Five on Friday

1.  Easy Lo Mein - Good news, this really did only take about 15 minutes and is loaded with vegetables.  We used whole wheat Thai Kitchen noodles of some kind.  Very tasty!

2. Beef and Barley Soup - I made this earlier in the week and it was delicious and made a huge pot.  I've eaten it probably 6 times so far and still love it. I fiddled with the recipe slightly by browning the meat separately with 1 1/2 tsp. Great Plains Beef & Bison  Rub seasoning, then adding another 1 1/2 tsp. of the Great Plains Beef & Bison seasoning to the stew along with 2 small zucchinis cut in to bite sized pieces.  I also added some tomato powder.  (Yes, I like to tinker with recipes.  I'm sorry).

3. Salar Leggings - I know the trend in running pants is to have lots of colors and designs. I "think" they might get warped if I tried it given my, ummm, body type.  That said, I've ventured cautiously out of my completely black/dark grey running pants into these cool blue ombre ones.  It was a little weird at first, but I like them.  Very comfy and run well. 

4.  L'Oreal Paris Elnett Satin Hairspray Extra Strong Hold (Travel Size), 2.2 Ounce - This seems to be the mysterious secret to finally getting curls to stay in M's hair for a whole day.  It is currently on day two and there are still curls.  This has never happened before.  We are quite happy.

5. My Little Pony Shoes - My Little Pony is still very popular here, although Care Bears may be gaining on them.  I think these shoes are totally awesome.  M is slightly less sure :(  How could she not love rain bow striped shoes?   Apparently the issue is that they don't light up and she wants (and has not had in a long time) some shoes that light up....Regardless, I think these and the other MLP styles at Stride Rite are awesome. 

Five on Friday - Favorite Cookbooks

I read a recent Orangette post and was inspired to share my favorite 5 cookbooks of the moment with you, this are in no particular order:

1.  How to Cook Everything - Mark Bittman -- best all around cook book.  I've used and loved it for 13+ years. I often give this as part of a wedding gift.

2. Good to the Grain - Kim Boyce - whole grain recipes that taste phenomenal

3. The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook - Deb Perleman, variety of recipes, always good

4. Perfect Recipes for Having People Over - Pam Anderson (no, not that one)

5. The All-American Dessert Book - Nancy Baggett-- -the one that is just cookies is good too.


Of course, I cook mostly off of pinterest these days, which means lots of Smitten Kitchen and Skinnytaste :)

Five on Friday

1.  What do you think colorwise for the entry? The blue and white colors are there already, just searching for grey (again).

2.  It is Pi Day and while I'm doubtful about seeing any pie today, these coconut cream pies in a jar sound amazing.

3. Also, ummm, I bought a doughnut pan... Probably not a brilliant idea as it is just going to facilitate more doughnuts, which are not part of my healthy eating goals, but they will be baked, not fried, which is better, right...... Anyway, this Triple Chocolate Snickerdoodle Donut recipe from Melanie Makes sounds amazing.

4. This week E and I have been eating overnight oatmeal almost every day.  It goes like this:  In the evening, mix equal parts original (not minute) oatmeal and milk.  For E & me this is 1c. oatmeal and 1 c. milk.  Add flavorings to taste.  We pick a dash of baking spice, pinch of salt, 1 T dried cranberries, and a dollop of maple syrup.  Stir and leave in the fridge overnight.  Remove it from the fridge and eat cold in the morning.  This is definitely my preferred oatmeal method after a lot of time struggling with finding the right oatmeal choice for me.  E loves it too.  Today I had greek yogurt instead and was hungry MUCH earlier...hence all the sweet pics!

5. This week the Pioneer Woman posted her Irish Coffee recipe.  I had my favorite Irish Coffee in San Francisco a couple year's ago at my brother's urging and love it.  They have an excellent version in OKC at Picasso in the Paseo.  That said, the recipe she gives sounds wonderful too!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ten on Tuesday: Savory Spice Shop OKC Anniversary Edition

Ok, so you basically know everything we did last week via all the Week in the Life posts so I thought it might be nice to have a favorites/retrospective on our first year in spice land via my mom and  brother's shop.  I've polled our family to see what the favorite spices are at the end of the year and paired them with recipes we like to use them in.  I may toss in a few extra just for fun :)

(Note, these are not ranked in order of our favorites, just a list of those that made our overall top ten at our dinner conversation about spices and who picked them.)

1. Black Dust Coffee and Spice Rub - This was one we adopted later in the year at my brother's recommendation.  Here's what we do, we rub it very generously on steaks and grill them.  That's it.  It is amazing.  We've also put it in hamburgers and some other meaty dishes, but really, the best steaks. (Brent & Abbey)

2. Great Plains Bison and Beef Rub - This is probably my most used, most shared, most recommended spice blend of the year.  I add a generous tablespoon per pound of hamburger when I make burgers or sprinkle it on potatoes, cauliflower, or any root vegetable when I roast or boil them.  It goes in meat loaf and anywhere you'd add beef stock. In short I love it.  (Abbey)

3. Organic Ceylon "True" Cinnamon - If #2 is our most used blend, this is definitely our most used individual spice.  B adds it to his morning toast and in huge quantities to apple sauce.  We add 1/2 tsp to many baked goods, and they seem to invent more uses for it all the time -- think popcorn or cheese or ANYTHING. (B & M)

