A New Year...A New Chance...Plus Some International Foods

The end of the year is drawing near and unlike the normal New Year's Resolutions that people make year after year that they never accomplish, I decided to switch up my list a little this year. Making a list of things that I want to do...mixed with things I need to do. In 2010 I plan to:

1. Go White Water Rafting: This I can pull this off with a 3 hour drive to Gatlinburg and I have always wanted to do it, so this year it is a goal of mine.
2. Finish Testing out of classes: I can test out of 6 classes, so I would like to accomplish that this year...as well as complete all of the Praxis exams...but if I just get the 6 done I will be happy.
3. Complete Project International Dish: Now having read Julie and Julia...if she can do 524 recipes in 365 days than I can surely handle 192...actually less since I have already started.
4. Get Married! I know...I know...but I swear that it WILL happen this year. It will most likely be an elopement but it WILL be this year!
5. Take a REAL vacation: Every year since 2003 I have spent my vacation time visiting family. This year I vow to go somewhere without family (except Marc of course) or our dogs...even if it's just a long weekend.
   
6. Plant a Vegetable Garden: I have wanted to do this for a few years now...and 2010 will be the year it happens!
7. Volunteer: I promise to give at least two days (though it will probably be more) to Habitat for Humanity or another Charity. I want to give as much time as possible, but I do tend to overextend myself so I am not promising more that I know I can safely commit to.
   
8. Go Camping: I know this one is sort of lame, but I have never been camping. At least not tent and sleeping bag camping...and with all of the great camp sites around here...I need to do it. Maybe this can even be tied into our white water rafting trip!
   
9. Run a 1/2 Marathon (or 2 5k's): I am very eager to join the world of runners. I would run the Music City Marathon this year, but I already have plans to be MOH at my cousins wedding on that day. This is the only reason I am a little relaxed with this one goal.
10. ORGANIZE! I am by nature a pretty organized person...plus with my incredible memory it is not often that I am left scrambling to find something, but for the sake of order and Marc's sanity I want to make sure everything has a place.

In a rush to catch up from the holidays and get a little ahead before school starts back on the 5th, I completed two countries this past week. Syria and Greece! The following are the two recipes:
Syria

I had always believed that Tabbouleh (each country spells it differently) was a Greek dish, but it is the National Dish of Syria. Tabbouleh is a wheat, cucumber and tomato salad that it very delicious. I have had it many times before, but have never made it myself. There are "mixes" that you can purchase at your local grocery to make tabbouleh, but they will not hold a candle to tabbouleh made from scratch. I look forward to the summer when tomatoes and cucumbers are in full bloom and I can get some amazing specimens out of my own garden or from the farmers market. This is a REAL summer food.

TABBOULEH

• 1 cup bulgar wheat (This will be difficult to find, I had to get mine from the International Market. Above is a picture of the box. The company Ziyad makes many of the staples I need for middle eastern cuisine.)
• 3 Tomatoes seeded and chopped
• 2 Cucumbers peeled and chopped
• 3 green onions chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
  
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves (i used dry...it doesn't change the flavor much)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2/3 cup olive oil

Method

Boil two cups of water.
Once boiling pour over the 1 cup of bulgar and let sit for 30 minutes.

Once the thirty minutes is up, drain the bulgar and squeeze any excess water.

In a mixing bowl combine the bulgar and all of the ingredients listed above. Stirring well.


Let sit in the fridge AT LEAST 4 hours before serving. Over night is best. Stir again prior to serving. Use a slotted spoon to serve to prevent the extra juice/oil from getting on the plate.

This Tabbouleh was delicious. You could taste everything in layers. First the wheat, cucumbers and tomatoes...then the lemon...and finally the mint. I highly recommend this dish!



GREECE

In a way of catching up from the holidays I did two recipes at the same time. While there are far better meals to come out of Greece that this soup, this was the meal listed as their national dish. While I enjoyed it i could find many areas in which it could be improved upon. More beans and far more spices (especially garlic) are needed to make this soup shine. Below is the recipe I used and it creates a good base, but add spices per your taste.

And while we are on the subject of Greece I would like to say that I REALLY REALLY want to go! So maybe I can cross off goal #5 this year with a trip to Greece!

FASOLADA

• 1 cup haricot or navy beans
• 3 cups water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup canned, crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 vegetable stock cubes
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ¼ cup fresh, chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Method

Soak beans in three cups water overnight (at least eight hours). In the morning drain and put them in a crock pot with the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery, tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable stock cubes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Simmer on low heat an additional cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until the beans are tender. Add chopped parsley just before serving.


