Berlin's Whimsy

Winner and sharing an idea.

Bare with me, this is a long post!

Gosh, peanut butter must be one of the most versatile foods out there! What a lot of interesting food combinations you all shared. Thank you so much for sharing and providing some fun reading over the weekend. Some of your comments provided more food combination ideas and others, well, I'll leave them for you to enjoy...! I was also pleased to hear from so many of you----hi!

I used the trusty Random Numerator to come up with comment number 24: Jessica. Jessica shared her husband's love of peanut butter and onion... Hmmm, that's another one I must leave to his own enjoyment! Nevertheless, congratulations, Jessica!

***And here's a bit of sharing. The prizes in this drawing are a little part of a larger project I'm only now embarking upon. Perhaps it will be a book, perhaps a mail-order series... I'm not sure yet and I'm truly thinking out loud here.

Even so, I feel that all of the ideas that have been flittering about in my head these past few months have come a little closer together with an embrace of recreating the vintage family kitchen in crafts & cooking.

The project includes: favorite family-friendly recipes; baking hints, resources, and ideas; my own vintage-inspired embroidery designs with linen projects; an apron design I'm working on; knitted projects for the kitchen; pyrex & vintage kitchenware collections with recipes for your treasures... and hopefully much more! Though I don't know where this project will take me, I hope to share these ideas with you in one form or another.

And can I ask, what do you think? Are you interested in seeing a project like this? I'd love to hear from you either via a comment or email: berlinsmith AT yahoo DOT com.

From "Ewww!" to "Mmmm" Giveaway

A LITTLE GIVEAWAY: The kids & I are heading to the Oregon coast for a few days of visiting with long lost friends and rubbing our toes in our familiar sand... So, I'm leaving you with this post... The giveaway details are at the end...

One of our steadfast lunchtime sandwiches is the peanut butter and pickle sandwich. I grew up eating them and have never given them a second thought. That was until my kids started bringing them to school and the other kids started exclaiming, "Ewww!"

Luckily, my kids weren't swayed. They are PB & Pickle fans. And I am, too. Usually, I make our sandwiches with dill pickles but a shopping oversight resulted in a jar of sweet pickles sitting in the cupboard for far too long. In desparation one day, I decided to use that jar. And even my "Ewww" reaction to sweet pickles turned to "Mmmm" in the sandwich with peanut butter. I still prefer dill but the sweet is a nice mix up.

Recently, our family discussed our "weird" food combinations. I remembered my Dad slathering up a peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwich while I sat looking aghast. I don't think it was the taste combo as much as the texture that repulsed me.

During our discussion, my sister-in-law told me about the peanut butter and sprout sandwich. I immediately thought "Ewww" until she pointed out the similarity to the Thai food flavor combination so I tried it and it turned to a "Mmmm" (I used mung bean sprouts, following the Pad Thai combination).

And then there is my early strawberry season recipe: balsamic vinegar reduction sauce over strawberries and ice cream. "Ewww! Vinegar?!" I initially thought. But then I tried it!

It's a great way to use the early season strawberries that lack the flavor of our local Oregon berries (yes, I'm partial). All that is required is reducing 2 Cups of balsamic vinegar (I like the Costco brand for this recipe---don't use expensive balsamic!) over a low simmer until it is thick and it coats the back of a spoon. Cool just a bit and then spoon the sauce over sliced strawberries and vanilla ice cream. "Mmmm!"

***GIVEAWAY: I want to hear about your flavor combos, recipes, or stories of food items that might seem weird to today's palate but you still enjoy... OR your family's traditional recipes that might not be 'en vogue' today (I'm thinking pickled watermelon rinds and that sort of thing). What "weird" foods do you like? And if you don't have anything of the sort to share, just post a comment and you'll be entered in the drawing... I will choose a random comment next Tuesday.

The prize? Four embroidered linen "Doily Napkins" (it's a fun little pattern of mine that I've been enjoying---pictured above) and an itty bitty cookbook (made by me) that includes a few of my favorite recipes along with related stories...

Have a great weekend!   

Ah, Food again.

Ah, Food again.
Originally uploaded by BerlinsWhimsy.

I can finally contemplate food after a bout of the stomach flu. It's always interesting what sounds good and what doesn't after the flu. I know all about the B.R.A.T diet, but this time around I'm experiencing some rather odd cravings in consideration of how sick I was---how about french fries or a burrito with salsa?! Odd. I'm not running right out there and eating any of these things but rather just gazing at photos of this good stuff. In real life, I'll settle for a cup of soothing miso soup and perhaps an avocado...

Some interesting food related flickr groups I found are 'Food with Blogged Recipes' (very helpful!) and 'Food Porn' (G-Rated).

