I feel very fortunate that my mother prepared almost every meal I ate growing up.  Influenced heavily by legacy of the house-wife generation, my mother managed to learn early on in her life how to be a good mother and cook, and perfected the delicate balance between career woman and wife/mother with a concerned sensitivity.  I never knew the misfortune of the hip young mom who sustained her children with nightly devotionals to drive-in cuisine.  Our meals were served from the kitchen stove.
     My mother was also the product of the development of tertiary processed foods-- convenience foods manufactured to make dinner times faster, easier.  Perfectly proportioned meals were ready to eat with a mere ten minute heating time.  Just add water and a green salad.  We grew up eating a strange mix of hearty family recipes, fried in tender affection and stewed in history, and Hamburger Helper paired with canned fruit and simple green salad, stretched to feed the whole family.
     And there was always dessert.  Homemade pies or Little Debbie.
     It only comes to my attention in recent years that my mother made the best of what we had, and rarely invested time or money in finer culinary ventures.  The second daughter of a widower dairyman, she had to step into a role too mature for her age, learning so early how she could save time and money and make sure the food was hot and flavorful enough to keep everyone satisfied and the budget balanced.
     We used Kraft Parmesan Cheese.  You know the kind-- that green cylinder that you pop open to pour on top of your greasy Me-n-Eds.  We used fresh veggies but powdered garlic.  Bottles of dried herbs were kept plentiful, and used sparingly, in uncreative combinations.
     My mom is a fantastic cook nonetheless.  She taught me how to flawlessly and confidently execute cooking procedures.  I grew up thinking I'd be a baker as an adult.  She's never made a bad dish in her life (less one single pumpkin pie faux pas.)  She never sends a guest away hungry.  Her only fault:  She is extremely un-inventive in the kitchen.  She openly admits this.  New flavors intimidate her; while she can utilize ingredients without a recipe with success, these dishes are lackluster.  It never occurred to her to buy a garlic press and fresh cloves of this amazing aromatic until recently, (and now my parents are enamored with it.)  Learning to re-vamp her recipe box after Dad's heart surgery was a whole new beginning for her, one which left our days of family holiday baking on the cold front stoop.  
     My husband was raised with late nights and fast foods.  Divorce ended the days of family dinners.  The single-mom era had begun, and his youthful mother learned to get by on burgers, fries, and monotony.  Dollar meals saved the day.  She had a minimal arsenal of regulars that she could prepare in a pinch.  Chris hungered for fresh side dishes and casseroles, and the comfort of preparing mis en place with the executive chef (who could simultaneously answer Civics questions.)
     Chris loved my mother's food.  Dinner time was how he became one of the family, how I learned who he was, and how he learned to open up.  She has fed him for over seven years now.
     It came as a slow surprise to me that Chris developed into a Foodie, despite Carl's Jr., and I have, in turn, joined him.   As we progressed from dorms to apartments, we also grew into wedges of parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.  Pre-marital counseling posed the question- how do you spend quality time together?
     We cook.  We will not leave our tiny apartment until we find a place that can out-do its spacious kitchen.  It is time spent creating, talking, enjoying.  Marriage has brought hours of food exploration, farmers' markets, and strange foreign foods.  No technique is too complicated, or at least cannot be practiced to perfection.  Together we've tried foods that I never imagined plated artfully before me, or that I'd find in my own home.  He has surpassed me in skill; I come home to elaborate dishes (thank you Food Network for your educational programming.)
     And, the most simply startling discoveries-  Parmigiano-Reggiano, aged to perfection, satisfying to the senses.  This is an ingredient that I cannot turn my back on.  Shopping brings on a new challenge: where is the saffron, the red snapper?  Components have become more sophisticated and exciting.  And, to be assured that our children will not want for casseroles, this is as satisfying as a block aged six years.
     Food is important.  It is survival; it is art.  I would never exchange my mother's laborious displays of love for foie gras.  Nor would I cease this exciting practice of culinary adventure for free time.
     Cook.  Our children deserve this devotion, our lives this spice.  It is the time we spend, the flavors we cherish, that enrich us and sustain us.  This is a gift, homemade meals; this is a treasure, new food finds.  These things enrich lives and palates.
    These are the finest ingredients.

