by TheLastWonton | Feb 3, 2012 | Appetizers & Snacks, Breads & Sandwiches, Salads & Bowls, Sauces, Dips & Condiments, Sides, Vegetarian
Cool, creamy, dilly, cucumber laden, garlic tinged, tangy Greekness. There's nothin' like it.
We put that ****** on everything!
This house loves Greek.
This house loves tzatziki. Scooped up with fresh, chewy-soft, warm pita. Mmmm.
Or plopped onto spicy barbecued chicken. Or for dip with smoky grilled ribs. Or slathered on tender roasted lamb (and then rolled up in pita). Or dolloped onto steaming baked potatoes. Or alongside crunchy delicious tempura veggies and prawns. Or mounded beside mouth-scalding green Thai curry. Or spooned onto flaky, classic spanakopita.
You get the drift. We like tzatziki, a lot. And its so scrumptiously versatile. Opa!
Tzatziki is one of those stand-by foods around our house. I make it often. Tonight we're having it with crispy, brazenly robust, oven fried, adobo chicken wings.
What? You're kidding? Really? You've never heard of Greek-Filipino fusion?
Well good thing I came along right about now, isn't it then? Tagay!
TZATZIKI
1 tub (750g) Greek or Balkan style Natural Plain Yogurt
1 small English cucumber, or more often 1/2 of a medium-ish English cucumber : )
3 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 plump garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon fresh dillweed, chopped – or 1 heaping teaspoon dried dillweed
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher, sea or your favorite salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Line a strainer or colander with cheesecloth or a clean, small kitchen towel or basket style coffee filter. Set lined strainer up over a bowl so it is not touching the bottom. Plop yogurt into lined strainer to drain. Refrigerate. Let yogurt drain 2-3 hours. Discard liquid. Now your yogurt is thick and dreamily creamily delicious.
Put yogurt into medium mixing bowl. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds by dragging a regular teaspoon along the seeded middle. Voila!
Cut half of the seeded (or is it de-seeded?) cucumber into tiny, thin pieces. Add to yogurt in bowl. Grate the other half of the cucumber on a box grater and squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand to remove some of the liquid. Add squeezed cuke to yogurt, along with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, dillweed, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
If you can, let the tzatziki mellow in the fridge for 1 or more hours, so the flavours to to know one another. Serve with warm pita. Or, well you know, your fave Filipino dish!
by TheLastWonton | Jan 29, 2012 | Appetizers & Snacks, Beef, Pork & Lamb, Main Dishes, Sides, Treats
Crispy golden, feel-like-a-kid-again, deliciousness. On a stick!
Unmistakable aromas. The promise of fun thick in the air. That glorious place when all caution is thrown to the wind. When childlike abandon happily and completely takes over.
You know what I'm talking about. The Carnival. The Annual Exhibition. The County Fair. The State Fair.
Or in my case, The Calgary Stampede. Growing up in Calgary, back in the 1960's meant there was not only one 'most wonderful time of the year', but two. And not only did we count down the days 'til school was out and summer holidays were here, but we excitely, anxiously, counted down the days until it was Stampede time!
Those were the glory days of my childhood memories. Yip, yip, yip, yahoooooo.
New jeans and sky blue western shirt laid out, big, pink peony cut from Dad's garden, waiting to be placed just so in the leather band on my coveted, snow-white stetson. Tomorrow was the day of days. Time to kick off The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Giddy with excitement, parade day meant getting up before the sun, doning cowgirl garb that made me feel crazily happy, and heading downtown to find the perfect spot on the curb, near the corner of 3rd Street and 7th Avenue. We had to get there before anybody else nabbed the spot we had come to believe was the best place to watch the passing of one of the world's most renowned parades.
