Intrepid Murmurings

Farewell, Bovine Delights

So most of you know, from past postings or real life encounters, of Lonnie's dairy allergy.  It came on about 7 years ago, and it took him awhile to pinpoint what was making him so sick.  Once he eliminated all sources of dairy, all was well.  Since then we've become quit adept at dairy free cooking.  I, of course, still have my dairy stash in the fridge, but he rarely misses it.

Two weeks ago, he started feeling really sick again.  At first he thought it was bad oysters. Ha. But after it continued for awhile, getting worse after meals, he started to get suspicious.  It all seemed very familiar.  He decided to cut out soy, wheat, and nuts in a quazi-elimination diet.  Things improved.  He felt fine! We lamented the challenge of possibly having to cut out such prevalent ingredients, especially since dairy is already out of the picture. It was hard to shop and think up meal alternatives.

This week, he decided to give wheat a reintroduction with some flour tortillas.  Halfway through the meal, he started feeling sick again.  Boo!

But then, ah ha! He wondered if it might be the ground beef?  We quickly realized we had not had beef in the past week, either.  The day of the oysters also consisted of flank steak.  Later in the week, hamburgers.  I think there were sloppy joe's in there somewhere, too. 

It makes sense, given the dairy allergy.  Dr. Google doesn't have a lot to say on the subject, other than some studies about allergies in children.  One found 20% of children with a dairy or beef allergy were also allergic to the other.  Interesting....

Lonnie has since reintroduced soy, wheat and nuts with no problems.  Its definitely the cow, then.  Goodbye, steaks, pot roast, and juicy old fashioned hamburgers.  But we are actually quite relieved that its beef!  Many of our favorite recipes can be made using ground chicken, turkey, pork or lamb.   Maybe this will finally get us to eat more fish!  Hello, omegas, goodbye, clogged arteries.

So, in an effort to see if there is anybody out there actually still reading this blog, I am calling for comments, please!  What are your favorite non-beef dinners?  Or what traditionally beefy dishes do you successfully recreate with alternative meats or products?   Lamburgers?  Turkey meatballs?  Vegetarian cuisine?  Inspire us!

 

Kristin's Multigrain Bread Machine Recipe

In the past few months, two things have spawned a lot more bread machine baking in our household.  One, was the moving of the bread machine out from the bottom of a precarious bookshelf in the kitchen (not good for the pulling up/cruising crowd, for sure) to the console table turned changing table turned kitchen workspace table.  It is getting more use than ever, now, holding things like the bread machine, pots and pans, and miscellaneous baking dishes that don't fit anywhere else. 

The second was the purchase of this book on bread machine baking.  It has a ton of great recipes, way more than I ever thought possible using this handy little appliance.  I have yet to try things like rolls, artisan loafs, etc, that call for a bit more hands on time (ie, taking it out of the machine) but I have been trying a lot of the whole grain and multigrain recipes, with much success.  I find myself buying all sorts of odd grains and flours in order to try some of the new recipes.

This week, I made up my own recipe, based loosely on the guidelines in the book.  It turned out fantastic, I must say!  Moist and delicious, for at least three days (it was gone after that)!  Great for toast and for sandwiches!  I only made the 1.5 lb loaf, so that is what the measurements are for.  I will try to update this sometime with the 2 lb amounts, once I've figured it out.

Kristin's Multigrain Bread Machine Recipe (dairy-free)

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 tablespoons honey

4 tablespoons dairy free margarine (or butter!)

2 tablespoons soy milk powder (or regular powdered milk)

1 1/4 cup all purpose white flour

1 cup whole grain spelt flour

1/2 cup amaranth flour (I imagine other alternative flours would work too)

1/2 cup quick cook oats (regular would probably be fine)

1/4 cup cornmeal

3 tablespoons gluten

1 teaspoon salt

1 packet SAF yeast

Put ingredients in the order your machine specifies.  Run on whole  wheat setting, medium crust.  1 1/2 lb loaf.  Remove from pan promptly when done.  Enjoy!

