Turkey Enchiladas

Enchiladas are one of those go-to foods for me. If I'm feeling blue, or want something super filling and only have a little bit of meat, or leftovers, I make enchiladas. They're tasty, and very very filling. I don't make them like most people do, though...

Filling:

2 lb meat, cooked, your choice
2 c cooked rice (spiced how you like)
2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
1/2 c queso fresco, cubed
1/2 c cotija, cubed

6 medium or large flour tortillas
3 cups enchilada sauce (homemade or package, your choice)
1 c shredded colby jack cheese
1/2 c black olives, sliced
1/3 c chopped cilantro

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees f.
Mix meat, rice, peppers, and cheeses all together in a hot pan and mix until fully combined.
Divide into 6 equal parts, and ladle into the tortillas
Roll tortillas around the filling, and place into a baking dish
Ladle over the enchilada sauce (Yep - no dipping the tortillas)
Top with the shredded cheese and black olives
Bake for 20 minutes
Top with cilantro and serve

Stuffed Shells

This is a bit of a departure from your normal stuffed shell recipe. I like it because it's not as tomato-y as what you may find elsewhere. It also has meat in the stuffing, rather than in the sauce. The meat is completely optional - if you don't add it, add in about 3 cups of shredded zucchini.

yields about 32 stuffed shells

1 box of jumbo shell pasta, cooked to al dente (about 10 minutes)

stuffing:
1 lb small curd cottage cheese
1/2 lb ricotta
12 oz frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained of liquid)
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
1 lb ground sausage, browned and crumbled
2 eggs
nutmeg (to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Sauce:
2 Tbsp butter or oil
2-3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp garlic
3 c cold milk
1 c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c cream cheese, cubed and softened
2 cans flavored tomatoes (drained)
salt and pepper to taste

Asiago cheese (topping)

Noodles
Follow the package directions to cook to al dente
Drain and rinse with cold water, separating the shells from one another, until cold

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Stuffing
Combine all ingredients into a large bowl

Sauce
In a saucepan, melt butter, and mix in flour to make a roux
Blend completely and cook until just starting to smell nutty
Add the garlic and cook about a minute, stirring constantly
Whisk in the cold milk a little at a time, making sure it doesn't get lumpy
Once milk is completely added, add each of the cheeses, blending before adding the next one
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer
Add in the tomatoes and, switching to a wooden spoon, add the tomatoes in
Season with salt and pepper and let simmer about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

Building The Dish
In a large, 9" x 14" x 4" deep pan, put down a ladle or two the sauce
Stuff the shells individually, and place them side by side until they are all in
If necessary, layer the shells - make sure the layers are even all the way across
Ladle the remaining sauce over the top
Sprinkle with Asiago cheese

Cover with aluminum foil and bake about 35 minutes.

Parmesan Crusted Pork

Actually, this can be done with chicken as well, if you'd rather. The trick is to try and make it about a 1/2 inch thick, and even across the whole portion of the meat...

1 lb white meat (pork or chicken), butterflied flat

1 c flour
2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp black cracked pepper
1 tsp Kosher salt

3 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp milk

1 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Set up your breading station: Pan 1 has the seasoned flour, Pan 2 has the eggs, Pan 3 has the cheese.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat up vegetable oil to between medium and medium high
Make sure that the vegetable oil is about 1/4 inch deep - no more
Bread the pieces of meat and then lay gently and carefully into the heated pan
Let cook until golden brown, and flip
Let cook again until golden brown
Remove and place onto a broiling pan
Place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked

**Note that chicken is a little more delicate than pork is, so it may take less time to finish it off in the oven**

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Serves about 5 very hungry people.

3 thawed chicken breast, cut into chunks 1-2 bites big

Breading:
3 cups cheese crackers (your choice of flavor - I love the 4 cheese)
30-40 Extreme Buffalo Wing Pringles chips (the ones with Frank's Red Hot on them)

Wet ingredients:
2 eggs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup milk
1/4 c Frank's Red Hot sauce

Heat oven to 375 degrees F
Crunch the crackers up into a powder, in a ziploc bag, with a rolling pin
Pour breading into one large container
Mix the wet dredge well in another container
Place pieces of the chicken into the wet, and let soak a few minutes
Remove and place into the breading, and coat completely
Lay onto a cookie sheet
Repeat until all the pieces are done
**you may need 3 cookie sheets, to make sure they don't get crowded**
Drizzle a little bit of olive oil onto the chicken
Place into the oven and cook about 12-14 minutes
Remove and serve with your favorite dip

Potato Cakes

I came up with this recipe last night when I was at a loss as to what to do with potatoes. Sometimes, going in a completely different direction can lead to good things - this being one of them... This does have the option of being easily vegetarian, which is great.

