CulturalConstruct

Destiny and the Triple Crème

2012-02-17T10:52:00.000-08:00

Finding or creating the perfect cheese plate and cheese pairings are important pursuits. In the Twin Cities we have about half a dozen cheese shops that I gladly drive across town to visit. Last Friday we stopped at one my favorites and talked all things fromage with one of the knowledgeable mongers. After tasting buttery Crémeux de Bourgogne (easily the best triple crème ever) I immediately knew the destiny of the wedge that came home with me. Slathered on radishes, this brie surpasses all other flavors I enjoyed this week.

Semlor Season

2012-02-16T05:24:00.000-08:00

With nary a day of snow and cold this winter it is kind of weird to be thinking about spring. But Fat Tuesday is sneaking up on us, and it is time to make the semlor. I keep imagining Fred the Baker switching tasks ... "Det är dags att göra semlor." For a semlor refresher, read this week's Called to the Table column.

ShiraNOTki

2012-02-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

I ponder frequently my love of the miraculous practically calorie- and carb-free shirataki noodles. The yam version is especially awesome. The only drawback is how long it takes and how much water is wasted washing away the "authentic aroma" before consuming them. It is probably the squeamish American in me, but the odor is best described as dead fishies. A girl can overlook a lot of unpleasantries to get to something that, after much care and attention, becomes delicious and diet friendly.

Although ours is an urban location, working on a farm campus often means limited lunch options. Bringing meals from home is pretty standard around here, but occasionally we seek something convenient that doesn't include last night's leftovers. Our student center recently began selling an awesome assortment of Asian foodstuffs. Just yesterday we discovered instant shirataki hanging out in the salad case!

I asked the student cashiers if anyone else had tried the instant noodles yet. No one had. We all wondered, would the instant noodles have an altered authentic aroma? Would they smell fresh? Would they require no rinsing, no soaking, no boiling, no drying? I offered to take one for the team, purchased the Szechuan flavor (spicy, serve cold) option, and promised to report back on my experience.

The package opens like a gift. It contains a folded informational insert in both English and Chinese, two tiny bags of liquid spice, a folded fork (!), and a baggy of noodles. The plastic box doubles as a bowl. Instructions advise: Take out of refrigerator, open lid, tear open plastic bag around 1 cm, pour away purified water, empty noodles into container, add soup base, stir well and serve. As I drained the noodles, my curious coworkers (also shirataki enthusiasts) asked, "Well? Any smell?" I gagged my response.

Conclusion: instant shirataki noodles are a great option for someone with access to a strainer, lots of water for rinsing and boiling, and more than half an hour for the process. Serve COLD flavors include Szechuan, Vinegar, and Wasabu (is this Chinese for wasabi?). Serve HOT flavors include Abalone and Chicken. I still cannot say whether I like the Szechuan flavor, as the noodles are still soaking away their odor.

Post Lunch Update: I sit with the noodles before me. The plastic container they came in began leaking as the noodles soaked and so I was forced to transfer them to a cup. After an hour and a half of soaking the scent away, I drained then completely dried the noodles with paper towels. Since stirring in the soy sauce seasoning and hot oil I've taken one bite, but without the boiling method these noodles are a little too chewy to enjoy. I'll let them swim in the seasoning for a while longer, and maybe add some peanuts. The experiment continues. And now I am hungry.

On a happy note, I've burned more calories preparing my lunch than the lunch actually contains (12 calories, 6 mg sodium, 6 g carbs, 5 g fiber, and 1 g sugar). Is it any wonder these things are addictive?

I Heart Pizza and Wine

2012-02-14T05:58:00.000-08:00

The first time I interviewed someone for a food article in our local newspaper, he invited T and I to dinner. He was a Francophile and pleased to serve us an authentically French meal. The quiche was pretty good, as I recall. Sort of a play on Lorraine. Heavy on the cheese, caramelized onions, and flavor.

But more vivid than that lovely tart are my memories of the wine he served. I saw the Riesling label and, not a fan of sweet baby wines, likely wrinkled my nose. "This is an early harvest," he told us as he pulled the cork from the bottle, "from Alsace." That wine changed everything I thought I knew about the varietal. Grapes harvested before the sugars are allowed to flourish produce a dry wine, low in alcohol and crisp, complex, and cool.

Form pizza dough into a heart shape any day of the year. Your Valentine will appreciate it. As I tossed pizza dough over the weekend, I thought about my introduction to early harvest Rieslings and how well they play with many foods (Lucky for us, we had a bottle chilling.). I especially like them with rich and peppery flavors, like this mushroom-ham-arugula pizza.

Oyster Mushroom-Ham and Arugula Pizza
Whole wheat pizza dough (Recipe here makes 2 9-inch crusts)
3 1/2 ounces oyster mushrooms, chopped
1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter, plus oil to drizzle
3 green onions, chopped
3 ounces ham or bacon, cooked and diced
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup shredded provolone and mozzarella
2 cup arugula
3 radishes, sliced
1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
Nutmeg, salt, and pepper
Balsamic vinegar

Saute mushrooms in olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add onions, ham, and garlic and cook additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Roll out half of pizza dough to very thin 9 inch crust. Cover crust with provolone and mozzarella. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil over cheese. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven until crust is starting to crisp and cheese is melted and golden. Spread mushroom mixture evenly over the cheese and return pizza to oven for additional 10 - 15 minutes.

Toss arugula, radishes, and parm in a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar. Season well with pepper. Top hot pizza with salad and serve immediately.

Meal and a Movie: Planet of the Apes

2012-02-13T05:58:00.000-08:00

Easily the best Valentine's Day I've ever had was about twelve years ago. T and I brought my then teen-aged daughter and her friend to Oak Street Cinema for a viewing of the 1968 masterpiece Planet of the Apes. Nothing is more romantically campy and profoundly funny in its own self-importance than a movie with lines like, "Time bends. Space is boundless. It squashes a man's ego. I feel lonely. That's about it. Tell me, though. Does man, that marvel of the universe, that glorious paradox who sent me to the stars, still make war against his brother? Keep his neighbor's children starving?"

And who better to utter these phrases than the self-importantly brilliant Charlton Heston, as George Taylor? "Do you have any weapons? Any Guns?" George asks. When told they wouldn't need them, the future NRA president states, "I'm glad to hear it. I want one anyway."

As you plan your Valentine celebration, I hope you'll consider adding Planet of the Apes to the evening. If simian survival, Bright Eyes, and missing links don't trigger a little amour, chocolate truffles and red roses probably cannot rescue you either. Serve water, melons, corn on the cob, and coconut. For dessert, bake a Banana Flip Cake and swing from the chandelier. But whatever you do, do not tell your love to "Take your stinking paws off me you damned dirty ape." That could possibly kill the mood.

Banana Flip Cake
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
5 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon banana extract
1 egg
6 ounces milk

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter for about 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla, extract, and egg and beat one minute.

Continue beating and add dry ingredients and milk alternately in batches. Spread batter in buttered and floured bread pan. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.

Cool on rack 10 minutes, then remove from pan. Serve with banana cream and nutmeg.

Banana Cream
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup corn syrup
1 banana
1 teaspoon vanilla
powdered sugar

Whip cream to stiff peaks.

In blender puree corn syrup and banana together.

Combine cream, puree, and vanilla. Sweeten to taste with powdered sugar.

The Fall of Fusion

2012-02-10T06:43:00.000-08:00

When I first fell in love with fusion and nouvelle cuisine, I never imagined how vilified the trend would become. By the early 1990s food television, celebrity chefs, and a thriving economy meant that common diners, like me, were afforded the breathtaking and elegant (OK I admit it, often prissy and ostentatious) plates once composed only for the wealthy. In my estimation the backlash began around the same time that Monica Lewinski and her beret (and stained dress) stole the nation's attention. Overnight a changed attitude toward food and politics escorted America into a decade of comfort food. Enter the mashed potato.

Look, I've got no issues with a nice plate of macaroni and cheese. Tuna sandwiches are evidence that God loves us and She wants our tummies to be full and happy. But enough already! A return to fussy plates and an appreciation of fine dining cannot happen soon enough for me. I want to celebrate the past (who can turn down a homey fish stick or ketchup brushed meatloaf?) as well as hope for a better world (pretty little portions on a perfectly plated stage).

The term fusion is no longer used when referring to, for example, Korean tacos. Food lovers are so afraid of offending someone's palate that we coin ridiculous phrases to define what we are eating: new world cuisine, molecular gastronomy, mindful eating. The food world has gotten a little woo-woo. There is a time and place for comfort food. There is a time and place for nouvelle. And fusion has been around since humans first stepped outside of the cave.

If you've read any of my previous posts you know that I have an abusive relationship with my Crockpot. A few weeks ago the dietitian at my local Byerly's demoed a fantastic pulled pork recipe, and I used her technique to the letter (including a rare purchase of dried dip mix and bottled barbecue). Finally, Crockpot success! Now I am exploring new ways to re-purpose pulled pork. Here is a little fusion recipe for you to chew on. It melds well barbecue, southwestern, and Asian flavors.

Chipotle Pulled Pork and Noodle Lettuce Wraps
4 - 6 servings

2 pounds pork roast
1 envelope Lunds and Byerly's Caramelized Onion and Roasted Garlic Dip Mix
(or whatever spices and seasonings you have on hand)
1/4 cup water
1/2 to 1 cup (more if you like it wet, less if you like it dry) of your favorite chipotle barbecue sauce
2 or 3 - 8 ounce packages Shirataki noodles; rinsed, cooked, and dried
Radish Pepper Relish Salad (see recipe below)
1 head Bibb lettuce; washed, dried, and leaves separated

Cook pork, dip mix, and water in Crockpot on low about 12 hours. Shred pork and combine with defatted Crockpot liquid. Stir in barbecue sauce.

Place pork, noodles, and salad on individual lettuce leaves. Garnish with cashews or crispy Chinese noodles if desired. Wrap to form rolled sandwich.

Radish Pepper Relish Salad
Chop a handful of each of the following ingredients:

Red radishes
A variety of hot and sweet peppers
Cilantro
Green onions
Cucumber
Red onion
Avocado

Toss with lime juice, salt and pepper.

Immigration and Farming

2012-02-09T06:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know a whole lot about immigration or farming. I barely hold my own in English and am hopeless when it comes to speaking other languages. I am notoriously lazy and don't care for yard work, let alone weeding the garden. So spending a weekend with hundreds of exceptional refugees, immigrants, farmers, and educators is simultaneously humbling and inspirational. This was my second year volunteering for the Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference, and I gain as much from the experience as do the farmers the conference is meant for. The more I learn, the more respect and gratitude I have for the people who feed us

This year I met farmers Juan and Maria. Their family farm is in Stewart, near Glencoe. As is the situation with most small farmers, Juan and Maria don't make enough profit from farming to live off of. Juan works full-time at 3M while Maria tends the fields. They sell their pesticide-free produce at farmers markets, and generously gifted me with a few jars of their salsa. (Juan asked about my salsa preference. My response: Bring the heat!)

I also met Jose Luis Villaseñor, the executive director of Tamales y Bicicletas. He told me about a project he is working on with the youth of color in Minneapolis. The students explore issues of food inequity, create activities designed to address inequities, and go back to their peers and teach them about those issues.

The StarTribune did a nice piece on the conference. Read that here, and I featured it in this week's Called to the Table.

We came here with bloody tears

2012-02-07T07:01:00.000-08:00

I've known Ly Vang for nearly two years. When she walks into a meeting you can feel her positive energy, and voices rise in unison to greet her (a la Norm in Cheers). She is rarely without a smile and quick to hug. I knew she had a difficult past, as many refugees and immigrants do. But I hadn't heard the details of her life until Saturday morning when she was a keynote speaker at the Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference.

An RN during the Laotian Civil War, Ly went to school during the day and worked nights at a hospital. She was barely an adult when she ran the triage unit, deciding which wounded soldiers needed attention first, and which might die before they saw a doctor. She practiced her English with the CIA, whose secret war tore families apart. Ly spoke about the repercussions of that war. Her entire culture was broken down, she said. She came to the United States with refugees who lost parents, siblings, spouses, and children. Highly skilled professionals became underpaid housekeepers, as is typical of an immigrant story.

Ly's message reminded us of a refugee's struggle and transformation. In the US she spent days and nights on the bus, shuttling herself and her two small children from home to daycare and to classes at the University of Minnesota. All the while, she understood the differences between herself and other women who didn't have her educational resources. "Women were not allowed to [go to] school. They helped parents raise the family." Ly developed her own survival skills and then decided it was time to assist other women who were struggling to make new lives in Minnesota.

Ly became the first Hmong interpreter in the Twin Cities. In 1978 she helped form the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota (AAHWM). The group provided support to a community who didn't come to the United States believing this would become their permanent home. (Too many of us forget that the refugee experience is different from an immigrant's. Immigrants come to America looking for a better future. Refugees escape from a land they intend to return to once circumstances permit it.) Ly sought to empower her community through education, employment training, and drivers education.

During the 1980's Ly's group began seeing their mission as pro-rights advocacy, and their work continues to evolve in order to meet the changing needs of the community. "Today is a better life, but not as [good as] it should be," Ly explained. By the 2000's AAHWM began assisting a few dozen farm families in Hugo who were having issues with landowners. Farmers needed interpreters to assist them with land access rights and USDA information. Today the struggle continues because many farmers don't understand the rules and regulations of US agriculture. But they continue farming in spite of the hardships. For a majority of immigrant farmers, only one to two years pass before their businesses fail. This creates huge problems within families. Depression, embarrassment, shame, and loss only add to the failure, and families find themselves worse off than they were before.

Ly told the farmers that their service to the wider community is too valuable to put a price on. We receive their food and benefit from their healthy and nutritious products. The farmers I met at the conference share a dream: they want to feed their neighbors healthy, tasty, beautiful food and they want the work that they do to be valued by those of us they feed.

"We came her with bloody tears. We watched our families killed, or [waited] many years until [we were] reunited. We crossed the river. We go through the jungle," Ly reminded the refugee farmers of where they came from. "Your vision, mission, and leadership have made a big difference in the community. You are role models of opportunity and financial success." Many farmers maintain their farms even if they are not making money. "You have your own journey and strong culture. I encourage you to move forward and become greater farmers in the future. Nobody sees you. We have limited support. But today you are here. You play a very important role today. You show the government that you want to be citizens... We serve our country and protect the land and natural resources."

Savory Muffins... Batter Up!

2012-02-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

I'll blog about this weekend's 7th Annual Immigrant and Minorities Farmers Conference soon. But for now back to our regularly scheduled food.

After a few days of eating nothing but Common Roots bagels spread thick with hummus and more Thai food than should be legal (how does Chef Joe at Sen Yai Sen Lek tease those flavors and textures out of what should be a simple yellow curry?), my appetite and resources finally returned to my own kitchen. Savory Bacon and Cheddar Breakfast Muffins are great on their own with or without butter. I prefer them hot out of the oven with butter and pepper jelly.

Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Muffins
Makes 6 large muffins

7 ounces all-purpose flour (just under 1 cup)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg and black pepper
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup crisp cooked bacon, chopped (about 3 - 4 strips)
1 egg
2 tablespoons bacon fat, melted
3 ounces half and half

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices; toss in cheddar and bacon.

Whisk together egg, bacon fat, and half and half.

Add wet ingredients to dry and blend quickly until very lumpy dough just begins to form. Divide evenly into 6 large muffin cups (generously prepared with butter). Bake in preheated 400 degree oven about 25 minutes.

Ground Hogs and Super Bowls

2012-02-02T05:26:00.000-08:00

The Super Bowl is upon us, as is Ground Hog Day. Appropriately enough, the recipe in this week's Called to the Table column highlights ground pork (and beef) in a meatball fit for a Super Day slider.

The rest of my weekend will be spent hanging out at the Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference. Thanks to the Minnesota Food Association and dozens of awesome sponsors, hundreds of new farmers attend the conference free and learn about everything from hoop houses and organics, to co-ops and marketing.

Hashing It Out

2012-01-31T06:03:00.000-08:00

Hash is a perfect food for any time of the day. Replace potatoes with sweet potatoes, add some chipotle and beef, and you've got a meal fit for an (urban) cowboy. Serve in tortillas with cheese, salsa, cilantro and avocado. Add an egg for drama.

Sweet Potato Chipotle Beef Hash
2 pounds chuck, cubed
1/3 cup dry rub (chipotle chili powder, cumin, garlic, Mexican oregano, brown sugar)
Vegetable oil for frying
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3 chili peppers, diced
1 clove garlic, minced

Toss meat in dry rub; in batches sear cubes on all sides in vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place cubes in roasting pan, add about 1/3 cup water, cover tightly and cook in preheated 300 degree oven until tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Shred and set aside.

Saute vegetables over medium high heat in vegetable oil until tender and beginning to caramelize; add garlic during final few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss beef into mixture.

