Several years ago, Lane and I invited some friends over for Moosewood's Chilean Bean Stew from this lovely little collection of recipes. It was quite delicious, but for some strange reason I haven't made it since. I recommended it to Lane's parents over the holiday and promised to email them the recipe, instead I thought I might just post it here and recommend it in general. I'll be cooking some myself this weekend.
Moosewood Restaurant Chilean Bean Stew
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 C. chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1.5 tsp. salt
0.5 tsp. ground black pepper
0.25 tsp. cayenne (this can be adjusted to taste)
3 C. water
4 C. (about 3 lbs.) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
3 C. fresh or frozen corn
2 15 oz. cans of red pinto beans, drained and rinsed
.5 C. chopped, fresh basil
Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Saute the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the water and the squash, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the corn, the beans, and the basil. Cover and continue simmering until the squash is soft (another 5 to 10 minutes).
Ladle 2 cups of the broth from the stew into a blender with the remaining corn. Puree until smooth. Stir the pureed corn back into the stew. Serve warm with freshly baked cornbread. Serves 4 to 6. Refrigerates and reheats very well.
13 January 2011
12 January 2011
Snow Day Number Three...
That's right, folks! This is our third consecutive snow day. I baked banana bread with toasted pecans and golden raisins, and Lane and I took turns napping with Liam. Even though I am thoroughly enjoying the extra time off, I much prefer warm and sunny to these gloomy gray snowy days.
Having spent most of my life in Michigan, I am no stranger to the cold toes and runny noses of Winter. My mom jokes about how quickly my skin thinned after having only been in Chattanooga for a little over a year. And yes, I must admit I really am already day-dreaming big plans for Spring and Summer, and wishing I could bear the bitter wind to go outside.
What are her big plans? you wonder...
Well, I am totally motivated to expand my current set of domestic skills both in and beyond the kitchen. I'm hoping to put a potted herb garden on the screened-in porch, and a variety of flowers in the yard. I also want to grow a sauce and salsa garden (also potted) and grow winter squash, cucumber, pickles, and berries. Most of this is old hat, but I'm planning on canning, which is something I've never done before. I've already read the chapter on canning in the Joy, and will take a trip to the public library for more how-to books. I'd like to make my own jams and sauces from the stuff in my own garden, and I'd like to be able to taste the fruits of Spring and Summer during next year's snow days. I'd also like to learn to knit--although my experiences with Stitch and Bitch were neither successful nor pleasant--so that I can knit warm fuzzies for my whole family.
Sound like fun? Well, stick around to see just how much I'll be able to accomplish while chasing around a toddler, as Baby Liam turns 1 in May.
Having spent most of my life in Michigan, I am no stranger to the cold toes and runny noses of Winter. My mom jokes about how quickly my skin thinned after having only been in Chattanooga for a little over a year. And yes, I must admit I really am already day-dreaming big plans for Spring and Summer, and wishing I could bear the bitter wind to go outside.
What are her big plans? you wonder...
Well, I am totally motivated to expand my current set of domestic skills both in and beyond the kitchen. I'm hoping to put a potted herb garden on the screened-in porch, and a variety of flowers in the yard. I also want to grow a sauce and salsa garden (also potted) and grow winter squash, cucumber, pickles, and berries. Most of this is old hat, but I'm planning on canning, which is something I've never done before. I've already read the chapter on canning in the Joy, and will take a trip to the public library for more how-to books. I'd like to make my own jams and sauces from the stuff in my own garden, and I'd like to be able to taste the fruits of Spring and Summer during next year's snow days. I'd also like to learn to knit--although my experiences with Stitch and Bitch were neither successful nor pleasant--so that I can knit warm fuzzies for my whole family.
Sound like fun? Well, stick around to see just how much I'll be able to accomplish while chasing around a toddler, as Baby Liam turns 1 in May.
11 January 2011
Snow Daze
Sunday night and early Monday morning, nearly eight inches of snow fell on Chattanooga. With the university closed and many local roads almost impassable there simply is no better excuse for spending time baking homemade cookies and snuggling up with my boys. So, after great success with a slow-cooked beef stew recipe involving butternut squash, I decided I'd try a couple more cookie recipes from 1001 Ways to Cook Southern.
