Monthly Archive for September, 2010

Warm Artichoke Dip

Published on September 30, 2010 in Appetizers. 0 Comments Tags: , .

This is a recipe of my mom’s that I’ve been making for ages — well, since my childhood actually, when I was what we called the “flunky” (no fancy sous-chef titles here; the Bomhoffs [that's my maiden name] call it like they see it). My two sisters, brother and I were all flunkies at one time or another. It was all part of my mother’s master plan: Household Apprenticeship.

Household Apprenticeship was a little program Mom devised to whip us kids into shape. We all learned how to make a bed (with the proper hospital corners, of course), do laundry, do the dishes, set the table, assist my mother in her cooking (i.e., be the flunky) and make a dry martini (ok, that last one came a bit later). Once you reached a reasonable level of ability in each of these skills, you were awarded your Household Apprenticeship certificate of merit. At the time, we all took it very seriously and now that I’m a parent, I realize how clever this whole thing was. My mother was able to make learning how to do some (not all) dreary tasks fun and exciting, all while delegating some of the massive amounts of work she did to us deadbeat kids. Plus she gave us a sense of accomplishment with the presentation of the certificate. To us, it all felt very official and very grown up — something all 8 year olds can’t wait to be (oh, I if I knew then what I know now…).

But back to the artichokes. My parents had a lot of cocktail parties (no key parties a la The Ice Storm, though, and yes, I did confirm that with my mother), and us kids were the cater waiters at these events. I think this is where I had my first artichoke dip on a Triscuit. While not life-changing (maybe), it was delicious. And yes, you really do need to use Triscuits (the Trader Joe’s version is okay too, but back in the day, there was no Trader Joe’s, so Triscuits it was). They don’t get soggy and the crunchy, straw-like texture is a great contrast to the creaminess of the dip. Plus, it’s just so retro. How can you not be on board with that?

Thank you Mommy for teaching me how to do so many things and being such a clever mom.  I’d love to hear ways your parents got you to help out (I’m guessing some may have involved the exchange of cash…). Maybe I can use some of your ideas on my own kid!

Note: You can also bake the dip in an oven-proof dish (something like this to keep the whole 70s theme going) and serve with crackers for dipping.

Warm Artichoke Dip

1/2 small onion, finely diced or grated
1-14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped (I use the non-marinated kind, but you can use those in a pinch)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or Vegannaise)
1/2 cup Parmesan
Black pepper and salt
Paprika
Triscuits (or a comparable wheat cracker)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Combine the onion, artichokes, mayonnaise and Parmesan in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon a small amount to fit onto a Triscuit. Top each cracker with a sprinkle of paprika and bake until hot, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Best Thing Ever

Published on September 27, 2010 in Gadgets. 2 Comments

Are you a seltzer enthusiast? A club soda aficionado? A San Pellegrino fiend? Well, if you are, have I got something for you (and if you’re not, well, humor me.) Let me introduce you to this little baby:

This is the SodaStream Fountain Jet. And it’s the best thing since sliced bread (just an aside, but doesn’t this phrase need updating? I mean, there have been a lot of great things since sliced bread was invented oh 150 years ago. I propose, “Best thing since computers.” That’s a much more significant and accurate statement, no?).

And no, no one is paying me to say this, unless someone wants to pay me…anyone? No? OK.

So, back to the SodaStream. Instead of buying all that seltzer, which means having to lug all those bottles home (80% of which will end up NOT being recycled, according to the US Recycling Institute — but not yours, you recycled yours, I know), you can use your very own tap water and the bottles that come with the starter set to make your own. Plus the carbonators can be refilled, so you’re not creating any waste there. And what’s really nice is that you can control the level of fizz; I lean toward the fizzier end of the spectrum. You can also add flavors and make sodas, but I just like the seltzer. And let’s not forget about the cost savings involved. It works out to about 25 cents per liter once you get through the starter kit (which ends up at about 83 cents per liter). Plus, it’s just plain fun to make. You screw in the bottle of water, zap away til it makes this very satisfying grinding sound and voilà! Bubbly water awaits. Thrilling.

So, what are you waiting for, you effervescent H2O junkie? The environment will thank you and your bank account will thank you. And your tummy, filled with fizzy (or not so fizzy) water will thank you.

And then you can thank me.*

* Full disclosure: Janice, my best friend, partner-in-crime and soul mate is the one who turned me onto this, so I suppose you can thank her too.

Not Vegetarian Lasagna, Tofu Lasagna. There, I said it.

Published on September 20, 2010 in Italian, Main Courses, pasta and Tofu + Tempeh. 4 Comments Tags: , , , .

