So Easy a Caveman Can Do It - But I Can't

Over the last few months, I've realized that I've kind of plateaued in my attempt to get rid of some of that "stubborn belly fat" that all those commercials for wonder supplements and crazy workout DVDs love to talk about.  It's not stubborn.  It's an unwelcome guest, and I'm kind of tired of it having way overstayed its welcome.  

So I've been looking at how I can step it up.  Not just so I can more easily slip into a pair of pants, but also so that I know I'm healthier.

For a long while, I've really reduced my meat consumption.  I really really really don't care for chicken. When I was pregnant with HRH, it was a huge aversion to me, so much that when I tried to buy some of those pre-cooked strips for the Husband at the store one day, my knees buckled and I thought I was going to pass out.  Ever since, I can only handle it if it's REALLY well made, and I have to REALLY want it.  I also have tried to cut down on red meat, especially because of the many links between red meat consumption and a greater risk of colon cancer (among others).  

And I like most vegetarian protein sources.  I love beans.  I really like tofu.  Quinoa is great.  Tempeh - meh (see what I did there?); that's really the one thing that I've had that I didn't really care for.

But nothing seemed to be working.

I decided, then, to take a week and try a modified paleo plan.  I say modified because I did use a "paleo for runners" approved foods list, which includes more starchy veggies like sweet potatoes and squash.  Apparently a non-runners paleo diet doesn't allow for them.

Basically, the paleo diet is, from what I understand, supposed to mimic the ingredients that our very ancient, probably much hairier forefathers would have eaten.  Of course, this means no processed foods, but it also nixes all grains, dairy, and sugars (although some sites allowed maple syrup and honey because those were natural sugars, and I can totally imagine an early Homo sapiens risking life and limb for a handful of honey like he were some Ice Age Winnie the Pooh).  Probably the most restrictive aspect for me, though was that it didn't allow for legumes or beans.  Even though I love me some rice and white breads, rarely a week goes by that I don't have beans with at least two meals.  But I was determined to try this to rev up my body's vacationing fat burning abilities.

I created a meal plan for the week and headed to the grocery store.

First of all, holy sticker shock, Batman!  I haven't actually bought meat that wasn't turkey necks for Zooey or bacon in a really long time, apparently, because when I picked up a small package of ground beef, I thought I was going to have to take a second mortgage out on the house.  Yikes.

I admit that on top of my mandate that I would still be enjoying my morning coffee with half-and-half and cinnamon sugar, I did "cheat" during one meal.  One of my friends and I had lunch, and I had a beer.  Beer, as you know, is made from grains - gluten-y grains - so it's waaaaaaaay up on the Verboten Items List.  But I also don't want to be that person who puts the kibosh on every restaurant suggestion because it doesn't work for my super restrictive diet plan.  "Oh, no, that place doesn't work for me.  I can't eat anything that casts a shadow past 1:00 in the afternoon on Tuesdays."  

Interestingly enough, that evening, I felt TERRIBLE.  Like you might right before you get sick.  Achy, tired, tempting fate by trying to NOT get a headache.  Just...blah.  And then I got cranky because I didn't feel well, so it wasn't the most pleasant evening.

I can't say with absolute certainty that this was all caused by the grains.  But it was interesting nonetheless.  

At the end of the week, I knew that this plan isn't for me.  That isn't to say it's a terrible idea.  I really like certain aspects of it.  But I think that it's more of a diet than a lifestyle for me at this point in my life, and restrictive diets never work.

What I DO think I can take out of this experience is that I don't necessarily need to embrace the red meat again, but I can bid a fond farewell to grains more easily than I thought.  And that's where I think I can improve my eating habits.  While I'll be welcoming beans back to my diet very soon (hello, Cuban dinner plans), I'm not sure that I'll be so quick to nab a loaf of bread to go along with them.  I'd love to experiment with gluten-free grains and work to reduce the amount of corn-based products I consume.  While I didn't weigh myself at all this week, I do feel less full around the middle, even though I've felt like I've eaten a lot more than I usually did.

One big success is that I was able to stick to my meal plan.  I made it a lot more simple and relied a great deal more on leftovers for lunch and dinner repeats, and I think that's where I've gone off the rails before.  I'm hoping to be more consistent with that as well.

Where have you been successful in modifying your food lifestyle to make healthy changes?  What are you willing to "give up"?  What are non-negotiables for you?

When It Gets Cold in Arizona, Make Arizona Mountain Soup

It actually does get cold in Arizona.  Many people don't realize that we have higher elevations (as a Washington State native, I just can't call them mountains, though) that host skiing and other delightful winter activities, and in the winter months, the temperatures up there get downright frigid.
But last week, it was cold all over the state, and I'm not exaggerating; the highs barely hovered in the low 40s, and at night, we dropped into the mid-20s.  Signs that it was colder than usual were all around us:

• Rose bushes were covered with sleeping bags.
• Scarves were seen all over town.
• Rarely-used heat seaters were toasting buns all over the Valley.
• Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's were beset by panicked citizens clamoring over the last pair of thermal undies.

OK, maybe that last part wasn't real, but I kind of like to imagine people, shivering in their heaviest sweatshirt, clearing out the racks of long johns.

What I do know actually happened is that in Casa de Philistines, we were going to need soup.  Lots of it.  It would warm us up at dinner time, and the making of it would keep the kitchen nice and toasty as well.  So Soup Week came at the most perfect time for us, and I reveled in the joy that was a Dutch oven on a hot burner.