4. Various flavored sugars - Ok, so the kids then listed off about six different kinds of sweetners they love.  I'm going to make them all one category complete with the non-news that my kids love sugar :)  Their favorites at the shop are: Honey Powder, Hilltop Gardens Honey (local thus not online), Pure Maple Sugar, Lavender Vanilla Bean Sugar, Vanilla Bean Sugar, and Organic Sucanat Sugar.  Yes, there are other sugars, but I'm told these are their favorites.  Mostly, these, again, are sprinkled on toast or on top of muffins, but we've also enjoyed the Lavender Vanilla Bean Sugar in brownies (replace 1/3 of the sugar in your favorite recipe -- I like this one). We make fancy drinks with the other sugars, and bake them into cookies.  Honey powder goes in lots of things, but most recently a curry recipe like this one).  (B & M -- ok, me too).

5. El Diente Peak Southwest Seasoning - This remains Brent's favorite.  He routinely puts it on any eggs he may be having and uses it to kick up the spice of dishes we may have made a bit more bland for the kids.  We actually discovered it via this Vanilla & Curry Spice Popcorn recipe that was a shop sample last winter. (Brent)

6. Nacho Cheese Dip -  In fairness, we've never used this to make dip.  We use it to sprinkle on popcorn and sometimes to season things like taco meat or enchiladas.  We also have included it in a lot of gifts as it is so good and totally easy to use. (Abbey & B)

7. Supreme Shallot Salt - This is clearly one of my picks.  It is becoming indispensable to the extent that I take it places with me--- like book club. I typically put it on popcorn, potatoes, eggs, in quiche, on corn on the cob, in vegetable dishes, on pasta.  You get my drift, right?  It was so good in this Beef and Vegetable Stew that we made--- just reading the recipe makes me want to do that again soon. In fairness, I've been using a lot more Fleur de Sel of late, but everything goes in stages and both are so good. (Abbey)

8. Black Canyon Chili Powder - This has been one of my favorites since day one and is still in frequent rotation.  Here is my prior post about how we've been using it.  (Abbey)

9. Park Hill Maple and Spice Pepper - This is lady M's favorite blend. It might help that she can reach it on the spice shelf, but she adds it to everything--- even weird things.  More traditional uses include liberally rubbing it all over a 1-2lb pork loin and roasting at 425 for 40 minutes or so.  She, however, might put it on eggs, popcorn, bread, any vegetable, any meat, ANY FOOD.  (M)

10. Black Onyx Cocoa Powder - We like this mixed in to any chocolate concoction, particularly brownies. This first debuted at E's baptism last September in the brownies we made for ice cream sundaes.  They were so dark that they looked almost burnt, but tasted incredible. It is an intense and delicious flavor. There are some very tasty recipes available here, or just substitute 25-50% of the cocoa in most recipes.  Keep in mind that it has very little fat in it compared to other cocoas so you may want to use a bit more fat or applesauce in the recipe. (Brent)

Honorable mentions included B's fishy favorite Cherry Creek Seafood Seasoning, my beloved Nantucket Rosemary & Citrus Poultry Rub -- which I put in all things that include chicken stock, but also really like in these meatballs;  Brent's also very fond of Baker's Brew Coffee Spice-- and really any blend with coffee in it, this chicken recipe is so good; we all use a lot of Peruvian Chili Lime and I see it as a very all purpose blend for us--- that said, these burgers are amazingly good; and we use Madagascar 2x Pure Vanilla Extract in every baked good we make. Our newer favorites include the Enchilada Seasoning and Memphis BBQ Rub and I'm sure so many more, but I'm going to stop there.  Basically we love it :)

One funny part of this dinner time conversation was B's question that began it all -- Where did we used to by spices before the spice store idea started, Mama?  To me it really reflected how transformative the spice shop has been in our cooking.  We had quite a variety of spices before, but hardly any blends.  We shopped for spices a couple times a year, if that and didn't use all that much.  Now, we use many spices every day and go to the store to replenish our supplies at least monthly.  It is wonderful and I love sharing it with our kids and with you!


(Note: My Mom and Brother own the Savory Spice Shop in OKC and would be glad to help you out with recipe or spice information and supplies.  You can reach them at 405-525-9119, okc@savoryspiceshop.com,  or visit the store at 43rd & Western.  They will also gladly ship products to those out of state).

Use Your Spices: A Taste of Summer (revisited)

Last summer, while reveling in the joys of weekly vegetable deliveries from the CSA* I wrote a series of posts entitled "Taste of Summer."  They each feature one delicious sip of summer foods cooked the way we've loved them. 

They were:

Prior posts in this series are here:

• Part I - Zucchini

• Part II - Summer Beans

• Part III - Eggplant

• Part IV - Okra

At the time, I was very new to the Savory Spice world as my family's store hadn't opened yet so there are no blends in these recipes, just individual spices I blended to my own combinations and experiments to discover were very good.
Of these recipes, my favorite, by far, is the Blakley Fried Okra.It is nothing like the fried Okra in most restaurants with the thick bready coating.  Instead, it is fried with a light dusting of cornmeal, flour salt, and pepper.... at least it always has been.  Yesterday, I discovered that if you add about 1/2 a teaspoon of the Savory Spice Panhandle Chicken Fried Steak Seasoning you add another layer of delicious.  We also discovered that baby E and big sister M love Okra. As with last year's post, she helped me all through the process.  Then they took the cornmeal outside and played with it like sand, with the added bonus that if either of them ate it it was totally fine and the bugs would get a feast afterwards!
We've been exploring other ways to work our spices in to summer favorites too.  You may want to consider:


Corn on the Cobb with Supreme Shallot Salt or Peruvian Chili Lime Seasoning


Berries of all kinds sprinkled with Vanilla Bean Sugar or Lavender Vanilla Bean Sugar


Steamed Squash sprinkled with Dill Dip or Pink Himalayan Sea Salt


Vegetable dips made by mixing yogurt or sour cream with Paris Cheese Sprinkle or Cherry Creek Seafood Seasoning or any of the other dip blends they have.