Cookin' it up! (Pumpkin Chicken Curry Recipe included)
Today we had a productive day! In the morning we went over to the UW to participate in a study with the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences. Emma the science experiment, woohoo! The study was about infants understanding of others actions. After being briefed we went into a room where they taped her watching someone look excited about a toy, and did that a bunch of times to see how long she watched and was interested. Then we went into another room and they did it again in a different way, with two toys. She was totally focused and did great, though probably thought we adults were pretty weird with all the odd interactions and repetitions. Supposedly she reacted the way they expect. It was fun and funny to be a part of it all. At the end she got to take home a toy, which was nice.

Onward, to the food! Later in the day we did some cooking! First I made a quick mango/blueberry puree, since Emma's main preference for fruit is soft and spoonable. And there is only so much applesauce I am willing to give her.

Next, I attempted my first Emma baking project (other than pancakes)! This means no wheat, egg, dairy, or soy. Geesh! I got adventurous and made this pumpkin & fruit bread, though I made a ton of substitutions. I made my own wheat free flour mix, with brown rice flour, amaranth flour, potato starch and xanthum gum. I substituted an egg replacement product for the egg, and added a banana in for good measure instead of the carrot, which I didn't have (bananas are supposedly a good sub for eggs as well). I also used brown sugar instead of white, because I read somewhere it improves texture and moisture in gluten free baked goods. I was pretty surprised when it actually turned out really well! Yum! It was really moist and delicious, kind of like cake, and she ate it up with no complaints whatsoever. I might try next time to use a little less sugar, since I would prefer to fruit sweeten her foods most of the time. But overall, a success. Hurrah!

For dinner, I made a pumpkin chicken curry, with the leftover half a can of pumpkin. I changed up a recipe I found online, and it was delish. Emma loved it as well, and ate all parts of it, even the asparagus!

Kristin's Pumpkin Curry

2 T olive oil
one onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 t (or more) fresh grated ginger
2 t (or more) curry powder
half can (about 1/2 cup) of pumpkin puree
one can of light coconut milk
salt to taste
8 or so chicken breast tenders (about 3 breasts worth)
3/4 bag (not sure exact amount) frozen asparagus

In large skillet (or cast iron pan) on medium heat, saute onions and garlic 2-3 min. Add ginger and curry powder, cook until onions are translucent. Add pumpkin puree, coconut milk and salt, stir well & cook until simmering. Add chicken, cook for 10 min or so, until chicken is nearly done. Add asparagus and simmer for another 5 min. Taste and adjust spices. Finished! Serve over pasta or rice.

Note dog head in left bottom corner, hovering much to close for scraps which inevitably get tossed overboard...

Crock Pot Lamb Stew
I made lamb stew yesterday and it was great! And lots of leftovers! I kind of combined a couple recipes I had found online. It was just right for my whimpish tongue (about 2 star, if we were talking Thai), so add more if you like it spicier, less (of the turmeric & red pepper flakes) if you want it less so. Here it is, roughly:
Crock Pot Lamb Stew
1 1/2 lbs lamb stew meat 2 large sweet potato/yams 1-2 onions, sliced 4 cloves garlic 1 t cinnamon 2 t turmeric 2 t ginger 1 t crushed red pepper flakes 14 oz (or so) beef broth Optional: dash of orange juice (or orange zest) 1 cup dried apricots, cut roughly 1 cup peas Optional: 1 T cornstarch, whisked into some hot water salt/pepper to taste
1. Lightly salt & pepper the meat and brown in a pan. Transfer to crock pot. 2. Saute onions & garlic for 2 min, then add spices and cook for another few min or so. Add dash of broth & scrape pan, add all to crock pot. 3. Peel and roughly cut sweet potatoes into large chunks (2" or so?), add to crock pot ** 4. Pour in rest of broth and OJ/zest (if using). 5. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (I noticed the meat was much more tender after 9 or so than just a few hours earlier) 6. 1-2 hours before serving, add apricots, peas, and cornstarch (if using)
Note: The sweet potatoes were really soft and starting to break down after cooking for so long. We liked it, but if you prefer more solid potatoes, you could add them halfway through. I ended up not adding the cornstarch because the sweet potatoes had thickened the broth enough as it was.

