Archive for April, 2010

Publicity!

Monday, April 26th, 2010

I had a brief interview with Diana Marder at the Philadelphia Inquirer while shopping at the Farmer’s Market last weekend. You can see the entire article here, but if you just want to see my name in print check the second page.

I’ve already sent out a letter to my family letting them know I am getting too famous for them.

Tags:

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Double Veg Sunday: Baked Kale Chips and Sauteed Swiss Chard

Sunday, April 25th, 2010

As you know, sometimes life just gets moving and doesn’t stop.  I apologize for the lack of posts this week (I generally try to post at least twice a week.), but as delicious ingredients crop up in the market, it’s hard to stay out of the kitchen.

There’s not much more to say about how great just a little bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and leafy vegetables can make a great snack.  I’ll let the pictures do the talking on this post.

Baked Kale Chips
One bunch of kale
a Tablespoon or so of olive oil
a couple pinches of salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cut the kale into pieces.  Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.    Bake for twenty minutes or a little longer to get nice and crispy.  Serve!

Sauteed Swiss Chard
a bunch of swiss chard
a little olive oil
a pinch of salt and pepper

Cut the swiss chard in large pieces.  Heat a medium saucepan over medium high.  Add olive oil. then the root of the leaf.  Sautee for a few minutes then add the leafier pieces.  Cook until leaves are slightly wilted and serve.

Posted in Recipes | No Comments »

Roasted Butternut Squash Puree

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Dear regular readers,

I am sorry.  I know you must trust me in some capacity to talk to you about delicious recipes I find within a reasonable timeframe.

Well, I’ve been withholding.  I’ve been withholding for quite some time.

Like since Thanksgiving withholding.

I’ve made this countless times and not once even thought, “Oh, my readers will love this.” for the simple reason that I eat it so fast.  Not even an exaggeration.

This time, I finally caught myself before the eating.  And this is my gift to you.

Love,

Christine “I Really Am Sorry”

Roasted Butternut Squash
(serves four | about fifteen minutes active time and an hour total)

2.5-3 pounds of butternut squash
2T of butter (or a couple glugs of olive oil if you want to go vegan)
2T of honey
1 tsp of pumpkin pie seasoning
a couple pinches of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the squash in even sized chunks, about two inches.  Cut up butter, drizzle honey, pumpkin pie seasoning, salt, and pepper, and toss with squash then place in a baking pan.

Bake until the squash is easily pierced with a fork (about an hour).  Once soft, remove from oven and puree in small batches to prevent overflow in the food processor.  Serve while warm.

Posted in Recipes | No Comments »

Pork Belly Tacos

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

There are a couple tweets you may have noticed on Saturday.

First, I tweeted about a squirrel.  A squirrel ate my garden.  Many of my herbs and my peas were saved, but the spinach and lettuce– devoured by Jerk Squirrels.  Looks like I will rely on local farmers to get some vegetables.  Jerk. Squirrels.  I’m not against wearing your fur (but only specifically yours.)

Then there was the other, odder tweet. I was on a mini-quest for pork belly.  Though I’ve had plenty of bacon in my lifetime, I wasn’t very familiar with uncured bacon aka pork belly.  Apparently it isn’t too popular with my meat guy, so it took a week since he had to look through his private stash.  I love knowing the hands that raised the pigs, chicken, and beef I eat.  When I went to pick up my pork belly, my meat guy was just setting up shop.  He looked at me frantically and said, “This is usually $9.50 a pound, but if you go park my UHAUL, I’ll give it to you for $6.50.”

It was actually only a six passenger van and though I rarely drive, I managed to park it without drama.

I’m still upset about the squirrel but currently my belly is full of delicious pork belly which softens the blow of my anger.

Grab some roasted pork belly.  I put about two pounds in the oven at 325 degrees for an hour plus with some salt and pepper a few days before hand.  It was pre-sliced and the first night I made pork belly sliders.  For the tacos, I warmed it up in a skillet with cumin, chili powder and pepper.  I put some hot refried black beans– just cook a can of black beans (drained) on a very low burner with a tablespoon of butter, a couple tablespoons of water, cilantro, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder, crushing and stirring frequently for about twenty minutes.  I added some shredded lettuce and tomatoes.  Warm the tortilla in a hot pan for about ten seconds a side.  Put all the ingredients in and serve!  Nomnomnom!

Posted in Cooking, Pork, Recipes | 2 Comments »

Roasted Vegetables

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Dear Spring,

I love you.  I really really do.  I can’t get enough of being outside with you.  I enjoy sitting out, sipping water in The Piazza.  I like my friends who are coming out of hibernation.  But look…

You’re killing me.  The time I spend in the kitchen has fallen to very little.  Bread baking is practically non existant and I can’t convince myself I want pizza enough to even fire up the mixer.