It was recommended to me by my Greek friend Harry to eat this soup with Italian bread. Like I said before this is a nice vegetable soup base and can be a great comfort food, I just felt that it needed more of a kick.

I wish all of you a great and happy New Year! May 2010 be the year that all of your dreams come true.

Vacation + Bacon and Butter + Zumba = Feeling like Crap!

Today I am defeated! I awoke early enough to drink some coffee, start the laundry, make the bed, eat breakfast and get a good healthy bitch-fest (aimed at Marc...bless him) all completed before I went to my regular 9am Zumba class. Today I was defeated by Zumba! Not that it is an easy class to begin with... My instructor Angie is not human...but today she tried to work us extra hard so that we could indulge over the holiday weekend. This would be great, if I had not already had my holiday festivities. There I was... my face a new shade of red... A shade that I have never seen before even in a crayon box and oozing bacon and butter from my pores in a complete soaking of perspiration. I felt my tummy jiggle in ways that were new and...well...unnatural and frightening. Holy Crap this vacation totally waged war on my body.

I cannot fully blame my current state of exhaustion on the weeks worth of horrible food and sedentary lifestyle that accompanies all vacations. I can also blame Angie. She is a machine! A true powerhouse of a woman. I would guess that she is in her early to mid 40's and while she is tone and muscular she is not the thin rail of a trainer that looks like Jillian Micheal's. Angie looks like a real woman and if she was not shaking her ass at full speed yelling out instructions into her Britney Spears micro-phone you'd never have picked her out of line-up to be a trainer.
When I say she is a machine it is because long before I drag myself into Zumba at 9am she has already taught two other classes. Step, followed by a Pilates/Yoga fusion, then Zumba...which she then cools down from by teaching the senior aerobics class...she then takes a lunch break and drives to a different gym and teaches all of the classes there as well. When you ask her how she can work out for that long without exhaustion the only answer she can come up with is "REDBULL Baby!" I really like Angie, but she has not taken to me the way she has some of the other girls in the class. I can only imagine it is because I am odd and have since my high school days lost my ability to dance well. Oh well, at least the Saturday instructor who is big into show tunes and bollywood dancing can tell that I have a background in it somewhere. Even if it is hidden under a nice layer of blubber which disguises the graceful movements that I FEEL that I am making. Either way the intense hurting Angie bestowed upon me as a Christmas present makes me eager for next Wednesday and a rematch. I can only pray that one day my body can be aligned with hers in poise, grace, energy and straight COOL!

So picking up from where my last blog left off, dinner with the Meeker's was a huge hit. Coq Au Vin and Salad Nicoise was superb...but the magic of that night did not end there. Before leaving my mother's phone rang. Normally she would not answer it at a time like this, but she was awaiting a call from my brother so that she could pick him up from work. It wasn't my brother but my Mom's dear life long friend Renee. She answered to to inform Renee that I was home and she should come to visit me...this was met with Renee's wonderful news that her son David was home visiting her as well. At the time that my mother and all of her girlfriends had their babies, I was the only girl. David is just slightly 2 months my senior...and I haven't seen him since we were around 13. That's 16 years! WOW!!!! Anxious for a long awaited reunion, my mother and I rushed home and waited for them to arrive.

The past 16 years has done both of them well. Renee still looks the same to me as she did all of those years ago! You'd never guess that she was now a grandmother. And David...Wow...David is now a man. It is a weird feeling to gaze upon a man that in all accounts you would pass on the street because he is now a complete stranger to you, to stare at him and recognize the sparkle of mischief in his eyes. To be thankful that that sparkle is still there. To look at a man that you are certain that you have probably bathed with in your youth and grin sheepishly at the thought of it. To see a man that your last memory of, can only bring you to think of a short, slightly chubby boy dressed in a black t-shirt of some rock band and the walk that you shared with him at sunset, near the pier 16 years ago. Wow! David had grown up! He was married with a daughter... but to look at him with the Bud Light bottle in his hand and only the porch light to illuminate his face, I could once again see that boy that I had so loved like a brother.

That evening was one of the best that my mother and I had shared in quite sometime. I can only imagine that one of those great nights lingers in our past before my fathers diagnosis of cancer and eventual death. It had been so long since either of us had laughed. Truly laughed, the kind that only comes from the depths of your soul.

