she's just saying...

Eating for Dummies

Are there truly people out there who need these instructions? I really hate to think so.

  

Ya' know, I thought that tortilla tasted like a paper towel...

Zucchini risotto, a la Susan

 

 

I've made this a lot, as you can see

Note: This subject is now in the running with fowlwear as the highest searched phrase that leads innocents to my blog. So I'm republishing this with my sister's notes. Enjoy!

Henry will eat an entire pan of this, and that's at least a couple zucchini right there. Save this for when we actually have the warmth to grow something in Central Oregon and it turns out to be zucchini.

My sister Susan won a cooking contest with this recipe many years ago, and it is truly a winner. However, two of my sister's four major food groups are cream and butter (merlot and chocolate being the other two), so I've lightened and simplified her recipe. This is easily a work-night dinner, providing you have risotto rice and zucchini. Or a great side to anything. And it lasts and heats up great for leftovers.

Zucchini Risotto

Buy the real Arborio rice - even Safeway carries it now. And for the love of god, don't use Kraft parmesan. Though I know you don't, do you?

2 T butter (down from my sister's 6 T - if you want to go there, be my guest)
1 C Arborio rice
4+ cups chicken stock (free-range organic, of course)
1 egg yolk (I use the whole egg, actually)
1/4 cup half-&-half or milk (Susan's original calls for heavy cream - right!)
1 T olive oil - but who measures?
3 small zucchini, sliced thin or grated if easier
1/4 cup parmesan or more
2 lg garlic cloves (admission: I use jarred chopped garlic - nothing would get cooked here if I didn't)
1 bunch scallions or chopped onions or shallots - whichever
salt/pepper
1/2 c chopped ITALIAN parsley - don't ever use the frilly garnish kind - no flavor
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup or so of white wine - whatever you're drinking at the moment

So, if you've never made risotto before, it's way easier than its reputation.First, melt 2 T of the butter and the olive oil, add the onion and saute slowly.

(Mmmm, the smell of frying onions - guaranteed to make men go wild, if you're looking for that sort of thing.)

Once they're soft, throw in the garlic (so it doesn't burn), then all the rice, with a little more oil. I know, seems weird with no liquid, but that's risotto. Stir fry the rice for a few minutes, then add about a cup of broth. Traditionally, it should be hot, which you can do in a glass pyrex cup measure in the microwave. But you don't have to.

The key to risotto is to keep adding the broth as the rice sucks it up - it should never be dry or conversely, drowned. You do have to stir regularly, though not continuously as the books would say.

Now, my sister sautes the zucchini with garlic in a separate pan, but I don't because I'm all about one-pot meals. The cheater way is to add the zuke when the rice is almost done, along with the cream, egg and parmesan, lemon, wine, salt/pepper and parsley. I throw it all in together and it comes out fine.

You'll need to correct the rice with broth or hot water if it isn't done enough or is too dry. Cook til it's done. This is where my sister adds the additional 4 tablespoons of butter. Because it's not rich enough.

I'm realizing it's really hard to write recipes down when you cook intuitively. If you'd like a step-by-step explanation of risotto, you'll need to use a cookbook.

Notes from my sister:

"Oh, for heaven's sake-- one-quarter cup of heavy cream in a recipe with a quart of chicken stock isn't going to kill you. I won the cooking contest many years ago, when risotto was wildly ambitious. The reason you should saute the zucchini beforehand is that it holds its shape better. If you just add it raw (wrong! wrong!) it turns to mush and becomes one with the rice. There. The genie has spoken."

Cool and fresh and salmony

I made a fantastic pasta salad last night, and if I can keep typing in this offensive heat, I'll post the recipe.

I'm not normally a pasta salad fan. They're either too bland, too oily, too weird or too crunchy (I don't like raw broccoli or any kind of bell peppers, which show up in most of them.) They used to be really popular - I recall one memorable patio party with the girls where everybody brought pasta salad. Luckily I was serving margaritas, so it really didn't matter. I don't know if they still are the go-to potluck dish, as I don't go out anymore. And if I do, it's not to a potluck.

So anyway, the one I made last night was stunning, especially as I concocted it with Ingredients On Hand. Here's my ingredient list. I don't have any quantities as it depends on your particular I.O.H.

