Saturday, February 26, 2011

Don't blow liquid smoke up my ass




The one dish that I knew I wanted to make this week was Black Bean Soup with Smoked Turkey Necks.  I had just made a bunch of spicy soups in a row so this was going to be more of a comforting smooth bean taste without the heat. 
I love black beans!  They're meaty and small.  Big beans kinda scare me.  Like those huge butter, kidney or Lima?  Eeks. But little black turtle beans are the right size for monkey.  They are a huge source of fiber of course but now they found they are super high in antioxidants, which I don't fully understand but I'm for anything that helps prevent cancer, heart disease and aging! 

You don't save a ton cooking the beans yourself but you do get the nice black broth instead of the slimy gummy syrup in your canned black beans. The soup base was to be mild and then the toppings; sour cream, sharp cheddar, cold chopped tomatoes, cilantro, pickled jalapeno would give it the Zip Bam Boom!
And it did! I quick soaked the beans for an hour.  I sauteed onions, bell pepper, carrots, celery and garlic. Then I added vegetable stock, cumin and Mexican oregano.  Lastly the smoked turkey necks. After bringing to a boil and simmering med-low for an hour, I turned the heat way down and slow cooked the soup overnight.  The next day I blended half in batches to have a thicker consistency and pulled the meat off the bones.  I added salt and pepper, adjusted the spices and added some liquid smoke. 
I have always loved the taste of Campbell's Bean with Bacon soup and that has a strong smoked flavor. Liquid Smoke is kind of a weird product. It's actually smoke passed through water and then turned into a liquid solution. Huh -Wha?  There's some controversy on its safety and a lot of folks warn a little goes a long way.  But it can be used for so many things and I believe they remove any harmful carbons.  It actually can help meat last longer, eliminate E. coli and prevent spoilage. I used Colgin's Hickory Smoke and liked it!


I can't wait to try it in my marinades as well.

You Can't Hurry Thugs, No You Just Have to Wait


I love going to PathMark because a good portion of their customers are nice old ladies that I enjoy talking to.  I go on my day off, fairly relaxed, I have some good conversations, and then wheel my booty home and trek it up the two flights of stairs just in time to watch Dr Oz talk to some woman about her vagina. Done. But this week I had another migraine that I couldn't shake. I thought maybe fresh air would help.  The light of day was rough but then the fluorescent lighting in the store was brutal.  I was wobbling down the aisles just trying to get anything in the cart so I could race home before I threw up.

I was hoping to browse the fresh produce and meat market for good deals.  I only had one clear dish that I knew I wanted to make but the rest was supposed to be the fun part of shopping. 

I managed to fill the cart with God knows what but I just needed to get out of there.  I get in a line maybe 6 carts deep.  Every customer took a long time but then the girl in front of me, she was the nail in my coffin.  That girl had problems with just about every single item price in her cart.  And the poor cashier had the patience of a saint but it musta took like a half an hour to complete each transaction.  And you know the girl had to split her order up into two purchases.

Like I said, I love PathMark in many ways but anyone would have to admit, it can be a bit ghetto in there depending on when you shop.  Thursday I walk in and some mother was screaming at her small child in ways that made me want to call child services.  Some other woman was standing in every one's way right at the entrance spewing such lewd and vial hatred into her cell phone that the livery drivers were blushing. 

The girl in front of me didn't care one bit that the line was growing and growing behind her.  She had to get her Rib Shaped Pork Patties two for five, like she saw 'em in the flier.  Did she have the flier?  Of course not.  Was there one handy?  No.  Our course even  if she did have the correct variety to get the deal, she needed a PathMark card.  No she didn't have one.  Could she ask me nicely or would she just say 'let me have your PathMark card' and reach for it without looking at me? 

Did I hand it right over to her?  Yes, but let me explain.  I am a small Mexican woman in Brooklyn with no power or desire for power.  I just want to gather my nuts and go home.  I don't want hassle or any stink on me when I get home. I am a monkey of peace.  Plus I'm very nervous by nature.

But that's one pet peeve of mine.  When the cashiers hand you change and can't bother to look at you so of course they aim a foot short of reaching comfortably so you have to stretch to get it.  Petty?  I don't know.  It happens to me 90% of the time I buy something in this town.  It gets to me, I have to be honest.  I want someone to tell me, 'have a nice day'.  I want a simple smile and a thanks. Basically, I just want something at the end of my transaction that does not feel like a big F. U.
By the time I got home and schlepped everything upstairs I wasn't inspired to create much.  I just quick fried some super thin pork chops and then rolled them in BBQ sauce at the end, steamed up some broccoli and made a quick white mac and cheese.  It was the simple smile and thanks I needed.  P loved the broccoli, steamed just enough with a little squirt of lime and a dash of Caesar salad dressing.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

But It Was Too Late, She's Come Undone...


 

I didn't see the wall coming.  I had every intention of serving my time at the women's prison.  I mean of going to work.  Sure it was a holiday but in retail that only means you're definitely working.  Sure P had a three day weekend and I was green with envy as I rode in the bitter cold in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday while he lay sleeping.  But I had accepted my fate.

But Monday brought more snow just in time for the morning commute. The day before brought..oh, musta been a million screaming kids guessing by the volume they reached and yelling angry customers, while crappy pop music played overhead like the soundtrack to a bad 80's movie. I brought an overload of hormones to the mix along with a stinky disposition. I came home from work a spent, limp lifeless shell in bad fitting skinny jeans.

Upon waking, I deduced the totality of the entire mix of events could only mean one thing - personal day.    I clearly was in no shape to converse with humans.  I had hit a wall.  I had come undone.

After I released myself from my 7.5 hour sentence by calling out, I realized the snow was actually quite beautiful and I was able to have a few laughs and rustle up some breakfast for me and the Pnut.  It turns out the wall was my friend.

Monday, February 21, 2011

I...I..I... Have Become Comfortably Numb

I wanted this week to be all about the vegetable dishes.  Mainly because there were no meat deals.  But I wanted to focus on and fully utilize the winter produce. I tried to find something incredible looking. Ehhh.  Nothing really jumped out at me to be honest but fresh vegetables really isn't PathMark's strong point truth be told.
I think the story is all in how you prepare the vegetables anyway.  The winter stuff can somewhat lack the curb appeal of say the bold summer colors and shapes.  But the flavors just burst in all their glory with a little prodding with steam or roasting.
Last night I whipped up a Food Network recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/cauliflower-with-tomatoes-recipe/index.html).  The cauliflower and plum tomatoes were tossed in olive oil, tumeric, cumin seeds and a pinch of cayenne and then roasted for 25 minutes in a 450 degree oven.  I threw in a can of chick peas since they are so meaty when roasted and they really played well with these flavors.


I think I've mentioned that I work in retail which can be rewarding and it can be very hard on the nerves. Yesterday on a super busy Sunday someone had sold some old goat the wrong color cabinet in my department.  Now returning something at a retail store on a Sunday can be brutal.  So normally, I'm all ears and all compassion. I was in the 'host' role, so we're supposed to be like the cheerleader, all smiles and ready to help. This man needed to yell at someone and the heffahs girls downstairs at the customer service desk prefer to be more on the givin' end of the abuse.  So, he yelled at me.  He didn't let me talk, he didn't let me make it right, he just yelled and accused and yelled some more.  He started say 'you' did this and 'you' did that.  Then for his Oscar moment he decided to rip up his order in my face and throw it at me. 


Somehow these things tend to happen in slow motion in your mind.  I saw the papers flying past my head like snow flakes and I felt myself losing the ability to move or talk. There were people in line to ask me questions but they just fade away.  I saw him walking away, still spewing his 'yous' and anger, pointing and shouting.  I turn and see my boss one foot away from me mind you, not hearing any of this. No help, as usual. Now in a movie or on a TV show something dramatic would have happened but in reality I just sucked it up, worked my next half hour and then rode home in the cold on my bike.  Then I spent most of the night fantasizing about what I could have said. 
I have no anger at the grouch because after what he went through and how busy and chaotic and horrible that store can in on a Sunday, he probably needed to vent.  I didn't deserve it but I certainly can take it.  Maybe not without any repercussions but I can take it.

A good plate of food prepared with love featuring roasted cauliflower and a hour of Stupid Home Videos helped. 

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Oh Bok Choy Yoouuuuu...You Got What I Need!


Bok Choy is a succulent white Chinese cabbage with dark leafy greens that mends my weary soul. I first discovered its medicinal qualities at Ollie's Noodle Shop in Times Square, when I was working my high stress marketing job.  Its way better than any regular cabbage and actually tastes more like a super celery. When you bite into the stalky white stems there is a burst of slightly bitter wonderment that is hard to describe or forget. The dark greens are as you'd imagine, rich and vibrant deep flavors. I literally crave it from time to time so it may be for the high amounts of Vitamin A or C that it provides.




I thought I'd steam it over white rice and be done with it tonight.  But Woman's Day gave me a great idea to make a quick soup.  They had a purdy picture of a Sausage & Kale soup. /www.womansday.com/Recipes/Sausage-Kale-Soup-Recipe  I already had the amazing leftover onion soup broth and a couple links of spicy sausage.  So I steamed the boy choy, cooked the sausage and put it together with the soup and added some drops of hot chili oil and a bit of soy to make it all come together.  Mmmmmmm. Soup is good food!

Full Moon Fever


If I grew claws tonight I wouldn't be a bit surprised.  Another full moon and I'm fit to be tied.  My breath is short, my body aches and I want to debone anyone that looks at me crooked.  Mentally I'm half wolf-half menopausal female, which ain't good.  I have my good moments too though.  One of them was coming up with this too-good orange & zest cream cheese frosting on these 'Stupid Chocolate' Brownies.  I promised homemade brownies for a pal at work that saved me from a bad situation with a customer.

We actually have a full time position dedicated to fixing our departments screw ups.  I don't like sucking up to anyone, especially well, ever actually.  I'm physically unable to do it, which can be a curse. But I screwed up.  I forgot to book out a sink for some old man that drove 90 miles upstate to his second home before realizing he had everything to put his new kitchen together except for his sink.  Whoops!  Its scary how fast these seemingly well mannered city folk can turn ugly on you if you do something like this. So the store had to pay for someone to drive it out there.  Yikes! Took some string pulling on my coworker's part. 
So for doing all this his request was for 'the most chocolaty brownies ever',  So I found a good recipe that combined bittersweet, semi-sweet and dutch cocoa powder, 5 eggs (!) and tons of sugar.  I think they were sufficiently stupid as the kids say.  http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Deep-Chocolate-Brownies-242608

I bought these super juicy navel oranges and got the wild hair to make a frosting. The fresh squeezed orange juice and zest was a cool breeze on a cloud of creamy goodness.  And the brownies were soft and almost fudge-like.  I left out the nuts or anything that distracted from the pure chocolate bliss. 
 

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Jalapenos, Ageless and Evergreen

On my break at work I daydream about what I will make for dinner.  I try to come up with a brilliant idea that I haven't seen before and of course most of the time it doesn't happen . Years ago I thought I had invented Green Chili but after a little searching realized many versions exist on the web. Of course I realized it was no Beef Wellington but I had never made it or seen it on any menu.  
Anyway, so today I am trying a 'Ground Turkey Jalapeno Soup w/Sweet Potato. I wanted to invent something but it had to be using ground turkey because I already took it out of the freezer.



I browned the ground turkey and have it simmering with green bell peppers, garlic and chopped sweet potatoes in a seasoned broth. To that I am adding roasted tomatillos and tons of jalapenos (seeded all but a couple) and onion. I want the flavor and not so much of the heat. Half I blended and half kept whole.

Jalapenos are readily available, cheap and lately huge so I feel they deserve to be the headliner more often.  They have an amazing dark green flavor when you roast them and the tomatillos add a fresh tart citrus kick.  The sweet potato adds color and just a little sweetness. I didn't allow them to get too soft in the soup, so they add substance.  This is almost a fat free soup outside of the bit of olive oil added to roast the vegetables. The spices I kept to the green varieties, like mex oregano, cumin powder & seeds, dried cilantro with the exception of a bit of chili powder to spice the turkey.  But will it top turkey chili verde with beans?

