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10 Legs in the Kitchen

~ Food. Dogs. Life!

10 Legs in the Kitchen

Monthly Archives: May 2014

There’s something about Buddy – Part 1

31 Saturday May 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in Ginger + Buddy

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

dogs and stress, Furbaby Rescue, Heart warming dog story, Rebecca's Rainbow

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It was three years ago last month that Buddy came into our lives. His breed is a Yorkshire terrier; one breed that, up until then, I had carried little interest for. Mostly because there was a pair of yorkies that lived kiddy corner to us in Alaska while growing up. They were yippy and mean. Probably not actually mean, but they always ran down their perfectly groomed lawn, hair down to the grass, ears up in bow ties, yapping incessantly at us kids trying to enjoy a quick swing in our backyard; my brother was scared, I was annoyed. This happened every s i n g l e time we were out there and they got louder and more obnoxious with every breath. I could not even see their eyes. They seemed elitist, spoiled and unlikable; from the eyes of a child. Now as an adult, I realize, it was not the dog’s bad behavior as much as it was the Owner’s personality, and bad behavior, inflicted upon the two dogs. I now wish I could go back and pet them to let them know that they were okay.

Buddy is none of those things. He is an old soul that comes off as very British, true to his heritage, bad teeth and all. Aloof but confident, friendly and fun. Before taking residence as a member of our family, he had had the misfortune of 16 teeth being pulled. During this, seemingly, routine procedure, his esophagus was inadvertently torn, leaving him to narrowly escape death. He endured much pain along with the anxiety of having just been displaced from his home, of almost eleven years, due to the death of his Mother. In addition, one tooth had decayed so deeply that additional surgery was needed, by a specialist.

This is where we came into the picture. Michelle, of Rebeca’s Rainbow, via Fur Baby Rescue was Fostering Buddy. This is a dedicated and loving Rescue group, both. If you are at all interested in adopting a small breed dog, please visit their sites here and here. We love them and their dedication to caring for and placing dogs into good homes!! Buddy was given to us after having been cared for, mended and loved by Michelle and her husband; he had not even been placed on the rescue site yet. Michelle, after reading our application and speaking with me on the phone, felt there was something about Buddy and thought we were perhaps meant to be his new home. His tooth was still in need of surgery but they were willing to pay the $800 cost (which shows the type of dedication they have to the well being of the animals they rescue). Overall, he was in good health yet he was still frail (we are guessing he had not been well fed during his Mother’s illness) and stinky from the infections in his mouth.

Within the first week of him shacking up in our bed, we hauled Buddy into Ginger’s Doctor to get a full work up and a second opinion on the tooth. I remember vividly the shaking of his frail little body as we tucked him into the car seat and drove the one mile down the hill to see “Doc”. He couldn’t have been cold because he was bundled up in his newly purchase fleece jacket (which made him look quite smart) and an additional blankie that should have made him quite warm. But he was so sad, acted so cold, scared and unknowing. This made me desperate and crazy and sad. How could I reassure him that we were going to make him better, going to see someone that would care for him and make him healthy again? He didn’t know and really hadn’t the experience to understand, so he shook. Uncontrollably shook, making my heart bleed. I wanted to squeeze, hold and love him to make the scared, sadness go away. It wouldn’t budge; he continued to shake, so hard, so, so h a r d!

So here we were, for the first time, bringing Buddy to Doc (where we had to pull him shivering from the car); she was suspicious (knowing Ginger for 10 years and understanding her solo status). Yet, upon examination, commented on the oddity of Buddy’s attachment to me (rarely something she sees in newly adopted dogs). She also felt that he was older than the 10 years indicated by his Foster Mom (Doc called it “old man’s syndrome”, detected by the baldness of his nose. She thought he was perhaps twelve or thirteen, rather than ten). This was upsetting to us because that would mean even less time to love him. However, that bald spot has since grown in and he seems to have turned back the clock on his age now.

He shook the whole visit, save the few times that I was able to hold him, infant style, in my arms whispering love and assurances. The need for surgery of the jaw was confirmed. It was us that had to, 2 weeks after acclimating him to our home, drive him a ways out of town to the specialist and leave him there, scared and shaking, for the whole day. Ginger was still very apprehensive, and jealous. She did not help him feel reassured, but I think, later, regrets this.

When I picked Buddy up that evening, he was so small, sleepy and still shaky. The miserable rain and bone-numbing chill did not help with his discomfort. As I settled him in on the sofa when we got home, he snuggled his head against a cream linen pillow and had a blanket under his butt that had been with me for twenty some years. His face tucked into the pillow and he seemed to have found comfort, somehow, I could just tell.

Subsequent visits to see Doc continued to evoke the shakes. Sometimes he would shake so hard I thought he might be causing himself pain. However, last month, when we pulled into the drive outside the vet, he didn’t shake. Instead, he jumped right out and walked inside with, what I thought, looked like a little leap to his step. Ginger straggled right alongside (they had a double date with the “new” Doc (though they’ve been with her some time now that the original Doc retired)).

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There was a large dog sitting on the floor next to his Mom in the sitting room. Had we been out for a walk, I could expect Buddy to bark excitedly and growl at this dog, plunging forward and snipping (still not sure what that behavior is about). Yet he went up and they kissed each other hello instead (it was Ginger that let out a little growl). I put Buddy up on my lap and he sat, happily, smiling even, tongue out and not one single shake.

We were called into the exam room; Buddy and Ginger sat compatibly together on the exam table. Ginger volunteered to be first because she always likes being first. Buddy calmly watched as Ginger was poked and prodded. When his turn came, he even opened his mouth to let the Doc see inside. Buddy was on the “naughty list”. He has required the “Santa hat”, AKA, the muzzle, so named after the (size small, or was it extra small?) red one he wore previously with the faux sheepskin interior, due to his insistence that nobody (n o b o d y) touch the inside of his mouth, or his ears, without putting on his ferocious, snarling, biting “act”. No one was harmed in this event, but his pride bruised perhaps (again, not sure what THAT behavior is about). Yet here he sat, finally at ease to be at the Vet; happy to be there, taking comfort in sitting next to Ginger and trusting that things would always be okay.

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As insignificant as this all might seem to some, to a dog lover, dog parent or looker-on, the joy of a happy dog, a dog smiling from ear to ear; long, wet, pink tongue dangling lopsided from a half-toothless mouth, and eyes lit up with a look, saying they are happy to be alive – can be contagious. So on this day, this visit to the Doc, Buddy made a lot of people smile and continues to bring our home joy. It was very significant to us; there’s just something about Buddy…

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Dinner that night, business as usual; gotta love that!

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A Mixed Bag

25 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in the kitchen

≈ 28 Comments

Tags

baked falafel, cauliflower tabouli, Chickpeas, feta, fiesta Friday, herbed chickpea yeast cake, kebab, pup friendly food, savory madeleines, soft herbs

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This one is a bit of a habberdash… A rambling on of inspiration, process and results. You can skip to any of the below recipe ideas, all stemming from a healthy baked falafel from Frankie’s Feast posted last week (and skip the why, what and why, what and why… Like reading a book from the end)…

Or… You could go with my reasoning behind what I did and still end up with some taste ideas and more insight into my scattered but methodical thoughts; your choice (I will not judge, nor wish to be judged).

Ready to read on? Or skip to the end now…where you will find my entry to the Fiesta Friday Challenge #1.

Here go my ramblings:

A Simple, Happy Dinner of: Baked Falafel Wrap + Beef & Lamb Kebab Wrap, both filled with Hummus, Tzatziki Sauce and Cauliflower Tabouli:

I really like falafel but usually less to do with the actual falafel and more to do with it being something fried, set on a delicious envelope of soft, succulent flatbread with the hummus, onions, caramelized onions and added goo.

The falafel has always been a mystery to me (how to make) and is usually in the camp of fat fried, fast food (disguised as healthy). I have never made falafel, only felt the guilty pleasure of eating them when the junk food/chickpea crave kicks in (chickpeas are healthy, the craving is not).

Last week, I had the pleasure of reading “Baked Falafel with Cauliflower ‘Tabouli'” posted on Frankie’s Feast. I was so intrigued with her descriptions, both of the falafel and the tabouli (made of cauliflower), that I was prompted to immediately set out making both of them that night (which I typically don’t do). As it was, I had too many thoughts about what to make for dinner that evening and no actual cravings; until I read this.

So, off I went, to make a batch of chickpeas (you can make my basic recipe here, or use canned).

While the chickpeas were cooking, I walked Ginger and Buddy, good for all of us souls. When we returned, the chickpeas had finished pressure cooking, so I seasoned them and off we went to the market (for parsley, cilantro and turmeric). I also picked up ground (grass fed) beef and ground (grass fed) lamb, to make a variation with meat (yes, yet another kebab).

Now, as Frankie mentions, the falefal and tabouli both are simple, inexpensive and healthy. They are also vegan and gluten-free (not a high consideration for our table but worth mentioning for sure). So to combat all this healthy simplicity, I decided to throw in some meat, in the form of kebab. I was not sure how I might season the kebabs so I decided to think on that while I began making the falafels. First order of business is to throw the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and “whiz” them up. Stop. I had an idea. If I were to “whiz” up the seasonings, plus onion, garlic and lemon juice, I could extract a bit of that mix to add to the meat. So I did, 2 TB in fact.

