No Ham About It

I have a  problem with Angry Birds*, really just a minor little thing.

I cannot stop playing.

I played through Angry Birds, then went back and got three stars on most levels. I got Angry Birds Rio before I knew there was a movie. And I have Angry Birds, Seasons, too.

I sometimes forget to stop playing long enough to eat.

Thank goodness game publisher Rovio Mobile has released an Angry Birds cookbook - now I can play Angry Birds and eat Angry Birds, too. Sure to feed your "app-etite," Angry Birds: Bad Piggies' Recipes is set to be released on December 6th.

It has darling and colorful cartoon drawings of the main Angry Birds characters. Except, there's trouble in Angry Birds land as the Bad Piggie is cooking up eggs. Forty egg recipes to be egg-zact. And that only makes the birds angrier.

And, stretching my philosophical wings, that explains the conundrum we're faced as humans:  we have a difficult time seeing, accepting, or respecting a different point of view. Any difference of opinion may be met with a venomous reply...hence quarrels, arguments, and ultimately wars. Some day, these pigs and birds need to sit down at the negotiating table and work out a compromise. The two dissenting sides attempted a "peace treaty" on an Israeli comedy show.  [Warning: The birds drop the f-bomb several times. And I'm not referring to the big white bird that drops bombs or the little black bomb bird, either.]

Needless to say, the treaty failed. Let's hope us humans can do better...and that's enough philosophy because Angry Birds: Bad Piggies' Egg Recipes has nothing to do with world view or politics. It has to do with cooking eggs.

Which is enough to keep the epic battle between Pigs and Birds going for a long, long time.

This is such a cute idea for a gift for any Angry Birds addictee. (I feel a long side note regarding 12-step programs for people who play Angry Birds too much coming on...must stop. Must stop.)

I'm curious to see the book in person, though, as on my computer screen, the colors are toned down - not as brilliant as on my iPod. The illustrations are just adorable - a hot air balloon full of pigs (and grilling eggs) barely escapes a group of birds, while nearby a pig hides in a tree.

The three recipes I was able to see in the preview were simple, and I was disappointed that the preview didn't include more recipes. Looks like there will be forty recipes total "ranging from scrambled eggs and omelets to Eggs Benedict and quiche." A quick peak at the preview on Amazon shows egg salad, aioli sauce, meringue, and more - accompanied by illustrations, of course.

The book keeps the humor going through "Be a pig for a day, no worries in the world, no Angry Birds trying to knock you down. The kitchen is your pigpen and life's good."  I can only imagine what the Angry Birds will cook up next.

Oink Oink!

*For those who have no idea what this post is about, Angry Birds is one of the most successful  games in the world. With more than twelve million downloads from iTunes, you are missing out on a worldwide phenomenon of time wasting & pig chasing. Go help the birds get their eggs back!

Green Hairball & Egg, No Ham

I'm exploring a few recipes from The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones.

Looking for something simple a cozy dinner in tonight? Try the Baked Eggs recipe on page 98-99. Don't be daunted by the fact that the recipe stretches between two pages. This is a 6"x8" book, and the recipe is short.

Plus, this is cooking for one person, so the list of ingredients is very small: one zucchini, a little butter, 3 mushrooms, one scallion, a tablespoon or so of heavy cream, and an egg. Salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese are optional.

First, I grated the zucchini, mixed in a little salt, and let it set over a bowl to drain.

I'd forgotten to get scallions, so opted for chopped onion. The mushrooms followed next and seriously - it was perhaps 1/4 cup onion and a small (by comparison) mountain of mushrooms.

When you're cooking for one person, the hardest thing to get used to has to be the smaller amounts. Cooking for four - no problem. Many recipes are writen for four or more people. But cooking for one? Humph and bah humbug..unless you're a leftover lover.

Can't think of anyone who'd like to eat the same thing for six days straight. Not by choice anyway.

The onion and mushroom were sauteed with butter and then I added the zucchini hairball.

Seriously.

The drained and squeezed zucchini shreddings looked suspiciously like a cat's hairball - except green. I stirred the mixture around, but was still quite concerned. Green hairballs with chunks, so NOT appetizing. I was worried.

The recipe suggests using heavy cream; I had none and used just a wee bit of chicken broth to add flavor. I mushed the green hairball mixture into into a small gratin dish,and made a dent...

then added a sprinkling of that parmesan cheese from a green bottle. I cracked an egg into the center and placed the dish into a 350 oven.

