Ruining Mom's Recipes

Practicing the art of cutting up a whole chicken

2012-01-15T12:51:00.001-08:00

You're probably going to get really sick of me talking about my new cooking class, but with all of the cool stuff I'm learning, I hope I can pass on at least a few little gems of knowledge!

Or maybe even some big gems, like this week's lesson where we learned how to cut up a whole chicken. My parents can cut up chickens with their eyes closed, but despite their efforts to teach me, I've always been scared to do it myself. Even after watching my mostly vegetarian teacher make cutting up a chicken look like a cake walk, I still was scared and took forever making the tiny little cuts.

But this is culinary skill I definitely want to utilize — it's a much more inexpensive way to eat chicken, and it's such a great way to make broth (something we also did in class this week). So since practice makes perfect, I decided to give it a try on my own this weekend while it was still fresh in my mind (and without a teacher grading me on my skills or lack thereof!).

Not to shabby! Well, except for the gorgeous "oyster" in the middle. My still-untrained hand left the tenderest piece of the thigh on the carcass, so I cut it out anyway and just roasted it on its own. Hopefully I won't make that mistake again, but I think it's going to take a few more whole chickens before I get this one down.

We also were given free reign of the spice cabinet to make a roasted chicken breast in class, and I think mine turned out so delicious, I plan to make it again.

Cinnamon-and-Spice Roasted Chicken Breast

You can use any combination of your favorite spices mixed with olive oil to make roasted chicken breast, but on a chilly night this cinnamon-and-spice combination is sure to warm you to the bones.

1 boneless chicken breast, skin intact (or other similar-sized chicken pieces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/4 teaspoon anise seed
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine olive oil and spices on a plate. Place chicken on the plate and rub the mixture onto both sides. Allow to marinate for 5 to 15 minutes.

Heat a dry, heavy skillet to medium-high. When skillet is hot but not smoking, place chicken in skillet, skin-side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until it starts to pop and looks cooked on the bottom quarter.

Turn breast over and place entire skillet in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Note: For a more intense flavor, try using whole spices and grinding them along with the anise seed and chile flakes.

Roasted Eggplant Pasta sans tomatoes

2012-01-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

Anybody have any good recipes for eggplant that don't involve drenching it in oil?

Eggplant Sauce with Tomato and Red Chili Pepper from "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" was the evening's original goal. But when I saw that the recipe called for frying the eggplant slices in 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil, I wasn't too disappointed that I didn't have the tomatoes needed for the dish.

Instead, I decided roasting it with onion and garlic in extra-virgin olive oil would not only be healthier, but also quite a bit tastier. It ended up being something of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink recipe, but since I had a lot of tasty things in the fridge, it's a combination I would certainly try again.

Still, I admit the end product had a bit more oil (not to mention bacon grease) and salt than I would have used cooking most other vegetables. But maybe both are a necessary evil when cooking with pasta, since they rounded out the dish perfectly.

Penne with Roasted Eggplant
1 medium eggplant, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 medium red onion, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, smashed and divided
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups penne pasta (or other bite-size pasta)
4 slices bacon
4 ounces mushrooms
4 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss eggplant with about 1/4 teaspoon salt in a colander and let sit while you prepare the onion and garlic, from 5-15 minutes. Blot eggplant with a paper towel, then place in 9-by-12-inch baking dish with onion and 2 cloves garlic. Toss with olive oil and about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Roast vegetables until fragrant, about 30 minutes, stirring a couple of times to be sure eggplant hasn't soaked in all of the olive oil.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Add remaining garlic clove and cook on both sides until brown. Remove garlic clove, then add mushrooms to skillet and stir-fry until they start to lose their juices, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and about 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir until wilted. Remove from heat.

When roasted vegetables and pasta are finished, add both to the skillet with the bacon and stir well. Add pepper and child flakes; adjust seasonings as necessary.

Top with feta cheese or serve on the side.

I'm learning Soups and Seasoning with Intuition!

2012-01-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

So, did I mention that I'm taking a cooking class at my school? And I'm not talking about a measly two-hour cooking class where you learn the basics of Thai cooking or something like that. I'm talking about a full-on, 11-week class through our top-notch culinary program — just another kick-ass perk of working for a natural health university!

Needless to say, Mom and Charlie both were not impressed when I shared with them the big news. I bragged about the knife skills I would learn, Charlie said, "I could teach you that." I bragged about the course title, "Soups and Seasonings with Intuition," and Mom just looked at me like I was a fool to take a class when I could just teach myself to cook like she did.

Maybe I'm just too American, but I want to learn from the experts. I want to learn which foods pair well together and how to make my dishes pretty. And I want to feel confident about the food that I'm making.

So far, not so good. Sure, it's a cooking class, but it's a class that aims to teach us how to cook our own food, so we're not using recipes, we're just being given a topic and told to run with it. Week one was a vegetable broth, and although my decision to add smoked paprika to the mix was a bold one, I'm not sure if it was such a tasty one.

But the whole point of the class is to learn, and learn I already have. Our always-encouraging teacher, Chef Omid Roustaei, told us a secret that I probably should have learned from my mother, but I didn't. Every week, he takes the scraps of all of the vegetables I've been putting in my compost bin (onion skins, carrot ends, kale stalks, etc), and makes broth out of them to make his grains with or even to use as a soup base.

When I'd just cooked up my first batch and told Bryan what I was doing, he pointed out that Mom does that too, except she uses those scraps not necessarily as a broth, but she puts them in the soups she makes each day, which is why every time I have one of her soups the ingredients are different. She puts my wastefulness to shame, even after I've made this beautiful, flavor vegetable stock!

Peppers (and a zucchini) stuffed to the brim

2012-01-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

I'd had a giant zucchini from my CSA sitting in the fridge for over the week when I saw a recipe in Family Circle magazine for Stuffed Zucchini. The recipe looked decent, but I thought I could do better. And then I went to Costco and bought a six-pack of peppers, and I kinda went nuts.

It's possible I made too much food for just the two of us. It was certainly enough to discourage me from making this fabulous salad I was envisioning, but hey, that just leaves my creativity intact for another day!

Stuffing for Bell Peppers or Zucchini
Makes enough for 6 bell peppers or 4 medium zucchini
6 slices bacon, chopped
4 ounces spinach
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces crimini mushrooms, halved then sliced
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1-2 cups cooked rice
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Heat about 1 inch of water in a large pot until boiling. Add spinach, stir until it's just barely cooked (less than a minute), then dump into a collander and immediately stop the cooking process by rinsing with cold water. Squeeze spinach dry, then chop and set aside.

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet until it starts to get crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Pour fat from pan, but leave a nice coating on the bottom.

Add onions and celery to the skillet, and cook until it starts to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and continue stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir until mushrooms begin to lose their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. Stir in rice, tomatoes and reserved bacon, then add salt, pepper and chile flakes to taste.

To assemble:
Although a lot of stuffed pepper recipes call for you to cut the tops off and stuff the peppers with raw meat, I prefer my peppers (and zucchini) still on the crunchy side, so I like to cook the filling first, and cut the peppers in half so they take even less time to cook. Not to mention that it's also a heckuva lot easier to fill!

Using this method, I filled 10 pepper halves and 2 zucchini halves (seeds scraped out and saved for a later use) until they were overflowing, then sprinkled them with cheese. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and cook until the cheese begins to brown and the zucchini and peppers are soft to the touch, about 30 minutes

Gold Potato Gratin stars a Cougar in the Yukon

2012-01-07T13:08:00.001-08:00

After our amazing Potato Gratin with Mushrooms and Gruyere on Christmas Eve, I've decided it was time to create my own potato gratin with some Cougar Gold that I'll otherwise keep snacking on late at night or at other times that are hardly ideal.

And since I was making steak with this dish, I decided to try a bit of a healthier route by replacing the heavy cream with whole milk. I'm pretty sure I've made potato gratin in the past with fat-free milk with success, so I thought this would be just as creamy.

Silly me. NOTHING is as creamy as heavy cream, and even thought the whole milk did prevent the gratin from at least turning into a soupy casserole, it was not nearly as decadent as our Christmas Eve gratin.

But it was still a tasty side dish to our simple steak, especially drizzled with white truffle oil!

Gold Potato Gratin
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
2 cups Cougar Gold cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub the crushed garlic clove around the sides and bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish with a lid (or use foil). When garlic juice has dried, generously coat the dish with butter.

Layer half the potatoes on the bottom of the casserole pan. Top with half the onions, then sprinkle with half the flour, half the salt and half the cheese. Repeat with the second layer.

Cover casserole, then bake for about 45 minutes, until it starts to bubble. Remove the lid, and cook for until the top begins to brown, about another 15 minutes.

I bet you want to know how I cooked that steak, too.

I kinda cheated this time and used a free Worcestershire-Pepper sample seasoning that's been sitting in my cabinet for way too long. But the real success came from following Leslie's directions on how to cook it (she said to just use a little salt and pepper).

Heat the oven to 350, then heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, swirl to coat, then add the steaks and sear for about 4 minutes or until it starts to smell like it's cooked. Turn the steaks over and place in the oven for about 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness.

I used beef loin New York steak from Costco that was about 1-1/2 inches thick, and they were perfect after 7 minutes in the oven. So much more even than grilling!

Why would I need my own waffle iron?

2012-01-04T11:44:00.001-08:00

This Christmas, we got a waffle iron for one of Bryan's sweet young bachelor stepbrothers, and I've been dreaming of buying my own ever since.

But no longer. I finally gave in this morning and got one of the Belgian waffles at the Bastyr Dining Commons, and not only did it soothe my craving, but it also soothed my guilt since I went for the gluten-free option.

There was a time when I planned on officially going gluten-free in 2012, but since I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, we'll see if it ever happens. In the meantime, I'll keep taking baby steps into a fully gluten-free diet. Hard to say no when the options look like this!

Leftover Christmas Ham, Day 5: Stuffed Squash

2012-01-03T20:24:00.000-08:00

I've had a beautiful delicata squash sitting on my kitchen table for a little over a week now, just calling out to me. I love squash so much that it's always a struggle to decide on one dish to make. Unfortunately, my favorites are also the most time-consuming: Squash Lasagna and Squash Soup. And then there's the dishes I have yet to try, like this Pumpkin Curry Shrimp or even throwing some squash into risotto.

But most of the time, it just comes down to what's the easiest to make, which means most of the squash that I buy turns into the always-delicious Stuffed Squash. So with just enough leftover Split Pea Soup to make it a side dish, I decided the delicata would make the perfect accompaniment.

Since you can never have too much ham, I replaced the bacon that I often use in stuffed squash with some leftover Christmas Ham, and added kale cooked in some of the juice from the bottom of the ham dish, giving the squash a decadent sweet and salty flavor.

Stuffed Delicata Squash with Leftover Christmas Ham
1 medium delicata squash
1/4 c. raw walnuts
1/2 c. cooked rice
1 T. bacon grease or olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
6 c. uncooked kale (about 4 large stalks), leaves removed from stems and ripped into 1-inch pieces
1/2 c. broth (use ham juice if you have it!)
1/2 c. diced ham
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Slice squah in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Cook at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until soft to the touch, about 30 minutes. Roast walnuts in a separate dish for about 10 minutes, stirring once.

Meanwhile, heat medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon grease and garlic clove, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add kale and a sprinkling of salt. Stir until the kale begins to wilt, about 5 minutes, then add broth, reduce heat and cover. Simmer until kale has shrunken in size and lost some of its color, about 15 minutes.

When squash is done, remove from the oven. Scrape flesh into a large bowl. Add kale, walnuts, rice and ham. (Liquid from the kale should be enough to moisten the squash, but you might have to add butter.) Stir well, then scoop back into squash shells. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then place back in oven until cheese begins to brown, about 15 minutes.

Ringing in the New Year with Egg Custards

2012-01-02T20:55:00.001-08:00

Since Christmas Day ended up being just a small gathering with Mom and Charlie this year, we made up for it last night with a big party at my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Burly's.

Burly and Sandy prepared an amazing feast with lobster, garlic chicken, egg foo young (with homemade BBQ pork) and Chinese veggies, followed by everyone's favorite dim sum snack: Egg Custard.

Although the actual custard seemed easy enough, the crust was even easier since they came from a giant box of tartlet shells Burly had found at Cash & Carry.

Egg Custards
2 eggs
2 oz. sugar
3 oz. water
3 oz. milk (can use evaporated milk)

Preheat oven to 480 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix ingredients together, then pour into tartlet shells. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower oven temperature to 360 degrees. Keep an eye on the tarts, then remove from oven just before tops begin to blister, about 10-15 more minutes.

Leftover Christmas Ham, Day 4: Split Pea Soup

2012-01-01T14:40:00.000-08:00

Although the main reason I made a 12-pound Christmas Ham for just Bryan and me was because we wanted plenty of leftover ham, another reason was because I had big plans for the bone.

It's always hard to just choose one recipe to use the ham bone in, but every year Split Pea Soup seems to win the toss-up. Maybe it's just one of those recipes I forget about the rest of the year because it's so dang easy to make.

The only recipe I've ever used is one I got from Heather eons ago that uses cubed ham and bouillon cubes instead of a ham bone. But since I used the bone, I used 2 instead of 6 bouillon cubes, and it still was a bit on the unsalty side for those who prefer a sodium bomb.

Heather's Split Pea Soup
1 c. onion, chopped
3/4 c. celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. split peas
8 c. water
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 t. pepper
2 bay leaves
2 c. chopped ham
3-4 medium peeled carrots
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

Bring all of the ingredients to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Easy!

Leftover Christmas Ham, Day 3: Quiche

2011-12-29T18:49:00.001-08:00

Quiche, quiche, beautiful quiche, how I've missed you!

I was just going to double up my recipe for Spinach-Bacon Quiche (with leftover Christmas Ham instead of bacon, of course!), but I only had enough spinach for one quiche. However, I also had a beautiful bunch of red chard that I just purchased as a new member of PCC Natural Markets, so why not combine both into something even more flavorful?

Christmas Ham Quiche with Spinach and Chard
Makes 2 quiches
1 stick butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch chard, stems removed and cut into 1/2-inch ribbons
1 bunch green onions, chopped
10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with cheesecloth or paper towels
8 eggs
3 3/4 cups whole milk
3 cups grated Gruyere
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. cayenne
1 t. salt
1 t. freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Paprika, for garnish

Melt butter in a large pan. Add garlic, stir around until it starts to smell, about 30 second, then add chard and saute for a couple of minutes, until it begins to wilt. Add the green onions and continue stirring until the liquid starts to evaporate, another couple of minutes. Add the spinach and stir until well combined, for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the eggs. Mix in the milk, Gruyere, nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare crusts for two quiches. Add spinach-chard mixture to the egg-milk mixture and combine well. Pour the mixture evenly into each of the crusts. Top with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and paprika. Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes, until you shake it and it doesn't jiggle.

Serve with a salad if you're healthy, or potato wedges fried in bacon grease if you're not!

Leftover Christmas Ham, Day 2: Mac-n-Cheese

2011-12-28T21:44:00.000-08:00

Now this is the dish we've been waiting for: Connie's Mac-n-Cheese, spiked with leftover Christmas ham, peas and sprinkled with goat cheese.

I asked Bryan to make it because his just always turns out better. It's so good, in fact, that our friend Leslie gave him a shoutout on her Seattle Weekly "Wino" blog after he cooked her up a batch while she was laid up with a broken shoulder.

We used whole milk to make this creamy deliciousness even more creamy, and for added flavor mixed in a bit of asiago with the cheddar, in addition to the goat cheese that contributed to the crispy topping.

And not to worry, Mom, heeding your wisdom on eating soup before a meal, I whipped up a pot of Stracciatella Soup to help keep our passageways from turning into cheese.

Christmas Prime Rib, hot off the rotisserie!

