Madi’s Kitchen is a delightful page of all of Madi’s recipes, updated with the newest recipe each week.

Madi will provide a recipe that she has developed that has been tested on her friends and family. Read more about Madi, and other contributors to The Ratonian on the About Us page.

Madi’s Recipes

• Pumpkin Pie and Pie Crust
• Patriotic Pound Cake
• Two Layer Skull Cookies
• Trick or Treat Shakes
• Chile Chicken Stew
• The Sweet World of Caramel Apples
• Nostalgic Tomato Soup
• Fluffy’s Fluffy Biscuit Sandwich
• Lavash bread
• Modern Cheesecake
• Sweet Pickled Watermelon Rinds 
• Pokémon Toast Curry
• Pokémon Sandwich Extravaganza
• Salsa Fresca 
• Donuts
• Super Easy Two Ingredient Gummies
• Bagels
• Mango Highlight
• Grandpa’s Pizza
• Pumpkin Spice Puppy Treat
• Very Berry Birthday Crepe “Cake” (Crepes Revisited)
• Flan
• Better than Cheez-Its
• Greek Salad
• Chicken and Dumpling Soup
• Chinese Fried Rice
• Pecan Shortbread
• Spring Asparagus Pasta
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crepes
• Homemade Marshmallow Peep
• Hot Cross Buns
• Corned Beef and Cabbage
• Mashed Potato Leftover Waffles 
• Basic Egg Bread
• Nana’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Sourdough
• February 11, 2024 Valentine’s Day special German Chocolate Cake
• February 4, 2024 Pumpkin Ravioli

Pumpkin Pie and Pie Crust

Thanksgiving is on the horizon, so it’s time to start planning your Thanksgiving feast! What is better for Thanksgiving than pie, specifically pumpkin pie, but any type of pie really; apple, coconut, cherry, or peach would be perfect for a Thanksgiving feast topped with whipped cream and dried fruit.

Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays and you might see why considering I do food writing. I love Thanksgiving because I get to be creative with my food, how I make it and how I display it. Every year I make a fruit turkey! Yes, a whole turkey just made out of fruit not a turkey stuffed with fruit. It is one of my favorite things to make for Thanksgiving.

Another reason I love Thanksgiving is because last year at Skateland we got to do a Skateland Thanksgiving, and it was really fun. Everyone brought a dish last year. I brought hot chocolate and mashed potatoes. There were three ambrosia salads there which is another one of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes to make and eat! Thanksgiving is also reflecting about all we’ve done over the past year and being thankful for our accomplishments.

For me, this year was filled with many things like starting this food column, winning first place in a cosplay contest, working at Skateland and the Farmer’s Market. All of these things are fun and important and are good things to remember. I love that sometimes when I go out people tell me that they love my recipes and my food column. It makes me incredibly happy that they enjoy not only the food but my writing too. Recently, I even got an email from another writer. I emailed her about how I loved her book and said I was a food writer and put in a link to The Ratonian. She said that she enjoyed my message and said my recipes looked delicious and she couldn’t wait to try out one of my Pokémon recipes. This absolutely made my day, and it made me super happy to hear that she enjoyed it! I wasn’t expecting her to check out my recipes, so it was also a nice surprise.

Skateland is also a really good thing to remember for me. This year around June was my one-year anniversary at Skateland and I got to do so many things at Skateland over the past year. Like going on a trip to Denver and getting to see a Senate meeting. Helping out at bake sales for Skateland and getting to meet so many different people there. I also really loved taking one of my friends there when they were visiting. Skateland also has a lot of history itself; it’s the 13th oldest skating rink in the nation and oldest in Colorado! Which is really cool to work at a place with so much history and a really nice environment. Everyone there is nice and helpful. Of course, it can be extremely hard at times, especially at parties because of the noise and all the people, but it’s still a really fun place to work.

At the Farmer’s Market I got to meet all sorts of people growing and selling stuff like bread, vegetables, and crafts. One person sold really good bread (The Singing Milkmaid) and another sold bandannas for dogs. I bought two for my pet turkey (she’s adorable in them) and got to show her pictures of turkey in them. When I get a harness for turkey, I’m going to take a photo of her in it with her bandanna too! The potlucks at the Trinidad community garden were also really nice even though it was after work on a Sunday. Everyone there is really nice, and the food was delicious.

These are only some of the things that I really enjoyed and accomplished this year. It was a really fun year, and I hope next year will be just as fun! I hope you try making this pumpkin pie, maybe a fruit turkey too, and I hope your year was just as good if not better than mine. I hope next year will also be fun for you and me. In closing, I have a little surprise for our one-year anniversary in the planning stages right now. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Filling

• egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of milk
• one 15-ounce can (425g) pumpkin puree* (use up those Halloween pumpkins!)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon (8g) cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger*
• 1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg*
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves*
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk

Pie Dough

• 2 and 1/2 cups (315g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for shaping and rolling
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 2/3 cup (130g) vegetable shortening, chilled
• 1/2 cup (120ml) ice cold water
• Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
• Add the butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). In this step, you’re only breaking up the cold fat into tiny little flour-coated pieces; you’re not completely incorporating it. Do not overwork the ingredients.
• Measure 1/2 cup (120ml) of water in a cup. Add ice. Stir it around. From that, measure 1/2 cup (120ml) of water since the ice has melted a bit. Drizzle the cold water in 1 tablespoon (15ml) at a time and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every tablespoon has been added. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. I always use about 1/2 cup of water and need a little more in dry winter months. Do not add any more water than you need.
• Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Avoid overworking the dough.
  
  If it feels a bit too dry or crumbly, dip your fingers in the ice water and then continue bringing dough together with your hands. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle on more flour and then continue bringing dough together with your hands. Form it into a ball. Use a sharp knife to cut it in half. If it’s helpful, you should have about 1 lb., 8 ounces dough total (about 680g). Gently flatten each half into 1-inch-thick discs using your hands.
• Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.

Roll-out the Chilled Pie Crust

• After the dough has chilled for at least 2 hours, you can roll it out. Remove 1 disc of pie dough from the refrigerator. Work with one crust at a time, keeping the other in the refrigerator until you’re ready to roll it out.
• Lightly flour the work surface, rolling pin, and your hands, and sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough. Use gentle-medium force with your rolling pin on the dough—don’t press down too hard on the dough; you’re not mad at it! When rolling dough out, start from the center and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go. Between passes of the rolling pin, rotate the pie crust and even flip it, to make sure it’s not sticking to your work surface. Sprinkle on a little more flour if it’s sticking; don’t be afraid to use a little more flour. If you notice the dough becoming a lopsided circle as you’re rolling it out, put down the rolling pin and use your hands to help mold the dough back into an even circle. Roll the dough into a very thin 12-inch circle, which is the perfect size to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Your pie dough will be about 1/8 inch thick, which is quite thin. Visible specks of butter and fat in the dough are perfectly normal and expected.
• Carefully place the dough into a 9×2-inch-deep pie dish. Because your dough is so thin, use your rolling pin to help transfer the pie crust to the pie dish. Carefully roll one end of the circle of dough gently onto the rolling pin, rolling it back towards you, slowly peeling it off the work surface as you go. Pick it up, and carefully roll it back out over the top of the pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it’s tightly pressed into the pie dish. Fold any dough overhang back into the dish to form a thick rim around the edges. Crimp the edges with a fork or flute the edges with your fingers. Brush edges lightly with egg wash mixture

Proceed with the pie per your recipe’s instructions.

Pre-Bake the Crust
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

• Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Crunching up the parchment paper is helpful so that you can easily shape it into the crust. Fill it with pie weights or dried beans. (Note that you will need at least 2 standard sets of pie weights to fit.) Make sure the weights/beans are evenly distributed around the pie dish. Pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper/pie weights. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork to create steam vents and return crust (without weights) to the oven for 7-8 more minutes or until the bottom is just starting to brown.

Make the Pumpkin Pie Filling

• Whisk the pumpkin, 3 eggs, and brown sugar together until combined. Add the cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, heavy cream, and milk. Vigorously whisk until everything is combined.
• Pour pumpkin pie filling into the warm crust. Only fill the crust about 3/4 of the way up. If using a deep-dish pie dish as instructed, you should only have a little filling leftover. Use the extra to make mini pies with leftover pie dough scraps if you’d like. Bake the pie until the center is almost set, about 55-60 minutes give or take. A small part of the center will be wobbly—that’s ok. After 25 minutes of baking, be sure to cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from getting too brown. Check for doneness at 50 minutes, and then 55, and then 60, etc., until done.
• Once done, transfer the pie to a wire rack and allow it to cool completely for at least 3 hours before garnishing and serving.
• Decorate with pie crust leaves. Serve pie with whipped cream if desired.

Patriotic Pound Cake

Posted November 3, 2024

Even though the Fourth of July has come and gone, it’s never too early to start planning desserts for next year’s celebrations—or even for Thanksgiving!

This pound cake recipe brings a bit of patriotic spirit to any occasion, including Veterans Day on November 11. Veterans Day is dedicated to honoring all who have served in the U.S. military. It began as Armistice Day to commemorate the end of World War I on November 11, 1918. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, a truce was signed between the Allied countries and Germany, marking the end of the war. A year later, President Woodrow Wilson asked Americans to observe Armistice Day with a moment of silence and gratitude. Over time, the holiday evolved, and in 1954, Congress renamed it Veterans Day to recognize all U.S. military veterans.

But now, let’s dive into the history of pound cake—a perfect dessert for gatherings, patriotic or otherwise! Pound cake dates to the early 1700s in Northern Europe and is named for its original recipe, which called for a pound each of flour, sugar, eggs and butter. This simple, memorable formula made it an ideal treat for bakers back then, especially since many people couldn’t read and needed recipes they could remember.

In the United States, Amelia Simmons published a recipe for pound cake in her American Cookery cookbook in 1795, though Hannah Glasse’s The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Simple had already introduced it in England in 1747. The dense, rich cake became a staple for celebrations like Twelfth Night, marking the end of Christmas festivities. For the occasion, party hosts would hide a pea and a bean inside the cake—men who found the bean would be crowned “king,” while women who found the pea would be the “queen.”

Pound cake has traveled far from its original recipe and today is enjoyed worldwide, with regional twists. In France, it’s known as quatre-quarts, or “four quarters” cake, referring to the equal parts of its ingredients. Julia Child once joked that the French created pound cake first, and the English borrowed it—though the recipe’s exact origins are still up for debate! Whether it’s part of a patriotic celebration or a cozy brunch, pound cake is beloved for its versatility and rich, buttery flavor—though this one has been adjusted somewhat in terms of sweetness and richness!

Here’s a simple recipe that you can top with whipped cream and berries for a classic red, white, and blue dessert. Enjoy a slice, and celebrate!

 Ingredients

• 2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 large whole eggs
• 6 large egg yolks (in addition to the 6 whole eggs)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Toppings
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Optional: additional flavoring (e.g., a hint of vanilla)

 Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan or a 12-cup Bundt pan, shaking out excess flour.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, yolks, vanilla, and salt until well combined.
4. Gradually add the egg mixture to the butter and sugar mixture on low speed, pouring slowly to prevent curdling. (If needed, add the egg mixture in several parts.) Scrape down the bowl, then beat for another 1-2 minutes.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour gradually, about ¼ cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl again.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Bake on the center rack for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
7. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edges and center. Carefully invert onto a cooling rack and let it cool completely before topping—otherwise, the topping will melt! 8. Prepare the whipped cream: In a mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream and sugar (and flavoring, if desired) until soft peaks form. Spread over the cooled cake and top with blueberries and strawberries. Optional: try coconut milk whipped cream for a hint of extra vanilla

Two Layer Skull Cookies

Posted October 27, 2024

Even though these two-layered cookies were originally based on a recipe called “Maya’s Day of the Dead Cookies,” from “Chocolate Holidays,” these spooky cookies are just right for Halloween and other holidays, too! Black and white cookies, made of chocolate and vanilla dough, can’t be beaten by much and these cookies don’t even need icing or anything to be at their best. They’re delicious dunked in hot chocolate or on their own, which means these are perfect any time of year. In fact, you could cut them into other shapes to change with the holiday. For instance, you could style up a Christmas tree cookie: with the vanilla top layer colored green and cut out ornament circles to reveal the chocolate underneath, you’d have a cute Christmas themed cookie. Maybe for Halloween, you could do an orange-colored vanilla to look like a pumpkin, with face shapes cut to show the dark chocolate underneath. In fact, they’re an adaptable idea to create any shape and color combination you want!

The cookies I made this week are like the ones shown on the cover of a murder mystery I like, but if you really wanted to, you could even ice them to more resemble sugar skulls. That makes these cookies perfect for an ofrenda! Ofrenda are an important part of any Day of the Dead celebration, as these altars welcome the dead into the land of the living. Photographs of the people being remembered are placed on the ofrenda along with their favorite foods–or candies and sweets! With sugar skulls, marigolds and tiny little skeletons all common elements, as well as candles and other reminders of the loved ones, these ofrenda are important to the people that celebrate to help them remember their ancestors, their family, and even pets who have passed on.

Common foods that people eat during this time include pan de muerto (dead bread, last week’s recipe!) sugar skulls–which are usually decorated with beautiful icing work—flan, pozole (a delicious soup!), tamales and fruit. Some of these are a little more decorative than delicious—personally, sugar skulls aren’t my favorite to eat!—but they’re all important!

Since we have a lot of chickens and ducks, sometimes for Day of the Dead we make egg bread and egg drop noodles. I think those are both very delicious and fitting for the holiday, since the noodles are an old family recipe and generally go into a veggie-heavy soup, and if you’ve got soup, you must have some bread! In fact, egg bread challah goes well with the soup—or, if you’re feeling particularly fancy, you can make the pan de muerto to go with the chili and noodles!

No matter how you celebrate this holiday though, it’s a time filled with memories and lots of love–whether it’s making an ofrenda to honor all of your ancestors, a little shelf remembering a beloved pet or friend, or just a moment you take to remember the past and get ready for the year ahead!

INGREDIENTS:

Vanilla dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate dough :
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar, clump free
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions :
1. To make the vanilla dough mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly with a whisk or a fork. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, blend butter and sugar with a mixer into a light and fluffy batter for 5 minutes on low speed; beat in the flour until just incorporated. Shape the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter and set aside.
3. For the chocolate dough, take a bowl and mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Thoroughly with whisk or fork and set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar with a whisk, spoon or a mixer until smooth and creamy, but not fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
5. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture into the wet batter until just mixed. Shape the chocolate into a log the same length as the vanilla. *A tip: if the dough is too sticky to handle place in the freezer to firm up!
6. To shape the skulls, reshape each log of dough so that it is skull shaped rather than round—in other words, make one side of the skull narrow like a chin and jaw. Leave the other side wide like the top of your head. Then refrigerate the dough!
7. When it’s chilled, cut the vanilla dough into 1/8 inch wide slices. Make the features in the vanilla dough using a variety of tools: using a straw, poke holes for the eyes. With a toothpick, prick holes for the nostrils! And last, using a narrow knife, slice back-and-forth gently to create a slotted mouth. It’s ok if they look a little wonky, because the nature of the skulls is to twist and distort while cooking! The imperfection is part of the charm!
8. Refrigerate again at least two hours preferably overnight.
9. Preheat oven to 350F and cut the chocolate dough into 1/8 inch slices. Place the chocolate dough slices at least an inch apart first, and then top each chocolate slice with a vanilla skull slice (so that you can see the chocolate through the eyes, nose and mouth).
10. Bake the skulls until pale golden at the edges about 12 minutes, rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through. Even with this method, sometimes these temperamental cookies will burn at the edges or “melt” some—but again, I think the imperfection is part of their charm!