The next morning Marc and I woke up to go to his parents house. I had homework that was due...and Marc thankfully got to have a nap. Although, I will admit that I was completely jealous at the time, I was glad that he was afforded the chance to shut down for a few hours. Upon completion of my homework we left and headed to the grocery store. I had been to the Food Lion everyday since my arrival and this was becoming an annoyance. We fetched all of the supplies needed to make salad for 40. I am not sure if the head count on my father's side of the family is actually 40, but I know I am close. And if I am wrong I would say that it is higher as the birth to death ratio is extremely off.

Of course there was one thing that I forgot. I tasked my mother to invite the family. I love her more than anything but planning, organizing and expediting are not her strong points. It could infact be her extreme lacking in these areas that has made me great at them. After making 2 large bowls of salad and preparing to turn the oven on cook the bread I realized that everyone was late. Not just the normal family members who cannot for the life of them be on time for anything, but EVERYONE. After a few phone calls we learned why everyone was late...they all had made other plans. Work Christmas parties, children's band concerts and babysitting plans kept everyone away except my grandmother and my aunt. Even though I missed out on quite a few relatives, it was nice to sit with two women whom I love but rarely speak to.

Friday we went with Marc's parents to see Invictus. I don't really have anything nice to say about this movie, so I will move on. Once we returned to their house Marc and I asked Kim to meet us at LaHacienda. To say that it was pouring outside is an understatement, but we journeyed out risking our lives for Margaritas and great company! It was wonderful to see her as usual...and to meet her new fella!

Saturday...ended our stay with one of my families traditions. When my cousin Taylor was around 3...still quite little...but just old enough to be into Santa my family began the Seafood Christmas Dinner so that Taylor and her younger sister Austin could be at there house to welcome Santa! So every year all 14+ of us would gather in Papa's barn...and more recently my Uncle Ted Shop Kitchen for a seafood feast. Every year we have crab legs, shrimp, blue crabs and a variety of sides like fries and cole slaw...but the kicker is the oysters! I LOVE oysters! We always have more oysters than we can eat. I think that they judge how many to buy based on fat I am...but we can still never finish them all. However I can put a huge dent in the pile.
This is my bucket of the ones that I ate...and this picture was taken before I was done...but right around the time Jeremy told me to stop eating them because I was making myself sick. He's new to the family and I don't think he really believed the stories of me and oysters. Marc also got to meet a few family members that he had not yet met, and even got to witness my Aunt Ree sing Randolph the Bo-legged Cowboy. He had a really good time and has even decided that he will keep me around for at least another year so that he can get an invite next year.

The next morning we had the LONG drive back to Nashville, but we are glad to be home. Back to healthy eating, back to the gym, and back to walking the pups! Merry Christmas Everyone!

Purple Chicken, Passed Out Puppies, and What Happens When You Bring France Home For the Holidays.

Worn out and beaten down we have finally made it back home. This means that "WE" have survived the holidays and can now kick back and relax while the rest of you lose you minds with holiday nonsense. This year I was lucky enough to come home for a visit...even if it meant trading Thanksgiving and Christmas days for one week. Pretty fair if you ask me.

Marc and I took the long drive from Nashville to Charlotte (via Atlanta due to rock slides on I-40). We love getting the opportunity to crash into our friends lives on a random weekday and throw them all into a tizzy. Nothing like two extra people and two large (and rowdy) dogs to make a relatively nice sized apartment feel like a small cramped loony bin. I am so glad that we were afforded the chance to see Matt and Creech, and of course Matt's new house with a big back deck to die for! I really want an invite to a BBQ next summer.(Hell by that time I may be a master at some form of backyard culinary abilities!) And of course getting to spend time with Blaire and seeing the dog we rescued Maggie. With the exception of certain dysfunctional family mis-communication with my cousin (who's house I didn't get to see) our night in Charlotte was a success.

The next morning we nursed our hangovers with the ever healthy Chic-fil-A #1 Breakfast combo and prepared for the 4 hour drive home. The GPS route we were given was quick, slightly off the radar and had many things to look at. As we arrived at my mothers the dogs practically held there breath...the same way a 5 year old will at the gates to Disney land. For those of you who have never been to my mom's you should know that the Disneyland reference is pretty spot on in the doggy amazement department. 5 1/2 acres with trees and a plant nursery, a green house, and cats to chase and tons of room to run. They love running the puppy 500 (which is what I call the 20 minutes of laps around the house and yard chasing each other at top speed...only ceasing for a short hydration pit-stop before continuing) through the rows of plants and around the trees. We always watch them when they do this. Screw the latest reality TV show, this is the most entertaining thing I have ever witnessed. Then...as if the light bulb just came on in his head...Beau races to the center of the nursery and jumps face first into the fish/water plant pond. We always know this will happen, but the ignoramus that we are, we are amazed each time he remembers it is there. Then there is the ever flowing stream of people at mom's house. The customers. The family members and friends that are always around and the few that make a special trip to come see me. I felt bad that due to blistering cold winds I did not take them to the beach...then realized that they probably never missed it with this much excitement.

So...we are home...let the EATING begin!

"Don't ever admit you know a thing about cooking or it'll be used against you in later life." These wonderful words spoken by Mama to a young Siddalee in the Rebecca Wells Book Little Alters Everywhere already holds true in my young 29 year life. This of course makes me a little afraid of my 60's and 70's. Anyway, my reputation had preceded me and I was on board to cook. Of course there was the usual Wednesday night International meal for 5 that turned into a meal for 10. Then there was the dinner for my fathers side of the family, which I am thankful that I only ended up making a salad, since only 2 out of the 40 guests showed up to eat. I relish in the fact that I am still not the top generation and I can enjoy some amazing southern specialties without stepping foot into the kitchen. Plus the restaurants back home...you could eat at a different place every day for a year and still never hit the same place twice. To this I say I am thankful to return home albeit bloated and a few pounds heavier, to get back to my normal healthier way of eating. Now onto the purple chicken!

About a week before the trip Marc's mother used her magical crone powers to will my hand to... yet again...pull the exact country she wanted me to pull out of the box. She had been pretty adamant about having Coq Au Vin and she got what she wanted! Since my dear family is from the south and Coq Au Vin was pronounced as Coke and Can or Coke and Beans...my mother called it purple chicken the rest of our time home. This way she could brag about my culinary prowess without having to mispronounce the name and sound foolish. I was already sweating bullets about the difficulty of the Coq Au Vin and Salad Nicoise that I had signed on for, but then we were given an amazing Christmas miracle. Paula (Marc's sister) and her entire family was cruising through to spend the night on their way from Virginia to Florida, before returning back to the beach for Christmas. Needless to say this added a little stress to the mix. New Recipe + New Family members (whom I completely adore David and the boys now having met them) + Doubling the Recipe + The Pan is too small= I am so glad we bought those 6 bottles of wine!
I apologize for the lack of pictures. I was not only doing a large amount of socializing, but I was also enjoying the role of head chef. Paula and Nance (bless them) were so great in helping me prepare this meal! And when you see the salad you will know that it is Paula's doing and not mine...I do not make pretty food!

FRANCE


Marc's Mother purchased all of the ingredients for these two meals ahead of time. My only decision making and/or monetary contribution was on the wine. We used a bit more of a few things because the guest count was higher than the recipe served. These are the recipes I followed, but understand that the pictures will give you an off idea of the portion/serving size.

If you are making this recipe please note that there are actually three here. The sides of Brown Braised Onions and Mushrooms are listed below. Make sure you have ALL of the ingredients. Also make sure you read the directions fully so that you can time all three properly.

COQ AU VIN
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 to 3 pounds cut-up frying chicken, skin on and thoroughly dried
4 ounces lean thick-cut bacon
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper (did not use either...this is merely to taste)
1/4 cup cognac We opted to ignore this part because Nance said I was not aloud to set anything on fire in her kitchen
2 cups red wine (Pinot Noir, Burgundy, Beaujolais or Chianti) I used a delicious Pinot Noir
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth Opted for the boxed Swanson's brand
1 tablespoon tomato paste I will now be purchasing my tomato paste in tubes!
2 cloves garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Parsley sprigs

Method: Wash and dry your chicken.In a large heavy frying pan, casserole dish, or electric skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil until moderately hot. Add the bacon and saute slowly until they are lightly browned. Remove bacon to a side dish. Place chicken pieces into the hot oil (not crowding pan), and brown on all sides. Return bacon to the pan, cover pan, and cook slowly for 10 minutes, turning chicken once. I loved the ability to cook with olive oil and bacon drippings! Yummy!

After browning the chicken, uncover pan, pour in the cognac. Flambé by igniting with a lighted match. Let flame a minute, swirling pan by its handle to burn off alcohol; extinguish with pan cover. This is the part that I was not allowed to do, but if you would like to flambe your chiken this would be how.