Yumm-y Sauce Recipe

It's one of the things I'm good at: identifying and replicating flavors in foods.

My Mom invited me to lunch last week with the goal replicating a cafe's signature sauce. She wanted me to make it at home. Since the sauce is so tastey, I quickly went home and set to work. Because of the ingredients in the recipe, it has a very rich and buttery flavor without the fat of butter----what a great combo!

I whipped together a version based on taste and a bit of information from one of the waitresses at the cafe and only later did I think to 'google' the cafe's name for recipes. My estimation of ingredients came amazingly close to the recipe I found online (yes, that sound in the background is me patting myself on the back).

Here's the deal: the sauce is especially good on both green salads and the healthy layered "bowls" this franchise cafe makes. In their version, they layer a bowl as thus: a hearty layer of brown rice, a layer of beans (I used adzuki but black beans are great, too)... Around the rim of the rice bowl, place servings of these items: shredded medium-sharp cheddar cheese, sour cream (or yogurt), sliced olives, diced tomatoes, and sliced avocado (1/2 an avocado). Personally, I would also add toasted sesame seeds & sprouts to the bowl if I had them...I'd also add roasted tofu if I had that, too!

On top of it all, sprinkle over THE SAUCE...

YUMM-y Sauce

1/2 C. canola oil

1/2 C. whole almonds

1/3 C. nutritional yeast (not the kind of yeast for bread making)

1/3 C. garbonzo beans, drained (I used more like 1/2 C.)

1/4 C. cooked soybeans (not edamame and if you cannot find them, omit and either add more garbanzo beans or use equal parts silken tofu for the protein)

1/2 C. lemon juice

1/4 C. filtered water (if needed to thin the sauce)

2 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. fenugreek powder (sometimes this can be difficult to find. It's an essential ingredient to curry powder and Indian cuisine--you'll recognize the fragrance and flavor).

1/2 tsp. salt

How-to: In food processor or blender, pulse the nuts, beans, soybeans or tofu, and garlic together first. Add seasonings, yeast, and lemon juice. Pulse together. With the machine running, slowly add the canola oil to emulsify the sauce. If the sauce seems thick, add the water bit by bit to the consistancy you want. The sauce needs to sit for an hour or more to meld the flavors. After this period of time, check for seasoning to taste... You might need salt.

Variation: To make a "hot" version, add a couple chipotle chili peppers from a can to the sauce.

Enjoy!!

Lunch.

I'm off playing school librarian today but I thought I'd post one of my recent lunches in the Laptop Lunchbox I sent my children off to school with. They had a good laugh at that tongue!

I packed my own lunch today in my faithful Mr. Bento but it didn't look like this one. Japanese food always satisfies my need for comfort on days away from home and today is not different: rice, stir-fried dark green veggies, tofu, hard-boiled egg, and miso soup... Mmmm.

Easy Breakfast Dish---Mmmm

 

I wish I had a better name for this wonderful creation. My Mom made it for my brother and I all during our childhood and I think it might have come from my Great Aunt. As far as I'm concerned, it includes all the ingredients for a perfect breakfast dish: easy, yummy, with many variations. We always called it "that egg pancake-y thing." My daughter calls it, "That Breakfast Cake."

 

Baked Egg Pancake Dish

~1/2 C. Butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in a 8"x8" (approximate) porcelain baking dish. Place the dish in the oven to melt the butter and heat the dish. Meanwhile, blend the following ingredients together in a blender on high speed for approximately 2 minutes...

~6 eggs

~1 1/2 Cups Milk

~1 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour

~dash of salt

When the butter has melted and the dish is hot, pour the batter into the dish. Place it back in the oven and bake until the edges have lifted up and the center is cooked through, approximately 20 minutes (jiggle it---when the entire center moves as a mass and you can push on the middle and it provides a bit of resistance then it is ready).

This dish is best eaten still warm. The edge browns and lifts up and the middle is almost like a flan. Some people prefer the edge pieces, some the middle. Cut it into squares and eat with one of the following toppings:

~Sweet ideas: berries and powdered sugar; maple syrup; blueberry syrup; baked apples with sugar and cinnamon...

~Savory ideas: only salt; salsa; hot sauce or ketchup; Or even these ideas: black beans and corn topping with salsa and sour cream or go Mediterranean and warm up a tepanade and slather it on top...

The topping ideas are endless!

 

We ate ours with some huckleberries my Mom gathered in the mountains last summer. She had to fight off the bears to get them! (Well, almost)... My son preferred his with frozen strawberries that we had thawed out.

 

To make a simple berry syrup topping, mix berries with real maple syrup and heat together until just warm. Mmmmm.

