I love a meal that can be translated into many different dishes as leftovers with minimal effort. During busy and stressful weeks it is nice to have something in the refrigerator that you can pull out and dress up in any way you like and have a meal in minutes.
I have made a lot of polenta and cornbread in my day. But never spoon bread, even though just a glance in the direction of a spoon bread recipe makes my mouth water. I mean, fluffy, melt in your mouth cornbread? And I get to eat it with a spoon? Sign me up!
There is an alarming amount of blue cornmeal in my pantry considering the only thing I ever make with it are gluten-free crackers. I have always wanted to experiment with and substitute it for regular, yellow cornmeal, but I have been afraid. Afraid of what exactly? I don't know. Just afraid.
However, after being inspired by another blogger who made a whole cake out of blue cornmeal I became determined to get over my fear. And so, I decided to marry the two ideas when I came across a recipe for spoon bread in my new cookbook by Mollie Katzen,Vegetable Heaven, that Mamacita got me for the holidays.
And it was good. I don't know what I have been so afraid of (that the yellow cornmeal zealots would come and picket at my house?, that the Bureau of Proper Cornmeal Usage would investigate me?). Honestly, I think I was just afraid I would somehow ruin it. Which, the way things have been going in my kitchen lately, should not really be something I am afraid of anymore.
So, I say go forth fellow food lovers and substitute blue cornmeal for yellow! Let it be known: It is both beautiful and delicious.
Like I mentioned earlier, one of the best things about this dish is the ease with which you can change it up in minutes. I served mine with cheddar, salsa, and avocado, but the options are limitless. It would be amazing next to enchiladas, covered in fresh fruit and creme fraiche, mushroom gravy, next to a salad, or, well, you get the idea. Get creative with it.
3 cups milk (full-fat, fat free, soy are all fine) 1 cup blue cornmeal (use white or yellow, if you must) 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 cup minced scallions (both white and green parts) 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, or to taste 4 large eggs 1/2 cup grated extra sharp cheddar cheese oil or butter to grease the baking dish
Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the milk in a medium sized sauce pan and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
While the milk is heating up chop the scallions, grate the cheese, and set them aside. Scramble the eggs in a separate bowl and set them aside as well.
Once your milk has just started to boil begin to add the cornmeal slowly while whisking constantly. Continue to cook the mixture, while stirring constantly for another five minutes then remove it from the heat.
Immediately add the scallions, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and stir. Them add the eggs while stirring (to prevent them from cooking). Lastly, add the cheese and stir one last time.
Place the whole mixture into the baking dish.Bake for approximately 30 minutes. The center will be firm when it is done.
You know the movie Marley & Me? Well, if you don't, no worries because you don't need to have seen the movie to get my point here.
In the movie Owen Wilson's character gets a puppy for his wife, Jennifer Aniston. The reasoning behind this decision for Owen (we are on a first name basis) was to make his wife forget about wanting to make babies for a little while longer. When I first saw this movie I remember thinking that this was a crock of sh**, written by some man somewhere who hasn't a clue about anything. How typical, right? I mean, in this movie a man is trying to manipulate a woman into not wanting children. What woman would fall for that?
Now we have a puppy. Let me be clear that this puppy was not gotten as a substitute for or manipulative move to prevent the wanting of children. We just wanted a dog. Enter Porter.
Before we got Porter I had no immediate plans for children. They were just a twinkle in my eye for some very far off almost unimaginable time. After getting Porter I now realize that the movie was totally right. Sorry future hypothetical children. Porter has effectively squashed that twinkle. No more twinkles for a very long time.
Puppies are a lot of work. It can so worth it to have them and so frustrating all in one moment. To say the least, they are a huge time suck. And they are only a fraction of the work of a small child. Whether or not Owen was trying to manipulate his wife is of no importance. It's just the way it is. Getting a puppy makes you want to rethink the whole children thing.
See where I am going with this? Yup, you guessed it. Puppies should be given to teenagers to prevent teen pregnancy.
In case you haven't figured it out already, I am a vegetarian. Not the "preachy" kind. Just the "I don't eat meat and as long as you don't give me a hard time about my food choices I will respect your food choices too" kind.