After that it was time to hit the Stampede Grounds. And the Midway. Stampede Nirvana! Crowds of laughing, smiling, anticipation-filled, c'boy hatted families. Buzzingly delightful sensory overload of sounds, sights and smells. Music everywhere, demanding voices of sideshow barkers, beckoning carnies promising that it's easy as pie to hit the target and walk away with that big orange teddy bear, nickel diggers with their cellophane wrapped prizes, the spinning whir of The Calypso ride, the clanging, banging, of the Wild Mouse double-dog-dare-you roller coaster and (maybe best of all) the unmistakable aromas.
Aromas of the most fun foods to be had. Anywhere. Wafting everywhere. Taunting, summoning.
Sweet, salty, savory. Hot buttered popcorn; sugary mini donuts; soft pastel clouds of cotton candy; crunchy, sweet, valentine-red candy apples; creamy smooth pineapple whips and big, messy cheeseburgers jam-packed with fried onions and all the trimmings. But perhaps the super duperest fair food that we came craving each year, were the corn dogs.
Crunchy, tender, happiness on a stick. Crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside, hot from the fryer, corn dogs. With squiggles of mustard and ketchup.
That was then. This is now………
The other day, I brought all these fun food cravings (and memories) home. To my kitchen. Kids and grandkids gathered. And fun it was. Totally.
I scooted about online to find the perfect batter, and came across Tes At Home food blog, who made mini corn dogs instead of the usual size. Irresistably cute. I'm in.
A little more food blog jumping and my batter recipe was starting to come together. Then I had the thought to check one of my all time fave food blogs to make sure I wasn't missing anything that The Pioneer Woman had to offer about corn dogs. Sure enough, Ree did it again.
Not only was there a post on Corn Dogs, but in true Pioneer Woman style Ree took it a step further and did Cheese-On-A-Stick along with her corn dogs.
The eagle has landed. I was poised to make delicious fun. And so I did.
**Big hearty thanks to 'Tes at Home' and once again, to Ree, our one and only Pioneer Woman, 'Thank-you ma'am, I'm much obliged'!**
MINI CORN DOGS and CHEESE-ON-A-STICK – Serves 10-12.
1 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea, kosher or other salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
500 gram package Cocktail Smokies or mini wieners or frankfurters (I used President's Choice Cocktail Smokies)
Cheddar, Havarti, Mozzarella or other cheese cut into 1/2-inch x 3-inch sticks
Wooden skewers
Canola or peanut oil, for frying
Assorted mustards and ketchup for dipping
Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add eggs, melted butter and buttermilk. Whisk, whisk, whisk to make a slightly thick batter.
Insert skewers into cocktail smokies.
Insert skewers into cheese sticks.
Heat oil in a wok or deep fryer, over medium high heat. Drop a tiny bit of batter into the oil to test to see if it's hot enough to start frying. Batter should sizzle immediately, but not brown immediately. Once you start frying you may have to adjust the heat a bit to keep the oil at the perfect frying temperature.
Dip the mini dogs into the batter and allow any excess to drip off, back into the bowl. Carefully place in the oil, skewer and all, and use tongs to turn. Don't crowd your pan, so that you can fiddle a bit turning, browning and cooking evenly. Remove after 3-4 minutes, when batter is a deep golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with mustards and ketchup.
Repeat with the cheese sticks, keeping in mind they are a tich trickier to fry. You walk a fine line between not frying it long enough (and the cheese not fully melting) and frying it too long (the outside gets too brown or the cheese bursts through the batter and starts the oil spattering). It might take a couple of pieces to get it just right. Forest Grump did the frying for me, and he had the cheese frying perfected, after 2 sticks. And seriously, having to fiddle a bit is so worth it!
As River boy says, "Oh Em Gee, these are sooooo good!"
Yip, yip, yip yahoooooo!
**And don't forget you can always use any leftover batter for pancakes the next morning.**
by TheLastWonton | Jan 28, 2012 | Sides, Vegetarian, Veggies
Earthy, creamy mash of winter veggies riddled with tiny little bites of sharp cheddar. Do you call them rutabagas, turnips or neeps?
