October 2022

http://thehistoryhacker.com/2013/04/17/texas-secedes/ After all of the hustle of Thanksgiving comes to a close, you may reflect on all of the lofty Thanksgiving culinary goals you achieved, you may have already run out of left over turkey, you may be craving something a little more….er….grounded, especially before ramping back up for round 2 of the holiday season. This recipe for Curly Mustard Greens and Italian Sausage Meatballs features spicy curly mustard greens from Green Gate Farms in Austin.

http://debashishbanerji.com/translations/jibanananda/night-of-the-wind/ When I tasted these greens raw I knew I wanted to play with the spicy kick at the back of the throat from these fall greens. I thought of substituting spicy greens for the minced parsley that is often added to meatballs. The challenge then became balancing the bitterness, enter Italian sausage.

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Curly mustard greens and Italian sausage meatballs mise en place.

In the old days, home cooks often boiled mustard greens to reduce the bitterness. While that is an option, it removes a lot of the wonderful flavor and nutrients in these beautiful greens.

In this recipe, I chose to mince these greens, saute a portion of them in a balsamic vinegar reduction to add directly to the meatballs. I also include a bit of fresh greens minced up in the meatballs to use that great spicy kick as a subtle feature of the dish.

Wilting some of the greens will reduce some of the bitter and spicy flavors. Reduce vinegar to au sec (nearly dry).

The fat added to the meatballs from the Italian Sausage helps to balance out any bitterness in the greens. I also like to keep these little guys small so that they are only two bites for adults. This also makes them more manageable for little humans to consume.

Form Italian sausage and beef mixture into 1/2″ balls. Sear meat balls on all sides in batches. Don’t overcrowd the pan!

My 4 year old at 4 of these, even after he noticed the “salad” in them. Between the kiddos and adults popping these little delectable treats like candy, you will most certainly run out, so consider doubling this batch! Serve these with a simple bed of white or wild rice, pene or rotini pasta, or even on a bed of mushroom risotto or cheesy polenta.

Space about 1 inch apart in 9×13″ baking dish. Top with freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese. Serve with white rice or pene pasta.

Serves: 4-6 Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

July 2, 2016 Haley 1 Comment

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buy priligy sweden Occasionally I go through periods of time…we’ll call them phases…where I need to remember what’s truly important to me. It can be very easy for me to let things like my own expectations of myself, my contrived idea of what it is that I “should” be doing in life, my self-judgement get in the way of what’s actually real and right in front of me.

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I’m six years old and I have just taken a gargantuan bite of a frosting encrusted slice of purple-winged-roller-skate shaped cake. I’ve chosen to have my birthday party at the skating rink this year, and after soaring deftly around the rink for lap after lap to the sounds of Baby Got Back, Achy Breaky Heart, My Lovin’ – You’re Never Gonna Get It, and the like (it’s 1992, after all) that bite of cake is pure heaven.

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I am not a baker, y’all, so when a regular Kids Cooking Class client called to explain her son is turning 12 and wants to host a cake baking class, fight or flight set in and I froze in terror. My eyes widened, and my heart sank to my stomach as a vision of a cake baking chaos with 12-year-olds in tow flashed into my mind. Then I thought, “What would Julia Child do?” She would put on her big girl panties and get to baking. That’s what!

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http://thebutchersapron.co.uk/ http:/thebutchersapron.co.uk/2017/03/is-it-wise-to-take-out-a-loan-against-your-car/ I have secretly always wanted to teach, but I never dared to admit it because teaching was one of those careers that would never make me “successful.” I also wanted to be a writer and a cook….funny how I chose three passions that don’t seem to fall in line with the “picture of success.”

substantially After hearing “Girl, you must be crazy” for a number of years when you announce your next venture into something new, you can start to second guess your life choices.  It can be especially discouraging when the thing you want to try out to see if it has legs is the thing that you’re most passionate about, the thing that you think about 24 hours a day, the thing that connects you to the world you live in. You might find yourself resorting to a career that you are capable of doing (really well, even), and that brings in a descent income, but that just tears you apart from the inside out every day.

where to buy Seroquel by cod If I’ve learned anything over the last 2 years it’s that I don’t have to buy into those old ideas anymore. My view on what it means to be “successful” has changed in a really important way.  I realize now that the idea of doing something you love, something that connects you, plugs you in, engages all of your mental, emotional, and spiritual capacity, just for the sake of doing it is the whole reason we’re all here.

