Whole Hog

This is not my slow cooker--mine is much less fancy!

I've been using my slow cooker a lot more than normal lately.  I don't know why I don't use this handy-dandy appliance more, but right now, I am in full-on slow cooker mode.  I've also been lusting after pork shoulder these days.  I'm not sure why, but that's ok.  Pork should is good.  Slow cookers are easy.  Combine the two and you get good, easy dinners that feed a crowd.

I'm making BBQ Pulled Pork as we speak (it's cooking away while I'm at work).  Earlier this year, I made Pernil--a recipe I found from Skinny Taste (by the way: If you are looking for recipes that are healthy, easy, crowd-pleasing and downright good, head over to Skinny Taste.  I love this website and visit it often.  There are so many good things to try!).

Two weekends ago, I also made Pulled Pork with Caramelized Onions.  The recipe came from Eating Well--I found it online and you can get it here.  Take a look at how it turned out.

It was sweet, tender, flavorful and fun to eat.  I served it with toasted Kaiser rolls, coleslaw, and chips.  It lasted three+ meals, and I fully intend to make it again.  The mister and I loved it, and I would really like to make this for my family (I know they'll like it!).

Sorry for the low-quality iPhone photo!!

I can't tell you how much I love using my stupid slow cooker.  I get the best food from that little thing.  Do you have a slow cooker?  If so, what's your favorite recipe?  Share, share!

Tool Time: Slice With Ease!

Back when I made the yummiest roasted chicken I've had in some time, I had my parents come over to share the meal.  Like they always do, they asked if they could bring anything.  I said yes!  Bring your electric carving knife!

Since my husband normally leaves meat carving (and cake slicing) to my dad, I wanted the Mister to have a chance to practice before Thanksgiving.  I asked my dad to guide my hubby through the carving process.  With the help of the electric carving knife, some earlier reading on the matter from The Joy of Cooking, and words of experience from my father, the Mister carved up the chicken beautifully.  (More on that in a minute!)

The electric carving knife was a huge help.  If you don't have one, consider making the modest financial investment to pick one up.  My father has used electric carving knives ever since I've been alive (he's gone through at least two of them!), and he's never had a hard time carving meat.  My husband declared the electric carving knife fun to use...it made first time carvery a snap because he got a clean cut without that annoying sawing motion of a traditional knife.  The electric carving knife doesn't tear the meat, and it gets the carving process done faster than a normal knife.  It's also easy to clean (bonus!)

Men like power tools...and since men are traditionally tasked to carve meat, this is the perfect gadget for the kitchen.  We'll be using this tool on Thursday to carve up the turkey!

Oh, one more note on carving: This year, we're carving the turkey breast differently.  Instead of cutting thin slices, my husband is going to remove the entire breast and then cut it into thicker slices...just like he did with the chicken (see photo below).  This does a few things: 1) it ensures people will get substantial pieces of white meat, 2) it keeps the meat moister and warmer (since less of the meat is exposed), and 3) it allows diners to get a better bite of yummy, crispy turkey skin!

The Dinner That Keeps on Giving

The early stages of homemade stock.

After I made my super yummy roasted chicken, I couldn't let myself throw out the carcass and leftover bones of the bird.  So I did the thrifty thing and made stock.  I didn't follow a recipe, but I did throw the carcass, the chicken neck, some bones, onion skins, carrots, celery, parsley, and peppercorns into a big pot.  I added enough water to cover everything, turned the burner on medium, and left the concoction to bubble all day long.  After several hours, I strained all the veggies and bones (and threw them away) then let the strained liquid sit on low heat to continue to reduce.  The end result?  A dark, flavorful stock.

I'm planning on using the stock when I make my Thanksgiving dinner (I'll probably add it to the stuffing), so I have it in the freezer, waiting to be used.  Before I froze it, though, I ran it through the most awesome gizmo: Oxo's Fat Separator.  If you don't have one of these (and you're planning to make gravy or stocks), you should get one!

This handy gadget will set you back about $15, and it will help keep the oil slick out of your gravy/stock.  It's surprisingly easy to use.  You just pour your gravy/stock through the separator then pull out the stopper.  This creates suction so that the non-fatty liquid pours easily from the spout.  The fat will rise to the top so you can see when to stop pouring.