Pour the red wine into the pan and add just enough chicken broth to completely cover the chicken pieces. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover pan, and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes or until the chicken meat is tender and with a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F. You will need a meat thermometer because the wine turns the chicken a purple color and you will not be able to distinguish its completion with the naked untrained eye.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the Brown-Braised Onions and the Mushrooms.

When the chicken is done cooking, remove from the pan to a platter, leaving the cooking liquid in the pan. Increase heat to high and boil the cooking liquid rapidly until approximately 2 cups of liquid remains.

While the liquid is boiling, in a small bowl, blend the 3 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons softened butter into a smooth paste.

Beat the flour/butter mixture into the approximately 2 cups hot cooking liquid with a whisk. Simmer and stir for a minute or two until the sauce has thickened (the result will be a sauce thick enough to lightly coat a spoon - just thick enough to coat the chicken and vegetables lightly). If sauce is too thin, boil down rapidly to concentrate; if sauce is too thick, thin out with additional spoonfuls of chicken stock. Taste the final sauce, adding more salt and pepper if necessary.

Brown-Braised Onions
1 bag of pearl onions
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method: While the chicken is cooking, Parboil the pearl onions. I did not fully read this part and peeled all of the onions with heavy tears in my eyes...until Nance awoke from her nap and took over when I had maybe 10 left. To Parboil: Drop onions into boiling water, bring water back to the boil, and let boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and drain. Cool the onions by placing them in ice water. Shave off the two ends (root and stem ends) of each onion, peel carefully, and pierce a deep cross in the root end with a small knife (to keep onions whole during cooking).

Now that you have all of your onions peeled, In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, add parboiled onions, and toss for several minutes until lightly browned (this will be a patchy brown). Add water to halfway up onions this should be around 1 1/2 cups depending on your pan. Add 1/4 to1/2 teaspoon salt to taste if you like. Cover pan and simmer slowly for 25 to 30 minutes or until onions are tender when pierce with a knife.

NOTE: Onions may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

Mushrooms
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Prepare mushrooms. In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat butter and olive oil; when bubbling hot, toss in mushrooms and saute over high heat for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat.

NOTE: Mushrooms may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

Also they are completely delicious on their own! I will make these to top a steak or chicken on a regular dinner night.

Once everything is completed, place the chicken in the middle of a serving pan. Surround it with the onion and mushrooms. Drizzle your wine sauce over the plate, and Bon Apetite!

To go along with this insanely decadent meal I decided that we needed some greenery. One can only eat so much of the bacon and butter deliciousness without your body crying out for something that it A) Recognizes and B) Can offset the insurmountable amount of pure lard and fat that you just consumed. So I oversaw (since Nance and Paula took this horse by the reins) the making and construction of a Vegetarian Salad Nicoise to which my only contribution was the making of the dressing for the top. I found this (vegan) recipe on a blog. This recipe in its original state is supposed to be served with Tuna, Sardines or Anchovy's. Since I 100% followed this recipe I have provided the link to it below in hopes that it may lead you to other fabulous food ventures.

http://veganplanet.blogspot.com/2008/08/colorful-twist-on-salade-nicoise.html


I did take these two pictures. First of all I love the primitive way of making green beans. While it is far more work, the taste is far superior to anything that comes out of a freezer bag or a can. And the potatoes! Look at that color!


Paula however is far more creative, and artsy than the person who made these salads pictured in the blog. The Meeker (and future Meeker) Women's Salad Nicoise was a work of Art! And a meal that not only did we enjoy as left overs a few days later, but a salad that I WILL make again! A true triumph in this cooking project! I may be completely biased since she is my future SIL whom I love dearly, but LOOK at this thing! Beautiful!



Combined with French Camembert Cheese as the Main attraction on a cheese and smoked salmon appetizer platter decorated with the most delicious multi-grain crackers and apples, our meal was a true success!
Oh yeah...and that's my glass of wine! Maybe I should mention that you should drink a nice red wine with this. I almost forgot that part since I drink red wine with everything.

Dinner was delicious, the company divine, and we all got to crawl through the ass of Thomas the Train! Liam my dear future nephew (he's almost 3) got a pop-up tent like play toy which we ALL had to take turns climbing into. No matter you age, weight, or arthritic excuses...you were getting in to Thomas whether you liked it or not! Wednesday December 16 was a true Christmas miracle. The air thick with conversation and laughter and the inhabitants of the home on the Lake drunk with love, and awaiting their beckoning to climb into the train.

Happy Holidays! May they be safe, warm and with the ones you love!

Not another meal that has a face...

