La Comida De Mi Vida/My Life in Food

I love this time of year because of the many varieties of food available that we can’t normally find year round. Special cheeses, cakes, cookies, crackers and my absolute favorite – egg nog. For me nutmeg means memories of family and tastes like cake in a cup.

My first experience with eggnog was tasting my uncle’s Rompope (rom-po-peh) when I was visiting my family in Mexico. It was thick and creamy and made it feel like fire in my nose. I didn’t know that this was eggnog until I got back home.  So mom allowed me to buy a quart of eggnog the next time we went grocery shopping and I’ve been hooked to that flavor ever since.

C.F. Burger has a very good eggnog and a local dairy named Arps makes a tasty version as well.  Saturday I found one that tops them all. It’s a half gallon eggnog available at Sam’s Club from Byrne Dairy called Santa’s Pack Recipe Eggnog.  It is thick, but not too thick.  The flavor is rich, sweet and buttery.  It’s made with real egg yolks and rBST free milk and cream.  At only $3.06 a half gallon it is a deal compared to the quarts typically available in the local grocery stores.  I haven’t checked, but they may have this same brand available at Wal-Mart.  It would be worth a peek.

Being non-alcoholic it’s great for the kids.  Well, the rest of you can add a splash of spiced rum to the mix to warm things up a bit.

Ever since a friend of ours opened a coffee shop that we frequent my DH and I have become a bit snobbish when it comes to the quality of our coffee. We were no longer happy with the, mm mm, swill that results from instant coffee or even the pre-ground Folgers or Maxwell house brands that come in the plastic tubs. They never gave us the lift we were looking for in the mornings and I noticed that I felt even more tired after drinking a cup or two. Like a heard a comedian say once, “If the “best part of waking up is Folger’s in your cup” then why wake up.”  Though I’ve recently had a new experience with this brand that has changed my opinion a bit.

We try to avoid buying ground coffee because it loses it’s body and goes stale fairly quickly. A week ago we had run out of all our whole bean coffee and I had to go to the local grocery store to buy coffee because we can’t seem to go a morning without it. It so happened that they had the Folger’s Gourmet Selections ground coffee on sale. At less than $7 for the 11 oz. bag I figured it would be OK to give it a shot. At least it wasn’t much more than the $10 per pound of whole bean coffee we usually buy. I made sure to find a bag that still had the vacuum tightly sealed around the block of coffee and it turned out to be a bag of the Lively Colombian. I have been pleasantly surprised.

It’s been a week and the smell of the coffee is still very rich. I typically use 4 heaping tablespoonfuls of coffee for each 6 cups of water. The coffee resulted too strong for my taste. So the next day I used 4 level tablespoons of ground coffee and it was perfect. The coffee was robust, complex with just enough sour and slight – very slight- bitterness that I expect from a decent cup of coffee. Later in the day I didn’t feel groggy either. This is a coffee I would not hesitate to purchase again – as long as it’s on sale.

As I mentioned before, my dad is a meat and potatoes kind of guy.  It wasn’t until he HAD to eat beans, rice and salsa to lower his cholesterol that he got a taste for my mom’s Mexican home cooking.  Last Friday, mom and I discovered something wonderful.  His horizons are expanding.

We were in Fort Wayne, IN doing some shopping and it got to be about supper time.  Mom said she’d be happy with a Wendy’s Fish sandwich, but she would be very appy if we could go to the Indian restaurant which we were very close to.  She assured him that he could find something “American” on the menu.  I knew that this was not the case, but I kept my mouth shut.

When we arrived at the Taj Mahal our regular host, Leslie, came to our table and greeted us as he has for the past 7 years.  He’s made a point to know our and our kids names and is very aware of what our usual order is by now.  The atmosphere is quiet and comfortable with the penetrating odor of food prepared with many different curry styles.

Our absolute favorite dish from the menu is the Chicken Tikka Masala.  It is chunks of white meat chicken prepared in a sauce of tomato, yogurt, heavy cream and curry to your liking.  Mom and I knew right away that we would be ordering that with an order of Paner Kulcha (traditional Indian bread with fresh cheese inside).  Really, the only reason Mom was even looking at the menu was to find a suitable meal for my dad.

“Where are their sandwiches?”, she asked.  I just shook my head no as my dad sat there with a grimmace on his face.  I sat back and thought, “OH Great!”.  Somehow she found something that would be suitable.  From the appetizer menu she told him to order the Chicken Pakora.  Pretty much the Indian equivalent of chicken fingers coated in a tempura batter and fried to perfection.  I tried to encourage him to try the Mulligatawny, since I know he likes soup, to no avail.  He simply agreed to sample the bowl I ordered for DD1.  They brought the soup and the chicken pakora first.  He finished the little plate of chicken fingers and tasted the Mulligatawny without seeming overly impressed.  He’s not a sauce man, other than hot sauce, so the mint chutney and berry sauce were merely decoration for his plate.