Trick or Treat Shakes

Posted October 18, 2024

I love fall. Leaves changing colors, pumpkins ripening…From the thrill of trick-or-treating to crafting the perfect costume, the best fall holiday, Halloween, is a whirlwind of fun! This year, I’ll be stepping into the role of a dazzling Pokémon performer from the Kalos region, and I can’t wait to try it out! But dressing up isn’t the only joy of Halloween—baking festive treats is just as delightful. I’m thinking spooky cookies …vibrant Day of the Dead bread…pumpkin pies (look out for future recipes!) But Halloween wasn’t always so demure. Back in 1903, Halloween mischief was at its peak. Kids didn’t just knock on doors; they played pranks—like tossing flour in unsuspecting faces when the door swung open! While there were sweet treats involved, they were often waiting at home rather than handed out by neighbors. Everything from cake to candy, and likely sweet bread and cookies, filled the holiday spirit.

Nowadays, Halloween is a bit tamer; the worst you might face is an egging. But back then? It was wild! The roots of Halloween mischief stretch back to Scottish traditions, where couples would pick cabbages to predict their futures. The first ceremony involved pulling up the first plant they encountered, with its shape and size supposedly reflecting their future partner. This playful practice, however, wasn’t always innocent—it often involved swiping cabbages from neighbors! When Scottish immigrants brought this tradition to America in the early 1800s, it quickly morphed into a more mischievous affair, with kids pelting their neighbors’ houses with the stolen vegetables. The blending of Scottish cabbage raiding with English Guy Fawkes Night added fuel to the fire so to speak! In some towns, children and teens built bonfires in the streets, dragging wood from every home to create towering pyres—chairs, sidings, outhouse roofs. To heighten the chaos, it was common to barricade adults in their homes so they couldn’t try to stop the madness—absolutely terrifying! In response to this Halloween frenzy, a cookbook from 1903 suggested a clever solution: throw a Halloween party! It noted that keeping the boys entertained with festivities might prevent them from causing mayhem. The refreshments suggested for these parties were quite different from what we enjoy today, but I can only imagine they were just as delicious!

So whether you’re gearing up for a Halloween party or heading out for some trick-or-treating (or trunk or treating!), embrace the spirit of the season with this week’s recipe—a left-over candy shake. It’s a simple way to kick off the season, but is there really such a thing as left-over Halloween candy? On the off chance there is, you now have a way to use it up before this year’s trick or treat extravaganza!

Ingredients :

4 large scoops of ice cream a little softened
6-8 fun size candies of your choosing , plus more for toppings Milk ( optional)

Instructions :

Combine the ice cream and candies in a blender and blend for about 45 seconds, or until you reach your preferred thickness Pour into a glass and serve with the remaining candies and enjoy!

Chile Chicken Stew

Posted October 6, 2024

One of the best parts of fall is the variety of soups you can make! From chili and tomato to miso, potato, and carrot soup, there’s something about the colder weather that makes a warm bowl of soup even more satisfying. Personally, I love pairing a comforting tomato soup with fresh bread or my favorite rice. And though I can’t handle a lot of spice, I’ve found this chile stew recipe to be tasty.  You can bring the heat down even more if you substitute out milder fresh green chiles for the roasted Pueblos or Hatch chiles. 

Wait though! Chile, or chili!? In New Mexico, we always say “chile” when we’re talking about the actual peppers, like the green ones you get roasted at the farmers market. But when you say “chili,” it’s talking about the dish, a stew. Around here, chiles are a big deal—it’s part of our food and our culture. So when someone asks for “chili,” I know they probably mean the stew, but if they ask for “chile,” I’m thinking about those delicious peppers we use in everything!

The origins of chile stews are a bit hazy, but as a concept, “chili” is generally believed to have started in San Antonio, Texas, possibly created by Spanish nuns. Cowboys and gold seekers made it popular as a hearty, filling meal. Will Rogers himself once called chiles con carne a “bowl of blessedness,” and I couldn’t agree more—chili is simply amazing. There are so many variations, and while Texans today usually skip the beans, back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, recipes show it wasn’t uncommon to find them in the mix.

One of the more curious stories about chili involves a Spanish “teleporting” nun in the 17th century. Sister Mary of Ágreda, also known as “The Lady in Blue,” was said to fall into trances that transported her soul to far-off lands, where she not only shared her faith but, according to legend, spread recipes. One of these recipes was a stew made with antelope or venison, tomatoes, and chile peppers—a precursor to what we might recognize as chili today.

A more likely story ties chili to the 56 Spanish immigrants from the Canary Islands who settled in what is now San Antonio in 1731. They brought with them a stew, possibly of Moroccan origin, seasoned with cumin, which could have evolved into chiles con carne. However, cumin didn’t appear in chili recipes until the 20th century, and people have been stewing meat with chili peppers for far long before that. Around the same time as the Spanish were settling in Texas, a Swiss missionary, Philipp Segesser, wrote about seeing the native peoples of southern Arizona drying and grinding chile peppers to use in stews—a method that’s strikingly similar to how we prepare chili today.

Whatever its true origin, chili remains a delicious staple, especially as the weather turns cool and the leaves begin to change. This farmhouse recipe calls for chicken, though family recipes dating back to my great grandma show all kinds of meats stewed with chile—from green chiles and pork to ground beef and beans, to my version of chile stew, with chicken and local roasted peppers. However you make it, I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Green Chiles Feast Stew

• Ingredients:
  1 whole chicken
• 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 cups onions
• 4 cups carrots cut into rounds
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups tomatillos husked, rinsed, and quartered
• 4 cups quartered tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 gallon chicken broth (or water)
• 6 cups small red potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups chopped roasted green chiles
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 cup diced green onion
• Flour tortillas (for serving)

Instructions:

1. Cook the chicken, cut into pieces, in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat in olive oil, about 15 minutes, until nicely browned. 

2. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings/oil. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic and sauté until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes. 

3. Add the chiles, tomatillos, tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add the chicken broth or water and red potatoes. Bring to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. 4. Add the cooked chicken, cilantro, and green onions. Simmer for another 5 minutes. 

5. Serve hot with fresh flour tortillas.

The Sweet World of Caramel Apples- September 28, 2024

Halloween is right around the corner, and I love making costumes and handing out candy–but I particularly love that it’s the perfect time to whip up some caramel apples! These treats are a classic fall favorite, combining the crispness of fresh apples with the sticky sweetness of caramel. Plus, you can deck them out with all sorts of toppings—think crushed nuts, sprinkles, or even chocolate drizzle! I tested out three ways to make the caramel to see what works best, so you don’t have to do the leg work on it.

First my Nana and I tried a caramel apple kit from the grocery store. I also tried melting down some candy caramels, and I made my own caramel from scratch. All turned out ok, but the one I think turned out the best was the melted caramel. The store bought boxed caramel kit tended to be a little too hard and crisp. Making it was also kind of a pain! The dry ingredients got clumpy and cooked unevenly, with some spots burning before others cooked. The homemade one turned out a bit runny when dipping but it eventually cools well and is so delicious, it’s a solid, if messy option. However, if you’re just looking for a quick project, pre-made store-bought caramels, melted down over low heat, is a clasic choice! The caramel coating is sufficiently thick and dippable without needing a bunch of stirring and fussing.

Caramel has a rich history that’s super interesting. It started way back in 95 AD when Arab chefs began crystallizing sugar. It would take centuries for the key ingredient in caramel to really hit Europe large quantities–sugar! But by the 16th century, sugar was all the rage in Europe, and the word “caramel” popped up in English around 1725, coming from French and Spanish roots. Still sufficiently a novelty, those aristocrats would have servants shape sugar into cool designs that looked like everyday foods–candy eggs and bacon, or tiny fruits.

American settlers took it a step further by boiling sugar in copper kettles, which got super hot (sugar melts at about 270°F). The caramelization process starts at around 300°F, where sugar breaks down to create different textures and flavors. You can end up with chewy, runny, or hard caramel depending on how you cook it–what temperature and for how long, with how much stirring. At any stage, caramel quickly became a candy staple because it was easy to make at home and had a long shelf life. Between 1650 and 1800, some candy makers began experimenting with added fat and milk, leading to the chewy caramels we know today. By the mid-1800s, nearly 400 American manufacturers were making caramel candies!

One of the biggest names in the caramel world is Milton Hershey. Born in 1857 in Pennsylvania, he initially trained as a printer but discovered his love for candy-making at 14. After learning from a master candy maker, he started his own business, which didn’t go well at first. But after learning to make caramels in Denver, Colorado, he returned home to launch the Lancaster Caramel Company, which quickly gained popularity. Hershey’s company eventually became known for chocolate, with the iconic Hershey bar and various caramel-filled treats!

And here’s a fun tidbit: April 5 is National Caramel Day! Thankfully we dont have to wait til spring to celebrate this sweet treat! So, while you’re rocking your Halloween costume and testing out treats, don’t forget to whip up some delicious caramel apples this fall. Whether you grab a store-bought caramel kit, melt down some caramels, or go all out and make your own from scratch, it’s bound to be a fun time experimenting with toppings! Whether you like it classic or want to get creative, there’s no wrong way to enjoy caramel apples. So go ahead, make a batch, and savor every sweet bite of fall!


INGREDIENTS:

• 8–9 cold apples
• 1 and 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Rinse the apples under cold water and wipe them dry to remove any waxy coating. Remove the stems and insert a caramel apple stick about 3/4 down into each apple.

2. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. If unavailable, grease the pan with butter to prevent sticking.

3. In a 3-quart heavy-duty saucepan, combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, and salt over medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter melts. If burning is a problem, you can brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan so it doesn’t touch the bottom, or it will read too hot.

4. Allow the mixture to cook without stirring until it reaches 235°F (113°C). This will take about 15-20 minutes. Monitor the temperature closely, as it will heat slowly at first and then rapidly.

5. Once it’s at the desired temperature–about 245F to 250F at our elevation, or right as the caramel bubbles up vigorously and begins to darken–you remove the caramel from heat and stir in the vanilla. Let the caramel cool for 10-15 minutes until it thickens slightly. If it’s too thin, let it cool longer–I had some issues with it warm, but found it a lot more workable after 15 minutes.

6. Holding the stick, dip each apple into the warm caramel, tilting the pot if needed to coat all sides. Allow excess caramel to drip off and place the coated apple on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for remaining apples.

(Optional) Before the caramel sets, roll the apples in chopped nuts, toffee pieces, or drizzle with melted chocolate.

Nostalgic Tomato Soup – September 21, 2024

As autumn’s chill begins to creep into the nights here in Raton, there’s no better comfort than a steaming bowl of tomato soup (maybe with a grilled cheese?). This classic dish with its rich, warming flavors, is perfect for crisp fall days and will surely become a staple in your kitchen as the weather cools. While it might be a tad early to fully embrace autumn in all its glory, with summer ending and Halloween just around the corner, now is the perfect time to indulge in this nostalgic late summer treat.

In the past, tomato soup was a common feature of school lunches, first found during the Great Depression paired with a simple butter sandwich, a glass of milk, and perhaps a crisp apple or a hermit cookie. Their tomato soup snuck in a protein packed kick in the form of a scoop of peanutbutter for the base. While we might not see peanut butter in our tomato soup today, that combination is certainly an intriguing culinary curiosity! 

I think it was also a smart move by the people making the school lunches to add extra nutrition, too! Did you know, school lunches have evolved significantly over the years? The origins of organized school meals can be traced back to late 18th-century Munich, where Count Rumford established meal programs for the pesant children who spent half the day at lessons in school and the other half in factories, making uniforms. In France, author Victor Hugo’s philanthropy in sponsoring school meals, and school administrator Victor Duruy’s push for a public initiative in the 19th century laid the foundation for widespread school lunch programs in that country, ensuring that all students, regardless of their financial status, had access to nutritious meals.

The challenges of feeding hungry children were highlighted in the United States in Robert Hunter’s 1904 book, “Poverty,” which spurred efforts to address this critical issue. He pointed out that laws required students to be at school, but didnt require them to be fed enough to concentrate while there. He estimated that tens of thousands of students in every large city were hindered by hunger. In less than a decade, many cities had established lunch programs, with teachers and parents coming together to provide meals and teach proper table manners. Like a potluck, parents would all bring what ingredients they could, and the group would prepare meals and eat together at one table. Lunch was a unifying and equalizing event. During the Great Depression, these programs became even more crucial, with out of work parents stepping in as lunch staff to help alleviate the burden on teachers. Post WWII and into the 70s and 80s, lunches became standardized nationwide and lunch quality began to slide. By the 1990s and 2000s, lunches were often devoid of nutrients, or otherwise rendered inedible. Recent years have shown a renewed interest in childhood nutrtion though. 

Today, as we navigate the complexities of modern school lunch programs, there’s a renewed focus on ensuring that meals are both nutritious and appealing. A well-balanced lunch not only nourishes the body but also enhances your ability to focus and learn. Fresh local food–and a variety of it!–is key to growing strong bodies and strong minds, and Raton is stepping up to make sure kids have access to good food in the schools! Places like Ramel Farms and the Heirloom Shop, or the farmers market, have varieties of tomatoes that not only look pretty, but are packed with nutrients and flavors you don’t expect from a tomato. 

So, as we get back to school, consider picking up a few tomatoes and curling up with a bowl of this heartwarming soup to be a history lesson in good eating. It’s a comforting nod to simpler times and a delicious way to embrace the bounty of the season! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 large onion, cut into wedges
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled or crushed tomatoes, or 3 cups freshly diced tomatoes 
• 1 ½ cups water or chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
• 1/4 cup dried parsley or celery (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven/cast iron or large saucepan.
2. Add onion wedges and tomatoes and cook until softened. Add the tomato can juices if applicable and the water or chicken stock with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
3. Bring to a simmer. Cook uncovered for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt and spices as needed. I like to add dried celery and parsley, but pepper, cumin, and chiles all give your soup different vibes. 
4. Blend the soup to your desired consistency. If using a stand blender, blend in small batches and cover the lid with a kitchen towel to avoid splatters, otherwise it can burn! 

Fluffy’s Fluffy Biscuit Sandwich 

Posted September 15, 2024

Crisp fall breezes and changing leaves make me want to reach for the bread box! And while they might not be my absolute favorite, there’s no denying that a warm, flaky biscuit to welcome in fall is something special. And American-style biscuits are in a league of their own—distinct from their English counterparts, which share the same name but are quite different. 

The English biscuit is hard, while the American biscuit is fluffy and light. The key to a good American biscuit is the high butter (or oil) content and the lamination process that creates those delicious, flaky layers. The word “biscuit” itself actually comes from old French, meaning “twice cooked,” which reflects how they were originally baked and then dried out for preservation. These early versions were hard and long-lasting, often served alongside something to dip it in—alongside a soup or with tea. English scones, another British biscuit-like comparison, have a denser texture and are more substantial than a biscuit would be also.

