Archive for May, 2008

Remains Of My Day

Friday, May 30th, 2008

The best laid plans for preparing dinner can be so easily disrupted.  It may be that you just forgot to thaw whatever was needed for your meal.  One of your children may have needed particular attention during the day.  Perhaps an acquaintance unexpectedly dropped by to visit.  For me the problem usually occurs when I have not timed my life accurately.  I find myself in some non-descript store running errands later than I planned or in traffic as I attempt to get home from an appointment in time to cook dinner.

Time crunches at the end of a harried day find me tempted to… order pizza.  I would, at moments like these, like to bring home any take-out meal that would allow me to quickly serve my family dinner.  Then I step back, take a deep breath and realize that this is not what my family needs on a stressful evening.  What they and I need is comfort, in the form of food.

Comfort food, particularly as it relates to a complete meal, is different from household to household.  It generally centers on one particular item in a home.  In my grandmother’s house comfort food began with warm tortillas hot off the griddle.  In my father-in-law’s home it centered around a pot of beans simmering on the stove.

In our house comfort food begins and ends with cheese.  You will find it in many varieties in my refrigerator:  sharp cheddar, low-fat mozzarella, jalapeno jack, chevre, gouda and parmesan.  It may present itself in paninis, quesadillas or just sprinkled on a salad.  In one form or another, it allows me to quickly and simply make an enjoyable meal for my family.

Last night, after denying that urge to order pizza ( We love to order pizza – I just don’t like it to be an act of cooking desperation!), I ran into my kitchen about 7:30 and surveyed the situation.  I decided that I could serve grilled quesadillas with salsa and peppers accompanied by fresh fruit to my family in about 30 minutes.  I quickly grated sharp cheddar cheese,  chopped a variety of peppers and onions, poured salsa and cut up fruit.  I put together the quesadillas according to everyone’s liking.  After arranging the plates and serving them on a table set with fresh linens, we were all ready to enjoy a lovely meal.

Try to keep your pantry and refrigerator well-stocked with items that can quickly be prepared in a manner that your family enjoys.  This may be pasta, deli meats, tortillas, breads, or even leftovers. Whatever the ingredients, timely comfort meals will always  work miracles on stressful evenings.

“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” – Julia Child

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Apron Strings

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

Wikipedia defines a sous-chef de cuisine as  the “direct assistant of the executive chef…”.   About.com:Restauranting goes on to explain that a sous-chef is “directly involved with food production…”.  As I prepare a meal, I enlist one of my children to be my sous-chef.  I have actually taken to using the term incorrectly as a verb – “I need someone to sous for me!”.  The point is my children know exactly what that means and one of them will always come to the kitchen and assist me.

My sous-chef needs vary from day to day.  I may need vegetables cut up, fruit arranged on a platter, rice started, or the table set.  I usually prepare the dinner plates, as they  would be served in a restaurant, and then place them on the table.   Sometimes my sous-chef just helps me with this task.  My children learn early on how to arrange a meal on a plate in an attractive manner.

The sous-chef’s responsibilities in our house are directly related to the age of my children.  My youngest children can set the table correctly and they enjoy stirring whatever marinate I am preparing.  They are terrrific at unwrapping bouillon cubes!  My 11-year-old daughter loves to be creative when she sets the table, including folding the napkins into ”candles” or “swans”.  She has learned to help me cut up vegetables and fruit and makes a great chocolate pudding for one of my trifles.   My older daughters can prepare delicious rice.  This is a tremendous help as I serve rice on many occasions.  They actually can prepare complete meals and call for their own sous-chef when needed.   My older sons’ sous-chef responsibilities range from pouring drinks to grilling chicken.

From an early age, children enjoy helping in the kitchen.  Utilizing their energy and training them in age-appropriate kitchen skills will allow you to enjoy cooking in a less stressful manner.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” – Proverbs 22:6

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Perfect Refreshment

Monday, May 26th, 2008

Memorial Day is here, marking the moment we step into summer. Up here in the north, plans for summer outings include biking on terrific trails, boating on crystal clear lakes, canoeing down lazy rivers, and definitely dining al fresco.

Whether you find yourself at a picnic or simply in your backyard, dining in the fresh air should be a lovely, notable experience.  To enhance the al fresco experience, bring the indoors outside.  Utilize crisp linens and  beautiful glassware instead of the traditional picnic paper goods.  This is easily accomplished in your own yard as everything can be set up outside without much trouble.

