Fiery Noodles

Cleaning out the fridge usually falls into one of two categories...soup or casserole.   Since it's too hot for soup (does soup really have a season?) and am not a huge casserole fan, there's a third option...stir fry. While a regular stir fry is always a great option to use up all the veggies in the crisper, mixing it up with some noodles or leftover cold rice, makes for a great meal as well.

I buy these big chinese noodles each time I'm at an asian grocer.  They are usually in the refrigerated section next to the rice noodles and wonton wrappers.  Since they are vacuum packed, you can keep for months (sometimes it's just better not to ask) and having them on hand means there's always a chinese noodle dish available with just a few minutes of chopping and stirring.  You can of course use pasta and have it turn out just as well, these noodles do have a that lo mein chewy noodle texture that's pretty fun.

For the spice in this dish, I opted for a few tbsp of Korean red pepper paste or gochujang.  I first tried Korean red pepper paste on a flight to Korea and I have been in love ever since. They served it with the bibimbap right on the flight and it was amazing....did you ever think to hear that airline food inspired anyone?  While I definitely feel more familiar in an asian market than I do in perhaps an Indian market, the Korean aisle of an Asian market stupefies me.  I once stood there staring at the wall of gochujang wondering how on earth I could ever decide.  A lady walked up, grabbed a box with a decidedness so I grabbed the same brand.  She seemed so sure of herself...that's the secret to shopping in asian stores btw. 

I do think it's a bit odd that they only opt for one word of english on the entire package.  And really, it's not a word that you just throw out there with an exclamation mark no less, without any further explanation.  But alas, I live life on the culinary edge.

Stir fry is not really a recipe so much as a technique.  I usually start with the protein, sometimes pull it out after it's done and before I start on the veggies, but usually not.  I throw the garlic and onions in after the meat is cooked mostly through and then start adding the chopped veggies.

Separate the noodles in warm water before tossing them in.  They are fully cooked so you are really just heating them through.  Add the sauce, stir to coat everything and voila...it's that easy and takes 15 mins max.

It's the same process for a fried rice, except that instead of noodles, you are using up your leftover cold rice.  It's great because fried rice actually requires cold rice--warm rice will mush and stick together with just a couple of stirs. 

Stir Fry Sauce

- 4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp water

- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced

- 2-3 tbsp Korean red pepper paste 

Combine all ingredients and add to the pan after all other ingredients are finished cooking.  Stir to coat and turn off heat. 

Many are a bit hesitant at  the very words "oyster sauce" but in reality, it's neither fishy nor oystery(it's a word) in flavor, but it does contribute a chinese noodle flavor.   The great thing about these noodles though is that you can practically omit or substitute any of the sauce ingredients.  Sriracha would be fabulous in place of the red pepper paste. 

Cookbook # 76 Best of the Best Cookbook Recipes Volume 12/ Lemon Pull-Apart Coffee Cake

Cookbook #76.  Already?!?!  Okay so after a few years maybe I should be farther along but sometimes it's a marathon not a sprint and just making it to the finish line is an accomplishment.  I say that so I feel better about slacking and it really kind of works.  Just saying.

Best of the Best is a cookbook series put out by Food and Wine magazine and it highlights 25 of the year's best cookbooks and recipes from each.  Since they don't put a year on the cover, it's hard to tell what year this is...I just know that I have the Bobby Flay Grill It cookbook so it's from whatever year that cookbook came out(2008 or 2009?). I kind of like that it doesn't have a year...sometimes I see my Martha Stewart Livings with their 2002 year and wonder if they should still be on my bookshelf.  Not sure why really.

If you like those annual compilation CDs like that give you just a taste of the best of the best--this is the cookbook equivalent.  If you are not a cookbook collector, having one cookbook that highlights some top cookbooks and recipes seems rather fun. Included in this volume are:

1. The Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet

2. Secrets of the Red Lantern by Pauline Nguyen
3. Bottega Favorita by Frank Stitt
4. Heirloom Cooking with the Brass Sisters by Marilynn and Sheila Brass
5. Urban Italian by Andrew Carmellini
6. Osteria by Rick Tramonto
7. Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker
8. Big Night In by Domenica Marchetti
9. The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas
10. Giada’s Kitchen by Giada De Laurentiis
11. Grill It! by Bobby Flay
12. Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose
13. Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein
14. Italian Grill by Mario Batali
15. Cuisine a Latina by Michelle Bernstein
16. Olives and Oranges by Sara Jenkins
17. The Complete Robuchon by Joel Robuchon
18. Sweet! by Mani Niall
19. Baked by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito
20. The Book of New Israeli Food by Janna Gur
21. Chanterelle by David Waltuck and Andrew Friedman
22. A16 Food and Wine by Nate Appleman and Shelly Lindgren
23. Jewish Home Cooking by Arthur Schwartz
24. Home Cooking with Charlie Trotter by Charlie Trotter
25. 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

