#i can make you sourdough bread where the only seasoning is salt and still have it be a flavpur bomb

[greencheekconure27]

Ok, as a person who cooks and really loves her spices:

Can we please stop doing this thing on Tumblr where everyone goes "the only way food can be flavourful is if you put 58 whole spices in it" #white people food sucks"

Like seriously.

There are more ways of obtaining good complex flavours under the sun.

[staliaatreides]

I often find myself super frustrated when I try something and it isn't immediately perfect. Brush stoke out of place, seam not straight, fabric cutting job bad, shelf nailed up unevenly, DPS or healing stats not as high as it could be in a dungeon.

But--to get better, takes practice. So I thought I'd share a single brunch meal I've been trying to make over a period of time and what I've changed/done differently each time.

Take 1:

Pan toasted sourdough bread with melted swiss cheese, sauteed baby spinach, and sliced cherry tomatoes, topped with a beaten egg seasoned with salt and pepper made in a cookie cutter "form".

Verdict: delicious

Take 2:

Same as above with with these changes:

melted cheese is now swiss and parmesan

cherry tomatoes are from my garden and were thrown on with the cheese to cook a bit as the cheese melted and bread bottom toasted

instead of beating the egg, I cracked and poured into my cookie cutter mold, and just topped with salt and pepper to cook. It did unfortunately leak out of the form a bit into the spinach being cooked next to it, and you can see the little pieces in the picture, but you try, try again

Verdict: Really delicious (and satisfying to use something I'd grown). I think not scrambling the egg is not only prettier, but you get a sort of separation in the taste as you eat it--egg white goes really well with the spinach and tomato and cheese, and the bit with the yolk, very tasty biting into it.

Take 3 (a weekend day so more time to make it rather than the pre-work rush):

Same as above, but with some changes:

swapped out olive oil used in sautéing the spinach and that gets into the egg (and is used for toasting) for avocado oil

added more tomato--was previously using two cherry tomatoes, upped it to three, giving my toast more delicious tomato coverage

added in a bit more cheese (both the swiss and parmesan...I need to use it up after all)

And because it was finally the weekend I had the time to coordinate cooking this with:

making Turkish coffee

throwing in some salmon breakfast sausages (I could have done this during the week, no excuse, but I did just realize these might taste good with the half sandwich/toast)

Verdict: I want to not have to work weekday mornings so I could make this. I can't find much fault with how it all tastes and came out now. But I do have just one more idea on something to add that might improve it...

Take 4:

Same as before, but now with avocado slices added on top.

Verdict: perfectly delicious. Avocado is a nice touch on there, but, doing this again, I'd use the same amount of avocado, just instead of two slices, cut each of those in half again for four, so it can more evenly cover the toast.

Practice can make better! And cooking is one area where I'm happy to continue practicing (still end up with mostly tasty stuff on the way).

[onf-headcanons]

ONF in Cafe AU

(Establishment)

A/N : 200 followers special!! This different universe from Baker Yuto

Settings : A total brand new universe where they just gather by pure coincidence. Or an alternate universe where ONF later when their contract ended, they gathered to open a cafe once Yuto return to Korea from graduating his bakery course back in Japan. Hyojin, Seungjun and Jaeyoung helped by researching how to register+open business in Korea.

Roles

Yuto : The bread maker

Seungjun : Barista

Hyojin & Jaeyoung : Chief waiter and in charge of cashier

Minkyun : Assisting waiter and more of a helper in the kitchen preparing ingredients

Changyoon : In charge of other menus such as sandwiches/bagel sandwich and dessert

Reader : could be part timer or the regular guest (bonus a fan of ONF as well)

Bonus : Minseok might occasionally drop by to visit or Minseok as another member in the kitchen (i mean have you seen his IG???!!!!!)

Headcanons

As Yuto is more of a bread lover, the cafe would be a bakery+cafe style eatery.

The menu is made and proposed by all 6 of them. Also before they start running business, the kitchen gang has already tried making food to do taste test. (Including WM family)

The menu is written in Korean, English and Japanese.

Yuto would keep trying on making the best bread so he would experiment with different options such as more milk or less flour

Hyojin would always give ideas to improvise. And members trust Hyojin's thoughts because he is such a foodie XD

Seungjun would research and practice on his barista skills.

Changyoon would do graphic design of the menu

Minkyun and Jaeyoung would go out to find spot to rent and open cafe

Once the cafe is opened, this is how they run it.

Because of ONF's nature, I personally think they will test the timing of business by doing a few around of simulations.

This would be suggested by Changyoon and agreed by the leaders

So before they opened, they really tried it out at the empty cafe and simulated with full house for 3~5 days straight. Then they are content with the current timing as below.

I also think Seungjun Jaeyoung and Yuto would keep suggesting adjustments on the timing.

Especially Seungjun and Yuto. Seungjun in the bystander view because he is the barista and Yuto sharing the perspective on what timing those outside kitchen should alert those in the kitchen. They would run timer using their phone.

Bakery closes on 6pm, tidying done by 7:15pm, head out for dinner or simple dinner by whipping up some left over ingredients.

Grocery shopping on 8:45pm or 9pm, headback for cafe for preparations if necessary

Next day 6am at cafe to do early preparations, bakery side and morning take away opens on 7:30am,

10:00am opens for eat in + buffet, they do not do dinner so closes at 6pm and repeat for every day.

They closes on big event public holidays, end of the year+new year.

(They will get quick lunch by ingredients whipped up from the kitchen. Hyojin will switch with Jaeyoung, Seungjun will switch with the part timer, Yuto will get quick bites while waiting for dough to rise, Changyoon and Minkyun will switch)

(BTW this is just reference from my weak experience working on restaurant)

There are 5 walkie talkies. Hyojin, Seungjun and Jaeyoung have 1 each, 1 at the cashier and another is at the kitchen with speakers. This is for them to communicate and alert each other about the crowd and also any food items that are running out.

BTW should we are using the Minseok as one of the member in kitchen, he did not join immediately. But he do drop by to support his hyungs and being the 2nd food taster.

His hyungs and Yuto are a bit reluctant to recruit him but, to their surprise, Minsk volunteered himself.

And oh boy his hyungs all in awe at how good this baby boy's cooking is!!!

Funny moment when Seungjun caught Hyojin eyes are gleaming with bliss after Hyojin tasted Minseok's food. And then only the other hyungs swarming over wanting to taste Minseok's cooking lol

(Hyojin already numb due to so many times food tasting lol but cos he loves to eat he still finishes all the samples. But Minseok's cooking was a breather for him at that exact moment)

Also Changyoon has an idea that putting surveys on each table and let guests to fill in. When they submit to cashier, they might get coupons (?) or maybe discounts about 83%

Or maybe some collectibles and when they got all six stickers, they get 83% discount? (its flexible)

The cafe gains popularity because of the quality and due to good looks of chief waiters and barista.

Also, I think in their menu, (should this is the contract ended ONF universe), they might integrate the member recommendations, it is flexible either food or drink. Or maybe both

Hyojin definitely going to recommend 2 smoothies.

Changyoon would recommend pasta and dessert

Minkyun will go for a sandwich

Jaeyoung might recommend Yuto's sourdough bruschetta

Seungjun will recommend one type of latte

And Yuto will recommend 1 or 2 breads found at bakery/buffet corner. But for menu he would give out tips like which bread type goes better with which cheese or jam

（BTW I think its cute should they use their mascot deer, shark, maltese, gorilla, cat and bread as avatar/icon that appear at recommendations!）

And on their birthday, (this could be Seungjun's idea) there will be a 83% discount sticker placed on the recommended food/drink by the member.

And since we talked about menu...

Again its a bread themed cafe, so the main would be bread, brunch and all day breakfast.

Bread type (buffet) : mini croissants, mini buns, scones, baguette, bagel, white loaf, sourdough

Bread type (bakery) : croissant, buns, garlic bread, scones, baguette, bagel, red bean bun, packed bread loafs

Let me explain about buffet first.

Buffet is for brunch+lunch, which starts on 10:30am to 2pm. Its a 90 minutes course. In that course you can pick 1 of each option of bread, salad, toppings, sides (sausages, hams, cheese and baked beans) and also random desserts.

They offer butter (salted and unsalted), 3 to 4 types of jams (strawberry, mixed fruit and marmalade), variety of paste to go with bread (mashed avocado and Parmesan garlic pesto). also Nutella

For buffet, beverage there already stocked variety of juices, warm coffee and tea (that are already prepared earlier) and fresh water

Cheese they will go for cheddar, Havarti, Feta, Mozarella and brown cheese.

Should you don't go for buffet, they have eat in cafe menu. Which are separately made set meals that comes with beverage. Like sandwiches, bagel sandwiches, spaghetti/pastas, or bruschetta with topping of your choice (6 the most)

Seungjun would prepare freshly brewed coffee, latte, tea, frappe and even smoothie.

Desserts are all simple desserts, like mini tarts and mini cupcake. For specially ordered ones would non baked stuffs that Changyoon and Minkyun made early in the morning and stored in fridge (because dont wanna clash with Yuto baking should any bread nearly sold out. Also can have more flexible timing should Yuto need help they can back up)

Initially, Changyoon will always make extra desserts by x2.5 amount, especially mini tarts or mini cupcakes at the buffet area. He is a worry wart.

BTW the bell Changyoon presented Yuto during OnDaeJeon? Its later used at the cafe lol. As the alert tool for waiters that food is done come and take it

I think on early years, at most 2 years, they are not going to do delivery or food app order service just yet.

But they will run an Instagram or twitter account for the cafe and using it just like how they are doing with they current twitter account. Promoting food and giving out random recommendations also a glimpse of their daily lifes running the cafe and bakery

I think Changyoon would upload a pic of seasonal fruit and a teaser for new seasonal dessert? And then lol it will sometimes plot twist ends up being seasonal beverage that made by Seungjun lol

Should Minseok is not a member running the cafe, the boys consult with him occasionally about adding new seasonal,time limited items.

Also Hyojin and Yuto being the photographer taking picture of the food. Oops I forgot, the pictures of food items in menu are both taken by them too!

Minkyun will bring along one of his fave part timer to do emergency grocery shopping should he needed a hand.

Hyojin and Jaeyoung will try to help customer to decide by suggesting recommendation

Also Hyojin, who would sometimes keep an eye on how customer do combination on their food and get inspiration from it then later try to propose to the team.

As chief waiters, both Hyojin and Jaeyoung would always during at the cashier, asking customers should they have any suggestions or proposal (even if they submitted the survey). Values communications and feedback between staff and customers.

Also Seungjun will help out keeping an eye in case they miss out someone trying to call a waiter. Later after a year of profits, they upgraded to bell calling service type, press a button and they come serve you in a minute.

Initially, Hyojin and Jaeyoung would make use of walkie talkie to recite orders that they get so that Seungjun, Yuto, Changyoon and Minkyun can get them

After maybe a couple months of profit, they upgraded it to tablets. while the walkie talkie is used as mentioned above, to alert regarding to run out/sold out food items.

Also, once reached closing hours, I think they will also have a brief meeting. Especially for waiters team. I think Hyojin would guide and critique on performance.

In overall it is very warm to work with ONF but you have to keep up because they are also strict.

I can see should they know part timers birthday, they would wish them. Maybe Changyoon/Minseok will shove special dessert or pasta for them.

It will be funny that some fans went there hoping to see Yuto, Changyoon and Minkyun but they are busy, do not want to disappoint, Hyojin and Seungjun might try to call them out using walkie talkie. (only apply to the contract end universe)

Oh I had a thought, maybe not the public knows that Minseok joined? I think maybe its also Minseok's terms and conditions because he does not want the spotlight he just wanna help running the business

Also should WM family drop by to visit, the first word as they enter the door, both sides will go “Aigooooo~~~~!!!” (Refer to RTK where Oh My Girl drops by to check out ONF for TWML practise)

Should that happen, its a big day for the fans

BUT!!! I can think ONF cafe later be the hangout spot for WM family? like member’s birthday? lets go to ONF cafe! Because Yuto baked a cake specially for us!! and off they go~ 

I mean its a great deal, considering Yuto’s love for bread and he did not sell customised cakes. So its personalised stuff he made for those he cared about.

That is why mostly the gathering will happen after 6pm or

Maybe WM managers drop by to pick up the special cake

Also, Yuto let part timers to have leftover breads or desserts at bakery and buffet area for free. His hyungs agreed because you should not waste food. Plus freshly made bread are their selling point so they won't recycle them.

A/N : gonna stop here and should there is more, I might do a part 2~!

[lovemesomesurveys]

surveys by -thoughtlessdork

Have you ever had the chicken pox? Yeah, back when I was 7. 

how often do you do laundry? I personally don’t do it because I have help with certain things like that, but it gets done like once a week. I have a lot of clothes.