2011-12-26T13:13:00.000-08:00

Although Bryan and I spent Christmas Eve alone, we headed to Mom and Charlie's for Christmas Day, where we were greeted by the scent of a prime rib slowly roasting in Mom's rotisserie.

In the past, the rotisserie has "lived" outside, next to the barbecue, which has left much more to the imagination for the olfactory glands. Moving the rotisserie indoors was a welcome surprise on the stormy day that sent us rushing over to Mom's after our power had gone out.

But the prime rib was just the beginning of our Christmas scentsasion!

After I burned my tongue on the baby bok choy Mom told me to try, which convinced her I didn't know how to cook because I should have known it was too hot to put in my mouth, she made me help her make the Brussels sprouts.

Similar to the Brussels sprouts I had made for our own Christmas Eve feast, Mom had parboiled these for 5 minutes, then sliced them in halves or quarters. But instead of roasting hers, we first cooked up two slices of bacon, then added a shallot, then the Brussels sprouts for a quick stir-fry. They were equally delicious, even if Mom thought they were too greasy from the bacon. More for us to take home, woo-hoo!

Mom rounded out the meal with mashed potatoes, gravy and beets, giving it just enough traditional fare to keep it in the Christmas family, but still keeping it Mom style with her version of healthy Chinese cooking.

Honestly, who wouldn't want bok choy as part of their Christmas meal? Thanks Mom, for always being unpredictable!

Leftover Christmas Ham, Day 1: Scrambled Eggs

2011-12-25T11:35:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Day, and we're already digging into our leftover Christmas Ham!

Although we're heading over to Mom's later today for a prime rib dinner, I decided a healthy meal of oatmeal just wasn't going to cut it when we have pounds and pounds of leftover ham calling out to us.

Mom asked me to bring over pretzels, my only contribution to our Christmas feast, so I got up early to get the dough started, then got cooking on the following Christmas Ham Scramble, served with Stephen's roasted potatoes:

Christmas Ham Scramble
1/2 cup ham, cut in small pieces
2 green onions, sliced
1 T. bacon grease or butter
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. Cougar Gold, grated

Saute ham and white parts of green onion in a large skillet until heated through. Remove and set aside, then place bacon grease or butter in same skillet and add eggs. Scramble until about halfway cooked, then add ham and green onions back to the skillet and fold together to incorporate. After eggs are cooked as desired, place onto serving plates, then top with Cougar Gold or any other cheese of your choice. Place in the oven to melt the cheese before serving, if desired.

12 pounds of Christmas ham (for 2!)

2011-12-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

For holiday meals in the past, I've purchased a small ham for just Bryan and me, thinking a bigger one would just be excessive for anything less than a large family. But we've since discovered how much we love having leftover ham for myriad dishes, including quiche and mac-n-cheese, so this time I went ahead and purchased a 12-pound ham for just the two of us.

This also meant I had to give the side dishes some thought, since normally I'd just serve savory mac-n-cheese or quiche with a honeyed-up ham. But since those dishes will definitely be appearing on our table later this week, starring said leftover ham, it was time to hit my ridiculous stack of cooking magazines for some inspiration.

Baked Spinach and Gruyere was a first choice, but besides the fact it was too similar to quiche, I had just purchased a bottle of white truffle oil that was calling out for potatoes and mushrooms. The solution?: Potato Gratin with Mushrooms and Gruyere from Bon Appetit's November 2010 issue.

For the mushrooms, I used a combination of fresh king oyster and shitake mushrooms purchased during my first outing to Seafood City (which, as a lover of Asian fruits and vegetables, I'm afraid to say did not impress me as much as other area Asian stores). And although I didn't actually cook with the truffle oil in order to preserve its flavor, Bryan and I both enjoyed drizzling just a bit over the potatoes.

Served with Brussels sprouts that I parboiled for 5 minutes, then sliced in half and roasted for another 5 minutes, it was a Christmas Eve dinner I'll never forget (it's quite possible the 2007 Pedestal Merlot - the most expensive bottle of wine Bryan and I have ever purchased - might have played a role!).

Merry Christmas and thanks for reading!

Mom's White Papaya Soup for the Soul

2011-12-07T10:26:00.001-08:00

I know I said my Twice-Baked Potatoes are worthy of a meal on their own, but, well, we're pigs. Or maybe we just prefer flavor explosions. Needless to say, I actually paired last night's Twice-Baked Potatoes with a plethora of dishes, including the last two leftover pieces of Lemon Chicken from Greg Atkins' "West Coast Cooking," collard greens with bacon and garlic (prepared like Sauteed Kale), and a first attempt at making one of Mom's amazing soups.

Stephen has been bugging me for months, possibly years, to finally share some of Mom's Chinese soups here, but after last night's attempt I'm reminded of why I've been hesitant to go there. As with everything Mom makes, she does not use a recipe for her soups, but rather just uses what she has, much of which I wouldn't even recognize if I saw it in a store.

Luckily, she dumbed this one down for me, because the only ingredient that really matters in her White Papaya Soup is the white papaya, which gives the broth a sweet and smoky flavor. Every time Mom serves this soup, its additional ingredients vary, from Chinese mushrooms and crunchy Chinese peanuts that add nutty deliciousness to many of her soups, to tofu cut in chunks and oozing with the soup's flavor or a chewy bean curd.

However, in addition to the optional ingredients being a bit difficult to locate, finding the main ingredient for this soup isn't so easy either. I've only ever seen white papaya at Asian stores, and even with the photo at right, I'm not 100 percent sure I could find it again, unless by some small miracle the produce is correctly marked in English!

Like your typical, orange-fleshed papaya, white papaya also aids digestion, and Mom serves it or some other vegetable soup every day before dinner to help get the digestion process going. It probably has something to do with the whole yin-yang cycle, but to Mom, it's just common sense to start the meal with a belly-warming soup.

White Papaya Soup
1 white papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size chunks
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cups chicken broth

Add papaya chunks and carrots to chicken broth, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender and broth has sweetened from the papaya. Add salt to taste before serving.

It's Twice-Baked Potato Season

2011-12-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

There's something about foggy days and being surrounded by sick people that just create a craving for Twice-Baked Potatoes, an ultimate comfort food that is worthy of a meal on its own.

(Not that we would dare eat only one dish during a meal, but I'll share more on that later!)

Twice-Baked Potatoes
2 large Russet potatoes
1 small head broccoli
sprinkling of garlic salt
2-3 T. butter
about 1/2 cup sour cream, more to taste
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3-4 green onions, sliced
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
3 slices bacon, chopped and cooked (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place potatoes right on the rack for about 45 minutes to an hour, until they start to soften. Then poke them all over with a fork to keep them from exploding. Bake for another 15 minutes to 30 minutes, until skin begins to wrinkle.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a microwave-safe container with a couple of tablespoons of water and a sprinkling of garlic salt. Cover and microwave for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes so broccoli is still firm but slightly cooked.

When potatoes are cooked remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut a slit in the top, then carefully scrape out the flesh into a large bowl. Mash the potatoes with butter, sour cream, salt and pepper. Add more sour cream if needed to create the right consistency.

Stir in broccoli, green onions and about two-thirds of the cheddar cheese, then carefully spoon mixture back into the potato skins. Top with bacon, if using, and cheese. Return to oven and back for 20-30 minutes. To brown up the cheese, turn on broiler for last 5 minutes or so.

Some serious family time at Thanksgiving 2011!

2011-11-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

We returned to Stephen's for Thanksgiving 2011, but this time instead of driving down to Portland, we just added a table to include Tina, Tony, Regina and Erin.

And once again, despite all of my efforts at organization, we failed to put together a new menu this year. Stephen impressed yet again with his tried and true Good Eats Roast Turkey from Alton Brown, and I made the French Bean Casserole recipe that came with the French green beans I bought years ago from Costco and have made every Thanksgiving since.

However, there is a plan in the works for next year. I'm still mulling the Asian-American Thanksgiving, and Koshare has been seriously discussing a Southwest Thanksgiving, so expect a theme that veers away from traditional fare next year! Hopefully!

In the meantime, my Aunt Sandy brought a fabulous Japanese Cheesecake that was a hit, and even if my French Bean Casserole is boring, it also remains a crowd-pleaser:

French Bean Casserole
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 T. butter, divided
1 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t. each salt and pepper
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 lb. French beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 T. fresh thyme, chopped (optional)
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1 c. grated sharp cheddar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Blanch green beans in a pot of salted water for 3 minutes, then rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process.

Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, heat 1 T. butter and olive oil, then add garlic and sliced onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms with salt and pepper; keep stirring until soft, about 5 minutes, then add cooked beans, 1 T. butter and combine well. Mix in mushroom soup, thyme (if using) and Parmesan cheese, and season to taste.

Pour into baking dish, then sprinkle bread crumbs and cheddar over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Still learning tricks to good ramen

2011-10-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

It's a mystery to me that we don't have a plethora of delicious ramen houses considering the plethora of Asian Americans in the Seattle area, but that doesn't stop me ordering it even when I know it's a total rip-off.

So it would make sense that I would just learn how to make the perfect ramen at home, right?

Let the experimenting begin! I bought soba noodles for the first time I-don't-know-how-many-months-ago, and decided to try them today using the mushroom broth from last night's Polenta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce, with some extra chicken broth I had in the fridge.

With a total of about 4 cups of broth, I suspected I might not quite have enough fluids. I really should have trusted my gut instinct when I read that the recipe called for cooking just one bundle of noodles in 6 cups of water (and I was cooking two bundles). But I wanted the noodles to have the delicious mushroom flavor so I just went with it.

By the end, there was definitely a lack of extra fluid, but there was more than enough to cook the noodles and they were extremely flavorful from the broth. I added chives and a sliced boiled egg to each, and each had a bowl full of ramen sans soup, but just as delicious.

Cream sauce doesn't need chantrelles

2011-10-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

Instead of taking advantage of Seattle Restaurant Week, we decided to be lazy earlier this week and go to Cafe Piccolo right down the street. Half-price wines, woo-hoo! Plus a few ideas ...

One of the specials of the day was a risotto dish with chantrelles and pumpkin, and though it was tempting, restaurant risotto is always too reminiscent of Minute Rice than the creamy, thick risotto we make at home. But it got me thinking, and craving chantrelles.

But alas, it appears that chantrelles might not be in season, because I was unable to find them at Whole Foods and instead had to settle for a container of what said it was dried chantrelles, but instead turned out to be dry mixed mushrooms.

However, I think anything tastes good when you use heavy cream.

Polenta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
2 oz. dried mushrooms
4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
tube of polenta, sliced in 1/2-pinch rounds
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic, minced
8 oz. heavy cream
1 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

Place dried mushrooms in a large bowl and pour boiling water over them. Cover bowl and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove mushrooms from soaking water (which you can save for another use) with a slotted spoon to a colander and let cool for a few minutes. Gently squeeze mushrooms dry and slice into bite-size pieces.

Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet until crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Pour half the bacon grease into another large skillet over medium-high heat. Place polenta rounds in the second skillet and fry for about 5 minutes per side, until crispy.

In first skillet, add shallots and saute for about 1 to 2 minutes, then add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, and saute until mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add cream and let simmer until mixture is bubbly. Stir in Parmesan, then add peas and bacon until heated through.

When polenta is finished, lightly blot with paper towels then divide evenly among two plates; pour sauce on top of the polenta.

Of course, Mom's dumplings are better

2011-10-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

Why would I listen to some random lady at the grocery store instead of listening to my own mother?

Since returning from a long-overdue trip to Mexico last week, I've been craving nothing but comfort food to warm my bones now that the Pacific Northwest fall has finally hit. Finally, I decided it was time to make chicken soup with Mom's fluffy, delicious dumplings made from Bisquick.

But when I asked an employee at Albertson's where the Bisquick was, she asked me what I was making. "Dumplings," I said, wondering why the heck she was being so nosy. Then she got even nosier. "Oh, you don't want to use Bisquick," she said, then proceeded to tell me that her mom made dumplings with just flour and water and they were absolutely the best, blah blah blah.

Problem is, I believed her. I looked up a recipe for dumplings that used 2 cups of flour, 1/3 cup of shortening, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup of milk and they were ... not as good as Mom's. They look good, though!

But I could give a rip how my dumplings look. I want Mom's dumplings! Looks like I'll be heading back to the store for some Bisquick soon!

Happy Birthday Derek!

2011-10-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

Who wouldda thought that chocolate and mangoes could go so well together?

I've been contemplating a birthday meal for my co-worker Derek for weeks, and I finally found the perfect cake to go with the luau theme that's been developing.

When we first started working together, we quickly discovered that both got married on and have a true love for Hawaii. And I think the guy might even like food more than me. So what better way to celebrate his birthday than with food?

I made all my Hawaiian favorites: Kalua Pig, Hawaiian-Style Macaroni Salad and Hawaiian Bread. And even though Derek had requested carrot cake when I'd asked him what his favorite was months earlier, I knew I just had to make this recipe for Cocoa-Mango Upside-Down Cake as a logical finale to this meal.

Plus, we had to restore our blood sugar after this strenuous hula lesson:

Got unsightly zucchini? Make fritters!

2011-10-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Once again, I failed to grow anything this summer aside from a yard full of weeds, but that's never stopped me from collecting the kinds of recipes I would need for the garden that I will someday have.

Which means I absolutely had to read the recipe that went along with the Pacific Northwest Magazine article, "Attack of the summer zucchini, and what to do with them," because one of these days, I'm going to have so much zucchini it'll be coming out of my ears ...

But until that time, I have other problems. Like the weeks-old (don't tell Bryan), now unsightly zucchini from Trader Joe's, which I could think of no other way to use than through the accompanying Turkish Zucchini Fritters recipe (scroll down).

Because the zucchinis are grated, I was able to cut off all of the brownish spots and put some use to veggies that I otherwise would have thrown away. Eh, it might not have been the healthiest way to eat zucchini, but it kept them out of the compost and made for a delicious late-summer dinner!

This Bread Pudding was made with love

2011-09-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I took Bryan to Eva to celebrate his birthday, and he ended up ordering the Grilled Pork Loin not so much because he wanted pork, but because he really wanted to try the Corn, Thyme and Bacon Bread Pudding that accompanied it.

And as you would imagine, he ended up much more interested in the delectable bread pudding, although the pork also was quite delicious.

And as you also would imagine, I became determined to try to emulate that dish.

I found a recipe on Epicurious for Arugula, Bacon and Gruyere Bread Pudding that looked like a suitable base for my creation, and I ended up with a creamy, smokey bread pudding that might not have been quite as good as Eva's, but somehow still tasted as delicious (because it was made with love, as Mom would say!).

Bacon and Smokey Gouda Bread Pudding
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 day-old (or older) baguette, cut in 1-inch chunks
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/2-3/4 c. smokey gouda cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a small casserole dish.

Cook bacon until crispy, then add garlic and shallot and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, until just cooked through but not burning.

Stir mixture along with drippings into a large bowl with the bread chunks. Mix together eggs, milk, salt and pepper, and stir into the bread chunks along with cheese. Continue stirring until the moisture has been soaked up, then pat down evenly into the prepared casserole dish.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 10 more minutes. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

Bacon makes everything better, like grits!

2011-09-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

Since we had potatoes for dinner last night, I decided to mix things up a bit and make grits for breakfast instead of the usual eggs, bacon and potatoes we eat way to often on the weekend.

Once upon a time, I ate grits almost every day for breakfast, and that's likely the reason I eat them rarely now. But with gluten now off the menu (except when I cheat), I need to add as much variety to my carb repertoire as possible to keep my taste buds from craving bread and other wheatiful foods.

I followed the package directions, bringing 3 c. of water with 1/4 t. salt to a bowl, then slowly adding 1 c. of grits and stirring continuously for 5 minutes, turning the heat down to low. After removing the grits from the heat, I added 2 T. unsalted butter, about 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (cheddar is preferred, but I was too lazy to open a new package!) and pepper to taste, then scooped the grits into 2 serving bowls.

Top them with 1-2 eggs each, and chopped bacon, and you've got a flavorful breakfast that'll stick to your bones!

