1.5.06

 

Thirteen Things about Random Kitchen-ness Man oh man do I love to cook!  Well, I suppose I should rephrase that.  I love to daydream while perusing cookbooks.  If I had my way, I’d be 5 again and have a grandma who lived with me, and let me help her cook all my favorite recipes.  So in the interest of all things culinarily dreamy, here’s a combo of 13 cookbooks, gadgets and recipes that foster my love of the kitchen. COOKBOOKS: 1. Crescent Dragonwagon’s Dairy Hollow House – Soup & Bread.  This is a fantastic cookbook for winter.  I love her approach to food.  She shares stories from her Eureka Springs, AR bed and breakfast as she imparts tips for making stock, starter and friends. 2. The Farm Cookbook.  What could be better than a 60’s era vegan cookbook from one of the countries biggest communes?  This cookbook rocks.  Especially helpful is the section in the back on how to raise a healthy vegan child. 3. Madhur Jaffrey’s East Meets West Cookbook.  This book has wonderful vegetarian recipes stretching across the Asian continent.  It is fantastic.  If you’re a born WASP, but have always loved the rich, well rounded flavors of India, Thailand, Mongolia and beyond...this book is an excellent place to begin your journey toward the East. 4. Sundays at the Moosewood.  Again with the ethnic foods.  But this time we also get the pleasure of such places as South America, Eastern Europe and Africa.  If you’ve tried Moosewood books before, but gotten bored...go ahead and give this one a try.  It is by far my favorite in this series. 5. How to Grill by Stephen Raichlen.  What, you may ask does a vegetarian want with that?  Well aside from the nostalgic lode of this book – my mom gave it Chris for his first Father’s Day; it has some good vegetarian recipes.  In fact, when the in-laws last visited we made a fantastic grilled cabbage.  You should try it! GADGETS: 6. I love my blender/chopper whizzer!  This also carries a bit of sentimentality.  On the day before Kajsa was born, we had our last appointment with our midwife, Toni.  At that time she said that I looked ready to go.  I informed her that I was beyond exhaustion.  She told us about this castor oil milk shake.  Now the nice thing about castor oil is that if your baby is ready to come out, you begin contractions – if not, you simply have mild diarrhea.  The bad thing about castor oil is that god-awful taste.  So when she told us that with her milkshake recipe you’d never taste the oil, we ran right out and bought a blender.  We made the milkshake at 5:00 am.  Contractions began at 7:30.  And she was born at 2:59 pm.  It was a great day indeed.  And hey, I got TWO souvenirs from it. 7. OK.  This is technically part two of #6.  But, honestly how much can you write about kitchen gadgets - and this truly this is another aspect of it.  We got this super cool blender.  At first glance, it looks pretty normal.  But it has this whole other canister that fits on top, which is like a mini-cuisinart.  I use this EVERY DAY!  I always hated those big food processors because they are a super pain in the pooper to clean.  But this thing is just three little parts – none of which fit inside any other part.  I love a product that is as simple as I am. 8. Speaking of simple gadgets: I don’t have one, but I would love to...or at least be one of the characters in the infomercial.  Oh yea, I am in lust with the Magic Bullet.  I first saw the infomercial about a year ago.  Running downstairs I said, “Chris.  We need a Magic Bullet.  And we’re about out of time!”  Fortunately, Chris not only knew what I was talking about, but had already ascertained that upon viewing, I would immediately crave the blending, chopping, frothing phenomenon that is The Magic Bullet.  “No.”  He said.  “We have the blender.  You loved that first.”  What a smart guy.  Too bad he wasn’t around 7 years ago when I bought a gross of click lights for Y2K. 9. Now what was I talking about?  Oh yes.  Kitchen gadgets that I actually own.  Weighing in as the heavyweight champion of the kitchen is our Kitchen Aide Mixer.  I don’t know what I could possibly tell you about this device that you don’t already know.  I’ve never gotten all of the attachments that would facilitate the production of pasta or ice cream, but there’s something refreshingly snooty about knowing that I could.  I am; however, a basic person.  I didn’t use my Kitchen Aide for a few months because I was privately intimidated by it.  We registered for it when we got married, but never expected anyone to actually come through.  Amazingly someone did.  And I must say a big thank you to Aunt Corri.  You’ll be glad to know that I now use it to mix everything. 10. My last gadget worth its weight in gold bullions is my brand new coffee maker!  I love it.  It does not frighten me in ANY way.  As you may remember, I could not say that about my former addiction enabling machine.  This dandy comes with its own water filter, a timer and an automatic shut off.  What more could I ask for?  Oh, yes...the coffee is quite tasty, too! AND 3 RECIPES (These have been made for my family and are therefore vegetarian, but not vegan.  I know for a fact that my vegan readers are smart enough to figure out how to adapt a recipe.  So I will copy them as written.): 11.  