Easter Dinner Ideas

I researched some recipes for Prime Rib; posted findings here: Prime Rib Roast, Easter Dinner Recipes. I discovered in my experiments, that you can indeed turn the oven off, putting roast back in (according to directions on the recipe), and not have it get overcooked.

I also discovered that Yorkshire Pudding (a perfect accompaniment to roast beef) can be easily made, since you can make the batter for it a day ahead. Ah, anything to make dinner preparations quick and easy on serving day!

Another discovery: You can make the Blue Cheese Cream Sauce ahead of time too, and simply microwave it a touch before serving. Ah, and quick and easy Easter dinner menu. That's what I was looking for!

"The Amazing Cucumber", Or Just Tasty...

"The Amazing Cucumber" is mentioned in an email making the rounds lately. Now I love cucumber, but I have my doubts about some of the claims I've included further on in this post.

I'm well aware of how many urban legends float around the internet. So when a friend emailed me something about cucumbers, I checked the validity of the message, as usual. I typically do a google search using a few of the key words, and very often, snopes articles appear, telling whether the article in question is true or false. Very handy!

When I did my research this time, I found pages of articles, all word-for-word cut-and-pasted... tens of blogs (thousands, perhaps? I quit checking out all the pages), all reprinting the information, some even assuming authorship. Other posts mentioned that the original article came from the New York Times (a "Spotlight on the Home" series). Well, I checked out the New York Times, and found nothing, absolutely nothing, in relation to these "amazing cucumber" claims. But I guess if one blogger mentions that it was originally posted in the New York Times, and other bloggers read about it, they just might make the same claim themselves, if they don't check to discover otherwise. It certainly seems to lend validity to their posts. (Unless you happen to know it's not true!)

In my online travels, I ran across some interesting people. I traced the profiles of one woman in particular, who seemed to be claiming herself the original author of this piece of work. As I dug deeper, I found her profile on Twitter, mentioning that her true goal is to help other people make money online. And maybe this is the key that I've been missing all along; the key for which I refuse to pay anyone for: Just find some interesting stuff that's a hot topic right now, and print your own version, and get lots of hits to your monetized site, and make lots of money!

Somehow, it seems a bit indecent. But hey, in any case, here's the original email message:

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2.Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams..

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!

Now, I don't mean to spoil everyone's cucumber fun... And I admit, I get a bit serious sometimes. But hey, I just don't want to go to the bother of putting that cucumber into the aluminum pie tin in order to kill the slugs, only to find that it doesn't really work. (I get so excited about such prospects; I don't want to be disappointed!) But just in case I have started to spoil anyone's good fun, I found this comment on a forum on snopes, which should put us all back into a good mood. If the internet can do that much for us, then I guess it's all right :)

(Taken from a snopes forum page): "Cucumbers can temporarily repair a broken fuel injector. Cut the cucumber into thirds lengthwise; remove the retaining grommet, pull out the injector, and insert a third of the cucumber, remembering to plug the fuel line into the end of the cucumber.

In an emergency (such as being lost in the desert) a dog can live for up to thirty minutes on cucumbers alone.

Cucumbers can serve as bookmarks for very thick books.

Egyptologists believe that the huge blocks of stone used to make the Pyramids were rolled up inclined planes by using millions of cucumbers as rollers.

Elton John used to use cucumber slices as frames for his spectacles.

The word "cucumber" is funny because it has a "k" sound. Two in fact, so it's practically hilarious.

The word "cucumber" comes from two Old English words, "cu" and "cumber." "Cu" means "cow." "Cumber" means "to strike repeatedly on the head with a blunt instrument." To this day cows flinch when they see cucumbers. Therefore, bullfighters would be well advised to jam a cucumber down the front of their trousers before entering the ring, just in case.

"Cucumber" has exactly the same meter as "Moon River," so if you're writing a spoof of a Johnny Mercer song, there's your beginning right there."

Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs

Perfect hard-boiled eggs: How to do that?! With Easter coming up, and 25 years of experience at The New Deli (where we boil about 72 eggs once or twice a week), I thought I'd share.

An article on MSN Delish mentioned one way to do it: Just put the eggs in a pot, cover with water (to 2" above the eggs), and bring to a boil. Then, remove the eggs from the heat and let them sit for 10 minutes before pouring off the hot water and refilling the pot with cold water to cool them.

That's almost how we do it at The New Deli, but I don't know if the above method would be fool-proof. If you cook a large number of eggs, it will take a longer time for the pot to get up to a boil; the eggs closest to the burner will get too hot (and become overcooked and rubbery). So, the solution? Bring a separate pot of water to a boil first. That way, you can pour boiling water over a pot of eggs, putting that pot back on the burner to come back up to a boil. It won't take too long for it to get back up to boiling. Once there, remove the eggs from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes. Then do the same cooling routine, pouring off the hot water and refilling the pot with cold water. (Do this twice, if necessary, to cool the eggs off quicker.)

Oh, and the egg coloring companies aren't joking when they tell you to used cooled-off eggs. I tried using very freshly boiled, slightly warm eggs one year, thinking it would help the colors to stick better; my results weren't as positive...

Another suggestion I just read about: Add 1-2 TBS. vinegar to the pot of egg-cooking water. It can help if there's the slightest crack, to keep egg contents from splurging out. I'll have to try this next batch I do!

Recipes That Work

I just noticed a Cream of Celery Soup recipe, posted on MSN Delish (here). I had to marvel, just a bit, about how unimpressed I was with it! It seems there are so many recipes, one can hardly find a source they trust. Which recipe to choose?!?

I had to wonder, how many recipes are floating around, written by amateurs, who are simply recycling already existing recipes? Give me some new information! Give me some hot tips! Tell me something I don't already know!

OK, as a food professional, maybe I'm expecting a bit much. But with the internet, we have the privilege (and also the detriment), of free publishing, by anybody who wants to post, whether they're qualified or not. There is no publishing house to review the quality or the accuracy of any of the information. We might be able to find anything, but anything is not necessarily valuable.

So I checked out the Cream of Celery Soup recipe today, thinking of how that recipe would not be one I'd really want to follow. At The New Deli, we've been trying to make a good Celery Soup for years, that had tons of flavor without the fibrous flecks of celery in it. Even when processed, the cooked celery doesn't puree exactly "smooth". We got to the point of pureeing, then straining- that really seems to help.

Also mentioned in the Delish recipe: Process the cooked potato as well. No mention of how potatoes have the potential of getting a over-starchy, glue-like consistency when over-processed. So I warn you here: Watch out for that! I personally would add the cooked potatoes last, pureeing just until smooth.

Oh, and another tip for flavor, when making Cream of Celery Soup: Add celery seed when cooking the celery; it will super-charge the soup with flavor. If you've made this soup a hundred times, like we have at The New Deli, you come up with a few extra tips! And then you post them, wondering... will anyone be able to find the good recipes, mixed in with all that other stuff?!

Oscars Party! Great Appetizer!

Just made these easy appetizers for my granddaughter's 3rd birthday, a fun tea party just for girls. (Well, I made some simple ham on white bread for the kids, too.)

I'd been meaning to post this recipe for some time... When I saw the headline on MSN, 9 elegant snacks fit for an Oscars party, I figured it was high time I got this recipe out online. It's so handy to have some of the already-marinated sun-dried tomato on hand; the recipe can come together in a flash! (Well, almost, if you've planned ahead...)

