MUST HAVE ONIONS

Cooking With Kids1: Math & Chemistry

2008-10-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

An adventure in the making. Nerve racking (what if they get hurt); frustrating (they work at their own pace, not yours); character building (you must hold back from taking over, they are cooking you are teaching); patience building ( bite your tongue and explain it one more time, demonstrate it one more time); exhausting (for me not for them they're energized [just like the bunny] they're taking dinner home to Mom & Dad. "Look what we did."). But an absolute mind blowing experience all around. And the kids are learning real world experiences that you can't learn on paper.

There's math in action, especially those dreaded fractions: teaspoons, tablespoons, 1/2 cups, cups, 1/3 cup, 1/4 cup. And then when your cutting meat and vegetables there's halves, quarters, eighths, and that's just for starters.

When the meal is done there's division. The food must be divided into x amount of servings, maybe I should have seen should have say algebra and not division. ( In my case we divide into family's' mine and theirs then into servings.

Then there's that totally mind numbing geometry. We cut into cubes, triangles, strips, rings (who says they get to use my sharp knives I bought them a lettuce knife to use and it works great for the most things I cut the other stuff, other wise that's where the nerves come in & biting tongue {calgon take me away} & deep deep calming breaths and watch them like a hawk searching for it's prey), ovals and so on.

And finally you've got chemistry. The interaction of the ingredients. Liquids turning into solids as in cakes, cornbread, jello, and ice cream. and solids turning into liquids as in smoothies, melting ice cream, malts, jelly when you heat it the same for peanut butter it turns to liquid when you heat it

Now bread making that is pure chemistry in action.

Now you take a warm liquid and add a solid with a little sugar to feed it then stir until dissolved. Wait a few minutes then check your mixture see the bubbles, now we're cooking, we've got reaction. Add your liquid to some dry ingredients to make a very wet dough (don't put your hands in it yet it's way to sticky). Now we add more dry ingredients stirring and adding more dry ingredients, just until the mixture pulls away from the side of the mixing bowl. Now the fun begins, because you get to sprinkle some flour on a clean dry flat surface. Take the dough out of the bowl (yes you can use your hands now {you did wash them first didn't you}) and place it on the flour. We know we've already got chemistry working in our dough and what we're doing next , well let's say it's a little wake-up call (do not wash your mixing bowl you will need it again).

We're going to get a little push-me-pull-me action going. We're going to flatten our bowl of dough into a round disk about 1 inch thick or so. Now take the heel of your hand (back where your hand meets your wrist) and you're going to knead (push) the dough forward then fold the dough over onto itself and turn it 1/4 turn (when you look at the face of a clock starting at 12 the 3, 5, 9, and then 12 again would be 1/4 turns) then knead (push) the dough again, fold it over and turn 1/4 turn again. Keep this up until the dough is the dough is smooth and elastic (your recipe will state how many times to knead it and/or for how long).

Now you want to form the dough into a ball, and put some butter on your hands and rub them together. Now rub your hands gently all over that ball of dough, adding more butter to your hands if necessary. Next rub the inside of your mixing bowl with butter. Go ahead and use your hands if you want they already have butter on them. Place your buttered ball of dough inside your buttered mixing bowl. Now loosely cover your bowl with plastic wrap or a slightly dampened kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm area (not inside a hot oven or on top of a hot stove, or a hot burner) and let rise until doubled in size. (This is a good time to clean up after yourself.) This could take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour or so (check your recipe for rising times, cause it varies greatly for each recipe).

Now that your dough has risen you get to punch it down (yes I said punch) take your fist or your fingers and punch the dough (to deflate it only punch the dough once or twice) then depending on the recipe you either let the rise again or you get to shape your dough into rolls, loaf, or any other shape you desire (dough is the ultimate play-dough) or use it to make pizzas'. Now be sure and butter your hands again before you start to playing with the dough and also butter the baking pan the dough is going in. Be gentle with your dough it's not quite down working yet. After your dough is formed and in there respective baking pans cover them with plastic wrap or a slightly dampened kitchen towel again, and let rise again (yes, again but this is the last time) until doubled in size. (If you are making pizzas' you do not have to let the dough rise again, you can start making your pizzas'.).

Now bake according to recipe instructions, but check it before it's baking time is up. My bread always seems to get done before the timer buzzes. If the bread is golden brown in color it is generally in my case done. Check the bread to see by taping it gently with your finger (be careful it's hot {I said it was hot}) if it sounds hallow it's done. (By the way, have I mentioned how good your home now smells. Fresh baked bread has a aroma like no other. Inhale it to your hearts content. You created it.) Now after you've gotten your bread out of the oven, butter the top of your bread for a soft crust if you so desire.