Cat Blogging: Cat Show

2012-01-29T07:06:00.000-08:00

While dog shows are a full contact sport where sniffing and mingling are part of the event, at cat shows the competitors are continually separated and shared surfaces are disinfected. Dogs roam freely albeit tethered to their handlers, while cats sit behind plastic or nylon like feline versions of John Trovolta's Boy in the Plastic Bubble. At dog shows breeds, then groups, then best-ofs trot together in a ring before approving audiences. At cat shows there is a stage placed in front of crates where each feline waits to be lifted from its cage by a judge who explains to admirers what traits the puss possesses that are indicative of its breed. Dogs shows are like soccer, and cat shows are ballet or perhaps modern dance mixed with fashion.

The Saintly City Cat Show in St. Paul was the first cat show T and I have ever attended. We wandered through the vendors (and purchased too many cat toys for Olive and Oskar), talked to owners (I was delighted when the Birman breeder who spoke with me at length won a breed championship with her male, and was pleased with my ability to pick a winner when I learned that the Persian kitty I fell in love with was sold to an Arab prince), and watched the judging. At one stage a judge exhibited his own animals, and he was the most entertaining part of the day, which is a difficult feat considering our surroundings. An article about him appeared in Friday's local Pioneer Press.

Chilly Chili Weekends

2012-01-26T05:34:00.000-08:00

During this weekend that just passed nearly every female member of my family headed to her own kitchen and cooked up some version of chili. My daughter made vegetarian, my mom made mild, and my sisters toyed with heat. I spent a few hours on Saturday experimenting with the best flavors of traditional Cincinnati chili for a Called to the Table column. Maybe we have some sort of cooking ESP and channeled one another, or maybe it was just a perfect weekend for chili.

One of the first scholarly articles most foodways students (should) read is Timothy Lloyd's The Cincinnati Chili Culinary Complex. He explores the history of Cincinnati chili and explains how it came to define the region and provide identity to the city and her neighborhoods. Lloyd got me excited about studying not just food, but how food and region and rituals and identity and culture and all that good stuff interact.

Maple Syrup Effect

2012-01-25T05:43:00.000-08:00

T teaches AP Econ to about 60 high school seniors. During a discussion on the Substitution Effect (phenomenon when prices of particular products and services rise - or when incomes decrease - consumers will replace pricier products and services with cheaper alternatives) T used maple syrup as an example. This goofy winter had maple trees across our region producing sap much too early and spawned predictions that the price of maple is going sky high this spring.

Of T's students, about sixty percent hadn't ever tasted maple syrup. Never missing an opportunity for the experiential moment, T immediately set up a syrup tasting for the kids. He pitted the local brand we typically purchase against Mrs. Butterworth and had students taste spoonfuls of each syrup. The results: both sets of kids (those familiar with maple syrup and those who never tasted it before) overwhelmingly chose pure maple as their favorite, although there were a few outliers, or "individuals" as T refers to them, who maintained that the fake stuff is superior.

"That other syrup is so sticky. The kids could hardly lick it off the spoon," T told me, describing Mrs. B. "These long strings of syrup stuck to the bottle, the spoon, everything." Mmm, appetizing! In honor of T's taste test we had a lovely salad last night topped with Cara Cara Maple vinaigrette. The salad and vinaigrette were inspired by Cossetta's Spinach Cranberry salad (spinach, candied pecans, dried cranberries, and cubed Parrano tossed with a sweet maple vinaigrette) although I went in a more savory direction and combined spinach, red onion, figs, avocado, Trugole cheese.

Cara Cara Maple Vinaigrette
Zest and juice from Cara Cara orange (about 1/4 cup juice)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small shallot, diced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Shake all ingredients together until maple and mustard are well blended. If dressing is too thick, add a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar or water until it becomes a good consistency.

Celebration Cookies

2012-01-24T05:30:00.000-08:00

Waking up the morning after my birthday and two days after T's birthday always makes me a little sad. How can it be over with so quickly? How can a day of donuts and Cheetos and birthday cards and well wishes be done? Just like that. I long to do it all over again. Which is probably why I like to celebrate throughout the entire month of January rather than limiting myself to just a 24 hour blowout. I remind myself that the best is yet to come. Later this week I'll join friend at my favorite restaurant, and there is still a full week of January revelry! What a perfect time to bake cookies.

At Christmas my mom presented a beautiful cookie tray that included cookies made by her friend. The recipe was so simple, too simple... I tweaked it just a little bit and cut the original by 3/4 (because really, how many cookies does one house need?) and came up with Four Cs. T liked them well enough to eat the entire batch while it was cooling.

Four Cs Cookies
Makes 20

1 stick butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1/3 cup craisins
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup coconut flakes
1/3 cup cashews

Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and salt; stir until dough forms. Add remaining ingredients.

Roll tablespoon-sized balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven 10 to 14 minutes, or until edges are just crisping and turning golden brown. Carefully remove from sheet and cool on flat surface. Cookies will be quite fragile until cool.

Birthday Bars

2012-01-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my dear T! Lucky for me he is as fun to please as he is easy. Favorite girl: me! Favorite breakfast: pancakes. Favorite cake: any kind of lemon bars. I've many times admitted that I am a disaster when it comes to baking bars. However... although Rustic Lemon Bars are not be the prettiest girls at the dance, they are popular (they have great personalities).

Rustic Lemon Bars
Makes 20 bars

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine ingredients well and spread in buttered 8x8 pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven about 20 minutes or until crust is firm and beginning to brown.

Lemon Curd Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs plus 1 yolk
zest from 2 lemons
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk together ingredients. Pour over hot crust and return pan to oven. Bake additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.

Cool. Cut into squares. Garnish with powdered sugar and lemon zest.

Great Expectations

2012-01-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

T had a gift certificate to a local chain... let's call it "Cement Town." We ordered the $6 burgers from the game day specials and I convinced T to try their pretzel bread sticks. As I sipped my bloody, a young couple was seated next to us. I love looking at strangers and imaging their lives. They must be on their first date. Maybe college kids, stopping in for a bite before heading to the mall or a movie. Ah sweet innocent youth.

Throughout their meal they sounded like a cranky old couple. Nothing satisfied them. They complained. They sighed dramatically and often. They hated the food, the service, the ambiance. When their appetizer arrived at the same time as their entrees, they scolded the server and manager both. "Our meal is ruined."

I looked across the table at T. "Jeepers, this isn't Manny's. This isn't The Strip Club. We are about two steps above a McDonald's."

Our expectations, lowered though they were, were met and then some. The food was as I remembered and exactly as we ordered it: decent and hot (T especially enjoyed the pretzel sticks). A good server goes a long way in making an ordinary experience an awesome one. Our server (which we shared with the Crabby McCrabbingstons) was responsive, bright, and knowledgeable. She smiled often and never lost her cool.

Earlier in the month we were at our local take out waiting for salads to go. An elderly woman not familiar with the mostly Italian food offerings stood at the deli for fifteen minutes, asking questions and placing her order. After paying with a gift card, the woman changed her mind. The server was getting frustrated (heck, so were we and we were just witnesses), but remained calm and kind as she halted the chefs working on the first requests, charged back the gift card, recalculated the complicated purchase, and finally called the manager over to help figure it out.

Food service isn't a glamorous industry. When we come across exceptional servers, which is more often than not, I always leave a note. Anyone doing a thankless job in a phenomenal manner deserves praise.

Meanwhile, T talked about those pretzel bread sticks for a week or two before I buckled down and baked a batch for him. Years ago I had a fantastic recipe which is now lost. I tweaked an Alton Brown recipe and we now have a replacement. The silky dough rises up beautifully and makes a perfect bread stick.

Pretzel Bread Sticks
Makes 12 - 18
1 1/2 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons salt
1 package yeast

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 ounces butter, room temp

Vegetable oil

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

2 large egg yolks beaten with a tablespoon or two water

Coarse salt

Combine water, honey, and salt in large bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Let sit for 5 minutes until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and butter and use the dough hook to mix on low until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead additional 4 to 5 minutes. Dough will become smooth and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Remove the dough and place in clean well-oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise until double, 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or butter well. Set aside.

Bring the 10 cups of water and the baking soda to a rolling boil in a large stock pot.

Turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 12 large or 18 smaller pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a rope, more oblong than skinny (8 inches for large pieces, 5 for small).

In small batches place the pretzel sticks into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them from the water using a spider, and place on paper towels. Place sticks on baking sheets about an inch apart. Brush tops with the yolk-water mixture and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until dark golden brown in color, approximately 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with mustard or a cheese sauce (start with a béchamel and add your favorite grated cheese).

Kitchen Catastrophe

2012-01-19T05:33:00.000-08:00

Of all the failures that have occurred in my kitchen, few will ever live up to Oprah's mushroom soup fiasco. This fall's canning explosion also comes to mind (We are still knee-deep in stove top installation. Three months without a stove isn't as bad as it sounds. Coming soon: it is amazing what you can do with with a fondue pot and a waffle iron). But this past weekend's food adventure came close. Avocado Fries exemplify the adage "Don't try this at home." Read about it at this week's Called to the Table column.

Ärtsallad

2012-01-17T05:57:00.000-08:00

I have an ongoing love affair with ärtsoppa, or yellow pea soup. Laced with cozy flavors of clove and ginger and served with pork, the ritual is completed with a dessert of Swedish pancakes and lingonberries. Sweden's national dish is typically served on cold winter Thursday nights, although modern Swedes don't necessarily embrace this ancient tradition. Their updated versions are as appealing to me as the traditional.

Here is my own modern spin. I'll serve this salad regardless of the weather. Its perfect companion is pork ribs dry rubbed with clove, ginger, cinnamon, mustard, allspice, and cumin, then slow roasted at a low temp and topped with a bit of prepared mustard scented with more clove.

Ärtsallad (a.k.a. Swedish Tabouli)
2 cups whole yellow peas, cooked*
1/2 cup strained yoghurt
Good handful chopped fresh dill
Juice and zest from one lemon
1 cucumber, chopped
7 cherry tomatoes, quartered
5 radishes, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, diced
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper

Stir together yoghurt, dill, lemon juice and zest, mustard, sugar; season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with peas, cucumber, tomatoes, radishes, and onion.

*Soak dried peas overnight; strain. Add peas to pot of water flavored heavily with cloves, ginger, garlic, mustard, allspice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until peas are just tender. Remove peas from water.

Zesty Enterprises

2012-01-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

Those Girl Scouts are soon going to be out and about hoofing their cookies. They've received lots of bad publicity for killing the rainforests. But gosh I do love a good cookie. These lemon flavored melting moments remind me of Lemon Chalets. And they are ecologically sounds. Just ask my hips.

Lemon Melting Moments
Makes about 24 cookies

1 cup butter
1/3 cup powdered sugar
Zest from 2 lemons
1 cup flour
2/3 cup corn starch

Mix together butter, sugar, and zest. Add flour and corn starch until dough forms. Roll teaspoon-sized balls and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven 12 to 14 minutes. Cookies should remain pale and not brown.

Cool and frost with powdered sugar and lemon juice glaze.

Words Become Stories

2012-01-12T05:33:00.000-08:00

There is a great mystery and powerful music playing that we don't
hear and stories full of magic, so many stories that life isn't
long enough to tell them all. --Garrison Keillor

Occasionally I worry that I will someday run out of words to use, stories to tell, or <*gasp*> recipes to develop. Then I remember what good old Garrison Keillor said years ago, and I pick up my pencil and carry on. More words and another story and one more recipe appear. Mr. Keillor is right. Words that become stories are mystery, magic, and music. How lucky we are to write and read them together.

But that doesn't mean we writers don't occasionally dip into a trough we've already drunk from.

This week's Called to the Table column puts a new spin on an old recipe. Thai-style noodle salad is one of those quick and healthy meals that refreshes us whether we are experiencing the dead of winter or the sometimes ungodly heat of August. I also coin a new phrase that I am sure will catch on across the nation. Ever heard of food narcissism?

Buddha's Hand Citron

2012-01-11T05:21:00.000-08:00

Like a bucket of Yoda's detached paws, the fruit was just too tempting to walk past. I had to bring each appendage up to my nose to get as close as possible to the fragrant lemon scent. The little shriveled fingers were irresistible. A mostly ornamental fruit with no pulp, the skin can be used as zest or candied. But at $10 a pop, we had to leave Buddha's Hands behind.

It's Like Buttah

2012-01-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

For the first time in my adult life I ran out of butter. How did this happen?! I am nothing less than diligent when it comes to stocking crucial kitchen staples: butter, dish soap, wine, chicken stock, and chocolate. I discovered the butter blight just as the hot French loaf came out of the oven. I poked around the butterless refrigerator shelves and thought of the Norwegians who are still recovering from the December butter crisis. Then I poured some good olive out onto a plate, added a few shears of Parm-Reg, lots of cracked pepper, and a swirl of aged balsamic.

If you spent any time dining out during the 90s you might recall the olive oil trend. It was pre-Adkins and starches were still popular. Bread baskets were a prerequisite whether you visited Sidney's, Murray's, or Rock Bottom. Then all things Mediterranean hit our plates, and butter disappeared. I spent the first half of the 90s obediently dipping my bread into oil. I spent the later half of the 90s belligerently asking my servers, "Can you please bring butter to our table?"

Honestly, the olive oil bread bath last night was actually a nice change. But I'll be restocking the butter immediately.

More Fun With Bacon

2012-01-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

I recorded the events that took place in late autumn when friends and I cooked up multiple batches of jalapeno and habanero jellies, and my exhausted geriatric stove exploded. During the chaos some jars were labelled "pepper jelly" and some went without any label. As I wrapped the jam for Christmas presents, I wasn't sure who was getting HOT jelly and who was getting mild. Kind of an exciting surprise!

Some recipients were unsure how to use the jelly outside of glopping it over cream cheese and serving with crackers (a fine use of any pepper jelly but not terribly creative). I suggested adding it to stir fry for a quick sweet and sour hot sauce, or using it in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. But this weekend I came up with another use: glazing bacon.

This sweet hot bacon is great alone, in a BLT, or tucked into grilled cheese sandwiches. Rather than frying bacon, I usually bake it in a 350 degree oven on a rack over a cake pan. The drippings collect away from the meat which allows even cooking, and the bacon cooks in nice even strips with no annoying curls.

Jalapeno (or Possibly Habanero) Jelly Glazed Bacon
12 strips bacon
1/3 cup jalapeno jelly, heated on medium low heat until it just becomes syrup

Cook bacon over rack in 350 degree oven until almost crisp, about 15 minutes. Flip strips and brush about half the jelly over each piece. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Flip bacon again and brush remaining jelly over strips. Return to oven final 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp and jelly has melted into it.

Food Memories

2012-01-05T06:11:00.000-08:00

We lived next door to neighbors whose house always smelled of boiling cabbage. A childhood friend lived with what seemed like dozens of young children and every time we entered their house our nostrils hit a nasty wall of diaper. A walk past our elementary school kitchen meant sniffs of tuna casserole and tapioca. Easter Mass is aftershave and incense.

Of all the smells, good and bad, that bring us back to childhood, or college, or a first apartment, food memories are my favorite. This week's Called to the Table is all about the aroma of curry and how it links me to home.

Cat Blogging: Ceramic Friends

2012-01-04T05:27:00.000-08:00

Collections, like art and China patterns, are personal. It isn't always easy to successfully add to another person's accumulations unless, like at our house, ceramic cats are the focus. In this case, all are welcome. Several new kitties came to live with us over the holidays including this white Persian. Oskar immediately snuggled up to his new friend.

Roasting Radishes

2012-01-03T05:34:00.000-08:00

Roasted radishes have been making the rounds for a few years now. Ravers claim that heating radishes gives them new life. They soften. They mellow. They become buttery. Being a radish aficionado I was nervous about ruining a tasty orb by cooking it. Then it occurred to me that wrapping the radishes with bacon might sweeten the experience. The result was soft tasty radishes (almost like a Brussels sprout-lite) that soaked up just enough of the salt-savory bacon flavor to balance the sweet barbecue.

Once radish season begins (only a few months away) I'll experiment with other recipes (grilled, baked in butter, tossed on pizza...) but until then these bacon wrapped beauties will do.

Bacon Wrapped Roasted Radishes
12 radishes
6 slices bacon, halved
Barbecue sauce
12 toothpicks or 3 bamboo skewers

Put bacon strips on wire rack over cake pan; bake in preheated 400 degree oven until just starts to brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Wrap each radish with bacon strip and secure with skewer. Brush all sides with barbecue sauce. Return to oven and bake until bacon is crisp and radishes are soft; additional 15 minutes.

Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

Laktes, blinis, sour cream, caviar, cured salmon, dill, and chives: adding lingonberry preserves to my favorite breakfast of the year brings new meaning to Happy Meals. Why didn't I think of this before? Savory, salty, tart, sweet... amazing what flavor bursts from that little red berry when it adorns a succulent slip of gravlax.