Have you ever been evicted? Nope.

would you grow your own garden? Nah. I don’t have the green thumb. Or the energy or interest in even trying. 

do you know anyone who snores? Yeah.

what is your favorite font? I like Times, Ariel, Verdana, Tahoma, and Georgia.

do you know what a wombat is? I’m familiar with the name and know it’s an animal of some kind, but I couldn’t pick one out of a lineup.

would you make a good movie critic? No, I’m horrible at describing...anything. My movie reviews are like, “Omg, it was soooo good! Amazing cast, intriguing storyline. 10/10 recommend.” haha. Or on the flip side, “Uh, wtf did I just watch? 10/10 would not recommend. Super lame.”

what goal are you aiming for this year? Well, right now I’m just trying to get better from this infection I have and take this disgusting antibiotic for the next 10 days. I wasn’t sure I could do it. I’m still not, but I kinda have to. I’m not getting into it all over again, I made a lengthy rant in a previous recent survey, but basically it’s absolutely awful because I have to crush my pills and this pill is d i s g u s t i n g. My body revolts it when I take it and I have to fight to keep the damn thing down. My body is also dramatic and I don’t do well with nasty tasting things (I mean, most people don’t, but they can probably just suck it up and chug whatever it is or eat it really quickly and move along barely fazed at all... not me). It’s just causing a lot of stress and anxiety and makes me feel worse than the illness because of it and yeah. Not fun. Unfortunately, that’s my only option unless I want to spend a week in the hospital to receive the medicine through an IV and that sounds awful as well. Ha, so much for not getting into all over again. *shrug*

are you currently reading any books at the moment? Not at the moment. I just finished one a few days ago, though, and plan to start a new one soon.

when i say foxy lady what comes to mind? Beyoncé’s character in the Austin Powers movie she was in lol; her name was Foxxy. <<< Hahaha yep.

would you have liked to have lived during the Victorian times? No.

would you own a Siamese cat? No, but I’m just not a cat person.

have you ever had an ultimate adrenaline rush? No.

do you like deviled eggs? I’ve never had them; it’s not a common dish here. But they always look so good in the American shows I watch??? I really hope they taste as good as they look. <<< I think they do! I love ‘em. 

what tends to upset you? Upsetting news.

what's the farthest you've walked? All around San Francisco. It’s a big city and the streets and sidewalks go up and down at high slants, so it’s no easy feat.

what is your favorite horror movie? I enjoy several, but my top favorites are the Halloween, Scream, and It movies.

what does your favorite shirt look like? I love all my graphic tees.

is your life like a daily routine? It very much is.

were you ever told as a child if you eat carrots you'll have pretty eyes? Not pretty eyes, but strong eyes.

what career are you most interested in? I don’t know. :/

have you ever seen a rooster? Yeah.

what time do you usually wake up? Lately, it’s been really all over the place. I don’t know what’s going on with my body.

what do you think about religion? I believe in Christianity.

what made you feel most accomplished in your life so far? Graduating college with my BA was my biggest accomplishment. Probably always will be. 

have you ever seen a lunar eclipse? No.

what are you allergic to? Tangerines and typical seasonal allergies.

do you ever feel like people hold things you do or say against you? Yes.

what can't you afford but wish you could? A beach home.

what is one word that sums up this year so far? Shitty? 

ever felt like you were putting your life in danger? Yes.

what do you like with your eggs? I like scrambled eggs with cheese, green onions, and spinach, or with just country gravy. I like over-easy eggs with just pepper. I like hardboiled eggs as is or with just a little bit of salt. I like deviled eggs with mayo, mustard, and paprika. 

what remedy do you partake when experiencing the common cold? The good ol’ wait-for-it-to-go-away life hack. <<< Yep. Cold medicines can help alleviate some of the symptoms a little, although I personally find they don’t really help at all except for if I have a headache. I honestly don’t usually bother taking any cold medicines. I think teas can be soothing and can make me feel a little more relaxed. Ultimately, though, it’s just something you’re gonna have for at least a week or so regardless.

would you ever spend a weekend in the mountains in a log cabin? Not alone, but yes absolutely. That sounds amazing.

have you ever been called a psycho? No.

have you ever taken martial arts? would you? No.

who is someone you look up to? My mom.

is there something you're anxious about? Of course. Ongoing things and new things.

what is the longest you've gone without sleep? Like 36 hours. 

what is the longest you've been on the phone? I used to spend a few hours on the phone often with friends back when I was in middle school and some of high school. It still surprises me that I used to do that because of how much I hate talking on the phone now and have for a long time. 

do you care about calories? No.

do you know someone with a really annoying laugh? No.

what band do you mostly always listen to no matter what mood? Linkin Park.

have you ever been to Indianapolis? Nope.

what type of bread do you like to eat? Wheat, white, sourdough, croissant.

do you have any great great grandparents still living? No.

what is one country that you really want to visit someday? Sweden.

who usually cooks or what do you usually crave the most? That’s two different questions, but okay. In my household, it’s usually my mom or brother that cooks. My dad does sometimes. As for what I crave the most, it’s ramen and boneless wings from Wingstop.

ever been associated in a program that was a complete waste of time? Hm. Not that I can think of at the moment.

do weird numbers call your phone? Sometimes.

where are you right now? On my bed wrapped in my blanket. I love that it’s finally cold here. It even rained yesterday *chef’s kiss*

do you tend to care about other people's feelings more than your own? I most definitely do.

what type of lifestyle do you want to obtain? if you haven't obtained it? I don’t know.

what was something that use to frighten you as a child? Ghostface from Scream. I love those movies now, though.

have you ever been on a train? Nope.

who's been in your life the longest? did you expect this person to still be around? My family. 

how do you feel about anatomy? Uhhh. It’s complex and pretty crazy how it all works.

Insert interesting fact here: Nah.

[dramallamadingdang]

Question Meme: The Run-on Sentence Edition

Hi! I hurt myself again yesterday. No, not in an "self-harm" kind of way but more in the usual (for me) "mountain-climbing incident" sort of way (I hate scree; I was so close to that summit) and got lots of deep bruises and lacerations for my troubles and was in a world of hurt by the time I saw a doctor, and I cracked something that isn't supposed to be cracked and it all hurts enough that I got prescribed narcotics again for a week and I really, really hate narcotics but I really, really like to be able to breathe without feeling like my lungs are being ripped to shreds, so...narcotics it is. 

It might make the answers to this latest iteration of Ye Olde Question Meme rather entertaining, though. Maybe. Maybe just incoherent. Well, whatever, @nekosayuri tagged me, so it's her fault, and I'm bored and my sleep schedule's all outta whack and I haven't even turned on my Simming computer in like three days and am posting this from a non-Simming laptop, so I have nothing else to post and....yeah. So, I'm like high as a kite right now. I mean, it's not totally unusual because I live in Colorado and weed's legal here, but narcotics is a totally different and much less coherent high for me. So, like, fair warning.

I'm not tagging anyone, though. I've no idea who's done this lately...

Name: Katrina

Zodiac Sign: I don't know why I answer this because astrology is a huge crock of BS, but everyone always wants to know so...Taurus. Barely. (Birthday is April 23.)

Height: Still ~6'0"/~182cm. Yay, not shrinking yet!

Languages Spoken: Fluently? At this point, only English. I used to be pretty fluent in Italian and German, but, you know, the saying "use it or lose it" applies, and since I've not had occasion to use those languages much....Well, there we are. I could speak quite a bit of Russian at one time because I spent a chunk of years there, in the late 80s when it was the Soviet Union and shortly thereafter when things were sorta nuts there. But, again, I have lost much of what I once knew. And there are smatterings of other languages that I can speak mostly-useless bits of. I can ask where the restroom is in many languages because I've traveled a lot. :) I do speak fluent bullshit, though...

Nationality: 'Murican. And since 'Muricans are really, really into their "ancestry" for some bizarre-o reason because ‘Murican apparently isn’t good enough...Like, 95% dirty Welsh peasantry (plus some Irish and Scottish thrown in for flavor) on the paternal side and on the maternal side....Well, one of my great-grandfathers was a first cousin of the English Queen Victoria. So basically, my maternal ancestry is the very confused inbred multinational mutt that is European Aristocracy. God only knows what’s in their genes, though my particular bit of it has lots o’ German. 

Favorite Fruit: Okra. It is a fruit. Look it up. Then again, much of what people call "vegetables" is, in fact, fruits, so there's that.

Favorite Scent: I've never really thought about this except when this was a question on a previous iteration of this meme that I did, and I don't remember what answer I came up with then. So I'm just gonna say...Vanilla-scented candles. Not cheap ones that just smell sickly-sweet sort-of-vanilla-y, but these ones that I buy online that smell...well...NOT sickly-sweet and like how vanilla really smells. Alternatively...snickerdoodles when they're baking. Hubby is baking me some snickerdoodles as I speak. Type. Whatever. The house smells really good. Baking bread is good, too. Before the snickerdoodles, hubby was baking the twice-weekly loaf of sourdough.

Favorite Color: Green. And/or orange. I go back and forth about which is really my favorite.

Favorite Animal: Elephants. Or hyenas. Or cats of all shapes/sizes. Or alpacas. Or llamas. Or snakes. Or spiders of all kinds. Or dragonflies. Or...Um, yeah,  I'm pretty much a fan of all vertebrates and terrestrial invertebrates and some aquatic/oceanic invertebrates, too, so...take your pick.

Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate all the way. I don't drink coffee because A) I think it tastes and smells disgusting, but even if that wasn't the case B) I can't have caffeine. Tea is OK. Hubby's way into herbal tea, grows/collects and dries herbs and makes his own blends and shit, and I'll drink it mostly to make him happy, but I'm not into it. I do like hot chocolate, though it's hard to find premade mixes that don’t have powdered milk in them (because I’m vegan), so I generally have to make it from scratch, so to speak, and when I do I use cashew milk as the base and I usually add either peppermint or vanilla extract for zing.

Favorite Fictional Character: Can't really pick a fave. So, have a list, probably but perhaps not really in preference order. Spock from Star Trek, who's been a fave of mine since I was 3 and was watching the original Trek in its initial run, and I announced I'd marry Spock one day. Rodney McKay from Stargate: Atlantis and Vala Mal Doran from Stargate SG-1. (Basically, if you cut up those two and glue various bits of their characters together -- and not necessarily their good bits -- you have...me. So I relate really well to both of them, so I like 'em.) Also Jack O'Neill from Stargate SG-1, but he's mostly for reasons of estrogen. (Especially if you stick 'im in dress blues. HUBBA!) Garak from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine because Cardassians Are Love. Jayne from Firefly, also for reasons of estrogen. Big, hairy, dark hair, blue eyes, solid but not too muscle-y...Yep, that's how I likes my men. And Zoe from Firefly, 'cuz OMG she's how I likes my women. HUBBA!

Dream Trip: *sigh* Still Antarctica. It's the only continent I've not been to, and I will get there before I croak, but...not yet.

When was your blog created? IIRC, it was, like, the middle of December 2013. So, I'll have had this thing 5 years soon.

Last Movie You’ve Seen: I couldn't sleep one day like a week ago, so I put on Miss Congeniality, which is one of my favorite movies because Michael Caine. When I can't sleep, I'll usually put on a really familiar movie or TV show and it lulls me to sleep, but it didn't work that time. :(

Song You’ve Had on Repeat: Englishman in New York, by Sting. I have no idea why, but it's been on repeat in my head, though I haven't actually played it lately or anything.

Favorite Candy: Not much of a sweets kind of person. I prefer salty-crunchy. I can eat a whole big bag of crisps (Like, the British ones, which are way better than American potato chips, but American ones will do) easily, but I can't even get through a whole candy bar because, ew, too sweet. That said, I do like Flake bars, but I have to go up to Canada to get 'em. Or else buy 'em online but then usually by the time I get them they're kinda smashed. Or melted. Or both. Better to go up to Canada. Where they have real chocolate and not this sickly-sweet Hershey's crap. *shudder*

Favorite Holiday: When in Canada, Canada Day is quite fun. It's like July 4th only not so...well...chest-beatingly, yahoo-y, "patriotic" 'Murican. (I really, really dislike nationalism and "patriotism" in general but especially the obnoxious 'Murican brand of it.) When in the UK, I have a fondness for Guy Fawkes Night. I guess I like fire and fireworks and things that go boom and shit, only without the "YAY AMERICA!" yelling of America's own "things that go boom" holiday. Other than that...Can't really say I'm into 'em much. They're not even "days off from work" since...Well, I've never had a "real job," and I'm pretty much retired from my unreal job these days.

Last Book You’ve Read: *cough* Does a really long and smutty and slashy Stargate: Atlantis fanfic count? I'm sad to say that, though I was a voracious reader of books when I was younger, I'm really not so much these days. Haven't been for the last decade or so, really. Not of actual books, at least. I do subscribe to and read a number of academic journals, some having to do with science and medicine and some having to do with history, but they're not books. 

Favorite TV Show: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, mostly because it has Cardassians, who are all uniformly awesome, plus all the gritty political and religious goodness and stuff. Except that its last season kinda sucked and did totally WTF things with my second-favorite Cardassian. Close runner-up would be Stargate: Atlantis. Except that its last kinda season sucked, too, and did totally WTF things with McKay, so hmmm. Stargate SG-1 is good, too, except that half its team annoys the piss outta me...although this is largely made up for by the hotness that is Jack O'Neill so there's that. I like Firefly a lot but it was so short-lived that it's hard to really be a favorite because I can watch the whole thing, including the movie, in less than a day. (And believe me. I have.) I like the other Star Treks, too, especially if I'm in the mood for the "goofy soap opera in space" that is Voyager. TNG's shiny-happy Roddenberryness kinda bores the piss outta me, though it does have a few really good episodes, and the original show...Hmmm...Well, I both love and hate it. I love Spock, as I said, and I also love McCoy and all of its secondary characters. The problem is that I hate Kirk. Like, viscerally hate him. Like, I want to punch his face in every time it's on-screen. If he'd just, y'know, been eaten by a salt vampire and Spock and everyone else was OK and went off and had cool space adventures battling giant space-going amoebas and shit, I'd be totally happy and that's what fanfic's for *cough*, but since Kirk doesn't get eaten by a salt vampire...well...

Who’d You Most Like to Have Lunch With? @holleyberry :) Dude, we should totally hook up (No, not THAT way!) when I'm in SoCal next. Which won't be soon if I have my way, but when I am there....