When the European settlers brought their tastebuds and recipes to the United States, biscuits slowly evolved into a variety of regional styles. In the American South, biscuits were initially a delicacy but grew in popularity leading up the Civil War. As the war disrupted trade and made ingredients like butter even more scarce, biscuits became a Sunday treat, made with whatever was available—even sweet potato flour! However, by the late 19th century, improvements in baking techniques and the discovery of chemical leavening agents like baking soda and baking powder crucially helped those southern biscuits take on their modern form and spread—or rise?—across the United States! 

This recipe using leavening is similar to the biscuits my Nana’s mom—otherwise known as Grandma Fluffy—made for her growing up! With a sausage patty and a side of gravy, sometimes topped with an egg, they make a good breakfast sandwich. They’re also perfect with tea if you’re feeling semi sort of Brit-ish, or on their own with a pat of honey! Whether you’re a long-time fan or just trying them for the first time (if so, how!?), biscuits are a simple but always welcome addition to any table. So why not give them a try? Tell me how you like them! 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, very cold 
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
• ¾ cup milk
• Optional: Add cheese for an extra savory kick!

INSTRUCTIONS:

*Chill the butter and coconut oil: for the flakiest biscuits, pop your butter in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before you start.

*Preheat your oven to 425°F.

1. First mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, combining the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Give it a good stir and set it aside.
2. Grab your butter from the fridge and either cut it into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or (my favorite method) grate it using a box grater. Stir the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Pour in the milk and gently stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until the dough just barely comes together.
4. Using a large spoon or clean hands, place a 3/4 cup scoop of dough, rounded and flattened. 
5. Place them an inch apart on your prepared baking sheet for soft sides; too far apart and the sides will bake hard.
6. Place biscuits into the oven and bake at 425°F for about 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are just turning a light golden brown.

* To turn biscuits into a biscuit-n-gravy sandwich, cook sausage patties in a cast iron pan. When it’s cooked, remove the sausages, and sprinkle in a handful of flour. Cook until brown. Pour in milk until it’s a gravy consistency. Now you have the complete breakfast! 

Lavash bread

Posted September 7, 2024

Lavash might just be one of my favorite things to make! It’s light, fluffy, and rich with flavor—a versatile bread that’s surprisingly easy to whip up. You can pair lavash with just about anything: wrap it around a salad, layer it with burger toppings, or, my personal favorite, enjoy it fresh off the stove all on its own. While I usually cook lavash on a cast-iron pan, it’s adaptable; you can cook it on different surfaces or even shape it differently. Feeling adventurous? Fry it up, and you’ve got something akin to fry bread!

Flatbreads like lavash are a staple all over the world, each culture putting its own spin on this simple delight. Not all flatbreads are lavash or tortillas; you might find crêpes in France or naan in India. Bread is universal, a global comfort food that brings people together. From flatbreads to loaves, braided buns to freeform shapes, bread comes in countless varieties. Though I’ve dabbled in making different types of bread in the past, lavash is my go-to fave. There’s something special about its simplicity and the way it complements almost anything you pair it with. Just last night, we had it with falafel and hummus—a classic combo that never disappoints. Throw in some tzatziki for dipping, and it’s one of my favorite meals! And if you have leftover dough, don’t let it go to waste; bake it up for an extra treat with some cinnamon sugar!

However you choose to cook it or whatever you decide to serve it with, lavash is a winner. So, as you try out this week’s recipe, I hope you enjoy making—and eating—lavash as much as I do. Happy cooking!

INGREDIENTS:

• ¾ cup warm water
• ¾ cup warm milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons dry yeast
• 5 cups all-purpose flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the warm water and warm milk. Sprinkle in the dry yeast and let it sit for about 2 minutes to activate.

2. Add the eggs, olive oil, sugar, and salt to the bowl. Mix well until everything is combined. Gradually add the flour, stirring continuously until a dough forms.

3. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover it with a clean cloth, and let it rest in a warm spot for 40 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

4. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 12 equal pieces (or more if you prefer smaller lavash). Roll each piece out into a thin circle.

5. Heat a cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook each piece of lavash for about 1-2 minutes on each side, or until light brown spots appear. Remove from the pan and enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Tzatziki Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 cucumber, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the cucumber into small pieces. You can peel it or leave the skin on for extra texture and color.
2. In a bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, and chopped cucumber. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed.
3. Serve immediately or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. This refreshing sauce pairs perfectly with lavash, falafel, or as a dip for fresh veggies.

Enjoy these delightful recipes! Lavash and tzatziki are simple yet incredibly versatile, making them a great addition to any meal.

Modern Cheesecake 

Posted Augusts 31, 2024

Cheesecake is a special treat in our household, and when we make it, we savor every bite. The rich, creamy cake topped with delicious fruit is a classic dessert loved by many! While there are countless variations of cheesecake, I want to share a little overview of its fascinating history.

The origins of cheesecake can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was enjoyed by the original Olympian athletes. This early version of cheesecake was sweetened with honey and often soaked in it. I once tried making this ancient Greek cheesecake, and though it wasn’t as sweet as the modern version, it had a unique and delightful flavor. The recipe I used included ricotta or farmer’s cheese, honey, whole wheat flour, egg, and poppy seeds sprinkled on top. Unlike today’s cheesecakes, the Roman version didn’t have a crust.

Over the centuries, people began experimenting with different types of cheeses and adding crusts. The cheesecake we know today, however, owes its distinctiveness to the invention of American-style cream cheese in the late 19th century. Originally intended as a substitute for a French cheese, American cream cheese was made even richer with the addition of more cream.

In the 1920s, a legendary New York restaurant called Reuben’s, owned by Arnold Reuben, developed a cheesecake using this new American cream cheese. This gave birth to the creamy version of cheesecake that’s become synonymous with the Big Apple: New York-style cheesecake. Cheesecake has also found its way around the world. In China, you can find a super fluffy version whipped high, while in the Philippines, there’s a cheesecake made with a starchy root related to a sweet potato:  called ube, this cheesecake is a beautiful purple color.

Whether you prefer your cheesecake with a rich, creamy texture or a lighter, fluffier one, it’s a dessert with a long history and a global presence. I hope you enjoy your cheesecake as much as we do and savor the last days of summer. Try topping it with some fresh fruit—peaches, raspberries and blackberries are all in season and result in a fantastic Ratonian style treat! 

INGREDIENTS:

Graham Cracker Crust—

• 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 7 Tbsp butter, melted

Cheesecake—

• 32 oz cream cheese, softened (that’s equivalent to four 8oz packs)
• 1 cup sugar 
• ⅔ cup yogurt
• 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp salt
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugars, and melted butter. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ round springform pan—ideally! A pie pan is just fine. Set it aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and mix until creamy. Add sour cream, vanilla, and salt, mixing until well-combined. Gradually add the lightly beaten eggs on low speed, mixing until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Place the springform pan on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes. The edges should be slightly puffy and light golden brown, and the center should still be jiggly like jello.
5. Let the cheesecake cool on the oven for an hour. Transfer to the fridge and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
6. Remove the springform ring before serving. Top with fruit, chocolate, jam, nuts or candies!

Sweet Pickled Watermelon Rinds 

Posted August 24, 2024

With it already halfway through August, it’s the perfect time to spice things up with a pickled watermelon rind recipe! Late summer is usually when the watermelons are at their peak and are ready in the garden, and it’s a shame to let any of it go to waste. 

My grandpa’s grandma was from Germany, and in Eastern Europe, it’s more common to pickle the sweet inside flesh of the watermelon. Further north in Europe, Scandinavian countries have recipes for the green rinds. The ones that I made are what I’d call American style—splitting the difference with the hard green cut off, and just a little bit of the pink left. Pickles like this have been around in the south eastern USA since the Civil War; they’re mentioned in old dinner-party menus. One of the oldest surviving recipes for watermelon rind pickles appeared in “What Mrs. Fisher Knows about Old Southern Cooking,” which is the second oldest African-American recipe book, published in 1881! After the Civil War, the book’s author, Abby Fisher, had made her way westward to California where she was listed in the local directory as a pickle manufacturer—so her recipes for pickles must have been pretty good! 

Those old-style southern recipes called for soaking the rinds in a salt brine, then boiling them with sugar, vinegar and a mix of spices  until they’d turned clear and soft. This results in something resembling a sweet relish, or hors d’oeuvres-sized dill pickles, which isn’t too far off from what we did today with our recipe! This one is my mom’s, that she’s made since she was a teenager. I think pickled watermelon rinds are good cut up really thin as a slaw, or as part of a salad, or used with bacon and cheese as a bruschetta topping, or even just on a snack plate! My brothers and I eat them standing at the counter, right out of the jar! (To be clear, I don’t think you SHOULD do that, I’m just saying you’ll want to, too!)

INGREDIENTS:

For soaking—

4 cups water 

1 tablespoon coarse salt 

For brine—

• 2 cups peeled watermelon rind (leave a thin layer of pink but take off all the hard dark green) cut into 1 x 1/2 x 2 inch pieces and drained 
• enough fresh water to barely cover the rinds  
• ½ cups granulated sugar 
• ½ cup cider vinegar 
•  3 allspice berries 
• 1 whole star anise 
• 4 peppercorns 
  4 whole cloves 
• 1 small cinnamon stick 
• ½ teaspoon pickling spice 
• 1 inch long piece of fresh ginger root sliced thinly  

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Soak the watermelon rinds in salt water over night.
   Drain rinds. 
2. In saucepan, combine the rinds and the brine ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. 
3. Simmer for 15 minutes, until slightly reduced. 
4. Pour into a jar and refrigerate for 24 hours for best taste. You can keep them jarred and in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

My favorite serving suggestion: go old school and enjoy them with your favorite meats and cheese and other pickled veggies for a tasting party. For a southwest flair, add a few juniper berries to the picking mix and serve with roasted green chiles! 

Pokémon Toast Curry

Posted August 16, 2024

Curry is a big part of Galarian culture in the Pokémon world! An activity that I really enjoy in the games is that you go camping with your Pokémon, and while you’re out fireside, you can cook them up a nice bowl of curry! Just like in real life, game curry restores their energy and wins their undying affection. The game version of curry is a sauce of blended berries, served with rice and some other toppings to make various sauces.  Curry in the real world is basically a spicy gravy, and can have a tomato or dairy based sauce, and is served with rice and veggies and meat.

 Curry nowadays has spread all over the world from its homeland in India, and every area has their own idea of what it should taste like! Personally, I like a nice creamy tomato sauce with a little mix of spices (not too hot!) and paneer, or cheese, with some peas. In the definitive game Pokémon sword and shield, there are 151 different types of curry—ranging from a simple “instant noodle curry” all the way to the “Mega Giganta-Max curry.” No matter what curry you enjoy, however, the best way to serve it is saffron rice! This particular curry is mildly spicy, super umami, and has a bit of crunch when you add the toast, so it’s pretty darn good too!  I really hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and that you enjoy a big bowl of it—with a slice of toast!—while watching the new season of Pokémon.

INGREDIENTS: 

Saffron Rice

• 1 pinch saffron threads (you can use safflower as well if you prefer!)
• ¼ cup boiling water
• 2 tbsp butter
• ½ onion minced
• 1 ½ cups basmati rice
• 1 ½ tbsp salt
• 3 ¾ cups vegetable broth (bouillon cubes are just fine, too)

Curry

• 8  potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 3 carrots cut into 2-inch
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ red onion
• 2 tbsp ginger paste or 1 tbsp ginger powder 
• 2 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 1/2 tbsp cardamom ground
• 2 tsp turmeric ground
• 2 tsp paprika
• 3 tsp coriander ground
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin ground
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes (approx 3 cups)
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp honey
• ⅓ cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1 teaspoons cloves 
• salt (to taste)
• pepper (to taste) 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Saffron Rice

Place the saffron and boiling water in a cup and allow to steep for 5 minutes. Heat a saucepan with butter over medium heat. 

Melt the butter and add the onions and cook until translucent.

Add the rice and cook until slightly toasted, about 3 minutes. 

Add the saffron water, salt, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the rice has cooked, about 20 minutes.

Curry

Place oiled vegetables in a frying pan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 40 minutes, 

While the vegetables are roasting, combine the cardamom, turmeric, paprika, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Heat a large pan with butter over medium-high heat. Add the red onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger paste and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the spice mixture and mix until well combined.

Add the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth. Mix well, making sure there are no clumps of spices left. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the yogurt and honey. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Add the roasted vegetables. Cook another 5 minutes.

Serve with saffron rice and a slice of toast!

Pokémon Sandwich Extravaganza

Posted August 4, 2024

I  love, love, LOVE Pokémon—and next week, a new season of the show Pokémon Horizons is coming out! In celebration, I am making some Pokémon themed sandwiches. You see, what makes the sandwiches you can create in Pokémon games really special, is that they give you different powers! These are called a Meal Power, and you have to be careful to use the right ingredients to activate your desired power. If you change the ingredients you’ll get a totally different sandwich, and a totally different power!

In the Pokemon games, there are 20 condiments and 38 ingredients for sandwiches—for a total number of  combinations 79 digits long (assuming it’s all on the same bread!). With that many possible combinations, everyone can create the exact sandwich they want! In the show, sandwiches first appear in the episode “Unexpected Picnic,” where the main characters are trying to take a cruise trip. The boat gets delayed and they get stuck, and they all decide to have a picnic instead. When two of the people bring back ingredients for sandwiches, and they start cooking, you really get to see people’s personalities coming out through their sandwiches. One of the girls is polite and shy, and she made her sandwich small to avoid taking too much. Another boisterous loud guy makes a super tall sandwich just like the ones from a picture books—it’s giant and 100 percent meat! It’s a little bit obnoxious! But a fun way to show characterization. 

So with that in mind for today’s sandwiches, I made each person chose the sandwich they thought would best describe them! The following six recipes suggestions are IRL (in real life!) versions of Pokémon recipes you can find in the in-game cookbooks. As for how to make a sandwich, it’s bread, with condiments spread on it, stacked in whatever order you want with whatever ingredients you want! I’m confident you know the drill!

INGREDIENTS:

• (Uncle’s) Ultra peanut butter sandwich: 
• Banana slices
• Butter 
• Peanut Butter 
• Jam 

(Grandpa’s) Ultra egg sandwich:

• Egg, fried 
• Cucumber slices 
• Red onion slices 
• Cheese slices
• Salt 
• Mayo

(Mom’s) Ultra avocado sandwich:

• Avocado slices
• Smoked Salmon (canned)
• Tomato slices
• Lettuce leaves
• Salt 

(Brother’s) Master curry and noodle sandwich: 

• Cooked lasagna noodles 
• Red bell pepper slices 
• Yellow bell pepper slices
• Cooked bacon slices
• Chill pepper flakes
• Fried Egg
• Olive Oil 
• Salt 
• Pepper 
• Sweet Herba Mystica (an imaginary item and magical ingredient from the game—I used dried and powdered strawberries for a sweet-acidic kick!)