What are your tastes of summer? What else should we be trying? Hope your summer is delicious!

(Note: My Mom and Brother own the Savory Spice Shop in OKC and would be glad to help you out with recipe or spice information and supplies.  You can reach them at 405-525-9119, okc@savoryspiceshop.com,  or visit the store at 43rd & Western.  They will also gladly ship products to those out of state).

Ten on Tuesday

1.  I got to meet Eli & Finn this evening! (Aka Will and Kela's twin boys).  They are one month old and completely adorable, but I think maybe need to work on being nicer to their mama tomorrow than they were today.  I brought them dinner and stayed briefly to hear some stories and say high before leaving them to get some rest.  SO amazing to see friends as parents for the first time.

2.  Snack tip: My kids and I are big fans lately of roasted garbanzo beans - aka chickpeas.  First, I suggest the Goya brand as we've tried several and it turns out there is a difference.  We are going to try cooking some from dried beans soon and will let you know how that is.  For now, our favorite is: 1 can Goya Chickpeas, 1 tsp Salt, 1 T. Olive Oil, 1 tsp ground cumin, and 1/8 tsp lemon pepper.  Mix well and pour onto a cookie sheet with an edge.  Bake at 425 for roughly 30 minutes.  Taste and see if they are crunchy, if not, leave in for a few more minutes and check again.  I found that the generic brands seem to cook more quickly than 30 minutes and Goya a bit longer, but more deliciously.  Delicious protein snacking!

3.  No-Knead Bread - Ok, so this was a thing in the NYT in maybe 2006. I am right on the cutting edge as usual.  That said, I've made it two days in a row and it rocks. The time I actually have to work on it is about 6 minutes total.  That said, it does a lot of resting and requires some planning.  It is crusty, delicious, and we love it.  I think I'll try this faster whole grain version from 2008 very soon or who knows, maybe wait a few more years.

4.  I think I mentioned yesterday that E is eating a lot.  Well, today, he ate pretty much non-stop all day.  He started by drinking 14 ounces of formula between 4 and 5:30 am.  That is nuts -- he normally has 6 ounces every 3 hours.... for context. Ms. Kia and I both gave him solid food and bottles back to back pretty much all day.  Here's hoping he sleeps well.  The whole day definitely has me worried about having two teenage boys in ten years or so.

5. B had a bit of a rough day as when he was playing with his friend F one of his Skylander's arms was broken off, which lead to some spiraling downward.  In good news, he has no less than four different birthday things planned over the course of about 10 days starting on Friday.  Here's hoping we manage to pull all of these things off.  He is also quite partial to the new TV and enjoying a lot of Sonic Underground on Netflix with his sister.

6.  M continues to be herself.  She rotates between wildly helpful and not listening.  She adores the huge box the new microwave came in and has built herself a veritable nest with pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals inside.  Today, she and I practiced drawing maps (her idea) and of course there were impromptu dance recitals that needed taping. She loves playing with F's sister P, but I think P is starting to mostly like coming over to use our iPad...

7.  Our living room now has almost none of the furniture it had four months ago.  It is weird and we may have to figure out some new storage choices and rearrange some more before it is "right" but it is nice to have some pieces better suited to our new larger family and some modern day technology.

8.  My Training Plan is going very well. I think today is day 10 and I'm very happy with it so far.  I have been doing mostly Pilates or Ballet strength DVDs for my cross training and think that possibly my wretched core muscles are starting to remember what they are supposed to be doing, which is lovely.  I need to focus more on the nutrition, but some progress is being made.

9. It is cold, and that is no fun.  Our neighbor and I are now setting up play dates by text message rather than hoping kids appear outside.  M had lovely new coats courtesy of my friend Emily and her daughter C. If only I could convince her to wear it forwards a bit more of the time.

10.  This week there are so many things I "should" be doing each night, but very few of them are getting done. I foresee one of my end of the week pre-party crazy periods coming if I don't focus a bit more on making these decorations.  For the first time ever my sister will miss B's party so who knows what it will look like.  B and I have some banner ideas, but I really should probably head to the party store and come up with a plan.  You see, I thought I had until the 27th, but we've added another few events to the lists so I may need to decorate much sooner.  I'm such a sucker for this little guy and he is so very sweet and much more engaged in his party ideas and planning than ever.  I think I might just love age six as the previews so far are awesome. 

Discovering Paprikas

My paprika discovery today began oh, so innocently with a tweet from the anothermotherrunner.com ladies recommending this Paprikash recipe from Epicurious. The kicker for me was that they claimed it both tasted great and the kids loved it.  In typical "me" fashion, I skimmed it, noted I had "most" of the ingredients and decided to give it a try.