I'm impressed with both recipes.
The first was a peanut butter cookie prepared without butter or flour. Surprised? I was. But, I was even more surprised by the simplicity of the recipe and overall lack of ingredients in general (only four total). The final product is a chewy, rich, peanut-buttery cookie that pairs perfectly with a glass of milk. Best to let them cool completely before indulging, as they will crumble to pieces if you try to eat them straight from the oven.
The second was giant oatmeal-spice cookie, and man did this cookie knock my socks off. With rolled oats, toasted pecans, golden raisins, a wide variety of spices (including clove), and more dark brown sugar than I have ever used in one cookie recipe, this one beats every other oatmeal cookie I have ever made. I didn't make drop the batter by the quarter-cup full as the recipe suggested, instead I made slightly smaller scooped slightly smaller portions for a higher yield. Doing so has allowed me to freeze some of the dough so that I can bake more fresh and delicious cookies later, without creating another pile of dirty dishes.
Now to figure out what to make for dinner.
I'm impressed with both recipes.
The first was a peanut butter cookie prepared without butter or flour. Surprised? I was. But, I was even more surprised by the simplicity of the recipe and overall lack of ingredients in general (only four total). The final product is a chewy, rich, peanut-buttery cookie that pairs perfectly with a glass of milk. Best to let them cool completely before indulging, as they will crumble to pieces if you try to eat them straight from the oven.
The second was giant oatmeal-spice cookie, and man did this cookie knock my socks off. With rolled oats, toasted pecans, golden raisins, a wide variety of spices (including clove), and more dark brown sugar than I have ever used in one cookie recipe, this one beats every other oatmeal cookie I have ever made. I didn't make drop the batter by the quarter-cup full as the recipe suggested, instead I made slightly smaller scooped slightly smaller portions for a higher yield. Doing so has allowed me to freeze some of the dough so that I can bake more fresh and delicious cookies later, without creating another pile of dirty dishes.
Now to figure out what to make for dinner.
03 January 2011
Not for Me
I simply do not have the patience for cookie cutters.
I can't remember when my love affair with baking began. It's a bit of a hobby, and I much prefer homemade cakes and cookies and pies to anything you can purchase in a store (with the exception of the exceptional, of course). There's something about the love that goes into my goodies that makes them extra tasty, and I'm not the only one that thinks so. But, until today I have never owned a set of cookie cutters, and now I know why.
I decided to try a deceptive little recipe for Lemon Butter Cookies from a cookbook I received as a Christmas gift. The recipe looks extremely simple, with only a few ingredients to name: butter, lemon zest, powdered sugar, flour, salt, and parchment for lining the cookie sheet. The dough is to be shaped into a disc and rolled to 1/4" thick and then cut into cutsie little heart shapes and placed onto the baking sheet. The cookies bake at 325 degrees until lightly browned on the edges and cool for about 25 minutes. Sounds easy-peasy, so I buy some cookie cutters and attempt to use them. I opt for a square shape with scalloped edges, too intimidated by the heart-shape to use it first. I manage to get eleven cut cookies to the sheet and lose my cool as I am trying to reshape the leftover dough into a new disc to begin cutting again.
I'm a silly girl, and I worry about over-developed gluten from the flour being overworked. I worry about dried out cookies from the reshaping and re-rolling on a lightly floured surface with my lightly floured rolling pin. I believe I'm part Dutch, so I can't bring myself to just discard the leftover dough as waste. As I'm starting to roll out the disc of partially reused dough, I'm already cursing the cutter and wishing I would have gone for the more rustic, less sophisticated method I usually employ with recipes like this one: cutting random shapes into the dough with a paring knife. I am not Martha Stewart. I like my cookies and shortbread to look like pieces carved from a map of the United States. And I firmly believe that Delicious trumps Beautiful any day of the week.
I can't remember when my love affair with baking began. It's a bit of a hobby, and I much prefer homemade cakes and cookies and pies to anything you can purchase in a store (with the exception of the exceptional, of course). There's something about the love that goes into my goodies that makes them extra tasty, and I'm not the only one that thinks so. But, until today I have never owned a set of cookie cutters, and now I know why.
