Pumpkin pie

I can't believe we haven't posted this until now! Here's my favorite version: 

• 2 c canned pumpkin or squash puree 
• 1.5 c heavy whipping cream 
• 3/4 c sugar (or honey) 
• 3 large or 4 small eggs 
• generous amounts of: cinnamon, ginger dashes of: cloves, nutmeg, bourbon vanilla, salt 
• pie crust 
• additional whipped cream for topping 

Preheat oven to 425 F / 220 C 

Prepare crust and lay carefully into pie pan. 

Beat all ingredients together in a large bowl, and pour into crust. 

Bake for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 F / 175 C and bake for another 40 - 50 minutes, or until center of pie is no longer jiggly and liquid (but before too much browned). 

Completely cool before serving. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Winter squash puree

For making pumpkin-based desserts, when you can't get cans! 

1. Obtain: a medium-sized winter squash with orange flesh. Hokkaido or butternut are excellent for this and really easy to find, though any of the winter squashes will do. 

Real pumpkin -- even sugar pie pumpkin -- is certainly also doable, but it's actually more stringy and watery than the other squashes, so may not be worth the extra effort. Even the Libby's canned pumpkin is not all pumpkin, but mostly other squashes! If you do use a sugar pie pumpkin, be sure to do the extra step of straining the puree on a cheesecloth in the fridge overnight, before using (or freezing) it, or you'll get a watery pie. 

2. Steam: use a large, heavy knife (samurai sword would be excellent) to carefully slice the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds and other guts. Place the halves skin-side down (may need to cut into quarters or eighths, actually) in a steamer basket, and steam until the flesh is entirely soft and cooked, maybe 20 mins.  

3. Mash: when squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skins. For some varieties, you can just leave the skin right on, no problem: hokkaido, for example. Puree the flesh with a food processor or immersion blender. I've used just a potato masher, before, and it made a slightly chunkier pie, but wasn't bad. You can get it really smooth with the right equipment, though. Can be used immediately, or frozen for later.

Homemade cranberry sauce

So easy, and so yum! Never again will I use the canned gel...

1 c ruby port

3/4 c orange juice

frozen cranberries (frozen raspberries + frozen cherries are a delicious substitute in a pinch)

approx 1/4 c sugar, brown or white (use more for cranberries, less for other fruit)

cinnamon

cloves

Bring port and o.j. to a boil. Turn down to simmer, add fruit, and add spices and sugar to taste. Simmer until fruit is mushy and sauce is reduced to desired thickness, maybe 20 mins or so. Sauce will also thicken as it cools.

Thai Chicken and Shrimp Soup

My friend Dougie's nephew is the chef at the Kinkell House Hotel and Restaurant. I've been there for lunch several times and the food is always wonderful but the soup today was amazing! Jimmy is a really nice guy and was only too happy to share the recipe that he brought back from a trip to Ireland. So grab your blender and prepare yourself for a visit to food heaven!!

In a blender combine:
2 red chiles
a 1 inch piece of ginger root
4 cloves of garlic
a bunch of coriander ( I suppose this means to your taste)
3 juiced limes
These will blend to a paste. Fry the paste in a bit of olive oil for a couple of minutes.

Add to the paste:
2400g of coconut milk (approx. 85 oz. or 5.25 pints)
1 pint of chicken stock
Reduce the soup for a few minutes.

Add to the soup:
precooked noodles
precooked chicken
precooked shrimp
The amount of these last 3 ingredients is up to you.

Serve and die in your own bliss!

 

Sara's Apple Cider Pork Roast

Sara Unangst put this yummy recipe on Facebook. It was a real hit at my house tonight. I especially like the 'tang' that the apple juice gives the veggies. The only thing I did differently was to use a whole quart of applejuice.