I found the recipe for Arizona Mountain Soup while I was searching for an "Arizona style" soup online.  I thought it might be fun to focus my Soup Week contribution on something local.  Unfortunately, while a fairly standard recipe can be found all over the internet, I can't find any information as to why it's called Arizona Mountain Soup or how it originated.
I'm horribly disappointed.
I like to imagine that this is a "cowboy" or "wild west" version of minestrone, like some Italian immigrants who came to make their fortune in the west years back were inspired by the southwestern tastes and threw them into the campfire pot.
Yep, I know - I can spin quite a fanciful yarn, but I digress.
This soup beat away the chills easily.  I decided to healthify it a touch and add some more fresh vegetables to the original recipe, since why just use onions when you can have meeruhpwa merepoi mirepoix?
(OK, French-speaking people, how do you even get that spelling?  I'm gonna have to go all phonetically logical German on y'all - Suppengrün - BOOM)

Most Arizona Mountain Soup recipes also call for dried beans that you soak before cooking.  Y'all, I have a confession: I can NOT cook dried beans to save my life.  Yes.  Yes, I know.  This should be the simplest thing.  But I...just fail.  So I used canned beans.  And I'm OK with that.  For now.
It was fantastic with a side of homemade cornbread, by the way.

Arizona Mountain Soup

• 2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed, OR 1 1/4 cups dried pinto beans
• 4 slices bacon, chopped*
• 1 (or 2) onions, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3-4 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock (since I don't eat chicken, I used homemade veggie stock)
• 2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp paprika (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (if you like a little bite, or more, if you like more of a bite)

If using dried beans, soak overnight in 3 cups water.  Without draining, simmer until the beans are tender (about 2 hours).
In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon until nearly crisp.  Add onions, garlic, carrots, and celery and cook until the veggies are tender.  Stir in tomatoes, rice, beans, and spices.  Add in the stock and an additional 2 cups water (or more, should you need it - heck, I used a little bit half a bottle of wine that I had lying around).  Bring to boiling and then simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Season to taste before serving with hot cornbread (which, just as a reminder, MUST be made in a cast iron skillet).

*To make the bacon easier to cut, freeze slightly for a little bit before chopping to bits.

This is a soup that freezes really well, and I have a quart of it taking up some valuable real estate in the freezer, so even though the temperatures have gotten tolerable once again, I may have to haul it out this weekend after our "nature walk" with HRH.

Please take some time to check out the other amazing soup recipes we have going on this week; there is something for everyone, and I am somewhat sad that Arizona is already starting to leave soup season in the rearview mirror.

• Broccoli Cheddar Soup in Homemade Bread Bowls (one of my most favorite soups ever) by Kirsten of Comfortably Domestic
• Hearty Vegetable Mexican Soup with Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread from Haley at The Girly Girl Cooks
• 3 Bean and Spinach Soup (PLUS A LE CREUSET GIVEAWAY) by Katie at The Hill Country Cook
• Garbage Soup (seriously, this is a don't-miss) from Madeline up at Munching in the Mitten
• Gnocchi Pesto Soup by Mads of La Petite Pancake
• 40-Clove Garlic Chicken Soup with Garlic Croutons by Megan of Wanna Be a Country Cleaver (aka Dr. Megan)
• Sunchoke Soup with Gorgonzola and Honey Crostini with Lauren at Climbing Grier Mountain
• Coconut Curry with a Lot of Aloha (ALOHA!) by The GromMom herself, Monica
• Beef Bourguignon (again with the French spelling!) that Carrie of Bakeaholic Mama made (and can probably pronounce better than I)
• White Chicken Chili from the world traveler Kat over at Tenaciously Yours,

And tomorrow (Saturday) come back to see these three wonderful recipes, too:

• Pink Prosecco Soup (a dessert soup!!!!!!) by Anne at From My Sweet Heart
• Creamy Mushroom Soup from Kvetchin Kitchen's Beka
• Shrimp Bisque by Jeanne of Inside NanaBread's Head

There you have it - creamy soups, broth soups, sick soups, cold soups, dinner soups, dessert soups, soups for every occasion and every palate.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go turn on the air conditioning so I can have an excuse to put up another batch of one of these amazing ladies' soups right now!

Bake Sale for Beka

The Internet is a crazy thing.  Not only can you find a corgi version of "Call Me Maybe" (Corgi Rae Jepsen?), but you can also meet the most amazing and wonderful people.
Megan is one of those amazing and wonderful people I've met thanks to The Internet.  She is funny and sharp as a tack.  She is a devoted lover of labra-dork retrievers.  She has a recipe for coconut curd that makes me weak at the knees.  But more most importantly, she has worked tirelessly to put together a bake sale to benefit her best friend, Beka.

Beka has Crohns disease.
You can click on the link there to get more information about what Crohns is, but here is what you really need to know: a chronic condition, Crohns currently has no cure.  Medications can help - some people can be in remission for years, but other people go through much more regular cycles of flare-ups.  It's not a fake disease, and it can have a huge impact on a person's personal and professional life.
But Beka, whom I've also gotten to know via that crazy Internet, doesn't appear to be letting something like Crohns affect her humor, vivacity, or really anything else.
Which is exactly how I would hope to deal with anything like Crohns, cancer, etc.  The less she allows it to boss her around, the less it will be the "one thing" that defines her.

