Taking Time

     Moving is never fun.  I've moved a lot in the past 6 years.  In fact, my current move marks number ten;  you'd think I'd be an expert by now.  I am more efficient, but it never gets any easier.  Stuff tends to accumulate, and since what I collect generally falls into the categories of Kitchen and Cookbooks, my loads are not exactly lightweight.
     Yesterday I moved quite a few of these heavy loads....one.at.a.time.  I must have looked ridiculous scurrying back and forth from the car, across the courtyard, to the front door of the apartment building.  And thanks to the cold I've had the last few days, I was producing quite the attractive wheezing sound.  I'm just grateful the weather here in Portland is sunny and beautiful right now.
     All this to say that getting home and cooking a warm and satisfying meal was precisely what my body needed.  I made a barley risotto with cara cara orange, arugula, crème fraîche, and toasted walnuts.  After sautéing the onion, shallot, garlic, and toasting the barley, I just pulled a chair right up to the stove while I added the liquid.  I turned on some music, grabbed my book, and for forty minutes forgot all about my list of packing chores as I slowly stirred my risotto.  There is something mesmerizing about watching grains gradually puff and become tender and creamy.  I love that I can listen to the bubbling of broth, watch simple ingredients transform into my delicious dinner, and suddenly feel totally relaxed. 
     I was nourished by this meal, in a way that eating a quick bite standing up in a restaurant never allows for.  I have neglected to spend that long cooking at home recently.  I've been letting another move across town stress me out, and this was all I needed.  A calm hour alone in my kitchen to put things back into perspective and remind me that taking the time to take care of myself is every bit worth it.  
      

A Love Letter to Pumpkin Rolls

     Yes, it is just the standard cake and icing roll that's in every Junior League and Betty Crocker cookbook.  They come in plenty of flavor combinations, but the pumpkin roll with cream cheese icing is the one I wait patiently for all year.  I realize I could make one myself, but then I'd have a whole cake in my possession...that's dangerous.  I have visions of the episode of Sex and the City when Miranda tries to throw away the remainder of a cake she has almost entirely devoured, and then just eats it out of the trash.
That could easily be me.
     So I did not make one myself, and I also missed out on this treat at both Thanksgiving and Christmas.  However, I requested that out of the slew of pumpkin rolls produced at the Crazy 8 Cafe over the holidays, one be tucked safely away in the freezer for when I finally made it back to Chickasha for a visit.  In the weeks before my arrival in January, I checked in on the status of my pumpkin roll multiple times.  I didn't want it to accidentally be served to paying customers....that would be silly.  They couldn't possibly appreciate it as much as me.
     Well, somehow my week at home passed by without eating the pumpkin roll.  (Perhaps because of all the other food I was eating- see previous post)  I was sitting at my mother's cafe only hours before my flight when I remembered my little bundle of joy and flew out of my chair to retrieve it from the freezer.
So, there I was, toting pieces of pumpkin roll across the country wrapped tightly in plastic and foil.  I was mildly concerned airport security might wonder why I had so much foil in my carry-on.  But all went smoothly and I had the perfect welcome home gift before I headed back to a week of work.
     Moist pumpkin cake, sweet and tangy cream cheese icing, crunchy bits of pecan, and the glory of the roll itself- cake and icing enjoyed equally in every bite.  Because to me, uneven proportions of components is the downfall of most cakes.  Picture used plates at parties- the icing and half the cake are gone, with half a piece of crumbled cake mushed all around and destined for the trash.  Not a problem here!  I ate each piece as slow as possible, scraping every morsel off the plate with the edge of my fork.  I was a pretty happy girl, and I had to make those bites carry me through to the end of the year.