We’re going to work on this.  You and I, Spring, because I think our relationship is worth it.  I just want to know that when I’m rifiling for leftovers to take to work, you’re really killing me.

Love, Christine

This is my total cop out roasted vegetables recipe, but really it’s delicious, try it.

One large head of broccoli
One large head of cauliflower
Fifteen (give or take) brussel sprouts
Two tablespoons of olive oil
Two table spoons of honey
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut brussel sprouts in half.  Cut broccoli and cauliflower to roughly the same size as the brussel sprouts. 

Place in a pan that fits the vegetables (I used a 9×13).  Drizzle olive oil and honey all over the vegetables then stir to coat well.  Throw some salt and pepper on top.

Cook in oven for about 30-45 minutes (when all vegetables are tender.)  Eat.  Go outside and enjoy spring.

Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment »

Cashew-Crusted Chicken Pita

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Before we go on, I just have one thing to say.  I am writing you this outside.  I’m on our rusty patio furniture, outside and happy as a clam in shorts and short sleeves.  Judge me for being mean all you want.

While you’re judging me for being mean, you might as well know that I also love chicken nuggets.  Though I appreciate the beauty and taste of fried chicken, in reality, I would more often go for breaded chicken nuggets or patties, you know all the parts that naturally appear on a chicken.  Sometimes I am so stuck in little kid mode, I can’t help but desire those little circles of goodness.  The weird thing is, I’m not that into the fried stuff.  Shove it in the oven and after twenty minutes or so, I am happily chomping.

Since I’m grown up now, I now know that those little nuggets are no good for me, but I didn’t want to leave it completely behind.  Here’s my take on chicken nuggets, grown up and in a healthy, delicious sammich!

Cashew-Crusted Chicken Pita
(serves four | about twenty minutes prep and twenty minutes cooking time)

Cashew-Crusted Chicken

two chicken breast halves (I did mine in nuggets, but was much more time consuming)
1/2c flour
two large eggs
3/4c of roasted, unsalted cashews
1/2c of panko bread crumbs
1t of salt
1t of pepper
1 t of garlic powder
cooking spray
four  pocketless pita/flatbread
1/2c of tahini hummus
olive oil
handful of spinach and cherry tomatoes per person

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and coat a 9 x 13 baking pan thoroughly with baking spray.

First, grind 1/2c of cashews very finely in a small food processor.  Add panko and grind for 15-30 seconds.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup of cashews and pulse for 15 seconds (this will get a great cashew texture.)

Cut chicken breasts in half so there are four strips all together.  In a shallow dish (like tupperware), combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Mix well.    In a second shallow dish, crack two eggs and beat well.  In a third shallow dish (or a large freezer bag), dump the cashew/panko mix.

One by one, dip a strip (rhyme!) in the flour until well coated, then egg, then roll in the cashew/panko mix (if you choose to use the freezer bag, reserve all the strip to shake in the freezer bag at the end) then set in the baking pan.  Once all strips are well coated, place in the oven for ten minutes, spray with cooking spray then flip and bake for another ten minutes.

About three minutes before the chicken is done, stick the four pieces of flatbread in the oven to warm up.  Remove from oven, slather a layer of hummus, then the spinach and cherry tomatoes, add the chicken and drizzle a little olive oil with a pinch or two of salt and pepper.

EAT!

Posted in Chicken, Recipes | 2 Comments »

Pulled Pork without a Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

Though I could fill my house wall-to-wall with electronic devices, I think gadgets have no place in the kitchen.  Before I purchase any item, I think about how many uses it has.  Where it would live.  How much it would cost to ship if I move.  How often I would use it.  My logical side has snubbed me of almost every device I’ve thought would be fun to have, leaving me with things like a kitchen scale, a mixer, and a mandoline.  Though they both have passed most of my tests, I cannot ever get past the weight and bulkiness of a slow cooker and/or Dutch Oven.  Seeing as I do live with three other people with a well outfitted kitchen, I could never justify owning either.

Spring is in full force now.  My friends are on their allergy medications, and I just came in from my first meal outside.  I sipped a great beer, ate some home cooked Mexican food (recipe coming soon), and watched ants crawl along the wall on my back patio.  I was completely relaxed, because I knew it’s about that time when the temperature will drop at night and nothing will be as great as some pulled pork or brisket and me, without a slow cooker or dutch oven, will be able to cook it.

If you are cooking this ahead of time, I would suggest doing the initial cooking when you have time, refridgerate/freeze (just be sure to leave time for a slow thaw) and wait until about two hours before it’s needed to cook the meat in your choice of sauce.