What Beka IS doing is planning her first half marathon after realizing, during training for a 5K, that running seemed to quell some of the symptoms.  Her efforts in this will benefit the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America, specifically the Foundation's Camp Oasis, a camp for children diagnoses with Crohns and Colitis.  Camp Oasis allows these kids to be, well, KIDS, despite their conditions, which many times, other children don't understand.

Y'all know I am definitely on board with my sisters who run for their causes.  Beka and I have kind of bonded over the whole Crohns-colon cancer thing, finding 12-year-old humor in two diseases that are in all actuality NOT funny.

Good thing this bake sale is ANYTHING but funny.  It's simply full of Awesome.

Don't believe me?  Check it out - bid on the goods and goodies from 25 food bloggers (including yours truly) as well as some wonderfully generous companies to help Beka meet her goal for the CCFA and make a huge difference for the kids!  You can bid until 8PM Pacific Daylight Time tonight on some amazing treats - just by clicking here.

Just keep your grubby mitts off the double dark chocolate merlot cookies.  Those babies are MINE.

The Great Brisket Freakout of 2012: Aftermath

In the wake of St. Patrick's Day, I realized that once again I never actually took any photos of dinner.  It was probably because I was crazily running around, trying to iron the tablecloths (plural, because we needed two tables and still didn't have enough seats) and napkins (yes, I iron napkins - it takes attention away from the walls that only have paint samples on them), make a double batch of brown soda bread, let HRH help me bake half-and-half brownies, and get some adult conversation in while we had friends over, all while Zooey, who was banished to the backyard for both allergy and food-stealing reasons, kept trying to implore me to let her in.  I also had a half-and-half (stout and ale) myself, so I was desperately trying to enjoy that, too.
My parents used to hold rather large dinner parties, and I recall me always being in the way when they were cleaning.  I hated it then, but I totally get it now.  There is always way too much to do and not enough time to do it, even though your real friends really don't care if you vacuumed under the couch or dusted the baseboards (for the record, we did vacuum under the couch, but the baseboards were left to fend for themselves).  Poor HRH was pretty pissed by the end of the evening, even though there were other kids over to play with her.  At one point I let her help me make brownies, as I could tell that all she wanted was to spend some time with her Momma, and she is truly a great kitchen assistant, especially where baked sweet treats are concerned.  Other than that, I used the time-honored parenting tradition of keeping her pumped full of sugar to keep her mood elevated until she just crashed out, with chocolate all over her face, in my bed, snuggled up next to me.  No regrets, people.
Despite the insanity of the day, it was a great time.  We had a house full of good friends to help us enjoy (and take home) a large portion of The World's Largest Brisket Purchase - the "goodie bags" of pastrami instead of dollar store junk went over EXTREMELY well, and I'm starting to worry that this will become The Husband's New Thing To Do At Events - "Here - take home a baggie of turkey giblets for the kids!"  The Husband ran to the store and got way too many things right before people came over, so he made bite-sized Reubens (sans Thousand Island dressing....ewwww) as an appetizer, while I whipped up a batch of green hummus (regular hummus with some kale in it) and put out some pita.  That was gone in about three minutes.
Our friends brought over cheesecake (curse you, friends, for leaving said cheesecake here for me to deal with, alone, during the week) and a loaf of soda bread from a different recipe than I used, and of course everyone brought beer, so we were well stocked for the evening.

Last year, when we had family friends over, I pulled out my china.  And then spent half of the next day washing it.  This year, The Husband suggested that we use the "fine Chinette."  So we did.  I have mixed feelings about creating all that trash, but I probably used more water last year than is appropriate to admit when you live in the desert and water is a touchy subject in the legislature.  So really the only cleanup was the washing of the various pots and pans that we used to make everything else.  So... everything in our kitchen EXCEPT flatware was washed.  But at least it didn't take half a day.

So... what did I make?

• 675,839,296,693,103,672 pounds (not really, but it sure felt like it) of corned beef and pastrami.  The Husband smoked the pastrami the day before, and the corned beef portion was slow cooked all day in a bath of Guinness, Smithwick's, and lamb stock.  I also smeared the top of the briskets with a mustard and brown sugar mixture that I had read made for a good flavor, but honestly, I don't think that it added much to it.  But the color was a little freaky when we first took it out of the roaster, so there is that.

I took this over The Husband's shoulder
as he sliced the pastrami.  I got a few
tastes after I promised to go away.

Brown bread in the back, corned beef (on the left),
pastrami (on the right), and Guinness mustard -
I apologize for having eaten all the cabbage and potatoes.

A close-up of the pastrami - see the pretty pepper rub?