We attempted to have a huge International Weekend with some very dear friends of ours, and decided that we would choose Mexico as our country. Seeing that they have small children I figured we could make tacos for them while the adults sampled the meal that I created. This plan was coming together brilliantly...especially the part were Ilde and I would drink Margarita's. Sadly the entire Cook clan came down with the funk (strep) so the party moved back to my house and once again just consisted of me, Marc and our two dear friends that come over weekly to sample whatever crazy thing that I have made.

While we as American's are aware of many of the wonderful foods that our neighbors to the south call indigenous, there are quite a few on the National dish list that I had never heard of before. There is Barbacoa which required me to have the head of a cow and to bury it in my yard. First of all...I do live in Tennessee and can find a great many cow heads, however they are still attached to the cow and I don't think the un-attaching is altogether that easy. Also, cow heads are not exactly something that you can pick up at your neighborhood grocery store. Then I had to think about...Would a cow head fit in my car? My oven? Would the vultures and/or other wild beasts get a hold of it while it was buried in the yard? How big of a hole are we talking here? Would Beau dig it up? Would I get reported to the local Jesus Assembly for my obvious devil worshiping (as I clearly would not have a cow head if I wasn't a devil worshiper)? What do you do with a cow head carcass after you are done with it? Would the cows that live down the street catch wind of what was going on...revolt...and trample me? Would I bring on some Sanitarian curse if I did not handle said cow head properly? Well you get the idea...I was honestly creeped out and decided that Barbacoa was not the meal for me to tackle in the virgin stages of this project. So I decided that I would make pozole...only to go down the ingredients list to find that I needed a pig head for this meal. Honestly Mexico...Come On!
I even found a picture of one Mexican grandmother's ingredients...notice that she has a pig head! Not I! Nope! Not Even!

Thankfully Christine had a few Authentic Mexican cook books that she offered up as hope for the weary. Assuming that Mr. Rick Bayless (very very white man and brother of ESPN guy Skip Bayless) would have the Americanized version of the recipes that I needed to make. He did, and had a good pozole recipe that was equally as vague as all of the other recipes that I have come across...only I will get upset with him because his book has been published. A little more step by step instruction would be nice. So below is 95% his recipe with my step by step tweaking and glorious commentary!
MEXICO

Pozole
Ingredients: Here are my ingredients! I would like to thank the nice boys behind the meat counter at the market for A) thinking that I am the most amazing woman on earth and B) for giving me alternate cuts of meat to make Pozole!

• 2 pounds (or 4 cans) of hominy
• 1 lb pork neck, back or shoulder bone in
• 1 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder (I recommend more if you want more meat)
• 1 pound fresh tomatillos (you can go a little over) The recipe also says you can use 2 13 0z cans but I had no problem finding fresh tomatillos.
• 6 serrano chiles (stemmed,seeded and chopped)
• 3 jalapeno peppers (stemmed, seeded and chopped)
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 large sprigs of epazote If you can not find this you can use fresh parsley
• 2 small hoja santa leaves Easily found at the International Market but no idea where else they can be found
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  
• Salt to taste
• 2 2/3 cups hulled, untoasted pumpkin seeds. Now with this I did a little recycling and killed off my lovely fall display.

Here is what I have learned about pumpkin seeds. 1) I never liked pumpkins and this just reaffirms my dislike for them. 2) Just because it is a large pumpkin does not mean that it will have a lot of seeds. 3) The seeds are inside of the things that you pull out. So I actually screwed this meal up from the beginning. So please just go buy them!!! And insert the appropriate pumpkin seeds in the appropriate state everywhere you see my pumpkin seeds.

You will also need the following ingredients to have as garnishment and for condiments when you eat the pozole.

• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup dried oregano (or just put the container on the table like I did)
• 2 ripe avocados peeled, pitted and diced into 1/2 inch chunks
• 2 cups of chicharrones (aka: Pork Rinds...DO NOT get flavored ones)
• 12 to 15 Tostadas
• 4 limes, cut into quarters.

METHOD

In a LARGE stock pot put 10 pints of water and your meat and bones.



If your kitchen is as bright as mine make sure you wear your shades while starting the broth. Oh yeah and your ipod too...very crucial for cooking!

Bring to a boil. Skim the foam off for a few minutes.

Drop the temperature to medium let slow cook for 3 hours.

After at least three hours (you can go longer) you can begin the rest of the recipe.

Heat a large skillet for a few minutes over medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds in a shallow layer. When the first one pops, stir them constantly until all have popped and and turned a golden color. Remove and place in a large bowl.
Chop your tomatillos and cook in a sauce pan until tender. Use just enough salted water to cover.