One bit of advice: pour slowly and pay attention to the color of liquid in the spout.  As soon as you get into the fat, stop pouring!

I'm glad I picked up this kitchen tool.  It's very helpful and will come in handy when I make Thanksgiving gravy.

Tool Time: Tomodachi Knife

I love Target.  I know I shouldn't.  I know they're an evil big box store and I also know that they recently donated tons of money to a political candidate who embodies everything I'm against.  I'm the type of girl who doesn't shop at Wal-Mart for political reasons, so I feel like a dirty hypocrite every time I walk into a Target.  But morals and values be damned!  I have to get my paper towels, TP, and other every day essentials from some place, and that place is Target.

When I was wandering around Target the other day, I noticed all these relatively cheap, very bright knives hanging from the wall.  They're made by a company called Tomodachi, and they have several different options to choose from: a green 7" Santoku, a 4" red tomato knife, an orange 6" all-purpose knife, etc.

They knives so cute and so inexpensive that I picked one up--the green 7" Santoku.  Because really?  Who couldn't use another knife?  And for $7.99?  Yup--I'm sold.

I've used the bright green knife a few times now and it's not half bad.  It's easy to use--the knife is very lightweight and the handle, though nothing to write home about, is comfortable to grip.  The blade does a nice job of cutting through whatever I'm chopping.  And best of all it can be tossed into the dishwasher.  Yay! 

We'll see how this knife does in the long run.  I'm not sure how it will do when I need to sharpen it, but for now, it's pretty darn good!  Plus it's so easy to find in my unorganized tool drawer thanks to it's stand-out color.  Because it comes with a blade guard, I can just toss the little cheap-y into said junk drawer and not worry about it getting damaged.

So far, this is a thumbs up.  Like I said, it will be interesting to see how it stands up to the test of time.

Tool Time: Cookie Scoop

Around Christmas time, my son and I were at Bed Bath and Beyond doing some shopping (yes that was over 8 months ago). We were looking in the gadget section and he picked up a cookie scoop that had silicon in the scoop part so that you could press out the cookies. He picked up 2 (one for him and one for me) and asked if we could get them so he could help make cookies - I said sure. We brought them home, washed them and then put them in a drawer and forgot about them. Last week on my day off, Aidan asked to make chocolate chip cookies and he remembered about the scoops, so we gave them a try.

What I liked:
So these were not that expensive - I think I got both for about $10. The concept is great, scoop, press and there is a perfect sized cookie. The size of the cookie dough that the bowl of the scoop holds is really good. They are easy to clean and can go in the dishwasher.

What I did not like:
They are not easy to use! The dough does not want to come out of the scoop - no matter how hard you push. My son thought they were great scoops, since the dough wouldn't come out he thought that meant he could he eat all the dough instead of try to place it on the cookie sheet.

Overall:
I was really disappointed in the silicone cookie scoop. I was hoping that they would work and become a welcomed addition to my cookie making tradition. Alas, they will just be another item that takes up space in my utensil drawer.

Oh well, the cookies still turned out and were delicious!

Tool Time: Garlic Peeler Tube

When I was staying at the beach, the house we rented had a perfectly adequate kitchen.  I think it's hard to cook in a "foreign" kitchen.  No matter how well stocked and supplied the kitchen may be, there will always be certain tools you want but don't have.  Rummaging though the drawers in search of wooden spoons one day, I found a silicon tube.  At first I wasn't sure what it was, but then it dawned on me: It was a garlic peeler!  And I had to give it a try.

The tube is a very silly, very simple tool.  You put your garlic clove(s) in it, press down and roll the tube, then tip it up.  Immaculate, peeled garlic should come tumbling out.

I threw a single clove in and gave it a whirl.  My first attempt was a failure.  The clove was still hidden inside its peel, though a few layers had fallen off.  I decided to add more pressure.  This time it was a success.  Though my garlic clove was a little based up, it was peeled and ready to be used.

The garlic peeler is easy to clean.  You can wash it off or stick it in the dishwasher.  Some pieces of the garlic peel tend to stick to the tube (thanks to static electricity or something!), but a trip through the dishwasher solves any cleanliness issues.

