New things....

Hello friends and comrades: I am so very excited to announce that I have switched to a new website, and things are a’changin! I am thrilled to be switching over to a blog where I will be showcasing not just recipes, but knitting projects, decorating ideas, and sewing projects among other things! All of my recipes were moved over, so this site has everything (AND MORE) from my previous site. Please feel free to browse, and also see my “About” and “Vision” pages for more information as to why this is a big step and new direction for me. I am still tweaking things here and there, but for now, enjoy! You can find all of my recipes here as well as all my future updates at:  fibreandspice.wordpress.com

Lentil Soup with Sausage, Chard, and Garlic

The Commonwealth of Virginia is schizophrenic and has no clue how to have a proper winter. In the past 4 days we have had 1) the snow pictured above and 10-15 degree weather, 2) hail at 40 degree weather, 3) rain and thunderstorms at 67-70 degrees, 4) clear sky at 55 degrees, and today 5) is back to 32 degrees with another inch of snow which fell last night. I'm not one to complain about weather in general; I love pretty much every season (except the pollen that comes with Spring) so I'm not offended per se... just mighty confused.

Last night was a night where it decided to be warm in the day, and then drop below freezing at night, so the house (after not needing the heat on all day) was a bit chilly. We fought off the cold with this incredibly hearty and easy soup from smittenkitchen.com found here and some homemade sourdough bread.

I only made a few adjustments from her original recipe: I switched up the kind of onions I used, removed the celery, and used spicy instead of sweet sausage. I have to say that I was a bit leery of the whole "drizzle more oil on the soup" at the end, but it really was a fantastic added touch that added flavor and depth, not grease. Olive oil is so good for you anyway and garlic is simply sublime and can never go wrong, that it's really a win-win situation.

1/2 cup olive oil, divided

4 large links of spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
3/4 cup mini onion pearls 
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into half-moons
4 cloves garlic, sliced (reserve half for later in recipe)
1 tsp salt1 cup brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
6 cups water
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 cups shredded or thinly ribboned Swiss chard leaves
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese to finish

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large soup pan on medium heat. When oil is hot, add the sausage and break up into pieces till it starts to brown. Add the onions, carrots, 2 garlic cloves, and salt. Cook until the veggies soften a bit, about 5 minutes. 

Add the lentils, bay leaves, crushed tomatoes, water (about 2 empty 28-ounce cans), and more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30-40 minutes. 

When the lentils are cooked, add the chard and cook another 5 minutes, until the leaves are tender.

When you are waiting for the chard to cook down, add the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 sliced garlic cloves to a small skillet and heat over medium until fragrant and the garlic sizzles and pops and softens.

Remove bay leaves and serve in soup bowls with a bit of garlic oil drizzled over the top and a sprinkling of fresh Romano cheese. Eat with lots of yummy carbs if you so desire, and enjoy!

Hosting Christmas

I have to admit, my Christmas tree is still up. I've gotten so far as getting the ornaments off, but I can't bring myself to pull the lights, ribbon, and star off quite yet... Unfortunately I think it's quickly becoming a fire hazard so I suppose it will have to go before the week is out. But but but... it was our first Christmas tree!! And it was the first time I got to decorate my own house! And it was our first Christmas together as a married family! Ah well. I suppose that the reason Christmas is special is because it only comes once a year, and even though we should celebrate the birth of Christ all year long because we know He has already come, we still long for Him to come again to restore us to fellowship with Him as it was in the beginning (and save us from run-on sentences like this one). 

Such joy and anticipation!

On a practical level, Christmas was a success! We were so blessed to host my in-laws for the week, and we also had a Christmas "Adam" party (ie the day before Christmas "Eve". Heh heh.) with 13 good friends. We started off with some appetizers...

From left to right: homemade fudge (from sister-in-law), warm apple cider, assorted stuffed olives/pickles/mini mozzarella balls, puffed-pastry-wrapped baked brie, crackers and french bread crisps, the Pioneer Woman's artichoke spinach dip, and homemade eggnog. (The garnish is fresh rosemary boughs)

I decided to make a turkey, and used my family's traditional poultry recipe found here. 

I used a combination of methods of baking, and it turned out pretty well for my first time. In order to eat around 3:30pm,  preheat the oven to 450* and put the bird in at 7am and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 275*, place tin-foil tent over it, and bake for 5-6 hours. Around 2, remove the tent and raise the heat to 300* and cook till the inside temp reaches160*. 

My husband doing the honors...