I checked back in 15 minutes and the egg had not settled, so let it go just a bit longer and removed. I sprinkled on some salt and pepper, then added a couple strips of Grand Pandama cheese.

Sous Chef (err, Meow Chef?) Ivan volunteered to look glamorous while I snapped a picture.

And then I ate the green hairballs and egg.

And you know what? I liked it. I more than liked it: it was yummy. Adding the heavy cream would make this scintillating, a private decadance.

Here's the thing: if you nuked this in your microwave, it would be ready in minutes. Fast, sexy, satisfying. What could be wrong with that?

Oh.

Perhaps the image of green hairballs?

At the end of the recipe, Jones suggests trying other items to create a cushion for the egg: cooked greens, broccoli, or mashed root vegetables. I'll have to try at least one of those some day.

Food, Friendship & Math

In addition to enjoying cooking, I also love to read - hence my ever-expanding collection of cookbooks. But how do you "collect" an e-book? 

I recently did some traveling for business, and took along a paperback and an e-book. I liked reading from both. The paperback was Perdido Street Station, and -let me tell you- you don't want to cook anything from the steampunk book unless it's for Halloween. (It's a good read, certainly, but not a cookbook.)

The e-book was The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship by Andrea Israel and Nancy Garfinkel with recipes by Melissa Clark, and was published in 2009.

It's a breezy read, mostly composed of a series of emails (current times) and letters (from childhood) written between two "friendemies" who were once best of friends. 

Recipes were created specifically for the book and reflect story lines a la "Breakup with Boyfriend Wine and Dine;" that's not an actual recipe title from the book, but you get the idea. 

The Recipe Club is clever, but not pithy: I read from e-cover to cover in less than a day. I didn't care for the stereotypical good girl/bad girl contrast, nor the way everything works out perfect (too perfect) in the end. 

Regardless, this is the kind of marshmallow fluff of a book I like to snack on, a sort of literary comfort food. 

My favorite recipe title has to be the "Mighty Math Muffins." I'm math-challenged, but after reading this recipe, I'm wondering if it's simply an aversion to math class versus recipe calculations? Here's hoping you can solve the story problems in the recipe; the book gives answers.

Mighty Math Muffins

What's 3/4 cup of sugar times 2?

What's 1/2 of 1/2 cup of butter?
What's 1/6 of a dozen eggs?
What's 1/2 of 32 ounces of all purpose flour?
If a tablespoon has 3 teaspoons and you need 2 tablespoons minues 4 teaspoons, what do you need?
What's a teaspoon of salt minus 3/4?
Waht's 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest times 4?
What's 1/4 of 16 ounces of milk?
How many cups of chopped cranberries do you need if you need 16 ounces?


Grease muffin tins. Then, when you have the math solutions, mix up the mysterious ingredients. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Okonomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia is the term that an English major (me) uses for a word that imitates or suggests the source of the sound: think "hiccup" or "zoom" or even "quack." This Japanese street food is called Okonomiyaki, and onomatopoeiacally, I'd call it "yummy" as the basic meaning of the word is "what you like, grilled." And it reminds me of potato pancakes. Kind of.

I first learned of Okonomiyaki viewing the collection of Chow.com videos on YouTube. Then, being a fervent reseacher, I googled my brains off and found Okonomiyaki World - which told me everything I needed to know, and then some. I couldn't wait to try it out at home.

Unfortunately, it's been ridiculously hot since my return from Denver, and I haven't felt like being in the kitchen turning the heat up even higher. But we got a break in the heat wave recently, so I headed to the hottest room in the house: the kitchen. First I mixed up the okonomi sauce:

Catsup, Worcestershire, Soy

In another bowl, I mixed flour, water, and eggs to form a pancake-like batter.

Then I added veggies, meat, and stirred to combine. The very last addition was Rice Krispies for some crunchiness. Part of the reason I wanted to make this recipe was so I had a good excuse to buy a huge package of Rice Krispies and make a pan of Rice Krispie Treats - all for myself! (OK, perhaps I'll take them into work...maybe...or not.)

Veggies added to the batter

I prepared my pan with oil, and dropped a well-packed one cup measurement onto the heated pan. The batter started sizzling immediately. I shaped the pancake into a circular shape and pressed down until it was about 5" across - close to size of my palm. I've read that these are traditionally 12" across, but I don't have that big of a griddle.

Cooking before the first flip - bacon on top.

I placed bacon on top of the pancake and waited roughly three minutes, then flipped the pancake so the bacon was on the griddle. The sizzling continued.

