Necessity or Laziness - the Mother of Invention

It is definitely winter today with a high around -11 C. I felt like cooking soup for dinner and thought it would be nice to have cornbread with it. When I looked in the pantry, I didn't have enough corn meal for my favourite recipe, there were other ingredients missing too but it was too cold (or I was too lazy) to go out again. To make matters worse (or better) I misread the ingredient list. Thank heaven for that! The result was the best cornbread I've ever had. Here's the ingredient list. I am listing the pan as an ingredient because I think it is essential for this.

1 cast iron frying pan (mine is 10" in diameter)
1 c cornmeal
2 c AP flour
3/4 c sugar
5 t baking powder
1 t salt
7 T butter (almost one stick) melted (save the rest for your piece when you're eating it)
1 2/3 c buttermilk
2 eggs

Set the oven temp to 425 F and put the cast iron pan in the oven. Heating it like this will make a nice crust on the bottom.

Whisk the dry ingredients together while melting the butter.

Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together. Add wet to dry mixing with a wooden spoon until just blended. You might be surprised by the thick consistency but relax. Now drizzle the melted butter over the dough and mix with the wooden spoon until just blended in.

Be careful when you take the frying pan out of the oven (make sure it has come to the full 425 before taking it out). Spoon the dough into the pan and smooth it a little to spread it out. Put the pan back in the hot oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool about 10 minutes and then run a spatula around the edge to loosen it and invert the pan onto a cutting board. Flip over, cut into wedges and devour. I like mine with a little butter on top and some maple syrup.

Crusty Bread 

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon Instant or Rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours. Overnight works great. Heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating. Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool. 

Kefir

My son introduced me to kefir yesterday, so I started reading. This morning I had organic granola with kefir. It was wonderful! I might try smoothies this week for breakfast with kefir.


How to make and use Kefir

Thanks to Chris Gupta who reprinted this article by an anonymous poster on his website.

Kefir is a cultured dairy product, not unlike drinking-style yogurt, but more tart and refreshing and has more therapeutic value than yogurt.

Kefir is made from grains, or "starter" (which can be purchased from health food stores), and milk: cow, goat, mare, sheep, soy or rice. With proper care, kefir grains can be used over and over again for a lifetime.

It is best made from raw, fresh, whole, organically-raised goat or cow milk as it has not been pasteurized and contains enzymes which help break down fats and proteins and makes it less mucous-forming.

The friendly yeast and bacteria in kefir are crucial for restoring and maintaining a healthy flora colony in the small and large intestine. It's acidic environment creates an inhospitable environment for parasites and other unfriendly organisms. It is especially beneficial during and following antibiotic treatment and packs a powerful one-two punch when combined with probiotics (an acidophiluslbifidus complex nutritional supplement).

Kefir is especially useful for children, in order to keep their immune systems strong, since they are exposed to many viral and bacterial infections at school and daycare.

Kefir may prevent stomach ulcers which are often caused by the He\icobaeter pylori bacteria. Kefir is nature's natural antibiotic, and along with cultured vegetables and probiotics helps rebuild the inner ecosystem.

Kefir contains:

* A complete protein (all the essential amino acids) which is critical for healing

* Tryptophan to help calm the nervous system

* Abundant calcium and magnesium

* Vitamin B6

* Phosphorus (an important mineral for utilizing carbohydrates, fats and proteins for growth, cell maintenance and energy)

* Biotin (another 8 vitamin which assists in the manufacture and oxidation of fatty acids and carbohydrates)

* An excellent source of Vitamin B12 which contains important mineral elements and is essential for longevity. B12 cannot be made synthetically--it must be grown in bacteria or molds. If builds immunity, increases energy and counteracts allergens. B12 needs calcium for proper absorption, and nature has provided that as well in Kefir.

* Kefir is also rich in Vitamin B1 (thiamin) which is known as the "morale vitamin" for its beneficial effects on the mental attitude and nervous system. Thiamin is linked with enhanced learning capacity, growth in children, improvement in muscle tone of the stomach, intestines and heart, and is essential for stabilizing appetite and improving digestion.

Kefir helps stop food cravings because an inner balance is achieved and nutritional deficiencies are corrected.

