Random Food Fridays - Super Food Oatmeal

Breakfast!

Once again, I have been cooking more than I have been blogging. Getting good light for pictures in Winter can be tricky. Some of my favorite meals are warming, Winter treats and I'm glad I remembered to take a picture of my oatmeal before it was all gone! This oatmeal is full of nutrition due to my inclusion of many so-called "Super Foods." While weight loss is not an immediate goal for me, eating well is. I'm trying to make every bite count. This oatmeal is yummy and sees me through the whole morning, with low sugar, plenty of fiber and healthy fats. Please adjust to your tastes by using your own favorite dried fruits and spices. 

Super Food Oatmeal

2 cups water

2 tbsp. organic black strap molasses (a great source of minerals)

Pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup dried tart cherries

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup extra thick rolled oats 

Walnut pieces and coconut oil for serving

Place the water, salt, molasses, cherries, raisins and cinnamon in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir in the oats. Adjust the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir and serve topped with walnut pieces and a dollop of coconut oil. For me, this is three servings. 

Cornbread Dressing - Gluten Free and Great!

Gluten Free Cornbread

Here, finally, is the dressing I made for our Thanksgiving turkey. My holidays were good, but I had to roll with it and the old blog got demoted in importance. It looked like this: Thanksgiving, sick, Disneyland, one week to get Christmas together, Christmas. Not much wiggle room. But, here I am, hoping to bring you new recipes in the new year. Here's to 2014 being a little more calm.

Assembled dressing, waiting for the oven.

This was our first Thanksgiving without my Grandma Betty and mother-in-law, Pat. My mom and dad shared Thanksgiving with my Aunt Kim and her kids, so they didn't have to travel. Mr. Dwayne's dad was in Arizona with his brother, Don. So, I found myself the matriarch of my own holiday table. I was careful to meet everyone's special dietary needs, so this gluten free dressing was created in honor of Miss Paula.  It was the best cornbread dressing I've ever had. No kidding. This was not a compromise of any sort. Delicious! While I'm not posting this in time for the 2013 holidays, I hope you will consider this side dish any time you serve poultry.

Our Thanksgiving Table

Gluten Free Cornbread Dressing

For the cornbread:

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup Pamela's Gluten Free Pancake and Baking Mix

1 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients until blended. Pour into a greased 8 X 8 or 9 X 9 inch baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Cut the bread into about 1 inch squares and remove from the baking pan onto a cookie sheet. Allow the cornbread to air dry overnight. 

To assemble the dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup diced onion

1 cup diced celery

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh parley

1/4 cup chopped fresh sage

Salt and Pepper

The dried cornbread cubes

1 cup of simmered and chopped giblets* or cooked sausage**

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 cup chicken or turkey broth

Soften the vegetables and herbs in the olive oil over a medium-low heat. Season with a little salt and pepper. Place the cornbread cubes into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked veggies and meat and toss to combine. Beat the egg and egg yolk and toss into the cornbread mixture. Add the broth, a little at a time, until the dressing reaches a texture where it is moist, but the cubes still hold their shape. Place the mixture in a greased 9 X 13 inch baking pan. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate. Bake in a 325 to 350 degree oven for a bout 30 minutes before serving. I placed mine in the oven at the same time I removed the turkey to rest. The temperature range is to allow for whatever else might be occupying your oven at the same time. When done, the dressing should firm up and be lightly toasted across the top.

*All whole turkeys come with a neck, liver, heart and gizzard. I simmered mine with onion, celery, carrot, garlic, herbs and salt and pepper until tender. I did not use the liver in the dressing, as I don't like it. You sure could! After they have simmered for a couple of hours, strain and reserve the broth. Remove the meat from the neck and chop the other pieces, cutting away any tough parts. 

**If you don't want to go through all this, you can cook up some chicken or turkey sausage and use prepared broth.

Holiday Turkey - Dry Brined and Butter Roasted

Is it just me, or did Christmas sneak up on us this year? Thanks giving was late, then I was sick, then I was at Disneyland for a week. It's all good, but I am playing catch-up now.