As such I don't make much of a big deal about it. I don't ask people to make concessions when I am around. However, I do appreciate more than the average person when someone keeps me in mind when planning a meal. I don't need to be able to eat the entire menu, just one thing is nice.
Therefore, I take special care to try to remember my friends with certain food allergies when inviting them over. Of course, I can't make everything-free (you know wheat, dairy, gluten, soy, the list goes on) entire menu's all the time (I am not that talented of a chef). But, I do like to keep them in mind. I know it makes all the difference to me when people keep me in mind so I like to return the favor. Good karma and all.
Plus, I like a challenge. And baking gluten and dairy free is a challenge (at least for me...the friend I had in mind when preparing these has become quite good at this task).
This is another recipe from Veganonmicon. I find that it lends itself quite well to the non-dairy aspects and I can substitute the rest to make it gluten free. The only flaw in this master plan I have developed is that I often forget that neither B or I are vegan, so technically I could use eggs. Something I have found to be very helpful when trying to hold flour together. However, I am usually done by the time I remember this. Hence these cookies are also vegan and therefore what I am now calling everything-free (dairy, gluten, and egg). If you are allergic to rice or soy I am sorry. Obviously, there is some fine print included in the new "everything free," patent pending, craze.
Almond Cookies Makes 20-24 cookies adapted from Veganomicon
These cookies are surprisingly moist, crumbly, and delicious. I had to make some substitutions to the original recipe. Rice flour for regular, agave syrup for brown rice syrup, extra vanilla in place of almond extract, and some proportions to get the right consistency in order to meet the everything free qualifications and the ingredients on hand. Just wanted to let you know in case you want to stay true to the original recipe.
2 1/2 cup brown rice flour 3/4 cup almond meal or ground almonds 1 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup canola, vegetable, or peanut oil or a mixture 1/4 cup agave nectar 1/4 cup rice or soy milk 1 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract or use 2 tsp. if you do not have almond extract 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil 1/3 cup sliced, blanched almonds
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease two baking sheets.
In a medium sized bowl sift or whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking soda, and salt. In a larger bowl beat together the oil, agave nectar, soy or rice milk, sugar, extracts, and sesame oil. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until a firm dough forms. Add more flour and almond meal if the consistency of the dough is too watery.
Spread the almond in a thing layer onto a plate, cutting board or counter top. take approximately two tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball in you hands. Place the ball onto the almond and flatten it out. Veganomicon has made the amazing discovery that a flat-bottomed one cup measuring cup works terrifically for this. You should write them a letter of thanks. Then place the cookie, almond slice side up onto the baking sheet.
Once you baking sheets are full place them in the oven to bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies should be slightly golden/brown on the edges when they are done. Allow the cookies to cook for a few minutes on the cookies sheets (but just a few, they are hard to get off if you let them sit there for too long, trust me) and then place them onto a wire rack to finish cooking. If you are having trouble getting them off the sheet without breaking allow them to cook for another minute and then try again.
So, you might or might not have noticed a very long silence around here. I have had a tendency lately to be making up excuses for why I am not writing here as much as I would like to. And today I have a treat for you. A brand new excuse. It is by far the cutest excuse yet.
World, meet Porter. Porter, meet the world. You two are going to be getting to know each other a lot better.
Of course that was the first day we had him when he was just over 7 weeks old. He is a just a little bit bigger now that he is a whole 15 weeks. He has lost some of that scrunched up puppy look for a much more sleek (in a very manly way, of course) look.
So, that is my excuse for being absentee. My puppy has eaten my blog, my brain, my sanity, my sleep, and my pants.
He has been a lot of work and a lot of fun to have in our lives. And you can bet, there will be some good blog posts coming up about him. And of course, there will be some foodie posts as well...as soon as Porter gives me my brain back that is. There has been a series of mishaps in the culinary area of my life.
And just in case you haven't had your daily dose of cute yet. Here is a video of our new addition for your viewing pleasure.