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• I've been wanting to make a proper English Trifle for quite some time, but two days ago I finally decided to give it a try. But me being me, I thought it would be even better if I challenge myself by using this as an opportunity to photo-document the recpie just like in  a cookbook.

(Actually, when I was a kid I liked to play "cooking-show")

So I'll quit yapping and just show it to ya.

Pudding1

Part 1 - The Puddin'

• 2 T cornstarch
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 C milk
• 2 T butter
• 1 t vanilla

In a 2-quart saucepan, stir together the cornstarch and sugar completely.

Next, stir in the egg and butter and blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If you do this right, your pudding ought not be lumpy.

Pudding2

Next, begin adding the milk and continue stirring.

Once you have added all the mlik, begin cooking over low heat and cook, stirring almost constantly. This is important, because you do not want your milk to scauld or worse yet, stick to your pan. On my gas range it only took about 10 minutes.

(For those who are wondering, the variant for chocolate pudding is simple. Just put in 2 or 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder when you are mixing your sugar and cornstarch)

Pudding3

Bring the pudding to a very slow boil. It will thicken in an instant if you are not watching and then scauld and stick if it thinks it can get away with it behind your back, so be ready.

Add the vanilla last. I prefer the clear artificial stuff, but any ol' 'nilla will do.

Remove from heat and quickly turn the pudding out into a mixing bowl. I recommend using a large rubber spatula because those are the most fun to lick.

(Maybe that is why I don't really have my own cooking show and have to pretend, ya think?)

Lastly, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap actually touches the surface of the pudding. This keeps it from growing "skin" 

Part 2 - The Razz

After your pudding has had time to chill (about 2 hours), it is ready to join the other ingredients and be part of a trifle.

Trifle1

You will need..

• Angel food cake (or any light cake will do)
• raspberries (though I used raspberry preserves)
• 2 -3 cups whipped creme (nondairy works fine too)
• finely chopped nuts (optional--I recommend walnuts or almonds)

Break up the angel food cake into fingertip-sized bites.

Next, take the juice of your berries (or water down a few spoonfuls of the preserves) and add to your cake bites.

Then, mix together the pudding and about 2 cups of the whipped creme. This will make your pudding light and fluffy and somewhat mousse-esque.

Trifle2

Now comes the fun part.

Start by putting a layer of cake into the bottom of whatever you plan to serve the trifle in. My recipe yields 3 12 oz. drinking glasses because I am still too uncouth to own any parfait glasses.

Next, layer in a spoonful of pure raspberries or preserves. Ice cream scoop is excellent for that job.  Try not to overdo it with the preserves, becaue they are very sweet.

Then, scoop in about 3 good spoonfuls of the pudding, being careful always not to smear up the inside of the glass. You want the layers to be distinct and as even as possible.

(If you opt for nuts, put them on top of the berries before the pudding.

Keep layering as necessary right up to the rim.

FINALLY comes the whipped creme. You can just spoon it on, but if you want to be fancy-schmancy, you

can use a forcing bag and a star-tip. (If you don't have a fancy bag and tip, use a sandwich baggie with a tiny hole cut in one corner to swirl the creme onto your trifle.

Well..below is the finished product...and would you believe it matches my wallpaper perfectly? Yes, it tastes pretty good too, though a bit sweet. Next time I will pick up berries and nuts and do it up all the way.

Trifle

One last thing, adding up the cost of the preserves ($1) and the whipped topping ($1) and the cake ($.60 because the bakery overbaked), the sugar, butter, vanilla eggs and cornstarch ($.50) and milk ($.90), the total cost per dessert is somewhere around  $1.35 apiece...which isn't bad at all by dessert-cafe standards.

Now that I've done trifle, I feel confident I can make a reasonably decent tiramisu for around the same price.

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In this edition of "Will's Wonderland," as in many others, the main topic is food. If you know me, then you know that I am a big fan of food, and lots of it. I love to eat out, dine in, make a sandwich, order a pizza, grab fast food, and occasionally hunt, skin, and cook my own dear steaks. Fine, maybe not so much on the last one, but the others are very true. I have prefaced this blog with my love for food so that you can fully understand how seriously I enjoy eating, and in turn, eating out.

Tonight the lovely Sabrina and myself went to eat at Logan’s Roadhouse. It is one of my favorite places to eat because of several things. First, they have the peanuts in a bucket on the table and yes I know all of the statistics about how “unclean” they are, but seriously…I couldn’t care less. Secondly, they have rolls that were made by the hands of angels. They are so buttery and delicious. The third reason is the Spinach and Artichoke dip, which is funny because separately I don’t like either of those things, but put them together with a good helping of cheese and suddenly they are marvelous. Add these things with the fact that their sweet tea is amazing and you can see why I am a big fan. By the way, Logan’s Reps, if you are reading this, I would love to have you officially sponsor my blog. Tonight though I was reminded of the one thing that really gets under my skin at a restaurant. The waiter or waitress, and the job they do. Now most of you are probably thinking, “Hey Will, I know what you are going to say and I agree…I hate bad service.”  But the thing is, I didn’t have that experience tonight. Tonight was the exact opposite. I had a waiter who was so friendly that he began to really annoy me. Every time he passed the table he would stop to chat before asking if we needed anything. I started feeling guilty if I didn’t have anything that he could get me. Then he did the ole “Never let the drink glass get below ¾ full.” Now I know that Chinese restaurants are known for this as well, but that’s ok because at least there I expect it. Tonight I must have gotten eight refills which really only equaled two full glasses of sweet tea. He became so overbearing that I hoped he would take his smoke break, or dinner break, or just give me a break. It was seriously making my meal less enjoyable. My steak would have been awesome if I didn’t have to it chew super fast so that I could answer his 1,000,000,000 questions, or thank him for my 800th refill. Terrible service is bad enough, but overbearing service can be just as bad. All you waiters and waitresses keep that in mind.

The good news is, that the food was awesome as always and impressively, we were seated, got our drinks, appetizer, main course, and ate all we could handle in under thirty minutes. Come to think of it, maybe it was because all I could think of was getting out of there so I didn’t have to be bombarded any longer.

“Sir really…it’s no longer a refill when the cup is full to the brim…now its just an overfill.”

+ WAC +

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Vegetarian Taco Burger

This is by no means haute cuisine, but boy oh boy, is it delicious. I give all the credit of this ingenius creation to B. If he ever decides to change careers, Taco Bell would be foolish not to bring him aboard as a food conceptor. That boy comes up with some excellent gourmet junkfood. A taco and a burger in one. What's not to love right? Here's how it works... spread some refried beans on both ends of a toasted hamburger bun. My taco "meat" was chopped baby bellas, onions and corn seasoned with cumin and chile powder. Now layer "meat", cheddar cheese, tomatoes, avocado slivers and a fried corn tortilla. Top with your bean slathered bun and serve with plenty of salsa and Tapatio. Spicy, crunchy, creamy, cheesy flavor explosion!

salsa

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Inspired by the maestro herself Vee.

--------

How not to burn your spring rolls in the microwave.

Take them out of the metallic insulating bag, thus effectively removing all chances of a fire.

Suggested by Edwina, who learnt from experience.

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Mostly taken from a recipe available here, macadamia used for the nuts (crumbled into the crust and placed on top), and apple added by me.  Not enough cherries to cover the base, so I needed a filling bulker.

Verdict from the family - delicious.

before

during

after

Definitely going to make sure we have enough thick cream next time I do something like this, what little we had went great with the cobbler. 

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Let me tell you right now. I rarely make dessert. I EAT dessert, I just don’t make it. I don’t enjoy baking. But, that being said, here is a nice summer dessert I DO make and it is very easy, and oh so tasty!