We had several new dishes for our Thanksgiving celebration and I've been meaning to get them posted in case any of you need inspiration for your Holiday Table.  I have never brined a turkey before and I wanted to try it this year. In the past, we've always used those oven roasting bags because they can really make for a lot of gravy. This is a HIGH priority for my father-in-law. But, because he went to visit his brother in Arizona, we were free to experiment.

After reading several articles on the different methods and flavor combinations available, I decided to do a dry brine. The consensus seems to be that dry brining offers better texture for the finished product. Also, it seems a whole lot easier. No purchasing a 5 gallon food-safe bucket. No monitoring ice and water temperature. Just mash up some stuff. Mash it in to your turkey. Wrap it. Store it. Rinse it. Roast it. Easy Peasy.

I used a method offered by Honestly Yum, however, I altered the flavor components for my preferences.

 The supporting cast, in order of appearance:

Rainbow Pepper corns

Dried Garden Sage

Satsuma Mandarins

Meyer Lemons

Bay Leaves

Kosher Salt

Dried Onions

Garlic Powder

Fresh Garden Parsley

Fresh Garden Thyme

Fresh Garden Rosemary

 The citrus zest features in the brine rub while the juicy fruit was used to stuff the cavity.

 Everything goes in the food processor and is combined. This smells like savory, herby heaven!

Holiday Turkey - Dry Brined and Butter Roasted

1 Turkey, 15-18 pounds

3 tbsp. Rainbow Pepper corns

Zest of 2 Satsuma Mandarins or oranges (reserve fruit)

Zest of 2 Meyer Lemons or other type of lemon (reserve fruit)

5 Bay Leaves

1/2 cup Kosher Salt

2 tbsp. Dried Onions

1 tsp. Garlic Powder or granulated garlic

6 Sprigs Fresh Parsley
2 Sprigs Fresh or dried Sage - about 2 Tbsp.

6 Twigs Fresh Thyme

2 Twigs Fresh Rosemary

1/2 cup softened butter

Place every thing but the turkey and butter in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until everything in about like sand.

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey's cavities. Wash thoroughly, inside and out. Remove any pin feathers. Dry as completely as possible with paper towels. Rub the spice mix all over the inside and the outside of the bird. Pile any extras right on top. Carefully place the turkey in either an oven roasting or a large zip lock bag designed to hold a turkey. Place on a pan or platter and place in the fridge. Brine one day breast up and the next day, breast down. (Reserve the giblets for the stuffing recipe TBA.)

When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the bag and rinse all the salt and herbs off, inside and out. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dry the turkey and rub the softened butter all over. Stuff the cavity with additional herbs, garlic, onion and the remaining citrus fruit, quartered. Place, breast up, on a roasting pan or a broiler pan. This allows the juices and fat to melt off and be saved for gravy. Place the turkey, leg end first, into your oven. Cook at 400 degrees for 1 hour. This will make the skin very crisp and will seal the juices into the turkey. Reduce heat to 325 and continue to roast until the internal temperature measures 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. If you have a thermometer that will alert you when this temp is reached, that is ideal. I had a 17 pound bird and it took an additional 2 1/2 hours for me. 

Remove from the oven, tent with foil and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes and then carve. 

For gravy, pour any pan drippings into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and add a slurry of 1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed into 1/4 cup cold water. There was not much fat in my drippings and most of that appeared to be butter, so I didn't skim. Whisk and cook to desired thickness. This more akin to a velvety butter sauce than traditional flour based gravy. Super yum!

Save the bones for soup! Enjoy!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Using Meyer Lemon and Pineapple Marmalade - Cookie Bars and Pie!

 Miss Madelyn and Meyer Lemon Pie

My neighborhood is beautiful right now. Most of the leaves have fallen and the Sun is shining through to warm the ground, even on chilly days. The winter garden is humming along and contributed a butternut squash and collards for our Thanksgiving table. One of the splendid things about California winters is citrus. Delicious, wonderful, spectacular citrus. I learned to make marmalade a couple of winters ago and I've finally used up all those experiments. Now it's time to make some more! 