We make this a lot at The New Deli. (We also add the sun-dried tomatoes to our most popular pasta salad, "Pasta Parmesan", too.) Part of the secret is to "steep" the raw garlic quickly in the microwave, bringing out its full flavor. No, it is not always easy to steep it in a pan. (Have you noticed how easily it burns?!) Also, it wasn't easy to microwave the raw garlic at first, either. (It quite quickly can burn in there as well.) The secret, I discovered, was to include just a splash of water to help the garlic heat in the microwave (along with a splash of oil).

OK, Oscars Party or not, there are plenty of occasions for this great appetizer!

Romantic Valentine: Chocolate for my Honey

Looking for a good Valentine's Day Recipe for dessert for two? So was I. I pondered. I sorted through my recipes. Then it hit me: I can make some Chocolate Banana Parfaits!

The beauty of this recipe is that I can easily make a smaller quantity (just cut the pudding part of the recipe in half). Tortes and cakes are all fine and good, but yikes- then I'm stuck with all that leftover dessert...

Oh, and this recipe is easy. You can microwave the chocolate chips and butter, then dip the banana pieces in to coat. Let cool on some wax paper, and then sprinkle toasted pecans between layers of vanilla pudding and banana; such a treat! (Add some whipped cream if you have that on hand.)

Back in the 60's (when I was a kid), "parfait" meant some layered dessert mom came up with, served in the traditional parfait glass (tall, but short-stemmed). "Yogurt Parfaits" are a more recognizable term, as yogurt companies took on the term, referring to their yogurts with fruity syrups on the bottom as "parfait". "Parfait" actually means "Perfect", and this dessert is pretty perfect!

Typically, the parfait is a frozen custard/ice cream kind of layered dessert, topped with a marachino cherry. So I suppose the Chocolate Banana Parfait is my own personal rendition. If I were to go more traditional and freeze the concoction, I'd slice the bananas thinner (for easier eating when frozen), and fold whipped cream into the cooled pudding mixture, to lighten it up for freezing. Either way, it is delicious.

Pesto: Tricks for Getting it Green

OK, not everyone has the opportunity to make endless batches of pesto on a regular basis, for over 25 years, in order to get in down right. I suppose the folks at "America's Test Kitchen" (who produce Cooks Illustrated magazine) come close. I know they really research their stuff. There's just one catch, and I can hardly blame them: They need for you to subscribe (for a fee) in order to access that wealth of information online. But of course. I sometimes really wonder if I can afford to post all my findings online for free. Admittedly, I have the hope of making of few cents off of Adsense revenue, and I continue with the hope of becoming a more well-known name in the home kitchen, always a plus for a cookbook author!

I suppose I will continue to post my findings. Yes, for free. Yes, in hopes of receiving a few perks. But mainly, just to spread the good word on how to cook. Every home cook could use a few tips from some pros. And I am 100% in support of home cooks striving to feed their families good, home-cooked meals. I think it helps reinforce the family unit, and I think for the most part it supplies much more nutrition that resorting to fast foods and prepared foods.

So what are the findings to share today? I have to post about pesto, upon seeing that today's MSN Delish Article is about "How to Make Pesto". I watched their video, and was suprised that they didn't even include pine nuts. Aren't pine nuts (or walnuts) a given in any authentic pesto recipe?! Not to mention, they add protein, healthy unsaturated oil, and other nutrients.

The MSN video demonstrated that you would process the basil, olive oil, salt, and parmesan all together. I have tried this. In my 25 years at The New Deli, I have actually tried every possible process of ingredients. And I have found that, for undoubtedly some scientific reason, if you initially process the parmesan with the basil, the basil seems to oxidize much quicker, turning brown much more easily. Actually, almost any other ingredient seems to react to the basil, perhaps because of the acidity of the ingredients. The best sure-fire way to insure the greenest possible pesto seems to be by first processing only the basil and olive oil. The olive oil is mildly alkaline, perhaps key in preserving the green.
So I first process the basil and olive oil by themselves. Maybe the olive oil fully coats the leaves this way, better protecting them from the other ingredients.

Yes, I've tried adding garlic first too, along with the basil and olive oil, again to the final product's detriment. Don't do it! Oh, and for a bit more nutrition, you can add spinach along with the basil at the very beginning. I personally love it. You can get more details about the recipe here. But for now, I have to actually go do some "real" work at The New Deli. Happy Eating!

Mexican Recipes Meet the Budget

It's no wonder we might seek a good Chili Relleno Recipe. In this economy, the chili relleno fits the profile: An economical recipe that doesn't cost too much to make. At a time when we might reserve that steak or other meat for special weekend meals, having an authentic, vegetarian-style Mexican recipe on hand for a change of pace is perfect.

My friend Stephie was asking if I had a good recipe, and actually, I do. But first, I researched and realized that many of the online recipe choices are for a "Chili Relleno Casserole". Well, that makes sense for some, since it's considerably easier to make a casserole. With the recipe I'm so fond of, you have to dip each pepper into the egg batter, and grill it in some cooking oil. Definitely more work than just layering ingredients in a casserole dish.

But oh, the authentic, Mexican-style Chili Relleno is so good! I suppose it's just a vehicle; a reason to ingest plenty of cheesy goodness with a side of sauciness. A true comfort food.

I used fresh Pasilla peppers for my last batch; they were trickier to peel, but the flavor and texture was great. For those who would choose a more time-saving approach, go for a 20-oz. can of whole green chilis. They are certainly more convenient. For big fans of Chili Rellenos (as my husband and I are), even the canned ones will create an enjoyable, hot meal. Deluxe.

NOT "Red Velvet Cake"

I remember researching "Red Velvet Cake Recipes" last year at this time, for Valentine's Day. I found this Tyler Florence Red Velvet Cake... I tried it, although mine didn't turn out red!

But I decided to play with the idea of making a healthy chocolate cake, and you can't get much healthier than beets. You can't really taste them in the cake, but it's moist and flavorful. I had to tweak Tyler Florence's recipe... I just didn't want all that spice mixed in with it. Pared with a traditional Red Velvet Cake Frosting, it was perfect. Humm... just in time for Valentine's Day!

Chicken Stock, or Water?

Humm, canned stock, homemade stock, concentrated stock, or just plain water?

Savory Choice Liquid Chicken Broth Concentrate sounds like a winner, if only because it's concentrated. After all, can you imagine the carbon footprint from transporting your typical chicken stock from factory to store to your home?! (When it's mostly water anyway?) Therefore, yes, why not get the concentrated stuff.

I keep pints of chicken stock in the freezer, and make some killer soups and sauces out of it, but the rest of the time, I do make plenty of vegetarian-style soups, using NO chicken stock. Yes, that means I cook the ingredients in water. But if you handle your ingredients right, you maximize the flavor, and don't miss the chicken stock. After a while, do you really taste that chicken stock anyway, if it's in everything you make?! I think I'm with Michael Ruhlman on this one!

Super Bowl Foods: Hummus Dip!

Hummus is practically going mainstream- it can now be found at Trader Joe's, and even a few grocery stores. It's finally getting its deserved recognition as a flavorful bean dip that's healthy too!