1. Curly pasta - I like gemelli, but whatever you have O.H.
2. Strips of gravlax or smoked salmon (I just happened to have some leftover gravlax in the fridge. Odd, really.)
3. Cucumbers, diced
4. The itty-bitty fresh mozzarella balls you can buy at Costco, or other fresh mozz, diced.
5. Scallions, sliced, with some of the green part
6. Parsley (pretty much the only thing I grew in the garden this year. You could use dill.)
7. Olive oil
8. Lemon juice
9. Salt and pepper

Whisk the last three ingredients into a vinaigrette, then toss it all up, gently.

I ran out of capers (I know! A kitchen disaster!) which would have added a bit more piquancy, but maybe they would have been overkill.

Anyway, yum.

Friday Frylet, sponsored by Snap, Crackle and Pop

You're kidding me, right?

Takes me back to the bad ol' days working on the Hostess Bakery advertising account, when we came up with the brilliant phrase: "One Quarter Cup of Milk in Every Donut!" as the "reason-why," as they say in the ad biz.

I don't know about immunity, but they do make great little glue globs that are impossible to remove from bowls, spoons and sinks. A new use, perhaps?

Top 10 Tues: summer supper edition

I really don't like heat. That's one of the reasons I moved to Oregon. I now realize that when I heard the term "high desert" I should have focused on the possible implications of the "desert" part.

Anyway, here in Bend we're having a heat wave (in my opinion) hitting over 90 on some days. Of course, it drops into the 40's at night, but I do have to go through that four hour stretch from work to darkness, and I don't like it. I know, the sound of a hundred tiny searing hot violins from friends in AZ, CA and TX. Well, why do you live there? It's stinking hot, for gawd's sake!

Sorry. Flareups from my inner hormonal furnace aren't helping. But that's another post.

So, what we eat in the summer. Recipes upon request. This list does not include the standard chicken/fish/shrimp on the grill that we have regularly. This is when I'm cool enough to cook and have the urge.

1. ratatouille with couscous
2. fish tacos
3. french potato salad
4. linguine alla vongole (clams to you)
5. greek salad - hold the bell peppers
6. gazpacho with shrimp: ditto
7. killer shrimp (stolen from the LA diner of the same name)
8. salad nicoise
9. the humble fresh tomato parsley parmesan omelet
10. grilled eggplant with soy sauce

I just realized that I've been making these same dishes for years. We don't eat beef, pork or lamb so it can be a challenge to come up with new menus. What do you cook when it's hot?

Torn cheese is feeling torn...

Be jealous. Be very jealous.

Presenting the winning prizes for my blogoversary contest.

For Monkey: Bob is testing out the catnip mouse here and deems it acceptable.

Here's KG's Koffee Kup Kozy:

Maybe I should quit my day job and sell knitted tchatchkes. You may place your orders...

Eggs of all colors

These beautiful eggs are from the chicken flock at the Museum.

Why do we have chickens at a Museum, you might ask. Well, I'll tell you.

The museum has a "living history" component, in other words, actors who dress up in 1870's clothing and interact in character with the visitors. We have a homestead with a cabin, barn and stable where they hang out. Included are wild mustangs, heirloom goats (not kidding) and chickens. Therefore, the eggs.

Their subtle varied hues are so beautiful that we didn't need to dye eggs this year. We're admiring them til tomorrow, then we'll eat them and appreciate them from the inside.

April 1 breakfast

April 1 breakfast, originally uploaded by Meltrier.

I got Henry pretty good with this one.

I told him we were starting a new all-vegetable diet: no sugar, no dairy, no butter, which cuts out about 50% of his food intake.

His face fell as he started to work through it, though he did pick up a carrot and start chewing.

I know he's working on something for me for this evening. Luckily he's not very good at keeping a straight face.

He took a zucchini in his backpack for an April Fool's snack in class.

Weeknight Pad Thai recipe

This is for the lovely Cindy, who I miss knitting with.

Melissa's Pad Thai

The "secret" ingredient in this is jarred Pad Thai sauce - it's the only way this recipe can be made on a school night. You're welcome to make your own, though it's not easy to find tamarind powder.

The p.t. sauce is also hard to come by - when you find it, buy a couple jars. You also need to get rice sticks (noodles) - it really doesn't work with wheat noodles.

Ingredients

package of rice noodles

sesame oil

peanut or other oil (not olive)

3 eggs

4 skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

(You could also use shrimp, beef or pork, or none of these)

package of firm or extra firm tofu

bunch of scallions, chopped

chopped garlic

pad thai sauce, 8 oz jar

bunch of cilantro, chopped

cup of alfalfa sprouts

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

lime wedges

Thai chili sauce (or similar hot stuff)

Soak the noodles in hot water for at least 1/2 hour (while you're prepping everything else). Chop the cilantro and peanuts while everything else is cooking.