I grew up in a family where deliciously fantastic food was standard fare. Mom made the ordinary extraordinary. From chilaquiles and cheese enchiladas, to curried shrimp in patty shells, to spicy meat sauce and spaghetti to down home family favorites like fried chicken and apple pie. But the real standouts, the dinners my sisters and I still lovingly crave, are those steeped in British tradition.
Mom and my very special Auntie Alice (I miss you both so much it hurts), made Sunday roast dinners second to none. And they both made everything look so easy peasy. Salt and peppery standing rib roast, Yorkshire puddings swathed in dark, rich gravy, crispy edged, creamy centred golden roast potatoes that tasted like heaven and of course mashed turnips with a dob of butter melting on top. Oh mama!!
Long after those soul warming dinners of my childhood, I have come to learn that what we always called turnips are really rutabagas. But, they'll always be turnips to me. Or will they?
When I got married I found out my in-law family also called rutabagas turnips. But they went a step further with the Scottish nick name, neeps. And, my oh my, how the Stowells love their neeps.
Call them what you will, whether they be rutabagas, turnips or neeps, they have become an indispensable ingredient in my kitchen. 'Turnips' make my soup stocks richer, my gratins tastier and my Christmas dinners the stuff of memories.
So when I stumbled upon Rutabaga Cheddar Mash on Donna Lynn Ketchum's food blog, I knew I had no option but to pull out the rutabagas turnips neeps and make this tasty recipe my own.
Adding a bit of diced potato to the cubed turnips while they're simmering, brings out a hidden creaminess to the mash. Dark edged, slightly caramelized, sweet onions, tiny chunks of sharp cheddar, a knob of butter and a good splash of cream or milk make these neeps irresistible. Naughty Neeps!!
NAUGHTY NEEPS- About 6 servings.
1 small Vidalia, Walla Walla, Maui or other sweet onion, peeled, quartered and very thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 medium-large rutabaga, peeled, cut into 1-inch dice
1 medium potato, peeled, cut into 6-8 pieces
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup cream or milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup sharp cheddar, cut into small cubes
Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onions, sprinkle with sugar, stir, and saute until the edges of the onions start to brown nicely. Turn heat down and let onions cook 5-8 minutes 'til they get all golden with yummy dark bits like the onions at the fairgrounds. But watch them, turning the heat down if necessary, so they don't get too brown. Set aside.
Put turnip cubes in a pot with about 1 teaspoon sea, Kosher or other salt. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat so gently boiling. After 20 minutes add cubed potato and simmer another 15-20 minutes until both veggies are tender. Drain.
Mash in pot with 2 tablespoons butter, milk or cream, fried onions and salt and pepper to taste. Mash, mash. Gently stir in cheddar cubes and scoop mixture into serving bowl, so that the cheddar doesn't completely melt into the veggies but stays in little blobs of melty yumminess. Serve up hot. Blimey!
by TheLastWonton | Jan 22, 2012 | Baking & Desserts, Cake, Hawaiian, Pies, Treats
Happy Birthday Courtney!!
Both of my boy-men, 30-something kids always request this childhood favorite for their birthday ‘cake’. Way back when, this scrumptious, banana-cream-pie-ish, layered dessert, slightly hinting of cheesecake was a family stand-by, called Sex In A Pan.
Then a few years ago, whilst living the Hawaiian dream, up Kaloko mauka, where bananas grew in our yard, just up the hill from Kona village, I had my way with this sweet goodie, toying with the ingredients just enough to end up with today’s version, now dubbed Kawaihae Pie. Ono! And even with all those layers it’s pretty darn easy peasy to make too. Don’t shy away from the more than usual ‘packaged’ ingredients used here. Those packages do exactly what they’re supposed to do to make this dessert yummy. EAT PIE!
MY HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai, high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.