[orbemnews]

The Italian town where they eat 500-year-old meals (CNN) — The signs of the Renaissance are everywhere in Italy. Grand piazzas and palazzos. Metal-spiked doors. Looming archways. And, of course, all that ever-present art in the churches and galleries. But in one city, you also get a taste of the Renaissance every time you enter a restaurant. Ferrara, in the northern region of Emilia Romagna, was once home to the Estense court, or House of Este, which ruled the city from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The court, on the bank of the River Po, was one of the most formidable cultural powers during the Renaissance. Writers including Boiardo, Ariosto and Torquato Tasso were employed by the court, and artists such as Bellini, Mantegna and Piero della Francesco worked for the Este family in their domineering, moat-surrounded castle in the center of town. Their works have survived the centuries — but so have those of Cristoforo di Messisbugo, the court’s master of ceremonies and steward. Messisbugo was one of two celebrity chefs of the Renaissance, and his prowess with multicourse banquets to impress visiting heads of state and fill the bellies of the Este great and good, led to him writing one of the world’s earliest cookbooks. His tome, “Banchetti, composizioni di vivande e apparecchio generale” (“Banquets, Recipes and Table-laying”) was published in 1549, a year after he died. In it, as well as sample dinner menus and drinks pairings, he lists 300 recipes. And it’s thanks to Messisbugo that that, nearly five centuries later, the Ferraresi are still eating the Estes’ favorite meals. Because while every town in Italy has its signature dishes, Ferrara’s are straight from the cookbook of that 16th-century court. Yes, these dishes are real Salama da sugo, a centuries-old sausage and mash. Archivo Fotografico Provincia di Ferrara First things first. To enjoy Ferrara’s best known dishes, you don’t want to visit in summer. And you’ll want an elasticated waistband — because the signature food here is heavy. The city’s best known dishes are pasticcio — effectively a pie filled with macaroni cheese, meat ragu, and bechamel sauce — salama da sugo, a centuries-old kind of sausage and mash, and cappellacci di zucca, pumpkin-stuffed pasta. Each, though, has a twist. Pasticcio’s pie crust is sweet — yes, a meat pie in sweet pastry — while salama da sugo is a kilo-heavy salami that’s soaked in water for several days and then boiled for 10 hours to soften it into a spicy, spreadable meat that’s then served on mashed potato. Meanwhile, that super-sweet pumpkin pasta is usually slathered with meat ragu on top. All date back to the Renaissance. In fact, salama da sugo was said to be the favorite dish of Lucrezia Borgia — yes, that Lucrezia Borgia — who came to Ferrara in 1502 when she married the Duke, Alfonso d’Este. In fact, her famously long, blonde, curly locks are said to be the inspiration for another of Ferrara’s famous foods: the coppia, a spiraling, four-horned bread roll, like two croissants welded together. It was supposedly created by Messisbugo for a banquet in honor of Lucrezia. Sergio Perdonati is at work by 3 a.m. each morning to bake around 1,000 coppie per day, such is his devotion to the bread. “I think it’s one of the best breads in the world,” he says proudly. His grandfather, Otello, started the family bakery, Panificio Perdonati, 90 years ago — Sergio’s sourdough starter is Otello’s original, which has survived the bakery’s bombing in the Second World War, and two property moves. All the rolls are formed by hand and the dough is made using vintage mixing machines. Today, they’ve branched out into the sweet stuff — including panpepato, a cake also dating back to the Renaissance, made with chunks of almonds and orange peel, and covered in dark chocolate. Think Renaissance cocktail flairers Cappellacci di zucca — pumpkin-stuffed pasta. Archivo Fotografico Provincia di Ferrara People have always come to Ferrara to eat. “For sure, other courts had banquets, but Ferrara was particularly well known for them,” says Dr Federica Caneparo, a historian at the University of Chicago specializing in the culture of the Italian Renaissance. “It was especially refined, and food and banquets were a demonstration of power in front of their guests, some of whom would be ambassadors from other courts.” Italian courts had a raft of foodie professions, including the “scalco” (like Messisbugo, the supervisor), the “bottigliere” (an ancient sommelier) and the “trinciante” — the “carver”, who would put on a show for the entire table by carving meat or vegetables held in the air on a giant fork (think of a Renaissance cocktail flairer, only with knives and sides of beef instead of bottles). “They were trusted people close to the Duke,” says Caneparo. “Usually gentiluomini [nobles] by birth, or by merit. The scalco was responsible for organizing banquets and, on ordinary days, the household. The trinciante also had to be a trusted person — after all, he was right next to the master of the house with all those big knives.” Ferrara’s banquets were so famous, in fact, that poet Ludovico Ariosto included a description of one in his epic work “Orlando Furioso,” she says. And no wonder — she says that they were “spectacular, with music, dance, theater, and sculptures made of sugar or ice. They’d start with a play, or music, or both, and then they’d prepare the table.” And forget our single-figure tasting menus — these banquets could have well over 100 courses. Mac and cheese with a sugary twist Pasticcio is a pie filled with macaroni cheese, meat ragu, and bechamel sauce. Archivo Fotografico Provincia di Ferrara With so much food to choose from you can be sure that the dishes to have made it into modern Ferrarese cooking are the classics. At the modern Ca’ d’Frara restaurant, guests sit on hip mustard-colored chairs and cream banquettes to eat these centuries-old dishes. And those used to molecular cuisine might find Renaissance gastronomy equally boundary-pushing. “You often find this sweet-savory combination in the Estense cuisine — it’s unique,” says chef Elia Benvenuti. His pasticcio is an intriguing mix of a dense, meaty mac and cheese, wrapped in a cookie-sweet crust. You approach it with trepidation — how can this ever taste good? — but, somehow, it works. The sweet crust even seems to cut through the richness of the white ragu and bechamel sauce. “They’re symbols of the city — part of our DNA,” says chef of the traditional dishes. “I think Lucrezia [Borgia] would be happy,” adds his maître d’ wife, Barbara. Sweetening up the savory Sweet dishes include panpepato, a cake made with chunks of almonds and orange peel, and covered in dark chocolate Archivo Fotografico Provincia di Ferrara A few minutes’ walk away, locals are spilling into Ristorante Raccano, in a 15th-century cloister. Some are here for meat cooked in the oh-so-21st-century Josper oven — what owner Laura Cavicchio describes as “one of the most technically advanced grilling machines.” But others? They’re here for Lucrezia’s beloved salama da sugo. This is normally one of Ferrara’s more savory dishes — the salama is so heavily spiced, it hardly needs sugar. But Cavicchio and her children, Gabriella and Luca Montanari, like to take it right back to its Este roots by serving it with fried custard. The salama — made with different cuts of the pig including neck, belly, liver and tongue, with neck fat binding it all together — is seasoned with spices including cloves, cinnamon, red wine and Ferrara’s ubiquitous spice, nutmeg. It’s then aged in a pork casing for around a year, soaked in water for three days to soften it up, and then boiled for up to 10 hours. By that point, it’s as soft as jam, and chef Luca scoops it out, sprinkles it on top of potato mash, and adds mostarda (like a sweet chutney), plus the crowning glory: a cube of fried custard. “This isn’t a reinterpretation — in the old recipes, you find it served with custard,” says Cavicchio, who’s combed through Renaissance recipes and history books to make it authentic. Alongside modern dishes, they also serve “Crostino alla Messisbugo” — chicken liver and sauteed herbs pate, smeared on toasted bread. It’s another hit from the great man’s recipe book. Meanwhile, their cappellacci di zucca — handrolled pasta pillows, like oversized tortellini, filled with sweet pumpkin and nutmeg — come drenched in meat ragu and topped with parmesan cheese. Again, it’s a combination that shouldn’t work, but does. Alone, the cappellacci are offputtingly sweet to 21st-century tastes. Douse them with meat and cheese, though, and it slices through the sweetness, while amping up the taste of the sauce. Ferrrara was ruled by the powerful House of Este from the 13th to 18th centuries. Shutterstock The Estes’ signature “agrodolce” (sweet-savory) flavor was a conservation method, says Cavicchio. “People had vinegar, wine and salt. Marco Polo used it.” And although at the restaurant they use modern techniques, including that Josper oven, they want to keep the tastes as similar as possible to their heritage. “Over the years I’ve acquired a way of interpreting a recipe — I change the cooking techniques and some of the ingredients, but you need to know the product to do that,” says Cavicchio. Born just over the border in Veneto, where agrodolce flavors are also fundamental, she reads as many books about the Estes’ food habits as she can and experiments to keep the final product as authentic as possible. “Messisbugo was studious,” she says. “He invented recipes with the ingredients he had and the methods available to him. He didn’t have a fridge, so he used vinegar, wine and sugar. We’re much luckier, but I think he’d still appreciate what we do. For us, [the heritage] is a richness.” The modern day foodie courtiers Ferrara’s local bread is supposedly inspired by Lucrezia Borgia’s hair. Archivo Fotografico Provincia di Ferrara Like everywhere in Italy, restaurants and food heritage are important to the locals. Over at Da Noemi — a restaurant named after his grandmother, who opened up by herself in 1956 — 23-year-old Giovanni Matteucci has a hobby unlike many people his age. He buys antique copies of Ferrarese history and recipe books. “Sweetness was synonymous with the food of the rich,” he explains. “They used lots of spices and sugar to show off their wealth.” Even recipes for glammed-up egg yolk, and lasagne, had sugar and cinnamon on top, he says. And although he says it isn’t proven that Lucrezia Borgia really did love salama da sugo above all else, we do know that she adored apples — from the shopping list she compiled for her country estate. “She ordered loads of apples and different varieties,” he says. “It’s also said that she liked garlic.” At Da Noemi, Giovanni and his mom, Maria Cristina Borgazzi, run the kitchen. Brother Luca, meanwhile, is the maître d — the modern equivalent of Messisbugo. In fact, Luca takes his role as master of ceremonies so seriously that he’s decided that their reduced pandemic seating plan will stay forever. “We can pay more attention to the client this way,” he says. Speak to anyone in Ferrara, and they’ll wax lyrical about their pride in their food heritage. Yet, although Italians flock to the city to eat cappellacci, pasticcio, salama da sugo and coppie, the dishes have never really conquered the rest of Italy, as other regional dishes like pizza or tortellini have. Not that the Ferraresi care. “Ferrara is beautiful because of the Este family, and it’s the same for their dishes,” says Giovanni Matteucci. “People come to Ferrara for this, and we have to protect it. “Italy is based on its history. We don’t have Silicon Valley — this is our richness.” And, of course, their sweetness. Eating like Renaissance courtiers, here, is the most modern thing they can do. Source link Orbem News #500yearold #eat #Italian #meals #Town

[mattpajak]

Nutrition: Exploring Food Sensitivity

Overview

I’ll just start by saying that I’m not a nutritionist, however, the experience that I will share will have takeaways that you can hopefully use to keep your body feeling good.

Back in May, I visited a doctor who ran a quick food sensitivity (food-allergy) check on me. A friend of mine had recently retooled his fridge by removing certain foods from his diet that he had sensitivities to, per the check, and noticed a drop in weight (as a result of reduced inflammation), stable digestion, and an increase in general well-being and energy. I didn’t seek this check, however, I was curious based on his feedback and was presented with the opportunity, so despite not having any glaring issues, I went down the rabbit hole.

Initial Evaluation

After about 5 minutes, the doctor had given me a laundry list of foods to avoid because I may have sensitivities. Now, again, my body didn’t present any glaring issues and at the time I subjectively reported feeling good. So, when the doctor told me that I should try and avoid dairy (which I had largely cut out anyway), chocolate, peanuts, cashews, seeds, gluten, chicken, oranges, corn, and eggs, I was heavily skeptical.

I had replaced dairy chocolate milk with chocolate-almond-cashew milk about two years ago and I drank that regularly. Both cashew and chocolate came up as potential sensitivities. Was it not enough to cut back on the dairy? I ate a lot of eggs and eggs are an ingredient in a lot of things I eat. So, no more eggs? Come on, chicken? I don’t eat it all the time, but I love fried chicken, and what about grilled chicken thighs? I’ve always been told chicken breast is one of the best lean proteins for you. Well, apparently not for me?

I made the decision that I would do my best to avoid the foods that came back with potential sensitivities for a 2-week period. I would say that I was at least 90% compliant and any of the 10% that wasn’t compliant was a result of a small-trace of a food item that was used as an ingredient in something I ate.

What did I eat for 2 weeks?

The first trip to the grocery store was a long and frustrating one. Finding an attractive gluten-free bread isn’t easy. Finding an attractive gluten-free bread that wasn’t made with egg is near-impossible. I arrived at a gluten-free cinnamon-raisin swirl bread (it actually wasn’t half bad). I also found that many of the foods I was targeting for healthy snacking were made with sunflower seed oil (seeds came up as a sensitivity).

Ultimately, your best bet for snacking with heavy-restrictions is food that doesn’t have a ton of ingredients. For me that was a homemade trail-mix with lightly-salted almonds, raw walnuts, dried cherries and honey-roasted pistachios. Lara bars were a necessary discovery (most are made with 4-7 ingredients only). Peaches and cherries are in season. Green pea snack crisps are inexpensive, made with only 6 ingredients (and you can pronounce them all), and the cracked and spicy black pepper ones play well with an almond butter, pecan, and honey sandwich on the aforementioned gluten-free cinnamon-raisin swirl bread.

A steak prepared with onions and cilantro, a side of tomatoes w/ balsamic vinegar, and a sweet potato w/ pecans and honey. 10 total ingredients on this plate.

When it came to meals, I could still work with steak, pork, fish, rice, sweet potatoes, and avocados. In tandem, there were plenty of onions and peppers chopped, tomato, brussels sprouts (I did not know there was a third ‘s’ in brussels before spellcheck), and of course, cauliflower.

Unfortunately, no non-dairy ice cream made the okay list, so I pivoted to frozen fruit bars (also very few ingredients) for dessert.

Results

The first result was weight-related and as it was explained to me, foods that you have sensitivities to create inflammation in your body (add weight). It shocked me none to see the volatility in both directions during and after the two-week period.

The green lines represent the start and finish of the 2 week ‘food evasion’ period.