Recipes for latkes and blinis can be found here although this year rather than heating the milk instead I mixed the yeast, milk, and flour last night and kept it covered on the kitchen counter. I completed the recipe (adding eggs, additional flour) as soon as I rose. The batter was ready within an hour or two. While waiting for our breakfast we savored a glass or two of Clementine juice and Cava.

Purchase lingonberry preserves or make your own by simmering fresh or frozen berries with enough sugar to make your tongue glad.

Meal and a Movie: Love Actually

2011-12-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: http://www.imdb.com/

My final two holiday meal and a movie features this year are comedy-love-dramas out of England and star Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Both Bridget Jones's Diary and Love Actually tell stories we relate to about flawed humans who occasionally figure things out. Hopeful messages are vital to decent holiday movies. (There are other similarities: both movies references Titanic, a flick I've never seen, and both suggest that thin women should have large-thigh-paranoia but that is an issue for another posting.)

Love Actually opens to a montage of airport reunions. And I immediately start bawling. I pretty much bawl through the entire movie. I bawl as the varied couples part and reunite. I bawl over the friendships and misunderstandings. The only non-tissue moments take place in Wisconsin (as a hapless and unattractive Brit realizes that anyone with a cute British accent can get lucky in America) and on the dodgy end of London (complete with refrains of Old King Wenceslaus and a nativity scene with lobsters). No matter, I cry during those scenes as well. Love Actually is my annual emotion cleanse, which is why we watch it every New Year's Eve.

Love is sometimes messy, awkward, occasionally ugly. On the ugly end we might simply endure it, or give it to someone who cannot accept it. On the beautiful end, we embrace it and learn Portuguese or the drums or date Claudia Schiffer.

New Year's Eve is also the night T and I celebrate our wedding anniversary. This year equals ten and we'll cuddle up to a celebratory dinner of First Lobster canapes (crisp phyllo dough crackers topped with butter-cream cheese-lemon zest, lobster meat, and caviar), Dodgy Dogs (chicken and apple wieners battered in tempura and deep-fried), tenderloin with Wisconsin beer reduction, and the Prime Minister's favorite chocolate biscuits. Happy New Year to all!

Chocolate Biscuits
Makes 4 dozen
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
11 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pearl sugar and Pop Rocks

Sift together flour, cocoa, and baking powder.

Use paddle attachment on standup mixer to beat butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy; add egg, vanilla, and salt and continue beating until smooth. Hand beat sifted flour into mixture until well incorporated. Chill 30 minutes.

Roll teaspoon-sized balls and place on greased baking sheet; flatten with bottom of glass and top each cookie with a bit of pearl sugar and pop rocks. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 5 to 7 minutes. Cool on rack.

Recipe based on Anne's Chocolate Biscuits recipe from Cindy Pawleyn's Big Small Bites.

Meal and a Movie: Bridget Jones's Diary

2011-12-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: www.imbd.com

I wear my love of all things chick lit like a badge of honor, not a shameful scarlet letter. Bridget and I go way back. In the beginning, before she became a cinema darling, we had so much in common that it was impossible not to befriend her. We were both singletons in our thirties, desperately watching the scale, partying with friends, struggling to find a suitable career away from dead end desk jobs in the clerical ghetto (truth be told Bridget escaped her desk ghetto and I am still working on it), and if I had a euro for every Daniel Cleaver I dated...

Bridget faced her troubles with a terrific sense of humour and a bit of gumption. She became... well not really my role model but certainly someone I identified with. Bridget Jones (not Oprah as is commonly believed) is Every Woman. Bridget and Mark gave me perhaps the most important holiday gift of all: to like myself, just as I am.

My Mark Darcy appeared not in a reindeer jumpsuit, but in enormous glasses from a different decade (which he still wears on occasion). He is not a top barrister, instead thrills me with tales from his teacher's pulpit. Best, my Mark Darcy sits beside me every Christmas and abides another airing of Bridget Jones's Diary.

Tonight we'll watch again as Bridget painfully rises from her mistakes to finally succeed. We'll raise our cups to her and fancy a hot plate of Turkey Curry, a few gherkins (on toothpicks - the height of sophistication), hard boiled eggs, and the appropriate libation (I choose vodka. And Chaka Khan.). No blue soup, but the mango curry is slightly similar to orange marmalade. Afterwards we might go play around in the paddling pool.

This recipe for curry reminds me of the curry houses in Japan, where customers select a protein and it is ladled over lots of white rice with a rich gravy of sweet curry.

Obligatory Recipe Acknowledgement: my butcher was out of turkey breast and we had to substitute two large chicken breasts.

Turkey Curry
Serves 6
Olive oil
1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 thumb-sized bit of ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon red chili paste
2 tablespoons sweet curry powder (I used Penzey's)
2 cups chicken broth
1 - 14 ounce can coconut milk
3 to 4 cups cooked turkey, shredded
1 teaspoon cayenne

Heat large pan over medium high and add a tablespoon or two of oil. Saute onion, pepper, and ginger until vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic, paste, and powder; cook additional 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to simmer; reduce about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add coconut milk and continue simmering additional 10 minutes. Add turkey and heat thoroughly. Add cayenne and adjust seasonings.

Serve over white rice with cilantro, jalapeno, lime, chutney, avocado, tzaziki, and naan.

Meal and a Movie: A Christmas Story

2011-12-29T08:34:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: amazon.com

Long ago I lived overseas for three endless years. I worked at a video rental that catered to Americans, and spent hours each day nursing a rotten case of homesickness with movies that brought me back to the Midwest. There were two that I watched so often the masters had to be replaced: Al Franken's One More Saturday Night and A Christmas Story.

Back in America A Christmas Story had been discovered by the mainstream. Now, this classic shows on at least one cable channel in a 24 hour loop Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. Everyone knows Ralphie and frageelay and not to stick your tongue on a frozen flag pole. Scut Farkis is a fixture in our neighborhood.

Dining during A Christmas Story can go a few directions. There is the vintage fare of mashed potatoes, meatloaf, and boiled red cabbage. Serve with milk. You can do the oatmeal thing. Serve with milk. You could also cook outside of the box and serve rabbit. And of course, Peking duck (or mock duck) with lots of white rice, chop suey, and fortune cookies served with cheap wine (not bad, but not good either) is a popular choice.

My favorite scene in A Christmas Story comes near the end. Ralphie and Randy are asleep clutching their prized gifts, and the mother comes downstairs where the Old Man has turned a chair toward the window. Only the lights of the tree and the snow falling outside are clearly visible. The mother perches on the arm rest, and the Old Man gently puts his arm around her waist. A scratchy radio plays Silent Night. As Ralphie says, All is right with the world.

Life is all about those precious perfect moments.

If you haven't watched A Christmas Story yet this year, order some take out and load up your Red Rider air rifle. Then check out this week's Called to the Table.

Meal and a Movie: Muppet Christmas Carol

2011-12-28T09:23:00.000-08:00

Photo credit: muppet.wikia.com

Whenever I watch a Muppet show (which is more often than you might guess) I think about one of my favorite nephews who reminds me of one of my favorite Muppets. Beaker is smart and musical, is as cute as he is humble, and has a high head of luxurious hair. And when he sings Christmas carols, you can feel his passion.

We enjoy an annual viewing of The Muppet Christmas Carol (the best of any Dickens renditions) with our daughter S. Typically we dine on a meal the includes Swedish meatballs and other julbord delights, but I wanted to suggest something more Muppet appropriate for your Muppet Christmas Carol night. Sure you can serve a Christmas goose with all the trimmings. Or perhaps some Scroogey gruel is more your style. Maybe Miss Piggy inspires a Christmas ham. Better still, try this super quick, easy, and relatively healthy modern figgy pudding.

This updated version of figgy pudding includes quick-cooking quinoa (give it a good rinse in cold water even if the package says it is prewashed), and is tasty as a side dish, dessert, or heated up for a healthy leftover version of breakfast. You can also serve it to any carolers or bahumbugs who come to the door as it warms even the coldest body and soul.

During this final week of holiday festivities, take some wise advice from Rizzo the Rat's mother: never eat singing food.

Figgy Quinoa Pudding

Makes 6 generous servings

14 ounce can coconut milk
3/4 cup quick cook quinoa
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or one split pod)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup dried figs, quartered (about 12 Mission)
Nutmeg
Coconut or soy milk and berries, or lime zest and juice and coconut flakes for garnish

Bring milk, quinoa, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and figs to boil in medium saucepan. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until quinoa is tender and has soaked up coconut milk; about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with nutmeg and garnish.

Meal and a Movie: It's a Wonderful Life

2011-12-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

If you know me personally or have read much at this blog, you recognize what a sentimental wishywash gusher I can be. Especially during the holidays I get all goofy about family and gratitude. This year was no exception. If we are really lucky we experience moments in our lives when we, like George Bailey, realize our worth. If that moment happens while we are surrounded by loved ones on Christmas, all the better (and hopefully we won't have that realization in such a dramatic fashion as did George).

I came to It's a Wonderful Life only a few years ago when Target did a big marketing push using the bell ringing and angels acquiring wings and all that good stuff to get shoppers excited about the commercial side of the holidays. Before then, the taglines and pop references about Bedford Falls, Clarence, and lassoing the moon were lost on me.

There is no better time to watch It's a Wonderful Life than now, as the hysteria of the weekend dissipates and you settle in to this final week before the New Year. Sure you can honor the movie by serving spaghetti, bread, and wine. These are fine accompaniments and pay homage to the immigrant families that George helps with mortgages and friendship. Martinis and mulled wine (heavy on the cinnamon light on the cloves) are also acceptable. Then hee haw wish for a million dollars and finish the meal with ice cream.

But even better, revisit a meal from childhood that reminds you of your worth. For me, it is the almond danish my mom makes every Christmas morning. The recipe comes from Betty Crocker (referred to in the cookbook as Danish Puff).

Watch the movie, eat your dinner, and ring a bell for Clarence and all the other angels out there hoping to get their wings.

Almond Danish
Crust:1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter, divided into quartered tablespoons
2 tablespoons icy water

Place 1 cup flour in medium bowl. Cut in butter, using pastry blender, until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle water over mixture; toss with fork. Form into ball; divide in half. Pat each half into 12x3-inch rectangle, about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Set aside in fridge.

Puff:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water or milk
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 - 4 large eggs

Heat butter and water or milk to rolling boil in large saucepan; remove from heat. Quickly stir in almond extract and 1 cup flour. Stir vigorously until mixture forms a ball (about 1 minute). Add eggs one at a time and beat with wooden spoon until smooth. Spread half of the topping over each pastry rectangle.

Bake about 1 hour in preheated 350 oven until topping is crisp and golden. Cool on rack.

Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons warm milk or water
Slivered almonds

Combine all ingredients except almond in mixing bowl; whisk until smooth. Spread over pastry; top with almonds.

Based on Betty Crocker Danish Puff recipe.

Hideous Sweaters and Tasty Treats

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Today is our 5th Annual Ugly Holiday Sweater Day at work. T's office also has their sweater contest, so he is wearing the sweater that won the prize for me last year. Behold, Meowy Catmass!

To celebrate our collective hideousness I brought plenty of pepparkaka (or pepparkakor if you're going all plural). Gingersnaps are tasty in any language. You can read an old post about my favorite pepparkaka recipe here, then bake up some cookies of your own.

This week's Hub column describes my family's Swedish food traditions and one special dish we inherited from our Great-Grandma: macaroni and cheese.

Meal and a Movie: Christmas Vacation

2011-12-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

T, this one's for you.

Christmas Vacation is a boy movie. Sexist as that may sound, watch any of the Griswald flicks yourself and tell me if you think differently. The Cast: Chevy Chase as zany Clark who longs for a perfect Christmas (and the perfume counter girl), Randy "someone-forgot-to-take-his-meds" Quaid plays a version of himself, pre-Roseanne pre-Big Bang Theory Johnny Galecki is Rusty, and Beverly D'Angelo and Juliette Lewis provide the female leads Ellen and Audrey.

From the swimming pool fantasy a la Pheobe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High to the Wally World Moose Eggnog Mugs (yes, you can purchase them and celebrate along with the Griswalds), Christmas Vacation cleverly references other movies. And the house lighting scene is pretty funny. So it's got that going for it. But did they have to kill the cat?

While I cannot recommend eating an entire Christmas Vacation themed dinner while viewing this movie, I do endorse consuming hardy amounts of Eggnog and these Eggnog Balls (their creation was inspired by Chevy and the gang).

Eggnog Balls

1 cup white chocolate chips (about 6 ounces)

1 - 5 ounce can condensed milk

1/2 cup Kraken rum

1 - 11 ounce Nilla Wafers

1 1/2 cup almonds

Fresh ground nutmeg and cloves

Powdered sugar

Melt chips and milk together in mixing bowl set over simmering water; stir constantly until smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in rum. Process wafers and almonds until crumbed; add to liquid ingredients. Flavor with nutmeg and cloves and blend well.

Make balls using one tablespoon of mixture; roll balls in sugar to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight and up to 1 week.

Meal and a Movie: Elf

2011-12-19T05:40:00.000-08:00

You may think I am a cotton headed ninny muggins, but adding a bit of maple syrup to pasta actually tastes great! Especially when you are preparing the perfect meal pairing for an Elf viewing. Elf is one of those sweet kind-hearted movies that became a holiday classic as soon as it hit theaters. Son of a nutcracker, this is one flick that can speak for itself.

We elves try to stick to the four food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup.

First, I traveled through the seven layers of the candy cane forest, past the sea of twirly surly gumdrops, then I walked through the Lincoln tunnel.

You're more of an elf than anyone I've ever met.

It's nice to meet another human with an affinity for elf culture.

I love the veiled reference to Ed Asner's Jewish Santa: You smell like beef and cheese. You don't smell like Santa. You're an impostor. But I wonder about the dropped storyline back at the orphanage. Aren't the nuns upset that baby Buddy disappears?

Last night as we cited the Code of Elves (see below), I served Pumpkin Parmigiano Pasta. T was incredulous. "No. You didn't. Is there maple syrup in this?" It is a subtle flavor, and as T described, an acquired taste. Have some ramen noodles on hand for picky diners. Two-liter bottles of Coca-Cola, lots of crappy coffee, gum, Toll House cookie dough, and Pop Tarts round out the menu.

1. Treat Every Day Like Christmas.

2. There's Room For Everyone on the Nice List.

3. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!

Pumpkin Parmigiano Pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup half and half
1 cup prepared pumpkin
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 cup Parmagiano, shredded
Fresh cracked pepper and nutmeg
Cayenne and cloves

Melt butter over medium heat; add half and half, pumpkin, and maple. Bring mixture to a simmer and allow to cook about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cheese and spices. Serve over pasta.

Food Traditions Revisited

2011-12-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

Last month I was invited to Radio K (the University of Minnesota's student run radio station) where I spoke with reporter and host Tess Weinberg about food, immigration, and ethnic traditions. I loved the result! It was fun talking to someone who is an enthusiastic as food traditions as I am. You can hear the program at http://www.radiok.org/programming/culturequeue/. Just scroll down to 11-20-11 and Weinberg's piece appears at about the 30 minute mark.

Holiday Frenzy, Interrupted

2011-12-15T05:53:00.000-08:00

We are all rushing rushing rushing toward our holidays, toward the parties, toward a New Year. Personally, I am slooooowwwwiiingggg dooowwwnnn... I want to live in each moment: spend hours gazing at our tree, recall the history of each ornament, admire the cats as they roll in the pine sap (and spend an hour or so trying to get the syrup out of their fur). This weekend we'll head downtown to take in the lights and decorations, sip cocktails with names like "Fake Norwegian" and attend the appropriately titled "Of Mirth and Mischief." Maybe we'll get some shopping in. I'll wait until Christmas Eve to panic.

This week's Called to the Table shows another side to my holidays (and maybe yours). After all this feasting, I need a plate full of veggies.

Meal and a Movie: Meet Me in St. Louis

2011-12-14T06:17:00.000-08:00

A friend introduced me to Meet Me in St. Louis about twenty years ago. One of the most beautiful movies ever made with possibly the greatest soundtrack ever, it quickly moved to the top of my Christmas movie repertoire. It doesn't feel like Christmas until I've sung along with Judy and the gang.

In this year in the life of the Smith family, holidays and events are marked by traditions and song as the family unites over meals and the piano. Although we never had a maid and we never lived in St. Louis and only two of us are musical, I identify with the four sisters (in my family we are five), adoring grandpa (our beloved Grandpa lived with us for a time), no-nonsense mother, and oblivious father. I romanticize my childhood just as Meet Me in St. Louis idealizes middle class America in 1904. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas never fails to move me to tears, as there is rarely a Christmas now when my sisters and I are all together. I am always hopeful that next year all of our troubles will be far away.