Ingredients:
1.5 to 2 lb boneless pork blade roast or sirloin roast
2 TBS cooking oil
1.25 cups apple cider or apple juice
2 tsp instant beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 medium red potatoes cubed
3 medium carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
3 medium parsnips, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 large onion cut into wedges
1/4 cup flour

Directions
- Brown the meat on all sides in hot oil, drain off fat.
- Place cut veggies into crockpot
- Add meat to crockpot (cutting to fit if necessary)
- Mix cider, bouillon granules, mustard, and pepper together. Add to crockpot
-Cook on low heat 8-10 hours, or cook on high heat 4-5 hours.
- For gravy take juices from crockpot plus enough water to equal 1.5 cups. Put in a saucepan. Stir 1/3 cup cold water into flour. Stir into juices in pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
- Serve and enjoy!

Banana Bread Bundt Cake

You guys! Banana bread cake! 

 

- 3 cups flour (half of it whole-grain, if you'd like) 

- 2 tsp baking powder 

- 1/2 tsp salt 

- 1/4 tsp allspice 

- 1/4 tsp nutmeg 

- 3/4 cup butter (1.5 sticks), room temperature 

- 1/2 cup light brown sugar 

- 1/4 cup white sugar (or honey) 

- 2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp ground bourbon vanilla 

- 2 eggs, also preferably room temperature 

- 3-4 ripe nanners 

- 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt 

- 3/4 cup chocolate chips 

Sift together the dry stuff: flour, baking powder, salt, allspice, nutmeg. 

Beat butter until fluffy. Beat in the sugars and vanilla. 

Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. 

Mix in the well-mashed bananas. 

Add half of the dry stuff into the wet, and mix well; then add the sour cream and mix again. 

Add the rest of the dry and blend it all together. Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Pour everything into a well-greased bundt pan. (Standard 12-cup size.) Rap the pan on the counter a couple of times to discourage bubbles. Smooth the top with your spoon. Then use it to go to town on the batter bowl. 

Bake in 350-degree F (175 C) oven for a total of about 60 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. You might check it after 40 minutes or so, in case it's getting too brown and requires a natty little tin-foil tent. 

Cool ten minutes before removing from the pan. Then all bets are off. 

Glaze, If You Want It: 

- About 3 tbs butter 

- Something like 1/2 cup of sugar (more, if it's powdered) 

- Lots of cocoa powder, or a big piece of dark chocolate 

- About 3 tbs of hot water 

- A dash of vanilla 

Starting with the butter, gently melt everything in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly to melt the sugar. Give or take some of the quantities above for the right flavor/consistency; as long as it's not too watery, you're good. Remove from heat and place the pan in cold water to cool it down a bit (keep stirring). The cooler it is, the thicker it gets, so that it acts like glaze and is less inclined to simply run down the sides of your cake and puddle underneath it. Don't let it cool so far that it stiffens, though! Brush the glaze over the whole cake. Put the cake in the fridge to set the glaze. Special thanks to Missy Wiechmann for the inspiration!

Herbed Salmon Ball

1- 14 ¾ oz can of salmon

1- 8 oz pkg of cream cheese, softened

1- clove of garlic, pressed

½ C. small curd cottage cheese

¼ C. minced onion

1 tsp. fines herbes, crumbled

½ tsp. thyme, crumbled

1 C. chopped parsley

Drain salmon. Remove skin and bones. Combine all ingredients except salmon until well blended. Stir in salmon. Form into a ball. Chill 3 hours. Mixture will be soft. Place in serving dish and surround with crackers.

Venison goulash

An autumn dish for cool autumn nights! 

- 2 lbs (800g) venison shoulder, cubed 

- flour seasoned with salt & pepper 

- oil for frying 

- 2 onions, peeled & sliced 

- 5 garlic cloves, minced 

- 1 chopped chili or a few shakes of powder (arbol has a nice, rich flavor) 

- 2 chopped tomatoes 

- fresh mushrooms (wild are the best! It's the season for them, after all) 

- 1-2 tbs paprika powder 

- 1 rounded tsp thyme 

- 1 cup (230ml) broth, preferably beef or game 

- splooshes (maybe 5 oz? 100ml?) red wine 

- 5 oz (150 ml) sour cream 

- assortment of fresh herbs, like parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme (no kidding!) 