The reviews came in and it they were good!  The soup is very clean and not heavy.  The vegetables are vibrant and stimulating.  It's a light meal in a bowl and just needs a tortilla. We're having it for dinner again tomorrow.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

And I Won't Forget What I Did For Love




We celebrated Valentine's Day on Sunday because we're both so grouchy on Mondays.  I spent time finding just the right recipes that were both romantic and new.  I settled on French Onion Soup with Loads of Thyme and Griant Gruyere Crostini and Steak with Parmessan Butter and Balsamic Glaze atop Arugula Salad.  I found the recipes on Epicurious.com as always.  I love that site!
I got off work wondering if I bit off more than I could chew.  The night before I had slight cupcake fail with that Guava undertaking. But I did prep work by marinated the steak overnight. I bought all the ingredients which included the Gruyere cheese, ciabatta bread, the Sweet Vidalia onions, the fresh thyme and bay leaves ahead of time.  Magically we had a good bottle of white wine in the house.
On paper both recipes sounded fairly fast and easy, especially the salad.  I was supposed to use rib eye but that's not in the budget so I heavily marinated a london broiler overnight and it proved to do quite well, cut it against the grain and it was tender and delicious. 
But cutting five huge onions thin-sliced takes a good amount of time.  In hindsight I should have used the processor.  Letting the onions get amber colored, takes a good 40 minutes.  Then after you add the wine and broth, its another half hour before you get it under the broiler.  But relatively, this is a simple soup to make. I think you just need to do it right and use good wine and cheese.  And if you follow the recipe, it is SPECTACULAR!  This soup was as good as I ever had in a nice restaurant and the Vidalia onions are so amazingly sweet. 

Once I charred the steak and got a quick broil on it, the sauce and salad was very quick to put together. 
Since the soup took a bit longer than I expected, I held P off with a plate of sliced Red Bartlett Pears, bread & Stilton cheese. 
Now let me tell you, P was busy playing on-line poker through much of my love-fest and he was slightly out of hand when he actually brought the laptop to the table..not kidding.  Yeah.  Mainly, I just wanted to do it.  I made an amazing soup that was better than I had hoped and the salad was everything good on a plate - steak, lemons, arugula, parmessan shavings and I snuck in some pepperoncini peppers.   Who needs romance, affection and attention?  Uh...

Saturday, February 12, 2011

I'm gonna git you sucka!



I have 10 more minutes on these cupcakes as I begin this post.  These dern cupcakes that may or may not put a few bucks in my pocket.  P can't even stand the smell of the guava nectar or paste.  I actually think it smells tropical and could see adding a ton of vodka and ice and calling it a day.  hee hee.  But that's not an option, so Guava cupcakes it will be.

The cool thing about Guava is its one of those foods that is popular in Mexico, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Columbia, Cuba and it is a 'super' fruit.  Although I don't think mixed with as much corn syrup as  with this paste.  Oh well, if its interesting, I'll find a way to make it healthier.  This recipe came from AllRecipes.com for a cake.
Rookie mistake #12,353 - always read the reviews before you try a new recipe.  This is less of a light cupcake and more of a spiced carrot cake taste which is more dense.  Just a little different than I expected.  Still good.
Okay, I still have the frosting that might save the whole thing. I'm doing a cream cheese with guess what, that's right guava nectar flavor and a splash of lemon juice. Plus I always test my baked goods piping hot, which is not always a good thing.  Best to let it ride until the end.

Okay, its the end.  I like these!  They aren't as 'light and fluffy dreamy, eat this and suck it' good as I had anticipated for my ultimate revenge plan.  See previous post where a coworker said he would trade my brownies for these amazing guava cupcakes that some girl makes there.  Them's fightin' words!  Well I wasn't havin' any of that nonsense, so I wanted these to be a-mazing.  They are really good but I don't think they'll get us the double-wide trailer on the lake, lets just say.

Jesus was a Capricorn




We started with cups of hot coffee and a pecan caramel cluster. Then mini toasted blueberry bagels with whipped cream cheese.  More coffee, then poached eggs over toast slathered with herbed sour cream and turkey bacon strips. A tall glass of cold OJ to wash it down.  Ahhh. Heaven is breakfast in bed on Saturday mornings. 
What do you think hell will be exactly?  Watching your own life in high definition realtime from beginning to end?  Yikes!  Actually that might be what you do in purgatory since there is a lot of waiting time there as I recall the story goes. They've probably modernized it a bit since the 60's catechism classes.  Maybe they decked out the hallways with private screening booths, previews of what's to come perhaps.  It takes time to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.  Maybe longer for some of us.

