Happy 2009, everyone!

What does this old, beaten down, cookbook........and these bags of vegetables have in common?
Well, first you must need to know a little about my personal history.

I was born, what seems to be getting longer and longer ago, in Alaska. Around the age of 7 (which is when we relocated) my parents must have decided our family needed something besides what we were being afforded in this very cold state. They subsequently packed all our things, put them on a barge, and flew the whole family to our new home: Honolulu, Hawaii.

I lived there until I was 14 when my parents moved us to the "mainland" - Portland, Oregon. The years in Hawaii shaped my culinary attitude so much more than I am even aware of. Sashimi and sushi doesn't really seem like a delicacy - it seems like it should be part of an every day diet (although living in Florida, I have accepted the former). Words like poki and musubi peak my interest, and you haven't LIVED until you've tried local Ice Cream Mochi.

But I digress...

Those familiar with Japanese culture, know how important the New Year holiday is. Those of you that know Hawaii, know how integrated Japanese culture is (among others). With that said, I need to admit that my family didn't really celebrate the New Year until we moved to Oregon. That was when we became good friends with a family whose matriarch has Japanese Ancestry and was also relocated from the islands. For my entire high school career (and a bit beyond) I recall eating over there every New Years Day. When I moved to Florida, this same matriarch shared a few things with me so I could recreate the holiday in my own home.

In the past, New Years Day has included: shoyu chicken, chicken long rice, lomi lomi salmon, rice, sashimi, Kalua pork, sushi, ozoni, butter mochi, fermented black beans, and a few other items I know I am missing...and probably mispelling. At home in Florida, I did most of those same items - except for the black beans. But THIS year, trying to avoid meat as much as possible, I was stuck. Shoyu chicken can't be vegetarian - neither can chicken long rice, lomi salmon, or Kalua Pork. Those are some mainstays in the feast!

But sushi...well sushi can be anything I want it to be. And mochi is still safe. Thus our "new" New Years was invented:

Veggie, California, and Spicy Tempeh sushi rolls (last one is from Veganomicon)
Vegetarian Chop Chey (Korean noodle dish)
Salad with ginger dressing.
Butter and Regular Mochi
Coconut cupcakes adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

For breakfast, we do Okinawan doughnuts.

For lunch, we will still do a version of Onozi, made without the chicken. I still have to use Dashi, but as we did for Christmas, all land animals have been eliminated.

Now, none of this has answered the questions posed above.

The bags contain the vegetables I pre-chopped for tomorrow's holiday and pre-mixed dry ingredients. It took well over an hour, so I'm glad I got that done ahead of time.

The cookbook is from the elementary school I attended in Hawaii. My mother gave it to me a number of years ago, and it is very "local" in it's flavor. Recipes passed down from generations are in there, and as such, it is one of my most treasured cookbooks. You can't buy that thing in stores. I can't replace it - but when I need a recipe that is "local" in flavor and authenticity - THAT is where I turn. So naturally, that contains some of the recipes I plan on using tomorrow.

You will notice that I don't have any of them posted here, now. I can't give you EVERYTHING in one post, can I? Moreover, I don't have any yummy pictures to post right now either. So...hold tight. I will be sharing them. But I do need fodder for the blog in the coming month!

In the mean time, cuddle up next to someone you love tonight (I plan on doing so), and have a fantastic evening. From my kitchen to yours - I hope 2009 brings nothing but the best!

Holiday Fondue.

Growing up, my husband's family started the tradition of fondue. Now, for those of you like me, who associate fondue with cheese dip or chocolate (and that's it) - let me provide a bit of an education.

Google fondue recipes and you will find a wealth of cheese dips, dessert dips, AND recipes for broth boiling and deep frying all sorts of items. Basically, fondue can ALSO mean cooking raw meat items on your table - a perfect solution to a holiday dinner. After having done this for my family for the last number of years, I can tell you that I LOVE this tradition. Why?

(1) You can get really creative with the items. My husband's family uses beef, chicken, and shrimp. The chicken always comes out dry for me, and I avoid the steak. Consequently, when we started to fondue in our home, I opted for shrimp and lamb. I made a garlic aioli (some minced fresh garlic mixed in with some mayo) for a side, and included mint jelly for me. This year, concerned about some ethical issues with Australian lamb (namely, it's often slaughtered in China and not offered organic), we avoided land-meat all together and just went straight to sea food. I also breaded fresh mozzarella - going for a fried mozzarella feel. If desired , you can also move away from oil all together, and heat broth for cooking.

