Sweet Potato Apple Bake

No pictures of this one yet. Thanksgiving is still a few weeks away, but I was hoping I might start a trend of sharing recipes before the holiday, in the hopes of something new gracing my table this year. There's a bit of a story behind this one. When I was a kid, one of the annual arguments about Thanksgiving dinner was whether or not to add pecans to the mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows. I liked nuts but my sister always objected. I wouldn't have minded holding them back if it meant one more dish on the table she enjoyed, but she didn't like the potatoes either way! Instead I would hit the leftovers only to find them missing all the marshmallows the next day. It drove me nuts.

Anyway a few years ago someone gave her a baked sweet potato or something and she realized that what she really objected to was the syrup that came with the canned ones we always mashed. That year I was with my in-laws for thanksgiving, so I didn't need to adapt our recipe to fresh potatoes. But my mother-in-law put the following dish on the table which was possibly even easier to make (a big plus for Thanksgiving) and absolutely fabulous. I have high hopes for settling the sweet potato battle with it this year. Anyway, it's a bit unique compared to the ubiquitous casserole so I thought I'd share this recipe in preparation for the holidays.

Sweet Potato Apple Bake

4 microwaved sweet potatoes
1 cup sliced tart apples
1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Peel and slice potatoes. Place layer in greased baking dish,
cover with 1/2 the other ingredients, continue layers and finish with
potato slices and few dots butter or margarine.
Bake, covered, in 375 F oven 30 minutes; uncover, and continue cooking
until apples are perfectly tender and top potatoes nicely browned.
Serves 4.
Note: with apples that have little juice it may be advisable to add 2
tablespoons water before baking.

Some Fun Cupcakes for Hallowe'en

What's more fun that creepy monster cupcakes?


Here are the details for the ones you see at left. And here is the step by step by our friend Martha.








How about bleeding cupcakes?

















Make sure you post them if you make them! (Note that I didn't make these, but I will.)

Farmers' markets: Raleigh, NC. Somewhere in the world, it is still summer.

Over Columbus day weekend, I was in North Carolina and paid a visit to the Raleigh farmer's market. Summer weather is not over yet there; temperatures peaked in the 90's that weekend.

The climate is reflected in the local produce on the shelves; everything you would find at the height of summer in the northeast is still being sold. Up here, the game is over unless you want apples or winter squash.

There were a lot of items I've never seen in my neck of the woods. The fresh Dixie Lee peas, in the photo above, are a crowder pea variety. Crowder peas are in family of legumes known as southern peas, cowpeas, or field peas which also include the blackeye peas.

Green peanuts are freshly harvested raw peanuts, typically purchased to make boiled peanuts, a traditional southern snack.

There were also a lot of home made desserts for sale involving pecans and sweet potatoes, such as the half eaten sweet potato pie modeled at right (the other half was consumed before I got a chance to take out the camera). Sweet and lovely. It makes me wax nostalgic about a fantastic slice of pecan pie fried in butter on the griddle just before it was served that I had in New Orleans once.

On to the meats! Unfortunately, the pork outlet on site at the farmer's market was closed on Sundays. In the main market, I did find some vacuum sealed pork sides and fat backs (right photo). Pork sides are the part that bacon comes from before it gets sliced, smoked, and cured. Salt pork is also made from this cut. It sort of looks like 3-D bacon. (Also, thank you, Hormel foods, for posting such informative information on cuts of pork! Who knew you were more than just Spam?) Fat back appears to be a common component of sausages, or any other recipe that calls for a lot of pork fat.

In the background of the photo of the pork parts, there are rows and rows of jars, which are a huge variety of jams, jellies, preserves, and pickles, both vegetable and meat. I can't really remember them all, but I do remember the pickled eggs, pickled watermelon rinds, pickled peaches, pickled tomatoes, and tomato jam.

Chow chow is a relish typically made with cabbage, onion, and peppers. According to its wikipedia entry, the southern variety of chow chow tends to be less sweet than the Pennsylvania variety.