Summed ends with grilled potatoes and broccolini

2011-09-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

Not being one to just follow a recipe correctly, I decided to modify Stephen's roasted potato recipe by throwing the lubed-up potatoes on the grill. Bryan was sure they would take forever to cook, but over a medium-low flame, it only took about 20 minutes to cook the potatoes, which is actually how long they've been taking me in the oven despite Stephen's assurance they take only 15 minutes.

Similar to his recipe, I tossed about 1 lb. of potatoes cut in 1/4-inch slices in about 2 T. olive oil, 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning, then placed the potatoes inside of a burger grilling grate — I don't know if we've ever used that thing to grill burgers, but it works wonders for vegetables that too easily fall through the regular grill racks!

I cooked them for about 8 minutes on one side, flipped the grilling grate over and cooked the other side for about 8 more minutes. I gave each side another 4 minutes each, moving the grate around to more evenly distribute the charring, and each piece turned out perfectly cooked.

And also being one to not waste anything, I used the olive oil and seasonings that remained in the bowl to coat a package of broccolini that we also threw on the grill for about 10 minutes. As Bryan put it, "I don't think I've ever had a bad grilled vegetable," but these ones were among the best I've tasted the summer.

I'd walk 5 miles for this feast any day

2011-08-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

When Mom, Stephen and I get together, it's always all about food. Even if all we do is a short, five-mile hike, in the end we'll feast like we hiked 20 miles.

This weekend was no exception, especially since it was the celebration of Mom's birthday. Pictured, clockwise from the grilled fish: sauteed baby bok choy and curly kale, grilled beets, grilled pasilla peppers, grilled oysters, roasted rosemary potatoes and grilled asparagus.

It was a group effort that only took us about a half-hour to make, and yes, even though it was Mom's birthday, she did the majority of the cooking.

She grilled the tilapia, which she'd sprinkled with salt the night before to tenderize it a bit, and also squirted a bit of lime juice on top before throwing it on the grill for about 20 minutes. Mom also brought the oysters, which were wrapped in foil and seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil, then quickly grilled for no more than five minutes. And she grilled the peppers (watch out for spicy bites!), which were simply rubbed with olive oil before being placed over the flames.

Stephen and I were in charge of the rest. I grilled the asparagus, tossed in olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper, then cooked until tender but still crisp, about 8-10 minutes. And Stephen made the roasted potatoes, which were tossed with olive oil, fresh rosemary and "lots of salt," he said. Although he usually uses red potatoes, this time he used Yukon Golds with much success.

He says the key is to preheat the broiler for at least 10 minutes before placing the potatoes in the oven. Toss them every five minutes, and they should be done in 15 minutes.

As a rosemary hater, I was skeptical of this dish, but it turns out I only hate dried rosemary because the subdued flavor of this freshly snipped rosemary was simply one of freshness rather than pine needles!

Stephen also made mojitos with fresh mint from his garden, and he prepped the beets and greens that he bought the previous day at the Olympia Farmers Market. We simply wrapped the beets in foil with olive oil, and left them on the grill while we were cooking everything else, about 30 minutes. Delicious! And Mom quickly stir-fried the greens with olive oil and garlic, then added a smidge of oyster sauce at the end.

I can't think of a better way to end our weekend!

Beet and Kale Salad to support the liver

2011-07-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Although I still haven't managed to give up gluten, I'm nevertheless eating a lot of the high-antioxidant dishes my naturopath has recommended, including the above Beet and Kale Salad.

All of the main ingredients in the dish are believed to be great sources of liver support, including kale, beets, carrots, onions and garlic.

Instead of going on a fast to cleanse the liver, many naturopaths believe you can just as easily and much more safely cleanse the liver by eating such foods. It sure tastes better than drinking water spiked with lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne!

Beet and Kale Salad

Salad:
4 large beets
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 bunch kale
3 scallions
1 medium carrot

Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon finely diced garlic

Wash beets and bring to a boil in a large pot. After boiling bring to a simmer, continue to simmer for one hour, until tender. Let cool, then peel beets and cut into 3/4-inch pieces.

In the meantime, lightly toast the pumpkin seeds by placing them in a dry skillet and cooking over medium heat. Constantly stir the seeds to ensure even cooking. When they begin to pop and give off a nutty aroma, they are ready. Set aside to cool.

Wash kale and place in a large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Place in strainer and cool with cold water, cut into bite size pieces. Finely dice the green onions and peel the carrot. Slice into 1/8-inch rounds.

Place all dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a wire whisk. In a separate bowl place chopped beets, chopped kale, diced green onions, sliced carrots and pumpkin seeds. Add dressing and toss gently. Serve chilled.

Serves: 6

Courtesy Bastyr University

My love for Morbier is stinking up the fridge

2011-07-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Why does Costco feel the need to tempt me with their delicious cheeses? Now they've added Morbier to the selection, and my fridge will forever smell like stinky feet because of it.

But what a great snack, with sliced apples and salami, for "True Blood" night!

Sprucing up the classic BLT

2011-07-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for slacking off lately, but Bryan's the one who really needs to forgive me because I feel like my culinary skills have just been so boring lately!

Here's what we had for lunch today: Modified BLTs. Is that even a blogworthy subject?

I replaced the tomatoes in Bryan's with a fried egg, and both also had sliced avocado and American cheese to keep things from getting too boring. Served on toasted Dave's Killer Seed Bread, it was certainly a delicious lunch, but hardly an award-winning meal.

Perhaps if I had made a Mom-style BLT, which she always made with a tasty layer of peanut butter, it might not be so boring. Unfortunately, I haven't yet convinced Bryan that PB & B is a tasty combination, but it's really time for him to get on the bandwagon. Everybody else is eating such culinary delights as the Peanut Butter Bacon Burger from The Slip in neighboring Kirkland, and in just a slight variation, there's also the Smokey Bacon Maple Bar from Frost Doughnuts in Mill Creek.

Now that proves Mom's a woman a few decades ahead of her time, so far ahead that I think she may already have retired that calorie bomb and replaced it with tomorrow's more healthy culinary trend. The rest of us will catch up after the bacon catches up with us!

Biscuits and Gravy is better at home

2011-07-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

Like nearly everybody who studies or works at Bastyr, I recently wound up giving up gluten — or at least trying to — to see if it would affect my health in a positive way.

There are numerous studies that associate wheat and related products with myriad health problems, and although I completely believe in all of those studies and am not even that huge of a fan of wheat products, it's dang hard to quit gluten and I failed miserably.

I feel like a horrible person for giving up so quickly, especially considering how many of my gluten-free friends have no choice. Eating gluten-free at home was a breeze. Sure, I love pasta and pizza, but I also love polenta and quinoa. However, going out to eat was nearly impossible, even in my neighborhood that boasts numerous gluten-free restaurants.

The laughable part of going gluten-free is that I gorged myself on wheat products both before and after quitting, simply because I knew I was going to have to quit. In the middle of my first week, all I wanted were biscuits and gravy. I tried to think of a way to make them that was gluten-free, but it sounded a little too tough for a novice gluten-free baker/cook. So as soon as I quit that diet, I was determined to make biscuits and gravy from scratch.

My Southern Buttermilk Biscuits were a little on the thin side, so I will have to work on flattening those a little less next time. And the gravy was a bit on the meaty side, so I think I will double the milk next time, and also add some fresh sage as Dan suggested.

Sausage Gravy
1 package Jimmy Dean's Sage Sausage
About 1/4 c. flour
2 c. milk
Bacon grease as needed
Salt and pepper, to taste

Break up the sausage in a skillet and stir until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate saucepan or in the microwave. When sausage is cooked, removed with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle some of the flour in the pan to create a roux with the grease. I didn't have much grease in the pan, so I added about 1-2 T. of bacon grease.

Keep stirring roux with a whisk until the mixture is thick, but still somewhat liquid. Slowly add the milk in a steady stream and continue whisking to eliminate any chunks. Bring the gravy to a low boil and let simmer for a couple of minutes, until thickened. Add sausage, then salt and pepper to taste, and serve over warm biscuits sliced in half.

Brined pork chops stay moist on the grill

2011-06-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

Bryan lucked out last night. Instead of just making the same old, I invited over Tara and Dan so I could make Lemon and Thyme Grilled Pork Chops from Sunset magazine.

After Greg's Pork Loin turned out so successful on Christmas Eve, I've been meaning to try my own hand at brining pork but didn't quite have the opportunity until now. Since the recipe calls for six bone-in pork chops, it was a bit much for just Bryan and me, but for four of us it made the perfect amount (plus leftovers!).

Bryan was sure he would dry out the pork chops or that they would be undercooked, but we followed the directions and cooked them for about 6-8 minutes per side, and they turned out moist and delicious. I brined them for the maximum time recommended, 12 hours, and they were a bit on the salty side, so I think next time I'll try to cut the brining to six hours tops.

We served the pork chops with cantaloupe and mangoes that Tara cut up for us; roasted fingerling potatoes; and broccoli roasted at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes with olive oil, salt and Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning.

Thanks for sharing the good grub with us!

Why we never go out to breakfast anymore

2011-05-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Recently Bryan and I noticed that we haven't been to our favorite breakfast spot, Kona Kitchen, in ages. This morning, I figured out why.

It's just so easy, and delicious, to stay home and eat breakfast. Especially when I concoct meals at the gym, like this one!

Mai Ling's Kitchen Sink Skillet
1 medium eggplant
1-1/2 t. salt, divided
1 lb. fingerling potatoes
1 T. olive oil
8 slices bacon
2 c. arugula
4 eggs

Heat 9-by-13-inch glass pan in the oven at 400 degrees while you prepare eggplant and potatoes.

Cut eggplant into 1-inch chunks and place in a colander. Sprinkle with about 1/2 t. salt and let sit in the sink. Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks and toss with about 1 t. salt and 1 T. olive oil. Blot eggplant with a paper towel and add to the potatoes.

Place potato-eggplant mixture in the oven in a single layer and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cut bacon into 1/2-inch pieces and cook in a large frying pan until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towels. Meanwhile, cook the four eggs in the bacon grease.

When potatoes and eggplant are done, stir in bacon and arugula. Serve topped with eggs.

P.F. Mai Ling's Lettuce Wraps!

2011-05-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

Why would I ever need to go to P.F. Chang's again? Already I have (kind of) mastered their Spicy Eggplant with Chicken dish that I LOVE. Now I can make their lettuce wraps, too!

I had a heyday with this month's edition of Bon Appetit, and Lettuce Cups with Stir-Fried Chicken was the first recipe I just had to try out. Well, it was sort of a half-try, since I used a rotisserie chicken instead of making the chicken myself, but cutting all that chicken up into tiny pieces takes a long time, so why the heck not?

I got the butter lettuce at Costco: It's "living" lettuce. Isn't that crazy? I wonder how long it's going to "live" in my fridge, since I still have another whole head left!

An anniversary of debauchery

2011-05-15T21:51:00.001-07:00

Four years ago, Bryan and I were celebrating our wedding/honeymoon on the beach in sunny Kauai. This year we embraced the opposite extreme on our anniversary by hiking through the snow at Mount Rainier.

But first, we celebrated with a Happy Hour at our home for the weekend, Coho Cabin, that featured triple-cream brie, crusty bread, chile-fennel almonds from Bastyr, strawberries from Full Circle and Cupcake red wine, all topped with an unbeatable Salted Caramel and Pear Jam we got as a wedding favor at Tonya and Seth's wedding.

It was a delicious treat we seriously didn't need after lunch at the Copper Creek Inn. But as soon as we realized how delicious that homemade jam tasted with brie on a slab of bread, there was no turning back.

Somehow, we even found room for a steak dinner. The baked potatoes with sour cream, butter and green onions were a must, but the fava beans I just had to try because I'd never tasted them.

It certainly didn't hurt that the fava beans (made famous by Hannibal Lector) were paired with always delectable pancetta:

Fava Beans with Pancetta
1 lb. fava beans
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. onion, minced
2 oz. pancetta, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1 c. water

Boil the fava beans for about 2 minutes, rinse under cool water, then extract the beans.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add pancetta and continue stirring until pancetta begins to crisp, about 4-5 minutes. Add fava beans and 1/4 c. water, then cover.

The fava beans should take between 8 and 15 minutes to cook; check for tenderness after 8 minutes and stir occasionally. Add water if needed, but make sure most of the water is evaporated before serving.

But that wasn't the last of our debauchery. After a hike on Rampart Ridge Loop that was so snowy we had to turn around well after the halfway point because we could no longer follow the trail, we went back to the cabin for a dip in the hot tub. As we sat in the glorious warmth, cold rain started to fall, which is about as good as it gets for this Pacific Northwesterner.

And after Round 2 of Happy Hour, we still managed to find more room in our bellies for the above meal: Stovetop Mac and Cheese with Cheese Crisps (Cheese Crisps not shown out of embarrassment) with ham and a spinach salad with strawberries, goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette.

Not even a sunny beach could have topped this anniversary!

Deformed Maple-Chipotle Salmon still tasty

2011-05-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

I realize I'm having way too much fun putting together the Bastyr News e-newsletter, but it seems important that I try out all of the recipes I'm publishing (such as this Carrot Ginger Soup).

Now my version of the Maple-Chipotle Glazed Salmon looked nothing like the beautiful dish that was served at our cafeteria (check out Derek Sheppard's mouth-watering photo), but it was still quite tasty. I should mention that I failed to follow the directions exactly, and I think that was where my recipe went awry. When it says "skin removed," it means skin removed. I couldn't get mine off — didn't try that hard if you want the truth — and as soon as I flipped the salmon over onto the skin side, the middle curled up. Yes, my salmon turned out deformed, but because the sauce is what makes this dish, it was still delicious.

I served the salmon with sauteed red chard and roasted fingerling potatoes, my new favorite potato dish, which I cooked for about 25 minutes at 400 with 1 T. olive oil and 2 t. kosher salt (thanks Martha Stewart!). Make sure to let them get nice and crusty!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

2011-05-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

Cinco de Mayo is not a holiday I normally celebrate. But I made an exception tonight when a new local restaurant, COA Mexican Eatery & Tequileria, opened up its doors a couple of weeks early to let its patrons-to-be sample its fare in a dinner-tequila pairing.

This is what we saw when we first sat down at our table.

But we weren't actually allowed to touch it until we were taught what we were drinking and how to drink it from Experience Tequila. Each flute of tasty tequila was paired with one of three courses, including a final drink to top it all off. The main course? Chicken Mole:

Just like the owner's grandmother's. Think I can get the recipe out of him?

Turkish Chicken with Mom's (not) Broccoletti

2011-05-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

When I was preparing the marinade for these Turkish Chicken Thighs at 6 o'clock this morning (it's early to me, alright?), I was trying to decide what sides would go with the dish. Couscous was a natural choice, but the vegetable I wasn't so sure about.

So I took the safe route, and simply decided to make what was in the fridge and needed to be eaten. Tonight, it was a bunch of broccoletti, and I put absolutely zero thought into how I was going to prepare it. Turns out I made it Mom style ... kind of.

Moms' (not) Broccoletti
1 T. canola oil
1/4 t. garlic salt
1 bunch broccoletti (or broccoli, just make sure you peel the stalk), cut into bite-size pieces
1 oz. white wine (Mom uses "salted" wine, but I use Chardonnay because it's ALWAYS in my fridge)
2 T. oyster sauce

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat skillet, then add garlic salt and broccoletti. Saute for about 5 minutes, until slightly wilted but still firm, then add wine and continue sauteing until liquid is mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in oyster sauce and serve.

(So what would Mom have done differently? She would have used high heat and, naturally, less time, chunks of garlic as opposed to garlic salt, and she would have made a sauce out of her homemade chicken broth and cornstarch added at the end with the oyster sauce. I know, I know, I ruined it. But the way I made it is so much dang easier! It's a vicious cycle of laziness!)