Added later: Thanks everyone for sharing your own experiences with this dish! I have a few recipes for Dutch Babies but I found most of them to add sugar to the batter to sweeten them. I like that this recipe is so versatile. The original recipe was double this amount and I thought that if I were feeding a crowd for breakfast, I'd make the doubled amount in two dishes and then set up a "breakfast bar" with both savory and sweet toppings for guests to add... Stacey: I love the name Hootenannies! We might adopt that one. And hey, if you can think of any other topping ideas, please let me know! ;-)

Stretching your grocery dollar...

Randi, at I Have To Say, is hosting her Recipe Exchange again today. This month's recipe topic is Money-Saving Recipes. This kind of cooking is a requirement for me these days.

My recipe is very simple but it's also a favorite, evoking memories of my Grandparents, who were experts are stretching their grocery dollar. It seems a bit odd to write out this recipe as it is so simple...

Lima Bean Soup

1 pckg. large dried Lima Beans

Ham Bone or diced ham

1 medium onion

Kombu (I use this seaweed to reduce the gassiness of beans)

1 tsp. rubbed sage

Salt & Peper to taste.

Rinse the beans and soak them in a large pot overnight. In the morning, drain the beans and rinse them under cold water again. In a large pot, saute the onions and the sage until the onions are transculent. Add the beans and add enough cold water to cover the beans by about 2/3 their depth. Tuck the Ham Bone & the Kombu down into the beans and simmer the pot for aproximately 2 hours.When the beans are almost done, add the salt and pepper to taste.

Alternatively, you can make this pot of beans in the slow cooker. Reduce the water to about 1/3 the depth of the beans. Set on low for the day...

Improved Hummus.

Yeah, you can buy the plastic tub of hummus at the store---and I often do----but sometimes I like to make an extra-special batch of hummus. The kind that tastes so much better! It's a project...

I had not thought about making my own sesame paste before reading this Japanese Cookbook (I know---again with that cookbook!) and her recommendation of making your own sesame paste. She described the taste as more subtle and true in flavor than jarred tahini.

Always willing to try something new, I decided to make some. It's really very simple: toast a layer of sesame seeds in a dry saute pan only until they begin to move around a bit and pop. They burn quickly so keep an eye on them---only toast them to a tan color! Let them cool a bit and place them in a mortar & pestle. (I have a Thai granite mortar & pestle that I use frequently for all sorts of kitchen jobs, such as grinding up spices to release their flavor, Thai cooking, and even making guacamole). I suppose one could grind up the sesame seeds in a Cuisinart, but I think the mortar & pestle renders the seeds into a smoother paste and presses the flavors out better. This will take a bit of grinding, however...

But there is a pay off to all the grinding. Suddenly, a wondrous aroma of toasted sesame will waft up and out of the bowl, urging you on in the endeavor. Initially, I made the sesame paste to add to Miso Soup as described in the cookbook. This was WONDERFUL and I highly recommend trying it.

This weekend, I craved pita and hummus. I thought about my ground sesame paste and decided to try a new and improved hummus. I turned to one of my favorite hummus recipes (below).

If I'm going to go to the trouble of making my own hummus, I go all the way and cook the garbanzo beans beforehand. They are very easy to cook after soaking overnight. I believe the flavor of the home cooked beans versus the ones in the can in the resulting hummus is much better: just like the sesame paste, it's more subtle and "real" tasting...

Hummus with Fresh Ground Sesame Paste

2 C. cooked garbanzo beans (reserve liquid)

1/3 C. fresh lemon juice

3 T. ground sesame paste

2 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press

1/2 tsp. cumin

Salt to taste

2 T. good olive oil

Sprinkling of sweet paprika

Method: In a food processor, grind together garbanzo beans, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt until blended. Add enough reserved cooking liquid to form a smooth paste.

Transfer the paste to a serving bowl and float the olive oil on top and sprinkle with paprika. This recipe makes quite a bit of hummus so I often make two different kinds out of the large batch...

Variation: (pictured above, on the left):

Add 1/3 C. kalamata olives to the blended mixture and blend only until they are coarsely ground.

And while you're at it, why not make your own pita bread?! Joanna of Mothers of Invention posted a wonderful recipe and instructions last week...

Santa Fe Seasoning.

Today's post is also in collaboration with Randi's recipe exchange over on "I have to Say."

I'm sharing the recipe for one of my all-time favorite spice blends: Santa Fe Seasoning Blend. This seasoning blend has been with me for years and I'm not sure where it originated from. I mixed up a large batch at Christmas and passed it out as part of my holiday gift boxes. There are many ways to use this seasoning blend. I share one of my favorites here with Sweet Potato Baked Fries (it also works wonderfully with diced Yukon Gold Potatoes).