Despite my forgetfulness to take pictures, the full menu was as follows:

- Appetizers (as shown above)
- Fresh cranberry sauce with orange zest
- Garlic braid bread
- Sweet potato casserole
- Wild rice with dried cranberries and pistachio nuts
- Steamed green beans with goat cheese and balsamic vinegar
- Turkey
- Bridlewood Pinot Noir, 2007 reserve
- Apple pie
- Pumpkin pie
- Coffee and tea

After dinner, we had a blessed time reading through Lessons and Carols, singing carols, and a white elephant gift exchange. It was such a blessing to have fellowship with close friends and family, and it was a treasured time together.

On Christmas Eve, we were surprised by a freak snow fall! It was beautiful, and we were on our way to a wine tasting in the Virginia countryside. It was a bit of a treacherous ride home, which included a 180 degree spin right around a corner. But we made it home safe, thank goodness... here are some pictures from our holiday together. 

For the first time in ten years, I woke up to a white Christmas... 

Santa had surprised my in-laws with some awesome flying money slingshots...

And we couldn't wait till after gifts to start breakfast, so we uh, multi-tasked.

Dad and sister-in-law and our second (more successful) snowman

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all!

Crunchy Chicken Tenders

No matter how old we get, chicken nuggets or chicken tenders will always be comfort food. I don't know if it's the ease with which you can vociferously consume these morsels with no concern for bones, or the fact that it's easy finger food; either way, there's nothing quite like a freshly fried, perfectly moist and tender yet crunchy piece of chicken. This recipe is based off the typical "dip in egg then flour then fry" method, but added some spices and sesame seeds to bring some crunch and more hearty flavor. 

Ingredients:

- 2 chicken breasts, sliced into whatever size pieces you want

- 1/2 cup flour

- 1/4 tsp garlic powder

- 1/4 tsp chili/cayenne powder if you are brave

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

- 1 Tbl sesame seeds

- 1 egg + 2 Tbls water

- Vegetable oil for frying

Heat the oil on the stove to medium-high. Mix together the dry ingredients, and beat together the egg and water in a separate bowl. Dip the chicken first in the egg wash, then coat with the flour mixture. When the oil is hot, fry until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain. 

Serve with steamed asparagus and rice, and your favorite dipping sauce. 

Perfect Pie Crust

I finally made pie today. I know apple season has been in full swing since ages ago, but I just haven't gotten around to it until now. But alas, I have fixed the error of my ways. 

Pie crusts have always been the single deterrent to me making pies more often. I don't know if it was because my mom always complained about making pie crusts, or if her inclination to always use whole wheat flour just made it way more difficult than it needed to be, or if I just never really liked the taste of what resulted in my dry, hard, sandpapery pie crusts. 

Either way, I've experimented with several recipes, and I think I found a keeper. I've gathered from all the different recipes I've read that 1) butter is the only way to go and 2) everything must be cold cold COLD in order for it to be flaky. When the butter is able to keep in it's little clumps, this is what creates the little airpockets of layers of crispy goodness once the butter melts in the oven. 

All that being said, here goes. 

Ingredients:

- 2 1/2 cups flour

- 1 Tbls sugar (I use raw sugar and really liked being able to see the large flecks)

- 1 tsp salt

- 2 sticks cold butter (I place them in the freezer about 5 minutes before I am ready to use them)

- Egg white wash and 1 Tbls water, whisked together (optional)

- Fill a 1 or 2 cup measuring cup with cold water and drop in a few ice cubes. You will only use between 1/2 and 2/3 cup of this water. 

- Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (big enough to get your hands into the mix), and then remove butter from freezer and cut into small (1/2-3/4 inch) cubes. Add that butter to the flour mixture, and cut with a pastry cutter until an average size piece of butter is about the size of your pinky finger nail. It won't be consistent, but that's okay; don't overwork it. 

- Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of the cold water over the top, and use a stiff spatula to work it in. Continue adding a little bit of water at a time (1-2 Tbls) until it all pulls together. You shouldn't need more than 3/4 cup total. 

- Pull together and knead until it holds itself together; divide into two, wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes. 

- Take one piece out of the fridge at a time to roll. Another note here: don't be afraid to be generous with the flour on the counter and rolling pin. If the dough is cold, it won't absorb too much and it won't get too dry and hard. To keep the dough from sticking, roll it out straight in front of you, then turn the dough about three hours counterclockwise. Roll straight again, then turn etc. This will keep you from having to scrape it off when it comes time to put it in the pie pan, while helping you keep it round. 

After getting it into the pie pan, place it back in the fridge or freezer while you are rolling out the top piece. Again, keeping the dough cold is essential and will make a huge difference, I promise!

After assembling your pie, slice slits in the top, and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with raw sugar, and bake as directed by your pie recipe.

My husband is serious about his personal apple pie. 

The Best Sweet Potato Fries

I never used to like sweet potatoes, but this is obviously because I haven't fried them to smithereens before. I seriously could not stop eating them... a little sweet, a little salty, a little crunchy...mmmm so much goodness. 

I also haven't really had too much success with making the perfect crunchy fry. I've tried baking them before, but they either come out burnt on the outside and raw inside, or just end up being like baked potatoes in strips. If I am ever too lazy or feeling overly health conscious, I will probably stick to the baking method. However, this double fry method really makes these babies perfect. 

I know there are some pretty nifty contraptions that can be used to cut potatoes into fry-like pieces. However, I don't have one and here is a little trick I have figured out after cutting myself (or having a close call) many times. 

But first, preheat a pan of vegetable oil to a low frying temperature (300*). 

Meanwhile, after you peel the potato, cut it in half the long way down the narrowest side. Take one half and lay it with the flat side down. Cut it down the center the long way again. Flip this quarter onto the side it isn't already on, and then slice that quarter the long way into fry-width pieces. Flip the stack back, so that the slices are piled on top of each other. Take the top rounded piece off (so that your knife does slip off the rounded surface). Slice again into fries, and slice the rounded piece by itself. Repeat with all four quarters. 

Fry the pieces, in batches if necessary, just until the pieces are soft, about 2 minutes (not until they are brown; that will come later). Remove from oil, and fry the second batch. After removing the second batch, raise the heat of the oil to 400*. Fry each batch again, until they are brown and crispy (another 2-3 minutes, depending on how big the pieces are). Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel. Salt generously, and eat your heart out. 

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

I know it's kind of cliche, but seriously. Fall is the best time of the year. I don't know if it's the relief from constant heat and humidity, or the almost unnatural wheel of colors that end up on the tips of trees. Or maybe it's the promise of holidays that are just around the corner, and their fond and strong memories that have accumulated over the years. Maybe it's the crisp mornings that make you shiver just a bit and remind you that you're human and need warmth to survive, or cuddling up with a loved one while sheltered from the frost outside. Whatever your reason, I will go one step further and say Fall wouldn't be Fall without pumpkin. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin scones... and of course pumpkin cookies. (with frosting of course). These little treasures are the softest, lightest, moist-est cookies I've ever had; they are literally like mini pumpkin cakes. I used probably more pumpkin than most recipes call for in the flour-to-pumpkin ratio, which made them actually taste like pumpkin rather than just being orange cookies. It also makes them incredibly moist and fluffly.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice OR 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 16-oz can pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix the first six ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Cream the butter, sugar, and maple syrup together; add the egg, and beat till incorporated. Mix in the pumpkin and vanilla, then add the dry ingredients and mix till the batter is combined.

Drop tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets and slightly flatten. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the bottoms are brown and the cookies bounce back when tapped.

To make the "frost":

Mix together - 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 Tbls melted butter, and 3 Tbls milk. Mix together and add more or less milk to reach your desired consistency. Use the back of a spoon to spread on the tops and serve with a steaming cup of coffee.

Beef Lo Mien

This is what happens when I have nothing planned for dinner, and a few select ingredients that I need to use up. Today's Chopped-esque episode is brought to you by Buckwheat Japanese Soba noodles, red bell peppers, stew beef, and green onions.  

I knew that the stew beef would be somewhat chewy and tough, so I got that marinating right away in a mixture of the following: (I did not measure these things, so the amounts are a rough estimate. Basically you want the sweet to balance out the sour, and the sour to balance out the salty, and so on and so forth...)

- 1/4 cup rice vinegar

- 1/4 dark soy sauce

- A few dashes of fish sauce

- 3 Tbls brown sugar

- Chili paste to taste, depending on your heat tolerance

Then, get a pot of water on the stove to boil your noodles. 

Dice 2 Red Bell Peppers and 3 or 4 green onions/scallions and saute in a wok with a bit of oil. When they are thoroughly softened, remove from the heat and set aside (leave in wok). 

Throw your beef pieces into a frying pan, then after they have browned on the edge, add all the juices from the marinade. Cover (to keeps the juices from evaporating), and cook over medium till done. 

Boil noodles as directed. Drain, and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking more, then toss with a bit of olive oil. Set aside. 

After the beef finished, I spooned the pieces out and chopped them up into smaller bite-sized pieces. My suspicions were confirmed (that stew meet is just that, and not very tender), so I wanted to make sure they were palatable. 

Throw everything into the wok and toss together over medium/high heat, turning and flipping constantly so the noodles don't stick. 

Serve with a cold Sam Adam's Oktoberfest in a freezer-chilled cup, and enjoy!

Cinnamon Twist Challah Bread

Growing up, my mom had a fascination with Jewish culture. We are not Jewish by any means, but we would go to Shabbat services, along with yearly celebrations of Pur'im, Rosh Hashannah, Yom Kippur, Passover, and (my favorite) Hanukkah to name a few. Though each of these celebrations have very different remembrances and meaning, one thing that they all had in common was this: there was ALWAYS food. Always. (I probably shouldn't say that that was my only favorite part about it all, but it wouldn't be too far from the truth.)

I love cultures that center most of their gatherings around food. Maybe it's because I love to eat, or maybe it's because I love to cook... But I mostly love the significance of simultaneously feeding your body while feeding your soul with fellowship with other friends, family, strangers, and acquaintances. 

This recipe is based off of a traditional Jewish braided bread, made for Shabbat and for special holidays. Traditionally, there are 12 strands of the braid to represent the 12 tribes of Israel, and those are divided to make two loaves made of 6 strands each. This represents the double portion of manna that the Israelites would gather before the sabbath when they were wandering through the desert, and it would feed each family for the day it was made, and the next day (the sabbath) when work was not allowed. 

All that to say, this is definitely not a traditional recipe...it's a little bit of this and that, and also based off of smittenkitchen.com's Fig Challah recipe. It is mildly sweet and a little salty, but mostly moist and tender and chewy all at the same time. And it's awesome. 

Ingredients:

- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast 

- 2/3 warm water (110-116 degrees)

- 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp honey

- 1/3 cup olive oil

- 2 large eggs

- 1 1/2 tsp salt

- 4 cups all-purpose to flour

- 1 egg for eggwash

Filling:

- 4 Tbls butter

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1 Tbls cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, stir together yeast, warm water, and 1 tsp honey. Let stand for 3 minutes, or till foamy. Add and combine remaining honey, olive oil, and eggs. Switch to dough hook (wooden spoon if by hand) and add flour and salt. Mix with dough hook on low for 5-8 minutes, or turn onto a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Transfer dough to a bowl that has been oiled with olive oil, or remove dough, oil the mixing bowl, place dough back into bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for one hour. 

Melt the butter in the microwave. Once the dough has almost doubled, turn out onto a floured surface and divide evenly in half. Roll out the dough in a rectangle roughly 6x12 inches and spread half of the butter evenly and to the edges. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar and spread half of that on the rectangle as well. Roll up by the long edge, and press the edge to seal it. Squeeze and stretch the log to as long as it will go without tearing (about 18 inches). Cut the log in half, and press the open edges together to seal as well. Repeat with second half of dough, so that you have four total logs. 

Weave: Place the logs in a tight criss-cross pattern that looks like a tic-tac-toe board, with each log interlaced over the other. Take each piece and lace it over the next clockwise, always folding it over the log that is on top of it. Repeat going counter-clockwise, and keep going until it's all folded in a nice little loaf. It's not rocket science...do it however you like so that it ends up in a nice loaf-ish, and the edges are all folded under. 

(Photo credit: smittenkitchen.com)

Brush with a beaten egg and let rise for another hour on a thick baking sheet, or on a floured pizza peel/wood cutting board if you are using a baking stone. Preheat the oven to 375* about 15 minutes before it's finished rising.

Brush again with the egg wash, and put in to bake for 30-40 minutes.

Bake until the inside is around 190* (ie, at LEAST 35 minutes, most likely 40). If the top gets too brown, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil. It will allow it to keep baking inside without getting too brown on the outside. But do make sure that it gets the beautiful deep brown crust... ahhh. Delightful. Let it cool (any seeping sugar will be very hot and possibly scald you) and then tear off a piece to enjoy. 

Coconut Milk Tapioca Pudding

For a quick and easy, rich and creamy dessert, one of my favorites is tapioca pudding. If I'm thinking ahead, I love to use the whole tapioca pearls (where you have to soak them overnight). However, Minute Tapioca is not too bad when it comes to compromising quality for convenience.

What makes this recipe even better, richer, and healthier, is to substitute coconut milk in place of regular milk. I am not usually a fan of coconut, but the canned coconut cream is much more mild than coconut flavor or coconut flakes. I typically use the following brand from the asian food store, but you can obviously use whichever kind you wish:

To make, simply use the recipe on the back of the Minute Tapioca box (listed below):
- 2 3/4 (Coconut) milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 Tbls Minute Tapioca
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT vanilla in a saucepan, and let sit for 5 minutes. Cook over medium heat till it comes to a full boil, then remove from heat and add vanilla. Let cool and set for at least 20 minutes, and serve warm or chilled.

Black Gold

Dinner for 12 happened last night. Though my calves and knees are a bit worse for the wear this morning, it was a beautifully enjoyable experience to cook a special meal, and the first large dinner party in our new home. I recently watched Babette's Feast (which deserves a whole post devoted to itself), and am so inspired, and get so much joy out of being artful in the kitchen.  

The menu follows:

Appetizers
- Rosemary and Olive Oil crusty bread, with a parmesan/chili flake/garlic/olive oil dip
- Watermelon pieces with mint and a balsamic reduction

Main Course

- Cajun Chicken Alfredo with Spinach
- Grilled Red Bell Peppers and Asparagus (sorry, no picture; they were a beautifully deep green and red)

Wine Pairing

- Kendall Jackson 2010 Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay 
(Fantastic wine, and surprisingly affordable.)




 








Dessert 
- Chocolate Truffle Cake
(I made them in individual muffin tins, but first threw some roasted almond slivers in the bottom. Serve them upside down--almond side up--with a blueberry sauce and white chocolate ganache drizzle.)

Coffee (of course)
- ie, Black Gold/Nectar of the gods/ambrosia/universe juice

Also the real reason I'm writing this post.

Like most good things in life, there is a story behind this discovery. Almost exactly two years ago, my husband (boyfriend at the time) and I had traveled into DC to hear the National Symphony Orchestra play for the free Labor Day Concert on the south lawn of the capitol. How romantic is that! We were so excited, and couldn't wait to get there... But the closer we got, the more confused we were at how FEW people were around. We thought there would be a decent crowd, but figured that maybe people just weren't as cultured as we took them to be. We followed the signs out of the metro that said "Concert: THIS WAY" and arrived at the lawn about an hour before it was scheduled to begin. But again, became a little disconcerted (heh heh. dis-"concert"ed. heh heh.) at the lack of people, and now the lack of a stage and/or any sort of sound equipment. My husband approached a security guard who was diligently standing his ground on his police Segue, and asked where the Labor Day Concert would be held. He kindly (and somewhat pathetically, as if he tells a lot of people) informed us that the Labor Day Concert wasn't actually held on Labor Day, but had actually occurred on the previous evening (which by the way, we still think is ridiculous; DON'T SAY IT'S A LABOR DAY CONCERT IF IT'S NOT ON LABOR DAY). 

So. Being the aspiring "patron's of the high arts" as we would like to become, we were quite disappointed. And, we were bummed we spent all the gas and metro money for naught too. So we sat at the reflecting pool and watched the sun go down then picked ourselves off of the lawn scattered with garbage from the night before, and started the trek home. Once back on highway 7, I realized that Trader Joe's would still be open because alas, the night was still young. Since the closest TJ's is about 45 minutes away, we decided it would be one good thing that happened that night if we were at least able to get some of TJ's ginger snaps. And we were out of coffee at home. We walked in about 15 minute before closing, and I made a beeline for the coffee samples. Unfortunately, they only had decaf left; I was grasping at straws at this point and poured a little dixie cup for myself anyway.  My husband joined me, and made some sort of exclamation about how decaf coffee should be illegal or something to that affect. This made a man behind the counter laugh; he then introduced himself in a thick African accent. 

My husband took this opportunity to do what he does in most coffeeshops and restaurants. He asked the man, "If you were to die tonight and could only drink one more cup of coffee, which of these would it be?" pointing to the TJ coffee selections. His reply? "None of them." We were a bit taken aback (since he appeared to be an employee of TJ's, and we thought he might be in favor of selling things, rather than advising against them). But he continued.... "I'm from the Ivory Coast, and my father has a coffee plantation. I would drink a cup from back home." This made more sense. Apparently, his father owned a large coffee plantation; he had recently moved to Virginia from Paris, where he had worked for 14 years as his father's marketing distributor. He said he was tired of it, so that's why he moved to the States and was now in Virginia working. We smiled, and commented that if we had a coffee plantation, we definitely wouldn't drink store bought stuff either. He did finally say: "however, if I had to drink any of these...I would drink the Bolivian." 

We said thank you, and that we would try it. Figured his reference was probably a pretty good one.... and we were not disappointed. To this day, we have attempted to branch out and try others, but still can't get enough of the beautifully smooth and rich and almost caramel-y flavor and aroma of this beautiful bean. 

It is wonderful to drink black; not so good as an espresso grind (it's a little too light for that), and fantastic brewed in our Chemex coffee pot. It is of course best freshly ground, but if you need to grind it in advance, store it in the freezer to lock in the flavor. What's your favorite blend? I'm curious to hear of other fail-safe blends, and see if there is anything else that could possibly top this....