Embrace the tofu people. I remember when I first found this recipe in Real Simple magazine a long time ago. As I’ve yet to unearth my tearsheet recipe binders, I can’t tell you whose recipe it is, but I found it amusing that the author said she wished there was a way to not tell people that there’s tofu in this lasagna, the assumption being that if people know there’s tofu in this they’re not going to want to make it. I don’t know why I find this so amusing. Maybe because tofu is portrayed as this horrid thing, like crack or poop or something. I guess I’m so used to cooking with it, I don’t understand what the fuss is all about. But if you are one of those people that is intimidated or maybe grossed out by tofu, then, well, here’s your recipe. (I know, what a sales pitch.) But seriously. For those just venturing into the tofu arena, give this a go. It’s quite tasty and you may fool your family members into eating it as well. That is, if you need to. Some people have been known to willingly eat tofu. I know. Madcap!

There's tofu in that there bowl.

The thing I really like about this is that it’s a great way to get your protein in a pasta package. Which, while not impossible, is not as easy as it seems. And this is also my husband’s pet peeve about the vegetarian option in most restaurants (and yes, there’s usually only one). It’s usually a plate of pasta, but very rarely is there any protein in there. So you just get a giant plate of carbs and no protein. Not that I don’t love a giant plate of carbs — I do, I do, I could eat pasta every day and be a very happy woman — have you seen Italians? They do it. And they’re all very happy. Every last one of them. Sorry for the gross generalization, but Italians do know how to enjoy things. Admit it. Anyway, my point is that vegetarians need protein too. And why shouldn’t they get it in their pasta? I’m getting down from the soapbox now. Thank you.

NOTE: I’ve upped the spinach because it really shrinks down, so you need a lot to even get a sense that it’s there. Plus they sell fresh spinach in 6 ounce bags and I always ended up letting that last 2 ounces rot in the fridge, so just use the whole bag and you won’t be saddled with the guilt of being a Terrible Food Waster (like me). Also, you can use store-bought tomato sauce, but why would you when you can use this?

VegetarianTofu Lasagna

Adapted from Real Simple

1 pound soft or firm tofu (firm will give you a more crumbly texture)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan + another 1/3 cup for sprinkling on top
2 eggs
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons each minced fresh basil, thyme, and oregano, or 2 teaspoons each dried (but try to use fresh basil at least)
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, grated
32 ounces tomato sauce
2/3 of a 1 pound package of no-boil lasagna noodles
6 ounces fresh prewashed baby spinach (3 cups)
8 ounces mozzarella, shredded (2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Crumble the tofu  into a bowl and add Parmesan, eggs, garlic, herbs, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Lightly coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with vegetable cooking spray. Ladle enough sauce to just cover the bottom of the dish (about 3/4 cup or so). Cover with one layer of the noodles. You may have to break some pieces to get a good fit. Overlapping a little is okay too. Next goes half the tofu mixture; top with half the spinach, a third of the remaining sauce, and a third of the mozzarella.  Repeat the layers you just did: Noodles – Tofu – Spinach – Sauce – Cheese. Now this:
Noodles – Sauce – Cheese (feel free to add a bit more Parmesan along with the last round of mozzarella).

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 30 to 35 minutes. (FYI, I’ve frequently not had foil and it came out fine.) To crisp the top a bit, take the aluminum foil off for the last 5 minutes. Let the lasagna sit for 5 minutes before cutting into it.

MIA

Published on September 15, 2010 in Family. 0 Comments

Sorry to be MIA this last week, but since the big move (!), I’ve had spotty-to-no internet access except on my “smart” (i.e., dumb) phone, which is not conducive to posting. Blah.

Anyway, I’m almost back to normal and am furiously trying to unpack and put away all this stuff that I thought I’d gotten rid of (and wondering where stuff is that I thought I’d kept). Huh.

Have been doing some cooking and will post in the next day or two…did I mention I unpacked my kitchen stuff first? Even before my shoes? Now, that’s love.

Inspiration

Published on September 7, 2010 in Inspiration. 0 Comments

I just discovered a new blog called What Katie Ate (thanks to Heidi at 101 Cookbooks) and I’m seriously dying over her food photography. She’s a professional food photographer and stylist living in Sydney, Australia and not only are the photos beautiful, but the recipes are pretty kick-ass as well. This is making me so excited to get my stuff out of storage and actually have things like plates, serving pieces and napkins to use for my photos. Not that I can even begin to take photos like these, mind you, but I am working on it…getting some pointers from a few of my photographer friends. And must remember to practice, practice, practice.

Anyway, take a look at Katie’s blog and her Flicker images and try not to drool.

All images © Katie Quinn Davies