Transported Tastes

Mac and Cheese with Veggies and Carrot Greens

2011-07-16T15:02:00.000-07:00

Every now and then, I like to make mac and cheese. I guess it isn't really mac and cheese because I like to use Barilla Plus medium shells instead of macaroni or elbows. I use my friend Erin's recipe and add whatever flavors I feel like. Erin is one of my oldest friends, and she and my mother have been the two biggest influences on how I cook. Her blog is definitely worth a gander. Back to mac and cheese: one of my favorite flavor combinations has been black beans and salsa for a Mexican style mac and cheese. Today, I decided to use some refrigerator leftovers and CSA veggies that I wasn't sure what to do with. I will say, my favorite part of this rendition is the carrot greens. I even put a sausage in there, but I like the flavor of the carrot greens more than anything else I put in there. I also really loved the shells on top that got really crispy. Since this isn't my recipe, I'll just list my additions here.

Mac and Cheese Add Ins

1 large onion, diced
one zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise
1 bunch beet greens and stems, stems chopped finely, greens chopped coarsely
1 bunch carrot greens, chopped
cheese: 8 oz grated sharp cheddar, a few oz grated smoked cheddar, 4 oz shredded oaxaca
generous dash of cayenne

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Saute onion in olive oil. When onion is translucent, add zucchini. When zucchini is soft, add beet greens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When beet greens have wilted, shut off heat and stir in carrot greens.

3. Boil 1 box pasta until it's as soft as you like it. Drain and set aside.

4. When you're making the cheese sauce according to Erin's instructions, add a good shake or two of cayenne after adding the milk to the golden roux.

5. Mix the pasta and the cooked greens in a 9 x 13" or other appropriately sized baking dish. Pour the cheesy milk sauce over this and give it another good stir. Sprinkle the top with whatever cheese you have left.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes until the top gets crusty and the juice gets bubbly.

Sourdough Wheat Bread

2011-06-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe I adapted from the "Seriously Wheaty Sandwich Bread" in Cooks' Illustrated a few months back. My favorite part of the recipe was where the author referred to most home made wheat loaves as "white bread in drag." It's TOTALLY TRUE! In my college days of bread experimentation, it was hard for me to make a loaf that was more than 50% whole wheat flour. However, this recipe works! I couldn't get my dough to rise appropriately in a loaf pan, so I stuck with free form loaves. Maybe some day I'll figure out sourdough and loaf pans, but that day has not yet arrived. I never measure salt, but I believe the original recipe calls for something like 1/4 teaspoon. While this version has steps, I've also dumped everything together, kneaded it into a dough, shaped my loaves, and allowed those to rise for several hours before baking. Sourdough is very forgiving in terms of only doing one rise. Another nice thing about sourdough is that the bread keeps longer. I usually keep my loaves uncovered in the oven for several days. The oven protects it from buggies and doggies.

Sourdough Wheat Bread

2 cups milk
3 cups whole wheat flour
~1 cup sourdough starter, fed at a ratio of 1 cup flour to 1 cup water (this is about half of my starter)
1 cup white flour
6 Tbs butter, melted
2 Tbs olive oil
salt
milk and sugar for glaze

1. Knead wheat flour and milk together to form a dough ball. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Knead the white flour into the sourdough starter to create a yeasty dough ball. Cover and allow the yeast to be fruitful and multiply, also overnight.

3. Mix the two dough balls together. Add butter, olive oil, and salt. Knead to your heart's content. Shape into loaves. Once mixed, this is a very loose dough and can be a little tough to shape until you get used to it. I pat the dough into a large rectangle, and roll the edge nearest me towards the opposite edge. While rolling, I try to pull the dough back a little bit to stretch and tighten it. I then pinch the seams together, pinch each end, and roll the ends over the lengthwise seam. Place the loaves on the baking sheet seam side down. Allow to rise for several hours.

4. Place a baking tin full of water in the bottom of the oven, and preheat to 400 F. I tried pouring boiling water into my pyrex baking dish once the oven was preheated, and my pyrex shattered like a movie prop. While 212 F and 400 F both feel hot to me, it IS a substantial temperature difference for pyrex. It was quite entertaining, but not something I would like to repeat. I feel safest placing a tin of water in the oven while the oven is still cool.

