THanksgiving*****************************

NEW YEAR new start!

Paella, dirty rice, and Tim recipes.... coconut chile potatoes, extra veggie pasta sauce, roasted veggie medley, quinoa salads, simple vinaigrette pasta salad.
Thanksgiving feast:

Braised TUrkey Parts
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/dining/121mrex.html?ref=dining

Sides:

Masa Chile stuffing maybe
or regular stuffing...

squash soup curried?

SalmonPaillardswith beurre blanc
or Crab cakes?

Salmorejo work:
8 m tomatoes
2/3 cups bread crumbs
-1/2 cup olive oil
+garlic
hot pepper
*1 TB sherry vinegar
+1/4 cup almonds

prosciutto
avocado
hard boiled egg

potato pancake

http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/holidays/thanksgiving/new-american-thanksgiving-recipes/recipes/food/views/Cecylia-Roznowskas-Potato-Pancakes-Stuffed-with-Bacon-Mushrooms-and-Onion-367531

or marbelized veggie stuffs
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Marbleized-Root-Vegetable-Puree-2755

Mulled Wine

 Sure there's lots of recipes for mulled wine and the like out there. But this one is mine and I like it very much.

Mulled Winter Wine

1 tsp cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
3 cardamom pods
1-3 tsp ginger slices, dried or fresh
1/2 tsp allspice berries

2 clementines, sliced into rounds (or any orange type of thing)

2 bottles of red wine
1/2 cup rum, brandy, or whiskey

Simmer all items for 10 minutes. 

Pomegranate Gin Fizz for the Holidays

One of the problems I have when I am documenting things I make and do is that I am a witchy cook who often eyeballs and cooks by feel and whim. It sometimes makes it difficult to recreate some very amazing things. I also am a big fan of tweaking things to suit your needs, so I often include many variations. I always feel like it gets wordy and annoying, and then I go browse other blogs and have to scroll through fifty of the same fucking picture and a large text wall before I get to an actual recipe and I'm like, huh, not doing too bad.

I'm also a poor person who has been struck with unfortunate circumstances in her twenties, working two jobs and contending with a debilitating disability which makes it difficult to sit in chairs for too long, so my blogging is pretty sporadic. Fortunately I have so many things to be grateful for: a loving and supportive community and friends, a wonderful foodie mother, and the best and most wonderful partner, after years of misery and disappointment. Anyhoo. My depressing, but happy and contented life aside, I was going to post a nice drink recipe but I'm rapidly running out of time before I have to listen to Schaffer the Darklord while getting ready for one of my jobs.

Tomorrow I work the other job, and Friday I get to experience a nightmare day of working back to back, no breaks - not even a real lunch hour - twelve hour day. I often work at a preschool during the day and then have to immediately head in to one of the restaurants that I also work at. This weekend is going to be particularly miserable bartending at the Italian joint I work for because it is graduation weekend, and not only are we going to be extremely busy, but the servers are going to make a lot of money, and I'll be lucky if I take home 40 bucks. Fortunately these moments are few and far between and I will be back to watching a Rocky marathon in the background while doing some light bar cleaning and drink brainstorming, making my minimum wage for getting to hang out in a restaurant. Can't complain about that because I love being around good food and drinks.

Here's a recipe for a simple Pomegranate Gin Fizz:

1 oz gin
1 oz PAMA pomegranate liqueur
club soda to fill
lime to garnish/squeeze into drink

Fill a glass: pint, highball or other 8-16 oz glass. The size of your glass and amount of ice you use will determine how strong your drink is. It might be helpful to mix 2 oz of booze with 6-10 oz (strong-weak) of club soda and THEN pour that over your ice cubes.

Or make a pitcher! But that might involve math! Fortunately it is very simple math that even I, as someone who hasn't graduated college bc of an algebra 2 class, can wrap my head around. You can use about 10 oz booze (5/5 pama/gin) to a liter of club soda. Adjust to taste because I like 'em strong!

Recovering from Muscle and Nerve Pain: Sciatica/Piriformis Syndrome

I usually don't talk so much about my physical problems, but it has unfortunately been a reality that I've had to deal with--and from which I've suffered greatly--most of my adult life. I can't recall the exact year it started, but it was when I was 23 or 24, 2008 or 2009 and has reoccurred anywhere from every few weeks, to every few months, sometimes with longer periods of being relatively pain free. But only for about 4 or 5 months, and sadly that is the exception.

A big part of it is my job (now jobs) which put me in constant danger of restraining. I work with children, and also bartend at night, because I was unable to finish college due to this, as well as several other factors in my life at that time (parental job loss, death in the family, abusive relationship, etc etc) that all occurred roughly around the same time. The saddest thing is that it is due to one class - Algebra 2 - that I need for my English degree. But I have a happy enough life in poverty. It's not so bad. At least when you're not having a particularly bad nerve pain day.