Santa Fe Seasoning Mix

4 T. + 2 tsp. Ground Cumin

3 T. + 1 tsp. ground coriander

3 T. + 1 tsp. chili powder

2 T. + 2 tsp. oregano, basil, and thyme

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix the spices together. Store airtight in a cool, dark cupboard. Makes approximately 2 cups spice mix.

Santa Fe Sweet Potato Fries

4 Large-ish Sweet Potatoes or Yams

3 T. olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

3 T. Santa Fe Seasoning

Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel Sweet Potatoes and slice them into fry-shaped wedges (approximately 1/2" in diameter). In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt & pepper and the seasoning mix. Spread the sweet potatoes onto a heavy baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat. Initially, bake them for 10 minutes and check for browning, turn the pan and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes more. They are done when they are tender and brown.

Entertainment in Small Packages.

Well, a new horse game for the Wii can provide a lot of entertainment (and it did---bought with money saved from a Lemonade stand last summer)... But so can a Cheese Grater!! A miniature Cheese Grater, no less.

Our very kind neighbors left a little care package in our mail box last week with this miniature cheese grater attached. Apparently, they thought my daughter would like the little grater.

Oh, how right they were! I had no idea a miniature cheese grater would provide hours of entertainment. Heck, if I had known this I would have found one a very long time ago!

Now, we've enjoyed cheese on eggs, burritos, and quesidillas. And the patience and focus displayed these past few days full of grating on this little grater (it's not much larger than a spool of thread) makes me realize they surely have the patience to tackle some very focused craft projects. In fact, creating a life-size statue of liberty out of toothpicks readily comes to mind. I myself might be able to unravel a sock and re-knit it over and over, but I don't think I could sit down to grate a wedge of cheese for an hour straight on a miniature grater...

***Yesterday's post continued on in the comments so I hope you read through them---lots of interesting information there. 

A refreshing Japanese Salad.

As I mentioned before, I'm enjoying this Japanese homestyle cookbook. Most of the recipes found within are actually doable. I own other Japanese cookbooks that would require me to make a special trip to Japan to find the obscure ingredients (though I would LOVE that, by the way. Hmmm). However, what I find so helpful in this cookbook is not only the author's ingredient substitutions, but the descriptions of the original ingredient's taste or function so that presumably the cook can make her own judgement about substituting another ingredient more easily found here.

Based on one of the yummy recipes within the book, I made a few changes and now share this Soba Noodle Salad with Tuna & Cucumber.

This basic recipe could be switched up for a more Nordic style pasta salad by using canned or smoked salmon instead of tuna, cream cheese mixed with cream for the mayonnaise, and fresh dill instead of the sesame seeds & soy sauce . That sounds yummy, too.

Soba Noodle Salad with Tuna & Cucumber:

• 1 package Soba Noodles (you can also use spaghettini or Chinese Noodles)
• Canned Tuna (I was lucky to have some home-canned tuna to use in the salad. I'm also going to try the recipe using canned salmon----possibly using cream cheese and dill rather than mayo and sesame seeds in that version).
• 1 English Cucumber (or any other small, thin skinned cucumber)
• 1/2 small mild onion
• 1 Bunch of Scallions
• 3 T. toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 C. mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• Salt to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Boil noodles per the package's instructions. Meanwhile, peel strips of the cucumber (or all of it, if your cucumber has a thick and bitter skin) and slice the cucumber thinly. Slice the onion in half and then slice it very thinly into half-moons. Place the onion in a bowl of cold water to reduce the bitter onion taste. Slice the white portion of the scallions thinly, as well.

When the noodles are al dente, drain and rinse with cold water to cool them a bit. Place the noodles in a large bowl. Rinse the sliced onion under cold running water, let dry a bit, and then add them to the noodles. Add the cucumbers and scallions to the noodles and toss (using your clean hands is the best method for this). Drain the tuna and flake it over the noodles. Briefly toss the tuna and soy sauce into the noodles (don't over do it, you want to preserve the flakes of tuna). Taste for seasoning----add salt (usually up to 3 tsp.) to taste. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over and Enjoy!!

***We ate this pasta salad with Soy Glazed Tofu Steaks and Miso Soup. 

Starting my day out right.

I like eating a bowl of Miso soup for breakfast. I'm often not hungry in the morning and if I skip breakfast I'm often starving by mid-morning and grabbing any snack available. Not a good routine. So, I began eating a little bowl of Miso soup in the morning. I now seem to crave it each day and I know it's a healthy way to start my day.

Miso soup is made with Dashi. I don't always have Dashi handy, however. I know there is instant Dashi but it often contains MSG. Instead, if I don't have Dashi in the refrigerator, I forgo this step for my own simpler version of morning Miso with just hot water. I have a handy-dandy hot water dispenser that makes it that much easier.

