21 posts tagged “cooking”
The first two books I've had on my shelf (or, uh, in a moving box) for years and years. I think I read Jaran for the first time over the course of a few high school bus rides--at forty-five minutes to an hour, I had plenty of time to read--but I must have been halfway asleep because I retained hardly anything of it. This time I got more out of it and actually made it through its sequel, An Earthly Crown, so now I need to find the rest of the books in the series.
The third book of the month is rather more practical: a beautifully photographed kosher cookbook called Kosher by Design. I'd had my eye on it for a while now, so I jumped at the chance to add it to my collection when my Uncle E very sweetly gave me a Barnes & Noble gift card for my birthday--thank you again! There are some fantastic ideas for parve (neither meat nor dairy, since Jews aren't supposed to eat meat and dairy together) desserts, which is particularly exciting to me since I'm allergic to cow's milk. Another feature I like is the collection of photos, menu suggestions, and short essays about each major Jewish holiday. I sincerely doubt I will ever go as over-the-top with my centerpieces and table settings as the book's creators, but there are some good ideas in there.
What's the best advice you've ever gotten or given on how to make a relationship last?
"Keep him fed!"
At the lovely bridal shower my mother-in-law's sweet friends threw for me, all the guests added kind wishes and some scrap of marriage advice to a tiny notebook for me to take home. That particular jewel showed up over and over, the distilled wisdom of decades of collective experience with husbands. It may be clichéd to note that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but happiness at the dinner table does have a wonderful way of radiating into other areas of life. Conversely, I've never known anyone who was super pleasant to be around when he or she was hungry, so I do my best to cook healthy (most of the time) and delicious (I hope all of the time!) meals for us to enjoy together.
I have been shockingly lazy about updating my Vox with anything related to actual recent events in my life. I have meant to, you understand, but I get it into my head that this-and-such deserves a detailed, well-thought-out entry, and I never quite catch hold of the motivation to crank one out. Then it feels like too great an amount of time has passed and I give up all hope of getting caught up. This go 'round, though, I am telling myself that it is still only January and that's in plenty of time to catch myself up on the year today. So, in abstract form for possible future entries in greater detail, what we've been up to in the year to date:
The Commissioning of the USS George H.W. Bush: Thanks to a father-in-law who ensured that we received an invitation, M and I had the privilege of witnessing our country's newest aircraft carrier come to life. I can't compare the experience to anything else I've ever seen, except to say that it definitely ranks up there as one of the coolest.
Z's Bar Mitzvah: Almost exactly thirteen years after M's own bar mitzvah (memorable for a massive blizzard that snowed everyone in and made his family leery of all wintertime events forevermore), his cousin Z celebrated his ascension to religious adulthood. Not only did this young man do a fantastic job with the intricacies of leading a Shabbat morning service, but he spoke with grace, humor, and insight about growing up African American in his adoptive Jewish family. The service and the celebration that followed recognized the multitude of cultural influences that have shaped him into the person he is--an intelligent, loving young man whom I am glad to call my cousin.
The Inevitable Bit About Civil Air Patrol: Yep, I'm back in the swing of CAP things after the holiday break. Last week, my squadronmates and I were guests of another local squadron for some Urban Direction Finding training. We learned the theory of how to use radio equipment to locate emergency beacons in non-wilderness areas. Around here, the practical application of this skill usually involves going to one of the local military bases to find and deactivate ELTs that have been set off accidentally. Next weekend we're going to do a short exercise with practice beacons to show that we know how to use the locator equipment. Mission Observer (aircrew) training is still in the offing, but it's nice to get an idea of the bigger picture of the emergency services CAP provides. It ain't all about the airplanes all the time.
