WTF, OMG, can't you update?!

Or, why the Kitteh hasn't made a post since Thanksgiving...

Wow, so much has happened since I mentioned Thanksgiving.  Christmas has come and past, and was wonderful.  My birthday has also come and past, which was interesting.  I saw Repo! the Genetic Opera in Cincinnati with TechBear, as his birthday is a mere two days after mine.  We had a wonderful time and had dinner at Dave and Busters beforehand, I had never been so that was a cool experience.  My steak was still raw, though, much to the shock of our very new waitress.  She had it fixed and all was well.  The games were fun too... :)

Christmas meal was phenominal, we really outdid ourselves.  But realistically I will not make the full post any time soon, because things are too hectic around here.

To explain...let me tell you a story.

Back in Febuary 2008 water came in through the roof of our side room upstairs.  The insurance company sent someone out who quoted us $800 to essentially repaint the room, and specifically stated in all caps that no roof damage was found.  We elected to make the repairs ourselves (and by ourselves I mean, the Kitteh) and so the room was patched.  All was well until we fast forward to September 14, 2008.  Some of you may recall our old friend Ike...as in Hurricane Ike.  See, Ike mistook my house for Tina, and beat on a bitch some.  The roof over the side room and our upstairs bathroom was torn completely off, leaving only exposed plywood as a surface.  This would not have been so bad, but unfortunately we didn't find out until it rained on September 29, 2008.  And then it was messed up.  So the insurance tells me to pay out of pocket for a tarp to be put on the flat dormor roof, which I do.  Then they send a person out to look at it, confirm the roof is gone, and then of all things cut us a check for less than $200 to fix everything and never return our calls...until TechBear got fed up with the Kitteh going crazy each time it rained and took the fight to the insurance company.  A conversation with our contractor and TechBear later, the company sent out a new person who cut us a check on the spot for quite a bit more than the original amount.  For those keeping track during the story...the good check arrived January 12, 2009.  Yes, they dropped the ball.

That's a nice story, but that doesn't explain why you aren't posting, you say.  Well, that's because since January 14, 2009 we've been renovating/repair and generally destroying part of our house.  And it's eating my soul.  I have been without running water in my bedroom for over two weeks now.  It will be another week before the new toilet arrives, ditto on sinks.  Really, it's not fun being me, I promise.  However, the changes are going to be extraordinary.

Thanksgiving

My father hates cooking during the holidays because he can't stand turkey.  I don't have the same issue, and even buy turkey for normal meals during the year.

This year we've gotten a 10 lb turkey breast, since most of the folks we'll be feeding don't care for dark meat.

Currently the menu is as follows:

• Roast turkey seared over hardwood charcoal
• Chorizo cornbread stuffing
• Cauliflower gratin
• Garlic whipped Yukon gold potatoes
• Cranberry sauce
• Pumpkin ale bread
• Chocolate pecan pie
• Pumpkin struesel pie

This will be the first holiday where I have not served hollandaise sauce with broccoli.  But I'm trying to develop my own holiday traditions while still incorporating my family favorites.  Hopefully photos will be posted Friday.

PSA concerning bacon

Whole Foods Market sells a phenomenal bacon.  It's made with a black forest dry rub, and it's by far the Kobe beef of bacon, in my opinion.

I plan to make some muffins with it.  I will try to snap some photos of it next time I have the camera with me in the kitchen.

That is all, move along.

Menu for Tea

I am remarkably fond of tea. No, I'm not just talking about the tasty drink made from dried leaves...I'm referring to the practice of serving it with a meal mid afternoon.

I first experienced afternoon tea while traveling with my family. I don't remember the details, but my father is fond of telling the story of how quickly I took to the concept. A practical meal in the middle of the day?! what a wonderful idea to my stomach-oriented mind.

When my family visited some very dear friends outside of Bath, England while I was a teenager, I got to experience tea from a different point of view. Tea was a snack after school because dinner would not be until 8PM or perhaps later. It could be sandwiches, leftovers from the night before...but I've always loved high tea. High tea is different from afternoon tea in the hours in which it is served, though in America high tea is used to describe any tea meal served between 3 and 6PM. In Britain the two are very different and refer to both the time of day the meal is served and the components used in the meal itself. For more information, read about tea on wikipedia.