A Tasty Trip Home

     I finally made it back to Chickasha, OK for a visit with my family, and it was just the vacation I needed.  As is typical of my visits home, I did a lot of eating.  Between the old favorites I crave from my mom's kitchen, my favorites from her cafe, getting my fix of BBQ and burgers from the local joints, cooking new dishes with my mom, and gathering with family and friends over meals, I had quite a lot to check off my list in 6 days.  I think I won the challenge.
     My first night home we had a tasty stuffed pork loin, and most importantly, what I always request, garlic green beans.  It's a silly thing to love so much, but I don't care.  And it's clearly not seasonal in January, still don't care.  Whole canned green beans, cooked in butter, garlic, and brown sugar...lots of it...as in swimming. If ya wanna get fancy, you can make them into little green bean bundles wrapped in a piece of bacon; we usually save that effort for the holidays.  I've been teased for my excitement over these beans, but they make me truly happy.
     The next night was dinner out with my parents' best friends and their kids.  Rich lamb ragu, spicy pasta, braised short ribs, risotto, pizza, and wine were all shared over a dinner full of laughs with the Haney family.  To really top it off, we stopped for frozen yogurt at Orange Tree.  This place has more yogurt and topping options than any other frozen yogurt store I've seen.  I was giddy.
     I had my much beloved chocolate chip bread pudding with warm caramel sauce at the cafe.  Oh man...that stuff deserves its own story.
     Then there was Roy's BBQ night:  chopped beef sandwich and waffle fries.  I love good barbecue, and this is number one for me.
     My mom and I made tender and juicy braciola one evening.  A rolled steak filled with herbs, seasoning, prosciutto, and provolone; we braised it in a tomato sauce and served it all over spaghetti.
     I was able to join my mother's side of the family for their new tradition of Souper Sundays they've begun this year. A simple supper of a soup, bread or side, and dessert is an easy way to gather for a couple hours every week.  We tried a version of Argentine locro.  Spicy and thick vegetable and sausage stew, topped with cilantro, cotija cheese, and crunchy roasted squash seeds.
     And perhaps my big winner for the week- homemade brioche doughnuts from a Cuisine at Home book.  It was a beautiful brioche dough I spent several hours with on Saturday and then chilled overnight.  On Sunday morning I rolled it out, cut my shapes, and fried 'em up.  I covered most with a pomegranate glaze, and treated a few to a cinnamon sugar coating or a chocolate butterscotch glaze.  Well, brioche already makes my heart pitter patter, and what's not delicious fried?  Golden brown and crispy, warm, buttery and soft inside... I preferred to eat mine plain.  Too easy to pop the little doughnut holes in my mouth as I stood there frying.  I also satisfied my craving for a hot and fresh doughnut.  I'm a firm believer that doughnuts are a waste of time if they're not hot, and these were just as good re-warmed the next day.  My dad said they were the best doughnuts he'd ever had, and I think I must agree.

    

Holiday Ham

     This Christmas marked a milestone in my life:  I cooked my first holiday ham for just my boyfriend and me.  I was quite pleased with the entire experience.
     I ordered my ham from Gartner's Meat Market here in Portland.  I'd never made the drive out to 74th and NE Killingsworth, and what an adventure it was. I got there a bit before they opened at 10:00 a.m. on the Sunday before Christmas, and thank goodness.  There was a line outside the locked doors as if people were headed into a rock concert.  The parking lot was even equipped with a traffic controller.  These people are serious about their meat.  I  had ordered a fresh ham because I intended to use my own brine and smoke it.  Unfortunately, there was a mix up on their papers and I received a partially smoked ham.  The employee that helped me was kind enough to call later when he realized the mistake. Great customer service, but I didn't have the time to head back across town and trade.  No worries, I just switched gears and decided to cook my ham with my mother's delicious glaze.  I'm glad I did.
    I needed that old familiar comfort of her ham.  Smelling the brown sugar and mustard glaze bubbling on the fat, sneaking all the crispy sweet edge pieces for myself, and that first juicy bite of deliciously moist ham. What a fantastic thing to pull out of the oven as it glistens and steams, practically begging to be eaten.  We sat down to a Christmas night dinner of ham, homemade apple chutney, roasted brussel sprouts, and his own potato cake-like creation (which I'm actually craving this very moment).  My Christmas season finally stopped feeling like I was missing out on my family traditions; I was creating my own with someone I love.  
    And then, what I was perhaps looking forward to most: a leftover ham extravaganza.  Oh ham, for days and days... and then more ham.  Ham in omelets, salads, soups and a slew of ham sandwiches.  Pressed into a panini with hot mustard, cheese, and spicy pickles.  On jalapeno cheddar bagels or blue cornmeal bread.  Or pressed with chutney and hot sauce.  The options are endless.  I finally got around to cooking a big pot of white beans with the ham bone and extra shredded meat.  Butter, garlic, onion- so simple, but I can't seem to put the spoon down.
     I feel like I need to thank the pig that provided us with such a bounty of food.  An 8-pound ham was food for two for weeks.  The cooking technique or glaze I use may change each year, but a tradition of a holiday ham is one I plan to keep.

    

Christmas Cookies

     It's a cookie factory in my kitchen!  I've set about making 9 cookies/candies for the 2009 holiday season.  That sounds like a fairly reasonable amount, right?  Enough for a beautiful cookie tray with some nice variety....a great gift for friends, family, neighbors, teachers, etc.  Except, I don't have family or a lot of friends here in Portland yet; who is going to eat all of these cookies??

     Then again, making cookies is about more than the final product for me.  I'm able to turn on Christmas music or movies while I bake and get into the holiday spirit.  Spending time in the kitchen always makes me happy, and rolling dough, cutting shapes, icing, and decorating is even more fun. This first year away from my family is pretty weird.  It's Christmas in the stores and on the streets, yet I'm without the things that usually signal Christmas for me.  Baking cookies gets me closer.  I may not get to share these treats with some of the people I love and care about, but they're all on my mind.

      The list:

Lebkuchen- This traditional German cookie has all the warm spice I love in gingerbread, but it's soft.  A winner for me because there are very few crisp cookies I enjoy, and therefore don't like the standard gingerbread man.

Pistachio Linzers- Gotta love the jam experience in a linzer cookie, and the ground pistachio in this dough just takes it up a notch.

