Fridge Foraging

 There is a time in most home chef's careers where they don;t want to go shopping and relay on fridge foraging. This is finding anything and turning it into a tasty meal or even snack. It can also apply to the pantry and fridge as well.

What sorts of food should you forage? It pays to have a bag of any frozen veggies around. These can be turned into a quick pasta sauce with the addition of olive oil and garlic or garlic powder. Add sliced Italian cold cuts such as salami or capicola. Even leftover London broil cut into small strips can be part of this .You can create a sort of Alfredo sauce using butter and flour too along with any kind of milk and Parmesan cheese. I usually add cut up and already cooked vegan bacon strips from Morningstar Farms to  veggie medleys from Acme or Lidl. The blend proved to be a tasty and filling hot meal on a cold night. Keep in mind these can also go into a stew or soup if you want to make a good minestrone. Raid the pantry for beans  and throw in whatever pasta is there. Keep in mind that pasta based soups don't have to have smaller pasta. Spaghetti or angel hair also work well in a minestrone or chicken broth.

Leftovers are a gold mine for fridge foragers.Any leftover  rotisserie chicken can be used for soups or even salads. Think about cutting up the chicken and mixing with mayo and tarragon for a yummy salute to a classic AU Bon Pain sandwich. This is good on a croissant but also works well on any toasted bread, sourdough or a baguette. You could create a mole by using cocoa powder, tomato paste. veggie stock and whatever Chile powder you have. There are also spice rack add ins of cinnamon , cumin and oregano.If you have garlic add it too. The entire dish is good over rice or polenta if you have that in your culinary arsenal.Leftover steaks can be added to sauces or even topping pizzas and paninis.Grind it to creak a luxe salad or the German Frikadellen which also uses milk eggs and breadcrumbs. This is a cross between a hamburger and meat loaf. A dash of mustard gives it zing. 

Foraging in the wild is tough. Foraging in your kitchen is easy. Go though what you have and create some different and delicious.

Your Favorite Fall Dinner

 What is your favorite fall dinner to make? is a Sunday roast with all the trimmings? Or a rich sauce over polenta? Do you love creating a steamy casserole, full of good stuff?  What about a homemade soup or stew?

Let us know what thrills you to cook a big meal. I love working with polenta and gnocchi. These to me, symbolize autumn and the rich flavors of the season. What about you?🍁🍁🍂🍁🍂

Polenta To The Rescue

 Fall is the time for stews and sauces. These are great on their own but they need something to absorb the rich sauces and gravies. You could have rice or mashed potatoes but polenta soaks up everything better. It also lends a nutty flavors to the mix as well. It's also great left over, refried toa crisp and served with just cheese or seasonings.

Many home chefs hear this simple cornmeal. Just because it's Northern Italian , doesn't mean that it's complex and fancy. yes it does grace some of Piedmonte, Lombardy and Veneto regions of Northern Italy. Yet it's one of the easiest dishes to make.I'ts just cooking one to one and a quarter cups cornmeal to four and four and a half cups of water. Add two tablespoons of olive oil gives it smoothness and silkiness (although two tablespoons of melted butter can do the same thing along with adding flavor). A half teaspoon of salt is also blended in to bring out the cornmeal ;' sweet flavor. Three cups of water are slowly simmered  and the polenta is whisked in ,also slowly. The last cup of water is then added in. If the texture is too thick, stream some water  for a less lumpier consistency. Another hint is regrind the polenta before cooking too for a smoother texture. What cornmeal should you use? Some swear by Quaker Oats cornmeal, Others prefer Bob's Red Mill. The best bet is to experiment with different kinds. See what you like. See what your family likes and then go with the most favored one.

Keep in mind you can also go the easy route by buying polenta logs. I've recently used Melissa 's Organic Polenta Logs. these come plain but you can also buy them in herbal , hatch pepper and tomato flavors. These are great to slice up and fry in a mix of butter and olive oil. These rounds only take about five minutes on both sides to fry up and they're perfect for stews and sauces.These rounds are also good fried on their own ad just eaten with salt and pepper.  Any polenta is good with chicken and a mushroom gravy. Instead of the usual mashed potatoes, think of a scoop of corn meal.Bolognese , sauce that delicious mix of ground beef and tomato sauce is usually served over pasta, yet it can also be poured over polenta for a different kind of Sunday meal.Osso buco is another dish that pairs perfectly with this side. Veal shanks are cooked in  chicken or veal stock along with  onion, celery and carrots in a white wine sauce. garlic gives it more flavor along with thyme for more taste. This is then served over a creamy polenta with the corn mash absorbing the thin gravy.