• Brown soda bread - I forget how awesome this recipe is, and since it's a soda bread recipe (which means no yeast to fuss with), it's super easy to make.  I finally got my mitts on powdered buttermilk, so I can most certainly whip up a loaf when we run out (we're eating our way through the last loaf this week).  I used a Cooking Light recipe, and our friends brought over one that had used an Epicurious recipe, and they were both insanely good.  I may have filled up on bread.
• Guinness mustard - take any mustard recipe and use Guinness as a substitute for part (or most... or all) of the liquid.  Trust me.  It's worth it.  We're already almost done with the entire pint that I made.
• Cabbage - I followed Michael Ruhlman's advice and quartered the cabbages, browned them in butter, and then finished cooking them in the corned beef liquid.  It was totally worth dirtying those three extra pans (they were big cabbages) for the flavor.  I did keep one aside for our friend who has been vegetarian for a little over a year now, cooking it in a covered pan with water instead of in the lamb stock-beer liquid.
• Potatoes - taking another Ruhlman suggestion, I poached the potatoes before slicing them and tossing them with butter and parsley.  Yum.  I like to use the red potatoes for this - they are a much softer texture, and their small size makes them easy to slice.  I wish we hadn't run out of these, but everyone likes potatoes, so we did.  That's OK - radishes and turnips make for a good corned beef hash, too.
• For dessert we had the cheesecakes and the half-and-half brownies, which HRH helped me make.  The recipe, also from Cooking Light (the recipe calls them black and tan brownies, but I think we should move past that), calls for pecans in the bottom portion, but since I don't like nuts in pastries, I omitted them.  I just didn't tell The Husband, as he prefers baked goods that have so many nuts, fruits, and/or chocolate chips that the structural integrity is put into serious question.  

Mmmmm.... get in mah belly!
The Guinness flavor made the chocolate layer not too chocolatey...
Yeah, like there is such a thing as "too chocolatey."

And now that I've had 25 pounds of brisket to ruminate upon (which fortunately meant that while I didn't take pictures at dinner, I had plenty of leftovers to snap), I do think that I can say with certainty that I do prefer pastrami to corned beef.  The smokiness and the flavor of the black pepper rub added to the flavor of the brine makes for a great sandwich.  The Husband and his mom have repeatedly said that it was "really salty," but I love salty food (she wrote as she sucked down 16 ounces of water), so maybe that's why I loved it so much.
I think, however, after the drama that I created for myself over the excessive brisket purchase, next year I want to go down a different St. Patrick's Day path and go for a menu that is, you know, actually Irish.  Corned beef and cabbage is not actually Irish, and from what I have read, no one really knows how it became associated (in America, at least) with Ireland.  So while The Husband loves corned beef and cabbage, I am going to lobby for something more traditional and, you know, actually Irish.
But you can be assured that whatever we have, we'll have goodie bags.

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler!!!!

New Orleans is one of my "bucket list" Locations To Visit.  While part of me would rather visit during a less crazy time, there is something intriguing about heading there for the biggest party of the year.
Since The Husband and I are both busy, especially on a week that begins for us on a Tuesday, we celebrated Mardi Gras on Monday - Lundi Gras!

Our appetizer was orange-glazed beets.  This is definitely an 11/10, and I was left wishing we had a LOT more beets.  The original recipe calls for canned beets, but I would recommend using fresh and roasting them in a bit of extra virgin olive oil to get that caramelization that only roasting can give you; it adds some amazing depth and texture.

Then... slow cooker red beans and rice.  I really liked this recipe - and The Husband went back for seconds!  WOO HOO!  I used a red onion, green red onions, and green garlic for the added veggies, but I definitely think that this is a recipe that's versatile, and I also think that next time I might add another tablespoon of Tony Chachere's (I think I may have accidentally inhaled too much of it - hello, runny nose!).

And finally, the pièce de résistance (hey, we're going with a French theme here) - the King Cake.
I used a dried kidney bean for the Cake Baby.  The thought of baking a piece of plastic into my cake kind of freaked me out.
HRH's favorite part was the colored sugar sprinkles, but I love that since this is a yeast-based cake, and one that really isn't too sweet (unless you drown it in the icing), I can use it for French toast or even a sandwich should I feel the urge.  I did use dried cranberries and apricots instead of the candied citron, and I used less nutmeg than called for but added a good deal of cinnamon for a flavor that both The Husband and I would like (HRH just likes cake in general; she wasn't going to complain).

Sadly, I didn't get any beignets or even Pazcki, but there's always next year.  Or later this week. :)

Chillin' With Ma Peeps

Not THOSE Peeps®

Easter, like Thanksgiving, is another holiday on which my husband's family gets together for a large family dinner.  Everyone is in charge of bringing something.  Usually everyone overdoes it.
A family dinner is a wonderful opportunity, even though most people find them stressful.  True, I was in the kitchen all day on Saturday getting our assigned foodstuffs ready, which made me tired and a little grouchy.  That being said, once the burger buns were made, the pie set, and everything unloaded from the car, it was nice to sit, relax, and chat with everyone as the kids ran around.  While I know that no one has a great time with every family member every time, losing integral family members like my dad has made me look forward to the time I am able to spend with my family as well as Scott's family.
Scott and I were charged with:

• potato salad
• burger buns
• pulled pork (so Scott could use his smoker)
• dessert

Corned Beef, Cabbage, and a Day at the Farm

I had fully planned on a detailed report of our St. Patrick's Day feast, but I'll be honest - we were so busy eating, I completely forgot to take any pictures!

However, here is the menu.  It was amazing.

When a Friend of Yours Gives You a Bazillion Lemons, Part III

FINALLY!!!!!

Finally, I was successful in getting good-tasting marmalade to set!
Mostly.

It's still a little more liquid than I'd like it to be, but after a taste test (on some freshly baked bread), I determined that this batch - #3 of lemon, #4 overall - is going to count as real lemon marmalade and NOT a failed attempt.
Of course, since we still have lemons, I'll be tweaking things in a fifth go around.  But, basically, I used this recipe as my starting point, modifying from what I've learned in previous attempts:

• Instead of letting the lemons and water sit overnight, I had them sit for four nights (it was supposed to be three, but I went out with a friend last night), changing the water each night.  This is in a similar vein to what one would do in order to candy lemon peel, although I didn't boil the lemons.
• I added an extra cup of sugar to the ratio; I had 8 cups of the lemon-water combo, so I had nine cups of sugar.
• The recipe didn't call to have a cheesecloth with the piths and seeds, but I did include this in order to increase the amount of pectin; this was mostly due to my terror of yet another batch not setting up.

