The Name Game

This name for a blog came to me today and I really liked it, mostly because I am always saying to my husband or my children "have a bite." So I checked Blogger to see if the title had already been taken. When it wasn't, I jumped on it. My concern is that I am committing blog suicide by changing the name. But since the URL is not changing, I guess anyone who wanted to find me could. There are only a few blogs where I have been added as a link, so for them I would ask that they change the name, but not the URL, of course. (But not yet, please, as I am still wavering on this change.)

I would welcome any comments on my title change. Did you like the old one better? Do you find the new one more appealing, as I do? The jury is out.

Steamed Fish with Ham, Mushrooms, Ginger & Garlic

This is a weird one; but I've always been intrigued by this recipe and its accompanying picture since I saw it way back in Aug/Sept 2001 (from Fine Cooking issue 46.) I like steaming a delicate piece of fish and I thought the salty ham and earthy shiitake mushrooms would make it interesting. Here I used orange roughy, but the recipe suggests cod, sea bass or haddock. The fish is steamed on a plate with the sauteed ham, mushrooms and aromatics. A drizzle of sherry and toasted sesame oil is added. As the fish steams, the juices are collected on the plate and serve as a light sauce for rice. A little soy sauce is added at the end. There is a good amount of garlic here, so it was not bland like you might think steamed fish would be. It really turned out good, much to my husband's surprise.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Making buttermilk biscuits for my son, Sam, is a simple pleasure. It makes me happy that I can sort of spoil him by giving him homemade biscuits. Once you start having them from scratch, you just can't go back to the vacuum tube. I hope when he gets older he'll remember sitting in our yellow kitchen eating warm homemade biscuits.

Buttermilk Biscuits from Joy of Cooking

Position rack in center of oven, Preheat oven to 450*. Line a baking sheet with parchment.

In a large bowl, mix together:
2c flour
2t. baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Cut 5-6 T unsalter butter into flour until largest pieces are the size of peas

Add all at once:
3/4 c buttermilk

Mix with wooden spoon until dry ingredients are moist. With a floured hand, gather the dough into a ball and knead it gently against the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead just a bit on flour board and pat dough down gently to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with biscuit cutter and place on baking sheet. Brush Biscuits with milk. Bake until golden brown on top and bottom, 10-12 minutes.

The Mushroom Thing

We like The Mushroom Thing a lot. I think I make it at least once a month. I guess an open-faced mushroom sandwich would be a more accurate name. But since it has sauteed spinach on it and we eat it with a knife and fork, I don't really think of it as a sandwich. So, when Steve asks "What's for dinner?," I just say "the mushroom thing."

A Deborah Madison recipe is the original source of the recipe, but with the addition of the slow roasted tomatoes and a drizzle of sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, I think I've made it my own. A marinated and grilled portobella 'shroom is filled with garlic-sauteed spinach and a few oven-dried tomatoes and topped off with fresh mozzarella. It goes in the oven to warm and melt the cheese. The mushroom thing is served on top of toasted french bread. More tomatoes are added to the plate and vinaigrette is drizzled around. Voila!

Macaroni and Cheese, please

My favorite recipe for Mac and cheese comes from Joy of Cooking. There is nothing fancy about it. The cheese is just sharp cheddar, no gorgonzola, chevre or parmagianno here. It is just a basic bechamel to which cheese is added, (which would make it not a bechamel but some other french term that is not coming to my brain at the moment.) Partially cooked macaroni in added and then the whole concoction is baked with buttered breadcrumbs on top. Good stuff.

Crispy Orange-Sesame Chicken

From Fine Cooking's current issue no. 84, this oven-fried chicken is from an article on how to prepare boneless skinless chicken with a crispy crust. There are a few recipes all using the technique of coating the chicken in a flavorful sticky saucy mixture and then dredging them in pre-toasted breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs adhere to the chicken via the sticky sauce. The version I made has asian flavors including orange, soy sauce, and honey in the sauce and sesame seeds mixed in with the breadcrumbs. The chicken is cooked on a rack so that hot air can circulate underneath and prevent the underside from getting soggy. The underside didn't get soggy but it didn't crisp up (or brown) that much either. Still it was OK, since the breadcrumbs were pre-toasted. The orange-sesame version also advises to dip some thin orange slices in the sauce and bake them alongside the chicken to provide a tasty, attractive garnish.

There is also a jalapeno-cheddar variation that looks good. I'll probably try it soon.