Simply spread a white tablecloth over a table outside, hold it down with unusual rocks set in the corners, and set the table in a traditional manner or buffet style.   You can enhance the atmosphere with unique serving pieces.  Present a summer punch served in an attractive bowl punctuated with slices of lemons and limes.  During the day, utilize fresh flowers from your yard for a centerpiece. In the evening, candles always add a nice touch to your al fresco dining experience.  Don’t forget music; it adds so much to the ambiance.  Breakfast, lunch, or dinner will be a beautiful experience al fresco.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time…” – Ecclesiastes 3:11

Crystal Punch

Raspberries

Ice mold (any kitchen mold will do; I use antique copper molds)

Equal amounts of ginger ale and white grape juice (adjust according to taste)

Thinly sliced lemons and limes

Mint leaves for garnishing

Several hours ahead of time, freeze raspberries in pretty molds filled with water or white grape juice.  If you choose to freeze grape juice, you will not dilute your punch when you add the ice molds.  Pour equal amounts of ginger ale and white grape juice into a punch bowl (some cake plates invert into a pretty punch bowl).   Add the ice mold and garnish with the fruit slices and mint leaves.

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Too Many Ingredients, Too Little Time

Friday, May 23rd, 2008

My favorite cooking magazines are Gourmet and Bon Appetit.  I find them to be quite inspiring.  The covers are always beautiful and the pages are filled with ideas for seasonal fare.  Unfortunately,  I do not routinely have the time needed to prepare the terrific recipes I find in these magazines.  Even the “Gourmet in 15 minutes” recipes usually take me about an hour and a half to prepare.  As a result, I have learned to improvise.

I locate a recipe that looks absolutely fabulous and I create a short-cut to it.  Sauces can be purchased and enhanced, trifles can begin with a boxed cake mix, and hard-to-locate items usually have a substitute.

Yesterday I was thumbing through the June 2007 Bon Appetit and I came across a terrific recipe for chicken enchiladas.  It appeared that it would take about 2 or 3 hours to prepare if I had the ingredients on hand, which I, of course, did not.  I quickly went through the recipe and made adjustments:  I substituted the recipe for salsa verde with a purchased variety, skipped the poblano chile roasting technique, and substituted the required Muenster cheese with a spicier pepper jack variety to make up for the missing poblano chile.

I went to the grocery store at 3:30 and was cooking by 4:30.  I needed to serve this dish to about 15 family members by 7:00.  Tweaking the recipe allowed me the time I needed to prepare this dish along with traditional cheese enchiladas.  I served the enchiladas with refried beans,tortilla chips, a lovely green salad and a fruit platter.  Everyone enjoyed it thoroughly.

Green Chile Enchiladas

1     cup vegetable oil

18   corn tortillas

4-6     cups green chile salsa, look for a salsa with a mixture of jalapeno chile and tomatillos

4     large chicken breasts, seasoned and baked and shredded

2     cups sour cream

4-6 cups pepper jack cheese, divided (reserve 1/2 cup)

fresh cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spread 1/2 – 1 cup of the salsa in the bottom of a large casserole dish.  Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a medium skillet on low to medium heat.  Cook individual tortillas in oil for about 8 seconds per side.  Quickly drain the tortilla and dip it in the salsa.  Now, place the tortilla in the casserole and repeat, overlapping the edges of tortillas and covering the bottom of the dish.  You will need to add oil to the pan occasionally.

Scatter 1/2 of the chicken on the tortillas, cover with 1 – 2 cups of salsa, place 1 cup of the sour cream in even dollops over the chicken, sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese and repeat. Cover the top with a layer of tortillas dipped in salsa and sprinkled with reserved cheese.  Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour or until hot and bubbly.

Enjoy!

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Around the World In Nine Days

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

As spring evolves into summer thoughts turn towards family vacations. Anticipating and planning the upcoming jaunts can be as enjoyable as the trip itself.  However,  family vacations can be punctuated with stressful moments if you are not careful.  Here are a few tips to help you plan and execute a lovely summer excursion, no matter where your destination finds you.