Next time, I need to cut the lemons into fourths rather than half, as the rinds were a little long.  But overall, I am extremely pleased with the outcome; I have never been a fan of marmalade, but right now, I am trying to decide how many half-pint jars I can justify keeping.

Freshly baked bread slathered with butter and marmalade:
I can't really think of a better dessert.

Left to right:
lemon marmalade,
grapefruit syrup,
rhubarb lemon chile preserve

So far, I've been able to make the lemon marmalade, the grapefruit marmalade-come-syrup, and a rhubarb lemon chile preserve that is going to be awesome with cheese and crackers.  I also started the process of making limoncello, which will net the results in about three more months, and I tried to make that Shaker lemon pie; I would be willing to give that a second go.  I still have plans to make lemon curd with scones and some preserved lemons.  And what about the grapefruit?  I'm thinking candied peels with the remains from some tasty breakfast sides.

Better the 5th Day

We had a simple supper of bread and soup tonight... nothing big (soup from the store that was an impulse buy).
My mini baguettes were hastily heated (I think because someone felt bad about forgetting that I had slaved over them and bought a baguette at the store), and you know what?  Their puckishness (totally different when you are talking about bread and not people) seemed to disappear.  Still not the lightest, these were GREAT for dipping/spooning up the cheesy soup.
Next time, I think I'll make 4 loaves instead of 6 so that my bread-crust ratio is not quite so equal.  I really did like the chewiness of the bread, and it definitely is one that will hold up even when up against a muffaletta.

And I keep forgetting to tell you about the okra!!!!  While they were a little slimy (as okra can be), they were very, very tasty.  And crunchy.  And tasty - did I mention that?  Nothing like my fridge pickles - the vinegar-salt balance was dead-on for this recipe.  And their petite nature made them perfectly bite-sized.  Maybe that's why they disappeared so quickly.
One jar has already been demolished, but I am saving the brine and hoping to pick up some pickling cukes at the store this weekend to try to make some fridge pickles with it (reduce, reuse, recycle!).  I noticed today that the other jars were in the fridge, as if someone (who will remain nameless but ate nearly the entire first jar himself) was prepping them for a late night snack in the very near future.

Everything But the Quack????

Since the new semester begins tomorrow, I thought I'd post a New Year's weekend wrap-up before things get all crazy again.  I really need to win Power Ball so I don't have to worry about new semesters (except when HRH is old enough to go to school).  But for now, this is going to be a lengthy entry.  Don't worry - I have pictures!

In our house, New Year's means one thing: beans and greens.  Um, that would be two things.  Regardless, we make sure that our new year celebrations always includes this southern tradition.  Beans and greens are symbolic of money, so eating them on the first day of the new year is considered a lucky food to help one be successful.  

Our personal tradition has evolved into having lunch at Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe in downtown Phoenix, literally in the shadow of Chase Field (I still call it the B.O.B.).  Since we moved back from Michigan, this has been an annual pilgrimage, made with the same friends.

Mrs. White's is a Phoenix institution.  The restaurant, completely unremarkable on the outside, has walls covered with the autographs and well wishes of local and national celebrities.  And this is for good reason - it has been serving up soul food the way it should be for years.

Clearly, then, it's a day of indulgences.  While all of the veggies at Mrs. White's are cooked without meat, one will rarely find someone who opts for the vegetable plate over a smothered pork chop (my personal favorite), chicken fried steak, or the classic staple - fried chicken.  

This was the first year that the restaurant started accepting credit and debit - before this, only cash was accepted, and I have to say that I love how one pays - once finished (and able to roll out of one's seat), a guest simply goes up to the cash register, tells the cashier what he had, and he then pays for that.  From what I understand, that is the reason of the name of the restaurant - if they treat you well with great food, you will treat them well by being honest about what you ate.

Now, I must come clean - I wanted the macaroni and cheese (not on the regular menu, but it is available - like other well-known restaurants, there are items that you have to know to ask for), so I just stole the black-eyed peas off hubby's plate, but I did order (and inhale) the greens.  Even though they are vegetarian, they are NOT lacking in flavor; there is a great spice to them that you get at the end of each bite.  

However, I was a bit disappointed in the mac and cheese.  I like an al dente noodle, and the pasta was somewhat overdone.  Texture aside, the taste was great - perfectly cheesy.  

I washed everything down with way too much sweet tea.  Mrs. White's knows how to make some sweet tea, I'll tell you - I could go there and drink it by the gallon.

Another great thing about Mrs. White's is that it's between two Light Rail stops, so after lunching, we waddled back to the nearest stop and headed home, where both HRH and I took a nap.

Post-food coma, today I decided to do something with the duck leftovers from New Year's Eve dinner.  I had a goal to use as much of him as possible.  Zooey had already gotten the "stuff that was inside the cavity" for her New Year's Eve dinner, and while she turns up her hound dog nose at chicken gizzards, she inhaled the neck, heart, and gizzard.  I did hold the liver in reserve, as my PIC mentioned trying to make a paté with that and some of that wonderful fat that we saved.