One of my favorites is Meyer Lemon and Pineapple Marmalade. I have a little dwarf Meyer Lemon in a pot on my back patio and I'll get about two dozen. I was lucky enough to receive a big bag of them from a work friend a couple of weeks ago. I'm so happy to share the results when people share their fruit. With this great bounty, I've made one batch of marmalade, a batch of yummy cookie bars and a cream pie. 

When I'm not cooking, I'm teaching county employees about administering social services programs. My lemon-benefactor is a student in my most recent class. (Thanks, Graciela!) Because we had so many chats about the marmalade, I wanted to be able to give everyone in class a taste. These cookie bars came to mind. They are based on this recipe for Orange Marmalade Bars. This cookie base is just great. I've used several kinds of jams and toppings. Just use the crust recipe and top with a half-pint jar of your favorite marmalade or jam and top with a suitable topping. I used shredded coconut with the Meyer Lemon and Pineapple Marmalade. Perfecto!

This Meyer Lemon and Pineapple pie was inspired by Sarah over at Undercover Caterer. Her Nana used to make this Lime Pie. It looked so good and I had so many lemons, I decided to try it out with them instead of limes. I used a pre-baked pie shell from this recipe. (Somehow, my crust developed to make three crusts. Two bottoms and a top.) I made the filling as instructed by Sarah, but the filling was a little soft. I was concerned that there wasn't enough acidity in the Meyer Lemon juice to cause the sweetened condensed milk to get firm. I ended up adding half a small carton on mascarpone cheese in the filling and whipped the rest into the whipped cream later. Because I had some lemon and pineapple marmalade on hand, I used it to decorate the top. It is very rich, but delicious! I will be making this one again!

Meyer Lemon and Pineapple Pie (Thanks to Sarah's Nana!)
1 prepared pie crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
grated zest of two Meyer Lemons
1/2 cup Meyer Lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 cup crushed pineapple, squeezed dry
1 8 oz. carton of mascarpone cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Add the milk, zest, juice, 1/2 of the mascarpone and salt. Whisk until well blended. Add in the pineapple. Continue to whisk until the filling thickens. Scrape into the prepared crust and chill. The pie will continue to set as it chills. For serving, whip the heavy cream until it begins to thicken. Add the remaining mascarpone in several spoonfuls, allowing the mascarpone to incorporate. Whip in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread on top of the filling and decorate with additional lemon zest and lemon marmalade, if you have it.

Random Food Fridays - Greens, Cherry Tomatoes and Brats

Last weekend, I had a great time visiting with my beautiful daughter, Madelyn. When we are running around the Bay Area, we don't waste any meals on food that is not exciting. When we are running around Sacramento, we always head for Little Saigon for Vietnamese food. (One of those non-Dwayne foods.) Well, after a weekend of dining out, no matter how lovely, my body was hungry for something simple, fresh and homemade. I really didn't have a plan for making this, I just kept using things I found in my fridge. When I sat down to eat, I was surprised at how absolutely delicious this simple dish turned out to be. I think part of the credit must go to the Magical Miss Pauline, gardener extraordinaire. She brought me a bunch of veggie gifts when she visited the weekend before and I'm still trying to use them all. The kale and collards are from her garden and the cherry tomatoes are from my garden. The addition of sun dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, added another depth of flavor. Mr. Dwayne also loved this dish and I will be making again, as long as the cherry tomatoes keep coming!

Greens, Cherry Tomatoes and Brats
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup diced shallots
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 fully cooked bratwurst, cut into 1/2 inch dice (mine was leftover)
1 pint mixed cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup julienne sun dried tomatoes in their oil
4 cups cleaned and chopped mixed hardy greens  (I used kale and collards)
2 tbsp. water
Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-low flame. Add the shallot, garlic, diced brat, cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the cherry tomatoes pop and release their juices. (You can help them to pop.) Add the greens and the water. Stir to combine and cover. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender to your liking. This served two at my house. We had it along side a beautiful baked potato, also from Miss Pauline's garden. Enjoy!

Pineapple Tomato Salsa - Success!