Rosemary and Nut Shortbread- I made this shortbread dough with brown sugar, walnuts, pine nuts, rosemary and lemon zest.  I love rosemary and these are a perfect not-too-sweet cookie.  They have just the right amount of chew and crunch.

Sparkling Ginger Chip Cookies- A recipe from 101 Cookbooks that were too pretty to pass up.  Still on my to-do list, and I'm looking forward to this one.

Triple Chocolate Cherry Cookies-  Well really, how could I not have a least one cookie that was a chocolate overload.  It was a must.  Both cocoa powder and melted chocolate for the dough, and dark chocolate and white chocolate chips stirred in with the dried cherries.  Yum.

Carrot Cookies- A nod to Grammy.  I love it when she makes these, and had to try it myself.  One of my favorite little recipes from the Junior Social Workers' cookbook.

Cream Cheese Brownies- A request from a special someone for tradition's sake.  Hope this version is everything he remembers.

Coconut Joy Candies-  Coconut had to be on this list somewhere.  Bite size candies...that can be dangerous.

White Chocolate Popcorn-  This is a stupidly easy thing to do, but the salty sweet is addictive.  Great for munching on while cooking a Christmas meal.

That's the rundown.  I'll let my friends choose they're favorites once they're all ready.  For now I'm enjoying the baking.

Chocolate Babka 2.0

     Last night we were wanting a sweet treat and remembered there was still half of loaf of chocolate babka in the freezer.  I had even pre-sliced it for easy eating.  Well, warm, sugary, chocolaty bread sounded just right.
     I stepped into the other room to make a call and by the time I finished my boyfriend had gone above and beyond toasting and buttering some babka.  I was instructed to remain on the couch so he could surprise me with the dessert he had plated.  I'm still a little giddy thinking about what he made- Chocolate Babka French Toast.  But it gets better....the pieces were perfectly crispy and browned on the outside, drizzled with warm caramel sauce that I had also previously made, and then topped with a scoop of caramel praline ice cream (note said ice cream problem in post below).  Yep.  Talk about eating with goofy grin on our faces.  I realize not everyone has the same insatiable sweet tooth that I do, but who can resist that?  A perfect expression of what I prefer in desserts.  I love the textures of the crunchy outside and the soft, dense bread,  the chocolate oozing into every bite, the warm sauce to complement the chocolate and custard, and the delicious ice cream melting over the warm bread.
     Yes, chocolate babka does get better. A lot better.
     How about Chocolate Babka 3.0?  We had leftover custard and just two pieces of bread, so he cubed the bread and put it in to soak for bread pudding.  Big smiles again.  My mother's chocolate chip bread pudding with warm caramel sauce happens to be my very favorite dessert, and I have a feeling chocolate babka bread pudding (still have that caramel sauce on hand) will be a close second.

Chilly and Rainy

     It's raining.  It's cold.  It's raining and cold.  And repeat.
All I want to eat at this time of year (outside of my year-round ice cream problem) is something warm.  Even the yogurt or shredded wheat I am usually pleased with for breakfast has to be replaced with oatmeal, grits with lots of pepper and butter, or toast and eggs.  I just don't feel satisfied without food that fights the chill.  Braises, roasts, stews, soups... it's the season for rich and hearty bowls of goodness.  A perfect excuse, I might add, for a couple extra pounds of defense against harsh winter winds.
     I want chicken and dumplings.  I want to plug in the slow cooker and just let time and heat work its miracles.  I want to sit in front of a fire with a steaming mug of apple cider.  I want Junior Social Worker's Spaghetti Day spaghetti with every little noodle coated in meaty sauce.  I want spicy chili thats been bubbling all day.  I want to cuddle on the couch late at night with my mom and her tapioca warm off the stove.  I want white beans and ham.  I want French Onion soup in its special crock.  I want hot and gooey sandwiches.  I want to dunk hot, fresh doughnuts in my coffee and soft, crusty bread in my soup.  The list goes on, but warm comfort is clearly the theme.
     All these things were on my mind a few days ago as I considered what I wanted to eat on my weekend.  Well, here's the delight of dating a man who cooks for a living, he was thinking the same thing and I never had to say a word.  Just spotted the beef short ribs at the market, and proceeded to create exactly the meal I was craving.  After searing the ribs, slowly adding layers of vegetables, tomato sauce, seasoning, and beef broth, then simmering everything for many hours,  he had a meltingly tender ragu.  The meat fell into soft shreds in its thick sauce, and even though most of the mirepoix and mushrooms became unidentifiable in the ragu, each flavor came through.  We ate it over creamy polenta cooked with beef broth, Parmigiano-Reggiano rinds, more cheese, and plenty of butter.  Might as well really go for it, right?  We still had our vegetable- crispy roasted brussel sprouts- a vegetable that I didn't know I loved until my adult years, but have since made up for lost time.  I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of our meal.  The only bad part was waiting to eat as the house filled with the aroma of what was to come.