I proceeded to make the falafels as directed, rolling them up into bright little balls (I upped the quantity of turmeric and herbs intensifying their color).20140525-080745.jpgOkay, so not perfectly round. Sorry, no pictures of them cooked.

They were meant to cook for 20 minutes with a spray of water to crisp up the edge but mine needed a bit longer and a small brush of olive oil to come out just right. Perhaps because I used freshly cooked chickpeas rather than canned (different texture?) or because I used extra lemon juice (more moisture?) or…(insert a number of scientific reasons here), or just because that’s what I did. No matter, The falafel was herbaceous and moist with just the right amount of tooth. Thanks Frankie, I will be making these again and again.

The cauliflower tabouli (Frankie’s brainchild), so healthy and creative, was a perfect partner to eat solo or tied up in a wrap. The falafel was, in itself, addictive, but the kebabs, (a combination of ground lamb + beef mixed with the extracted falafel seasoning, formed onto skewers and grilled), were addictive as well.

I told Tom (a chickpea skeptic), “I’m gonna give you one falafel and one kebab wrap”. He looked at me and said (deadpan), “Okay, but what are you gonna do with the rest of the kebabs?” Right next to Ginger and Buddy, he is my Muse too (occasionally). But I had a HUGE belly laugh on that one. Felt good.

Baked Falafel adapted from Frankie’s Feast

INGREDIENTS

1 medium sweet onion
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
1 TB ground cumin
1 tsp ground “Chez Stacey Seasoning” (I roast coriander seeds, peppercorns and sea salt, then grind for my standard “seasoning”) or just use ground coriander plus grind in some pepper.
1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup parsley, leaves and stalks, loosely packed
1 cup coriander, leaves and stalks, loosely packed
2 1/2 cups, cooked, drained chickpeas
Olive oil for brushing

PREPARE/COOK

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Add all of the ingredients except chickpeas and herbs to the food processor, process to combine. If you are making the kebabs, extract 2 TB of this mixture and set aside in a medium bowl.

Add the chickpeas and herbs to the processor and combine well. Adjust seasoning as needed. If you are making the kebabs, extract 3 oz. of this mixture and add to the bowl with reserved seasoning.

Roll the remaining mixture into small, spoon-size balls and place on a non-stick baking tray. Brush lightly with olive oil.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through; soft in the middle and sporting a crusty outer edge.

Lamb + Beef Kebab (this recipe counts on your making the falafels as well)

INGREDIENTS

4 oz grass fed ground beef
6 oz grass fed ground lamb
2 TB reserved spice/onion mixture from “falafel mixture”
3 oz reserved falafel mixture from “falafel mixture”
A sprinkling of spelt flour
Olive oil for brushing

PREPARE/COOK

Combine all ingredients and in small handfuls, form oval rolls to thread through skewers for future grilling and sprinkle with spelt flour. Brush with a little olive oil to prevent sticking to the grill.

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Grill on a hot, oiled grill for approximately 4 minutes each side until cooked through.

Cauliflower Tabouli (recipe from Frankie’s Feast + added bonus: pup friendly).

INGREDIENTS

½ head of cauliflower
1 cup fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
A handful of cherry tomatoes, finely diced
Juice of 1-2 small lemons
Salt and pepper to taste

PREP

Place the cauliflower and parsley in the rinsed bowl of the food processor and blend until it’s somewhere between the size of rice and cous cous. Mix in the lemon juice and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Easy Tzatziki Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup loosely packed, fresh dill, chopped
2 TB lemon juice
1 TB grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARE

Mix all ingredients together.

Falafel Wraps & Lamb + Beef Kebab Wraps

Grill 2 naan rounds per person to just heat through and brown slightly.

Spread with a layer of humus (I will post my hummus recipe soon, or use a good quality store-bought version), a thin layer of cauliflower tabouli. Then, for each person, add one skewer meat to one naan and two or three of the falafels to one naan. Drizzle with easy tszitiki sauce. Each plate gets one of each kind. Yum yum!
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So here we go… The Fiesta Friday Challenge #1:

I was so going to give up! Why would I try, with so many more creative cooks that are working so well with yeast? I am not an expert in yeast. In fact, other than the incredible “no knead bread” from Jim Lahey, I don’t really even use yeast. I eat bread (plenty of it), and drink beer (less of that; leave that to Pete). Yet, I did tell Angie I would enter something and actually, getting comfortable using yeast, was quite the point.