Used to be, I'd get a lot of funny looks if I brought hummus to a party. That would be followed by an explanation to the query, "What is it?" A simple explanation: "It's a Mideastern style bean dip." Ah, then folks could nod. Bean dip- that's not too wacky!

It's good to see a renewed interest in healthy foods made with simple, whole food ingredients. Back in the 70's, I'd really gotten into the vegetarian "scene", reading up on the (then-ground-breaking) info laid out in "Diet for a Small Planet". It's good to know that more current research has revealed that it's not necessary to get the ratios of beans to grains to nuts to seeds in such exact quantities at any given meal, as was proposed in the original book, to give a person adequate protein. Later studies proved that the body is able to pull proteins together even if some of the components are eaten at different meals on any given day. Whew! Way back then, I'd actually tried to get the ratios down, on the foods I was preparing, to insure that hubby and I would get our full quota of protein. It was a limiting formula for someone who loved to cook!

I've noticed that my Hummus Recipe is getting a lot of hits lately. There must be a few others thinking like me: Hummus would be perfect to bring to a Super Bowl Party! But why go to a recipe page? Why not just go to Trader Joe's? I'll tell you why: It's a whole lot cheaper to make your own! Also, I like that I can pick up dry organic garbanzo beans at the health food store, and make my organic hummus economically. Yes, you can use canned beans; it is quite a time-saver if you haven't planned ahead. But if you can plan ahead, simply cook up those garbanzos some evening when you can let them simmer for hours until tender. It doesn't take much effort, at least. Once they're cooked up, you drain 'em and just process them until smooth. And a pound of those garbanzos makes quite a bit more than any can. I just freeze some of the extra; I leave some of them whole, freeze little packets of them, and add them to salads as needed.

There's more to the hummus recipe; a key ingredient is the sesame butter. Now that's where a person can get hung up. Tracking down sesame butter can sometimes be quite a task (also sometimes called "tahini"). Health food stores should carry it, but an easy alternative is to substitute sesame oil for the sesame butter. At least it will give you all the flavor you'd hoped for, even if it isn't quite as authentic. (Most people wouldn't notice.)

There are a few other tricks to making hummus. I like to have a slight citrus bite to mine, which isn't really accomplished just by adding lemon juice. So I process some fresh garlic with some lemon rind first (before adding the cooked beans); I cut a thin layer of peel off of the lemon, which is easier on my knuckles than zesting it with a zester. I'll be processing the mix anyways, so why not, right?

A lot of recipes call for additional seasoning; cumin powder is a popular one (as seen in this recipe). Yes, there are variations. Add spices to suit your tastes, or just go with the refreshing flavor of lemon, sesame, and garlic. Make the whole snack even healthier by using toasted pita triangles for dipping.

I found it interesting to see this presentation of hummus, given the great fear many people have of "fat". Olive oil is often added, in a little pool in the center, to Middle Eastern dips. Folks may get concerned about exceeding their fat quota of the day, and yet they might not think twice about chowing down any number of foods loaded with hidden fat (Starbucks drinks, chips, to name just a few). And yet olive oil is actually something our bodies can use: Oil in a form that will nourish! Another important feature about olive oil: It is so satisfying. Are we ever really ahead in our battle of the bulge, if we're eating pounds of non-fat processed foods (because it has "no fat")?!?! A few tasty morsels of something like hummus (complete with its olive oil and tahini) can be so much more satisfying (as mentioned in "Hummus Diet: Because it Works!").

Well, I really won't care too much who wins on Super Bowl Sunday. Just give me my hummus and I'll be happy!

How to Afford Organic

Can we afford organic? Yes! I've managed to stay in my budget, just by choosing carefully.

Eric Burkett discusses the challenge of buying organic in this economy, in his article today. While we might be switching over to less expensive organic foods, we're still looking for organic. But how does one switch to less expensive foods? What foods give us the most bang for the buck?

If you consider the energy value (calories) of any given food, you realize that some foods are far costlier, pound for pound. Fruits and veggies contain more water, whereas whole grains and beans multiply in weight many times over, once cooked. That's where your value is: Organic whole grains and beans are sold at a reasonable price, considering that you pay for the dry weight, but net a greater yield from them once they're cooked.

We aren't quite to Irish Potato Famine status, but when finances are tightening, we can appreciate the frugality (even a forced frugality) of buying true staples. An organic zucchini or peach or red pepper might add color and interest to a meal, but won't quite qualify when their value and cost is weighed. I load up on organic potatoes, winter squashes, onions and carrots during my monthly stops to my favorite health food store; they're always the cheapest of the produce picks, they last well, and I get a lot of mileage out of them, adding them in various forms to a number of meals.

I also stock up on organic beans, grains, and nuts, which form the base of most of our meals. Typically, anything that's been processed at all (including boxed cereals) will be pricier than their whole food cousins. So we eat oatmeal every day! Ah, but we add a variety of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds, to keep it interesting. Buying organic is a privilege, and buying organic on a budget is wise; we end up eating more foods that are minimally processed, and that's a good thing!

Healthy Foods to Eat Daily: Almonds Too!

More foodie news today: Blueberries, spinach, butternut squash, eggs, and apples are all on the list of healthy foods to eat daily. The Mayo Clinic site adds a few more (including almonds, red beans, wheat germ, broccoli, salmon). Improve your brain, your heart, your health!

As noted in the second list, almonds deserve ranking. The "World's Healthiest Foods" website goes into detail about a lot of "health" food, including almonds. Almonds are quite impressive. They are good for reducing cholesterol (no great surprise there, being that they are full of unsaturated fats), but are also antioxidants (thanks to the natural Vitamin E), and are great for heart health in general (compliments of the potassium, calcium, and manganese).The flavonoids found in the almond skin seem to have a synergistic effect, working with the other nutrients found in nuts, to improve the heart-healthy benefits even more. Then there's the trace minerals to consider... what a power-house of nutrition we have here!

For diabetics (and the rest of us too), almonds lower the glycemic index of any meal, decreasing the rise in blood sugar that can occur after eating. For those trying to stay fit, a handful of almonds can curb the appetite. I am amazed at how any cravings I may have are silenced by a handful of these wonderful nuts. It works! In a study published by the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, it was noted that the group eating almonds as part of their weight-loss regimen had a greater, more-sustained weight loss than the control group. I'm not surprised.

I think part of the beauty of almonds is that they don't take any extra effort or preparation to eat. As is is fine. I'm in the habit of soaking 2-3 TBS. of almonds every morning, for the next morning's breakfast. If I need one of my almond snacks later in the day, I often rob the soaked nuts (replenishing, so I'll still have more almonds in the morning). But according to personal preferences: Almonds are a tasty, healthy food, either raw, raw and soaked, slivered, sliced, or toasted. Full of protein and a practically endless array of other things, we'd all do well to include some in our diet.

To Soak, or Not to Soak?

I just found a helpful article addressing any concerns over phytates in various whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Check it out here.

I had been so excited to read about the value of soaking nuts and grains for 8 hours or so, which can get rid of the phytates (also known as enzyme inhibitors, which can affect digestion). But the latest article I've found mentions the plus side of those phytates. Yes, they are enzyme inhibitors, but also: They can bind to excess minerals in our system. This is a valuable service, considering that excess iron generates free radicals in our bodies.