I must admit, I have been in the Christmas spirit this year since long before the holiday advertising began. I have been waiting for the appropriate date to come around so that I could properly express my holiday glee and start making merriment all over the place. I always love thanksgiving, in fact it is one of my favorite holidays. It usually trumps December holidays in my book. But, this year I couldn't wait for Thanksgiving to come so that I could start to decorate the house, send holiday greeting cards, drink eggnog, and of course, finally host my gingerbread house-making party.
I have been wanting to host this part since I saw the article in a December 2006 issue of Martha Stewart Living. I can't say that I always follow through with things in a prompt manner, but I always get around to them.
Anyway, the party. It was a small group of women who got together with me to attempt to emulate the perfection of Martha. I should note here that we actually made gingerbread cottages...not really houses. Much easier becuase you get to use graham crackers.
I provided the basics, the crackers, frosting (glue), a few different types of candies and of course tea ,to give us creative energy. My guests were all asked to bring a bag of candy for decorating as well.
While ours did not turn out quite like Martha's (We are pretty sure there was some foul play involving glue guns on her end. We needed massive amounts of frosting to keep our walls together and she somehow got away without it oozing all over the place) they were all awesome in their own right. It was fun to see everyone's creations come to life.
From a skiing Santa,
to a candy laden house fit for Hansel and Gretel,
to our entire village full of homes and creatures,
we all had a great time figuring out how to make these little cottages.
Would you like to make these yourself?
Here's how:
Each cottage requires four sheets of graham cracker. Make sure you buy the widest ones (it turns out there is some inconsistencies between graham cracker brands- who knew?)
To make the frosting: Combine 1 lbs. confectioner's sugar, 5 Tbs. egg white powder, and 1/3 cup of water. Stir it all together until no lumps are left. We doubled this recipe and it was just the right amount for four people to make a couple houses each, some village creatures, and to have a few homes fall apart.
Place some frosting into a sandwich sized ziplock baggie and cut the smallest possible hole from one corner. You will use this to dispense the icing.
Some pointers: Go ahead and decorate your walls first. Letting them dry flat will keep your candy from slipping down the wall.
Once your walls are decorated start putting the house together, walls first, then roof. Use a stout spice jar placed in the middle of the house to help you hold it up.
The most important part of keeping your house together is to be patient. Use the icing as your glue and them hold the pieces in place until they are relatively stable on their own before adding the next piece.
I can't wait to make more of these. Everyone took their creations home and now my village looks more like a lonely cottage in the middle of nowhere with a random gummy bird.
Next round will involve some almond sliced, dark licorice, pretzels and lump candy (beautiful rock candy from the Asian mart...seriously says lump candy on the package).
Oh Citrus! I just can't seem to contain my excitement as the citrus season returns. I hope you like citrus as much as I do because the citrus train isn't going to leave the A Shared Mile station until this spring. The corniness, however, is a year round event. Sorry.
This dessert is yet another from Peter Berley's Fresh Food Fast. Along with citrus this book is another staple in my life. And so, I share another recipe. This time, it's a dessert featuring grapefruit that is delicious but not overwhelmingly rich or sweet. Doesn't get much better than that.
The only problem I have with this dessert is that I don't have stemless wine glasses to serve it in. Honestly, I find it sort of strange and weird to eat out of wine glasses. I don't know why.
Grapefruit Cocktail with Mascarpone and Toasted Almonds serves 4 adapted fromFresh Food Fast
This and the other dessert I have posted from this book both called for Demerara brown sugar which are raw and light brown sugar crystals. For this recipe especially I think it is well worth the effort if you can find it in your hometown or online.
5 large grapefruits 2/3 cup honey 1 vanilla bean, cut in half and pulp scraped from the middle 1 sprig fresh rosemary 1 Tbs. unsalted butter 1/2 cup sliced almonds 1 cup mascarpone cheese 1/4 cup brown sugar (preferably Demerara)
Cut four of the grapefruits in half along their "equator" (you know, the way you cut it if you are going to eat it with a spoon) and remove the segments with a small paring knife. Work over a bowl to collect the juices as you cut. Divide the grapefruit segments evenly among four wine glasses (preferably stemless if you are like me) with a slotted spoon.
