Finnish Donuts 11/27/2011
Well, I don't have any pictures ('cuz I've eaten them up!), but our dear friends, Anna and Sakari, brought homemade Finnish donuts to our Thanksgiving meal this week. They left the remainder here, since they are best eaten warm and they have no microwave at their house. So I have enjoyed donuts and coffee for breakfast since then.
My best description of their donuts would be somewhere between a "typical" glazed and a cake-style. They're not as dense as a cake donut, but a little heavier than the standard style. They are only mildly sweet, mostly due to being rolled in sugar once freshly heated. Add a cup of coffee and YUM!!!!
Can I get an "Amen!" that Thanksgiving leftovers are just awesome! I haven't cooked since Thursday and we still have plenty. Being 8 months pregnant, I'm enjoying the break.
My best description of their donuts would be somewhere between a "typical" glazed and a cake-style. They're not as dense as a cake donut, but a little heavier than the standard style. They are only mildly sweet, mostly due to being rolled in sugar once freshly heated. Add a cup of coffee and YUM!!!!
Can I get an "Amen!" that Thanksgiving leftovers are just awesome! I haven't cooked since Thursday and we still have plenty. Being 8 months pregnant, I'm enjoying the break.
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Chocolate pie, Larissa-style 10/18/2011
Recently, I've had a hankering for a chocolate pie. However, those who know my culinary style are well aware that pie crust is the bane of my baking existence. Technically, I can make it work, but it takes a lot out of me. As such, I'm always intimidated when I stand at the beginning of the entire process, hoping it will end up being worth it.
This time, I just didn't have it in me. I was just making this for our enjoyment and had no need to present it beautifully or even be able to serve it in slices. Add on the fact that at high altitude, our experiences has been that it doesn't set up well and ends up pretty soupy anyway and we decided it wasn't worth trying to form any kind of particular pie shape.
This time, I just didn't have it in me. I was just making this for our enjoyment and had no need to present it beautifully or even be able to serve it in slices. Add on the fact that at high altitude, our experiences has been that it doesn't set up well and ends up pretty soupy anyway and we decided it wasn't worth trying to form any kind of particular pie shape.
Cooking class outcome 07/05/2011
One thing we have the interns do during their time here is have a turn cooking a meal for their host family. It is a good experience to figure out how to prepare food in another country, figuring out translations, adjust measurements for altitude, making substitutions for what can't be found, etc. However, the intern staying with us, Hope, asked if we could have a cooking class each week instead of her cooking alone. She is a lovely girl who pitches in with cooking or cleaning up with no fuss, but she wanted an opportunity to learn some of our favorites, rather than find random stuff online to try.
So we have our weekly "cooking class". This week was the first, and it basically entailed the cooks (Hope and Stephanie, another intern) following a recipe from a book I have. They braised chicken, steamed asparagus and boiled sweet potatoes. It was delicious! I stopped in and gave pointers and helped peel sweet potatoes, but they successfully pulled off a wonderful meal with minimal input from me.
The one thing we hadn't counted on was the size of the chicken legs they bought. They were huge! Usually, an adult can eat one chicken leg in this recipe, but we were splitting and sharing these puppies. So I had to figure out what to do with all that leftover, wonderfully juicy, tender chicken. What indeed?
So we have our weekly "cooking class". This week was the first, and it basically entailed the cooks (Hope and Stephanie, another intern) following a recipe from a book I have. They braised chicken, steamed asparagus and boiled sweet potatoes. It was delicious! I stopped in and gave pointers and helped peel sweet potatoes, but they successfully pulled off a wonderful meal with minimal input from me.
The one thing we hadn't counted on was the size of the chicken legs they bought. They were huge! Usually, an adult can eat one chicken leg in this recipe, but we were splitting and sharing these puppies. So I had to figure out what to do with all that leftover, wonderfully juicy, tender chicken. What indeed?
Caramelized Onions 07/01/2011
Ok, is it just me, or is it crazy how fast this year is going?! How in the world are we on the downhill side of the year 2011? And I haven't posted in an embarassingly long time. Ouch! I promise, I've been feeding my family. It's just that in the mix of a bunch of new or special activities, I haven't been taking the time to try new things, or at least not take pictures of some of them to pass along, or even of those old favorites that I think would be wonderful to share.
I'm in the process of bouncing back, but for now, I can share something that is kind of rocking my food world. In case you didn't guess from the title, I am loving caramelized onions!
I'm in the process of bouncing back, but for now, I can share something that is kind of rocking my food world. In case you didn't guess from the title, I am loving caramelized onions!
Lasagna 05/03/2011
Who doesn't love lasagna?! Once it's actually made, it is easy to cook, serve, love. Yes, I know that in other places, one can easily find such a wonder readily prepared and frozen for an even easier experience. BUT, for those of us who aren't in such places, we still want a rockin' good lasagna every now and then. This is for you, dear friends without Walmarts. And for those of you with said access, I still recommend trying this sometime, because the sauce and meat themselves have a much better flavor than mass-produced version, however appealing they may be.
Our favorite lasagna is a development from several recipes (this is a trend for me) based on what we can get here, what flavors we like best, our homemade marinara, and a desire to get as close to Italian sausage as possible. I'll describe how to assemble each of the four main layers (meat, sauce, cheese mixture, vegetables - optional). I'll also provide pictures for assembly for immediate use, as well as for freezing. It's a little work intensive, but worth it. I always make two at a time, so I know I have another one ready in the freezer anytime. What a treat.
With no further ado...
Our favorite lasagna is a development from several recipes (this is a trend for me) based on what we can get here, what flavors we like best, our homemade marinara, and a desire to get as close to Italian sausage as possible. I'll describe how to assemble each of the four main layers (meat, sauce, cheese mixture, vegetables - optional). I'll also provide pictures for assembly for immediate use, as well as for freezing. It's a little work intensive, but worth it. I always make two at a time, so I know I have another one ready in the freezer anytime. What a treat.
With no further ado...
Marinara 05/02/2011
I had an interesting experience here in Peru once, a bit of food understanding lost in translation. The menu said "marinara" was part of a pasta dish description. Naturally, I pictured a savory tomato sauce. However, in Spanish, marinara means "marine" and denote a mixture of seafood, some identifiable, some not, half of which was rubbery. Yum.
We're not dealing with that today. Today we are talking about the classic red sauce that can be used for almost anything. We like it for spaghetti, lasagna (coming soon), pizza, calzones (especially for extra dipping), and even a pasta casserole my teen girls taught me that includes peas, carrots, and peanut butter (It's good, I promise!). When I have a fresh batch (or several) whipped up, I get excited about the delicious results in my future. I pulled the recipe together from a variety of sources, leaving out pretty much anything I can't find here. The result is a richly flavored sauce that steps up any dish. Just try it and see if that canned stuff holds a candle anymore.
Note: You can blend this to whatever consistency you prefer. My family likes it smoother, so I leave it to run in the blender or food processor for a few minutes. You can also blend after cooking if you realize it ended up chunkier than expected. No stress.
We're not dealing with that today. Today we are talking about the classic red sauce that can be used for almost anything. We like it for spaghetti, lasagna (coming soon), pizza, calzones (especially for extra dipping), and even a pasta casserole my teen girls taught me that includes peas, carrots, and peanut butter (It's good, I promise!). When I have a fresh batch (or several) whipped up, I get excited about the delicious results in my future. I pulled the recipe together from a variety of sources, leaving out pretty much anything I can't find here. The result is a richly flavored sauce that steps up any dish. Just try it and see if that canned stuff holds a candle anymore.
Note: You can blend this to whatever consistency you prefer. My family likes it smoother, so I leave it to run in the blender or food processor for a few minutes. You can also blend after cooking if you realize it ended up chunkier than expected. No stress.
Irish Stew 04/19/2011
This new recipe was the result of looking for new ways to use beef. I'm usually unimpressed with stews, with their tough meat chunks and bland vegetable pieces, but the rave review on this recipe warranted at least a test run. As it turns out, the broth on this baby is unbelievably flavorful. Don't be deterred by the combination of ingredients. Use every single one. It's so worth it!
The recipe below is my adjusted version to simplify the process and use cheaper ingredients. I think it came out even better than before, but you can decide for yourself. If you're interested, I highly recommend returning to the original recipe for a try. One tip to remember is to taste for seasoning at each step. If it doesn't taste good by itself, it won't help the overall flavor.
The recipe below is my adjusted version to simplify the process and use cheaper ingredients. I think it came out even better than before, but you can decide for yourself. If you're interested, I highly recommend returning to the original recipe for a try. One tip to remember is to taste for seasoning at each step. If it doesn't taste good by itself, it won't help the overall flavor.
How to cut and store watermelon 03/22/2011
If you're thinking...um, don't need any help in that department, then have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by.
Watermelon is one of the things my family goes for big time. My kids eat lots of it, as can I. We are ending our summer season here, so they are big and juicy and sweet and I'm taking advantage of it as long as I can. However, the problem is that if I don't cut it up right away, removing the seeds, it is a hassle to serve and often goes bad quickly when left on the rind (I buy a quarter or half of a melon). However, once cut, the pieces tend to become slimy if left in too much juice.
No more!
Quick note: If the seeds are along the top as shown below, an easy way to get them all is to take a few swipes with a spoon, scraping a groove just deep enough to grab the seeds.