After a few more minutes, I flipped the pancake back over to complete the cooking. I repeated these steps until I'd used all of the batter, which gave me three good size okonomiyaki's. I added Okonomi sauce and mayonnaise, and dug in.

I've got to say, these are really tasty. This was my first time making okonomiyaki, so I wasn't sure what to expect, perhaps a potato pancake thingie?

This was a lot better than potato pancakes, though, and far more filling. I used a little grated ginger in lieu of the pickled ginger; next time I'll definitely spring for authentic pickled ginger (love the stuff anyway.) I'll also add salt and pepper to the batter. I think these would freeze well, too.

I really like the potential for variation with Okonomiyaki. I can imagine using a wide variety of in season vegetables that are quick to cook: kale, carrot, parsnip, radish...anything that can be cut into long, thin strips or thinly diced. The next time I make these, I'll also experiment more with the meats, perhaps adding shrimp or another seafood.

Okonomiyaki are good for any meal of the day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, or an in-between snack. And do not omit the Okonomi sauce. Yummy!

BEST OKONOMIYAKI RECIPE
Adapted from okonomiyakiworld.com

FOR THE PANCAKE
1 cup flour
2/3 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
2 scallions, diced
1/4 cup Rice Krispies
6 strips bacon
1/2 cup chicken, cooked
ginger shavings (or 1 oz pickled ginger)
1 ear corn, shucked
1/4 cup roasted red pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

TOPPINGS:
The sky's the limit here, but traditional toppings can be bonito flakes, seafood flakes, and a variety of sauces. I used a combination of mayonnaise and Okonomi Sauce.

FOR THE OKONOMI SAUCE
3 T catsup
1 T Worcestershire
1 t soy
Mix and set aside. Try it with a drop or two of liquid smoke, too.

MAKE THE PANCAKE
1. Mix the flour, water, and eggs into a batter.
2. Add cabbage, scallions, chicken, ginger, corn, red pepper and stir to combine.
3. Get the grill heated up, then -and only then- add the Rice Krispies and stir to combine.
4. Add oil to the griddle and drop about 1 cup of the okonmiyaki mixture onto the sizzling griddle. Shape into a circular pancake.
5. Add bacon to cover, and let cook three or more minutes.
6. Flip so that the bacon is on the griddle, and cook four minutes longer.
7. Flip the pancake again, and cook until firm and well browned.
8. Remove to plate, cover with sauces and toppings and devour.

Or, as the recipe at Okonmiyaki says, "Eat quickly before someone near you takes your portion."

Community Eats Green Eggs, Some Ham

This summer I'm taking a tour of the wild side of cooking. That's the place in cooking where you don't necessarily have a recipe or cookbook or, for that matter, much of a plan. For me that constitutes wild cooking because so much of what I prepare is strictly from a book. Sure, I throw in a personal flourish every now and then, but I rarely venture into recipe-creating territory. Why this sudden change?

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has forced me to change my cooking tune totally - at least for the next three or four months. Every week I'll get a bunch of vegetables, and I'll have to do something with them or they'll all rot in the bottom of my fridge; and I wouldn't want to do that to lovely, organic vegetables - ever.

Here's how a CSA works:
1. There's a farmer. He or she is ready and willing to work hard to produce vegetables for your table.
2. You buy a "share" or "half share" which allows the farmer to plant and nourture vegetables.
3. You get vegetables every week for however many weeks. Here in mid-Michigan, it's 18 weeks of organics from the Swier Family Farm.

I'll admit I balked at the hefty (for me) $200 price tag to split a share with a friend. I had all sorts of doubts and we'll see if any of them come to fruition through the summer. I wonder if I'll be so enthusiastic at the end of the summer? So often when I start a new venture, I'm enraptured; by the end of it, I'm ready to move on. As I trudged to the designated pickup location, I had big doubts.

Heavens, my initial fears and doubts turned to total veggie induced elation when I picked up my first share:

• mixed salad greens (about a half pound)
• arugula
• spinach
• swiss chard
• garlic scapes
• fresh oregano
• 13 or 14 radishes of different sorts
• three farm fresh eggs

Eggs and Radishes

All items are washed thoroughly at the farm and bagged, so all you really need to do is start chopping and cooking. I headed straight into the kitchen and made a fabulous frittata. And even using three-four cups of spinach, swiss chard, and arugula, I still have more than I typically eat in a week. Clearly, this CSA thing is worth it.