Yields about 20 potato cakes, 3" diameter

4-5 fist-sized russet or Idaho potatoes, washed and large diced (about 1" cubed)
2 eggs
1/4 c milk
**optional ingredients can include shredded onion, bacon, garlic, whatever you want**
up to 1 c all purpose flour (depending on what is needed)
Salt
Pepper

Boil potatoes to just past done (not easily mashed, but smash-able*)
Drain and place into a medium bowl
Smash potatoes but leave some chunks, and add eggs and milk.
Add flour, 1/3 cup at a time, until the mixture is thick and does not easily drop off a spoon

In a medium saute pan, heat 1/2" olive oil and 1 Tbsp bacon fat (optional)
Take one large spoon-ful of the dough and place into the oil, then spread til it's about 3/4" thick
Repeat until you have 3 or 4 in the pan at one time
Fry until golden brown, then gently and carefully turn
Fry until golden brown
Place onto a paper towel to drain
Repeat until finished

*think potato salad done, rather than mashed potato done

Excerpt

An excerpt from "The Making Of A Chef" by Michael Ruhlman. At this point, Mr Ruhlman is interviewing the president of the Culinary Institute of America, Mr Ferdinand Metz.

'Mr Metz had told me one puts one's values on the plate; in fact, he suggested that this was the final and distinguishing element one brought to the basics of cookery. "The thing you add is your own sense of standards and quality," he said.

'I asked him to clarify what he meant when he said one puts values on a plate.

'"You know an artist is represented by his or her paintings or drawings or sculpture, the quality of it," he said. "I think we project our values by the food we have on the plate, not necessarily in the same artistic sense, but in the sense of flavors we offer. I always feel that when I put food on the plate for my family - anybody - I'm saying, 'I feel good about this. This is what I believe is good food. If it's not good food, I wouldn't put it there. This is what I like, this is my standard, this is what I believe is good food and I hope you enjoy it.' I think you make a value statement every time."'

I honestly believe that I have never seen anything as succinctly put as this. It is the epitome of how I feel about food. Never give someone what you feel is second rate. It is a reflection of yourself and of your ideals, and you show others how you feel about both yourself and your ideals with it.

~M

Family Style Lasagna

yields 1 lasagna pan (14" x 9" x 4" deep) filled to the top

Sauce:
1 lb mild Italian sausage
1 lb hot Italian sausage
3 cans chunk tomatoes, Italian flavor
2 small cans tomato paste
2 cans mushrooms -or- 1 lb fresh mushrooms, sauteed in butter
1 bunch fresh basil, minced
8 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper

Cheese filling:
1 lb ricotta cheese, drained
1 lb fine curd cottage cheese, drained
1 lb grated mozzarella cheese
4 eggs
1 lb chopped spinach (drained) -or- 3 medium zucchini, shredded
1/4 tsp nutmeg (fresh-grated is best)
salt
pepper

2 boxes uncooked lasagna noodles
1 1/2 Cups water

1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded, for topping

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

For the sauce:
Mix the sausages together and brown.
Add the tomatoes, garlic and tomato paste.
Mix together until smooth
Add mushrooms and mix until combined.
Let simmer about 15-20 minutes.
Add basil and salt and pepper to taste.

For the cheese filling:
Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl until completely mixed.

In a large, 4" deep lasagna pan (13x9), do the following to layer:

sauce (with no meat, just to cover the bottom of the pan
Noodles, just meeting one another, covering the bottom of the pan
Cheese filling
Noodles
Sauce
Noodles
Cheese
Noodles

Repeat until you have used up all of the cheese, and then top with noodles and sauce.

Top with the cheese, and then add the noodles.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove tin foil and test noodles for done-ness. They should now be soft.
Bake another 15-20 minutes or until cheese on top is nice and bubbly.

Let rest about 15-30 minutes.

Serve.

On Egg Cookery

Egg cookery is not glamorous. It is relegated in the culinary world most times to either the pantry or A.M. chef, or to the weekend brunch chef, and otherwise forgotten. Today's world looks on the idea of the egg and the myriad of dishes that can be made with it either as a main dish (an omelet, for instance) or an ingredient (take the plethora of cakes, pies and pasta that is made with it) as a mere convenience - some even look at it as a necessary evil because of it's higher cholesterol content than some other protein-rich substances. Be that as it may, to me there is very little that makes it other than a perfect single serving item. It even comes pre-packaged.