Cook about 10 minutes until they look like this.



While your tomatillos are cooking you can chop (if you haven't already) your onion, jalapenos, serrano's, espazote (or parsley if you are using it) and your hoja santa leaves. I finely chopped the hoja santa and the espazote.

Add all of the these ingredients to your cooked tomatillos along with the pumpkin seeds.

Next add two large spoon fulls of broth. Let simmer on medium heat until vegetables are soft.

Once the veggies are soft. Remove from heat. Spoon into the blender.

And create a puree.

Please remember that this is very hot! Now, in a skillet over medium heat, put your oil in the pan. Once hot, add your puree and cook. Stir constantly for about 7 minutes or until the puree has visibly darkened.

Remove the meat and the bones from the broth and set aside to cool. Once removed add the add the hominy. (Make sure to drain the liquid from the cans)

Next add your puree.

Now let this simmer for one hour! During this time you can prepare your condiments, dance around your kitchen, drink a margarita, and peel the meat off the bones.

You may dispose of the bones however you see fit. My dogs ate them out of the trashcan, but they are bad. :)
After the hour has passed, add the meat and cook for 15 minutes (at least) before serving!



How to Eat it!

You will of course have all of your condiments on the table for yourself and your guest to have. This level of choice makes this meal truly unique.

Since pozole is a stew serve in soup bowls. Christine and I ate it as a stew.

Marc went with the ever classy pinky up...as he loaded all of the condiments and some of the pozole pork on a tostada.

And Jason decided to add the Oregano!


Though it was a little salty and the pumpkin hulls made it a bit crunchy...everyone really enjoyed this meal. Well that or they really enjoyed the Margarita's and didn't really taste the soup. Either way this meal was a success and we will be making this one again! Only with the correct pumpkin innards! Or none at all...stupid pumpkins!


A good time was had by all!



And Christine even brought a full pig so that we could have a pig face! A sweet little gingerbread piggy!



My next meal will brought to you as Christmas dinner with the Meekers. We are having Coq Au Vin and exploring the wonderful tastes of France. And by tastes I mean wine. :)
So Feliz Navidad, everyone...Have a safe and Happy Holiday!

Thankful feelings and Fish with a face!

After the Thanksgiving Bobotie was gone and Marc's parents left to make their way back to SC, Marc too went out the door for a long weekend with his friends from college and to play in a reunion concert with Deep River (his old band). I began to decorate the Christmas tree (alone) with only the dogs and some Christmas music to comfort me. All was quiet and I was at once alone with my thoughts. I thought about my family and friends, my life over the past few years, and my life over the past few months. This life thing is pretty interesting. I gave a lot of thought to who I was just over a year ago and I am amazed at the progress I have made in just one year.

Here I am a college student with goals and dreams. Things that I didn't have before. Hell, two years ago had you told me that I was going to be striving to get into graduate school I would have laughed in your face...or simply said " I wish". I am finally able to say and mean it when I say I am thankful for tragedy. Now don't get me wrong I would give anything to have my Grandmother and Father back, but I their deaths have pushed me out of the comfort zone and closer to the woman that both of them wanted me to be. Turns out this whole "dream pursuing thing" is pretty rewarding. I am enjoying the getting there as much as I assume I will enjoy reaching the goal.

I have found new projects and passions, and while they may seem a little Martha Stewart-ish I am glad to have some hobby's to fill my time. I have been jealous of Marc for years because he had music and computers, and I had nothing. Now I have a weekly project that excites me so much I can't wait for Wednesday's to roll around. I have a gardening project that is growing so big in my mind that I am ready for winter (my second favorite season) to be over with so I can begin planting and playing in the yard.

I am also thankful that I got my Christmas present early. I got a good friend. I am thankful that I was introduced to Christine and even more excited that she is someone who is on the same road I am walking down...she is just a few miles ahead. I am delighted to befriend someone that is into the same things I am and is far better at them than me. She is going to get so tired of me picking her brain over gardening stuff and spice stuff. Thankfully, she thinks the International Market is as amazing as I do. It took almost three years to find them but YES there are people like Marc and I in Smyrna! :)

Now for the meal of the week...our taste buds journeyed to the British Virgin Islands were we (minus Marc who ate Chicken nuggets due to his fish allergy) tasted Boiled Fish and Fungi.