(2) You aren't cooking the items, so all you need to do is prepare them. If you hand make a lot of your dips, now you're putting in some work. However, even those can be done ahead of time to ease the workload on the day of the meal. Since I was doing this for my family, I opted for simplicity. Less time in the kitchen = more time over Christmas with my kids.

(3) Fondue is a very social meal. Since you need to wait for the items to cook, you spend more time talking and less time eating. It is perfect for entertaining - but a great "family dinner night" too for older kids. If you have a large family, and they are all young, I do not recommend this dinner. My daughter opted for a PBJ (she's picky, and it's Christmas, so why fight?) My son tried a shrimp, but decided the broccoli was best. Even if my kids did decide to eat the food, my husband and I could easily maintain ours and one child's plate. However, if you have too many helpless mouths to feed - perhaps this type of dinner should wait until you have older children to help - or kids are able to cook for themselves.
Holiday Fondue Menu:

1 loaf of french bread, with softened butter or olive oil.

One vegetable side. This year we opted for broccoli sauteed in garlic, olive oil, with some onion.

Fondue sides (homemade or store bought). Think about the sides you would want for the fried item. For our seafood menu, we stuck to tartar , shrimp , marinara (for mozzarella) and a remoulade sauces. For lamb, do yourself a favor and try some mint jelly. BBQ sauce for chicken and steak sauce for beef are good ideas too.
For scallops and shrimp - take raw (and peeled) pieces, rinse and bread. Easy way? Put Italian bread crumbs in a bag, place the item inside, and shake it. It coats everything nicely! The breading is light - adding just the tiniest bit of crunch.
For Chicken - I would consider doing something similar, but mixing in a tiny bit of chili powder. Depending on how spicy you like things, it's more of a southern fried chicken feel. You could also try your traditional breading (whatever family recipe you use), just working with smaller pieces.

For lamb and steak - do nothing except chop into chunks. 1 inch cubes, roughly - but a little bigger or irregular won't hurt.

I ran across the idea of trying fish this year, but haven't ever tried that in practice. My concern with really flaky fish, like salmon, is that it would fall off in the oil while cooking. It becomes a real bear to fish it out.

For mozzarella chunks, take Italian bread crumbs and 2-3 eggs. Blend the eggs well in a bowl. Cut small balls of fresh mozzarella in half, larger balls into quarters. Dip the piece in egg, then crumbs, then egg, and crumbs again.
For frying, we use peanut oil, as the scent isn't strong at all. Set the pot to around 350 - placing some sort of paper (doilies, paper plate, or I used festive tissue paper) to collect oil drips. I would NOT put down a nice table cloth, and have the oxyclean ready for oils stains on place mats.

Set aside some time for this meal, as the cooking and eating will leave you at the table for a while. For dessert, we usually do a chocolate fondue, but this year I made some Egg Nog Panna Cotta.

Chocolate fondue:

Take one bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, and melt over double boiler with 1/4 cup heavy cream.

When melted and incorporated, add amaretto or fruit liqueur to thin down and add punch. Stir until shiny. If too much liqueur is required for appropriate consistency, you can add more cream in the above step.

Serve with whatever fruit suits your palate.

Holiday Crepes.

Welcome back from the holiday! I hope yours was as phenomenal as ours. It was probably the best we've ever had with the kids. It really is a wonder as they get older.

Shortly, I will be posting our holiday dinner traditions, but first I thought I would post our holiday breakfast traditions.

My father and sister were both born on Christmas Eve, which means they pretty much controlled the day. Consequently, Christmas was on CHRISTMAS. Now, my husband, the product of an airline family, usually had Christmas on the Eve. Why? Because it was far easier to get the Eve off from flying than the day itself (everyone wants the day off). Upon marrying, we also married our traditions. We still do the kids on Christmas, but I really make a two day event out of the holiday. We do a fancy, labor intensive, Christmas Eve breakfast. However, Christmas Day I make something simpler and meant for nibbling. Something grab-able between gifts. For Christmas this year, I made a crumb cake. I was less than impressed. But for Christmas Eve, I made our traditional crepes.

On the 23rd, I make the batter. It sets over night in the fridge. It's nothing crazy, and found in my cooking bible, Fannie Farmer.

Whip up two eggs, and 1 cup of milk.
Add in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 cup of flour.
Add two Tablespoons of melted butter.
Cover and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Overnight in the fridge is fine.
Just give it a good whisk when you get up.
Can easily be doubled (I do every year)

In a hot, 5-7 inch skillet (or crepe pan), melt a dab of butter. Pour in several teaspoons of batter and swirl the pan around to get it to coat evenly. You want this over medium heat. Once the pancake is cooked through - flip and cook for right around 10 seconds. Place aside and cook the rest.

We fill ours with strawberries, but bananas and savory fillings will rock your holiday too! My daughter's (down below) just had syrup and whipped cream. You can truly let your imagination GO with crepes - nearly any combination is tasty and FESTIVE. Even though crepes really take just a tad more work than pancakes, the results seem so....polished.

I used to roll the crepe - but then I just went to the quarter fold and spooned fruit over the top. MUCH easier - and just as pretty!
So go make you family some post-holiday crepes. Who says you need a special reason!?

Edible Holidays...

I thought since my previous post outlined edible gifts not really meant for eating, I thought I would share a couple of my "gift basket goodies" that might put your tummy into the holiday spirit.

Every year, I make fudge. I send some with my husband to work, I take some to my school, and then I apportion out what's left into gift baskets galore. Really, I've gotten more comments on the fudge than anything - and consequently I've been making it for years now.
I have learned - over the years - that fudge is really an art. First of all, you need a really good recipe. I took care of that when I started - off of my standard all recipes.com. I have no IDEA who Aunt Teen is...but she rocks.

Second of all, you need trial and error. NEVER plan exactly how much fudge you need to make. Plan to make several batches, and don't feel bad if you have to toss one. Now, if you make fudge year round, you might be able to stay "in practice." I cannot. I make it only during the holidays - and it never fails that I screw up the first batch. Also, start and finish your first batch - to determine what needs to change. For example, I made FOUR BATCHES this year before I realized that I screwed them all up. Joy. I was in "holiday go time" cooking mood, and just wanted to cross it off my list. I was so excited to be done, only to realize that I really wasn't. Double joy.

Thirdly, a candy thermometer can't hurt - although it isn't completely necessary once you get everything down to a "science." Supposedly, you're supposed to hit 234 - but I never do. Mine usually rests at 225, which gives me a creamy, milk chocolate like fudge.

ONLY CUT once it is completely cool. I would wait over night.

Now, without much further ado:

Aunt Teen's Creamy Fudge:
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk (one can yields two batches)
1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips (about one bag)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (about 1/2 of a bag)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I always omit this)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium to large sized pot - mix the marshmallow cream, sugar, milk, and butter over medium heat. STIR CONSTANTLY. In fact, I usually employ my husband to do this job for me. I provide something to drink, my thanks and adoration, oh...and he gets some fudge afterward.

Please note DO NOT use a dutch oven. It creates too much surface area of the sugar mixture to the bottom of the pan. NO GOOD. A medium sized pan is best.

The mixture will turn lumpy, to smooth, to lots of small bubbles, to BOILING. Once it hits BOILING - start a 5 minute timer. It doesn't have to be a rolling boil, but if you stop, and the boiling goes, start the darn timer.

If you have a thermometer, go ahead and stick it in here. For a firmer fudge, head up to 234 - which will take closer to 7 minutes. For a softer fudge (which I prefer) stop at 225.

Once the mixture hits the right temp, take off the heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir to melt, and then add the vanilla. Stir until creamy and shiny. Pour into 8 by 8 square pan and let cool completely.

If your fudge is creamy - but TOO soft, you need to cook it longer. If it is crumbly, you cooked it too long.

Don't worry - there's a quicker and easier treat that you can make concurrently. Or by itself. Personally, I prefer these to the fudge.

Holiday Layer bars:

1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped nuts
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips (can substitute these with the holiday colored ones if you want)
1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350. While oven is heating, stick the butter in a 9 by 13 pan, and place in the oven. When butter is completely melted, mix in the Graham crackers. press into the bottom to form a crust.

Sprinkle on all the ingredients in the following order: milk, nuts, chips, and coconut. Be careful when you add the milk. Pour slowly so it will be all over the crust - you won't be able to spread it around after.

Press the layers together with the bottom of a measuring cup - or some other firm object.

Bake for 30 minutes and cool completely before cutting.

Christmas Cake Balls.

This is a re post from something I did in the summer. I guess I got a little case of Christmas in September....so I thought I would re-share them. Cake balls with Christmas sprinkles seems a bit more timely now!

Homemade Gift Giving

First of all, I want to start by saying -

Hooray for Christmas break!

I took a bit longer of a hiatus than I had intended, but I forget how busy school gets right before the break. I really try to get everything done so I won't have a lick to bring home. I managed - but it didn't leave me much time to do anything else. Besides, that is, my gift baskets!

At holiday time, I always make gift baskets for friends and family. In years past, they have included (primarily) edible goods. But this year, I went more so in the direction of useful goods as well. Goods that won't add anything to your waistline. Candy Cane Sugar Scrub - this has been a HUGE hint for 2 years now. NEVER again will I buy the high-priced variety in the stores. All natural, and effective, for clean and exfoliated hands.

Sugar in the Raw
Extra Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Peppermint essential oil
Vanilla Essential oil

Pour sugar into a bowl. Add olive oil until the sugar is well saturated, and then add a little more. You want it to be mostly sugar, but enough oil to coat the hands well.

Add oils to desired power. I also love to make one with clove and cinnamon, but had mint on hand this year. To use, lather on, rinse, and pat dry.

Holidays in a Jar (from the Publix Greenwise Magazine)

To do this, I highly recommend hitting up your local wholesale warehouse (BJ's, Costco, or Sam's). You can also check out the Latino section of your grocery store - where they have the commonly used spices (Badia). They are far cheaper than the ones in the baking isle!

1 part ground nutmeg
1 part anise seed
2 parts whole cloves
3 parts ground or stick cinnamon
1/3 part ground ginger

Mix together and pour into containers. To use, mix 1/2 cup to a quart of water, bring to a boil, and then let simmer. The scent will fill your home.

Also in the baskets this year - fudge, layered bars (will post soon), popcorn seasoning, minty powdered coffee creamer, and sugar cookie mixes with sprinkles. Hopefully my friends and family will enjoy using these as much as I enjoy making them!

The Way to a Man's heart...

Is through his stomach - or so my husband tells me. I am sure there are other ways, but delectable delights haven't hurt.
Shortly after meeting my husband, he told me that his two favorite desserts were carrot cake and key lime pie. As it turns out, both are insanely easy to make! Hooray. Of course, as with most things, just because it's easy to make - doesn't mean it's easy to make well. My first attempts were oily and heavy. Tasty, but not heavenly. I actually put carrot cake on the back burner for awhile.

Then I attended a state activity, and was served carrot cake via catering. While what I had was okay, it made me remember what I had made in the past. Even imperfect, it was still better. Which made me want to re-work my old recipe and find perfection. I think I was able to do just that.

Better Than the Bunny's Carrot Cake

4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained.
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans do well)

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 9 X 13 pan.
(2) Mix flour, salt, powder and soda together in bowl - set aside.
(3) In large bowl with whisk, whip eggs. Add oil, sugars, vanilla, and spices. Mix well.
(5) Fold in crushed pineapple and carrots.
(6) mix in dry ingredients including nuts.
(7) Bake for 40 - 50 minutes, until cake tester comes out clean.
(8) Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 ounces cream cheese
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup nuts.

(1) Blend butter and cream cheese.
(2) Add in sugar. If you like a sweeter more "frosting like" consistency, use more sugar. If you want a creamier frosting - more cheesy - use less. I liked it at about 3.5.
(3) Add in vanilla.
(4) An electric mixer (handheld, stand, whatever) works best.
(5) Sprinkle nuts over the top after frosting, if desired.
If you're curious how I decorated the carrot cake, 1/3 of the way down I started the top of my carrot with a large piping tip. I just swirled around the tip to get the orange design. For the leaves, I just had fun with the leaf tip - which was surprisingly easy to learn!

Pumpkin Pie Haters Anonymous.

I have a shocking secret - I really don't like pumpkin pie.

Really, I don't love anything pumpkin or squash related. Not by itself, not in a soup, not sweet, not savory....just NOT.

I was really quite content to leave Pumpkin Pie off my holiday table, until I tried I grocery store creation. You know, one of those things where they give you the recipe in their weekly flier? Now, let me explain that this is NOT my typical all-natural recipe. Amongst my list of "not usually consumed" are Cool Whip and anything Jell-O. In the future, I think I will be trying to modify this with more natural ingredients.