Overall, I'd say this is a pretty decent little tool.  It sells for $9 at Williams-Sonoma, which means you can probably find it cheaper elsewhere.  If you're looking for a stocking stuffer for a cook/garlic-lover, this is it!  Not bad.

Viva Mexico!

This year, Greta's been on an Indian food kick. She's been making tons of different Indian dishes and she's been sharing her adventures here on Deliciousness of Yum.

Well, I think it's my turn to embark on an ethnic cooking adventure of my own. For my destination I'm heading to Mexico...here's why: Mexican food is delicious and I have a Mexican mother-in-law who's an amazing cook so I'd love to be able to recreate (or at least attempt to recreate) some of my husband's favorite dishes. (I could get all political and make some comment about the stupid immigration law passed in Arizona and how cooking Mexican food is a minor form of civil disobedience, but that's sort of silly...just like the misguided right-wingers in Arizona!)

Anyway...to get myself started, I went out over the weekend and bought a tortilla press and a molcajete. I'll get to making actually food soon enough, but for now, I am in the process of seasoning my molcajete.

So what the hell is a molcajete anyway? Click here for the full wiki on it, but basically it's a Mexican mortar and pestle. It's made of either basalt or volcanic material and is used for making guacamole, salsa, etc.

Like a cast iron skillet, it's important to season a molcajete. Here are the steps to do so:

1. Soak the molcajete and tejolote by submerging it in water for 2 to 4 hours. At this point, brush/scrub the surface of the molcajete. When I did this, the water in my sink turned gray and small, sandy particles came off it. The molcajete went from gray to dark, almost blackish gray.
2. Let the molcajete air dry. As it dries out, you can see the color go back to it's original gray hue.
3. When it's perfectly dry, grind a handful of wet, white rice in the bowl. At first, the rice will take on a gray, gritty hue. Dump the rice, add more and grind, and repeat this process over and over again until the rice no longer turns gray (this could take some time!). Clean out the rice and let the molcajete dry again.
   
4. You don't have to do this part, but you can throw some rock salt into the bowl and grind it down so it resembles table salt. Dump it out and do this a few times to shine and smooth the bowl. Clean out the salt.
   
5. Throw a few cloves of garlic, some cumin, and salt and pepper into the bowl of your molcajete. Mash everything together to season the entire bowl. Wipe out any large, obvious chunks of garlic and viola! Your molcajete is ready to go.

The seasoning process takes forever. I'm still in the rock salt stage, but I'm hoping to get this thing seasoned and free of grit soon. Then I'll be able to whip up some yummy guac! I'll post more about this soon.

Baking Essentials

I'm on something of a baking kick lately. I am not sure why, exactly, but I do find a great deal of peace in baking something yummy. Baking requires you to slow down, to take your time and work through a process. And once you're done, you end up with great smells coming from the oven and (hopefully) something delicious to munch on. Baking is exact, but it's like a marriage of chemistry and magic. And that's always fun.

There are a ton of gadgets and do-dads that make cooking easier, but here is my list of absolute baking essentials:

• Measuring tools: at very least, you should invest in decent measuring cups and spoons. I prefer stainless steel because they seem more official. They also clean up easily and seem like they'll last longer than plastic (that's just my humble opinion). You'll also need something to measure liquid. For this, I like Pyrex glass measuring bowls. I have several different sizes of these and I recommend you get a 1-Cup, a 2-Cup and a 4-Cup for your kitchen. Remember: the Pyrex measures can go into the microwave, so they're super handy. Plus the large size allows you to mix up batter which is convenient. I've tried the angled liquid measuring cups, but I don't think they're very accurate or easy to use.
  
  
• Decent scale: You don't have to spend a ton of money on this, but like I said earlier in the week, using a scale to weigh your ingredients is faster, easier, and more accurate than measuring by volume (that said, you'll still need to get decent measuring cups and spoons!).
  
  
• Quality pans: Spend a tiny bit more (and go to a more specialized kitchen store) and get heavier pans that seem more sturdy and less likely to warp over time. You'll want (at very least) a normal sized cupcake pan (or two), 8 or 9-inch round cake pans, a brownie pan, and a loaf pan. I like the professional line of products by Chicago Metallics because they're reasonably priced and good quality. Nordicware also rocks.
  
