Two Happy Bellies

This I Believe - Popcorn

NPR has a great series called This I Believe.  There are all kinds of stories ranging from the serious, the heart-felt, the silly, the ones that feel like real common sense and even a few that I fundamentally disagree with.  I cannot come up with a 3 minute radio diatribe so I will keep it to just a few paragraphs.

Popcorn.  Popped on the stove top with real butter and salt.  None of that microwave stuff either!  Called it ol' fashioned but this is how I want my popcorn.  Fresh popped movie theater popcorn comes in second but since it is so outrageously priced I feel real guilty buying it.  Retail store Target is probably committing a sin by placing the fresh popped treat near the front door but I bet some mad marketing genius came up with that one. Some people like their popcorn with copious amounts of butter and salt but I am indifferent.

The stove top stuff is easy to make and only a slight bit of talent is needed not to burn it.  I feel that stove top or microwaved can easily go awry resulting in that unpleasant burnt smell.  A burnt kernel or dozen will not put me off of a nice bowl but that is where Tracy and I part ways.  She hates the smell of popcorn.  She cannot separate that unburnt smell from the burnt smell because she has probably been exposed to too many burnt bags at the office or the theater.  I think she smokes crack for not liking popcorn.  Maybe she is even un-American.  However! There is hope for her. I have recently discovered that by adding a half to a whole tablespoon of Penzeys Original Taco Seasoning and thoroughly mix into the fresh batch, she will partake of the goodness.

I also get a little kick out of throwing out big white popped kernals for Lindy to pluck out of the air.  As if she does not beg enough at our feed at every meal already, she watches me intently while I eat popcorn.  Below is a lighly seasoned batch with the taco seasoning.  Tasty... Yummy... Goodness.  This I Believe.

  

Cherry Pork Revisited

Um, yeah, we really liked the cherry glazed pork tenderloin. And we had leftover cherry preserves and creme fraiche. Plus plenty of pork in the freezer, courtesy of our CSA. So what did we have for dinner tonight? Well, we started with a salad. Then we took pork blade steaks and mashed potatoes, covered with the same sauce as described in our last post. The blade steaks were a bit chewy, I've not ever cooked blade steaks before and it is possible that we should have chosen a different method for cooking them (or it could be that they are just a chewy cut of meat). However the cherry sauce over them and the mashed potatoes . . . well once again, we wanted to lick our plates clean!

I can't wait for tomorrow's lunch -- leftovers!

Really Delicious Birthday Dinner

First off I have to give Nicole C. a really big shout out for posting on her blog this pork tenderloin recipe.  Tracy found it a few weeks back and said "This is what I want for my birthday dinner!"  Nicole C. gave it a rave review and made it sound so delicious.  Okay, we will try it too.  This recipe is pretty basic on the ingredients so you can easily pick up on the different tastes.

• 1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4 inch thick medallions
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 3/4 Cup Trader Joe's Cherry Preserve (or a good brand if no TJ is in your area)
• 3 Tbsp. creme fraiche (thicker but less sour than sour cream)
• dash of Trader Joe's Chili Pepper Hot Sauce or Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce (I used Louisiana Brand)
• salt and pepper

Cut tenderloin into medallions and salt and pepper each side.  In a medium saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute medallions.  I managed to cut up the tenderloin into 12 medallions so it was easy to saute 6 at a time.  Once one batch is browned on both side (maybe 3-4 minutes per side) place that batch on a warm plate.  In the oven on the Preheat setting is a good place to put those medallions while the second batch is cooking.  Once all the medallions are cooked, in the same saute pan melt the cherry preserves, stir in the creme fraiche then add a dash or two of hot sauce.  Finally add those medallions back into the pan and let the whole thing simmer for a few minutes.

I served the medallions with some simple brown jasmine rice that I had cooked up with turkey stock instead of just water and some some Brussels sprouts roasted with garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.

 

Really this was a very basic meal but the pork tenderloins was divine.   Dinner was served with some Riesling wine that also went very nicely with the whole ensemble. 

For dessert Tracy melted up some white chocolate squares while I washed and cut the stems off some fresh strawberries.   We dipped the strawberries in the chocolate, fondue style.  All in all Tracy was so very happy with her birthday meal that she simple forgot about the diamond earrings that I had given her that morning. 

