Hot & Sour Soup

I've always wanted a hot & sour soup recipe, so that I could make it at home when I get the inevitable craving. A friend from church, Chris Young, gave me this one. I made it for the first time today and it's great. As good as almost any I've had in a Chinese restaurant.

• 1 package extra firm tofu, drained
• 4 Tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 4 Tsp corn starch
• 2 boneless center cut pork chops, sliced into ¼ inch thick slices
• 1 large egg
• 4 cans (about 8 cups) chicken broth
• 1 cup bamboo shoots, sliced lengthwise into 1/8 inch strips
• 4 oz fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced ¼ inch thick
• 5 Tsp black vinegar (or 2 Tsp red wine vinegar plus 3 Tsp balsamic vinegar)
• 2 tsp chili oil
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 3 medium scallions, sliced thin

Place tofu in a pie plate and set a heavy plate on top. Weight with more plates or a couple of heavy cans. Let stand at least 15 minutes. Tofu should release about ½ cup liquid.

Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a medium bowl. Toss pork with marinade and set aside for at least 10 minutes.

Pour chicken broth into a large saucepan and bring close to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and add bamboo shoots and mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are just tender, about 5 minutes.

While broth simmers, dice tofu into ½ inch cubes. Add tofu and pork to the soup, stirring to separate any pieces of pork that stick together. Continue to simmer until pork is no longer pink, about 2 minutes.

Combine 3 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. Add to soup and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soup thickens and turns translucent, about 1 minute. Stir in 5 tablespoons black vinegar, 2 teaspoons chili oil, 2 teaspoon white pepper, and 3 tablespoons soy sauce. Turn off heat.

Mix ½ teaspoon cornstarch with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Add egg and beat with a fork until combined. Without stirring the soup, use a soupspoon to slowly drizzle very thin streams of the egg mixture into the pot in a circular motion. Let soup sit 1 minute, then return the soup to medium-high heat. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then immediately remove from heat. Gently stir the soup once to evenly distribute the egg.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with scallions.

Serves 8.

Pecan Craisin Treats

Cook 1 c. chopped pecans and 1 c. craisins with one can sweetened condensed milk for 10 minutes. Cool for one minute then spread mixture onto Ritz crackers. Mixture will harden quickly. Let cool completely. Frost with 1 c. powdered sugar, 1/4 c. butter, 1 t. vanilla, and a dash of milk. Delicious!

Chicken Drummies

1 c. Bisquik
1 package Lipton onion soup mix
1/4 tsp. black pepper
6-10 chicken drumsticks

In a large Ziploc bag, combine the Bisquik, soup mix and pepper. Rinse the drumsticks and add them to the bag. Shake. Line a jelly-roll pan with foil and spray with olive oil. Place drumsticks on foil. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes, turning drumsticks over halfway through.

Aji de Pavo

The real recipe is for Aji de Gallina (Chicken in Walnut Cream Sauce). It's a traditional Peruvian dish. But we had a lot of Thanksgiving leftovers this week, so I substituted turkey this time (thus, Aji de Pavo). If you need a good use for leftover turkey, try this one.

Aji amarillo is a key ingredient, but it can be difficult to find. We have an international market a few miles from us where we can find just about anything. Some Whole Foods carry aji amarillo powder, which works well too.

Ingredients

• 2½ lbs turkey, shredded by hand (if using chicken, boil a chicken and shred the meat)
• 2 fresh aji amarillo (yellow Peruvian chili), seeded
• 4 cloves garlic
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons walnuts
• ½ cup soda crackers, crushed
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 3 tablespoons corn oil
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a food processor combine the aji, garlic, onion, and ¼ cup water and process to a paste. Remove to a bowl.

In the processor blend the walnuts, cracker crumbs, milk, oregano, and salt until smooth.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the garlic and onion paste and stir-fry until golden over low heat. Add the turmeric and stir another minute.

Add 2 cups of the reserved broth, turkey (or chicken) strips, and Parmesan cheese and bring to a boil. Add the milk sauce and cook, stirring constantly over low heat for 5 minutes. It should be smooth and pourable. If too thick, add more broth until you have reached the desired consistency.

Serves 8

Fudge Brownies

1 Cup butter - softened
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 Cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Cup chopped walnuts

Melt 1/2 cup butter and chocolate in small saucepan over low heat; set aside to cool.