Recently I started trying to make high tea once a week. I started with a very basic menu - scones with jam and devon cream; egg and olive tea sandwiches; and chocolate truffles. I was lazy, and purchased the truffles from the Whole Foods Market - they are, however, completely organic and incredibly tasty.

The meal turned out perfectly. Here are all the recipes you'll need to make your own high tea.

Cream Scones

Ingredients

• 2 c unbleached organic flour
• 1/4 c turbinado sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 c cold unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 c cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Blend sugar in food processor until finely ground. Add flour, baking powder and salt, pulse to combine.
   
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs.
   
4. In a small measuring cup combine the whipping cream, beaten egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the flour mixture. Blend until just combined, dough will be slightly crumbly. Do not over mix.
5. Knead dough gently on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a circle that is about 1/4 inch thick. Then, using a round cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds.
   
6. Place the rounds on a cookie sheet, spacing a few inches apart. Brush the tops of the scones with a little cream. This helps to brown the tops of the scones during baking.
7. Bake for about 15 - 18 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of a scone comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve with Devon cream or softly whipped cream and your favorite jam.

Ghetto-style Devon Cream
I've named this recipe thus because it's not authentic in any way, but it sure does taste dead on to it's namesake. This is like a cross between cream cheese and sweet butter. It's ultra thick and rich, and super tasty with jam.

Ingredients

• 1 c heavy whipping cream
• 4 oz neufchatel cheese (my favorite personally, but marscapone is also a good substitute)
• 2 tbsp confectioner's sugar (aka powdered sugar)

Directions

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and whip until thick. I use a hand blender for this, though a kitchenaid mixer with a whisk attachment would work as well.

No one ever said that was the hard part...

Egg and Olive Tea Sandwiches
With these you can really do anything you want as filling. I chose egg and olive because it's a personal favorite of my roommates, as well as an old family recipe passed down to me from my late paternal grandmother. The filling can be made a day in advance, though I tend to prefer making it the day of and simply prepping my eggs and olives in advance.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf sandwich bread (your choice, I like to use sourdough or another white bread)
• 1 hardboiled egg per person (if you're not sure, you can always make extra and just have them as a snack)
• 1/4 - 1/2 c mayonnaise
• 1 - 1 1/2 c green olives
• 1/4 tsp fresh dill (optional)
  
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Dice hardboiled eggs into small cubes. (can be done in advance)
2. Slice olives thin and combine with diced egg.
3. Add mayonnaise, dill, salt and pepper and fold carefully, eggs are fragile.
4. Slice crusts from sandwich bread then slice diagonally across the bread (making small triangles). Fill with egg and olive mixture and serve!

It may seem like a lot of work...and it is...but much of it can be done in advance, including cutting the bread, eggs and olives. I use a pre-made mayonnaise called Lemonnaise that I get from the Whole Foods Market. It's incredibly tasty and is nothing like the disgusting stuff you find in some grocery stores. If you don't like eggs and olives, you can do simple ham and cheese with a dollop of mustard between the meat and cheese to keep your bread from going soggy...or any variation therein that you want to try.

Chicken Curry Pasta

We had Chicken Curry Pasta last night as planned. Unfortunately, it was so good that I forgot to take pictures of it before scarfing down the entire plate. So you'll just have to imagine, if you can, how incredibly good chicken curry masala is when served over wheat pasta. Mmmm...

Cookies

Well, I have discovered that dark chocolate chunk cookies make the best gifts. Only people that can't eat chocolate don't like them, and even they want to try them.

I will forever stand by my standard recipe, as follows.

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 10 tbsp butter (softened)
• 1/2 c light brown sugar
• 1/2 c dark brown sugar
  
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 oz dark chocolate

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Combine flours, baking soda and salt in bowl, set aside
3. In stand mixer cream together butter and sugars, about 4 minutes
4. Stir in egg, making sure it is well combined
5. Add flour mixture, mix well
6. Stir in vanilla, then fold in chocolate
7. Place rounded tablespoons of dough on an ungreased baking sheet, making sure there is room for the cookies to expand.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until bottoms are slightly brown.

Makes 24-32 cookies, depending on size.

Notes
Break up the chocolate if you are using bar chocolate. I recommend dark chocolate chunks from Whole Foods Market, if you can find them in your local area. Otherwise, just break up the chocolate by hand, or with a mallet.
You don't have to use two types of flour, but I like the consistency and texture that you get from a little bit of whole wheat flour.