Kefir provide a "sour" taste, one of the five tastes necessary for balance in the body, according to Chinese medicine.

Kefir is cooling to the body, so is an ideal food for the summertime, or when you have a fever or any condition of body heat (ie. menopausal hot flashes)

Over time, the skin becomes moist and creamy, with a noticeable refinement of the pores. It can be used externally to help moisturize the skin for all skin types. Fermented milks contain lactic acid which is a naturally occurring Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA).

Kefir's friendly bacteria automatically show up in the vagina, but if there is a vaginal yeast infection, you can implant them more directly by using the kefir as a douche.

While Colonic Therapy helps cleanse pathogenic yeast from the large intestine, such yeast colonize in the small intestine also. Fermented foods like kefir and raw cultured vegetables have a cleansing effect on both intestines. The liver functions better as a result, releasing its toxins into a clean colon, as it was designed to do.

Kefir helps produce more pleasant breath, healthier, sweeter-smelling bowel movements and helps eliminate flatulence.

Start with 4 ounces in the morning on empty stomach, and every other day increase the amount until-you are able to drink a full 8 ounce glass.

If you are detoxing, wait 3 to 6 months before introducing Kefir.

Drink a lot of water to help pass the mucus through the body more quickly. Get adequate exercise since heat burns up mucous accumulations. Use proper food-combining to make kefir less mucous-forming.

Food Combining Rules for Kefir. As a dairy product, kefir should be eaten along on an empty stomach or combined with:

1) Raw or lightly steamed vegetables. Try a salad with kefir dressing, or use kefir for a dip with raw veggies.

2) Acid (sour) fruits such as strawberries, lemons, limes, grapefruits, pineapples, cranberries or blueberries.

Kefir makes an excellent fruit smoothie which is delicious and very popular as a breakfast for children and adults. Children will like the addition of favourite fruits and the smoothie may be sweetened with a few drops of Stevia (an-herbal sweetener which does not affect insulin levels. A little unrefined flax seed oil or a butterscotch-flavoured essential oil combination from Omega Nutrition, are especially good for children with eczema or who are hyperactive. You may also add to the smoothie Hemp Oil which is balance and tasty, Lecithin granules (1-3 tsp.), probiotics, and natural flavourings such as nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla.

To ensure that kefir is not overly mucous-forming, do not combine it initially with proteins or starches. A general rule of thumb is to wait 3 hours after dairy before eating protein or starch foods. However, kefir's protein is predigested, the yeast and bacteria speed up digestion, and you need only wait about 45 minutes to an hour before eating something else. Once your inner ecosystem is restored (anywhere from 3 months to a year), you may experiment and try kefir at the end of a meal, or before bedtime to help with relaxation and a sound sleep.

Remember to brush your teeth after eating kefir as its bacteria produce an acid condition in the plaque that can lead to tooth decay.

Do not take Vitamin C with a kefir meal. Kefir is such a powerful digestive aid that it may prevent Vitamin C from reaching the bloodstream. If you have a cold or infection, stop the Kefir and take therapeutic doses of Vitamin C (1000 mg. per hour to bowel tolerance).

Whether you take Kefir on a regular basis, for a short time, or maybe just two or three times a week, trust the wisdom of your own body and learn to listen and heed its signs and signals. The important thing is to Keep colonizing the intestinal tract with beneficial bacteria as research shows that it disappears once probiotic therapy is discontinued.

Anonymous

My Mom's Pie Crust

My Mom's Pie Crust

My mom was the best pie maker. Although she was of Sicilian descent  she was born and grew up in Iowa and became expert at a lot of traditional American dishes which she learned not from her mother, but from her older sister with whom she lived from the age of 7 to 15.

I love pies so much that I wanted to make sure I could make them too so she taught me how to make crust when I was really young. She always showed her love by how she cooked and she taught me "if you can read, you can cook". So I cooked from a very young age and love it now.

This recipe makes 6 crusts or enough for 3 double crust pies, perfect for those family get togethers like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, birthdays etc.