Dear Journal – Kawaihae is this out-of-the-way, if-you-blink-you’ll-miss-it town up Kohala way where we sometimes stop for lunch on our way to the North Shore. It seems to feel warmer there to me than here in Kona, and sunnier. You’ll sometimes hear talk of the changing winds of Kawaihae. The Mumuku (wind from the uplands) and the Naulu (wind from the sea). There’s not a lot of reef around the Big Island, but in the waters off Kawaihae you’ll find reef. Maybe that partly accounts for Kawaihae being such a prolific fishing village in the old days. There’s a popular harbour there where the first ships to bring horses and cattle to the Big Island docked and just offshore is where Kevin Costner’s movie Waterworld was filmed. All around Kawaihae there’s ancient Hawaiian heiaus (temples) and other wonderful historic sites. It seems to me that Kawaihae is on the edge of things. On the edge of old and new, of revered history and a little spring of new commerce, of unexpected findings and strange weather, of roads that go both ways. It seems that if you come across Kawaihae, you’ve come across more of a rest-stop than meets the eye. To me, it has this strange, unexplainable feeling, like you’ve stepped off to some ‘other place’. It’s good, but somehow unworldly. Kawaihae was on my mind when I made last night’s dessert for company. Maybe that explains why I piled up the layers with flavors and textures hidden inside of each other.
KAWAIHAE PIE aka Sex In A Pan – 12 -14 servings
Crust:
1 1/4 cups graham crumbs
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
Filling:
3 bananas, sliced thin
1 – 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 – 500ml (16 ounce) container Cool Whip
2 3/4 cups milk
1 – 113g (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding
1 – 113g (3.9 ounce) package instant butterscotch pudding
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
For garnish: banana slices tossed with a bit of lemon juice (to keep from browning) or shaved milk chocolate or chopped chocolate covered macadamia nuts, or any combination of.
Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Mix graham crumbs, 1 heaping tablespoon sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Layer banana slices over cooled crust. Beat together cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth. Stir Cool Whip into beaten mixture until creamy smooth. Spread over banana slices. Chill in fridge while making next layer. Combine milk and both pudding mixes in bowl and whisk for 2-3 minutes. Let set for 3-4 minutes. Spoon over cream cheese layer. Chill in fridge while making top layer.
Whip cream with 3 tablespoons sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Carefully spread sweetened whipped cream over pudding layer. Refrigerate 12-24 hours. (I always make this dessert the day ahead.) Remove outer ring of pan. Garnish with bananas, shaved chocolate or chopped chocolate covered macadamia nuts and serve. Let’s kaukau.
by TheLastWonton | Jan 19, 2012 | Appetizers & Snacks, Breads & Sandwiches, Breakfast & Brunch, Sides
Warm your winter kitchen and your tummy with layers of soft yeasty homemade bread touting fragrant herbs, brazen amounts of melty cheese and oodles of sultry garlic.
Brrrrr!!! Okay, who's the joker that plunked the oft cursed prairie weather right here in our usually mild mannered valley?
Baby it's COLD outside!! Bone chilling, frost bitten, shaking-in-your-fur-lined-boots cold. Brrrrrr!
Given ol' man winter's frigid blast, I had no option. I'm sorry. Really sorry. For side-tracking you when you're seriously on-target with your January goals. I apologize for tempting you. For pushing you to the very edge of all reason, where you know there's no option but to succumb to warm-from-the-oven, yeasty soft, cheese and herb riddled garlic bread.
Aaaannnnddd…..this loaf goes a step further. This is not your mama's garlic bread. Not the kind where you have to pull open the drawer, find the bread knife and slice off a piece. Nope, not that kind. This is a ridiculously fragrant loaf that the moment it comes out of the oven, beckons insists your fingers pull off a piece right here and now. Effortless.
Go ahead, pop another buttery piece. Forest Grump did.
Seems there was a good dent in our loaf before we even dished out the turkey soup. Might I add, this bread is great with soup. Whether munched on the side or dipped in the barley, veggie and turkey laden, golden rich, heady broth.