But what better to go with homemade paté than homemade bread?  I found a pretty simple mini baguette recipe that seemed impossible to mess up - I mean, seriously - knead for 8 minutes?  This had to be fail proof.

Except that today seemed to be the day of baking fail.  First of all, I learned (the very, very) hard way that Pyrex® is NOT indestructible.  When I went to add the water to the dish that I placed (with water already in it) in the oven, CRASH!!!!!!  The dish (my favorite, since it's what I make my nanaimo bars in) shattered.
This is the second Pyrex® dish that I have lost, although the first time our dinner was already in it and nearly done when the explosion happened.
Secondly, I think that the delay in getting the mini loaves into the oven may have caused them to be a bit too hard.  While the insides were soft enough, the crust was really, really, really thick.  Perhaps I needed to check it before the 20-minute estimation, but considering that we had to turn off the oven, let it cool, clean out the glass, turn it back on, and let it preheat back up to 500°, there is plenty of room for  hypothesis here.

Oh, well.  They were still good, and butter always makes everything taste better, so I'm thinking that these babies might be perfect for BLTs.

Then I turned my attention to the carcass, which we threw into a bag to make stock.  I loosely followed about three recipes I found online.

Basically, here is what I did:

• Take a roasted duck carcass and place in your largest stock pot.
• Add cold, clean (filtered, if available) water to cover the duck by at least one inch.
• Bring to boil over high heat.

Once the water is boiling, reduce heat to simmer and add:

• one onion, chopped roughly
• one shallot, chopped roughly
• two or three carrots, chopped into large pieces
• celery ribs, chopped into large pieces (I took the rest of the stalk that we had)
• bunch of parsley
• a few cloves of garlic
• whatever fresh herbs you have on hand (we had thyme and sage)
• salt to taste (I prefer kosher salt)
• peppercorns
• one bay leaf

Simmer for at least three hours, skimming fat or froth off as needed (if you were to use a recipe that starts with you roasting the duck for this purpose, you would need to do it a lot more than I did).

Strain hot liquid through a cheesecloth, pressing down on the vegetable remnants to get out all the liquid.  Cool to room temperature, skim off any remaining fat, and either use right away, store in the refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze for up to six months.

I made sure to pull out the remnants of the carcass to pull of any and all meat to use in my last major kitchen project of the day.  When all was said and done, I had a large bowl (at least 8 cups) of broth, and only a cereal bowl of duck bones.

The last project I mentioned - risotto.  I told myself last night, "We have enough food - no more until we eat what we have."  And then I decide to make risotto.  BUT... I used the duck in it three times:

1. I used a bit more of the duck fat instead of just olive oil to sweat the onions and garlic.
2. I used my freshly made duck broth instead of chicken broth.
3. I shredded the rest of the duck that we had (saved from dinner the other night and what I took off the bones) and placed that on top of the finished risotto.

I put the bowl of the paté out, and we had duck with duck with a side of duck for dinner.
I also made a quick little salad (no duck here).

The risotto was good - rich, as risotto is wont to be, and I wasn't able to finish my portion (which, to be fair, was probably more than "one serving size" anyway).
The paté... eh.  Both of us decided that it needed salt and was a little gamey for our tastes.  Now, I love lamb, duck, venison, elk, etc., so you might expect me to really like it if it has the adjective gamey.  But when you are talking any internal organ, you up the gamey-ness factor at least tenfold, and it was just too much for me.  I did give the spread at least five different tries on my baguette toasts, but in the end, it isn't going to be a recipe that we repeat.

The risotto, though, most certainly has potential.

Olive You!

Full disclosure: I forgot the ice cream at home on Thanksgiving, AND the brioche was really disappointing (the lack of rising the night before just led to rolls that were just OK).  Upside - I can have the ice cream all to myself (muahahahahahahahaha!).
However, Thanksgiving dinner was still lovely.  It was a smaller family gathering, but wonderful nonetheless.  There was plenty of food, something for which we all gave thanks.  After all, while modern media might have one think that the day is all about gluttony, the real reason behind the holiday is, of course, to reflect on how lucky and fortunate our lives are.

We had so much food, in fact, that we were able to make several lunches and small dinners out of the leftovers this weekend.  Of course, I worked to use our vegetable share into the meals, too.
We got more dill this week, but I didn't feel like pickling anything, so I found a rather simple spinach and chickpea recipe that utilized dill.  Instead of spinach, I used some arugula and mizuna, which I hoped would make up for the fact that I didn't have any onion (I also used the rest of our CSA garlic to boost the flavor).

In addition, I used the last of the cranberries by putting them inside a baked acorn squash.  The color was quite pretty, but I think that since I was loathe to add that much sugar to my original cranberry dish, the finished product was a bit tart; I would use a little honey next time, which will also smooth out the squash slightly.
The chickpeas were tasty, too, although I always always always underestimate how many greens I'll need, so the greens-to-chickpea ratio was not quite balanced.  That being said, I would most definitely use the arugula in this recipe again, as I didn't miss the onion at all.