Place remaining 1/2 cup butter, sugar, and vanilla in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds. Turn to speed 6 and beat about 2 minutes. Turn to speed 4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating 15 seconds after each addition. Stop and scrape bowl.

Add cooled chocolate mixture. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape bowl. Add all remaining ingredients. Turn to stir speed and mix until well blended, about 30 seconds.

Pour into greased and floured 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack and cut.

I decided to make these brownies last night. I proceeded as instructed by adding the sugar, butter and vanilla to my mixing bowl, and mixing according to the instructions. After mixing for the 2.5 minutes, the mixture was very grainy. The best way to describe it would be to say it consisted of small butter beads, with sugar attached to the butter. I continued on through the rest of the instructions. When I got to the "pour" part, there was no pouring going on there. It was way to thick. I had to scoop it out of the bowl, and spread it around with a spatula. As the brownies cooked in the oven, I was eager with anticipation. However, the final product was very much a disappointment. Eating them is basically like eating a square of chocolate and butter flavored sugar. 


So what went wrong? What I'm guessing is that my butter was not as soft as it should have been. After the damage was done, I found another brownie recipe that calls for adding melted butter. Please let me know if you agree with this assessment. Assuming that the butter not being soft enough was the cause of the problem, at the point where the sugar, butter and vanilla were combined, could anything have been done to salvage the brownies? 

Poppy Seed Chicken

This is another recipe from our friend Erin. Momma Eastman wanted this recipe, so here it is!

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 pint (16 oz) sour cream

5-6 chicken breasts (cooked & diced)

1 tube Ritz crackers

3/4 cup butter

2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

Boil the chicken and cut once cooked. Mix the diced chicken with sour cream and soup Then spread in a 9x13 pan.

Crush the crackers and mix with melted butter and sprinkle on top of creamy mixture. Next, sprinkle poppy seeds on top of the casserole.

Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with rice.

***I've never had this before, but Heber and Greg Fox have and they say it's yummy!

Chicken Pot Pie

I got this recipe from our good friend Erin Cowles. We tried it and it's really easy and really yummy!

2 cans cream of potato soup

1 can Veg-All (mixed veggies)

2 cups cooked chicken, diced (or you can use canned chicken)

1/2 t. poultry seasoning

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

2 pie crusts

Mix everything together and place in one pie shell. Place the second shell on top and press the edges to seal. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Irish Tacos

This is an old family recipe my great grandfather used to make. He had 5 daughters to feed and money was short so he started adding potatoes and corn to his taco recipe to make things go further. Mom and Dad Eastman have tried these and they said they liked them...I guess you can be the judge :)

Irish Tacos

1 lb ground hamburger or ground turkey

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 medium sized potato, diced

1/2 cup of frozen corn

1- 14 o.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2- 8 oz cans tomato sauce

salt & pepper to taste

Brown the hamburger or ground turkey with the diced onion until the onions are clear. Drain the fat from the meat, if desired - I always do. Add diced potato, frozen corn, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add salt & pepper to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes. You'll know it's done when the potatoes aren't crunchy anymore. Enjoy!

***Note this makes a nice size pot full. Heber and I usually have to freeze a good portion of it for later and it's still great!

Red Rice

Here's the recipe for the red rice I made with my grilled tacos a few weeks ago. This rice goes great with any Mexican dish. I adapted this recipe from one in Williams Sonoma's Savoring Mexico cookbook. The only ingredient that might not be available at your mainstream grocery store is the achiote powder. If not, you should be able to find it in any little Mexican store.

• 1 medium-large ripe tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon ground achiote
• 2 Tbsp safflower or canola oil
• 1 cup medium- or long-grained white rice
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

In a blender, puree the tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Add the achiote and blend until well mixed. Pass the mixture through a sieve.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it starts to turn light gold, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and fry, scraping the pan bottom occasionally, until the puree is absorbed, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth and add the salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook the rice for 25 minutes. When the rice is almost cooked through, remove the pan from the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.

Toss the rice with a fork, then spoon into a warmed bowl and serve.

Award-winning Pumpkin Roll

Beat 3 eggs for 5 min. Add 2/3 c. canned pumpkin (without spices), 1 c. sugar, and 1 t. lemon juice.

Mix well. Add:

3/4 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. nutmeg

Spray a jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray. Line the pan with wax paper, and spray again. Spread batter into pan evenly, and bake at 375 for 12-14 minutes. Do not overcook.

When the cake is done overturn into a cotton towel, remove the wax paper, and roll up the cake in the towel to cool.

Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese

4 T. butter

1 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

When the cake is cool, unroll and spread filling evenly. Roll it back up into plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Eggs Benedict

Every Friday during the last few months that Sarah and I lived in Chicago, my friends from work and I would grab breakfast at Ceres Cafe in the Chicago Board of Trade building. The tradition was to get Eggs Benedict. Every once in a while I get a craving for Eggs Benedict again, so I recently learned how to make it myself.

Eggs Benedict is topped with hollandaise sauce. Rather than make up a whole batch of sauce from a powder packet, I learned to just make a small bit from scratch.

Hollandaise Sauce

• 1 egg
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp butter
• dash of cayenne pepper
• dash of salt

Whisk the egg and lemon juice in a metal bowl. Carefully melt the butter in the microwave. Simmer a small amount of water in a small sauce pan. Place the metal bowl with egg and lemon over the simmering water. While stirring constantly, pour in the butter. Continue stirring until the volume roughly doubles. Stir in the cayenne pepper and salt and set aside.

Eggs Benedict

• 1 english muffin
• 2 slices cheese
• 2 slices canadian bacon
• 2 eggs
• hollandaise sauce

Poach the eggs as follows: Bring water to a gentle boil in a medium saucepan. Add a little bit of vinegar to the water. Crack the eggs into the water and let them sit for about 3 minutes. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon.

During the 3 minutes that the eggs are poaching, split the english muffin and toast both halves and grill/warm/fry the canadian bacon. On top of each half of english muffin layer a slice of cheese, canadian bacon, and a poached egg. Top with hollandaise sauce and season with a little salt and pepper.

The cheese isn't critical, so those of you that avoid cheese can just leave it out. I calculate that each eggs benedict (the above recipe making 2) has about 350 calories (with cheese), so don't go too crazy on them.

Chile Verde

We went to a ward Halloween party last week where everyone brought chili (with fritos to accompany it). I made some chile verde, just to be different. It was a big hit. While making it, I kept remembering that Pa always got chile verde at El Matador. I never had it there, but I bet this homemade version beats it.

I bought the pork (bostón de cerdo) and produce at my new favorite carnicería, Super Mercado Jalisco. I also bought whole cloves there, which I ground using my mortar and pestle.The hardest part of the work was cutting up the pork and trimming the fat. It took a lot of patience, but it was worth it.

Here's the recipe, courtesy of simplerecipes.com:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
• 5 garlic cloves, not peeled
• 2 jalapeño peppers
• 2 Anaheim or Poblano chiles (optional)
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped
• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds pork shoulder (also called pork butt), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 yellow onions
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano or 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
• 4 cups chicken stock
• Pinch of ground cloves

Directions

Husk and rinse the tomatillos. Roast the tomatillos, jalapeños, Anaheim or poblano chiles, and garlic until the skins are lightly blackened. (I roasted them on my grill, but you can also roast them under a broiler.) Let cool enough to handle. Remove the stems, seeds, and veins from the peppers.

Blend the tomatillos, garlic, jalapeños, other chiles, and cilantro. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.

Season the pork cubes generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat and brown pork chunks well on all sides. Work in batches so that the pork is not crowded in the pan and has a better chance to brown well. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, lift pork out of pan and place in bowl, set aside.

Pour off excess fat, anything beyond a tablespoon, and place the onions and garlic in the same skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until limp, about 5 minutes. Add the pork back to the pan. Add the oregano to the pan. Add the tomatillo chile verde sauce to the pork and onions. Add the chicken stock (enough to cover the meat). Add a pinch of ground cloves.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork tender.

Serves 8

Zucchini Soup

Melt 1/3 c. butter

Add:

1/3 c. flour

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

Cook to thicken and add:

3 c. water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1 t. lemon juice

2 zucchini, chopped

2 T. parsley, fresh

1 t. dried basil

Boil & cook 2 min. (or as much as you like to cook zucchini)

Add:

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes (don't drain)

1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn (I've also used canned corn)

Stir in:

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

2 c. cheddar cheese

Grilled Tacos

We had a few friends over for dinner last weekend, so I made grilled tacos. I got all the meat from a Mexican carnicería, Super Mercado Jalisco. The meat an other ingredients included:

• 1 lb of espalda de res (very thinly sliced steak, like for carne asada)
• 1 lb of pechuga de pollo (chicken breast), sliced lengthwise into long, flat slices
• 1 lb of lomo de cerdo (pork loin), sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1 can sliced pineapple
• tortillas (both corn and flour)
• 1 can chipotle peppers
• grapefruit juice
• 4 roma tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 avocados

I brushed adobo (from the can of chipotle peppers) onto the pork and let it sit for a couple of hours. I marinated the steak and the chicken in grapefruit juice for a couple of hours (I stole that idea from La Carreta in Orem, UT).