Not only that, but it was pretty darn easy, and fun, to make. I started the dough in the breadmaker, then rolled it out, slathered it with garlic-jalapeno butter, sprinkled herbs here and there, sliced the dough, stacked the dough, sliced again, shimmied the stacks into a loaf pan, baked, and voila. The staff of life.
I used cheddar cheese with chopped fresh cilantro and chives. But whether you fancy Monterey Jack, Parmesan, provolone, havarti, gouda………basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, or, or, or ……any combination will work. We love 'heat', so I added some really finely chopped fresh jalapenos which gave a perfect zing. And, of course, lots of fresh, minced garlic.
So, don't say I didn't warn you about this not being your New Years resolution type recipe. Besides that, I just know you've earned a warm-the-tummy-and-the-soul comfort food treat.
And tomorrow is a new day. Redemption is just one sleep away. Tomorrow, salad.
With warmed up cheese & herb garlic bread! (Hahahaha. Just kidding! There won't be any bread left!)
Which reminds me, here's one more treat for you. Redemption Song.
I just love this version! It gives me goosies.
**Thanks to Pink Parsley food blog for the delicious inspiration and to Joy the Baker, where the whole, scrumptious pull-apart bread thing really got revved up, but with cinnamon sugar. Ohhhhh, I can't wait to make a cinnamony version. Stay tuned.
"A loaf of bread, a jug of wine and thou."
~ Omar Khayyam
CHEESE & HERB PULL-APART GARLIC BREAD – Makes 1 loaf
Bread
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast, or 1 package active dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
3 generous cups flour
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
Filling
4-5 plump garlic cloves, minced
1-2 fresh jalapenos, very finely chopped (optional, for you non-heat seekers)
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs (cilantro, chives, basil, oregano, rosemary, sage, dill, tarragon, parsley)
2 cups grated cheese (I used 'old' cheddar, but any cheese will work)
Freshly ground black pepper
Combine water and milk in a 2 cup measure. Microwave until just steaming. Add 3 tablespoons butter and stir. Let sit until butter melts and mixture cools to lukewarm.
If using a breadmaker: add yeast, sugar, flour, salt and beaten egg, then lukewarm liquids. Hit the dough cycle button.
For the dough, without breadmaker: Pour heated water-milk-butter mixture into bowl of standing mixer. Stir in sugar and yeast and let rest for 5-7 minutes until foamy. Stir in beaten egg. Add flour and salt and mix with a dough hook about 8 minutes. The dough should be silky-ish, not sticky, to the touch. Butter or oil a bowl, transfer dough to bowl, cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until doubled in bulk.
While dough is rising combine softened butter with minced garlic and chopped jalapeno. Set aside.
Punch down the dough and turn onto lightly floured surface. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Roll the dough out into a 12 x 20 inch rectangle. Slather evenly with garlic, jalapeno butter. (oh my!) Sprinkle evenly with chopped herbs and grated cheese. Grind some black pepper over top to taste.
Cut the dough, vertically, into 6 equal sized strips with a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
Stack the strips on top of one another.
Slice the stack into six equal slices once again. You'll have six stacks of six squares.
Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. (I lined my loaf pan, partially, with overhanging parchment, which worked like a charm. Once the loaf was baked, it lifted right out of the pan.) Turn the pan on it's end, or however it's easiest for you, and stack and shimmy the stacks into the pan.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place about 45 minutes or until almost double in bulk.
Preheat oven to 350F. Bake the bread for 40-50 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown and the inside is cooked through. If the top browns too quickly, cover the loaf loosely with foil. I baked my loaf just over 45 minutes and did cover with foil for about the last 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and alow to cool for 10-20 minutes. (Forest Grump, this means you!) Run a knife around the edges, and invert onto serving platter. (or if you used parchment paper, just pull that beauty out using the overhang as handles).
Soul warming comfort, layer on layer. Pull, pop. Repeat.
