Peanut Butter Blossoms

I'm going to attempt to go to work tomorrow.  Resting a week on sick leave hasn't been all the fun it sounds like.  Still tired from the occasional coughing fit, but GP (coworker) should have more peace.  It was actually GP who begged me to go to the doctor again, and I'm grateful he did.

In spite of being on sick leave, I haven't been down and out.  I've been snacking all day and have been trying to think of goodies I can make with what I have on hand.  I swear I had a bag of kisses because I was ono for Peanut Butter Blossoms to go with a toasty vanilla latte.

Peanut Butter Blossoms originally made their appearance in one of the Pillsbury Bake-Off contests in the second half of the 20th century.  Being a peanut butter cookie fan, I've enjoyed these treats occasionally.  This is one of those things that, while easy to make, becomes exponentially easier to make when there are another set of hands to help.  Fortunately for me, D2 loves peanut butter AND loves to help.

It took several tries for me to come up with the best temperature and baking intervals for this cookie.  I checked out a whole bunch of recipes from both local and mainland cookbooks.  Some recipes called for less flour, and other recipes omitted the milk altogether.  Another discrepancy was the oven temperature.  Some recipes said 350.  Others said 375.  I even came across a recipe calling for 370 degrees!  But the area of greatest variation was in baking protocol.

Most recipes suggested baking somewhere between 8 and 12 minutes, removing from the oven, then pressing a kiss into the center of the cookie.  A few recipes mentioned pulling the cookies from the oven after 8 to 10 minutes, pressing a kiss into the center of the cookie, then returning the cookies to the oven for 2 minutes or so.  I found the second protocol to truly work . . . the kiss definitely set up faster, in spite of my knee-jerk thinking that the heat of the oven would immediately melt the kiss.

 click on recipe title for printable recipe
Peanut Butter Blossoms

     1/2 c butter

     1/2 c peanut butter

     1/2 c sugar

     1/2 c brown sugar

     1 3/4 c flour

     1/2 tsp salt

     1 tsp baking soda

     1 egg

     1 tsp vanilla

     2 tbsp milk

     sugar for rolling

     48 Hershey's Kisses

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine butter, peanut butter and sugars in a mixing bowl.  Stir in egg, vanilla, and milk.  Add in flour, salt, and baking soda.  Using a #60 disher (2 tsps), drop dough into a bowl of sugar, and roll until coated.  Place coated dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and press a kiss into center of each cookie.  Return to oven for 2 more minutes.  Remove cookies to a cooling rack and cool completely before storing.

Lemon Cake (adapted from Barefoot Contessa Lemon Cake)

The first half of this week passed by in a blur.  After going to the doctor on Monday and being told to stay out of work for the next two weeks, I decided I really need to take it easy.  I missed out on a workshop on Tuesday and will be missing out on a parent meeting tomorrow. My home is no cleaner, but I'm grateful for the resting time.  I'm also grateful for getting out of another workshop, although if it wasn't for a workshop, I would never have encountered this heavenly cake. . .

This is a cake that has been taken everywhere . . . workshops, meetings, family parties, picnics, office snack table.  Its always well-received, and its one of those dishes where someone will always ask for the recipe.  In fact, that's how I got the recipe myself nearly a decade ago.

I attended a workshop in Honolulu and someone brought it as a contribution to the snack table.  Everyone requested the recipe.  We were told it came from the Barefoot Contessa Parties! cookbook, but it could also be found on the Food Network website here.

After making the cake (original recipe) several times, I decided there were some things I wanted to "fix".  First of all, I normally buy large eggs.  My Williams-Sonoma Food Companion said for 4 eggs, it really didn't matter if it was large or extra-large, so I tried making the recipe with large eggs.  If the quality suffered, I certainly couldn't tell the difference.  The other thing that always gave me problems was the icing.  Using the original recipe made the icing too runny for my taste.  It wouldn't just sit atop the cake and ooze slowly.  It would run off and be too thin.  The taste was fine, but in terms of aesthetics, the thicker icing made for a nicer picture.  Oddly enough, the picture of the cake in the book had a thicker icing than what you'd get by following the original recipe.

Several dozen cakes later. . .