Brown Rice Congee

Emma hates baby cereal. But she loves homemade rice congee! It is easy to make, and tastes great. Its a good alternative to oatmeal, and you can add yummy things to it like dried fruit. Emma is just starting to get the hang of the spoon, and will now sometimes lunge at it when I hold it out loaded with congee. She also loves to feed herself with the spoon, which is a messy proposition, but mainly the way we do things around here....

This is also the first picture of the wave, as well. Waving for congee!
Now, my recipe is not very exact, so bear with me. It makes a LOT, so I often half it.
1 cup brown rice (short grain is what I have been using)
12 cups water (not exact, I tend to start with less and add more as it cooks)
1 cup (more or less if you wish) of dried apricots, or another fruit

Put the rice and water in the slow cooker. Cook overnight on low, or for 4-5 hours on high. Check and stir occasionally, if you are able. Add the dried fruit halfway through cooking (unless you are doing it overnight, then just toss it in at the beginning). Add more water if the congee isn't soupy enough or if the grains of rice haven't started to dissolve, cook longer if it is too liquidy for you. I like mine a little soupier than oatmeal, but not as thin as the traditional Chinese method. I think using brown rice makes it a bit more textured than white rice would, but we like it that way!

Bonelos Manglo
This morning, Lonnie had a hankering for doughnuts. He found this recipe online, in all its dairy-free goodness. It is originally from Guam. He tried it. Delish! They are going to be gone by tonight because I can't stop eating them....

Bonelos Manglo
2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 tablespoons sugar 3/4 cup coconut milk (canned can be sweetened)
1. Mix ingredients until it comes together to form dough. 2. Roll on a board with a rolling pin until 1/3 inch thick then cut into long strips about a half inch apart, then cutting it into diamonds. 3. Preheat oil in deep frying pan then place diamond shape dough into it, turning occasionally until dough is golden brown. 4. Remove, let cool on brown paper bags or paper towels. 5. When cool dust with powdered sugar or regular granulated sugar.

Notes: Lonnie used self-rising flour and just a pinch of baking powder, instead of regular flour and the full amount of baking powder, because we have it on hand and are trying to use it up. He used canned coconut milk, and did not add any extra sugar, though the dough could have been a little sweeter, maybe. But, since we doused them in a good layer of cinnamon sugar at the end, we didn't really notice! He also didn't cut them into diamonds, like it mentions above, but used a biscuit cutter to make round ones (without holes). Shape, to me, does not a doughnut make.

Grammie's Oatmeal Bread
I am always searching for good bread recipes for the bread machine, especially ones that are at least part whole grain. I am a lazy ass, and cannot bring myself to make bread the old fashioned way, most of the time. Most bread machine recipes I have tend to dry out fast, and are either too dense or (more likely) not dense enough. Yesterday, I took a chance and made a non-bread machine recipe in the machine. It turned out great! I think the molasses adds the moisture it needs. I halved the recipe for the machine, but if you want to do it by hand and have 3 loaves, just double it. Oatmeal Bread (Adapted For Bread Machine) 1 cup hot water 1/2 cup molasses 1 1/2 Tablespoon shortening (I used 2 T olive oil) 1/2 Tablespoon Salt 1 cup oatmeal 2 1/2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat, half white) 2 teaspoons dry yeast (if you are making by hand, use one packet/cake dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water) Settings I used: whole wheat, medium crust, 1.5 lb loaf

Fall Bounty
Well, damn. This week we signed up for home delivery of organic produce and I wanted to take a picture of the bounty that just arrived on my doorstep, but my camera has finally bit the dust for good (which is a shame, as I love taking pictures and it was a great camera, other than one major design flaw having to do with the on/off switch). Anyway. Very pleased with the delivery! I had heard about them, and when I found a coupon in the mail for ten bucks off your first order, I had to try it. It is all organic, mostly local produce. It comes in a big lidded tub, which you put out on your porch each week (or for us, every other week, since there's only two of us). The produce varies with the season and depending on what's available. They even said they can work around what we have in our garden, and give us substituions for things like tomatoes and basil that we already have (though they forgot, today, I wonder if someone else got my bin?) In any case, today ours had: 5 Buckeye Apples (1 lb) 4 Bartlett Pears (1 lb) 5 Dapple Dandy Pluots (1 lb) 1 Pint Black Mission Figs 1 Large Cucumber 1 Large Bunch Green Onions 1 Bunch Red Beets 3 Sunburst Squash (1 lb) 5 Ears Sweet Corn 1 Huge Red Pepper 1 Extremely Huge Head of Red Leaf Lettuce 1 Pint Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes 1 Bunch Lacinato Kale 1 bag Green Beans (12 oz) For $33 ($22 this week, due to my coupon) it seems like a really good deal, at least here in the city. I probably should go through and do the math to be sure. You may be able to do similarly with conventional produce (if you really shop around), but if you keep in mind its all organic and that you don't have to drive, I really think its hard to beat this price! Now that we have our dairy (soy and cow) and produce delivered (and a freezer filled will large quantities of meat products), we really don't need to go shopping much at all! Good for the budget, since we are both huge suckers when in comes to grocery stores. Mmmmm....food.

Chicken Sandwiches with Balsamic BBQ Sauce
Taken from the June (I think) issue of Sunset Magazine. They are quite delightful. We doubled the recipe for a party a couple weeks ago, though if it were just us we might half it instead. Or not, because it is so damn good and such an easy freezer dinner; just heat rolls, make a veggie, and microwave the already sauced chicken filling. Yum! Chicken Sandwiches with Balsamic BBQ Sauce 4 cups 1-2 inch chunks boned, skinned cooked chicken* Balsamic BBQ Sauce (see recipe below) 6 rolls of your choice (we like sourdough or the square ones) Sauce: 1 cup ketchup 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/3 packed brown sugar 1/4 cup molasses 1 T Worcestershire sauce 1 (or more for us) clove minced garlic 1 t dry mustard 1 t ground ginger (I added more, and it was fresh)** 1/2 t salt 1/4 t pepper Combine all sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 12-15 minutes, or until mixture reduces to about 2 cups. Use warm or at room temperature. In a large bowl, mix chicken and sauce. Slice rolls (you can tear out some of the excess bread for easier filling/eating) and divide chicken mixture evenly. You can wrap sandwiches and chill for up to 4 hours (they have never made it longer than 15 minutes at our house, however). Enjoy! *About equivalent to a 4lb roast chicken, though you can also use 4 baked chicken breasts (about 2lbs total). **Just wanted to share our ginger trick, which is to keep a hunk of fresh ginger wrapped in plastic in the freezer. It grates easily (no need to peel), lasts for months, and is SO much better than the powdered kind.