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tsp brown sugar
• 1 lb lard - please don't substitute shortening, butter etc. for lard. Nothing makes crust flakier than lard.
• 1 large egg.
• 3 tsp white vinegar
• Ice cold water (but no ice in it)

Directions

Please don't use a stand mixer. You'll need two really large bowls (one for the crust and another for the filling. Into one bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. Those are the first 4 ingredients above. Again, don't skip the sifting as it helps with the flakiness. 

Using a pastry cutter, cut in the lard until it resembles small peas. Don't worry about doing this too much. It is better too much than too little at this point.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. In a 2 cup glass measuring cup beat the egg and add the vinegar. Carefully add the ice cold water until it is altogether 3/4 cup of liquid. 

Pour the liquid over and around the dry ingredients then use your hands to mix and knead. Knead as little as possible to make the pastry because the more you knead, the less flaky it will be. Divide into 6 equal balls and flatten with your hands. Chill (the dough) for a while. Cover with plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out in the fridge.

As you remove one piece to roll out, leave the rest in the fridge so it stays cool. Cut one large piece of wax paper and dust it with flour. Put the disk of pastry on the wax paper and dust the top with more flour. Place a piece of plastic wrap (same size as the wax paper) on top. Roll out the dough between the wax paper and the plastic wrap. This helps with the transfer to the pie plate. 

Roll the dough from the middle to the edge, rotating it 90° after each pass to keep it circular and an even thickness. You don't want it thicker in the middle than at the edges. Keep rolling and rotating until the crust is thin and wide enough to go into your pie plate (9" is best) with some over the edge to make the fluted edge. 

Here's why you use the wax paper and plastic wrap. If you've followed the directions, the plastic wrap should be on top and the wax paper on the bottom. Carefully turn it all over and gently peel off the wax paper. Have your pie plate right next to the crust and lift the crust gently into the plate so that the plastic wrap is on top. This way you can move and manipulate the crust in the plate the way you want without worrying about it breaking up or falling apart - I told you it would be flaky. Press the plastic wrap down with your fingers so that it molds to the plate and remember that there should be about 1-2 cm hanging over the edge. Gently remove the plastic wrap leaving the crust in perfect position. Don't trim the crust yet. 

Fill the pie with whatever filling you choose (see next entry for fillings). I like really deep pie plates because I like deep pies. Nothing says "skimpy" like a thin filling in a pie. 

Repeat the rolling process to make the top crust. Place the the top crust into position following the directions above. Use a knife to trim around the edge of the pie plate. I like to leave about 1/2 cm over the edge to roll up the crust. This crust is so flaky and tasty that I want a nice crust around the edge. Pinch the bottom and top crusts together at the edges as you roll the crust into the plate. Pinching seals the crust and rolling into the plate prevents a lot of spillage from the fruit filling. But it will probably still spill a little when cooking. 

Make a design of sorts with the rolled edge of the crust. I push my left index finger between two fingers on my right to make an edge. This also helps seal the crust. You need to cut vents into the top of the crust to let steam escape during cooking. I like to make the vents into letters to honour guests or the occasion. Have fun with this. 

The pie will bake at 400°F for about 50 minutes but the time depends on the kind of filling. 

To make the top of your crust crunchy and tasty, place 2 tbsp of sugar in a small glass bowl. Add enough milk (not cream) to just cover the sugar. Let this soak/dissolve while the pie cooks for about 30 minutes, then take the pie out and brush this on with a pastry brush. Don't brush the edges - they will brown on their own, but this is a nice touch on the surface of the crust.

Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with ice cream if you like. 

A Variety of Pie Fillings

Apple

• 6-8 Northern Spy Apple. If you can't get Northern Spies, I feel bad for you because you won't believe the flavour difference. If you really can't get them, I guess you can use Granny Smith or Fujis but if I can't find Spies, I make another kind of pie. This is my son's favourite. 
• 3/4 - 1 cup of sugar - depends on how sweet you like it
• 2 tbsp tapioca. This is another important part. Some recipes call for flour to thicken the filling. The problem is that you can taste the flour. Yuck. I use tapioca. It is a great thickener with no taste. 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• dot with butter and bake at 400°F for 50 minutes or until done. It is done with the crust is nice and brown and the filling is bubbling all over. The filling may spill over. If you worry about this and are thinking of cooking the pie on a cookie sheet, don't. If the pie plate is on a cookie sheet the bottom won't cook properly. If you are a neat freak, put something on the rack under the pie but that can interfere with even temperatures in your oven. 