I am not one to go back on my word. So, as I thought about dropping out (Friday, a mere days from the deadline), I decided to make cake using yeast. I had bought a packet (x3) of dry yeast, for just this occasion. It was the end of the challenge come Sunday. I was worn out from work and sat in my lounge chair at home, contemplating my choices. I could take a nap (yes, yes); I could just vacate my thoughts. I could clean my house, or at least clean my closet. I could make a great dinner (except I had a great dinner already prepped). I could work on a post,…or work on my entry for the challenge. I kept channeling Tom’s words, “this is not your strength”. True, true, so true. I don’t bake, I don’t brew. Yeast tends toward a chemistry, methodical bake-thing. I am not a chemist, no. Chemistry is tricky, yes. I should not opt in.

I do like pancakes, and am now… curious. What happens if I just make them with yeast? I have ricotta; to add lemon curd would be good. When I went into production though, the ricotta was sour. I did have some cooked chickpeas, perhaps I could do something with them? Maybe not.

I aimlessly began to stir together three healthy flours and one specialty flour. From there, I was led to move into the fridge and unleash the chickpeas. I was still unsure where it would lead.

I needed to go to the market to buy more dinner supplies, so I quickly made my decisions and you are now left with my results. I am happy with how they turned out. Surprised, actually. I was ready to rid of this experiment, to my neighbor, Piotr. Still should I suppose. We are now full. Knock, knock…

Chickpea, herb and yeast experiment to equal: (12) falafel and feta Madeleines appetizers & (1) Herbed Chickpea Yeast Cake.

This is good for the multi-tasker or decision-making impaired because it results in a combination of eats. Incidentally, I have something to offer Fiesta Friday #17 as well as an entry for the Fiesta Friday challenge #1.

INGREDIENTS

The Base:
1/3 cup each, spelt flour, chickpea flour, whole wheat pastry flour
2 TB mesquite flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 packet dry yeast (I used red star)
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TB shredded fresh coconut (I happened to have one in my fridge, you might be able to use dried coconut with equal results?)

The “Falafel”/”Mix-in”
1 can cooked, rinsed and drained chickpeas (I decided to save my freshly cooked chickpeas for a salad in case this was a disaster)
1/2 cup each, loosely packed, spring onion greens, cilantro, Italian parsley
1/2 cup loosely packed, mixture of fresh basil and oregano
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/2 tsp each, kosher salt, turmeric, cumin

Additional garnishes & enhancements for the cake and Madeleines

Several ounces good quality, French Feta cheese
1 medium sized tomato, sliced thin
1/4 cup par-boiled English peas (without their pod)

PREPARE/COOK

Mix the flours, 1/2 tsp salt, and yeast in a medium bowl. Mix in the buttermilk, olive oil and coconut. Cover this mix with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Set aside in a warm, dark place for 2 hours.

After two hours, it will have changed from very liquidly to somewhat glutenized. In other words, a little thickened and sticky. It will not look like bread dough, though it might have if I waited 10 more hours but I was quite inpatient and experimental.

Add the “falafel”/”mix-in” ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and process until well blended.

Now, you have a few choices: You can make all Madeleines or all cake. My instructions below though, are for making both; twelve Madeleines and one cake.

To make Falafel and Feta Madeleine appetizers:

Rub oil in the cups of a Madeleine pan with olive oil and dust with spelt flower. Fill each of the twelve cups with batter. Roll some of the herb/chickpea mix into twelve tiny balls and insert one ball in the center of each cup.

Next to each herb ball, place a tiny chunk of French feta cheese.

Cook in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 15 minutes or until done. The mini falafel will be hard, the cheese melted and the dough golden. A toothpick should come away clean.

20140525-123549.jpgA bit wonky but you get the idea.

20140525-124131.jpgServe with tomato slices and a cold martini. This will not use up all of your goods…now, onto the cake.

To make Herbed Chickpea Yeast Cake:20140524-190351.jpg

Combine the remaining chickpea herb mix with the “dough”. 20140524-190454.jpg Pour into a shallow 8″ Dutch oven or cast iron skillet (rubbed with olive oil and dusted with spelt flour). Bake for (approximately) 40 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. Tooth pick will come away clean when done.

Let cool in the pan. Carefully run a butter knife around the edge and flip over onto a plate. Put another plate over and invert the cake so it is right-side-up.

Transfer to a baking tin. Crumble feta over the top of the cake. Top with a layer of the sliced tomatoes then sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Warm for 10 minutes in a 350 degree pre-heated oven. To serve, slice into pieces and top with chive blossoms and soft herbs.20140524-195259.jpg

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As yet another option, you could also pour some of the cake mix into Madeleine cups for bite-size take-aways. Most importantly, enjoy the eats and have fun!.

Tom tested and (actually) Tom approved (Tom is a non-chickpea advocate and skeptic healthy eater).