Dairy Free Coconut Scones
When we visited Lonnie's parents in Maryland a few years ago, it was in the midst of a huge snowstorm. We snuck in right before it dumped at least three feet of snow; the city slowed to a halt, and we were stuck. It was lovely! I love snow, myself; I never had much of it growing up, and really enjoyed it when living in Minnesota. Ah, an actual change of seasons (other than rain, grey sky, rain, clouds, rain, glimpse of sun , rain)! This was also back when I was still teaching, and was exhausted and sick, as usual, and Lonnie was laid up with a broken arm and hard core pain meds. Being able to sleep in, lounge around the house, go for a walk around the neighborhood in the snow, then lounge some more and read by the fire was a joy. We played a lot of Mah Jongg in the evening, and in the morning, stretched out on a blanket in front of the fireplace with tea, coffee, and scones. Scones, a breakfast delight I had actually never attempted and we therefore had not enjoyed since Lonnie had diagnosed his dairy allergy! A scone without butter or cream! Could it be true? They are even delicious in the summer, on the patio with shorts and flip flops and the newspaper. Or (more likely) in front of the computer reading blogs, dropping crumbs and jam in the cracks of the keyboard.... Dairy-free Coconut Scones 1 3/4 cups flour 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup dairy-free margerine 1/2 cup (packed) sweetened or shredded coconut 1/2 cup rolled oats 2 eggs 1/2 cup coconut milk Preheat oven to 375. Sift dry ingredients together into large bowl. Cut margerine into dry ingredients. Add coconut and oats, stir until combined. Beat eggs, setting aside a tablespoon or so. Whisk remaining eggs with coconut milk, then add to flour mixture. Stir together until just combined, then turn out onto a floured work surface. Knead a few turns, then shape into a round flat disk, about 1 inch thick. Cut into eight wedges, and transfer to a baking stone, baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchement paper (or greased). Brush scones with reserved egg, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 20-22 minutes, transfer to rack to cool. Serve with jam, of course, and plenty of tea or coffee.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Tomato Sauce
We have discovered a new recipe that is quite delicious and rather easy to make. I found it on the web (thank you Wolfgang) and adapted it just a bit to make it easier, though I didn't have to do much. We have always avoided making "stuffed" things because invariably they include one or more types of an aged cow product which does not fly in our household. But looky here, I discovered one that does not, yet it is not dry, thanks to a nice dousing of tomato sauce. I, however, do secretly dream of putting a slathering of dairy on the top, but unless I cook mine in its own pot (therefore increasing the dirty dish load which I am so loath to do) that will not be happening any time soon. Stuffed Bell Peppers with Tomato Sauce (Serves 4-ish) The filling: 1/2 pound ground chicken (or meat of your choice)* 1/4 cup olive oil 1 cup diced onion 1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped (or whatever seems right, I don't measure) 2 garlic cloves minced (or more to taste) 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (or basil) 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (again, substitute other herbs as desired) 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1-2 teaspoon(s) salt freshly ground pepper 2 cups cooked long grain rice (I use yesterday's leftovers) The rest: 2-4 bell peppers, any color 1/4 cup olive oil salt & pepper tomato sauce, homemade or from a jar 1. Preheat oven to 350 (F). 2. Prepare the chicken filling. Heat large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil. Saute onions until translucent, then add mushrooms and garlic. Cook until all moisture evaporates (just a few minutes), stirring occasionally. Let cool. 3. While meat cools, prepare bell peppers. Wash and dry, then cut the top inch of the pepper off, keeping the stem intact. Remove seeds and core, then brush with olive oil inside and out. Sprinkle insides with salt and pepper. Set in an ovenproof dish. 4. When meat is cool, add rest of filling ingredients, including rice (also cool), herbs & spices, and egg. Stuff peppers with as much filling as they can hold, then put lids back on top. Arrange in ovenproof dish, then pour tomato sauce over peppers.** 5. Bake for one hour, or until peppers are soft and filling is cooked through. * I have used up to a pound of meat, which makes for a meatier mixture and more leftovers. ** I usually have extra filling, which can be used to fill more peppers or baked in smaller ovenproof dishes for leftovers. We also added small summer squashes to the pan, and they roasted perfectly in the tomato sauce (and kept the peppers from falling over!).

