Rice of the Day -- Italian Risotto with Mushrooms and Tofu

1/2 Sweet, mild Onion, diced (or Shallots -- 1/2 to 1 cup)
2 tbsp. Olive Oil (very light in color)
2 tbsp. Sesame Oil
2 "cups" Italian Risotto rice, unrinsed
1 tbsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp. salt
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth

Topping
1 1/2 cup Sliced Mushrooms (I would prefer Baby Bella, but used plain white ones)
4-8 oz. very firm tofu, in 1/2 to 1 inch cubes
1/2 onion, diced
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
2 tbsp. Sesame Oil
2 tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 tbsp. pepper

In the Olive Oil, saute the 1/2 onion until limp and slightly caramelized. Add the rice and brown in the pan for about 2 or three minutes. Add the salt and pepper. At the very end, add the Sesame Oil. Place in the cooker and add the broth and wine. Fill with water until the 2.0 line for Porridge is reached. Close the lid and set the machine on "Porridge." It will take a while -- about an hour. Since the machine uses fuzzy logic, it will optimize all the variables it senses with the sensor so that the rice is cooked perfectly.

When it shows 15 minutes left to go, place Olive Oil in pan and begin to cook the onion. After a couple of minutes, add the sliced mushrooms and tofu. Saute until nice and brown. Add the Soy Sauce, pepper and Sesame Oil and remove from heat. When the rice is ready, spoon the hot rice porridge into 4 bowls and spoon some Mushroom mixture on top. Dress with some sprinkled toasted Sesame seeds.

Serve with Green salad and hot French bread.

Changes: This was very good; not excellent. Reduce the amount of pepper; increase the amount of broth or use bullion cubes. Do not caramelize the onions; leave off the soy sauce. The Tofu was good, but the kids didn't care for it. Add Parmesan cheese.

Still, the texture of the Risotto was perfect; this machine works very well on a Risotto.

Rice of the Day - "Spanish" rice

4 "cups" (Japanese cups are smaller than American cups) white rice
A couple of tablespoons of olive oil
2 cans of chicken broth
1/2 cup salsa
Adobo seasoning
Dash of Chili powder

Toppings:
1-2 cups diced chicken, seasoned with Adobo seasoning
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1-2 cups shredded cheddar
1 cup salsa
Avacado
Sour Cream

Brown off the rice in the olive oil over the stove. The more patient you are and the browner you get the rice, the nuttier the taste. When browned, place rice in cooker along with broth, salsa, Adobo seasoning and chili powder. Fill with water (if necessary) to the 4 cup line and cook on the "Mixed" setting.

When done (about 50 minutes), spoon hot rice into 4 bowls, top with a sprinkling of cheese (1/4 to 1/2 cup), 1/2 cup of diced chicken, 1/4 cup tomatoes, a couple of tablespoons of salsa and sour cream and diced Avacado.

We didn't use all the rice I cooked -- the Loving Husband will have it for lunch tomorrow. Chaos skipped the cheddar and heated up some Queso and poured that on. And I was the only one who had Avacado...

Very Yum.

Cheese Ring with Jam

1 lb Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup Pecan pieces
dash of salt, pepper
1 jar of Strawberry jam

Mix cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pecans, salt and pepper. Place in ring mold or mold into a ring on an 8 inch plate. Refrigerate. To serve, place the jam in middle of the ring. Serve with crackers (Townhouse or Ritz).

Vidalia Onion Dip

2 c. Vidalia onions
1/4 cup butter
2 c. grated Swiss cheese
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
dash salt, paprika

Chop Vidalia onions coarsely and sauté until transparent in butter. Combine with cheese, mayonnaise, salt and paprika. Place in a ovenproof casserole dish and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Serve with olive oil and cracked pepper triscuits. Yum.