Polenta takes on a Cinco de Mayo spin

2011-05-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

One of the reasons I read when I go to the gym is so that I don't get sucked into the cooking shows that are always tempting me. But sometimes, a book just isn't enough to keep my eyes off the screen.

And this time I'm glad. I'm pretty sure I was watching Sandra Lee's "Semi-Homemade Cooking," which didn't suck me in at first because I never trust a skinny cook. But she piqued my curiosity when started frying up polenta, and when she added the black beans, I was sold.

Unfortunately, I can't find that specific recipe, but since I didn't really follow it anyway, I'll just share with you what I made.

Polenta with Black Beans and Salsa
2-4 T. canola oil
1 tube polenta
1 can black beans
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 c. sour cream
1 T. Tapatio or other hot sauce
1 T. lime juice

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Cut polenta into 1/2-inch slices. Coat the bottom of the skillet with oil, then add the polenta. Let cook until crispy, about 5 minutes, then turn and cook until the other side is crispy, about another 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and blot off oil.

While polenta is cooking, drain and rinse black beans and place in a bowl. Add salsa, and mash together until still chunky. Heat on stovetop or in microwave until warm.

Meanwhile, mix together sour cream, hot sauce and lime juice in a small bowl.

To assemble, place three pieces of polenta on a plate, then top with black beans and sour cream mixture.

Sandra Lee topped it all with iceburg lettuce, but iceburg lettuce bores me, so I used Broccoli Cole Slaw instead. Eh, maybe it wasn't the best combination, but it's what was in the fridge and it worked for us!

Ruining Easter with German brunch

2011-04-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Lino posted a photo on Facebook of his delicious-looking Filipino Easter:

It made me feel a little guilty about the German feast that I had prepared, and my lack of actually writing about, much less ruining, Mom's recipes. But it turns out I am also talented at ruining Mom's idea of what a meal should be. For instance, our German Easter brunch was seriously lacking of anything of nutritional value.

At the very top, we've got an Austrian Amadeus cheese, which reminded me of one of my favorite German cheeses, Butterkaese. Just below it on the left is Brie de Nangine, which actually relates more to a wine-tasting trip a year ago that introduced me to this earthy, soft deliciousness. Continuing counter-clockwise, you've got your liverwurst, Mortadella and Emmantaler.

And to the left is the reason I even considered making this brunch. Earlier this year, a new cafe opened that I now pass daily on my commute. With an uber-German name like Kaffeeklatsch, I just had to look it up. And lo and behold, I saw photos and descriptions of German treats I've been missing for a decade, especially their Sourdough Rye with Sunflower Seeds. So I stopped by a couple of times to quench my thirst, but it just made me thirstier for German food. So I dove in and started planning an Easter of gluttony.

The only things I spent any time on were even more carbs: German Potato Salad and homemade pretzels. And not shown is the main course, the Weisswurst, whose main ingredient I will not name out of shame. But it tastes soooo good with Hefeweizen and my homemade pretzels!

OK, I gotta be honest. It wasn't completely devoid of nutrition. Mom actually brought a salad, which everybody just picked at, and Stephen and Koshare brought one delicious fruit salad, and another one in honor of Dad that is also delicious ... but in another way (fruit cocktail and Cool Whip, I kid you not).

Feast we did on Easter. Sorry, Mom, if I ruined another holiday!

Arugula helps bring pesto back to the table

2011-04-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

I still haven't figured out what to do with all the arugula I keep getting from my CSA, but I think I finally may have found an arugula recipe that's worth trying again.

Tonight I made some arugula pesto, mixed with chicken, asparagus and penne. I'd forgotten how much I've missed pesto until I took my first bite, which was even better than the more typical basil-based sauce because of the spiciness of the arugula.

So, why has pesto not appeared on my menu for so long? Back in the '90s, I think Mom, Stephen and I may have overdone it with the pesto after we discovered how delicious it is. We also soon learned that it's much too rich of a dish to eat repeatedly, and it soon disappeared from the table.

Perhaps it's time for a return.

Quiche just isn't as elegant without crust

2011-04-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

This may not be as pretty as a real quiche, but it smells just as good when it's cooking and is much easier to prepare than one with a crust. I even prepared it a day in advance so I could just put it in the oven when I got home tonight. Whole Foods calls it "Spinach, Mushroom and Swiss Crustless Squares," but perhaps our version should have been called "Spinach, Mushroom and Swiss Crustless Quarters," because yes, rather than cut the quiche into 24 squares, we cut it into just four!

My first Bastyr recipe: Carrot Ginger Soup

2011-03-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

Photo from Derek Sheppard.

Just so you don't get the wrong idea, I'm certainly not complaining about having a full-time job. Especially since the perks come with a whole new set of recipes that I definitely will be experimenting with in these pages.

Over the weekend, the second edition of my e-newsletter went out, and it included a link to one of our cafeteria's favorite recipes, Carrot Ginger Soup. I was hoping to give the recipe a whirl before I actually included it in the newsletter, especially since I was a bit wary of the huge portions of garlic and ginger: 1/4 cup each! But it turned out delicious, tasting just like the soup that's made in a much bigger batch for the Bastyr campus. Well, mine wasn't quite as smooth, since I didn't bother to pass it through a wire strainer after blending it. But it sure went down smooth!

Coconut Couscous with Prawns inspires

2011-03-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

I realize that including recipes in Ruining Mom's Recipes that I found in the coupon section of the local paper has absolutely nothing to do with ruining mom's recipes, and for that I apologize. But honestly, since I started working full time again, it's been a bit difficult for me to find the inspiration to make new dishes as frequently as when my workload was a little more flexible (hence the slowdown in blog activity, again, I apologize).

My cooking magazines are stacking up, untried recipes marked and patiently waiting for a second glance. Meanwhile, the recipe I cut out from the Near East coupon page just a few day has been sitting on the counter, calling out to me: "You want Bangkok Prawns With Coconut-Infused Couscous." They are sneaky like that.

So finally, after weeks of tried and true recipes, I gave this newbie a try, and I will definitely be making it again. This is adapted from the Near East website (you have to find the recipe yourself because there's no permalink):

Bangkok Prawns With Coconut-Infused Couscous
For the couscous:
3/4 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 T. soy sauce
1/8 t. turmeric
1-1/4 c. couscous

For the prawns:
1 T. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 t. ginger, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (seeds removed if you're a wussy like me)
2 T. fresh basil, chopped
1 lb. large shrimp, deveined and shelled
3/4 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 T. lime juice
1/2 t. turmeric
1 T. cornstarch mixed with 2 T. chicken broth

Make the couscous: Bring the coconut milk, chicken broth, scallions, soy sauce and turmeric to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Add the couscous, stir, then remove from heat and cover. Let set for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.

Meanwhile, make the prawns: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno, and stir for about 1 minute. Add the prawns and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently. Then add the coconut milk, chicken broth, lime juice, turmeric and cornstarch slurry. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until thick, then serve over the couscous.

(The asparagus was coated with about 1 T. olive oil, 1/8 t. garlic salt, 1/8 t. kosher salt, 1/4 t. Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning and a dash of pepper, then roasted for about 12 minutes at 400 degrees F. It's a no-fail dish!)

Gorgonzola Tortellini still a treat despite its ubiquity

2011-03-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

When I lived in Munich, one of my favorite non-German dishes was Cheese Tortellini with Gorgonzola Sauce. Because we were just over the Alps from Italy, there was no shortage of amazing Italian food in Bavaria, and I took as much advantage of that as I could. Since returning a decade ago (seriously?!?), a lot of the dishes that at the time seemed like they were only available in Europe since have migrated to Seattle. But I still like to make this dish on my own.

Cheese Tortellini with Gorgonzola Sauce
9-oz. package cheese tortellini
2 T. unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. flour
1 c. fat-free half-n-half (or use cream and forgo the flour!)
1-2 oz. Gorgonzola
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. chopped ham

Cook tortellini according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet. Add garlic and flour, and stir with a whisk until thick and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Add half-n-half and continue whisking until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Turn the heat to low, add the Gorgonzola and stir until cheese is melted. Add peas and ham, stir until heated through.

Add tortellini to the sauce. Add a little of the water from the pot to moisten the sauce if it's too thick.

My own Li'l Smokey Bread Pudding

2011-03-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've made the Li'l Smokey Cheeseball, because every time I do I wonder what to do with the remainder of the smoked Gouda -- besides eat it, of course. This time, I decided it would taste great with the half-loaf of Swiss onion bread I bought five days ago and was since a bit on the hard side. Remedy? Bread pudding, of course!

Unfortunately, I didn't have a specific recipe, but I had enough other recipes that I was able to make a tasty dish.

Li'L Smokey Bread Pudding
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 T. butter, room temperature
8 small slices of days-old bread
1-1/2 c. smoked Gouda
1-1/2 c. nonfat milk
3 eggs

Cook bacon in a skillet until crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Meanwhile, butter an oven-save dish, then line with four slices of the bread. Top with half of the bacon and cheese, then cover with the last four slices of bread. Sprinkle with remaining bacon and cheese. Mix milk and eggs in a small bowl, then pour evenly over the bread. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Cook in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F. for 30-35 minutes.

Pancetta Chicken with Lemon Fries is a beaut

2011-02-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

Is that the most gorgeous chicken breast you've ever seen or what? And the fries, yes, they tasted as good as they look. Why the recipe for Pancetta Chicken with Lemon Fries has been sitting, ignored, in my recipe book since my days at the Seattle P-I, I do not know.

Well, honestly, even though the recipe was quite easy for looking so gorgeous, it actually required quite a bit of teamwork. I called in Bryan to make the fries using our mandoline, which always takes a bit of time to figure out. Meanwhile, I carefully wrapped the chicken (with prosciutto because it's what I had, but I will definitely be using pancetta next time!), not only on both ends but also on the bottom.

By the way, Bryan and I both ate the best bite first. You know what I'm talking about, the one shown at the very bottom of the picture, wrapped in succulent prosciutto. And for the rest of the chicken, we had the lovely pan drippings (shown on the top left) to keep every bite just as flavorful and moist.

The greens: broccollini, mixed with 2 t. extra-virgin olive oil, zest of one lemon, and kosher salt/garlic salt/Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning to taste, roasted for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees F.

What's your favorite way to prepare arugula?

2011-02-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

One of the struggles/joys of being part of a CSA is throwing together veggies without having any idea how they'll turn out.

We had some leftover chicken thighs on the menu last night, which I knew would be perfectly complemented by a bed of polenta. But for the veggies, I had to get creative. I'd hoped to use some arugula I'd gotten from the farm for a pizza, but I knew that wasn't going to happen within the shelf life of the arugula. So I reverted to my old standby: a quick saute over high heat with 1-2 T. extra-virgin olive olive, 1-2 cloves of minced garlic and about 1/2 t. salt.

It works for any leafy green vegetable, but I have to admit, the arugula wasn't able to sustain much of its flavor, so it definitely felt like I was wasting a lovely vegetable. But it had a great texture cooked like that, and tasted even better with the roasted red bell pepper and crispy prosciutto that was thrown on top.

I'm still learning how to eat this spicy, tasty veggie. Got any tips?

Singapore-style noodles vs. Costco dogs

2011-02-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

Last week I went to Mom's and this is what we ended up eating for dinner.

And yes, that's a Costco dog, which we got after a day of shopping, preceded by a late lunch that Mom announced was our supper.

Yeah, I knew better to believe that. And the dog actually was a perfect way to end the night. But I still found myself craving the Singapore-style noodles that Mom had made for lunch, so I decided to whip up a batch myself.

Pan-fried Singapore-style Noodles
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 t. salt
Dash freshly ground pepper
4 "buns" of dried Chinese egg noodles (about 4 oz.)
1 T. canola oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 bunch broccollini, cut in bite-sized pieces
2 Chinese-style sausages, sliced
1-2 T. soy sauce
1-2 T. Sichuan Spicy Noodle Sauce
1/2 t. garlic-chile sauce
1-2 T. curry powder

Gently mix chicken breast chunks, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper, then let marinate for about 2 hours.

Cook the noodles according to package directions; set in a colander and rinse periodically with lukewarm water to prevent sticking together.

Heat large saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil, then saute onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic for the last 30 seconds. Remove to a large bowl, then add broccollini and bell pepper to pan and continue cooking until soft, about another 5 minutes. Add veggies to the bowl.

Add oil to the pan if needed, then saute marinated chicken until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Add sausage and stir until cooked through. Turn off heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, pan-fry the noodles in a pan similar to how we make Fried Rice: Heat a small amount of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, add a handful of cooked noodles and stir. Let the noodles sit for a minute or two, then turn over as best as possible and let sit for another minute or so. If the noddles aren't a little dried out by this point, repeat the process until the texture is still moist yet not sticky. Otherwise, place the pan-fried noodles into the large bowl with the veggies and continue pan-frying the noodles until they're all in the bowl.

Stir noodles and vegetables with the meat and add seasonings to taste. I usually use soy sauce, Sichuan Spicy Noodle Sauce, garlic-chile sauce and curry powder, but experiment with your favorite sauces (and vegetables) and let me know what your ideal combination is!

German beer calls for Schweinebraten

2011-02-06T23:07:00.000-08:00

The longer I go without a visit to Germany, the more I crave the food, which Seattle has been more than willing to accommodate lately with German-style pubs and restaurants in practically every neighborhood.

But with a new craft and import beer specialty store just down the street, now all I want to do is learn how to make the food myself so I can enjoy German grub for days and still down it with a gorgeous German beer.

With Wiener Schnitzel already under my belt, I decided this weekend to tackle Schweinebraten, a lovely pork roast that I've been craving ever since I ordered it in Leavenworth and got something completely different (although also quite tasty!).

I mixed a couple of recipes I had together then improvised when my veggies started turning black. Both recipes I was using called for roasting the pork shoulder at 450 degrees F, so I reduced the heat for more of a slow-and-low approach and it turned out juicy and flavorful.

Schweinebraten
1 T. kosher salt
2 T. caraway seeds
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
3- to 4-lb. pork shoulder
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 medium onions, quartered
4 large carrots, cut in bite-sized pieces
German dark beer

Mix salt, caraway seeds and black pepper in a small bowl. Rinse pork shoulder and pat dry, then rub salt mixture over all sides.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and heat bacon in a large skillet. Cook until beginning to crisp, about 12 minutes. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.

Place the pork roast in the skillet, fat side down. Brown each side for about 5 minutes. Place in a 10-x-13-inch baking dish, fat side down, and surround with the onions and carrots, then sprinkle bacon all over everything. Add about 1/2 c. water to the dish, then put in the oven and cook for about 2 hours, or until a meat thermometer registers at 160 degrees F.

Check the roast periodically and add hot water if needed; turn it so the fat is facing up about halfway through. During the last half-hour of cooking, score the fat then pour about 1/2 to 1 c. dark beer over the fat to help it crisp up. Turn up the heat to 450 degrees F for the last half-hour.

When roast is done, let it set for 5 minutes before serving. Although my books say it's a sin to add any thickening agent to the gravy, I just couldn't help myself and I thickened it up with about 1/4 to 1/2 c. flour and the drippings that were still in the skillet after I drained the fat. I had to add about 1 c. water because the pan juices were so flavorful, so be sure you try it as you go.

I served mine with Kartoffelknoedel, a mushy yummy mass of potatoes that sops up gravy like a sponge. But I won't claim any credit for that one, since I used a box. After 10 years away from the real stuff, though, I couldn't even tell the difference.

My frittata rules: eggs, onion and cheese

2011-02-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

Last month Veronica and Julie came over for a much-needed brunch, and Julie was asking me for the frittata recipe we were devouring.

"What recipe?" I asked smugly.

But really, there is a basic recipe that my kitchen-sink frittata is based on: Chard and Salami Frittata from Bon Appetit.

Since the first time I made it, I've been playing with the ingredients to see what works. And I haven't ruined one yet. I've tried it with spinach in place with the chard, with very positive results. And although I've made it with salami plenty of times, as the frittata evolved into more of that kitchen-sink recipe, I started using bacon more frequently because it's such a mainstay in our kitchen.