Mise En Place

What is it that you do….exactly?

It really doesn’t matter what I do. What I do isn’t who I am. Who I am boils down to the values that I choose to live by and the principles I hold in the highest esteem. The things I choose to do in life are manifestations of my values and principles. One such value that I personally hold dear is truthfulness, and this starts with me. Being truthful about my passions and allowing myself to live and experience the things that bring joy into my life is how being true to myself manifests in my life. It’s about making sure my insides match my outsides and I show up as my true self for the world around me.

So here’s the truth (you might want to take a seat for this):  the thing that makes me the happiest and just energizes me from head to toe is cooking, writing about cooking, and teaching people to cook.

Phew! Well, that’s a weight off my chest! I know you all are shocked that Technical Account Management is not the thing that ignites a fire in me. Try not to hit your face on anything when you faint out of disbelief.

Chicken thighs marinating in buttermilk.

Alright, alright. Enough of the drama. Now that I’ve gotten that out I want to share with you a recent update in the happenings of my life.

Very recently an opportunity to teach another cooking class (after a two year hiatus) materialized before me. I was very cautious to accept because I didn’t think my first attempt was all that “successful,” but then I realized the thing I want most in life is RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME…confused and blinking…like, “aren’t you just going to take this?” All I have to do is move my feet a little bit, get over my fear of not being perfect all the time, and lean into it.

Seared Chicken Thighs

So I accepted this incredible teaching opportunity, and since then it’s like a switch has been flipped in my brain. An inspiration switch. It’s like a voracious hunger for knowledge that I can share with my students. I want to cook all the time, I want to re-learn all of the science behind all of the things we do in the kitchen, I want to learn the history behind why we cook the things we cook, and most of all, I want to share this information with my fellow humans. The last part gets a bit strange when I start rattling off cooking facts to Derek while he is busily going about his day, or when no one is in the room with me at all.

Y’all, I’m not even kidding about this. It feels like doors are opening and the path is becoming more clear. Another opportunity materialized for me today that I am taking baby steps to pursue.

Sauted vegetables.

Now, the path obviously is not bright and shiny and lit with neon lights. This is still something that’s very new for me and I’m not entirely sure what my next right steps will be, but that’s how I know it’s right, the fact that it is new, unknown, exciting, and a tiny bit scary.

If I never tried anything new and unknown and had everything all planned out for the rest of my little life and thought “I got this,” one of two things would happen. Either I’d lose my mind from restlessness because I wasn’t taking any risks or adventures or I’d somehow sabotage my perfect little plan because I tend to do that with things that are created by my own self will.

Supper Club Worthy

Now for the teaching portion of this post.  A few days ago I decided to cook braised chicken thighs for Derek and myself because it’s so warm-spicy-fall-off-the-bone-utterly-delicious and because I have had the desire to do a braising recipe for months and because I can!

Braised chicken thighs after 30 minutes on Medium-low

I am reading a book at the moment (one among many because I’m the weirdy who reads more than one book at a time — FYI, not the most efficient system) called For the Love: Fighting for Grace In a World of Impossible Standards by Jen Hatchmaker. In her book, Jen encourages her readers to join or start a Supper Club. She describes the comraderie a small group of like minded adults can develop over a regular monthly meal, made with love and kindness.

I personally love her idea and am in the market for supper club friends (hint, hint) because I also have a prodigious desire to feed people in addition to teach them to cook. This recipe for Cayenne Braised Chicken Thighs is really fantastic for a supper club night because you can make it the day of your supper club meeting, if you choose, but it’s really delicious (possible even better) the day after you’ve made it because all of the flavors meld and blend together while it’s sitting in the fridge waiting patiently for you famished guests. Follow the make ahead steps below the recipe if this is the route you choose.

Notes on Seasoning

The amount of salt and pepper is difficult to measure because it will take whatever it takes to evenly coat the chicken on all sides. I use a hand turned pepper mill that I’ve had since college for my black pepper, but you can use a coffee grinder to grind spices then measure with measuring spoons. Use your finger tips to sprinkle seasonings. Hold your “sprinkling hand” about 18-24 inches above the the item (for me this means just above my head) to spread seasonings over a wider surface area.

Start with 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Measure it out and pour it into your hand so you can see how it feels so you will know just by pinching. If you need more to evenly and thoroughly season the chicken then measure out another 1/2 tsp and pour it into your hand and repeat.

Braised chicken thighs after an hour on medium-low.

Not only can you taste your food as you’re cooking (with the exception of raw chicken), but you can and should taste after cooking to make note of how you would adjust your seasoning for the next time you cook. There’s learning to read recipes and then there’s learning to cook. This is learning to cook.

Cayenne Braised Chicken Thighs

Serves: 4 Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 2.5 hours

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Fontina cheese melts very beautifully!

http://larock.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/la_rock_the_lawrance_competition_entries_may_2010.pdf Tonight, I’m cooking just for me. I don’t have my kid or sweetheart to feed tonight and I am totally okay with that. It might have something to do with my introverted nature.

buy Ivermectin 3 mg It wasn’t always so easy though. For a very long time I didn’t feel it was worth while to cook a meal just for myself. When I began to embrace my need to be home and to be alone to recharge I realized part of that includes feeding myself. I mean actually nourishing myself, not just have a bowl of cereal because my body needs food.

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It can be a challenge to cook for just one. My goal is not to have much in the way of cooked left overs because it usually doesn’t get eaten, and remember, my biggest pet peeve is food waste! To avoid an exorbitant amount of cooked left overs, I like to break down my vegetables into  small portions and only cook what I need at the moment.

Red radishes.

Vegetable sautes and stir fries like this Cheesy Mediterranean Vegetable Saute are great for adjusting the portion sizes. The key here is making sure all of the vegetables are cut as close to the same size and shape as possible. Not only does this help for even cooking but also for visual appeal (we eat with our eyes first) and also what some chef-y types call “mouth feel.” If the pieces are all different sizes you might feel and taste one more than the rest.

For this recipe we’re going to quarter the radishes and mushrooms. Since this dish is all vegetables we want them to be large enough that you can really see them. Also, quartering is faster and I was hungry.

Cremini mushrooms.

When quartering your mushrooms remove the stems. They are a bit woody and difficult to cut to a uniform size. You can throw them away if you like or you could collect them in a zip lock bag to make home made vegetable stock later. Another option is to compost them!

Sweet red bell pepper.

Red bell peppers are naturally very sweet especially when they’re sauted. Cut them into strips first and cut out the white membrane that connects to the seeds. These membranes don’t have much flavor.

Yellow squash.

Since this Cheesy Mediterranean Vegetable Saute is a small plate for just one we don’t need a whole yellow squash. Cut your squash in half then cut the thinner half in half again length wise, then quarter it length wise. You’ll then have uniform sticks that you can dice into about 1/2 inch pieces, or as close to the same size as the rest of the vegetables you’ve chopped. You can save the other half of squash in a zip lock bag for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Safflower oil is great for high heat cooking.

I love cooking with safflower oil because it has a neutral flavor and can be heated to very high temperatures before it burns making it great for a Cheesy Mediterranean Stir Fry!

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Some vegetables cook down more quickly than others. Radishes and squash are more delicate than bell pepper and mushrooms so you’ll want to start with the bell peppers and mushrooms. All of the vegetables in your finished dish should be al dente. The literal translation of al dente is “to the tooth” in Italian. You’ve probably heard pasta referred to as al dente. It just means the food is cooked so it’s tender but still slightly crisp. Vegetables can and should be cooked to al dente in most situations.