***I love that little image on this miso package! ;-)

I use a mild version of Miso , adding just a tablespoon or two to a small bowl of hot water. I add a little wakame to it. I keep cubed tofu in the refrigerator for my Miso, as well as for when I crave a snack (usually cheese) later in the day. I bake this tofu and Heather has helpful instructions here for this technique. I add a few cubes of the tofu to the Miso, or as described in this wonderful Japanese Cookbook I've been reading, I crumble soft tofu into the Miso Soup. Sometimes I add a few green onions. I find that it's a great way to start the day and fills me up enough to make it to lunch (where sometimes I have Miso, again)!

More Books worth reading:

The Okinawa Program : How the World's Longest-Lived People Achieve Everlasting Health--

Harumi's Japanese Cooking: More than 75 Authentic and Contemporary Recipes from Japan's Most PopularCooking Expert

Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat: Secrets of My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen

***From time to time, concerns are publicized about soy in one's diet. After researching this a bit (while also recognizing that many diets of the world have been based on soy for generations without the asserted negative effects), I found this FAQ about soy to be very helpful.

Groupie.

(No, they're not coconut--I'm freezing rice for future Bento lunches)

I'm a Biggie groupie. After finding her site with TONS of wonderful lunch ideas, my lunch routine will never be the same. I could go on and on, but I'll just direct a link to her fast lunch ideas list... I'm trying out a few of her freezer ideas this weekend to ease our morning rush...

And as I continue my job search for a typical work-a-day grind (I have a couple good prospects----keep your fingers crossed for me!), my Mr. Bento will see some use again soon...

(The Bento strap from yesterday was found on Ebay. Ebay seems to offer the largest selection of Bento supplies---unless you are close to a Daiso).

Routine return.

(Today's Lunch: Turkey Wrap, skewers Edamame,Apples, Jello with a couple gummy bears---a treat---cottage cheese with appricots).

My kids started school again. However, this time they step across yet another educational threshold---an art and community based magnet school that's closer in proximity than their last school. Whereas I loved their old school, I would have been more at ease driving them to school in a sleigh with eight tiny reindeer than the white-knuckled, 45-minute drive on icy roads in my mini-van. Ah, logistics again.

Traditionally, my kid's first day of school is tentative for me, spent worrying and feeling helpless. One way I ease my own worrying (not sure if it helps the kids or not) is the care I take in packing their school lunches. I suppose it has to do with my eternal belief of food and love merging into one.

Last fall, however, my lunch routine needed a pick-me-up. It was becoming just as stale as those plain bagels with cream cheese I kept packing each day. Through a little research, I found this book (a great read on the state of our school lunch system), this site (wonderful and very informative), and this lunch system.

The Laptop Lunch System was the single best improvement I could have made to our lunch routine. It's not necessarily a novel idea, as it's based on the Japanese Bento tradition: which is to say, small bits of a variety of good food. Little containers force me to offer the variety. And the lunchbox is truly handy. I found mine on ebay but you can also order them directly from the source. In addition, my organizational self just loves those little containers that fit just so... Ah.

The lunchbox comes with a cookbook, or User's Guide. In it, you'll find excellent ideas for healthy lunches, as well as nutritional information.

This lunch system isn't just for kids, however. Many, many adults find it the perfect solution for taking healthy lunches to work. In fact, here is a Flickr group entirely dedicated to it. And while you're at it, here's another lunch group on flickr... and another and another! Inspiration everywhere...

In the scheme of things, a lunch packed with all the good intentions and love in the world might not ease the pain of switching schools again, but it's what I can offer right now and I hope for now, it's enough.

The gift of spice.

Every year I'm looking for creative and thoughtful holiday gifts. Sure, my sewing, knitting, and baking provide many little gifts but I also wanted gifts that would travel far & wide to my friends and family. Enter Spice blends! Thanks to import stores like World Market, with their spice jars waiting to be filled, the cooks on my list will find a spicey surprise under the tree. I'm a connoisseur of spices and I like to purchase my spices in bulk from local natural foods stores, or better, order them from here or here. Once you have the spice bottles, you only need to order a little bulk bag each year to replenish them (plus, buying in bulk reduces the waste of throwing out old bottles).

Sometimes a certain spice blend will perk up the blandest of dishes and raise it to an all new scrumptious level (be sure to include recipes)!

Recently, Angelina over at Dustpan Alley listed some of her favorite blends (they sound wonderful). I also recommend this spice rub or this homemade garlic salt. With these basic formats, you can mix up garlic-parsley salt, or garlic-parsley salt with parmesan (great for garlic bread but must be refrigerated), or garlic rosemary salt--yum! Use your own tastes and a little imagination.