- shot of Kräuterschnaps / herb liqueur 

1) Dredge the meat cubes in the seasoned flour mixture and fry 'em up in batches so that they're browned on all sides. You'll probably have to replenish the oil between batches (the flour soaks it right up). Remove from the pan. 

2) Sauté the onions in the same pan (meat juices, yummy!) for a minute or two before adding the garlic, chilis/chili powder, and paprika. After those start becoming soft (maybe one more minute), add the tomatoes and mushrooms. 

3) Return the venison back to the pan and add the broth, wine, and herbs 

4) Bring to a boil; then turn it waaay down. Add the Kräuterschnaps, and let it simmer for about an hour uncovered, stirring occasionally, until everything starts to thicken 

5) Stir in the sour cream in the last 10 minutes or so. Serve with Spätzle, or rice, or ribbon noodles, or potatoes... or just eat it out of the pan! Great with the rest of the same red wine used for cooking.

Mustard BBQ Sauce

- 1 cup yellow mustard
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbs butter
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- 2 tbs brown sugar
- some shakes of cayenne

Put everything in a pot and let it simmer together for 20-30 minutes. This is just the right amount of time for the oven or grill to pre-heat while you thaw the meat...

Be sure to stir frequently and keep it on low heat - butter can burn!

Makes enough to slather about 4 big pieces of meat.

Excellent on oven-roasted chicken legs. I'll bet it would be divine on pork!

"Firey Furnace" Potato Soup

- cubed, washed, unpeeled potatoes 

- onion & lots of garlic, chopped 

- possibly a whole, chopped jalapeno 

- chicken or veggie bouillon or broth 

- spices: black pepper, thyme, nutmeg, cumin, cayenne 

- a bit of sea salt 

- 1 red bell pepper and 1 large tomato, chopped 

- 1 cup milk or cream (or some mix of both) 

Set potatoes in a saucepan of water (or chicken broth) to boil. 

Sauté the onions & garlic, and possible jalapeno; add to soup. Add spices. 

Bring to boil, then turn down to bubbling. 

Cook until everything is tender, then puree it all.* (I have a Pürierstab, i.e. one of those nifty, hand-held, blender-on-a-stick things apparently found in every German kitchen. It's great!) 

Replace on stove, let simmer on low heat while you sauté the peppers & tomatoes. Let them get nice and tender, then add to soup. 

Warm up the milk and add it, too. 

Taste; you may need more spices, including salt. (Sea salt is less bitter than the iodized, I like it muy mucho.) 

Let everything steep together for 15 minutes or so. Yam, yam! 

I bet some bacon crumbles on top would be wonderful, too! 

If you don't want to mess with the pureeing bit, you can simply leave the potato chunks whole and thicken everything with 1/3 cup flour dissolved in 1 cup cold milk. Slowly whisk flour-milk mixture into the soup instead of dumping it in all at once; then continue as directed.

Sauteed Collard Greens and Anchovies

You may not believe me when I say that this is DELICIOUS. But it is. I was skeptical at first, too, but you'll just have to try it for yourself. :)

2 bunches of collard greens

half dozen cloves garlic

1/4 onion (or 1/2 of a small one)

1 small tomato

1 two-ounce can of anchovy fillets (I did this with the salted ones, packed in oil. Fresh may be even better)

1/2 small lemon

Stack up collard leaves and roll into a tube; slice into pieces about 1 inch wide. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add collards. Let boil for about 10-15 minutes, until they are bright green and the stems are soft, but the leaves are not mushy. Drain.

Meanwhile, saute chopped garlic and onions. When they're about halfway done, add the (drained) anchovies. Mush the fish around as the garlic and onion finishes cooking, so it's mixed up well and the fish "melts" into the oil. When the fish first come out of the can, they can smell pretty rank; as they saute, the smell should diminish and the fish become soft and mild.

When fishies and veggies are softened, add in the chopped tomato and boiled greens. Toss them around for another couple of minutes to soften the tomato and mix other flavors with the greens.