Planning your movie nibbles starts with the themes in Meet Me in St. Louis. Offer guests tiny open-faced sandwich canapes of corned beef on raisin bread (trust me!) topped with cabbage slaw and Welsh rarebit on rye crowned with ginger-peachy chutney. Serve chasers of tomato soup and celery sticks. For dessert: Hickory Nut Cake frosted with penuche, ice cream, and cotton candy. Milk should be plentiful. And offer a prize to the first person who spots the enigmatic garden gnome...

Quick Tomato Soup
Heat a tablespoon of tomato paste and a bit of garlic in olive oil over medium low heat for about 30 seconds. Add a can of diced or crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Add a few cups of chicken broth. Put the whole thing through the blender. Taste. Add a bit of sugar, pepper, basil, etc. Serve with grilled three-cheese sandwiches toasted in equal parts butter and olive oil.

Glad Lucia Dag!

2011-12-13T05:36:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Today is one of the best days on the calendar: St. Lucia Day!

I've written lots about the origins of Lucia's celebration, gave a rundown of different Lucia bun shapes and their meanings, and last week Called to the Table featured my updated Luciakatter recipe. Still interested in this most awesome holiday? Head over to Nordstjernan to listen to Lucia's song, or read my favorite Swedish blogger's tribute to Lucia including several Lucia bun recipes (both Nordsternan and Anne's Food are available in English).

Then go eat a bun!

Meal and a Movie: Die Hard

2011-12-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

Shirtless Bruce Willis, explosions and gunfire, 80s greed and drug use, German terrorists, bloody feet, inept police, and journalistic corruption: Die Hard (the original - NOT the sequel. Stay away from the sequel.) contains all the trappings of a master Christmas movie. Bruce's character, John McClane, travels from NY to LA on Christmas Eve, to meet up with his wife and kids. The wife, played by Bonnie Bedelia Culkin (now appearing in NBC's Parenthood as the matriarch with fabulous hair) moved to LA for a high paying corporate gig. And, gasp, is using her maiden name. Damned feminism! Time to teach her a lesson about feminine priorities. Enter the terrorists. And Bruce (a.k.a. John). Who saves the day.

I was all set to complete this posting when last night's Cleveland episode featured their version of Die Hard (Semi Hard), a nearly exact reenactment of the 1988 epic. And we witnessed the birth of a new holiday classic. Now, I recommend viewing Die Hard concurrently with the Cleveland Show's Semi Hard.

A Die Hard menu must include cocktail party foods from the 80s, which appropriately enough mostly came from California's hot cuisine: smoked salmon, brie (Anyone else baffled at the recent re-trending of brie en croute? Is this only a local thing? I thought the brie fad went the way of Tab.), avocado, and California sushi rolls. Splash around with a white wine spritzer or sparkling wine. Chain smoke if you are so inclined, or take a Kamakazi shot whenever Bruce lights up. Breath mints are a nice touch.

Mediterranean Guacamole
2 avocados
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
3 pepperoncini, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons pepperoncini "juice"
Salt and pepper to taste

Smash avocados with a potato masher. Fold in remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with pita chips or on crostini.

Jul Goats

2011-12-09T05:46:00.000-08:00

Although my family had our fair share of Swedish traditions, especially during Christmas, there were many that I didn't discover until I was an adult. Now, our house is filled with too many Carl Larsson prints and more straw animals than should be legal. If they were cats, I'd be considered a hoarder.

Straw goats, or Jul goats, predate Christianity. Their pagan hooves trotted across northern Europe and Scandinavia and were befriended by everyone from Thor to our modern tomte. Early goats were tricksters demanding treats. Contemporary goats carry tomte and his gifts to good children on Christmas Eve, although it isn't clear to me whether the goat partakes in tomte's rice pudding reward.

Goats not lucky enough to pal around with tomte can be found lounging under Christmas trees, observing as their family prepares the home for the holidays. I don't know what the goat does if the family fails to construct a flawless celebration, and I don't want to find out. There are currently three Jul goats in our house, waiting and watching (a slightly less disturbing version of Elf on the Shelf). Perhaps the threat of becoming an effigy prevents the goats from tattling to tomte.

For a comical read on an outsiders introduction to Jul goats and Scandinavian festivities, check out this MinnPost piece by Max Sparber.

Mean Girl-Industrial Complex

2011-12-08T07:05:00.000-08:00

Eisenhower warned the nation about the military-industrial complex, or the phenomenon of a country's military establishment having tight relationships with industries that produce arms and other military equipment. Those relationships encourage a rise in weapon production and wars. In Dwight's words; "we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex."

Mean girls have been on my mind a lot lately. We are told as kids that once we grow up we won't have to deal with cliques and bullies. But many of us learn as adults that the mean kids in junior high often are the gatekeepers to the best jobs and opportunities in adulthood. Our culture has created a mean girl-industrial complex.

I've grappled with how to approach more than a few mean girl gatekeepers but the gate usually slams shut. (I swear I can hear the mean girls giggling on the other side of the portal. A lifetime of nerdery begets a bit of paranoia. And how much much do my timidity and presumptions factor into those closed gates? Maybe my inner dork is still cowering in the corner hoping the popular clique doesn't notice me. Attracting their attention never ends well. Or maybe my inner dweeb is rising up from the corner ready to flourish, sick of status quo and the politics of popularity.)

Collectively we admire the wealthy and beautiful, regardless of their abilities or personalities. Show me a narcissist, and I'll show you a hit television series. In fact, trainwrecks like Taylor from Bravo's Beverly Hills Housewives garner more attention and pity than the kids across America who go to bed hungry every night. Do we look to the self-appointed princesses to escape our own realities? Watching Snooki or a Kardashian doesn't heal my wounds. It just makes me feel dirty, like a nerd suddenly gaining access to the popularity code, befriending the prom queen, then laughing as I trip her. What we nerds forget is that the prom queen still has her tiara.

St. Lucia was an anti-mean girl and because of that I am happy to celebrate her every December 13. Rather than adorning herself with a status-claiming tiara, she wore a crown of candles that brought the world light as she distributed food to the starving. Lucia is featured in this week's Called to the Table column. There are varied legends about Lucia: some saintly, some not. She'd make a great television show.

Tastes, Heat, and Surprises

2011-12-07T05:16:00.000-08:00

I baked this bread with my daughter in mind. She loves the combination of ginger and heat. But when she laid a thick slice on her plate and took her first bite, she looked puzzled. "What's in this?" I rattled off the ingredients and she made a face. "I expected something sweet. I am not sure what these flavors are," she told me. "This is savory. This is weird."

T is not a fan of complicated flavors. Or heat. So imagine my surprise the next morning when T tasted the bread and had a second piece. "What's in this? This is so good!"

To find out how the combination of ingredients in this loaf taste, bake it yourself and let me know what you think. If you don't like it, send it T's way. He'll eat it.

Spicy Pumpkin Gingerbread
1 stick butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup prepared pumpkin
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup whole fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon Sriracha

1. Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vinegar. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda; add flour mixture to butter-sugar-eggs.

2. Combine sour cream, pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla, and hot sauce; add to batter and mix well. Stir in cranberries.

3. Spread batter in a buttered loaf pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven until inserted knife comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Lefse Party

2011-12-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

Our annual lefse-making party was, thankfully, not canceled this year due to Snowmegeddon or Icemegeddon or any other Weathergeddons. In fact, so many workers showed up to ball-roll-lift-griddle-stack that we set up work stations throughout the house. Over the years each worker has found their lefse-making niche. This year our new guests fit right in, hustling to fill in wherever they were needed.

As always, we snacked throughout the afternoon to keep our strength up. The goodies were particularly tasty. Crab and shrimp dip, Oreo truffles, and the most amazing artichoke dip ever (K tops the dip with challah bread crumbs browned in butter).

Truth be told, I am not a good lefse-worker. As the resident Swede, my role is more cheerleader and manager. And to reward the workers when their tasks are complete, I make as many lefse pizzas as they can consume.

Meal and a Movie: Julkalender

2011-12-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

Technically, Julkalender (Christmas Calendar) isn't a movie. It is an annual event: a Swedish miniseries marking the brginning of Advent. Since 1960 this beloved tradition has entertained audiences across Sweden. Each year the programs celebrate Jul with humor and poignancy. Read Swedish Blog's explanation from last year here and watch a clip from my favorite year, 1991's "Sunes Jul." You can also read the most recent Swedish Blog post about this year's Julkalender.

I've only seen a few of these, but thanks to the Internet this tradition travels everywhere now. Check out svt.se to watch this year's program Tjuvarnas Jul (Christmas Thieves). No matter what time of the day you settle in to watch, gravlax flatbread (a.k.a. lefse pizza) is always the perfect accompaniment, as is a glass of warm glögg.

Gravlax Flatbread
Brush a generous amount of olive oil on each side of a lefse or flatbread round; bake in moderate oven (around 325 degrees) on both sides until just crisp but do not burn. Remove from oven and top with sour cream or creme fraiche, fresh dill and chives, gravlax, caviar, capers, pickled cucumbers and red onion.

Meal and a Movie: Gremlins

2011-12-03T06:53:00.000-08:00

Gremlins are Japanese beetles, bed bugs, and head lice all rolled into one ghastly beast. Once they become an epidemic getting rid of them is costly, and during the siege your whole town may be destroyed.

Gremlins is also a perfect Christmas movie, especially for families with young teens. The kids will be empowered watching Billy first endanger the town with his irresponsibility, then save the town and get the girl due to his bravery and smarts. We parents can nod with recognition at the lessons this movie provides: Americans are not responsible enough to understand cross cultural relationships, Americans profit off of poor immigrants, and that profit becomes a threat to the world. Pretty heavy stuff for a light comedy.

What to eat while enjoying these lessons? The optimal meal is of course McDonald's or Chinese takeout reheated in the microwave. Savor this feast with a yoghurt smoothie you concoct in the blender. Have plenty of water on hand. For dessert: movie candy and Gremlin cookies.

These versatile cookies can also be served during screenings of Rudolph (make Abominable Snowmonsters by using almond bark instead of chocolate chips and add a mouth with black shoestring licorice) and The Grinch (use almond and add green food coloring).

Gremlins

Makes 18 - 24

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup marshmallows
12 ounces chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
3 cups chow mein noodles
1 cup peanuts
48 red hot candies

Melt butter, marshmallows, and chocolate over low heat; stirring constantly. Mix melted ingredients with noodles and peanuts in large bowl until well combined. Shape round cookies using a few tablespoons of the mixture for each cookies and place on parchment paper. Press two candies onto the top of each cookie (for eyes). Allow to cool and set about 2 hours; store in airtight container.

Birthdays and Cake

2011-12-01T05:51:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrate my daughter's birthday and eat cake flavored with her favorite things: Ginger, Bourbon, and chocolate. Since she is currently off dairy, this cake is dairy free, or degan as she says. Happy Birthday!

Ginger Bourbon Chocolate Chiffon Cake
Preheat oven to 325.

Sift together then set aside:1 – 1/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat until smooth:1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 egg yolks
3 ounces bourbon
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla

Add flour to egg-oil mix and beat. Set aside.

In clean bowl beat 7 egg whites and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar. Add ¼ cup sugar as whites start to foam. Continue beating until whites are VERY stiff.

Gently fold whites into flour-egg-oil mix until well incorporated, but taking care to keep air from whites.

Pour batter into ungreased angelfood cake pan and bake ~1 hour. Turn cake upside down and cool completely.

Meanwhile, prepare syrup:
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup bourbon
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla

Heat to simmer and stir until all sugar is dissolved. Reduce to 1 cup, about 5 minutes.

Pour half over cooled cake (poke holes in the cake with a chop stick to help it absorb). Once liquid is absorbed, remove cake from pan and place top side down on serving plate. Pour remaining syrup over cake.

Chocolate Ginger Ganache:
Melt together over medium low heat 2 2.3 ounce Ginger Crystallized in Dark Chocolate bars by Chocolove and several tablespoons coconut milk. Add more coconut milk if needed to make spreadable ganache. Spread over cooled cake.

Meanwhile, it is also Oskar's birthday today. He is entering his "Terrific Twos!" And looks more like the Abominable Snowman (before his teeth were removed) every day.

Head over to Called to the Table for this week's column on flatbread.

Meal and a Movie: Miracle on 34th Street

2011-11-30T05:49:00.000-08:00

I have a lot of opinions about Holiday movies and the order in and dates upon which they should be viewed. Miracle on 34th Street, for example, MUST BE VIEWED on Thanksgiving Weekend. The meal that should be served while watching depends on whether you have Thanksgiving leftovers.

If your refrigerator is bursting with leftover turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce, prepare a simple sandwich on white bread (peanut butter and jelly, or bologna) reminiscent of Alfred and Kris's lunch together in the cafeteria. Serve with a tall glass of whole milk and a side of Jello or pudding. To experience the underbelly (large though it is) of Santa, don't forget the "bottle of something to keep you warm," preferably adorned in a brown paper bag.

If, like T and I, you have no leftovers because your Thanksgiving feast is provided by family or friends, prepare a mini-feast with enough heat to wake you out of your post-repast delirium: grilled steak, cranberry salsa, sweet potatoes or yams with lots of cilantro, lime, and cayenne, and Chorizo stuffing. Serve with martinis.

Movie notes and personal puzzlement: blame it on our current culture of creepy, but every time Kris hides in the shadows waiting to tuck Susan in to bed I get very uncomfortable. Who lets a strange man into their child's room with the door closed? And the relationship between Doris and "Uncle Fred" really speeds along. Within a week of meeting they are calling each other "dear." Within the month they are in love and engaged. And martinis are pretty much 100% alcohol. How does one make them "triple strength"?

Chorizo Stuffing
Serves 4

1/2 white onion, diced
1 to 2 jalapenos, diced
1 link spicy Chorizo, chopped
1/4 cup whole cranberry sauce
2 to 3 cups dried cornbread crumbs or cubed
Several cups of chicken broth (add more for wet dressing, less for dry)
Zest and juice from one large tangerine or orange
A few sprigs of thyme
Butter

Melt a few teaspoons butter in large pan over medium heat; add onion, pepper, and sausage and cook until onions are translucent. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Toss ingredients together until well combined; put into buttered casserole, dot with butter, and bake, covered, in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking for additional 10 - 15 minutes.

Dinner and a Christmas Movie!

2011-11-29T05:27:00.000-08:00

In honor of my 500th CulturalConstruct posting (it happened on Sunday without even a whimper) and at T's recommendation, I am announcing a feature that will run through the holidays: Dinner and a Christmas Movie. Each week or so I'll pitch the perfect meal to serve with favorite Christmas/Holiday movies. Feel free to send me any obscure holiday flick titles!

First up: Miracle on 34th Street (the original version, although my favorite adaptation remains the 1973 David Hartman/Jane Alexander/Roddy McDowall made-for-TV epic because Mr. French a.k.a. Sebastian Cabot starring as Kris Kringle trumps all other Santa-poseurs). Return later for the skinny (or, eh hem, the fat facts as Mr. French might say).

Cat Blogging: Convalescing and Christmas

2011-11-27T09:20:00.000-08:00

There should be a quarantine sign on our front door. T is recovering from the same cold I had last week, and Olive is suffering from a particularly painful bout of arthritis. T throws back hot tea, chicken soup, and my special potion of zinc and vitamin C, and Olive stretches out on the heating pad.

Meanwhile, Oskar and I are a little stircrazy. We brought out a few Christmas decorations and entertain ourselves by singing kitty versions of our favorite carols. Hallmark and Lifetime play endless loops of Christmas movies that we watch while T and Olive nap. When the excitment of another Doris Roberts' miracle dims, Oskar finds a nice box.

Gobble Gobble

2011-11-24T06:23:00.000-08:00

My daughter started her first day at a new high school right before Thanksgiving. The tradition at the new school was for kids to win a chance to run to the front office to get a treat. But they didn't just run, they also gobbled. She told us how odd it was to watch all these normally cool kids running through hallways gobbling. Sort of Lord of the Flies meets Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

I hope your day is filled with lots of gobbles and treats, and that the normally cool kids let their turkey flags fly. Then relax this long holiday weekend and make some more pie.

Muppet Mishap: Klingy Kermit Kreepy!

2011-11-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Kermit and I go way back. What three-year-old can resist a gentle gangly green frog who not only teaches the children of Sesame Street their letters, but also has an intrepid talent for reporting? I graduated to the Muppet Show and my love for Kermit waned slightly. I didn't care for the way he treated Miss Piggy. When a hot babe like Piggy loves a nerdy like Kermie, the amphibian ought to show a little more gratitude for some sow-loving.

OPI revealed their new Muppet nail polish line to cross promote the new Muppet Movie this month. I hustled to my salon and selected colors that represented Animal, Miss Piggy, and Kermit. After only one night of Fresh Frog of Bel Air, I tried to remove the glitter. Half an hour, a box of cotton balls, and nearly a jug of remover were not enough to chisel the green glitz from my nails. Everyday I chip a little more away.