(My) Master Dessert sandwich: 

• Apple slices
• Kiwi slices
• Strawberry slices
• Yogurt spread (thick Greek yogurt is good!)
• Whipped cream 
• Sweet Herba Mystica (more powered dried strawberry)

(Baby’s) Ultra fruit sandwich:

• Banana slices
• Apple slices
• Crushed Pineapple bits
• Kiwi slices
• Whipped cream 
• Yogurt spread 
• Orange marmalade 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Using the suggested ingredients, stack the sandwich to your liking and enjoy! I recommend trying different types of bread, like soft fluffy egg bread for the sweet sandwiches, or a rustic herbed sourdough for something like the salmon and avocado one! 

Salsa Fresca 

Posted July 27, 2024

Did you know that one out of every three American households buy salsa regularly? You don’t have to be one of them with this spin on a classic New Mexican salsa! 

In the 1980s, La Fonda Hotel and Restaurant in Santa Fe participated in a southwest region chile cook-off and hosted a Tucson chef. The salsa fresca (fresh sauce) the Arizona man made during the event was later adapted into La Fonda’s classic swordfish borracho con salsa fresca and printed in the 1989 “Santa Fe Recipe” cookbook—it was one of my Mom’s favorite books in college and this is my salsa garden spin on a recipe older than my mom! You can adapt it so endlessly because salsa comes in so many flavors and textures! I personally am a fan of the sweeter, chunky type salsas and really like this one as a mango based salsa as well! 

Salsa can be traced back to the times of the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans. It simply means, “sauce” and the native people of what is today Mexico created their own versions of salsa using tomatoes, chilies, and squash seeds. The rest of the world had to wait almost 2,000 more years before the “official discovery” of salsa outside its homeland. Not until after the Spaniards arrived and conquered Mexico in the 1500s did people outside the Americas first taste the range of condiments known as salsa! The term salsa encompasses a variety of sauces used as condiments for tacos and other Central American, Mexican, Mexican-American, and Southwestern foods. If you’ve eaten in a Mexican restaurant in the USA you’ve probably got a bowl of salsa and a a basket of chips before your meal and know what I mean! 

There are many types of salsa, however; with Pico de gallo arguably the most popular type. It translates literally as “Rooster beak sauce,” since traditionally you were supposed to pick up the chunks with your pinched fingers, like a chicken picking at the ground. There’s also Salsa roja (red salsa, the classic recipe), and Salsa taquera (taco sauce, a smoother, spicier recipe). Another of my favorite types of salsa is salsa verde, made with roasted tomatillos instead of tomatoes, or it’s cousin Salsa de aguacate, a salsa that’s green and creamy thanks to both avocado and tomatillos! 

Fruit salsa is also great if you like sweet salsa—you can feature mango, pineapple, strawberry, peaches, or whatever you want for the base! The best part is, did you know that you can grow your own salsa in your backyard, or even on a porch or apartment balcony!? You can, without too much difficulty, with a salsa garden. 

Salsa gardens have all ingredients for salsa on hand any time, so you can just pick them from your yard and mix up some salsa for dinner, or lunch or even breakfast if you really want! Try some scrambled in your eggs and thank me later! The plants can tuck into a corner of a yard or even a patio or windowsill, and traditionally feature a mix of tomatoes (paste or Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes), peppers (hot and sweet), onions (bulb or green onions), garlic, and cilantro and/or other herbs—sometimes all in one planter! However, you can create your salsa with whatever ingredients you want. For instance, if you like a spicy salsa, you should consider putting habaneros or something even further up the Scoville Heat Scale, like a Scotch Bonnet! If you like a sweet salsa (like me) you could consider planting fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries, or even mango in place of the tomatoes. Well, maybe not mango—they probably won’t grow the best here…but let me know what fruits you have used for salsa and how it went! I always love trying new things and adapting my kitchen garden to match! 

Salsa Fresca, INGREDIENTS :

• 6 medium tomatoes, diced 
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced 
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped 
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped 
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely diced 
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped 
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander

 INSTRUCTIONS :

1. In a medium mixing bowl place all of the ingredients and mix them together.
2. Cover , and refrigerate them for at least 2 hours then eat with fresh tortilla chips.

For tortilla chips, INGREDIENTS:

• 5 corn tortillas 
• Oil for frying 
• Salt (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS :

1. Cut the tortillas to the desired size.
2. Heat the oil and when you think the oil is hot enough, it’s time to test! Put in a little bit of tortilla and if it bubbles, you are ready to fry.
3. Cook 3-5 chips at a time; when one side is light golden brown, it’s time to turn the tortilla chips and cook the other side. 
4. Both sides are done! Take the chips out and put them in that glass bowl  (or ceramic; you just don’t want to melt plastic!) and salt as desired. Repeat until all of the chips are done.         CAUTION: Be careful, since the oil is hot and might splatter some. If the chips are cooking too fast, turn down the heat. I usually use a metal set of tongs to flip the chips, but a wire basket would work well too! 

Donuts

Posted July 20, 2024

Donuts: you could pick up a pack at the grocery store, but for a lower price and just a bit more time, you could take an ordinary treat to an extraordinary level! My nana says when her mom made doughnuts, all the kids on the block could smell it and wanted some. I believe it! They are exceptional homemade, and I think you should definitely make them yourself to see what I mean.

Did you know that the hole in the center of a doughnut helps it cook all the way through—and that it wasn’t always there? Two thousand years ago the Greeks and Romans were making fried dough balls we would call fritters. The Chinese, English, and Dutch among other nations all had fritters, or dough balls, or “oil cakes”. But it wasn’t until an American named Hanson Gregory punched a hole in the middle in order to create an even ring of dough that the modern doughnut was born! Another American invention is National Donut Day, celebrated annually on the first Friday of June. It was created by Salvation Army volunteers to raise funds for those in need during the Great Depression, but the nonprofit’s connection to donuts dates back to World War I. “Donut Dollies”, young women who served in the trenches frying batches of dough, were a fixture since 1917. I’m guessing now, though, Donut Day is more just an excuse to eat donuts! 

If you’re looking for a good doughnut, you should be aware, there are three different basic types: cake donuts, biscuit donuts, and yeast donuts. Yeast donuts are the donuts in our recipe today, and are the kind that my nana’s mom and  grandma made, really! Like their name implies they use yeast for their rising agent. They’re light and fluffy and delicious! Cake donuts use baking powder for the rise, just like a cake. They are good for dunking! Biscuit donuts are just what they sound like. They’re made from a biscuit like-dough and then fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar. 

Picking your doughnut base is really just the start, too. Different flavors of donuts include filled donuts—which might have jam, jelly, or custard inside—glazed donuts, and sugarcoated donuts! The filled center doughnuts are fried and cooled before they are filled. Similarly, the glazed type doughnuts (chocolate, or vanilla, or iced with sprinkles) need to cool before they are dipped or the topping will melt off! On the other hand, sugarcoated donuts need to be coated in the sugar immediately after they are taken out of the fry oil! If they cool off too much, the sugar won’t stick well. There’s also donuts that are decorated with fondant, but those are meant to be decorative, not tasty…so that’s a story for another day! 

INGREDIENTS:  

• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 teaspoons yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar (for yeast mixture)
• 2 cups flour (bread flour, or AP flour is fine)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix together the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar and milk. Mix well, then set to the side to activate the yeast (wake them up). 

2. Mix together the rest of the ingredients, and then add the yeast mixture once all are combined.  Knead for about 5 to 10 minutes, then set aside in a warm spot for one hour until doubled in size.

3. Flatten the dough. Roll it out  to desired thickness. Use round cookie cutters or a donut cutter to cut out the donut to your desired shape.

4. Place donut on a piece of parchment paper. Proof until double in size.

5. Heat up oil on medium. You’ll know it’s ready when it a small pea sized piece of dough bubbles when you drop it in! 

6. Carefully slide a donut in the oil, parchment paper and all! You can pull the paper out with a pair of tongs when it unsticks, which is quite fast.  

7. Deep fry both sides approx. 1 minute or until golden brown.

8. Either dip immediately into sugar/cinnamon sugar, or, if preferred, cool down on a cooling rack and fill or coat with glaze. 

Super Easy Two Ingredient Gummies

Posted July 13, 2024

I love to make homemade gummies:  they’re absolutely delicious for something you can make with as little as two ingredients! While sour gummies may be one of the most popular types of gummy candy, I’ve never made them personally. But in the lead up to National Gummi Worm Day on July 15, I’ve made at least 20 different flavors! Our recipe here can be made with whatever fruit juice you like best. I’ve made everything from lemonade gummies to mixed berry Kool-Aid gummies, and even immune boosting elderberry cinnamon gummies. Kool-Aid works particularly well, in my opinion! 

But how was the gummy candy invented? Well, in Germany in the year 1920, times were hard and the country was going through economic recovery and cultural renovation after World War I. A young man named Hans Riegel in Bonn, Germany founded Haribo—a combination of his name “HAns RIegel” (HA-RI) and the the “BO” from Bonn, the name of the city. Originally operating out of his small kitchen with not much more than a copper pot, a rolling pin and stove, his mission was to make affordable high-quality sweets for the people of Germany. His early candy offerings included licorice heart candies and fruit gum. He was serious about quality, but creativity set the foundation for one of the world’s most beloved candy brands!

Riegel started small, but would end up hiring his first employee—his wife Gertrude—in 1921, just a year after he began making candy. She handled deliveries in the early days. While she was out delivering orders, Riegel would use the time to experiment with different candies. One of this experimental sessions resulted in Riegel stumbling on an altogether unique sweet treat: the gummy bear. He debuted his new treat dubbed dancing bear in 1922! It was longer than a modern gummy bear, and much slimmer—the mold was reportedly a model of a real dancing bear! Real dancing bears entertained children at festivals in Europe at the time, and Riegel’s big idea was that instead of shapeless blobs, candies should have personality! 

It was a hit! The Dancing Bear candy sold well, and in 1925, Haribo expanded their offerings again, offering treats including ropes, wheels, and of course, bears. By the 1930s, the company had experienced substantial growth and had a workforce of 400 employees—when only nine years earlier they only had two, that’s pretty impressive! During this period, the company made a new slogan which translated to English reads “Haribo makes children happy!” The company continued to experiment through the years, but never returned to the “gummy ropes” of their early years—it wasn’t until 1981 that Trolli, another candy company, debuted their “Gummy Squiggles,” first sold on July 15. Gummy squiggles quickly morphed into gummy worms, and July 15 became Gummi Worm Day in honor of Trolli’s gummy improvement!  

I think gummy worms are lots of fun, and totally worth a look at their long and complex history! Good thing making them doesn’t take nearly as long! Hopefully you find your own favorite flavor of gummy bear with a little trial and error, and you enjoy this sweet recipe!

Super Simple Gummies

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup fruit juice 
• 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon water 
• Optional:
• 2 Tbsp honey 
• OR 
• 2 tsp granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. Place silicone molds on a baking tray. This makes it easier to transport them into the fridge! (Also, make sure you have a flat area in your fridge to place the gummy once they’re poured in the molds!) 

2. Bring 1/3 cup fruit juice (and if you want, 2 Tbsp of honey, or 2 tsp granulated sugar + water) to a boil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan or pot.

3. Set aside to cool for 3 minutes.

You want to get the juice to a spot where it is warm enough to melt the gelatin, but not hot enough to weaken the setting power of the gelatin—at least 120 degrees F but no more than 180 F is about right.

4. In a small container or bowl, “bloom” the unflavored gelatin. To do this, mix together gelatin with one TBS water until the gelatin is fully dissolved. The mixture should become quite thick as you stir it.

5. As soon as the gelatin and water are mixed together and thickened, add it to the slightly cooled juice mixture.

6. As the gelatin sits it can firm up and become difficult to mix in! Don’t worry. It should still be able to dissolve into the juice mixture, but it will take longer to melt/dissolve fully—just keep stirring or whisking! Make sure the gelatin is fully dissolved before filling the molds, or else tiny bits of gelatin can clog up the eye dropper and make gritty gummies! 

7. Use an eye-dropper (they come with most small silicone molds, or you can order them separately) to carefully fill the silicone molds. Be sure to do this as soon as the gelatin is fully mixed into the juice mixture. If you let it sit and continue to cool, the mixture will start to set.

8. Carefully place the molds in the fridge for 30 minutes, then pop your worms out of the molds and enjoy!

Bagels

Posted July 7, 2024

More than a roll with a hole in the middle, a good bagel is shiny on the outside, chewy on the inside, and packed with flavor for such a mild bread! Bagels are delicious to eat as a breakfast, piled high with toppings, or as a grab and go snack. 

What takes them over the top is the wide variety of toppings and fillings available to customize your bagel—anything from a plain bagel (made extra special by coloring the dough inside to make a surprise rainbow!), to a sweet dried blueberry and cream cheese bagel, to a hatch green chile cheddar bagel with scallions! Really the only limit is your imagination. Since these are homemade, you can go as wild as you want with them! Maybe you really like garlic bread—try a toasty garlic bread bagel with garlic salt sprinkled on top! You could try a bagel with your favorite cookie chunks in it, if you have a sweet tooth. And salt bagels are my mom’s favorite, but you could really amp it to 11 by adding rosemary to your large chunk sea salt!

Bagels are for everyone, but a lot of people think big city New York when they think bagel! How did they get there? Well, bagels have been widely associated with Ashkenazi Jews since the 17th century. They were first mentioned in Jewish community ordinances in Kraków, Poland in 1610. A popular street food, bagels were stacked on poles or hung by strings—necessitating the iconic middle hole! Some records even suggest that though a common street food, the bagel is truly fit for a king—created in honor of Polish King Jan Sobieski. But weather meant for kings or commoners, the bagel quickly spread across Eastern Europe and eventually came to US shores with immigrants in the late 19th century. Jewish immigrants in the early 1900s often settled in Toronto and New York, and they brought their love of the bagel with them! Tight knit communities grew, and a unique style of boiled, broiled bagels developed. At that time in New York, there were so many bagel makers that local 338, The Bagel Maker’s Trade Union, was even fought for and established in 1915!

No matter what bagel you prefer for your base, or which toppings you put on it, it’s unarguable: nothing beats a bagel. If you’ve never tried making one from home, I’d really like to encourage you. Even if they don’t turn out as fluffy as you’d normally see in stores, the taste of a homemade boiled and broiled bagel is unbeatable!

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 and TSP instant yeast 
• 4 cups bread flour (spooned & leveled)
• *Note: you’ll want a bit extra for dusting your work surface and hands. If you don’t have bread flour, all purpose flour is ok!
• 1 TBS sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• For coating the bowl: 2 TSP olive oil
• For egg wash: 1 egg white beaten with 1 TBS water
• For Boiling: 2 quarts water with 1/4 cup honey (or sugar, or molasses)

Instructions

Whisk the warm water and yeast together and allow to sit for 5 minutes in a large bowl. 

Add the flour, sugar, and salt. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes if you have a stand mixer, or mix with a wooden spoon for five minutes. The dough is very stiff and will look somewhat dry, but that’s normal!.

Knead the dough: in the bowl, beat for an additional 6-7 full minutes with a stand mixer, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 6-7 minutes. If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you absolutely need because you do not want a dry dough!!

After kneading, the dough should still feel pillowy, so that if you poke it with your finger it slowly bounces back. Now dough is ready to rise! You can also do a “windowpane test” to double check if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through when you hold it up to a window or light source—like the bread itself is a windowpane! If it doesn’t stretch and instead snaps, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil and put the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil—it’ll rise fast and you don’t want any sticking! Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel but be aware the towel is likely to stick, even to oiled dough!