While the meat marinated, I roasted the tomatoes and garlic on my grill and combined them with some chipotles in my molcajete to make salsa. I saved off about half of the salsa and smashed some avocados into the rest to make guacamole.

Next, I grilled the meat along with the pineapple slices. When it was done, I chopped the meat and pineapple and then warmed tortillas on the grill.

We just let everyone make their own tacos from the meat, pineapple, salsa, guacamole, chopped white onion, sour cream, cilantro, cheese, red rice (recipe available on request), and black beans. It all came together deliciously.

Cornbread--Marie Callendar Style

3 eggs

2 1/4 sticks margarine

1 1/2 c. milk

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3 c. Bisquick

1 1/4 c. sugar

3 heaping T. cornmeal

Beat eggs and add milk. Melt margarine and add to mixture.

Mix all dry ingredients and add to liquid ingredients, folding

until just mixed. Pour into ungreased 9 X 13 pan. Bake

at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Hot Fudge Sauce

2 C Sugar
6 T Cocoa
1/3 C Flour
1/2 C Butter
1 Can Evaporated Milk
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla

In a saucepan, add everything except the vanilla. Bring to a boil until thick like pudding. (5-8 minutes)
Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Mix in a blender until good and smooth.

Makes 1 quart.

Panini

After seeing someone on a PBS cooking show make a delicious-looking panini sandwich, Sarah and I decided to create our own variation on the theme.

Ingredients

• Italian bread
• Virginia ham, sliced
• Provolone cheese slices
• Sliced tomato
• Pesto
• Arugula
• Butter

Directions

Very lightly butter one side of each of two pieces of bread (the buttered side will be on the outside of the sandwich). The butter is more for marking than for taste. Spread pesto on the other side of each slice (the inside of the sandwich). Layer the sliced ham, cheese, and tomatoes into the sandwich. Place the sandwich on a George Foreman grill for a couple of minutes, long enough to lightly toast the bread and start to melt the cheese. It helps to add a little pressure closing the grill to both mark and evenly grill the sandwich. Next, open the sandwich and add a generous portion of arugula. The arugula adds both a nice flavor and texture, so don't skimp.

We made this sandwich for dinner the other day. It was so good, I made it again every day since for lunch.

You can easily imagine different meats, cheeses, and other fillings to try something different. I'll be trying them for sure.

Magnolia's Famous Banana Pudding

Luke has been asking for this recipe. I'm delivering. H made this for my birthday back when we were dating. That's when I knew I wanted to marry her. It wasn't quite the same as the original (sorry H), but it was pretty darn close. I'm sure with a bit of tweaking and experimenting one could get it undeniably close.

This is word-for-word from the official Magnolia Bakery cookbook:

Ingredients:

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1.5 cups ice cold water
• 1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 12-ounch box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)
• 4 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped ream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.

To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5 quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the bananas and one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours--or up to 8 hours, but no longer!--before serving.

Serves 12-15 (or 1 Jed)

Enjoy!

PS. If you've never had banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery in NYC, I'm sorry first of all, but second of all, you NEED to try this recipe, even--actually, especially--if you don't normally like banana pudding.

The End of Overeating

I just finished a good book about food: The End of Overeating by David Kessler. I'd put it in a class of books with Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore's Dilemma.

Here are some things I wrote in my review of the book on Goodreads:

Do you ever argue with yourself over whether you should have an unhealthy treat? Those cookies look good. They're bad for me; I don't need them. I want one. I shouldn't have any. Just one won't hurt... And then you decide you'll have one (or more), just to stop the internal argument.

Or do you find yourself unconsciously reaching for another tortilla chip, even though you're already full and still have an entrée on the way?

The End of Overeating gets at the heart of why these things happen. It explains the impact that foods loaded with fat, sugar, and salt have on the brain. It suggests that food can literally be addictive and talks about how to break the cycle.