I decided to try a deceptive little recipe for Lemon Butter Cookies from a cookbook I received as a Christmas gift. The recipe looks extremely simple, with only a few ingredients to name: butter, lemon zest, powdered sugar, flour, salt, and parchment for lining the cookie sheet. The dough is to be shaped into a disc and rolled to 1/4" thick and then cut into cutsie little heart shapes and placed onto the baking sheet. The cookies bake at 325 degrees until lightly browned on the edges and cool for about 25 minutes. Sounds easy-peasy, so I buy some cookie cutters and attempt to use them. I opt for a square shape with scalloped edges, too intimidated by the heart-shape to use it first. I manage to get eleven cut cookies to the sheet and lose my cool as I am trying to reshape the leftover dough into a new disc to begin cutting again.
I'm a silly girl, and I worry about over-developed gluten from the flour being overworked. I worry about dried out cookies from the reshaping and re-rolling on a lightly floured surface with my lightly floured rolling pin. I believe I'm part Dutch, so I can't bring myself to just discard the leftover dough as waste. As I'm starting to roll out the disc of partially reused dough, I'm already cursing the cutter and wishing I would have gone for the more rustic, less sophisticated method I usually employ with recipes like this one: cutting random shapes into the dough with a paring knife. I am not Martha Stewart. I like my cookies and shortbread to look like pieces carved from a map of the United States. And I firmly believe that Delicious trumps Beautiful any day of the week.
31 December 2010
Two Kay Eleven
The new year is here (in case you haven't heard).
Tomorrow is the last full day we'll spend in Michigan until we come back in August and the leaving is bittersweet, as are most good things in life and chocolate. You see, I have this theory, that the most gratifying of all human experiences are the ones that can best be described with that perfect little oxymoron of an adjective. The bitter comes from a sense of longing, a nostalgia, or some unfulfilled desire; the sweet from a sentimental reflection on your fortune for having been a part of something so wonderful. Often, it's the sweet that gives way to the bitter -- the simple recognition that you want the good times to last coupled with the simpler recognition that all things end -- but this need not be the case. Just experiencing bittersweetness is itself gratifying.
Lane and I are now in a very interesting place in our life together: we leave home to go home. The leaving is bitter because we're leaving our home with familiar places and beloved faces, and sweet because we're returning to a home with familiar places and beloved faces. This entire holiday has been bittersweet as we've missed the people and doggies we love back home in Chattanooga, and have thoroughly enjoyed the people and doggies we love here in Michigan. Undoubtedly, I must admit, going home to Chattanooga will have the same sorrowed excitement attached to it that coming home to Michigan had just eleven days ago, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm happy to say that I have finally learned the real meaning of 'home' and it extends far beyond the common cliche.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm at home when I have my husband and my son in tow and we all arrive safe and sound to our destination. More often than not, we're blessed with a warm reception and this only serves to intensify that feeling of home, but it might be in Chattanooga, or in Grand Rapids, Southfield or Detroit, or Prescott Valley, AZ., or Louisville, KY.. The destination doesn't matter so much as long as we're together and happy and healthy. No matter where we are, all I have to do to be home is close my eyes, click my heals together three times, and poof, I'm there.
Happy New Year to All, and to All a Good Night. Cheers to the bittersweet.
Tomorrow is the last full day we'll spend in Michigan until we come back in August and the leaving is bittersweet, as are most good things in life and chocolate. You see, I have this theory, that the most gratifying of all human experiences are the ones that can best be described with that perfect little oxymoron of an adjective. The bitter comes from a sense of longing, a nostalgia, or some unfulfilled desire; the sweet from a sentimental reflection on your fortune for having been a part of something so wonderful. Often, it's the sweet that gives way to the bitter -- the simple recognition that you want the good times to last coupled with the simpler recognition that all things end -- but this need not be the case. Just experiencing bittersweetness is itself gratifying.