  
• Sheet/Cookie pans: Again, I really think it's better in the long run to invest in good quality stuff. Buy at least two half sheets and you should be set.
  
  
• Cooking racks: I have two wire cooling racks, but I really think I should get one or two more. They're useful for cooling, but you can also put them inside your half sheets if you're cooking stuff like chicken (it lets the fat drip away from the meat--I do this when I cook chicken legs/wings in the oven). I am not a big fan of the stacked cooling rack, though they save counter space...I suppose.
  
  
• A decent mixer: I take it for granted that everyone has a Kitchen Aid mixer in their house--probably because I think everyone should have one. I got mine for a high school graduation gift, and I adore it. I use it constantly and can't imagine not having one. If you don't have a Kitchen Aid, at least invest in a decent electric hand mixer...it will save you hours of mixing by hand.
  
  
• Good bowls: Use whatever you like, but make sure you have a decent set of bowls. I have glass, stainless steel, and melamine bowls and each serves its purpose. I am not a huge fan of ceramic bowls--they tend to chip and don't stand up for the long haul.
  
  
• Spoons, scrapers, etc.: You can never have enough wooden spoons, rubber spatulas, or stainless steel tongs, in my opinion. You'll also want a good whisk and a bench scraper in your collection.
  
  
• Rolling pin: I prefer a rolling pin without handles. I rarely use my rolling pin because I have yet to become an enthusiastic pie/pastry maker. But still, it's good to have one around because using a wine bottle to roll out dough only goes so far.
  
  
• Pastry brushes: I can't stand silicone pastry brushes for baking, but many people swear by them. I always have a couple brushes around--in different sizes.

This should get you started, but this is just a bare bones list. There's a ton of other stuff that could be mentioned, but I'll save that for another time. What's your favorite baking tool? Leave a comment and let us know!

Measuring Up

Quick question: when you bake, how do you measure out your ingredients? Do you use measuring spoons and cups (measuring by volume), or do you use a scale (measure by weight)?

Until recently, I always brought out my mismatched measuring cups and banged up measuring spoons to make sure I had the right amount of ingredients. I filled cups with flour, scraping off the excess with a knife. I used my Pyrex measuring cup to dole out a cup of milk, a 1/2 cup of water.

But now? Now I've found a better way.

Thanks to my sister for buying me an awesome birthday gift, I am making a big switch. Instead of measuring out ingredients, I am going to--when possible--weigh them instead. According to the baking gurus (the folks over at King Arthur Flour), weighing out ingredients is much more accurate. Apparently, measuring cups can, by law, vary up to 12%. I never knew that before, and in some cases, that 12% might make the difference between a light fluffy cake and one that's more like a hockey puck.

The scale my sister bought me is from Salter, and it lets me do a lot. I can put my Kitchen Aid mixing bowl directly on the glass scale, turn it on, add a few scoops of flour, and get an accurate read (in ounces) on the digital display. I can also switch the scale from ounces to fluid ounces if I am measuring liquids. I think measuring by weight is not only more accurate, but also faster, easier, and less of an ordeal.

If you're really into baking, you should consider making the investment and buying a quality scale. It will change the way you work! And, if you're interested, here are some common conversions:

• All-Purpose Flour (1 Cup): approx. 4 1/2 oz. (this can vary depending on what kind of flour you're using. Refer to the conversion chart that comes with your scale.
• Granulated White Sugar (1 Cup): 7 oz.
• Brown Sugar (1 Cup): 8 oz.
  
• Butter (1/4 Cup/4 Ts): 2 oz.
• Honey (1/2 Cup): 6 oz.
• Almonds, Whole (1/2 Cup): 2 1/2 oz.
• Almonds, Sliced (1/2 Cup): 1 1/2 oz.
• Chocolate Chips (1 Cup): 6 oz.
  

