Know your passion

 

I didn’t start out as a “Foodie”.  In fact, I paid no attention to cooking until I was in my mid-teens. I mentioned this in a previous post, but what started this lifelong interest began with a pineapple upside down cake.

I was about 15 if I recall. Kevin was my “heart throb”.  As teenage relationships go, we started our relationship when I was 13 with a ring from a Cracker Jack box. I can still recall the green ring around my finger it left.

 

In any case, Kevin loved pineapple upside down cake.  Being the adventurous type (not), I  wanted to make him one for his birthday.  Armed with a package of Betty Crocker (or was it Duncan Hines?...Who is Duncan Hines anyway?) pineapple upside down cake mix and an older brother that was happy to teach me how to break an egg. I baked my first cake.

 

Kevin never did eat the cake. He went  AWOL for a year….but that is another story.  Somehow in spite of my lack of knowledge, I managed to hook him and we moved in together when we were in college.

 

Hamburger Helper was my friend along with several recipes from my grandmother (take a little bit of this and a little bit of that) and some from my mom.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well that wasn't enough for me so I started cutting out recipes and I haven’t stopped since.  I have been cutting them out for 40 years now.

Have I cooked them all? Not a chance. So why do I do it? As I grow the collection, I often ask myself that same question.

I have a healthy imagination and thinking about food nurtures my creative side. Food isn’t just about taste. It includes all our senses, touch, sight, sound (snap crackle pop) smell all come together to form our taste preferences.

So how do you know your passion? Well, all I have to do is look around my home to figure that out. Years ago a guy I was dating came over and said “Sheila, Sheila, Sheila what is it you want to do in life?”

He looked around my place and commented, “you want to be the best darn cook ever!”   Of course

he missed the closet full of fitness books and exercise equipment. Now that would really have confused him!

 

What is your passion?

This is what my passion looks like to me:

These are recipes I have cooked

These I haven't yet tried.

 



Just a few of my magazines

And books

and more books
and then there are the recipes on my computer...

 

 

 



 

 

Herbes de Provence

I attended a week long cooking class at The Culinary Institute in Napa Valley some years ago. The class was in French Provencal cooking. During the class, I was introduced to Herbes de Provence. It is an herb blend I was not very familiar with. What a wonderful blend it is!

Herbes de Provence traditionally is a blend of herbs grown in Provence. There is no set blend or formula. The traditional version is sold in crocks or small packets to tourists in France and does not contain lavender.

To please the US tourists that identify the region with the local lavender, the Herbes de Provence in the US contains lavender and I am happy about that. I love lavender. Still it is an herb that needs to be used in moderation; otherwise it can taste like soap. A little goes a long way.


I have made my own blend, using the recipe I learned at the Culinary Institute. It comes from the cookbook by Richard Carrier, “Feasts of Provence”it and includes lavender and dried orange peel. There are many variations. Recently I bought the McCormick brand. I don’t see lavender on the ingredients list and cannot smell it, so I assume it is a more traditional recipe. I like if for most recipes. If I was going to use the blend with a tomato base, I might prefer my homemade blend with the orange peel.


Herbes de Provence pairs well with many different wines depending on it’s usage, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, White Burgundy to name a few.


You can use Herbes to Provence in many recipes. It matches well with a lot of foods. You can match it with:

Chicken dishes (think La Madeline Rotisserie chicken) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Herbes-de-Provence-Rotisserie-Chickens-238794
Lamb :http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Wine-Braised-Lamb-Shanks-with-Herbes-de-Provence-109263 or
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/sauteed-lamb-chops-herbes-de-provence.aspx
Goat Cheese: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Scalloped-Potatoes-with-Goat-Cheese-and-Herbes-de-Provence-2999
Fish:
Trout. Sprinkle inside of Trout with Herbes de Provence. Top with slices of lemon and bake en papillote (in parchment paper or foil) or with
Cod http://miahungrylongtime.com/2010/03/07/cooking-with-paper-cod-en-papillote/
Grilled Salmon Filet Sandwich http://www.herbcompanion.com/cooking/herbes-de-provence-salmon-fillet-sandwiches.aspx
Vegetables: Sweet corn risotto http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/sweet-corn-risotto-with-herbes-de-provence-recipe/index.html
Roasted Vegetableshttp://www.sacfoodcoop.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=726:roasted-vegetables-with-herbes-de-provence-&catid=47:side-dishes&Itemid=59


Other ideas for using Herbes de Provence:


Use in combination with Goat Cheese in omelets, scrambled eggs or with roasted red or Yukon gold potatoes or as above.