Hummus

6 cloves garlic—roughly chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
3 cans of chickpeas sometimes called garbanzo beans
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon salt
Liberal dash of pepper


Put all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree.
Serve on triangles of Pita bread or those new Olive Oil and Cracked Pepper Triscuits with pitted olives, strips of roasted red pepper and chunks of feta cheese.

Keeps about a week in the refrigerator.

Working itself into a Sermon somehow....

Have you ever noticed that most casseroles are made of the same "stuff"?

• Meat
• Starch
• Veggie
• Sauce
• Seasonings
  
• Topping
• 350 for 30 minutes.

Tuna casserole = Tuna + Noodles + Little Green Peas + Cream of Mushroom + black pepper + cracker and cheese topping. All mixed together but the topping and baked.

Curried Chicken = Chicken + Rice + Spinach + Cream of Mushroom with Mayo + curry + cheese topping. Layered (rice, spinach, chicken with sauce, cheese) and baked.

Chicken and Stovetop = Chicken + Stovetop Dressing + small can of corn + Cream of Chicken with milk + sage and pepper + cheese topping. Mix all but topping and baked.

Sometimes elements are missing, but the casserole is still perfect

Vidalia Onion Casserole = crushed crackers + chopped Vidalia onions + sauce (2 eggs, 1 stick melted butter, grated cheese) + cheese topping. Baked.

Pineapple Casserole = pineapple + (cheese, flour and sugar) + cracker topping. Baked.

All somehow the same, but all different and for different purposes.

Christians = Bible Study + willing spirit + Holy Spirit + Prayer + Mission or Service + Fellowship + Worship for an hour in Community

Are some ingredients always necessary? Are there optional ingredients? What's our seasoning? Are WE the seasoning?

Thinking.....

Shrimp and Grits

Grits:

• 4 cups water
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup grits (stone-ground are the best, but quick grits will do in a pinch)
• 3 or 4tablespoons butter
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Cook the grits in the usual manner: boil water, salt and pepper. Slowly add grits, stirring as you add. Cover and cook for recommended amount of time (remember quick grits are different than “real grits” – quick grits cook in about 5 minutes, real grits take about 30.) Remember to stir as you are cooking. When they are at the 'lava bubble’ stage, add the heavy cream and cheese and butter. Stir and let finish cooking – set aside.

Shrimp:

• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined -- about 20
• 6 slices bacon, chopped or 1/2 cup tasso ham (hard to find, you can use prosciutto)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup diced leeks (or scallions, or MILD onion)
• 2 tablespoons diced onion
• 2 tablespoons diced green peppers
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon white flour
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper

Sauté the shrimp in about 1/4 cup olive oil or butter (don’t scorch!) until nice and pink. Remove from pan and then either cook bacon or tasso in the pan until browned. Remove and add to bowl with shrimp. Saute the aromatics, saving the garlic for the last minute or so (or else it will become bitter.) Sprinkle white flour over the aromatics when they are transparent and stir well. Slowly add wine and cream, stirring continually until thickened. Remove from heat and add back into the pan the shrimp and bacon. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Place one cup of the grits into a rimmed soup bowl and top with a quarter of the shrimp (about 5) and a quarter of the sauce. Serves 4.

Serve with oyster stew, fresh baked bread with garlic spread, green salad. Yum.

Garlic Spread:

Roast 4 heads of garlic in oven for a nice long time. Remove and let cool. Set out a pound of butter to soften and place in big bowl. When cooled, break apart the garlic heads into cloves. Snip the tip of each clove and squeeze the roasted garlic into the bowl Add a dash of salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of grated cheese. Mix with flat spatula until and chill until use.

Crabby Soup

• 1 pound of crabmeat (I like chunk and claw, both, but NO SHELL)
  
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped green pepper
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry (or 1/4 cup white wine if you have no sherry)
  

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour and stir until smooth and bubbly. Do not make into a roux -- just cook until "smooth". While stirring with a whisk, pour in the milk and cream slowly and cook over high heat until the sauce comes to a boil and is smooth and slightly thickened.