I have quite a few stickies in this cookbook and there is a recipe for a scallop caprese salad I am dying to try once I can wrap my mind around any food costing 18.99 a lb. So instead, I chose a recipe from Baking for All Occasions by Flo Braker....Lemon Pull Apart Coffee Cake.  Lemons cost 3 for a dollar around these desert parts.

Not sure why this is called a coffee cake.  Truly it's more like a bread or even cinnamon buns.  In fact, after I made this batch, I couldn't help wonder if this wouldn't be just as fabulous with cinnamon and brown sugar instead of lemon. 

It looks a bit time consuming, but if you throw the dough in the Kitchen-Aid mixer, the "effort" is really just in rolling out the dough.  From there you brush with butter, cut into strips, sprinkle the lemon sugar, stack, stuff in pan and let rise.

I use the word "stuff" into the pan and suggest you really stuff it.  I placed it nicely in the pan.  And while it looks all lovely at first....

It looked a lot like this coming out of the oven.  Okay, it looked exactly like this actually.  Just keeping it real here people.  Baking is an adventure each and every time.

Just like Beyonce, we have to be survivors.  I grabbed some kitchen shears and chopped all the crazy tops off and topped with frosting.  Cream cheese frosting hides quite a bit. 

The result?  Kind of like a cinnamon role in texture and especially with the cream cheese.  And like cinnamon rolls, I really only wanted to eat the frosting laden parts.  I think the lemon was a bit subtle...I'd go as far as adding lemon peel to the dough.  But I did love the idea of the pull-apart bread and will definitely give it another try.

Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Coffee Cake

Sweet Yeast Dough
About 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast/1 packet
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup whole milk
2 ounces unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Lemon Sugar Filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Icing
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Mix two cups (nine ounces) flour, the sugar, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan or in the microwave, combine the milk and the butter and heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, add the water, and let rest a minute until just warm (120 to 130°F). Stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture and, using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer, and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) of the remaining flour, and resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add 2 more tablespoons flour and mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.

Lightly flour a work surface and knead the dough gently until smooth and no longer sticky, about one minute. Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of flour only if the dough is too sticky to work with. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size. An indentation made with your finger should keep its shape.

Meanwhile, make the lemon sugar filling. Mix the sugar, lemon zest, and orange zest.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan.

Gently deflate the dough with your hand. Flour a work surface and roll the dough into a 20″ by 12″ rectangle.  Also sure both sides are floured, so that the dough will be easy to lift up later. Use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter evenly and liberally over the dough.

Use a rolling cutter to cut the dough crosswise in five strips, each about 12″ by 4″. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons of the lemon sugar over the first buttered rectangle. Top it with a second rectangle, sprinkling that one with 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon sugar as well. Continue to top with rectangles and sprinkle, so you have a stack of five 12″ by 4″ rectangles, all buttered and topped with lemon sugar.

Slice this new stack crosswise, through all five layers, into 6 equal rectangles (each should be 4″ by 2″.) Carefully transfer these strips of dough into the loaf pan, cut edges up, side by side. it might be a little roomy, but the bread will rise and expand after baking. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place (70 °F) until puffy and almost doubled in size, 30 to 50 minutes. When you gently press the dough with your finger, the indentation should stay.

Bake the loaf until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Mine loaves usually take longer to bake; use a cake tester to make sure it’s done, and cover the top with foil if it is browning too quickly. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the cream cheese icing. Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth, then add the milk and lemon juice. Stir until creamy and smooth.

Flip the loaf over onto a cooling rack, then flip onto another rack so that it’s right side up. Spread the top of the warm cake with the cream cheese icing, using a pastry brush to fill in all the cracks. 

Eat warm or at room temperature.

Goal # 2, Convert from PC to Mac

Meet Ms Mac.  She's just recently come to live with me.  We had some new relationship pains the first few days, but we are learning how to get along.