Let the dough to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

Shape the bagels!

When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. (Just eyeball it—doesn’t need to be perfect!) Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Press your index finger through the center of each ball to make a hole about 1.5 – 2 inches in diameter. Let rest for a second rise while you get the oven and water ready, or about 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450F.

For the water bath, fill a wide pot with 2 quarts of water. Whisk in the honey/sugar/molasses—this will help your bagel brown in the oven when it caramelizes! Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. 

Drop bagels in, 2 at a time, making sure they have enough room to float around. Cook the bagels for 1 minute on each side.

Using a pastry brush brush the egg wash on top and around the sides of each bagel. No worries if you don’t have a pastry brush, because you can  gently dip the top of the bagel into the egg wash. Now, place 4 bagels onto each baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through (top rack and bottom rack switching places, and rotating the pan 180 degrees around front/back). You want the bagels to be evenly golden brown! 

Remove from the oven and allow bagels to cool on the baking sheets for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

What to do with leftover bagels? I’ve never run into the problem myself, but I hear you can cover leftover bagels tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week in a bread box or on the counter. Alternatively, you can cut them and dry them as bagel bites/croutons!

Mango Highlight

Lassi and Sticky Rice 

It’s starting to get hot out, so cool treats are the perfect thing to beat the heat! Everyone loves ice cream and popsicles, but one of my personal favorite summer treats is a lassi. The word Lassi comes from the Punjabi word “lass,” or “to mix,” and Indian lassi are a cool mix of yogurt and milk. In India, the drink is enjoyed by people young and old casually, but also used in a ceremonial role—usually weddings, but also religious celebrations and festivals. It was what I had instead of cake for my first and second birthdays, too! 

While mango lassi are my favorite flavor and are are particularly refreshing and delicious, there are many different types of lassi, all with their own strengths. Lassi flavors vary by region—in the north part of India, sweet rose, saffron, and cardamom are common. In the south, savory salt lassi is most popular. But people all across India—and the world!—enjoy flavors as varied as cumin, mint, pistachio, and even grape, apparently. And just when talking about the mango, there are so many more flavors than you’d ever imagine! 

While the exact number of mango varieties is uncertain, there are at least 500 types, and maybe as many as 2,000. I believe that, because they’re easy to grow from seed and every tree is unique! In our area there are an only few that are available commercially, so what I usually use to make these dishes are reddish colored mangoes called Tommy Atkin’s because that’s what they have at the store most often. I’m sure you could make a delicious lassi with whatever you have around, from peaches to apricots to rose petals or strawberries! Same with the sticky rice—the toppings are limited only by your imagination!

No matter what spins you put on this week’s recipes, I really do hope you enjoy! Let me know what you have tried and how it goes!

Mango Lassi

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup chopped mango (about 1 1/2 mangos)
• 1 cup yogurt 
• 1/2 cup milk (coconut milk or whatever milk you prefer)
• 4 tablespoons sugar or honey 
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder 
• Ice cubes (optional)
• Mint for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Put the mango, yogurt, milk, sugar, and cardamom powder in a blender. If you’d like a slushier consistency rather than a creamy consistency, you can add a handful of ice cubes. Blend it all together. 

Pour into glasses. Garnish with mint if desired and serve. 

This is a delicious yet simple recipe. It’s best served with sticky rice, which is my favorite way to use up the mango you might have left over!

Mango Sticky Rice

The Sticky Rice:

• 1 cup dry glutinous rice (or white rice, not instant), soaked overnight
• 1 cup milk (coconut milk is best, but any full fat milk works!)
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar  
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Part Two—the Coconut Sauce:
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp corn starch (optional, to thicken)
• 2 tsp room temperature water (for cornstarch)

Ideas for Toppings :

• 2 large ripe mangoes
• Toasted coconut
• Roasted sesame seeds

Instructions:

Start this recipe the night before you want to cook! First, wash the rice 3-4 times to remove the starch or until the water is almost clear instead of milky white. Then leave it to soak overnight—at least 8-24 hours. 

Afterwards, drain the water from the rice. Place the rice on a bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper—if you don’t have a steamer, it’s ok! A metal sieve works perfectly fine too; find one that fits neatly inside a large pot. Put your sieve or steamer into the pot so that it rests on the rim and sits a few inches above the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot with water until it just touches the bottom of the rice. 

Steam for 20-25 minutes on medium heat. or until the rice is cooked, slightly translucent, and still very chewy.

**Note: If you only soaked your rice for a few hours, you will need to steam the rice much longer to cook the rice fully. 

While the water boils and rice steams, heat another a large pan to medium high and warm the milk. Add in the sugar and salt. Leave the milk to simmer over medium high heat until it boils. 

Once it boils, lower heat to medium and continue stirring until the sugar has all dissolved.

Add the steamed rice to the milk and cook down the rice until it has absorbed the milk and has thickened, around 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Coconut sauce

In the same pan you used for the milk the first time, still over medium high heat, add the coconut milk and sugar for the coconut sauce. 

Stir in the same direction and cook over medium heat until it boils. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium. 

Dilute the cornstarch with the water. While stirring the coconut milk, pour in the cornstarch slurry. 

Turn off heat and keep stirring until it thickens. Transfer to a small container until ready to use.

Assembling the sticky rice:

Peel the mangoes and slice the side, creating 4 mango halves. Then slice each mango half into 1⁄4-inch thick strips, or cube. 

Portion the rice into 4 bowls, then top with mango and sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds or coconut flakes—or both! Finish off by drizzling on some of the coconut sauce. 

These are best enjoyed fresh!

Storage tips:

You can refrigerate these overnight if you have leftovers—I never do because they’re so good! They should be consumed within a day or 2 days at most because coconut cream can easily go bad.

Grandpa’s Pizza 

I love making homemade pizza! It’s definitely one of my family’s favorite summertime meals. It’s delicious, can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it, and it takes just a moderate amount of prep to make something that is quite impressive! The wait time may be the hardest thing about this recipe, but it’s no worse than waiting on delivery—tipping the chef is optional!

While pizza may have been born in Naples, Italy, Americans have perfected the art of pizza. In fact, Americans eat 46 pounds of pizza per year—90% of it  with their hands rather than a knife and fork! So we know people can shovel it down, but how did pizza really come about?

Well, the most famous story of the origin of pizza is that it was made in June of 1889 to honor Queen Margarita, of Italy. So the story goes, a Neapolitan pizzaiolo, or professional pizza chef, was tasked with creating a pizza in honor of the visiting Queen, who had never tried pizza before. After being presented with multiple options, Queen Margarita indicated  she strongly preferred the pizza he created in the colors of unified Italy: red tomatoes, white mozzarella and green basil! Unfortunately, that’s probably just a modern myth: the pizza we now know as margarita was being made around Naples at least 100 years before the Queen’s visit. So we will probably never know who invented the margarita pie. 

However, I don’t think it matters very much, since it’s undeniably delicious. The great thing about these personal pizzas is you can change up the pizzas to reflect whatever you want, and you know what—you can name the pizza too. This one is from my grandpa’s pizza dough recipe, so it could be called Grandpa Pizza I guess!  

For the Pizza 

• Dough Ingredients:
  2-2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 packet instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoon)
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ⅛-¼ teaspoon garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil + additional
• ¾ cup warm water 

Topping ideas:

• Sauce (from a can, a jar, or freshly made!) 
• Cheeses (mozzarella, Parmesan, goat)
• Tomatoes (fresh or canned)
• Onion (Yellow or red, or green scallion)
• Peppers (Bell or hot)
• Plus whatever else you can think of—sausage or bacon, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, olives, pineapple (controversial, I know!), even slices of potato (with olive oil and rosemary)

Instructions:

• Combine 1 cup of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If you want, add the garlic powder and dried basil as well.
• Add olive oil and warm water stir well. 
• Gradually add another 1 cup of flour. Add any additional flour as needed, stirring until the dough is forming into a cohesive, elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl . The dough will still be slightly sticky but still should be manageable with your bare hands.
• Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl with olive oil and brush the oil around the bowl.
• Lightly dust your hands with flour or oil and form your pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to your olive oil-brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil too, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place.
• Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. 
• *If you intend to bake this dough into a pizza right away, I also recommend preheating your oven to 425F at this point so that it will have reached temperature once your pizza is ready to bake.

Once the dough has risen, use your hands to gently deflate it and transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth.

• Form your dough using either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into a circle (or a bunch of circles; you can turn this into three personal pizzas or one large pizza!) Transfer dough to a pizza pan and either pinch the edges up or fold them over and pinch to form a raised crust.
• Drizzle additional olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over the top of the pizza and use your pastry brush to brush the entire surface of the pizza (including the crust) with olive oil. Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
• Blind bake—in other words, bake in the oven for about 5 to 10 minutes until a light brown crust appears. Then take it out, add the desired toppings and put back in the oven for about five more minutes until the crust is golden brown and cheese is all melted.

Pumpkin Spice Puppy Treat

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour plus extra for dusting 
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin or pumpkin purée 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F and coat the baking sheet with baking spray or a silicone mat .

In a large bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin, broth, egg, and cinnamon and mix well, until you’re able to knead the dough into a ball.

Dust a clean, dry section of your countertop with a little flour. Place the dough on the counter and use a flour-dusted rolling pin to roll it out until it is ½ inch thick (use a ruler!).

Prick the dough all over with a fork. Cut it into bones (or other dog-friendly shapes) with the cookie cutter!

Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 25 minutes, or until they are dried out completely. (Larger biscuits may require an additional 5 to 10 minutes of baking.) Remove the biscuits from the oven with oven mitts and let the biscuits completely cool on the baking sheet. 

The biscuits will last for a month or so if kept in a zip-top bag on the counter.

PREP!

Preheat the oven to 325°F and coat the baking sheet with baking spray.

MIX!

In a large bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin, broth, egg, and cinnamon and mix well, until you’re able to knead the dough into a ball.

ROLL AND CUT!

Dust a clean, dry section of your countertop with a little flour. Place the dough on the counter and use a flour-dusted rolling pin to roll it out until it is ½ inch thick (use a ruler!).

Prick the dough all over with a fork. Cut it into bones (or other dog-friendly shapes) with the cookie cutter.

BAKE!

Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet and bake at 325°F for 25 minutes, or until they are dried out completely. (Larger biscuits may require an additional 5 to 10 minutes of baking.) Remove the biscuits from the oven with oven mitts and let the biscuits completely cool on the baking sheet.  

It summer, and it’s getting hot—everyone deserves a treat now and then, not just us humans! Our furry friends, our dogs and even cats, also deserve good treats! These pumpkin treats are not only good for your pet, high in antioxidants and fiber and low in sugar, but are also good enough to snack on yourself! 

I love dogs. People have loved dogs, it seems, for a very long time!  In fact, in  2018 in Siberia. a patch of Permafrost melted enough for people to find the body of a two month old puppy—though this puppy wasn’t any ordinary puppy. After its almost perfectly preserved remains were found it was found out to be around 18,000 years old and is evidence one of the very first domesticated doggos! The frozen animal was nicknamed “Dog-or.” Not only is it the name for friend in the local language, but also it mashup the words “dog” and “or”, reflecting the scientists uncertainty. When you say it, it could be a dog OR it could be something else (like a wild ancestor)! 

Despite its age, the puppy still had most of its fur teeth and cute little nose preserved. Scientists were unable to confirm what species it was from. They didn’t know if it was a dog a wolf something in between, because Dog-or comes from a time when wolves were becoming domesticated. Being able to place whether Dog-or genetically is more a wolf or dog would help us figure out the specific time that we started keeping dogs as companions. Dogs today belong to the sub species, “canis,” as the wolf. We can trace their origins back to an extinct species of wolf, as well. The ancestor they share with the modern gray wolf isn’t exactly known, but we can guess that wolves and dogs began to separate from each other about 40,000 to 20,000 years ago.

At the start of domestication, the dogs probably still looked very wolf-like, which also complicates things! But wolves and dogs are very special to people, because for thousands of years we’ve picked the best dogs for us! Dogs have been chosen to be friendlier, based on their hyper social ability and their ability to form tight packs. Being pack hunters and good scavengers that help care for their weak and sick members are both traits that became useful when human settlements were become more widespread, since human camps meant resources the canines definitely would’ve wanted! Ie food and snuggles!

Eventually, humans figured out that wolves once domesticated could be useful; they could be guards, and help with hunts. They would also help with domestication of other animals! Wherever is humans went, their canine companions followed in a domesticating process that may have happened many times over across many continents! But no matter how dog domestication happened—whether once or over and over!—your canis familiaris will still love these treats! 

We even took a batch to the dogs of Pugz Not Drugz—and the pugs definitely approve! I hope your hard-working canine companions like these treats as much as our family and our family pets did! 

This recipe was adapted from Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar Book.

Very Berry Birthday Crepe “Cake” (Crepes Revisited)

Crepes:

• 9 Tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 3–4 more Tablespoons for greasing the pan
• 3 cups all purpose flour 
• 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk times three at room temperature
• 3/4 cup water times three at room temperature
• 6 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Cream cheese filling

• 1 1/2 cups farmers cheese
• 1/2 cup cream cheese (4oz)
• 1/4 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Strawberry filling

• 1 cup Strawberries 
• 1/2 cup chopped rhubarb 
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice plus more if needed

Blueberry filling

• 1 1/2 cup Blueberries
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice plus more if needed

Instructions 

For the crepes: 

• Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter in the microwave or on the stove. Cool for about 5 minutes before using in the next step. The remaining butter is for the skillet.
• Combine the cooled melted butter, flour, sugar, salt, milk, water, eggs, and vanilla in,a large mixing bowl and whisk by hand. Mix until everything is combined. The mixture will be silky-smooth and the consistency of cream. 
• Cover the bowl tightly cover tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 30–60 minutes and up to 1 day. (After refrigerating, if the batter looks separated, give it a quick stir before cooking in the next step—it’s ok!) 
• Cook the crepes using the remaining butter for greasing between each crepe. Place a skillet over medium heat and generously grease it with the butter. Make sure you keep the crepes thin. 
• Once the skillet is hot, pour 3–4 Tablespoons (closer to 3 is best) of batter into the center of the pan. Tilt/twirl the pan so the batter stretches as far as it will go. The thinner the crepe, the better the texture. 
• Cook for 1–2 minutes, then flip as soon as the bottom is set. Don’t wait too long to flip crepes or else they will taste rubbery!! Cook the other side for 30 seconds until set. Transfer the cooked crepe to a large plate and repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to butter the pan between each crepe. 
• If you want, separate each crepe with parchment paper so they do not stick together. If you’re using enough butter in your pan, though, the crepes shouldn’t stick!

For cream cheese filling:

• Put the farmer’s cheese and cream cheese together in a bowl, and mix until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and mix until everything is combined.
• For strawberry rhubarb filling:
• Put the strawberries and rhubarb, covered with the sugar l, in a sauce pan and cook on low heat, giving a stir every once in a while
• When berries are slushy, pour into the blender and blend into smooth, the. return the pan and add lemon juice. Put back on low heat and stir just once in a while—the lemon juice will help it thicken cooked until desired thickness.
• Repeat process with the blueberry filling.

