Unprocessed! Let's do this!

How much processed food do you eat? I try not to eat much, but it sneaks in one way or another. I've been trying to really watch it for the past few months and when I read about October Unprocessed- a month without processed food-I got very, very excited.

Check out all the info on the Eating Rules blog! 

I'm trying to think of problem areas- things I might have to deal with during this month. Like the croutons we sometimes keep in the house and I sometimes munch on, or the tortilla chips everyone brings to work. I think with a little awareness, this can be totally doable! I'll have to convince some other people to do it too.. I do love to share.

What do you think? Can you go unprocessed for a month?

-m

Absent Minded. Always.

Are you ever forgetful? Please tell me you are. Tell me I'm not alone in my ability to forget so many things.

I have been meaning to buy jars for a while now. Jars. Nothing fancy. Nothing expensive. Nothing hard to find. Just jars. Mason jars, like for jellies right? I keep thinking how nice it would be to use them for storing soups and salad dressings.

I think these things, then I go to target and buy this gadget. I got so excited. A dressing mixer-upper and pourer thingy! yay! I got it home, made some salad dressing, mixed it up, ate a salad. Loved it. Then I made dinner and went to mix the dressing up again and thought 'gosh it would be great to just shake the living you-know-what out of this little jar thing' and it clicked. I didn't need this goofy gadget. I needed jars! I could shake a jar. It has a lid that won't come off, this thing has no way to really close it up, so you can't really shake the whos-its out of it, because you'll splatter delicious dressing all over the place.

Why do I do this? I knew I wanted jars. I knew I wanted them for salad dressing. I just forgot what I wanted, but knew what I wanted to do with it. Dressings. Maybe I have a 'one track mind'? Is that what that means? I'm so focused, dressingsdressingsdressings, that I forget everything else? That seems very silly to me.

I guess I'm stuck with this gadget, since I've used it a bunch and it's kind of fun to twirl around the stirring device. It just really frustrates me to know I could have saved money and gotten way more than one thing if I had bought some jars. I really need to write every single thing down.

I would say 'live and learn' but I'll probably just forget that.

If this gadget floats your boat,  you can check it out here.

And this dressing I made right there, it's out of this world and coming soon.

-m

Orange Chiffon Cake

When I was in high school I thought that the worst thing ever, well not 'ever' but a pretty horrible thing in my juvenile mind, would be to get stuck in a rut. I can get bored pretty easily and I was worried that I'd get older and become stuck, stuck, stuck in a rut. In my mind at that time, a rut was a patterned behavior day in and day out that was so monotonous and dry. As an adult, I crave routine and wonder if my high school self would be baffled that I eat the same breakfast every single day. I don't wonder about it for too long because I love my breakfast smoothie.

My egg separation station.

But it is still a fear of mine, to wake up in 50 years and think I have taken what I deem to be the 'easy' road, without much adventure or challenge. I know that won't be the case, but I can still fret about it can't I? When I was recently planning a meal and needed to come up with a fabulous dessert, I realized that I'm stuck in a dessert rut. I make cookies. I make brownies. I make cupcakes. I make basic cakes. I decided it was time to get adventurous. What? Isn't making a new kind of cake what you think of as adventurous? Of course it is!

I diligently searched through my many baking cookbooks and came across this orange chiffon cake recipe. I read the list of ingredients and said "bingo! adventure, ho!"

Little did I know, that this was a crazy adventurous recipe (in my mind). I was thinking it would be easy peasy and while it was easy, it needed some serious attention and care. Something I sometimes lack. I had to whip egg whites into a meringue-like flurry, I had to fold said egg whites into a thick, orangey batter and I had to be gentle and kind to this delicate cake. I don't think of myself as someone with a gentle hand when it comes to cooking. I don't really do pretty stuff or plate things that nicely- I'm more about the taste than the look. This cake challenged me in many ways.

Be very quiet, I'm folding egg whites...

That being said, I want to make it again. Like, tomorrow. Or maybe today. It was killer. I can't remember ever having a cake as lovely as this. It was light and citrusy and it smelled so amazing. I want it right this very second. I will make this many, many times. I can tell.

Crumbly phase of the glaze

I love everything about this, including this fabulous nonstick pan I scored at Target.

I wish they made an 'orange chiffon cake' candle, because I miss this scent in my house already. 

Orange Chiffon Cake

From The Village Baker’s Wife

Ingredients

Cake:

2 ¼ cups cake flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

I teaspoon salt

½ cup vegetable oil

6 large egg yolks

¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons minced orange zest

8 large egg whites

Glaze (and who are we kidding, this was a frosting):

6 tablespoons salted butter

2 tablespoons minced orange zest

3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 325 and be sure your 10inch tube/bundt pan will fit in the center rack. Butter and flour your pan.