Skin Deep

My love affair with plantains started at Frontera Grill. I had them just as they are here, sauteed in a little butter until brown on both sides, dolloped with crema and sprinkled with queso fresco. Think of the dish almost as potatoes browned in butter served with sour cream. But there is a gentle sweet banana flavor. They're so good. I can't go to Frontera without ordering them as a side dish. It is hard to fine plantains that are as ripe as you need them to be. So buy some yellowish ones with just the beginnings of black and let them sit on your counter until they are completely pitch black - then they are ready for some loving.

You might notice, I'm a little more generous with the crema and queso fresco than they are at Frontera.

Butter-Fried Plantains with Thick Cream: adapted from Rick Bayless' Authentic Mexican

Mexican Crema or sour cream thinned with heavy cream
Queso fresco- mexican fresh cheese, like farmer's cheese. crumbled.
3 med, very ripe plantains, you need really black ripe plantains for this recipe
unsalted butter

Peel the plantains and slice on the diagonal into 1/4 inch thick ovals.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Arrange the plantains in a single layer in the pan. Fry until deep golden brown, 3-5 minutes per side. If necessary, do in two batches, keeping the first batch warm in a low oven. Transfer to warm serving plate.

Garnish with cream and crumbled cheese, serve.

Leftover Salmon

A simple sammie made with flaked leftover salmon, minimal mayo, celery and a squeeze of a lemon. Red onion and lettuce added crunch.

Thinking Ahead Toward Spring

As the arctic tundra wages on outside our doors, I console myself with thoughts of spring. Salmon with orange butter, Composed salad of Asparagus, Roasted Beets and Blood oranges, served with a Blood orange juice and shallot vinaigrette.

Personalize your breakfast

If you can make Chex Party Mix, you can make homemade granola.


This yummy Crispy Sweet Pecan Granola is from Fine Cooking issue 75. It is the most recent of several recipes that I've tried in the past few months. Homemade granola is easy and so good. I like that I can make it however I want (lots of nuts, dried cherries or cranberries, and a little coconut is the way I like it best.) Whole Foods sells great granola in their bakery but it is so expensive and they never have exactly the combination of nuts and dried fruits that I want. Once you make it for yourself, you'll realize how exorbitantly priced and how not particularily spectacular store-bought granola is. If you buy nuts and dried fruits when you see them on sale, you can make great granola anytime. After all, it is only toasted oatmeal.

A Good Product

I used Stonewall Kitchen's Roasted Garlic and Onion jam as the "sauce" to make a goat cheese pizza. I can think of so many uses for this jam. I think it would make a really nice glaze if brushed on grilled pork tenderloin or chicken. Or serve it with brie and crackers. The only problem I might anticipate is that the sweetness might make dry wine taste funny. So choose your wine carefully.

Black Bean Soup

This is from Cook's Illustrated, issue 72. It is my go-to recipe for black bean soup. It is basic and hearty and good, seasoned with cumin. I'll type the recipe in later. Steve likes it a lot.

Also, here are 3 good reasons to sort through dried beans carefully. I threw away a few more little stone nuggets before I decided to start saving them for a photo.

Roast Chicken Breasts with Shallots and Garlic

It has been really, really cold here in Chicago. I've craved comfort food and this roast chicken fits the bill. 2 or 3 bone-in breasts are tossed in just enough melted butter to coat. 3 halved shallots and 8 whole garlic cloves are given a toss in the butter too. Everything is seasoned and then roasted in a hot (425) oven for about 50 minutes, give or take, longer if you use dark meat. Don't crowd the chicken pieces in their baking dish. The skin will crisp by itself, don't baste.

Your house will smell like heaven while it roasts. After resting for 10 minutes or so, the chicken will be juicy and once defatted, you'll get a lovely jus to spoon over potatoes. The shallots roast up sweet. The garlic is good too, spread it on bread.

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated's current issue, no. 84. Like the classic Tom Kha Gai , it's a spicy, creamy broth with bits of chicken and mushrooms, served with fresh garnishes (scallions, red chile strips, cilantro.) Here we've drizzled some thai hot chile sauce over the top too. It turned out very nice and wasn't too much work to put together. I'll make it again for sure.

Its broth, however, doesn't come close to the depth of flavor of the broth of Spicy Noodle with Shrimp and Coconut Milk from Fine Cooking Issue 56. That is the most amazing soup ever, but a great deal of work (curry paste from scratch, shrimp stock, a mountain of fresh garnishes.)

This one is much easier and you get a great pay off. It has the combination bonus of being soothing (from the cold) and tropical so that it transports your mind to warmer climes.