To fill the crepes:

After the crêpes are cooled, place a few spoonfuls of your cream cheese filling, then put your fruit filling on top. Repeat until all the layers are done, and then go around the outside of the crepe stack with cream cheese and delicious decorations (I used chocolate and matcha Pocky!) and enjoy!

It’s almost my birthday! That is why decided to test run a very special crepe birthday cake—really this is just an adaptation of my crepe recipe from April, but it’s still delicious! The fact that you can serve crepes multiple ways—including as a layer cake!—is to me what makes them so fun. While a savory recipe may be in the future, this week we had friends with kids in town visiting, so it seemed like a good time to take on a more time consuming method of crepe presentation that’s still super sweet. The “cooking crepes and stacking them” process takes some time, but if you have a friend and a good show to watch—I suggest the Pokémon North American championships, and anyone you can gossip with for forty minutes—it goes faster than you’d think! 

Did you know, there’s a superstitious belief that if you hold a ring in your left hand and flip a crêpe successfully with your right, you will have immense wealth for the next year. My friend and I tried, but so far no birthday windfall! Give it a try if you want—if nothing else, you’ll end up with a super yummy stack of crepes, feeling like a million bucks! 

Flan

June 2, 2024

It’s almost summer time, and this delicious dessert is perfect to eat topped with whipped cream and fruit, fresh or frozen. Flan is basically a type of custard, because it is made of eggs and milk. However, unlike most custards, you bake this one in the oven, though you still have to let it set afterwards. While the technique is unusual for a custard dessert, the idea of flan is pretty ancient, thought to be around 2000 years old. Back then it wasn’t uncommon for the recipes to contain fruit, wine and spices. And fish sauce—Yuck! 

The Roman Empire in fact made flan with olive oil, grape wine, and fish sauce. Since the Romans were the first empire to domesticate chickens, and raise them for eggs, they in turn were the first to perfect custards! Personally, I don’t think the Roman custard sounds all that good, but I do have to applaud them for raising their own chickens! However, their custard wad probably closer to quiche than a modern flan, but they are similar ideas. Both recipes are essentially egg whipped with milk, but filled with different fillings. The Roman custard were known as “flado,” which translates to flat-cake. From flado it became the French “flaeon,” or custard tart, and eventually the word was modified to flan. Similar evolutions took place with the recipe undergoing little shifts: at some point during the Roman Empire, people started to make their flado with honey instead of fish sauce and olive oil. When the Roman Empire fell, these little cakes moved out across Europe, where the French and Spanish shifted the recipe even sweeter, with caramel and spices, to become the flan we know today. 

I recommend this deliciously decadent custard with some whip cream and fruit (maybe sugared blueberries?)—though I guess if you want, you can have it with the fish sauce! 

Ingredients

•     • 3/4 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk 
•     • 1 cup Evaporated Milk
•     •  3/4 cup Heavy Cream
•     •  3 large Eggs
•     •  1 tsp Vanilla Extract
•     •  1/2 cup Sugar (for caramel)

Instructions

•     Preheat oven to 350F.
•     Take sugar in a pan, melt it gently on medium heat. Don’t stir. Keep cooking on medium heat till caramel color is reached. Once the sugar has reached caramel color, pour it into the pan and swirl the pan to coat the entire pan and the sides of the pan. 
•     Now take the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend till creamy. Pour this into the pan over the caramel.
•     Now place the first pan into a bigger pan filled with hot water half way up. Now pop this into a 350 degree oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 mins until firm but not cracked.
•     Remove the flan from oven, gently remove the mould from the tray and place it into the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight (which is better!). 
•     To gently remove, slice the sides using a knife. Invert the mould on to a serving plate. Slice and serve.

Posted May 26, 2024

Better than Cheez-Its

Ingredients

• 8-ounce block extra sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cubed unsalted butter, at room temperature (can substitute cold coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces by weight) all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons ice water

Coarse salt to top

Instructions 

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the cheddar, butter, and salt until soft and homogenous, like a cheesy play dough. 
2. Add the flour and mix on low speed, or even mix by hand; the dough will be dry and pebbly and pea sized.
3. Slowly add the cold water and continue to mix as the dough clumps into a single mass again, but don’t over mix!
4. Pat the dough into a rough rectangle, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
6. Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each into a very thin (1/8 inch or less) 10×12-inch rectangle. 
7. Using a fluted pastry cutter or a knife, cut the rectangles into 1-inch squares, then transfer to the baking sheets. If you want, you can use small cookie cutters to make your own unique shaped cheese snacks! I like to use letter cutters to make scrabble pieces out of my crackers! This is also the step where you can sprinkle the coarse sea salt for extra salty crackers. 
8. Use the tip of a chopstick to punch a hole into the center of each square, so that the air escapes and you end up with fluffy crispy evenly baked crackers. 
9. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the crackers are puffed and browning at the edges. Watch carefully, as the high fat content of the crackers makes it a fine line between golden brown and delicious and too brown and burnt! 
10. When they look ready, immediately move the crackers to cool. 

When going on road trips, do you want to make sure that you have good snacks and good books? I do. I went on a long drive with my family last week, and can attest: these homemade “better than Cheez-Its” are perfect to eat on a trip! Bring a stash along to munch on with a good book or to snack on while playing game. Or, if you add letters to them, you could play scrabble with the snack itself! That’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy them, but there’s so many good ways to enjoy these crackers—they really do taste like everyone’s favorite red box cheese cracker snacks! 

Do you know how the Cheez-Its originally started though? The very first cheez-it cracker was made in 1921 and was marketed as a “baked rarebit,” a reference to a dish of melted cheese over toast. It was originally patented by a company called Green&Green Co., which was run by Weston Green, his father John, and his brother Joseph. In 1930, Green&Green Co., was bought by Smiles Biscuit Co, later Sunshine biscuit company a.k.a. the sunshine label we all know and love. The red box and sunshine logo stayed on the Cheez-It box even after Keebler bought sunshine in 1996, though it is less prominent on modern packaging. 

One note about the crackers: the cheese in Cheez-Its crackers is real cheese! This fact has been touted since their humble rare-bit beginnings! Until the 1980s, the original cheddar was the only choice—but since the 1980s, more than 50 flavors have been introduced, from sour-cream-and-onion to jalapeño-cheddar-Jack to hickory-smoked-Provolone to  sizzlin’-bacon. When making these at home, I strongly recommend trying out new flavors by changing up the types of cheese and/or adding spices and herbs. Dried green chile is one of my favorites, but bacon bits is a close second! 

The companies that have sold Cheez-Its over the years have had a lot of interesting ideas for marketing, including in 2019 when Cheez-It SNAPS came out. Kellogg’s hid a years worth of those snaps crackers in a bunker in New York City, and slowly leaked the information about it on Twitter, one clue at a time. Whoever “discovered” the bunker would receive the rights to a year supply of crackers—and a pretty cool hide out. The winner did in fact get one year supply of Cheez-Its, as well as a streaming subscription and a brand new big screen tv to watch on while munching on crackers. Maybe someday I can make my own secret Cheez-It lair—a kid can dream—but till then, it’s fun to make these!

May 18, 2024 -Greek salad 

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice 
• Two tablespoons red wine vinegar 
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
• One clove of garlic finally minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

To taste:

• Salt
• Pepper

Salad

• 4 medium sized tomatoes, diced
• One medium sized cucumber, sliced
• One small red onion, diced
• One green bell pepper, sliced
• Half cup, Kalamata, olives, pitted and chopped 
• 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 

Instructions 

1. In a glass jar with a lid, mix the dressing ingredients well. Set aside.
2. For the salad, mix the cut  up tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and bell pepper mix together, and crumble the feta cheese on top. Add the olives. 
3. Top with mixed dressing, toss well.

This is a quick, traditional Greek salad recipe for “high summer,” when the fruits of the field start to ripen. It might seem familiar to you, if you’ve ever had what the Greek’s call an “American Greek Salad!” Basically, that’s this same set of ingredients, served atop lettuce! Basic Horiatiki, or “village snack,” can be served up in a lot of different ways—from bulgar wheat being added on the island of Crete, to the lettuce Greek-Americans added in the 1960s in Chicago! For late spring/early summer in Raton, I do think kale, Swiss chard, and lettuces or other greens are all good options and are other good variations of this simple recipe! 

The salad has great textures and simple, bold flavors, and is a fast recipe you can whip up for dinner, lunch—or even breakfast (I guess!) Pair it with chicken soup for a deliciously light soup and salad combo! 

May 12, 2024-Chicken and Dumpling Soup

• 1 chicken, without offal
• 1 onion peeled and  chopped
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 3 sticks celery, diced OR 1/2 cup dried celery
• 3 medium carrots roughly chopped
• 2 medium potatoes chopped into bite-size chunks
• 1 small squash, chopped OR 1/2 cup dried squash slices
• 1 can beans of your choice, or 2 cup soaked beans of your choice
• 1 bay leaf

To taste:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Oregano
• Marjoram
• Thyme
• Water to cover

Egg drop noodles:

• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon  salt 
• 1 teaspoon paprika or red Chile
• 3/4 cup flour 
• As much water as needed 

Instructions 

1. Add your whole chicken, minus its guts unless you like them, to a crock pot and add your herbs and salt to taste. Cover with water. Cook low and slow until the meat is falling off the bones. This may take up to 8 hours, but can be done ahead of time! 
2. Remove the chicken from the bones; discard the bones. (Save the wishbone for a wish!)
3. Add the chicken, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, squash, beans and bay leaf, salt, pepper plus the reserved chicken stock to a stove pot.
4. Give it all a good mix then place the lid on and cook for approximately an hour on high, until all the veggies are tender. 
5. For dumplings, in a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients: flour, salt, chili power/paprika.
6. Add egg and water until the mixture is waffle batter consistency.
7. Drop this mixture into the boiling soup pot one spoonful at a time.
8. Cook another 5-10 minutes until the dumplings are puffy and firm.
9. Serve in a bowl with a slice of nice warm sourdough and a salad!  

Chicken noodle soup is one of my favorite food to eat in winter, but you don’t have to wait till it’s snowing outside to have this recipe! My mom hasn’t been feeling well and chicken noodle soup is definitely a good way to tell her happy Mother’s Day, too! And is there a better way to eat the soup than a salad to go with it? As a bonus, there’s a recipe for Greek Salad also! 

As for the chicken! People have been eating chicken according to the historical record for at least 6000 to 7000 years—which is a long time to come up with recipes! One of the most popular cookbooks of the 18th century, Hannah Glass’s, “The art of cookery made plain and easy,” had many chicken recipes. She began writing it to make some cash, since she and her husband were poor, but it was a complicated endeavor because there were no standard measures yet. She went out of the way to write her book for common people, with common words so everyone could understand it. That might’ve been why it was so popular! While her book isn’t nearly as popular today, another big name classic in the world of chicken, Campbell’s—Joseph Campbell and his famous soup!—certainly is, even after 150 years. 

Joseph Campbell went into business with Abraham Anderson, forming Anderson and Campbell. They started out with tinned vegetables and mincemeat. I’m not an expert, but I think that’s pretty far away from soup! Campbell brought up Anderson’s portion of the company in 1876, and his new partner Arthur Dorrance was a business man who saw the value of products with long shelf life. Soon they were more known for their canned beef steak and tomato ketchup. Another shift came in 1889, when they changed their name again to the Joseph Campbell Preservative Company—a really long name. Soon after, Campbell stepped down as president. Now Dorrance took over, and finally in 1895 they released their first can of soup! 

Campbell’s started getting closer to the company we all know today, with a very popular beef steak tomato soup. It was so popular with restaurants in fact that they had to send enormous 36 ounce cans of soup—more than two pounds at a time! It was heavy and expensive to ship. John Dorrance solved this problem and changed the future of soup. He had his chemistry department working to condense tomato soup, just like condensed milk. And in 1898 he succeeded. Figuring out how to remove the water from the company’s tomato soup, he created the first marketable condensed soup. The company soon capitalized on the idea, since it took less aluminum to make smaller cans that people then added their own water to. The first lineup of condensed soups included steak tomato soup, vegetable soup, chicken and oxtail soups. The soups were an instant success! The design of the soup cans was changed to the iconic red and white. 

In 1930, Campbell’s released the first radio ads, including their now famous “Mmmm, mmm good!” Jingle. In 1934, their advertising department recorded an ad for their “noodles with chicken soup”. Noodles with Chicken soup?? Does that sound familiar? Well, the voice actor for the ad accidentally scrambled his lines and said “Chicken Noodle Soup,” and orders began to pour in from across the country for Campbell’s chicken noodle soup! They ultimately just altered the name of their product, since that’s what everyone wanted!

By the Second World War, Campbell’s was a household institution with over 1 million cookbooks in print. But their fame was still growing! In 1962, pop artist Andy Warhol premiered his “32 Campbell’s soup cans” paintings in Los Angeles as a tribute to his mother. His family, Czech immigrants who mined coal in Pennsylvania, only had Campbell’s soup as a luxury during the Great Depression when Warhol was a child, and the decadence of the sixties—with soup on every shelf!—influenced his art greatly. The premiere itself was not very big, and only six of the paintings were bought at that time—one of them by Dennis Hopper! But still, it shook the foundations of the art world, bringing about arguments about what constituted art, and whether the soup can counted! The humble soup can was forever etched into pop history from that moment forward. 

By the turn of the 20th century, people began to watch how much salt they were eating, and more and more turned away from Campbell’s high sodium soups entirely. Campbell’s signed onto the sodium reduction policy, cutting the amount of salt from their projects by as much as 45%. However, after funding some scientific studies looking at the relation between sodium and hypertension, the company reversed again and put all the salt back in the soup! They were on unsteady ground still, and by 2019 Campbell’s had huge amounts of debt and was on the brink of collapse. All that changed in 2020 however, when people began to stock up on the iconic cans as a quick and easy staple—but salt discussion aside, I really do like this soup better than the canned! It makes over a gallon of soup at a time, which is plenty to freeze for later or share with a neighbor. You can customize it with whatever veggies you have on hand. Plus it is extra hearty because of the homemade dumplings, which my nana learned how to make from her nana!

So this Mother’s Day, from my nana’s nana to her to me, and from me to you, I hope you enjoy some hearty chicken and dumpling noodle soup! 

April 28, 2024 – Chinese Fried Rice

• 2 cups cooked rice, cooled/refrigerated
•   1 egg, beaten
•   2 oz fresh shrimp, peeled
•   1/2 onion, diced
•   1/2 cup  sausage
•   1/4 cup frozen peas
•   salt to taste
•   sugar to taste 
•   shaoxing wine or white wine vinegar
•   oyster sauce
•   1 green onion
•   pinch pepper

Step one: In a pan, cook the meat and onions, and any other veggies, except peas. 

Set aside in a bowl. 

Step two: In the same pan, pour olive oil in and turn to medium heat, add rice and cook for about minute while stirring, crack the egg in, and add the cooked veggies, meat and peas. 

Step three: When all that is cooked through nice together, turn off heat and add your seasonings.

Enjoy this best really hot (in temperature) I think.

There is an online cooking program known as Cultured Kids Cusine, a nonprofit who’s mission is to teach kids about cultures all over the world by exploring their food. I love their free classes! One of my favorite recipes that I have learned from them is fried rice. 