In August of 2011, I did my best to create a pineapple/tomato salsa that would be very close to Trader Joe's. I could not find ANY recipe online that included pineapple and tomato and was suitable for canning, so I improvised. There are many recipes for fresh fruit and tomato salsa, but nothing for canning. I was only moderately pleased with that recipe. When some friends brought me a big bag of garden tomatoes, I knew I had a second chance to get this right. Guess what? I think I did. This is so good!

I took this salsa on a camping trip last weekend and it was very well received and quickly disappeared. While my new version is spicier than Trader Joe's, my tasters agreed that it was not too spicy and could even have been hotter. I think it is just right for me. I had to add a shot of Tapatio to my previous version. If you want a milder salsa, reduce the chipotle.

Many kinds of tomatoes make a colorful salsa!

I'm so excited to share this with you. I've put up 6 pint jars and plan to make more ASAP. I hope you try it.

Pineapple and Tomato Salsa

6 cups tomatoes, cored and diced (Any kind - Sungold cherry tomatoes are a nice touch)

1 7 oz. can fire roasted diced green chilies

1 fresh jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed and diced small

1 canned chipotle, diced, plus enough of the adobo sauce to equal 1/4 cup

1/4 cup tomato paste (I used the kind from a tube)

2 cups diced yellow onion

4 cloves garlic, diced 

2 20 oz. cans crushed pineapple with juice

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. kosher salt

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Prepare 6 wide mouth pint jars, rings and lids and the boiling water bath for canning.

Combine all ingredients except the cilantro in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until desired consistency is reached, stirring frequently. Mine took about 40 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the fresh cilantro and stir through. Carefully ladle into jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. Use a knife or chop stick to poke down into the jar along the edges to release air bubbles. Wipe rims with a damp cloth and cover with lids and rings. Process in the boiling water bath for 15 minutes, beginning timing from when the water returns to a full boil. Turn off heat and allow the jars to remain in the water for 5 minutes before carefully removing to a towel lined tray. Allow the jars to sit undisturbed overnight. Check for seals and label.

Chai Peach Jam made with Custom Chai Blend

I confess - brown is not may favorite color for jam. It is a perfectly fine color for many delicious foods, but jam? I just don't know. This glossy brown jam compensates for its suspect appearance by packing a giant wallop of flavor. And, it's not just any flavor. It is Custom Chai flavor. Boom!

I made my first batch of chai in May, when I planned a special Super Surprise Birthday for my sister-friend, Miss Paula. (One of the really surprising things is that her actual birthday is in December.) The chai we had for her special breakfast was yummy, but I ended up putting a couple of big slices of orange zest in with the chai while it was simmering. This time, I decided to dry the zest and add it to the mix from the start. Summers in Sacramento can be scorching. I set these pieces of orange zest out in the morning and by afternoon they were completely dry. I set them in the sun with a baking rack and light cloth over the top. There are a lot of birds in my backyard! After this photo, I also added finely chopped fresh ginger. It was also dry within a few hours. If you do not want to make or purchase dry ginger pieces, you can use Ginger People Ginger Chips.

Brian and Rosie dropped a large paper bag full of tree-ripened peaches on my porch last weekend. A big brown bag is a lot of fruit. Just so you  know - A LOT! These peaches made four batches of jam using four pounds of prepared fruit in each! I had a similar experience with plums earlier this summer. I thought I would never get to the end of those plums! When there is a lot of fruit, I often search my sensory memory for tasty and safe flavor enhancements. This chai came to mind as a great match for peaches.

The nice thing about making your own chai is that you can alter it to fit your own tastes. I tweaked mine with the addition of orange peel, chopped vanilla beans and allspice. You might make this two or three times before you get it just right, but it's never bad and will never be wasted. I'm also thinking this would make a great holiday gift, if I ever need to give away something besides jam!

To prepare the peaches, bring a very large pot of water to boil with about 2 inches of space left at the top. Prepare a similarly large bowl with ice water. Cut a small X in the bottom of each peach. Drop them, a few at a time, into the boiling water and time them for one minute. Scoop them out and place them directly in the ice water bath. Now, put the next set of peaches into the water and repeat. Place the cooled peaches into bake pans as you remove them from the ice bath. If you start at the X end, the skins should slip right off. You may want to peel them over a strainer so that you can catch the rosy juice that drips off and add it back into the fruit. Once the pits are removed (an easy job with free-stone peaches like these) chop them roughly and measure 4 pounds of prepared fruit per batch. Place the measured fruit into a 9 x 13 inch bake pan and add 1/4 cup lemon juice. Mash with a potato masher until there are smallish pieces and some of the juice is released. Mix the prepared fruit with 4 cups sugar, cover with plastic wrap and allow to macerate before making the jam. I started this fruit on a Sunday and finished the final round of Jam on Thursday night.