Heat a tablespoon of each oil in a large wok or frying pan. Crack in the eggs and scramble into small pieces. Remove the eggs to a plate and throw in the chicken or other meat. Stir-fry til cooked through, remove to the egg plate or a separate one (this is a dish-intensive recipe). 

Add the scallions and tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces. Stir-fry til slightly browned, adding more oil if necessary. Add the garlic toward the end so it doesn't burn. Remove all to another bowl.

Drain the noodles - they should be softened but still firm. Throw them into the pan and stir in the pad thai sauce and a half of cup of hot water. Cover the pan and let them cook for awhile, til they're al dente.

Throw the egg, chicken/meat, tofu/scallion mixture, cilantro and sprouts into the noodles and incorporate as much as possible. (If the noodles are too sticky, I add a little rice vinegar, sesame oil or water.) 

Serve immediately, garnished with the peanuts, lime juice and chili sauce. I like to use chopsticks for authenticity and offer Thai beer.

Get someone else to do the dishes.

Top Ten: Breakfast edition (by Henry)

1. My mom's leftover pad thai, without shrimp. She makes the best.

2. Pesto.

3. Pancakes or french toast with butter and syrup.

4. Frozen egg rolls in the microwave.

5. Eggs sunny-side up with bacon.

6. Cereal. My favorite is Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

7. Oatmeal. With cinnamon sugar.

8. Egg McMuffins. Only the ones on the biscuits.

9. Biscuits and gravy!

10.And my mom's steamed vanilla milk with all of it.

Biscuits and gravy, Seattle 2008

The people have spoken. And they said: "Lemon Tart."

I am here to do your bidding.  (Re-edited for clarity.)

This is an amalgam of several recipes, and is essentially a shortbread crust filled with lemon curd and baked. It's foolproof (see note about tools) and simpler than it looks. It's indescribably good. Impressive, too. Especially if you artfully drizzle fresh berry syrup over it, with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Or not.

So, go gather your ingredients and tools.

Crust
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon cream (I suppose you could use milk...)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut up

Curd
7 egg yolks plus 2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup lemon zest
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons cream (or half & half if you must)

Tools
tart pan with removable bottom
nonreactive saucepan and wooden/silicone spoon

(I can't guarantee your results if you don't use the following, but they're not absolutely necessary:)

food processor
candy thermometer
pie weights (or dried beans/rice)
parchment paper (or foil)
microplane
mesh sieve 

Make the crust first, as it takes awhile to chill and pre-bake.

Pre-Baked Shortbread Crust

If you've never made piecrust before, start with a cookbook, as I'm keeping this short on technique.

Whisk the yolk, cream and vanilla together, set aside. Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in the food processor to blend. Cut up the butter in pieces and drop in. Pulse or cut in to the size of cornmeal. Add the yolk stuff and blend until it forms a ball. If it's too dry, add a little bit of cream/milk a teaspoon at a time. Take it out, form into a ball, and chill for 20 minutes or so.

Take out the chilled dough and form the crust. I use the patting method so I don't have to get out the rolling pin, but you can roll if you want to. (Quick chorus of The B-52's here) Make sure to go up the sides of the pan.

Cut the parchment or foil to fit the tart pan including up the sides. Fill with pie weights or dried beans or rice.

Bake at 375 deg for 30 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment and bake another 6-8 minutes til very lightly brown.

Curd

Juice and zest the lemons using a microplane or grater. Whisk the first four ingredients together briefly, then pour in a saucepan with the butter. Heat slowly, stirring constantly, until it gets saucy and registers 175 deg. on the candy thermometer. edited: Whoops! Forgot the cream. It gets stirred in now.

If you're really picky, strain the mixture first, then pour into the still-warm crust and bake at 375 deg. for about 10 minutes. You want the middle of the pie to still be a little jiggly.

Remove, cool for an hour or so. If you've baked it in advance, you can lay a piece of waxed paper right on the top to keep it nice.

Before serving, dust the top with confectioner's sugar through a sieve. Drizzle with berry sauce.Add little poufs of whipped cream, lemon twists, berries. Go wild.

Feel proud and enjoy.

Next up: Henry's favorite breakfasts...

A special bottle

  Last night, Neighbor X and I shared a special bottle from his "library" to celebrate the inauguration. (Wine snob alert, but he really isn't. He just collects great wine.) He made me a wonderful dinner to go along with it, and we had a pleasant and warm evening just enjoying each others company again.