But its evolution continues, and Julie got a special treat when I used pancetta for the first time, which gave it enough extra kick to make it worth waiting in the deli line again. But the eggs, onion and Parmesan cheese I'd never do without.

Frittata for Julie
6 eggs
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, divided
2 T. olive oil
4 oz. pancetta, cut in strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 bunch red chard, washed and cut in 1/2-inch ribbons

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix eggs, salt, pepper and 2 T. Parmesan. Set aside

Heat large cast-iron skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Stir in pancetta and cook until curled and crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel.

Throw garlic and onions in skillet and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms are cooked, about 8 minutes. Add chard in batches and stir until wilted, then add egg mixture and lightly mix to evenly coat the veggies. Sprinkle remaining 2 T. Parmesan on top.

Place skillet in oven and cook until lightly puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Slide a spatula around the edge, then invert onto a place. Serve warm or at room temperature.

More fun with sunchokes

2011-02-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm working at Bastyr University, I'm trying to familiarize myself a little more with food allergies and other special diets, and what better place to start than blogs?

One of the first I'd ever heard of is Gluten-Free Girl, who in addition to being local, was one of the first people who brought celiac disease and other gluten-intolerance issues to the mainstream. It certainly helps that her husband is an amazing chef who once owned the Madison Park restaurant Impromptu, where we were able to take a friend who also has celiac disease on a rare a fear-free meal for her birthday.

Between the amazing creations by the Gluten-Free Girl and her husband, I don't think they're missing the gluten much. Take, for instance, this Potato-Sunchoke Soup with Homemade Chile Oil, which I just had to try after perusing her blog for something else entirely.

Of course, I took the very lazy way out (I nixed the chile oil and the straining), and will share that version with you.

Potato-Sunchoke Soup
2 T. olive oil
2 oz. prosciutto, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. sunchokes, scrubbed and cut in chunks
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
5 c. chicken stock
1/2 c. cream
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven then add prosciutto and stir until crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Remove prosciutto to a plate lined with paper towels, then stir in onion and garlic. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, then add sunchokes and continue stirring for another 5 minutes. Add potatoes and stir to coat, then pour in broth. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in a blender, then pour into a new pot. Add cream, and stir to heat through. Then add lemon juice and nutmeg and stir again. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve each bowl with the crispy prosciutto sprinkled on top.

Give Eggplant Parmesan a Chinese spin

2011-01-29T20:12:00.000-08:00

Almost two years ago I tried my hand at Eggplant Parmesan for the first time, and I'm not going to say it was a disaster, but considering that I haven't tried it since, you can be sure it wasn't a very fulfilling experience.

But after making P.F. Mai Ling's Spicy Eggplant with Chicken a couple too many times in a row, I decided to give Eggplant Parmesan another try so I could expand my eggplant repertoire to more than one dish.

In addition to expanding my eggplant repertoire, I'm also expanding my eggplant usage, this time using Chinese eggplant instead of the bigger, darker eggplant you find in typical grocery stores. In addition to having thinner skin, which I'm not sure makes a difference, Chinese eggplant also offers a little more flexibility with how the dish is made.

Last time I followed the recipe perfectly and cut the eggplant into rounds, which resulted in a lot more pieces to fry and a somewhat difficult dish to serve. But because the Chinese eggplant are so much smaller, I cut each eggplant into four long slices lengthwise, each about 1/3-inch thick. They barely fit on the plates I used for all of the coatings, so the kitchen was still a disaster. But because the slices fit perfectly in my 10-by-14-inch Le Creuset, the dish turned out much more beautiful and way easier to cook, serve and eat. Worth the work for sure this time!

This recipe is adapted from Gourmet's Eggplant Parmesan.

Chinese Eggplant Parmesan
2 lbs. Chinese eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
Salt
1 28-oz. can plum tomatoes
2 14-oz. cans Italian-style stewed tomatoes
3 T. olive oil plus more for frying
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 t. dried hot red pepper flakes
3/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
2 cups panko
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 lb. chilled fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Place the eggplant on racks hanging over the sink and sprinkle both sides with salt. Let sit for 30 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels.

Pulse the tomatoes in a food processor until moderately chunky. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat, add 3 T. olive oil, then stir in garlic and dried pepper flakes and cook until fragrant but not burnt, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 t. black pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, set up your work station. On one large plate, mix flour with 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. black pepper. On a second, mix the four eggs. And on a third plate, mix the panko with 1/3 c. Parmesan.

Prepare a cookie sheet with paper towels for the eggplant. Heat about 1/2 inch of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (but not smoking), dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, then coat with egg, and lastly cover with the panko mixture. Place about 3 prepared eggplant slices in the skillet at a time and cook each side until browned, about 6 minutes per batch.

Transfer cooked eggplant to prepared cookie sheet and continue until all eggplant is cooked.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. To assemble, place 1 c. of sauce on the bottom of a 10-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the eggplant, 1/3 of the sauce and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat twice, then top with remaining 1/3 c. Parmesan.

Cook uncovered for 35-40 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is golden. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. It will be piping hot!

Curry Potatoes overwhelm Mom's 'potluck'

2011-01-18T21:22:00.000-08:00

After we got back from Idaho, we celebrated a belated Christmas with the other fam that ended up being a potluck because Mom was so tired from the holidays. She made homemade potstickers, I brought tamales from Garza Mexican Foods and Stephen brought a salad, and Mom was so pleased with the meal that she wanted to make the potluck a new family tradition.

So this week I was asked to bring a curry to go with her Barbecue Steak (yes, I'm aware curry doesn't really go with tri-tip, but I do what I'm told!), but now that the holidays are over and Mom's back in the kitchen, my contribution ended up being about the second or possibly even third dish too many. Maybe we'll just stick with the potluck theme around the holidays, but honestly, none of us were complaining:

Curry Potatoes with Chicken
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in bite-sized chunks
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. soy sauce
1/2 t. salt
Dash freshly ground pepper
1-2 T. canola oil
Half a yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut in bite-sized chunks
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 can coconut milk
2-3 T. curry powder
Salt to taste

Gently mix chicken breast chunks, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper, then let marinate for about 2 hours.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1 T. oil, then saute onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl. Add more oil if needed, then cook chicken until no more pink is remaining, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in potatoes, carrots, reserved onions, coconut milk, curry and salt, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on low until done, about 30-45 minutes. Serve with rice.

Taco Omelet for dinner

2011-01-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

I know I'm not alone in thinking that sometimes, eggs and other common breakfast fare are just too rich for the morning, not to mention that around the holidays the morning hours can be a bit rough.

Which is why I allow breakfast to make a regular appearance on the dinner table, especially since I'm still trying to master the Calphalon pans that I bought myself for Christmas.

Looks like I have the omelet down, eh? Yes, she's a beaut, and I didn't even have to use any grease in the pan, which was definitely a good thing since it was filled with leftover taco meat from our New Year's Eve Mexican fiesta.

I also added a bunch of spinach that I first blanched in about an inch of salted water until it was wilted (about a minute), then quickly rinsed with cold water to stop the cooking. While chopping the spinach and 2 scallions, I heated about 1/2 c. of leftover taco meat in a pan, then added the spinach and the white and light green parts of the scallions to heat them through.

That made enough filling for two very full 2- to 3-egg omelets, and don't forget to add a little cheddar cheese. Top them with sour cream, hot sauce and the green parts of the scallions, and you've got a breakfast for dinner (or for breakfast!).

Back on the coast, scallops beckon

2010-12-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm back on the coast, all I want to do is eat some seafood, no matter what the cost. And seafood combined with the comfort of risotto ... well, talk about getting homey in the dead of winter.

So after returning from landlocked Idaho Falls, I whipped up a batch of Lemon Risotto (with about half a 10-oz. bag of fresh spinach that I added along with the lemon juice in the end) sprinkled with delicious, melt-in-your-mouth scallops.

Because the Lemon Risotto recipe called for both extra-virgin olive oil and butter, I also used both to sear the scallops. I only made about 10 oz. of scllops, so I used about half the amount that was called for in the recipe (about 1/2 T. each) and added a light sprinkling of salt. We didn't have any leftover scallops, but the leftover Risotto tasted fabulous the next morning for breakfast!

The tenderest Pork Loin on Christmas Day

2010-12-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

What a great Christmas. Besides spending the week with my awesome inlaws, I also spent the week eating awesome food — and trying my darnedest not to feel guilty that I wasn't doing any exercise to counteract all those calories.

Well, if I gained a few pounds, it was worth it.

On Christmas Eve, we feasted on a delicious ham, Funeral Potatoes (we were in Idaho Falls, after all) and plenty of trimmings including Seafoam Salad. Then we got spoiled all over again the next day with the above pictured Pork Loin that Greg woke up at 5 a.m. to make for us.

It was unbelievably tender for pork, and plenty flavorful despite its few ingredients.

Greg's Pork Loin
2 gallons water
2 c. plus 1 T. salt
3 t. coarsely ground pepper, divided
4 garlic cloves, divided
7-pound pork loin (with bones and tied with twine)
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Make a brine with the water, 2 c. salt, 2 t. coarsely ground pepper and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Place the pork loin in the brine, completely submerged, and refrigerate for 5 to 5-1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare a barbecue that's large enough to accommodate the entire pork loin. Create a rub with the olive oil, remaining 1 T. salt, 1 t. ground pepper and 2 minced garlic cloves. Discard the brine and pat the pork dry, then rub the olive oil mixture evenly over the pork.

Cook the pork on the barbecue until all sides are nicely browned, then place the pork in a roasting pan and cover with foil. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers at 155 degrees. We had some trouble browning the meat because it was so darn cold in Idaho, so the timing here could vary, but altogether it will likely take 2-1/2 to 4 hours.

Kalbi that almost cost me an extra $45

2010-12-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

All this talk about Korean BBQ got me in a Korean BBQ mood, so decided to prepare Kalbi the easy way: Instead of making my own sauce, which Mom does, I just used a Korean-Style BBQ Sauce for Beef Ribs that I found at a Korean store in Mom's neighborhood.

Unfortunately, this cut of beef rib is a bit hard to find, and the store I bought them at this week, which will remain unnamed, is now on my *?#! list because they overcharged me $45. Yes, I got the money back when I by chance noticed the mistake, but think I deserved a little more than an apology, don't you? A gift card, perhaps? Even better, a free bottle of wine!

Would have tasted great with the ribs I marinated overnight, then simply pan-fried for about 2-3 minutes per side. Ideally, I would have grilled them, but brrrr! We'll leave winter grilling to the masters like Mom!

Seattle street food finally goes fusion

2010-12-15T18:23:00.000-08:00

Seattle is in the midst of a street food revolution that I am just loving, even though I haven't gotten to try much so far.

A small business area in my neighborhood that I've been covering for my other blog went from having sporadic visits from random food trucks earlier this year to now — in the middle of winter — featuring a schedule with a different vendor for lunch nearly every day of the week.

This week I finally made it down there to try one of their latest additions, Fusion on the Run, which I simply couldn't resist after reading so much about the Kogi BBQ truck that I was unable to track while in L.A. this summer. Now I'm not so sad I missed Kogi, which I think puts about a pound of cilantro on each taco. In comparison, Fusion on the Run offers a more Hawaiian take on their choices, which means I will be going back to try their creative and non-cilantroed taco options (coconut chicken curry, Kalua pig and Spam, oh my!), and also to get some more ideas for my own culinary creations.

How did I never think of this combination, called the Ono Sandwich? I'm always looking for an excuse to make Kalua Pig, but it just makes too big of a batch for Bryan and I to eat unless we're having a party. But if we put it on buns and eat it with coleslaw like BBQ Pork sandwiches, the two of us could easily devour all 6 pounds of pig!

Hey, don't judge.

Chicken favorite morphs into a pasta dish

2010-12-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

One of the things I miss most about working at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer is how it forced me to constantly try new recipes. Sure, I still browse recipes in the newspaper and other publications, but the chances of me making a recipe that I've sat staring at for hours are much higher. I got to know the recipes so well while editing them, I could almost taste them, which usually meant that it would be appearing on my table within the week.

That's not to say all the recipes were winners, but working there definitely added more girth to my myriad recipe books. Among the winners, however, is Chicken Paillards with Cremini Mushroom Sauce, which I've been making a little too often lately because I don't have a lot of other recipes that use leeks, and I've been getting a lot of them from the farm.

So this time I decided to mix things up a bit. I was struggling to decide what kind of starch to make with the chicken. I usually make my Rice Pilaf, but that just sounded so boring. Instead, I turned the recipe into a pasta dish that I've actually been mulling in my head for a couple of weeks:

Pasta with Chicken, Mushroom and Leeks
2 chicken breasts, cut in strips
1/2 t. kosher salt, divided
1/4 t. garlic salt
4 slices bacon, chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 leek, sliced thin
2 c. penne pasta
3/4 c. chicken broth, divided
1/4 c. sour cream
2 t. cornstarch

Mix chicken with 1/4 t. kosher salt and garlic salt and let marinate in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium high and cook bacon. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels; drain all but 1 T. of the bacon. Saute chicken in the bacon grease until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Add mushrooms and leek to the skillet with remaining 1/4 t. salt and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 c. chicken broth and sour cream and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, mix remaining 1/4 c. chicken broth with cornstarch and stir until thoroughly mixed, then add to simmering sauce; stir until thickened. Add bacon and chicken to sauce to heat through.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Add cooked pasta to sauce and serve.

This Festivus was for all of us

2010-12-12T16:32:00.000-08:00

Check out the spread at Stephen's "Festivus" party last night.

My favorite detail was the cocktail menu, which included drinks named after the "Seinfeld" episode the party was named after, including "Feats of Strength" (equal parts tequila and cranberry juice with lime); "K. Cosmo" (2 parts vodka, 1 part Triple Sec, 1 part lime juice and 1-2 parts cranberry juice); and "Airing of Grievance" (2 parts gin and 1 part sweet vermouth). That's some clever stuff!

Thanks for bartending all night Derek!

Mom's "secret" dumpling recipe: Bisquick

2010-12-10T16:38:00.000-08:00

In the midst of yesterday's deary rain, I stopped by Mom's for a quick visit and she made a corresponding meal of stew with dumplings. I was excited to finally get the recipe for her dumplings, which I've loved ever since I was a child. Well, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I imagined. She uses Bisquick. Mixed with water. How easy is that?

I gotta say, I was a bit disappointed that there wasn't some secret trick to their fluffy goodness, but it's so nice that every once in a while, getting a recipe from Mom isn't like pulling teeth.

Unfortunately, the stew recipe wasn't quite as easy to get out of her, but I'm sure her dumplings would taste marvelous with this Chicken Soup (but maybe leave out the rice!).

Bleu cheese salad for bleu cheese haters

2010-12-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

Check out this gorgeous salad I brought over to Leslie's last night that was a hit even among fellow bleu cheese haters. I try to like bleu cheese, and I even like Gorgonzola, but there's something about the bleu that's just too much. However, in this salad, it's absolutely delicious.

I don't remember where I got this recipe, but I found it online here from Williams-Sonoma. Naturally, mine is a little different (as in easier). I add only one rather than four pears, and don't necessarily insist on using just spinach as the salad. Last night I used a lovely mix of salad greens that worked equally as well:

Pear, Walnut and Bleu Cheese Salad
1/4 cup sour cream
2 T. mayonnaise
2 T. walnut oil (or canola)
2 t. red wine vinegar
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Dash hot-pepper sauce
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 ounces baby spinach
1-2 pears, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup walnut halves, toasted
2 ounces crumbled bleu cheese

Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot-pepper sauce and black pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Toss the salad with the dressing, then top with the pears, walnuts and bleu cheese.

If you haven't tried sunchokes, do it!