We picked up a jar of moonshine jelly, which was quite sweet. The flavor was not very strong - I can't decide whether it was a "delicate flavor" or if it just tasted like nothing. I haven't tried my scuppernong jelly yet. There were fresh scuppernong grapes for sale at the market, which I did not recognize as grapes since they were selling loose fruits off the vine; they were a bronze color I don't normally associate with grapes. I asked the woman at the booth if they were ground cherries, which I've been on the lookout for to try. Duh.

It was fun to go to the farmers' market in another region of the country to see the local specialty farm products. What does your local farmer's market sell?

Top row: Muscadine jelly, moonshine jelly, mint jelly, kudzu jelly, jalapeno pepper relish, jalapeno raspberry jam, (horseradish?)
Bottom row: Sweet artichoke pickles, apricot and brandy, apricot jam, spiced apple rings, apple pie jelly, apple jelly, apple jam, (some other apple preserve)

One of My Favorite Comfort Foods

Macaroni and cheese and stewed tomatoes. I'll make this quick. Just make them. It takes the same time as that Kraft crap that makes you sick, but tastes better, is healthier, and, of course, doesn't make you sick.

Stewed tomatoes are just wonderful. We used fresh tomatoes, but you can use canned as well. Again, 5-10 minutes and you're done. Easiest, best lunch ever (except perhaps for a fresh garden tomato sandwich).

Stewed Tomatoes

~ 1 Tbs onion
~4 tomatoes
~ 1 Tbs sugar
a little butter or oil for sautéing

1. Peel tomatoes the easy way (score bottom, plunge in boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove, cool, and peel).
2. Sauté onions.
3. Add tomatoes and sugar, and stew for 10-15 minutes.

Macaroni and Cheese (Low-fat)

This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. I can't stress how good this was, and how nice it was to have it be so good for us.
"

This recipe was published in The Best Light Recipe.

Serves 5

	Salt
3/8	pound elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
1	(12-ounce) can 2 percent reduced-fat evaporated milk
2/3	cup low-fat milk (2 percent)
1/4	teaspoon dry mustard
1/8	teaspoon garlic powder or celery salt (optional)
	Pinch cayenne pepper
2	teaspoons cornstarch
8	ounces 50 percent light cheddar cheese , grated (about 2 cups)

1. Bring 2 1/2 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and the macaroni; cook until the pasta is completely cooked and tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave it in the colander; set aside.

2. Add the evaporated milk, 1/2 cup of the 2 percent milk, mustard, garlic powder (if using), cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the now-empty saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup milk together, then whisk it into the simmering mixture. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickened and is smooth, about 2 minutes.

3. Off the heat, gradually whisk in the cheddar until melted and smooth. Stir in the macaroni, and let the macaroni and cheese sit off the heat until the sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 5 minutes, before serving.

PER SERVING:
Cal 360; Fat 10 g; Sat fat 6 g; Chol 40 mg; Carb 45 g; Protein 24 g; Fiber 1 g; Sodium 720 mg

I used Cabot 50% less fat cheddar, as suggested by the editors. It was perfect.