But, for the short-term, this was an enjoyable and easy treat! For this no-bake recipe, I first baked the crust in the oven, hot and waiting for the apple pie. When finished, I removed it, and then stuck the just - finished apple pie in the oven. The timing was perfect, and I was able to wrap up the "custard" in just a few minutes. A very low-stress pie for the holidays.
Turtle Pumpkin Pie - Adapted from Publix Grocery Apron's recipe line

1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons Caramel Ice Cream Popping, divided.
1/2 pie crust recipe, (or use a simple graham cracker crust - you can buy these already made).
2 oz chopped pecans
1 cup reduced-fat milk
2 3.4-0z boxes of Jell-O vanilla flavor instant pudding and pie filling
1 cup canned pumpkin (can substitute 1 15.5 oz can cut sweet potatoes, drained and mashed)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 ounces cool whip.

Prepare the pie crust. If using a pastry crust, go ahead and place in pie pan. Then bake at 400 or so until it just begins to turn golden. Since you're not baking the pie, you must bake the crust!

Spread 1/4 cup of the caramel onto the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle the pecan pieces.

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, Jell-O pudding, pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well blended. Stir in one 1 and 1/2 cups of the Cool Whip into the pie. Chill for at least one hour (longer won't hurt it).

When chilled, top with remaining cool whip and drizzle remaining caramel. Sprinkle with pecans if desired.

The. Best. Apple. Pie. EVER.

I remember the first time I made pie.

It sucked.

It was middle school. You know how nearly all middle school students are impatient and crazy? Well, I was no different. In fact, I'm fairly certain that God gave me the heart to teach to punish me for my youthful nuttiness.

Well, maybe not. But I certainly feel bad for my former teachers.

All I know was that I tried my best to chill and craft the perfect crust, fill it with the perfect pie filling...and...it sucked. The pie crust may as well been bricks. I don't even remember the filling. And this is with the undiscriminating tastes of a 13 year old. So, I can only imagine what I would think of it now.

Anyhow, since that first attempt, I have been scared of pies. Convinced I was somehow genetically incapable, I avoided them. I purchased store-bought ones and thought I would never be brave enough to try again. But then, last Thanksgiving, I was. I got it in my head I was going to make home-made apple pie. I scoured the Internet for "just" the recipe - and searched for a "simple" yet tasty pie crust. I put a lot of time and effort into this pie - and for the creation, you know what I got?

"WOW, this pie is REALLY GOOD!"

Honest, but surprised, acclaim. I'm not sure if it was good or bad. But, whatever, it worked.

So, over the last year I have perfected the recipe, and it now owns a place in my recipe hall of fame. Not sure who Grandma Ople is - but she rocks my Thanksgiving table EVERY YEAR.

Here's how to make it...

"Grandma Ople's Apple Pie" (from based from recipe found at allrecipes.com)

Double pie crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
sprinkling of cinnamon
3 heaping tablespoons of flour
5-8 peeled, cored, and sliced granny smith apples.

Make the pie crust, chill four 4 hours or longer (as directed).

Once crust is done chilling, leave it in the fridge, and start by preparing the apples. You want the slices to be fairly thin (1/4 inch). If you like chunkier pies (with firm pieces) - then you might want to leave them a bit thicker. I like apples just shy off applesauce. They still hold their shape, but they mush easily in the mouth. I detest crunch apples in a pie.

In a large bowl, toss the apples with some cinnamon. Set aside while you prepare the pie pan with the bottom crust. Fill the top with apples so it is slightly mounded. Pack it down to get lots of apples in. Lattice the crust - a must for the next step!

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter (sometimes, I put the stove top on REAL LOW so this happens while I'm doing everything else. Then I crank it up to do the next steps). Mix in the flour to make a paste. Three level tablespoons leaves the pie too runny, you need the extra flour from the rounded tablespoons. After the flour and butter is well incorporated (use a whisk), mix in water and sugars. Whisk well, wait for boil, and then reduce temp and simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the mixture over the pie, slowly, so that all the good stuff gets into the pie lattice holes. Place on a jelly roll sheet (or something else with a lip) covered with aluminum foil (the pie will likely boil over). Bake in a preheated, 425 degree, oven for 15 minutes. Then bake for 45 at 350 degrees (reduce the temp, but don't remove the pie). When the top crust gets all golden and pretty, and the apples don't give at all to a butter knife, you're good.

Let the pie sit for a while, to let the flour really work with the liquid. Pie is sort of like meat in the sense that if you cut it too soon, the good juices will run all over the place. Better to let the liquid turn to a thick jelly-like consistency to allow for pretty cutting.

Serve however you like apple pie: with ice cream, whipped cream, caramel, or all by itself. My favorite is a secret day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast treat.