I am providing visual aids for the cooking impaired:

Assemble ingredients: graham crust, whipped topping, yogurt, jello. The yogurt and jello should be the same flavour or at least complimentary.

Mix all ingredients well (no, that doesn’t include the graham crust stupid!)

After mixing ingredients, spread the fluffy stuff evenly into the graham crust. The clear plastic cover from the pie crust can be inverted, as shown, to use as a protective lid for the pie. Freeze the pie until very firm. Cut into 6 to 8 pieces and serve. The left overs, if any, should be kept in the freezer.

You may include additional whipped topping if desired. Or you may add fruit like this:

These are raspberries I picked with my own hands. They also picked back, being raspberries and all.

Voila! Magnifique! Délicieux! Fini!

P.S. On another note…. Woke up this morning and my bottom lip was swollen! What the…?! It is just like what happened just over a week ago but on the lower lip instead of the upper! Just too weird.

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I've been thinking about this for awhile. I have a book stapler and today sat down for about 20 minutes to figure out how I could print a booklet on my computer as easily as possible. I love to cook and bake, so I thought maybe I would put together a book with some of my own tried and true recipes. I often take a few different recipes for inspiration and then put my own turn on them to create something that is "my own." I'm not sure if I'd sell the book, but I suppose I can put it up in my Etsy shop and see if it piques any interest.

Today I saw some pans from Todd English on HSN.I was very impressed with the demonstration, and I'm pretty skeptical about that sort of thing. I did some brief research on Google and there were mostly rave reviews. Some negative ones, but I have a feeling they probably didn't follow the directions. Some had shipping issues where the product arrived dinged up from transport, but they reported that HSN remedied it by sending replacements. The special ends today, and they keep warning that they are going to sell out... I would like to buy them because they have an option to pay over 5 months without interest, but John is out and I don't feel good about buying anything without talking to him about it.

Of course, he'll probably say NO even though we could use some better pans, he's very practical that way and bless him for it (he keeps me in check). The ones we have are so hard to clean and are a little frustrating to work with. I love the idea of having the square grill pan too with the press -- we're not allowed to have a grill at our apartment, so this would be perfect for doing steaks, grilled chicken, ribs, kebabs, grilled veggies... plus you don't have to use a lot or any oil or butter if the pans are seasoned like they should be -- so I can cut out some fat which is good because I'd like to only have to use oil or butter for flavor, rather than adding it in just so my pans don't turn completely black. AND... considering the fact that if you were going to buy a nice skillet anyway, you'd be spending at least $60 to $70 anyway. So to get 4 high quality things for $160 is a pretty good deal. Ahh, I'm all excited about it. We'll see, if they aren't sold out tonight when he gets back we can talk about it.

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Do you have toaster ovens at home or office? Some office having pantry that allowed staff to have their breakfast there. I always want to know about toaster oven . I mean like how they function, I know that we can read on the guide book but sometimes you need to know more than just reading it.

This site I found is not only about toaster ovens in general but also buying guide. Now I know that toaster ovens can do a lot more than what I have in mind.

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OMG! they came they went, people had a great time, thank God! Ureshii!!!
Everyone ate a lot! LOL! (and lately I seem to be blogging about food a lot too).
I took pics of more snacks and such we offered, and I thought I could expand on some of them ^____^ for your reading pleasure.

HPIM0121

HPIM0122

A look at the empanadas ready to be re-heated in the oven... and the glasses at the back, before they were filled with alcohol. Mwahahahahaha!!!

HPIM0124

With the left-over of the dough we made empanadas filled with cheese, hehehehe.

