Non-Resolution #1

I have found that resolutions for a new year are, for the most part, a load of bunk. Few people actually stick to them, most make the same list year after year, and virtually nobody I know makes a resolution that looks beyond the next 12 months. That makes us all a bunch of quitters, and I don't like to quit stuff. So...

This year we decided to change things up a bit...up the ante, if you will. In stead of a "New Year's Resolution", we have decided to make a commitment to each other that we want to carry our for the rest of our lives. We find that we get so lost in the day-to-day stuff and looking to the next time I travel or when we will have company that we forget to enjoy all the moments in between. And to make matters worse, we try so hard to be financially conservative that the occasional "date night" is even skipped because we would rather allocate that money to something else. And who wants to drop that much coin to eat a meal that you could cook just as well! Although, I do love that somebody else will do the dishes!

Here is the commitment we have made to each other for the rest of our lives (I know, we should have put this in our wedding vows!):

Once a month, we will have a dressed-up, jazz music playing, new food trying, three-course meal, at home, in the dining room, on the fancy dishes, with a nice bottle of wine (read: more than $10), no hockey, no TV, no iPhones, just us and a little Miles Davis.

The only rules are stated in the commitment. So, January 15 will be our first of many many new date nights. Here's the menu:

Appetizer:
Three Onion Chowder with Parsleyed Oyster Crackers

Main Course:
Steak Pinwheels with Basil Pesto, Sundried tomatoes and Black Olives
Potato Gratin with mushrooms and Gruyere

Desert:
Apple Tort with Breadcrumb-Hazelnut crust

Yep, I know, WAY too much food. But it's date night and hence the cheat night. No comments are allowed on caloric intake, fat grams, carbs, or any other non-positive "you shouldn't do that" type feedback. All other comments are welcomed!

Cheers!

Culinary Cry for Help

I love to cook. I think that's been evident from many of my previous posts. But I have been thrown a challenge. Chris and I have a good friend who's been diagnosed with an allergy to yeast and mold. We've been invited to a Christmas party at their home and it's a pot luck of appetizers and deserts. Poor Krista won't be able to eat much so I have volunteered to bring one of each and ensure that they are things she can eat.

I have pasted her list of "do NOT eat" foods below and am looking for some recipes that I can share with her as well as 2 to bring to the party; one sweet, one savory. Any suggestions are welcome as are any resources. Keeping in mind that Krista is a self-proclaimed bad cook. She's mastering the art of the crock pot and her husband, Justin, is pretty good with the grill.

Can't wait to see what my friends come up with here, and THANK YOU in advance for your suggestions :-)

Foods to avoid on a yeast free diet

Yeasty foods:

Breads, rolls, cookies, pastries, pretzels and other bready foods

Vinegar, and foods which contain it, like mayonnaise, salad dressing, barbecue sauce, mustard, pickles and pickled foods.

Wine, beer and spirits

Fermented foods and beverages like sauerkraut or cider

Moldy foods:

All cheese

Dried, smoked or pickled meats

Cured bacon

Mushrooms, peanuts, and pistachios

Soy sauce, miso, tamari, and tempeh

Malt

Pre-packaged herbs and teas

Canned tomatoes

Sugary foods:

Processed sugar (granulated, confectioner’s, brown)

Grapes, raisins, dates, prunes and figs; citrus fruits

Fruit juices and dried fruits

Soft drinks and drink mixes

Honey and maple syrup

High-fructose corn syrup

Chocolate

Starchy foods:

Corn

Potatoes

Reinventing the Wheel

I am throwing culinary caution to the wind this week! I am going to cook Thanksgiving dinner as if there will be 15 people at my house this year. Sadly and happily, there will only be 4 of us. More leftovers for us that way!