Eggs aren't necessarily pretty on the plate (unless you work at it), and when cooked incorrectly will both taste and smell foul. Why is this? There are a few things that you need to understand about an egg. First of all, the protein structure. I could go on and on like a chemist or a scientist about what happens when heat is applied, etc. Simple is always good for most people, though. What happens is this: When an egg cooks, the proteins within it turn solid, trapping the water portion of the egg within it. That water is necessary for the egg to maintain its look and mouth-feel.

If you *over-cook* the egg, the proteins tend to over-stretch itself, and eventually break. This lets out the water, and turns your eggs rubbery and unappetizing. If you've ever stepped away from your eggs and when you've come back, you've wondered who dumped a quarter-cup of water into the pan, I'll tell you: YOU did. You let the eggs overcook. Not only that, you'll find that the eggs smell sort of... well... rotten. That's the sulfur that's inherent in egg structure. Release that, and it's all over.

So, how to cook a proper egg? Well, it depends on how you like your eggs, first of all. Hard boiled, soft boiled, poached, fried, over easy, sunny side up, or scrambled... There's a lot of choices for an egg, which is one of the wonderful things about them.

So, I'll visit each of them in turn and give a little information on how best to cook them, depending on how you want them...

Until then, ponder this: Out of all the meat-based proteins in the world, the egg has all of the omega acids necessary for our body to stay healthy.

~M

Bacon for Dessert...

So, my last entry in Iron Chef did not win - I lost by 3 points. I was disappointed in myself, if only because I didn't feel I gave it my all, and didn't bring my 'A' game.

But, that's OK - there's a new Iron Chef challenge for me...

Now, there's 8 of us (normally) that participate, so, we normally have two people in each category. It breaks down to Appetizer, Entree, Dessert, and Drinks. The drinks portion is normally a separate flavoring from the main secret ingredient, as it's sometimes difficult to figure out how to put peas into an appetizing form that one would want to imbibe... The last time we pulled, dessert and drinks were given to the same person...

This time has been no different, and I have been given Dessert and drinks. I already know the secret ingredient - Bacon.

To that end, I'm going to put together a medley of tasty bacon-based desserts to see which would stand out the most on a plate, and which will fail and burn in a fiery death of shame and woe...

I have such ideas as these:

Orange-cream puff pastry, dipped in chocolate, with bacon brittle
Apple filo dough with maple-glazed bacon
Pear and bacon tartlet with sugared bacon crumbles
Bacon carrot cake with a macadamia nut bacon brittle
Bacon chocolate chip cookie sandwiches with maple ice cream

I think these are all fairly good ideas and they should translate fairly well throughout the tasting...

If YOU have any ideas that you think would do well, let me know and I will consider mixing them in...

Street Vendor Tacos...

About five years ago, I did an externship at a local Caribbean/Florida/cum Northwestern restaurant and catering company.

Prior to that, while I had gone through "International Cooking", I hadn't had too much in the way of understanding much of anything that was regional in the way of Hispanic foods. I knew they were spicy, and I knew that I liked a lot of it. I also knew that most of what I got in the so-called "Mexican" restaurants (read chain restaurants like Azteca and the like) were *not* Mexican at all, but a Tex-Mex blend of ideas and components that, while tasty, really had nothing to do with South or Central America or its eating habits.

Imagine my surprise when the five women and four men I worked with at my externship showed me what different regions did, even within a 100 mile radius of Mexico city. I learned there how to make street tacos, and they quickly became my favorite treat in the world. I normally didn't have a way to make them for just myself, as it has a lot of condiments involved, and I don't necessarily want to eat 20 of them at a time...

So, since last night I was guaranteed to have at least 3 people besides myself to feed, I figured it was a perfect time for me to make tacos.

Makes about 20 small street tacos

20 small soft corn tortillas
2 lbs chicken breast, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
1 Tbsp garlic salt
1 Tbsp olive oil

optional toppings:
cotija cheese crumbles
queso fresco (mild white cheese)
pico de gallo
salsa
guacamole
sour cream
lettuce

Cook the chicken with the chiles and garlic salt in the olive oil on medium high heat until they are just brown.
Remove from the heat and steam the corn tortillas until they are pliable.
Add chicken, and your optional toppings.

Enjoy!

Drinks!!!

In honor of my "fabulous" daytime job, I have opted to post mixed drink recipes. Whoot!


Nutty Irishman

1/2 Irish Cream
1/2 Hazelnut Liqueur

Mix in whatever proportions deemed necessary, and serve.


Black-Hearted Wench

2 shots Captain Morgan's spiced rum
1 cup Sunny D or Tampico orange drink

Mix and serve.


Raspberry Vodka Sour

2 shots raspberry vodka
1 cup sour mix
2 shots grenadine

To make it a sparkling sour, remove the grenadine, and add a cup of Sprite.