Black olive tapenade- http://recipes.wuzzle.org/index.php/54/1067


Pizza- The best pizza I have ever had was in Geneva, Switzerland. I am not sure what cheese they used (maybe Swiss cheese? Not quite but it was a white cheese!) but it was topped with Herbes de Provence and was fabulous! You could use it in place of oregano and top a traditional pizza with Kalamata olives and roasted red bell pepper, (ok you can throw a little cooked Italian Sausage on if you must).


On baked caramelized tomatoes- Core tomatoes and slice in half horizontally. Place on a baking sheet cut side up. Mix some olive oil, garlic, Herbes de Provence and salt and pepper. Pour over the tomato halves and bake for about 2 hours at 325 until collapsed and well carmelized. These are great on their own, but I sometimes put them over pasta.


My two newest favorite uses are in grits (for all the French cowboys!) and on a vegetable Panini.


For the grits, I take a packet of quick cooking (I use Quaker butter flavored) grits, add ½ cup of milk, some dollops of goat cheese and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence. Microwave the grits on High for 1 minute 40 seconds. Add some light butter and enjoy.


For the vegetable Panini, cut serving size pieces of either foccacia or a nice sourdough bread. Take 3-4 medium sized asparagus per serving and put them on a toaster oven sheet mixed with olive oil. Bake for about 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees until cooked to desired doneness.


Divide bread in half as for a sandwich. Spread a light coating of goat cheese on one side of the bread, top with cooked asparagus and either roasted red onion slices (can roast with asparagus) or sliced Portobello mushroom. Throw a few leaves of basil on top. Spread the top piece of the bread with some goat cheese then sprinkle with Herbes de Provence and place on top of the vegetables to complete the sandwich. Lightly grease a preheated George Foreman grill and cook the Panini until done. Alternatively, cook on medium high in a lightly oiled skillet. Weigh down the bread to compress as in a Panini. Remove and enjoy.


I hope you will try some recipes with Herbes de Provence. 
Read more:  http://ptbcooking.blogspot.com/2011/02/herbes-de-provence.html

Breakfast for One

I get bored with breakfast. I am not a big fan of cereal. I don’t think it is the best choice to start your day. I wish I could eat oats, but they don’t agree with me.  My favorite easy breakfast is to scramble an egg in the microwave and put it on a multigrain English muffin then melt some lowfat cheddar on top (a la McBreakfast).

The other day I had some asparagus in the fridge that I needed to use. Somewhere I had seen a picture of cooked asparagus with a fried egg on top and I had vowed to try it one day. I was unsure if it sounded like a good idea or not, but I thought I would give it a try.

I used to cook asparagus in a pan with water. Then the asparagus cookers came out and everyone was cooking them upright in a pot of water. I never had one of those.  I have since changed my asparagus cooking technique to roasting it in the toaster oven.

What I do is, once the asparagus is cleaned and the tough ends removed, I preheat the toaster oven to 400 degrees.  I then place the asparagus on the toaster oven pan and pour some olive oil over them (not a lot) along with some lemon pepper.  I mix it all up, leaving the asparagus in a single layer and bake them in the toaster oven for 12 minutes.

To make my breakfast, while the asparagus was roasting I fried up an egg (using olive oil rather than butter).  When the asparagus was done, I lay some (3) on a plate, lightly toasted a slice of sourdough (or multigrain) bread, then topped the asparagus with the egg and a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

When you break the egg over the asparagus, it mixes with the lemon juice and lemon pepper and provides a creamy lemony, hollandaise like topping for the fresh asparagus spears, without the fat of a traditional hollandaise. I use the sourdough to soak up the yolk. 

Oh and I made myself a nice cup of Cuban coffee too.

That’s all there was to it. It made a delicious breakfast and a healthy one too.  I hope you get a chance to try this breakfast. I think you will enjoy it.

SWEET INDULGENCES

Image via Wikipedia

I admit it, I love sweet things. Over the years this has presented a challenge for a health oriented and weight controlling person. The American Diabetes Association gave me a lift many years ago when their research concluded that sugar could be included in a Diabetics diet. Then came the low carb diet guru’s and the idea of sweets in a healthy weight controlling diet went down the tubes. I must admit, I found that disappointing!