Surviving the Week

Being a working Mom, I have to get up early (usually at 5:30 am) everyday - including the weekends (Hockey!). In order to survive, I start my day off with lots of coffee. Now being from Seattle, you might think that means a trip to Starbucks every morning - well not so! Lydia turned me on to the wonders of a Keurig coffee maker and the joys of having fresh brewed coffee in seconds. This along with my Green Mountain Coffee Club membership makes mornings tolerable! I have found that the seasonal blends are my favorite and that when they are not available, either Lake & Lodge or Caribou Coffee are delicious options! Keurigs also make a nice hot chocolate and tea too. And yes, from time to time I do run off to Starbucks for a mocha!

Once at work, I rely on my Coconut Chai Tea for both its soothing aroma and its caffeine. I have found that I am quite spoiled with my Keurig coffee and that the options at work are good, but the tea is not as acidic and always makes my office smell exceptionally good! I usually get compliments on the wonderful smell and I am happy to share the goodness of a warm cup!
For lunch, I usually have a most delicious Lean Cuisine (can you hear the sarcasm?). Every once in a while though, I treat myself to a gyro and greek salad from First Hill Bar and Grill - a dive with wonderfully delicious food! I find myself craving these and whenever one of us starts talking about feta or gyros, the whole lab ends up placing an order! Most of my techs prefer the french fries with their sandwich, but I love the Greek salad dressing and extra feta cheese that comes with the salad. My mouth is watering thinking about the first bite - yum!

As I look at the start of another week and month (happy February), I also look forward to breaks in the day to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and the possibility of a fresh, hot gyro!

Please share your tasty treats that help you make it through the week too - I always love trying something new!

Vindaloo, Wine and Kheer - Oh My!

In keeping with my Indian theme, I made goan-style hot and sour pork (Vindaloo) this weekend. It was a bit more time consuming than the other dishes, but it turned out deliciously!

To make this meal, I ended up biting the bullet and buying a spice grinder and I also made a trek to Central Market (and their bulk spice isle) to find 2 key ingredients for this dish - fenugreek and brown mustard seeds. You start by taking all your spices (cumin seeds, dried chilies, peppercorns, cardamon seeds, a cinnamon stick, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds) and grinding them up, then you add vinegar, salt, and brown sugar to make the start of the vindaloo paste. After that, you brown 2 onions in lots of oil and then transfer them to a food processor, add some water and make an onion paste - this gets added to the spices and you have vindaloo paste. Once the paste is made, the rest of the meal is pretty easy - cut up and brown your meat (I used pork), make a garlic & ginger paste and add that, add turmeric & coriander and the vindaloo and let it simmer for at least an hour.

I made plain rice to go with the pork vindaloo (I thought that the dish itself had enough seasoning and plain rice would go better than a seasoned rice) and served garlic naan (from Treader Joe's), broccoli and a delicious Dry Riesling from Chateau Ste. Michelle.

I discovered the Dry Riesling in talking to the "wine lady" at Safeway - I wanted a white wine that went well with spicy food and she recommend the Dry Riesling. It is very drinkable and goes perfectly with anything spicy - it has quickly become one of my favorite wines! It also helps that I can buy it right at the grocery store and it is under $7.00 a bottle!!

For dessert, I made Kheer again (see my post from 01/13/10 for the recipe), but I changed it up a bit from the original recipe. I used coconut milk, vanilla and toasted coconut in the recipe - along with the raisins, milk and cream. The addition of vanilla and coconut added dimensions to the flavor that were exceptional! Since the dish was a bit spicy, the creamy rice pudding put an exclamation point on the dinner - I love the Kheer!

If you make this meal at home, give yourself lots of time for prep and to chill the Kheer!! I had been running around and didn't start cooking until 2:00 pm - I served dinner at 6:15, but I was "running" around the kitchen all afternoon! It was worth it and there were enough leftovers for dinner tomorrow night too!! I also love my new spice grinder, I can't believe that it has taken me so long to fork out the $20.00 to buy one - it is a must have!

Gingerbread Yum

This past weekend, my son asked to make gingerbread cookies - he can devour them like Cookie Monster. Since I like to cook with him, I thought that it would be fun. It seems that making and decorating gingerbread is quickly becoming a Christmas tradition and I am always on the lookout for things that can make decorating fun and easy.