Now take a warm roll or a slice of warm bread and butter it to your hearts content and enjoy. Nirvana. A drizzle of honey over the butter is also nirvana. Like I said bread is pure chemistry.

Now grab some kids yours, the neighbors, nieces & nephews, or your friends kids, cousins, who ever just grab some kids and get cooking. Wonder what my great niece and great nephews are doing this weekend?

My Garlic Casserole Bread

1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)

2 packages Active Dry Yeast

1 cup warm milk

2 Tablespoons softened margarine

1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar, divided

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons minced garlic, can use roasted garlic

4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups unsifted flour

Measure warm water into a large warm bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar; stir until dissolved.
Add milk, margarine, sugar, salt, and garlic.

Stir in 3 cups flour until well blended, about 1 minute. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough. (Dough will start to pull away from the bowl.)

Sprinkle a little flour on a clean surface and knead the dough 3 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball.

Spread butter over the dough. Butter the inside of the mixing bowl. Place the dough into the bowl.

Cover; let rise in warm place free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes.

Punch or stir down. Shape into rolls, 2 loaves of bread, 3 pizzas' (12 inch), or a loaf of focaccia bread.

Place into greased pans or pizza stones.

Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 35 minutes.

If making pizzas' do not rise again, just start to make your pizzas'. If you want you can precook the pizza dough 10 minutes before you make your pizza.
If making focaccia bread, with your fingers indent the surface of your dough then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with additional chopped garlic, and a little paprika, salt and pepper. You can use garlic powder on this if you desire or any seasonings you wish. If using fresh herbs use sparingly.

Bake at 375 degrees about 35 minutes for loaves and 25 minutes for rolls, or until golden in color.

This is a quick easy bread to make with your kids.

Hey anyone in the mood for spaghetti, this is the bread to serve with it.

Chief Cook & Bottle Washer

Recipes & Cook Books

2008-09-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

There is a difference between recipes and cook books. (Yes I know recipes are in cookbooks and cookbooks have recipes.) Think about it. Where do you find cookbooks? Come on tell me where do you find cookbooks? Can you find them in the Convenience Store on the corner? How about across the Deli across the street? The Doctor's office can you find them there? And how about at the Coffee Shops and I don't mean the ones inside Book Stores, can you find them there? No you can not and neither can I unless I take one in with me (and yes depending on where I go I do take one in to read through while I'm there).

Now recipes, recipes you can find everywhere. You can find them at the Convenience Store (just pick up a can and look at the back of it). At the Deli read that description of your sandwich there's your recipe. As for the Doctor's office that's a recipe bonanza. And for that Coffee Shop read the drink descriptions and then with the sad realization that there is no way in hell I'm going to buy all of that stuff you fork over 5 bucks for a coffee that probably only cost about 50 cents to make. (But don't pay any attention to me on that because for the most part I drink black coffee from home. Once in awhile I'll pick up something that sounds good usually when I'm in a book store but I usually just go for the Tea Pot Service at the Seattle's Best Coffee Shop in my Borders Book Store cause I really don't like all that milk and stuff in my coffee. And as for all the calories I think I'd rather eat them then drink them.) But that took me away from my point. Recipes are everywhere.

Who of us hasn't been in the grocery store and when trying to decide between 2 identical items be it cubed margarine, canned tomatoes, chocolate chips, soups even crackers not looked at the back of the package to check the recipe on it. I admit I have and I will probably never stop doing it. I can't count the number of times I've checked the back of the Clabber Girl Baking Powder can for their Biscuit recipe when ever I need a new can of baking powder but for some reason it's always gone. All I find is their cornbread recipes though last month I did find their Dumpling recipes (didn't know they had one wonder if it's new).

Anyway back to the difference between recipes and cookbooks. It's more than location, location, location (no I'm not trying to sell you a house but I do know where 1 is for sale in Arkansas) it is the concept itself. You cannot change a cookbook. Be it a hardback (my preference) or a softback (paperback) you cannot change it. Even if you tear out pages, write in it or (heaven forbid) cut out recipes: you can not change it. It is still a cookbook full of recipes.

But the recipes you can change. Each and every recipe is a starting point an outline if you will that is up for interpretation. Take for example Chocolate Chip Cookies; you've got plain, with nuts (choice of nuts), with M&M's, grated chocolate, chunks of chocolate, with oatmeal, coconut, raisins, etc., etc., etc. And then you can go into combinations of any of the above and that's even more change. But it all starts with just a plain ole Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe as it's baseline.