Lunch inspiration.

Bento inspirations

I make my children's lunches everyday. Because I worked at the school cafeteria last school year, I became even more determined to provide a nutritious lunch for my kids.

But putting together a lunch in the wee hours of the morning can become tiresome. Slapping together a PB & J everyday gets old, too. Sometimes I need inspiration: Bento!

My kids love Japanese food. Recently I discovered this very informative site, Lunch in a Box, written by Biggie who lived in Japan for many years. She not only makes beautifully creative lunches for her child, but she also provides helpful tips for speeding up the lunch process in her "Need for Speed: A Mommy's Lunch Manifesto."

I know presentation can make all the difference in a child's preference for food. Even at the school cafeteria, it was a well-known fact that how we presented a lunch determined its likability---even its name. For instance, a hamburger with tomato sauce and melted mozzarella became a "Pizza Burger" (sounds scrumptious, huh?)!

I love food presentation. I toy with learning the art of food garnishing---like those beautifully constructed pineapples and gourds you see in Thailand. I like beauty in all things and food is no exception. I also enjoy the precision and attention to detail it requires. Even when I was young, I would create elaborate appetizers for our holiday gatherings, placing a bit of pineapple just so on top of a stacked cracker...

So, imagine my excitement when I found these images over on Flickr in the Bento Boxes, Kids Eats, and Bento Porn flickr groups. Mashed Potato snow persons, Pikachu sushi, boiled eggs shaped like hearts, bumblebee eggs, and soccer ball rice? What's not to love?!

Versions.

First of all, thank you for all the wonderful comments and emails from yesterday's post about Aebleskivers! I enjoyed hearing not only your own wonderful stories, but also about your peaked curiosity. For those of you looking for an Aebleskiver pan, the one I own (cast-iron Lodge) is on sale over at Amazon right now for $19.99. A great deal!

Also, I noticed Williams-Sonoma has a recipe for their own version of Aebleskivers (they call them "filled pancakes"--phooey!). Their recipe is a maple-walnut version that sounds oh-so-yummy, too!!

And a comment on the Aebleskiver post sparked my own interest. It referred to Takoyaki---a savory-seafood version of Aebleskivers that is very popular in Japan. In doing a little research on the subject, I found this video that demonstrates how to make them. Fun! Apparently, Takoyaki is a street food in Japan.

I realize many others find the idea of an octopus tendril in their food...well... rather distasteful, but my own family tends to love Japanese food and one of my son's very favorite foods is octopus. Go figure. So, when I showed him this video he insisted I make them. Hmmm, where to find Octopus around here? I think I might use shrimp or some other type of seafood for my daughter's version, though, for she isn't quite as enamored with octopus as my son is.

Oh, and leave it to Amazon again for offering a Takoyaki pan (I've added it to my own wishlist, too). Oh, and here is a recipe I found, if you're interested...and happen to have a spare octopus in the refrigerator!

Wow, we've spanned the gamut here----maple stuffed Aebleskivers to Octopus balls. What a world we live in...

The Danish Baker

I was surprised the other day when I commented on another blog regarding a scrumptious looking loaf of bread with these words: I used to be a baker. After my fingers typed the words I paused----I used to be a baker? Logically, it made sense. Yes, I used to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to produce crackling loaves of various kinds of bread and bursting-at-the-seams sweet rolls. I no longer do. My clogs with the ever present coat of flour are now clean---the flour scrubbed off long ago.

The art of baking clung to me like the floury paste coating my clogs for months at a time. When I found baking all those years ago, it was an obsession beyond my other obsessions. I taught myself to make almost every type of bread, start sourdoughs from scratch in a vat of organic grapes, and roll out buttery sheets of homemade puff pastry and danish pastry dough. I idolized the U.S. National Baking Team like the geek I tend to be. I belonged to that starry-eyed back-to-basics crowd that dreamed of owning my own bakery one day.

And then I worked as a baker at a small, artisan bakery. Initially, I envied the owner of the bakery. I only worked two days a week during the summer tourist months, allowing her a few days off.

But there was one caveat to my baking aspirations: I am not a morning person. In fact, I take to early mornings like a slug takes to a salt lick. And in my third season of baking, I realized my inner clock would never adjust.

That same summer, I discovered Aebleskivers. They’re like a pancake taken to the cutesy extreme. A ball of dough baked in a specialty pan with jam in the middle and a  faint powdering of sugar---what's not to love here? Of course, my family fell in love. And in my usual obsessive manner, I searched for the best recipe and made them repeatedly until I perfect them (well, as close as I could get).