Top with the juice of the 1/2 lemon and serve. Voila, delicious nutritiousness!

P.S. This goes fantastically well with a white wine. I'm drinking a 100% Roussanne with it right now, but I bet a crispy chard (or hell, even a buttery one) would be great, too.

P.P.S. I'm on a greens kick, so more greens recipes will likely pop up as I experiment with them. Oh, the excitement!

Stewed Calamari with Spinach and Garlic

1 lb cleaned calamari 

1 lb fresh spinach 

2 medium tomatoes 

2 whole garlics 

1 medium shallot 

1 stick celery crushed, dried red pepper 

oregano and basil (fresh or dried) 

white wine whole lemon 

Prepare calamari: slice bodies into 2-cm rings, and leave tentacles whole. Raw squids are tough and slippery, so be careful! 

Generously poor olive oil into a heavy, wide, flat pan, up to maybe a cm deep. Heat on medium-low (olive oil should not ever be very hot). 

Peel and roughly chop shallots and garlic, thinly chop celery. Toss into oil along with crushed pepper and generous amounts of oregano and basil. Cook through until shallots and garlic are soft (not carmelized). 

Add chopped tomatoes and pile in the spinach leaves. Once spinach is cooked down about halfway to make a little room in the pan, add squids and generous splashes of white wine. Salt and pepper to taste, and cover. 

Turn heat up to medium and stew for about 8 minutes, until squid is tender. Keep an eye on it at this point, as it's easy to overcook calamari and get rubber bands; you want them just to the point where the meat has poofed up a bit, and the outside yields to a fork. 

Remove from heat, squeeze in juice of half a lemon, and voila! Serve with the remainder of the white wine, a little bread for the broth, and slices of remaining lemon half.

Cajun Stew

Hot, spicy, and satisfying! Perfect for cold winter nights!

Ingredients: 

4 1/2 cups of water 

2 Tbsp butter 

2 Boxes of "Casbah" brand Spanish Rice mix 

1 lb cooked Andouille sausage (or spicy Italian sausage), cut into bite sized pieces 

1/2 lb Peeled and de-veined shrimp 

1 Yellow bell pepper, cut into strips 

4 Stalks of celery, cut into bite sized pieces 

1/2 White onion, cut into small slices 

1/2 Lemon (seeds removed, but lemon not squeezed) 

1 Large tomato, cut into bite sized pieces 

6 Green onions, chopped into 2 cm slices 

 2 Habanero peppers, cross-split, but still whole (keep seeds) 

1 Clove garlic, smashed 

2 Tbsp M & B Spices "Cajun Spice Blend" 

 2 Tbsp black pepper 

2 Tbsp sea salt

Directions 

1) Season shrimp, Andouille and veggies with salt and pepper. 

2) Bring water and butter to a boil in a large stew pot. 

3) Add rice, seasoning, and Cajun mix, and cook for 5 minutes. 

4) Reduce to a slow simmering boil and add all other ingredients, placing lemon in last. 

5) Cook until rice is tender, and shrimp are done. Stir occasionally to mix. 

Dish with large, wide strainer spoon into a bowl, and serve with thick, buttered bread and white wine!

Cocktails: Mojito

Mmm, summer! 

fresh mint sprigs 

1 tsp simple syrup 

1 lime ice 

1 oz white rum 

sparkling water 

 Muddle together mint, simple syrup, and juice from the lime (I usually throw in the juiced lime shell as well, to get out every last bit). Pour over ice, toss in rum, and top with sparkling water. Fish out the lime shell, if it's in there. Serve with another mint sprig and a straw. Ahhhh! 

Tip: use white sugar and white rum. Brown sugar and spiced rum are tasty in their own regard, but lend a strangely rich (and less than refreshing) flavor to a mojito. 

Twist one: to the classic recipe, add a few flowers of culinary lavender to the muddling, and a sprig of lavender to the post-garnish. 

Twist two: substitute basil for mint and orange for lime. Surprising and delicious!