Garlic Scapes and Salad Mix

I got out my calculator and checked out the cost...something I'm not inclined to do very often. I paid $220 for 18 weeks of deliveries which works out to around $11 per week. I can safely say that I spend that much in vegetables and other foodstuffs every week. It's my hope that this CSA summer will reduce purchases from the local mega-store, and that I'll stop lugging heavy plastic bags into the house, and cease having newly purchased vegetables rotting practically overnight (due to being shipped across the country or around the globe) off of my list. These veggies come from just across the county line, and I can go visit the farm almost anytime. After all, it's my money that helps keep the farm afloat. Or a-planting...

Exactly what lucious vegetables I'll receive depends on the weather and the farmer's winter calculations. Given that farmer's are significantly knowledgeable about these things, I've got my fingers crossed for carrots, beets, sugar snap peas, zucchini, cucumbers, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, winter squash and who knows what else. Here's what I did with those eggs:

Swier Frittata Number One

Swier Frittata Number One

2 cups assorted greens, chopped. I used arugula, swiss chard, spinach
1/4 cup oregano, chopped
ground cumin, a teaspoon or more
1 huge radish, diced
8 eggs, beaten
Milk (or water if you don't have milk)
Butter
Olive oil
Asiago Cheese

Oh, the frittata, so initially intimidating - actually nothing more than a fancy scrambled omelet. Be sure your pan is well-seasoned and use plenty of oil or butter: your goal is to deftly slide the frittata onto a serving platter.

Place the butter and olive oil in the pan; I like a mixture of both, going heavier on the olive oil, lighter on the butter. Saute the greens and radish until wilted. Throw in the spices, eggs and cheese. Stir it around until well combined and let sit on the burner until the sides are firm.

At this point, you have a choice. You can put the whole thing (pan included) into the oven and finish it off with a little browning from the broiler. You can leave it on the stove top until the center is firm. Either way is OK by me, and I doubt your tummy will notice a difference.

When firm -egg firm- slide onto the serving platter and devour. If you have leftovers, they're OK to serve cold. I'd also suggest a dippy or saucey accompanyment. Whimp-ola me likes catsup (or ketchup,) while fresh salsa could also be delightful.

The other great thing about frittata's is the flexibility: saute an onion, throw in more or less cheese or a different kind of cheese. Nummy!

Muffins For Breakfast

This week, I'm exploring recipes from Food Editor's Favorites: Treasured Recipes. I really wanted to make something this week that would help me not go through a drive-thru for breakfast before work. The Ice Box English Tea Muffins on page 126 sounded perfect.

Most muffin recipes are virtually foolproof. This was no exception, although the topping might have tripped up a beginning baker. With the oven preheating to 350, I gathered my ingredients and made the topping of brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans and set aside.

Topping

I mixed the remaining ingredients: sugar, butter, an egg, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and flour. The recipe suggested using a cup of milk; I didn't have any, however, I did have leftover heavy whipping cream. I also substituted a combination of golden raisins and dried blueberries for the 3/4 cup raisins.

Dried Blueberries, Golden Raisins, Creamy Batter

I used a large soup spoon to drop batter into the muffin pan...

and generously covered with topping.

The muffins went into the oven for 20 minutes or so. And came out of the oven nothing but yummy.

These are great muffins to add into your baking repertoire. Fresh out of the oven, these were so utterly moist and crumbly I couldn't stop from eating a couple. The addition of whipping cream and the brown sugary topping reminded me of crème brûlée and mom's coffee cake. I definitely had these several mornings, and am sure they'd work well for an afternoon coffee break, too. 


Ice Box English Tea Muffins
from Treasured Recipes: Food Editor's Favorites, page 126
Submitted by Donna Morgan of the Salt Lake Tribune in Salt Lake City, UT


Morgan wrote, "This is an old family recipe we treasure." (Make them and you'll see why!)



FOR THE MUFFIN:
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup raisins


FOR THE TOPPING: 
1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350. Cream sugar and butter. Add beaten egg; blend well. Combine salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and flour and add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Stir in raisins.Topping: Thoroughly combine sugar, cinnamon and nuts.Spoon batter into greased muffin cups and sprinkle on topping. Bake 20 minutes, or until done.Note: If not using batter immediately, cover tightly and store in refrigerator until needed. Batter will keep 3-4 weeks. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Legends of Pancakes

At any restaurant, there are so-called "famous" recipes that the chef is known for and that guest return over and over to order. I asked a friend who lives near Asheville for the food that she'd recommend from Tupelo Honey Cafe. She immediately gave me two suggestions: Pimento Cheese and Sweet Potato Pancakes.