Instead of rice or mashed  potatoes think polenta. It can be served with almost any meat and  sauce. It's the perfect stan in for any side this fall

Warm Bowls Of Comfort

 The winds are blowing colder. There's stress from work,school and the upcoming holidays. yet'a frosty evening is the perfect time to hunker down with  hot bowl  of favorite foods. Change into somethign cozu, grab a spoon and snuggle in to enjoy a hot tasty mel.

Everyone thinks that pasta should be made for a crowd or at least two ir three people. yet even a bowl of penne and rotelle cacio e pepe style can work. You can just bowl up a handful of pasta to just suit your needs. A quick cacio and pepper is adding butter, freshly ground pecorino Romano cheese(Parmesan will do in a pinch) and a few grinds of freshly ground pepper. You can adjust the ingredients to how you want then, whether buttery ,cheesy or peppery. This can also be done with leftover pastina too. This is also good reheated with butter and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese You could also make a quick salsa cruda using a few chopped Roma tomatoes mixed with minced garlic olive oil and oregano. If you have leftover French or Italian, bread and any kind of broth you can create the Piedmontese and Valdostano zuppa de montagna. Add grated Fontina cheese on bread soaked in broth  and the microwave for a couple of minutes or until the cheese melts. This is a great and comforting bowl , full of flavor and warming right down to your toes.

Ramen soup may not be considered a comforting dish but a bowl drop in an egg and that completely changes it. The egg not only adds protein to elevate it to a meal but also adds more flavor and color. The egg  can be poached or cracked onto the hot noodles. The heat will cook them right up. You can also swirl the white and the yolk around ,letting the broth cook then. up. Use the same method for a bowl of hot buttered noodle with an egg mixed in. Add a spoonful of Parmesan cheese and some parsley if you want more color and flavor.Any bowl of rice can be turned into a hot bowlful. This also applies for the small Italian pasta orzo. Drizzle some olive oil, oregano and any grated Italian cheese for a tasty hot meal or even snack. For some color, slice up grape or cherry tomatoes to add to it. If you want to give it some zing and warm your veins add a dash of hot pepper flakes for an arriabiata style bowl. Keep in mind you can do this with polenta too. The corn meal is a great base with butter and cheese or with tomatoes and oil. It's up to you how you want to make it,

A hot bowl of pasta,  polenta, rice or ramen is the perfect way to kick back and enjoy a hot bowl. Create something that;s soothes your mind and fills your stomach. This is the perfect comfort food.

Fall Finds

 All grocery stores are in full fall mode. THis is so true of Lidl where they put out a wide variety of sweet and savory fall themed foods and treats. They have maple drizzled kettle corn, home brewed pumpkin soda and a great find their Autumn Harvest pasta sauce.e

This was too good to pass up.It's a marriage of tomatoes, bell peppers , butternut squash and zucchini. It's the perfect cold weather sauce for any pasta and I cannot wait to try it/

What is great about this sauce is that , yes you can use it with everyday pasta but it will be great over gnocchi which I also bought.

Lidl gnocchi's,like their, spaghetti and rotelli, re always good, tasting like they've just been made and rolled out in your kitchen. They and the sauce will make a lovely autumn supper.I 'm also adding rolls to stop up the sauce. If you want to vary it, then sub in chicken or vegan chicken strips and serve over polenta for an equally hardy meal. This is perfect on a chil October night or brisk Sunday afternoon,.

It's fall and that means stores are going to be offering delicious harvest themed foods. Head to Lidl or your favorite store and see what's on display. You'll be amazed at the bounty of all sorts of autumn treasures.

A Chef's Kiss

 What happens when a restaurant loses a master chef? It continues as best it can. The recipes carry on despite  them not being as good as the original.

I feel that way with my Mom whose birthday is today. She would have been 101  - a great age.Her years with us were  very  great learning periods.Her imprint is felt in our cooking  and baking today. She was always a big one for mixing olive oil and butter to temper the oil. It's almost a knee jerk reaction to add a knob or two of Melt plant butter (what would she have thougth of that - maybe she would have liked it). Combining the two also gives sauteed and fried dishes a better flavor along with some body. Mom also cooked rice in vegetable broth which makes for a perfect quick lunch or weekend supper, but also a good base for ratatouille.Her risotto was amazing too and her patieince in creating this tempermental dish was also nothing short of amazing either. Both it and her other signature dish polenta (which she grew up on thanks to my Piedmontese grandmother) require constant stirring. That takes a  great amount of patience especially during warm weather. Yet the end result is worth it as she always proclaimed.