2010-12-08T15:57:00.000-08:00

OK, seriously, who out there has ever eaten sunchokes? I'd barely even heard of them when they arrived on my doorstep from Full Circle Farm this week, but I was excited to give them a try. The description that comes with each box explained that they're also called Jerusalum artichokes, and as far as I'm concerned, you just can't go wrong with anything that has the word artichoke in it.

But since I had no idea how to prepare these sunchokes, I simply followed the recipe the farm also had sent. (Here's the PDF; it's the recipe on the top left.) I double-checked the instructions to simply scrub them, since they look kind of like a cross between ginger and yams, both of which I normally peel. But yes, the skin stays on, at least for this recipe.

Apparently, you can also mash sunchokes and use them in soups, but I will definitely be making this recipe again. Potato Au Gratin is always a winner in our house, and this one has the added benefit of tasting like it has cheesy artichoke dip mixed in. You gotta try it!

Here's how I made it:

Sunchoke and Potato Au Gratin
1 T. butter
3/4 lb. sunchokes, scrubbed and sliced in 1/4-inch slices
1-1/2 lb. potatoes, sliced in 1/4-inch slices
1/4 c. olive oil, divided
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
1 shallot, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 T. flour
1 c. milk
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 T. dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a casserole dish with the butter.

Toss the sunchokes and potatoes with 2 T. olive oil, salt, pepper and cayenne. Place half of the mixture in the dish, layering evenly. Mix the shallots and garlic in a small bowl, then sprinkle half the mixture over the sunchokes/potatoes and top it with half of the cheddar cheese. Top with remaining sunchoke/potato mixture, then the shallots and garlic, and sprinkle the flour on top. Add remaining cheddar cheese, then pour the milk over the casserole.

In a bowl, mix the panko with remaining 2 T. olive oil, parsley and Parmesan cheese, then spread evenly over the casserole. Bake for 1 hour, or until fork tender.

Chile Verde passes the tender test

2010-12-06T14:29:00.000-08:00

Before I got started on this recipe for Green Chile Pork Stew (Chile Verde), I had about as much trepidation as anticipation for the very first step of it, which, essentially, is to boil the meat in 1/3 c. water. Even Bryan passed by while the once-tender chunks of pork butt were boiling away and sarcastically said, "Mmm ... boiled meat."

But at the same time, I so was looking forward to not coating the chunks in flour, then browning them individually in oil, which 1) is time consuming, 2) is messy and gets oil splattered everywhere, including on me, and 3) does meat really need fat added to it?

However, considering that the meat had another hour and 15 minutes to simmer in acidic tomatoes, I was hopeful the pork would again end up tender, juicy and flavorful. I was not disappointed. Aside from running up the stairs a few times to stir the pot, this dish was fairly hands off, especially since I used canned chiles instead of roasing them myself (which is so not worth the work!).

Mexican Pulled Pork for breakfast!

2010-12-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

I was trying to think of an appetizing way to style this Mexican Pulled Pork, but because I failed to make the cole slaw that usually accompanies this dish or add any other garnishes, this is what you get.

No, it's not pretty, and you know what, it didn't taste as good, either. So this morning, I decided to spruce up the pulled pork a bit: I heated some between two corn tortillas in my cast-iron skillet, slathered it with sour cream and Tapatio, then threw a fried egg on top.

Who needs cole slaw?

Un-Americanized version of Chicken Divine

2010-12-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

Does this look familiar? Picture it on a bed of fluffy jasmine rice, covered with cheese and ... no, I guess it really doesn't look like my beloved Chicken Divine recipe. And according to Bryan, it doesn't taste very similar either, even though it has the same two main ingredients: broccoli and chicken.

Well, I suppose it's possible leaving out the condensed cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise and cheddar cheese did de-Americanize it a bit, but since I added a can of coconut milk in its place, was it much healthier? (Um, yes, actually I think it was.)

Anyway, what it all comes down to was that I really wanted to make Chicken Divine but was lacking a few of the more "American" ingredients, so I had to Asianize it a bit. Here goes:

Coconut Chicken Divine
2 chicken breasts, cut in chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1 T. canola oil
1 large stalk broccoli, cut in bite-size pieces
1 can coconut milk
1-2 T. curry
1/2 t. red pepper flakes (optional)
1 T. lemon juice

Cut chicken in chunks, then massage with garlic and salt, and let marinate for about 2 hours in the fridge.

Heat oil in skillet to medium high. Add chicken to skillet and cook until no longer pink on the outside, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan, then add broccoli to pan and stir-fry until color brightens, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to pan, then add coconut milk, curry and red pepper flakes, if using, as well as more salt to taste, then simmer until chicken is done, about 15 minutes.

Add lemon juice, then serve over rice.

Scenes from Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T13:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't get to host the Thanksgiving festivities this year after all, but I think I might have been just as tired from traveling first to Olympia and then to Portland for two nights of feasting.

Don't we look hungry here?

And check out this beautiful bird Stephen brined and Charlie butchered.

I made the Creamed Haricot Vert and Corn Casserole, which I didn't get a photo of because I was too busy stuffing my face by the time it was done. It was quite delicious, though, as was everything.

We were almost still full on Day 2, but then we found out that there was a chef in the house:

As if I had to tell you.

In addition to these mouth-watering photos, I also have a prized recipe to share, even if I didn't bring it to either party. But it did go well with all of the leftovers Stephen sent us home with!

Mai Ling's Mashed Potatoes
3 lbs. potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch cubes
4 T. unsalted butter, room temperature and cut in chunks
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature and cut in chunks
1/2 c. sour cream, room temperature
2/3 c. warm milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil potatoes until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, then gently pour back into the pot to shake off excess moisture.

Blend the potatoes with a hand or stand mixer, and slowly add the unsalted butter, cream cheese and sour cream until well blended. Gradually add in milk until the desired consistency is reach, then add salt and pepper to taste.

P.S. Do you like my new blog template? I don't, but at least it has the attributes I want again. Hopefully I'll be changing it around so that it suits me a bit better someday ...

I may be taking a break from the blog

2010-11-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

As you can see from the below photo, the photos still aren't uploading correctly and I'm about to go crazy. Anybody know how to remedy this madness? Do share!

My favorite salmon recipe

2010-11-23T16:39:00.000-08:00

So, most of Ruining Mom's Recipes is back to its original appearance, and what has changed I've given up on. But for some reason this photo insisted on uploading vertically. Finally worked around it, but I can't deny that frustration was mounting last night.

Anyway, like you want to hear about that! Check out this beautiful salmon! It's the last of the batch we got from Bryan's cousin Ryan this summer while we were in north B.C.

Although I tried a few new recipes with his fish (can't link to them right now because this new blog format is not very cooperative ... ), but last night I returned to the tried and true recipe I learned from Nicole years ago, who of course learned it from Chelsea.

Easy Baked Salmon
10- to 12-oz. salmon filet
1 T. unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 t. seasoning of your choice (I use Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning, Nicole uses onion salt)
1-2 T. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse salmon and pat dry with paper towels. Place in a large piece of foil. Sprinkle with butter, salt, pepper, seasoning and brown sugar, then close foil tightly around it. Cook salmon for about 35 minutes, or until cooked through.

What happened to my blog?

2010-11-22T21:16:00.001-08:00

Oh goodness, I consider myself pretty intelligent when it comes to design, yet I can't figure out for the life of me how to put my blog back to the way it used to be. I don't like the way it looks now, photos aren't uploading correctly ... well, that's about it, but the photo thing is more than just a slight problem.

Well, hopefully I will figure it out soon and show you the gorgeous salmon I ate for dinner tonight.

Chicken Soup for the Cold

2010-11-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

Bryan's been sniffly all weekend, so I decided to throw together some chicken soup for him yesterday to warm him up and get him on the mend.

This is just a basic recipe, but I thought I'd share it in case you're like me and always have frozen chicken, onion, carrots and celery ready to go. I used frozen chicken thighs because that's what I had, but you could use any cut as long as it has bones (otherwise, use chicken stock instead of water). Ideally, I would have thawed the chicken beforehand, then browned it before adding the water to give the soup a little more flavor, but it turned out well regardless.

Also, take note that the rice will soak up all of the water. If you're not going to eat this all in one setting, be sure you have some extra stock on hand to add to what will look like gumbo after has sat in the pan for more than, say, 20 minutes.

Chicken Soup for the Cold

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 c. chopped yellow onion

1/2 c. sliced celery

1/2 c. sliced carrot

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 chicken thighs (or whatever you have as long as it has bones)

6 c. water

2 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

1 c. uncooked rice

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, and cook until soft, for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently, then add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add chicken and water and bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour. Remove chicken, then add salt, pepper and rice, bring back to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, after the chicken has cooled, throw away the bones and skin, then shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. When the rice is finished cooking, return the chicken to the pot, stir to heat chicken through, then serve.

How to destroy a Spanish Tortilla

2010-11-20T20:57:00.000-08:00

The first time I made Tortilla Espanola, it was beautiful and delicious. But no, I didn't take a picture. Instead, you only get a photo of the Spanish Tortilla that I destroyed this morning.

Sorry about the lighting. But really, the shadows tell you more than a flash could anyway. There aren't supposed to be peaks and valleys in a tortilla, it's supposed to be a fluffy, flat potato-onion-egg dish that's perfect as a main course, a side dish or an appetizer, for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

In this case, it was just inedible.

Not only was I unable to correctly turn it over, but alas, I didn't even cook the potatoes all the way before adding the eggs. And the outside parts that were cooked were burned because I haven't yet mastered the use of the cast-iron skillet.

All that for this mess. Ugh.

Teriyaki Black Cod welcomes Mom home

2010-11-02T17:49:00.000-07:00

So what did Mom make for us while Bryan dined on Stuffed Squash? Our favorite fish, black cod, served teriyaki style, along with sweet purple potatoes, stir-fried asparagus and stir-fried choy sum.

Teriyaki Chicken was one of the first recipes I made Mom teach me back when I was in college, but since then Teriyaki Fish has become a more frequent guest at the dinner table.

Teriyaki Black Cod

3 black cod steaks

2 T. canola oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

1/4 c. Chinese cooking wine

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. water

2 T. sugar

Heat saute pan over medium high heat. Add canola oil and swirl to coat. Add garlic and ginger, and cook for 30 seconds, then add cooking wine and simmer until evaporated. Add soy sauce, water and sugar, then stir until sugar is evaporated and sauce is bubbly. Place cod steaks in pan and cook until heated through, turning a couple of times, about 6-8 minutes. Serve with sauce.

(To make teriyaki anything, the three main ingredients are soy sauce, water and sugar. Play with the measurements to make it the amount of salty/sweet that you like best.)

Even Mom likes my Stuffed Squash

2010-11-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Mom was finally rested enough last night for a visit from me, and she was more than happy to return to the kitchen and cook a wonderful meal for Charlie and me. Which meant that my original plan to send Bryan out to fend for himself for dinner simply wasn't acceptable.

Plus, I was feeling the need to redeem my cooking abilities after I made this Butternut Squash Filled with Spinach and Ricotta Recipe from Relish that was quite horrible. Why didn't I just stick with my own recipe? Heck, even Mom likes it!

This stuffed squash recipe changes each time I make it but the players are generally the same: Spinach, rice, Parmesan cheese, walnuts and butter are what make it so fabulous.

Mai Ling's Stuffed Squash

Large acorn squash

1-1/2 c. leftover rice pilaf (recipe follows)

8-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

2 T. butter

Salt and pepper to taste

2 T. bread crumbs

Cut squash in half and cook, cut side down in about an inch of water at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until soft, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, mix rice, spinach, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese and walnuts in a medium bowl.

After squash is cool enough to handle, gently spoon out the flesh into the bowl. Add butter and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste, then scoop back into each squash half. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, then cook at 375 for another 25-35 minutes, until beginning to brown on top.

Rice Pilaf

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 c. onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 c. basmati rice

1/2 c. orzo

2 c. water

1 t. salt

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan and add onion. Cook for about 5 minutes; add garlic during last minute. Add rice and orzo to pan, and continue stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add water and salt, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, still covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

Pizza Sauce and Mom stories

2010-10-31T17:16:00.000-07:00

Mom just got back from an accidentally extended trip to China after she decided to visit Macau on a whim, despite the fact her visa only allowed her one entry to China. Needless to say, the strict Chinese border guards wouldn't let her back into the country, so she missed her flight home last Tuesday.

Eventually, China gave her a new visa and let her back in, but not after she and her friend Shirley ran out of money, which is kind of a sin in one of the gambling capitals of the world. Maybe they really needed that little respite, though. After all, Shirley had just married off her daughter and had been running around during her whole "vacation."

So when they got back to Guangzhou, it was their first chance to really relax during their time there. Which meant they did Mom's favorite thing: They went out to dinner. But although Mom at first acted like she was complaining about going out to eat those last couple of nights, then she said:

"Well, it's not like here," she said. "We had fish head, and you know, the tubes inside the chicken." Um, no, I don't actually. Because they're chicken intestines, which to my Americanized palate makes Chicken Gizzards seem as tame as chicken breasts.

But I'm excited she got to go back to her homeland after so many years. Even if it was a bit horrifying in the end and it's unlikely she will ever return, at least she was able to enjoy the extra time she had there.

All of her talk made me feel extra guilty for making such a boring pizza this weekend, but I'll still share the delicious sauce I made.

Pizza Sauce

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 c. chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

2 14.5-oz. cans Italian Recipe Stewed Tomatoes

1/4 c. basil, chopped chiffonade

1/2 t. kosher salt

Heat olive oil in a wide saucepan. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes for last minute. Add tomatoes and simmer for about 30 minutes, uncovered.

Let cool for about 5 minutes, then pulse in a food processor to desired consistency. I like mine still a bit chunky. Add basil and salt, then spoon onto pizza before serving. This is the perfect amount for a 16-inch pizza.

A healthier version of Pasta Carbonara

2010-10-29T13:17:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite dishes to whip up in a jiffy is Pasta Carbonara, so when I saw Food & Wine's Spinach Pasta Carbonara recipe, I knew I had to give it a try.

Naturally, I didn't follow the directions quite to a T. Two egg yolks seemed like a bit much, so I used the one egg that the recipe I usually follow calls for, and rather than ruining the recipe I think that I quite perfected it. Here's my rendition:

Spinach Pasta Carbonara

8 oz. spinach-chive linguine from Trader Joe's (or any other spinach pasta)

6 slices bacon, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c. dry white wine

3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 head spinach leaves, stems removed and rinsed well (or a 5-oz. bag of spinach)

Cook bacon over medium-high heat until just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir rapidly for about 30 seconds, then add wine and allow to simmer for about 1 minute. Turn heat off burner and let bacon sit there.

Break egg into a large bowl and lightly beat; add parmesan and black pepper and mix well.

Cook pasta according to package directions. In last minute of cooking, add spinach. Drain pasta and spinach, then add to bowl with egg and parmesan cheese and toss rapidly to spread mixture evenly. Turn pan with bacon into the bowl, and continue stirring until everything is well mixed. Serve immediately while it's still warm.

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin is always tender

2010-10-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

Since the Thai Red-Curry Squash Soup I made over the weekend provides enough to feed an army - or at least a sizable Thanksgiving gathering - I've been having to make Asiany food to go with it for days.

But last night I didn't know if I was going to be around to cook, so I knew I had to prepare something that was relatively easy and also difficult to screw up. Not that I don't have the utmost confidence in Bryan's cooking ability, but he is a bit out of practice, and for that I am entirely to blame.

Easy solution for the night: The always tender pork tenderloin, especially easy since we have a meat thermometer that beeps quite alarmingly when your meat gets to the desired temperature. Better yet, even without the thermometer, it would be hard to overcook this pork tenderloin.