Today was a "what do we have" type of day.  I have been wanting an olive burger, something which I had never heard of until our stint in Michigan.  We cooked a few Morningstar® patties and threw on a slice of Swiss cheese.  
Meh - they were OK.  I think, though, that the saltiness of the olives really works far better when there is a real beef patty next to it.  Something about the flavor of beef, the mildness of the cheese, and the olives make the taste something that can't be repeated with a veggie burger.  Oh, well.  The latkes, our side dish of the evening, more than made up for the disappointing result of the original main dish.
Instead of potatoes, we used the radishes and turnips we got in our veggie share this week.  These latkes were amazing.  They were simply flavored - just salt and pepper - but they were phenomenal.  The depth of the flavor that the radish and the turnip added made them better than any potato latke that I've ever had (and I have had some amazing potato latkes).  I was so sad that the count was only two apiece...and that hubby liked them as much as I did, so he didn't want to share.

The last thing I did today was make a kalamata olive bread.  I found this recipe quite a while ago and have been wanting to make it for ages, but I'll be honest - I was too lazy to go get bread flour.  That changed today when I went to the store for other sundries (yogurt for Wee One, basically), and I decided, what the heck?  

I don't like rosemary (in a similar manner to the way I don't like basil), so I just omitted that.  Everything else I duplicated as much as I could - I don't have a cloche, and if I weren't completely out of room for any more kitchen toys, I would totally be getting one.  

I was pleased with this end result.  We didn't wait the full two hours to taste test it - I mean, come on - TWO hours?????  It was, instead, dessert.

I do think I'd make two changes that were not noted in the original recipe (other than the whole get rid of the rosemary part):

1. I would rinse the olives at least a little - the briny taste was a little overpowering, so the balance of bread to olive was a bit off.
2. I would cut the olives into smaller pieces, at least in half lengthwise.  Some of the bites were all olive, once again throwing off the aforementioned balance.  

But that just means I have to try this recipe out again... and again...

Last thing - I opened the fridge pickles with dinner, too.  I was really happy with them!  They were a touch sour, to I think I'd cut the vinegar and up the salt a little, but they were nice and crunchy, and I know they'll be great on sandwiches!

Pre-Gaming

I'm tired, but I feel like I am juuuuuuust about ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow.  We did not have school today (a wise decision, as so many students and their families head out the day before Thanksgiving to get to wherever "there" is on time), so I spent the morning cleaning and laundering.  OK, I did a little grading, but that was only to get caught back up because one of the servers was down for a while, slowing everything down.  But I did not grade a single essay.  Those can wait.
After the folding and the hanging and the vacuuming was done, I ran a few errands.  The most important of these was getting the ice cream.  No, I didn't go to Safeway or Fry's or Basha's.  I went to Udder Delights out in Gilbert.
I confess; I have wanted to go there for a while.  The shop is a drop-off location for Desert Root Farms, but it's a really good thing that Bergie's is closer, as I might be getting a cone each weekend instead of just a biscotti.  Of course, when one sees the name, Udder Delights, one can't help but look up the website.
Of course, once you get to the website, you want to see the flavors.  U.D. has regular flavors, available year-round.  These include sugar cookie (with real sugar cookies) and bubble gum (meh - not my favorite, but always a hit with the kids).
There are also seasonal and monthly flavors, like pumpkin cheescake.
Earlier this month, I checked out the new monthly flavors, even though I was really hoping that "ice cream weather" was just about over.
And there it was.

Red.

Velvet.

Ice Cream.

Omigawdomigawdomigawd!!!!!!   Red velvet flippin' ice cream!!!!!!!
Clearly, I had to investigate to see if the product was worthy of such a title (can you tell I love red velvet cake?).
Thankfully, I put myself in charge of dessert for tomorrow's family feast, and what better treat to go with pie (more on that later) than ice cream?
So, it was the last errand on my list today.
The people are great; I was told that since this was my first time visiting, I was REQUIRED to sample at least three flavors of ice cream or sorbet, but I was allowed to sample all of them if I wanted to.  I sampled only 4, but what a four:

• apple pie (seasonal)
• sugar cookie
• cinnamon streusel
• and, of course, red velvet

The red velvet was a gorgeous vermillion that looked as rich as the cake for which it is named.  But smooth?  No.  Mixed in are HUNKS of chocolate and regular cheesecake.  Not little nibbles, mind you.  These chunks are so large that one is an entire bite in and of itself.
My final order was a quart of the apple pie, and quart of the sugar cookie, and a waffle cone with what must be the world's largest single scoop of the red velvet.
I had eaten the whole thing by the time I got home.

At least I'm sharing the apple pie (left) and the sugar cookie!

When I got home, I put my precious cargo in the freezer and then turned my attention to the pie crust that I had to make and the biscotti that I wanted to make just to make.
The pie crust is easy; I like Martha Stewart's pate brisee recipe for a two-crust pie.  It's fabulously simple to make, and it doesn't call for any of that shortening nonsense.  Yes, I know; I am trying to use this blog to see how I can eat healthfully, but 1) this is a holiday that I'm cooking for, and 2) I am morally opposed to using shortening in a pie crust.  So, the pate brisee mixed up easily, and it's now chilling in the fridge, waiting for its apple-cranberry filling tomorrow.
We still have a boatload of frozen bananas, so I found a banana biscotti recipe.  I did modify it, using white chocolate chips instead of cinnamon chips (apparently a rare beast here in AZ)  Then, I wanted something more appropriate to the holiday at hand, so I tried some cranberry-orange biscotti as well.  The banana biscotti turned out nicely, although, as per my aversion to baked goods bearing bananas, I based this determination only on the lack of burning and the lovely cinnamon smell that pervaded the kitchen.