Incredible Mumbai Chicken!

Super easy, and unstoppably good! Makes 2 

• 2 chicken breasts, skinned, cut into six equal sections 
• 2 large tomatoes, cored and quartered 
• 1 cup of button mushrooms, quartered 
• 1 cup of plain, unsalted cashews 
• 1 cup of spinach 
• 1 cup of high quality red wine 
• 1/2 cup of plain Kefir (or plain yogurt) 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice 4 cloves of garlic, smashed 
• 2 tablespoons of chopped basil 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of Ghee (or melted butter) 
• 1 tbsp MDH brand mutton masala powder (use basic masala powder as substitute) 
• 1 tbsp MDH brand chicken masala powder (use basic masala powder as substitute) 
• 4 cups of white Jasmine Rice 

0) Prepare the Jasmine rice according to instructions. 

1) Mix all other ingredients except the spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and cashews in a large bowl, then add the chicken and coat thoroughly. 

2) Place the chicken in a square glass pan and arrange at the center. 

3) Add the remaining ingredients to the perimeter and pour the wine over the chicken. 

4) Bake uncovered for 350 degrees F for one hour. 

5) Serve on a bed of 2 cups of the white rice with a single garlic naan or tandoori naan and a side of cold mango slices or yogurt.

Michael's Chicken and Bok Choy Scramble

Surprisingly quick and satisfying!

12 green baby bok choys
1/2 lb of chicken, chopped into medium pieces
4 eggs, scrambled
4 slices of American cheese, cut into strips
3 cups of cooked white/sticky rice
2 cup of thin sliced red onion
2 cup of water
2/3 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of Mirin
2 teaspoons of pepper
2 teaspoons of salt

1) Remove the bok choy bottoms and chop the bok choys.

Note: The bottoms may be steamed. They're delicious that way!

2) Fry the rice, onions and bok choy in pan for five minutes.

3) Add 1 cup of water, the mirin and the soy sauce.

4) When cooked down, add the chicken, salt and pepper.

5) Add 1 cup of water again to prevent burning.

6) When the chicken is cooked through, add the eggs.

7) Mix the whole lot to prevent making an omelette.

8) When the eggs are cooked solid, add the cheese.

9) Let it melt, then serve with more soy sauce!

Michael's Breakfast Okonomiyaki

Stuffed Japanese Pancakes! Makes two (2). 

Base Ingredients: 

• 1 cup of flour 
• 1 cup of water 
• 1 egg, beaten (the binding agent) 
• 2 cups of shredded cabbage 
• 1 1/2 cup of bean sprouts 
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil (to fry in) 

Secondary Ingredients ("Michael chow" style): 

• 1/2 cup of green onion 
• 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese 
• 1/3 cup of white onion (fine chop) 
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder 

Other ingredients may be added to suit taste! Note - Either tiny shrimp, or thin sliced pork, beef, or chicken are optional. Add 1 cup of either, making sure to fully cook the meat first, before adding. 

1) Mix all ingredients (except the sesame oil) in a large bowl, either by hand or with large wooden spoon. 

2) Fry half of the combined ingredients in a large pan with 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, at the same temperature as you would pancakes, until the insides are cooked. When you can press down without it leaking, it should be done. Use a knife to check that it's cooked throughout. 

3) Serve with okonomiyaki sauce (or mild barbecue sauce) and Japanese mayonnaise (or plain mayo).

Omm-nom-nom!!

Michael's Damn Good Sandwich

Provolone 

Tomato 

Corned beef 

Pastrami 

Genoa salami 

Russian black bread 

sharp mustard 

Make the sandwich, except the mustard. Fry in butter till toasted and cheese melted. Serve with mustard. Damn good!

Fish 'n' Potato Mash

Sardines, the Super Tuna! If you like tuna, you're sure to like these Vitamin-D- and omega-3-packed little buggers. 

