgeous in color).
And now it's Thursday night a blessed occasion around here.
Thursday Night: semi-homemade pizza night.
In keeping with one of my several New Year's Resolutions I am trying to feed my family healthy and flavorful food. Also, responsible food, dishes that don't require too many complicated ingredients, ingredients that are seasonal and timely, and ingredients that are relatively inexpensive.
Am I right in feeling that a new frugality is sweeping the Land? I've heard the word "Depression" bandied around a few times too many to ignore. And from the accounts I've read from the 30's, the Depression was anything but great. Maybe this will be the return of good, simple fare that stretches a dollar as far as it will go? Casseroles, stews, protein filled salads and stir-fry's- but this time around made over to be leaner, less fatty, and more international in flavor. Frugale Cuisine.

Thai One On

Dinner tonight was a page out of the Whole Foods cookbook Hubbabubba gave me for Hanukkah. I've been judiciously thumbing through it since receiving it, and marvelling how every recipe sounds better than the next. It's full of exotic vegan and vegetarian recipes, with an emphasis on South-of-the-Border and Thai cuisine.
This Peanut Sauce yields about 2-3 c. so I have plenty left over for future Thai-tinged explorations. It tasted particularly good on tofu.

Thai Peanut Sauce (adapted from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook)
Heat 1/4 c. canola oil and 1/4 c. sesame oil in a saute pan, drop in 1 chopped med. onion, 9-10 minced garlic cloves and 1 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger, simmer for a few minutes- stirring often. Mix in 1/3 c. rice wine vinegar, 1 c. water, 4 tbsp. sugar, 1/4 c. ketchup, 2/3 c. creamy peanut butter, 1/3 . tamari, 3 tbsp. lime juice, and several dashes of hot pepper sauce- simmer for a few minutes. Let cool for about 5 mins. and puree the mixture in blender or food processor until smooth.

Tofu and Veggies in Peanut Sauce:
Slice block of extra firm tofu into 1-2" pieces, and drain. Lay tofu out on baking sheet and place in an 450F oven. Remove when tofu is golden brown and roasted looking. Slice up one red pepper, shittake mushrooms, and bunch of green onions. Heat 1 Tbsp. sesame oil and throw the tofu and veggies into pan, sauteeing until peppers are slightly soft. Add 1/2 c. (or as much as you want) peanut sauce and mix. Serve over bed of noodles or rice.

Eggsellent Idea

I have officially reached my celebration limit. My merriment allowance is maxed out. I want to set my spanx aflame, and chop my stiletto's off at the heel. Alcohol has made my skin look a bit like crumpled paper. And all that rich fatty (delicious) food makes me feel as though my insides are coated in sludge. Yes, it's high time for a holiday detox. I am dedicating myself to the goal of eight glasses of water a day, whole grains, and lean proteins, and lots of fresh fuits and veggies of course. I am going to excersise everyday.
Dinner tonight will kick off my new year's revelation of simple healthful dining. Still being in the throes of winter I need something warm and soulful- but light. The slider with fried onions was a bacchanal-by-the-bite. And the mini mooshoos, sweet 'n sour chicken, and beef satays at last night's wedding were almost worth the 3 pounds I've added to my frame. But now back to our regularly scheduled program: The tomato base in this easy skillet dinner were full of san marzano flavor and sun. Next time I'll add some chopped red peppers in with the onions and garlic. This is a great egg dish, because it's robust but not heavy or made fatty by cream, butter, or cheese (often popular egg companions). I placed it on top of toasted sourdough for the kiddles for a bit of a crunchy texture- but I had mine straight.

Skillet Eggs and Tomato Sauce
In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and add 1 chopped onion and 3 minced garlic cloves, cook until onion softens. Crush or chop 1 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes and add along with their juice to the skillet. Mix in 1 tsp. oregano and 1/2 tsp. parsley and a few good dashes of tabasco. Simmer for about 10 minutes until a little reduced. One by one, break 6-8 eggs into a ramekin and gently slide into skillet, cover and cook until whites are set, about 5 mins. Before serving, grind some pepper onto eggs.

Post Script 4/27: Tonight when making this dish I finely chopped a red pepper and threw it

into the skillet along with the onion and garlic. I served the fnished product with a good sprinkling of crumbled feta and a scattering of za'atar spices..... it was even better the second time around.