Basic Sour Mix
(yields 2 cups)

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water
1/2 c lemon juice (more or less)
1/2 c lime juice (more or less)

Heat water and sugar on the stove until the sugar is dissolved
Add about 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 1/2 cup of lime juice - or thereabouts - until the desired flavor of the sour mix is achieved.
Stick it in the fridge to chill.

Grilled Lamb Loin...

Today is our anniversary, so I thought I'd do something a little special... Grilled, marinaded loin of lamb, cous cous, and some sauted green beans.

As a side note, lamb really should be served medium rare to rare. It is delicious and tender this way.

Marinade:
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
1/3 c olive oil
4 long sprigs Rosemary
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper

Trim the lamb and butterfly it so that it lays fairly flat and is cut fairly even, about 1-2" thick.
Place it into the marinade for up to 4 hours, turning every hour or so.

Heat the grill to about 250-300 degrees, and place the lamb onto the grill.

Let sit about 8 minutes, then turn 40 degrees clockwise.

Let sit about 8 minutes, then turn over.

Let sit about 8 minutes, then turn 40 degrees clockwise.

Let sit about 8 minutes, then remove from heat and place on a warm plate.

Cover loosely with tin foil and let sit about 5-10 minutes for carry-over cooking.

Slice against the grain of the meat to create long strips.

Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Delicious home-made Crock-pot Beef Stew

I haven't been able to run test recipes for a while now, and for that I apologize. It seems like whenever I get the chance, two seconds in something happens and I have to put everything on hold. *chuckle* This recipe is for those who think that those beef stew packets are all that... :-) You don't need to spend so much money on those things, though. Trust me.

Dredge mix:
2 c flour
2 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
salt
black cracked pepper



2 lbs beef, cubed into bite-sized pieces

5 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp Butter

4 c water, beef or veggie stock

1 bunch celery, chopped
1 large red onion, chopped
6 large carrots, scrubbed and chopped
5 large potatoes, scrubbed and chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp lemon juice
3 cups frozen petite green peas

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
Dredge beef well in the flour, then add, a little at a time, into the skillet.
Cook until brown and place into the waiting crock-pot.
Repeat until all the beef is done.
Add all the vegetables, withholding the garlic and peas.

Melt butter into the hot skillet and add remaining flour mixture.
If needed, add a little extra butter or flour to make the roux paste.
Cook until the flour smells nutty and turns a dark brown. Be careful not to burn it.

Slowly add your water/stock about 1 cup at a time, and stir until mixed with no lumps. As it gets more soup-like, you can add more stock at a time until completely mixed.

Add the sauce to the crock-pot, turn on high, cover, and leave sit for about 3.5 hours.

Test the potatoes with a fork, and if almost fork-tender, add the garlic and lemon juice.

Let sit another 30 minutes.

Add frozen peas, and remove from heat, stirring.

Serve with crusty bread.

Potato Stir Fry

I couldn't figure out what to serve with my Thai Chicken bites, so I looked in my pantry to see what I had... I found red, yukon, and russet (Idaho) potatoes, and I knew I had a bag of stir fry veggies. So, I figured I'd just see what happened.

Serves 4 hungry people (when served with the Thai Chicken Bites)

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 red potatoes, diced
1 large yukon gold, diced
2 russet potatoes, cleaned and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 sage leaves, minced
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 16 oz package stir fry veggie mix (your choice)
salt
pepper

Heat olive oil to medium high.
Add all potatoes into the pan and let cook, stirring after 5 minutes, to allow for browning.
Add garlic, sage and red pepper.
Continue to cook until potatoes are mostly browned.
Add stir fry veggies, and cook until completely heated through.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Thai Chicken Bites

I created the Thai Fried Chicken a while back, and it was such a tasty treat that I wanted to make it more regularly - but without the super deep fry of the original. So, last night, I tried a pan fry of it, and was happily surprised at the results. This has a very mild flavor of sweet chili sauce - if you want more, simply let the chicken marinade in it for several hours before you crumb and cook it.

**Oil should only come up about a 1/4" at most in the pan you're using - I prefer a larger pan, 14" in diameter.**

Serves 4 hungry people when accompanied with the potato stir fry

2 large chicken breasts, cut to 1/2" thick slices

The wash:
1/2 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
1/2 cup honey mustard
1 egg
1/4 c milk
salt
pepper


3 cups Panko bread crumbs (or thereabouts)

Heat olive oil in a large pan to medium-high heat
Set oven to warm, and have a capture tray out

Combine all wash ingredients together in a pie pan.
In a separate pie pan, place the panko bread crumbs.
Take your chicken slices and dip them into the egg wash, then transfer them to the panko.
Cover completely with panko, then lay gently (away from you, please) into the oil.
Cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and repeat.