I, of course, had only one kind of paprika in my collection, at the time.  It was not the variety recommended.  I forged ahead and added bits of other blends to compensate (my recipe is below). After it was in the crock pot, I read through some of the comments and they vehemently agreed that if you didn't have the Hot Paprika it wasn't going to work.  Sigh. Luckily, there is a spice store fairly nearby so after work while the chicken still simmered I headed to Savory Spice Shop OKC.  To my surprise, there were roughly seven kinds of paprika available, not including all the blends that also had paprika in them.  My, how far my family's spice experience has come.

You see, when I was little I am fairly sure that almost all the family cooks I knew had just one jar of paprika, if any.  That jar was probably labeled "paprika" with no qualifiers.  It likely sat on the shelf in the pantry for, ahem, several years and was used in primarily two dishes - sprinkled on top of deviled eggs at the last moment before serving and in Oklahoma versions of goulash, which probably do not resemble the real thing.  I had largely written paprika off as "for color" at this point and what we were using then probably was.  A bit later on, I learned about smoked paprika through my brother's love for these smoky burgers.  This morning,when I was putting dinner in the crock pot,  I had only a brand new jar of Smoked Spanish Sweet Paprika in my collection. This evening, I have three of the seven kinds Savory Spice offers and realized it is in many of the blends I already owned.

I still wasn't that convinced that it was necessary.  Until, that is, I put the Smoked Spanish Hot Paprika on top of my Paprikash.  The commentors were right.  It made an incredible difference.  The taste was complex, slightly hot, and totally wonderful.  I strongly suggest trying it.  To help all of us learn a bit more, my Mom has agreed to have Paprika as her topic in Spice 101 at Savory Spice OKC this month on Sunday, January 13 at 2pm.  I'm hoping to learn more about the other varieties and what I can do with this newly discovered delight.  Meanwhile, here is the recipe I made, with notes about what I did today before acquiring the Smoked Hot Paprika.  My lesson from all of this is to find some good paprika and give it another try if your current memories of it were like mine.  You may be delightfully surprised!

Chicken Paprikash with Sour Cream - My Variation Based on this recipe from Epicurious 

Ingredients

• 1 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon Smoked Spanish Sweet Paprika (The original recipe used Sweet Paprika).
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Spanish Hot Paprika* 
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 3 pounds chicken - Today, a mix of chicken drumsticks and boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• 1 T. corn starch

*Today, in place of the Smoked Spanish Hot Paprika - I used 1/2 tsp Lodo Red Adobo, 1 tsp Tomato Powder, and 1/8 tsp Red Pepper Flakes.  Look at blends you have that include paprika.  The most common might be Chili Powder, which could be used here, but would be a bit different taste.

Instructions

In slow cooker, layer sliced onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, smashed garlic cloves, and both types of paprika (or other mix of  spices if you do not have Hot Smoked Paprika). 

Sprinkle chicken with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. In medium skillet over moderately high heat, heat butter and oil until hot but not smoking. Add chicken pieces and brown, turning occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker (do not clean pan), adding chicken on top of the existing layers.

In the same skillet over high heat, bring stock to simmer, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Pour over chicken in slow cooker, cover, and cook on low until chicken is tender but not falling off bone, 5 to 6 hours.  

To make the sauce, I strained the juice and discarded the onions.  I blended the cornstarch with a small portion of the juice before adding it to the entire amount to reduce clumping. Finally, I added the sour cream.  Others that like onions more may want to include the onions as is, or puree the sauce with an immersion blender for a better texture. (The original recipe also recommends adding dill to the sauce, but we're not fans so I skipped it for now, but perhaps should be more open minded!)

Serve with rice, noodles or anything that will soak up the delicious sauce.

Notes:  The version my kids had did not have the Hot Smoked Paprika as I was worried it might be too Hot for them, and we only procured it late into the cooking process. I, instead, sprinkled mine on top and don't think it would have been too hot for them. For the record, I don't particularly like "hot" things, and yet loved this.  The heat here is hard to describe and not uncomfortable like I find even moderate amounts of cayenne to be.  All four of us inhaled ever bit of our servings and this dish will definitely be joining our rotation.  I also noticed that the Smitten Kitchen's new cookbook has different kinds of paprika in many of the dishes and am excited to try those next!

Our Special Drinks

On Friday, I struggled.  I have no words for the tragedy of the day, only tears.  Tears when a police car was parked across the front of my own Kindergartner's school.  Tears for not knowing what to say or do.  Friday afternoon I let the quietness and peace of Ave Maria wash over me as it came along in the midst of our Christmas Carols.  I let the latin words and  music of my Catholic Church roots reconnect the dots of my sad spirit as best I could and gave myself permission to keep enjoying and living fully this season with my kids.  Permission to be present in our moments and not overwhelmed by grief as my kids need me and I want their memories of this Christmas week to be full of special, happy moments and joy.  

In that spirit, I am sharing with you our home made "special drinks."" These are warm beverages designed by me to make my kids and me feel special.  I recently read an article for Babble by Asha Dornfest about what kids cherish about holiday memories - the short answer - specialness & repetition.  The kids "special drink" was developed before I saw this article, but it has both.  It is touted as a special treat and enjoyed rarely, but routinely. 