In quick fashion as usual our meals arrived.  The Paner Kulcha fresh and steaming hot our of their traditional Indian oven.  A mounding bowl of basmati rice prepared with cloves and a bit of saffron sat in the middle of the table for us to share, it’s essence filling the table with a wonderful perfume.  Then came the chicken in it’s creamy bright orange sauce inviting us to devour it.  Mom is very forward and just told Dad to put some on his plate.

He took a generous helping of rice and a small spoonful of the Chicken Tikka Masala along with a pice of the Paner Kulcha.  He finished his sample of the chicken and to my surprise and delight he went back for more, and more, and more.  At the end of the meal Mom asked him what he thought to which Dad replied, “The rice is rather plain, but the chicken is really delicious.  I could use some more of that bread.  It was really good.”

I thought I was going to bounce out of my seat I was so happy.  As soon as we got home I told DH the good news.  All he had to say was, “How can anyone not like that chicken!?!” Now we don’t have to tiptoe around the suggestion of going to the Taj Mahal when we are in Fort Wayne with my dad.  It is very hard having to accomodate someone who is very picky and very satisfying when you see them open their horizons.

If you are ever in Fort Wayne I highly recommend visiting the Taj Mahal restaurant in Time Corners off Jefforson Road south of Jefferson Pointe mall.

If you like your Cookies a little more dense and not to flatten out so much try using less butter.  Butter gives the cookies a great buttery flavor and a crispy texture, but they tend to be more flat.  Last night I made a double batch of these cookies and I ran out of butter so I used just a 1/2 cup of butter and one cup of shortening.  The cookies stayed a little more rounded and had a better mouthfeel because it held the flour together better.

Another technique I tried that I hadn’t before is freezing the dough and baking the cookies from frozen.  I found that it works perfectly, as if they had never been frozen.  I just lined a cookie sheet with wax paper and placed rounded tablespoonfuls of dough on the sheet close together.  I covered the whole sheet with plastic wrap and stuck it in the deep freeze over night.  This morning I removed them from the freezer and preheated the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  I placed 12 on one cookie sheet and the rest I placed in plastic freezer bags in a single layer and popped them back in the freezer.  The cookies went in the oven for 8 minutes and came out crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and very delicious.

This recipe is one that I adapted from the Food Network show Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentis.  I made it so that it was a bit quicker to put together, but still had all the depth of flavor of the original.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. leaf thyme

2 bay leaves

2 oz. basil, coarsely chopped

2 – 14 oz. cans of chicken stock/broth

1 – 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 tbsp. tomato paste

10 oz. canned chicken (usually come in 5 oz cans)

1 – 15 oz. can kidney beans

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium high heat.  Dice the onion, carrot and celery and add to the pot to sweat together, stirring constantly,  to make your sofrito.  Once onions are translucent add your minced garlic stirring just to warm through.  Add the salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaves, basil, chicken broth, diced tomatoes and tomato paste  and allow to come to a low boil, about 10 minutes.  Then add the diced cooked chicken (juices and all) and return to a boil (about 5 minutes).  In the meantime rinse the kidney beans; once the stew has returned to a boil add the kidney beans and cook for an additional 10 minutes.   Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly and also remove the bay leaves before serving.  Makes 4 hearty servings.

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My adaptation using canned chicken instead of bone in chicken breast as the original recipe calls for cuts the cooking time almost in half.  If you want this stew to be a little thicker just cook it for an additional 10 minutes before adding the chicken and beans.  If you like it more soupy like me then add another can of chicken broth.  This is delicious served with some crusty Italian bread and some fresh parmesan cheese grated on top.

Sweet treats are my weakness. Nothing quells my craving though like chocolaty yummy chocolate chip cookies. My favorite recipe is one I adapted from the Crisco Butter Flavor Shortening can.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1/4 cup butter flavor Crisco shortening
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)*

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl and beat on medium speed until creamy. Beat egg into creamed mixture.
3. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in another bowl and mix. Add to creamed mixture just until all the dry mix is moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips and pecan pieces. *If you choose to omit the pecans, substitute an extra 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
4. Drop batter on ungreased cookie sheet by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart. Bake one cookie sheet at a time at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies or 11 to 13 minutes for crunchy cookies.
5. Cool cookies on sheet for 2 minutes then remove to cooling racks to cool completely. Or eat them warm, it’s your call (if you can’t wait – I never can ).