I know, I know, everyone's alarms are going off.  It's ok, I'm fine, and I appreciate your concern. But it felt like the right time to take that step, and it turned out to be.

It was a healing experience, as they say. What I always appreciated about him is all still there. I'm certainly not ready to be his buddy -- as I told him four years ago, I don't need another buddy. But he holds a special place in my heart and my life, and I want to be able to think of him in a positive light, and let the bitterness dissolve.

It's all about change for the better, right? Slowly and carefully, tempering hope with realistic expectations, finding our way along to a better place. Here's to our new president, and a time of healing and growth. Cheers.

Everybody good?

Wow, it's been very busy around here. Doing nothing can be a lot of work. We had a lovely Christmas day and after-Christmas day, and the weekend-after-Christmas is nice too. The weather has turned warm, slightly melting the eight inches of snow we got. At least it hasn't rained. Rain on Snow is my least favorite weather condition, bar none. It's so depressing. Anyway, more fluffy white stuff in our near future...

So first of all, here are the results of all that raw fish and fowl I displayed a few days ago. Grill roasted and smoked turkey, pate and gravlax. Recipes provided upon request.

This should keep us for a few days. On top of the mussels and oysters. And cookies. And wine. I'm still full.

Which leads me to the Wii Fit! Kind of fun, easy to use and interactive enough to keep my interest for a bit, I hope. I learned a trick to it for all you who have just received one: the first "body analysis" you have to count as practice and do again. My first one said my Wii Fit age was 65 (rude) and the second time was 35 (very perceptive).

It does seem to emphasize balance, probably because the platform excels at measuring weight shifts. I got the same snotty comments Kathi D got at the beginning: "Oh, you seem to have some problems with your balance. Do you trip frequently when you walk?" asked by a concerned and caring and quite annoying trainer. It's ok though - irritation is a great motivator. "I'll show you how good my balance is!"

More to come on that front. Oh, and Henry likes it too.

I can now reveal my Christmas knitting, almost. OK, one item is not done and another is awaiting a dog size, but the rest of it. I'll do that tomorrow.

Right now, it's back to doing nothing - a sluggard's work is never done.

CC #1: Food

Cooking is not always pretty. Behold:

From the upper right, that is a turkey brining, chicken livers marinating in brandy, and salmon curing.

But soon, all this raw meat will be transformed into grill-roasted turkey, chicken pate, and gravlax (salt/sugar cured salmon).

Mark and I have some menu standards we like at Christmas. Christmas Eve is always oyster stew and Caesar salad. Christmas dinner is roast turkey (with beef for the red-meat-eaters) with all the sides including yorkshire pudding; and throughout the week, generous servings of gravlax, pate, croissants with triple-creme cheese, cookies and champagne. It's what my sister calls the annual Holiday Food Plan -- Eat What You Want When You Want.

While I'm cooking today, this is the view from my kitchen window:

The snow is snowing, snow on snow. We're ready to be snowbound and enjoy our cozy little family unit.

Have a warm and bright Christmas eve, relax, don't sweat the preparation, and enjoy your friends and family. Read "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids or pets, savor those sugar plums dancing and reindeer prancing, put out the milk and cookies, and stay up wrapping til 1 am. Sleep tight and have a wonderful Christmas morning,

Love to all,

Melissa

 

CC #2: Cookies

I'm counting yesterday's from-the-road posts as Christmas Countdown #3: traveling. So, onto #2: COOKIES. Another element of what Christmas is all about to the Hochschild family.

Sister #1 tends to outdo herself with cookie baking every year. I think she does six types, five of which are classics and one new one each year. Or something like that. 

Since it's just Mark, Henry, me and assorted passers-by this year, I'm staying with four varieties, plus add-ins from neighbors.

Rum balls made with cocoa and vanilla wafers are a must. Also Russian teacakes, doubled.

Gingerbread men (which we've been known to decorate the day after Christmas), brownie bites frosted with peppermint icing, and oh, right, I made mixed nut brittle (NO peanuts) already which counts. Really, that's all.

Then, starting Christmas Eve, we prepare the Cookie Plate, which is refreshed all week.

Stop by to have some or I'll be forced to eat them into January like last year.

Such a problem.