Start by sifting the flour, ¾ cup of the sugar, baking powder and salt into a big ol’ mixing bowl (you’ll be sorry if you use a medium sized bowl, trust me).

Before you move onto the next mixing step, get out your eggs. Set up an egg separating station with a bowl for the soon-to-be-whipped egg whites (mine went straight into the mixer bowl) and a bowl for the egg yolks and another bowl for the egg shells. Separate 6 eggs, put the yolks aside and separate 2 more but get rid of the yolks (since you need 8 egg whites and 6 yolks, toss those extra yolks out or use them some other way-I cooked mine up for my pup).

In a much smaller mixing bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, egg yolks, orange juice and zest.

Mix the oil mixture into the dry ingredients, use a wooden spoon to mix until nice and smooth. Set this aside while you work with the egg whites.

Beat the egg whites using an electric mixer or your amazing biceps until they are foamy. Once they are foamy add the ¾ cup of sugar and continue mixing until the egg whites form stiff peaks and are gorgeously glossy.

Now, gently fold 1/3 of this mixture in with the orange batter. Then, continue to gently fold in the rest of the egg white, or meringue, mixture into the batter. At this point, the batter should hold it’s shape but seem light and fluffy- not runny.

Pour the batter into your pan and smooth the top.

Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes,  do not do not do not open that oven for 45 minutes or the world will end. Or at least, the fluffiness and delightful airiness of this cake will end. Just don’t do it. Just ignore it. Or turn that light on and stare, but keep that oven closed.

Take the cake out and let it cool on a cooling rack for an hour while you make the glaze-frosting.

To make the glaze-frosting, cream the butter and zest then add the confectioners sugar and continue mixing slowly. This little mixture will be oddly crumbly, add the milk and vanilla and continue mixing.

After the cake has cooled you can spread the glaze stuff all around. If you have an older tube pan, you might need to be very very gentle when taking the cake out of the pan. If you have a nonstick pan, it will just slide out like butter. I just got one, it’s nonstick and I’m in love.

You can store this cake at room temperature for 3 days. It won’t last that long, but you can, and if you’re making this for company I’d suggest making it way ahead of time but letting it sit out and look pretty when guests arrive.

Enjoy!

-m  

bliss

These little beauties are saving my afternoons. When I finally walk in the front door and immediately want to grab a bunch of food-stuffs and scarf them down, I see this little bowl in the fridge and I savor a little bite of blueberry bliss.

It's things like this that keep me feeling sane and .. what was I saying? Sane, I think that's all I can manage right now. For some reason, I feel like it's been such a long week. We've been talking about nutrition in class and it's interesting to see what nutrition labels the kids are bringing in to share. I was trying to figure out how to say that some of the healthiest things, like these blueberries, don't have nutrition labels.

They're just plain good. Good for you, good tasting and good looking.

-m

Braised Short Ribs

Last year, some friends and I decided to start a little supper club where we make a fun, fabulous and kinda gourmet meal once a month. When it was my turn to host, I had a heck of a time coming up with a main dish to make. I wanted to make something I had never attempted before, something meaty and something hearty.

When I decided on braised short ribs I had no clue how much I would love them. No stinkin' clue. I didn't even realize until I bought the meat, that I had never even eaten this particular cut of meat before. What in the world is that about? How is that possible? If you fall into that category- you must make these or beg someone else to make them for you this fall/winter!

One of the things I read while finding a recipe, on the smitten kitchen website, was that this is a dish to make whenever people come over. I was skeptical, but she was so very right. I'm going to make if for just us one day, but for now it's my go-to whenever we have people coming over. It hasn't failed me yet!

A secret, shh, these make great leftovers. Make more than you think you will need, not much, but maybe throw an extra rib or two in there (I budget two ribs per person). Take them for lunch the next day and make everyone at work jealous. Or eat them for dinner, either way, enjoying them later is so fabulous. They taste amazing. I threw some pasta in my leftovers to make a.. what do you call that? Amazing! That's what.

Braised Short Ribs
from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

8 whole beef short ribs

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour

6 pieces pancetta, diced

2 tbsps olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 carrots, diced

2  shallots, peeled and finely minced

2 cups wine (red or white)

2 cups beef or chicken broth (enough to pretty much cover the ribs)

2 sprigs thyme (don’t you love the word ‘sprig’?)

2 sprigs rosemary

Preparation Instructions

Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge-or roll around-in flour. Casually set them off to the side, as if it’s totally normal to have such wonderful meat in your midst.