Pulled Pork:
(serves a pound a person | takes overnight marinating, 4-7 hours cooking, but 10-15 minutes active time)

pork shoulder with plenty of fattiness (the white lines)
olive oil
1 clove of garlic per pound
1/2 onion chopped per pound
two healthy pinches of salt and pepper per pound
one cup of vegetable, pork, or chicken broth per pound
one cup of water per pound (may need more)

The night before cooking, smother the pork with salt and pepper (I use other spices depending on what I’m making.  i.e. if iti’s going to be used for Mexican food, I use chili powder as well) and massage it well into the pork.  Pour a generous glug of olive oil onto the first side, rub.  Repeat for the other side.  Place in a large freezer bag and keep in the fridge about eight-twelve hours before cooking.

On cooking day, fill a pot with garlic, onion, spices, broth and water.  Stir well.  Turn the burner on medium and add pork.  Make sure the pork is well covered with water (if it has a lot of fat, it will float to the top and that’s fine.) Bring to a simmer for a couple minutes.  Turn heat to low and cover.  Cook for anywhere between 3-6 hours (depending on how big the shoulder is) until you are able to shred with two forks.  Remove from the pot, empty the water.  Shred meat with two forks.

At this point, either reserve the meat for future use or add sauce and cook on low covered for another hour, stirring occasionally.  Taste, season, serve!

Keep this technique in mind as I have a handful of great recipes using pulled pork and brisket!

Posted in Pork, Recipes | 2 Comments »

Christine and Bread: A Love Story

Thursday, April 1st, 2010

During my detox, I woke up from a dream that entirely consisted of bread.

I was in my kitchen and a lovely two pound boule was set before me.  Taking my trusty bread knife, I sliced the entire loaf into several thick pieces then set them carefully in my preheated oven.  As they toasted to a slight brown, I unwrapped the gold package of butter and mixed it with chives, dill, and pepper.  I removed the slices from the oven, now warm enough to melt butter and put them on a large plate.  Then, I used both hands to shove the entire sliced up loaf in my mouth.  Like a cartoon comic, crumbs flew from my mouth and scattered everywhere and I lapped them up.

It doesn’t surprise me I dreamed about bread.  I was on day 17 of 18 on my detox which has kept me far from anything with gluten and if you read my twitter, I really missed bread the most (I’m sorry about the fact I can’t shut up about it.)

Bread baking is a tradition in my family.  Every Christmas, my mother would fish out a piece of loose leaf paper littered with my paternal grandmother’s large, neat handwriting and weathered from frequent use.  She would prop it against the fruit bowl, take out her largest bowl and dump bags of flour, yeast, and other ingredients.  If we were home, we would help and if my grandmother and aunts were visiting, there would be an assembly line of measuring, kneading, resting.  Everyone on my father’s side makes about five to ten loaves in their homes to this day.  Now, the Eriksen Christmas only has one tradition that matters– Julekaga (pronounced you-la-kah-guh).  There is nothing like eating a fresh piece of toasted Julekaga with the tiniest bit of butter during Christmas break.

Enter my first trip to France.  At 18, after high-tailing it out of high school a semester early, my best friend, her mother, and I hopped a plane to Europe to spend a month.  I had my first French croissants and baguettes and knew I could never love American bread from the store again.  In the mountains of Colorado, I searched for baguettes that were even remotely close and fell short.  I thought and scoured but was too intimidated to try making a baguette.

Here I am, a longer time than I wished away from France and I’m still obsessed with finding delicious bread.  There are bakeries I’ve purchased from, but nothing really compares.  On my birthday in 2008, alone and away from my family, I decided to take the plunge and make my first loaf of bread all by myself:

The results were phenomenal.  I made a fantastic BLT with it and though I was in and out of my affair with homemade bread for a few months, I’ve entered a union with it wholeheartedly.  I would rather eat no bread than store bought bread.

I’m lucky though.  While making a loaf a few weeks back with a friend, I noticed her looking cluelessly at the raw dough.  I instructed her to, “knead it.”  She grabbed an end and punched it a little.  I took it over, showed her a few tricks and soon, she was kneading it with me.  After a short rest, it was time for shaping. I said, “Just make a boule.”  She looked at me confused.  It was then I realized that because of my family tradition, I knew quite a bit more about bread baking than the average Jane.

So, I found two great bread recipes that are perfect for first time bakers.  You don’t have to know what the gluten is doing or if the yeast is alive or not.  It’s also a very simple recipe that is a great start to baking your own bread.  Here’s a step-by-step guide you can bookmark and come back to, so you don’t have to re-read my ramblings.

Easy Peasy Bread Recipe

No-Knead Bread Recipe

Posted in Baking, Bread, Recipes | 2 Comments »

|