Anyway, I've got quite the routine down to "deal with it" and it helps, so it's always very disheartening when it acts up...yet again...just when I thought it was getting better. This time it's been particularly bad. I bartend for a group of restaurants under the same owner and the one they want me at right now is particularly bad for me. I won't go into details, but it is definitely worse on my body than the other ones. It's been hurting almost constantly for three months now. It will abate, but only for about 4 days, before it gets bad again. I'm beginning to despair. After one last (hopefully) bad flare up, it's starting to really feel better. Knock on wood.

I'm going to try harder this time to keep the pain away. But I already feel like I miss out on so much. I have to avoid so many things I used to love doing. It makes me feel bad and guilty when I have to ask for special allowances or circumstances because of it, because (unless I'm limping badly that day) it is an invisible disability. I'm a burden. At my job, in my home, to my loved ones.

And even through the limp, you can't see how much each step truly hurts. You can't tell that when you stand leaving an amount of space in a walkway that a normal person could scoot through easily, that is hurts me very badly to make that same motion because twisting my hips hurts worse than even walking. It has been a nightmare. But also has helped me cope with some of my own emotional demons. Depression, anxiety, mood swings and emotional sensitivity have all become more manageable. I've gotten better at self care and learned to set boundaries that I didn't when I was younger.

I have to finish getting ready for work. Thank god today is just a short day at the preschool, because tomorrow I work for 12 hours straight, on my feet, with other various movement related activities. I got from the preschool directly to the restaurant bar downtown, with a mere hour to drive home, get ready, then walk downtown. The walking helps when I'm not in an extreme amount of pain, and am able to.

Basic Congee

Congee, or jook, is a lovely dish for when you're sick, or just need some quick comfort food. It's basically rice porridge or gruel at it's most basic, but you can jazz it up and it's quite yummy and very easy. The basic way to make it is to use 1 part rice to 6-12 parts water or broth. The best thing about it is how very customizable it is. You can use chicken or other meats to help flavor it and add a little protein. I am partial to adding dried mushrooms, usually shiitake, that I but cheaply buy them in bulk from Asian markets and highly recommend it!

Basic Congee: 

1/2 cup uncooked jasmine, or other white rice
5 cups water or stock
5 garlic cloves
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced

Optional inclusions:
Lemon grass
Dried chilies
handful of dried or fresh shiitake
chicken breast (add for only the last half hour of cooking)

Combine all of the above in a pot and bring to a boil on high heat. Once it boils, bring the heat down to low, and simmer for at least an hour, until the desired consistency is reached. Serve with optional garnishes to make more of a fancy meal out of it.


Garnishes:
sliced scallions, slivers of fried shallot
cilantro
crispy strips of bacon
fried eggs (or poached, or w/e)

Some people do lots of water and a 2 hour cooking time to get it really broken down and soft, and some people like it with less water and a 45 minute cooking time to get it less porridgey. Experiment because it's a great recipe to have in your mental file as it is cheap, easy, comforting, and relatively quick. I make this both when I'm legitimately sick with food poisoning, flu/colds, or otherwise sensitive tummy times when nothing else sounds good, and also when I am lazy and just need some easy comfort food.

Saag Paneer children love

I cook this at the preschool I work for ALL the time. The first time I made it, the children loved it waaaaaay more than I thought they would! Usually they will gobble up quinoa and rice, so sometimes I will make an experimental curry or other sauce to go with it, and if they don't like it, at least they will have rice or quinoa, and fruit and salad. They really enjoyed this one, although some more stubborn ones will have to be cajoled into taking a bite for quite some time. 

Mild Saag Paneer with various variations

3 bunches of kale (I often use spinach, chard, other greens, or a combo!)

2 medium onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

¼- ½ cup chopped chiles, hot or mild, depending on your preferences (I used mild for kids)

1 inch of ginger, minced (optional)

2-3 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

¾ cup minced fresh or canned tomatoes

1-2 cans coconut milk

soy sauce or salt to taste

½ cup mild white cheddar or other cheese (cheese curds work we;;), cut into small cubes

some rice or quinoa that you should be cooking while you make your sauce

There are a variety of ways to do this but basically you must saute your aromatics, cook down your kale somehow, puree all or some of your kale, and simmer the sauce with coconut milk for about 15 additional minutes. How exactly to do this is up to the cook.

I sauteed my onions for about 5 minutes or longer because I like to really cook them down for the kids (often getting some caramelized if I have time) before adding the peppers, garlic, ginger and spices. You could also puree the ginger and garlic and ½ the peppers into a paste and add after you cook down the onions. Stir for about a minute, and add the tomatoes for about 5 more minutes.