Buena Comida de Buenos Aires

Hello everyone! It's been a little while since I got back from my ten day journey to Buenos Aires. I thought I'd share with you all a few typically Argentine foods.
Parrillada - Argentina is famous for its beef, and a typical way to enjoy it is grilled on a parrilla. It's just flavorful and juicy and fresh. It's not marinaded in any way but is served with chimichurri sauce on the side. This is a strongly seasoned salsa, with some tomatoes but more peppers, onions, vinegar, and Italian seasonings. My favorite was the bife de lomo which I believe translates to tenderloin. The non-bovine samplings of the parrillada mixta are also worth a go.
Medialunes - These pastries are found in every coffee shop in Buenos Aires, often cheaper than toasta. The name translates to "half moons" which I imagine refers to their shape, which resembles small croissants. They come in two varieties: con manteca (with butter) or con gris (with lard). They are often slightly sweet, the butter variety more so than the lard. My family and I universally preferred those made with lard.
Empanadas - These are basically a pocket of slightly flaky dough stuffed with filling and baked. That description reminds me of Hot Pockets, but these are a million times better. Argentina is one of many countries where they are popular. My impression is that the flavorings of the fillings vary by region - for example, my mother-in-law's beef empanadas resemble those I had in Buenos Aires, where she learned to make them, other empanadas I've had have been somehow different. Regardless, they're always wonderful.
Alfajores - Dulce de leche is a Latin American treat that does seem to be slowly catching on here in the US, at least with Haagen Dasz. It's basically a sort of loose caramel made entirely with milk and sugar, and a little vanilla. I've also heard it called milk jam, usually when translated. You can make a close approximation by boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot of water for about three hours. If you really make it you have to stir for three hours, or so I've been told. Anyway, it's wonderful stuff, and it occurred to some bright person that it belonged in a cookie, and that cookie/dulce de leche sandwich is an Alfajor. They can be covered with chocolate or meringue, or filled with other things like chocolate and jam, but dulce de leche is traditional and, according to most of those I asked, the best.
Yerba Mate - I'd feel remiss not mentioning this national beverage when talking about Argentine food, but to be honest I'm not too fond of it myself. I think it's originally part of the cowboys on the pampas part of Argentine culture, and can be drank ritually but I'd better not go into details that I don't know and make a fool of myself. Mate is an herb with which one can make a tea-like infusion that has an enormous amount of caffeine. Mate cocido comes in tea bags, and I'm fine with it this style. But the way it's really done is to stuff a container (traditionally a hollowed gourd) full with loose, dry leaves. Then you pour hot water into it and consume with a metal straw that has a filter on the end. You then refresh the water many times. I can't deal with this. I find the strong mate bitter and I've never mastered drinking very hot water through a metal straw and not burning my entire mouth. My husband loves it, though, and he is seemingly joined by everyone in Argentina and Uruguay, and a few other countries too, for all I know. I saw lots of people walking around, mate in hand, and even once saw a man selling thermoses of hot water in the street.

A few other things about food in Argentina. There is no such thing as "a quick bite to eat" as far as I can tell. Take out is meant to be taken home, not eaten on the street. Lunch breaks are often two hours, and that time is needed. You sit, you chat, you enjoy, and eventually you ask for the check and go. I don't think I even sat down for coffee without it taking an hour.
Speaking of coffee, it was universally good in Argentina. They simply do no seem to know how to make weak or burned coffee. Tea came with a pot of water - well, that's becoming more common here. Hot chocolate was super rich and came with hot milk in case you wanted to dilute. They always came with a few cookies and often a small cup of water. I'd order a hot chocolate and get three things on the table.
I was a bit disappointed with the vegetables in general, but there were exceptions. The most common choices seem to be spinach and squash, and neither are my favorites. The cheese was also a bit off. The good cheese was good, but the run-of-the mill cheese had an unfamiliar flavor that didn't bother me at first, but I soon started to avoid.
Anyway, eating didn't take up my entire vacation (though really, a large chunk was spent in coffee shops), but since this is a food blog I'll leave it there.

Get Ready for Winter!!!

I love hot chocolate. A warm fireplace, snow outside, a hike through the chilly autumn woods, all require hot chocolate as far as I am concerned.

There's a problem, I love the convenience and taste of instant hot chocolate, but they all contain trace amounts of trans fat. I'm not going to get into my trans fat rant now, but if for starters look here, here, and for a nice unbiased view, here. The point is, there are a bunch of foods like hot cocoa that say they have 0 trans fat, but actually don't. I don't like that, so I'm avoiding those foods.

So, for a while I was just making my own hot cocoa. It's not that hard; you boil some water with cocoa, add some milk, sugar, etc., etc., and in 15-20 minutes you're done.

But that's 15-20minutes. Do you know how long it takes me to make instant hot cocoa? At work, where we have a hot water dispenser, it's on the order of 1 minute. A savings of 19 possible minutes. That's enough time for an Arrested Develpment episode. Consequently, my hot cocoa consumption has dramatically decreased.

But no longer. In a stroke of genius, I mixed together all of the ingredients of my favorite hot cocoa (a la Cook's Illustrated), and added DRY MILK! You should have this on hand already if you're a bread maker (it makes for a nice, soft crumb in certain types of bread). You add enough dry milk to make up the recipe, omit the vanilla (I'm still trying to figure out how to get this back in) and you have a very good, very cheap hot cocoa mix. Put it in a plastic bag (I even mixed it in the bag) and add a label: JUST ADD WATER!