My Mom also passed down her love of culinary travel and boldness in making dishes from other cuisines. We were the first family on the block to have tacos for dinner. She was the first to have a wok.One of her all time favorite dishes , the Szechuan ants climbing a tree is still made. It's what connects me to her. I've tweaked it and made it vegan , using plant based beef crumbles instead of the real thing.Her culinary sense of adventure made me try Ethiopian lentil and tomato stew with Berbere spices.I try to step put of the box as I test out new recipes or vegan versions of traditional ones. Would she have like the fact that everyone uses the internet instead of traditional cookbooks nowadays? That's a good question. It is easy to get any kind of recipe yet there is something about reading a cookbook cover to cover. You do learn about the recipes better instead of a quick glance before combining ingredients. She loved to pore over the glossy photographs and imagine that's what her rendition would look like. There's also something about a cookbook with stained pages and tweaks pencilled written in.

It's hard when a master chef leaves. Yet the restaurant goes on. The food may not be the same but the love and sense of love for food still exists.

Help!! What Do I Cook?

 Every chef and home chef hits it - the culinary wall. What happens when you run out of ideas for what to cook? Ot when you haven't gone to the store to pick up supplies?Ingenuity helps.

We all have hit that wall.We look into the fridge and think "What am I going to make?" You read about those food writers and chefs who can whip up a hot tasty meal using just polenta, cheese and spices. This does work if you happen to have polenta in your pantry. What happens of you don't? What you can do is sub in rice or a small pasta like orzo or ditalini and cook in any kind of broth. After it's done, toss in some butter and top with cheese for a warm filling lunch or Sinday night supper. Keep a container of either beef, chicken or vegetable broth handy. They're great for cooking up pastas but also for whipping up a quick soup. Add veggies and even leftover chicken or beef and you have a quick minestrone. If you have bread and cheese you have a meal. You can easily grill the combo in the toaster oven or air fryer . Fry it  in butter and you have a croque monsiur without the bechamel sauce. Try to have slices of American or cheddar cheese or a good wedge of Brie or Gruyere in the fridge. These are also great on just plain Saltines too and these make for a light but satisfying lunch too. Add little squares of ham for mini sandwiches.

A loaf of French or Italian bread is a plus. Any of them can be used in a variety of different recipes. One of my new favorites is sliced Italian ro french bread cut in rounds  and slathered with layers of Melt plant based butter, Parma vegan cheese and garlic powder. The rounds are put into the air fryer for five minutes at 370 dgree Farenheit. These crisp, buttery cheesy bites were perfect with a premixed salad that I bought at Stop & Shop.It was a no brainer dinner but it was delicious and filling. I plan on making the rounds again with pasta . In the summer the loaves can be torn up and mixed with tomatoes , onions , olive oil and red wine vinegar for a panzella salad. This is just a great lunch but also a good side with barbecued chicken or beef.Take your leftovers and stuff them inside a loaf of French or Italian and you have a hero. Another multi tasker is the tomato. It can be made into hot or cold recipes. Slice them , top with bread crumbs and saute in a mix of olive oil and butter and you have tomatoes Provencale. Get the bigger tomatoes , scoop out the inside and fill with tuna salad for a refreshing mid day meal. Tomatoes are also perfect in a sandwich with toasted bread and mayonnaise.

Every hoime chef and eve chef has hit that culinary wall. what to do? Climb over it with using some basics creatively.

A Season of Comfort And Warmth

There's mothing like comfort food on a chilly October night. It could be a roast chicken or a bowl of chili .It's definitely a recipe that brings so much joy and happiness that''s it's easy to forget a not so great day or bad news.

That's how I feel about my Mom's chili recipe. This has been a staple in my life since childhood. (I think she got the recipe from my father's aunt, my great-aunt but I'm not sure). It's been passed around the family and everyone has loved it. 

This is such an easy recipe that I adapted to my crockpot. It;'s a yummy mix of two dfferent kind of beans, kidney and pinto, Gardein crumbles, and Acme's Signature brand salsa roasted tomatoes. There are dashes of salt , freshly ground pepper along with  chili ,garlic and onion powders.Olive oil and water are added for smoothness and a small squirt of liquid stevia (yes stevia!!!)  cut out the tomatoes' acidity.Ghere are even fresh cut tomatoes added to temper the spice and add more flavor.

It's cooked for two to three hours however I'm always taking tablespoons for tasting every five minutes. That's how good this is. It' served here with corn muffins but crackers, polenta or rice also make for good bases. This is one of my most favorite comfort foods. We need these during these crazy, uncertain and often mean times. A mouthful of our favorite recipe is like a flavorful secuirty blanket . Ther'es something soothing in usuing familiar recipes and ingredients. 

What are your favorite comfort foods? Are they family recipes or one you've had forever. Are they savory? or sweet? Whatever they are , they all shore one thing - comfort on a cold fall day.

Gold Coins For The New Year

 It's important to start the New Year with good food and good luck. One is eating lentils which represents coins. The same can be said of polenta cut into rounds. They too can mean prosperity in 2022.  They're also just great tasting with a good sauce.

I decided to make them along in a sauce, which is also a perfect winter dish.  You can buy the polenta logs at any grocery.