The same goes for pancakes, biscuits, goulash, pizza, meatloaf, soups, stews, mashed potatoes, and on and on and on. Each recipe has variations on the original and some even have whole cookbooks dedicated the multiple variations of one main recipe.There's whole cookbooks dedicated to soups, stews, pies, cakes, cookies, pasta, chicken, bread, meatloaf, and on and on and on again.

Let's take for example soups, you start with a liquid of choice, vegetables of choice, seasonings of choice, meat of choice but optional and the same goes for rice, pasta etc., etc., etc., etc. It all comes down to a basic recipe and branches out from there. You've got liquid, vegetables (even if for no other reason than for seasoning), and you've got your seasonings, that you just branch out from there adding this and that until your soup is done.

So I encourage you get out that recipe that well it sound's good but look at the but and see if you can change it. Take mushrooms (a.k.a. fungus) I admit I do not like mushrooms but unless mushrooms are the main ingredient you can leave it out, use less (and go with fresh not canned if possible, some grocery stores still sell mushrooms by the pound) or you can use dried mushrooms (if you use dried mushrooms you can put them into a food processor or blender and grind them into a fine or coarse powder and use sparingly when mushrooms are called for, or even exchange them for something else. Take Steaks with Mushroom Gravy I'd use dried mushrooms if I was going to use mushrooms for this recipe. But since I'm not I'd use onions for the mushrooms or just make a well seasoned beef broth thickened into gravy.

So I repeat there are differences between recipes and cookbook. The recipe is a outline, a springboard off which to soar to greater height's. Whereas a cookbook is an encyclopedia of outlines, tips, hints, examples and the ultimate springboard off which to soar t greater heights. So spread your wings and take flight and experiment tonight.

Here is one of my favorite recipes. It is from the back of a can recipe that I found in a cookbook that I've changed to suit my taste.

Salisbury Steak With Onion Gravy

2 ( 10 1/2 oz. ) can condensed French Onion Soup

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1/2 c. fine dry bread crumbs

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 1/2 T. flour

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. water

2 t. Worcestershire's sauce

1 t. mustard (prepared not dry mustard)

In bowl, combine 1/3 cup of soup with the ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt, and pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties. In skillet, brown patties; pour off fat. In bowl blend remaining soup with into the flour until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and stir to blend. Add to skillet with remaining ingredients; stir to loosen browned bits. Cover; cook over low heat 20 minutes or until done. Stir occasionally

Makes 6 servings.

I serve this over extra broad No Yolks egg noodles. It can equally be served over mashed potatoes or rice.

In closing I just have one thing to add: THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH CHANGES IN THE WORLD TO MAKE LIVER AND ONIONS TASTE GOOD. But that's just my opinion. Chief Cook & Bottle Washer.

P.S. said I was Chief Cook & Bottle Washer not perfect. My patties fell apart but it's still delicious.

HAVE FORK WILL TRAVEL

ONIONS: Key Flavor Ingredient

2008-09-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Beef Stew, Meatloaf, Potato Soup, Hash Brown, Potato Salad, Eggs MUST HAVE ONIONS! I don't care if you use Pearl, Yellow, Sweet, Purple (a.k.a. red) or White ONIONS just use them.They are a key flavor ingredient in so many foods that to cook without them is a waste of ingredients and your time. I know there are people out there who just refuse to eat onions but if they can't see them they don't know they don't know they are eating them. So slice, chop, dice, mince and for the really difficult ones get sneaky grate them [just watch your knuckles you don't want to grate them it hurts {yep! I've done that. Ouch!}] or just process them into pulp in your food process. But please, please use onions.

If you don't believe me I want you to try something [you can even do this with your kids or grand kids] make some Potato Salad, take 2 or 4 potatoes of your choice [I use red skin potatoes] and cook them in the microwave, oven or in a pan of boiling water I don't care just so long as you have 2 or 4 cooked potatoes. Also cook 3 hard boiled eggs [if you are boiling the potatoes you can cook the eggs right in with the potatoes just be sure and take them out when they are done if the potatoes are not done yet.] Let the potatoes and the eggs cool down enough for you to handle them. Peel the eggs and if you want peel the potatoes [I don't]. Set one egg aside for later and chop up the other 2 eggs and the potatoes and divide between 2 separate bowls [be sure to use different bowls so you can tell them apart]. Now to each bowl add a little salad dressing or mayonnaise, a touch of mustard, salt and pepper to taste and a spoonful of pickle relish [i use sweet relish]. Now to 1 bowl add a little onion [I use a purple onion for the color], chopped, grated or minced your choice. Now for each bowl stir the ingredients together. Slice the remaining egg and use it to decorate the top of your potato salads and sprinkle a little paprika over the salad. Cover the salads and refrigerate them for a 1/2 hour to 1 hour, until chilled.