Phytates also act as antioxidents. Conclusion: It might be good to soak some grains and nuts, as this will break down phytates, allowing for easier digestion. This breakdown of phytates will also occur in breads (due to the yeast/fermentation process), and when grains, seeds, or nuts are toasted or cooked. However: It might also be good to eat some nuts and seeds without the soaking process, just plain and raw. Yes, there will be phytates in such foods. But they will act as antioxidents, and they will bind up any excess minerals.

Ah, a perfect world!

Cookie Bakers: One Simple Tip

MSN Delish foodie headlines: 15 Chocolate Cookies! Which made me ponder: What is my favorite chocolate cookie recipe? And I also realized that I should post about one simple tip for cookie bakers: It's about the baking soda and salt.

But first, let me explain the reasoning behind the tip. Some 25 years ago, in our early New Deli days, we discovered that, depending on who made the cookie dough, any one sheet might have a few cookies that had obviously gotten too much baking soda in them; they would be spread out all over. (And, the rest of the cookies might not spread quite enough.) I realized that the baking soda had not gotten mixed in properly; not everyone will patiently blend the salt and soda thoroughly into the other dry ingredients.

I also knew that the baking soda (or powder), mixed into the dry ingredients, is typically stirred in last of all, so that the cookie (or other dessert) will benefit from the leavening power of that soda. If it's mixed in too soon, into the wet ingredients, it starts working immediately, and thus loses some of those leavening properties.

Solution? Here's the tip, and it works great at our deli, saving us the extra step of mixing baking soda and salt into the dry ingredients first: Simply add the salt and soda at the last minute, to the creamed sugar/butter/egg mixture. Blend the creamed mixture a bit more to fully incorporate the baking soda and salt, finally stirring the flour in just until mixed. Result: The baking soda is well-mixed into the dough, and the flour can be just barely stirred in last (to insure a lighter dough). It's a perfect time-saver!

Meanwhile, as to what my favorite chocolate cookie recipe is, I'd have to say, Oatmeal Cookies, made with whole grains and millet, win out; perfect for those who love some crunch. They're not a chewy cookie, but rather serve a purpose more like stress balls and nails (for nail-biters): They crunch! I love 'em!

Today's Headlines: "Praise the Braise"

Slow cookers are becoming all the rage. I've made my share of meals in my "slow cooker"; favorites are a Beef Bourguignon recipe, and a Beef Stroganoff recipe. I suppose the cheaper cuts of meat (chuck roast and the like) are popular to use in slow cooker recipes, as the slow cooking time allows these otherwise tougher cuts of meat to become nice and tender.

But it is interesting to watch the trends in the food industry. Just like clothing fashions, one method or another takes center stage, and everyone's encouraged to get the latest gadgets, to keep up with the trends. But good, basic cooking never goes out of style! So what gadgets are worthy of our investment?

I actually, technically, never owned a "slow cooker". I had a crock pot, given as a wedding gift over 30 years ago. But the term "crock pot" hasn't been so popular, having become associated with something outdated mothers used for a time, only to stuff away in a back cupboard as newer, cooler gadgets came along.

Ah, and now a new generation is investing in their slow cookers (aka crock pots), tackling "new" recipes with enthusiastic fervor. Regardless of what you call it, the slow cooker/crock pot truly is a handy tool. Given the hectic schedules of the many working mothers out there, it makes sense to throw a few ingredients together in the morning, to have a finished meal when everyone makes it back home.

Also, those tougher cuts of meats are actually loaded with flavor. Tender, pricier cuts may cut through like butter, and can be prepared more quickly, given that they can be served more rare. But it's the less fatty meats (containing more muscle) that have the best beef flavor. At our deli, we cook a huge Rump Roast; it may not be the most tender cut, but it's tender enough once we've sliced it paper-thin. It's the best of both worlds! Plenty of flavor, and tender even when medium rare. For the rest of you folk, without a Hobart meat slicer, a slow cooker will do just fine.

Putting Dinner on the Table FAST

Over the holidays, I made a huge batch of this Polenta. (And I mean huge: We fed 250 women at our church's annual Women's Christmas Dinner.)

My husband and I are too resourceful to throw leftovers away; I froze portions of the polenta, and we've been taking these "polenta bricks" out of the freezer any time we need a quick dinner.

I serve the polenta with whatever sauce I might have on hand... It helps to make big batches of sauces, as they can keep quite well too. My favorite is a simple one of chicken stock, lemon, and wine, boiled down some into a flavorful sauce, with a bit of garlic added near the end.

I would not have known just how well polenta freezes, if we hadn't had several pans of it leftover, but it really does! I highly recommend it, for anyone looking for ways to save time in the kitchen. Make a huge batch, and freeze some. I made mine with organic, whole grain, medium-fine corn meal (available in the bulk section at Raleys and other larger grocery stores), so I know it's plenty nutritious too. (I wanted to avoid the degerminated kind.)

And for those of us on a budget (like me, trying to maximize our dollar value when we were buying 25 lb. for the women's dinner), "corn meal" is the way to go. I did a taste test, making several batches of polenta ahead of time, trying to determine if the "polenta" corn meal was any better than the product just called "corn meal". There was no difference in taste! Just a big difference in price- most of the polenta was five times more costly than its corn meal cousin.

If you try the recipe, you may find slight variations in how thick or thin your polenta turns out, depending on whether you use fine or coarser corn meal, and how much water you decide to add. For the big event, we added the full amount of water, so ours was softer- it's good either way though! I hope you try it!

Perfect Party Pleasers: Healthy Appetizers

After all the heavy foods of the holidays, some lighter fare is in order. These refreshing, flavorful appetizers are great for munching, and look gorgeous arranged on a platter in a floral/petal design.

The appetizer recipe is here: Belgian Endive Appetizer. I'm amazed at how quickly this goes when I've served it at parties. (After all, we can stand to ignore those chips and dips come January, can't we?! But something fresh and healthy? Go for it!)

You can follow that recipe above, or you can wing it- just mix a bit of cream cheese and blue cheese together for the spread; cheat a little and get Trader Joe's caramelized walnuts if you don't want to have to caramelize your own. Find Belgian Endive at most grocery stores; also known as hearts of endive. Who said eating light can't be tasty?

Super Bowl Sunday: Chili, of Course!

This is my favorite comfort food, and it's healthy too: Vegetarian Chili made with Black Beans*. I'm having some for dinner tonight. Oh so good.

The cool thing is, I made a huge pot of it, and I'll freeze some. It will be highly convenient come Super Bowl Sunday. Somehow, by the time the weekend comes, we're doing other chores, or visiting friends and family, and I really don't want to be slaving over the stove. So I make up big batches of stuff like this on the weekdays.

I remember (years and years ago) trying the original recipe I had for Black Bean Chili, out of the Cafe Beaujolias Cookbook. It was pretty tasty, but I quickly discovered that, in making giant batches of it in The New Deli kitchen, the recipe would need some tweaking. Some of the deli girls would try to keep stirring the mix as it simmered away, but it was far too easy for the bottom of the pot to scorch. So we started sauteeing the onions and garlic in a separate iron pan, cooking the black beans in a giant pot of hot water, and adding tomato paste last of all, after draining off the excess bean water. Adding the tomato paste was much easier than adding canned tomatoes to the chili and trying to simmer it down.

We all have our favorite chilis, I suppose. I was just reading about adding a square of unsweetened baking chocolate to chili- it's supposed to bring out the chili flavor. I want to try that next! And I suppose I'll have to make some Traditional Chili soon- another favorite in our house...