Cut them thin and then fry them in either olive oil or I used Melt  vegan butter which imparts a lovely buttery flavor. Since it was the holiday I used Acme's already made sauce. I didn;t feel like making a pot of sauce from scratch so I used the in house tomato and basil one.it was just doctored with some water a a good dash of oregano. I added Fieldhouse smoked hot dogs which do taste like sausages (they are fantastic on their own, on rye bread). They were cut into one inch pieces.

                                     It was then cooking the sauce with the dogs  for  few minutes.

The sauce was ladled onto the polenta rounds for a warming welcoming the New Year's lunch.

It was a tasty dish, that can easily be reheated. It was also a bowl of comfort after all of last night's party foods.The flavors were rich without being too strong. You could also use any kind of short pasta like rotelli or penne for this.It;s also good with a good loaf of Italian bread too.

Celebrate the new Year with any kind of food representing gold coins.THis dish is also a great way of welcoming in winter. It's warm and comforting like a hug from 2022.

A Summer Classic Winterized

 Spinach salad is always a welcome lunch or dinner come summer.Yet it's winter and what do you do? Winterize it. I also gave this an Italian twist with garlic, serving it on polenta rounds.

It's sauteing about sixteen ounces of already chopped baby bellas and sixteen ounces of spinach   along with two cloves of chopped  garlic and olive oil.

I also added one large chopped beefsteak tomato. 

I felt I needed more flavor so I added some I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and a cube of Not Chick'n bouillon.

It cooked  up nicely.

As this was cooking, I sliced the polenta into rounds and fried them on the grill.

I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter for a more buttery flavor which I feel goes with polenta.

The taste was more intense than a simple salad. It was a delicious blend of veggies that worked well with the polenta. You could add pancetta to copy the bacon in the original salad if you want or chicken strips, soy or the real thing.

Nothing beats a spinach salad . Yet it's winter. Time to winterize it with  heating up the ingredients and creating a hot tasty saute to warm you up.

Huel Chili Cold Weather Fuel

 We need nutritious and tasty food  to get through this season. Luckily Huel has come along with its' Hot and Savory line. These are nutrition packed instant meals that can be cooked with just hot water or microwaved.I thought I'd give the chili a try.

Huel is known for its' bars, ready to drink and powders. These are chock full of proteins, perfect for those on a diet or just want to eat better. The new line is perfect for providing the body with the important ingredients. There are three flavors, the Mexican chili, rife with quinoa, rice , peppers and beans, the tomatoes and herbs which mixes in lentils and onions and green curry, a blend of peppers, sweet corn and scallions.

The bags contain a whopping one pound of mix.

and each bag contains seven servings. a scoop is given for scooping out the mix and a cup to mix.You can see the different mix of grains, beans and spices.

since I was making it for dinner, I doubled the amount to four to five scoops and about a cup of water.

It was then cooking it for six minutes. You can use less to make a hot, satisfying lunch with it. 

It's a very thick mix , thicker than home made  thanks tot he rice and quinoa. You can thin the chili with a tablespoon or two of tap water.

It was fiery and super spicy. I feel I could its' spiciness can be cut with more beans but it was flavorful. I like how it could also be served with cornbread or polenta. A small serving is only four hundred calories, good for those on before holiday diets.

Huel Hot and Savory is the perfect cold weather meal for lunch or dinner. Try any of the three flavors for the maximum amount of nutrition. It's tasty and good for you during these hard times.

Pumpkin Time!!!

Pumpkins are everywhere as we edge into fall.They are one of the most versatile veggies, going from savory to sweet recipes with ease. It pays to have a few recipes  centering around them in your fall cooking arsenal.

I thought I had enough recipes regarding Cucurbita pepo, the Latin name for pumpkin. Obviously not.
I received this :

This is one of those mini cookbooks that every grocery check out has The publisher is Publications International Limited or PILThey have been producing specialized cookbooks for forty years.They're fun books to give as gifts like their kits and game brain series or buy if you're looking for more cookie or crock pot recipes. It seems my crew like my family's squash soup recipe so much that they want me to make more.  There is a wide variety for only forty-seven recipes. One of the pluses is that it's no nonsense. It's just recipes with a surprise section on maple syrup recipes as well. No cute or folksy tips or asides that usually riddle cookbooks. There should be a disclaimer however about the difference between pumpkin pie filling and pumpkin puree. The first is laden with sugar and pumpkin pie spices such as clove and cinnamon. It's only used in baking and puddings. The second is just pure pumpkin, perfect actually for sweet and savory recipes, although it's mostly used for the last.