Stir in the crabmeat and seasonings. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until heated through and through. Stir in the sherry or wine, taste for seasoning (especially salt), and ladle the soup into bowls. Serve with crusty french bread.

In Florida this year I did vary the recipe slightly, making it into more of a "Gulf Chowder" by adding a hand full of fresh corn cut off the cob and then cooked in the soup base, a boiled potato chopped into cubes, cubed white fish (cooked, it was grouper), a couple of chopped boiled shrimp and topped the soup with split grape tomatoes. Yum.

The leftovers thickened in the refrigerator and so I tossed some hot cooked pasta with butter and ladled the warmed up soup over the buttered pasta. Yum again.

Picture 27/365

I've developed this "thing" about Tomato Soup. I've been eating tomato soup basically every day or every other day for lunch. Sometimes (like here) with a handful of cheese, sometimes cheese with pepperoni, sometimes croûtons, sometimes salsa and sour cream, sometimes with salsa and cheese, etc...
I've actually started losing weight by substituting a salad and tomato soup for whatever I was eating for lunch.

And I just crave it....

How to Brine a Turkey

We had guests for Christmas day -- and they wanted to know how I prepared the turkey and gravy. I cooked for two solid days. Homemade everything. I used 3 pounds of butter and a quart of heavy cream. I will have to diet soon...

So here we go!

Brining a turkey will help flavor the turkey and it certainly makes for a moist and tender bird. Your turkey needs to be thawed – either a fresh turkey, never frozen or one you have left in the refrigerator for a couple of days to thaw. It shouldn’t be injected or treated with anything – no additives, just turkey.

Boil 2 quarts of water in a very large pot. I own a 10 gallon stock pot and use this for brining. Add a cup of salt, a cup of brown sugar, one bunch of rosemary (crushed, fresh), a couple of sticks of cinnamon, one bunch of sage,(crushed) and a handful of black peppercorns. Boil for a few minutes and set aside to cool. When cool, add a cup of apple cider.

After the stock is cool, rinse off the turkey and place in to stockpot. Fill with cold water and ice (as much as you can), cover and set in a cool place for at least 12 hours, but not more than 24. If you wish, stick a thermometer into the brine and do not allow it to get over 40 degree F.

When you are ready to cook the turkey, preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Chop two or three apples and a couple of onions. Steam the apples and onions for a couple of minutes in the microwave, along with more rosemary (dried this time), cinnamon (powdered), rubbed sage, pepper and a cup of apple cider. Let the aromatics steep while you prepare the turkey. Rinse the turkey and discard the brine. Place the turkey in the roaster in the usual manner (which is actually upside down for the poor old turkey.) Tuck the wings in. Place the apples and onions in the cavity, mix a cup of white wine (I use a sweet wine, like a Riesling) with the liquid and drizzle the liquid over the turkey. Pour a cup of olive oil over the turkey and rub in the spices and oil with your hands. Place the turkey in the oven, uncovered for 30 minutes and brown the skin. This will keep the moisture in the turkey.

After 30 minutes, take the bird out of the oven and flip it over, so that the breast is down. Cover with the lid and cook for an additional 2 and a half to 3 hours (for a 12 to 15 pound bird, you will need to adjust for a smaller or larger bird). A half hour before the turkey is done, flip it over again and recover. Basting is not necessary. Take it out when done (when the interior temp gets to 162 to 170 degrees F) and leave it covered. Let it rest for 15 minutes to an hour before you carve it.

While the turkey is resting, you can take the stock out of the bottom of the pan and make a gravy. I don’t like giblets, so I make a traditional brown gravy. Start with a roux made with butter. When the roux is nice and brown, use the stock to make the gravy – you can add some wine, if you wish and if you like a creamy gravy, you can use some heavy cream. I also will chop up the onions and apples and some of the meat to give the gravy some texture.