Now gather your taste testers together and compare your 2 salads. Don't forget to try them for yourself also.

An onion enhances the flavor of everything it touches [the down side is after cutting onions your hands smell like onions, but with a little soap and water that will come off, but the flavor it lasts until the last bite]. My son learned this the hard way. He wanted to learn how to make my Beef Stew. So into the kitchen we went and I thought him how to make my Beef Stew. [I let him do all the work {I may be dumb but I'm not stupid} seeing as how he wanted to learn how to cook it.] We decided on how big of a stew we were going to make, we gathered all of the ingredients. Pulled out my pot and we started cooking.

We browned 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of stew meat ( any meat cut into cubes works ) in a little olive oil, seasoning the meat to taste with pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and just a smidgen of salt. When the meat was almost done we added cut up vegetables; 2 onions, 3 stalks celery, 2 cloves of garlic, 3 carrots or a half of a pound bag of baby carrots, and then we added the potatoes we used 1 or 2 per person [depending on the size of the potatoes] and 2 or 3 extra potatoes for the pot and 1 or 2 sweet potatoes [depending on the amount our making] for thickening. Add one envelope of dry onion soup mix [I prefer the Country Fair brand from HyVee], beef broth of choice to cover [be sure to rinse out your containers with a little water and add it to your stew also]. Reseason the stew with pepper, garlic powder, and paprika then add some thyme, marjoram, a touch of rosemary and some parsley flakes. Add a couple of beef bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons of beef base [ sometimes you just need to add a little more beef flavor] to the stew. Stir well to combine. Bring the stew to a boil and let it boil for a few minutes, stirring frequently.

Then lower the heat to just above medium heat. Cook uncovered for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. If necessary add more liquid, taste the broth if necessary and add more seasoning's and beef bouillon or beef base if needed. Return to a boil if meat and vegetables are almost done lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking until the vegetables are fork tender and the meat is falling apart, this could take a 1/2 hour to 1 1/2 hours more. Stir occasionally and check for doneness after 1/2 hour. When the stew is done if you want a thicker broth combine 1/2 cup broth with 2 teaspoons of cornstarch/ flour/ or arrowroot and then add into the boiling stew while stirring. Boil and stir until thickened a couple of minutes.

Beware of the taste tester. That's the guy who runs around with a piece of bread to dip into the stew to taste it from time to time. Did I mention the glint of glee in his eye every time he goes by you into the kitchen, to stir the pot. Like we don't know what he's up to . Just yell at him to leave some broth for everyone else.

So my son and I made my stew a few times he even had me write out my recipe into the cookbook I'm making him. So I did it and now I get to help him make his Beef Stew cause he took mine and tweaked it to make it his own. [Which is the correct and proper thing to do with any recipe you make it your own. Any recipe is a good starting point and then you tweak it to suit your taste.]So for his recipe he's doubled the meat and the potatoes, adds pearl onions [he can see them] garlic, no celery, no carrots, and sometimes no sweet potato. The rest is basically the same as mine. Sometimes he adds a little hot sauce to it. And it is good, actually very good. So good in fact that his Grandmother (my Mom) had him cook it for Christmas Dinner a few years ago. And he's cooked it every year since than for Christmas except for last year the year we lost her, but he intends to cook it again this year because his Grandmother would want him to.

So one day when he was going to cook his stew he decided not to use onions"he doesn't like onions and he wasn't going to use them." I tried to talk him out of it cause you need them for flavor if for no other reason, you could cut them as small as possible and by the time the stew was cooked they would have disintegrated into nothing. Non existing little bits of pure flavor. But no he was firm [brick wall firm] no onions. So I walked away and left him to his cooking [it was my job you see to cut the onions so with no onions I didn't need to be in the kitchen] and off I went to do other things. I will not say it was the worst stew I've every had, but it was one of the worst.

But a mother like a teacher must let her student branch out and learn from their mistakes. My son now uses onions in his Beef Stew. Last year he started adding celery, another key flavor ingredient into his stew. Now if only I can just get him to add carrots.

This is why I''m calling my blog "MUST HAVE ONIONS". Some things just have to have onions.

This is of course my opinion and you will obviously have your own opinion. But hey, if you are an onion hater try the Potato Salad test. Be open for a challenge a new experience. I myself don't like raw onions but in some instances I will eat them. Now if you cook them just give me the dish cause I've already got a fork.

Now for mushrooms that's a whole other matter, you do know that mushrooms are fungus don't you.

Have fork will travel. Chief Cook and Bottle Washer. ttfn