There are a lot of interesting recipes that I didn't know about. One is a pumpkin polenta one  which is like a pumpkin soup thickened with the famed corn meal.It's spiced with smoky paprika and mace  and finished with the addition of fontina cheese.Of course there are soup recipes.One is a fiery blend of chipotle chili powder and black pepper. Three quarter cup of apple cider gives it sweetness. I definitely will make this , and serve with with tortilla chips. There is also a curried ginger pumpkin soup that's got a sweet heat vibe thanks to a dash of curry and a chopped Golden Delicious apple added in.The sweet recipes abound. A fun dessert would be the Maple Walnut Crescent Cobbler, made super easy with those frozen crescent rolls. Of course there are pumpkin pie recipes, one with maple the other with a pecan quinoa crust.Forget the Halloween candy. There is a pumpkin seed brittle I know I'll make. Those pumpkin cinnamon buns  on the cover look waaaayyyy too tempting. It's in their breakfast section. It's the same as a regular bun recipe but the dough has pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices . A less fattening alternative is Spiced Pumpkin Banana Smoothie.

There will be a lot of pumpkin and maple in my future thanks to the mini cookbook Pumpkin!  There are so many recipes I want to make and you'll see them in the upcoming weeks. It will be pumpkin fest!!!

Your Super Bowl Shopping List

With  the Super Bowl less than a week away ,it's time to plan your game day shopping list. Will you go the appetizers only route or plan a winter barbecue with ribs and burgers? It now the time to decide.

One of the first items you should write down are sturdy paper plates. Chinet has the best and sturdiest paper plates that can stand up to the sauciest chili or ribs. If you're planning on a lot of different dishes, then get the plates with three compartments. Another must? Sturdy plastic utensils. Buy extra packs because a few knives and forks  will surely wind up in the trash or recycling bin. Napkins and wet wipes should also be right up there.You don't want to bring out the good stemware so have plastic glasses and cups for beer and if the party wants it - coffee and tea afterwards. If you want glasses that can last well after the Super Bowl, then go to Target. They have an excellent selection of tumblers from regular plastic to clear plastic tumblers that look like cut glass.Each glass is between 79 cents (!) and two dollars for the clear plastic.Parties produce trash so make sure you have plenty of hefty trashbags to handle the mess.Another should buy is plastic containers for any leftovers or take homes. Buy these in different sizes to accommodate however many leftovers there might be.

As for foods, ask yourself what do you and your guests want? Is it just going to be chili  and chips or something mor?. Even a dish like chili requires planning.Do you make one of the alarm ones or a mild one that people can add pepper flakes and hot sauce?Will it be ground beef, turkey or soy? Do you serve it over rice, polenta or tortilla chips?. If you're going for a more heartier spread, then there's the choice of meats. Do you go for the fun and sloppy  fare such as wings and ribs - or more contained foods like hamburgers and grilled steaks. If it's the last make sure you have enough charcoal or gathered twigs (which you can get on a walk through your local woods. Then there are the sides. Do guests bring them or do you provide all of them? What about the nibbles. Remember to include two or three flavors of chips,  and different kinds of tortillas, and pretzels. You can also write down popcorn, both plain and kettle flavors too. Always have soda on hand and seltzer too for those watching their weight or who just want a clean crisp, drink.as for dessert, ask yourself if you want to bake or just buy cake, If you bake, then get the mix and the ingredients for the icing along with the decorations.

Planning any party , including a Super Bowl one can be daunting. It helps to have a game plan to get you through the shopping. Then it's onto the store for the kick off of shopping.

Rescue Mission

Some dishes flop.It's just the nature of cooking.My cabbage steaks were not a big hit.I should have kept them in the oven for another ten minutes.Another problem was that there was just too much cabbage


There was only one thing to do - turn those crispy leaves into pescoi ,Piedmontese stuffed cabbage.This dish is usually made by first cooking polenta,and then letting it cool.Once cooled it placed in cabbage leaves.These are rolled, like dolmade,grape leaves, tied with just seeing thread(always white) and then fried in butter.The rolls are then fried until the cabbage leaves turn translucent and the polenta can be seen.These are then submerged in a mix of salvia, a type of thyme,red wine vinegar and garlic.

I marinated the steaks in garlic and thyme infused red wine vinegar for two days.

It had a stronger, more pickled taste than the rolls.The polenta was needed.

I used masa harina, the Mexican cornmeal which is finer  than the regular cornmeal.I cooked up a cup of it.

Then I deconstructed a centuries old dish.Instead of being one stuffed inside the other,they were placed side by side.

I put the polenta on the cabbage leaves and magic!!!The same taste that I grew up on.The polenta's mildness was the perfect foil to the puckering tartness.I like this deconstructed way better.There's never the threat of getting thread caught on my teeth

The cabbage steaks bombed.The deconstructed pescoi didn't.This was the perfect rescue mission.

I

Mush Mouth

Having dental work and oral surgery is annoying along with being painful. The worst part is that you're on a really strict diet for a few days.Luckily you can make it work and more or less have the same foods you normally eat.