Kermie was right. It isn't easy being green.

Campus Care Packages

2011-11-21T03:46:00.000-08:00

My doctor's office is located on campus and caters to students and staff. I love their flu and cold season care packages. Just what we need when sniffles come calling.

Vegetarian Charcuterie and Other Veggie Delights

2011-11-20T08:35:00.000-08:00

I mentioned yesterday that last night was our 17th annual Friends Thanksgiving. We dined on delicious fare and talked and laughed into the wee hours (OK OK I admit, 11 PM is a wee hour when you are "of a certain age").

The menu is below along with some rather undramatic photos, due to the lighting. I brought along a Vegetarian Charcuterie, which I think is a brilliant spin on charcuteries and a pickle course: cranberry mostarda, pickled mustard seeds, quick-pickled cucumbers, creamy pickled herring, and pickled peppadews stuffed with herby chèvre. We also enjoyed bread rolls made by one of our guests, and the pumpkin rolls I wrote about yesterday.

First course: spinach and radicchio salad dressed with caramelized fennel.

Second course: brandade. I combined recipes ideas from three different sources and came out with a decent dish, although a little higher in potato than traditional recipes (recipe below)

Third course: Crispy Feta-Stuffed Phyllo Torte (from Lynne Rossetto Kasper's How to Eat Weekends) was beautiful and delicious. My favorite of the evening. Slices were drizzled with honey and preserved lemons, served with roasted carrots and Brussels sprouts.

Finally, dessert was boozy fruit served over Izzy's ice cream and
alongside tiny pear tarts. I used about 3 cups of apple-infused brandy
to rehydrate dried apricots and figs.

Maple syrup, juice from one orange, and a vanilla pod added even more flavor

to the mascerate as it barely simmered for about 4 hours.

Brandade

Serves 12 generously
1 pound cod
1/2 to 1 cup Kosher salt
3 to 4 cups whole milk
Zest from two lemon
Fresh cracked pepper
Three sprigs thyme, plus more for garnish
1 small white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed but not diced
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg plus more for garnish
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 to 3/4 pound russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 to 3/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or cream
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice from half a lemon
1 lemon, seeded and cut into 12 pieces

Cover cod completely in salt and refrigerate 24 hours.

Remove cod from refrigerator and rinse very well with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels.

Add milk, lemon zest, pepper, thyme, onion, garlic, nutmeg, and cayenne to bread loaf pan. Heat in preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Add cod to milk and return to oven. Oven poach fish for 10 - 12 minutes or until flaky and tender.

While cod poaches, cook potatoes in unseasoned water until tender. Drain then push through ricer.

Remove cod from poaching liquid and cool. Remove any bones and skin; flake flesh as fine as possible.

Combine potatoes and cod; add eggs and mix well. Fold in olive oil and lemon juice.

Divide mixture evenly into 12 buttered ramekins. Garnish with thyme leaves and nutmeg. Bake at 325 for 20-30 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges and thin slices of toasted French bread.

Tis the Season for Pumpkin

2011-11-19T11:45:00.000-08:00

Tonight is our 17th Annual Friends Thanksgiving. It started when several of our friends returned from college vegetarians and complained about their trek to family feasts where every item was made using animal proteins. "Even the mashed potatoes are made with chicken broth," one friend lamented. They described sad plates heaping with carrot sticks and pickles.

We decided to get together the Saturday before the holiday to make a vegetarian version of Thanksgiving. A tradition was born, and while the early years were vegan, gradually we Meat Eaters added cheese, butter, and eggs to the menu. Eventually, fish became a welcome guest.

One friend's daughter still talks about the pumpkin rolls and spicy butter that always used to adorn our table. For some reason we've fallen away from that old favorite, but this year as per Friend's Daughter's request we've added them back to our dinner.

This time of year everything is on fast forward. Making yeast rolls forces us to slow down and enjoy the rituals of the season. This recipe is great for making the day or night ahead of serving, as the dough can rest overnight. If your house is particularly warm and humid, you'll want to rest the dough overnight in your refrigerator. If you are lucky enough to live with a bit of chilly draft, this dough can set out on the counter until you are ready to dig in and shape your rolls.

Pumpkin Rolls
Makes 32 rolls1 stick butter, melted
1 cup prepared pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Zest from half an orange
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup milk, warm to 110 degrees or lower
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon salt
7 cups flour
Olive oil
Several tablespoons cream, for brushing on rolls before baking

Combine well butter, pumpkin, spices, zest, and sour cream in large mixing bowl.

In small bowl combine milk, sugar, and yeast. Allow to foam, about 5 minutes.

Add milk-yeast to pumpkin mixture. Stir in salt and 5-6 cups of the flour all at once. If using stand up mixer, use dough hook attachment and knead dough on slow speed. Gradually add additional flour until wet sticky dough forms. If kneading by hand, pour dough on to well floured board and knead in additional flour.

Shape dough into large ball and place in well oiled bowl. Turn dough so that it is completely covered in oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or towel. Set aside until doubled. Gently fold dough down, back into bowl. Cover surface of dough with plastic wrap and let rest at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.

Divide dough into 4 batches, and on floured board cut each batch into 8 pieces. Shape each piece into round bun, tucking outside dough underneath the roll. Place on well-greased baking sheets. Cover and let rest 2 hours.

Brush top of each roll with cream. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven until rolls are golden, about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with Spicy Butter.

Spicy Butter
1 1/2 sticks butter
Juice and zest from half an orange
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Combine all ingredients until well incorporated.

Wishbones and Drawing Straws

2011-11-17T06:02:00.000-08:00

There were only three kitchen activities that my sisters and I were encouraged to do: wash/dry dishes, wishbone, and drawing straws.

When our mom made chicken or turkey, we'd compete over which two sisters got to pull the wishbone apart. Think thumb wrestling but with a dried bird cartilage. The girl with the larger end of the bone got to make a wish that supposedly came true. I never won, so cannot report as to whether this system was successful at granting desires.

When a treat or a chore was limited, we "drew straws" to see which sister would receive the delight or the drudgery. Our straws were actually toothpicks that Mom broke into five different lengths which she then held between her thumb and extended fingers so that they appeared to be the same height. One by one we'd access the range of toothpicks and select the one we thought was longest. The longest pick was always the winner. Our mother used drawing straws to eliminate whining and fighting, and once the straws made their decision, there was no further argument.

Last night I attended a Cooking Matters Cooking Class for volunteers. As many years as we spend in the kitchen, there is always something more to learn. Chef Seth cubed, julienned, and brunoised, then demonstrated how to butcher a whole chicken (something I attempt occasionally, but typically end up with craggy thighs and torn skin). Chef Seth reminded us how important it is to teach simple kitchen skills to our students that will save them time and money in the kitchen, and also make food beautiful.

Probably the most important thing that Chef Seth gave us last night was a reminder that as volunteers we can help change lives. Even if only one person takes something positive away from their interaction with us, that is one more person than if we didn't make an attempt at all. And as Chef Seth stated, nutrition issues and poverty are not going away. There is always going to be a need to teach one another about how to feed our families nutritious food on a budget.

From Cooking Matters classes to food TV, I've noticed that today's kids have an interest in what happens in the kitchen. They have more interest in learning to cook than in wishbones and drawing straws, and they are empowered during the process.

Note: this week's Called to the Table column might sound familiar if you are a regular reader of this blog. I selfishly used my public platform to plant an idea that I hope will bloom: mostarda should become the sixth main food groups.

Have Allspice and Will Travel

2011-11-15T05:32:00.000-08:00

For my annual lutfisk fix I depend on the American Swedish Institute. But this year their construction means no Christmas dinner. Can any of you recommend a decent place in the Twin Cities where I can dine on lutfisk (or lutefisk to you Norwegian types!) and meatballs?

Gone Fishing

2011-11-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

Last week I rolled on a pair of squiggly black fishnets, and all day and evening garnered compliments from T, male coworkers, and strangers alike. I was reminded how much men love fishnet stockings.

A quick trip to Google provides a few presumptions about why this is true, most of them based on associations with wanton women. Yet, they are also the stocking choice of high school dancelines and roller derby queens. What do they represent to our collective psyche?

Fishnets benefit all legs with their ability to provide illusions in all the right places. They accent the curve of a calf or thigh, while minimizing cankles and lifting droopy knees. They shadow and shape, adding an aura of mystery to the wearer.

But, let's delve deeper into fishnet psychology. I am too far removed from my college women's studies classes to get involved in the politics of sexuality, but (speaking only from the surface of this topic) whether hooker or high schooler, women who wear fishnets represent a physical independence while still "entertaining" a supposedly male audience. Yet fishnets themselves confine and capture. Kind of makes the head swirl with symbolic possibilities. I see a provocative graduate thesis in the works for someone out there.

Meanwhile, I'm still kind of stuck on mystery and romance. I'd never allow my man to witness the hideous site of my attempts to yank and wedge myself into a pair of Spanx, yet there is sometime sensual about the point of a toe and the drape of feminine flesh as we slowly wrap our skin in netting, like the opposite of moulting. Add a pair of heels and *gasp* a seam up the back of our legs and we pronounce, "I am independent and sexy. And you can catch me if you have the right lure."

Full Moon Philosophy

2011-11-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

The Full Moon and I have been on pretty friendly terms every since my junior high science fair. Out of ideas and with a three day weekend until my science poster was due, I stayed up late to hang out with Johnny Carson. His final guest of the evening was a junk, er I mean pop, scientist who wrote a book on the moon, tides, and human behavior. The gist of his argument was that a human body was 75% water, therefore the gravitational pull of the full moon influenced human behavior. Ancient lore, surely, but this guy attempted to use "modern" scientific methods to prove Lunacy Theory.

I thought about Carson's guest the rest of the weekend. Kids are easily swayed when it comes to the mystical. And this guy sounded like a real scientist. Sunday night I set to work on my Science Fair poster. I cut the silhouette of a human body from blue construction paper and with a darker blue marker shaded 75% of the body (Blue represented water. Oh such ingenious use of color as symbolic!). I glued the body along the right margin of the poster, like a game show model presenting my hypothesis. I typed my clever proposal, using caps and triple typing over words and whole sentences that needed emphasis. Those pages were affixed to the center of the poster. On the left margin I created a colorful graph demonstrating variances in human behavior at different lunar intervals.

My poster received a second place ribbon. I was relieved that I didn't have to present at state, where academics from the University might try to tear the fragile theory apart. My poster received especially high marks on creativity, not necessarily an attribute that should be applied to scientific endeavours.

That project always comes to mind when the moon is full and I allow the mystical, completely false, fantasy overtake me. She's always been good luck for me. Until this week.

Friday afternoon two friends came over to can jalapeno jelly. We set to work at our regular stations, and quickly put up several batches of pretty jam jars. Three burners on my elderly stove were set to high and the contents of each massive processing pot rattled and heaved, bubbling steam so heavy that we opened windows and sliding doors even though outside temps were below 60 degrees. As my favorite stock pot heated jelly to boil, we heard a THUD THUNK! Sparks and flames and exploding sugar flew across the kitchen. L rushed to the controls and turned everything off. We moved the jelly from the burner and melted sugar flowed out of the bottom where a hole had burned into my life-time guaranteed pot. I guess the manufacturers didn't plan for the copper-bottomed cookware to come in contact with persnickety range tops and sugar lava.

I was sad not only for the loss of a really nice batch of jelly, but for my beautiful pot, and my old but beloved range. A friend once described the burner controls as similar to those used on the helm of a Star Trek vessel. Indeed they helped guide many adventures in cooking. The burner that blew is melted and warped, like a spiral firecracker. There is about a half inch of the escaped sugar beneath the burners; once a puddle, now a capsaicin sucker shellac. A new stove top is unavoidable.

I want to blame the full moon. Or the month (remember the nail that embedded itself into my favorite pair of shoes?). Or the age of our house and appliances. But from humans to nails to melting stoves, sometimes life is just a spoiled batch of jalapeno jelly. If we are lucky we can salvage a few jars while some anonymous trumpet plays Taps for those lost in battle.

Squash Fever

2011-11-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

A quick sprint through the Farmers Market on Saturday morning had me feeling like a forager, searching for one last breath of summer. Jalapenos, celery, and spinach took their places in my bag alongside a hefty sack of apples, but squash and pumpkin are the stars of the show these days.

My second column in The Hub came out yesterday. The recipe for Pumpkin Pie Pizza gives roasted pumpkin its proper place on autumn's throne. Read the piece here.

I love pillows of ravioli plump with squash or pumpkin, splashing in a thick sauce of Alfredo and garnished with crispy fried sage leaves (probably my favorite vegetable if herbs count as veggies.). This puree is full of those flavors, minus the pasta.

Squash Parmesan Puree
1 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash
1 1/2 cups chicken brother or water
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 sprig of rosemary
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Whole sage leaves, fried 30 second each side in olive oil
1/2 cup cubed squash, fried or roasted until tender

In large saute pan, saute onion and pepper in a tablespoon or two of olive oil until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add squash, rosemary, and broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender, about 20 - 30 minutes, adding additional broth or water to just cover squash if needed.

Puree mixture and return to pan on low heat. Add cream and cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Serve garnished with sage and cubed squash.

Food Snobbery

2011-11-08T06:11:00.000-08:00

It started in college when I eschewed all forms of boxed processed foods. I fancied myself a modern woman, and modern women knew their way around the kitchen. Modern women could, as the Enjoli commercial advised, bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan. Hamburger Helper? An oxymoron. Spaghetti sauce in a jar? An affront to Italian culture! Boxed cake mix? A mortal sin. Adding canned soup to casserole? Such a horrific act, I can't even discuss it.

My food snobbery started as a twisted wink to feminism and my desperate attempt to be feminine. If I could "do it all" I would be a good feminist. If I could bake a cherry pie, I would be seen as girlie. I didn't realize then that I was on a path I would rarely leave. And I didn't realize then that food prepared from scratch not only tastes better, but it is healthier and less expensive than prefabbed stuff.

But my snobbery turned into a debilitating illness. I found it physically impossible to purchase a can of Campbell's or a box of Betty Crocker. Convenience wasn't just an obstacle, it was impossible.

This past weekend I faced my phobia and purchased a boxed cake mix. I tucked the box under a carton of buttermilk and five pounds of potatoes, and went to a cashier who didn't look familiar. To overcome the shame of my acquisition, I baked up a boozy apple sauce to add to the batter, and the resulting cake was pretty good.

Apple Almond Spiced Rum Cake
Cake Batter
1 box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Spice Cake Mix (18.25 ounces)
3 eggs
1 cup Apple Rum Sauce (recipe below)
1/2 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease entire inside of bundt pan; dust with flour. Sprinkle nuts evenly on bottom of pan.

Combine cake mix, eggs, sauce, and rum. Mix well (about 2 minutes using hand mixer). Pour batter into prepared pan over nuts. Bake 40 - 50 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Immediately pour hot glaze over cake and around the edges of the pan (glaze recipe below).

Cool on rack for 20 minutes. Remove cake from pan. Garnish with powdered sugar.

Glaze
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup rum
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup butter

Bring ingredients to a boil; boil 1 - 2 minutes or until mixture foams.

Apple Rum Sauce
4 cups good cooking apples such as McIntosh, cored and chopped but do not remove skin
1/2 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine ingredients and place in casserole. Bake in 325 degree oven 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. Apples will reduce by about half. Puree to make sauce.

Turn Back Time for Breakfast

2011-11-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

Daylight Savings Day is one of the greatest days of the year. I obsess about turning back the clock, true time, what time it used to be, whether it will be the same time tomorrow. It is a time-freak's Twilight Zone Holiday.

Today we gained an extra hour to sleep, play, watch football, rake leaves, clip cat claws, wash laundry, blog... I took advantage of the hour by baking up my new favorite breakfast. If you want to serve this for friends at brunch, go all crazy and add toast or scrambled eggs.

Roast Fall Vegetable Breakfast
Serves 2
1 delicata squash, peeled and seeded
1 red or yellow sweet pepper, seeded
1/4 large red onion
6 turkey breakfast sausage links
Good handful of fresh cranberries
2 sprigs rosemary
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Chop vegetables into bite sized chunks. Combine all ingredients and place single layer on large baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are caramelized and soft and sausage is cooked.

Adventures

2011-11-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I stalked our local newspaper guy. Already an avid television viewer, I believed that Lou Grant was at the helm of all news stations and papers. I fancied myself Lou Grant Junior, and knew that once he heard my pitch, Mr. Deis would hire me to be his cub reporter for The Gaylord Hub.