Please into the capture tray, and place into the warming oven until all chicken is done.

Sprinkle with a bit of your favorite salt, and serve.

If you want, serve a side of the thai chili sauce/honey mustard mix for a dip.

Basic Hash

One of the first dishes I learned to make was a basic hash recipe. Simple, easy, stick-to-your-ribs stuff that was just plain good.

Every time I cook this meal, I'm taken back to my childhood and family. It just makes me happy...

Serves 4 hungry people

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, minced
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced (optional
1/2 lb ground meat (your choice of beef, turkey or pork, or a mix)
3 large Russet potatoes (aka Idaho potatoes)
salt
pepper

In a large, non-stick saute pan, heat olive oil on medium low heat.
Add garlic and onion, increase the heat to medium, and saute until onions are soft.
Add butter and let melt.
Add mushrooms and saute until soft and slightly golden brown.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the ground meat and brown.
Add the potatoes and cook until browned, stirring occasionally.
Add onions, garlic and mushrooms back in.
Season with salt and pepper

Serve.

FYI - New Linky Goodness...

Just so that you are aware, I have some new links up to the right here. Go ahead and look through them, and show them some love!

Vinaigrette recipe...

I've gotten angry over the years when heading through the dressing aisle at the grocery store. There's just something fundamentally wrong with purchasing large quantities of vinaigrette dressings for over $3 and $4 a bottle - and much of what is in it, you can't pronounce. What is up with that?!

The low-fat ones are the worst, really. If you look at a low-fat dressing, and compare it with it's full-fat counterpart, you'll see what I mean. Look at the back label - no, not under the calories from fat - no, down... a little further - yeah, there ya go. Look at the sugars per gram... And now, look at the ingredients... WOW! High Fructose Corn Syrup? Dextrose? Fructose? Yup - it's in the low-fat one... It's only considered low-fat because it doesn't have a lot of OIL in it... But let me tell you - the sugar will turn to fat once it's in your system... It's just as bad, if not worse than, the full-fat counterpart.

Now, don't stress about it - just don't buy it anymore. Why? Because you don't have to. Honestly, you don't. No really - making your own is so simple it's not even funny. All you need is pretty much in your kitchen right now...

I'm posting all three versions of vinaigrette that I know of. As a note - the "regular" version is my own... The basics of it will be under each heading, and then what you can add to it is in it's own category.

This is all about ratios, so if you can figure out equal parts of something, then you can do this. These all set up to serve about 4 people, give or take a few tsps.

Restaurant Vinaigrette
(ratio 1:3)
1 Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp oil
1/8 tsp ground mustard OR yellow mustard
salt
pepper


"Regular" Vinaigrette
(ratio 1:1)
2 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp oil
1/8 tsp ground mustard or yellow mustard
salt
pepper


Low-Fat Vinaigrette
(ratio 1:2:1)
1 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp fruit juice
1 Tbsp oil
1/8 tsp ground mustard or yellow mustard
salt
pepper

Oils:
Any oil you want to use, you can use. Olive, sunflower, hazelnut, walnut, vegetable - you name it, you can use it - you can even use infused oils if it tickles your fancy. The only caveat I need to post is watch the allergies - if someone is allergic to nuts, chances are you don't want to use a nut oil.

Vinegars:
Any vinegar you like the taste of would work perfectly.

Flavorings:
Garlic is an immediate go-to for me... You can also use chopped herbs like tarragon, parsley, sage, rosemary, chives, cilantro, basil, chervil, practically any green herb you can think of. Zests and juices of citrus fruits work well, as do crushed berries. Other flavorings you can try are peppers (hot and mild), and spices as well - the only thing I can say about using spices is to try and make sure you get whole spices, toast them gently, and then grind them as needed. You'll get a lot more flavor out of them that way.

How much to add? Well, it's up to you. A serving of 4, like above, should only have about 3 flavorings in them (otherwise your tongue will get overpowered). Only about 1-2 Tbsp total of the flavorings should be in that dressing.

Unlike what we do at restaurants, where you'd make a huge batch and look for perfect emulsions, this is a simple recipe, so you can put it in a small, well-sealed container, and shake it when you want it.

The nice thing about doing things this way is that you can change it up. Don't want to have tarragon-garlic vinaigrette tomorrow? No problem! This time, use basil and flat leaf parsley.

This is also a great time to start thinking of growing a few herbs in your windowsill. It's cheaper to grow them, and you can grab what you need without worrying about the rest of it never being used.

Oh - almost forgot - this is also GREAT for making marinades!

Enjoy!