Watermelon is one of the things my family goes for big time. My kids eat lots of it, as can I. We are ending our summer season here, so they are big and juicy and sweet and I'm taking advantage of it as long as I can. However, the problem is that if I don't cut it up right away, removing the seeds, it is a hassle to serve and often goes bad quickly when left on the rind (I buy a quarter or half of a melon). However, once cut, the pieces tend to become slimy if left in too much juice.
No more!
Quick note: If the seeds are along the top as shown below, an easy way to get them all is to take a few swipes with a spoon, scraping a groove just deep enough to grab the seeds.
What you don't know... 03/14/2011
...can be surprising.
During a recent trip to a favorite restaurant, we received a more thorough description of our food than we ever had previously. They have a delicious butter mixture that we enjoy on the steak. It wasn't until last week that they told us that it was...
...are you ready?...
...anchovy butter. Yummy.
Yep. Tiny fish blended up in butter. Probably with herbs, judging by the look. It's quite good. Good thing we didn't know that before we tried it, though.
That just goes to show you that you should always try new foods before asking what is in them. You never know what flavor will come out of odd combinations and you might discover a new favorite. Ingredients don't matter. Flavors do. It's what you end up liking or not liking anyway, right?
Enjoy!
-Larissa
During a recent trip to a favorite restaurant, we received a more thorough description of our food than we ever had previously. They have a delicious butter mixture that we enjoy on the steak. It wasn't until last week that they told us that it was...
...are you ready?...
...anchovy butter. Yummy.
Yep. Tiny fish blended up in butter. Probably with herbs, judging by the look. It's quite good. Good thing we didn't know that before we tried it, though.
That just goes to show you that you should always try new foods before asking what is in them. You never know what flavor will come out of odd combinations and you might discover a new favorite. Ingredients don't matter. Flavors do. It's what you end up liking or not liking anyway, right?
Enjoy!
-Larissa
A necessary evil 03/10/2011
It's rough that we have to eat. Food can be a problem for many of us. Raise your hand if you ever tell yourself that if you just ate or drank , you would feel better about your day right now. (Come on, put it up.) It's a comfort to us, such that a smell or taste can take us back to a childhood moment in grandma's kitchen or make us feel warm and cozy on a cold day. What we eat has a powerful effect on us, and we know it. That's why we often use food as our reward, pity prize, pick-me-up, or drown-my-sorrows-in-chocolate options. We know it changes how we feel.
And we wonder why health can be such a struggle.
Then again, those same facts about food make it worthwhile. It's not just gassing up our tanks to get through the day. It's a joy. We can be having an awful day, and just sitting down to a lunch that hits the spot can give us a renewed energy to redeem the remainder of that day. It reinforces our sense of self, that some experiences do not rely on outside factors to come out right, so that no matter what else is going on, peanut butter and chocolate together will always taste this good. Maybe no one is paying attention to what you have to say, but that perfect cup of coffee exists for the sole purpose of warming your core, invigorating your body, and relaxing your mind. Our food experiences can nurture us beyond mere nutrition. What a blessing¡
Feeding ourselves is a required selfish pleasure. We have to eat. We might as well figure out how to maximize it.
My joy in cooking comes from finding a balance between foods that just downright taste good and that nourish the body. I don't gain the same satisfaction from pure junk food or sweets as I used to (thank you, Peru and all your fresh food!), simply because my body doesn't feel as good. When I nail the combination of health and flavor, I find a special place where indulging doesn't equal damaging, and I can enjoy the knowledge that both my palate and body are fulfilled.
So...let's eat!
-Larissa
And we wonder why health can be such a struggle.
Then again, those same facts about food make it worthwhile. It's not just gassing up our tanks to get through the day. It's a joy. We can be having an awful day, and just sitting down to a lunch that hits the spot can give us a renewed energy to redeem the remainder of that day. It reinforces our sense of self, that some experiences do not rely on outside factors to come out right, so that no matter what else is going on, peanut butter and chocolate together will always taste this good. Maybe no one is paying attention to what you have to say, but that perfect cup of coffee exists for the sole purpose of warming your core, invigorating your body, and relaxing your mind. Our food experiences can nurture us beyond mere nutrition. What a blessing¡
Feeding ourselves is a required selfish pleasure. We have to eat. We might as well figure out how to maximize it.
My joy in cooking comes from finding a balance between foods that just downright taste good and that nourish the body. I don't gain the same satisfaction from pure junk food or sweets as I used to (thank you, Peru and all your fresh food!), simply because my body doesn't feel as good. When I nail the combination of health and flavor, I find a special place where indulging doesn't equal damaging, and I can enjoy the knowledge that both my palate and body are fulfilled.
So...let's eat!
-Larissa