Not only is it absolutely delicious, it’s simple too. And fried rice is perfect anytime of year, but it’s best with fresh veggies, like green onions, scallions, peas etc. The veggies may be best fresh, but I have a trick question for you!

What type of rice do you think is best for fried rice?

• A. Freshly made rice 
• B. Rice that’s been sitting in the fridge overnight 
• C. Raw rice

Believe it or not, leftover rice is the best rice for the job! Leftover rice that has sat overnight has dried out some and has less moisture. That means it soaks up the seasonings without getting soggy! Fresh rice just doesn’t work the same; it works, but it’s not as good. And raw rice? That was just a joke–I really wouldn’t suggest it. 

Fried rice is a good food for beginner cooks because one, it’s easy and two. It’s very flexible. You can add basically any veggie and meats you want into it. Feel free to mix up the vegetables and proteins–spring garlic instead of green onion, tofu instead of sausage or shrimp, or throw in some bell pepper or carrots!

No matter how good you are–or are not!–at cooking, you can probably make fried rice. It’s simple and delicious. 

Posted April 23, 2024 – Pecan Shortbread

I love rainy afternoons; that’s the perfect time to read a good book and cuddle under a blanket. On a not-quite-warm-yet spring afternoon, a sweet treat hits just right. The toasty New Mexican pecans make this shortbread a solid choice for hot chocolate dunking, but it also goes well with a warm mug of tea!

Did you know, pecans are one of the few native grown nuts we can buy commercially today in the United States, and the only native nut we can grow here in New Mexico? While Georgia is the top producer of pecans in the US–which is kind of funny since pecans aren’t native to Georgia–New Mexico is a very respectable second place when it comes to pecan producing states. Most pecans in New Mexico are grown in the southeast part of the state, and every single pecan produced has the potential to grow into a tree over 100 feet tall that can live for centuries! That’s because each one is also a seed. As a seed, every nut also has different genetics, so there are tons of different varieties of pecans. Some have thicker shells, and some have thinner shells. Some need less water or grow faster in the heat. They all taste different too! 

So, when you try to make this shortbread, maybe try a few different varieties of pecans out–you never know which one you will like best! Shortbread is a great basic biscuit; since it doesn’t have many strong flavors, its buttery texture is the star taste! This makes it great for adding toppings, like pecans or a drizzle of chocolate. They’re easy–the hardest part is waiting for the log to cool so you can get on to the baking part! You can also substitute coconut oil for the butter, in a one-to-one ratio, to make this recipe a vegan hit! 

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

• 3/4 cup pecans coarsely chopped, toasted
• 10 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 2 tablespoons water or enough to make dough combine
• Toast chopped pecans on a baking sheet until browned.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt at medium until fluffy.

Whisk spices and flour together in a bowl. 

Add flour mixture in and beat on low until almost combined then scrape the bowl down and mix in the toasted pecans. If the dough is crumbling, add water, starting with a tablespoon at a time. Usually two is about correct, but it may be more or less depending on a lot of factors! 

• Roll dough into a log then wrap in parchment paper.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Add parchment paper to baking sheets.
• Preheat to 350F. Cut log into ½ inch thick rounds.
• Transfer to baking sheet. Space with 1 inch between.
• Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate baking sheets in the oven. Bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
• Move to a wire sheet to cool.

Posted April 14, 2024 – Spring Asparagus Pasta

Spring can be a difficult season-but after the long cold, the first spring plants are very welcome! Even when there’s still snow in the ground, the first “spring” garlics and onions planted in the fall are coming up long, thin, and tender, but delicious! Asparagus is another vegetable that comes early and spring and pairs well with lemon. Adding some local meat in the form of sausage really takes this spring recipe over the top!  

Asparagus is old—really old! 5000-year-old asparagus was found in Egyptian tombs, and ancient poems tell us that the Greeks prized it as well, searching for it and harvesting it in swampy marsh areas. And it was so popular with the Romans that someone used the term faster than asparagus is cooked! That meant it was something happening really fast—because you have to watch out. Asparagus, being so new and tender, cooks almost instantly. This recipe isn’t quite THAT fast, but it is a good busy weekday choice, because cooking the pasta is really the longest step. 

One small note: asparagus—the fruit where the seeds come from—is actually poisonous to humans! So if you are growing asparagus, make sure kids and dogs stay away from the bright, cheery looking berries it puts on when summer starts! But other than that one small downside, asparagus has been loved in Raton for a long time. Old coal camp histories mention the asparagus growing in Sugarite—since it’s such a long lasting perennial and comes back year after year without really anything special, it’s a great low maintenance vegetable even today!The older, non commercial varieties of asparagus can be really pretty—they come in different colors like green, purple and white (though, the white ones are otherwise colorful asparagus that has been covered from the sun, so it hasn’t formed any coloring compounds!) White asparagus is also sweeter and thicker than green—if you’re feeling fancy, the white and green varieties would make for a beautiful dish! 

After a hard day, nothing is better than being able to go to the asparagus patch and make yourself some delicious pasta. Maybe enjoy it with a friend! 

One Pan Spring Pasta

Posted April 7, 2024 – Strawberry Rhubarb Crepes

Rhubarb is one of the first fruits—really, a sweet vegetable—to come up in spring. It has been popular in our region for over one hundred years, brought by miners who liked its tart flavor and early appearance after a long winter. I’m not sure how the folks in the mining camp liked their rhubarb, but I think there is no better way to eat it than in crepes with cream cheese and strawberries!

Crepes sounds like a fancy treat but it really is not that fancy. They are made from very simple ingredients you probably have lying around your kitchen, and while a special crepe pan helps, you can make them easily in a regular frying pan. What actually makes this recipe special, in my opinion, is the filling! 

We are lucky to be able to grow our own rhubarb here in Raton, but did you know, the Rhubarb Triangle, an area of Britain outside of South Yorkshire grows enough rhubarb to satisfy all of Britain, and used to grow enough rhubarb for the world! At their peak, they supplied 90% of the world’s commercial rhubarb, and every single stalk is picked by hand in candlelight! The rhubarb is grown for two years outdoors to create a strong root, and then moved into a dark shed to “force” the rhubarb up without any exposure to strong light. The plant turns the stored root energy into glucose, or sugar, making for an extra sweet-tart treat! But even regularly grown rhubarb doesn’t need any preparation to eat it, you can just eat it straight out of the ground. Just don’t eat the leaves! The leaves contain a lot of oxalic acid and can make you sick—only eat the crispy crimson red stems.

The other star component in the filling is strawberries, another early garden contender. Strawberries have been held in high regards since the 18th century but that wasn’t always the case. In pre-modern Europe, there were three different strawberries, but all were smaller and rounder than our modern berries. They were also significantly tougher and less less sweet than modern hybrids. In fact, strawberries  remained mostly wild fruits until Virginia strawberries were brought back from North America and crossed with varieties from South America to create the garden strawberry. There are now many kinds available, and they can be preserved in many ways, including frozen, if you don’t have any fresh ones for the year yet! 

Put together, these two spring favorites make for a delicious filling for your basic crepes! Try making some for someone you love, and impress them with this “fancy” dish! 

Ingredients 

Instructions 

For the crêpes 

Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter in the microwave or on the stove. Cool for about 5 minutes before using in the next step. The remaining butter is for the skillet.

Combine the cooled melted butter, flour, sugar, salt, milk, water, eggs, and vanilla in,a large mixing bowl and whisk by hand. Mix until everything is combined. The mixture will be silky-smooth and the consistency of cream. 

Cover the bowl tightly cover tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 30–60 minutes and up to 1 day. (After refrigerating, if the batter looks separated, give it a quick stir before cooking)

Cook the crepes using the remaining butter for greasing the pan between each crepe and put a skillet over medium heat and generously grease it with some of the reserved butter. 

Once the skillet is hot, pour approximately 3TBS of batter into the center of the pan. Tilt/twirl the pan so the batter stretches as far as it will go. The thinner the crepe, the better the texture, but if there’s big lumps, that’s actually ok too! 

Cook for 1–2 minutes, then flip as soon as the bottom is set. Don’t wait too long to flip crepes or else they will taste rubbery! Cook the other side for 30 seconds until set. 

Transfer the cooked crepe to a large plate and repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to butter the pan between each crepe.

To fill the crepes:

After the crêpes are cooled, place a few spoonfuls of your cream cheese filling in the center of the crepe. Spread it around so there’s an even layer and then add the fruit filling.

Fold opposite sides slightly in, then turn crepe like you are going to roll a burrito. Roll it up!

Crepes are delicious with toppings, too, such as a drizzle of melted chocolate and powdered sugar, or any combination of fruits and nuts! 

March 31, 2024 – Homemade Marshmallow Peep

Happy Easter!

Today’s recipe is a classic Easter treat, along with chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans—Peeps™️! Or at least, a homemade version of the smooshy, yellow little marshmallow treats. The Peep may be well known, but less well known is how marshmallows began their culinary journey into an Easter staple.

Marshmallows were originally made  from the root of the marshmallow plant, which like its name implies can be found growing in marshes. In fact, the ancient Egyptians who lived and farmed along the Nile were likely the first to squeeze sap from the mallow plant and mix it with nuts and honey, but no one really knows what the candy would have looked like in those times. The French were the first to introduce the modern fluffed marshmallow candy in the early 1800s. Owners of small confectioneries whipped sap from the mallow root and poured the sweet concoction into a candy mold. The mass produced marshmallow as we know today in the USA did not exist until years later, when a patented machine was made to extrude the marshmallow syrup. One thing hasn’t changed throughout 2000 years of marshmallow making is that you don’t want to burn your syrup—so patience is key! 

That said, you can make marshmallows in a variety of ways. Some recipes call for egg whites to get the marshmallow to set up faster. Others call for them to be made without egg whites but with gelatin instead: those set slower, but are really good! This week’s recipe calls for gelatin, which is made from animal collagen, but if you want a vegan alternative, agar-agar is made from seaweed and sets just as well! It’s also likely a traditional ingredient from the ocean marshes, same as the mallow. 

In fact, that seaside association long stuck with the marshmallow. Over 120 years ago, newspapers raved about “the latest thing in the way of summer resort diversions! The simplicity of this diversion is particularly charming, and the idea is sure to grow in favor.” It was referring to the the new-fangled idea of marshmallow roasting! They were talking about the young people at beach resorts, roasting marshmallows over the bonfire—not people camping out in the mountains! That may be what we think of as the way to eat them today—roasted over a campfire—but it wasn’t always that way, clearly!

However you like your marshmallows—shaped like a bird, whipped into fluff, roasted on a fire or maybe, mixed with nuts and honey Egyptian-style—enjoy a few this easter! 

Marshmallow recipe

INGREDIENTS:

• Butter for greasing
• 3 envelopes of un-flavored gelatin (7 teaspoons)
• 1⁄2 cup of cold water
• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of light corn syrup
• 2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1⁄8 tsp of salt
• 2⁄3 cup of confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting the pan

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish well with butter or if you’re going to pipe peeps, grab a cookie sheet and put a silicone mat or parchment paper down. 

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large heat-proof bowl), mix the cold water and gelatin. Set aside while continuing the rest of the steps.

3. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar, corn syrup, and 1⁄2 cup of water. Stir gently to combine. Put the pan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Keep cooking the mixture until it registers 235-240 ̊F on a candy thermometer or cooking thermometer.

4. When the sugar syrup reaches the right stage, remove it from the heat and let it cook slightly.

5. Turn the standmixer with the gelatin and water mixer on medium speed and slowly pour in the sugar syrup. Alternatively, you can use an electric hand-held mixer and have someone help you pour the syrup mixture in.

6. Once all the syrup has been added, mix on medium-high speed for 10-12 minutes, or until the mixture is white and it makes stiff peaks. Add the vanilla extract,and salt. Mix for 1 more minute to fully combine.

8. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the greased pan, and using a greased spatula or spoon, spread the marshmallow out evenly. Dust with powdered sugar and let set. Cut into marshmallow cubes when cooled (6 hours). 

• For bird shaped marshmallows, put marshmallow paste into a piping bag. Pipe a body, and then a head, pulling the piping bag away from the face, sideways, to make a “beak”. There are good videos to follow online. You can roll even them in colored sugar to make them extra fancy! 

March 24, 2024 – Hot Cross Buns

It’s officially spring—on the calendar!—and also Easter Season. This week’s Hot Cross Bun recipe, then, is perfect because it actually used to be illegal to sell hot cross buns on any day except Christmas and Good Friday. An exception was made for funerals, too. 

Nowadays, there are many different types of hot cross buns—and you can get them or make them any day of the year. Fun variations on the standard bun can include hot cross chocolate chip buns, gluten-free buns, buns with icing in place of the traditional sugar dough, and even savory hot cross buns with bacon crosses! Today’s take uses New Mexican elderberries in place of the usual raisins or currants, but other than that consider it a jumping off point to try your own unique variations. 

Historically, hot cross buns were hung from the kitchen rafters for a whole year, and replaced each Good Friday. The belief was that they would ward off evil spirits because of the cross on top, and sometimes were taken as a folk medicine as well. They were popular with the common people of the United Kingdom long before the hot cross bun song came along. But the song didn’t actually start as a rhyme 300 years ago. It was one of the earliest examples of a marketing jingle! It was used as a street cry to market buns, and the street sellers probably said something more along the lines of, “Hot cross buns, hot cross buns, one a-penny, two a-penny!” to advertise their pricing: one large bun or two small buns for a penny! 

A cute but lesser known Irish rhyme says this about the buns: “Half for you and half for me, between us two, good luck shall be!” So share one of these with a friend, and ensure an extra lucky friendship in the coming year! Also, come back next week for an extra special Easter recipe—

Peep peep!

*Form into a ball and place on a lightly oiled bowl (olive oil is fine), making sure to coat the dough with some of the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm and draft-free environment for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

* Punch down the dough and transfer to a floured clean surface. Knead a few times, and cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into balls, pinching at the bottom, and place on a lightly greased sheet pan or baking pan. Cover and let rise about 30 minutes in a warm and draft-free environment, until doubled in size.

* Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Flour paste for the cross: combine the 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, sugar, and water. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you get a thick but pipeable paste.  Fill a piping bag with the paste and pipe over the buns to form a cross on each bun.

* Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and puffed. Remove buns from oven. Cool for 10 minutes.

* Meanwhile make the sugar glaze: in a small saucepan combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes, until thickened. 

* Brush hot cross buns with the sugar glaze when cool.

March 17, 2024 – Corned Beef and Cabbage

It’s St. Patrick’s Day, the day of leprechauns and silly green hats, pots of gold at the end of the rainbow, and best of all: corned beef and cabbage. Corned beef and cabbage the way we enjoy it today is associated with Ireland, but hasn’t been particularly popular there until recently! 

Salted beef, however, was popular across Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages, especially in the British Isles. It wasn’t common further north in Ireland and Scotland though. There, cows were a symbol of wealth and a sacred animal. Because of their sacred association, they were only killed for their meat if the cows were too old to work or produce milk. So, beef was not even a part of the diet for the majority of the population. When they had beef, they usually salted it too so they would last longer. In fact, the corned part of corn beef and cabbage is referring to the size of the salt on the meat: “corns” refer to grains like rye or wheat in Britain, and not maize corn. Still, that’s pretty big salt! 