Banana Stuffed French Toast Ingredients: 1/4 cup pancake mix 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup sugar 12 eggs 1 cup chopped walnuts 2 cups brown sugar 4 ripe bananas, sliced 1 large loaf unsliced French bread About 2 cups crushed Corn Flakes About 12 tablespoons butter How To: In a large bowl, combine the pancake mix with enough water to make a thin batter. Add nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar and eggs.  Whisk together until smooth, about 3 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix together walnuts, brown sugar, and banana slices.  Slice the ends off the French bread. Starting at 1 end, measure about a half inch down the loaf and slice the bread 3/4 of the way through.  Measure about another half inch, and slice cleanly through the bread.  You should have a 1-inch slice of bread with a cut down the middle.  Repeat this process until the bread is all sliced up. Take a piece of the cut French bread and stuff a few tablespoons of the banana mixture into the slit in the middle.  Add a good amount, but do not overstuff so that the mixture won't stay in the center.  Repeat until all the slices are stuffed. Preheat a skillet or flat-top grill over medium-high heat.  When the pan is hot, coat it with 2 tablespoons of butter. Pour the crushed-up cornflakes onto a plate.  Take a slice of stuffed bread and dip it into the egg mixture, coating both sides liberally.  Then press the bread into the cornflakes and flip it to coat both sides. Place the bread on the grill or skillet and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.  Flip the toast over and cook the other side. Repeat the coating and cooking process for each slice of bread, and add more butter to the grill or skillet as necessary, about 2 tablespoons of butter per slice. ....... 12. Black Bean Coffee Chili Ingredients: Marinade: 4 cups strongly brewed coffee 4 chopped sun dried tomatoes 2 cloves garlic minced 1 New Mexico or California dried chili pepper (with or without seeds) 4 tablespoons chopped red onion 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon hot sauce 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper Dash of salt and pepper Chili: 1 & 1/2 pounds of “sirloin tips” (this is what the original recipe said.  I use vegetarian strips of the fake stuff.  You could just as easily use tempeh, tofu or seitan) 1 cup flour 1 red onion 2 minced cloves garlic 2 chopped Serrano chili peppers (with or without seeds) 1 medium chopped Anaheim chili pepper (with or without seeds) 1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes 2-15 ounce cans black beans drained and lightly rinsed 1 tablespoon of olive oil Chopped cilantro and grated cheese for garnish Marinate: Marinate the veat strips in the coffee marinade in the refrigerator for two hours, stirring occasionally. Browning: In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the floured veat strips. Let the veat brown. While the veat is browning, add the onions, garlic and the Anaheim chili pepper (this is a mild pepper). Sauté the onions until they wilt. The mixture: After the onions have wilted, add the marinade and all the other ingredients to the pot. Adjust the amount of chilis you put into the mixture. If you like spicy chili, add the seeds. If not, delete the seeds. Let the chili simmer on low for about 3 1/2 hours until the veat is tender and the chili is thick. If the sauce is a little too thin, you can add a tablespoon of tomato paste to thicken. Garnish: I serve it with a generous helping of grated cheese and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!! NOTES: This is a great recipe for a hearty chili; it is definitely a meal by itself. It is made with coffee, but your guests won't be able to tell. The coffee accentuates the boldness and adds a hint of a smoky taste, so you can call coffee the "secret ingredient". You'll be admiring the color and nice texture as you let it slow cook. And, if you choose, this chili can have a spicy kick to it; but you can readjust the spice according to your own taste. Keep in mind that this isn't a true Texas chili (for you chili connoisseurs) because it uses black beans, but it's still great. ....... 13.  Kissin' Cousins (we made these tonight.  Yummm!) Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1&1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped 1 (9 ounce) bag Hershey milk chocolate candy kisses 1&1/2 cups powdered sugar How to: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine butter, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.  Add flour and pecans; mix until dough forms. Chill dough for 30 minutes.  While dough is chilling, remove wrappers from chocolate kisses. Mold one scant tablespoon of dough around each chocolate kiss making sure it is completely enclosed in the ball of dough. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes until set and bottoms of cookies are just beginning to slightly brown. Carefully remove from cookie sheet; place on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes.  Roll cookies in powdered sugar.  When completely cooled, re-roll in powdered sugar. Other Thursday Thirteens!    (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!) 1. http://jenanddavin.blogspot.com/  2. http://seriously-silly.blogspot.com/  3. http://running2ks.blogsome.com/    4. http://uzismusings.blogspot.com/  5. http://www.danno.org/blogs  6. http://www.20six.co.uk/Enigma  7. http://gotnik.blogspot.com/