After two weeks of the great food evasion of 2020, I was down 2.6 lbs. (without modifying my physical fitness or sleep patterns). Mind you, I had monitored my weight on daily basis for 2 months prior to this and had weighed in consistently between 188 and 192 for at least a month. I broke the two-week evasion with a pizza, because I love pizza, and weighed in 2 lbs. heavier the next day. Over the course of the next week, I became less rigid with what was going in the fridge and in my body and one week after breaking the two-week evasion, I was up 4 lbs. from the two-week low (also, without modifying my physical fitness or sleep patterns).

The second result was digestion-related and is what made me a believer. Regular digestion came within a few days and at no point over the two-week period was my stomach upset in any way. There’s a difference between the “my body is feeling good,” I subjectively expressed prior to avoiding the laundry list of foods and the “my body is actually feeling good,” that I can say with confidence was a result of avoiding the said foods.

Pulse Test

The doctor provided me with an at-home, easy to execute food sensitivity test (if you’re ever curious). 

The crux of it is that you take your resting pulse (how many beats in 1 minute) with nothing in your system (I opted to do all food sensitivity testing prior to my first meal of the day). Once you are confident in your resting pulse. Put the food item that you want to test in your mouth for 30 seconds and make sure it covers all tastes buds – do not swallow the food item – this is your body’s opportunity to gather all the information it needs on the food item (a significant increase in pulse is your body’s way of preparing to defend the fort). After 30 seconds, keep the food item in your mouth without swallowing and take your pulse for another minute – record your pulse now and note any difference. If you intend to test another food item, do not swallow the food item, if you do not intend to test another food item, it doesn’t matter. Per the above linked article, an increase of 3-4 bpm confirms a food sensitivity. The higher the increase, the more severe the sensitivity. Results from 7 food sensitivity pulse tests below:

Elimination and Moderation

Keep in mind that the following notes and explanations behind them are my own interpretations and not those of a licensed professional.

The combination of the Chocolate Almond-Cashew Milk test and the Milk Chocolate test results revealed to me that the cashew was likely the cause for the pulse spike. As such, I have decided to avoid cashews moving forward. Chocolate did not seem to have much of an effect at all on my pulse, so I will continue to enjoy in moderation.

Parmesan Cheese came back with a +4, so there was a sensitivity to dairy. I had largely removed dairy from my diet anyway, but because the sensitivity is on the milder side, I won’t feel bad about enjoying a pizza from time to time.

My primary bread of choice for quite some time has been sourdough, and that’s mostly because I enjoy the taste – also turns out, it is lower in gluten and easier to digest – who knew? I was pleased to find that my Sourdough Bread test came back with no change in pulse rate. Since that test, I have reintroduced sourdough bread into my weekly rotation.

The Blue Bell Cookie Cake Ice Cream test is the one that is most interesting and unfortunate. Looking at the ingredients list, it shocks me none that I saw a +8 spike in pulse after testing this food. This was one of my favorite ice creams, and after the two-week food evasion, I decided to follow the test with a full bowl. Keep in mind that this half-gallon was half-empty prior to the two-week period, so I had already consumed part of the container. After I ate the bowl, I experienced an upset stomach – a reaction that I had never had previously (both with this particular container and with multiple past half-gallons). After essentially cleansing my body for two weeks, I think that was its way of telling me that it would prefer if I didn’t go back to eating Blue Bell Cookie Cake Ice Cream. Dairy ice cream as a whole will be an infrequent treat for me moving forward, fortunately, there are plenty of non-dairy ice creams out there (that are starting to taste just as good).

Milk, cream, wheat flour, milkfat, butter, eggs, skim milk, high fructose corn syrup, and corn syrup were all identified food-sensitivities for me + the things I can’t pronounce can’t be good for me + what is a natural flavor anyway? Do those grow on trees somewhere?

The last two food tests that I recorded both involved peanut butter as the primary identified-food sensitivity. Both an almond milk-based, peanut butter-flavored Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and a Clif Chocolate Peanut Butter Builder Bar yielded a +4 jump in pulse. From this, I have decided to moderate any use of peanuts or peanut butter and substitute where possible (almond butter has become a new mainstay for me).

I haven’t tested corn, oranges, egg or chicken yet in isolation, though, it hasn’t been entirely difficult to avoid these foods. I do plan to test them, but I have already mentally decided to move forward in moderation with these food items.

It is worth noting that concentration of a food item likely impacts the effect it may have on your body. Eating an egg and eating something made with egg are likely two different things – I would guess that it’s akin to taking a straight shot of alcohol vs. having a mixed drink.

An Aside on Salt

I, like many of you (I’m guessing), have been under the belief that salt is no good for you. As an aside, a conversation I had with the doctor yielded a new lease on salt. It turns out that table salt is the salt that spikes sodium levels and has been attributed to heart-issues (think salt-shakers/salt-packets at restaurants and the stuff fast food restaurants use). My understanding now is that table salt is boiled at a high temperature and stripped of a TON of minerals that are good for you in the process. The good news is that the salt that isn’t bad for your heart and still has all of the minerals is available at your grocery store. Grey Celtic Sea Salt is my new salt of choice, but here is an article on other salts you should look into / use at-will and without fear.

Closing Thoughts

Fortunately, I’ve never needed or explored a popular diet – I know Paleo and Keto have emerged as popular diets in the past few years and obviously, vegetarians and vegans have been preaching largely plant-based diets for a long time. Those diets are one-size fits all, and that’s not how we’re wired – there’s no magic bullet for everyone. The human body is complex and individual to you and that is probably what the past month or so has opened my eyes to the most.

I must make clear that none of the identified food sensitivities were affecting my quality of life. With the knowledge gained, application and observation, I have decided to make some adjustments moving forward.

Objectively, I just want to feel good with regularity. If that means I have to stop eating certain foods and moderate other foods, I’m willing to do that. I would urge anyone at any age to explore what they are putting in their body and how it may be impacting their sleep, energy, and general well-being.

Food is joy and health is wealth – so find a way to enjoy food that keeps you healthy. Your health is your long-term freedom.

[wanderbitesbybobbie]

RECIPE: EASY 4-INGREDIENTS NO-YEAST PIZZA CRUST

The art of kneading (masa in Filipino) dough has been an essential part of my life as a pastry chef. In my previous job in “Oliveto”, an Italian Fine Dining Restaurant in Sydney, I make at least 20 kgs of Ciabatta Dough everyday and every Friday, I make about 70 to 100 pieces of Herbed Focaccia Bread. This has been my ritual every 10:00 AM before lunch service. Kneading has been my best friend more than piping or decorating dainty Italian Pastries. When I relocated by the beach, I found a new job at a pastry shop at Bondi (where I lived in Sydney). They served almost everything, from a variation of muffins and cakes to bagels and sandwiches. I thought I graduated from the kneading part, but guess what? I’m back to kneading… and the funny part? I start my kneading job at 4:00 in the morning before the shop opens at 6:00 AM. It just moved to an earlier schedule! This time, it’s not Ciabatta and Focaccia anymore. I make Brioche Breads, Sourdough, Baguettes, Hand-Crafted Donuts, Cinnamon Sticky Buns and Nutella Rolls. I also make Croissants, Danish, and some other pastries made of laminated dough, which also requires a more complicated kneading technique. But why am I blabbering about kneading anyway?

This is a quick and easy pizza recipe, but though it only has 4 simple ingredients, it still requires you to knead the dough. It’s not just a simple mix-all-ingredients kind of thing. Flour and water when mixed together creates gluten. The kneading process will add the strength and volume to your dough to form just the right amount of gluten to make your pizza crust. Don’t worry, I will assist you step-by-step and just like my previous Cabbage Rolls recipe, I have provided photos to make it easier for all of us. Let’s start unleashing the baker in you! So… Let’s go!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Serves: Double Recipe makes 3, 8 inches thin crust pizzas. Single Recipe makes 2, 6 inches thin crust pizzas

Baking Time: BLIND BAKE AT 15-20 mins; FINAL BAKE AT 20-30 mins

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH (Double Recipe: Makes 3, 8″ inches thin crust pizza)

4 cups All-Purpose Flour * (prepare additional 1 cup for dusting)

2 cups warm water*

4 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

FOR THE PIZZA DOUGH (Single Recipe: Makes 2, 6″ inches thin crust pizza)

2 cups All-Purpose Flour* (prepare additional 1 cup for dusting)

1 cup warm water*

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. salt

* Chef’s Notes: Your pizza crust texture will depend on the kind of flour you will use. I have specified here All-Purpose Flour because it is the easiest to find in Supermarkets. But, if you want your crust to be more glutenous (springy), you can use Bread Flour or a mix of Bread Flour and All-Purpose Flour in a 1:1 ratio. Bread Flour has more protein content, thus producing more gluten when you knead your dough. Also, make sure you are using WARM WATER. Not boiling, and not too hot, just warm. We need warm water because this recipe does not have any leavening agent like yeast or baking soda or baking powder. The warm water will act as the “natural glue” when we combine all ingredients together. Remember, we are using vegetable oil. We don’t want the oil to solidify while we are mixing everything together, thus the warm water. 

PROCEDURE:

FIRST OF, PRE-HEAT YOUR OVEN AT 200*C or 180*C (if you’re using a convection oven)

1. In a mixing bowl, put together all the pizza dough ingredients. Mix them together with a spatula or spoon until there are no flour lumps. The mixture will be sticky at first, but don’t panic. Just keep on mixing. If you have a stand mixer, mix everything using the hook attachment.

Chef’s Notes: If the mixture is still sticky after everything is incorporated together, add a bit of flour little by little about a tablespoon at a time. This dough recipe will tell you straight-forward what it needs. If it’s too sticky, it needs a bit more flour, if it’s too dry it needs a bit more water. Work (knead) the dough until you reach a consistency that doesn’t stick to your fingers or to the bowl anymore. But also making sure that it is still soft to touch. Do not attempt to knead the dough more if you feel like it’s a bit dry already. This might result into an “overworked” pizza dough, making your pizza crust really hard when it’s baked.

2. If you have reached the soft dough stage, weigh your final product. If you are using the double recipe, the final product will weigh more or less 1098 g. Divide the dough by three and knead it into round balls, 366 g each ball to make 8″ pizza crust. The weight may vary depending on how much flour or water you have added into the mixture. After this stage, rest the pizza dough for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

  3. While your dough is resting, prepare your toppings.

  4. After the dough has rested, dust a flat surface with flour to make sure the dough does not stick on the surface. With a rolling pin, roll the dough  into 8″ flat round (or 6″ if you’re using Single Recipe), about 1/2 inch in thickness. The thickness will depend on your preference, but for this particular recipe, it is meant to be thin-crust as it will not rise up with the absence of yeast or any leavening agent.

  5. Dust an aluminum pan with flour and carefully transfer your pizza dough into the dusted pan. With a dough docker, or a fork, or toothpick, dock the pizza dough. Docking is the process of poking small holes into a dough. This prevents the dough from puffing up by parts during blind baking. This is a very essential process if you are working with a dough that was kneaded with yeast, but it’s best to apply this practice even without the yeast.

Chef’s Notes: BLIND BAKING is the process of pre-baking the dough without the filling or toppings. This is usually done when your filling or toppings take a shorter time to bake than your crust. You blind bake your crust to make sure it is fully baked before you put the toppings on. Moreover, this gives the extra strength/stability for the crust to be able to hold all your toppings and sauces without the crust getting soggy. Blind baking doesn’t only apply to pizza dough. It is an important step when making pies with pre-cooked fillings like Apple Pie or a quiche.

!!! Blind bake your pizza dough in the oven for about 15 mins. at 200*C or 20 mins. at 180*C. After blind baking, take out your pizza crust to be topped with pizza sauce and your toppings.

6. You can use any Pizza Sauce of your choice. You can make your own pizza sauce from Tomato Sauce, herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper, or with whatever herbs or spices you would like to add. Or you can use a pre-made one like what I have used. 115 g of pizza sauce can exactly cover an 8″ round pizza crust.

  This Pizza Seasoning always comes in handy. *winks*

  7. Place the pizza sauce in the middle of the crust. Start from the center and spread cleanly up to the sides.

  8. You can do this with a small palette knife/off-set spatula or with the back of a spoon.

  9. After adding on your toppings, bake your pizza for about 20 minutes at 200*C or 30 minutes at 180*C.

  I MADE 3 FLAVORS FOR MY PIZZA.

YOU CAN FOLLOW MY FLAVORS OR YOU CAN GET MORE CREATIVE AND CREATE YOUR OWN. YOU CAN EVEN MAKE A DESSERT PIZZA LIKE BANANA NUTELLA OR CHOCOLATE MALLOWS PIZZA OR APPLE CINNAMON PIZZA. THE CHOICES ARE ENDLESS! HAVE FUN ON THIS PART!

Bacon Deluxe

4 strips of bacon (sliced into medium dice)

2 slices of ham (sliced into medium dice)

onions (sliced in round)

capsicum (aka bell pepper)

sliced button mushrooms

pineapple tidbits (sorry pineapple haters. pineapple wins. haha)

sliced black pitted olives

cheese (mozzarella/or any quick-melt cheese)

Japanese Tuna Garlic and Corn

Canned Tuna Flakes (hot and spicy)

Corn Kernels

Garlic (minced)

cheese (mozzarella/or any quick-melt cheese)

Japanese Mayonnaise (I put this after baking.)

All-Veggie (Vegan-Friendly)

Sliced Button Mushrooms

Corn Kernels

Garlic (minced)

Onions (sliced in thin rounds)

Pineapple Tidbits

Capsicum (sliced thinly, please don’t copy my laziness in slicing. Haha)

Tomatoes (sliced in wedges)

sliced Black Pitted Olives

    DO YOU HAVE EASY PIZZA RECIPES OR TECHNIQUES YOU WOULD LOVE TO SHARE?

DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE? OR PLANNING TO TRY IT?

HOW DID IT GO? DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

LET ME KNOW! I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

            RECIPE: EASY 4-INGREDIENTS NO-YEAST PIZZA CRUST was originally published on WanderBitesByBobbie

[theblessed-unrest]

Vegetarian Recipes I 💖

I’m starting a new thread for #Gabcooks because during my 6-month exchange in Vancouver, I’ve developed a passion for food and appreciation beyond simply the end product on my plate. There’s just something about being in the fields, plucking out fruit from the land, food compost being a common sight and feeling the vulnerability and fragility of fresh produce that makes you want to whip up the best meals you can with what you have and to demand the same from places you dine at. It makes me think, perhaps this is why there is a dearth of excellent, world-class food places in Singapore, apart from hawker food - where then again, the best places are usually run by older folks (who I hypothesise had more interaction with their food before they were turned into food?) Millennials these days keep opening cafes with eye-roll inducing, run-off-the-mill menus. (Did someone say avocado toast with eggs benedict? I swear, if someone says describes a cafe as “insta-worthy” again I will wring them dry...)

Food security is something many developed countries have began to take for granted and you can see this from the amount of food wasted in these countries. Research by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has shown that food waste by consumers is more common in high-income countries (FAO, 2019). Especially in urbanised settings like Singapore (which generated 763,100 tonnes of food waste in 2018), where many have not even stepped into a farm their entire lives, Wendell Berry’s word never rang truer. He writes that “cultural amnesia” regarding the origins of our food is rampant. Not only does food waste have negative environmental impacts (GHGs, carbon/land/water footprints), but it just seems like a really dumb problem to have by virtue of how easy the solution is: basically to estimate rightly and buy the right amount of food you need. Everyone benefits because you save money while not having to go out of your way to save the environment.

Regarding this point, I found the figures interesting for the main food groups and their associated contribution to carbon/land/water footprints. In this regard, all food groups (not just meat and animal products!) can equally contribute to food waste, so this applies to even vegans/vegetarians. The bottomline is, no matter what you eat, don’t waste it.

(Source: FAO, 2019)

But cutting out food waste is just one part of the equation. We need to do more.

I can’t commit to veganism just yet, but here’s my hot take: I think the world will benefit with majority of people incorporating more eco-friendly and zero waste lifestyle habits (imperfectly) rather than a few people practicing through and through veganism. So I guess I am a “Reducetarian” in a sense. Multiple resources have pointed to reduction of meat intake as the essential to avoiding a climate crisis, with a recent study by Oxford showing that just going vegan for two-thirds of your meals can cut down food-related GHG emissions by 60%! And of course, eating less red meat is good for your health.

As for me, apart from when I’m out with my friends or eating what my mum/helper cooks at home, I will try to get vegetarian food for myself (usually at a mixed rice store). Quoting Wendell Berry again, I too believe that “eating is an agricultural act” and a critical way we can take action to fight climate change (since eating is something we inevitably do every few hours each day).

Many of my friends didn’t believe I could survive on a vegetarian diet on the weekdays when I was in Vancouver, and ask me what I eat then: beans??? (Short answer: no, I believe only 10% of my diet were beans as seen below) So here are some recipes to start with that can help you transition into a plant-based diet while proving that you don’t necessarily sacrifice taste! (Another hot take: thinking that steak belongs in “fancy meal” category and a proof of culinary prowess is the lack of one’s imagination. Any fool, including this writer, can cook a good steak at home after a few tries.)

Recipes

(Source: Bon Appetit)

1. Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

I let my family and some friends try this for the first time when I came back and everyone had second/third/fourth helpings... I don’t know how to describe roasted cauliflowers apart from “life-changing”. You’ll never stir fry your cauliflowers again.

(Source: Bon Appetit)

2. Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Lots of Kale

Super easy weeknight meal to make. Just remember not to hold back on the salt.

(Source: Bon Appetit)

3. Zucchini-Herb Fritters with Garlic Yoghurt

“It tastes like meat!” I rest my case. I had them with cold soba, sautéed swiss chard, julienned cucumber and occasionally, a poached egg. (Also, the garlic yoghurt dip is SO GOOD. I introduced my family to it recently and we’ve been making a new batch every week since.) 

4. Wholesome Burrito Bowl

Inspired by a time where my roommate and I paid close to $10 for a burrito bowl in school. Never again. Also if you’re not sold yet, it has guac (!!)

(Source: My Gluten Free Guide)

5. Cheesy Potato Rosti 

For 2 servings

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

2 peeled potatoes (I used russets because they were on sale when I made this)

1 tbs olive oil

Salt and pepper

Lemon wedges (squeezed for serving)

Optional: garlic yoghurt (refer to BA’s Zucchini Fritters recipe)

Method:

1) Grate potatoes.

2) Take handfuls of your grated potato and squeeze it out over the sink to remove as much liquid as possible. (Life hack: put it in the fridge while you go and busy yourself with other things for half an hour or so to get it real dehydrated)

3) Heat oil in large frying pan over high heat. Season potato with salt and pepper and place half in pan, distributing it evenly to form a large circle. Press t down with the back of a spatula. Cook for 2 minutes, then turn down the heat to medium and cook for a further 3 minutes.

4) Place a plate upside down on top of the potato and carefully flip the frying pan so that the fried side of the rosti is facing upwards on the plate. Gently slide back into the pan and continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes, turning up the heat for the last minute or so to crisp up the base. Remove from pan. Repeat with remaining potato.

*Notes: You can add on whatever other ingredients you want! I recommend onions and mushrooms. They probably go well with poached eggs and other sautéed vegetables as well.

6. Baked Patatas Bravas with Egg

Inspired after having it at Como Taperia :’-) Make sure to watch the eggs!

7. Chana Masala

Seriously, the secret to good vegetarian food is the spices!! Great with naan.

8. Zucchini Loaf

Zucchini again?? Yes, I somehow managed to procure a hugeass zucchini. Story for another day. Basically kind of like a carrot cake situation but moister because zucchinis have higher water content.

(Source: Epicurious)

9. Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta

Super easy, tasty and fast dinner to whip up (without even having to crack open a jar of pasta sauce!)

10. Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Avocado and Feta

Another really fast, easy and satisfying meal to make. Especially if you have a masher. I use a fork :’’-) 

11. Grilled Cheese Sourdough with Caramelised Onions and Scrambled Eggs

I had a phase (during finals) where I was basically exhausting all the possible permutations and combinations of meals you could make from sourdough, cheese and eggs. It was kind of a eureka moment when I thought of adding caramelised onions into your classic grilled cheese sandwich.

For 1 serving

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

1 small onion, or half if large (chopped)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (softened)

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sherry vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)

2 slices of sourdough (or any other bread of choice)

2 slices of cheddar (I mixed in some shredded parmesan as well)

1 large egg

Salt and pepper

Method:

1) Heat half tablespoon of unsalted butter in a large pan over medium heat. When butter is melted, add onions in and cook, stirring occasionally, until dark brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add the vinegar, sugar and 2 tablespoons water, scrapping up any dark bits that have accumulated on the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until all the liquid has evaporated. Transfer the onions to a bowl.

2) Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Lay 1 slice butter-side down onto pan on medium heat. Top with 1 slices of cheddar, parmesan, a dollop of the onions and 1 more slice of cheddar. Top with another slice of bread, butter-side up.

3) Cook until the cheese begins to melt and the bread is golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until golden brown and the cheese is melted through, 2 to 4 minutes. Cut in half.

4) Crack egg into a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper. Whip eggs until completely homogenous and pale yellow in colour, about 30 seconds. Heat butter on pan over medium-low heat. (Can skip this step if your pan is non-stick) Add eggs and cook, undisturbed, until a thin layer of cooked egg appears around the edge of the skillet. Using a spatula and broad sweeping motions, push eggs all the way around the circumference of the skillet, then across the bottom. Continue to push eggs around and across skillet until fluffy and barely set, about 2 minutes; they should still look runny on top. Sprinkle with more pepper if desired. Serve immediately with grilled cheese sandwich.

(Source: Bon Appetit)

12. Spicy Kimchi Tofu Stew

A winter essential. Really comforting to have with rice. 

13. Crispy Maple-Soy Glazed Tofu with Soba & Kimchi

A product of making do with whatever I had in the kitchen. Followed this recipe for the crispy maple-soy glazed tofu. Served it with chilled soba and kimchi straight from the fridge, topped with chopped green onions. Flavours actually went really well together. 

14. Pumpkin Soup with Cheesy Garlic Bread

A fall essential. Made the cheesy garlic bread from scratch with sourdough, olive oil, minced garlic, green onions and shredded parmesan cheese.

15. Cream of Mushroom Soup with Cheesy Garlic Bread

It was a phase of soup + cheesy garlic bread. I can’t find the recipe I used though... But here’s Bon Appetit’s recipe.

16. Barlett Pear and Goat Cheese Toast

With some chopped roasted almonds and a drizzle of maple syrup, it’s a taste bomb.

17. Cheese-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Great finger food for a party!

18. Baked Eggs with Mushrooms, Cherry tomatoes and Spinach + Toast

Zero cooking needed. Just chop up the ingredients and stick them in the oven (together with some slices of bread for maximum efficiency). Great for lazy dinners or a late night snack.

(Source: Bon Appetit)

19. Pumpkin Loaf with Salted Maple Butter

Loaves are my favourite thing to bake now. I love the flavours in this one - it has fresh ginger!! There’s also very little effort required for maximal output. I can have them for breakfast, snacks and dessert. And they freeze well so future you will thank you too.

[benjamingarden]

Weekending

the coop girls are enjoying the moderate temps

Our Christmas week was low key and relaxing.  Last Sunday, as soon as the farmer's market was over, we celebrated the beginning of our time off.  It felt strange to not get up Monday and go right to work.  Instead, we were able to change our daily rhythm and take time to putter around the house, read, get caught up on projects and such.  It's actually perfect in winter because the cold weather makes me want to slow down and take my time working on projects or sit with a hot cup of tea and read. We are still on somewhat "time off" mode in that we have now entered our slower time of the year so making and packaging products every single day of the week won't start up again until spring.  It allows us to look forward to the change that is inevitable and welcomed at that time.

last month when the shed was being delivered

Jay was pretty happy to see it finally on the property!

Outside projects - Jay was able to get most of the needed shelving built in the new shed.  We'll be rearranging the outbuildings in the spring to give him more space in his workshop which he definitely needs.  He's been hand-turning beautiful razors and shave brushes and they've been quite popular, so the guy needs more room to work.  We currently have one of our freezers in his workshop and that will join the other freezer in the barn.  Some of the larger equipment that is currently housed in the barn will move to the new shed along with my gardening tools and the chickens extras.  That's why we sold my garden shed and purchased a replacement that was twice the size.  We'll now have more space to move around in all outbuildings. Working on - our 2020 calendar - craft shows, markets, our soapmaking and product making calendar, etc.  We take the opportunity to review the shows we attended during the current year, look at the numbers, and decide what shows we want to keep, drop, and if there's any we'd like to try to add.  Applications for the 2020 shows have already either come out or will come in out the next 2 months so we've got to make decisions now because applications will need to be filled out and spots will need to be paid for.  It also helps us to determine our product making calendar. Upcoming projects - I'm also starting to work on putting together a small magazine.  Do you remember when I did this once before?  I enjoyed it and I, personally, like looking at information in a magazine or pdf ebook format so I thought I'd put another one out.  I'd love to hear from you if that's something you enjoy or not?  I'm considering trying to offer this (for free) quarterly if you would like to see it.  I've also started working on a couple of other projects I hope to get out later this year.

homemade salsa for tacos tonight

sourdough starter

Cooking - Last night it was oven-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes & gravy for Jay and baked falafel (I premade them) with salad for me.  Tonight it's tacos.  Jay gets ground beef with chilies, peppers, onions, fresh salsa & guacamole and I like refried beans with the same veggies/salsa/guacamole. Here's how I make this even easier:  The burger is pre-cooked and frozen.  Anytime I fry burger for a dish for Jay, I make extra and freeze it in single-use portions.  Then, when I want to use it in tacos, burritos, on pizza, etc. I don't have to cook it.  For the refried beans, I either use some I've made up and stored in the freezer or, if I don't have any pre-made, I use canned (no salt or oil added). I designate Sundays to an easy dinner night because of the farmer's market.  By the time we get home and unloaded it's 3:30 (and 4 ish in the summer) and the last thing I want to do is go right to the kitchen and spend the next few hours cooking.  So, I've implemented "easy dish" night on Sundays.  It's either something in the slow cooker or instant pot, or a super easy dish like tacos/taco bowls, burgers, or soup & sandwich (for me, not Jay - he doesn't like soup for dinner.  at all.).  I will also put last nights chicken carcass in the instant pot with some veggies and water to make homemade chicken stock while I prepare dinner and get my sourdough starter ready to start a loaf of sandwich bread tomorrow.