20140525-122527.jpgCauliflower Tabouli is pup tested, Ginger approved (you know what they say about a healthy diet…?)

20140525-134335.jpgBuddy says “hay, I amM tha STar!

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how to eeet Kaaale, By buddy

21 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in Ginger + Buddy

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

healthy dog eats, kale, Tuna

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mmmmm…..wut iz dis? Iz it our lunch?

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no wun iz round…do u think there iz meeet? I see sumthikng greeene! I liiik Greene sept for kaaale

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ut ooo, heer cumzs ginger…or did sshe bring meeet?

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smelz guud

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shuud we strrrt witout momm?

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we shuud probaby wate

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this greeeeen stuf iz guud.

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sav sum for me

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Don’t eeet momz Ther ar onnunz in it badD ferr puPs

20140519-153507.jpg baD gingerz

Fishe kaaale

Mom sez the greeen stuf waz kaaale. I wuz suprizet cuz it wuz guud.

MaaK witz theze stuFf-

One Larjk scup caned tuuna. one pawz fuul of kaaale
Sddrizal Oyl ovur it Mom sez it is helthy oyl…she rubz hur pawz ovur it to maaak it sawwft.
chop the kaaale an ad too tuuna. (No meeet)
Sterrr
We wer spose to wate for mom be for eeetngt..

the End.
yor pal, buddy

Pe S. hAppie Birtzdaay gInger !! ! ! !!

47.535655-122.054822

a Toast, a (party) Taste & a Tidbit (amuse)

16 Friday May 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in beach mode, the kitchen

≈ 56 Comments

Tags

ahi, Fiesta Friday #16, shiitake, tuna poke

I would like to raise my glass… so I will.

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To the time we spend together and the time we spend apart. To new friends, old friends and friends we will never meet (in person).

To drinks that are raised, to food that is eaten (enjoyed + thoughtfully prepared).

To cooks that are passionate, to cooks that are good, to cooks that experiment (which are those that have the most fun).

To a red fish, a blue fish, and a place in the sun.

To Angie, for giving us a venue to cook, share and inspire.

Cheers…

Now, please

Close your eyes, if you will, and imagine this: a hot beach, scattered with squishy white sand still warm from the sun. A sunset, exploding with color and filling the sky. Music, softly and rhythmically performing in unison with the lapping waves of the ocean; I’m thinking, Taj Mahal (especially with The Hula Blues Band). Bebel Gilberto (or any relation*), perhaps Charles Afton (check out Lost Sunset Lounge), Stan Getz (the Bossa Nova years*) or Sarah Vaughn (particularly Copacabana).

Okay, imagine breathing in, the taste of salty air languishes on your tongue. The smell of fragrant flowers mix in, blending, in perfect harmony, with that of the hot coals, readying themselves for the feast. Partygoers are arriving dressed in linen and silk, flip flops, sandals and hats. There are smiles and conversation, food, drink and the promise of fun. It is Fiesta Friday and I am there to help make you feel welcome with a kind word and a smile. I hand you a cocktail and a bite to begin before mixing into the crowd, sharing stories, making memories and letting the stress of the busy week seem miles away.

Now, as you open your eyes, you will see an amuse-bouche to start you on your way, over to the party.

20140516-145009.jpgPlease help yourself.

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Chez Stacey Tuna Poke bites
Makes twelve amuse

INGREDIENTS

3 oz sashimi grade ahi tuna
2 TB lite soy sauce
1 tsp chopped, roasted shiitake mushrooms
1 TB chopped pickled ginger
1 TB sliced spring onions (green and white parts)
1/2 tsp chopped chipotle
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 TB chopped cilantro

PREPARE

Rinse and pat dry the fish.

Combine the remaking ingredients.

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With a very clean knife, on a very clean surface (I keep my tuna on wax paper over a cutting board), dice the tuna into 3/8″ cubes.

Toss this into the sauce mix and stir to combine. Now comes the fun. Plate, style and garnish as you wish.

20140516-201422.jpgI found it fun to use the spring onion as a spoon by slicing lengthwise up the middle of the stem and peeling off the outer pieces. The smaller, inner pieces were perfect for slicing to add to the mix.

Now, with cocktail in hand, and amuse down the hatch, step over to Angie’s site here, to mix and mingle…but wait, first, please meet the beautiful (inside and out) Elaine, my partner co-host for Fiesta Friday #16, that will have amply prepared scrumptiousness (yes, it’s a word) for your enjoyment. So, please, step over here first. Then, over to the Novice Gardner here for the “real” party.

(be sure to check out the party guidelines here so you can link up properly).

Salute!