This bird will have a slightly sweet flavor, with apples. You can do this with a hen, if you wish, but will have to adjust the cooking times. You also leave out the apples, sage and cinnamon, and use only onions, rosemary and lemons. (I do dearly love Lemon/Rosemary chicken.)

Enjoy!

Wine Selections

Ok, I'm going to make shrimp and grits for Christmas Eve and I want to get a couple of bottles of wine. Which wine shall it be?

I really like the 2002 Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse. White burgundies are more complex than basic chardonnay and this one is pricey. It will run about $23 to $25 per bottle. It's not overly oak-y or sweaty in flavor. It's full of the taste of cinnamon and apples. Dry, but not acidic. Nice lively taste. My favorite.

The Louis Jadot Macon-Villages Chardonnay is a good second choice -- it runs about $10 a bottle. Nice color, not too pale. Crisp, dry, slightly acid, tastes of apples and pears. Simple taste, not really complex.

Next on the list would be a Beaujolais. Domestic wines -- I stick to a Napa Riesling or Chardonnay.

A good Merlot will be on the list as well.....

Time to go shopping.

Heavy Topics

Or topics that will make you heavy ....

What's for dinner?

I've got an earache (still) that has caused the Bell's Palsy pain to flare up. So I'm going for soft and comfortable food today.

I think I want Shrimp and Grits. Yes, I had planned that for Christmas Eve, but we can do a test run today, right?

4 cups water
Salt and pepper
1 cup grits (stone-ground are the best, but quick grits will do in a pinch)
3 or 4tablespoons butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream

Cook the grits in the usual manner: boil water, salt and pepper. Slowly add grits, stirring as you add. Cover and cook for recommended amount of time (remember quick grits are different than “real grits” – quick grits cook in about 5 minutes, real grits take about 30.) Remember to stir as you are cooking. When they are at the “lava bubble’ stage, add the heavy cream and cheese and butter. Stir and let finish cooking – set aside.

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined -- about 20
6 slices bacon, chopped or 1/2 cup tasso ham (hard to find, you can use prosciutto)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup diced leeks (or scallions, or MILD onion)
2 tablespoons diced onion
2 tablespoons diced green peppers
Dash of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon white flour
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Sauté the shrimp in about 1/4 cup olive oil or butter (don’t scorch!) until nice an pink. Remove from pan and then either cook bacon or tasso in the pan until browned. Remove and add to bowl with shrimp. Saute the aromatics, saving the garlic for the last minute or so (or else it will become bitter.) Sprinkle white flour over the aromatics when they are transparent and stir well. Slowly add wine and cream, stirring continually until thickened. Remove from heat and add back into the pan the shrimp and bacom. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Place one cup of the grits into a rimmed soup bowl and top with a quarter of the shrimp (about 5) and a quarter of the sauce. Serves 4.

Serve with oyster stew, fresh baked bread with garlic spread, green salad. Yum.

Garlic Spread
Roast 4 heads of garlic in oven for a nice long time. Remove and let cool. Set out a pound of butter to soften and place in big bowl. When cooled, break apart the garlic heads into cloves. Snip the tip of each clove and squeeze the roasted garlic into the bowl Add a dash of salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of grated cheese. Mix with flat spatula until and chill until use.

You start with Cheese

1 pound soft Kasseri (beat me where to get it where YOU live; I go to Whole Foods)
about half a stick of butter
lemon
pita
Brandy (about a jigger full)

Cut cheese into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Place on fireproof broiler pan and brush with melted butter. Broil for 4 to 6 minutes until chees is bubbly and light broun.
Immediately take it to the table. Pour Brandy over the cheese and ignite. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with warm toasted buttered pita (grilled is good.)

Opa!