Unfortunately I had a back molar pulled today and was promptly told what to eat and not eat. No chewy meats like steak. No crunchy foods  like pretzels and chips. I can eat guacamole but not the corn chips that accompany them. Another  taboo - hot food which can dissolve the stitches in my mouth.Foods have to be tepid, room temperature or better yet cold foods. No crunchy Smarties (which got me into this mess in the first place). No popcorn - another culprit that could have damaged the tooth that needed to be pulled. Soft squishy tomatoes  are fine celery isn;t unless it's chopped up.Forget hot chocolate - way too hot and sugary. Very sugary drinks such as it and even icy sodas should be avoided for at least a day or two. They can irritate the raw extraction site. Warm coffee is fine  as is warm water . It 'll be another twenty-four hours before I can satisfy my Panera  and Starbucks cravings,

Of course my meals will be slightly altered. Thankfully I can have my daily breakfast of flavored oatmeal. My hot herbal tea will need a few ice cubes now. I can still have scrambled  or soft boiled eggs at home or at my favorite diner. Omelets are on the list too. I just can;t have a side of bacon and home fries.Corned beef hash is OK with it so I may try this new combo./ As for meals, clear soups such as vegetable broth is allowed along with pureed or mushy foods.Mashed potatoes are high on the list. They can be enhanced with a huge knob of butter or a few tablespoons of gravy. Polenta is also on the list. Cheesy polenta is even better.It's soft, creamy and chock full of protein.Baked mac and cheese is not just the comfort food that will get you through this but it's perfectly fine to eat. Another mushy pasta dish is pastina, those little stars  mixed with melted butter.It's also allowed. Yay! if you want something more nutritious  them have pureed beans and rice along with pureed yams.Finish with Hagen -Daz mini cups .


Extractions are a pain, both literally and figuratively, The restricted diet that goes with it is evne worse. Just - grin - and bear it  - and embrace the mushiness.

Just A Bowl Of

One of the easiest meals is one involving a bowl and a slew of good for you ingredients. It's not only an easy lunch or dinner to whip up but also a nutritious one.it can be made fresh or with ingredients. Another plus is that even novice chefs can create something delicious and complex.

Bowl meals are not new. Most of Asia have some form of this.One of the most famous and one that's gaining speed here in the States is bibimbap. It's a mix of fresh stir fried veggies and rice,topped with a fried egg. what is good with this is that it can be customized. Cabbage lovers can add both savoy and bok choy . Those who enjoy crunch can add some raw peppers and carrots. Meat lovers can tip it in their favor with extra chicken, beef, or pork, while veggie lovers can add extra greens such as kale and fiddlehead ferns,Bibimbop also gets some zing from Korean hot pepper paste or gochuchang. Rice is the base ,of this melding the flavors all together while being the grain requirement. For the dish, the veggies should be julienned however if you want to chop everything in bigger chunks you can. The same idea for the gochuchang. If it's too fiery then sub in soy sauce. It's still make the dish flavorful but won't have that mouth numbing bite. You can also get rid of the eggs as well and sub in rice noodles for the rice.

For a simpler bowl you can't get much simpler than polenta mixed with butter and Parmesan cheese. It's tasty, and filling, an easy hot meal for after a hard day's work. Again it can be varied. Sliced sausage can be added along with grape tomatoes and mushrooms.Shrimp goes surprisingly well with the grain and you can easily add it to cooked polenta. Chicken is another meat that can give the corn meal a boost.Even  left over polenta can be transformed into a tasty bowl , being reheated in the microwave with tomatoes, butter and/or cheese.An American spin on it is a grits bowl. This can even be made for breakfast with the addition of cheddar and butter. Like bibimbap, it can be topped with fried eggs for more protein.Breakfast sausage or bacon can also be tossed in. A grits bowl is also a good lunch or dinner bowl. Chicken and gravy could also work with it,. One of the simplest bowls to make is just taking plain white rice, topping it with beans and then build on it with meats, tofu and/or veggies. Black beans in sauce , topped with shredded cheese is  a tasty dinner. Stir fried steak and veggies , soaked in soy sauce would be a great topper for any wild rice variety.

A bowl meal is a filling one. It's also fun because favorite ingredients are added to create something unique. It's a chance to get creative with a simple container and just grains, proteins and veggies.

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The Sweet Side Of Polenta

Polenta has long been a savory meal. For years it's been drenched in everything from tomato sauce to eggs, be fried or grilled. Yet it can be used in sweet dishes as well,It's ot just for dinner anymore. It's for dessert and most surprisingly breakfast.