I didn't have everything that I would need to make and decorate the cookies, so I headed out to the store and the seasonal isle. There I found a bucket of various cookie cutters and what looked like glue. It turned out to be squeezable white icing in a bottle by Wilton and has now become one of my favorite decorating tools - everyone loved it, from my 7 year old to my Mom and Dad. We used it to add mini M&Ms, sprinkles and nonpareils.

So once I had the necessary tools and decorations, I then turned to my bible - the Joy of Cooking for the gingerbread recipe.

Recipe from the Joy Of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker, 1985:

Gingerbread Men

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend the butter and sugar until creamy.
3. Beat in molasses.
4. Sift the flour, then add all spices and resift dry ingredients.
5. Add the sifted ingredients to the butter mixture in about three parts, alternately with the water.
6. Roll the dough to any thickness you like and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
7. Decorate before baking with small raisins, bits of candied fruits, red-hots, marshmallows and citron; use icing and sprinkles after baking.
8. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes or longer, according to their thickness. Test for doneness by pressing the dough with your finger. I it springs back after pressing, they are ready to be cooled on a rack.

Icing

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
A few drops of water

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and water. Add a drop or two of food coloring and use to decorate cookies.

This year, I omitted the icing recipe and used already prepared, multicolored icings. We all had fun and even shared some with friends and family. I hear that Santa is very fond of gingerbread too!

Puff Daddy

As a rule, I much prefer kitchen tools that can multitask and I tend to avoid single-use items (honesty, do we really need to spend $8 for a citrus peeler? I think not!). But all rules have their exceptions, which is why I own an ebelskiver pan.

I know, I know...what a goofy name: ebelskiver. Say that three times fast, I dare you. In my house we refer to the ebelskiver pan as the Nebekenezer pan, but that's just because my husband and I are somewhat nerdy.

Anyway, I'm getting off track. Despite the funny name and it's ability to only be used for one thing, an ebelskiver pan is an awesome kitchen addition if you're a fan of breakfast. See, the ebelskiver pan is used to make super yummy pancake puffs.

Here's how it works:

• Mix up some pancake batter using your favorite recipe or mix.
• Heat up the ebelskiver pan on your stove. Some companies do not recommend using the pan on glass cooktops, but that's what I have and so far I haven't caused any damage to either the pan or the stove.
• Lightly grease each well of the ebelskiver pan.
• Pour about 1 Tablespoon of prepared pancake batter into each well.
• Top the batter with the filling of your choice (see below), about 1/2 teaspoon per pancake puff.
  
• Cover the filling with another tablespoon of batter.
• Cook the ebelskivers 2-3 minutes, until the batter bubbles and gets firm around the edges.
• Using a pair of chopsticks or two toothpicks, carefully flip each puff so the other side cooks.
• Continue cooking about 1 more minute.
• Remove each puff with the chopsticks/toothpicks and serve warm, topped with maple or other flavored syrups or powdered sugar, a dusting of cocoa, or a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, depending on your taste.

Filling ideas:

You can fill your pancake puffs with anything you'd like. Pancake puffs are just begging to be experimented with! Try:

• Your favorite jams/fruit spreads
• Chocolate chips
• Fruit, like blueberries
• Pie fillings, especially spiced apples--throw in some nuts for added texture
• Nutella
  
• Cheese (marscapone, ricotta with a bit of orange, etc.)
• Meat (cooked and crumbled bacon, sausage, etc.)
• Williams-Sonoma recently featured pancake puffs with a sticky, nutty toffee filling and a gooey sauce on top. Wow!
• Mix up chocolate pancake batter and fill with raspberry jam. Yum.
  

Other considerations:

• I want to try this with a lighter batter that will yield a crispier coating.
• Speaking of batter: you could add some spices to give the pancake part more flavor.
• Patience is a requirement when making ebelskivers. And practice makes perfect. Give yourself permission to make a few batches that are less than perfect. You'll need to get your technique down.

Equipment:

• Ebelskiver pan, approximately $30 to $40 (check here and here for ordering info).
• Optional: squeeze bottle for your pancake batter or a pancake dispenser (check out this one--it's pretty awesome!).
• Toothpicks or chopsticks.

Photo above from Williams-Sonoma. They also have a handy-dandy video on how to cook up these bad boys.