* Found in From the Land of Milk and Honey, by Jennifer Cote (that's me!)

"Creamy Potato Soup"

I was so excited Tuesday morning. Monday morning, I'd casually posted for the first time on an MSN food news page; I mentioned "Creamy Potato Soup", quite the favorite in our 24 years at The New Deli.

Well, that really struck a chord, apparently. When I checked the stats at my website Tuesday AM, just like I always do, I figured I'd see an average tally. New visitors to the pccuisine.com website average maybe 350 or so per day, and that's about what I expected again.

I certainly didn't expect to discover that I'd had 2,700 visitors the day before!! I was so excited! I had so many happy thoughts, of how I'd finally found an audience- just average people looking for one really good soup recipe (as opposed to the more selective audience that wants a hundred different options). More happy thoughts about how a lot of people must have been excited to be hearing from a "pro" in the culinary field, eager to read up on this "Jennifer Cote" person. Visions of the name "The New Deli" becoming synonymous with all that is upcoming and cool: Going Green, Going Local, Getting Back to Whole Food Ingredients, Etc. Etc...

Well, I then discovered, written in the fine print for MSN's subscribers, that a person wasn't really supposed to post comments that mentioned links to other pages. Ah, but of course. MSN's Delish, and many other sites, prefer to have their readers stay on their pages, so they can make their income off the revenue generated by each page view. They don't want anyone pointing in any other directions!

By today, I'd realized that my comment on Creamy Potato Swiss Soup had in fact been removed. Sigh. I guess I shall now wallow, like so many other cooks out there trying to make a name for themselves, in the obscurity of the massive, giant pool, very full of very little fish (like me)...

But it was fun while it lasted :)

My Favorite Soup Recipe (Healthy, Too!)

After eight days of food abandon (aren't vacations great?), it's no wonder I'm starting to crave simple, nourishing foods that will help me get back on track. Barley Mushroom Soup fits the bill, full of whole grain goodness! We've tried many soups in our 24 years at The New Deli, but this has proven to be a classic.

One soup that my friend always encouraged me to make: Vegetable Rice Soup. She loved it! But it had one serious problem: If the rice is added to the whole pot of soup, it will only take an hour or so before those innocent little rice grains have sucked all the moisture out of the broth, leaving one with a pot of mush. Lifeless, texture-less grains of mush...

We finally realized that we could make some fine bowls of Vegetable Rice Soup if we cooked the rice separately, adding a small scoop of it to the bowl at serving time. I suppose that's why my recipe for classic gumbo suggested adding the rice to the bowl just before ladling in the soup.

But that's the beauty of Barley Soup. The barley retains its texture! I can make a big pot of it, and reheat bowls of it days later, and it still has that great, satisfying bite. Do try it, if you're looking for a healthy soup recipe... (See recipe here.)

What's New in 2010

I guess we'll all be wracking our brains to discover what we might do to make 2010 a good year. On this New Year's Day, after wading through my emails, I started unsubscribing from a few things. I think I was receiving the recipe of the day from five or more online foodie havens, but really, do I need more inspiration?

This year, my hope is to draw my inspiration from the local produce, the healthy whole food grains and beans in my pantry, and continue to bring out the family favorites. I think it would be defeating the purpose for me to get so caught up in trying every latest and greatest recipe, that the family ends up not getting our favorites.

My favorite recipes usually become family favorites as I learn how to make them fairly effortlessly; they're usually pretty healthy too. I'm not knocking the creative cook who tries new things. I will continue to try new things myself. I just think I may need to refocus my priorities this year. With a few grandkids now added to the roster, who seem to enjoy a lot of the old, classic recipes with new relish, why should I bend over backwards as if impressing the weary, sophisticated palate of the worldly?! After all, when we're good and hungry, doesn't it all taste good?!

Healthy Fudge

I've already posted recently about fudge. (You can find traditional fudge recipes, and quick and easy fudge recipes, and even peanut butter fudge recipes, at my website.) But what about a super-healthy Fudge recipe? What?! Super healthy?! Yes! For any raw foodie enthusiasts out there: You may appreciate my latest fudge recipe.

I know I'll be living on it when we're on our annual Christmas holiday. Everyone else will be pulling out the See's candy, I'm sure. But I'll try to find a bit more sustenance in my healthy fudge reserves...

My friend Carol inspired this recipe. Hers calls for chocolate chips and carob powder, but since I had a 5 lb. bag of my raw cacao nibs on hand, I thought I'd tweak her recipe and take it a step further into the "healthy" category. Made with some super-deluxe Coconut Cream Concentrate... Check out the recipe- you might love it as much as me!

Growing Green: A New Deli Christmas

This year, I'm getting The New Deli some Christmas presents: A few new New Deli tees, and perhaps another set of these wonderful Sprout Master Sprouting Kits. We use quite a few sprouts at the deli, and it would be nice to have new sprouts beginning already, as we use up the last crop...

Sprouting our own seeds has been going so well with the first kit I bought; I'm ready to expand my production! I love not being at the mercy of store-bought sprouts. If there's been a sprout-growing problem, suddenly no sprouts are available. And the ones at most grocery stores are gross. So old... no wonder some people think they don't like sprouts. Not to mention, they can be expensive.

But I can order my 5-lb. box of organic sprout seeds from my health food store and save humongously on my costs! (You can also order online from "The Sprout House".) Check it out. The Sprout Mastercomes in all sizes, and is worth every penny!

Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen

I saw the Fudge Headlines on my MSN news page bright and early this morning. The "Vanilla Rose Fudge" sounds like an interesting recipe. I think I would add a touch of my Turkish Rose Otto oil to it (or Rose Water, if you have that on hand). My mom made an awesome rose-scented fondant for my sister-in-law's wedding cake. It was deluxe. Why not add a hint of that to the fudge? How romantic...

I also saw posted: "Martha Stewart's Perfect Fudge". It sounds a lot like the one I've got posted here: Quick and Easy Fudge Recipes". Except, of course, that I don't "use a pastry brush to push granules from sides of pan"... No time for that in my kitchen! But happily, it still turns out great. I see that Martha incorporates the use of a standing mixer, to mix the cooled-off fudge to the right consistency. Back in the early days (you know, before microwaves and refrigerators, ha), my Betty Crocker book told me to stand there beating the fudge with a wooden spoon for 10 minutes. I guess it's good exercise, but sometimes, I don't have time for that either!

I'm also partial to "Homemade Toffee". Tastes super deluxe, and I can make it in under 10 minutes flat. Very cool, and it makes perfect gifts for Christmas gift-giving, or as a simple hostess present.

Happy Holiday Baking to all!

Talk Turkey To Me!

OK, this is the glam shot- turkey cooked breast-side-up, wings, drums in position...
But if you want some moist, flavorful breast meat, try cooking the bird breast-side down. The meat will be especially tender, as all the cooking juices will flow down, keeping it moist.

And there's more turkey pointers besides. For those of us on a budget, who just can't afford an all-natural, organic turkey, frozen really does work. Just try the upside-down-cooking tip. Also, try baking the stuffing separately. Stuffing it into the turkey will slow down the cooking process; the turkey will take longer to get up to temperature, and may turn out a bit drier.