Lane and I are now in a very interesting place in our life together: we leave home to go home. The leaving is bitter because we're leaving our home with familiar places and beloved faces, and sweet because we're returning to a home with familiar places and beloved faces. This entire holiday has been bittersweet as we've missed the people and doggies we love back home in Chattanooga, and have thoroughly enjoyed the people and doggies we love here in Michigan. Undoubtedly, I must admit, going home to Chattanooga will have the same sorrowed excitement attached to it that coming home to Michigan had just eleven days ago, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm happy to say that I have finally learned the real meaning of 'home' and it extends far beyond the common cliche.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm at home when I have my husband and my son in tow and we all arrive safe and sound to our destination. More often than not, we're blessed with a warm reception and this only serves to intensify that feeling of home, but it might be in Chattanooga, or in Grand Rapids, Southfield or Detroit, or Prescott Valley, AZ., or Louisville, KY.. The destination doesn't matter so much as long as we're together and happy and healthy. No matter where we are, all I have to do to be home is close my eyes, click my heals together three times, and poof, I'm there.
Happy New Year to All, and to All a Good Night. Cheers to the bittersweet.
19 December 2010
Love's Always in Season.
I'm listening to Lee Greenwood. No, not Proud to be an American. I'm listening to his 1995 Christmas release, Christmas to Christmas, and singing along to every word. It's patriotic and sacchrine and absolutely wonderful.
My family has been listening to this album since 1995. I can remember hearing it as early as Thanksgiving and as late as New Years for several years, at least. And while we've never been the sing-around-the-piano kind of family, we will burst into songs from this album at any holiday family function during this time of year. Tonight, I decided it might be a good idea to get reacquainted with the lyrics before heading home for the reunion tour. It feels good to be this nostalgic, this traditional. It feels good to look back on my childhood with fondness, and this album always delivers. It reminds me how just how cheesy and sweet everyone in my family really is (even you, Dad).
I think even Lane likes it a little bit.
Okay, so you're probably wondering how I'm doing with the sugar break. Well, I'm happy to report a very significant decrease in my sugar consumption. I also feel better physically, so I think it's working. In the spirit of Christmas and Lee Greenwood, I did make Lane and myself hot cocoa using this. The recipe calls for a couple teaspoons of sugar, but it was delicious and well worth it. Tomorrow I will be listening to Lee Greenwood again (with Liam) and making those little Mexican Wedding Cakes I was telling you about. I have no guilt.
And because I'm too excited not to share this with someone, a preview... It's not even the best one.
My family has been listening to this album since 1995. I can remember hearing it as early as Thanksgiving and as late as New Years for several years, at least. And while we've never been the sing-around-the-piano kind of family, we will burst into songs from this album at any holiday family function during this time of year. Tonight, I decided it might be a good idea to get reacquainted with the lyrics before heading home for the reunion tour. It feels good to be this nostalgic, this traditional. It feels good to look back on my childhood with fondness, and this album always delivers. It reminds me how just how cheesy and sweet everyone in my family really is (even you, Dad).
I think even Lane likes it a little bit.
Okay, so you're probably wondering how I'm doing with the sugar break. Well, I'm happy to report a very significant decrease in my sugar consumption. I also feel better physically, so I think it's working. In the spirit of Christmas and Lee Greenwood, I did make Lane and myself hot cocoa using this. The recipe calls for a couple teaspoons of sugar, but it was delicious and well worth it. Tomorrow I will be listening to Lee Greenwood again (with Liam) and making those little Mexican Wedding Cakes I was telling you about. I have no guilt.
And because I'm too excited not to share this with someone, a preview... It's not even the best one.
15 December 2010
I'm tormenting myself.
The holidays are swift approaching but, dare I say, they can't get here soon enough.
Inspired by a good friend, I decided to curb my general over-consumption of sugar until we make it to Michigan, where I will briefly allow myself to resume with said over-consumption until the first of the year. It's been about a week and I've done fairly well (until today). Once we turn our calendars to 2011 my permanent move toward responsible sugar fiend begins. For now, I need the hiatus to give my body a break from the constant barrage of mostly homemade sweet treats before the real festivities commence. But man-oh-man how I do miss all my delectable little goodies.