Along the way, the book conveys a lot of interesting information, like how cereal manufacturers disguise how much sweetener they put in a cereal by using four or five different sweeteners so that no individual sweetener appears too high on the ingredients list. (I checked my box of Basic 4 to see for myself. Sure enough, it uses sugar, brown sugar, barley malt syrup, brown sugar syrup, and honey.)

An interview with the author on the Colbert Report sparked my interest. You can watch it here: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/226155/april-29-2009/david-kessler.

The book is a bit dry, but it's a quick read and it's worthwhile. It might change the way you think about food. I'm hoping it changes the way I do.

The Stinky Cheese Burger

Luke and I have been perfecting this burger for years. It's time to share. Get ready for the best burger of your life...

Before the grill:

Make the patties by mixing ground hamburger with crushed soda crackers, about 1 cracker per 1/4 pound of meat. (This helps the patties stick together.)

Make the buffalo sauce by combining equal parts Franks Red Hot Cayenne Pepper Sauce and brown sugar. Heat the sauce just barely to a boil, and then let cool.

On the grill:

Cook the burgers according to your liking, coating liberally with buffalo sauce at the beginning, and after each flip. 3 minutes before the burgers are done, add gorgonzola cheese crumbles to each patty while still on the grill (the gorgonzola takes a few minutes to fully melt).

After the grill:

Spread a bit of spicy brown mustard on the bun. Top the burger with a slice of tomato, a couple sliced rings of a red onion, and a few slices of avocado. If you like the spicy stuff, you could add a bit more buffalo sauce here.

Now eat.

Yummy.

Which Wich

Which Wich is a new sandwich shop in Frisco. (It's actually a nationwide chain, though there aren't any in Utah, Idaho, New York or Virginia). Our inaugural visit this evening was very successful. We've already declared it a favorite. I had the Thank You Turkey, which is turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. It was super yummy. In future visits, I hope to try The Hula (ham & pineapple), the Elvis Wich (PB, honey & banana), the Tomato & Avocado and The Monte Cristo (ham, turkey, grape jelly and powdered sugar). I think I'm going to pass on the Spam Classic, though.

Buttermilk Syrup

This recipe comes from our good friend. It's yummy on everything, but particularly yummy on Ableskivers. I thought it might be a nice addition to Sarah's post.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Buttermilk

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick)

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat

2. Add buttermilk and sugar

3. Whisk to dissolve and bring to a boil

4. Cook for 2-3 minutes, make sure the sugar is dissolved and the syrup has thickened

5. Remove from heat and add vanilla

6. Add baking soda and watch the syrup foam

7. Serve immediately

TIPS: Be sure to use a big enough sauce pan for the syrup to triple in size! The syrup can be reheated for future use. And the syrup can also be kept at a slow-rolling boil if you are waiting for other items to cook, just don't add the baking soda until you are ready to serve.

Bread

Having recently freed my family from our dependence on store-bought hamburger buns, I feel our ultimate goal (nothing but homemade bread) is well within reach. These are two of my favorite bread recipes. I make them both in my 6-quart Kitchenaid and I have to cut the wheat bread recipe in half.

Perfect Whole Wheat Bread

10-12 cups of whole wheat flour
2 tbls dry yeast
1/2 cup wheat gluten
4 cups warm water (120-130 degrees)
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup honey (do the oil first and the honey just slides out!)
1 tbls salt

Place 6 cups flour into mixer bowl with kneading arm. Add dry yeast and gluten; mix well. Add water and mix one minute. Cover and let sit 10 minutes. (This makes the bread lighter). Add oil, honey, and salt. Turn on mixer and add remaining flour one cup at a time until dough forms a ball and cleans the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft to the touch not to stiff. Knead 7-10 minutes or by hand 12 to 15. Dough should be smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Divide dough into equal parts. Shape each part into a loaf. Place in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch baking pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (If you use glass baking pans, reduce oven temperature to 325). Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

1 1/2 c. water

1/2 c. honey

1/3 c. butter

5 1/2 to 6 1/2 c. flour

1 c. quick oats

2 tsp. salt

2 pkgs. active dry yeast

2 eggs

1 egg white

1 tbsp. water

oatmeal (I use regular rolled oats here. They're much prettier).

Place water, honey, and butter in small saucepan. Heat over low heat until mixture is very warm (120-130 degrees Fahrenheit).