Another tip: Let the turkey rest before slicing. More juices will be reabsorbed that way. And you can leave some of the meat in chunks, if it won't be served right away. Wrapped up tight with plastic wrap, it can easily be sliced thin after it is refrigerated; perfect for leftovers, sandwiches, etc.!

No Hill of Beans

We needed a colorful side dish to go with the traditional menu for a catering job over Thanksgiving week, and discovered a great comfort food in the process. I wanted a dish that didn't use canned beans or mushroom soup or french onion rings. So I started with some fresh green beans (although frozen would work), sauteeing the beans until tender. I added caramelized onions to the mix (a large quantity to start, as they shrink down) and some slivered toasted almonds. The caramelized onion added so much flavor, and the almonds added just a bit of crunch. No artificial flavorings, no canned or processed foods in the dish, and it was great! We kept it warm for hours, feeding several work crews, and the dish got even tastier as it simmered. Try this dish for a healthy change of pace!

Locavores: An Economical Solution!

Check this out: thefarmersgarden.com. A resource for Locavores!

Why?! As anyone with a full-grown fruit tree knows, plentiful harvests abound. Every year, we start picking our Fujis and Granny Smith apples, stockpiling them in boxes, storing them in the walk-in at our deli...

Every year, the basket upon basket of persimmons line our kitchen counter, overflowing into other arrangements in the dining room, even living room...

Avocados ripen faster than we can eat them, even when we're using 5 or 10 a day at the deli...

You get the picture! We try to give a lot away. We try to make a lot of apple crisp. We try to eat our way through the fresh fruit...

We've set baskets of produce out at the deli, offering it to anyone who comes along. But today, I just received a lovely email from a true visionary: Maureen Farmer of thefarmersgarden.com. She has created a website I would describe as a Craigslist for produce-lovers. For locals. You just enter in your zip code, and you can discover others in your immediate area who may have surpluses to share. Barter is a common option, but there's also the opportunity on the site to specify if you have produce you'd like to donate.

I'm passing this along to one of my favorite local charities: Richmond Rescue Mission. How cool it would be for information to be easily accessible for such organizations, for them to be able to take advantage of the produce available (that might well go to waste otherwise).

I can envision programs even being set up, whereby folks in dire need might be sent by the mission (or other organizations), to harvest that excess produce, that it might benefit others. I'm sure many of us have brainstormed about the need to reduce waste, to share what we have. I've wondered how one would make this all feasible.

Now that I've found this website, I'm encouraged that the solution might be at hand. For it to best work, those of us that are able ought to frequent the site and use the resources. Spread the word, peeps!

Pumpkin Pie Gone Light

What a glorious experiment! I was trying out a chiffon pumpkin pie recipe, but was determined to figure out some shortcuts. And, to save some money. Last time I had bought cookies for a chocolate-cookie-crumb crust, it had set me back a bit. Pepperidge Farms seemed to be my only source, and they weren't cheap. Plus, what was I supposed to do with the extra cookies?! As a health-conscious mom, I didn't really want to leave extra cookies laying around (to add to our waist lines...). We eat desserts for special occasions, but... not all the time!
In any case, I found a solution. The original recipe had called for a gingersnap crust, made from gingersnap cookies. So I tried a simple, crushed cracker crumb instead, seasoned with a bit of extra sugar, molasses and ginger. It really tasted like a "gingersnap" crust! We loved it!
As I wrote up the recipe for this chiffon pumpkin pie, I realized it is no simple task to make a chiffon pie. There's the gelatin to soften, the whites to whip, etc. But oh, the results were worth it. I incorporated my own shortcuts (like microwaving some of the mixture, so I wouldn't have to watch so carefully over the pot warming over the stove). Check out the recipe here!

Any Next Food Network Stars Out There?

I'm curious how many of us bothered to fill out an application this year. Initially, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I'm actually too busy to usually watch shows like, "The Next Food Network Star". But a friend of mine is a fan of the show, and she had decided I would be a perfect candidate. With her encouragement, I went ahead and filled out the application, did my 3-minute video, and hoped for the best.

It's no small task to pull everything together. And it's quite a gift to get on camera and "seem" natural, even when it feels quite un-natural to have your every sound and movement taped.

And now I'm curious as to how many other folks are floating around out there, running across this little post on "trying out for The Next Food Network Star". If you've discovered this post, I do hope you'll leave a comment!

Trying out gave me a new appreciation for those candidates that work so hard to get on the show. I can hardly imagine the pressure they get put under to perform under such stress. Yes, we get stress in the food business every time a big event or a big lunch rush comes along and we have to pull something off in a hurry. But I suspect the demands on those candidates is more like lunch-rush-squared.

Some friends have been so optimistic and encouraging, asking me somewhat regularly if I've heard from the Food Network. Surely the network would be knocking at my door and ringing my phone, just as soon as they got my application and saw my little video, right?! Well, I wasn't so sure of that myself. And as the cut-off time approaches (candidates would be notified by the end of November), I suppose quite a few of us will resign ourselves to less-glamorous roles. We will continue on in our humble positions as real-life cooks, doing everyday stuff and feeding our families. But if everyone was a "star", who would do the real cooking?!

Thanksgiving: Thank God for a Tasty Turkey

I recently discovered just how awesome it is to brine meats. I've done marinades before, but brining is a bit different. Think of it as if you're brewing an intensely flavorful tea; you add herbs, salt, and perhaps a touch of sugar, to boiling water and let it steep. The flavors come out fully. You then cool the mixture, and soak your bird or what-have-you, in the cooled liquid brine for 10-24 hours. It doesn't take any longer than that. But it amazes me how much flavor it imparts to the meat!

I have one recipe that details how to make a brine for a certain chicken dish; I'm going to multiply it to make enough for the Thanksgiving turkey, adding my own favorite blend of sage, rosemary, and poultry seasoning (instead of the called-for Italian seasoning). Another recipe I've seen online, posted by Rouxbe Foodie, calls for 1/2 c. salt for 3 quarts water. I use more like 3 TBS. salt for that quantity of water, and it still seems to be enough. Special note: This whole brine idea is not meant for the already-seasoned, pre-salted turkeys often available. This recipe will best work on a natural turkey that doesn't have the additives.

I've got more recipes on my website, like for a Thanksgiving Stuffing Recipe. (Don't we all have our favorites?) But this year, I think I'll bake the stuffing in a separate dish. I've become convinced that the dinner will be even tastier. And easier! After all, isn't digging that stuffing out of the bird at the last minute one of the trickier maneuvers in presenting that meal?! I've heard that by stuffing the turkey, it takes even longer to reach temperature, meaning that some of the meat gets more dry. So why am I bothering?! The extra stuffing I had in a bowl last year was extra tasty without being actually stuffed in the bird. The top got a wonderful crust to it (for those of us who love that), and the rest was nice and moist, as usual.

In any case, Happy Thanksgiving to all! It's coming right up!

Caramel Apples: Home-made from Scratch

Caramel Apples... it's one of our traditions around Halloween. Maybe it's because I start seeing the pre-fab ones offered at the grocery store. I'm reminded of the super tasty ones I might have had in the past, at state fairs or at specialty candy shops. What a perfect combination of crisp, tart and sweet!

In the past, I've grabbed a bag of Kraft caramels, excited to go home and make some of my own. What a disappointment- it's not the same! My mom said, "Oh, you have to make your own caramel." And she proceeded to show me how to caramelize sugar.