Summertime....and the livin' is easy
For some folks in Seattle, this weekend marked the (un)official start to summer because school is out and summer break has begun (woohoo!). But for our household, supposed grownups and no longer in the schooling business, it was commemorated by several other enjoyable weekend events. First off, the weather was delightful (often a rarity for June in Seattle) after a week or two of rainy cloudy weather. Out came the shorts, the tank tops, the flip flops. Hooray! Also, precipitating a particular summery event in our household, was the milk delivery on Friday. Yes, for about a year now we have succumbed to the ultimate classic image of domesticity, and a chipper milkman (who ironically can't eat dairy...ha!) drives up each Friday morn in his cavernous, refrigerated transport and delivers us our usual order of fresh-off-the-cow milk, as well as eggs, orange juice, yogurt and soy milk. Most days I do a quick check of the supplies to see if we actually need all that, and adjust the order accordingly. However, because I was engrossed in relaying the news of our dear dog's death to Jerry the Milkman (and hearing a dreadful story of his dogs demise, as well) I forgot to mention that we did not need the soy. Soon, as I tried to cram all the goods into the fridge, I realized we now had a gallon and a half of soy milk for the two of us. Egads! I had to think of some way to use it ASAP. It is a tragedy (hard for some of you to imagine, I know) to pour perfectly good soy milk down the drain. So I decided the most efficient use of soy milk would be to make soy ice cream (thus transferring the excess soy from fridge to freezer, while also making it a bit more appetizing in the process). We also have a very fine electric ice cream maker that has not gotten much use in the years following diagnosis of husband's horrendous dairy allergy. I started with a "soy nog" ice cream recipe from one of our favorite dairy-free cookbooks, though I changed it quite a bit. The result, much to my delight, is an extremely close (dare I say better?) version of a childhood favorite that haunts me even today, Baskin and Robin's peanut butter n' chocolate ice cream. Rich, chocolaty, and with ribbons of hard frozen peanut butter throughout. Mmmmm...summertime here I come! Peanut Butter and Chocolate Soy Ice Cream 3 large egg yolks 1 large egg (whole) 2 ¼ cups vanilla soy milk 1 cup sugar 3 rounded tablespoons of cocoa powder (or more to taste) ½ cup creamy natural peanut butter (or to taste) (this is all that fits into our machine, if you have a big one, consider doubling the recipe!) Combine egg & yolks, soy milk and sugar in saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk frequently until sugar dissolves and mixture is slightly thickened (about 8 minutes). Do not boil the custard! Add cocoa powder and whisk to break up lumps. Remove from heat, transfer to metal bowl, and and cool in ice bath (or in freezer) until mixture is very cold. Next, pour into ice cream maker and process according to directions (for mine about 25 min). When ice cream is almost done (it will still be somewhat soft) drizzle/drop the peanut butter in small globs while machine is still on (or stir in by hand if that is not possible). Do not overmix, you want the PB to swirl but not dissolve completely into the mixture! Eat now, or transfer to a plastic container in the freezer to harden further. The other happening during our sunny weekend that marked the start of summertime was our attendance at the annual Fremont Fair and Solstice Parade! It has been a few years for us, but the glorious weather got our asses in gear and after a longish search for street parking and then a 20 minute walk, we found ourselves perched on two rocks right at the start of the parade, with a perfect view to watch the mayham ensue. For those not in the know, the solstice parade is known for its eclectic, not quite mainstream pageantry (i.e. plenty of hippies, etc in various states of costume and undress, lots of music/drumming/dancing/antics, and human powered floats often highlighting a rather leftist view of the state of the union/world) and, of course, the naked bike riding. There were, I must say, quite a few of them this year, and they appeared to be rather organized! One small group of 20 or so opened the parade and then a large group of what could easily have been several hundred stopped it altogether for a few minutes later on. No stragglers this time....safety in numbers, perhaps? In the past there have been signs posted and threats reminders made about the possible illegality of naked bike riding, but when I try to imagine an officer in uniform attempting to chase a pack of riders sporting only their birthday suits, I can only chuckle. Not a top priority, I think. After the parade, we survived a visit to the port-o-john with the masses, and then enjoyed a gander through the vending booths, including a small purchase of summer hippie attire, and a drink at the coffee house, where miraculously a bench on the front porch was free for our comfort and amusement as we sipped our refreshments and watched the party on the street. Ahh...summertime in Seattle. Gotta love it!