What is polenta? It's a dish of boiled cornmeal that's then baked, grilled or fried. It's derived from earlier pulses, hence the name, from spelt, faro and chestnut. The introduction of corn in the Columbian exchange changed the dish forever. Remember, there are two kinds, usually referred to as grinds. The coarser one makes for a firmer consistency , able to hold its' shape while the finer produces a creamy , soft texture. Use the coarser grinds for the breakfast polentas. One interesting dish is the corn made with cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg.Cook the polenta first and then add the sugar and spices, It's then pouring it out on a sheet tray and letting it chill for thirty minutes. Cut into squares and then fry, Serve with maple syrup and butter for a tasty breakfast.It can also be turned into a breakfast pudding.it's adding the meal to a boiled mixture of  milk vanilla bean and salt. A cup of sugar is then stirred in and it's served with Greek yogurt , honey and preserves such as apricot or marmalade.Try it with coconut milk , topped with strawberries and almonds.

Once you've tried sweet polenta, there's no stopping. It makes for an interesting dessert., because of the texture. A very trendy recipe in many Italian restaurants right now is chocolate polenta. This is an easy take on a classic chocolate pudding. Use the finer ground one for an extra creamy texture. It's cooking it for three minutes as it's whisked into a thin steady stream. Three tablespoons of sugar are added as is one teaspoon of vanilla extract and eight ounces of good dark  finely chopped chocolate.Stir until smooth and melted and served. Add a dollop of whipped cream or creme frache. Polenta can be cooked with butternut squash, coconut milk, and vanilla paste along with such spices as ground ginger and cinnamon for a healthy take on  it. Polenta is also an excellent base for cake too. Try it in a cake loaded with orange and coriander for a tasty and citrus-y dessert. Polenta can even take the popular form of the cupcake.It's mixed with regular flour to create a nice crumb. A cup of chopped strawberries and lemon zest are added for a nice fruity flavor and then they're iced with a strawberry lemon glaze.The Italians have been making polenta cookies for centuries. Try their buttery lemon infused swirls or simple tea cookies, perfect with espresso. The last can be dipped in melted dark or milk chocolate for a fancier party treat.

There is a sweet side to polenta. This classic Northern Italian dish can be made into a delicious breakfast pudding or a tasty orange infused cake. Use it to make fun cupcakes and buttery cookies. It's a great ingredient to any breakfast or dessert dish.

Kuka Paka A Recipe To Make Your Own

Chicken can be sauced with anything. Tomato gives you chicken cacciattore, mushrooms and sweet wine gives you Marsala while white wine and lemon is franchese style. Sub in coconut milk and spices and you have the Kenyan version kuku paka , a departure from the ordinary poultry dishes.

Tejal Rao , famed chef and food writer, wrote about it in yesterday's New York Times Food section,Simply put it's chicken on the bone  smothered in a sauce. The name is abbreviated from the Swahili kuku wa kupka, roughly, chicken in sauce. However , there are different variations on how the meat is cooked. It can be charcoal grilled, steamed with aromatic herbs or braised. The sauce, itself can be pale and soupy or dark and glossy. Some home chefs make it mild while others add enough chilies to burn the throat.Corn, potatoes, and even halved hard boiled eggs are added. Yet there should be some unifiers according to famed food writer and actress , Mahur Jaffrey (she's the one responsible for bringing Ismael Merchant and  James Ivory together). One is a touch of sourness and the heat of green chilies. The sourness comes from a squeeze of lemon juice but some Kenyans also add a spoonful of tamarind pulp for the same effect.

Kenyan food blogger,Kaluhi Adagala has her own spin on the dish.It's common in the coastal cities, but she comes from the interior where it is a big deal. So is her recipe. She adds sprigs of fresh rosemary, crushing them to release the fragrant oils. Her's is also golden, tinted with the mellow flavored turmeric and either serves it over hot rice or chapati, flatbread. Sometimes Ms. Adagala serves it with ugali,a type of polenta that is a regular in Kenyan diets.Another Kenyan, the Nairobi caterer and recipe developer,brines the meat in apple cider vinegar. She also cooks the aromatics such as onions and ginger raw in the coconut milk., letting them mellow in the fatty liquid as she constantly stirs. Home chefs can replicate the flavors, first using their grills to cook the chicken. This imparts a nice smoky flavor that goes well with coconut milk along with the cumin and coriander. As for the coconut , most Kenyan cooks use fresh coconut milk, however it's kind of difficult to get them right now. Ms. Rao suggests using  two cans or 27 ounces of coconut milk plus  two tablespoons of coconut oil.

Kuka paka is a tasty departure from the usual chicken dishes. Try it for a flavor that rich in spices and textures. It's exotic but delicious, complex to taste  but easy to make.

Baby Foods

Notice something about your foods? Like they're getting smaller?That's because they are. As palates are expanding, dishes are shrinking.Portions are getting tinier and tinier.