I often cook my greens with a TB of oil in a separate saucepan with a lid, stirring occasionally, while the onions cook, but you can also add them right to the onion mix at this point to cook down with everything.

Now add some coconut milk to help puree and whir the greens around in a blender or food processor or magic bullet contraption until it gets to be nice and smooth.  

Add back to the pan, and stir everything, adding one whole can of coconut milk. Stir well, bring to a simmer and taste. If it needs another can of coconut milk, add another can, for God’s sake. Simmer on low, stirring occasionally for 15 more minutes.

My at home version contained half spinach and half rainbow chard and I used turmeric, fenugreek, coriander, cumin, black mustard seeds and just a bit of garam masala instead of the blends.

I also used waaay more ginger, hot chiles, and garlic. Cilantro might also be a nice addition, and this is absolutely delicious with some nice, homemade achar.

*add tofu, paneer, chickpeas, or potato cubes if you want to do it vegan style as saag aloo or saag chana

jalapeno popper cheeseball of doooom

Recently I went to my delightfully nerdy friend's house (or rather their mother's) for Friendsgiving. I wasn't totally sure what to bring because they are rather newly acquired friends via my boyfriend, so while they are wonderful, I don't really know them super well. I was going to bring stuffing, mainly because I love a classic sagey mushroomy stuffing, when properly executed. And you never can be sure about that. But, one of the former members of their rule playing troupe, who I had not yet met would be bringing my beloved stuffing.

Finally, I landed on something ridiculous--but awesome--which wasn't super likely for someone else to bring. A bacon jalapeno popper cheeseball. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I absolutely adore jalapeno poppering things . I've made popper dip before, a jalapeno popper pizza (which was amaaaazing), and of course the classic jalapenos, halved and stuffed with cream or even goat cheese, wrapped in bacon and broiled...droooool. I also love buffalo chickening things, but that is neither here nor there.

Jalapeno popper cheeseball

1 lb bacon

6 good sized jalapenoes, remove lid and slice in half lengthwise and de-seed

5 cloves garlic, minced finely (or use a garlic press)

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 cup shredded cheese, dealers choice*

8 oz cream cheese, room temp

4 oz goat cheese, room temp
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 and prep ingredients. Roast bacon and jalapenos for ten minutes. Check on them because they may cook quicker or slower depending on size and thickness. Keep checking every five minutes until bacon is crispy and peppers are cooked. Stick peppers in a paper bag, or wrap in tinfoil, or seal in some Tupperware. Chop bacon, reserving two slices to roll the ball in. Whip together cream and goat cheese with beaters, or a whisk, or a kitchen aid if you're lucky enough to own one. Stir in bacon and garlic and scallions. After a few minutes, peel the skin off jalapenos (saving about a tablespoon for later) chop and add to cheese. Stir in the shredded cheese, salt and pepper. Gather cheeseball into a large square of plastic wrap and make into a ball shape. Refrigerate for an hour. Meanwhile stir together reserved bacon, jalapenos and pecans. Roll cheeseball in pecan mixture. Serve with crackers. Collect praise.

*I love a good white cheddar, but regular cheddar is fine, as is havarti, monterey jack, pepperjack or whatev mildish cheese you like

Asian Pesto

Asian pesto is one of my very favorite sauces from this sushi restaurant that I used to work at. No one would tell me how to make it, so I came up with my own! It's wonderful on fish and shellfish, as well as sushi and would make a great dipping sauce for bang bang shrimp/

2 jalapenoes
5 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
5 green onions
1 lime zested and juiced
1 cup basil
1 cup mint
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup oil

Blend this up in a blender, or some sort of food processor. Alternately, you could mash it all together with a mortal and pestle, all old school and awesome. 

Violet ideas and brainstorming

Violet ideas for next spring

 

Old Timey Cold cream recipes:

2 Tablespoons of beeswax pellets
1/4 Cup of coconut oil
1/2 Cup of extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons of tomato toner (or rose water for more sensitive skin)
a few drops of eucalyptus oil (lavender, rose, tea tree or sandalwood)

 
Recipe two:

 1.5 ounces beeswax

1.5 ounces spermaceti (use jojoba wax or another replacement) meh

8 ounces almond oil

4 ounces rose water

10 drops otto of rose

Violet infused almond oil and eye creams

 

 

 

Violet liqueur:

 

Violet liqueur this spring was a tremendous success. I picked a shitload of violets and infused them in some vodka, I had so many left over that I also made some simple syrup and candied violets as well. 

 

This was all a bit sugary for my tastes, but my friends really enjoyed it.