Happy Birthday My Love from your Frog Prince. XOXOXO

Chocolate Stout Snacking Cake

I have this cake book called Cake Keeper Cakes (9781600851209) that makes me want a pretty cake keeper. Hopefully I will find one, but I'm not allowing myself to look until after we move. This current kitchen needs no additional items to store! However, there is a tasty looking cake in the book entitled Stout and Chocolate Snacking Cake with Chocolate-Stout Glaze. I was going to save it for Aaron's birthday, however he suggested I not wait. So I made it for Valentine's Day.

Cake

• 1/2 c. stout
• 1/2 C. unsalted butter, softened
• 6 T. unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1 C. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 C. packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 C. sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 inch square baking pan and dust it with flour, knocking out extra. Combine the stout and butter in a saucepan and bring to a bare simmer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside to cool. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the stout mixture, egg, and sour cream until just combined. Scrape the batter into prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake about 35 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool completely in the pan.

Glaze

• 1/4 C. stout
• 2 T. light corn syrup
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips

Combine stout and corn syrup in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until shiny and smooth. Let cool to warm room temperature and spread sauce over the top of the cake. Let stand until set, about 1 hour. Cut into 9 squares and serve.

Cake can be stored in a cake keeper or wrapped in plastic for up to 3 days at room temperature.

Valentine's Menu 2010

My birthday is February 16th so Valentine's Day is often lost in the shuffle. However Aaron wants it to be special and makes the effort to separate the two. I say that, as long as he is making my birthday special . . . I can work on Valentine's Day. However, it truly was a team effort this year. Our menu came from a page torn out of a Bon Appetit magazine, who knows what issue. Sorry about that! However, we had Five-Spice Roast Chicken, Snow Peas with Toasted Almonds, and Ginger-Scented Rice for our meal.

The chicken was too salty and too sweet for our taste, however the rest of the menu was delicious and we look forward to repeating it with a new roasted chicken recipe. It makes four servings and we had two as you see above and the other two as rice bowls Monday night.

Five-Spice Roast Chicken

• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 T. coarse kosher salt
• 2 T. EVOO
• 1 t. Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 cut-up chicken, 3 - 4 pounds
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into 16 wedges

Combine garlic, salt, olive oil, and five spice powder in a large bowl. Add chicken pieces; turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange onion wedges in a 9 by 13 pan. Place chicken pieces atop onions. Roast until chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and rest 10 minutes.

Like I said, we found this both too salty and too sweet. I believe for a chicken this size, 2 teaspoons of salt would have been plenty. Also, I use five-spice powder in baking so tasting the cinnamon, star anise, and cloves on the chicken made it too sweet for me.

Snow Peas With Toasted Almonds

• 1 T. unsalted butter
• 1/4 C. sliced almonds
• 1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed
• 2 t. minced shallot
• 1 t. fresh lemon juice

Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add almonds and cook until golden, fragrant, and the butter begins to brown about 90 seconds, stirring frequently. Add snow peas and shallot; saute until snow peas are crisp=tender, another 90 - 120 seconds. Remove skillet from heat and add lemon juice. Season to taste with salt before serving.

We have no complaints with this recipe and will definitely make it again.

Ginger-Scented Rice

• 1 3 inch long 1 inch thick piece fresh ginger
• 1 C. jasmine rice, rinsed
• 1 T. butter
• 1 t. coarse kosher salt

Peel ginger and cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Use a garlic press and squeeze enough fresh ginger to measure 1 1/2 T. juice with pulp. Transfer to a small saucepan. Add as much water as necessary for jasmine rice (brown takes more than white), rice, butter, and salt to same pan. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until rice is done. Again, brown will take longer than white. Remove pan from heat, let rice sit for 10 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork.

Again, no complaints from us on this one and we look forward to making it again.

Tomorrow, we'll tell you about the Chocolate Stout Snacking Cake we had for dessert.

Is this for breakfast or dessert?

This is one of my favorite comfort foods.  This was in a Penzey's catalog 8, 9, 10 something years ago but I cannot find it on their website.  It is super easy to make and the leftovers are so tasty.  Right out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream is really tasty but the cold left over then next day for breakfast is equally tasty.  So really it is just a personal preference of this being for dessert or breakfast.