Looking over the recipes for both cheese and pancakes in the newly released Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook, I felt compelled to attempt the pancakes. The cheese was easy enough with shredded cheddar, mayo, parsley, roasted red peppers; it did, however, call for three different types of mustard - not my favorite condiment by any stretch. I passed on the Southern-styled pimento cheese and embrassed the pancakes. I am still embracing them today.

This is a multi-step recipe. This is also a recipe that you want to make over and over. Here are the parts:

• The pancakes
• The peach butter
• The spiced pecans

The night before tackling the pancakes and peach butter, I prepared the needed baked sweet potato and spiced pecans. I mixed authentic Tupelo Honey and little cayenne and salt in a small bowl. Then I melted butter and added the honey mixture and chopped pecans. This was cooked for 10 minutes or so - you're looking for the pecans to become caramelized. When they reached that point, I removed from the heat and stored in the open where I could nibble at will.

In the morning I pulled a package of frozen peaches out and let them thaw on the counter.

Inspector Ivan

I re-read the directions with more care and realized that I'd need to let the pancake batter stand for one hour, so I got on the batter right away. I pulled the skin off the sweet potato and mashed the potato with Tupelo Honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

I pulled out my largest bowl and began to mix up the pancakes. I combined flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder together and mixed in the mashed sweet potato and spices.

In another bowl I cracked three eggs...

Added three cups of buttermilk and some melted butter...

And combined...

And combined until smooth.

While waiting for the pancake batter to do its thing (whatever that thing is) I made the peach butter. I combined unsalted butter at room temperature...

with about 3/4 cup thawed and finely diced peaches, sea salt, and peach nectar (that's peach juice.)

After repeatedly tasting to be sure the peach butter was satisfactory (for quality assurance purposes naturally,) I moved on to cooking the pancakes.

It had been years since I cooked pancakes. And I had to cook them three at a time in my Calaphon pan as I don't have a griddle. It took a little longer, but I got all of the batter cooked in the end.

Bubbling Pancakes

Pancakes Flipped

Oodles of Pancakes

Before I started with the recipe, I had been planning to make a half batch. The recipe is designed to make large pancakes to serve four people, and there's no way I would ever eat that much. I searched online for information about freezing pancakes, and discovered the Freeze Happy website. Following the advice given, I can report that my oodles of pancakes freeze and reheat beautifully - particularly if they are smaller sized pancakes like I made. And I made the full recipe.

But was it worth it?

Sweet Potato Pancakes

I'm salivating just thinking about eating these tomorrow for breakfast. With a little real maple syrup, you've got a feast for your tummy and taste buds. I plan to heat those pancakes up in the microwave, add a very generous dollop of peach butter (which also keeps well,) and sprinkle on some spiced pecans. I may do the same thing for dinner!

Welcome Us With Bagels

So picture this, will you. You know that rock band Kiss? The guys with copious stage makeup and outrageous costumes who ruled the airwaves with songs like "I Want To Rock and Roll All Night"  and "Beth?" No? Hmmm...

How about that guy reality show guy Gene Simmons?  He's a founding member of Kiss. Picture him, in costume and makeup, munching on an Apple Cream Cheese and Toasted Almond Bagel. Not what you'd think he'd be munching on?

Backstage Pass: Catering to Music's Biggest Starssays the recipe was prepared for Kiss and crew sometime in the 1990s. And if you're looking to seduce someone with your breakfast preparation skills, this is a recipe to add to your repetoire. Most of the prep can be done the night before.

I don't have a lot of pictures for this because, frankly, there wasn't a lot to take pictures of. Just mix up some cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt, Italian parsley, white pepper, sugar and cinnamon (or should that be Sinnamon?)

Then peel, core, and thinly slice some green apples. Make them really thin, even a quarter inch dice would work nice for this recipe. Mix them up with the cheeses, and throw in some golden raisins and toasted almonds. Place it in the fridge and wait until morning.

When you wake, saunter to the fridge and pull out the apple cream cheese. Split a couple of bagels, top with brown sugar and broil until the sugar melts. It won't take long.

Poor some champagne to celebrate your new found love (or whatever you'd like to celebrate) and you've got a delicious breakfast in bed.

P.S. If you pile on the apple cream cheese, I have no doubt that it will slip and slide off of the bagel. Could make for a tasty morning!