Makes about 3 dozen cookies (don’t tell anyone else that or they’ll expect that many to come out of the kitchen ).

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If you aren’t much of a baker then find someone who’ll make them for you. One great option was reviewed by our friends at GrabBagReviews.com. The store is called Whisked Away Bakery. GrabBagReviews.com is actually holding a contest to win some of their delectable delights. The contest ends on 3/5/09 so head on over to enter.

If you love garlic and parmesan cheese you will love this Alfredo Sauce recipe.  This sauce will go great with shrimp, crab, lobster, chicken or just noodles.  Typically it is served with fetuccine, but will go great with any pasta you have on hand.  Personally, I like it with angel hair pasta and garlic bread for dipping, mmmm.

For the richest and most full bodied flavor I suggest you use parmiggiano reggiano.  This native Italian Parmesan is very nutty, slightly salty flavor and has the biggest Parmesan flavor and a great consistency for melting into a sauce.  Domestic parmesan cheeses will do OK, but miss the full bodied nuttiness you expect from a REAL parmesan cheese; they are barely a step up from the canned brands.  Like coffee it is always better to grate the cheese right before you are going to use it.  Kraft or other prepackaged already grated Parmesan cheeses are a last resort, but will do fine in a pinch.

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup (one stick) butter

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/8 tsp. cracked black pepper

1/8 tsp. salt

1/4 cup grated parmiggiano reggiano

Directions:

Put the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and melt, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  Add the minced garlic and brown lightly.  This won’t take long so DON’T WALK AWAY! Add the heavy cream, pepper and salt.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occassionally until it thickens, approximately 10-12 minutes.

Once the sauce has reached the desired consistency remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the cheese.  Stir until the cheese is completely melted.

Serve with the meat, bread and/or pasta of your liking.

Mangia!

I love zucchini bread.  The following recipe is one I have been using for the past 18 years.  The addition of honey to the recipe makes this bread come out moist and uniquely flavorful.

2 loaves

12 servings per loaf

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans

2 lg. zucchini

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cup sugar

3/4 honey

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1.  Combine the first 5 ingredients; stir in pecans.  Shred enough zucchini for 2 cups.  Combine zucchini qith remaining ingredients.  Stir into flour mixture until dry ingredients are moistened.

2. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 9″x5″x3″ loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 65 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and cool in pans for 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Calories/serving: 508

Sodium: 285 mg

Cholesterol: 45 mg

This definitely qualifies as comfort food and is OH SO YUMMY!  It is by far my favorite.  It’s great for breakfast or dessert or a snack any time of day!

Buen Provecho!

Asparagus is a very nutritious and complete food.  It is also a great accompaniment for just about any kind of protein.  Virtually zero carbs, this high fiber food is also high in vitamins and great for your kidneys.

Serves 4

1 lb. asparagus spears

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Snap the woody ends off the asparagus and reserve the spear end and rinse.  In a pan on medium high heat melt the butter and olive oil together.  Quickly sautee the minced garlic until lightly golden brown; be careful not to burn it.  Add the rinsed asparagus spears, salt and pepper to the pan turning them frequently with a spoon or pair of tongs until the spears acheive a bright green color.  You’ll have to keep a close eye on these because you don’t want them to overcook or burn.  Remove them from the pan to your serving dish.

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The asparagus should still have a slightly crunchy texture in the middle.  I like to pair asparagus with seafood, chicken, pork, beef roast or steak and pasta dishes.

This is one quick and easy to make chunky salsa that goes well with beef, chicken, fish or pork – or even on it’s own.  There have been many a summer evening where my hubby and I have made dinner out of corn chips and a big bowl of pico de gallo.

Pico de Gallo when translated means “Rooster’s Beak” or “Peckings of the Rooster”.  Really, if you left the ingredients in front of a rooster they would end up looking like the salsa but not as tasty .

Pico de Gallo Recipe:

3 medium tomatoes, diced (I like juicy ones)

1 small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, diced

1/2 a bunch of cilantro, chopped fine

juice from 1/2 a lime

salt to taste

Dice and chop the ingredients as indicated.  Put all together in a bowl, squeeze the lime juice over the top, season with salt and mix evenly.  This can be consumed immediately or allowed to marinate in the refrigerator for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.  It is typically best to consume it the day it is made as the salt and lime will continue to macerate the ingredients the longer it sits.

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As peppers may differ in their level of heat you can add more or less to suit your taste.  Typically, the smaller and more thin the jalapeño the hotter it is.  To reduce the heat you can always remove the seeds and the pith, but please wear rubber gloves when you do this because the capsicum in the pepper will still get on your hands and can burn you later.  Hand washing isn’t always a successful method of removal.