One Pot Chicken Paprikash

I spent a month when I was 15, wending my way through Eastern Europe. One of the stops I made was in Budapest, Hungary, where I was introduced to the most simple of dishes - Chicken Paprikash with spaetzle. At the time, I didn't think much of it - when you're 15 and wandering through Europe, do you really pay that much attention to the food? Well, technically, yes I did - if only because it was so amazing.

My host family there fed me an amazing home-cooked meal of roasted chicken, smothered in a creamy paprika sauce, with homemade spaetzle noodles, and then sat and watched me eat it. Being from the US, I'd never experienced anything like that meal. It was only well after that night that I learned why they had sat and watched me eat. It was their appreciation for food, and wanting to make sure that their guest was appreciating it as well. Something that many of us here in the West simply take for granted. It was a humbling experience, and the flavors of Eastern Europe stuck with me. I still love stroganoff and paprikash... And I make my own whenever possible.

***Note*** I do not make my own Spaetzle - I normally simply use Egg noodles for this. I admit, I have not been that adventurous yet. But give me time... I will.

serves 3-4 people

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 Tbsp olive oil or butter
4 Tbsp Hungarian paprika
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 c water or stock
4 c egg noodles
1 c sour cream
corn starch slurry

In a large skillet, cook chicken in the olive oil.
Add garlic and paprika and saute about 7 minutes.
Add the stock or water and bring to a boil.
Add the noodles and cook, covered, about 10 minutes.
Add the sour cream, and mix together, cooking for another 5-7 minutes.
Add the corn starch slurry.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer about 2 minutes, and serve!

Basic Cheese Sauce...

So, the discussion has been brought up yet again about whether Velveeta should be included in anyone's diet. My personal conviction is that Velveeta serves as a warning to all who would choose to go completely plastic in their diet - as long as they wish to be recycled when they die, go ahead. But, honestly, it's one molecule away from being a plastic itself.

The real question is, why would anyone want to *eat* that?! Well, because we've been told that eating quick is now preferable to eating healthy. Not only that, but obviously, a cheese sauce must be extremely difficult to make if companies constantly make packets of powdered substances and bricks of food-grade plastic to consume.

WRONG!!!

Let me tell you what - I guarantee that I can teach you how to make a good cheese sauce - and one that is super easy and simple. Don't believe me? Try the following out, and let me know what you think.

Simple Bechamel Sauce (that's French for Cream!)

Software:
1 lb of cheese, grated
2 c milk (you can do skim, 1%, 2% or whole)
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp butter or oil

Hardware:
1 medium-large sauce pot (stainless is preferred)
1 wooden spoon
1 whisk

In the sauce pot, over medium heat, melt butter or heat oil.
Once completely melted or heated, add the flour and stir with the wooden spoon.
Cook flour until you smell it turn nutty, stirring often.
Cook another minute after you smell the flour turn nutty, then...

Switch to the whisk and slowly, 2-3 Tbsps at a time, add the milk while whisking (this keeps the lumps down to nothing).
Once one portion of the milk is absorbed, add a little more milk, and repeat until you have a nice smooth mixture, and then add the remaining portion of the milk.

Whisking slowly, let the milk heat up for about 7 minutes. Then start adding the cheese, a hand-full at a time. Do not add more until the last handful is completely melted.

Let cook another 10 minutes or so, and it will be done.

You can use pretty much any type of cheese you wish in this - even two or three different types of cheese if you prefer. You can also add in half milk and half stock, if you prefer, to add an alternative flavor to it.

This sauce is great on veggies, making mac and cheese or potatoes au gratin. If you increase your flour and oil/butter ratio equally, you can make it thicker - which would be great for a fondue.

Easy Peasy Scratch Mac & Cheesey!

No, this is not low fat, and it’s not low calorie… But it’s ooey gooey goodness. And that’s ok on occasion.



The software:
1 package large elbow macaroni noodles
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
3 cups chilled whole milk
4 cups grated cheese of your choice
1 package sliced cheese of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

The hardware:
1 large stockpot
1 medium sauce pot
1 whisk
1 spatula
1 9x11x2 baking pan, greased

In a large stockpot, bring 4-6 quarts of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile…

In the saucepot, melt the butter and mix in the flour over medium heat.
Stir gently with a whisk until a nutty smell starts.
Gently add in the milk a little at a time, whisking briskly to avoid clumping.
Once the roux is smooth and creamy, add the remaining milk.
Add the grated cheese, one handful at a time, stirring constantly. Do not add the next handful until the first one is melted.
Turn heat to low.
Don’t worry if it’s sort of watery-looking. That’s ok - the excess will be taken in by the noodles as they finish cooking.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Add the noodles to the now-boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes LESS than the directed time on the package.
Don’t worry that it’s going to be sort of toothy.
Drain noodles and put back into the pot.
Add sauce to the noodles and mix together fully, and turn off the heat.
Place the mixture into the greased baking dish .
Layer the sliced cheese onto the top of the dish, then place in the oven for ½ hour.