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Lemon Cake

(adapted from the Barefoot Contessa Parties! cookbook)

     1 c butter, softened

     2 1/2 c sugar, divided

     4 eggs

     1/3 c lemon zest (optional)

     3 c flour

     1/2 tsp baking powder

     1/2 tsp baking soda

     1 tsp salt

     1 c lemon juice, divided

     3/4 c buttermilk

     1 tsp vanilla

     2 c powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour 2 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" pans or 5 mini loaf pans.  Line bottoms only with parchment paper.  Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.   Combine 1/4 c lemon juice, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Set aside.  Cream butter and 2 c sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time.  Add lemon zest.  Add flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to batter, beginning and ending with flour.  Divide batter evenly between pans, smoothing tops.  If using mini loaf pans, 3 #10 dishers goes into each pan.  Bake for 50-55 minutes (40 minutes if making mini loaves) or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cakes cool for 10 minutes in pan.  While cooling, make syrup by cooking 1/2 c sugar and 1/2 c lemon juice over low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Remove cakes from pans and place on a wire rack.  Spoon syrup over cakes.  Allow to cool completely.  Combine powdered sugar and 3 tbsp lemon juice in a small bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth.  Pour over cakes and allow icing to drip down the sides.

Kay's Ono Spaghetti

birthday girl

Before I start bitching about my weekend, I'd like to wish D1 a happy birthday.  Somehow, she manages to do well for the 7-hours of each  weekday known as "school", but ask her what animals you'd expect to see in Alaska and your head will start spinning with the answer.  She drives me mental, but I love her dearly.  The full day of labor and years of recovery (still recovering!) she put me through was worth it.  I'd also like to wish happy birthday to Aunty Betty (of corned beef hash fame), who shares the same birthday as D1.  They are indeed two of a kind.

I worked hard this weekend trying to avoid the Christmas crowds.  While some people know me as a "shopper", the truth is, I find crowds daunting.  I'd rather spend a few more $ to shop on the internet (in the privacy of my own home, sitting in a comfy chair, sipping a Coco Rico) than brave the awful crowds at PKP, WalMart & Target; unlike me, D1 went shopping on Black Friday and came home with an armload of gifts.  Unlike D1 and sadly for those on my gift list, most of the internet shopping I accomplished was for myself. . .pffftttthh.  Maybe I'll be up to braving the crowds next week.

I've also been doing some intense research on a dish called "Hainanese Chicken Rice", which is supposed to be THE unofficial national dish of Singapore (introduced by, who else, the Chinese).  But I'm trying to avoid going to the market now.  The KTA Puainako parking lot is nuts, especially with the cordoned-off area for Christmas trees.  For the moment, meals need to be planned around what we have on hand.  Spaghetti happens to be one of those meals.

This is one of those recipes where you begin to wonder why I'd post a recipe for spaghetti.  And you would not be alone.  For most of my life, spaghetti was something you made at 5:00 pm, when you ran out of other ideas.  It was as simple as browning a tray of ground beef and adding a jar or can of spaghetti sauce.  I'm not sure why I decided to change things up a bit, but I did.  I came across a recipe for spaghetti sauce and thought I'd give it a shot.  It seemed simple enough and it was made with ingredients I usually have on hand.  I wasn't prepared for what I started.

The first time I made the recipe, I loved it from the first bite.  The kids said it was "okay", but ate at least 2 bowls of noodles with just the sauce.  No meat.  Just sauce and noodles.  Then came the grumbling about how there wasn't enough sauce.  So with a bunch of adjustments, I fixed the recipe to the point where the taste was pretty much the same as the original recipe, but there was more of the savory sauce for the sauce-only eaters. 

That was years ago.  Since then, I've made this recipe for occasions from large family dinners to birthday parties.  Cousin LA (a fantastic baker who can make all the cookies in the Martha Stewart cookie cookbook look better than the pictures in the book), requested the recipe.  Wow!  In fact, the grumbler of grumblers, Dad, actually asked Mom to call me to get the recipe for "Kay's Ono Spaghetti" so she could make it for him instead of the jar sauce du jour she had planned to use.  This request did not go over well, and he ended up eating spaghetti made with jar sauce.  Poor Dad.
Oh, crap!  Garlic bread is a MUST when eating spaghetti.  I guess someone will be going to the market after all!

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Kay's Ono Spaghetti

     1 lb ground beef

     4 slices bacon, chopped*

     1 c Portuguese sausage, diced

     16 oz tomato sauce

     1 can (4 oz) mushroom pieces, drained

     2 c catsup

     1/2 c chopped celery

     1/8 tsp black pepper

     1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

     1 1/2 tsp garlic salt

     2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

     a dash of chili powder

Brown all meats.  Drain fat.  Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes.  Makes enough sauce for 1 lb of pasta.

*You may also used 4 tbsp of pre-cooked bacon bits.  If you do this, give it a few good pulses in the food processor to break up large chunks.

Quiche: Are You A Real Man?

When I was in high school, I remember a book titled "Real Men Don't Eat Quiche".  In addition to not eating quiche, the book contained all sorts of things real men don't do.  Anyway, to test out the title of the book, I hunted down a recipe for quiche (and crust), made a quiche, and fed it to Dad.  His response, "Junk this stuff.  Who like eat that kine?"  So if one uses the book title as a guide, Dad is certainly (or at least in the 80's) a real man.  Yay!!!  My daddy is a real man!!  Yay!!!

Now, 20-something years later, in addition to being a barometer of man-ness, I've found that quiche is also a great way to use leftovers.  With a basic formula of eggs, milk, and assorted fillings, you can make a quiche that will not only fill you up, but it will also make some room in your fridge.  While there are traditional quiche (Quiche L'orraine, for one), making quiche really is an opportunity to showcase your creativity, not to mention, your leftovers.

The most important part of quiche is the filling.  And here is where your creativity/leftovers come in.  You may use vegetables or meats.  If using vegetables such as celery, onion, beans, asparagus, spinach, etc., they should be sauteed and/or wilted before using in the quiche.  Nobody wants to bite into a raw onion in the middle of a quiche.  Meats (ham, bacon, crab, shrimp, etc.) should be cooked prior to using.  Swiss cheese is the traditional ingredient in Quiche L'orraine, but other types of cheese also work well:  cheddar, jack, colby.

The quiche in the picture was made using leftover crab (from a copycat Thanh Long Roasted Garlic Crab), bacon, and cheddar cheese.  It was absolutely decadent.  Because I didn't add any vegetables in the quiche, a green salad sitting shotgun was a great accompaniment.  And no, I did not invite Dad over for dinner.

click recipe title for printable recipe
Quiche

     2 cups "filling" (saute/cook first, then measure)

     1 c shredded cheese

     1 1/4 c milk

     2 eggs, beaten

     1 tsp salt (omit if "filling" ingredients are salted)

     1 9" unbaked pie or quiche shell

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place filling in an even layer in pie/quiche shell.  Sprinkle cheese.  Combine milk and eggs.  Pour over cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

If filling (after cooked) is less than 2 cups, you may need to add double the eggs and milk.  If this happens, bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 30 minutes.

Take Your Pick Teriyaki

teriyaki chicken

I am truly sick of turkey right now.  The Foodland turkey dinner package turned out to be a huge hit (definitely worth it for not having to store all the food before cooking and for the absence of all the greasy dishes from roasting the turkey and making the gravy). After handing off the dark meat to the Pars, its "a hui hou" to turkey for a while.  I wanna go back to eating simple food, food that goes well with a plate of rice.  Nothing fussy, just everyday food.  Hmmmmm. . .teriyaki to the rescue!

In my house, teriyaki goes over very nicely with the Ds.  Its a versatile meal which can be prepped ahead and reheats nicely.  D2 is partial to thin-sliced beef teriyaki.  D1 will eat anything.  But both kids will insist on grilled teriyaki (not pan-fried).  I don't blame them.  The smell of teriyaki cooking on a hibachi is ethereal.  Its the ultimate local comfort smell.  I'm sure you've experienced the feeling of longing when you catch a whiff of someone else making hibachi!

The marinade for making chicken or beef teriyaki is the same.  I prefer white meat (yes!), but thighs can also be soaked too.  Its best to marinate deboned chicken.  Skin-on or skin-off is an individual preference.  If I'm using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I take a mallet and pound the breast halves to an even 1/2" thickness.  Thin-sliced beef is D2's favorite, but hunky rib eye steaks can also bathe in the marinade too.  Rules for marinating chicken and beef are the same.  Marinate overnight and discard any unused marinade.  Do not use the marinade as a basting sauce.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Teriyaki Marinade

     1/2 c sugar

     1/2 c shoyu

     1 clove garlic, smashed

     1" piece ginger, grated
     1 tsp sake
     1 tsp sesame oil

Combine marinade ingredients.  Add a 1-2 pounds of desired meat.  Allow to marinate overnight.  Cook over a hibachi.

      

Happy Turkey Day!

Please be sure your speakers are on when you play the greeting below.

I'll be back on Monday with a great recipe!

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Potluck Food: Soba Salad

I have a whole bunch of work-related food needs this week.  Today I'm at a most-of-the-day meeting, and I have a plate of banana bread to share.  Tomorrow's training will either be an opportunity to share more banana bread or perhaps a pumpkin cake.  Wednesday is an office potluck (of course, what else?), and I'm still undecided about what to bring.  Of course, if we don't bring anything to these events, there would be nothing to eat, and what good is a meeting/training without food.

When the Hawaii economy took a downturn for the worse, the DOE cut back by not providing meals at workshops and trainings.  While some people were saddened by the lack of opportunity for a meal on the DOE's dime, I certainly wasn't.  Although free to the participant, the meals usually consisted of tasteless food.  I was working out of a Honolulu-based office at the time, and what we did was pool our $ together and have lunch catered for us or had a potluck.

Pooling $ together was great in Honolulu because of the wide range of places that were willing to cater or provide a bento.  Hilo doesn't have nearly the range of choices as Honolulu, so what we end up doing is having potluck.  Everyone brings something to share.  In spite of not being told what to bring, things always seem to work out.

Soba Salad is something which invariably can be found at most potlucks.  Soba Salad is a variation on Somen Salad.  Boiled Japanese noodles are cooled and topped with things like fish cake and vegetables.  A shoyu-based sauce is poured over just before eating..  Soba is Japanese buckwheat noodles.  It is easily identified by its gray-brown color.  Soba noodles can be purchased at any supermarket (even Wal-Mart and Target).
I used hijiki, wakame, watercress, kaiware (daikon sprouts), uzumaki (rolled pinwheel fishcake which is likely known as narutomaki outside of Hawaii), and shredded red pickled ginger to top my soba, but I've had versions which contained imitation crab shreds, taegu shreds, maui onion, cucumber, and ocean salad.  The idea is to use whatever you have on hand.  This is especially refreshing on a hot day.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Soba Salad

Salad ingredients:

     1/2 c hijiki

     3 tbsp oil

     3 tbsp shoyu

     3 tbsp sugar

     1/4 oz wakame (this will seem like just a little)

     1 bunch watercress, trimmed and cut into 1" lengths

     4 oz kaiware, root ends cut off

     1 roll uzumaki, slivered

     2 tbsp red shredded pickled ginger

     16 oz dried soba noodles

Dressing:

     3/4 c vegetable oil

     3/4 c shoyu

     3/4 c lemon juice

     5 tbsp sugar

Soak hijiki in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes.  While hijiki is soaking, combine dressing ingredients in a jar.  Shake well and set aside.  Drain water from hijiki, and press out as much water as possible without mashing hijiki.  In a small skillet, heat 3 tbsp oil.  Add hijiki, 3 tbsp shoyu, and 3 tbsp sugar.  Cook until liquid is absorbed.  Set aside to cool.  In a small bowl, soak wakame in a bowl of cold water for 7 minutes.  Drain, pressing out as much water as possible.  Set aside.  Boil soba noodles for 6-7 minutes.  Rinse under cold water until cool.  Drain well.  In a 9 x 13" pan or other comparable flat dish, arrange soba in an even layer.  Top with hijiki, kaiware, watercress, wakame, uzumaki, and pickled ginger.  Pour dressing over entire salad just before serving.

As an alternative, served dressing alongside salad, allowing guests to dress their salads individually.  If doing this,  make 1 1/2 or 2 quantities of dressing.