Do you make cold brew?  I used to drink it year-round before giving up coffee a couple months ago but Jay still drinks it year-round.  Last year he ordered this Ball jar with strainer.  Initially I thought (and probably even said) "you've got to be kidding me.  Why do we need to order a special jar to make cold brew????"  Well, I fully admitted that I was wrong and it was a smart purchase, once I used it.  You fill the infuser with ground coffee, place it in the jar and then fill the jar (and infuser) with water.  Screw a lid on the top and let it sit for 24 hours.  Strain the coffee (we also strain it a second time by pouring it through a coffee filter or paper towel to get the super fine stuff out) and voila!  You have perfect cold brew.  If you are interested, it can be found here (affiliate link).  To purchase the infuser only, it's here (also affiliate link).  It can also be used to make iced tea.

non-dairy, no oil and egg free delicious banana bread

Also, I'll be baking banana bread (with non-dairy chocolate chips!).  I've made this once before and it's DELICIOUS!!  It is made with white whole wheat flour, no eggs and no dairy or oil.  It's in parchment paper because that's what I use instead of oiling the baking pan.  I used this recipe from the Cookie & Kate blog and adjusted it by using flaxseed for the eggs and applesauce for the oil.  Because of the adjustments it is quite dense but boy is it good!  (she offers adjustments to make it gluten free as well) Cleaning - Although some people prefer to do their thorough cleaning in spring, because of our work schedule, I like to do mine in winter.  So that officially starts this week.  I like to do a thorough cleaning of one room per week where I not only clean but re-evaluate everything in that room.  Is there clutter?  Are there things to purge?  Does it need to be painted?  Does anything need to be repaired or replaced?  My husband does not look forward to this season because he would prefer everything stay as it is and braces himself waiting for the "I think we need to paint" or "I think we need to make/re-do/replace _____".  He says change doesn't do anyone any good (only partially joking when he says this) to which I reply that change is nice.  He grunts and then we make the changes. Enjoying - this is my new favorite tea from Harney & Sons and this is my new favorite tea from Celestial Seasonings (although these are Amazon affiliate links, you can sometimes find the Harney & Sons at Target and usually find the Celestial Seasonings in the grocery store).  You can tell that I love cinnamon and spices.  The Harney and Sons tea reminds me of red hot candies and the Celestial Seasoning tea is just a lovely fall-ish spice blend. We are settling in and waiting for the big ice storm expected to hit tomorrow through the next couple of days.  We're, of course, hoping that it isn't as bad as they predict but are preparing in case it is.

Hoping you had a wonderful weekend!

Weekending was originally posted by My Favorite Chicken Blogs(benjamingardening)

[ama-accountability]

“ 5 WAYS TO MAKE WHEY First, there are two types of whey: sweet whey and acid whey. Sweet whey is the liquid that comes from making cheese with rennet, like cheddar or Swiss. Acid whey is the by-product of cultured dairy products like sour cream or yogurt. Both types of whey are super rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, so we want to find ways to use them up instead of pouring them down the drain. However, acid whey can be damaging to the environment in large quantities, so it’s best to just use sweet whey for gardening and composting ideas. Although whey will occur naturally without your doing anything, if you DID want to make whey, here are five ways you can do it: Allow raw milk to sit at room temperature where the natural bacteria will cause the milk to clabber. Strain the milk using a cheesecloth, a tea towel or an old (but clean) thin t-shirt. Use a fine mesh strainer, clean towel or cheesecloth to strain cultured yogurt. Strain cultured kefir (with the same methods as #2). Strain cultured buttermilk (with the same methods as #2). Make homemade Greek yogurt (which is essentially the same as #2). WHY SHOULD YOU MAKE WHEY? Two big reasons: #1 – It’s healthy. Please refer to the above list of 10 vitamins and minerals for details. #2 – It’s cheap. Like, WAY cheap! As in, it doesn’t cost a dime! There’s an assumption that if you’re making whey, your original goal was to make something else instead. Whether that be yogurt or kefir or cheese – you were making something other than whey. Therefore, the whey is like a bonus food and free. There’s a big list below of things you can do with whey, but here’s the best part: When you use whey, you’re replacing something else that cost money. That could be lemon juice, vinegar, milk or even just plain water. When you use whey instead, you’re saving money. In summary, whey = free healthy food. Awesome! Curious what amazing uses this super-frugal-healthy food has? Have you tried making bread using whey? It makes an incredible loaf! Especially if you use whole wheat flour! 36 WAYS TO USE WHEY Culture foods. Using the methods in Nourishing Traditions, you can use whey to ferment all sorts of foods… beets, cabbage, carrots – you name it! Soak grains. We soak our oatmeal and weekly batches of bread, and now we’ll be doing it with whey. It costs me money to make those (or buy lemon juice), and whey is free! Soak beans. Just like grains, your digestive system benefits from beans being soaked before cooking. Swap your acid medium and use whey, or feel free to add more! Soak nuts. For the same reasons above. (More on soaking.) Make pizza dough. Add a sourdough-ish tang to your dough for a delicious pie. Here’s our favorite dough recipe. Make bread. My latest batch of soaked bread (above) was made with 100% whey as the liquid and it was SO good! I’ve heard it helps with whole grains and creating a better texture and my taste buds confirmed this one! Stick it in smoothies. Whey is naturally high in protein (almost 2g in one cup!) and it’s my first choice for extra liquid when making protein smoothies. Condition your face. The cultures in whey are acidic, so toss some on a cotton ball and use it as a toner. Condition your body. Up the ante and add one cup of whey to your bath for an all-over-the-body skin toner. Make a face mask. Use whey combined with soothing raw honey for an easy face mask. Your skin will be loving you! More details here. Condition hair. If you’re washing with baking soda, a diluted whey rinse will work just as well as the diluted vinegar rinse! Pet food. Instead of throwing the extra nutrients down the drain, add them to pet food for some extra vitamins! Dog treats. Get the recipe! Water the plants. Speaking of saving on water, add a bit of this to your watering can. Be sure to use sweet whey though and not acid whey since it might damage the nutrients in the soil so you should definitely dilute it first. Check out this article for more information. Balance the garden’s pH. If watering the plants is out of the question, consider balancing the pH levels of peas, cucumbers and squash by spraying some on just the leaves – the whey will kill the mold that grows! (Again, sweet whey only.) Lower the garden’s pH. Blueberries, roses and tomatoes like acidic soil and whey will help you achieve just that. Add it to compost. A great outdoors spot if you don’t feel comfortable adding it to your garden, or don’t have one to add it to! Substitute for buttermilk. Biscuits, dressings or pancakes? Yep, use whey! Substitute for milk. Instead of milk, use whey to make creamy cheese sauce that will get baked and cheese-ified. Make rice. Although the heat will kill some of the live enzymes, you’ll still retain the nutrients since rice absorbs all the liquid. Make risotto. A combination between the previous two, you’re cooking rice and making it creamy at the same time. Might as well add some nutrition too! Make chicken stock. Substitute not just for the apple cider vinegar, but for some of the water too! Trade up to half of the water (or more, depending on your taste preference) for whey and come out the other side with a richer, more flavorful stock. Thicken gravy. Chances are if you’re making gravy, it’s topping something unhealthy. Boost the nutrition by using whey. Substitute for orange juice. Whey is about as acidic as orange juice, so if you’re using the juice in smoothies or in baking (like yummy scones or in a quick bread), try swapping for whey instead. Substitute for lemon juice. Whey tastes much like lemon juice, so it makes a great substitution in recipes or cocktails… Make a cocktail. Half whey and half juice, plus sweeten to taste with honey or stevia and you’ve got yourself a deliciously healthy drink! Use in salad dressing. Instead of a vinaigrette with lemon juice, how about a vinaigrette with whey? Tenderize meat. Swap whey for any vinegar in a traditional meat marinade. Mind that whey will add tang, so adjust seasonings accordingly. Make lemonade. Seriously. Here’s the recipe. Make ginger ale. Yum! Make cream cheese. Similar to the method of culturing milk with buttermilk, but you’re culturing milk with whey and straining for cheese. More details here. Make soda. Again, seriously! There’s a Swiss drink called Rivella that’s 10% whey. Way cool! Make caramel. Add a bit of salt with a touch of sugar and voila – instant caramel! Use it as a brine. Feta cheese will keep longer in whey, and you can use it when brining your Turkey in November too! Make ricotta cheese. The word “ricotta” means cooked twice, which is what ends up happening to the whey when you make this cheese. Here’s a super easy tutorial that even I, the bad-cheese maker, could likely do right! When all else fails – freeze it. If you’ve got too much and you’re unsure what to do with it, freeze it in ice cubes for later! Bonus idea – make mayo. Whey will kick your homemade mayo up a notch by lacto-fermenting it. It also allows the mayo to last longer! But wait – there’s more! The above ideas were spawned after too much web surfing and not enough dinner. Both Salad in a Jar and The Prairie Homestead have a few more unique ideas for using whey, just in case the above 36 weren’t enough for you. 🙂 WHEY IS SUPER CHEAP AND SUPER HEALTHY! One of my favorite ways to use whey is add it to a smoothie. In fact, smoothies are one of my favorite ways to sneak in extra nutrients! The obvious additions are spinach and kefir in green monster smoothies. But any of these super foods are delicious. And these additions are frugal ways to add protein to your smoothies. My green maca smoothie is deliciously nutty too! I love smoothies so much I wrote a whole ebook called High Protein No Powder! Filled with information on why you should ditch protein powders and store-bought smoothie mixes and make your own instead. Plus tons of recipes for your own smoothies and protein bars. ”

[sudanhelp53-blog]

How To Make Wild Mushroom Stuffing — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Every year after Thanksgiving dinner, when the guests are gone and we're scrubbing the last of the dishes, my family and I go over the meal in detail. What did we all scoop up seconds of, and what did we push to the sides of our plates? What would we make again next year, and what needs to go back to the drawing board?

At this point we've pretty much got the turkey (grilled), mashed potatoes (garlicky), and dinner rolls on lock. But every year, we're not entirely sold on our sweet potato recipe, the vegetable side dish, and, most importantly, the stuffing. Why can't we seem to master the perfect stuffing?

Honestly, I think we play it too safe. Switching to cornbread is too sharp of a pivot, and with so many vegetarians in our family, sausage is out of the question. But unlike the mashed potatoes and the dinner rolls, it feels like stuffing is a place where we can have a little fun.

That's why this year I'm proposing a wild mushroom stuffing, which I'm confident will please both the stuffing purists (there's still celery and parsley and thyme!) and the adventurous eaters alike. It's so good, you won't want to wait until Thanksgiving to eat it.

Why You Should Make This Mushroom Stuffing All Throughout the Fall

It's kind of an arbitrary rule that we only eat stuffing at Thanksgiving. Really, stuffing isn't much different than a strata or a savory bread pudding, which I'll happily whip up any time of year.

While you can purchase mushrooms year-round, most wild mushroom varieties are at their peak in the fall and winter seasons. This stuffing is the perfect way to celebrate the start of chilly weather — it's packed with in-season wild mushrooms (a mix of cremini, shiitake, and oyster) and an earthy blend of herbs, and is so cozy and comforting it will warm you right up. Plus, if you are thinking of making it for Thanksgiving, it never hurts to do a practice run.

Serve it as a hearty vegetarian main during the fall and winter seasons, then enjoy leftovers topped with a fried egg for breakfast. If you're not serving a crowd, divide the mixture into two smaller casserole dishes (such as 8x8), bake one immediately, then freeze the other for later enjoyment.

3 Steps to the Best Mushroom Stuffing

1. Use a mix of wild mushrooms. This stuffing is packed with rich, savory, umami flavor, thanks to a whopping 1 1/2 pounds of mixed wild mushrooms. While you can use all cremini or all shiitake with great results, a blend packs in the most interesting medley of flavors. Some grocery stores sell a pre-packaged sliced wild mushroom mix, while others sell their mushrooms in bulk bins. Either is perfectly fine.

2. Cook the mushrooms until the liquid is almost evaporated. As mushrooms cook, they shrink in size and release a lot of liquid. When you first add them all to the skillet, they'll be heaped in a giant pile, but they'll quickly cook down into a manageable amount. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until they're tender and most of the liquid has evaporated — about 15 to 20 minutes. A little liquid is okay (it's packed with mushroom flavor, and will soak into the bread), but too much will make the stuffing soggy.

3. Pack in the fresh herbs. Mushrooms are delicious, yes, but they don't exactly add a pop of color to any meal. A variety of fresh herbs — sage, thyme, and parsley — not only add quintessential stuffing flavor to this recipe, but they also add a welcomed pop of color that will make this stand out on the table, whether it's Thanksgiving Day or not.

Serves 8 to 10

Prep time: 40 minutes ; cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes

What You Need

Ingredients

1

loaf sourdough bread (1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes (10 to 12 cups)

6 tablespoons

unsalted butter, divided, plus more for the baking dish and foil

2

medium leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

3

medium celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds

mixed wild mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, and oyster, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 12 cups)

1/4 cup

finely chopped fresh sage leaves

2 tablespoons

fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving

1/2 teaspoon

freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons

kosher salt, divided

1/4 cup

finely chopped fresh parsley leaves and tender stems

2 1/2 cups

low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

3

large eggs

Equipment

2

rimmed baking sheets

Large skillet

9x13-inch or other 3-quart baking dish

Mixing bowls

Instructions

Heat the oven and prepare the baking dish. Arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds and heat to 350°F. Meanwhile, coat a 9x13-inch or other 3-quart baking dish with butter and set aside.

Toast the bread dry. Divide the bread cubes between 2 rimmed baking sheets and spread into a single layer. Toast until the bread is completely dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Cook the leek and celery until tender. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the leek and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 6 to 7 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and herbs. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the mushrooms, sage, thyme, black pepper, and 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt. Cook until the mushrooms are golden-brown, tender, and any liquid released is almost evaporated, 15 to 18 minutes.

Mix the bread with the mushroom mixture. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a very large bowl. Add the bread cubes and parsley, and toss to combine.

Whisk the eggs and broth, and mix in. Place the broth, eggs, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl or large liquid measuring cup and whisk to combine. Pour over bread and mushroom mixture and use your hands or a large spoon to gently toss until all the bread is evenly moistened.

Transfer to the baking dish and top with butter. Transfer to prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and dot the top of the stuffing with the butter.

Cover and bake. Cover the baking dish tightly with a lightly buttered piece of aluminum foil. Bake until warmed through and slightly puffed, 20 to 25 minutes.