Let cool about 10 minutes and serve

FYI - basic classes now available!

Do you:

*want to learn basic cooking techniques one-on-one?
*want to learn how to make healthy, easy meals?
*want to do it all in a "standard" kitchen, using basic equipment?
*happen to be in the Portland/Beaverton area?

If you are looking for a way to get away from boxed meals, take-out, and get back to being healthy again, look no further.

Graduating from Western Culinary in 2005, I was trained to work in a kitchen, and do small-service catering - but my first love is teaching about the wonders of food. I believe that the first thing we need to do to maintain a healthy body and spirit is to start with good food, and go from there. With good food, we can give our body good energy. With good energy, we can feel better, do more, and build healthy, positive relationships with ourselves and with those around us.

The US Surgeon General says that if Americans don't start living a healthier lifestyle, by the year 2015, over 70% of us will be overweight and unhealthy. Over 40% of those will be obese and unhealthy, and over 20% will be super-obese. The easiest way we can start to change these statistics is to start eating healthy. Cut out the boxed meals, reduce the take out and fast food, and start cooking from scratch again. Think you don't have time? Think again. Much of what is good for you can be prepped in advance, and cooked within 20 to 30 minutes.

I understand that it's difficult to find the time sometimes. I'm not advocating that everything be made from scratch all the time. But there are choices that can be made every day - I believe that we, as consumers, can either make those choices ourselves, or allow others in large food corporations, to make the choices for us and take away our right to a healthy body and mind.

Whether you are ready to kick-start your family into trying something new, or you just want to learn a few basic techniques, try giving me a call.

**note - this is a great course for young adults and first-timers living on their own - please no more than two people for each course**

This is a full day course, and currently only available on Saturday or Sunday, with 3 weeks prior notice. Menus and food options are chosen at the time of the booking. Start time is 10am, at the market of your choice, and then traveling to your home, so that you are able to use your own kitchen, and see how to use it to your best advantage.

The course includes the following:

*Shopping - Believe it or not, your choices at the market decide your overall health. I'll teach you what ingredients to look for on labels that are good choices, verses not so good choices. If this is summer, I highly encourage a trip to the local farmer's market.

*Prepping - Once home, we will go over some basic ways to prep things down for easy, quick meals. This will include cutting up and labeling of meats (if you eat them), and then taking care of fruits, cheese and veggies.

*Cooking - Techniques are provided based on the menu chosen beforehand. It can be anything from stir fry to roasting, from a cheese board to steamed veggies.

*Afterward - Critiquing of the over-all experience, and re-visit on how to make good food choices when shopping.

Course cost is $250 for one person, and $350 for two, and is due no later than 1 week after booking.

Cancellation policy:
If the course is canceled at least 2 weeks prior to the date, then a full refund is provided.

If the course is canceled 1 week prior to the date, then a half-refund is provided.

If the course is canceled less than one week prior to the date, except in extreme cases (death in the family, urgent hospitalization, etc), there is no refund.

If for any reason I am forced to cancel the class, there will be a full refund, and I will offer to re-schedule the course for you.

****Please note - I schedule these classes based on my current work schedule. I am normally able to adjust my schedule accordingly, but there may be occasions where I am unavailable for specific dates.****

My own little soap box...

One of the biggest concerns in America (because no where else will you see quite so many frivolous lawsuits) is having healthy food, being healthy, and maintaining a healthy weight.

The real facts about health are more muddied than the Mississippi river in flood season, and there are new "facts" that come up each day about foods... One day you'll be told that margarine should be eaten because it's better for you than butter... Suddenly you're told that it's not, because of trans-fats and other nasty items lurking in wait to suddenly destroy your body.

You're told one day not to eat beef, only to be told the next day that it's actually fairly healthy and you can have it, just as long as all the fat has been removed... And a few months later, beef is once again on the no-no list.

The question is, how did we get to where we are today? Why is it that, of all the nations, we have the most food available per capita, and yet we are filled with hatred and fear toward it? Why do we have one of the highest obesity rates in the world, with Diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and stroke leading the way in death and disability each year?

100 years ago we had virtually no issues with any of these so-called "Western" diseases. And yet, over the last 100 years (actually, over the last 50 years where it's REALLY taken off), we have had doctors, advertisers, food scientists and other snake oil salesmen try and tell us what we *should* eat, how much, when, why, and how... We've been told that low-fat, low salt, low (or no) meat, high carb, low carb, no carb, high protein, low protein, massively pre-processed foods (or should I say FUD) is good for us, and we should eat it...