Richards Kids Special Drink

1 mug whole mile

1/2 tsp vanilla sugar (plain sugar is fine too)

1/8 tsp Cassia Cinnamon (plus more for sprinkling)

Whipped cream

Mix Milk, sugar, & cinnamon in the child's special Mug (B's special mug, for example is one Mary gave me years ago with Winnie the Pooh on it.  M's is a mug with pink flowers that might be from Heather).  Warm the milk gently in the microwave, 30 seconds is usually enough.  Top with whipped cream and sprinkle the whipped cream with cinnamon.  Our kids prefer theirs with a straw as well.

In the last year or so, I've strangely come to enjoy Mint & Chocolate together where only a few years ago I did not.  In the course of experimenting I've designed my own, much cheaper versions of a Peppermint mocha.

My Mock Peppermint Mocha

8 oz skim milk 

1 T chocolate (I use Giradelli 60% Cocao)

1/2 tsp vanilla sugar (or aritficial sweetner or for extra peppermint the peppermint vanilla sugar from Savory)

1 -2 drops Peppermint Oil (from Savory)*

1 tsp espresso powder**

Warm the milk, chocolate, and sugar in the micorwave. Once nearly boiling, add Peppermint oil and Espresso.  Stir and enjoy!

* For a very long time I used the Peppermint Vanilla Sugar instead of peppermint oil, but it just doesn't have quite the intensity.  Either one works, but the Peppermint Oil is more reminiscent of the Starbucks version to me with a stronger Peppermint flavor in just a drop or two. 

**Alternatively, mix half a cup of milk and half a cup of strong coffee.

For now, I'm hanging on so tight to my special moments and repeating them to make these simple sweet memories together.  May the week to come be much merrier than the days just past and may we all find healing and the power to make changes in our own way.

Made with Memories

There are some things that are so ingrained in one's psyche that you can do them without thinking.  But when you slow down to look more carefully these things are often woven and rich with memories, sentiment, and tradition even though they are so basic.  Today, I'm making a "pot of beans" for Brent's parents to eat at the rehab facility.  My children are (theoretically) napping, sick with their own little colds.  So, for once, I was able to slow down and think about each step in this basic task and look more closely at what was woven there in my story.

I started the task, as I often do, by wandering through favored websites, and google before ignoring most of what I see and going with what I "know."  As I gathered, sorted, peeled,  and chopped, I tried to remember where I learned to do this and found it very murky.  It seems like I've always known, but that can't be right.  A few images flash forward and the puzzle starts to sort itself.  I remember sorting through beans on a cookie sheet or something similar.  We picked out those that were cracked, bruised, discolored, or shriveled.  We, I think, was my mother and I or maybe my grandmothers too.  We set them aside to soak and move on.

Here, my process has changed theirs. I suspect, my mother and grandmothers carefully chopped onions celery and maybe a carrot or two or even tossed in large chunks.  I peel almost a pound of carrots.  I chop all but two into inch long pieces for E's baby food and cut the remaining two into large chunks and dump them in the food processor.  I start the baby food carrots to boil with some baking spices and return back to this task.  (Who knows, maybe they were feeding their babies this way too).  I roughly chop a medium onion and three stalks of celery and into the food processor they go.  Just as they would have, I take all the scraps out to my garden to "make dirt" as my kids say. I pick a few sprigs of sage to add to the mix.

Inside, I sip my coffee and think about what's next.  I whirl the food processor a few times and end up with small bits of vegetables, not large chunks as this is how my family likes to eat it.  I ponder whether my mother-in-law would put this many vegetables in her version, and decide it is best to stick to what I know in this gift to her.

Into the large pot she once gifted me go all the vegetables and sage with 1/2 a stick of butter.  The heat is on low and I stir them periodically between typing and pondering.  I dice up some ham, Cure 81 of course, as my father and grandfather always favor it, and really does anyone not?  I stir some more and add a few more picked over beans to the bowl of water as by now I'm sure everyone is going to want some of this most basic soup.

More then ten minutes pass and the carrots, onion, celery, sage, and butter are fully tender and fragrant, ready to start the next step.  In go the beans and their soaking water, and more water still along with two cubes of chicken bouillon from my mom and brother's store, a new tradition for our family.  I know my grandmothers would have had home made stock around, but it is best not to contemplate how long it has been since I boiled a chicken.  I stare briefly at my spice rack, lifting and rejecting choices.  For now, I'll stay the course with tradition and season more later if needed.

I turn the heat up to high and bring the mix to a hard boil for five minutes.  Then down to low for as long as it takes to soften the beans.  I add in the ham as it slows to a simmer.  This triggers an old memory of bean soup in the Senate cafeteria where I worked briefly as an intern more than a decade ago.  This soup will be a bit different than theirs, but I love the storied past of this simple dish and how woven it is into life.

Then I let it go.  Nap time had failed times three. So I let the flavors, spiced with memory work their magic. About an hour later, I checked in and things were softening well.  It needed just a hint more richness in the broth.  My instinct here is to add some salt, but Bill is on a reduced salt diet. I added just a pinch instead then studied my spice rack some more.  During the summer's experiment with beans, I'd discovered that Summit County was a great match.  It has lemon peel and tomato powder in it, which I hadn't been looking for, but I decided to give it a try.  I made a double batch of the Pioneer Woman's Cornbread, because you must have cornbread with beans, and gave the beans a bit longer.

At last, the beans were very tender, the broth rich, and the cornbread crispy at its edges and our feast was ready to share.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lb great northern beans
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
3 springs of sage, minced or 1/2 tsp dried sage
2 quarts of water
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 cup ham, cubed
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 T Summit County Seasoning
Memories....

The process is above, but in brief:

Pick through beans and place in cool water to soak (anywhere from a few minutes to a couple hours is fine.  The longer the soak, the shorter the cooking time). Melt butter in a large pot over low heat.  Saute vegetables and sage on low for 10 minutes or until tender and fragrant.  Add water/chicken stock and beans.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil for five minutes.  Reduce to very low heat and add in ham.  Simmer very gently for 1-2 hours, checking periodically to see if beans are soft.  Add in additional seasonings to taste and enjoy.

Note, cooking times vary widely depending, in part, on the age of the beans.  Today's beans were from the local grocery store and who knows how old.  For tastier beans, I recommend ordering some from Rancho Gordo as we've done in the past.   My favorites are the scarlet runner bean and the cranberry beans.  So good.  They also have very simple bean cooking ideas.

Ten on Tuesday

 

1.  This guy is having a tough week, as is our entire family.  Brent's dad, Bill suffered a stroke on Sunday evening.  He is OK, but experiencing some muscle weakness and blood pressure problems.  He remains in the hospital and surrounded by people that love him and are preparing to help with the steps back to strength.  He is in good spirits.  Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. 

 

2.  As you likely know my husband and I met via Alpha Phi Omega (APO), a co-ed community service fraternity, while at OU.  Many of our friends joined as well and we spent hundreds of hours in college doing community service  We are trying to pass that tradition on to our own kids.  This weekend, the Wainrights hosted a party to collect and pact boxes for Operation Christmas Child.  The kids helped sort, make capes, and write little notes to the ten recipients and now we'll get to track where our boxes end up.  We also snacked, played, talked, and had a wonderful time!

 

3.  This guy is not feeling so hot.  He has a little cold and is having trouble breathing and sleeping.  Thus we are all having trouble sleeping.  We took him to the Doctor and confirmed he doesn't have an ear infection  he is just miserable. 

 

4.  M and I went to Ashtyn's pony party this weekend and had a grand time. M was a little nervous of all the strangers and to my great surprise was scared to ride the actual ponies in attendance.  She did eat a HUGE number of carrot sticks though and enjoyed playing and helping with the presents.

 

5.  Soccer Season is over.  We will miss our Dragonfly buddies and look forward to playing in the spring. I think we will miss the Tigers a bit less and do not anticipate M playing again any time soon.  B is now back to happily to swimming and M is taking dance once a week. 

 

6.  Last week, Brent and I went to the installation of the new OSSM President - Frank Y. H. Wang, Ph.D.  Meanwhile, the kids stayed home with Grammie and Granddaddy doing fun things like building this LEGO Mater.  I am so glad for all the time they get with their Grandparents.

 

7.  So, with the stroke and sickness here I completely missed our 12 on the 12th and E's 5 month post and pictures.  They will happen sometime this week, maybe when there is less snot on his nose every minute.  Able took some pictures for me so we'll see what we can cobble together.  More to come on our cutie.

8. This Thursday evening there is a GW Alumni Event at Put a Cork in it Winery in OKC. I plan to attend and if there are any local alums you can find more information here.  There will be events like this all over the country so if you aren't in OK you can likely find one near you as well on the calender here. 

9.  For those following the story of my sister's little family.  I wanted to let you know that they had an in utero ECHO done this week on the new little baby they are expecting in February and it looked good!  Hooray for happy news in a tough week.

10.  You may recall that for the last two years Beef Wellington has become our family's Thanksgiving Tradition after my Grandfather found a recipe in the Wall Street Journal.  This Sunday at 5:30, I will be teaching a class at Savory Spice Shop in OKC that will teach participants how to make this delicious and fancy dish.  The class costs $20 paid in advance and is limited to 20 participants.  We will be working off our family's adapted version of the original Wall Street Journal recipe, using Savory Spice products and sharing a taste of our family's new tradition.  If you'd like to join in, they are doing sign ups at the shop (4400 N. Western Ave. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73118) or you can sign up by phone during business hours 405-525-9119 or via email to okc@savoryspiceshop.com.  Of course you can also contact me, my Mom, or brother to sign up. 

I hope to see some of you this weekend and pray that all your families have a safe and healthy week and holiday season. 

Black Canyon Chili Powder Addiction

Since we last had a spice chat I have accumulated more than 40 of the individual herbs, spices, and spice blends.  They are all awesome, but my clear favorite is the Black Canyon Chili Powder.  I basically want everything to taste like this. The blend is made up of: Chile peppers, cocoa powder, garlic, toasted onion, Saigon cinnamon and Mexican oregano.  Yes, all sorts of things I love.

So here's what I've been making.  Obviously, I made Chili.  It was good, but not quite enough heat with this powder alone so I added some red pepper flakes to kick the heat up a bit.  Mine are super fresh and it didn't take much to bridge the gap.  Alternatively, you might just add some cayenne. (I had thrown my old batch away and hadn't yet replaced it when I did this test).  I've tried a myriad of other things and liked them all, but at the end of two months together my favorite two recipes are below for you to enjoy as well.  Leave a comment with other ideas about what I could do with my new favorite and I'll send one of you a jar all your own!

