This blog is dedicated to giving recipes, hints and tips for everyday celebration, creating that meals can be spiritual, social, succulent, simple and special. This is truly an important goal.
Yet for all of the importance of this blog's purpose, I have added few new posts so far in 2010. What's going on? Do I not understand the importance of everyday celebrations?
Actually, what's been going on is that I do understand the importance of everyday celebrations. The first two months of this year have been filled with church obligations, family obligations, three blizzards and more. I have had many critical, short-term responsibilities that have filled my days.
I had a choice: I could continue to post to this blog, taking the critical time necessary to produce it well. Or I could re-direct that time to make sure that our family continued to have everyday celebrations. Should I write about the importance of everyday celebrations, or actually make sure our family has them?
The choice was obvious. And the lack of new posts in the last two months reveals the choice I made.
I posted a delicious recipe for one of my favorite desserts -- chocolate chip blondies (recipe below). I'll also be trying out some new recipes this week, and if they turn out to taste delicious, I will post them as well. I also plan to devote more time to research and writing, so you should see the fruit of that work in the coming weeks and months.
As important as this blog is, even more important is that I practice what I preach.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Chocolate Chip Blondies
I love blondies. Let me modify that: I love some blondies. Blondies at their best are moist, chewy, sweet-but-not-too-sweet and satisfying. I have eaten blondies at some bakeries, coffee shops and restaurants that just do not measure up. I have tried to choke down bone dry blondies. I have wondered whether my teeth would shatter when I have bitten into some hard-as-rock blondies. I have wondered whether my teeth would develop instant cavities as I munched on some way-too-sweet blondies.
Just as I have been disappointed in some blondies I have purchased, I have also been disappointed in every blondie recipe I have come across. Each seemed to be missing something.
And yet, there are times when I absolutely crave a blondie. What to do? I realized that my only option was to develop my own blondie recipe.
But first, a warning: if you are looking for a quick dessert you can whip up in a flash, this blondie recipe is not it. This recipe calls for two different waiting periods that can seem to take forever, but the wait is necessary. Trust me, these blondies are worth the time.
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick) – plus about ½ tablespoon room-temperature butter for greasing the pan
2/3 cups brown sugar – packed (I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar is fine)
¼ cup sugar
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet chocolate)
Melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan. When the butter has melted, increase the heat to medium-high and boil while stirring constantly, until the butter has turned a golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. (Be sure not to let the butter burn.) Remove the butter from heat.
Add the brown sugar and sugar and stir until well incorporated. Cool for at least 10 minutes; this is the first critically important waiting period.*
While the butter and sugars mixture cools, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-3 inch overhang on two opposite sides of the pan (you will use this overhang later as a handle). Grease the foil with the ½ tablespoon of room-temperature butter.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large sieve or sifter. Sift this dry ingredient combination into a large bowl; set aside.
When the butter and sugars mixture is cool, add the egg, egg yolk, corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Then, while stirring, slowly add the flour combination. Finally add the pecans and chocolate chips; mix lightly until well incorporated. Pour the batter into the foil-lined pan, being sure to scrape so you get every drop of batter possible. Spread the batter to the edges of the pan to form an even layer.
Bake for 28-32 minutes, until the top is golden brown. To be sure the blondies are baked through, insert a toothpick in the middle; if it comes out clean, it’s done.
Then for the second critically important waiting period: place the pan on a wire rack for 40 minutes to an hour until the blondies are cooled completely. I know you’ll be tempted to eat right away; the smell is wonderful. But if you do not wait, the blondies will crumble. While they will still taste good, they won’t look their best.
After the blondies have cooled, use the foil overhang “handles” to lift the blondies out of the pan and unto a cutting board. Peel off the foil and cut into bars. I like nice big bars, so I cut the blondies into 9 squares.
Enjoy!
*If you do not let the butter and sugars mixture cool before adding the rest of the ingredients, the eggs may begin to cook resulting in scrambled eggs (not what you’re looking for here!) and/or the chocolate chips may melt. While the resulting chocolate streaked bars look interesting, the taste is not nearly as good. So be patient and let this mixture cool before continuing; your patience will be rewarded!
Just as I have been disappointed in some blondies I have purchased, I have also been disappointed in every blondie recipe I have come across. Each seemed to be missing something.
And yet, there are times when I absolutely crave a blondie. What to do? I realized that my only option was to develop my own blondie recipe.