1.     Do make concrete plans.   Even if you are simply visiting family,  it helps to have a general idea of how you will spend your time.  Many problems are alleviated by simply being on the same page as your husband  when it comes to allocating your vacation time.

2.     Pack appropriately and as lightly as possible.  Make sure you actually check the suitcases and backpacks  that you allow your children to pack.  It’s best to find out ahead of time that your son or daughter forgot to pack some essential piece of clothing.  More importantly,  it is better to discover your ten-year-old son’s treasured 50-caliber shell yourself rather than leaving that task to airport security!

3.     Plan for fun and comfort during the actual travel portion of your trip. Make certain that your children have age-appropriate items in their own backpacks that will keep them entertained: books, paper, pencils, crayons, small magnetic games, cards and even small toys.

4.     Always pack comfort food.  In a later post I will delineate how we travel across the country without ever stepping into a restaurant. For now I am focusing on air travel.  Do not expect  the airlines to serve your family anything remotely edible.  They usually charge an exorbitant sum for less than palatable fare.  Be sensible and pack healthy, fun snacks that you know your family will enjoy.  The night before we travel, I set out snacks on the dining room table and the children pack their bags with their choices.  Be aware of airline safety rules concerning liquids and even baby formula.

5.     Allow ample time for traveling to and checking in at the airport.  Nothing stresses  a family, especially fathers, like time crunches.  I even dress my younger children in their traveling clothes the night before.  This saves time in the morning if you are leaving particularly early.

6.     Keep your expectations realistic and roll with the punches.  Errors occur. Children get ill (even on airplanes)  and the people with whom you come into contact are not always pleasant.  Try to keep your sense of humor.  Your children will mirror your attitude.  This rule of thumb is important throughout your vacation.

7.    It helps to consider your vacations, particularly when visiting relatives, as mission trips in part.  Life is always about serving and giving to others, even on vacation!

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”  – Emerson

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Much Ado About Something

Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Children’s birthday parties changed forever at our house in about 1994.   Once again, I found myself in the midst of 20 – 30 very young children as I attempted to create a lovely memory for my son’s birthday.  I was completely caught up in the Southern California children’s birthday hooplah.  First, you had to come up with a unique theme.  Then you had to choose a destination:  perhaps a cute restaurant,  golf spot, interesting pool, fire station,  etc.  Finally, you were compelled to spend too much money on thematic party favors, food, games and even music.

If you chose to remain at home you had to make up for this by providing the latest decor, face painting, jumping equipment and even a clown or character to provide entertainment at the party.  Of course you also had to provide lovely adult fare for the parents as you could not serve them the age-appropriate food the children were enjoying.  In the end, you were exhausted. Your child was grumpy from over-stimulation and overwhelmed by too many gifts.  You absolutely had spent  too much money.  In the long run,  no one really benefited from this experience.

The point of a birthday party is to honor your child and to make the day particularly special.  This can be accomplished in a lovely and stress-free manner.

The changed face of our birthday celebrations was evident yesterday as we honored our daughter who turned seven.  We started the day by blessing her with birthday wishes, hugs and kisses.   She picked her menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner (nothing terribly lavish but it was her choice!).   She observed the finishing touches on her favorite birthday cake, a cheesecake.

The actual ”party” was thrown in the afternoon with only our immediate family present.  Our dining room was decorated with  a princess motif complete with pink streamers, party favors and a tiara for the guest of honor.  We tied pretty pink balloons to the chairs with pink satin ribbon.  All in all, it looked quite festive.  We sang, she blew out the candles, I read her a birthday letter recapping her year and we feasted on cake and pink lemonade.  Everyone played musical chairs and our daughter unwrapped a few presents.  We all enjoyed the party and our daughter was thrilled with it.  She was blessed and honored, but not overwhelmed.

Birthday celebrations can be memorable, special events for your family without elaborate staging and costs.

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Great Expectations

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

Children are so  malleable.  In general, they desire to please their parents.  However, it is a fallen world and they need constant direction, discipline and training.  This is such a deep topic, open to discussion and controversy.  Today I am just going to graze the surface and talk about children and chores, particularly in regards to their bedrooms.