In a large dutch oven, cook the diced pancetta over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered. Take the pancetta out of the pot and save it for later. Also- Also!- save that grease in the pan. 

Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, and the orignal recipe suggest they could brown up in 45 seconds but I say just go with your eyes and nose. You’ll be able to smell them browning up and see it like crazy. I brown them in batches, setting the browned ribs on a plate while I transfer the dredged ones into the hot pan. When you are done browning them all up, turn the heat to medium.

Add onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for just a few minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release the good stuff from the bottom of the pan. Right now you are so glad that you used that pancetta earlier, aren’t you? Bring all the goodness to a boil and cook 2 minutes. 

Now add the broth to cover the ribs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as you like. Add the ribs to the liquid. They should be almost completely submerged. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid. 

Put on the lid and place the dutch oven into the oven. Cook at 350 for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for a bit so you can remove a bit of the fat from the top before you serve it. Pass on two ribs for each person, great with mashed potatoes! 

Enjoy!

-m

Goat Cheese and Cucumber Bruschetta

I love goat cheese.
I love bread.
I love fresh herbs.
I love vinagrettes.
I love cucumber.

It's as if this little appetizer was made for my palette. 

This is one of those appetizer things that you might get somewhere and think- genius! If only I could do that!- without ever realizing how amazingly simple it is to create. I remember when I saw the recipe and started imaging the flavors playing so well together, I just had to have it.

You could really make it look nice too, but I didn't have time (or desire, I don't know if 'pretty food' is in my repertoire) to pretty it up too much. Besides, the food speaks for itself- it says "it's not what's on the outside, but how I burst with flavor and scrumdiddlyumptiousness inside that counts" 

I'm so glad I made it that first time. I've made it a few times and each time I love it. With all the fresh flavors and tart goat cheese, it just works so darn well.

Want to know a secret? I used to be afraid of goat cheese. Yeah. Who wants to eat something with the word 'goat' in it? Turns out, I do. And so do a lot of other fabulous people. Don't be afraid, goat cheese is amazing. Baa. Or is it, bleeaat? 

Make this when you are having people over and you want a quick snack because, oops, the main course is going to take an hour longer than you planned. Or make this tonight, to make your Monday night dinner seem fancy and to welcome the week with open arms! You will rock this week! This week has nothing on you, you had an appetizer with dinner- an appetizer on a Monday!- who does this week think it is? This week will be amazing with a start like this!

Am I convincing you, or me there?

The cucumber can be used in a few ways, here we stuck it between the cheese and bread. Other times we used it in place of the bread-it was divine both ways and a big thick slice of cucumber is just what this recipe was begging for.


Goat Cheese and Cucumber Bruschetta  
(what's the deal with bruschetta? is it just 'stuff you put on bread so you don't feel bad about just having bread before eating a big meal'? or not? I must do research) 
adapted from Real Simple: Best Recipes, Easy, Delicious Meals 

Time: 10 minutes, seriously. 
Serves: 8 people well, 4 people 'till they're stuffed. 

ingredients

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of any fresh herbs you have on hand (I used rosemary, chives and thyme- parsley, basil and dill would be great too)
8 thick slices of bread
8oz of soft goat cheese
1 English cucumber, sliced (about 1/4- 1/2 inch thick) 

In a small bowl whisk together pretty much everything except the bread and cheese. You can start with the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, honey and salt/pepper- then toss in the herbs and shallots after that's mixed nicely.

Here's where you get to be creative: you can drizzle the vinagrette on the bread, then spread the cheese and place a cumber on top, or drizzle after assembling the bread/cheese/cucumber- or however you please! That's the beauty of it. There's no wrong way, to eat this bruschetta.

Enjoy!
-m

Sounded so good

Have you ever been over a friends house to eat, and the food just ain't no good?

Well, this was sort of like that. Except, all my friends seem to cook wonderfully and I was at home cooking for myself.

I saw these on a food blog and instantly wanted to try them. I love caprese salad, and I love eggs, and it sounded like a great way to make an easy dinner/lunch/brunch.

And they were easy to make! Oh, so easy, and kinda pretty too.

It seemed so harmless, that fresh mozzarella

But somewhere along the line things went oh, so bad. The use of fresh mozzarella was not a good choice, it made the end result watery and gross. The eggs baked too long and the cheese didn't melt the way I thought it should.

All in all, not a success. Super failure. Not making these again (I also wasn't a big fan of the basil/egg combo) but I might try it with other stuff like ham, cheddar cheese and spinach.

Now I have this song stuck in my head, so I must share.
Enjoy!
-m

Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn!