TToekoboki

Korean rice cakes are chewy, delicious and addicting.

TTOEKBOKI

12 ounces rice cakes

5 to 6 ounces fishcakes

2 cups soup stock (ie dried kelp. I used dashi)

1 onion thinly sliced

sauce

3 tablespoons gochujang

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon gochugaru

1 teaspoon minced garlic

garnish

sesame seeds

sesame oil

green onion

Soak rice cakes in warm water

Boil broth.  Add rice cakes, fish cakes and onion.Add sauce, let cook.  It will thicken as it cooks.

Serve with garnishes.

gochchang

Orange Marmalade

This is a super simple jelly that does not take very long and is super delicious.  It crushes the store bought marmalade!

The ratio is 2:1 fruit to sugar  So 1 pound of oranges and 8 ounces sugar.

I used the skin but I wanted to reduce its bitter qualities.  I cut it into slivers and boiled it, drained and rinsed.  Then I boiled it two more times draining and rinsing each time.  There was no bitterness left.Wash and brush oranges.  Remove skin, avoiding the pith as much as possible.  

Chop oranges, using immersion blender works well.  Put in pan with sugar.  Add skins after you have done the boil and rinse routine 3 times.

Boil everything for about 45 minutes. It will thicken over time.  Cook up to one hour.  The mixture should be a third of what you started with  Put into a jar let cool overnight.  Refrigerate the next day.

Raspale... Crispelle... Screppelle... Frittelle. Will the real Italian Fried Dough please come forward.

 

Maybe its regional, without doing research, my guess is that it is.  I grew up with fried dough being call Raspale.  My Nonni (sorry husband, we called her that, not Nonna) made them two ways- one with an anchovy inside and one with cinnamon sugar on the outside.  Her dough was always made with potatoes.  My mother tried to get the recipe from her but she would never relinquish it, such was the way with Nonni.  Sigh.  Really.  Why do people do this, their recipes die with them.  What a shame.  Anyways for years, my mother ad-libbed the recipe.  Kind of figured it out.  She never wrote down a recipe like this because it was just kind of ad things based on experience and skill. She had asked me many times to find a recipe with potatoes in the dough,  I did find a German dough called Fashnacts.  This was the closest we came to finding the recipe.  Until now.  I found a recipe that works really well.  I like it but I definitely will add more flour next time as it was a bit too loose to shape, 

My Mom always shaped hers like a rectangle then she would count a list int he rectangle and turn an end into the slit.  Making a sort of twist.  The anchovy ones were more like a small torpedo.  Geesh we had to tell the difference because who would want to eat an anchovy one?  Well, I do now. I love anchovies now.  

This recipe is definitely a winner.  It's very light.  Light meaning airy not low calorie.  Ha its definitely not low calorie.  It's a treat to be sure.  Generally it is done around Christmas but with all the eating the last thing I want to do is make them at Christmas so I think it will be a yearly treat at Easter.  

My daughter use to work at a pizzeria and insisted I do thing in a certain way like they did them.  She wanted to me to shake them in a plastic bag with confectioners.  No to the plastic bag and no to he confectioners.  She wanted me to shape them in a certain way.  No, just no.  It wasn't just about the product.  It was about treating those childhood memories I had and my Mom's way.  As long as I am alive and I am making them, this is how I will do it.  Thank you very much dear daughter.  Some things in a kitchen are not always about efficiency but rather about out sentimental ties to process and form. And my husband backed me as he enjoyed them the same way as a child.  So we both got to take a walk down a culinary memory lane.

Love you Mom, you were the best cook!  Miss you so much.

RASPALE

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup luke warm water

4 cups AP flour (more to get right consistency)

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup about 2 medium potatoes, mashed well 

1 1/2 cups water

oil for frying, I used peanut oil

Combine sugar with 1/4 cup water.  Sprinkle in yeast and stir.  Let sit until foamy.

In a stand mixer, combine flour, salt, water, mashed potatoes and finally yeast water. Keep mixing.  Add tablespoons of flour to the batter until you get the right consistency. You want it to be pretty hydrated but able to form into shapes*. 

Heat oil to about 350 to 375 degrees.  place in hot oil the formed dough.  You do not want your oil too hot or you dough think as it will cook too fast on the outside and be doughy on the inside.   Once you remove from hot oil roll in cinnamon sugar.

Cinnamon sugar:  1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.  Or to taste.

*If you don't care about form and will just plop blobs of dough into hot oil then it is okay if it is a bit more hydrated.

Calamari

 

Its tradition that we have calamari every year at Christmas time.  Nearly every year, I mess it up. Sometimes I nail it but most often its soggy.  Its not for my lack of trying.  I finally nailed it, with the right way yesterday and had to put it in writing so I remember what I did last year.  Its taken from a video on You Tube but I tweaked it and made it my own.

2 cups flour

1 cup cornstarch

1 generous tablespoons mixed Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Mix dry ingredients together, set aside

Make sure you fry in a low sided pan.  I used my braising pan.  If the sides are too high it will get soggy because I think it traps in some moisture.  Not sure but did not work.  I tried high sides to help prevent grease from going all over.  It wasn't worth it.  

3 inches of oil.  I used peanut oil, which has a high smoke point.  

Soaking liquid

1 cup milk or buttermilk.  I used whole milk

2 eggs

Rinse and cut tubes into rings.  Drain.  Place in soaking liquid.

Get dry ingredients together in separate bowl.  

Dip calamari into dry ingredients and then place in hot oil.  350 F  fry for about a minutes.  Remove and drain on cooling rack or paper towels.  Keep in 200 F oven while cooking all of it.  I do about 7 1/2 pounds at Christmas.  Its a lot of frying, a total labor of love.

Kimchi

 

KIMCHI

1 regular size head napa cabbage

10 scallions, sliced thinly

1/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt

1 head of garlic

1 inch ginger knob, grated

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

4 tablespoons Gochugaru, Korean red pepper flakes

1. Cut Napa cabbage into bite sized pieces.  Sprinkle with salt, tossing with your hands to work salt into the cabbage.  Set aside, covered for 2-4 hours.

2. Wash and drain cabbage to wash off salt. Place in colander and let drain for 15 minutes.

3.  Make seasonings.  Mix together garlic paste, sugar, ginger, salt, fish sauce and red pepper flakes.

4. Combine spices with cabbage, massaging it all into the cabbage.

5. Pack into jar, you want liquid to be covering the cabbage.  Cover, letting some air in.  I like to use a paper towel and a rubber band to hold it in place.  Place in dark area for 1 to 5 days.  Place jar into cookie sheet or square pan as it will overflow. Make sure your press it down so it continues to remain under the brine.

6.  After that refrigerate and enjoy.  It will continue to ferment.  The longer it sits the more funky it gets. Embrace the funk, its good for your gut.

Grand Mariner Cranberry Sauce

Its almost time for Thanksgiving.  One of my favorite meals of the year.  Its so epic.  I know not everyone goes crazy over turkey but I love it. I always do Alton Brown's brined turkey recipe.  Comes out moist and delicious and we all love it.  I like to do the cranberry sauce ahead of time and freeze it.  One less thing to do when there are a thousand other things to do.

Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

24 ounces cranberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
2 teaspoons orange zest


1.  Zest oranges. Set aside.

2.  Cook cranberries and zest until cranberries have mostly broken down. 

3.  Add sugar and Grand Marnier and cook five minutes more.

Niçoise Salad

If you eat eggs you can add them in.  This is a delicious salad with or without eggs. The dressing is makes everything come together.  Something about mustard and potatoes!

Niçoise Salad

Serves 2 with enough dressing for another time. Or another salad. :)

10 olives 
1 cup green beans, halved
2 cups small potatoes, chunked
3 cups mixed salad leaves
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 small cucumbers, chunked
1 ripe avocado, diced
2 tablespoons capers

dressing:
3 tbsp white wine vinegar 
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
5 tbsp olive oil 
an assortment of fresh herbs, parsley, basil, dill

Toss it all together.

Asian Style Eggplant

 

I threw some vegetables together that needed some attention. I was excited that it actually worked.  I love it.  I went right out and bought more eggplant from the farmers market.  going to the farmers market for me now is like a kid going to the candy store.  I go crazy and often go a little overboard but we end up eating all of it.

Asian Style Eggplant 

3 small eggplants, chopped in 1 inch dice

2 green bell peppers, chopped in 1 inch dice

1 onion, chopped in 1 inch dice

1 Chile, chopped fine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Sauce

3 tablespoons broad bean paste

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 white pepper 

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 tablespoons maple syrup

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tapioca powder

1/4 cup water

Sauté the bell pepper and onion and chili and olive oil for 10 minutes. Add chopped eggplant and cover. Continue to cook for 10 to 15 minutes until eggplant is wilted.

Make sauce while waiting for the bell pepper for the eggplant to cook when just about done add and sauce until thick. Serve with basil over top.

Deconstructed Sushi Bowl

 

This is one of my faves when I am wanting some Asian flavors.  Most ingredients are available in the Winter so its easy to have then. But with some summer fresh cucumbers, its the BOMB!

DECONSTRUCTED SUSHI BOWL

2 to 3 cups mixed greens

1/2 cup purple cabbage

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 cup cucumbers

1 cup rice

1 avocado, chopped

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup pickled ginger ****

1/4 teaspoon wasabi

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

**** make your own pickled ginger. 

Pickled Ginger

9 to 10 ounces ginger

⅓ cup plus 1 ½ cups sugar

2 teaspoons fine sea salt, or 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt

⅔ cup rice vinegar

Peel ginger and cut into super thin slices, use a mandoline or very sharp knife. Cut across the grain and aim for nearly see-through pieces.

Transfer the ginger to a saucepan or heatproof bowl. Toss with the 1 ½ tablespoons of sugar and salt. Set aside for 30 minutes to reduce its harshness.

About 10 minutes before the ginger finishes mellowing out, bring a kettle of water to a boil. When the ginger is done, pour the just-boiled water over the ginger. Use enough water to cover the ginger. Gently stir and let sit for 20 seconds to further reduce the harshness. Dump into a mesh strainer. Don’t rinse. Shake a few times to expel water, then transfer into a 2-cup capacity glass jar.

In a saucepan, bring the mixture of sugar and vinegar to a boil. Stir once or twice to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat and pour into the jar of ginger.

Push down with chopsticks or a spoon to submerge. Cool, uncovered, then cap and refrigerate.

Indian Style Bowl

I am going crazy for bowls right now.  Throw it all in, mix it all up and enjoy.  Its kinda what I did on my plate anyway.  Much easier in a bowl.  I figured I would gather up a few of my faves for ideas in the future when I forget what I did.  Ha!

KERALA STYLE BOWL

1 cup prepared Thoran

1 cup mango, chopped

1 cup tomato, chopped

1 cup rice

1 to 2 cups mixed greens

1 tablespoon evoo

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup cilantro

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup water

Toss all ingredients together.  You can add some garam masala if you like for a little flavor boost.

Cabbage Thoran

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
10 curry leaves if you have them
3 small green chilies, halved lengthwise or whatever hot pepper you  like
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 cups green cabbage, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut

Saute cumin seeds, curry leaves and mustard seeds in oil.  Lightly toast and add 1/2 cup water right away so they dont burn and become bitter.  Add cabbage and onion, cover and let cook.  Stirring occassionally.

GADO GADO

 

What is it about peanut butter?  I mean I like bacon.  Everyone goes wild over bacon, but honestly I like peanut butter more!  Creamy, delicious and versatile.  Sweet or savory.

My husband said this dish is a bit like deconstructed spring rolls.  Yes, it kind of is.  Way less work though.

You can make everything in advance which is kind of nice.  The hardest part about this dish is all the chopping.  But frankly chopping vegetables is a stress reliever for me so I dont mind.  It is worth any amount of work you put in.  Great flavor.  You made need to play around with the ingredients to get the right balance of sweet and tart with a hint of heat.

GADO GADO

4 garlic cloves

1/3 cup Tomato paste

1 cup peanuts or 1/2 cup peanut butter

1 Mild chile such as Pablano, if you like more heat you can choose a jalapeño or cayenne

1/4 cup Shallots or one small onion

Hand full of Chives

2 tablespoons Kecap mainis

1/2 cup Tamarind juice, like concentrate

1/2 cup water

Lime juice, 1 to 2 limes

Some things you can have on your tray might include:

Green beans

Cucumbers 

Sugar snap peas, parboiled

Tofu, cooked

Boiled eggs

Purple cabbage

Brown rice

Carrots, parboiled

Green bell peppers

Aromatics: 

Mint

Thai basil or regular basil

Cilantro

Arrange everything on a platter. You can get pretty artistic here. Lots of fun. 

In the center you can put your sauce. People can take there choice of vegetables and protein and the some sauce.  The brown rice goes nicely along side if you like.

Pineapple Pork- Adobo Pork with a Twist

I love Hot Thai Kitchen.  Pai is such a sweet person with lots of videos to intice you into make Thai food.  She has other dishes on there as well but primarily Thai.  

I bought some pork belly recently for the first time.  I made it two ways.  I tried Char Sui which was a fail.  It was okay but not what I had envisioned.  Then I made this dish by h Pai.  WE LOVED IT!  Will definitely make this again.  Here is a link to her recipe.  I am putting it on my blog with my changes.

Pork Adobo with Pineapple

2 lb pork belly, cut into large cubes

1 onion, cut into strips

6 cloves garlic, chopped

½ cup coconut milk

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon black pepper, ground

2 bay leaves

2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into small bite-sized pieces (see note)

green onions for garnish, optional

Saute pork cubes.  Once browned, remove from pot and add onions to auste until golden.  Add in garlic and then coconut milk.  Cook one minute.  Add in soy sauce, vinegar, pinch of salt, pepper, bay leaves and soy sauce.  Stir.  Finally add the pork back in. Cover and cook for about 1 hour, check.  If too much liquid, leave top off. Continue to cook about another hour until pork is tender.

In a separate pot caramelize pineapple in a pan.  At the end, add in pineapple.  When serving, garnish with green onion. 

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Hmmm,  Nothing is as heavenly as strawberry shortcake!  Agreed?

Short Cake Biscuits

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1 cup cold buttermilk

2 Tablespoons heavy cream (buttermilk works if you do not have heavy cream)

Preheat oven to 425°F 

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl or in a large food processor. Whisk or pulse until combined. Add the cubed butter and cut into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or by pulsing several times in the processor. Pulse until coarse crumbs form. If you used a food processor, pour out the mixture into a large bowl.

Pour buttermilk on top. Stir everything together until just about combined– do not overwork the dough. The dough will be very crumbly. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and gently mold it together in a ball using your hands. Gently flatten until it is evenly 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 3-inch circles. Re-roll any scraps until you have about 12 biscuits. 

Arrange in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or close together on a lined baking sheet. 

Brush the tops with 2 Tablespoons heavy cream. Bake for 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before using.

Fall Off The Bone, Melt In Your Mouth Ribs

I dont buy ribs too often as I am intimidated by them.  Meat in general.  Its take me a long time to learn how to cook meats.  When I was first starting out as a cook I wish there was the classes there are today. I think two important things to learn are techniques for cooking meat and knife skills. Those are tops. I will never forget one time I was at a friends house and she was using a steak knife to cut her carrots.  I just about died.  Besides prep time there is the larger issue of her losing a finger.  Invest in a Chefs Knife.  Totally worth it. You dont even need to pay a high price just find one that feels right in your hand.

This is the easiest and best ribs and I am quite sure you can find it all over the internet.  I wanted it here on my blog so I knew right where the recipe was because indeed, I will make it again!  So good.

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH RIBS

Baby Back ribs, membrane removed

dry rub- I used Penzey Barbeque Seasoning 3001*

Cover the ribs with aluminum foil. Do it so that you can open it up later and leave it under the ribs. This will make clean up a breeze.

 

Bake the ribs at a low temperature (275°F) for 3 to 4 hours or until they are tender. It may be sooner than that,depending on your ribs.

Cover the baked ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce then broil (or grill) the ribs for a few minutes until the sauce is caramelized. If you dont have a grill, the broiler works fantastic. So no sweat. Keep an eye on it as you dont want it to burn. You can see a little scorch mark on mine.  Didnt matter though. Taste was amazing.

* no plug for them, was not paid to say that.  Just is what I have.  But you can get crazy creative with your rub. All kinds of ideas out there in the internet land. 

Dan Dan Noodles

I can't even begin to tell you how flavorful and amazing this dish is.  I have never had it before.  I stumbled across this dish in my internet searches and after watching Mark Weins and all his amazing food travel videos.  I totally binge watched his videos during the whole COVID 19 thing.  I couldnt get enough.  And sadly thinking, will anyone ever travel again.  Well, of course they will.... right?

Are you familiar with Sichuan peppercorns?  I really wasn't.  I mean I knew of their existence but didn't really know their effect until recently.  I was watching Mark Weins on You Tube (at 31:41 you will see the peppercorns) and he was eating fresh Sichuan peppercorns and his tongue was going numb.  Wait.  What?  Why?  So because I am so curious about food and ethnic food in particular, I had to research.  Well, after watching lots of videos and wand reading countless Chinese cookbooks and acquiring two new cookbooks (Fuschia Dunlop, Every Grain of Rice and The Food of Sichuan), I now know more. And really I was like why would someone want there tongue to go numb.  I am not really sure but I can tell you it is a pleasureful experience.  And mixed with these crazy delicious flavors, you simply cant go wrong.  You will be addicted to the Sichuan "numbing" experience.

DAN DAN NOODLES
If you are not a fan of spicy food, keep moving.  This has serious kick.  Certainly you can increase or decrease to your liking- the chili oil and the Sichuan peppercorns.

topping:
1 pound pork, ground
1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine

1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn

1 teaspoon ginger

2 tablespoons preserved mustard greens

sauce:

1 tablespoon black vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame paste*

1 tablespoon chili oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon chicken flavoring

2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine

1 teaspoon ginger, fresh, grated

Noodles

Greens, ie. bok choy, broccoli rabe, swiss chard

garnish:

chopped peanuts

sliced scallions

This is a multi step process.  Nothing difficult, just time consuming.  But good things come to you when you put forth the effort.  You will not be disappointed.

1. Rinse preserved mustard greens. Drain. Set aside. Chop peanuts. Set aside.  Slice green onions. Set aside.

2.  Make sauce. Combine black vinegar, sesame paste,  chili oil, sugar, light soy sauce, chicken flavoring, Chinese cooking wine and ginger. Spoon into bowls. This will be the bottom layer of the noodle dish.

3. Cook noodles, timing so that they get done a little before pork.

4. Cook pork, breaking it up as it cooks.  You want small pieces. Let it get a little golden.  Then add garlic.  Cook one minute.  Add Chinese cooking wine, Sichuan peppercorn,  dark soy sauce and ginger. Combine quickly and let cook 1 minute all the while stirring it around.  Remove from heat and add mustard greens.

5. Cook green seperately in salted boiling water.

6. Place noodles on top of sauce in bowls.  Place pork topping on bowls, dividing evenly.  Then sprinkle peanuts and scallions over top. Place greens on side.  Serve immediately and have people stir their noodles quickly as you dont want the noodles sticking together.  Enjoy!

*I did use tahini but Chinese sesame paste is different.  I have also seen many people use peanut butter instead so feel free to choose.

Beer Battered Onion Rings

Onion rings!  Haven't made these in like, F-O-R-E-V-E-R.  Hands down the beer batter are the best.  And, yah know, they fry up really fast so it does not use too much grease.  So, not bad for a once in a while thing.

One of my favorite things is sausage or a hot dog with sauerkraut.  Divine. Together these were great.  Some sweet whole grain mustard! OMG. 

Beer Battered Onion Rings

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) pale ale beer
2 large yellow onions, slice into 1/4 in rings
Vegetable oil, for frying

Mix together flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Add in beer.  Stir.  I place a bunch of the rings into the batter then pulled each one out with a chopstick, letting it drip a little and then placing it into the cauldron of hot bubbling oil.  Aka oil should be around 360° .  You could stick that same wooden chop stick in and see if little bubbles form around it. And word to the wise, keep monitoring the heat.  

Chicken and Dumplings

Can I tell you, I feel so decadent posting all this meat.  We were never really major meat eaters.  Well, at least I wasnt,.  And then we were Vegan for a year, well mostly.  More vegetarian for half the year.  And then even when we started eating meat again it was maybe one to four times per month.  Now with this whole COVID thing, we bought meat.  Was it primal, I dont know.  But suddenly we were buying meat and eating meat a few times per week... maybe five times per week.  I feel kind of bad about it.  I need to stop.  Tonight, as I write this we had stir fry with tofu and really it felt good.  Not heavy.  All those vegetables with tofu.  It was delicious. I have to say though you could easily turn this meal into a vegan or vegetarian one.  Have you ever tried that chicken base that is meat free.  Its pretty amazing.  And I bet TVP or chicken seitan would be equally delicious.

This recipe for me, is a two day affair.  The second day being pretty easy peasy.  So it is nice if you can roast on the weekend and do on Monday or Tuesday for dinner.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

6 tablespoons butter, or chicken fat reserved from broth or oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup diced celery
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 ounces cream cheese (I was using it as a substitute and really liked it )
32 oz (1 quart) chicken stock
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste)
salt, to taste

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon, baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
3/4 cup (6 oz) whole milk
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Long verbose version
Place four leg quarters in a baking dish. Place in oven, no cover and bake at 350°F.  Roast until the kin is golden.  Remove from oven and set aside until it is cool enough to handle. Take all the meat off the bone and place in refrigerator until you are ready to make your chicken and dumplings.  Take bones and skin and place in stock pot.  Place 3-4 celery ribs in pot, along with 2-4 cloves of garlic; a large onion, quartered with skin on, 2 bay leaves and parsley, if you have it.  Sprinkle in a generous dose of pepper and a teaspoon of Kosher salt. Pour in water, enough to cover. Bring to a boil, and gently simmer for at least 2 hours.  The longer the better.  Four hours if you can.  Just make sure the simmer is slow. Strain the broth out and also place in fridge.

Next day. Skim the fat of your beautiful bone broth.  Keep the fat, as it is delicious to use for cooking.  We also shared with dog, about a tablespoon on her dog food in the morning was met with much appreciation.

Saute onion, celery and carrots in chicken fat or the butter.  Or oil, whatever you prefer, until translucent.  Add in garlic and flour.  Saute until flour is turning golden.  Add in stock and cream cheese, along with pepper and thyme. Add salt to taste.  Cook for about 20 minutes.  While that is cooking, it is time to mix up your dough for your yum-plings.  Okay, dumplings.  And take my advice, if you have kids dont use the thyme in the biscuits cause it probably wont go over well.  Just leave it out.  But if it you and your significant other, by all means use the thyme.  And it will pair well with a nice glass of white wine if you so desire.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, pepper, salt and thyme. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the milk and butter into the center of it.  Using a wooden spoon (or rubber spatula), stir together until dough ball forms. If your dough seems too dry, you can add an extra tablespoon of milk.

Using a large sized ice cream scoop, scoop dough and drop directly into the simmering soup. Place them around the pot, not all in the same place. Now, put the lid on and turn down heat on low, the spot you know where it will gently simmer.  And do not open the lid for 20 minutes.  Those dumplings are gently tucked away, simmering in happiness steam bath.  And when the time is done, you will rewarded with some fluffy, puffy dumplings. Scrumptious!

Kenyan Beef and Potato Pilau

With all of this COVID 19 pause, I have done enough cooking and baking to open a restaurant.  Its not like I wasnt cooking before but now, I have bene going the extra mile, doing mroe, making it more special.  Maybe because it feels like the only 'spice' of life at the moment.  I mean, its not like we can go out and hang out with people.  Cant go out to dinner, relax and kick back in a different atmosphere.  So I have created, at least tried to create something special here at home.  We really enjoyed this meal and I have a feeling it will appear on our table again.  Stay well everyone!


Kenyan Beef and Potato Pilau

2 cups basmati rice or any other rice you may have

2 cups of potatoes, cut into 1" cubes

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons ginger, minced

1 serrano chile, finely chopped

1 tablespoon pilau spice mix (see below)

4 cups chicken or beef broth

¼ cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped

1 lb ground beef 

3 Roma tomatoes diced

2 Bay leaves

2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar

Salt to taste

Pilau spice mix

1 Tsp cloves

2 tbsp dumin seeds

1 Stick cinnamon

1/2 Tbsp black peppercorn seeds

12 pods cardamon

Heat a Dutch oven or a stockpot on medium-high heat. Saute onions in oil and fry for 10-15 minutes or till the onions starts to turn golden brown (be careful not to burn it). Add the ground beef and salt. Saute until beef is browned. Add the garlic, ginger, bay leaves, serrano pepper, Cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the tomatoes have released their liquid. Stir in the potatoes and the broth. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the rice, and cover tightly. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Once rice is cooked, fluff with a fork to ensure the seasonings are well distributed all around the rice.

Digestive Biscuits

This ‘cookie’ is kind of like a sweet cracker. Crunchy but with a little chew. It begs to be eaten with tea.   It’s not that sweet.  It’s a great way to end a meal.


Digestive Biscuits

8 ounces or 2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt\
3 ounces confectioners sugar
4 ounces butter, cold
2 ounces or a 1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350°  Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment or grease.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and confectioners sugar. Work in cold butter with a pastry blender, fork or your fingers until dough starts to come together. If it seems to dry add a teaspoon more of milk. Knead briefly. Roll out with floured rolling pin on a floured surface. Cut into rounds and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Poke wholes if you like in biscuit if you like. I did with some of mine.   Bake fo 15 to 18 minutes. They will harden more as they dry.

Rye Soda Bread

This is quick and easy bread.  It is a bit dense and very satisfying with a dab of butter, along side a bowl of soup.  This is the the kind of things that Autumn is made of, at least for me!

Rye Soda Bread

2 1/3 cups (9.75 ounces) rye flour
1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 cups (475 mL) buttermilk
1 tablespoon pretzel salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°F.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

In a bowl combine flours, salt and baking soda.  All at once add buttermilk, mix and knead for about a minute, till it all comes together.
Press the dough into a flat disk. Sprinkle the top of the dough disk with about 1 tablespoons of pretzel salt. 
Make 4 deep cuts into the dough, about two-thirds of the way through. Be careful not to cut all the way through.

Bake for 30 minutes, and then move the dough to the top rack of the oven. Bake for another 20 minutes to crisp up the surface.

Let cool on a wire rack completely before serving with salted butter. Okay, I know you want to have a slice warm with butter oozingly, melting all over the top.