I ended up posting a video of How to Caramelize Sugar. It can help to see how it's done. Once you've done it a few times, it's pretty easy. It's so easy that we often make some caramel sauce at the last minute, to add to ice cream for a deluxe dessert. It's so easy that we caramelize walnuts every few days at the deli, to add to our most popular "Chicken Salad w/ Walnuts".

If you haven't tried caramelizing sugar yet, if you haven't tried making your own Caramel Apples yet, perhaps the time is now!

Beets Me!

I just posted a Borscht recipe, and am looking forward to making it again soon. The color is so crazy intense, it might scare a few people, but... beets are so good! And so good for you. (Just check out the article here.)

My mom used to make us beets, but I remember what a hassle it was to boil them (for like, forever), then run cold water over them to get the skins off. I finally discovered how handy it was to wrap the beets in foil and bake them in the oven. You can peel them before or afterward, and yes, they're still a bit messy, but by baking them, no flavor (or nutrition) is lost to the cooking water. You can then go on to add them to a soup (like this Borscht), or julienne to add to a salad, or just serve as a side veggie. So good!

Beets were quite the discovery for me. Twenty-some years ago, when I was first pregnant, my doctor wanted to prescribe iron pills to address my anemia. My friend at the health food store said it was hard to absorb the iron in iron supplements, and that they'd probably just mess with my digestion. She suggested an awesome beet product (check out this: Dr. Schoenenberger Red Beet Crystals Powder). My doctor wasn't horribly impressed with my "natural solution", but I switched from him to a certified nurse midwife, who looked at my charts and said, "How did you get your iron levels up?!" I told her about the beet juice crystals; now she was impressed. A happy solution to the anemia problem.

After my pregnancies, I gave up the beet crystals. But a few years ago, I discovered I was still quite anemic, and had a seriously low thyroid... I started getting cases of organic beets, juicing them every morning for about a year. Oh boy- what a process! But hey, I think I got healthy fast (my health had really gone downhill with the thyroid problem). Yes, I do have to take some natural thyroid, but my iron levels have much improved. With the winter season coming, I'm considering ordering another case of beets. If nothing else, I've at least got to make some of this Borscht!

Casting Call: Best Artichokes Winner!

We've been looking for the ideal artichokes for years at The New Deli. I've tried a lot of approaches in my search for the most flavorful, the most economical.

This search began when we started offering a sandwich special with roasted red peppers and marinated artichokes on it. I knew we couldn't afford to use the little jars of pre-marinated artichokes on the sandwiches, so I started ordering giant 7 lb. cans of artichokes, draining the liquid off and adding our homemade Italian dressing. They were pretty good, and reasonably priced.

Of course, the home cook can't use a 7-lb. can. We could hardly use that much at the deli! I had to start freezing portion-sizes of the artichokes, so they would keep longer. All the while, I was somewhat disappointed in the flavor and texture of those artichokes. Certainly they were nothing like the fresh artichokes I boil and eat down to the heart, enjoying every leaf...

More recently, I've been playing around with potential recipes for our church's annual Women's Christmas Dinner. We've zeroed in on an exciting recipe for Italian Chicken w/ Artichokes and Sun-dried Tomato (Recipe Posted Here). But once again, the question arises: What are the best sources for our ingredients, to make the best meal possible?

Well, recently the canned artichoke hearts were out of stock, and I'd remembered someone once mentioning frozen artichoke hearts. I discovered some at Trader Joes that were at least as good of a deal as any in a can. I tried 'em out this weekend. Oh. My. Goodness- at last I had discovered the flavor and texture I'd been looking for! So I'm super-excited about sharing my finds with my kitchen-committee buddies. I'm hoping my deli supplier might offer bulk quantities of frozen artichokes (to feed 250 hungry women); otherwise, I might be buying out Trader Joe's supply...

Check out frozen artichoke hearts. They haven't been sitting in a can of salted water as the flavor gets leeched out of them and the texture becomes uniformly soft... I'm sure you'll be happy with the results!

Easiest Polenta Recipe Ever!

It's taken me years to work up to making polenta. My mom's made it plenty of times, but she slaved over the stove, stirring and stirring. I just knew that wouldn't work for me. I was determined to come up with the easiest possible recipe, and I think I did it! I posted my Creamy Polenta Recipe this morning, and I'm ready to make a new batch. I love how easy it is.

If I'm more ambitious, I might add more exotic toppings. The last time I made it, I served it with grilled veggies and Italian-style Chicken. It was deluxe.

In my experiments, I discovered it was far easier to pour the boiling water into the corn meal, stirring constantly. So smooth! And microwaving it was easy; I did stir it every minute or two for 20 minutes, but the results were worth it. For less stirring, you can actually bake the dish instead- 375 degrees for 40 minutes. It needs a stir halfway through, but 40 minutes from start time, it's done. Either way, microwave or oven, the sour cream, parmesan, cream and butter (or olive oil) are added last. Melts in your mouth!

A friend was wondering about the prospects of making the polenta ahead of time. Yes you can! Of course one can do as many do, and grill slices of the set-up polenta at the last minute. But sometimes, one wants to be freer to socialize at any given event. In that case, yes, the polenta can be made ahead of time, and simply microwaved (or re-warmed in the oven), to return it again to its softer, creamier state. In our family, we like it all ways :)

For those that prefer more texture, the coarser polenta grain is available; I personally love to use fine corn meal from the health food store. Yes- it's non-degerminated! My husband, bless his heart- he tries to grasp this cooking stuff, since that's my life, but he didn't really know the deal about degerminated. He was doing the shopping, and found the right stuff, but he had wondered about the term, suspecting that the non-degerminated had somehow not germinated into some other form. I explained that, like the wheat germ found in whole-grain whole wheat, "non-degerminated" just means it still has that nutritious corn germ in it. Yes, it can go rancid quicker (which is probably why they like to process it more for grocery stores), but I get smaller amounts and store it in my fridge in the mean time.

The amazing thing about polenta: It's a vehicle, allowing whatever flavors you add to be dispersed throughout every bite. The sum is greater than the parts; it's as if the polenta amplifies the flavors. I've tried some with just butter added last- the whole thing tasted like pure butter! Yum.

Homemade Caramel- The Only Way to Go!

You've got to love this time of year. The apples are ripening, and when we've eaten enough of them fresh off the tree, I know it's now time to get out the sugar and cream and make some caramel apples too. Try this easy recipe! If you've never caramelized sugar, it's high time you tried. Just remember: Sugar's cheap. If by chance your first batch doesn't quite work, just soak the pan in water for 20 minutes, and try again.

Not that I don't think you can't have perfect success at this. It really isn't that tricky, once you've done it. Then you can move on... to Caramel Sauce for Ice Cream Sundaes, Caramelized Chicken for Chicken Salad, Caramel Oatmeal Bars...

And everyone will love you for it! Waaaay better than Kraft :)

Spaghetti and Meatballs: Crowd Pleaser!

After making hundreds and hundreds of meatballs for a recent catering gig, I figured I'd make some for the deli to use on a meatball sandwich. What a hit! I just got around to posting my Spaghetti and Meatball Recipe at my website- check it out :)

Healthy Appetizers, Anyone?

After sending my sister-in-law home with a jar of my favorite Coconut Cream Concentrate (from Tropical Traditions), I'm inspired to mention one of my favorite dips: Pineapple Coconut Dip.