My daughter played along, too---no surprise since she loves anything with jam. Many weekend mornings were spent cranking out these charming balls of dough for friends while they attempted a pronunciation: Eberskeeber?

One weekend, my Dad telephoned in the midst of my making them. He laughed a knowing laugh, “Don’t you remember your Grandpa making Aebleskivers when you were young?” When he mentioned it, a memory flashed back to my Grandparent's yellow kitchen, and yes, I faintly remembered. My Dad added, “He used to make them in that pan of his father’s---the pan he was so proud of… Well, you do remember that his Dad, your Great Grandfather, was a baker in Denmark, don't you?”

What?! No, I didn't remember this information at all---though it explained a lot. Not that I probably hadn't heard this information before---it was most likely filed away with all the other apparently superfluous information available during my teenage angst years.

So my Great-Grandfather was a baker. In fact, he owned a successful bakery in Denmark before his immigration to America.

Well. No wonder.

And today, we made Aebleskivers again. Instead of heating them on the electric stove, this time we used my Mom's old wood-stove...

I'm also working on a savory Aebleskiver recipe for our Christmas eve hors d'oeuvres... I'll keep you updated!

In the meantime, here is our traditional recipe:

 

Danish Aebleskivers

You will need an Aebleskiver pan. It is a pan with deep indentations that produce these pancake balls. These pans can be found in many kitchenware stores or even thrift shops! Many people have unique methods of turning the Aebleskivers in the pan. I use a knitting needle to hook the side of the ball and quickly turn it---some people bend a tine on a fork to create a hook or you can use two wooden skewers. Experiment to find your preferred method!

1 C. milk

1/2 C. butter

3 eggs, separated

2 T. sugar

1 1/2 C. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom

Approximately 1/2 C. jam

Powdered sugar

**Method: Heat milk and butter on stove-top until lukewarm and the butter is melted. Cool slightly and whisk in egg yolks and sugar. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk together. Whip egg whites until stiff. Stir the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Carefully fold in the egg whites.

Heat your Aebleskiver pan over medium heat. When the pan is heated, drop approximately 1/2 tsp. butter into each indentation. With a pastry brush, spread the butter around.

Spoon approximately 1/4 C. of batter into each well. With a small spoon, drop approximately 1 tsp. jam into each Aebelskiver and top with approximately 1 T. more of the batter. When the batter starts to form bubbles, turn the Aebleskiver and bake for another couple minutes.

Remove the Aebleskivers to a plate, dust with powdered sugar, and serve warm.

Recipe makes approximately 20.

No, I’m not a professional baker, but I’m still a baker at heart.

Like Popcorn.

I'm almost done. I just love this stitch pattern. Maybe it's because it looks like popcorn to me!

Popcorn is a weakness of mine. I've even perused those online gourmet popcorn sites mentally adding items to my imaginary popcorn wishlist. To make popcorn, I use a Whirleypop. In fact, my Whirleypop is probably about ten years old and it's still going strong after so many batches of popcorn...

Happy Thanksgiving.

A Thanksgiving self-portrait...

I love Thanksgiving. Food and thanks. Two topics near and dear to my heart. I try to be thankful every single day---I don't think I'm one to forget it. However, taking the time to share your thanks with others is a good thing.

So is eating----breaking bread with friends and family. I don't think it's a secret how much I love food. Though I love experimenting with new tastes, I tend to fall back on  old traditions for the holidays---passed on through childhood memories and most likely my ancestors. Dishes like my Dad's corn pudding, my Grandpa's Oyster Stuffing, my Mom's buttery Crescent Rolls, and homemade Pumpkin Pie. This year, I'm making Apple Squares instead of pie. I'm also serving Roasted Brussel Sprouts with blue cheese and walnuts. If you're a brussel sprout hater, you just might enjoy this version: they carmelize in high heat and with a honey-dijon dressing studded with blue cheese and walnuts, they are so yummy! Well, even my kids eat them.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving--eat up and be thankful...

The Knife Snob in me.

Hmmm, I wonder if others would consider me a snob? I like to think not. My friend was all too quick to point out my snobbery this past weekend---knife snobbery---when I just couldn't bring myself to cut up the vegetables to make my salsa for everyone without a better knife. I told her, in all honesty, that I have a knife-roll that I bought for the sole purpose of carrying my sharp knives with me to other's houses but I hadn't thought to bring it with me to her house.

Her reply was just a laugh and a roll of the eyes----the "you are such a geek" response. And, yes, I am.

I admit it, I am particular about my kitchen knives. I inherited the tendency from my dad, I think. While growing up, our knives could split not only a hair, but the individual atoms the hair was made up of. I worked in enough professional kitchens to know it drives me nuts to use those plastic-handled, Sysco knives that cannot stay sharp.