Children, if given the choice, would opt to live in a lovely, uncluttered environment.  They prefer a beautiful world as much as anyone.  They simply need to understand how to achieve this.   They also need to understand why they should help around their house.  Here the issues of gratitude and respect need to be discussed.  Someone, their father or mother or  perhaps both, is working very hard to provide a lovely home for them.  A child can learn early on to demonstrate thankfulness by simply  appreciating their home and doing their part to maintain it.

Start small…expect them to keep their bedrooms clean and chaos free.  This training is easily accomplished if you start when your children are young. However, even the habits of your older children can be modified.

Go through your children’s rooms with them.  Be relentless.  Throw unwanted trash and even “treasures” away.  This will be painful at first.  Make files for special pictures and projects that need to be saved forever.  However, your children must learn that certain items, probably most, are not worthy of saving.  You also must model this in your life.  They will catch the spirit.  Go through their clothes and triage . . . clothes to wear, clothes to discard and clothes to pass on.  Repeat this process with toys and sporting equipment.   Leave no corner untouched.  Look under the bed, as this is a haven for trash and treasures.  If you need to utilize the space under the bed,  use containers to control and manage this area.  The closet floor and shelves should also be de-cluttered and organized.

Now, actually clean the bedroom with your child.  Dust and vacuum.  Don’t forget the floor boards and the window sills.  Show your kids how to make their rooms shine and they will love it.   Make sure they know when to change their linens.  Train your children to make their beds each morning.  A presentable bedroom begins with a bed that is made.  No one likes to end their day by crawling into an unmade bed.  Yuck.

This will be an on-going process.  You will have to continually train your children.  Your expectations should be age-appropriate, but the key is to have expectations.  Everyone will benefit.  Your family will be blessed by living in a neat environment.

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” –Proverbs 22:6

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Let Them Eat Cake

Saturday, May 10th, 2008

Why bake a cake?  The thought of actually baking a cake from scratch can be daunting.  Let’s face it: every grocery and package store can fill your cake needs for any and all occasions.  So , why bake a cake?  It actually can be a delightful experience for you and your family.   Children are delighted with cakes you bake and decorate for their birthdays, customized with a theme they enjoy.  You can honor your husband with a cake made especially with him in mind.  Guests will always enjoy a beautiful, delicious cake for dessert.

So, how can you incorporate cake baking into your schedule without the time-consuming frustration of working with recipes as you try to perfect a lovely, moist cake?   The answer is the cake mix.  This little box found on every grocery shelf is packed with the power to turn you into a successful baker.   You simply need to learn to customize it.

I consider the cake mix as another blank slate.  Now, start thinking “outside the box”.  Consider substituting juice for the liquid. Add additional flavorings and always add an extra egg or egg white.  Fillings are a fantastic way to customize your cake.  You can work with lemon curds,  raspberry fillings and even chocolate creams to enhance the flavor of your cakes.  Simply butterfly the layers and fill with one of the above for a tasty treat.

A key point to  keep in mind is that you need to use at least two cake mixes for all of your creations.  One is just too skimpy.  The only exception to this is a bundt pan which will usually fill nicely with one cake mix.  I routinely use 9 inch cake pans for my layer cakes.  I utilize one cake mix recipe for each pan.  This makes a lovely full layer that you can easily butterfly.  You must vary the temperature of your oven so that the cake layers will bake evenly.  Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to determine the temperature of each individual oven.  You will simply have to experiment a little.  Lowering the temperature for a longer period of time seems to work the best.

Now for the frostings and glazes: here, I always work from scratch.  It isn’t difficult to perfect a terrific buttercream frosting.  You can, once again, vary your flavoring for a terrific taste.  I love to add almond flavoring to my frosting.  It tastes more sophisticated than typical vanilla flavoring.  I always pipe and decorate with a shortening-based frosting.  It is much easier to work with.  I tend to keep my decorating simple even for children’s cakes – two or three colors and a simple design.  It takes less time and it always looks terrific, not tacky.

Utilize paste coloring as they allow degrees of color that your typical liquid coloring can’t match.  One of my favorite cakes for little boys is a layer cake with a light blue frosting.  I then pipe it with white frosting and outline a sailboat or a car in white frosting on the top of the cake.  It looks lovely and you can, of course, add your personalized greeting.

The cakes that you make for your family and guests always add a special touch to every occasion.