Uncover and bake at 425°F until crispy. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Uncover and bake until the top is golden-brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes more. Sprinkle with more thyme leaves before serving.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The bread can be dried out in the oven a few days before and stored in an airtight container at room temperature, or just left out on the baking sheets overnight to dry at room temperature instead. The stuffing can also be completely assembled, topped with butter, covered tightly with buttered aluminum foil, and refrigerated overnight. When ready to bake, let the baking dish sit out on the counter as the oven heats. Bake for the same amount of time.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days of frozen for up to 1 month.

Source: https://www.thekitchn.com/mushroom-stuffing-recipe-261115

[businessweekme]

The 16 Dishes You Should Have Eaten in 2018

The year 2018 has not been a great one for the food world. There was the loss of two of the brightest people in the business, Anthony Bourdain and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Los Angeles critic Jonathan Gold. Likewise, it was hard to find one new, unifying restaurant that captured everyone’s imagination.

That doesn’t mean there weren’t captivating dishes. In fact, these 16 were positively remarkable. They run the gamut from just-caught king salmon in Alaska to exquisitely aged Irish beef in London. There’s a lot of bread—it was, after all, the 2017 dish of the year and still looming large—but no noodles. New York introduced two places you’d assume would make the cut: Missy Robbins’s pasta-focused Misi followed her breakout, Lilia, and David Chang reimagined ramen at the new Momofuku. Yet different dishes stood out more on their menus instead.

To find out what those dishes are, and the 14 other most outstanding ones, read on. And grab a snack while you’re at it—you’re going to get hungry.

Sukchae | Atomix, New YorkUnlike most dishes that feature a dollop of caviar, what grabs your attention with this exquisite Korean omakase counter’s cooked vegetable course is not the pricey fish roe. Chef-owner Junghyun Park layers tender celery root on a bed of fresh, yogurtlike buttermilk cheese—and adds the caviar, sure. But then comes the unforgettable component: creamy, softly sweet hazelnut sauce that Park pours over it all to finish the dish. It balances the saline pop of caviar, the silkiness of the celery root, and the tang from the cheese.

Whole Roast Duck With Duck Confit Salad | Spoken English, Washington, D.C.This small, standing-room-only restaurant (literally) is hidden in the groovy Line hotel, a new D.C. hotspot that once was a church. The dining room consists of two short counters, which are an extension of the kitchen; it’s like snacking at a friend’s house. On the menu are twisted classics such as chicken skin dumplings from chefs Erik Bruner Yang and Matthew Crowley, as well as the best duck I ate this year—a time when there’s been a lot of good duck out there. Here it’s cured in tea for four to five days before being roasted over wood and carved up. The legs are confited and tossed into a salad, the breast is thickly sliced, and the supple tortillas to roll it all up in are made with duck fat instead of lard.

Roasted Tomatoes With Hot Honey | Misi, BrooklynA few years ago at Lilia, chef Missy Robbins made a long, curly stretch of malfadini noodle with buttery pink peppercorns New York’s most sought-after dish. At her new place, Misi, in the southern reaches of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, the best thing isn’t pasta but oven-blasted tomatoes. Roasting for a couple of hours intensifies their sweetness, which is then hit with a drizzle of Calabrian chile-infused honey, further punching up the shriveled halves. A licorice bite from the cracked coriander seeds and fennel, tucked into the oil, takes it over the top.

Maine Chutoro Hand Roll | Mr. Tuna, Portland, MaineInstagram: Mr. Tuna on Instagram: “End Labor Day…

Forget lobster and oysters. The local bluefin tuna belly that Jordan Rubin gets in late summer and the fall is the seafood standout in Portland, Maine. In mid-2017, Rubin bought a hot dog cart and started making hand rolls and sushi burritos on the downtown streets. His operation quickly grew into a mini food truck empire that now includes a space in the Portland Public Market. The hand roll’s nori wrapper is notably crisp because Rubin keeps it warmed in an electric toaster before wrapping it around tangy rice and fatty, melt-in-your-mouth chopped fish mixed with sea salt, scallions, and potent fresh wasabi sauce.

Poulet Roti | Frenchette, New YorkTwenty years ago the roast chicken at Balthazar, carved tableside, made the bird chic in Manhattan. Now the chefs who helped put it on the map there—Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr—have reintroduced it at their beyond-buzzy Frenchette. Not simply a vehicle for crispy skin, it’s a superbly juicy and supple bird served in a shallow casserole. Standing alongside is a separate pot of pommes purée that’s approximately half butter, and often garnished with roasted maitake mushrooms, giving you all the earthy flavors on one table.

Panna Cotta | Brawn, LondonFor those who think they never want to eat panna cotta again, it’s time you taste the triangular wedge at Columbia Street’s cult favorite wine bar, where it’s served as if it were a cake. The custard is infused with piquant cardamom and topped with charred orange slices that offset the sweetness. But the beauty of this dish is the rich double cream that chef-owner Ed Wilson sources to make it, lending a texture that’s not too gummy, not too loose—just perfect, like the best ice cream made ever-so-slightly more solid.

Aged Beef Sobrasada on Toast | Bright, LondonAt this spare new Scandi restaurant and wine bar, chefs Will Gleave and Peppe Belvedere rely on their neighbors—specifically the great local butcher shop, Hill & Szork. They take Irish sirloin that’s been aged at the shop for 45 days (there’s not enough room at Bright to age it themselves) and then grind it with funky aged beef fat and salt, pepper, and paprika. It’s served on sourdough toast brushed with more of the fat, then topped with capers and chives macerated with elderberry. It’s the platonic ideal of beef tartare.

Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake | Valerie, Los AngelesValerie Gordon may have gained notoriety for her chocolate bars, now a common sight at coffee shops across the country, with their bold packaging and flavors such as salt and pepper with crispy rice. But the real standout of her eponymous confectionary are the classic desserts she re-creates out of fear they’re fading into oblivion. Blum’s cake is an architectural masterpiece, studded with shards of chewy, coffee-infused honeycomb that superbly contrast the coffee whipped cream oozing out between layers of tender yellow cake.

Cheese & Crackers | Elske, ChicagoThe deceptively simple dish at Michelin-starred restaurant Elske has just three components: cheese, jam, and crackers. The cheese is Wilde Weide, a two-year-old aged raw cow gouda with crystallized streaks. The jam is vanilla-infused tomato dolloped into a nest. And the crackers are made from a yeasted dough that’s doused in olive oil before baking, which gives them a superbly flaky, buttery texture, like a French pastry you didn’t know existed. Together, they’re unstoppable.

Slow-Roasted Lamb Neck Shawarma | Bavel, Los AngelesAmong the slew of promising new Middle Eastern restaurants across the U.S. is the greenery-filled Bavel in downtown L.A. Ori Menashe takes an underused cut—lamb neck—and coats it with a paste of tangy sumac and caramelized onions. The meat is roasted for hours until falling-apart tender, and the rub is baked in. It’s served with an array of sides including pickled vegetables and creamy house-made tahini, as well as the flatbreads for which the restaurant has rightly become famous.

Fried Blue Prawns | Momofuku Noodle Bar Columbus Circle, New YorkDavid Chang is on a mission to get you to eat the whole shrimp—shell, head, all of it. To accomplish this, he and his crack chef team of Tony Kim, Matthew Rudofker, and J.J. Basil have created a scintillatingly spicy coating at the new Noodle Bar in the Shops at Columbus Circle, aka the Time Warner Center. A blend of cumin, togarashi (the Japanese version of chili powder), sugar, salt, and Sichuan peppercorn is plastered onto the delicately fried shrimp, making it impossible not to eat the wafer-crisp shell along with the sweet meat inside. A spritz of lemon and an accompanying bowl of yuzu mayo cools it all down.

Dilliwala Butter Chicken | Adda, New YorkNormally, butter chicken is a forgettable staple of Indian takeaway. That all changes at the thrilling, no-frills Adda in Long Island City, Queens. The dish is recognizable only by name, and it makes you realize that all the versions you’ve had before are lame. The deep orange sauce is lit up with darkly sweet fenugreek, cardamom, cilantro root, and a generous hit of red chiles, making it much hotter than usual. The biggest difference: the local tomatoes and honey that replace the standard canned tomatoes and sugar, lending the dish a punchy freshness that cuts through that classic slick of butter on top.

Pork and Shrimp Bao Bao With Fried Egg | Kym’s, LondonWell-made dumplings are enough for most people, especially when the filling is a mix of juicy seasoned pork and chopped shrimp in a tender wonton wrapper. But at Kym’s in the Bloomberg Arcade, chef Andrew Wong, who heads the Michelin-starred A. Wong, ups the ante by frying them with eggs for extra unctuousness. The result is an Asian-style shakshuka with golden, crispy bits of white and creamy yolk enriching the already rich dumplings. The final touch is a sprinkling of scallions, sesame, and chili oil studded with alluring bits of fried onion.

Grilled Ivory King Salmon | In Bocca al Lupo, Juneau, AlaskaChef Beau Schooler of Juneau’s In Bocca al Lupo calls his dish simply “salmon offcuts,” which may be true, if perhaps a disservice to the quality of what you get on your plate: a combination of the collar, belly, tail, and head, depending on what was caught in the last 24 hours. There’s never a guarantee that he’ll have white king salmon, but if he does, order it. The incredibly fresh fish has a cleaner richness then common salmon. Salted and drizzled with olive oil, the fish gets popped into a wood-burning oven, right next to the coals, so the skin chars. The accompaniment is an equally elemental charred lemon wedge, a garlicky parsley pesto that’s intensified with a blast of fish sauce, and a finishing sprinkle of Alaskan sea salt from Sitka.

Ibérico Katsu Sando | Ferris, New YorkIt’s been a big year for sandos in New York, the most high-profile being the $185 version of the Japanese sandwich made with wagyu beef. But pay attention to the one crafted by chef Greg Proechel at Ferris that costs about one-tenth the price. Made with succulent acorn-fed Spanish pork, about ¾-inch thick, it’s egged, breaded, and fried to medium rare so it’s crunchy but still supremely juicy. The toast is judiciously brushed with a fruity, hoisin sauce and is just thick enough to keep the cutlet secure.

Ilaria Pie | Una Pizza Napoletana, New YorkPizza prince Anthony Mangieri figures he’s tried every buffalo mozzarella in the U.S. and half of the ones in Italy. He came across his favorite outside Naples—it’s grassy and slightly animal-y—and along with that classic “mozz,” he brings in a quantity that’s been wood-smoked to star on Una Pizza Napoletana’s simple, standout pie. The Ilaria, named for his wife, is a doughy delight, like a lightly charred pillow. It features pools of that smoky mozzarella paired with the refreshing snap of cherry tomatoes and arugula.

The post The 16 Dishes You Should Have Eaten in 2018 appeared first on Bloomberg Businessweek Middle East.

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[thevintagebluebird]

Unpinned - Croque Monsieur

Thought you could get rid of me that easily!? Hello all - yes, it’s been a while. These past few months I’ve been running around New England as my favorite people in the world get married, buy houses, and have babies. Celebrating life milestones with my loved ones has been wonderful, and I’m so grateful to all of them for sharing those special moments with me. And now that all the excitement has died down, I’m settled back at home to celebrate the truly big things in my own life: rewatching Star Trek: The Next Generation, fixing the scratching post my cat destroyed, and successfully making a grilled cheese with ham.

Also I’ve been spending a lot of money on wine lately. Can’t find any correlation. Hmm.

Anyhoo, Allan and I had the distinct honor of hosting one of our favorite people Zach for dinner the other night, and this mad lad was inspired to teach us FRENCH COOKING. Seriously, if you’re not friends with this guy you’re missing out - funny, nice as heck, and a master chef. He’ll even bring you laundry detergent if you ask nicely! Zach took our lumpy, lifeless forms and turned them into PASSABLE SOUS CHEFS! Meaning we didn’t burn down the kitchen. Join us as we are taught how to make the New York Times’ Croque Monsieur!

Verdict: Is the Pintrest photo complete bullshit? - We did not have fresh-baked, hand-sliced country white bread, but other than that it’s not totally fake!

Is it crazy expensive/time consuming/confusing? - Stocking up on cheese was probably an expense, but since Zach did the shopping I have a nice buffer and can pretend it was FREE!

Does it taste good? - I’m sorry, have you ever met a dish made entirely of melted cheese that WASN’T good? ‘Cause I haven’t.

Croque-Monsieur

Makes 2 sandwiches (we doubled it for four)

Time: 20 minutes (eehhhhhhh)

INGREDIENTS

5 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon flour

⅔ cup milk 

Sea salt 

Freshly grated nutmeg

4 1/3-inch-thick slices country bread (not sourdough or whole wheat)

4 thin slices French ham

2 thin slices Gruyere cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat a two-sided electric griddle on medium-high to high for about 20 minutes, or preheat the oven to 300 degrees and preheat a cast-iron skillet on top of the stove for about 5 minutes. Prepare a bechamel sauce: in a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. When bubbles have subsided, add flour and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Bring to a boil, and cook until thick. Remove from heat, and season to taste with salt and nutmeg.

Spread two slices of bread generously with sauce. Lay two slices of ham on top of each, and top each with a slice of cheese; ham and cheese should slightly overlap edges of bread. Top each with a slice of bread.

In a small saucepan, melt remaining the 4 tablespoons butter. Brush the sandwiches on both sides with butter, making sure that the edges are well covered. If you're using a griddle, place cheese side down, close the griddle and cook until the bread is toasted dark and cheese is leaking out and bubbling. If you're using a skillet, place sandwiches cheese side down and cook on stove top until well browned, then turn and brown again. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake until heated through and cheese is bubbling. Serve hot.

A motley crew, to be sure. Allan and I had just rushed to run home and jumped in and out of the shower, hence why we look like drowned rats. Zach looks lovely. I can’t really comment about the state of the New York Times cooking website because honestly, Zach brought it and I didn’t find it wandering among the shiny editorial photos of Pintrest. Plus they’re a really good resource for recipes (my favorite salad dressing is from a NYT recipe). So just trust they’re cool. 