I am not an extremist when it comes to cooking and eating. For the most part I am a pescetarian, but I usually eat a piece of meat once a year to make sure I am not a purist. I have an aversion to rigidity and extremism when it comes to food, exercise or life in general. I am happy there are people out there with passionate beliefs, but personally I think life is too short to live in a box.

I have two sweet indulgences to share with you. One is on the healthy end of the spectrum, Frozen Yogurt with Honey Rum Glazed Bananas and Grape Nuts. The other is a true indulgence with a surprising ingredient, Ancho Chile Fudge Pie.

At one low point in my life, I gained a lot of weight for a girl that was normally slim. My normal weight was in the 110-112 range but my weight shot up (ok it didn’t shoot up, I ate my way up to it!) to 123 lbs (I am 5'4"). That may not seem like a lot to many of you, but I come from a very slim family. In my world I was a fatty!!

I made up my mind to take care of myself, hired a personal trainer (my inspiration to later become a trainer!), put myself on a low fat (not low carb) diet and limited my portion sizes to almost an extreme. In hindsight, it wasn’t really that healthy to lose weight the way I did. Part of it was triggered by a major stressor in my life (divorce). Within one year I went from a chubby 123 without much muscle to 103 with muscle.

As life stabilized and I realized I couldn’t maintain such a rigid lifestyle, my weight came up to a more realistic number but this time with more muscle not fat, 112. I have maintained my weight in the 112-115 range for 18 years now.

You are probably asking what that has to do with frozen yogurt and pie! Well I created the frozen yogurt idea during my rigid low fat diet period. It is cold, sweet, crunchy and satisfying, a great dessert for those of us in the South that seem to live in perpetual summer.

The Ancho Pie, I hate to tell you came from the” eating my way to 123” period. Still it is excellent . I suggest you limit the Ancho Pie to a special occasion. Halloween or Thanksgiving may be good excuses to make it.

The chef's name that created the Ancho recipe was Nancy Beckham. She had opened a Southwestern restaurant named Brazos, on Lower Greenville Avenue in Dallas. It is no longer in business. I met her at a Les Dames D’Escoffier benefit. The pie is rich, deep and fudgy with a hint of spice from the chile. It is definitely worth the effort to make.

Frozen Yogurt with Honey Rum Glazed Bananas and Grape Nuts

This is quick and very easy to prepare

4 teaspoons honey
4 teaspoons dark rum
1 teaspoon butter or a lighter butter substitute that melts well
4 bananas, not overly ripe
2 tablespoons each Grape Nuts and Toasted coconut for garnish.
1 cup coconut or vanilla nonfat yogurt frozen or put into the freezer until icy cold or a store bought low fat frozen yogurt

Warm butter, honey and rum over medium low heat in a 10 inch skillet. Add the bananas and cinnamon sauté until caramelized and coated with the honey mixture.

Serve over yogurt topped with the Grape Nuts and Toasted Coconut
4 servings

Note: I used to just freeze the yogurt but the texture is a bit grainy and the yogurt may be too sweet for the carb conscious. Another option is to make your own vanilla yogurt mixing plain yogurt and honey to taste. Take a vanilla bean and split it. Scrape the seeds into the yogurt. If you are very carb conscious, look at the plain yogurt ingredient list. I have found that most of them contain added sugar. The cheaper store brands often don’t add sugar, but keep in mind, they are more sharp in flavor. Rather than freeze the yogurt until hard, I would just freeze it until it is really cold but still soft and serve the bananas over it that way.

Ancho Chile Pie

2 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons Ancho Chile Puree (see recipe below)
1 cup butter melted and cooled
½ cup chopped walnuts (roasted in a 400 degree oven for 3-5 minutes)
½ cup chopped pecans (roasted in a 400 degree oven for 3-5 minutes)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (use a good quality brand like Ghirardelli)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 (9inch) unbaked pastry shell
Fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for garnish (remember this is an indulgence!!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy; add sugar and brown sugar and beat until well blended. Beat in flour and Ancho Chile Paste. Then blend in melted butter and mix until thick and smooth. Fold in roasted nuts, chocolate chips and vanilla.