For months, every day after school I knocked on the office door and tried to climb up the side of the building's walls in order to peek through the big glass block windows. The day Mr. Deis finally answered my knocks, I was breathless with nerves and excitement. "I'm here to be your new cub reporter," I announced. I gave him my ideas about reporting on what was happening with the elementary kids on the playground and at lunch, as well as the going-ons in my neighborhood. This was really good stuff, and I came cheap.

Mr. Deis looked me up and down. I had the feeling he was annoyed, like my dad got when I talked during a Twins broadcast. "Come back after college," he told me, then shut the door.

Nearly thirty years later I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Deis for a paper I wrote on the future of community journalism. He was wise and witty, and very much like the Lou Grant of my dreams (minus the gruff).

Two weeks ago I returned to Gaylord where I picked up a few things: Canadian preserves in a can (who knew?), cute new rainboots (from the kids' section), and at long last a column in The Hub. I wont be writing about my friends in school or neighborhood gossip. Rather, my column will be about food and food traditions, much like what you read here. I'll post the weekly articles on a companion blog, Called to the Table.

Photo credit: thegalaxy.mn

Sweet Hot Love

2011-11-02T05:35:00.000-07:00

Recipes for cranberry salsa are making the rounds again. I've seen the raw, the cooked, the Minnesota mild. I prefer my salsa to have a good hit of heat, which was tough to accomplish this summer as our local chili peppers bore the gentle warmth that comes from enduring goofy summer weather. To turn up the temp on your own salsa, add the seeds from your chili peppers as well as a shot of your favorite hot sauce.

This cranberry salsa is great with chips and nachos, cuddled with pork or chicken tacos, or ladled over a bowl of white chili. I mixed leftover chicken breast with nearly an equal portion of salsa for a bright lunch salad. (I was out of regular sugar and used brown in this recipe. Either works, as will honey.)

Cranberry Salsa
1 cup cranberries, halved
1/4 cup sugar
Juice from 1 orange
1/2 red onion, chopped fine
1 green onion, chopped
1 red chili pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1/2 sweet bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), chopped fine
1 Roma tomato or 5 cherry tomatoes, chopped fine (optional)
I garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt and pepper

In small saucepan, combine cranberries, sugar, and orange juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Mix cooled cranberries with remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sorry About Your Foot, But How Is The Shoe?

2011-11-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

Fellow needle-phobes will understand why I never get a flu shot, only have my blood tested every five years, and am woefully behind on my tetanus booster. Needles scare the heck out of me.

Walking in the street after a family party on Sunday, I stepped on a rusty nail-tack bastard that went up through my shoe directly into my foot. As I struggled to twist the nasty spike out, I worried less about my physical pain and more about the possibility that my favorite pair of leopard pumps might be permanently and terminally scarred. Later in the evening, my thoughts turned even more macabre. Would my lapse in immunity prevention lead to loss of a limb? Lock jaw? Death? Would my foot fall off and impede my cute-shoe wearing?

Monday morning I hobbled into the doctor's office in a sassy pair of vintage Mary Janes (no amount of pain can keep a shoe lover down), and explained my situation. The nurse handed me a ledger that listed possible side effects of a tetanus shot, and I weighed those against tetanus symptoms. Finally, I agreed to receive the booster. I didn't look at the needle as the nurse held my hand. Brave and resolute, I received my medicine with only a few tears and will likely not suffer additional damage from the ordeal.

Later a practical shoe-loving friend reminded me of my priorities, "I commiserate for the foot, but my real concern is for the poor shoes. How are they? Is it fatal or will they survive to be worn another day?" We are both relieved that except for a tiny blemish where the nail-tack breached, my shoes should pull through this misfortune mostly unharmed.

Cat Blogging: And then there were three

2011-10-31T05:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

9 Years Later

2011-10-28T06:10:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: www.parkpeace.org

October 25, 2002 was a big day on my soap opera. My favorite character had recently fallen from a bridge and was swept away in the river. That Friday's episode was dedicated to his memorial. I sat in the lounge with a coworker, preparing ourselves for a good story when the special news alert flashed across the television screen. My heart dropped as we listened to speculation about whether Paul Wellstone, his wife Sheila, their daughter Marcia, and an entourage were killed in a plane crash outside of Eveleth. Finally the announcement came that all on board were dead.

Members of the generation that came before mine can recall details about where they were when they heard the news that President Kennedy was assassinated. Profound events shape our lives. Their intensity permanently embeds memories of every moment leading up to the news and those immediately following it. For my generation, the news of Senator Wellstone's death is the JFK equivalent.

"What will happen now?" I asked. "Who will oppose Bush's war?" Paul was our vocal leader. He was the squeaky wheel, he worked tirelessly on issues of Peace and Democracy, he didn't back down when injustice appeared to be victorious: he was fearless. Loosing him meant loosing our voice.That night, T and I sat close and watched endless news stories about Paul, Sheila, and the Wellstone legacy. Our friend was gone. We cried until sleep finally came.

The months that followed were as tragic and sickening as the day it happened. We dusted ourselves off and decided to pick up where Paul left off. We attempted to do as a group what Paul did single-handedly. But we were not successful. In those days of ironic Orwellian Newspeak, opposing the wars became synonymous with anti-patriotism.The endless wars began.

This week marks nine years since Wellstone's death. A lifetime. I don't have the stomach to relive it all. With relief we liberals ecstatically ushered in a new era and new leader, and tried to pretend the Bush years didn't happen. Occasionally we look back and wonder what if Wellstone had lived? How would our world be better? Safer? Kinder? It is dangerous and silly to dwell upon "what ifs."

Now the news that President Obama will withdraw the troops from Iraq by the end of the year. If we do, if we can, I will finally take down my "Say no to war - Iraq/Iran!" sign. But I will continue to follow Paul Wellstone's lead and raise my voice when I see injustice. Our collective voices are heard whether in an innocuous yard sign, a vote, or at a rally against corporate greed and crime.

Food Day

2011-10-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

We officially celebrated Food Day on Monday. Heard of it? If not, here is a brief description from the Food Day website:

Food Day seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes—to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.

Across America politicians, farmers, non-profits, chefs, and individuals joined in churches, homes, schools, and capitals to share our concerns about food systems. We had a huge event on the University of Minnesota campus. I volunteered with Cooking Matters. On stage our chefs did some quick demos and talked about why eating healthy is important. We fed cucumber and mango salsa and whole wheat macaroni and cheese to thousands (OK OK more like hundreds but it felt like thousands!) of university students who visited our booth. They were excited to talk about healthy eating, access to nutritious food, and acquiring cooking skills. Their enthusiasm was contagious!

Considering the Cod

2011-10-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

Cod is King, especially when it is coated with this crunchy cheesy crust. This dish is a poor woman's Lobster Thermidor. Vary the taste by playing with the cheeses. I used a whole wheat Panko crumb to lend a slightly earthy flavor to the richness of the melted Parmesan and thick cod.

Crunchy Baked Cod
Serves 2

2 - 4 ounce cod fillets
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Zest from one lemon
Salt and pepper

Season cod with salt and pepper. Mix together mayonnaise and mustard; spread over top of each fillet. Combine Panko, cheese, Old Bay, garlic powder, and lemon zest on plate; push mayo-side of each cod into the bread-cheese mixture to coat well.

Use butter, olive oil, or cooking spray to grease foil-lined baking sheet. Place fillets, breaded side up, on foil and bake in preheated 400 degree oven 12-15 minutes or until flesh is flaky and topping is golden and crunchy.

Garnish with lemon wedges.

Recalls and Regrets

2011-10-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

Farmers like Larry Schultz run their small free-range organic chicken farms so that consumers like me can have (in Larry's words) "peace of mind." Consumers like me don't mind paying a few dollars more per dozen eggs than we would for an agribusiness carton. Roughly 31 cents per egg is a bargain when the eggs are tastier and healthier than their mass produced peers. And hens who live like Larry's birds purportedly have a better quality of life than enslaved agrichickens who plop out eggs in their dark, cramped, smelly quarters.

But, as other notable farmers (Pa Ingalls, Benjamin Franklin, etc.) proclaimed, "Nothing is sure but death and taxes." Even free-range organic eggs are at risk for salmonella.

I heard about the latest egg recall about twelve hours after consuming one of Larry's possibly tainted eggs. Little did I know that my egg entree would have me wrestling with the devil for the next 72 hours. I am Queen of the Power of Suggestion. Following news of the recall, I was certain I was about to experience the slow, agonizing depths of salmonella poisoning. I spent the next three days waiting for the onset, and popping Tums.

Nothing happened. I didn't experience pain or anguish or any of the horrible symptoms I've read about. I wasn't hospitalized for dehydration. I didn't die. I didn't lose any pounds from lack of eating, and in fact gained a bit of weight as I ate more at each meal, just in case it was my last.

For now, I am recovering not from salmonella but from fear. I'll be off eggs for a while, but once I'm back on I'll continue purchasing from Larry. Peace of mind eventually trumps fear.

More Fun with Mostarda!

2011-10-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

Last winter during Snowmageddon One T and I were homebound and happy. Rooting through the pantry I turned up all sorts of creative meals, including a cranberry focaccia that made use of lonely bag of dried cranberries. That bread was such a success that I decided to recreate the flavors, this time pushing preserved cranberries onto the surface of the bread rather than blending dried berries into the dough.

Truth be told, I used one cup of whole wheat flour to two cups of all-purpose. My flour was dry so I ended up adding an entire cup of tepid water. The salty cheese and savory rosemary balance the tart-sweet berries.

Cranberry Focaccia
Dough:
3 +1 cups all-purpose flour
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 to 1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings:
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
35 cranberries (from mostarda recipe)
35 rosemary needles
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper

Combine flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and olive oil. If dough is too wet, add more flour. If dough is too dry, add more water. Knead about ten minutes or until silky smooth dough forms. Place in oiled bowl, cover, and set aside until doubled; about 90 minutes.

Gently removed risen dough and press into 12-inch wide circle on greased baking sheet. Cover and rest an additional 90 minutes.

Use finger tips to poke holes over crust. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over entire surface. Push single cranberries into holes; sprinkle with rosemary and cheese. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 15-20 minutes.

Cranberry Mostarda

2011-10-17T05:45:00.000-07:00

It must be fall when restaurants start switching out summer menus of all things fresh, and begin spotlighting preserves and chutneys. Friday night I asked the manager at our favorite local cafeteria if I could have apple cranberry mostarda (which typically comes with the turkey sandwich) on the side of their cherry spinach goat cheese pizza. It was a match made in heaven.

Mostardas are usually sticky sweet, but as a lover of all things tart I wanted to play with the sour tones of cranberry. This relish isn't for the faint of tongue. The flavors are bold and lively. Yesterday I baked a rosemary focaccia and pushed the berries into the dough before baking. Later this week I'll layer the mostarda over Thursday night's ärtsoppa (yellow pea soup) and Swedish pancakes, and add it to the cheese plate I'm serving at our beet canning party.

Cranberry Mostarda
2 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Salt, pepper
Zest of one orange

Bring vinegar, water, sugars, honey, and seeds to rolling boil in saucepan. Allow to reduce to thin syrup, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of the cranberries and simmer 20 minutes. Add remaining cranberries and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes or until mixture has reduced to a nice viscous texture (mixture will thicken as it cools). Remove from heat. Stir in mustard and orange zest. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cat Blogging: A Cat Who Likes Football

2011-10-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Oskar's football Sundays are pretty consistent. He tires after a few high-fives, then takes a nap.

Cranberries

2011-10-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

Minnesota gets a bad rap because of our extreme weather. Yet, our weather is one of the reasons I love this state so much. We get the best of every season! In Minnesota, we commemorate each temperature and landscape change with the flavors that capture those moments. Last night I brought home the first fresh cranberries of autumn and paired them with Minnesota wild rice and our own SweeTango apple. Ah, the taste of my favorite time of year.

Sweet Tart Wild Rice is good hot or chilled, and is tasty served with pork (I dry rubbed chops before grilling), fish, or poultry. For a beautiful presentation, fill the hollow of an acorn squash with the rice, bake, and serve in the shell. I like this rice a little on the tart side, so add less sugar. If you like your rice and cranberries sweet, add more sugar.

Sweet Tart Wild Rice
1 cup prepared wild rice
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1 apple, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 chili pepper, diced
1/4 cup dry red wine
3-4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Bring oil to medium high heat in pan. Add cranberries, celery, onion, and chili pepper; saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add apple, wine, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until wine begins to reduce and cranberries are popped, about 5 minutes. Taste; adjust seasonings. Toss with rice and additional oil. Serve warm or chilled.

Dahlberg's Dance with History

2011-10-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

We have our favorite movies that we watch at least once a year, typically during the appropriate seasons. Big Lebowski is a Memorial Day weekend treat. Anything with Eddie Murphy is reserved for summer while Gone with the Wind is reserved for the hottest day of the year. The Godfather ushers in the joy of Christmas.

Usually in the spring we pull out All the President's Men. Sometimes we watch it two or three times. In the off season, you'll hear us exchanging occasion-appropriate quotes, which are usually lost on friends and family who don't have the movie memorized:

"Fantastic! I'm coming home!"

"I'm polishing!"

"I have a wife, a family, a dog, and a cat."

"Now don't F it up."

"Howard they're hungry! Remember when you were hungry?"

"Is there anywhere you don't smoke?"

"But somewhere in this world there is a Kenneth H. Dahlberg, and we gotta get to him before the New York Times does!"

Dahlberg's appearance in the movie gets us silly and enthusiastic. A Minnesota connection! Cool!

"I'm, uh, a proper citizen. What I do is proper. I've just been through a terrible ordeal. My neighbor's wife has been kidnapped"

Whoa! Regional history overlaps national crisis, crime, and infamy!

Reading the obits this weekend, I stumbled across a photo and name of the notable Dahlberg. I read out loud to T.

"Kenneth H. Dahlberg?" he asked, emphasizing the H.

"Yeah, Kenneth H. Dahlberg. It has to be the same guy." I read further, and tucked into the local section was a quiet story about Dahlberg's dances with Woodward, Bernstein, and the Committee to Re-Elect the President. More than that, I learned about a man who though innocent of wrong doing, would forever be linked to Watergate. I hope he'll also be remembered for his WW2 heroism, Miracle Ear (which he founded), and his investment in Buffalo Wild Wings (a chain restaurant which has been nourishing college students for years).

Home Bento

2011-10-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Across Tokyo's suburbs hundreds of bicyclers with bento boxes strapped to their fenders speed and weave through congested traffic. They stop at shops and homes, delivering hot healthy meals to busy citizens.

I could complain until the fish stop swimming about the lack of decent Japanese food in my little burb. I could complain even longer about the absence of bento box restaurants making deliveries to my neighborhood. But until some kind, locally situated, Japanese-restaurateur takes pity on me, I'll muddle through with a homemade version of bento.

This grilled trout is terrific with a fresh green salad (the one in the photo above includes lemon cucumbers and ground cherries tossed in a dressing made from the same ingredients as the marinade) and rice.

Grilled Sesame-Ponzu Trout
Serves 2

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon each Ponzu, corn syrup, sesame oil, tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar
Fresh chopped garlic and ginger to taste
Black pepper
Honey
Sesame seeds
Cilantro

In shallow baking dish, combine molasses, Ponzu, oil, tamari, vinegar, garlic, ginger and pepper. Place trout flesh side down in marinade and set aside for 20 minutes.

Remove fish from marinade and reserve liquid.

Over hot coals, place trout skin side down on hot, oiled grill. Cover and cook about 4 minutes. Flip fish, cover and continue cooking until flesh is cooked to your liking.

Place reserved marinade in small saucepan. Add a few teaspoons of honey. Bring to a simmer and reduce to thin syrup, about 5 minutes. Serve over fish and rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and cilantro.

Swedish Sliders or Good Old Number 87

2011-10-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

If you watch much football, as we do in our home, you know certain players by name and number. I developed this recipe for last week's game and to honor Green Bay Packer Jordy Nelson (a.k.a. 87). I don't know whether Jordy is a Swedish American but his name is certainly Swedish, and he hails from Kansas, so I'm thinking the odds are pretty good. Either way, these sliders are as rich and wonderful as the tradition of Packer Football.

The patties mimic the flavors of typical Swedish meatballs. I used the grassfed beef our butcher sells in bulk. That beef is rather salty, so I added nothing more than a small shot of celery salt. Vary salt according to your ground meat of choice. This recipe would be great with poultry or pork, as well.

Swedish Sliders
Makes 6
3/4 pounds ground beef
1/2 white onion, grated
1 egg yolk
1/2 white bun or a small piece of bread, crumbed
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup potato, riced or mashed well
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix well all ingredients. Mixture will be quite moist. Form into 6 small patties and chill for 30 minutes.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter and a bit of olive oil over medium high heat in large skillet. Pan fry patties in two batches, about 5 minutes each side or until done.

To serve, butter and oven toast 6 small bakery buns. Melt a slice of Jarlsberg cheese over each pattie, if desired. Serve with pickled cucumbers, dill mustard, and lingonberry ketchup.