Place 5 cups flour, oats, salt and yeast in mixer bowl. Mix with dough hook on speed 2 about 15 seconds. Continue mixing, gradually adding warm water mixture and mix for 1 minute. Add eggs and mix 1 minute longer. Still on speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix about 2 minutes, or until dough clings to hook and cleans side of bowl. Knead on speed 2 about 2 minutes longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Place in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch baking pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, free from draft, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Beat egg white and water together with a fork. Brush top of loaves with mixture. Sprinkle with oatmeal. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes. (If you use glass baking pans, reduce temperature to 350). Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Turkey Sandwich

Today for lunch I made myself a turkey sandwich. On a whim I spread a little bit of Sarah's homemade Strawberry jam on it. I've never done that before, but before you question my sanity consider that it's not that different from cranberry jelly. On another whim I crumbled some Shropshire Blue cheese on it. It was delicious. The sweetness of the strawberry was a great compliment to the bitterness of the cheese. I kept thinking about the sandwich for the rest of the day.

Butternut Squash Ravioli

I got more adventurous with my pasta making today. I made Butternut Squash Ravioli. I used a recipe from the Food Network:

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash, halved and seeded
• Pinch cinnamon
• Pinch nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped orange zest
• 2 teaspoons chipotle puree
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 sheets pasta dough, 12 to 14 inches long by 4 inches wide
• 2 eggs mixed with 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place squash on a baking sheet and roast until soft 30 to 40 minutes. Scoop out flesh and run though a food mill. Place the puree into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat until almost dry. Add the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Lay a sheet of pasta dough on a lightly floured work surface and distribute a heaping teaspoon-sized portion of the filling at least 2 inches apart. Use your fingertip or a brush to moisten the edges of the pasta sheet with the egg wash. Carefully place a second sheet of the pasta dough on top of the first and press with your fingertips to separate the rows of filling. Repeat with the remaining dough. With a ravioli cutter or pastry wheel, cut along straight lines on the vertical and horizontal to form each ravioli square. Press the edges closed with your fingertips to seal well. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop in the ravioli and cook for about 5 minutes.

I deviated from the recipe by not putting anything else in the filling except for squash, cinnamon, and nutmeg, partly because I didn't have some ingredients on hand and partly because Sarah's laying off all dairy products for a while. The recipe called for a butter sauce to top the ravioli, but we just topped them with a store-bought marinara sauce.

It being my first time, the ravioli didn't turn out as pretty as what you'd get in a restaurant, but they tasted good. Justin said he like the "applesauce" filling and sucked it out of his ravioli. That's a good enough endorsement for me.

Homemade Pasta

I don't have a fancy recipe to share... more of a food experience. Sarah gave me a pasta maker for my birthday. Yesterday, I tried it out for the first time.

I mixed 2 cups of flour and 3 eggs in her Kitchenaid mixer to make pasta dough, then rolled and cut the pasta with the pasta maker to make fettucine. It turned out great. It reminded me of the homemade pasta we used to get at the Brick Oven in Provo. The kids loved it too. The only shortcoming is that we didn't have homemade sauce. I'll get to that once I have some home grown tomatoes, once I have a garden...

Apple Pudding Cake

I love making this for the holidays - super moist! Great chocolate alternative!

2 C sugar

1/2 C butter

2 eggs

4 C grated apples

2 C flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Mix all ingredients and pour into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Sauce

Heat over medium heat:

1 C brown sugar

1 T butter

1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl, combine 1 C cold water and 1 T cornstarch. Add slowly to brown sugar mixture. Stir until slightly thick. Spoon a small amount over individual servings of cake.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cake

We had this when everyone was out here for Josie's blessing.

1 3/4 C boiling water

1 C uncooked quick oatmeal

1 stick margarine

Mix all ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes.

Cream together:

1 C brown sugar

1 C white sugar

2 large eggs

Add oatmeal mixture and mix.

Then add:

1 3/4 C flour

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 T cocoa

1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pour into greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle with another 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 C chopped pecans.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Serve with Cool Whip.

Ebelskivers

Eric helped figure out that this is a Danish dish. I'm sure you could fill them with just about anything!

2 C buttermilk

2 C flour

3 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 T sugar

applesauce

oil

Beat egg yolks; add sugar, salt and milk. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder and add to mixture (I hardly ever sift it). In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; fold into mixture. Batter should be slightly lumpy with visible drops of egg white.

Heat a small amount of oil in each cup of the pan. Over medium-low heat, fill each cup 1/2 full with batter. Place a small drop of applesauce on top of batter, then cover with another drop of batter. Cook until bubbly, then turn carefully with a fork.