All right, even if I never actually get around to writing another word on the above subjects, I can at least consider myself caught up for having mentioned them! In fact, I'm caught up enough to talk about today. It's actually off to a pretty good start for a Monday: dinner's already in the slow cooker, I've run the dishwasher, and my friend Annie is coming over for coffee or tea and perhaps even rum cake modified from this Pioneer Woman recipe, if I'm feeling motivated. Even though I'm still lazing about in my PJs, I feel like I could get motivated enough for cake.
What's your favorite winter activity?
I love cooking hearty meals that warm us from the inside out. As of yesterday afternoon, thanks to the generosity of M's folks, we now own the perfect vessel in which to create such dishes.
Isn't it gorgeous? I snagged this picture from the Williams-Sonoma website, as my poor camera is on the fritz, but I assure you this five-and-a-half-quart dutch oven (Le Creuset calls it a "French oven" for reasons of national pride, I assume) is even prettier in our kitchen. It's satisfyingly heavy, and I know the heat retention characteristics of the cast iron willl make this a pleasure to cook with. I'm a believer in the notion that things one has to do every day regardless--such as cooking--might as well be elevated beyond merely fulfilling a need. Using a beautiful tool to accomplish a necessary task makes it feel like a special privilege rather than just another chore.
Many, many thanks to my mother- and father-in-law for the housewarming/anniversary present. We can't wait to cook you up something tasty with our new addition next time you visit.
I saw this recipe for a five-minute microwave chocolate cake on a military spouse blog, so I had to try it. I did tweak the recipe to be dairy-free and more inclusive of Kahlua and cinnamon, and I drizzled the finished product with chocolate syrup. The verdict: M and I found it delicious, and it certainly doesn't get much easier than a batter you mix up in a coffee mug and nuke for a few minutes.
We've still got a few weeks to go before we bust out the candles and latkes, but it's not too early to get into the Chanukah spirit, right? My Texan kin might get a kick out of this one, as well.
What's your favorite thing to eat for Sunday breakfast/brunch?
Challah French toast, hands down. Double bonus points if it is made with leftover challah that I baked myself for Friday night dinner. Triple bonus points if a healthy dollop of amaretto finds its way into the batter.
Didn't do any baking this week, alas, but my husband did make me scrambled eggs this morning. That was especially nice on top of our hot date to California Pizza Kitchen and a showing of Quantum of Solace yesterday. It really was a hot date, too--something was wonky with the air conditioning at the theater, so we were burning up. I almost suggested we get up and leave, but we stuck it out for the whole movie because we didn't want to miss any of James Bond's exploits. We were rewarded at the end with two free tickets as an apology from the management. Considering the price of movie tickets these days, that's nothing to sneeze at.
M is now getting the car ready for a much-anticipated autocross, and I am going to make a cup of tea to counter the impressive temperature drop that came with last night's heavy rainstorms. Today looks like it's going to be gorgeous, so I'll bet M will have a great time attacking the course. I'm looking forward to basking in the sunroom with my cuppa while I catch up on some correspondence. Mmm, Sunday.
What’s your “signature dish” and when do you usually make it? (Bonus points if you share the recipe with the rest of us!)
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I've never really thought of myself as having a "signature dish," but it might be my baked macaroni and goat cheese. I am unable to eat dairy products made from cow's milk, which excised the good old mac-'n'-cheese from the blue box from my diet around age seven. It wasn't until I was grown that the confluence of such elements as the availability of good goat cheese in my (as Alton Brown would say) local megamart and an increasing interest in cooking led me to try making my own cow-product-free version of macaroni and cheese from scratch. I say this with no pretense at modesty: it is awfully good.
My recipe is adapted from the cow version found in The Joy of Cooking, so if things look familiar to you, that's probably why.
Elisheva Chana's Extravagant Baked Macaroni and Goat Cheese
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook up two cups of your favorite small pasta shape (I like tiny shells) to al dente in some well-salted water. Drain and set aside.
- Melt a couple tablespoons of margarine in a pot over medium-low heat, then add a couple tablespoons of AP flour. Whisk constantly for about three minutes. It's going to look ugly during that time, but don't worry, it's all just part of making the roux that will help thicken our sauce.