Let me preface by saying that this meal (even with all the spices) was very bland. After the rich flavors of Afghanistan and South Africa this simple fish dish didn't live up to the flavorful meals of past weeks. It was good, and from this I did learn that I like snapper (though not as much as Sadie) and I discovered a few new ingredients that I never knew existed in the past.


BOILED FISH AND FUNGI



Ingredients (for the fish)

• 2 whole 1lb.Fish I figured that I would start with the obvious. It took me a ton of research to figure out the actual fish this dish called for. It was tricky because it is assumed that you are in the British Virgin Islands and can go cast your line out in the open ocean. Whatever you catch is the fish you would use. So for those of us who don't fish...or are land locked like myself I found that Red Snapper is the most often used fish followed by grouper. Also you may get lucky like I did and have the people at the market clean it, gut it and descale it for you. Thankfully that is one lesson that I do not have to include here. :)
• 1 sprig of fresh Thyme
• 4 sprigs of fresh Parsley
• 2 scotch bonnets (I have no idea what they are) OR other fresh hot chile. I chose Serrano peppers. Stemmed, seeded and chopped.
• 1/2 ripe plantain peeled and thickly sliced. Plantains look like banana's and are good when the skin is black
• 3 tsp vegetable oil
  
• 2 limes
• 1 yellow onion peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 small green bell pepper stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 1 celery stalk thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 small malanga. This part of the recipe came to be a tad more difficult than it needed to be. My dear friend Christine accompanied me to the International Market to shop for the ingredients...well due to some confusion and everyone's (and I do mean everyone) inability to read on this day I ended up purchasing a galanga.
  

This is a malanga! This is what you need! And thank you to Marc and Jason that went out to the store to purchase the correct thing to save this meal!

This is a galanga. We have no idea what it is or what to make with it but we have one. Please do not buy a galanga for this recipe and hopefully Christine will figure out what on earth you do with it so that both of our minds can be at ease. Hell for all we know it could be the most delicious thing on earth. Here's hoping!



And don't forget to peel the malanga. A spoon is Christine's weapon of choice for this task.



For The Fungi (Ingredients)

• 1 2/3 cups white cornmeal
• 1/2 cup finely chopped okra
• 2 tsp butter
  

Method

Like I stated before hopefully you can get cleaned, gutted and descaled fish, but if not this would be the time that you take care of that.



Place fish juice out of the bag into the dogs bowls so they can sample the coming dinner attraction.



Get all of your ingredients together and pose with your new friends (i named them Lucy and Ethel) as your friend takes a commemorative picture of your utter idiocy.





I did not time this recipe well because it called for you to do three things at once with out letting you know that.
First get a small sauce pot and put your oil, peppers, onion, celery, garlic, bell peppers, 1/2 of your chiles (the other half cooks with the fish) and your vinegar in it on medium heat to cook until veggies are soft. This will take longer than your fish so make sure you start it first.

Next take 1 cup salted water and bring to a boil (and no it didn't say how salty...put in as much as you like)Add your okra and cook until its soft and looks like slime.

We are multi-tasking here so I hope you are keeping up!

In a large deep skillet put 6 cups of water (the recipe called for 8 but that was WAY too much), 2 sprigs of parsley, half the chiles, and the thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Add your fish, the plantains and your malanga. The water should just cover the fish.

Squeeze the juice of one lime into the broth and every few minutes spoon some of the broth over the fish. The fish will cook quickly. Mine was finished in just over 10 minutes.

Now here is where I got all screwed up. The recipe assumes that you already know how to make fungi...this seems pretty presumptuous for a recipe, but I digress.

I made the cornmeal like I make grits. Just enough water (eyeballed) to cook the 1 2/3 cups of cornmeal. Once the cornmeal is almost done add your okra slime and mix together with the 2 tsp of butter.

If all times out appropriately your veggies will be soft, the fungi will be complete and the fish will be ready...all at the same time.

This is what my finished product looked like.

TO EAT...
Well the truly exciting part of this meal happened when we sat down to eat. We talked and discussed ways that this meal could have more flavor, meanwhile we all laughed as Sadie began to look as though she was a drug addict that needed a fix. Who knew that fish was her thing, but she really liked it.

Of course there has to be something said for having a fish carcass on your table...you can play with it once you are done eating.



This is not the best picture of me but this is my icky reaction to pulling the eyeball out for Sadie.



She showed nice manners and ate it right off the fork. Gross I know, but totally funny.




And with that I leave you...hoping that if you decide to make fish you will find a better recipe. But if you do make this dish please do so with the company of fun people so that you too can have a blackmail picture that looks like this.