Black Canyon Chili Spiced Nuts & Pretzel Mix
 Last winter, I came upon a Pretzel & Nut Mix recipe by David Lebovitz that I loved. I made and shared it all through the winter.  This recipe is a new spin on that one with the Black Canyon making it a wee bit easier and with a less sugary coating, in fact, you can omit the sugar altogether and it is still amazing.  I have had this for lunch, ummm, more times than I'd like to admit and have made variations that include cheerios and chickadee (aka goldfish) crackers too and with just nuts alone.  If you add more mixins you will need to increase the butter and spice to get proper coating.  I've even made a single serving in the microwave (hint: do not put chickadee crackers in the microwave....).  Here is what has become my base version, but feel free to add other things.  Raisins, for example, are particularly good, but add only after any cooking... yes, I've burnt some raisins too.

Ingredients:
2 c. Nuts (I typically use 1/2 peanuts and 1/2 almonds, but anything would work).
1 c. Pretzels
1 T. Butter, melted
1/2 tsp salt (you may want to vary this depending on if your nuts are salted from the outset or not.)
1-2 tsp Black Canyon Chili Powder (or to taste)
1-2  tsp sugar or vanilla sugar (I often omit this).

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Pour mixture onto a large, rimmed cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. OR microwave for 2-3 minutes, stirring every minute and checking for any blackening.  

(Technically, this is roughly four to six servings). 

Ok, so technically nuts are very good for us, but perhaps a not "as" healthy as veggies and they pack a lot more fat.  I was determined to cross this recipe over to sweet potatoes and maybe even butternut squash to get some orange veggies in on the action.  Here is how that approach works:

Spicy & Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (roughly 1/2 inch pieces)
2 T. olive oil
2 tsp. Black Canyon Chili Powder
1 tsp. Salt (or to taste)
1 1/2 tsp. Sugar (or vanilla sugar, if you're fancy-- I have a vanilla bean from Savory in a mason jar on my counter and add sugar to make my own).  Again, this could easily be omitted.  I was hoping it would help the potatoes carmalize and have a crispier exterior.  That was semi-successful, but could be skipped. 


Instructions: Preheat Oven to 425 degrees.  Mix all of the above so everything is well coated. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray or coat very lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking.  Spread sweet potato mixture on the tray.  Back for 20 minutes or until crispy at the edges, stir at least once.  Feel free to add more or less sugar or spice depending on your personal tastes.  I "might" have eaten the entire recipe of this one day, but it is probably more appropriately enough for 2-3 people. 

I've also tried it on things like popcorn, potatoes, and cauliflower, among others.  How would you use a jar if I sent one your way?

Leave your comment below and I'll choose a winner using random.org and post it on my Ten on Tuesday next week (11/13/12). 

Savory Spice Week: Baking Spice!

For our last recipe fun this week, I cheated just a tiny bit.  You see, none of the sample blends were for the sweeter side of my kitchen and baking and dessert are my favorites.  today was cool and rainy and felt like fall so we were craving something warm and homey.  Luckily, I had pulled a few strings earlier in the week and had a preview of the Baking Spice.  This blend is made up of Saigon cinnamon, Indonesian cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice and ginger.  My idea was to add it to some soft cranberry oatmeal cookies and see how having more than the traditional cinnamon or nutmeg would work.

I began, as I so often do, by pondering where I might have a wonderful soft oatmeal cookie recipe.  My usual starting place for these musings is Smitten Kitchen.  Happily, she has a delightful version here that I used almost directly in my cookie fun today.  However, this recipe is about three years old and before its author, or I, started dabbling more with a multigrain in everyday baking.  So, I turned to my resource for all things grains --Good to the Grain.  There was an oatmeal cookie recipe there too, but I didn't quite have all the ingredients and really wanted that "soft" cookie that the original recipe promised.  I compared the two and made a few adjustments to up the flavor, and maybe the nutritional value, just a tiny bit.  Here is my adaptation -- again, nearly all of the credit goes to these two authors and some delightful Savory Spice.  

Everything is better with a helper!

Softly Spiced Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/3 c. dark brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs,

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used the Madagascar, double strength variety from Savory)

3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. millet flour*

1/2 c. whole wheat flour*

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt

2 1/2 tsp Baking Spice

3 c. rolled oats (not instant)

1 c. dried cranberries (rehydrated slightly by soaking in hot water for 3 minutes).

1/2 c. white chocolate chips (very optional)

*Other flours are optional and you could mix and match as you like.  I try for the "other" flours to not make up more than 1/2 of the total flour in any given recipe.  

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, cranberries, and chips, if using them

At this point chill the dough in the fridge for at least one hour.

 Preheat oven to 350°F.

Then, scoop them by heaping tablespoons onto a Silpat or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes.  Smitten Kitchen recommends taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

I think they were quite good.  The cookies were, in fact, soft as promised, which is a major victory.  I think I'd leave out the white chocolate chips next time, but they were a special request from my helper so in they went.  I did like having more than just cinnamon or nutmeg in the cookies.  I suspect the ratio of the other spices is a substantially smaller than the cinnamon portion as that was still the dominant flavor, which is the right way to go with a baking blend, in my opinion!