Store cheese in parchment or wax paper in the frige. Doesn’t have to be perfect.

I have a hunk of fontina cheese and I certainly can’t eat all of it…well I could (notice the bite), but it’s probably not the best choice. The best way to store cheese is to wrap it in parchment paper. You can just fold it up like a gift. Also, tape doesn’t stick to parchment (tried it) so don’t worry about what it looks like too much.  Then wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap.

I served my Cheesy Mediterranean Vegetable Saute with basil and herb pearl couscous. You could use whole wheat pene pasta or brown or wild rice. This dish is very versatile (you could even add bacon).

Cheesy Mediterranean Vegetable Saute for one.

• 1 tbs Safflower oil
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, 1/2 inch dice
• 4 cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 6 radishes, quartered
•  1/2 yellow squash, 1/2 inch dice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp  dried ground oregano
• 1/4 C. fontina cheese, grated

1. Heat a medium saute pan (saute = straight sides) over medium heat. When the pan is hot add 1 tbs of Safflower oil.
2. Add the bell pepper to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Add the mushrooms and turn the heat up to medium high. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 5 more minutes stirring occasionally.
4. Add radishes, squash, red pepper flakes and oregano. Cook 5 more minutes stirring occasionally.
5. Turn the heat off. Sprinkle the fontina over the vegetable saute. Serve over couscous, pasta or rice. Garnish with finely chopped parsley (optional).

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July 2, 2016 Haley 1 Comment

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This Winter is proving to be something of a bust here in Austin. I saw a post of a picture of a bluebonnet already blooming out on Facebook yesterday and we’re only half way through February!!

Graneros Hey I’m not complaining. I love the warm weather and I’m totally fine with having a hot Summer. That just means an extra long harvest season and more time out on the lake. What’s not to love about Texas? (I won’t mention the scorpions, diamond backs, and coral snakes in this post.)

cheap alternative to cenforce While I may be sitting at a balmy 75 degree high on this day after Valentine’s Day, our friends in the North are suffering one of their most brutal Winters. I’ve concocted this healthy, hearty, body warming Earthy Indian Kale Casserole as a tribute to my friends above Dallas, but you will definitely enjoy this dinner no matter where you live!

Mind reading is one of my special skills, so I can hear you thinking “What’s so healthy, hearty, and warming about this casserole, anyway, Haley?” Let me tell you a little about kale. All you hipsters out there know that kale is a super food. It’s imprinted in your brain, and you were eating kale way before everyone else anyway. But do you know why it’s so super?

Sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and kale!

Kale is considered to be a nutrient dense vegetable. According to Paul Pitchford in his book Healing with Whole Foods – Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition, kale has a very low calorie count, but is very high in protein, fiber, and many essential vitamins and minerals, such as provitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acid in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (among other awesome stuff).

Beef stock and coconut milk = great combo. Sub vegetable stock or all coconut milk and remove ground beef for vegetarian.

Pitchford also explains kale is a “warming” vegetable and can help combat coldness during winter months.  Additionally, because kale is a leafy green vegetable it is very high in chlorophyll which can stop the spread of bacteria while promoting the growth of beneficial flora in the gut which can fight against stomach troubles as well as chest congestion.

All in all, kale is a wonderful vegetable to add to your diet at any time of the year, but especially during the winter months when it has it’s sweetest flavor following a touch of frost.

Corn starch is awesome as a gluten free sauce thickener!

To add to the warmth of this dish I’ve included Garam Masala, an Indian spice combination known for it’s warming effects. In Hindi Garam means “hot” and Masala means “a mixture of spices.” Garam Masala can be found in the spice section of most grocery stores and contains black pepper, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf, and cumin. While the name means “hot” you won’t find this dish to be overly spicy, but garam masala will add an earthy warmth to the meal.

I hope you enjoy and stay warm!

Serve this dish with Jasmine rice cooked in unsweetened coconut milk.

Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4