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

2 lbs. pork tenderloin

5 T. soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. ginger, minced

1 T. sesame oil

1 T. brown sugar

1 t. coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 t. garlic-chili sauce

Mix soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, brown sugar, pepper and chili sauce in a zip-top bag (or do it Mom's thriftier way and use a grocery store produce bag and just be very, very careful) and marinate overnight, turning frequently.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, discard marinade and place the tenderloin in a glass pan. Cook for 30-40 minutes, until a meat thermometer registers 155 degrees. Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes (temperature should rise beyond the safety threshold of 160 degrees), then cut into 1/2-inch slices and serve with the pan drippings.

(I served mine with rice and a head of lacinto kale, sliced in 1/2-inch ribbons and sauteed at high heat for a couple of minutes in 2 T. bacon grease with 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1/2 t. kosher salt. Next time, I think I'll add 1-2 T. of oyster sauce. I'll let you know how it turns out!)

And Thanksgiving planning has begun

2010-10-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

I might have had a bit too much fun at Oktoberfest because last week I got hit with my first major cold of the season. For most of the week, I was pretty much worthless in the kitchen, although I did manage to make my favorite Big Apple Pancake with hash browns and bacon when my appetite finally began to return.

But even without an appetite, I still wanted to cook so badly that I spent possibly hours scouring November's edition of Food & Wine, and I even woke up early one morning to plan Thanksgiving. I know it's a bit early, but I thought a little forward thinking would give me time to give a few of the dishes a test drive this year.

I was particularly intrigued by the Asian-American Thanksgiving feast from chef Joanne Chang, whose Pan-Asian flavors might appeal a bit more to my Asian relatives than the more traditional Thanksgiving recipes. But one look (it was actually more like six) at the Soy-Sauce-and-Honey-Glazed Turkey and I knew that I would have to be a much more advanced cook to pull that off with a home full of people.

Instead, I think we're going to stick with the brining theme with this Pimenton-Brined Turkey, because it both shortens the cooking time and diminishes the need for frequent basting, which is just more realistic for me. The accompanying side dishes: Smoky Chorizo Stuffing; and Creamed Haricot Vert and Corn Casserole.

Not that I've completely ruled out the Asian-American Thanksgiving, especially after my delicious success last night with its Thai Red-Curry Squash Soup (pictured above with Creamy Chicken-and-Mushroom Fricassee). Considering how much my family loved the last Roasted Butternut Squash soup I made them, this curry-coconut soup that's smooth like butter would definitely be just as much of a hit.

And, of course, there's always next year.

The no-fail Spinach Lasagna

2010-10-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

We thought about inviting some friends over on Friday night to enjoy our favorite lasagna, but then we decided we wanted it all for ourselves. Selfish, I know, but the first batch of the cold season just tastes so good!

I got this recipe back in 2003 from the Tri-City Herald's Recipe of the Week e-mail and have been making it since. I've even made it with fresh noodles, which was amazing, but this time I used the cookless noodles, which turned out fabulous and was so much easier to put together. The more even your spinach-ricotta cheese mixture it, the better the lasagna tastes, and it's just so much easier to spread it on those uncooked noodles.

Spinach Lasagna
Sauce:
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, minced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 28-oz. cans Italian plum tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Spinach filling:
2 10-oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3/4 c. ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pinch of nutmeg

To finish:
16-oz. package lasagna noodles
8 oz. goat cheese
8-10 oz. Mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

For Sauce:
Cook onion and garlic in oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes in a stock pot. Crumble sausage in skillet and cook until done. Pulse tomatoes in a food processor and add to pot, or add them whole and crush them using a wooden spoon. Grind together pepper flakes and fennel, then add with bay leaf, salt and pepper (I use about 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper). Simmer for 45 minutes. When sauce loses its watery quality, stir in cheese. Correct seasonings; remove bay leaf and discard.

For Spinach Filling:
Squeeze spinach dry (cheesecloth works best). Add cheeses and eggs. Add salt, pepper (again, about 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper) and nutmeg. Refrigerate until needed.

To finish:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pan with olive oil, then begin layering, first with coating of sauce, then noodles, then spinach mixture, then dot with goat cheese. Sprinkle with 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat twice; top with a little more sauce and Parmesan cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Just throwing together Squash Ravioli

2010-10-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

Before we took off for Leavenworth, I had a 1-lb. delicata squash I had to get rid of and so I decided to just throw together some ravioli. Obviously, it had been awhile since I'd last made ravioli, because it's not just something one throws together. Bryan had forgotten how much work it was, too, because when he got home from the gym and saw that a tornado had hit the kitchen, he asked a bit apologetically whether he could help. Little late for that!

But as much work as squash ravioli is, it's always worth it. I usually base my recipe off this Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter, which believe it or not is the creation of a tiny Pacific Northwest Ballet dancer named Kari Brunson who is pictured here in a stockpot. How cute is that?

I was able to make 64 2-inch raviolis with this recipe, using my awesome VillaWare Ravioli Maker from Chelsea that she thought I'd only use once then decide it wasn't worth the work.

Delicata Squash Ravioli

1-lb. delicata squash

1-1/4 lb. fresh egg pasta

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 c. ricotta cheese

1 egg, beaten

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

1/8 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves

Cut squash in half, discard seeds and cook skin side down in an oven preheated to 350 degrees until tender, about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool

Prepare the pasta, which I wouldn't suggest doing unless you have a KitchenAid with a Pasta Roller Set, but I'm only saying that because it's the only way I've ever done it.

Heat the olive oil, then add the shallots and garlic and stir until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

After the delicata has cooled, scoop out the flesh into a food processor, add the cooled shallots and garlic, cheese, egg and spices, and blend until smooth.

Assemble raviolis, then cook in simmering water for about 7-9 minutes, depending on the thickness of your pasta. You can also freeze them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper for later use.

(I usually serve these with Kari's Brown Butter, which is awesome. Her exact filling also comes highly recommended, which makes a bit too much for 1-1/4 lb. of pasta dough, but works great for lasagna. I admit, though, I haven't yet tried this recipe with the won ton wrappers - I'm afraid it would be so easy that I would never make real raviolis again!)

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

2010-10-12T17:09:00.000-07:00

Alright, I realize I've been a bit of a slacker with this blog lately, but I've actually been busy trying to make money blogging, and to do that with Ruining Mom's Recipes, I'd have to actually include some of Mom's recipes.

Well, that's not the real excuse, although I am well aware that I haven't actually been including enough of Mom's recipes. But that's much easier said than done, and to those of you to whom Mom is dear, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Please bear with me, and there will be more to come, I promise!

In the meantime, my real excuse for the extreme slacking is that I've been busy planning my birthday party trip to Leavenworth Oktoberfest, which actually reminded me a lot more of the real Oktoberfest in Munich than I ever would have imagined. The Oktoberfest Bier tasted like the real thing and the gebrannte Mandeln (sugar-roasted almonds) really took me back to all of the outdoor festivals I visited while in Germany.

But I got my biggest dose of Munich before Oktoberfest even started when Bryan, Nicole, Dan and I went to Andreas Keller in downtown Leavenworth and I found one of my favorite dishes on the menu that I haven't had for a decade: Leberkase, which is basically Bavarian meatloaf, but tastes more like a giant piece of delicious fried bologna. Sounds gross, but trust me, the stuff is marvelous.

I also was drooling over Bryan's dish, Sahne Schnitzel, which was similar to one of my favorites that my host mom used to make. Only difference was that Bryan's featured the always beloved Schnitzel, whereas my host mom usually served cut-up pork with the Spaetzle and the same delicious cream sauce. And now the hunt begins for the Sahne sauce recipe ...

Granola: new and improved

2010-09-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Have I finally found the perfect granola recipe?

My first attempt actually stuck around for a while, at least until Tara let me try her Barefoot Contessa granola that was so much more flavorful. But I soon realized that I was the only person eating it, which meant not everybody thought it was scrumptious. And that's a lot of granola for one person.

Now, I already knew that "not everybody," meaning Bryan, wasn't a big fan of coconut. But for some reason, I thought that toasting it as the recipe calls for would mask it. But it turns out he's not a child who you can hide disliked ingredients from, which I figured out after he devoured this coconut-free Maple Granola with Dried Berries from Bon Appetit.

But hey, ya gotta love that Bryan for never complaining about the food I make!

Anyway, to be honest, the Bon Appetit recipe was good but it kinda bored me. So I decided combine it with the Barefoot Contessa recipe (minus the coconut, naturally), and the results are oh so pleasing. The extracts in the Bon Appetit recipe smell fabulous when it's in the oven, and I like that it uses a lot less oil by including water with the liquids. Here's what I came up with:

Mai Ling's Granola II

5 c. rolled oats

1 c. whole raw almonds

1 c. whole raw cashews

2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 c. canola oil

1/2 c. maple syrup

1/2 c. hot water

1 T. vanilla extract

2 t. almond extract

1/2 t. salt

1 c. diced dried figs

1 c. diced dried apricots

1 c. dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix oats, nuts and cinnamon in a 9x13 dish that's deep enough to hold all of the ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix canola oil, maple syrup, hot water, extracts and salt, then slowly stir in with the oat mixture. Mix well, then cook for about an hour, checking and stirring every 10-20 minutes. It's done when it's dry and crunchy, but not burned!

Add dried fruits (you can be real creative with this part), and allow to cool, stirring a couple of times.

Tomato-Basil Soup hearkens to youth

2010-09-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

When I was just a wee thing, one of our favorite late-night haunts was Minnie's on Lower Queen Anne. There weren't a lot of places that would take underage kids, and we were so over Denny's and Beth's. So when we stumbled across a place that served brie and a Tomato-Basil Soup that was to die for, we thought we were wearing the fanciest pants in town.

But then I went to Minnie's as an adult, and realized it was just another hole-in-the-wall that just happened to have an amazing Tomato-Basil Soup recipe. So after Heather tracked that recipe down, we never went back and it eventually closed.

Maybe this soup isn't exactly the same - I think Minnie's used a lot more butter and cream, but hey, nothing is stopping you from doing that, too, with this versatile recipe.

Tomato-Basil Soup

2 T. butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 28-oz. cans whole tomatoes

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese

1 c. basil, chopped chiffonade

Heat butter in a large stockpot. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add garlic for the last minute.

Add tomatoes, bring to a low boil and simmer for 35 minutes, covered. (I usually pulse the tomatoes in a food processor before adding them, but you can just add them whole to the pot and crush them with your spoon since you'll be blending it all later.) Stir a couple of times throughout cooking.

Remove pot from heat and let cool about 5 minutes. Puree soup in a blender in batches, then return to a new stockpot with cream and reheat. Add Parmesan and stir until melted, then add basil, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Note: This last time I accidentally used the Italian-style tomatoes with basil, and it turned out quite tasty!

Tried and true Mac-n-Cheese

2010-09-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

I let Stephen down the other day when he couldn't find our much beloved mac-n-cheese recipe on Ruining Mom's Recipes, so I decided that was the perfect excuse to whip up a batch this weekend.

This is a recipe Bryan grew up with, and Bryan and I both have had our share of ruining this recipe since we got it from Connie, oh, about a decade ago. But after bringing it to dozens of potlucks and other events, I believe we've since perfected it.

Rule No. 1: Make sure the roux (flour and butter) is thoroughly mixed before you add the milk. Rule No. 2: Bring the bechamel (after the milk is added to the flour and butter mixture) to a boil before you add the cheese, otherwise it won't thicken correctly.

Connie's Mac-n-Cheese
2-1/2 c. milk
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 t. salt
2 c. macaroni
3 c. cheddar cheese (or a combo of your favorites)

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat milk in the microwave or on the stovetop; cook the macaroni in a separate pot according to package directions.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium pot, then add salt and flour and whisk until thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Add warm milk and continue to whisk until the milk comes to a boil. Turn heat off and add 2 c. cheddar cheese. When cheese is melted, add the macaroni and pour it into a casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cook for 35 minutes, until brown and bubbly on top.

Note: Can be made one day in advance without baking.

Variations: One of our favorite combos is to add bacon and peas. Instead of using butter, first cook 4 strips of chopped bacon, then remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, and use the grease instead of butter to make the roux. Mix the peas in when you add the macaroni to the bechamel sauce.

This dish works great with leftover ham or broccoli (or both!). Add about 2 c. chopped just before putting in the oven.

Cumin sneaks into an otherwise perfect pie

2010-09-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

I went to Mom's for dinner last night and was treated to this beautiful pie that Mom wouldn't stop bragging about because she made it from scratch. In the past, she always used refrigerated pie crusts, but she says they've gone up so much in cost that she isn't willing to pay the price anymore.

And the crust was phenomenal. And no, I didn't get the recipe (but I will!). However, I still have to share this ditty.

First of all, like all of her pies, this one was made up of what Mom had: Some apples, blackberries and the last stalk of rhubarb in her yard. But instead of buying ground cinnamon, she uses whole cinnamon sticks and grinds them herself. Except this time, the grinder had a few remnants of cumin still inside.

Being the supertaster that I am, it's all I could taste. We may as well have called it Cumin Pie! But it was in no way comparable to the Sesame Oil Cheese Cake that I made at Mom's when she recycled a vanilla extract bottle and filled it sesame oil.

As a matter of fact, it was still pretty darn near perfect. Delicious, however, might be an overstatement.

Cast Iron Cornbread: "It really rocks"

2010-09-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

Justin wasn't kidding when he shared his recipe for Cast Iron Cornbread with me and closed the e-mail with: "It really rocks."

It's nothing like the sweet, cakey cornbread Mom has always made for us -- although now she thinks she's really brilliant because she makes hers in muffin tins.

As a matter of fact, this recipe doesn't have any flour or sugar in it. But it's plenty moist and flavorful.

Cast Iron Cornbread
1/4 c. plus 2 T. canola oil
3 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
4 oz. creamed corn
1 c. corn meal (not coarse)
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

Put 2 tbsp canola oil in cast iron skillet and place in oven. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix 1/4 c. oil, eggs, sour cream and creamed corn in a medium bowl. In a seperate bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients, then add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour mixture into hot skillet, and bake for 30 minutes.

(Um, I just realized that I didn't put in the 1/4 c. of oil, and it turned out perfect. Huh. Sounds like experimentation time!)

Expanding my cabbage horizons

2010-09-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

As much as I love the shipment of fresh veggies and fruits that we get every other week from Full Circle Farm, I admit it takes some planning for me to figure out how to use everything before it's too late. Especially since I don't have a clue what to do with half of the veggies.

Mom is a genius with cabbage. It shows up nearly all of her soups and stars in multiple Chinese dishes. And what can I do with cabbage? Make coleslaw. Yeah, I know, real original.

So when I got this gorgeous head of Napa cabbage this week that I hadn't planned for, I went a huntin' and found this recipe for Creamy Cabbage that was almost impossible to stop eating -- even though I royally screwed up the bechamel sauce.

See, I can do more than just ruin Mom's recipes!

Keep kale on the stove a bit longer

2010-09-14T12:55:00.000-07:00

Remember the Cheesy Orzo with Veggies I made last month that I loaded up with kale? Well, I wasn't actually honest about the end result of that dish, which although tasty, also produced some ... let's jut say intestinal issues. Kale is yummy stuff, but it's also some serious roughage that I think requires a little more time over the flames.

So when I decided to pair kale with Pork Medallions with Mushroom Gravy, I still served Cheesy Orzo but left out the veggies (which made it quite runny, by the way, so you might want to reduce the fluid amount by about 1/4-1/2 cup), and let the kale cook for about 30 minutes. Even after all that time, it still was firm!

Sauteed Kale

2 strips bacon, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 bunch kale, sliced in 1/2 strips with stems in the middle

1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

1 c. chicken broth

Cook bacon over medium heat, then remove to paper towels. Add garlic to pan and quickly stir around, then add the kale and pepper and saute until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and let it simmer, partially covered, for about 25 minutes, or until it's tender to your liking. Add bacon and heat through, then serve.

Mai Ling's Minestrone ... for the day

2010-09-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

Fall does more than just instill nostalgia for Oktoberfest. It also creates a need to create and devour rich, hearty soups.