C is for Cookie...is good enough for me!
I enjoy baking cookies. They are so much better than store bought ones, and not very difficult to make. Really! To make them dairy free, I usually just switch the butter that a recipe inevitably calls for and replace it with diary-free margarine (of course, it does not taste or turn out exactly the same, but close enough, usually). I would not, of course, try this with something like shortbread, or any other butterhog of a cookie. There are only a few dairy-free margarines on the market, believe it or not, because it seems they often add some component of milk (like casein, whey, or milkfat) for taste or stability. For a long time our dairy-free margarine of choice was Willow's Run. We have now started using Earth's Balance, as well, since it is better for you. I have also recently discovered the joys of using coconut oil, which I get at Whole Foods, but I imagine you can get it elsewhere or online. It's not as bad for you as you were taught to believe! Keep it in the cupboard; it gets way too hard in the fridge. Now I wouldn't spread it on bread (like they suggest on the website) any more than I would spread lard on my bread (mmmm...) but it sure seems to work well in baking. For example, here is a recipe I found that actually appears to turn out better when the butter is replaced with dairy-free options! When made my way, it spreads out into more of a flat, chewy cookie, instead of a hard tall one. It is my new favorite cookie, and the recipe is huge, which is great as long as you have a freezer or quite an appetite (otherwise, I would half it). World's Best Dairy-Free Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookie (now thats a mouthful. But a delicious one, at least.) 3 c. flour 5 tsp. soda 1 tsp. salt 2 c. shortening ***(I highly recommend 1 cup dairy free-margarine, 1 cup coconut oil!) 1 1/2 c. brown sugar 1 1/2 c. white sugar 4 eggs, unbeaten 2 tsp. hot water 4 c. oatmeal 2 tsp. vanilla 3 c. chocolate chips 1 1/2 c. chopped nuts Combine flour, soda & salt, and sift. Cream shortening until fluffy. Add sugars, mix well. Beat in eggs, add hot water & sifted ingredients (a bit at a time). Mix well. Add oatmeal, chocolate chips and nuts, if desired, and vanilla (since this is such a huge recipe, it starts to almost overflow my stand mixer at this point, but it does just barely make it) and stir until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet (recipe calls for greased cookie sheet, and I use "Silpats" so I don't know if you actually need to do this). Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes (watch it carefully, for my oven, it is exactly 10 minutes, and it tends to overbake quickly after that!). Mmmmmm.....makes a great ice cream/soy cream sandwich, too!

Just ducky
Here is a recipe we enjoy that a friend was also interested in, so I thought I'd pass it along. We use it as a sauce & marinade for roasted duck (something I never had until recently -- my husband has fond memories of delicious duck from when he was living in China). I am sure it would also be great with chicken or turkey, and probably even in tofu/veggie dishes as well. Hoisin Sauce Marinade (very good with roasted duck) 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola (or other vegetable) oil 2 tablespoons minced garlic 1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger 2 cups hoisin sauce (in jars - asian food aisle) 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (I used store-bought lime juice, it was fine) Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/2 cup red wine (to add right before marinading) 1. Heat a large pan (or wok) over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, then garlic and ginger. Saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the hoisin sauce and stir to prevent burning. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add the lime juice. 2. Pour mixture into a blender and blend (you might want to put a towel on top just in case, as hot sauce flying everywhere is not good, take it from me!), drizzling in the 1/2 cup oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cool thoroughly and use, or store in refrigerator for up to two weeks. 3. Now, if you are making roast duck, rinse and towel dry the cold, nasty carcass (as you can see, this is not my favorite step) and season inside and out with salt and pepper. Mix the hoisin marinade above with 1/2 cup red wine, and slather over duck, inside and out as well. Marinade in the mixture for at least 2 hours, or as long as overnight. 4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Place duck breast side up in a roasting pan (you can set the duck on a bed of sliced onions and regular or sweet potatoes, for a real treat) and cook for 35-40 min. Tent the duck with foil (to avoid burning the skin) and cook for another 30 mins or so, until meat is done and juices run clear (most recipes say roast for 20 minutes per pound, or until internal temperature reaches 180°F (82.2°C). Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Yum, you should try it, it really is good!

Granola Time!
Well lookie here... While funeral desserts aplenty were being constructed in the kitchen, this evening I spent a few minutes geeking around on a borrowed computer here at the relatives. My goal was to look up old friends on the fancy college alumni search engine. Unfortunately, I tend to think of this far, far to late to actually make plans (and find it a bit too presumptuous of to request old friends to drive hours to see me when we haven't spoken in years). Alas. However, I had to smile when I stumbled upon a website of a fine food entrepreneur I used to know, once upon a time, and it appears she is doing well. She reaffirms my belief that beautiful and delicious things (and people, music, ideas, etc) seem to emanate from the charming state of Vermont. I really ought to spend some quality time there, myself, to check out this theory. But until that day comes, I will have to make do with some Nutty Steph's Vermont Granola. Perhaps you'll want some, too!