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Mirror, Mirror

11 Sunday May 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in family gatherings, the kitchen

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

dessert, family, food, Goat cheese cheesecake, lemon curd, Mother's Day, recipes, strawberries

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I sometimes feel like a broken mould. A fish that feels out of the water. A unique character that is looking to be told that she is okay, or perhaps, okay is what she is? Life can take us in many directions; one way may not necessarily be better than the next, and that way, not necessarily worse than the last. Life’s paths are often twisted and sometimes it is hard to steer them straight. Many years ago, I seemed to have lost touch with a piece of my family, one that I never really knew all that well since our connection was lost through the early death of my natural mother. Sadly, despite my adopted mom’s attempts at keeping us all in contact (she was the one who raised Scott and I from a very young age and is the only mother we ever really knew). As kids we traveled every summer to California to visit them, until we didn’t. Another path.

I have always thought it would be fun to have a twin, an identical twin like my mother had, but I would have settled for a sister. I have two brothers who, don’t get me wrong, I love very much; one slightly older, one younger, and all of us quite different from one another, but then in some ways, not too much. Through the years I always wondered if my cousin Julie, daughter of my mother’s twin sister, would be like me? I heard about her on-and-off through the years and although we had similarities, we didn’t seem to be the same.

Yet, I met a version of myself last week. A version that felt familiar, yet one I didn’t know. She was different enough, yet strangely quite the same. Her hair was longer, a bit lighter (perhaps because this version lives in the sun), her jawbone more pronounced, and without that bump in my nose (Tom was sure she’d have it too!). A version that was possibly more articulate and perky, more humble and less vain. This version, was my cousin Julie. I had only seen her once since childhood. She was only one and a half years older, but when you are under the double-digits in age, that year and a half is much grander than it is when the decades begin to multiply.

20140511-093625.jpgCousin Julie on the left.

So here we were this past weekend, talking and carrying-on about family, memories and life. Looking at her I realized that time goes by fast and we better take care not to let another 30 years slip by! Generously, she brought me a handmade year book that my natural mother had made, filled with black and white pictures and handwritten captions that I had never seen. When I opened the brown, rabbit-eared craft-paper pages, I thought I was looking at photographs of my young self, but realized they were photographs of our twin mothers.

Julie also brought me a silver hand mirror that our mothers were each given for their sixteenth birthday. I picked it up in my hand and felt the weight of the silver, saw the tarnish and crazing of age and understood the irony it implied. We are only versions of ourselves and in life, nothing is ever just the same, but sometimes objects are closer than they appear.

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Lemon (goat) cheese cake
Makes 5 mini and 1 small cake (or would likely make 8 mini cakes or 4 small cakes)

The name of this cake might immediately turn my brother, Scott, away from this blog page. Not because he wouldn’t be interested in letting me finish my thought, but because he saw the title and felt he need not read more. I hope he does (read more that is).

Dinner, the night that Julie and her charming (and unknowingly witty) husband, Joe came for dinner (a mere three hour plane ride and 30 years later); my brother Scott also joined. My week at work, well, let’s just say it was challenged. My best laid plans had not been laid. I came up with a menu based on, well, unlike me, not much other than… just because. I didn’t know what Julie and Joe liked, or didn’t like (something I pride myself on knowing of my dinner guests).

Julie called me the night before our dinner. Having gotten only the polite response that “they were easy and ate anything” via email to my inquiry of their culinary discerning, I felt compelled to ask, “really, what don’t you eat”?

Mistake? No. Challenge? Maybe. I had just the night before braised a pork belly, in red wine and rhubarb for our first course. “We are easy” she replied. “Oh, well, there is just one thing”, she said, “if you must ask, I don’t like pork”.

Okay, so I could adapt. I bought her fresh scallops to replace the pork. The other diners would now get both because I decided they go well with pork belly too. I mentioned this casually as I was prepping our plates and Scott chimed in, proudly describing my knack for choreographing the food based on individual preferences; how his two dislikes are cilantro and goat cheese and if serving either, I always provide him a version without. Yes, that was true. I began feeling guilty because, well, for obvious reasons, if you remember the title of this cheesecake. I did have a back-up carton of ice cream ready to step in, but in the end, he ate every bite without mention. I’ll let him chime in again and tell us if he noticed?

Next visit, no pork for Julie, no salmon for Joe (especially not rare). There will be cosmopolitans (and/or Italian cocktails with Prosecco); most importantly, Scott, I promise, no goat cheese for you (even if you admit to having liked the dessert).

INGREDIENTS

8 oz chèvre (goat cheese)
1/3 cup natural turbinado sugar
Juice of 1/2 small lemon plus zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 TB whole wheat pastry flour
4 eggs separated

Ramekins wiped with butter on the inside and dusted with turbinado sugar.