First, boil up some potatoes. Or just bake one in the microwave. (Please be sure to go for organic ones! Spuds are some of the most porous and vulnerable absorbers of nasty chemicals. Unlike some veg, you can't wash off the scary stuff -- they grow underground, which means they soak up everything that seeps into the soil!) 

In the meantime, mash together (per person/serving): 

- 1 can sardines in oil (drained) 

- a dollop of mayo  

- a squeeze of lemon juice 

- generous shakes of garlic, paprika, and dill 

- some finely chopped onions, if you're not afraid 

- some finely chopped pickles, if you're me 

Stir everything into a lovely sardine salad. Mash up a nice potato base on your plate. Top with fishmash. Fresh tomatoes are delicious here, too -- just sprinkle them chopped on top or sliced between the layers. (This is also excellent as a sandwich!) I like to add a pile of spicy cooked spinach or a lamb's lettuce salad.

Incredifish

After much experimentation, I've found a consistent way to make really good salmon. If I follow these instructions, it comes out awesome.

 

The trick to making good salmon is to start with high quality fish. In Seattle, that means going to one of the relatively direct fish markets (Ballard Locks, the place in Issaquah that shares space with Fischer Meats). You can find some at places like Whole Foods, but I don't think it's quite as good, and you'll pay an even more exorbitant rate per pound. Usually I buy a whole fish and have them pack it into one-pound vacuum bags (which they do for free if you're getting the whole fish), which I then freeze.

The species is key - you want king salmon, a.k.a. chinook salmon. It's by far the tastiest, richest, tenderest, and probably highest in omega-3s (and spendiest). And did I mention tastiest?

Second very important point: meat thermometer. You want to measure temperature, not time. The perfect temperature is about 135-137. Ideally you want a piece of fish that's the same thickness across its size so that it cooks evenly, but unevenness can be worked around - pull out the pan when the temperature in the thinner part is right, cut that part off, and then put the rest back in. Use multiple meat thermometers if you have them, or if you have one, start it off in a thin section, and then move it to the thicker section after the first round.

Now, an actual recipe! As listed, this is spice-rack-intensive and probably really annoying if you don't have a big alphabetized array of 40+ spices to choose from. The most important ones are listed first within each amount group. Dill, garlic, onion, and ancho in particular make a good mix. Turmeric is an effective anti-inflammatory (I feel noticeably better after eating it), so I look for things to add it to.

• Olive oil
• 2 lbs fish (feeds 4)
• 4T butter
• 2t - 1T each:
• dill
• garlic powder
• onion powder or flakes
• parsley
• chervil
• tarragon
• 1/2 t - 1t each:
  • salt (optional, to taste)
  • ancho chili pepper
  • cayenne
  • turmeric
  • marjoram
  • kelp
• pinches:
  • cardamom
  • nutmeg
• 2 oz lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread olive oil in an oven pan (nonstick or Pyrex, preferably) and put your fish in it. Ideally, the pan should be just barely bigger than the fish, so that it's sitting in a bath of butter and lemon and spices coming a finger's width up its side. Take the butter, spices, and lemon juice and microwave them (small pot on a stove would work too) til the butter is melted, give them a mix, and then pour over the fish so it coats the whole surface. Stick in your meat thermometer(s) and put the pan in the oven. Keep an eye on the thermometer and pull it out at 135-137 (will take 15-25 minutes depending on thickness).

If you're lucky (I haven't figured out what determines whether this happens), the spice mix will caramelize on top and make this fantastic, complex-flavored lightly crispy crust. Even if that doesn't happen, it's still dang tasty.

Serve on wilted spinach or just by itself. I like to scoop some of the spiced oil from the pan over the fish after it's done cooking.

Chicken 'n' Egg Drop Soup

This is a variant of Ye Olde Tastye Chickene Souppe that I just stumbled upon and really liked. The egg adds a subtle but enjoyable flavor and texture, and makes the soup more visually interesting. All ingredients measured after being cut into bite sized pieces.