Squeeze the juice from the membranes and skin of the segmented grapefruits until you have two cups. If you don't reach two cups then use the fifth grapefruit to get the two cups of juice you will need.
Combine the grapefruit juice, honey, vanilla pod and pulp, and rosemary in a small saucepan over high heat. Give it a quick stir and bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to boil until it has reduced by half, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Once it has reduced, strain the mixture into a glass measuring cup (easier to pour later) and allow it to cool in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.
While your syrup is cooling melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the almonds. Continue to cook the almonds while stirring constantly until they have browned evenly, about three to five minutes. Once they are done browning transfer them to a plate to stop the cooking and to allow them to cool.
Once the syrup and almonds are done, divide the syrup evenly among the four glasses. Then dollop each with approximately 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese, sprinkle with a quarter of the almonds, and then sprinkle with 1 Tbs. Demerara sugar.
I have a confession to make. I can't make a salad dressing to save my life. Sure, I can mix a little balsamic vinegar with olive oil and add some spices, but a true blue salad dressing maker I am not. I have never been able to just "whip something up" for my greens. I always need a recipe. It is strange really, because I consider myself to be a decent cook when it comes to opening the refrigerator and formulating a dinner plan from what I see.
I have always been jealous of friends who can make a dressing without even stopping to pause and think. I am that person who will spontaneously cook a meal for friends without breaking a sweat or cracking open a cookbook and then just as the meal is ready will sheepishly ask one of my guest "Ummm...can you make the salad dressing?"
My friends and family have been putting up with this for years. They deserve a medal for all the work they have put into fixing awful dressings I have made. I am trying to learn. I am trying to get better. I really like salad of all varieties, after all. But alas, the only way to not ruin a dressing is for me to follow a recipe. A recipe like this one, in fact.
This is another recipe from Veganomicon. I figure what better way to learn the art of salad dressing than from a vegan. I am totally stereo-typing here, but I figure they must eat a lot of salad.
Jicama And Avocado Salad with a Spicy Citrus Vinaigrette serves 6-8 (but is easy to reduce for less people) adapted from Veganomicon
This salad has a really tropical feel to it. It is cool, crisp and refreshing. A great start to or break from the heavier foods we tend to eat during the winter. Plus, citrus season is upon us and you all know how much I love citrus.
This recipe calls for watercress instead of field greens. Someone once told me some gross things about watercress and I haven't been able to eat them since. I won't share them here...I don't want to ruin watercress for you too.
For the salad: 1 large jicama, peeled and shredded (at least 6 c.) enough field greens for four servings 1 avocado, sliced 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced 1/2 c. roasted (salted or unsalted - your choice) peanut
For the dressing: 1/4 c. rice wine vinegar 1/2 c. fresh orange juice 2 Tbs. lime juice 2 Tbs. peanut oil 2 Tbs. hot chile oil 2 Tbs. soy sauce 3 Tbs. sugar 1 tsp. sesame oil
Squeeze the orange juice right into a measuring cup (trying to save you extra dishes here) then add the rest of the ingredients for the dressing and mix vigorously.. Let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes so the sugar can dissolve.
While the dressing rests, prepare the vegetables for the salad. Place the field greens into four bowls or salad plates for serving. Cut the avocado and red onion and set aside. Peel and shred the jicama into a larger bowl.
Once the dressing is ready, give it a quick stir and then pour all but 1/3 c. of the dressing onto the jicama, then divide the remaining 1/3 c. between the four salad plates.
Place a pile of jicama (about a cup) over the field greens for each serving. Then add the red onions, avocado, and peanuts.
Side note: I forgot the peanuts. So you will just have to imagine them in the picture above. I think the peanuts add a lot to the flavor.
Likes: Lists, good food, travel, hiking, reading, sewing, cozy clothes, the sun, and on some days, invertebrates.
Dislikes: Gray weather, cold weather, back injuries, my sciatic nerve, bills, and celery, to name a few.
I love that pretty blue! 
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