Of course, Mom would prefer it if soups were a part of our daily diet, as they are in her house, where she serves soup before every meal. You see, it's not just a ritual that's done at Asian restaurants, it's actually a tradition that I believe has multiple health reasons: 1) to heat your belly and prepare it for hot, solid food, and 2) to fill your belly and keep you from overeating during the meal.

Unfortunately, there aren't actually any recipes for the soups that Mom makes. I've asked, believe me, but it just seems like she throws together whatever mishmash of vegetables, mushrooms and soup bones she has on hand. I'm sure the basic combinations come from something that once resembled a recipe or maybe just flavors she remembers from childhood, but it's going to take me some time to be able to share them with you.

So bear with me, and know that in the meantime, she's also passed on that ability to throw together a mishmash of whatever is in the refrigerator to yours truly, although right now I'm still wading through typical American fare. You're going to have to wait for the Asian soups, which are intimidating when your mom could throw down Bobby Flay with just a pair of chopsticks and some soy sauce.

I'm not sure what exactly defines a Minestrone soup, but I know they often have beans and noodles in them, so we'll just call this

Mai Ling's Minestrone
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. sliced carrot
1 c. sliced celery
4 c. chicken broth
1 14.5-oz. can Italian-style stewed tomatoes (or just use normal tomatoes and add basil and oregano)
2 frozen chicken breasts
1 15.5-oz. can cannellini beans
1 15.5-oz. can garbanzo beans
1 c. dried macaroni (or other noodle of your choice)
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a stockpot. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add onions, carrots and celery and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add broth, tomatoes and chicken and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove chicken to a plate and shred with two forks. Meanwhile, add macaroni to soup and cook according to package directions.

When macaroni is cooked, add chicken, both cans of beans and pepper to heat through, then serve.

Our own little Oktoberfest

2010-09-11T11:21:00.001-07:00

With fall in the air, I've got Oktoberfest on the brain, which is when all I want to do is eat German food. I could wait a month for when we got to the big Leavenworth Oktoberfest festival, but to be honest I've had better luck finding authentic German food at Seattle's Feierabend than in touristy Leavenworth.

Besides, Wiener Schnitzel isn't really German, which is what I decided to make last night, even though I scoffed at the Veal Schnitzel recipe from Bon Appetit that I based it on because it used panko crumbs -- Japanese breadcrumbs. But it turns out panko makes a good Schnitzel! I paired it with German Potato Salad (recipe follows) and Cucumber Salad.

Wiener Schnitzel
2 thick pork chops, slightly frozen
1 c. milk plus 2 T., divided
1 c. flour
2 large eggs
1 c. panko
1/2 c. grated Asiago cheese
2 T. butter
1 T. canola or vegetable oil

Cut each pork chop into four thin cutlets, then arrange evenly in a glass dish. Pour 1 c. milk over the pork and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.

Place flour in a shallow dish, lightly beaten eggs plus 2 T. milk in a second, and in a third the panko mixed with the Asiago.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F., and heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Remove pork from milk and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then dredge each cutlet first in flour, then in eggs and lastly in the panko mixture. Here's your assembly line.

Cook cutlets on stovetop two at a time, 3-4 minutes per side, then place in oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

German Potato Salad
2 lbs. potatoes
1 c. onion, chopped
1 t. kosher salt
6 T. apple cider vinegar
3-4 T. canola oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Green onions

Boil potatoes in their jackets. This takes about 50 minutes. Drain potatoes and let them sit for 20-30 minutes, until they're cool enough to handle but still hot. Peel the skins, then thinly slice the potatoes. Gently mix them with the onions. Mix salt and vinegar, pour over the potatoes, mix gently, then allow to sit in a warm place for an hour. Stir in canola oil before serving, then sprinkle with black pepper and green onions. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Happy Birthday Bryan!

2010-09-09T22:05:00.001-07:00

Look what Bryan got for his birthday tonight:

Crack Pie! Yum!

Zucchini Fritters -- surprise, they're fried!

2010-09-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

Now that family month is over, I have no idea what to do with myself. So I guess that means I'll head back into the kitchen.

Actually, my fridge had been neglected for so long that I had to do some serious planning to use what remained, which led me to these Tender Zucchini Fritters from Bon Appetit that I knew would be ideal for the two zucchini that had gone a bit soft.

Unfortunately, I hadn't actually read enough of the recipe to understand that I would be frying dinner tonight, which was the last thing I wanted after eating every five seconds over the weekend.

And besides the added fat that I am trying to avoid, frying also proves a lesson for me every time. First, I tried using my Ferrari frying pan (a 12-inch All-Clad saute pan we got as a wedding gift), but all the yummy browned bits just stuck to the bottom. So I started over again in a nonstick and it seemed to work better. But honestly, I think it's all about the heat, just like Mom keeps telling me.

Next time, I'll just turn up the heat, real high. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Brunch at Chez Slaughter

2010-09-06T16:25:00.000-07:00

We did a lot of eating out during the last part of "family month," while Aunt Cindy and Uncle Bart were visiting: happy hour at Maximilien, dinner at the Steelhead Diner and brunch at Kona Kitchen, just to name a few.

But everybody in the family still found time to create a home-cooked meal to remind them how the Asian side of their family shares their love. I had a lot of competition after a meal made entirely from farmers market finds by Stephen, followed by Mom's amazing pork ribs and about a dozen other dishes that Bryan and I actually missed out on because we were at what very well could have been the most beautiful wedding ever at The Golf Club at Newcastle.

I guess I have family month to thank that my brunch also was a success, namely Bryan's cousin Ryan, who gave us the most amazing smoked salmon I have ever had, which also made my Smoked Salmon Quiche unbeatable.

Smoked Salmon Quiche

9-inch pie crust (store-bought if you're smart)

4 T. butter

3 leeks, sliced thin

8-oz. cream cheese (Neufchatel works fine)

2 cups smoked salmon, broken up in bite-size chunks

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1-1/2 c. nonfat half-and-half (feel free to go full fat!)

1/2 t. pepper

Prepare pie crust and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat butter in a nonstick pan. Add leeks and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and add cream cheese until smooth.

Meanwhile, mix eggs, half-and-half and pepper in a large bowl. Add the smoked salmon and the leeks-cream cheese mixture and lightly mix. Slowly pour into pie crust and bake for about an hour. Check it after 45 minutes, then check it in five minute intervals until the top is lightly browned. I gotta be honest, mine wasn't quite done in the middle - but it was still delicious!

And here's the rest of the menu:
Cava Sangria from Bon Appetit
Sticky Buns (Overnight Bubble Bread from All Recipes)
Spinach & Feta Quiche (see the Mushroom-Spinach Quiche on the bottom of this post, except I used feta instead of Swiss cheese)

Yes, we waddled out of there, did some wine tasting at Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia Winery, then somehow found it in us to eat again at the Red Hook Brewery just so we could enjoy the beautiful deck.

Please visit again soon! I can't guarantee the weather will be as picture perfect, but I can guarantee you'll leave with a full stomach!

Back to the kitchen, with gusto

2010-09-02T06:54:00.001-07:00

So maybe I went a little overboard last night. But I had a brief respite from what I'm now lovingly calling "family month," and I not only missed my kitchen, but I also needed to get cooking while some of my produce was in its prime.

First I made a batch of peach jam since I gave away the entire first batch that I made in July. This time I made half-pint jars, so hopefully the giving will go a little longer.

Then I decided to make up my own entree. After Bryan was talking about a Seattle P-I article about how wonderful bacon is, I decided it would be the perfect addition to the halibut that we got from Bryan's cousin in British Columbia during the first part of "family month."

It's not much of a recipe. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, then heat an iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook for about 5 minutes so the grease coats the bottom. Flip the bacon and move it to one side, place a fillet skin-side down, and top it with half the bacon. Repeat with a second fillet, and cook in oven for about 8 minutes.

We paired it with Bob's Red Mill Polenta and Swiss Chard Gratin from Greg Atkinson's "West Coast Cooking."

And we finished the evening with Peach Cobbler, also from "West Coast Cooking." And no, I didn't get any work done last night. But we sure did eat like kings.

When do you add the barbecue sauce?

2010-08-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

The last time Mom let me help her barbecue, I learned a valuable lesson that most people know already: Don't put barbecue sauce on the side that you're about to put directly over the flames. Maybe that's why my meat always turned out so burned until last night, when I did it the right way.

During the last 10-15 minutes or so of cooking, coat the top side of the meat with a thin layer of sauce, then close the lid and let it cook for about three to four minutes. Then turn the meat over, apply another thin coating of sauce to the top, and let that cook. Keep an eye on the meat to be sure the barbecue sauce on the bottom doesn't get singed. After another three to four minutes, turn the meat over again to let the second layer of sauce get a little browned, then it's eatin' time.

Do not, I repeat, do not coat the top then immediately turn it over, because it will just burn burn burn. Giving it some time to cook while it's not directly over the flames helps it meld with the meat a little better, too.

And that's my lesson for the day that most of you probably learned years ago. Live and learn.

Montreal Steak brings out the BBQ

2010-08-16T12:26:00.000-07:00

If barbecuing when the barometer tops 70 in Seattle is obligatory, when it's over 90, it's a necessity.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining that the sun finally came out in Seattle (although I am glad it is supposed to rain and get rid of all this smog next weekend!), but without the air-conditioning that the rest of America has, we have to be a little more creative about how to keep our house cool. And that means no indoor cooking unless it's in the early morning or late at night when we can finally open the windows and let in the cool air.

So I've been a barbecuing machine all weekend, getting creative in the kitchen with just how I can barbecue absolutely everything.

And my new spice of choice for this culinary adventure? Montreal Steak Seasoning, which I started using on Nate's recommendation to replace my prior oft-used combination of salt and Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning, which I recently ran out of. And since the steak seasoning is basically made of salt and other spices that I frequently use, including garlic, black pepper and red pepper, it just kind of makes my work easier.

I used it on everything last night. First I sprinkled it on a couple of nice T-Bone steaks before marinating them in this sauce for 6 hours. I also sprinkled it on the corn, which I first coated with olive oil before wrapping it with foil. And I added it to cut-up potatoes tossed with olive oil and green onions, also wrapped in foil.

And here it all is on the grill before it ended up in our bellies.

Mix it all together into Salmon Chow Mein

2010-08-15T15:29:00.000-07:00

Bryan took some action shots last night while I was combining all of the food I made earlier this week into one dish. I made plenty of Asian-style Salmon because I knew the leftovers would be even tastier after soaking up the sauce overnight, and even better with some noodles. I planned even further ahead by barbecuing 1 large zucchini, tossed with olive oil and garlic salt, that I then had to hide from Bryan.

Ideally, I would have used the the thin, Chinese egg noodles Mom taught me how to stir-fry for Chow Mein, but all I had was Top Ramen, which proved a delicious substitute. Just be sure to break up the noodles before you cook them, otherwise they're way too long and will just get tangled when you try to stir-fry them.

Salmon Chow Mein
3 packages Top Ramen
3 T. sesame oil, divided
2 cups leftover Asian-style Salmon, broken up in chunks, with sauce
1 zucchini, cut in bite-size pieces
2 green onions, sliced
1 jalepeno, minced (optional)
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. sugar
1 T. rice vinegar

Break up the Top Ramen, then cook according to package directions and drain well.

Meanwhile, heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with 1 T. of sesame oil, then stir-fry a third of the Top Ramen, a third of the green onions, and a third of the jalepeno, if using. You'll want to move the noodles around the pan ever 30 seconds or so, being sure to turn them with a spatula a couple of times. Transfer noodles to large bowl when they start to dry out, then repeat with the remaining noodles. Each batch should take 3-5 minutes.

Mix together the soy sauce, sugar and rice vinegar, then add to the noodles and mix well.

Place the zucchini and salmon in the same pan until heated through, then add to the noodles and stir until mixed well.

No "Ruined" stamp for my Asian-style Salmon

2010-08-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

It's no wonder I ruin all of Mom's recipes when I seem unable to ever adhere to them. In all honesty, though, I follow Mom's recipes about as closely as she does. I doubt she's ever made the same dish the exact same way twice - not only because she doesn't measure anything, but it also depends on what she has on hand as well as her constantly changing tastes.

Almost every time I go to her house, she's got a new way of making tea or some special dish that she suddenly is saying is the way they "always do it." In these cases, "always" usually means about two weeks, but her way of cooking is a constantly evolving cycle, so maybe she just doesn't notice the little additions and subtractions she makes here and there.

I still tried to kind-of follow her recipe for Asian-style Fish, although I immediately ruined it by 1) using a salmon fillet, 2) using powdered ginger instead of fresh ginger root 3) using a combination of green onions and baby fennel instead of leeks, and 4) grilling it for about 25 minutes wrapped in foil instead of (blech!) microwaving it.

In my defense, I was simply using what I had, and I did learn that trick from the best. I got the baby fennel from Full Circle Farm and really have no idea what else to do with it, and the green onions are the tops of some beautiful red onions that appeared in my fridge over the weekend (thank you James and Debbie!). Not to mention that it topped 70 in Seattle today, which means a barbecue is obligatory.

And you know what? The salmon turned out really, really tasty. Which makes me think I should have named this blog Improving Mom's Recipes instead of Ruining Mom's Recipes. Doesn't quite have the same ring, though, does it?

Only in L.A.: Korean BBQ Cook-Off

2010-08-11T08:33:00.001-07:00

Before I get sidetracked by my real life, I thought I'd share some (cell phone!) photos from the Korean BBQ Cook-Off that we went to in Los Angeles' K-Town over the weekend. Talk about great timing. Entry was free, and food/drink tickets cost $5 each. It was a bargain: At the O Dae San booth, I got a dish of pork belly with rice and salad AND a Vietnamese iced coffee for one ticket.

But first we rushed into one of the lengthier lines for something none of us had ever seen before in Seattle: a Kalbi Burger, which looks just like a regular burger except that the meat is oh so much tastier.

I also was tempted by these unique Korean-style hot dogs from the Seoul Sausage Company, which puts Kalbi in a hot dog. Yum!

But besides the fact that it was enormous, it came with a huge dollop of kimchi on top. Unfortunately, I'm still trying to acquire a desire for kimchi, but it's probably just because I'm a spicy-hot wussy. But since I love sauerkraut, I'm hopeful that maybe someday I can can find it in my taste buds to love kimchi, too.

We also watched a Choco Pie eating contest, which grossed me out so much that I had to seek out and try one of the extremely dry Korean snacks, as well as a Soju drink contest that introduced us to the K-Town Cowboys.

And check out these crazy ice cream flavors from Scoops:

Yes, that says Kimchi and Roasted Corn. There also was Black Sesame and Bean Curd, but let's not forget Oreo (who's the target audience for that flavor?) and Chocolate Guinness. Random, for sure.

But still, I'm hoping some of these creations make their way into our neck of the woods, just maybe for Seattle's own Korean BBQ Cook-Off.

Cheesy orzo gets a boost in health

2010-08-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

One thing I love about attending conferences geared toward Asian Americans is that the organizers know they can't skimp on the food. Forgive me for stereotyping, but Asians like to eat, and since being a foodie is so trendy these days, Asian Americans want the best of both worlds: good food, and lots of it.

So I wasn't disappointed by the food at the conference I was at last week, and I even got some ideas from it, including the above orzo dish that was inspired by our last meal (sniff snifff).

Cheesy Orzo with Veggies
2 T. unsalted butter
1 carrot, peeled and cut in chunks
1 small summer squash, cut in chunks
1 c. orzo
1-1/4 c. chicken broth
1-1/4 c. water
1 bunch kale, cut in 1/2-inch ribbons and well rinsed
1/4 c. Asiago (or Parmesan) cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Saute carrot and squash in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then add orzo and continue stirring for about 3 minutes. Add broth and water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.

Stir in the kale in batches until the leaves are wilted, then add cheese, salt and pepper.

I served mine with this fabulous dish from Cooking Light that is a mainstay in our kitchen: Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar Pan Sauce.

Enjoy!