5. While the oven is preheating, slash the loaves, and then glaze them with the mixture of sugar and honey. I use a pastry brush, but in my college days, I would sprinkle some on the loaves and rub it all over with my hands. Once the oven has reached 400 F, pop in the loaves, sprinkle some water in the bottom of the oven to create more steam, and shut the door. Immediately lower the temperature to 350 F.

6. Bake for about 50 minutes. The loaves are done when they make a hollow sound when tapped. Remove from the oven and allow to rest and cool down.

When I'm not being lazy and take the full time to make this bread, I make the dough balls in the evening, shape the loaves the next morning, and bake after I come home from school. This sequence works pretty well, and only requires minimal planning. Then I get freshly baked bread with my dinner, and on a school night no less.

Green and White Lasagna

2011-06-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

I will not lie, I thought this effort was going to crash and burn. Basically, the CSA has put me in clean out the fridge mode in terms of cooking. I not only try to cook with what I have, but I also avoid buying things that I don't. The inspiration for this endeavor came from a beet green and white bean ravioli that I used to make in college. Our CSA then was beet and kale central, even in the peak of summer. It was not a very satisfying CSA to be a part of. Anyways, I had a bunch of beet greens and wanted to make a similar recipe with less work. My parsley pasta attempt was sub par, so for a more structured lasagna, I would stick with straight pasta. I also made my own ricotta for this "lasagna," which turned out more like a casserole. Anyways, the smells coming out of my oven were superb, and the taste definitely matched. None of these measurements are exact, since I was cooking this for myself and experimenting. I'm sharing this anyways because it used up a lot of my veggies and turned out to be quite delicious despite my initial fears.

Green and White Lasagna

butter/olive oil
about 1/3 cup flour
about 3 cups milk
parmesan (I used the cheap stuff)
salt and pepper
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg
2 Tb olive oil
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 bunch beet greens/swiss chard/kale
salt and pepper
about 2 cups ricotta cheese
2 zucchini, sliced
1 head cauliflower, chopped into small bits

1. Melt butter or heat olive oil in pan. Add flour and stir to make a golden roux. When you are sick of stirring your roux, add milk and stir until thickened. Once thickened, add parmesan, salt, and pepper to taste. Shut off the heat. This is the white sauce that you will use instead of a traditional tomato based sauce.

2. This step is only necessary if you are making your own pasta. Otherwise, cook your lasagna noodles and skip this. First, mix whole wheat flour, egg, and 2 Tbs olive oil. This should make a firm dough. Knead until it forms a ball. If you need to, you can add a little water. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Roll into sheets on pasta machine. Rolling pasta by hand sucks. I suggest you don't do it.

3. Heat olive oil in a pan. Saute chopped onion until translucent. Add stems of greens and saute until they start to soften a little. Add the greens themselves and saute until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Take your sauteed greens and run them through a food processor. Mix this with the ricotta. You could also add garlic and leftover pesto or herbs.

4. Spread some sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Put down a layer of noodles. Cover with a layer of zucchini slices. Cover with ricotta/greens mixture. Repeat.

5. When you've used all of your noodles and ricotta/greens mixture, you should have some white sauce and zucchini left. Chop the zucchini into small cubes and mix with the cauliflower and remaining sauce. I added more salt and pepper to this mixture. Use this to cover the lasagna. Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour.

Oatmeal experiments

2011-05-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

So, my last yogurt failed. I used a different (cheaper and thinner bottomed) pot than I usually use, and I overheated the milk. Since I'm waiting for my farm milk that I ordered with my CSA, I've been using this failed yogurt to make oatmeal. I usually reserve oatmeal for winter breakfasts because that's when I want to fill my tummy with warm mushy things. I had also already purchased a bunch of fruits for putting into my yogurt. This has led me to discover two new oatmeal combinations that I would like to share.

Bethany's Go-To Oatmeal

frozen blueberries
almond butter (or any other nut butter)
maple syrup

1. Add about 1/3 cup frozen blueberries to oatmeal and milk/water before heating it. If you're using the microwave, heat for a full three minutes.