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Comments

[Benjamin]

Wow...you're on it! It's not even 1-5-06 here...it's still 1-4-06. Nice work.

[Rowan]

Woah!
Hi Ben...you've discovered my insomnia.
Don't tell ;-)

[Jen]

I LOVE The Farm cookbook! I loved seeing who we recognized from Spiritual Midwifery in there.

The Farm is still running, but it's not a collective any more. Pity.

My 13 is up :-)

[Shelli]

Hi, Rowan! As I have said, I am not much of cook. I hope you make memories with your children of cooking because it will give them the love of cooking that you have. I have just a plain old blender that I use nearly everyday. I don't, however, have that Kitchen Aid mixer and I am coveting one, especially now that I have seen that they make one in purple which is my favorite color!

You are linked and here is My 13.

[ccw]

I love your list. Mr. S is obsessed with kitchen gadgets. Thankfully, we do not have room for many gadgets or else our kitchen would be full of things that only get used once every few years.

I love the recipes. That chili sounds fantastic.

[Miriam]

I do love reading about people's kitchen experiences/obsessions/gadgets. You have a great list here!

The Farm cookbook? Oh my, I'm going to have to look for that.

[gawdessness]

This is such a great post! I am very much into the comfort part of food right now and this fed right into it!
Yum.

[running2ks]

Thank you for the recipes. You have some snazzy cookbooks too!

I had to drink my castor oil with OJ. Tasted like orange lipstick. Your idea is better.

My 13 are up!

[UziQ]

Wow!!!! What a list!!
Glad you're back and hope you and yours are all doing well.
My TT is up, come on by:

http://uzismusings.blogspot.com/2006/01/thursday-thirteen-2006-inaugural.html

[Chickadee]

Happy Thursday 13! OMG, I LOVE my Kitchen Aide mixer too! And YES I was also intimidated by the thing and didn't use it for awhile. But once I started using it, I didn't understand why I was afraid of it! LOL.

My 13 are up.

[Enigma]

I love to cook some things. I do a lot of Chinese dishes. I make some great chilli. I serve the meat, the beans, the sauce and the topping in seperate containers and let folks mix it up however the like. I think it makes for a very nice taste that way.

My 13 is late but is now finally up at http://www.20six.co.uk/Enigma

[raehan]

Wow, Rowan, what a great, useful Thursday 13. I'll be back for reference.

[Rowan]

Hello everyone. Wow! I plan to visit each of you. But right now things are really hectic around here. I do look forward to checking out all your sites soon, though. It's got to be more fun than what I'm caught up in currently.

[Kimmy]

(sorry, I hit "enter" instead of "tab") I'll have to share your 13 with my mom. This sounds terrible, but she hasn't been able to eat anything since Sept.1...a surgery (Crohns Diseas)with all the "rare occurences" came true. She has been on iv nutrition for over 4 months and only able to take in a few ice chips an hour. The thing is...she watches FOOD NETWORK all day long...and she never watched anything but Emeril before.
She's addicted. She'll love your list :D

Do I understand how you feel about Medicare D!!!!!!!!!!! I'm on disability for a reason and really don't feel like researching the 46 companies that qualify to "meet my needs". Hello!!!!!!!!! I feel sorry for the elderly who have no one to help them. It's overwhelming!

My 13 are up...kimmyandjacob.blogspot.com

[Rowan]

Well hello Kimmy!

I'm sorry about your mom. Crohn's is just horrible, isn't it?

Yep, I think about the elderly a lot when dealing with this. Especially those who have lost some hearing, vision or suffer from any diminished cognitive abilities.

But enough of that for now. I'm glad that you liked my list. I'll swing by to check yours out soon.