I’ve Moved!!
Hi all,
Just letting you know that i’ve changed my site to
http://monkeyseemonkeychew.blogspot.com/
So please stop by for a visit, update your bookmarks, and say hello!
One Soggy Monkey
27 days straight of rainy weather here in Seattle. Our rainy day streak finally ended yesterday, only to continue it’s soggy saga again today. One whole day of reprieve. God is taunting us.
I took a stroll (well, I’m lying. I actually drove two blocks b/c I didn’t want to melt in the rain) down to the local Monkey Grind for a cup of Joe and a little monkey camaraderie.
I wish the rain would stop.
How’s your weather?
Pick a Peck of Picos
The football playoffs (Seahawks vs Redskins) were Saturday night, so I decided to make some finger foods for the hubby. Normally I make a simple crostini covered in cheese and herbs, but hubby had a clever suggestion. Add some pico de gallo! A little temperature hot, with a little temperature cold. So, in combining these two cultures into one dish, I feared a potential culinary clash could erupt. Fortunately, only satisfied bellies became the result, and no apparent disrest occured.
In fact, Mexicans and Italians actually have quite a bit in common. Their languages are both Romantic languages. I could scream out the name “Antonio!” in a crowded room and both the Mexicans and Italians would beckon my call. Even their flags are similar (except for Mexico’s eagle). 
So, it’s safe. Go forth and make your crostinis with a clear conscience.
I winged the pico de gallo (spanish for rooster beak, btw), but here is a close cousin. I added some color by throwing in a yellow tomato, but that’s only necessary if you want to be a fancy pants like me.
- 8 slices (1/4 inch thick) baguette
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1/4 cup shredded Whiskey Cheddar (found at speciality food stores or Whole Foods)*
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
- 1 cup pico de gallo
*Don’t worry kids, no need to show ID to purchase this one. Only miniscule traces of actual alcohol are in this cheese.
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Make crostini: Brush baguette slices on both sides with a total of 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper and sprinkle herbs to cover. Place on a baking sheet, and bake, turning over once, until golden, 8 minutes. Pull out and sprinkle cheese over and place back in oven for 2-4 minutes until melted.
2. Serve with a side of pico de gallo.
And the entrèe…..
- 1/2 pound chicken tenders
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp Tajin* seasoning
- juice of 1 lime
- 3 large pieces of lavash wraps or 6 flour tortillas
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 green bell pepper, julienned
- 1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 28 oz can green enchilada sauce
- 2 cups grated Pepper Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
*substitution: 1 tsp of chili powder.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Marinate chicken in cumin, seasoning and lime juice for 1 hour.
2. Broil chicken in toaster oven, turning once, for 20 minutes. Dice.
3. Coat the bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and onion with oil and salt and pepper. Broil in toaster oven for 15 minutes.
Let cool and dice.
4. Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with enchilada sauce. Place one lavash(or 2 tortillas) over it, sprinkle 1/3 cheese, 1/3 veggies and 1/4 cup enchilada sauce.
5. Place another lavash down and repeat, this time adding the diced chicken. Top off with the last lavash.
6. Mix sour cream and remaining sauce and coat the top lavash. sprinkle remaining cheese over and bake for 20 minutes.
Death by Lemongrass
I should start this blog off by wishing the most AMAZING 12 year old I know a very Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! (What was that?) I love you and miss you!
OK, now back to business…
Oh wait, what is this here? What strange sort of grass is this? Lemongrass? What in the world is a person supposed to do with this fibrous, smelly thing?
Answer: Many things.
Lemongrass is typically used as flavoring in many Asian dishes. It is also known to treat a number of ailments, such as headaches and the common cold. AKA: The chicken soup of Thailand.
But, why restrict lemongrass to such stringent boundaries. Be free, my little grassling, and explore your vast potential.
Here are a few possible career moves for lemongrass, if so it chooses:
#1: A food-in-teeth extractor. the outermost husk is usually discarded and forgotten. This saddens me. When dental floss or toothpicks are hard to come by, use your trusty lemongrass. Though, how many of us actually have lemongrass at our disposal during these desperate times of need? I do. But I’m not normal.
#2: A disciplinary device. When left intact, this plant has a natural elasticity that is very similar to that of a whip. “Whoop-Cha!” Take that Devo.
#3: A poking stick. My husband came up with this idea. Sure. You could use it as a poking stick. Just don’t poke too hard. Death by lemongrass, anyone? .
Well, I fear none of these fantastic ideas are every going to hold much of a marketing appeal. So allow me to suggest another possibility, Iced-Tea!
Here’s the Lemongrass Tea recipe I came across. I made some slight changes…
- 14 stalks of lemongrass*
- 3 Tbs. fresh Thai ginger, sliced or coarsely chopped
- 1/4 c blackberries
- 1/4 c palm sugar** or honey
- 8 c water
Combine bottom 5-in. of lemongrass, ginger, blackberries, and place in cheesecloth. Secure with twine. Place water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Place filled cheesecloth and the tops of the lemongrass stalks in the pot. Bring down heat to a simmer, cover, and brew for 20 minutes or longer (for a stronger taste).