Last year's plate

CC #6 (belated): Fambly Christmas

 This may be an off-year Christmas for my family. It's the first time in years that Sister #1 and I (and the kids) haven't had Christmas together, and I'm seriously bummed about it. This year was Henry's and my turn to fly back east, but after three trips back there already and a new job, it was not going to happen.

Sister #2 has an interesting relationship with Christmas. She's a converted Jew and they've raised their kids in a Jewish household, but old memories die hard, so she gives and receives presents at Christmastime slash Hanukkah. I'm always careful to wrap theirs in blue and white non-denominational paper. 

Big Bro is not in the Christmas mood this year, for various reasons. He'll be at the parents' house but both he and my mom have said they're not planning to do much for Christmas this year "except for the food." Of course, with my dad still in rehab and my mom coping alone, we don't expect her to have energy left for making merry. We're sending presents anyway.

It will be a quiet Christmas here, but we're looking forward to it. No travel, no guests; except our bestest friend Mark who's flying up from LA to be with us again - we've shared Christmas with him for seven years now. Mark's the fun, bad-boy uncle-figure for Henry, and a funny, supportive partner for me. We plan to play in the snow (Henry), drink a lot (Mark and me) and not do anything we don't want to. We might even (shock of shocks) go out for Christmas dinner. That to me would be the ultimate Christmas treat.

So, what are your plans? Full-on tradition or a more unconventional approach?

CC #8: Nog

Christmas Countdown #8: Eggnog

I love eggnog. I like it homemade, and I like the over-sweet sticky stuff straight out of the carton. I only buy “light” eggnog (there’s an oxymoron) – I can’t handle the sugar and fat shock of the full-strength variety. I'm sort of obsessed with Starbuck's eggnog lattes, and I especially like eggnog with some rum and bourbon laced in. In fact, I’m sipping some right now!

Eggnog reminds me of a Christmas morning long ago when my husband Jay and I were driving our old VW bus from Boston to New Haven for Christmas with my sister and family. The bus (which we bought used and then drove across the country) seized up on the turnpike near Groton.

We had our Siberian husky, Buns, in the back, along with our presents and a pitcher of real homemade eggnog, complete with whipped egg whites, full cream, alcohol and all, that was my big Christmas morning food contribution. We ground to a halt halfway down an exit ramp and waited for the highway patrol. I opened the bus's sliding door and Buns jumped out, knocking over the eggnog and running up and down the highway. The bus reeked of hard liquor and was covered in sticky alcoholic goo. We suddenly weren’t as excited about flagging down the highway patrol.

Jay hiked down to some ratty-looking apartments to call my sister while I tried to catch the dog. I don’t actually remember much of the rest of the visit, other than renting a U-Haul to tow the bus back to Boston. I always regretted losing that eggnog, though, and when I make it I remember Jay and that crazy dog.

Top Ten Tuesday: airport edition

Top ten airports I frequent, and my notes:

1. RDM: this is the local Bend airport. Very small, but growing. Easy parking, militant TSA ladies, basically no services, but who needs them?
2. PDX: I've always liked the Portland airport - it had great retail back when most airports didn't yet. Long-term economy parking is well-managed. Good beer/wine/pizza bar and Powell's Books. The commuter air gates are a little funky and overcrowded, but there's good coffee everywhere.
3. SEA: Great art throughout. Fish inlays in the floor. Great wine bar. Great sushi. Great coffee. Quick massage and pedicure spot. Like it all.
4. AVL: the local Asheville NC airport. A lot like Bend's but southern. Free internet. No food options, but lots of rocking chairs.
5. ATL: I kind of hate the Atlanta airport. Old, crowded, long long terminals. Crowded train system between terminals. Bad fried food everywhere. Sullen service. Poor retail. Charge for internet. Yuck.
6. and 7.  LGA: Old, crowded, nasty. Buses between terminals. Avoid. EWR: Same for Newark.
8. CIN: It took me a long time to figure out why the Cincinnati airport is in Kentucky. Plus I can't ever tell what time zone it is. Decent, but chain, food and retail. Not bad overall, except the very inconvenient bus to the commuter terminal. Pain in the butt.
9. SLC: I like this airport: clean, easy to maneuver, new, nice retail. Mormons are very pleasant, really. The whole place smells like Cinnabon.
10. LAS: I don't actually use the Las Vegas airport much, but had to add it to the list as it stands out. The moving walkway tunnels between terminals have really cool disco light action. However, I don't know about you, but it makes me nervous to see airline pilots gambling at slot machines before the flight.

It's all about pie

Tgiving pies, originally uploaded by Meltrier.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.