What would they serve for lunch in hell?  Jack-in-the-Box tacos?  Remember those?  They put a slice of waxy processed cheese on a cardboard factory taco shell...actually it sounds really good right now.

What's fer lunch??!

Some Like It Hot

This food monkey has gone undercover to create a wicked hot habanero chili powder as gifts for the pepper grower and also mi padre.

The B-in-law sent a four finger bag of habanero peppers and seeds. This stuff was so potent that I had to let the blender sit unopened for five minutes each time, before I could open the lid and stir. I had to wear a scarf around my nose and mouth,glasses and of course gloves. And I STILL sneezed and coughed forever.





A couple of quick thoughts while making this chili powder blend; I can't believe how many peppers it takes to make a small amount of powder. I can't believe I never thought about doing this before because it is super fun and right up my alley! I don't see saving much money, if any, by making your own. But its SO cool to add your own mix and play around with the different peppers and honestly the difference in taste and level of flavor is indescribable!

The mix: I'm using what I feel would be good as a rub, or in a soup and in chili. Good, that is, if you enjoy painful movements, rectal bleeding and profuse sweating, like my dad. Habenero (the whole pepper, seeds and all!), cayenne, ancho, new mexican chiles, garlic, mexican oregano, spanish paprika, dried cilantro and lots of toasted whole cumin seeds.

Let's talk Mexican oregano a second: for me, just as important as the cumin in a lot of mexican dishes. It is way less sweet but its strong and has a lemony scent. It is a completely different plant then the greek version, not a mint at all. Its hard to find it in New York unless you hit the gourmet shops. They even carry dried cilantro. I finally found it at The Green Grape on my corner. I haven't gone there out of protest because everyone says how wonderful it is and I thought it was a lot of pretentious hippety-hoo-haa, but you you know they have great stuff and exactly what I had been searching for all day so I should just shut my mouth and enjoy them being so close. I had to brave Sahadi's for the whole cumin earlier that day too. I wanted to make sure it was fresh and not sitting on the store shelf for 2 years. When it was toasting I wanted to really smell it, and I did.




Since I had the blender running and all the spices out, I went ahead and made a little chipotle blend for myself and a lighter version of the devil dust.

I saved just enough of the good stuff to add to my Holiday Pork Pozole that I'm making this weekend.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Don't Give Up on Me Baby - I Could Still Come Through

When in doubt lately, I make a new chili powder blend.  I could not get it together today.  I couldn't figure out how to get going.  Maybe I'm tired. Maybe its the winter blahs.  Its not emotional enough to be the blues. 
But at least in my lethargy I managed to gather food making ideas for the upcoming week.  We will celebrate V'day with a couple hot dishes - simple but love inducing concoctions. 

Someone asked me to make brownies at work so maybe they could 'trade' them for guava cupcakes.  Trade my brownies???  I don't think so fool!  But what are these guava cupcakes they speak of?  I googled,  found a cool recipe with every kinda guava and I will attempt them in the next days.  I will present said coworker with the best guava cupcakes they've ever dreamed of and get the ultimate revenge -sweet retribution!!! Or something will come out of it anyway...hopefully a few bucks.

I've been trying to get a feel for any kind of  sucker consumer base at work for either baked goods, specialty items, like these chili powders or basically anything that people will hand me money for.
P was sweet enough to get me a spice grinder for my 49th bday yesterday.  Boy d'ya think standing in the doorway of the scariest age a woman probably turns in her life could have anything to do with the blue mood?  Oh, I'll be honest...I'm terrified, scared stiff.  Good lord I'm OLD! And today makes it official. The shows not over yet but if the plot doesn't get any more interesting, I wouldn't blame anyone from walking out. Hell,  I think I might just walk out.  I really need to figure out a way to stop working for the man, period.  No God would make humans so full of life just to be stuck in lame soul-sucking jobs that have no meaning.  No God is that boring.  I need to figure a way out of my own personal recession. Until then, I'll work at these chili powders. The grinder got the powder to just the right consistency.  The blend is chipotle & negro (pasilla) chilis, toasted whole cumino seeds, onion and garlic powder, mexican oregano, smoked spanish paprika and a dash of salt. Nothing boring about that mix at least.