Here is my chai blend with the dried orange zest and ginger added. Mix and store in an air tight container. Here's a tip - find your nearest Indian food store and buy spices there. Super cheap and good!

I made two batches of the jam with just the peaches and it turned out great. The next two batches were flavored with this chai sachet. You can use a metal tea ball, if you have one large enough. After the tea ball incident with the Cardamom and Pepper Plum Jam, I decided not to risk it and used cheese cloth. I used three folds worth of packaged cheese cloth, opened it up and folded it in half so that I had a two layer square. I placed the cheese cloth in a bowl and filled it with 1/2 cup of the chai blend.

To tie the bundle, bring up two of the diagonally opposite corners and tie into a knot.

 To finish, bring up the other two corners and tie into a knot. If there seems to be some extra, wrap the ends of the cloth around the knots and tie another knot. Your chai is now secure!

Peach....Chai Peach #1....Chai Peach #2

This jam is an example of how the smallest variables can make a big difference. The first batch of chai peach was made in a very large 8 quart pan with an 11 1/2 inch diameter opening. The second batch was made in my smaller large sauce pan, which has a 10 inch diameter opening. At first I couldn't figure out why the second batch got so much darker before it came to the right consistency. Then, I realized it was because the evaporation took longer and the chai had more time to infuse the jam. They both taste great, but I think Chai Peach #1 is more attractive. (Less brown.)

I think that the tannins in the black tea compliment the peaches nicely. Really fresh, tree-ripened peaches have an astringent after-taste that is reminiscent of the tannins in tea. If you don't want that little bit of bite in your jam, you can use the chai spices without using the black tea in the mix.

Chai Peach Jam
4 lbs. fresh peaches
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2/3 cup apple pectin (or, one green apple, peeled, cored and chopped)
1/2 cup dry chai blend

Prepare the peaches as described above and refrigerate until ready to cook. Prepare 8 half-pint jars and lids and a boiling water bath. Place several spoons and saucers in the freezer.

Place the macerated fruit into a large pot and add the apple pectin or apple pieces. Bring to a boil. Add the chai sachet and continue to simmer until the jam starts to thicken and the foam subsides. Stir frequently, especially as the jam thickens. If you squish the chai sachet with the back of your spoon periodically, it will release more flavor. When the jam is glossy and thick, scoop a bit out with one of the spoons from the freezer and put the spoon back in the freezer on a saucer. Check the spoon in about two minutes. If it runs off the spoon easily and flattens on the saucer, cook more. When the jam plops off the frozen spoon and wrinkles when you push it across the saucer, it is ready. Remove the chai sachet and remove the jam from the heat. Skim any remaining foam. Carefully ladle into the prepare jars, wipe the rims and top with the prepared lids and rings. Process in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Carefully remove to a towel lined tray and allow to cool. Makes 7 or 8 half-pint jars.

Custom Chai Blend
2 cups loose leaf orange pekoe tea
1/2 cup whole green cardamom pods
1/2 cup broken cinnamon stick pieces
2 tbsp. whole cloves
1 tbsp. fennel seed
1 tbsp. whole rainbow pepper corns
1 tbsp. whole allspice
2 vanilla beans, chopped
dried orange zest from two oranges (organic! No wax needed here.)
1/3 cup chopped and dried fresh ginger or 1/2 cup Ginger Chips

Combine all and store in an air tight container.

To make chai:
Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of the chai blend. Simmer about 10 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. honey (or sweetener of your choice) and strain. This is very concentrated and can be stored in the fridge to make individual cups of chai. To make the whole thing, warm 4 cups milk and add the entire batch of chai concentrate. Serve warm or cold.

Mmmmmm...chai....