My reinvention inspiration, you ask?! Here it is... on Saturday night, my friend Lisa and I had a girls night out. We went to dinner and the Little Big Town (country music) concert. We had dinner at Tag Restaurant in Denver and consumed what I would classify as one of the 10 best meals I have ever had in a restaurant. A-MA-ZING. And the French Onion "Soup" Dumplings were a completely new twist on one of the classics. The way it melted in my mouth and tasted like French Onion Soup sans the spoon I am drooling just thinking about it. That got me thinking, if this chef can do this to French Onion Soup, maybe I can do something to Thanksgiving.

It may be a little ambitious on my party, but hey, Friday is a paid holiday for me so I figure I should do something productive with my time, knowledge and love and appreciation of the culinary arts. Keeping in mind that my father-in-law can't have dairy AT ALL...Here's my subject-to-change plan for lunch on Friday:


Turkey Tortilla Soup (broth made from the carcass)
Mashed Potato Latke with thyme, sage and Hungarian Smoked Paprika
Sweet Potato Bread (like Banana bread, but not and only if I can figure out how to get the marshmallows off the top) with Cranberry glaze

And Farm Grandma Salad. Somethings shouldn't be messed with!

I am so excited to get in the kitchen that I can hardly stand it! Happy Thanksgiving! There will be before/after/after after pictures this weekend! Stay tuned!

Cheers!

Almost Perfect Spanish Rice

I love Spanish Rice. And I eat it whenever it's an option. My earliest memory of having Spanish Rice was when I was really young and all four of us grandkids were at Grandma Melanie's house. And Leslie was there but still allergic to everything and she made Spanish Rice for us. I remember thinking "Spanish Rice comes from far away. She must know how to make this stuff because she can speak French too." I was young enough to be clueless to the world of cookbooks.

By the time I was old enough to ask Grandma for the coveted Spanish Rice recipe, she had already been diabetic for years and the flavor of the rice had changed. Needless to say, she probably never really had a recipe anyway. Although, I heard that my cousin Allisongot her hands on it! But I have something that Allison doesn't have. The Spanish Rice "pan." The significance of which was lost on me until I began to love cooking and appreciate really good cookware!

The infamous Spanish Rice pan is a REALLY old red/orange cast iron Le Creuset pot with a lid. It even says "Made in France" on the bottom! And the Spanish Rice that had been baked in it for 30 years or longer that came with it washed right out...Grandma's eyes were pretty bad. She couldn't see to wash the dishes so I think she just wiped them out. Gross, I know!

I have attempted, and failed miserably) at Spanish rice more than a hundred times. Last night was my first attempt in the special Spanish Rice pan. I don't know if it was luck, the lessons I learned from failed attempts, or maybe Grandma working me through it with the special pan, but it turned out almost perfect.

No recipe, no calls for help, and no cookbooks. Just the perfect pan and a million fond, loving memories of Grandma Melanie. She was the only thing missing that made my Spanish Rice fall short of perfect! I miss her every day but know that she'd be really proud of my Spanish Rice and love of cooking. And she'd be tickled that I love her pan too.

And it was so good, that Chris said it goes on "the list." A pretend list of the foods I will serve the the pretend restaurant I will pretend open someday!

Here's what I did:
Cooked 1 cup brown rice in 2 1/2 cups water with a touch of chicken bullion
It said to cook covered for 40-50 minutes. After about 30 minutes I added a cup and a half of chopped onions.
When the rice was done and onions super soft, I added 2 cups of petite diced tomatoes (from a can-Hunts is my favorite). I had drained the water from them but ended up adding it back in.

I let that hang out over low heat and added a little garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, a little chili powder (not much) and a hint of ground red pepper.

After it was all cooked, I put it in the special Spanish Rice pan and squished up 8 saltine crackers and sprinkled over the top and browned in the broiler. It yields about 5 cups of Spanish Rice and was wonderful as a side dish with our grilled chicken.

It was even better today as a main dish for my lunch! And Chris' too! Two dinners, two lunches, and just enough left over for lunch tomorrow for me...as long as I get to the kitchen first!


p.s. Grandma used to say she was "tickled" a lot. I think that expression really spoke to her and perfectly described how she felt. I get it now. It seemed fitting to use it today.