Unfortunately, today, the score appears to be Allison: 1, Oven: 1.  That's right, the cranberry-orange batch, the second one I made, decided to get a leeeeeetle crispy on one side.  I think I can salvage but scraping, but we'll see - while the banana still had a hint of softness to it, the cranberry-orange feels brittle, and I'm almost afraid to take it out of the "air proof container" where I placed them all.

Right now, I am waiting to finish step 2 of the brioche rolls I am baking tomorrow.  I will be honest, even though I had some good success with my pain complet (take 2), I am still terrified.  The mood of yeast, as any aspiring baker knows, fluctuates with the wind, and even though I have been waiting for the dough to rise for slightly more than the prescribed hour, it doesn't appear to have risen all that much.  The last thing I want it puckish rolls, so I'm toughing it out for a bit more and praying to the gods of all things buttery, yeasty, and French that things turn out well.

Missing That Je Ne Sais Quoi...Again

It's FINALLY feeling like fall.  Well, fall for Arizona.  Temperatures are chilly in the mornings and evenings, but they become pleasant enough to have the A/C off and the windows thrown open during the day.  Thus, we have entered Soup Season.  

Yes, I know I made (and posted about) a soup a few weeks ago (before the technical start of the season), but since it was a touch disappointing, I thought I'd try again.  I liked the concept of a squash and apple soup, but I didn't want to feel like I was eating liquid pie - soups, if I may opine for a tick, should have more savory tones than sweet.  

Thankfully, my most recent issue of Vegetarian Times included a recipe for a squash-apple-leek soup at the same time that we received not one but TWO butternut squashes from our CSA.

(NOTE - I apologize - this recipe isn't on the VT website, even though it's this issue's "cover model.")

Since my mom is in town making a pilgrimage to visit HRH, I decided to make use of the long weekend that I have to make not only the soup but another attempt at my pain complet.
This time, I did three things differently:

• I used filtered water instead of tap water.
• I let the dough rise the ENTIRE two hours (plus a bit more; I ran out to an errand, which helped keep me from peeking).
• I added a second rise.  

Upon review of the original recipe, I noticed that there was only one rising, so before the lovely ball of deliciousness was popped into the oven, it sat for about 45 minutes.  I think that this, along with the other two alterations I made to my own actions, helped make the end result less dense but still chewy enough to feel like I am eating something of substance.
The soup was next.  Last weekend, I made a vegetable stock out of the veggies that were, um, looking a touch peaked.  I can honestly state that this soup was made by me from beginning to end.  And the winery that contributed the 1/2 cup of white wine.  But basically me.  Sadly, the store was out of leeks (Seriously, who was getting the leeks?  I never see people buying them; I've even had cashiers ask me what they were), so I used an onion instead.
I was joined in the kitchen by my PIC, who made a lovely salad with the remainder of the arugula and mizuna, along with some julienned Granny Smith apples, hakurei, and Easter egg radish.  If that weren't enough, he took some of our garlic and roasted it so we had something nummy to spread on the pain complet.
Topping off the meal was a hash made of the last apple, potato, sweet potato, Easter egg radishes, turnips, and hakurei, tossed in olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper.

Well.... the hash was, as usual, awesome.
The bread - lovely.  It was especially nosh-able when smeared with butter and the roasted garlic.  I probably could have enjoyed that and gone to bed a happy woman.
The salad was great, too - refreshing and clean tasting.  The mizuna and hakurei melded nicely, and the arugula finished each bite off with, um, well.... a bite.
But.... sigh.... the soup was just.... lacking.  I can't lie - I've never been happy with a butternut squash soup recipe.  Every one that I have tried has been kind of "blah."  There isn't even a good word to describe how I feel about these soups.
I will say that this soup was not as sweet as the acorn squash and apple soup of last month, but to be honest, I think that the feeling that that first soup left in the mouth was bigger, and it left me a bit more satisfied.  I think I did use too much stock for the amount of squash that I had, even though I tried to add another apple to the mix to add a little "meat" to it, but it turned out really thin.
I'm not sure I'm ready to throw in the towel and admit defeat on the butternut front, but I think my next soup WILL include some different ingredients.

Pain Complet Me

I have created.... BREAD.

Don't laugh; yeast is a fickle mistress, and I admit that it has reduced to me to tears more than once when things went... well, agley.

But this weekend (OK, so Monday isn't really a weekend - whatever - when the hubby has a three-day weekend, it's the weekend) I was determined to attempt a pain complet - basically, French bread.  I had looked for a recipe that utilized at least some whole wheat flour, and I am pretty happy with the way this turned out... next time, I'll use the filtered water and let the dough rise a little longer.  The tap water in AZ is perfectly fine, but it's laden with a lot of minerals, so the end result, while delicious, was a tad bit dense.

It's alive!!!!!!!

Ready to hit the heat
I glazed the top with a beaten egg; since we get our eggs from one of Scott's co-workers, the yolks are extremely yellow - hence the yellow hue here.

Just out!
Like any first time mother, I am so proud.

And... devoured

I am so pleased with the whole wheat flour; while the all purpose flour has that silky texture (I mixed and kneaded this bad boy by hand), the whole wheat flour had a lovely nuttiness that came through so nicely.   And yes, it was a touch dense, but I do like being able to bite into a bread that resists me oh so slightly, so I am looking forward to trying this again with the filtered water to see how it lightens things up - but not too much!

P.S. - The loaf is already half gone; we ate the rest for dinner.  Vive le pain!  Vive le vin!  Vive le repas!!!!