• Olive oil
• 1lb chicken
• 1-2c onions, green onions, or leeks
• 3/4 lb mushrooms
• 2 qt broth or equivalent from bullion (or use less with more water to make less salty)
• 1/2 head of cabbage
• 1-2c potatoes
• 1/2 lb pasta (I used a mixture of veggie shells, rotini, and some other thick stubby shapes)
• several eggs

Sauté chicken and onions in olive oil in the bottom of an 8-quart stock pot until starting to brown. Add mushrooms; sauté another 2 minutes. Add broth, cabbage, potatoes, and pasta and cook until pasta is done (if using short-cooking small pasta, wait to add it until the potatoes have had a few minutes head start). Now, the "egg drop" part - I just did this in my own bowl right before eating, and used one egg; hence not having a count. The soup should be basically boiling hot when you do this, so either in a bowl straight out of the boiling pot or in the pot itself while simmering. Beat the egg, then drizzle it in with a fork, stirring every few drizzles. The egg should cook immediately.

Nom nom nom.

Fruity Oaty Bars

These are incredibly easy, and super tasty! Especially for breakfast.

• 1/2 c softened butter
• sploosh of vanilla
• 1 c flour
• -> for wheatless, use millet flour, or barley
• 1 c thick-cut rolled oats
• dash salt
• dash cinnamon
• 3/4 c raspberry jam (You really want to make sure to use really high-quality ingredients for this, since there are so few ingredients. So get the fancy grass-fed butter, and super-extra-high-quality jam. :) )

Soften the butter (I usu just cheat and melt it) and mix in vanilla. Mix together dry ingredients separately, then smoosh in the butter + vanilla mixture until moist and crumbly.

Press 2/3 of the mixture into an 8X8 pan (notice this is small! 9X13 would be too big, so if you don't have a small pan, may want to double the recipe). Spread jam on top, leaving a quarter-inch gap between jam and the edge of the pan. Sprinkle the remaining mixture over the jam, and lightly press (just so it sticks into the jam). Bake 350F for about 30 mins, until browning and jam is bubbly.

It's tempting to eat this with a spoon as soon as it comes out of the oven, but it's best after it's set and cool. Then the jam congeals into bar form, and the squares are chewy. Mmmmmmm!

Update: Lately I've been mixing in shredded coconut, ground flaxseed, and crushed walnuts. EVEN BETTER.

Grog

(aloggalogg!)

• 2 cl of rum
• a dabble of orange juice
• a shake of brown sugar
• very hot water

Put everything into a mug, in that order. Stir; add a thin orange slice. Enjoy!

Savory Quiche

Quiiiiiiche! What else is simultaneously delicious, satisfying, pretty, and super healthy? Exactly: everything on this blog. :) And like everything else, quiche is also easy!

• a 9" deep dish pie crust (or just a greased deep dish pie pan, for crustless)
• whole small onion
• a spicy chili
• optional: a little ham, or bacon, or other tasty porkstuff. Or some chicken. Whatever!
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups: whole milk, or cottage cheese, or ricotta cheese, or a combination of all of them
• 1 tsp sea salt, shakes of pepper, a dash of nutmeg
• veg, veg, veg! I did a springtime mix of spinach, green beans, red bell pepper, and tomatoes, but I imagine having a "theme" would be pretty rocking, too: maybe spinach + olives + tomatoes + feta, or asparagus + cheese, or ground beef + corn + cheddar + salsa, or a seafood scramble...
• some cheese. Mozarella, parmesan, gouda, something yellow, anything that shreds and melts.

Chop and sautee the onions and chili with the meat. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and dairy product. Add the spices and beat some more; then add the sauteed mixture. Chop up the veggies. 

If using a crust: Smear some ricotta or a couple sprinkles of shredded cheese on the bottom of the crust. Add the chopped vegetables, then pour the liquid layer over of them. Top with shredded cheese. 

If making crustless: Then don't worry about separating the layers, just add the veg to the liquid mixture, mix well, and pour it all in your pie dish. 

Top with shredded cheese. Bake on 365 F (185 C) for about an hour or until the middle is firm. If you want to get fancy, you can first cover the pie with foil to keep the cheese (and possibly crust) from browning too darkly, then remove it for the last 15 minutes for a light golden color. Let it sit for ten minutes or so after removing from the oven. 