Long time, no see

Well, it's been a while. Long story short, there's been some writer and cooking block. This is not to say that I have not been cooking, just that I haven't felt like putting it into words.

Lately I have been working on some ideas for a restaurant of some persuasion. I haven't gotten beyond the nebulous "I have several ideas". This blog has received a facelift, to match my new look too. It's going to become my sounding block for different culinary ideas, as well as a place to test out the recipes I develop. Who knows, maybe some day I'll make it big.

So, bare bones ideas.

• Good food, good price, good atmosphere
• New takes on old favorites (chocolate chip cookie creme brulee)
• Sustainable, renewable sources for food and energy
• Organic, healthy treats that still leave you satisfied

So, lots of things to focus on - including a dish I didn't develop myself, but helped with. I like to call it Chicken Curry Pasta - it's a cream-based pasta sauce made with Garam Masala curry powder and served with organic whole wheat pasta (trust me, the wheat texture blends perfectly with the sauce in a way bleached pasta could not). Maybe some garlic naan bread with it to give it an Indian touch with a hint of Italian influence. Keep your attention here, because there will be photos, a recipe, and a description all coming soon.

Pie, part one

I made a pie earlier. I'm still not too happy with the amount of filling it produces, so I'm considering how to scale up the recipe. It tastes fine, it just is less than I wanted in the pie. *sigh* That's what I get for being a perfectionist, I suppose.

Expect photos with the recipe later...probably tomorrow. I've been horribly sick lately so I haven't really had time to cook or update. Bad Kitteh.

what to make...

I just had a trip to the Fresh Market here in Louisville, and now my kitchen is fully stocked again. But unfortunately, I don't know what I'm going to make. I have everything save one ingredient necessary for a cheesecake...which I will make eventually because a friend asked for one for a birthday gift. I'm consider white chocolate with strawberry sauce. Mmm...cheesecake.

I also need to start working on yeast breads. I've been slowing down on them lately mostly because they're so damn much work most of the time. However, I have gotten some pretty incredible tips from some magazines I picked up, and I really should try them.

List of things to make:

• white chocolate cheesecake
• key lime pie (I just bought some edible flowers I'm going to use to decorate this...it will be awesome)
• strawberry shortcake
• ciabatta
• brioche
• challah
• chicken sausage muffins with spicy sausage and mozzarella
  
• cinnamon rolls

Wow...I have a very ambitious list. Unfortunately as well most of those are not particularly healthy. Though I believe my muffins are as a meal. I need to figure out a way to incorporate in some veggies to make them a viable option for a meal. Perhaps some diced mushrooms or onions would work.

Banana Bread

Oh do I love banana bread...I also love banana pancakes, which is a lovely treat if you happen to have bananas around your house. This bread recipe was originally for muffins. I decided to test it as a bread recipe and it worked out great with a doubling of the cook time.

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 2/3 cup white whole wheat flour (note, you can use all whole wheat, all white whole wheat, whichever you prefer)
• 4-7 ripe bananas, mashed and separated
  
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup apple juice, milk or water (whatever you have available)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Lightly grease baking pan/s then set aside
3. Mash one to two bananas depending on how many you have access to
   
4. Using a whisk attachment beat together sugars, eggs and butter, scrap bowl then add in mashed banana and whisk for approximately three minutes
   
5. Combine dry ingredients, sift and set aside
6. Add vanilla to butter mixture and scrape the bowl thoroughly
7. Stir in dry ingredients alternating half of the flour mixture, then the 1/3 cup liquid, then the remainder of the dry mixture
8. Stir in remaining mashed bananas, pour mixture into pans
9. Bake for 40-60 minutes depending on size of bread pans (Muffins go for approximately 25)
10. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before removing bread from the pan and placing it on wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

I used Simply Apple brand juice for my recipe, because I didn't want to add in any extra ingredients that are in other juices. You can also toast some walnuts and chop them and mix it into the batter when you add in the bananas the second time for banana nut bread. Whisking in some of the banana with the butter helps to really work the flavor into every aspect of the bread...this makes a wonderful breakfast bread or a tasty snack during the day. In moderation it probably isn't TOO bad for you...since it uses the wheat flour you get to keep the protein from the wheat germ and things, so I believe it balances itself fairly well. Like I said, it makes a good meal, or a small pick me up during the day. There is a lot of butter, which can probably be substituted for some apple sauce...another experiment that I will start on soon.