Oatmeal-Applesauce Crumble Cake

¾ Cup butter, melted

1 ½ Cups brown sugar

2 ¼ Cups oatmeal, ½ tsp. ground mace or nutmeg

2 ¼ Cups all purpose flour

¾ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 qt. apple sauce (chunky style works is great)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients except for the applesauce together until crumbly.  It is easiest to do this with your hands.  Press half the mixture on the bottom of an ungreased 9x13” glass pan.  Cover with the applesauce and put remaining crumb mixture on top and pat lightly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool and serve with whipped cream or ice cream.  This cake is crumbly and applesaucy, so it is easiest to spoon out it out, rather than trying to cut to squares.  Serves: 8-12.

After Fifteen Plus Years

They've changed the recipe. I've been eating the Tostada Pizza, no chicken extra salsa, at California Pizza Kitchen for over fifteen years. Having lived in CA for so many years, I ate there regularly for years, sometimes up to once a week with one of my jobs. After I moved to TN, I went through a very long dry spell. There was one about 4 hours away, and I did road trip to it 3 or 4 times. However I was absolutely thrilled when they brought one to Nashville. I was way more excited about it than any of the other big chains that came in, such as Cheesecake Factory.

We went Saturday night for dinner, sort of a combined date night/running errands on that side of town -- and when I say that side of town, it is at least an hour away but that is also the closest Trader Joe's and we needed to visit them as well. We tried one of their new "small cravings" appetizers, the Mediterrean Plate. It was very good and just a few bites worth which is a good size. Then we ordered the tostada pizza to share. When it came, the server informed us she had to charge us $1 for the extra salsa . . . was that okay? What would she have done if we'd said no? Anyway, we said fine, however I was surprised as they've never charged for it before. Then I took a look at the salsa. It was not the same salsa. Always in the past it has been a pico de gallo. Now it was a dark red. I asked her why it was different and they've "changed the recipe." It is now a roasted tomato salsa and it was changed about a month ago. It was very good salsa, but it wasn't quite right in my taste buds for this pizza. I'm used to a fresh tasting crunch of pico de gallo. This was a more liquidy and deeper flavor. It made the pizza much runnier and harder to eat.

Anyway, I still love my CPK and will continue to eat there as often as is reasonable. However, this will probably force me to expand my choices and try more of their entrees. Luckily, I have the original recipe from their first cookbook and when I have a true craving, we'll make it at home!

Leftover Paella

Also courtesy of Allison . . . if I didn't enjoy cooking myself so much, I would totally hire her as my personal chef, everything she makes is wonderful! . . . I brought home some leftover paella. This is what I ate Friday night while Aaron enjoyed the Allison plate. Well, technically we shared both. However he knows he likes paella so he thoroughly enjoyed the new taste sensations of the pork and rice. I, having already enjoyed that, devoured the paella.

The only problem was we had no more leftovers of paella. And I hate to make it for just the two of us, knowing how little freezer space we have. Someday, hopefully sooner rather than later, we will have that extra freezer and I can get back into my favorite swing of cooking in batches and freezing the bounty of goodness!

Chicken Enchilada Chili . . . Soup

Remember how Thursdays are crockpot night? Well this past week we went with another recipe from the Year of Slow Cooking website: Chicken Enchilada Chili. We forgot to soak our pinto beans overnight and did not have canned pinto or kidney in the house so we substituted a can of black and a can of cannelini. They tasted just fine. Once again Aaron found it a bit too soupy for his taste when he is told he will be eating chili. So, he wants to drain the beans next time. I decided that I need to be very careful what enchilada sauce I use because you definitely taste their choice of seasonings. I also prefer my chicken to be shredded once it is cooked.

We served it with some corn tortillas we had in the house and some shredded cheese. Tasty the first night and the leftovers are even better. We still have at least one more meal coming out of this recipe and are looking forward to it.

Girls' Night In

Back when I was single and living in Antioch, a girl bought a house just up the street from me. I didn't know her, however knew her sister slightly through church. Due to the proximity, we became really good friends as we were neighbors. I would hang out with Allison, her sister Melinda, and our other friend Elizabeth on a semi-regular basis and we were usually hanging out around food. Allison is a personal chef and the first person I turn to with a cooking question. I went to her when I wanted to make froggie mints a few days ago. And it is Allison who has introduced me to many tasty new foods. We had a girls' night last Wednesday and dinner was wonderful as always. She made Island Pork, Coconut Rice, and Grilled Asparagus. After eating more than I should have, she sent me home with to go containers so Aaron could also enjoy the bounty. Last night he ate his plate of Allison goodness:

And now we need the recipes. He even liked the coconut rice, which surprised me as he never pulls out the coconut oil his mom gave us to cook with.