Citrus Spice Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

1     Spice Cake Mix (any brand will do)

1     Bundt pan, greased and lightly floured ( I utilize Wilton Cake Release as it leaves no residue on the cake)

Prepare the mix as directed on the box.  Substitute 1/2 of the water with orange juice.  Add an additional egg.  Bake following the times suggested on the box but always watching carefully to ensure that you do not over-bake the cake.  Cool the cake in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes.  After you have released the cake on to  a platter,  use a toothpick and puncture the top of the cake in several places.  Slowly pour the glaze over the cake allowing the glaze to infiltrate the cake.  This is delicious served warm.

Glaze

1      Cup of brown sugar

1/2  Cup  butter

1/2 Cup whipping cream

1     Teaspoon vanilla extract

1     Teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Mix all of the ingredients in a small heavy pan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Lower the heat  and whisk until the mixture is smooth, 1 – 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

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Fruit of the Vine

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

I love cooking with wine.  It enhances the flavor of so many dishes: stews, soups, sauces, rice and even breads.  It can transform a flat recipe into a fabulous one.  I generally substitute some of the liquid in a recipe with wine.

I  keep a versatile selection of red and white wines on hand.  I am always on the look-out for a great buy on a nice wine.  Remember,  you really don’t want to cook with any wine that you wouldn’t drink.  I have been able to take advantage of specials that my butcher periodically has on the wine that he stocks.   Sam’s Club and Costco always have great buys on wine and they offer a terrific selection.  I usually spend  $5.00 to $7.00 on a bottle of wine.  This is less expensive than the unsavory liquid labeled ”cooking wine” found on the grocery store shelves.

Cheers!

White Rice with Chardonnay and Herbs

2      Cups white rice

4      Cups liquid – always utilize a 1/2  ratio of rice to liquid; this will allow you to easily multiply the recipe

1/2-1 Cup finely chopped onion

1      Clove garlic, crushed

6-8  Tablespoons of butter

5      Tablespoons fresh herbs:  I usually use thyme and oregano, but experiment.

1      Tablespoon fresh ground pepper

Juice of 1/2 lemon

In a 2-3 quart pan with a well-fitting lid saute the  onion and garlic in the butter.  Add the rice and brown it for about 4 minutes or until it becomes transparent.   Meanwhile, prepare the liquid:  you need a mixture of chicken broth and wine.  I usually use 3 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of chardonnay.  You can adjust this to suit your taste.  Now, slowly add the liquid to the rice.  Add the herbs, pepper, and lemon juice and gently mix.  Cover the rice and cook over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.  This takes about 20 minutes.

You can really be creative with rice.  Try varying your herbs or the wine to change the flavor of this dish.

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A Gardener’s Dilemma

Friday, May 2nd, 2008

I  have historically enjoyed gardening all year long.  This is hard to imagine since I live “up north” where it snows for 6 or 7 months every year.  Even in the depths of winter the idea of gardening can flourish.  I browsed through seed catalogues in January.  I planned and re-planned my garden throughout February and March.  I anticipated the ground thawing in April so that my husband could prepare the soil.  Finally, about May 15th I would begin to plant 5000 square feet of herbs, vegetables, and perennials.

For the past several years I have enjoyed this gardening cycle.  Our family would spend countless hours tending our garden: weeding, watering and then weeding and watering again.  Throughout the summer we would enjoy the fruits of our labor.  Our harvest, although not always as plentiful as we would hope, brought fresh vegetables, aromatic herbs and beautiful fresh flowers into our home.

This year we have relocated and I find myself looking out over the 18th fairway of a golf course instead of scanning acres of wilderness.  At first glance, this was a bit disconcerting and a little sad.  Now I realize  my garden will simply take on a different look.  We have a small deck outside our dining area.  It’s a great spot to view the golfing scene.  This is where my garden, albeit small, will flourish.  I have some terrific  faux ceramic pots that I will plant with lovely annuals in attractive arrangements.  I am even grooming a beautiful hibiscus tree inside in hopes of setting it out on the deck.  Finally, I look forward to harvesting herbs from a small pottage garden nurtured on the same deck. I will even try to work with a patio tomato as well.

Gardening is a lovely pastime even on a small scale.

Now I’m wondering what I will do with all of the countless hours I will save this summer since I’m not watering and weeding day in and day out.  Perhaps I will golf!

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce…Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper”  (Jeremiah 29:5-7).

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