Hot Cocoa Mix

Makes 4-1 cup servings

6 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa
4 heaping tablespoons sugar
Small pinch salt
1 cup dry milk (I used nonfat, it was still good)

1. Mix in plastic bag and shake. Really people, it doesn't get any easier.

2. Use ~4 Tbs mix for each cup of hot water.

That's it. All done. The best part: You can make your own flavored cocoa. Just add any dry ingredients. I'd like to make one with cinnamon and ancho chile pepper; my mouth is watering just thinking about it. How about very finely crushed candy canes for peppermint? Does it get any more Christmas?

I would absolutely love to hear peoples' other flavor ideas, as well as a way to get the vanilla back in. The only two ways I can think of is making flavored sugar (which seems overly complicated), or crushed tic-tacs (which I don't think would taste very good).

(Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.)

The Art of the Stir Fry

A stir fry is the perfect weeknight meal. It's easy, it's normally healthy, and if done right it can taste phenomenal. But many out there think that a stir fry is just throwing some ingredients in a wok and adding soy sauce. I strongly disagree.

For years, I wondered why my stir fries would never taste like the wonderful Chinese food I could get in a restaurant. It seems pretty simple, and I could always get a decent stir fry, but it was never anything to go crazy about.

But through a little bit of trying and with vital help from a friend with Chinese relatives, I have made many steps towards a more perfect stir fry. I've been making good, consistent stir fries for a couple of years now, and figured it was about time to write it down, along with some helpful general rules about a good stir fry.

First the rules. These are things that I have found almost always give a good stir fry, and without which invariably result in disappointment.

1. Stir fry with a very hot wok. This is especially important with vegetables, such as broccoli. You want to fry/burn the broccoli, not steam it. Ideally, when cooked, the broccoli will be slightly brown in parts while generally tender crisp. Trust me. Slightly burn the broccoli. It will get a nutty flavor that is essential to the taste. A hot wok is also important for frying tofu.

2. Stir fry all parts separately, then add together at the end. This is a trick I learned from Cook's Illustrated and have not gone back since. It is for the same reason as number 1. You only have so much heat, so you don't want to crowd your wok.

3. Lots of garlic. Not much explaining. Chinese food seems to use lots of garlic. You should too. I don't know if you can have too much (haven't had the guts to try).

4. Sugar. This is key. I only found this out from my friend. Never would have figured it out on my own. DO NOT OMIT.

5. Corn Starch. No one likes a watery sauce. Make it stick to everything and be good.

6. Only use a few ingredients. I used to make stir fries with carrots, peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, bok choy, tofu, peanuts, etc., etc. They never tasted good. I figured out, there were just too many flavors going on. I suggest 3-4 max.

Along that vein, I give you:

Kurt's Broccoli and Tofu Stir Fry (serves ~3-4)

1lb tofu, cut and dried with paper towels (as firm as you can get it, please)

1 large head broccoli (cut into nice size pieces)

3 small onions (I like sliced)

3 med-large cloves garlic (sliced, otherwise they will burn in your hot wok)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tbs corn starch

1/4 tsp pepper flakes

pinch ginger powder (you can use fresh if you keep it)

vegetable, canola, or peanut oil for cooking (no olive oil please, it has a low burn point)

cooked rice (for serving)

0. Mix soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and corn starch and mix until there are no more corn starch lumps.

1. Get that wok/frying pan screaming hot. Note: This recipe cannot be accomplished on a non-stick pan due to its inability to brown food and the danger of heating one this hot.

2. Add a Tbs or 2 of oil and add your cut tofu. Fry until nicely browned. Keep it moving so that it doesn't stick much. Put on plate when done. Carefully wipe pan with paper towels to remove bits of tofu.

3. Add a little more oil and repeat with broccoli. Remember, tender crisp and a little brown and then remove to a plate.

4. Add onion, garlic, and pepper flakes to still-hot pan. Once these are all nicely cooked (slightly brown again) add everything back into the pan and toss.

5. Take off heat and add sauce. Stir quickly long enough to let sauce turn clear. Server immediately with rice.

That's all there is to it. Just watch out, because once things start frying, things go fast.

Happy frying!