Ok, this was made in a flash from canned tomatoes, onions, garlic, and so forth. The kids devoured it, not to mention the dog. Wait, maybe that's not the best endorsement. But he is a very picky dog. Whatever, it was great.
Pantry Spagh Sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
1 28-ounce can pureed tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Saute onion until translucent. Add basil and oregano, plus some salt and pepper (about 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper seemed to work well). Saute until the onion is tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, breaking up the whole ones with your fingers or a wooden spoon. Simmer, covered, over low heat for about 30 minutes until thickened. Taste to adjust salt and pepper and serve over pasta, topped with shaved/grated/shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese. We also had a fruit salad and fresh bread (yet again from New Seasons) and it was a perfect supper for the chilly fall night.
This is some of the best cornbread I've ever made. The sugar is optional, or you can sub honey for it.
Northern-Style Cornbread
1 cup stoneground cornmeal
1 cup flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar or honey
Grease a 9x9" pan and preheat the oven to 425.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a large-ish bowl. If you're using the sugar, add it to the dries. Whisk together the wet ingredients. If you're using honey, add it to the wets. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until moistened but still lumpy. If you wanted to add some fresh corn or thawed frozen corn, now would be a good time to fold it in in a couple strokes. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 18-20 minutes until tester comes out clean. The cornbread doesn't brown too much but it's still delicious. Serve hot with butter and jam/honey (or just butter). I also like to put a piece in a bowl and put chili on top, with your fave delicious toppings. Mmm-hmm.
Well, I know that mentioned before that I'd like to buy the bakery I work for. That is no longer the case, as my mother has essentially cut me off (and I've obliged her by not calling) so the money for the down payment has gone bye bye. And I realized that I'm ok with that. I realized long ago (which is sad, really, considering how much I have NOT changed since then) that I can't handle my personal finances. And how am I gonna run a successful business if I can't take care of my own finances. I haven't paid a full month's rent by myself since I was living in a $350 a month studio when I was 19. I'm 32. Do the math. So, I've decided to:
*break my lease and move into a place where I will spend almost $325 less a month
*put together a serious, unflexible budget
*start smoking rollies, and hopefully quit altogether
*try and take care of my debt, one little bit at a time
*quit my job, which is awesome but doesn't offer any benefits or long-term security, and start applying elsewhere
*cut waaaaay back on the drinkin'
So far, it's working. Ok, only a couple things, like the drinking and the rollies. I've been smoking much less since I got the pouch of tobacco on Friday night; I only had one yesterday and none so far tonight. I even had a couple beers Friday night and only smoked a few. So that's good. Updates on the efficacy of the rest as they are realized.
I got my produce box yesterday from Organics to You, so the boy and I decided to make some sort of yummy veggie dish with all the lovliness. These are the two recipes we came up with. I don't know if they necessarily go together, but they were both damn good nonetheless.
Beet Salad:
3 large beets, leaves and taproot trimmed
1/2 cup water
Put beets into small pan. Add water, cover with foil, and roast at 350 for about 45 minutes, or until they are pierced easily with a knife. Set aside until cool. When cool enough to handle, peel by rubbing skin off under cold water. Chop into bite-sized pieces and put into a small bowl.
3 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Whisk all ingredients together. Taste to adjust seasonings. Pour over the beets. Top with:
Crumbled Boucheron cheese
Toasted pecans
Eat, enjoy, and don't be afraid of the bright magenta pee the next day!
Beautiful Potato and Broccoli "Curry"
1/2 of a red onion, sliced
1/2 bunch scallions or green onions, chopped (include about 2" of green part)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, chopped into small chunks
1 medium stalk broccoli, cut into florets
1 bunch spinach, stems removed and leaves washed well
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
2 cloves garlic
1 serrano chili pepper (more if you like it really spicy), seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
In seperate pots, boil or steam broccoli and potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.
Set aside 2 tablespoons each scallions and cilantro. In food processor or blender, puree remaining cilantro and scallions with 1 tablespoon oil, cumin, coriander, garlic, and serrano.
In large skillet or wok, heat 2 teaspoons oil. Saute onion until tender and just beginning to color. Add scallions and saute for 1 minute. Add spinach and saute until tender and bright green. Set aside.