Why a Mac?  I wish I could articulate it fully so even I understand.  I looked at PCs first and caressed a gaming PC with RAM(16--can you even believe it?!), processing power and a graphics card that would make my Macbook sad. And even Bill Gates knows that Windows 7 was my idea.    

In the end though, it was the intangibles that sold me on Mac. I've heard many a Windows user wish they'd purchased another Mac, but I've yet to hear a Mac user wish they hadn't converted from PC.  User experience is a huge part of the equation.

But oh was it difficult at first.  People kept saying that Macs are "intuitive" to use.  It made sense until I had a Mac in my hands.  Then I realized I don't rely on intuition when I'm on my computer--it's more Pavlovian.  I needed "My Computer."  I cried when I couldn't control-alt-delete.  I sobbed hysterically when I couldn't use my favorite keyboard shortcuts....control-x, v, c or z   My fingers quick draw those keys without thought.   

Then I couldn't find my Macbook libraries anywhere  when I wanted to load items at the application support folders level.  I longed for Windows explorer as I searched and searched for those program files using "finder" and even typing command prompts directly into "terminal."   Terminal came up with nada for those libraries and all I knew was that typing command prompts into Windows always worked.  I felt the cold chill of buyers remorse creeping over me. 

An hours research on the web and I learned that the new Lion OS hid the libraries by default.  Seriously..what?!?  But I was able to unhide them and things have been a lot smoother since then. Truthfully, Mac seems easier to use if you are not in a Windows mindset.  One week to feel comfortable on my Macbook is nothing compared to the 20 years in Windows--it was an unfair comparison from the start.  The graphics and colors are gorgeous on the Mac and the startup is wicked fast.  The UI is super chic cool--I LOVE the way you can slide windows screens with a swipe of your finger/s and they swoop like they do on the iPod and iPhone. Even though I don't own a single device with Thunderbolt technology, I'm excited to have the functionality when the devices start coming out.  And iCloud?  Heart the idea.  

So all in all I'm now happy with Ms Mac  I sense I will love her more as our relationship progresses.  

Jam Time

"Remember when you were a kid and your mom used to drop you off at the movies with a jar of jam and a spoon?"  Some tv shows and quotes never get old no matter how much you watch them or quote them.  I'm not even sure why this quote from one of the earlier seasons of friends stuck, but it did.  We had a Friends question during our PMO team building trivia game and I was shocked that I was the only one who knew the answer.  We have a whole new generation of peeps in the workforce who are too young to have watched Friends the first time through.  That saddens me. 

So the post wasn't really supposed to me about Friends but about jam.  Fresh fruit, channeling your inner Laura Ingalls, stock up some sunshine for the winter jam.  I know many have a fear of canning but really it's just about being precise.  If you follow the directions of the recipe and the canning process it's really quite simple and it's a perfect way to take advantage of fresh, available summer fruits.  It's so each that I made a strawberry jam and a peach vanilla butter on the morning.

The ingredient list is pretty simple, 3-4 lbs of fresh fruit, pectin, lemon juice(for some jams) white grape or apple juice and sugar.  I like to make the low sugar jams...regular jam can have as much as 7 cups of sugar to 5 cups of fruit...crazy.  With this low sugar pectin, you can make the jam with just 1/2-1 cup of sugar in the entire batch.  The lesser about of sugar means the jam won't be as vibrantly colorful as the sugared kind but that's a small price to pay for a fresher fruit tasting jam.

I used to buy the pectin in boxes but couldn't find it in any store this year...only this new larger jar size. The recipes are included with the pectin.

Part of following the process is ensuring everything is sterilized.  I've heard many say that the dishwasher sterilizes the jars just the same, but I always process the jars in the water bath first per the directions (actually, everything goes into the boiling water bath for a bit...lids, ladle, tongs and funnel).

You can buy an inexpensive canning kit that includes jar tongs and this handy dandy magnet tool to retrieve the lids from the water bath.  It's genius really.

The strawberry jam is straightforward and straight from the pectin box.  For the peach butter...

Peach Vanilla Butter

4 lbs peaches peeled and diced

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup white grape juice

1 box pectin

3/4 cup sugar (adjust amount to your preference)

1 tsp vanilla

1. Combine peaches, lemon juice and white grape juice in large stockpot.  Stir in pectin and mix thoroughly
2. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until peaches are soft. 
3. Add sugar and cook 5 mins more and add vanilla
4. Puree with stick blender
5. Ladle into sterilized 1/2 pint jars and top with sterilized lids
6. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes
7. Remove from water bath and allow to cool fully.   Test each lid for a seal by pressing down in the center of the lid.  The lid should not pop up and down.  If you hear a pop, place the jam into the refrigerator and use first.  Allow the rest of the jars to rest undisturbed overnight.

Chicken Piccata

When I order at an Italian restaurant, it's usually one of two dishes: eggplant parmesan or chicken piccata.  Not so coincidently, there are only two italian meals that I make at home with regularity....you got it.  Eggplant parm is just so perfectly saucy and cheesy and well, eggplanty.  And chicken piccata?  I think it's the lemons and capers. 

I always think that meals require dredging of any kind are laborious and time-consuming.  I clocked it this time and this meal can actually be made in just 20 minutes.  That's less time than most frozen pizzas take from oven preheat to completion.

I happen to use a really large pan (that conducts heat pretty well since the burner is about 1/3 the size of the pan) so I can get all 4 chicken pieces in at one time.  You just want to avoid crowding the pan so that the chicken browns and frys rather than steams.

I feel like chicken broth is one of those magical peace-keeping ingredients that keeps the kitchen going and if I run out the kitchen will spiral into some destructive vortex.  I keep tons of boxes of broth on hand, but I found this little gem at Trader Joes.  It's not exactly "pure" and unadulterated broth, but it's close enough, rather tasty and gets the job done if you run out of broth, or in this case, don't want to open a whole box for a meal.  Each little pouch makes one cup of broth. It's a liquid concentrate, not chicken buillion powder.

Asparagues goes really well with chicken piccata.  I went to the market to with the sole purpose of picking some up for this meal and left the store with 4 bags, none of which held anything that remotely resembled asparagus.  Don't you love when you do that?

Some one year olds do not think that chicken piccata is as tasty as goldfish and chicken nuggets.  However some one year olds do have a certain affinity for a favorite tartan, which makes rejection of said chicken piccata completely forgiveable.  Cuteness wins lots of points.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded thin
AP flour, for dredging
2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4-1/3 cup capers, rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp unsalted butter

 

Directions

1. Season flour with salt and pepper and garlic powder.
2.  Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
3. In a large skillet over medium high heat drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil and heat.  Add 2-4 (depending on pan size) pieces of chicken to pan taking care not to crowd pan. Cook 4-5 minutes.
4. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 4-5 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate.
5. Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter.
6. Add butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and serve with pasta.

101 in 1001

It seems everywhere you turn in blogland, peeps have created their 101 in 1001 lists.  I love them.

What I love about the entire 1001 concept is that it's a realistic time frame to allow goals like foreign travel and allows you the ups and downs in motivation that you may not have time to recover from if it is a one year/New Years Resolution type list.  1001 days.  That's plenty of time to accomplish your goals.  And while I know that it's usually pretty hard to hit our goals 100%, I do think it makes us focus on them and try.  I didn't complete my cookbook challenge, but I'm pretty sure I cooked out of 50 more cookbooks than I would have had I not made the goal at all.

I'm not going to lie and pretend I didn't go completely type A on my list.   I imported it into excel, added estimated dollar values to those that had costs and summed them.  

And finance isn't the only consideration...ahhh, PTO.  Vacation time is that elusive factor for most of us.  While I would have loved to add "visit Greece," "Visit Ireland" and "Spend a week in Cinque Terre and a week in Provence" to the list, it's probably too optimistic to have a goal to take 4 international vacations in 2.75 years.  But I do know I must get back to England soon and walk through old cobbled lanes in the Cotswolds.  Do stone cottage timeshares exist?

I created a separate page for my list above so it'll be easier to pull up to make updates.  It only has 81 items currently because it seems I'm really not all that ambitious.  I plan on an August 15th start date which gives me all weekend to finalize my list.  But seriously...how have people come up with 101?!?

For those who haven't found their "pages" functionality in blogger yet and are wondering how to create new pages...when you go to "Posting" you have an option for new posts, edit posts, or new page. You choose "new page" type your "about me" or whatever info you want to put on a new page.  You then go to the design tab and it gives you the option to configure the order they appear across the top of your blog..

And because a post should always have pictures in my mind, a bit of inspiration for meeting that one all important goal...travel.

Where's your favorite vacation spot?  Are you a beach type or a Europe type?