Serve with a salad and garlic herb toast.

Michael's Jambalaya

We made a veritable vat of this last night, and still polished it off in less than a day!

• 1/2 lb chicken breast (approx 2 breasts)
• 1/2 lb shrimp (medium size)
• 1-1/2 diced bell peppers
• 1/2 lb Andouille sausage
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 stick celery
• 2 Tb cayenne pepper powder
• 2 Tb cajun seasoning
• oil for sauteeing - something with a neutral flavor
• 2-1/2 c water
• 1 c rice

Chop chicken and peel shrimp, and season both with salt, pepper, and a squirt of lemon. Brown chicken in a large pot. Remove. Saute shrimp in the chicken juices until pink. Remove. Saute veggies and andouille until veggies tender. Add back chicken, shrimp, water, and rice. Bring to a boil, then bring back down to a simmer until rice is tender and all water is absorbed. Stir and fluff, then... omff!

Vegetable Orgy Stew

Hack up the following and drop it in a pot to simmer in olive oil: 

-onion 

-garlic 

-carrots 

-spinach 

-broccoli 

-cauliflower 

-green beans 

-peas 

 Didn't have any tomatoes, but I bet they'd be great, too. 

Oh, and don't be afraid to cheat -- many of these were (organic) frozen veg. :) 

Add: 

 - a couple handfuls of chopped, peeled potatoes 

Simmer it all in a broth made with: 

-a cube or two of whatever random (all-natural!) bouillon needed to be used up 

-sea salt 

-thyme 

-oregano & basil 

-rosemary 

-black pepper 

-arbol chili powder 

-dash of nutmeg 

After potatoes were cooked and the broth started to turn green from all that gardeny goodness, stir in: 

-a handful or two of fine-cut (instant) oats 

Give those 5 minutes or so to dissolve in there nicely, then gradually add: 

-1.5 cups very cold water, in which 1/3 c flour has been dissolved 

Let that simmer for about 10 minutes to thicken; then finally mix in: 

-a bit more olive oil 

-lots of shredded Parmesan. 

What a deliciously warm, savory, filling antioxidant bomb!

Fish Chowder

More soup -- this time, fish!

Ingredients:

- one small (or 1/2 large) chopped onion
- three minced garlic cloves (or a bunch of heavy shakes from the canister)
- 1-2 peeled, chopped carrots
- finely chopped spinach, as much as you'd like
- a couple cups of peeled, cubed potatoes
- lots of dill -- maybe a couple teaspoons
- 1 liter hot water
- ground black pepper
- sea salt (less bitter than the conventional kind, and perfectly matched to this dish)
- a shake or two of red chili powder, if you'd like
- lemon juice (maybe 1/4 cup? I just kinda squeezed to taste from the little plastic lemon)
- several generous sloshes of dry white wine (something tasty, 'cause then you can finish the rest of the bottle, chilled, with the soup for a perfect wine-food pairing!)
- some fish. Shauna and I once used a jar of mussels (delicious!) but I've discovered that even a can of lightly mashed sardines is great. Experiment away! (Just be sure to drain whatever it is before adding ;) )
- 1/3 cup flour dissolved in 2 cups cold milk

Sauté the onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil or butter until just transparent. Then add carrots and spinach and sauté a bit more. Add potatoes, dill, and hot water; then rest of spices (sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice). Bring to a boil, then down to a simmer and add the fish. Simmer until the potatoes and carrots are cooked, maybe 20-25 minutes. Add the wine (or if you'd really like to cook off a lot of the alcohol, you can add it before this). Slowly stir in the flour-milk mixture and stir frequently until it's thickened, 10-15 minutes. (Taste the soup to see if more spices are needed after this -- 2 cups of liquid does often call for the addition of a bit more salt.)

Voila, lemon-garlic-seafood chowdah! Enjoy with the rest of the chilled white wine.