Comfort Spanakopita

about 3 pounds of fresh baby spinach
1 pound feta cheese, crumbled
16 oz. of ricotta or cottage cheese
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 of REAL grated Parmesan
6 eggs
4 small scallions chopped
dash of nutmeg
dash of cinnamon
dash of pepper
1 pound of melted butter
1 pound of filo

Blanch and drain the spinach. Pat it dry with a towel. It really needs to be pretty dry.
Thaw filo. Beat cream cheese and eggs until fluffy. Add other cheese and other seasonings and mix until blended. The filling can sit overnight in the refrigerator and let the flavors intermingle...
In a largish baking pan layer about 8 or 10 sheets of filo with butter, letting the excess filo make like a pie crust. Spread filling on top, add another layer of 8 or 10 sheets of filo and seal by overlapping the edges. Cut into diamonds BEFORE you bake it. Drizzle leftover butter on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. (If there is any filo leftover, make Baklava.)

Southern Comfort Baklava

5 pounds Pecans (said pee'-cans)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbs. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 lbs. filo pastry, thawed
1 lb. butter, melted

Grind or chop the nuts coarsely. Mix with the sugar and spices. Line two baking pans with a sheet of filo and brush with butter. Place another sheet on top and so on until you have about 6 sheets. Sprinkle with nut mixture generously. Add sheets of filo and nut mixture layered until all the nuts are gone. Place the remaining filo sheets on top -- about 8 sheets is good. Brush generously with butter. Cut Baklava into desired shapes and then place in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cut heat to 250 degrees and continue to bake for another hour. In the mean time, make the syrup.

3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 lemon, juice of
at least one stick of connamon
1 cup honey

In medium saucepan, bring all ingredients except the honey to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. (SIMMER). Add honey as it cools and (if desired) 1 cup of either Kentucky Bourbon or Southen Comfort (Captain Morgans might be good, too). Spoon cooled syrup over hot pastry.

Makes about 72 pieces (for normal people) or 36 for me.

THIS is comfort food.

Why I Should Not Cook While Reading William James

So, I'm reading the next chapters in the Varieties and cooking at the same time. I reach into the cabinet and get all the "chili stuff" out of the cabinet; red beans, black beans, tomato paste, tomatoes, little green chilis. An entire constellation of canned goods. I'm still reading. I begin to open the cans and dump them into the pot with the ground beef. The tomato paste doesn't come out with out a spoon and I stir it in. Then I look at the can -- it's canned pumpkin. Huh.

I add a can of tomato paste and taste it -- I can't taste the pumpkin. Maybe THIS is how I get the kids to eat more veggies. I stir in more spices and put the pot on high to come to a boil. I'm still reading. I forget about the pot until I hear it bubbling -- I've scorched it. I now have scorched pumpkin chili.

I decant the chili into another pot making sure I don't get the burnt bits. The chili now tastes decidedly "smoky." I've now added MORE spices, including some curry powder because I've run out of everthing else.

We are having curried pumpkin chili for dinner. I wonder if anyone will notice the difference?

The conclusion: William James has inspired me to new heights in cooking.

An Argument for Chocolate

Chocolate is good for you. Yes, health food, even.

1)Chocolate helps your memory. At Wheeling Jesuit University Professor Bryan Raudenbush led a study "Effects of Chocolate Consumption Finds That Chocolate Consumption Enhances Cognitive Performance on Enhancing Cognative Performance" and determined that chocolate can improve your brain activity. I have not read the study, but I find it facinating.

2)Chocolate makes you feel good. Other research shows that some of the ingredients seem to affect the brain's neurotrasmitters. One is Tryptophan (which can also make you sleepy) but is utilized by the body to make seratonin, which is a neurotransmitter that releaves some of the symptoms of depression. Another is phenylethylamine which works by stimulating the pleasure centers of the brain.
A third is anandamide, which is a neurotransmitter that acts like THC, the active ingredient in cannabis (pot, mary jane).

3)Chocolate may prevent tooth decay, or at least according to scientists at Japan's Osaka University. The cocoa beans which are the raw chocolate product contain an antibacterial agent that fights plaque.

4)Chocolate contains called flavinoids, which thin the blood, helping to prevent clotting. Flavinoids are also anti-oxidents. They help prevent heart disease.