Serve topped with applesauce. Enjoy!

You can buy the pan at Williams Sonoma and Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Caramel Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

Mix together:

2 c. flour

2 c. oatmeal

1 1/2 c. brown sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Melt 1 1/2 c. real butter. Pour over mixture and mix until moist.

Take half the mixture and put on bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Bake @ 375 degrees

for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Take pan out of oven and pour one

package of milk chocolate chips and one jar of Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch

Caramel Topping over the top of bottom layer. Put on the rest of the mixture by

spooning it on and patting it down. Put it in the oven for another 10-15 minutes

until golden brown.

Trust me, you'll want to try these!

Turkey Meatloaf

I used to be scared of meatloaf. The name itself is NOT appetizing!!! After falling for ground turkey rather than beef, I wanted to try a meatloaf, but needed more moisture (ground turkey is a lot more dry than beef) so I created this recipe that we really love.

1 lb ground turkey

1 cup chopped spinach (I always use fresh, I've never used frozen...I'm sure it'd work, but recommend fresh) I think this is the key to keep it moist.

1/4 envelope Lipton Onion (or Beef) soup mix

3 Tbs. ketchup

A few splashes worcheshire sauce (that just took me 10 minutes to find the spelling)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (again, I always use fresh, not the green can. You can substitute any cheese you'd like)

12 saltine crackers (smashed into fine crumble) I have also used goldfish crackers...VERY good!

1 egg

Mix altogether until combined. I try to handle as little as possible. I don't use a loaf pan (maybe I'm just opposed to the word loaf, I don't know!) but I form mine into mini football shapes. I make 5 out of the mix. I get a pan on top of the stove piping hot with a little olive oil, then add the mini loaves to get a good sear on them...I finish them off in the oven (375 for 20 minutes or until done)

You can make a lot of variations to this: different crackers, add real onion, add zucchini, different cheeses, BBQ sauce instead of ketchup...it's a pretty easy "no-fail" recipe.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I've been asked to post this recipe, so here it goes. I think it's delish, you'll have to tell me if you agree!!!

2 (1 oz.) squares unsweetened chocolate (I substitute this with 6 Tablespoons cocoa powder plus 2 additional teaspoons vegetable oil)

3 eggs

2 C. white sugar

1 C. vegetable oil

2 C. grated zucchini

1 t. vanilla extract

2 C. all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 t. ground cinnamon

3/4 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans (or about 5 mini pans).

In a large bowl combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated zucchini, vanilla and chocolate. Beat well. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Hand mix in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. (60 minutes is perfect for the mini loaves, 65-70 is more accurate for a normal bread pan. It also depends on your oven.)

***Carley's tips:

1) When measuring the grated zucchini really pack it in, this is what gives the bread moisture, so don't be shy.

2) I have never cooked with chocolate squares and I probably never will. BUT if you choose to, you would melt the chocolate before adding it to the egg mixture. Otherwise use the conversion I have listed above with cocoa powder and oil.

3) Store the bread, really any bread, in a zip lock back after it has cooled down. This really helps keep the bread nice and moist and yummy! Enjoy!

With Alcohol?

Before I really got into cooking I always heard that when cooking with alcohol, it just cooks out. This is important for our dietary restrictions. However, recently I have discovered that MOST of the alcohol cooks out, but not ALL. So the question for the more experienced cooks in the bunch is, what's your view of cooking with alcohol? Is the remaining amount so small that it really is not worth worrying over? If you do not, and you encounter a recipe with alcohol, do you just leave it out, have you found substitutes, or do you choose a different recipe?

Green Salsa

Many of you already have this. For those that do not, enjoy.

Ingredients:

1 pound tomatillos

1 jalapeno/2 serano

2 small garlic cloves

2 T chopped white onion

10 fresh cilantro sprigs

1 medium hass avocado

salt to taste

Cut everything up and add it all to the blender. I usually add the tomatillos first then everything else. Also, you may be tempted at first to add water when it looks like things aren't getting blended. Resist the temptation. Just let the blender work and all will be well. The original recipe says the avocado is optional, but I would say it's a must. You can also play with the peppers to vary the spiciness. Alex just made it with half an habanero and said it had a hint of spice. Didn't mention the flavor. When I first started making I used jalapenos, but now I prefer the seranos. Salt is key in this as well, so don't be afraid of it.

White Corn Salsa

Here's the recipe for the white corn salsa we made when everyone was here for Josie's blessing. It was gone in fifteen minutes.