Heat remaining oil in skillet. Saute puree until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add coconut milk, broccoli, potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and onion/spinach/scallion mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 minutes. Taste to adjust seasoning. Serve over white or brown Basmati rice, and garnish with remaining cilantro and scallions. We added a squeeze of lime and it was perfect.
This was so good it almost counteracted my bad feelings about my sink full of sewage that leaked all over my makeup and everything else stored under my sink. I said almost.
Well. It's clearly fall here in Portland again, which means that it's chilly, grey, damp, and a little raw at times. This, I know, is just the beginning of the Season. But it gives me a good excuse to start perfecting recipes to keep me and mine warm, safe, and happy for the next, oh, I don't know... 9 months, until Spring. I made this bread pudding today and it's delish.
Bread Pudding for Wintry Days
1 large loaf Challah or Brioche, cut into 1 inch or so cubes. I used a turban Challah from New Seasons. Prolly a 1.5-2 pound loaf. It should be about 12 cups of cubes.
4 large eggs
1 large egg yolks
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons sugar
5 cups whole milk or half and half
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 Tablespoon melted butter, unsalted
Preheat oven to 325.
Butter or oil a 9x13" pan. Put 10 cups of the bread in the pan, reserving 2 cups of the cubes.
Whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, 3/4 cups of the sugar, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, salt together in a large bowl. Pour over the bread cubes and press down to submerge them. Cover the pan with a piece of plastic wrap, and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the remaining bread cubes with 2 tablespoons sugar, the cinnamon, and melted butter. Scatter this mixture over the mixture in the pan and press down lightly. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, the edges are set, and the center is barely jiggly. It's gonna look puffy but it will deflate fairly quickly. Let it sit for 40 minutes or so and then devour a giant piece with Ben and Jerry's Vanilla Ice Cream. Or whipped cream, or a bourbon creme anglaise and caramel sauce, or sauteed Granny Smith apples, or or or... Wash down with a tumbler of red wine, smoke a cigarette, and settle in for the Law and Order: SVU marathon on cable. Just a suggestion.
This is my favorite muffin recipe ever, from the book The Village Baker's Wife. It's pretty much foolproof and even as a long-time professional baker/pastry chef that's a real godsend, especially when I bake with M&E. You can even sub blueberries for the blackberries but I prefer it with marionberries or boysenberries, fresh picked on Sauvie Island.
Orange-Berry Muffins
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup finely grated orange zest
2/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional, but I love 'em!)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup orange juice
2 tbs melted butter, cooled
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, loganberries, marionberries, boysenberries, ollalieberries, etc., coarsely chopped
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Add orange zest and nuts and mix. Combine eggs, sour cream, oj, butter and add to dry ingredients, and mix gently just until incorporated. Batter will be lumpy. Fold berries into batter. Fill 18 greased or paper muffin cup-lined muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let cool a tiny bit, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely. Although I like these pretty warm with a huge chunk of cold butter! They freeze pretty well, if cooled all the way. E likes them for lunch snacks.
Last night was the first time Max had to take a bath over at my house since he broke his arm. Quick backstory- monkey bars, cherry drop, right radius had a severely displaced fracture while the ulna was merely greenstick. 10 hours in the hospital and one surgery later, and he's fine.
Anyhoo, he's had to switch from showers to baths since the incident, and since he's limited, I had to wash his hair for him last night. I swear it's been at least 4 years since I've done that, and I got a little choked up. He was hideously embarrased that his mom was seeing him (eek!) naked, but I think he enjoyed the extra attention. He's growing up so frickin' fast! I can't believe he's gonna be 10 in like 3 weeks. Plus, he's essentially skipped a grade this year. How proud is this momma?
*and, the nurse who took care of him at the hospital asked me if he was "always this polite"? I am happy to say that yes, he is. Something I've been saying all these years actually sunk in!! Woot!
Well, here's the basics. I'm a single mom living in the most awesome city in the Pacific Northwest (no, not Seattle) with my two (mostly) wonderful kids. I work the night shift at a wholesale bakery that I hope to buy someday soon. I've got a cat, a part-time dog, a full-time boyfriend, and many many friends, cohorts, compadres, and partners in crime. I also like to read like a fiend, crochet, cook, bake, take walks, drink beer, and watch football. Go Bears! Tune in to read about my life, get some recipes for kick ass baked goods, and maybe see some pictures. Cheers!