But first, a warning: if you are looking for a quick dessert you can whip up in a flash, this blondie recipe is not it. This recipe calls for two different waiting periods that can seem to take forever, but the wait is necessary. Trust me, these blondies are worth the time.
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick) – plus about ½ tablespoon room-temperature butter for greasing the pan
2/3 cups brown sugar – packed (I use light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar is fine)
¼ cup sugar
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet chocolate)
Melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan. When the butter has melted, increase the heat to medium-high and boil while stirring constantly, until the butter has turned a golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. (Be sure not to let the butter burn.) Remove the butter from heat.
Add the brown sugar and sugar and stir until well incorporated. Cool for at least 10 minutes; this is the first critically important waiting period.*
While the butter and sugars mixture cools, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-3 inch overhang on two opposite sides of the pan (you will use this overhang later as a handle). Grease the foil with the ½ tablespoon of room-temperature butter.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a large sieve or sifter. Sift this dry ingredient combination into a large bowl; set aside.
When the butter and sugars mixture is cool, add the egg, egg yolk, corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Then, while stirring, slowly add the flour combination. Finally add the pecans and chocolate chips; mix lightly until well incorporated. Pour the batter into the foil-lined pan, being sure to scrape so you get every drop of batter possible. Spread the batter to the edges of the pan to form an even layer.
Bake for 28-32 minutes, until the top is golden brown. To be sure the blondies are baked through, insert a toothpick in the middle; if it comes out clean, it’s done.
Then for the second critically important waiting period: place the pan on a wire rack for 40 minutes to an hour until the blondies are cooled completely. I know you’ll be tempted to eat right away; the smell is wonderful. But if you do not wait, the blondies will crumble. While they will still taste good, they won’t look their best.
After the blondies have cooled, use the foil overhang “handles” to lift the blondies out of the pan and unto a cutting board. Peel off the foil and cut into bars. I like nice big bars, so I cut the blondies into 9 squares.
Enjoy!
*If you do not let the butter and sugars mixture cool before adding the rest of the ingredients, the eggs may begin to cook resulting in scrambled eggs (not what you’re looking for here!) and/or the chocolate chips may melt. While the resulting chocolate streaked bars look interesting, the taste is not nearly as good. So be patient and let this mixture cool before continuing; your patience will be rewarded!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Getting Dinner on the Table While Fasting
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.
Every Lent I fast at least for two days: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. I fast for approximately 24 hours. So for Ash Wednesday, I eat nothing after dinner on Tuesday evening until dinner on Wednesday evening. I will drink water during that time, but no other beverage. Every hunger pang I feel is a call to pray. When my stomach growls, I also remember that as much as I need food, I need God even more.
For years it never seemed to fail that I had to head to the supermarket on a day I was fasting. Talk about poor planning! Not only did I face extreme temptations to break my fast early as I navigated through aisle after aisle of appealing food, I also faced the extreme temptation to buy far more food than I needed because I was so hungry. After a few years, I learned to plan better: make sure to do my grocery shopping before and after fast days, not during them.
Yet I still faced another challenge – getting dinner on the table on a day I fast. Preparing a labor- or time-intensive meal while in the most difficult final hours of a fast is a struggle. Smelling food, seeing food, handling food can make my hunger pangs more intense – and can make me increasingly cranky. Not a good way to end a soul-nourishing fast!
After a few years, I again learned to plan better. Now I plan for an easy-to-prepare or already-prepared meal to break my fast. One of my favorite easy-to-prepare fast-breaking meals is pasta. All I have to do is make sure I have the needed pasta on hand (I normally have a wide assortment of pasta shapes in the pantry and freezer) as well as leftover sauce in the freezer to accompany it. This means, of course, that I need to plan ahead so I make sure to actually have leftover sauce in the freezer, so we will have spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna, baked ziti or some other pasta dinner in the week or two before a fast day. I’ll prepare extra sauce at that time, and stash the planned leftover sauce in the freezer. Then on a fast day, all I need to do is thaw the sauce in the refrigerator that morning, and right before dinner heat the sauce while I cook the pasta. That’s a great way to have a nourishing meal without adding to the struggle of a fast.
Every Lent I fast at least for two days: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. I fast for approximately 24 hours. So for Ash Wednesday, I eat nothing after dinner on Tuesday evening until dinner on Wednesday evening. I will drink water during that time, but no other beverage. Every hunger pang I feel is a call to pray. When my stomach growls, I also remember that as much as I need food, I need God even more.
For years it never seemed to fail that I had to head to the supermarket on a day I was fasting. Talk about poor planning! Not only did I face extreme temptations to break my fast early as I navigated through aisle after aisle of appealing food, I also faced the extreme temptation to buy far more food than I needed because I was so hungry. After a few years, I learned to plan better: make sure to do my grocery shopping before and after fast days, not during them.
Yet I still faced another challenge – getting dinner on the table on a day I fast. Preparing a labor- or time-intensive meal while in the most difficult final hours of a fast is a struggle. Smelling food, seeing food, handling food can make my hunger pangs more intense – and can make me increasingly cranky. Not a good way to end a soul-nourishing fast!
After a few years, I again learned to plan better. Now I plan for an easy-to-prepare or already-prepared meal to break my fast. One of my favorite easy-to-prepare fast-breaking meals is pasta. All I have to do is make sure I have the needed pasta on hand (I normally have a wide assortment of pasta shapes in the pantry and freezer) as well as leftover sauce in the freezer to accompany it. This means, of course, that I need to plan ahead so I make sure to actually have leftover sauce in the freezer, so we will have spaghetti, ravioli, lasagna, baked ziti or some other pasta dinner in the week or two before a fast day. I’ll prepare extra sauce at that time, and stash the planned leftover sauce in the freezer. Then on a fast day, all I need to do is thaw the sauce in the refrigerator that morning, and right before dinner heat the sauce while I cook the pasta. That’s a great way to have a nourishing meal without adding to the struggle of a fast.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Blizzard Chicken
February of 2010 brought unusually severe weather to our region of the country. During the most stormy week, two blizzards hit, dumping a total of approximately three feet of snow! While it was fun to have off of school and work, build a snowman, and go sledding, it was also a lot of work shoveling.
One day while I was shoveling the driveway and sidewalk yet again, Kathleen decided to create a satisfying dinner. She came up with a winner that warmed my body – and my soul. Blizzard chicken is a great recipe for a cold winter day and when you have some extra time to cook.
3 chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil - divided
5 ½ tablespoons butter – divided
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion
3 ribs of celery
2 carrots
1 small butternut squash
½ cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups milk
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Cut up chicken into 1-inch chunks. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chicken, salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked, and then set it aside.
While the chicken is cooking, dice the onion, cut the celery into ¼-inch slices, peel and cut both the carrots and squash into 1 – 1 ½ - inch chunks. When chicken is cooked, add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook the vegetables for 5-7 minutes stirring frequently, until they are slightly tender.
To make the sauce, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk, cooking for at least 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and continue to whisk so there are no lumps, cooking for 4-5 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the milk and nutmeg, then cook (whisking occasionally) until the mixture bubbles around the edges for several minutes.
Butter a large baking dish with the remaining ½ tablespoon of butter. Combine the vegetables and chicken in the baking dish, add chopped parsley and pour the sauce on top. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until bubbly.
Biscuit are a great addition to this delicious casserole.
One day while I was shoveling the driveway and sidewalk yet again, Kathleen decided to create a satisfying dinner. She came up with a winner that warmed my body – and my soul. Blizzard chicken is a great recipe for a cold winter day and when you have some extra time to cook.
3 chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons vegetable oil - divided
5 ½ tablespoons butter – divided
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 medium onion
3 ribs of celery
2 carrots
1 small butternut squash
½ cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups milk
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
Cut up chicken into 1-inch chunks. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chicken, salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked, and then set it aside.
While the chicken is cooking, dice the onion, cut the celery into ¼-inch slices, peel and cut both the carrots and squash into 1 – 1 ½ - inch chunks. When chicken is cooked, add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and cook the vegetables for 5-7 minutes stirring frequently, until they are slightly tender.
To make the sauce, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk, cooking for at least 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and continue to whisk so there are no lumps, cooking for 4-5 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the milk and nutmeg, then cook (whisking occasionally) until the mixture bubbles around the edges for several minutes.
Butter a large baking dish with the remaining ½ tablespoon of butter. Combine the vegetables and chicken in the baking dish, add chopped parsley and pour the sauce on top. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until bubbly.
Biscuit are a great addition to this delicious casserole.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Gulf Coast Shrimp
This recipe is inspired by the flavors of the Gulf coast of Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi and can be served two ways. It makes a great appetizer for a crowd. Or you can serve it over rice and with a vegetable for a great meal for 6.
As you can tell from the name of the recipe and from the ingredients, Gulf Coast Shrimp packs a bit of a spice wallop. If you are serving this as an appetizer, you may want to serve a cooling sauce on the side. (Look for a suggested recipe in the coming days.)
Note: Be sure not to use fresh herbs; they will burn in the oven.
2 pounds shrimp (26-30 count per pound), shelled, deveined and tails removed.
½ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon Cayenne (red) pepper
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
5-6 drops of hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the shrimp on a large baking sheet. Add the oil, salt, basil, thyme, Cayenne pepper, chopped onion, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce on top of the shrimp. Turn the shrimp to coat thoroughly with the oil and spice mixture. Be sure the shrimp are in a single layer.
Roast for 8-10 minutes until the shrimp are firm, pink and cooked through.
As you can tell from the name of the recipe and from the ingredients, Gulf Coast Shrimp packs a bit of a spice wallop. If you are serving this as an appetizer, you may want to serve a cooling sauce on the side. (Look for a suggested recipe in the coming days.)
Note: Be sure not to use fresh herbs; they will burn in the oven.
2 pounds shrimp (26-30 count per pound), shelled, deveined and tails removed.
½ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon Cayenne (red) pepper
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
5-6 drops of hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the shrimp on a large baking sheet. Add the oil, salt, basil, thyme, Cayenne pepper, chopped onion, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce on top of the shrimp. Turn the shrimp to coat thoroughly with the oil and spice mixture. Be sure the shrimp are in a single layer.
Roast for 8-10 minutes until the shrimp are firm, pink and cooked through.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Settling for too little?
A recent article from the Parents magazine website (parents.com) looked promising. I hoped that the article, entitled “Redefining the Family Dinner,” would have some great tips about how families can “celebrate every day,” sharing meals that nourish both body and soul. And some of the tips were good, including the tip: “It doesn't have to be Mom doing it alone” (echoing a tip I posted months ago).
But other tips not only do not seem helpful, they actually seem destructive. The two harmful tips that caught my eye:
“It doesn't have to be every night. Sixty-five percent of families with children under 6 eat dinner together five or more nights a week, but that number drops to 50 percent for families with children 12 to 17. As Dr. Silliman observes, "You get one kid in soccer, another in Scouts, and Mom's in a book club, and that can shoot three or four nights a week right there." The solution? "Eat together as often as you can," says Dr. Silliman, "and make it a pleasant experience." Even one night a week, though not optimal, gives your family an opportunity to connect.”
And:
“It doesn't have to be dinner. Tom Price, coauthor, with his wife, Susan Crites Price, of The Working Parents' Help Book (Peterson's, 1996), suggests variations on the evening meal. "If Dad doesn't get home until 8:00, Mom and the kids can have dessert with him. Or the family meal can be Sunday brunch." Lois Feldman and her husband, Fred Stern, of New York City, often work late, so family dinners are irregular. When their son, Michael, was 8, says Feldman, "we instituted family breakfast. It's amazing how bonding it is, even just 15 minutes a day."
The suggestion that families settle for dinner together one night a week? The statement that “just 15 minutes a day” together is sufficient? These two tips actually contradict earlier statements in the article:
“Experts confirm that sharing regular meals as a family brings a banquet of benefits. Ben Silliman, Ph.D., a family-life specialist at the University of Wyoming's Cooperative Extension Service, says, "Children of all ages need to know that parents are accessible to them. One of the big messages that family dinner sends is 'You're important enough for me to spend this time with you.' "
"Mealtime is often the only time in the whole day when everybody's in the same room having a conversation," says William Doherty, Ph.D., author of The Intentional Family (Addison Wesley Longman, 1997), "so it's where the family's culture gets created." Even more impressive is the research suggesting that regular family meals can sharpen a child's intellect. Diane Beals, Ed.D., of the University of Tulsa, and Patton Tabors, Ed.D., of Harvard, studied 80 preschoolers and found that mealtime conversation built vocabulary even more effectively than listening to stories or reading aloud. And because gathering for a family meal is an inherently communal exercise, it naturally gives rise to basic courtesies, like saying "Please" and "Thank you," and keeping your mouth (mostly) shut when you chew.”
Yes, I know it can be challenging to eat dinner together as a family every night. Our family is in the midst of one of a challenging week: last night, Kathleen had a work commitment, so Peter and I had dinner together without her. Tonight, Kathleen and I have a commitment, so Peter will have dinner with his grandparents. But if everyday celebrations are important, particularly for families with children, then it is important to keep such challenging schedule conflicts to a minimum.
Keep on the look out for more tips about how to make everyday celebrations happen. And if you have a tip, please share it!
But other tips not only do not seem helpful, they actually seem destructive. The two harmful tips that caught my eye:
“It doesn't have to be every night. Sixty-five percent of families with children under 6 eat dinner together five or more nights a week, but that number drops to 50 percent for families with children 12 to 17. As Dr. Silliman observes, "You get one kid in soccer, another in Scouts, and Mom's in a book club, and that can shoot three or four nights a week right there." The solution? "Eat together as often as you can," says Dr. Silliman, "and make it a pleasant experience." Even one night a week, though not optimal, gives your family an opportunity to connect.”
And:
“It doesn't have to be dinner. Tom Price, coauthor, with his wife, Susan Crites Price, of The Working Parents' Help Book (Peterson's, 1996), suggests variations on the evening meal. "If Dad doesn't get home until 8:00, Mom and the kids can have dessert with him. Or the family meal can be Sunday brunch." Lois Feldman and her husband, Fred Stern, of New York City, often work late, so family dinners are irregular. When their son, Michael, was 8, says Feldman, "we instituted family breakfast. It's amazing how bonding it is, even just 15 minutes a day."
The suggestion that families settle for dinner together one night a week? The statement that “just 15 minutes a day” together is sufficient? These two tips actually contradict earlier statements in the article:
“Experts confirm that sharing regular meals as a family brings a banquet of benefits. Ben Silliman, Ph.D., a family-life specialist at the University of Wyoming's Cooperative Extension Service, says, "Children of all ages need to know that parents are accessible to them. One of the big messages that family dinner sends is 'You're important enough for me to spend this time with you.' "
"Mealtime is often the only time in the whole day when everybody's in the same room having a conversation," says William Doherty, Ph.D., author of The Intentional Family (Addison Wesley Longman, 1997), "so it's where the family's culture gets created." Even more impressive is the research suggesting that regular family meals can sharpen a child's intellect. Diane Beals, Ed.D., of the University of Tulsa, and Patton Tabors, Ed.D., of Harvard, studied 80 preschoolers and found that mealtime conversation built vocabulary even more effectively than listening to stories or reading aloud. And because gathering for a family meal is an inherently communal exercise, it naturally gives rise to basic courtesies, like saying "Please" and "Thank you," and keeping your mouth (mostly) shut when you chew.”
Yes, I know it can be challenging to eat dinner together as a family every night. Our family is in the midst of one of a challenging week: last night, Kathleen had a work commitment, so Peter and I had dinner together without her. Tonight, Kathleen and I have a commitment, so Peter will have dinner with his grandparents. But if everyday celebrations are important, particularly for families with children, then it is important to keep such challenging schedule conflicts to a minimum.
Keep on the look out for more tips about how to make everyday celebrations happen. And if you have a tip, please share it!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Verdict on Last Night's Culinary Experiment -- Not So Good
I decided to experiment for dinner last night. Earlier in the week I was going through an accordian file of recipes -- some loose, some booklets that came with small appliances, etc. -- and I discovered a recipe booklet from the early 1990s from Kraft. One recipe in particular caught my eye: Orange-Glazed Chicken.
Much has changed in the nearly 20 years since this booklet was published: tastes, availability of ingredients, cooking styles, etc. I knew that I would have to tweak this recipe, but I thought the taste combination was promising.
The verdict: I still have some more tweaking to do! While it wasn't bad (it was, after all, edible), it wasn't "blog-worthy." I still think the taste combination is promising.
Stay tuned. I have a few ideas to make it better. When it's excellent, I'll post it here.
Much has changed in the nearly 20 years since this booklet was published: tastes, availability of ingredients, cooking styles, etc. I knew that I would have to tweak this recipe, but I thought the taste combination was promising.
The verdict: I still have some more tweaking to do! While it wasn't bad (it was, after all, edible), it wasn't "blog-worthy." I still think the taste combination is promising.
Stay tuned. I have a few ideas to make it better. When it's excellent, I'll post it here.
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