HPIM0125

O_o... LOL! let's go through this clock-wise, from top:
A basket of pistachios.
Guacamole sandwich squares.
Emmental cheese and little pickles.
Assorted nuts and edible seeds.
Other types of cheese and Serrano Ham.
Tuna sandwich squares.
Plantain chips ( Aivana: You said they were your favorite???? OMG! ne, I honestly thought they only sold those around these parts of the world, they sell them in India too? are those made there or are they imported? I remember while living in the states... I thought I wouldn't be able to get venezuelan stuff, but yeah if one looks hard enough one will find the odd "ethnic" food store that carries jewels like that XD).
Palm hearts. (eh? did she say palm hearts?) Yes, those white cylindrical pieces are the heart of palms. They're edible (and incredibly tasty). Don't look at me like that... people in asia eat bamboo roots... it's the same, kinda. XD
Yuca chips. cassava, yuca, manioc, or tapioca, however you want to call it.

Clock-wise around the candles in the middle, from top:
A tomato-apple chutney. It was amazing! that reminded of shukudaikun!!!!!!!! (yay!!! I managed to mention arashi!!!! XD).
More nuts.
Cream cheese.
Green olives.
A red pepper dish mum makes (One big red pepper, one cup of white vinegar, one cup of sugar, you mix it all together and put it over the stove until it caramelizes.) OMG! another shukudaikun reference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Arashi invades our lives where you least expect it ne? LOL!)
And two little containers with toothpicks.

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Chocolate Trifle

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I always ask Aram if he likes my cooking. He'd always say, "It's okay.", but I do look forward for the day that without a blink of an eye - he'd say that he liked what I cooked. It has always been a challenge for me, because I honestly, honestly love to cook. And having your boyfriend say "It's okay." every damn time - is not a good sign. =(

I can actually relate to what Phoebe of Friends commented about Monica's cooking that her cooking always tasted garlic. Aram said nothing tastes bad about my cooking but the use of the same spices over and over again is what he hates. Ouch. I love garlic, oregano and most of all basil (fresh or dry - I love basil!).

Even though I love these spices, I guess I need to stay away from them for a while. So I've been slowly adding more spices in my spice rack. I bought ginger, sage, cumin and I tried using those I seldom use like the rosemary and thyme.

And for the first time yesterday, he liked what I cooked! I got so excited that I had to blog about it. =)

We had Thai Chicken and Basil for lunch - yes, I know I said I had to stay away from basil, but it was my last stash of fresh basil and I hate throwing away food. I went looking for a recipe, aside from pesto and bruschetta (like he will kill me if he sees those on the table), which I can make use of what I have in the ref, and I remember that Thai in a Box Chicken and Basil rice topping. I went looking online for the recipe and there goes our lunch!

Then it's good that I have checked one of my Rachel Ray "Everyday" magazines before I went out for grocery. I found a beef kebab recipe. Aram loves kebab, maybe him being half-Iranian is the reason why. So for dinner I have prepared the beef kebab (with a pinch of cumin) and a salad (with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and fresh grapes). I have asked him to prepare the garlic-yogurt dressing earlier (whatever they call that... He said they don't serve that in Iran.)

After dinner I asked him if he liked dinner. He said "Yes... and also the chicken and basil lunch earlier." Yay! Finally the day I've been waiting for. =) The kebab isn't far from the King's Kebab taste, a Persian Grill we frequent for dinner in Shaw Boulevard for kebab cravings. Now, I can save us couple hundred bucks and gas, too.

Aside from these, I was able to cook bread pudding too and shared it with our pad mates. Our ref is full of old breads, our bread + their bread + eggs + milk + raisins + apples (that I've been wanting to get rid of) + crushed pineapple = home made bread pudding.

I realized I spent my whole day yesterday in the kitchen and grocery. Oh well. At least finally Aram loved my cooking. =)

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I'm bored, if you haven't figured that out yet. I should probably do some work, but I really really really do not want to work for this company any more. Plus I do not want to start a project or mini-project and have to bail out when I tell them I am done working for them. I would prefer to leave once I get something completed, like a new build for the testers, or the table structure for a new feature, so that it's easier for someone to pick up....

But i've lost ALL motivation

Me - right now

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Bloody Mary Bison Burgers

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With microwave semolina idlis and coconut cilantro chutney.