Pour into pie shell; bake 1 hour or until firm and set. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or scoop of ice cream. Makes 6-8 servings

Ancho Chile Paste:

Roast 4 to 5 large ancho chilies in a large iron skillet or on a griddle, turning frequently until the dry chilies puff slightly. Drop into a saucepan filled with boiling water, cover and remove from heat. Let steep 20 minutes. Remove chilies from water and discard stems and seeds. Blend in a food processor until smooth and thick. Use some of the soaking liquid to thin puree, if needed. Paste will keep 1 month in the refrigerator in a tightly covered jar.

Enjoy!

Popsicles: Not just for Kids!

Image by grebo guru via Flickr

It’s hot out there! This time of year I start craving cold things, ice cream, sorbet, popsicles, shakes and just plain cold water with lots of ice. A number of years ago, I came up with a more healthy solution to my desire for high fat ice cream when I needed to cool off.

I bought fresh juices and made them into my own homemade popsicles. I see a lot of recipes for popsicles using a sugar syrup, but I haven’t felt the need to use syrup when the Natural Juices are great. The syrup does make them less “icy” but if I don’t need to add sugar, I don’t.

You can find Popsicle molds sometimes at Target. More recently I found some at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Of course Amazon has them as well.I prefer the round ones, but if you like your popsicles rectangular, there are molds for that too.

My favorite juices are by R.W. Knudsen. You can find them at Whole Foods or many Supermarkets. Pineapple Coconut is my all time favorite, but Guava Strawberry and Simply Nutritious Morning Blend packed with Vitamins and Minerals are also great choices.

Of course, over time, I have started finding other uses for my Popsicles. Most recently I decided to try making my Mona Vie dose of the day into a Popsicle. In addition to the antioxidants in it, the Mona Vie Active has Glucosamine and it tastes a whole lot better than the other liquid forms I have tried . Frozen, it is a great grab and go pop and I find I am more consistent with the Mona Vie popsicle rather than the juice alone. (For a Mona Vie distributor, link to this site www.monavie.com and use this distributor number 579716. My sister is my distributor!!)

I also came up with another idea, using the Popsicle plan for my after workout recovery drink. Blend in advance, freeze and you have them as needed. My favorite is Whole Foods brand Chocolate Soy Protein Powder blended with non-fat milk, banana and strawberries or blueberries (or both). If I want it a little sweeter, I add a teaspoon of maple syrup or honey. Freeze these and you have your recovery drink ready to go in a nice little icy package.

A Mango Lassi recovery drink pop is good also, fresh mango, Vanilla Soy Protein Powder (yes, soy…the vegetarians favorite!), Low fat or Fat Free Milk, Soy Milk or Vanilla Yogurt and a dash each of Cardamom and Ginger. Add a little honey if you want. Throw in an after workout meditation and you will be ready for Nirvana (or at least more relaxed and recovered!).

Now all of my ideas aren’t healthy but often healthier than not. My “less healthy” treat, I came up with because I had bought a bottle of KeKe brand Key Lime Liqueur
and there are only so many times when I want to make Key Lime Martinis. I filled the mold ¾ of the way to the top with Pineapple Coconut Juice then finished it with the Key Lime Liqueur. The Liqueur settled at the bottom and was a pretty green contrast to the white juice. The Liqueur stays a little softer than the juice, but it tastes great and you have just enough of an alcohol hit to make this a real “adult” indulgence.

Finally, I made a strawberry sorbet pop based on a recipe I found in Sunset Magazine (April 2007). I made a simple syrup with ½ cup white sugar and ¾ cup of water. I heat the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Cool then add ¾ tablespoon of Orange Flower water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

I take a pint of fresh, sweet strawberries, stem removed and put them in a blender. Blend, adding syrup to taste. If you want an elegant sorbet you can run the berries through a fine strainer to remove the seeds before adding the syrup. I went for a more rustic dish by skipping that step. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

The Sunset Recipe used Rose Water in place of the Orange Flower water but I didn’t have it on hand. I am sure that would taste great too! You could probably add a little chopped basil for a more sophisticated flavor or use honey in place of the syrup. If you use the honey, I would leave out the orange flower water and use an orange extract otherwise the honey may overpower the delicate orange flower water.

I hope these ideas will motivate you to come up with and make your own popsicle combinations. You can layer different flavor and colors, make lime pops and serve with a tequila to dip in. The ideas and flavor combinations are endless.
Stay fit, stay cool, and don’t forget to exercise!