Strawberry/Rhubarb

• 5-6 cups fresh or frozen strawberries. If you want to add rhubarb, make the total about 6 cups but no more than 2 cups of rhubarb or it will overwhelm the taste of the berries.
• 3/4 cup of sugar - 1 cup if you use rhubarb
• 2 tbsp tapioca. Use 3 tbsp if your berries are frozen. See above if you want to know why I use tapioca instead of flour. 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• dot with butter and bake at 400°F for 50 minutes or until done. It is done with the crust is nice and brown and the filling is bubbling all over. 

Blueberry

• 5-6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries.
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 tbsp tapioca. Use 3 tbsp if your berries are frozen. See above if you want to know why I use tapioca instead of flour. 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• dot with butter and bake at 400°F for 50 minutes or until done. It is done with the crust is nice and brown and the filling is bubbling all over. 

Pumpkin (makes 2 pies)

• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 4 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 - 28oz can pumpkin
• 2 cups milk or cream. If you use milk, use 2% or homo
• 1/2 cup molasses

Mix together the first 5 dry ingredients in a very large bowl. Stir in eggs. Add pumpkin taking care this mixture is well blended. Stir in milk or cream. Stir in molasses. Pour into an uncooked crust. Bake in a very hot oven (450°F) for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for another 40 minutes or until the middle is firm and the crust is well browned.

Mixed Berry

• 5-6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries. In the winter I usually use frozen and mix strawberries, blueberries and rasberries. I think this is my daughter's favourite.
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 tbsp tapioca. Use 3 tbsp if your berries are frozen. See above if you want to know why I use tapioca instead of flour. 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg
• dot with butter and bake at 400°F for 50 minutes or until done. It is done with the crust is nice and brown and the filling is bubbling all over. 

Peach (this was the first pie I made for my wife, on our second date)

• 6 cups fresh ripe peeled peaches. If they aren't in season, I would make another kind of pie
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 4 tbsp tapioca. See above if you want to know why I use tapioca instead of flour. 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• dash of almond extract
• dot with butter and bake at 400°F for 50 minutes or until done. It is done with the crust is nice and brown and the filling is bubbling all over. 

Am I a Real Chef?

Normally, I look for recipes (mainly in Pinterest) and make them for my family. Tonight my son asked if I would make enchiladas which I've never made and rarely eaten. So I Googled and searched Pinterest but almost every thing I found used meat (we're vegetarian) or canned sauce etc.

I don't know what got into me but I decided to make up my own recipe based on what I remember them tasting and looking like when I would eat them in Dallas (I used to go their a lot in a previous job).

I'm going to write up what I did in case they turn out to be good. I'm writing this as the cook in the oven. I'll let you know later how they taste.

Filling:

• 3 cloves minced garlic (to taste)
• Spices to taste. I used some (not sure how much) cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, a tiny bit of oregano and some chili flakes
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms, your choice
• 1 red pepper seeded and sliced thin into long strips
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach chopped
• 4 tbsp refried beans
• 1cup frozen corn

Sauté the above ingredients until the pepper is tender and the beans are melted.

Sauce:

• Make a roux in a medium sauce pan. 4 tbsp butter to 6 tbsp ap flour
• Add 1small can of tomato paste whisking all the time
• Add 2 cups vegetable stock
• Add 1 cup salsa

Assemble the enchiladas as follows:

• Pour enough sauce to cover the bottom of a Pyrex or other oven proof dish
• Put one sixth of the filling in a soft tortilla. Add grated cheddar or Jack to taste and two slices of a ripe avocado.
• Roll and place seam side down in the baking dish.
• Repeat with the other 5 tortillas
• Spoon some sour cream on the top, add more sauce and more grated cheese
• Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Makes six big enchiladas or 6 servings. I originally thought I could eat two of these but, man, was I ever wrong. They were delicious but very, very filling. 

This is what they looked before cooking

And now all bubbly and gooey good