Fresh strawberries and lemon curd for garnishing (I use purchased “Thursday Cottage” lemon curd).

COOK

In a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, combine the chèvre with the sugar, lemon/zest, vanilla and flour. Add the egg yolks, one at a time and beat well.

In another bowl (smaller), beat the egg whites until stiff. Add these to the yolk mix and stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into each of the prepared ramekins. I like using the mini ramekins but found that I was either short of them or long on batter. It doesn’t really matter what size you use as long as you can cook them in a pan filled partly up of water. Like I mention in the title, this particular batch made up 5 “mini” and 1 “small” ramekin.

Set the ramekins in a pan of water filled 1/3 (-ish) way up the ramekin. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until cooked through so a toothpick comes out clean (you know that ‘ol trick) and slightly golden on top.

Let them cool in the water bath. Remove from the water and set the ramekins aside until ready to serve (keep refrigerated if made a day in advance).

SERVE

Carefully run a butter knife around the edge of each ramekin and turn them out onto individual plates. Top with a thin layer of lemon curd and garnish with fresh strawberries (as artsy or bohemian as you see fit).

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

and…

Happy Mother’s Day to Linda, Lois, Talita, Doris, Cousin Julie (Barb & Bev), Irma, Christine, Laura and Beth

20140511-100851.jpgPictured is the “small” sized ramekin. I think the “mini” is a better individual portion but I only require a “little” dessert.

20140511-104715.jpgTreasures.

More treasures…

20140511-192336.jpgLucky me, she signed my card

20140511-192508.jpgand house of cards as sun screen.

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I yam what I yam (but no yams here)

08 Thursday May 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in the kitchen

≈ 43 Comments

Tags

Chickpeas, fiesta Friday, food, Popeye, recipes, Spinach, spinach soup

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Stuck in my head was a verse:

“So, you want to be a super hero?” (to the tune of, SuperHero by Jane’s Addiction); you might notice I had the lyrics wrong? I’m always doing that; getting lyrics wrong and getting tunes stuck in my head. Somehow this got me to thinking about spinach, superheroes being strong and all.

Spinach was overrated in my book. In my whole set of encyclopedias, in fact. I did like Popeye and all, and particularly thought it was cool that he slurped down the green stuff (without a can opener) and became strong. Believe it or not, Popeye was not actually considered a superhero (I checked), but he did get superpowers from the spinach. I was okay with being weak; no spinach for me. For a little weakling though, I was actually pretty strong.

Ironically, as I began writing this post, I overheard two co-workers talking about Popeye and debating different theories concerning the characters. It seemed quite ironic as I hadn’t thought or heard about Popeye in many, many years, yet on my iPad sat a paragraph, beginning a post with Popeye’s mention. I couldn’t help but listen in on the debate.

A very quick synopsis of what I overheard:
Wimpy was the name of one of the characters (was this my character, I thought? Was I Wimpy?).
Olive Oyl was always getting Popeye into trouble (but spinach was always pulling him out).
Was the name of Popeye’s rival character named Bluto or Pluto (they settled on the wrong name, Pluto was their choice).
The conflict between Pluto and Popeye came from Olive Oyl (what, Olive Oyl was the antagonist? So is olive oyl good or bad for spinach?).
The whole spinach power thing was “wicked cool“ (dude).

I mentioned this to Tom on the drive home, who immediately said, “Bluto, not Pluto! Pluto was Mickey Mouse’s dog!”. That’s my Tom, vault of useless (+ useful) information (especially concerning cartoons, movie quotes, 80’s music, well, all things 80’s actually), much to my chagrin. He does make me laugh.

It wasn’t until one day while lunching with my former boss, that I discovered I had been missing out all along. When she ordered us a big plate of spinach sautéed with garlic and lemon to split as an appetizer, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. She could be, um, slightly judgmental, and I didn’t want to tell her I hated spinach, when she was so certain that this is what we needed to have. I knew I would need to eat it, what I did not know was that I would actually like it so much.

It has been some number of years since then and I have been happily munching on spinach ever since. Perhaps the difference between my like and dislike of the green stuff was all in the presentation. Wadded up and popped out of a can (the visual I gleamed from Popeye growing up) along with the frozen block out of a waxed box, soggy and slimy on the plate (the actuality of how mine was delivered growing up), versus freshly-sautéed in a bath of olive oil and lemon with aromatic bits of spicy garlic.

I love the latter of the above and cook mine by first putting a few pinches sea salt and fresh ground pepper into a pan and heating it until fragrant. I then drizzle in the olive oil, followed momentarily by the garlic and then finally the spinach. My spinach is always bone dry (as bone dry as spinach goes) as it hits the pan and must be tended to quickly, flipping, tossing and thrusting about. Within minutes, the whole process is complete, producing a wilted, yet perky result.