Dill Mustard
Combine 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill with 2 tablespoons prepared mustard. Set aside 15 - 30 minutes.

Lingonberry Ketchup
Combine 3 tablespoons lingonberry preserves with 1 tablespoon ketchup. Can be served immediately, or chilled for several days.

Happy Birthday Blog!

2011-10-05T05:35:00.000-07:00

Any blogger or writer who claims they don't write to be read is kidding you and probably themselves. We write because of an inner compulsion. But the same compulsion that drives us to write also riddles us with insecurity about our writing. We like our own voices or we wouldn't carry notebooks and pencils in our pockets and purses, and we want to assume the rest of you will like reading us (or at least engage when you disagree with our words; the best writers can pen disagreeable ideas in such a manner that thoughtful intercourse results). To be read is success.

This little blog begins her Terrific Twos today. Happy Birthday to her! I started writing Cultural Construct as an experiment. I wanted to record the adventures that always seem to find me, document the 2009 Solar Decathlon, and entertain myself. Over the months I've gained some new readers, including family and friends, but also strangers who are kind enough to let me know they've enjoy their visit here.

Looking back at my first post, I am reminded of another reason I began Cultural Construct:

Yesterday I wandered through my favorite places in Minneapolis and experienced that contented "all is right within my little world" feeling. I am finally, if temporarily, focused on becoming what I want to be when I grow up.

It took years before my Oprah moment happened; when it occurred to me that people would be happiest pursuing that careers they wanted as children. At 5 years old I decided to become Lou Grant, a nun, and a cowgirl. Once a person opens themselves up to the universal plan everything else starts to fall into place. Of course, you need to do your homework in case karma decides to throw a pop quiz.

Plugging along, I am (sort of) content in the search but getting itchier and eager to plunge into my Lou Grant-nun-cowgirl dream. Two years later, and I am two years closer. Some exciting things are on the horizon. I'll return here, as always, to chronicle the ride. C'mon Universe! Let's go! My pony is saddled and I'm wearing spurs!

Cinnamon Bun Day!

2011-10-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

Cinnamon buns are, if not the cornerstone of Swedish baking, certainly one of the important weight bearing bricks. OK, stones and buns... there must be a joke in here somewhere. Kannelbullens Dag (Cinnamon Bun Day) originated on October 4th, 1999 by Hembakningsrådet (the Home Baking Council) to commemorate their 40th anniversary.

The buns pictured above are from a batch I baked last year. I learned over the summer that a true Swedish Kannelbulle is baked individually in a paper muffin liner. Each bun rises and spills up and over the liner like a popover or Panettone loaf.

My New Bachelor Boyfriend

2011-10-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

I don't make a habit of falling in love on a first date. In fact, it has been years since I felt this rush of nutty energy after just one meeting. Afterward, I couldn't sleep. Instead, awake for hours, I planned our next encounter. What will I wear? What will we eat? What cocktail will I order?

I've mentioned before that I don't pretend to be a professional food and dining critic, and that is (one of the reasons) why you'll never read slams on this blog. I do, however, reserve these pages for the occasional "you gotta try this" endorsement. I fell hard last week for The Bachelor Farmer (as well as his brother, Marvel Bar, who lives in the basement).

My friends and I read plenty of reviews about the Dayton brothers' new establishments. Two things stood out: the promise of Nordic fare, and the difficulty of finding the downstairs bar. We left work early Thursday to weave our way through the Northloop, formerly known as Minneapolis's warehouse district, nervous about locating Marvel, which lacks signage. "We have to find the purple door," I chanted our mantra. "Find the purple door."

We found the speakeasy inside the purple door. Marvel Bar is a breathtaking room. The interior is Mrs. Brady meets IKEA (in a very, very good way).

Bartender Pip Hanson became a local darling during his years of deft and inventive bar keeping at both La Belle Vie and Town Talk Diner. As we perused the drink menu Hanson gently guided our selections, "If this is your first time here, I recommend ordering something from the classics menu." Then told us he's been a little obsessed with martinis lately. Hanson's dance with bitters and a shaker is nothing short of a ballet. He spritzes and perfumes and presents beverages so perfect, so lovely, so subtle... no words... possible tears... It was all so perfectly pretentious and yet, not. In Hanson's hands, pretension becomes practical.

Go to Marvel as the doors open (5 PM weekdays) and sit at the red and white vinyl barstools, then be sure to ask Hanson about the ice he hand-picks (special cube shapes optimized and personalized for each order), his five years in Tokyo, and the history of the liquor in your glass. He is the love child of a bar encyclopedia and Justin Timberlake.

Upstairs in The Bachelor Farmer, slightly tipsy and ready for dinner, my friends and I questioned out server Michelle about the clean, bright restaurant and the food. The three of us are Scandinavian and lovers of all things Nordic. Michelle approved of our selections: celery root and apple soup, brandade of salted lingcod, roasted beet salad, cured steelhead trout, rabbit liver pate (which we coined Bunny Butter), lefse, and meatballs.

We shared a bottle of sparkling wine (Schloss, say it three times fast after drinking one of Hanson's martinis), a few cups of coffee, and a lovely Linie Aquavit digestif (Michelle brought the bottle to our table and read to us the story of the traveling Norwegian spirit, named for the equator which it crosses twice during the aging process).

Chef Paul Berglund made an appearance at our table to answer the details that our server wasn't sure about. He generously shared his time (as well as recipe tricks) with us, and I was impressed that he spent as many hours testing lefse recipes as I have researching meatballs.

There was one disappointment during our evening together. The summer menu was recently pulled, and out with it went the Swedish pancakes I'd planned on having for dessert. Thankfully, my mood was sweetened with the impossibly good apple, spicy pastry cream, and thinnest of thin crusted tarts.

Every detail of Marvel and Bachelor Farmer is tended. From the art, design, staff, and menu: visitors forget how much planning and effort it takes to pull off such a flawlessly executed effort. Take for example, the temperature of the butter. How did they find the exact perfect temperature at which to serve butter? The lightly salted stuff spread beautifully over the best crispbread I've ever eaten, and a dipped radish swirled up just the right amount.

This was how our love story began. I'll spend these next few weeks fantasizing about what comes next. Perhaps a quick happy hour at Marvel, with a $1 side of Cheetos. Perhaps T and I will sit upstairs across the table from one another sharing from the Toasts menu... And if love has truly found me, there will be pancakes on the menu, although the apple tart would be just as sublime. Until then, I'll wistfully relive the box of leftover Bunny Butter I devoured the morning after our first date.

Cat Blogging: Game Day at our House

2011-10-02T10:53:00.000-07:00

Oskar in his handy-me-down

Like all little brothers and sisters, Oskar is now the recipient of his older siblings' castoffs.We found Olive's Packer jersey hiding out in storage. She hasn't worn it in a few years. We stopped dressing her for games not because she hates wearing clothes (which she does), and not because she isn't all that interested in the Pack (I often wonder if she is a closet Lions fan, which is OK as long as it isn't our week to play them). We stopped dressing her for games because she was a jinx. Every single time she sported that jersey, our guys lost.

It could be difficult to determine whether it is the jersey or the cat doing the jinxing. The jersey is, after all, an old number 4. Depending on today's outcome, you may or may not see Oskar donning the Green and Gold on future Sundays.

Down and Out

2011-09-30T10:42:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: www.oakstreetcinema.org

Oak Street was one of the few places a movie lover in the Twin Cities could go to watch classics on the big screen. Over the years we flocked to the theatre for Hitchcock revivals, local independent releases, drum and bugle corps documentaries, lots of international films, and more than a few old black and whites. Some of our best family memories were made there... [queue time machine noise a la Wayne's World]

T, S, and I sat in the dusky theatre waiting for Melody Gilbert's documentary Married at the Mall to begin. S was about 13 at the time and thus mortified to be seen out in public with her parents. Shlocky piano piped through the buzzing speakers as a rotund jazz singer sang provocative love songs into a microphone. She sauntered up and down the aisles warming up the crowd with wiggles, winks, and a booming voice. S leaned over her seat and whispered "Where do you find these things?" From her tone I knew she was impressed with her usually very un-hip mother.

We brought S and her little friend to a school night showing of Dr. Strangelove. The place was packed, and we clustered together in our seats divvying out Dots and licorice sticks. S and her friend, eyes bright with wonder, elbowed T and I. "Look! That is Vineeta Sawkar! From KSTP!" The girls were very impressed that a local celebrity (a.k.a. news anchor) sat in the row behind us. We settled in, and I felt a tap on my shoulder. Vineeta Sawkar complimented us on bringing our kids to an important, fantastic old movie. "So many parents don't give their kids this kind of opportunity. It is great you are exposing them to good films." Puffed up from her words and my inflated sense of good parenting skills, I leaned back in the comfortable chair. And fell asleep shortly after the opening credits.

One Saturday on a blustery winter night T and I enjoyed on a rare date. We ordered a large bucket of popcorn to share and held hands. We hummed along to Lara's Theme as Dr. Zhivago filled the screen, and soon we were lost in the saga of blizzards and tragic love. Intermission came two hours into the movie, and we left our popcorn in our seats as we got up to stretch and get a refill of Diet Coke. We were barely into the aisle when we witnessed a woman in curlers and a robe reach over the seats, grab our popcorn bucket, and begin to push large handfuls of the snack into her mouth. We let her keep the bucket.

When I read yesterday that the old Oak Street Cinema was demolished (thanks to a unanimous vote by Minneapolis's Heritage Preservation Commission) I thought, with much sarcasm, "Great, make room for more luxury student housing." Apparently college students need concierges and designer apartments with a view. In my day (do I sound like the angry guy yelling at the kids on his front lawn?) we made due with dilapidated houses filled with curb-found furniture. Stop teaching cursive to the kids and the whole world goes to heck. These college kids could have learned a lot from a few movie nights at Oak Street Cinema.

Authentic Aromas

2011-09-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

Like most women I know, I've been on a diet for twenty years. Empty carbs are forbidden. Pasta and bread are no-nos. There are few things we won't do to add flavor and texture to our daily intake.

When Tofu Shirataki first hit the market, I bought every shape and size and began experimenting. But the first time around, I wasn't that impressed. The noodles smelled sort of weird, and their texture was more rubber than al dente.

A weekend discussion with another life-time dieter reminded me of the carbless wonders and I decided to give them another try.

Instructions for preparing Tofu Shirataki warn users to rinse the noodles thoroughly in order to remove the "authentic aroma." (Imagine the panicked calls to the Shirataki factory before this blurb was added to packaging. "My noodles smell funny." "Are these supposed to stink like a barnyard?") This time around, I rinsed and rinsed, and rinsed them again. Eventually the authentic aroma faded. At that point, I rinsed again, boiled in water for about 3 minutes, drained, and tossed them with Thai salad dressing.

The result? Pretty good. These noodles don't taste exactly like pasta, but they are a nice substitute especially in Asian recipes.

Thai-Style Dressing for Noodle Salad
Juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup white rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Thai chili paste
3 teaspoons honey
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 teaspoons grated ginger
Sesame oil
Tamari
Sriracha
Generous handful of unsalted, roasted peanuts

Use pestle and mortar to roughly crush peanuts. Whisk together all ingredients, including oil, tamari, and Sriracha to taste. Serve over greens, green onion, cucumber, grated carrots, chili peppers, cilantro, basil, and rice noodles.

Solar Decathalon

2011-09-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping up with this year's Solar Decathlon via Twitter and the US Department of Energy Blog. Looks like the competition is pretty fierce. They had their dinner parties last night, and the thought of it has me longing for some lefse chips and lingonberry salsa.

Lefse Chips with Lingonberry Salsa
5 lefse rounds
Cooking spray
2 large tomatoes
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
Assorted chili peppers such as jalapeno, poblano, Thai
Cilantro
½ cup lingonberry preserves
Juice from 1 lime
Salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Use a pizza cutter to slice lefse into 3” triangles; coat with cooking spray. Place in single-layers between foil sheets and bake in batches for 20 minutes or until lefse is golden brown and crisp. Season with salt and
cool. Store in airtight container until serving.

To make salsa, chop fine tomatoes, onion, garlic, peppers, and cilantro; toss with lingonberries and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cake Fit for a Zinfandel

2011-09-26T05:32:00.000-07:00

Our student worker is celebrating her 21st Birthday this week. Of course, she'd never indulged in alcohol before (wink wink) so I am gently introducing her to boozy cakes. I've always wanted an excuse to try a wine cake, and this was the perfect occasion. Nice big juicy reds pair nicely with chocolate and the addition of almond extract pulls even more flavor into the cocoa-wine combination.

Chocolate Zinfandel Chiffon Cake
Batter:
1 1/4 cup cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 egg yolks
3 1/2 ounces Zinfandel
6 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar

Syrup:
3/4 cup Zinfandel
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Sift together baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt.

2. In medium mixing bowl, beat on medium speed vanilla, almond, oil, yolks, and Zinfandel. Beat in flour mixture until well incorporated. Slowly add melted chocolate.

3. In clean bowl beat egg whites and cream of tartar until quite foamy. Slowly add sugar and beat to stiff peaks.

4. Whisk 1/3 of the egg whites into the cake batter. Then fold remaining egg whites gently into batter, 1/3 of the mixture at a time.

5. Spread batter into angel food cake pan. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven about 50 minutes or until done. Be careful not to over bake. Cool.

6. Bring Zinfandel, sugar, and cocoa powder to a simmer in a small saucepan. Allow to reduce to a syrup, about 10 minutes. Cool and stir in almond extract. There will be about 1 cup of liquid. Pour half over top of cake. Allow it to soak in (first, poke cake with a chop stick for more even soak). Remove cake from pan. Place bottom side up on cake plate and pour remaining liquid over bottom of cake. Allow to completely soak before frosting.

7. Frost with chocolate garnish or 7-minute frosting flavored with almond extract. Garnish with shaved chocolate.

All My Children: Sublime Ridiculous Perfection

2011-09-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

Remember when Natalie was trapped in the well and her twin sister Crazy Janet From Another Planet pretended to be Natalie, then seduced Uncle Porkchop and became pregnant with his child? Or when Haley married the man who raped her (the same man that Janet later killed with the tire iron)? Or when Stuart pretended to be Adam but we always knew it was Stuart because one side of his collar was askew and his hair was messy? Or when Bianca and Babe gave birth at the deserted cabin and Babe stole Bianca's baby? Or when Donna and Chuck were stranded in that cave during the blizzard and reunited but Donna was still married to Palmer and didn't know he had a vasectomy so when she got pregnant she thought it was his? Or when Crystal invited all the bikers over and got Adam all liquored up and they admitted their love? Or when Tad fell off the bridge with Billy Clyde Tuggle on the morning of the wedding and we all thought he was dead but he washed up somewhere in California on a winery where he happened to be a dead ringer for the winery owner's long lost son Ted and both Tad and Ted returned to Pine Valley two years later and interrupted Dixie's romance with that much younger man Brian who was really in love with Haley... deep breath...

I still get a little misty when I remember Tad and Dixie reuniting on Christmas Eve under their star. I continue to occasionally use my Carney Red Lipstick and fondly recall Myrtle. I named my best cat Haley. My daughter and Bianca were born at the same time. I had a party when Susan Lucci finally won her Emmy.

There was never a time in my life when All My Children wasn't on the day's agenda. Since I was tall enough to reach the dial on the television set, I was drawn to bad girls like Liza, Cecily, and Greenlee. Misunderstood, smart, beautiful, usually rich; they never seem to learn the hard lessons but they eventually get their men (even though poor Liza had to share him with her mother). I loved the scandal and mischief of Erica, Mona, Jeremy, Cliff, Donna, Lily, Jeff, Charlie, Cindy, Mark, Eleen, Palmer, Bennie, Phil, Daisy, Dimitri, Tara, Jenny, Greg, Nina, the Fusion elevator (is anyone ever going to fix that thing? or maybe put in a set of stairs?), Kent, Nick, Mike Roy, Jackson, Jessie, Angie, Nico, the not-so-secret secret hallways of the Chandler Mansion, Ruth, Leo, Hillary, Bianca, Amanda, Jake, Kendell, Ryan, Zach, J.R. (remember when we used to call him Junior?), the jangling of Opal's bracelets, Kate, Joe, Bonkers, Phoebe, and even Evil Dr. David without whom so many dead characters wouldn't return to life. There are more names, some forgotten, most beloved.

