Recipes on Doc Store

The cooking basics course we just finished, Fall 2011, included quite a few recipes that I thought I would share with anyone who has an interest. I had already promised my class folks that I would put them on the Doc Store so they could print them out from there; easier than hard copy that they would have to pick up at Tallwood. And easier for me as well.  Written in my long-winded style, they follow my usual method of teaching, which is conversational and not particularly rigid to a recipe. So as you read them, you have to have some imagination about measurements and awareness that trying to do the same thing twice in cooking does not always bring the same results.

Go to the website www.olli.gmu.edu and click on Doc Store in the column at the lower left of the screen.  From there you will have to scroll down to my class number F903.  Be prepared for eight pages of reading.

Daily Foodie E-Newsletter from Tasting Table

I just signed up for TastingTable.com's daily foodie newsletters.  It is a free site and promises both local food & drink postings and also national trends, reviews, etc. Could be interesting, and if not it is easy enough to unsubscribe.  Has anyone else had some experience with this web site?  D.

Book Review: Maya Angelou's Great Food All Day Long

Two parts to this article: the joys of borrowing books through and to the Kindle and the first book that I borrowed: a cookbook, Maya Angelou's Great Food All Day Long.

You see, when I recently learned that my Kindle could be used to borrow books from our public library system, I was thrilled and following directions given to me from the library, I tried to do that. But at the end of the process, because I have an older version of Kindle, I found that I couldn't do it directly but would have to download through my computer and then into my Kindle. Son Pete helped me to do that and the cokbook I mention was the first book I borrowed.

Those who enjoy just reading cookbooks will find this one delightful with interesting recipes; so good that I shall buy the book eventually, I'm sure. What I especially enjoyed was the intro to "Soups" where she said that whenever she would come in from a long trip, right after putting the luggage down, she would go to the kitchen and create a simple soup. She wrote: " I can almost hear the walls and floorboards and carpet hum in preparation for singing a Welcome Home composition...Before long, the aroma of soup, the sheer warmth of it would permeate the house" and she would feel like she was finally at home. She would go on, "All I know is my house has forgiven me and taken me safely back into its loving care."

Our family often did just that, not a major concoction because Campbell's would do the trick. And not in the mood for a heavy meal but wanting just something, a small warming libation like soup or tea that would signal that the household was back in action and we could settle in.

To make your house your ally, start with your kitchen.

Liplicking Limberick #1

 

                                    

Our British mum said, “I cawn’t

Cook , tho’ you’re starving and gaunt.”

(She’d steal furtive looks

At her recipe books,

Then we’d dine in a restaurant.)

Mike Mc Namara

Fish Night

We had a small group of just the regulars at Fish Night again this week – in large part because one of our friends and expected guests had bad timing. Her baby was not due until Thanksgiving, but he decided to make his appearance on Sunday night! We were in the hospital waiting room with her family until very late in the evening. And my rowing buddy (and OLLI lecturer extraordinaire) were fortunate enough to get in one more row on Monday morning before the season closes. So, all-in-all, I was pressed to get Fish Night dinner on the table and relied on the tried and true – get someone else to do most of the work for you!

We had a rice cracker mix with drinks and started with a tossed green salad. Then:

• · Oven Fried Tilapia – here’s a great secret, but you have to keep it between you and me. Costco sells amazing, already breaded, tilapia that you just throw into the oven for 10 minutes and your guests will rave. The only dilemma is whether to fess up. I do, but it’s hard. I want to take credit. I did serve my home-made tartar sauce. More on tilapia in a later post. (The breaded fillets freeze well, by the way. Just be sure to use them within a couple of weeks or they lose some of their excellent flavor.)
  
• · Macaroni and Cheese – I don’t have a recipe for this. I just cook some macaroni, put it in a casserole dish and add cheese and milk/cream and seasonings.
• · Roasted Maple-Mustard Green Beans – a new recipe for me. This would have been an excellent dish if I had roasted them the vegetables long enough. It definitely takes longer than the recipe suggests. The beans and carrots should look roasted before you take them out of the oven. This is a very pretty dish.

To complete my strategy of avoiding work if at all possible, my guests ate brown and serve dinner rolls and a dish of pickled asparagus from Safeway.

I tried to keep to my strategy when it came to dessert, but the cookies I had been eyeing for months at Costco were awful! So I made some peanut butter cookies at the last minute – always a guest favorite with tea and coffee.

Fascinating Fish Facts: Learning where to buy fresh fish in our area took longer than it should have because I was initially unwilling to give up on “regular” grocery stores. I don’t know how many times I ended up with tasteless or “off” seafood before I understood that stores like Safeway, Giant and Shoppers are just not able or willing to devote the effort needed to be purveyors of excellent fish.

I love to buy fish from a real fishmonger – a store dedicated to seafood. Until this year, I loved going to Slavin’s (M Slavin & Sons), just off I-395 at Glebe Road. This was a branch of the famous NYC fish market by the same name. But it was too good to be true, and it closed after about five years in our area. The Maine Avenue wharf is another excellent place to buy seafood, but I’m rarely willing to go into DC to shop for Fish Night. Does anyone know of a good fishmonger in Northern Virginia?

For now, I am delighted with Wegmans and (surprise!) Costco. Both have excellent fish and know how to handle fish to keep it at its best. I’m not buying fish anywhere else these days. I once bought from Harris Teeter and was impressed, but have not been back because I love Wegmans so much. But if you have to buy fish from a seller you don’t know, NEVER buy it without smelling it. Any reputable fish seller will gladly wave a piece of fish under your nose. They expect a discerning shopper to confirm freshness in this way. If the seller shows the slightest resistance, keep walking. How do you confirm freshness with your nose? Just make sure the fish does not have a strong "fishy" smell – good fresh fish should smell like the ocean or the beach. More in a later post on choosing fish once you get to the store – and on frozen fish options.

My daughters tell me that blog posts should have photos and I intended to try to add a photo or two to this one, but babies wait for no woman. I’ll do better next time. (No post next week -- Fish Night cancelled so the cook can pamper herself at a Mexican spa!)

Halloween Cupcake Photos

Since I can't edit existing entries (see previous Halloween cupcake posting) and can't post photos to its comments, I will post photos here - to enliven the blog and give the impetus for others to add graphics.

My granddaughter and I had fun while decorating these!

Knife Advice Needed

One thing those of us working in my class noted: we need quality knives, at least a few good basic chefs' knives and one or two smaller knives that take a good edge when sharpened. Those we now have were acquired from Ann Shell's thrift shop and donated when we were first outfitting the cottage kitchen, but recent efforts with even the best of those indicate that an investment has to be made. It's not likely that the powers- that- be at OLLI will underwrite this, so in lieu of a Friends of OLLI donation, I can make the purchase on my own. But I'm not prepared to pay over two hundred dollars knowing that there are some very good knives out there that will do the job. So I'm wondering if any of our blog contributors have opinions about where to look and their experience with good knives. Any help will be appreciated.