Spinach Soup

This soup is über-healthy, delivering an extra helping of “strong” while satisfying even the most skeptical spinach naysayer.

INGREDIENTS

1 celery stalk, chopped coarsely
2 leeks, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, seeded, chopped
1 1/2 cups freshly cooked chickpeas, see how I cook mine here (or canned, rinsed, and drained)
2 cups chickpea cooking liquid (or vegetable stock if using canned beans)
1 tsp cumin
1 can lite coconut milk
1/2 cup vermouth
Juice of 1 lemon (approximately 3 TB)
1/2 lb fresh baby spinach, cleaned and dried

Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Sprouted pumpkin seeds and fresh Buffalo mozzarella for garnish

COOK

In a stockpot, sauté the celery, leek, garlic and jalapeño in a little olive oil until soft (approximately 5-7 minutes). Add the chickpeas/liquid, cumin, vermouth and lemon. Bring to a simmer. Continue cooking for a further 10-15 minutes, until the flavors have combined nicely.

20140508-205648.jpg

Add the spinach and continue cooking until it begins to wilt; season with salt and pepper.

20140508-160845.jpg. Add the coconut milk and bring back to a simmer until the spinach is cooked through.

20140508-160935.jpg

Purée in a food processor or by using an immersion blender.

Divide among bowls and garnish with the sprouted pumpkin seeds and fresh mozzarella (soft creamy piece torn off and plopped in). Paired with a salad makes for a fine lunch. Look out Popeye, I’ve got some olive oil too!

20140508-170344.jpg

And head on over to Fiesta Friday for a dose of fun!

10LitK_50th_post

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Lead and Follow

03 Saturday May 2014

Posted by Stacey Bender in cooking basics, From the journals

≈ 31 Comments

Tags

fiesta Friday, Mustard, roasted pepper mustard, roasting peppers

20140503-094849.jpg

There must be as many recipes for roasted red peppers as there are cooks but that’s okay because this is not about the red pepper, roasted, charred or otherwise. This is about the mustard (certainly not about the tuna). Okay, kind of silly I know, but typically mustard is the dance partner, not the lead. In this humble sauce though, mustard can both lead and follow. It can be assertive, or gentle but is rhythmic, if not tame. The red pepper will follow mustard’s lead or give up a twirl of its’ own without stealing the show. They can do the tango if you like it caliente, or the waltz if you prefer a little more cream. Bottom line is, this sauce is a workhorse that can do the job better than many. Since a sauce, by nature, always has a leading lady, I wanted to pair it with a real star, ahi tuna (unadorned) to show that, as in life, there is always room for more than one star in the show.

Charred red pepper mustard (sauce)

I’ve written about this here before, but didn’t give it a proper bit of space. As I often pull it out to use for a party, I felt it worthy of sharing with everyone for Fiesta Friday (to disguise the fact that the real star on the plate might actually be the red fish…ssshhh, don’t tell Angie).

There are as many uses for this mustard (sauce) as there are ideas. I like it best with fresh tuna, grilled sausage or to dress white beans. It is good with each of these separately, but all actors combined and you have a real show. It goes well with crab cakes, roast pork and grilled prawns. I’m also thinking fennel, chicken, or a seasoning for soup. Sky’s the limit – so think big and give it a whirl.

INGREDIENTS (loosely)

1 large red bell pepper
1 small paper bag
2 TB Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
2 (+/-) shakes cayenne pepper
2 TB (+/-) tap water
1 – 3 TB crème fraîche or olive oil

You can roast the red pepper with any method by which you are accustomed. I like to char mine over an open flame until very black and slightly peeling. You should have a good fan so as not to disturb the occupants of the house. When the weather is agreeable, outside on the grill works too. When the pepper resembles a charred shell, put it into a paper bag and let sweat for a good 10 minutes or for as long as you might need. Before using, remove from the bag, peel away the burnt skin and tear it into half. Remove the seeds and stem, tossing away for compost. I sometimes cut off a few slivers of the meat to put in a salad or omelette before giving the rest up for sauce (I did go to the trouble of charring this and upsetting the nose of my dogs and husband you know?).

20140503-104257.jpg

In the bowl of a food processor, place the meat of the red pepper along with the mustard, a few shakes cayenne and 1 TB water. Process until smooth adding more water if needed. Add the crème fraîche or olive oil, starting small and adding more to your taste. If you feel spicy, add more cayenne; to mellow, add more crème. That’s it; pretty simple yet the taste is complex.

20140503-095028.jpg

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