Maybe it's for selfish reasons that I like to put out some healthy snacks to compete with the other chips and dips that might be at any given buffet table. I just want to be able to munch on something natural and healthy myself! And these spears always perk up the table too- they add freshness and color.

The dip is easy enough, with a cream cheese base. It uses frozen pineapple juice concentrate for sweetness, and coconut cream concentrate adds even more flavor. Plus, coconut's healthy, helping the immune system and giving the metabolism a boost. Check out this recipe, and make your next party brighter!

Impress Your Friends?!

I've been making recipes at our deli for years. For soups and various main dishes, stews and the like, I've often found a base of onion, carrot, and celery works quite well. Adds flavor, and the carrots add color.

Well, as interest in French cooking as been piqued by that popular movie of late, Julie and Julia, I was excited to find that the mix of veggies has a fancy name: Mirepoix. My French-speaking husband explains that that's M-Y-A P-W-aw... (or something like that). (This is going to take some practice.)

If you're choosing to make a white sauce (fond blanc), you would use parsnips in place of carrot, to keep the color pale.

I'm so excited! I'm not just going to make chicken with sauce for dinner today! I will make a mirepoix, sauteeing that in butter and olive oil, adding chicken stock and white wine. I might make something like Chicken Fricassee (like mom used to make), but hey, I can call it Fricassée De Poulet À L’Ancienne and have it sound even more impressive.

I chanced on a Fricassee recipe this morning; it sounds intriguing. A mix of egg yolk, butter and cream thickens the sauce at the end, after cooking/simmering everything else together. Yum!

A Friend Asks About Health...

I am feeling pretty healthy these days. My niece asked me for details... next thing you know, I'd emailed her a long page-full! Here it is:

I am just amazed at what Americans think are good foods! I don't mean to complain; I just think there's been mass programming in the form of commercials (got milk?)... People come into the deli, order a processed meat sandwich on our "wheat" bread, and think they're being healthy. They might add on a high-fructose drink on top of that...

"Whole Wheat Bread" is kind of a joke, if you look at the labels. It almost always is primarily white flour (which really does come from "wheat", so it can actually say it's "wheat flour"). Some whole grain wheat flour might be added; the most crucial ingredient is the addition of caramel coloring, to give it that healthy, whole-grain, golden color.

Even if it was made with 100% Whole Grain Wheat Flour, there is still the gluten to consider. Americans get gluten practically everywhere they go.

I do eat bread occasionally. Mostly on special occasions. Even white bread- I don't sweat it because I'm not eating it all the time. Guys can process more food in general, so it's not as big an issue for them. But for women who are not eating that big a quantity, I think it's important to make it count, nutritionally.

I think the healthiest, best wheat bread on the market is one commonly found at Trader Joe's (or health food stores): Sprouted Wheat Bread. Look at the label. If it says it's made out of mostly sprouted wheat, with a few other added ingredients, that's the one!

Meanwhile, I think it's a great idea to watch out for gluten. I make Tom organic oatmeal for breakfast almost every morning; it's the cheapest but healthiest breakfast I can get him. (Health food stores sell it for a good price.) For myself, I soak various grains for 24 hours (drain off the sprouting liquid and drink it- good enzymes). My favorite grains are buckwheat and millet, with barley on occasion. The morning before, I start soaking the next day's stuff: 1/4 c. grain of choice, plus 3 TBS. or so of Trader Joe's organic almonds, plus 1 tsp. or so flax seeds. (Whole flax seeds, not the rancid, pre-ground stuff that pretends it's health food...) I add Trader Joe's organic raisins (or other) in the morning, and it's a great way to start the day!

That whole breakfast ritual started because I wanted the healthiest breakfast for the best price. I wanted to avoid excess gluten, and so many brands of cereals are made of wheat. Plus organic cereal's not too common. Plus, ready-made cereals are expensive. So Tom's happy with his cooked oatmeal every morning. I, on the other hand, wanted to maximize my nutrition (I'm so hard-core, you know?!). So I was shooting for Raw. Raw foods are often mentioned in health circles, because it's true, raw foods are full of nutrients, and are the easiest to digest. With my breakfast, I'm eating grains low in gluten, and full of enzymes. I feel great!

Oh, if you were to check out the health food store, you also might notice another grain: Quinoa. Well, everyone's got their personal favorites. Quinoa was not one of mine! But you might like it... I just wouldn't recommend it. And a lot of people might not like buckwheat, because it will get slimey-ish during its overnight soak. Doesn't bother me though!

Whole grain corn meal, from the health food store (not the degerminated kind), is another whole grain choice. Great for polenta or corn bread, and super yummy!

About dairy. Awk! No likey. When I used to work at the health food store (27 years ago), my friend would tell me stories... My friend was really down on dairy. And I do think the "calcium" trip is all hype. Yes, there's plenty of calcium in milk. Do we absorb it? That is the question. If a form of calcium can't be readily absorbed, then those FDA people have to start assuming that we need "X" amount, because any less than that doesn't seem to give us enough calcium.

But what if we were to ingest calcium as found in broccoli, spinach, sesame seeds, beans, and other plant sources? And that calcium was in a much more digestible form? The MDR (minimum daily requirements) would tell us we weren't getting enough, but our bodies would think otherwise.

I take Vitamineral Green every morning; it might not seem cheap, but it's probably an economical way to get all those extra nutrients every day. My tendency towards anemia has been cured with that product, and I'm sure I'm getting plenty of calcium and other minerals as well, in a form I can actually digest. I rarely have dairy products, and am feeling perfectly healthy :)

As for Tom, he really didn't want to go for green... So I give him some Coconut Cream Concentrate in his oatmeal every morning. It's a super-yummy product from Tropical Traditions. Again, it might not seem all that cheap, but it is a concentrate, so a little goes a long way. Coconut's great for boosting the metabolism and keeping immunities high (unless you're talking junk food coconut oil, with its hydrogenation, additives, and other processing)...

Haha- And this is just our morning routine! But hey, if you start the day out right, your taste buds don't get corrupted too early in the day. Minimizing sugar intake's a good idea. It's hidden in so many foods, so if you want to avoid it, you find yourself making a lot of things from scratch. And that's a healthy thing right there.

As for meat... Interesting. Just read an article about how many parasites are in meat! The story with beef is: If you can afford to get the expensive, grass-fed beef, you'll be better off. Otherwise, cows are typically fed a grain diet, which they really weren't designed to digest. This sets them up for needing extra antibiotics, etc., and the acid-alkaline balance in their bodies is disrupted. The cow body then becomes a more ideal host for all those parasites, which can prosper more readily in such conditions. Euwww. One solution: Be sure such beef is thoroughly cooked. Another solution: Just buy the expensive, free-range, grass-eating beef. Third solution: Just eat a lot less beef...

Meanwhile, fish is becoming laden with mercury and other toxins, and both the fish and chicken might have the whole parasite thing... (cook that food well!).

We eat a lot of salads. And beans. And nuts, seeds... fruits, veggies. On special occasions, we eat whatever is there, if it's really really good. I think any movement in the right direction will yield positive results. You don't have to become a fanatic! If you can start with breakfast, eating healthy foods first thing, when you're good and hungry, you should find yourself having little appetite for less healthy foods.