We got this recipe from a friend, Shelly Smith, we met in Charlottesville.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbs red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 chopped red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 small bag of frozen white baby corn
• 2 Tbs rice vinegar
• juice from 2 limes
• pinch of salt
• pinch of sugar

Directions

Combine all ingredients. Serve with tortilla chips.

Golden Beets

Luke: I love the idea. Thanks for starting it. I hope you don't mind if I kick things off with a recipe I tried last Sunday...

I recently discovered golden beets. I stumbled across them at Whole Foods a couple of months ago. The first time we tried them, we roasted them in the oven for about an hour, along with some carrots and parsnip. I drizzled them with a little olive oil beforehand, and that was it. Very simple, but very delicious. Our roast vegetables accompanied a roast chicken, a traditional British Sunday dinner as we learned from an experience we had in London.

Last Sunday, we tried golden beets again. This time I grilled them. I followed a recipe I found on foodnetwork.com (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-challenge/grilled-beets-with-goats-cheese-and-walnuts-recipe/index.html):

Ingredients

• 6 large whole beets

Marinade:

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dry thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dry basil leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon dry oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil

Vinaigrette:

• 1 1/4 cups walnuts
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 1/2 ounces red wine vinegar
• 2 ounces pomace olive oil
• 1-ounce walnut oil
• 1/2 pound soft goat cheese
• 1/4 cup chives (cut into match sticks)

Directions

Preheat a grill.

Cover beets by 3 inches with cold water in a large saucepot. Bring the water to boil and simmer until paring knife slides out of beet when pricked. Strain and let cool. While running under water, rub beets with towel to remove skin. Slice beets into 1/2-inch rounds. Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well and add vegetable oil. Toss sliced beets and hold.

To prepare the walnuts, melt butter in a 10-inch skillet and add walnuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes and season well with salt and pepper. Reserve left over butter.

For the vinaigrette add all the ingredients and the walnut butter. Whisk well.

To finish, grill beets on both sides for 2 minutes and toss in vinaigrette. Place 4 to 6 slices of beets on each plate and drizzle with vinaigrette. Add 5 dollops of goat's cheese (1 to 2 ounces) per serving, sprinkled with walnuts and chives.

We ate them with a pork loin I grilled and with a walnut apple salad Sarah made. It was all delicious.

Thanks Luke for starting an Eastman food blog. My sister in law started one for the Wright family, and I have loved sharing recipes there. I must tell you that I, too, love food. I love to eat, cook, and even read recipe books. I have been in a 'meal group' for the past three years (mostly during the school year) and have enjoyed having dinner brought to my door three days a week! I cook on Tuesdays for my family and three other families. We start up again in a week and a half, and I can't wait! I recently saw the movie "Julie and Julia" and loved it! So funny! I was inspired to try Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon. I have printed out the original and will try it on the first cool day of fall. Can't wait. I'll let you know how it turns out. It is still my goal to put together an Eastman family cookbook. In the meantime, this will be a good place to share.

Introduction

This is my first venture as a blogger. My hope is that instead of being a writer-centric blog, this will be a reader-centric blog, where we can all make content contributions. However, that content must be focused around a single topic . . . food.

It is true that there are countless food blogs already in existence, so why another one? The more the merrier is what I say. Food can use all the help it can get. As obesity rates rise and all that, how can I possibly say food needs help? Recently I heard a radio program on dieting and eating right. The supposed expert was saying that the key to eating right is having the mindset that food is fuel, and that it should not be regarded with joy. I simply do not agree. In the early days, man had to work very hard to acquire enough food to stay alive. I'm sure in those days there was no lack of joy concerning the food on their plates. Just because it doesn't require nearly as much energy for us to acquire food as it once did, does that mean we should enjoy it any less? I say no. In fact, I believe that if we really enjoyed our food, if we made the effort to make every bite matter, we just might be healthier for having done so.

This blog is about celebrating food. I welcome all to celebrate with me. If you love to make it, taste it, or both, then feel free to write about it. Share your recipes. Share your favorite eating establishments. Share your stories of eating while you travel. Anything that has to do with food is fair game.

I hope that my earlier thoughts on food won't drive any readers away. I don't plan on writing like that often. However, I would like to end with one last thought. Another radio program I recently heard was all about cheese. The host asked the guest how she managed to stay thin with all the cheese that she was eating. I love her answer. She simply said, "Real cheese is real food, and my body knows what to do with it."