The hardest part of this recipe was mashing my perfectly cooked, long, separate grains of fragrant Basmati rice into the creamy mush that is curd rice. [That's conditioning for you.] The mashing is important to give it the creamy texture, though, and for a proper melding of flavors.

White rice, yellow idlis, green chutney

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If you could take a class right now and learn anything in the world, what class would you take?

I'd learn how to cook! I'm terribly intimidated by cooking in general and I know that if I were more familiar with the terms & techniques I likely would feel better about trying out recipes. I have this book, "Eating Well Serves Two" and I find recipes I want to try but if it's got a lot ingredient list and a long prep list I get really discouraged.

Cooking!

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Scallop Curry with Long Beans, Zucchini & Mushrooms

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So, tonight was one of my first times using a gas stove top, and the pan caught on fire! Seriously! The flame was so high, it was scary! Luckily I was totally okay, except sort of scared and embarrassed.

But then once the fire alarm shut off and I was feeling less shaky about the whole thing, I went at it again and here's what I made:

Stir fry Tofu and Veggies with Avocado

Ingredients:
Favorite teriyaki or other stir fry sauce (I use Seven Paths Sesame Ginger Sir Fry Sauce, which I add ginger, cumin, and black pepper to)
Tofu (I used 1/3 of a firm tofu block)
Carrots thinly sliced
Green peppers chopped into pieces (I chopped them about an 1- 1 1/2 in wide)
1 avocado scooped out and sliced into bite-sized pieces

Drain the tofu for a half hour or more, while the tofu is draining chop the veggies and the avocado (is avocado a veggie or a fruit?). Put a pot with some water on the stove top and wait for it to start boiling, then put the veggies in the water till they soften. When the tofu is drained to satisfaction, chop it into semi-thin (just thick enough not to fall apart) rectangles, more like thin, small  slaps than cubes. Put the tofu in a bowl with the sauce, making sure that each block is coated, and let it sit and marinate for a half hour to an hour.

When the tofu is ready (the veggies should definitely be softened enough by now, by the way), heat oil in a pan on the stovetop (now if you're me and working with a gas oven, you should be extra-careful to not burn your face off at this juncture) and put the tofu in the pan, and cook till lightly browned. Then put the veggies (with either more marinade, or other spices) in with the tofu. Cook till tofu is as brown as you want it to be. Drain the oily-ness on paper towels, and add the avocado slices!

Delicious!

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Summer pud

The barbecue was a great success, and my food went down a treat. No great surprise there since I had mined the depths of Nigella for her best recipes: buttermilk chicken drumsticks, vodka marinated steak, cornbread, coleslaw, watermelon with rosewater, and seasame peanut noodles. For desert I decided to keep it simple and made a truck load of madelines and a summer pudding.  I wasn't quite prepared for the overwhelming compliments for my summer pud because it is just moulded berries and stale bread. It's a simple desert that I grew up with as a kid, though my dad was a bit more sparing with the sugar than I am. 

Our friends always tell me off for doing the bulk of the cooking and not sharing the load but I can't help it as I love to cook and I am a complete control freak in the kitchen (just like my dad).  More photos of the barbecue over at Alex's Flickr site.

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Fresh new recipe, just perfected it with dinner tonight. Gluten free, of course! Shaun said it was the best catfish he's had in a very long time. I used Bob's Red Mill GF Flour mix, but with how little flour there is, improvisation should work just ducky. I served with a simple ranch salad and extra lemon juice. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 egg
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp Hot sauce
pinch of salt and pepper to preference
1/4 cup GF Flour
2/3 cup Cornmeal
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cajun seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
2 whole catfish fillets, each cut in half
oil for frying
Directions

1. Put the egg, lemon, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk throughly to combine.
2. Heat oil in a skillet. Mix the flour, cornmeal, powders, and seasoning in a separate bowl until the texture and color is even.
3. Dip fish into egg mix, then dredge in cornmeal mix. Fry until golden brown with flecks of black. Drain oil off on a paper towel lined plate a few minutes before serving.
4. Share with family and friends, and have a good meal.

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