And because I can't leave well enough alone, I added just a 1/4 tsp or so of the Baking Spice to the buffalo meatballs we had for dinner. (Ps, we substituted chard from our garden for the spinach in the meatballs, doubled the basil, and cut the parsley.  They were awesome).  Then, I added a bit more to the sauteed broccoli and the buttered noodles that went along with that.  It was delicious on everything!

Here are the earlier days in this series, in cased you missed one!

Savory Spice Week Day 1 -- Long's Peak Spiced Pork Loin

Savory Spice Week Day 2 -- Summit County Seasoning

Savory Spice Week Day 3 -- Wash Park All-Purpose Seasoning

Savory Spice Week Day 4 --Lake Barkley Fried Chicken Seasoning

Savory Spice Week Day 5 -- Homestead Seasoning

Can you believe the store is finally opening Sunday at noon? I'm so excited.  Meanwhile, here is a recent press piece if you'd like a bit more information.  Enjoy!

For those of you that live nearby, you can find the shop and all its wares at 4400 N. Western Ave, Oklahoma City, OK.  If you happen to live elsewhere and want to buy some spices from my brother you can reach him at awblakley (at) gmail.com or the store's phone number will soon be open at 405 - 525 -9119. 

Disclaimer - I am not an owner or employee of the shop and am not compensated in any way by SavorySpiceOKC ...other than the free samples I'm using to cook with that are available to anyone.  I was not asked to write this review and all opinions are my own. 

Savory Spice Week: Day 5

The last blend in my bag was entitled "Homestead Seasoning".  As I grew up on a "homestead" where my Great-Grandfather staked his claim in the Cherokee Strip Landrun on Sept. 16, 1893, I was all set to talk about that story and lead you towards a cowboy styled spice.  Well, it quickly occurred to me that that wasn't the type of "homestead" they were referring to. Here are the ingredients: Hungarian paprika, garlic, salt, black pepper, sugar, honey powder, onion, smoked sweet Spanish paprika, coriander, mild mustard powder, shallots, parsley and spices.  It is possible that my Great-Grandfather had some of these, but probably not most.  I gave the sample a sniff and was intrigued, but a bit short on time and ideas...hmmmm

Today's recipe:  Homestead Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4, 1 to 1.5 inch boneless pork chops

1 1/3 T. Homestead Seasoning

Oil 

You remember back to Monday, when I told you that we don't really have pork chops much? Yeah, I felt kind of bad about that as my husband loves pork chops.  So, while dropping off some Savory Spice samples at Edmond's Meat House on Wednesday, I picked up these awesome boneless pork chops.  Thursday morning, I simply slathered the 1 2/3 lbs of pork chops with 1 1/3 Tablespoons of the Homestead seasonings in the morning and left them in the fridge all day. 

After school, we toured the progress on the spice shop (more on that below).  By the time we got home we were ready for something easy and delicious.  So, I heated up our grill pan and cooked these on each side.  I finished them in a 400 degree oven because of their thickness and fears of overly charring the outside. 

Here's what we ended up having for dinner.  I'd love to say those are local fruits and veggies, but sadly not.  I decided to try and perk up the blah canned green beans with the Homestead Seasoning as well and it worked perfectly.  It did take a bit more than you'd think, but was a fabulous kick to an ordinary dish.   My husband was again quite impressed by the flavor as was I.  I suspect that having had time to sit and using really high quality meat helped, but this was a flavor I suspect will become a staple at our house.  I am particularly fascinated by the honey powder that is found in this and other blends as well as on its own.  I am already dreaming up possible uses.  I think this seasoning is my favorite of the versatile samples we've tried this week and one we'll likely be tossing on vegetables, in particular in the future as well as pork chops like these beauties. 

Quick Intro Spice Shop Tour:

The kids have been begging to visit the shop all week.  We went right after school today and wandered around with them for almost an hour.  They loved it!

Here is B helping Grandma B label the various sorts of pepper. 

E and Brent were reading through the baking spices and cocoa.  So much temptation.

This is a fabulous Tarragon Shallot Citrus blend that I am buying my friend Chrissie immediately after opening.  I think she'll love it... I might get me some too.  As you can see, for each spice/blend/salt, etc.. there is a taster.  You can shake a little out on your hand to taste or smell the sample.  The kids and I helped unseal a lot of these today and they smell so good.  B and I decided we really wanted basically anything that involved cheese or chocolate and probably needed some more salts at minimum.  I did find myself repeatedly telling Brent that I thought I'd like a little of this or that.  He smiled and nodded. 

And then fed the baby while we continued to wander.  He is an awesome guy and you all are going to love this shop!  

Here are the earlier days in this series, in cased you missed one!

Savory Spice Week Day 1 -- Long's Peak Spiced Pork Loin

Savory Spice Week Day 2 -- Summit County Seasoning

Savory Spice Week Day 3 -- Wash Park All-Purpose Seasoning

Savory Spice Week Day 4 --Lake Barkley Fried Chicken Seasoning

For those of you that live nearby, you can find the shop and all its wares at 4400 N. Western Ave, Oklahoma City, OK.  If you happen to live elsewhere and want to buy some spices from my brother you can reach him at awblakley (at) gmail.com or the store's phone number will soon be open at 405 - 525 -9119. 

Disclaimer - I am not an owner or employee of the shop and am not compensated in any way by SavorySpiceOKC ...other than the free samples I'm using to cook with that are available to anyone.  I was not asked to write this review and all opinions are my own.