Cool Stuff . . . Food Focused

I love food. And I love to cook. I am best at baking and soups. Bit by bit I am attempting to master cuisines other than Texan. Being in DC allows me the chance to obtain all the ingredients quickly and afford-ably so that I can play with my food without hesitation.

When I across the Play with Your Food books by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers . . . I was hooked and enjoy using food, imagination, and toothpicks to replicate the humanlike faces in our inanimate veggies and fruits.

Here are a couple of websites I wander through:

Cupcakes--I really love them. More than the eating, I enjoy the design of them. A small working space creates just the right amount of challenge.

The first website I go to in order to search for the perfect recipe is epicurious.com. (I only use those recipes that have a four fork rating.) RecipeZaar is also a really great place.

For those dishes I come across and enjoy at those [gasp] chain restaurants, I check out Top Secret Recipes to see if it is listed for free (I am really cheap).

America's Test Kitchen is a TV show *and* a place online. There are some free recipes and videos. I like this particular show because they get to explaining the science behind the recipe which gives you information that you can generalize to other recipes.

Here is the host of America's Test Kitchen, Christopher Kimball, showing you the parts of the pig with their cool pig model. Why wasn't this part of my zoology class in college when we dissected pigs?

Here are a couple of the recipes that people most commonly ask to have:

Crepes

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

2 TBSP melted butter

1/4 tsp. salt

Mix all ingredients in a blender. Let stand about 30 minutes. (I also add a bit of vanilla if I am going to be using the crepes to make sweet crepes.)

Source: Hughes' Family

Chicken Enchilada Soup

2 tablespoons butter, margarine, or oil

1 cup onions, diced

¾ cup celery, diced

½ cup bell peppers, diced

1 ½ tablespoon of garlic, minced

8 cups of chicken stock

3 cups of cooked chicken, diced

2 14 ½ ounce cans whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped

¼ fresh lime juice

¼ cup fresh cilantro, minced

1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced

½ teaspoon cumin, ground

salt and pepper

Garnish: fried tortilla strips and grated jack cheese

Heat butter, margarine, or vegetable oil in a large soup pot. Sauté onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic for 15 minutes over medium heat. Add stock and remaining ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fried tortilla strips and cheese.

Sheila’s Notes:

• I add a can of corn to the pot. Also, I cook the soup for a couple of hours.
• I find that you often need more cumin. Just taste the soup to see if you need more.
• If you season the chicken with salt and pepper when the chicken is cooked, you do not need to add it to the soup.

Apple Pear Compote (from RecipeZaar)

4 ounces dry white wine

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1 Granny Smith apple peeled, pared, and chopped

1 Macintosh apple peeled, pared, and chopped

10 ounces of pear peeled, pared, and chopped

frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

In a large saucepan, combine wine, honey, vanilla, and spices. Cook over high heat until mixture boils. Add Granny Smith apple. Reduce heat and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about ten minutes. Add McIntosh apple and pear. Cook until fruit is tender and liquid is mostly evaporated and syrupy. Top with whipped topping and serve.

Sheila’s Notes:

• I use one pear instead of worrying about 10 ounces of pear.
• When I "chop" the fruit, I actually just slice it because I don't like it too mushy.
• I don't serve it with whipped topping. It is great to eat by itself or on pancakes or waffles.