5) Chocolate helps you live longer. At Harvard, research shows that people who eat chocolate as rarely as three times a month live approximately a year longer than those who do not eat chocolate at all. However, only for very dark chocolate, as the fat and sugar in milk chocolate will counteract the benefit.

6) Chocolate is being researched to see if it can help the immune system. The chemical polyphenol CMP, which is contained by chocolate, may inhibit the rheumatic response (arthritis) and inhibits IgE which worsens atopic dematitis and asthma.

Thus, I argue that one MUST eat at least one square of dark Lindt Chocolate or it's chocolatey equivalent at least once a day.

Submitted, July 25, 2006 to those who would prevent Chocolate purchases at my house by the Reverend Mommy.

Egg Nog

12 eggs, separated
1/4/ to 1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 c Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum
1/2 cup brandy --or more Captain Morgan's
6 cup milk
1 cups heavy cream
Nutmeg and cinnamon

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and beat them until they are thick and lemon-coloured (about fifteen minutes).
Add alcohol, one tablespoon at a time, to mixture. Make sure the alcohol is good by tasting. Ummmm. Cover and chill.
In the meantime, chill a 5-6 quart punch bowl. About twenty minutes before you will be serving your egg nog, stir together the yolk mixture, milk, and spices to taste in the bowl. In a smaller bowl whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Using a whisk, stir whipped cream, and yolk mixture just until blended. Serve cold.

I forget what I did with the egg whites -- I think I made divinity?

Yes!

12 cups granulated sugar
3 cups light (not dark) corn syrup
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
12 egg whites (room temperature)
3 cup pecans, dry roasted and chopped
3 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt over the stove and cook and stir constantly over medium heat until mixture starts to boil. Cook until mixture forms soft ball when tested in cold water. Meanwhile, beat the eggs whites until stiff. Then pour 1/2 cup of syrup over whites, beating as fast as you can. Drizzle it onto the egg white, don't dump it all in at one whack.
Continue to cook remaining syrup while beating egg whites, until syrup reaches the light crack stage when dropped in cold water (this will happen quickly). Pour remaining syrup over egg white mixture, beating all the while. Continue beating until candy begins to hold its shape. Stir in vanilla and nuts. Drop by teaspoonsful onto waxed paper.
Makes 150 pieces.

Curried Chicken Casserole

I was reading at St. Casserole's place about her Presbyterian lunch. The casserole sounds great. I use a spinach, rice and chicken casserole as my standard, as well.

Curried Chicken and Spinach.

3 to 4 cups Cooked Chicken, cubed
1 can cream of something soup (I've used Celery, Chicken, Mushroom and Asparagus. Any flavor works.)
1 1/2 cup Mayo
2 packages frozen Spinach
2 cups Minute rice with 2 cups water and salt or 2 cups of cooked white rice
2 cups Cheddar Cheese
Curry powder
pepper
paprika

In large baking dish (I use a 3 quart Cornflower Blue Pyrex covered casserole) layer the rice (if using Minute rice, mix salt, water and rice) then the strained defrosted spinach (or if using fresh spinach, wilt briefly in a pan on the stove). In another bowl mix together the can of soup, mayo, salt and pepper and curry powder to taste (I have been known to use a lot of curry -- I like it a little hot.) Fold into this mixture the cubed chicken. Layer the chicken mixture on top of the spinach. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. For the last few minutes, layer the cheese on top of the chicken -- until cheese is melted. If traveling somewhere, I usually do the cheese thing at the last minute. When removing from the oven, sprinkle with paprika. The layers are better when done with integrity and are relatively thin. I usually serve this with a fruit salad -- and could be served with a chutney (sweet mango works well).

I have varied this recipe wildly -- canned spinach does not work. The sauce is good if you start with a white sauce with some chicken broth, no mayo and add in some cheese and sherry. I've done it with very little curry, ham and swiss cheese.

Any other classic chicken casseroles out there?