Before we had VCRs and TiVo, I'd carefully gage the events of Pine Valley and (yes Mom, I admit this publicly) conveniently wake up sick on the mornings of important events, like when Liza played Jenny's sex tape at prom, or when Nina and Cliff got married (again), or when Tom and Brook's daughter Laura was hit and killed by a drunk driver. When I was a summer girl I'd set lunch out for the kids I nannied and together we'd watch (afterwards I'd gently explain that Natalie didn't mean to kill Erica's half-sister Silver). In college I scheduled classes before noon so that I'd never miss an episode. When I lived overseas, my dad sent me VHS tapes so I could catch up, and my friend K sent me cassette recordings of her reenacting vital scenes. Her imitation of psychically gifted Jeremy was dead-on, "Something has happened to Erica!" At my current job, I made friends when I discovered a collection of coworkers who escaped to the All My Children lounge and daily shared a meal and the show. I've done plenty of bonding over a love of all things Pine Valley.

The shows were always entertaining. But they also confronted social issues and educated, then challenged viewers to approach those issues with compassion. Be it birth control, abortion, autism, prostitution, AIDS, gay and lesbian characters, cochlear implants, drug abuse and alcoholism, rape, adoption, child abuse, divorce, affairs, and Iraq War veterans returning home with scars we can see and scars they keep hidden.

There is a rubber chicken that hangs with my pots and pans above our butcher block. That chicken represents the Chicken Shack and the chicken costume that Tad wore when he proposed to Dixie. It is ironic that my rubber chicken finally disintegrated over the summer, and this morning I woke to find the head detached from the body. Seriously? The Universe doesn't need to remind me. Eva LaRue (a.k.a. Maria) said it best, "I don't know that there is a way to ever say goodbye to Pine Valley."

Today I'll eat a bowl of cheese puffs to memorialize the storage bin where trapped Stuart and Marion fell in love. I'll admire Greenlee's wedding top hat that I received as a gift years ago. And I'll pour a glass of sparkling wine and toast to my Pine Valley Pennsylvania friends one final time.

Cat Blogging: I'm Ready for my Close Up

2011-09-22T05:06:00.000-07:00

Eleanor Mondale

2011-09-20T05:54:00.000-07:00

Since the beginning of civilization common people craved distractions from their dull lives, whether sought Mrs. Cravitz-style peering through closed blinds at the antics of our neighbors, or through tabloids providing detailed transcriptions of Brad's Obviously-Not-Yet-Over-Jen spew. The children of our celebrities and politicians often supply our expanding appetites for diversion. Before we had the Kardashians and the silliness that is Reality TV, before talentless hotel heirs sold sex tapes for fame and fortune, before Barbara and Jenna's drunken public brawls, we had Eleanor.

During the Carter-Mondale inauguration ceremonies, Eleanor stole the spotlight from the other players with her zesty choice in wardrobe, including the tuxedo she donned for The Ball. That's when I first took notice. Never having been a fashion plate myself, I am in awe of women who dress with style and wit. That same smirk and wink guided her into acting, journalism, gym ownership, radio gigs, and serial dating/marriages. Never satisfied, she collected careers and men and wardrobes. Those of us watching her knew she wasn't a silly girl. Her experiments were not mindless narcissistic empty searches. She reached for life itself.

For a very brief period in the early 90s our paths crossed (did I mention brief?). I'd see her at her club or out with friends. Once, I had the guts to say hello.

It was State Fair time, and because it was hot I was able to wear my summer uniform which included black biking shorts worn under oversized t-shirts in lime green or flamingo pink, and a pair of white L.A. Gear high-tops. My daughter was a toddler, and as we walked hand-in-hand through the Fairgrounds she showed excitement and wonder at everything, especially when she spotted Eleanor standing near the Grandstand with an entourage of good-looking men.

Eleanor and I had that succinct moment of sizing one another up. Then her broad toothy smile acknowledged me: we were wearing the same outfit. Of course, fit and lean Eleanor wore it better, but her nod of approval remains with me today.

We were all a little smitten with her. After our exchange, my daughter named every doll and animal Eleanor for a few years. And I've delighted in watching Eleanor's continued maneuvering of careers, men, clothing and hairstyles.

Now that we've lost our local link to celebrity and diversions, I just feel sad. Kim, Khloe, Paris, and the Bush Twins could have learned a lot from Eleanor about public conduct. It is possible to be a little bit outrageous while keeping your dignity in tact, even during questionable fashion phases.

Who Put the Apples in My Bourbon Pie

2011-09-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

The first fall frost made an appearance last week and the students from Cornercopia delivered to me a final box of tomatoes. Twenty pounds canned up quickly, like kissing summer goodbye.

Out with the tomatoes, in with the apples. Nature soothes each ending with a beginning. This is good news for T, who loves apple pie almost as much as he loves Packer football and cats. Rather than making the same old apple pie filling tossed with sugar and spices, I wanted to try something saucey and rich. The bourbon vanilla caramel comes together quickly, and makes a kind of custard when baked with the cornstarched apples, but it would be equally delicious warm, poured over ice cream or apple crisp. (Note: This pie is prettier in person than it appears in photos.)

Bourbon Caramel Apple Pie
Cream Cheese Pie Crust7 tablespoons cold butter
3 ounces cold cream cheese
2 cups flour (1 cup each whole wheat and all-purpose)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons ice water
3 tablespoons ice vodka

Pulse together in processor (or use pastry blender) butter, cream cheese, flour, and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add water and vodka, one tablespoon at a time, and process until dough forms a ball. Divide dough into two discs, wrap in plastic, and chill at least one hour.

Bourbon Vanilla Caramel
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 pod vanilla
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Whisk all ingredients together over medium high heat in small saucepan. Bring to simmer and continue whisking until sugar and sour cream are melted and combined. Remove from heat. Remove vanilla pod.

Apple Filling
6 cups tart baking apples, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Toss apple, cornstarch, and spices together and set aside for 10 minutes.

Pie Assembly
Roll discs into two thin, uniform crusts and place bottom crust into pie plate. Fill with apple filling. Pour caramel sauce over apples. Cover with second crust, seal edges, and pierce top to steam. Sift a tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon over top. Place pie on baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for additional 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cool before slicing.

Product Placement

2011-09-16T07:05:00.000-07:00

To be completely transparent: Received free samples of new local product in exchange for promising to Tweet about the experience. Since I am currently low on blog content I'd thought it was a perfect time to tell you what I really think.

Cakedy, billed as Minnesota's Candy Bar, is pretty good. We tried the Choco Chocatus flavor. Choco Chocatus is like a fancy Minnesota Ho Ho, without the creamy inner swirl. A dense, brownie center is covered with chocolate frosting (although I hear the other flavors are pretty interesting and tasty. View them here.).

I do like supporting my locals, but at a buck a bar would I buy them? Yes, if only to try the other flavors, and on days when brownie or cake cravings drive me to the nearest convenience store rather than my favorite bakery.

Cookbook Hoarding Part 2

2011-09-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

I've been following Signe Johansen's blog http://www.signejohansen.com/ as well as her Tweets for a few months. Norwegian-born and London-residing Johansen recently released the beautiful and delicious Secret's of Scandinavian Cooking... Scandilicious. She breaks Nordic cuisine into mealtime chapters, such as Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert. Best, the importance of fika, or afternoon coffee break, is expemplified in the Afternoon Cake chapter. Seasonal, local, foraged, simple, healthy ingredients are emphasized and celebrated, with just enough gorgeous photos to give the book a fancy feel and plenty of text to make this a bed-side read.

An outtake from one of my favorite pages: "As far as I'm concerned, Norwegian gravlaks - known in Swedish as gravadlax - is quite possibly the best gourmet fast-food fish on the planet," Johansen says. She goes on to describe the delicate, rich (and healthy) dish and provides a quick recipe for Gravlaks and beetroot on crispbread.

Though I've not cooked much from this book yet, the recipes are completely uncluttered and the directions clear, usually including ingredients most home cooks keep at the ready. Americans will need to convert grams into ounces, but the Internet makes this an easy task.

While Scandilicious accommodates cooks at all levels, NOMA Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine will please art lovers, food lovers, Scandinavian enthusiasts, historians, coffee table book collectors, and chefs. Author and Chef Rene Redzepi's unique homage to his Copenhagen restaurant is more hope chest than practical pantry item. I've never owned a cookbook quite like this. I've never seen a cookbook quite like this! Rather than indexing recipes within chapters, NOMA separates a bulk of information by category.

First, a foldout Nordic region map affirms the importance and scope of local ingredients. A forward describes the philosophy Nordic cuisine, and we get Chef Rene's insight in the Diary section. The exquisite photos that make up better than the first half of the book are so splendid, so lovely, so breathtaking, that I am excited to leap into the nearly 100 "Weather Recipes" that follow the art, written menu style. Finally, there are full page descriptions of the people who produce the ingredients used at NOMA, yearbook style photos of the staff, and a much needed glossary of gastronomic terms.

You won't find some of the ingredients from NOMA on my pantry shelf (yet). I've not yet had a need to purchase matodextrine, dulse (edible seaweed), or sea lettuce. There is an emphasis on techniques I've not yet tried, let alone mastered. But most of the components are made of fresh vegetables, fruit, and protein, and the instructions are broken down in such a way that I am confident of success, especially with the lesser complicated foods such as Wild Blackberries and Sweetcorn Ice Cream, Glazed Beetroot and Apples, Potato Crisps with Anise and Chocolate. Until the recipe pages are baptized with splatters of cooking fall-out, I'll just keep drooling on the photos.

Red Hot Relish

2011-09-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

Summer days are winding down and we are desperate to get in a final few grilled suppers. We tried Aidells new Spicy Mango with Jalapeno chicken sausage and it needed just a touch of sweet crunch. This relish does the trick. I remembered my Aunt Della's red hot candy pickles (a recipe I tried last year and the beautifully bright red color tricked most tasters into believing they were eating beets rather than cucumbers) and thought they were just campy and clever enough to add to the relish brine.

Quick Pickled Apple Relish
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Cinnamon and cloves to taste
12- 20 red hot candies (optional)
2 cups finely diced tart apple (skin removed)
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
2 finely diced red chili or jalapeno peppers

Bring water, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, spices, and red hots to boil in small sauce pan. Remove from heat and whisk until candies are melted. Pour over apple, onion, and peppers. Chill at least one half hour.

Cookbook Hoarding

2011-09-12T05:55:00.000-07:00

Recently a former classmate gifted me with two lovely cookbooks which she brought back from Sweden during her studies there. She understands my cookbook hoarding affliction, and generously added to the Scandinavian portion of my collection. Festmat för fattig gourmet (Party Food for the poor gourmet) is a playful guide to throwing a perfect party on a budget. There are tips on party behavior and international recipes. Hela Sveriges Husman (roughly translated All of Sweden's People) breaks down foods by region, and provides helpful anecdotes about pickling, meatballs, and cocktails.

"The Swedish Diet Lives!" The forward in Hela Sveriges Husman proclaims what I have been insisting for years. It has been refreshing to be validated in recent months, as CNN called Scandinavian food the next big thing, and NOMA won World's Best Restaurant two years running. Last month, our Governor's sons opened Bachelor Farmer, a Scandinavian-themed restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. Friends and I are making plans to head there in a few weeks. My dining out mantra is "I'll try any place that serves gravlax."

Canning Day!

2011-09-09T09:36:00.001-07:00

Coffee Talk

2011-09-08T05:36:00.000-07:00

There are a few things I do not do well in the kitchen. I cannot make a bar to save my life. And I make terrible coffee. Thankfully, our neighborhood is littered with decent coffee shops.

As sure as the season's change, so too do the popular flavors. We move from Frappucinos to cappuccinos. All this talk of Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Pumpkin Pie Espresso makes me a little squeamish. First, pumpkin pie spice and coffee do not belong together. That pairing is a mongrel marriage at best. Pumpkin pie should always be served on the side of coffee, not in it. Second, it isn't yet autumn, and I am still jonesing on my iced coffee.

I used to be a Caribou girl, but in recent years switched to Starbucks, although I still feel silly using the Starbucks size lingo. The baristas at our local know my drink so well that it appears on the pick up board before I've finished paying: short (12 ounces) iced coffee in a Venti (24 ounce) cup, extra extra ice. If I dare to go all crazy and order a shot of sugar free vanilla it messes with our symbiotic relationship.

I'm not sure what my next seasonal coffee will be. Something hot and light roasted, and small (i.e. short). Or maybe a single shot of espresso served with a sugar cube and lemon twist. Whatever the cup, I can assure you my autumn-into-winter coffee will not come with a shot of pumpkin pie.

Fair Well

2011-09-06T05:07:00.000-07:00

Fairly Finished

2011-09-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Our final State Fair day and we were in the zone. The weather: perfect, sunny, cool. My Fair Foot (an affliction commonly brought on by walking the Fairgrounds in flip flops, but my case resulted from a few too many miles in some Chuck T's): vanished like a box of French fries in a crowd of teens on the Midway. Our goal: complete our list of must-see, must eat, and must buy. The Day: flawless.

Corn Dog Contemplations: There is no better iced coffee on earth than the stuff French Meadow serves at the Fair, and I'd pit their scones against any other pastries. In the Seed Art wing of the Ag Building we learned about seed bags from the guy who owns the collection always on display. Most of the bags are from the 30s and 40s. They were intended to hold seeds only once. Afterwards, the ink was easily washed away and the flax cloth used for aprons, dish towels, and dresses. The Minnesota State Fair is one of the few places where Scandinavian heritage is still considered "Ethnic." On that note, here is a fun fact: American Swedish Institute curator Curt Pederson is also the Creative Activities Director and curator.

After some searching, we finally found a few real Magnums, although not the Tom Selleck variety.

Magnum at the Fair

2011-09-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

T and I are Magnum P.I. super fans. We carefully select favorite old episodes from T's complete series collection on DVD; sometimes watching in chronological order, sometimes watching an episode that suits the moment. T bases his entire summer wardrobe on Magnum-like shirts and baseball caps. We occasionally pretend our tiny gold KIA is actually a fiery red Ferrari. And we always ride the Magnum at the State Fair. When I saw the discount coupon in the Blue Ribbon Bargain Book this year I was pretty eager to hit the Midway!

Then I wandered on to amusement alley and saw this monstrosity. A question for you, dear two and a half readers, do these frightening frescoes come close to resembling Magnum and his lifestyle? I guess very very occasionally bad things do happen at the Fair.

Fair Update and 2010 Awards

2011-09-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

Musings and Updates: Great news! I've spotted the missing Largest Boar. He currently resides in the midway among the stuffed Smurfs and Minion from Despicable Me. Phew! I was getting pretty worried about that guy. It looks like he's lost a little weight, also. Have you noticed that the only really crabby people at the Fair are the cops who work the gates? Looks like someone needs another mini donut. Sometimes you think you know someone, then find out that they are a Fair Person, and you realize this person could easily be your best friend. There are Fair People and there are Not Fair People. I prefer the former.

Yesterday was our trophy and awards presentation for last year's Trivia Contest winners. As the ceremony began I walked toward the podium (a.k.a. the table in the middle office cubicle) and the crowd (a.k.a. three remaining coworkers in our empty offices) hushed in wild apprehension. Each award was met with exclamations and applause (mostly from me). Trophies were distributed for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place but most coveted of all is Ms. or Mr. Congeniality, given to the person who is nicest and sucks up most to me during the Fair Year (A Fair Year, similar to a Fiscal Year, is used to calculate the time just prior to the start of the Fair when anticipation runs high, the 12 days of actually Fairing, and the weeks following the Fair when withdrawal is most intense. The Fair Year is not technically a full 52 weeks, but is instead the most important months of the calendar year during which the Fair takes most of our attention.).

Following the awards, a group of us met at the fried pickle booth and ambled from beer garden to beer garden. Sadly it must be reported that no one bothered to bring their Scavenger Hunt list with them and therefore no one actually participated in the collective search.

Today was our mostly-annual Lunch From The Fair At The Office Day. I take great pride in assembling food requests from my coworkers and hitting the Fairgrounds with a cooler to gather the fried fare. I calculate the fastest routes, which foods deteriorate quickest, and how to pack them for least possible spillage. The menu included cheese curds, breakfast lollipop, 2 lefse with lingonberries, Holy Guacamole and chips, garlic fired, foot long hot dog, 2 sampler fried pickles, and 1 Cajun fried pickles.

Fifth ANNUAL STATE FAIR TRIVIA CONTEST!

Friday, September 2 and Labor Day Weekend

Days Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve of the 2011 Great Get-Together

Easy: Which three Fair foods are the most lucrative for booth owners? How much does the top earner gross in a single 12-day Fair? (One points for a correct answer and an additional point for putting the three top earners in the correct order)

Challenge: What are the only three buildings on the Fairgrounds more than 100 years old? (Two points for correct answer)

Fairborne's Weekend Extra Credit: Fairchild and his nephew Fairborne are delightful scamps who live on the Fairgrounds. (It is rumored that these lovable guys are Goldy Gopher's cousins).When was Fairchild "introduced" to Fair-goers? When did first Fairborne appear on the grounds? You've all seen Fairchild atop the Leinie Lodge announcer's booth. What happened to the ticket in Fairchild's hand?