This can also be served as a hot tea with a little mint (the hubbie’s preference).
*Only the moist white/yellow bulb portion of the stalk is normally used in cooking (about 5 inches). But, since this is only a flavoring agent for the tea, we can use almost all of it.
**These come package in hard, round discs when you buy them. Place it in a plastic bag and use a meat tenderizer or mallet to pulverize it. It’s very cathartic!
Crying Over Spoiled Milk
One of my favorite challenges is taking a variety of ingredients that are just minutes from turning bad, and making something delicious with them. It’s my own twist on the Paper Chef contest.
I hate waste, especially when food is involved. So before my naturally sour buttermilk decided to sour in a less savory fashion, i had at it with a bowl and whisk. I show no mercy.
Next, I tackled a tough one: heavy cream. Expiration: 1/11/06. Hmmm, 3 days old. I heavily pondered it’s fate. In the throes of indecision, I decided to sniff it. Then I sniffed it again. Then I wondered if I even knew what heavy whipping cream was supposed to smell like. Then I had my husband sniff it. Then had him sniff it again.
The final verdict: I used it. And I don’t even regret it (well, at least not yet).
I love livin’ on the edge…
Resting just on the fringe of foul-dom, here’s what became of our two ingredients.
Set the oven at 425 degrees F. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Work the butter into the flour until it is in even pieces about the size of a pea. Gently stir in the buttermilk to make a loose dough.
Turn the dough out and pat until it is a 3/4-inch thickness. Use a round cutter to make 2 to 3 inch circles. Bake for 12 minutes
Cover Onion and Bell Pepper in olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and pepper and place on pan, cut side down. Broil for 10 minutes in toaster oven.Let cool and dice. Set aside.
Melt butter in a skillet and stir in flour; cook, stirring constantly. Stir in broth, cream, remainder salt, basil, and Creole seasoning. Reduce heat and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Feeling Curry-ous?
My brother-in-law and his g/f gave me a “Taste of Thai” gift package for Christmas. So I figured I’d re-gift by inviting them over to feast on their own kindness. Sadly, the plans fell through, but that didn’t stop me from going forward with my cooking plans.
MonkeyFacts:
Something I learned recently was the difference between an ‘Indian’ curry and a ‘Thai’ curry. Indian curries put more emphasis on spices and slower cooking methods, whereas Thai curries are slightly quicker to make and incorporate more herbal and aromatic flavorings.
The curry powder one often thinks of is actually a blend of spices indigenous to India and is completely unrelated to a Thai or Japanese curry.
A Monkey’s Guide to Mochi
In dispersing my treats and experiments to friends and coworkers, I discovered that some people (one in particular) have very specific “gluten free” needs. This became the inspiration to go outside of the ‘baking’ box by making Mochi, which is a gluten-free rice flour based treat. Unfortunately, I think a few things might have spilled out of the box in the meantime. But, you can’t say I didn’t try….
Here are some distinct characteristics of mochi that may present a problem in the creation process.
Characterstic #1: Mochi is very sticky. If it were a person, I would call Mochi ‘clingy’ and suggest some very effective self help books.
Characterstic #2: Mochi retains heat and can get very hot when microwaved for 7 minutes. Well, I guess that could apply to anything.
Characterstic #3: Mochi lures in not-so-bright cooks [insert my name here] into believing that making it is painless and fun.
The result of combining all three characteristics: Searing hot mochi stuck to your fingers causing second and third degree burns.
So before starting, and depending on how clumsy you are, you may want to thoroughly cover yourself in rice flour or potato starch before attempting to make this sticky treat. Sneak up behind your significant other and yell “Boo!” and then return to the kitchen to continue with your mochi. Stop playing with your food, please.
I took a very basic recipe and improvised just a bit by adding some vanilla.
Basic Mochi
- 1 cup Mochiko sweet rice flour
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then combine. Place the batter in a resealable plastic bag. Microwave for 3 1/2 minutes. Knead the dough while still in bag and nuke for another 3 1/2 minutes. LET COOL! Flour a surface with rice flour or potato starch. Use a cylindrical cookie cutter and fashion into cute balls
I decided to fill some with strawberries, blackberries, and a few with honey/peanut butter. When mochi is filled, the name changes to Daifuku. Who knew?
I have fond memories of making mochi in Japan many, many years ago. I also have fond memories of enjoying the fruits of my labor. This mochi was not as enjoyable. Maybe it’s the difference between a few minutes in the microwave and 2 hours with a giant mortar and pestle.
Or maybe over the passing of time, my taste has changed. This could be possible.
Either way, I suggest trying them out for yourself if you have a flair for the exotic and unusual.