The trend may have started with White Castle , the favorite East Coast hamburger chain.They introduced mini hamburgers called sliders.These were small sandwiches that were quarter of  the size of a regular hamburger. The chain sold bags of a dozen by the dozen. They were great for kids because they fit in small hands and weren't overwhelming to eat. It took restaurants and diners a long time to catch on.It's been only the last twenty years that most eateries are now offering them. Now they come in all different styles from pulled pork to chicken to even crab cakes. Sliders are easy to make at home. Just use freshly ground meat such as ground chuck to make a smaller, meatball sized burger. As for the rolls ,King's Hawaiian Rolls are the perfect size for creating these mini marvels. As with regular hamburgers , served with a slice of cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes. The rolls can also be used for making grilled cheese sliders along with mini versions of Sloppy Joes. You could even do a breakfast one with eggs, cheese, and bacon. To get a compact eggs, cook them in them in egg poaching rings for the perfect miniature.

Other dishes are getting smaller. Many restaurants are serving timbales of rice and polenta with a smattering of stew or gravy. Again home chefs can make these at home using timbale molds and cooking the grains into small shapes. They are a perfect way of introducing the kids to more sophisticated tastes without them wasting food. Try polenta timbales in a puddle of chicken cacciatore or pork with mushroom gravy.. Rice timbales can be the perfect base for salmon or sole in lemon butter sauce. Timbales can also be delicately fried baskets of dough, filled with quiche or the onion custard used in the Swabian dish zweibelkugen, onion pie.They can also be filled with spinach and mushrooms for a spin on a classic Julia Child recipe, spinach tart. These make great hors d'ouevre's but an even better main brunch dish, especially with a side of fruit. Fruit itself can be turned into miniature delicacies, thanks to melon ballers and sharp knives. A lemon or orange filled with fruit salad is a fun way to start or end a meal.Apples can be hollowed out too and filled with a mix of minced apple, caramel and crushed walnuts for a tiny but tasty end to a meal.

Baby sized versions of favorite dishes are always a fun and novel way to eat. Try  a plate or  sliders
or an lemon bursting with fruit salad. You'll then realize good things really do come in small packages!!

Chestnuts And All Souls

Today is All Saints's day which leads to all Soul's . Throughout Catholic Europe the day is spent roasting chestnuts, their steam representing souls . Yet chestnuts also represent something else - versatility and flavor. They can be used in both savory and sweet dishes.

Most home chefs will be taking an interest in the nut at the end of this month. Many will break out the family recipe for chestnut dressing. This is a nice alternative to just traditional bread stuffing with the nutmeats adding a sweet earthy flavor. The recipe is a simple dressing one with the addition of a pound of chestnuts.They're boiled first and then peeled. You can also roast them for a richer, more complex taste.Roasted chestnuts will also add some crunch too. Sausage can also be added if you want.Not surprisingly , they can be used in salads too.Pair them with the tart Granny Smith apples along with arugula and endive. Because all three have strong tastes, stick to a simple red wine vinegar based vinaigrette. Leftover turkey can be added to this the day after the holiday for a refreshing break from heavy eating.Chestnuts are one of the few nuts that can be ground into flour for bread. Keep in mind that it is gluten free and it won't raise like regular flour.You can make a very flavorful sweet flatbread with it.The nuts need to be roasted in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25 minutes. They then have to dehydrated at 400 degrees F oven for twelve hours to a day. The chestnuts are then ground in a spice grinder or blend to a fine crumb. They can also be ground into polenta. This is what the Northern Italians, primarily, the Piedmontese ate before corn was introduced to Europe.

The flour can also be used for cakes and tortes.This makes for an elegant alternative to regular  cake and pie.The flour should be sifted before using because it does tend to clump.The end result is a dense ,low cake. The flavor is intense so a simple chocolate glaze or dusting of powdered sugar would be the best choice of icing.The batter can also be used for cupcakes, but again. don't expect the height that you would get with regular cupcakes. Italy gives us  their version called castanagnaccio. This has olive oil along with raisins and orange zest in it. Walnuts and pignole, or pine nuts add more nuttiness while rosemary leaves decorate the top.This is a Tuscan tradition that appeals more to adult tastes and is usually served with wine and not coffee.A truly decadent chestnut dessert is marron glace, made in northern Italy and southern France.The chestnuts have to be boiled in salted water for twenty minutes and then are peeled. In another pan  cook two cups of granulated sugar into a quart of water.A vanilla bean can then be added for more taste.The syrup is then poured over the nuts and then left to simmer over a low heat for thirty minutes. They can be served afterwards with fresh whipped cream or better yet , a splash of brandy. Candied chestnuts can also give a bowl of oatmeal some oomph as well as topping butter cookies.

Chestnuts represent the souls heading towards Heaven. They also represent a versatile nut that can be used in both savory and sweet recipes. Enjoy them not just today and tomorrow but for the rest of the month..