So tonight, as I've completed all the grading for this semester's end, I'm dreaming of the dancing candies and cookies and pies of this year's holiday season. I'm tormenting myself with a small Rombauer volume dedicated to the bliss of Christmas cookies and writing my international wish list.
What's on it? You wonder. Well, ask and you shall receive...
Pfeffernusse, Viennese Crescents, Chocolate-Dipped Mandelbretzeln, and Pastelitas de Boda (better known to Americans as Mexican Wedding Cakes). All dainty little snacks to be served with a rich and delicious French Hot Chocolate.
Since our holidays will be spent in kitchens other than my own, I'm not sure just how much of this list will materialize. But rest assured, there are cookies in my future.
Inspired by a good friend, I decided to curb my general over-consumption of sugar until we make it to Michigan, where I will briefly allow myself to resume with said over-consumption until the first of the year. It's been about a week and I've done fairly well (until today). Once we turn our calendars to 2011 my permanent move toward responsible sugar fiend begins. For now, I need the hiatus to give my body a break from the constant barrage of mostly homemade sweet treats before the real festivities commence. But man-oh-man how I do miss all my delectable little goodies.
So tonight, as I've completed all the grading for this semester's end, I'm dreaming of the dancing candies and cookies and pies of this year's holiday season. I'm tormenting myself with a small Rombauer volume dedicated to the bliss of Christmas cookies and writing my international wish list.
What's on it? You wonder. Well, ask and you shall receive...
Pfeffernusse, Viennese Crescents, Chocolate-Dipped Mandelbretzeln, and Pastelitas de Boda (better known to Americans as Mexican Wedding Cakes). All dainty little snacks to be served with a rich and delicious French Hot Chocolate.
Since our holidays will be spent in kitchens other than my own, I'm not sure just how much of this list will materialize. But rest assured, there are cookies in my future.
02 December 2010
It's all worthwhile.
I have a love/hate relationship with the end of the semester.
On the one hand, there's all the excitement of starting a new semester right around the corner - meeting new students, reworking the syllabus to get out all the kinks, getting new office supplies - what can I say? It's fun. But before all that magic happens I have to get through a mountain of grading - final exams and term papers written at the last minute by students who stopped caring about the class weeks ago, if they ever cared at all. My charm has worn off, my patience is running thin, and I'm not all that great with deadlines. Everyone's exhausted, the students on campus walk around like zombies, hungry and half asleep, and I'm frantically trying to catch up on all the little things I put off until now.
Meanwhile, back at the homestead...
Liam is thoroughly enjoying NOM 101: Introduction to Solid Food. He's mastered the rice cereal unit and has moved on to butternut squash. We're gearing up for the Christmas holiday and planning our trip to Michigan where we'll be spending twelve days with our families back home. I'm nervous about making the whole ten-to-twelve hour drive in one day as Liam's gross motor skills have improved exponentially in the last couple weeks and he's lately very unhappy being restricted by his car seat. I do, however, take comfort in the anticipation of much needed respite and quality time with the people we love so much. Needless to say, it's a very special time of year for us.
On the one hand, there's all the excitement of starting a new semester right around the corner - meeting new students, reworking the syllabus to get out all the kinks, getting new office supplies - what can I say? It's fun. But before all that magic happens I have to get through a mountain of grading - final exams and term papers written at the last minute by students who stopped caring about the class weeks ago, if they ever cared at all. My charm has worn off, my patience is running thin, and I'm not all that great with deadlines. Everyone's exhausted, the students on campus walk around like zombies, hungry and half asleep, and I'm frantically trying to catch up on all the little things I put off until now.
Meanwhile, back at the homestead...
Liam is thoroughly enjoying NOM 101: Introduction to Solid Food. He's mastered the rice cereal unit and has moved on to butternut squash. We're gearing up for the Christmas holiday and planning our trip to Michigan where we'll be spending twelve days with our families back home. I'm nervous about making the whole ten-to-twelve hour drive in one day as Liam's gross motor skills have improved exponentially in the last couple weeks and he's lately very unhappy being restricted by his car seat. I do, however, take comfort in the anticipation of much needed respite and quality time with the people we love so much. Needless to say, it's a very special time of year for us.
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