We've tried all the latest fad diets, health recommendations, food regimens, exercise and other abuses, all leading to an even higher rate of obesity and obesity-related issues - even if we aren't obese... We've spent the last 50 years brainwashing our children to eat whatever the news tells us, and supplementing it with fast food and quick snacks from the local Kwik-E-Mart (I'd get started on spelling, but that's a different rant altogether - along with Foto.).

I have no doctoral degree, and I don't even claim to understand what goes on inside a carrot when it's cooked versus when it's served raw. I don't know how the digestive tract breaks down foods, and I honestly could care less about whether the percentage of beta-carotene is higher or lower in one food or another. I have a different kind of suggestion from everyone else... It's a little radical, and it could potentially tick off your doctor or nutritionist - not to mention salesmen and fast-food restaurant companies all over the country, but just hear me out...

Try not eating so many overly-processed foods... I'm not saying cut them out completely. Why? Because while it IS possible to do it, it can be a difficult thing for us to do. But just try not eating as many... If what you're eating has a lot of ingredients that you can't pronounce, chances are, they're not found in nature... If they aren't found in nature, ask yourself if you really want to eat it...

I'm not saying that they're the worst things for you - but a lot of what we eat just doesn't need to be that overly processed. There's a reason why other countries who DON'T eat a lot of overly processed foods don't have the same issues with weight and weight-related diseases that the US does... They don't have the same level of processed foods that we do.

So, just throwing it out there to think about... I know, it's a radical idea. Perhaps, it's an idea whose time has come... Maybe the next time you decide to make Velveeta cheese dip, try doing it from scratch, with real cheese, rather than Velveeta - could make a difference - you never know.

Tasty Vegan Indian Curry

Before you say EWWW yuck, give it a chance. It's actually quite tasty, and if you don't want it to be Vegan, it's easy to add chicken or shrimp to it, too. This becomes a complete protein when served with rice.

Serves 8 hungry people (with the rice cooked below can serve up to 12)
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
4 potatoes, cleaned and cubed
1 tsp crushed red peppers
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 c water or veggie stock
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 celery heart, diced
1 Tbsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp ground Coriander seed
1-2 Tbsp green curry powder
2 cups garbanzo beans (chick peas), pre-cooked
3 carrots
2 cups chopped broccoli
3 cups green beans
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 c water or veggie stock
salt and pepper to taste

In a large non-stick pan, Heat olive oil on medium high heat
Place potatoes into pan and let fry about 6 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally
Add salt and crushed red chilis
Add water or veggie stock and stir
Add in garlic, celery and onion, and stir until combined
Cook about 4-5 minutes, stirring fairly constantly
Add Turmeric, Coriander and Curry powder, and combine completely
Add garbanzo beans, carrots, broccoli, green beans and red bell pepper
Stir to combine, and add the 1/2 c water or veggie stock
Let simmer about 15-20 minutes
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Serve with rice below

RICE

1 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 c rice
1/2 c slivered almonds, without skin
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups water or veggie stock

In a medium saucepot, heat olive oil on medium high heat
Add rice, slivered almonds and kosher salt
Stir to coat completely with olive oil and let toast until just lightly brown on the rice
Add enough water or veggie stock to cover by about 1"
Reduce heat to simmer and place lid on the pot
Let cook about 15 minutes, or until rice is done

Serve with the curry

Really good French Toast

First, I am not a huge fan of French Toast. I grew up with a mother who loved to cook very heavy breakfasts - while many people would love it, I did not - my stomach just can't handle dark whole wheat 28 grain bread dipped in egg at 6am before school...

In trying new ways to get my daughter (who is just barely 2) to try new things, I came across a brilliant way to make French Toast that she would eat. I kept in mind that she doesn't mind fruit, and doesn't mind toast if it's sweet - and she likes to have some texture, but not huge crunches (unless it's popcorn - and that's a different post).

So, since she wasn't eating the egg that I would make her in the morning, I figured I'd dip some bread into the egg, lightly sweeten the batter, and then see what we got... And we got a really tasty piece of breakfast...

2 slices of blueberry Streusel bread (or the fruit bread of your choice) FROZEN
1 egg
1 Tbsp vanilla creamer
1 tsp sugar

Break the egg into a flat-bottomed dish and whip the creamer and sugar in
Place the bread into the mix and let soak on both sides until completely wet
Preheat a 12" pan to medium heat
Place 1 Tbsp butter into the pan and let that melt
Place each of the pieces of bread into the pan and pour any additional batter over the top (shouldn't be more than 1-2 Tbsp at most
Turn over once it's just golden brown

Serve with a little bit of butter and, if you like, a light dusting of powdered sugar.