In fact, within my first week on the job at the school kitchen, my request to sharpen the cafeteria knives was my introduction to the school janitor.

"...yeah, she's over there, the new cook," the head cook was saying when I noticed her nodding in my direction to a stone-faced janitor. "She claims the kitchen knives aren't sharp enough."

"Oh yeah," he answered in his usual slurred speech, "She's just trying to set herself up for a SAIF claim." He smiled my way.

I was over there, near the knives, smiling apprehensively in his direction. He slowly came my way.

"So, the knives are too dull for you, huh?" he said to me, still smiling.

"Well... Uh, yes." I answered, in all sincerity. Heck, I thought to myself, I am required to cut up tomatoes almost daily here. What do you expect?

To add further urgency, I say, "You know, most knife injuries are a result of dull knives. When a knife is dull, you have to apply more pressure, and since it's dull, it will often slip off the object you are slicing and cut your finger."

He rolled his eyes in response, and took the knives.

They were sharper when they returned, though!

Anyhow, when one of my friends bought ingredients to make my salsa I asked her to bring over her Japanese knife to my other friend's house. I'm particular about my knives and my food prep. I cringe when I am forced to use dull knives to do a lot of prepping.

So, I fully understand if you roll your eyes at my knife snobbery... until you use a good, sharp knife...

Mac & Cheese

It was just what I needed the other night; a comfort food that was warm and filling. A little salad on the side to assuage the guilt of the fat content.

Unfortunately, my kids aren't as big of fans of homemade Mac & Cheese as I am. I heard lots of, "Eww, what's that stuff on top?" (buttered bread crumbs). "I like Annie's Shells and Cheese better." "Well, I like the Bunny-shaped ones better." That went back and forth but what they both agreed upon was their dislike of the homemade version----the version made out of top quality aged cheddar cheese... Crazy, I know.

And the secret to my creamy homemade Mac & Cheese? Using canned milk in the sauce.

My favorite addition? Lots of pepper! I don't add it to the kid's. They don't know what they're missing...

Gougeres

YUUUUMMM!

On a whim, my daughter & I made Gougeres today. If you aren't familiar with these puffy bits of wonderful, they're like a cream puff only on the savory side. They are made from pâte à choux. The traditional addition to the batter is Gruyere cheese but I didn't have any Gruyere cheese on hand (oh, the travesty) but I used some of the farm fresh aged goat cheese we picked up last time we visited the artisinal goat farm next to my mom's house, Juniper Grove.

This particular cheese is their Tumalo Tomme. The texture is a bit like an aged Gruyere and can be shaved like parmesan. The taste? Nutty and complex and utterly fabulous. If you live near Portland, Oregon, or Bend, Oregon, Juniper Grove participates in the wonderful Farmer's Markets there.

Anyhow, we used the Tomme to shave off some of its goodness into the batter. I also added a bit of Parmesan-Reggiano, and that first bite? WOW! They say that Gougeres are perfect with a glass of red wine... Well, they were right---it's an absolute PERFECT pairing. We didn't fill our Gougeres, but I can imagine infinite possibilities...

This link will give you a recipe and detailed directions for making them. They're one of those baked items that is more technique than ingredient list. Once you have the technique mastered (and it isn't difficult, by any means----we didn't use the pastry bag for ours) you're on your way to so many other creations-----Profiteroles anyone?!

Berry fingers

It's becoming berry season here. Alas, the Blackberries aren't ripe yet but the Thimbleberries are. They're a wonderful little treasure to find amongst their fuzzy, sizeable leaves. They don't produce enough berries here to make much more than a little snack of tartness, plunked into the mouth upon discovery. They have quite a few seeds within them but the seeds are pleasantly crunchy.

You can see their thimble shape. I have to admit they're one of my favorite berries---probably because of their tartness and because they're the first palatable berry to come into season. Their leaves are known as "nature's toilet paper" for obvious reasons. I happen to enjoy the berries more, though!

Pie season

I feel it coming on again... that obsession with making pie. It hits me around this time every summer. I can't get over this Strawberry-Rhubarb pie, and Blackberry, and Cherry, and Blueberry-Nectarine, and... well, there are so many to love!

And I wouldn't be without this book, either---Pie by Ken Haedrich... I drooled over it cover to cover last summer and made many of the pies within. The recipes are great, spanning the pie genre from down-home American to fancy-schmancy, and there's very useful information in it, too. (BTW, Ken Haedrich writes the food section of FamilyFun magazine). The sweet Cherry Pie with a coconut crumb topping is awesome!!

I hope to make pies en mass this summer and freeze some for winter dreams (that's if we're not packing up and moving---we still don't know). For now, I'll dream of summer pies and farmer's markets and the fruits of the season.