This is sorta vaguely what you’ll need. We’ve also got cooking drinks and snacks mixed in there too. And dish soap. Don’t cook with that.

Here’s Zach, casting a spell over his phone to ensure the success of our undertaking. Spoiler alert: it worked!

Mandatory cooking wine. Angry Bunch is my current favorite (aka the Hapke/Knowles house wine) and if anyone from Angry Bunch wants to send me a free bottle for the shameless plug, just send it to Somerville. Doesn’t matter where. I’ll find it.

Ok, so you get your bowl of ice water out. This made me nervous, because it was starting to seem like this was going to be really complicated like making a pie crust from scratch, but it turns out it was just for de-starching the potatoes. Oh, did I mention we were making our own french fries? ‘Cause HECK YEAH folks, we were also HAND-MAKING FRIES!

Turn yo potatoes into fries! Cold, wet fries!

Zach checking the recipe while poor Allan is (once again) put on potato peeling duty. What can I say, kid has skills. Also I realize that at this point I’ve told you nothing about making a croque monsieur. Patience, dear reader.

To make a croque monsieur you’re gonna need an amazing cheese sauce to pour over your actual slices of cheese. It’s a modified roux. And being a Rew, it was only fitting that I had roux-making duty (with the watchful eye and helpful directions of our fearless leader Zach). Here I am attempting to grate just enough cheese to make the sauce. We found out shortly later that ‘just enough’ cheese was actually all the cheese he brought. 

Had to leave enough Gruyere to slice, ‘cause no one wants a grilled cheese made of only cheese sauce. You need cheese melt AND sauce. Obviously.

Teamwork makes the dream work! Zach gently adding flour while I stir WITHOUT STOPPING to make a damn fine roux. My grandma would be proud. She re-teaches me this every single year at Thanksgiving when we make gravy. Also note the banana cream pie in the top right because Zach is a super guest and not only brings all the ingredients and know-how to a dinner party but he even brings *desert*. Damn.

Allan on ham duty! We were running out of counter space, hence the sink-shot.

A PERFECT CHEESY ROUX! If you dip your spoon in and it comes out drippy but coated, you know you’ve hit that sweet spot.

Take your hand-me-down lobster pot (that you usually only use to cold-brew coffee) and actually use it to cook things! Here I discover that every attempt I’ve ever made to deep fry has resulted in hot-grease arms/hands/walls because I wasn’t using a deep enough pot. Look at me now!!

We’ve got ham, cheese, cheese sauce, and more cheese. It’s...beautiful. And ready to go in the oven!

Pomme frites!

As you can see we didn’t quite get that orange glow on top of ours like the NYT photo, but they still look DAMN fine to me.

All three of us are former restaurant employees. As such, plating is very important. Notice we even made the effort to pretend this isn’t just a cheese-stuffed 10,000 calorie cheat meal. ‘Cause it has a salad. Healthy!

Aaaaaaand the reaction? Thumbs up!!

Final final verdict: Fucking. Delicious. Make this as the ultimate comfort food dinner, and follow it up with banana cream pie. EPIC. Thank you Zach!!

[elementalgrowth]

Probiotic foods are a hot topic right now but what is fermentation? Well, simply put it is a way of preserving food while also increasing the nutrition content, making it easier for our bodies to absorb and digest. By introducing living probiotic cultures into our bodies we help it to absorb more essential nutrients from the food we eat and balance our gut microbiome.

We have always loved and even craved a healthy diet of probiotic foods and drinks. Throughout human history we have thrived by eating this food, they would keep us alive when winter made farming and hunting impossible, perhaps we love them because our body is craving to stay healthy and strong.

Probiotic foods are not only good for us but also delicious. Fermentation creates complex flavors to satisfy like no other food. When you make your own you will drive the greatest nutritional benefits from them.

Most items that we find the grocery store today are not truly fermentation but instead been cured in vinegar. Although similar they are rarely as good as a homemade version can lose their potency through the pasteurization process which kills off most of the beneficial bacteria.

Studies have shown that a healthy diet of probiotic foods can reduce allergies, reduce plaque bacteria in the mouth (resulting in fewer cavities and healthier gums), allow you to lose weight more easily, and even help prevent serious disease and arthritis.

When your gut bacteria is out of balance you can start to experience a wide range of problems from headaches to diarrhea. Allergies, making poor food choices, using recreational/pharmaceutical drugs, emotional stress, poor sleep habits, and even environmental conditions like pollution can send your gut out of balance.

Introducing probiotic foods with beneficial living microorganisms can bring back your balance. Balance is reliant on thriving colonies of friendly microbes. When we give microbes a friendly environment with food, water, and nutrients they grow and reproduce.

As they consume sugars in the food they produce alcohol and carbon monoxide, this is what makes the flavor and texture. When we eat them this also encourages the growth of even more healthy bacteria. The word probiotic comes from a Greek word meaning “promoting life”.

A probiotic is a living organism, most foods contain probiotics and prebiotics. Prebiotics do not actually contain the living organisms but they do create a favorable environment for healthy microbes. Both probiotics and prebiotics work together to promote digestive health and boost the immune system.

Antibiotics perform the opposite tasks if you take antibiotics in order to kill harmful bacteria that has caused illness you should also take probiotics because they promote the growth of beneficial bacteria that support the immune system. Antibiotics will kill all of your gut Flora good, bad and stagnant, so by adding in fermented foods, we recreate a healthy environment where healthy microbes can thrive.

Our digestive system contains 80% of the body’s bacteria, that’s nearly a hundred trillion bacteria – our gut bacteria outweigh the body cells. Our gut is the largest organ in the immune system and responsible for nearly half the body’s immune response.

Additionally, there are the same number of neurotransmitters in our gut as is in our brain and this is what scientists and researchers who study the immune system to refer to it as a second nervous system or the second brain. 98% of or serotonin (happy chemicals) are also created here despite the common misconception that it is produced by our brain.

The microbes in the gut communicate with immune system cells and cause them to

form in a specific way. In addition to providing good digestion, these microbes also support and may even activate the immune system inflammation associated with a wide range of diseases. It appears that probiotics and fermented foods can reduce the inflammation by communicating directly with the cells that cause inflammation in the first place.

The standard American diet interferes with our body’s ability to digest and absorb most of the nutrients we need, this is one reason why everyone is taking supplements. The process of fermentation activates substances in food that might otherwise give us digestion trouble like anti-nutrients which prevent us from digesting food. Probiotic foods are already digested by the time we consume them because the beneficial bacteria has already consumed and converted the parts that we would otherwise have trouble with.

Fermentation creates a balance between an environment that allows good microbes to thrive and slows down or stops bad microbes from multiplying. If you control the process successfully you end up with something wonderful.

Many fermented foods are often made with a salt brine. Every cuisine on Earth has a tradition of fermented foods, even the ancient controlled yeast to make bread, beer and wine have been made for thousands of years. They’re part of a culinary tradition anywhere. The fermented recipes I’m sharing with you today are using traditional techniques that are easy to make and create fantastic flavor. That being said fermentation is also craft, everything that you make will be unique because every environment is different. The good news is you can experiment along the way to find out when the taste is right for you, then you throw them in the fridge where they will last until you eat them.

What to consider

Diversity: Different organisms have different requirements some may need plenty of oxygen all the time while others cannot be exposed to oxygen, these are important keys to success. You can ferment almost any food as long as you have the right combination of microbes in a rich source of nutrients, these ingredients are rarely difficult to find you probably have most of them in your kitchen right now. Some bacteria can thrive through many generations as long as they’re fed regularly this is especially true of cultures that start with wild ferments.

SCOBY (Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast): A mother will develop on any raw unfiltered vinegar, this bacteria is responsible for turning wine into vinegar. Eventually, a colony of cellulose and bacteria start to form and what is described as a blob. The Blob is called a mother and will continue to live almost indefinitely as long as it has periodically fresh food.

Tradition: Bread bakeries around the world have always relied on the fermented dough. Sourdough uses a portion of a mother while the rest is kept live – you refeed it daily like a pet. Maintaining a sourdough mother is a commitment of time and energy but there is no substitute for the rich flavor it produces and it also makes eating bread easier to digest. Many people with gluten sensitivity and celiac disease can still manage a way to get with away with this form of wheat without any inflammation.

Healthy Food: Buying or growing foods that are in season and grown without chemical fertilizers/pesticides makes a lot of sense when your preserving food especially if you will be including the skins. There are no specific requirements that the food must be organic but fermentation practices have always been practiced within a season and organic farming methods.

Tasty Food: Buy or pick ingredients when they are at its peak, this is the time to preserve them. Fruits and vegetables should be rinsed and trimmed, stems and impurities removed, the only exception is grapes for making wine.

Brine: I recommend Celtic, Himalayan or kosher salts because they have no additives. Table salt may contain dextrose sugar, iodine and other ingredients that can affect the flavor and appearance of your food. If your drinking water is treated with chlorine and fluoride you should consider using filtered or spring water.

Equipment: I prefer glass canning jars, some are recycled and some are new mason jars. You may also need weights when making things like sauerkraut but you can easily use a smaller mason jar and fill it with water or use a temper. from a food.

Tasty Food Recipes

  Kombucha + SCOBY: is a variety of fermented, lightly sweetened tea drink that has been consumed for thousands of years. Kombucha is commonly intended as functional beverages for their health benefits such as probiotics and antioxidants.

Sourdough Mother: is a bread made from the naturally occurring yeast and bacteria in flour. We cultivate the wild yeast in a form that we can use for baking. Since wild yeast is present in all flour, the easiest way to make a starter is simply by combining flour and water and letting it sit for several days. You then use it as you in addition to or instead of bakers yeast.

Veggies + Sourkrout: is one way to boost up your gut health. Fermented foods, like veggies, are rich in probiotics. The action of the bacteria makes the minerals in cultured foods more readily available to the body and the bacteria also produce vitamins and enzymes that are beneficial for digestion.

Ferments may attract fruit flies if this happens put a dish bowl filled with apple cider vinegar next to it. You can add a few drops of dish detergent as well to make them stick.

Many ferments should be not be moved or jiggled so pick on the spot and stick with it and keep them about 10 ft separated.

Make sure they are completely submerged in the brine, this may require the use of weights.

You may want to use an airlock this gives you the ability to control the amount of oxygen that gets in

Check out my friends over at wellpreserved.ca or watch Preserving Food – You Are What You Eat: Joel MacCharles at TEDxToronto.

Additional resources Fermentation for Beginners: The Step-By-Step Guide to Fermentation and Probiotic Foods

Why Any Healthy Diet Should Include Probiotic Foods Probiotic foods are a hot topic right now but what is fermentation? Well, simply put it is a way of preserving food while also increasing the nutrition content, making it easier for our bodies to absorb and digest.

[lady-aga]

The Quality Chop House

First up, full disclosure, this meal was eaten a year and a fortnight ago - I was pretty pregnant at the time and The Blonde had hatched a cunning plan with a great friend of mine’s husband (she also being with child) to take the wives out for lunch to say thanks for carrying our kids.  The destination was The Quality Chop House and as ways of expressing gratitude go, a booking at this restaurant is as awesome a thanks as anyone could ask for.  The stark yet homely look and deceptively simple looking seasonal British menu have all the great elements of St John and Hix but what they do is totally their own.

With the sun out today and a distinctly Spring feel in the air I’m feeling nostalgic for those times of the great unknown and anticipation, of expectancy, excitement and mild terror, but above all I cannot stop thinking about The Quality Chop House’s confit potatoes - the carb to end all carbs.  But I’m getting ahead of myself... first up, an aperitivo for the male contingent:

Something sparkling for the gals

Bread, cultured butter, salted Marcona almonds and Nocellara olives served as a simple snack before we graduated onto the main events.

Breaded beef croquettes on a bed of the most perfect aioli; their crispy crunchy exterior beautifully complementing the slow cooked shredded beef that lay within

Poached Scottish langoustines with creamy mayonnaise

Burnt leeks, chopped hard boiled egg and anchovy - salty, sweet, smooth and simple, whilst being anything but straightforward.  The ingredients here are as high grade as the kitchen skills.

Hansen & Lydersen smoked salmon with watercress and horseradish - creamed and freshly grated.  If you’ve never tried H&L’s exceptional smoked salmon you are missing out - anything but your classic cure and generally served in sashimi-esque slices for maximum flavour and character. Jerusalem artichoke soup with hazelnuts and browned butter as a blurry background.

Shellfish broth, Riesling, wild garlic and sourdough with a Monk’s beard garnish

The most incredible Galloway beef mince with dripping toast you’ll ever experience; not for the calorie conscious, Lord only knows how much bone marrow goes into the sauce but I love their style.  Forget the vitamin-packed watercress; this dish is basically medicine through the medium of meat; I feel like there’s nothing it couldn’t heal.

And last but not least, THOSE potatoes - details on exactly how these were prepared fail me but, from vague memory, they are thinly sliced, baked in a tray of duck fat, refrigerated and compressed, chopped into slices, deep fried, drizzled with aioli (by the look of things?) and scattered with sea salt.  But don’t take that as gospel. True love, lust and a lifetime allegiance at first bite.

We passed on pudding as the boys said they had a second reservation lined up just down the road for desserts - but we had to have the truffles, because, you know, truffles.. In a stroke of pure brilliance, this alternative location turned out to be a cake-based secret baby shower at Granger & Co with a load of our girlfriends; even a year on this still makes me pretty emotional.  But enough of the nostalgia and back to the Chop House - if the restaurant doesn’t quite seal the deal, they also have a butcher and bakery next door where - joy of joys - you can buy those potatoes.

The Quality Chop House, 88-94 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 4EA