- When you have your lovely roux, slowly whisk in two cups of goat milk. (You can use plain soymilk if you can't find goat milk, but it might smell kind of funky and bean-y.) Bring it up to a simmer and add your own special blend of herbs and spices. I am lazy, so pretty much everything I cook that calls for "herbs" gets a healthy shake from my mysterious bottle of "Italian Seasoning." I also like to throw in a dash of ground chipotle powder, as the smokiness plays extra nice with the cheese I'll add later.
- Simmer your herbed-and-spiced soon-to-be sauce for a good fifteen minutes, stirring frequently.
- While the sauce is simmering, I take the opportunity (between those frequent stirs, of course) to grate up four ounces of smoked Jack goat cheese. I also get a four-ounce log of chevre (soft goat cheese) out of the fridge to start coming up to room temperature for ease of future incorporation.
- Take the proto-sauce off the heat. Then, whisk in your grated Jack cheese and the soft chevre. Add kosher salt to taste.
- Remember the tiny pasta you cooked up earlier? Mix it up with your delicious sauce and pour the whole mixture into a 2.5 quart deep-ish casserole. Cackle maniacally as your disparate parts really start to look like something yummy. Cover the top with panko breadcrumbs, sprinkle with kosher salt, drizzle with olive oil, and stick it into your preheated oven for an agonizing half an hour while the top browns.
- Cool for five minutes after your dish o' deliciousness comes out of the oven, then devour. Try to save some for breakfast, but that might be a tall order once you dig into this stuff.
I've gotten a lot of mileage out of this stuff. We don't make it every week or anything, as the cost of ingredients really does make this a much more extravagant venture than one is wont to think of mac-'n'-cheese as being, but it is one of our favorite comfort food dishes. Yes, I said "our"--take heart, those of you who may fear things goaty, because this stuff has been a hit even with those who were initially suspicious (but too polite to say anything until after they were shocked to find that they liked it). I busted it out for my parents over Labor Day weekend, and it was M's specially requested dinner on the night he finished his last flight prior to becoming a winged Naval Aviator. We also make it when, y'know, we feel like it. 'S yummy.
Show us what NFL team you're rooting for today.
The game (and my much-anticipated couch nap) won't start until 1300, but the TV isn't sitting idle in the meantime. M harbors a deep affection for a variety of motorsports, and this morning's flavor is Formula 1 racing. We're hoping to see one of the Red Bull-sponsored teams stay ahead of the usual suspects in the Italian Grand Prix.
Lazy Sunday mornings are the best: fast cars to watch on TV while sipping a hot cup of tea and anticipating a brunch of French toast made with thick slices of homemade challah. Of course, we would have preferred to begin our lazy Sunday morning at a somewhat later hour than 0730, but Vera and Val were having none of that. They can yowl with shocking volume when they have a mind to.
What's on your to-do list for today?
- Grocery shopping: Check! We made a major stock-up run to the commissary, and were for once highly successful. They even had goat brie! Bonus dose of surreality of the day: the bagger was smiling, laughing, and carrying on about how the only thing anyone has to worry about is the devil.
- Washing machine and dryer installation: All the DIY sites I've consulted on the subject assure me that this is an easy task that anyone with the mechanical skill of a monkey can accomplish. I have some hope, therefore, that we two reasonably technically-minded individuals can do this without flooding or burning down the house.
- Laundry: This one is dependent upon the successful completion of #2 above. I think we (more likely I; though M is extremely helpful about jumping in on the laundry duties, the fact is that I'll be the one home more) have a solid week's worth of loads to plow through.
CooingCooking (thanks, Uncle S) a tasty dinner: With our newly replenished larder, we have so many options!
To close, a random thought from M: "You are a Voxin' Vixen; you know that, right?"
Well, now I do. Hee.