But corned beef wasn’t produced at a large scale until the British Industrial Revolution and the Cattle Acts. The Cattle Acts stopped the export of live cattle to England, the biggest market for beef in English-controlled Ireland. That flooded the Irish market with more cattle than anticipated and lowered the cost of meat available for salted beef production. In turn, the Irish corned beef became a huge export to Britain, where it fed the British Navy and the British colonies—but not the Irish.

Most Irish first met corned beef in America, after 1845. When Phytophthora infestans, the potato blight, hit Ireland, it wiped out much of the potato fields, all planted with the iconic Irish Lumper potato. The susceptible plants—almost all of them, since they were only one variety!—turned to mush, and the Irish turned to America. Landing on the east coast, many of these new immigrants settled near other new immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe. The corned beef the Eastern European Jewish immigrants made was from brisket, a kosher cut of meat that is a much tougher cut. Brining it transforms the meat into the extremely tender, flavorful corned beef we know of today.

Most recipes call for late winter cabbage to be added in addition to root vegetables. Onion, carrot, and of course, the staple potato are all recommended. My family likes to add potatoes and carrots to corned beef and cabbage. We all think it needs the potatoes and carrots—both are deliciously sweet and earthy when added to the salty meat. I suggest you try potato varieties other than the Lumper, though!

I hope you enjoy this recipe—it makes the perfect leprechaun bait, and if it does happen to lead you to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, then your St. Paddy’s Day is doubly lucky! But even without all that, you’ll feel like a million bucks when you have this simple classic. 

Corned Beef with Veggies

March 10, 2024 – Mashed Potato Leftover Waffles 

With daylight saving time here, it’s time for spring cleaning, so here’s a delicious recipe to tackle some of those leftovers in your fridge!

In fact, this week’s recipe is even an adaptation from a “leftover” library book—picked up at the AJM library books sale! Christina Tosi’s “Milk Bar: Kids Only” is a great book (you can also check out a copy from the library). Her leftover waffles can be made with just about any type of leftover—Spanish rice, extra cookie dough, mac and cheese, cut up hotdogs and waffle batter!—but my favorite is mashed potatoes. You heard that right—mashed potato waffles (with cheese). 

In England and Ireland, these have been a junk-food-adjacent staple since 1981! The pioneering frozen foods company Bird’s Eye took a chance on a junior advertising agent’s suggestion and the potato waffle in a box was born. Quickly beloved, the boxed waffles are sold frozen, and may be baked, grilled, or fried. However they’re cooked, they stay nice and light and airy. They can be just a snack, or a side dish, or eaten as a breakfast with sausages or bacon. 

But best thing about potato waffles, especially the ones you make yourself, is there’s no rules for eating them. You can stuff them with cheddar or cream cheese, put in bacon bits, or a handful of green onion. And then there’s the toppings! You can use a huge range of toppings. If it goes with potatoes or waffles, it’ll work with this. I like to use sour cream on mine personally, but you could use anything from maple syrup to mushroom gravy. 

Speaking of mushrooms: yuck. I’m not a fan. Their texture, the flavor, all of it. However, my family really likes mushrooms, and gets very excited for mushrooming season. In the spring, when it’s warm and wet, you can forage for mushrooms outside in northern New Mexico and Colorado. You can also try all kinds of interesting mushrooms from the store. If you don’t have fresh mushrooms or aren’t a fan of their texture though, you can use dried mushroom powder, like I did for the bonus gravy recipe!

However you eat your potato waffles, I hope you enjoy them! 

• Mashed potato leftover waffles 
• 2 1/2 cups mashed potatoes 
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese (or whatever cheese you would prefer) cut into small squares
• 1/4 cup flour + more on reserve if needed 

In a medium sized bowl, pour the mashed potatoes, cheese and flour. Start with the recommended amount of flour, keeping in mind you can always add more if it’s too watery. Once you have that mixed, it should feel kind of like Play-Doh.

1. Preheat the waffle maker or stovetop waffle iron. When your waffle maker is preheated take some of the mashed potato dough and form it into a waffle sized pancake shape. Most waffle makers will fit 4 of them at a time.
2. Cooked until the green light appears (on most new waffle makers) or until it is crispy and golden. 
3. Let them cool on the wire rack a bit and then enjoy.

This recipe makes about 8 standard waffles. 

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms or mushroom powder; cook, stirring, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. 
3. Slowly whisk in vegetable stock, a little at a time, until a smooth sauce forms. 
4. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until thickened and season with soy sauce, salt and peppers.

March 3, 2024 – Basic Egg Bread

Egg bread is one of my family’s favorite recipes! All it is really is an enriched bread—or a bread that’s higher in fat because of its egg, milk or butter content. In this case, the bread is filled with lots and lots of eggs. Enriched breads take longer to rise, but are a lot softer and more tender. Since they are so soft, braiding them helps them keep their shape. The recipe I’m using today makes two medium sized braided loaves, but usually, I make a double batch. Not only does it make four good sized loaves—enough to share with family and friends—but it also uses 18 eggs that way! Since we have chickens, that’s OK; we have excess eggs!

This is a basic recipe that is popular all over the northern hemisphere: used for brioche French toast in Korea and Japan, known for rolls on the islands of Hawaii (and on Thanksgiving dinner tables across the mainland USA!), braided up as challah for a Kosher treat or eaten as pasca in springtime in eastern Europe. It’s even found down in the boot of Italy, where they make a variation of this bread called Easter bread, or Pane de Pasqua. Their take on Easter bread is a soft, flaky brioche, like this egg bread, decorated with colored eggs and topped with colored sugar or sprinkles. The eggs can be dyed raw and set into the bread, where they’ll bake as the bread cooks (though, it’s best to poke a small hole in the eggs to keep them from exploding!) 

It’s kind of the perfect centerpiece for an Easter gathering, because then you can use the leftover Easter bread with eggs to make yourself an egg salad sandwich! Just slice yourself a few slices of bread and crack open the eggs from the bread to make a quick Easter Day dinner. But egg sandwiches aren’t all it’s good for; this bread is good for a lot of things. It’s great for French toast, if you want to use up the rest of your extra egg white from the recipe. If you want to get REALLY fancy, you can try stuffed French toast (ie a French toast sandwich stuffed with jam and cream cheese!) It is also good for grilled cheese sandwiches and will make an extra toasty golden brown lunch. You could also tear it up to make bread pudding, and add spices or dried fruit, or even citrus peels. any extra dough you have rolled up with cinnamon sugar makes good little cinnamon roll bites. Like I said, there are lots of options. Maybe you’ll even be called to make Easter bread sometime soon—whatever you do with this recipe,  I’d love to see! 

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes.

4.    Transfer dough to a well-oiled bowl and turn until entire surface is coated with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down the dough and divide into thirds. Roll each piece into a 12-inch long rope. Braid the three strands together and seal the ends. Transfer the bread to a cookie sheet. 

5. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt; brush on top and sides of bread. Set eggwash aside. Let bread rise until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes. 

6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush bread again with eggwash. 

7. Bake in the preheated oven until golden, about 15-35 minutes (depending on the shape of bread; less for buns, longer for loaves).

8.    Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy.

*A note, this recipe makes two medium sized loaves, or about 18 rolls. 

February 25, 2024 – Nana’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

A warm cookie and a cold glass of milk is a great way to end the day, but baking those cookies yourself makes them even better! Homemade cookies rarely last long enough to get stale, unlike cookies that have been sitting on a store shelf for weeks. In fact, these cookies are so good, my nana calls to ask me for the recipe! If it’s nana approved, it has to be good! I think it’s mostly because the chocolate chips in these cookies stay melty for an unbelievably long time in a way that store-bought cookies can only envy. 

Before the first chocolate chip cookies could ever hit the shelves, however, someone had to come up with the idea for chipped chocolate! The very first chocolate chip cookie recipe was invented by an inn owner named Ruth Wakefield, who ran the Tollhouse Inn. In 1937 she printed the recipe in the “Ruth Wakefield’s Tollhouse Tried and True Recipes Cookbook” where the cookies were billed as “Chocolate crunch cookies”—because chocolate didn’t come in chip form yet! Ruth Wakefield chopped up semi-sweet Nestlé candy bars to make her cookies. The cookies were a huge success, and Nestlé’s chocolate sales in New England, where the Tollhouse Inn was located, had bumped up by 500% by 1939. That’s a lot of chocolate!

That same year, Nestlé came knocking on Ruth’s door to get her official endorsement, and she soon reached an agreement with Nestlé to add her recipe to the chocolate bar’s packaging in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate—and a dollar. (She never got the dollar, but still a pretty good deal, I think!) She gave the company the right to use her recipe as well as the Tollhouse name. 

But these chocolates were still in bar form, only they now came with a chopping tool and pre-indented score lines. It wasn’t until 1941 that Nestlé and at least one of its competitors started selling the chocolate in “chip” form, which they called morsels. WWII saw Nestlé and these new chocolate morsels campaigning to bring Tollhouse cookies to our boys fighting overseas—”Dear Mom!” one postcard recipe read, “The Boys will make you an honorary General if you’ll just send us more Tollhouse cookies!” 

I can’t promise this recipe will help you become a general, but these chocolate chip cookies are perfect for any occasion. You could give them as a gift…or you could just bake them for yourself!

Instructions continued

• Pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft, thick, and appear greasy and shiny. 
• Fold in the chocolate chips. The chocolate chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them!
• Cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for AT LEAST 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (I prefer reusable mats!). Set aside.
• Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the dough and roll into a ball. Repeat with remaining dough. Place 8–9 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet. These cookies will spread and stay chewy so space generously!
• Bake the cookies for 12–13 minutes or until the edges are very lightly brown. The centers will look very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool, so pull them earlier rather than later!
• Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of cooling on the baking sheets, transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely. Or grab a glass of milk and eat!

February 18, 2024 – Sourdough

Spring isn’t quite here yet, but thankfully for our tastebuds, warm fresh bread is always in season! Fragrant, crunchy and yummy right out of the oven or cooled off, a simple loaf of sourdough only takes four ingredients. Did you know, grocery store Wonder Bread contains 20–many unpronounceable!—ingredients. That’s a big difference that translates to a much simpler, healthier bread.

One of the reasons sourdough gets away with so few ingredients is that you aren’t adding any yeast—you’re actually setting a trap for wild yeast and bacteria! If you’ve never caught wild yeast before, check out the instructions below. All you need to start your microscopic safari is flour, water, and a jar.

With time, the wild yeasts and bacteria around your house—in your kitchen, on your hands, even in the flour and water itself—will begin to colonize the flour-water slurry. They’ll multiply and make bubbles that eventually help give your bread the rise it needs to become a fluffy firm loaf. In addition to helping the bread rise, these sourdough microbes help break down the flour, enhancing the nutritional quality of the bread by making it easier to digest. They also add flavor by “burping out” waste products like lactic acid and acetic acid, which make the bread taste tangy. This also rasies the pH and makes it harder for harmful pathogens and molds to form in your food!

The way you bake your sourdough and what you bake it in changes its final characteristics. You could bake it in a fireplace, in a cast-iron skillet. You could bake it in the oven on a cookie sheet. The different ways you bake it will give it a different crust, and my personal favorite way to bake sourdough is in a cast iron skillet in the fireplace. It gives it a nice, crunchy, golden brown crust when you lump the hot coals on top of a cast iron pot lid. 

But I want you to figure out your favorite way to bake sourdough—play with the kinds of flour, and where you bake it, and let me know any good tips you find out!

February 11, 2024 – Valentine’s Day special German Chocolate Cake

It’s almost Valentine’s Day and this cake is perfect for someone special. I’m giving it to my grandpa; he LOVES German chocolate cake! But even he was surprised to learn that “German chocolate cake” is not from Germany! Not by a long shot: it’s from Dallas, Texas.

German’s chocolate cake, as it was originally known, was created by a Mrs. George Clay and contained “Samuel German’s baking chocolate”—a popular brand at the time. Her recipe was featured in the Dallas Morning News as a “Recipe of the Day” in 1957 and the coconut in the frosting was a big deal in the 1950s! Hawaii didn’t become a state until two years later, but after World War Two, the United States went coco-nuts for all sorts of island fruits! Dried coconut could be transported more easily—it was lighter and stayed fresh longer than whole coconut, making it perfect for adding to all sorts of sweet treats. 

I think it can be made even better today by substituting some of the butter for coconut oil—it’s extra coconutty! I’ve also added an extra egg to the cake itself, for more rise. Watch your cake for peak fluffiness somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes—being at a higher elevation means things bake a bit faster and tend to be a little drier than most recipes account for, so the time will vary. I find 30 perfect for tray cakes, 25 for shaped cakes like this week’s Valentine’s Heart Cake! 

Frosting Time

1. While the cake layers are cooling, prepare the coconut pecan filling by placing all 3 cups of the unsweetened coconut into a large saute pan. Toast on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the flakes are golden. (This can also be done using a baking sheet; bake under the broiler for several minutes and toss often instead!) Reserve 1/2 cup of the flakes for garnishing the cake.
2. Into a medium-sized saucepan, add the butter and melt it over medium heat. To the melted butter, add the evaporated milk, egg yolks and sugars. Whisk for a minute until smooth. Cook the custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the custard thickens and holds its shape on the back of the spatula (think Jello pudding!). Do not boil the custard; reduce heat when needed otherwise you’ll have scrambled egg frosting! 
3. Once the custard has thickened, remove it from the heat and add the vanilla, toasted coconut and half of the chopped pecans. Mix until well combined, then allow the filling to cool completely. Place into the refrigerator to cool faster.
4. Once the cake and frosting have both cooled, frost the cake with the coconut frosting and garnish with the reserved pecans and coconut.

*It isn’t just pecans and coconut—this dark cake pairs well with all kinds of nuts and fruit! Try walnuts, pine nuts, fresh cherries, raspberries…and share with someone you love!

February 4, 2024 – Pumpkin Ravioli

When it’s cold outside, and you need to warm yourself up, nothing beats a cozy bowl of pasta! One of the best pastas to warm yourself with this winter is pumpkin cheese ravioli.

Pumpkins, a North American native that belong in the gourd family, ripen in the fall but will keep for months depending on the variety and the way it is stored—we have a bunch in the basement right now! While people know them best as jack-o-lanterns, pumpkins can be used in a variety of ways. One of my family’s favorite ways to eat vegetables is with pasta, and I think the best pasta is ravioli! So it was easy to make the decision to try a pumpkin ravioli recipe. If you don’t have fresh pumpkins, canned pumpkin is just fine—but also isn’t “pumpkin!” Most canned pumpkin is technically made from Dickenson squash, a different type of gourd! So with that in mind, feel free to stuff your pasta sheets with whatever pumpkins (or squash) you can get your hands on.

The cheeses you use can similarly be swapped around—the recipe I started with asked for ricotta, but the store didn’t have any. We opted for mozzarella, queso fresco and Parmesan instead, but you can use any mild, melty cheese. Just don’t call it Parmesan if it isn’t from Parma or Reggio Emilia, in Italy—their cheese is so famous it has a protected designation of origin, or PDO! Using local cheeses would give it a special New Mexican flair. As is, there’s nothing wrong with these mildly pumpkiny, ooey-gooey cheesey, and definitely buttery ravioli.  Watch out when rolling out the dough, though, because rolling it too thin will lead to the dough breaking open when it cooks and expands—all your filling will leak out!