2. Stir in about 2 tsp almond butter to the warm oatmeal. I use the spoon I plan on eating with.

3. Add maple syrup to taste.

I use frozen blueberries here because they are much cheaper in the winter than regular blueberries. Frozen fruits and vegetables also can be more nutritious than their fresh counterparts because they are frozen soon after they are picked. This prevents their vitamins and other good stuff from degrading during transportation.

Cherry Orange Oatmeal

pitted fresh cherries
cup/can mandarin oranges with juice
almond butter

1. Cook oatmeal with milk/water.

2. Stir in about 2 tsp almond butter.

3. Stir in cherries and about 1 cup of mandarin oranges with their juice. I used a single serving Dole fruit cup left over from an event.

Blueberry Lemon Oatmeal

blueberries
lemon curd or lemon blueberry marmalade
almond butter

1. Cook oatmeal with milk/water.

2. Stir in about 2 tsp almond butter.

3. Add blueberries. Add lemon curd or other lemony sweetener to taste.

I really like this oatmeal. I like the combination of blueberries and lemon. It would probably work with cherries too. I also like being able to use lemon curd or marmalade on something other than toast. If you have the option, use lemon curd. You can taste the richness of the custard in the oatmeal. You'll also notice that I pretty much always put nut butter in my oatmeal. It adds protein and keeps me full longer. Plus, it adds variety to what I'm eating. I feel that eating a variety of foods is healthier, so this is one way I incorporate that philosophy into my diet.

Southeast Asian Cluster Love Bok Slaw

2011-05-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

You can hate the name, but you can't hate the dish. Best thing I made with last week's CSA. No pictures because I was too hungry, and it was too delicious. Why Southeast Asian Cluster Love? Because I included Thai, Vietnamese, and Lao influences. Napa cabbage would work instead of bok choy. It would probably keep better too. In my everyday cooking, I don't use measurements. I cook by smell, taste, sound, and texture. Salads don't make important sounds.

SE Asian Cluster Love Salad

2 chicken quarter legs/4 chicken thighs
fish sauce
lemon grass
garlic
sugar
lime juice
nut butter
sesame oil
1 bunch bok choy or half a Napa cabbage (those things are huge!)
1 bunch mint
carrots, cucumber, radishes, green onions, other salad veggies

1. Mix fish sauce, lemon grass, chopped garlic, and sugar. Marinate the chicken in this at least overnight.

2. Bake chicken at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You can leave the skin on or off. I took the skin off and fried it separately in a pan to make some Vietnamese style chicken rinds. They were delicious.

3. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. I cut using my bare hands. Bones go to soup stock or the trash. Cooked chicken bones do NOT go to the dog.

4. Chiffonade bok choy and mint. Slice the other veggies. Crunchy salad vegetables work best. I wouldn't use tomato in this. The mint works REALLY well with this Thai/Lao fusion dressing because it counteracts the heaviness of the nut butter and umami of the fish sauce. Do NOT skimp on the mint.

5. Combine nut butter, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and sesame oil in a food processor. Taste and adjust as necessary. You won't need too much sesame oil because the nut butter is fatty. The fish sauce flavor is best balanced with lime juice or sugar. Sriracha would be good if you want something spicy.

6. Combine veggies, chicken, and nut butter dressing. Best eaten the day it's made. If you want to make it ahead of time, wait until a few hours before serving to dress the salad.

On another note, it's my second CSA pick up, and I already have kale. I've been bracing myself for kale since I was considering getting a CSA. I also have some excellent salad greens.

CSA!

2011-05-14T02:08:00.000-07:00

This week was the first pick up for my CSA (Lancaster Fresh Farms, Prospect Heights pick up at Ortine Cafe). I've had a not-so-great CSA experience in the past. While living in Boston, my CSA made me feel like I was getting farmers' market rejects. Rarely did we get tomatoes. We were blasted with beets and kale during summer's peak (too soon). I spent just as much money at the grocery store as I did previously. However, I decided to give it another go. One of the things that attracted me to buy into this farm was that I couldn't find any evidence of them selling to farmers' markets. In my superficial research, it seems that this farm ONLY does wholesale and CSA. I'm hoping I've found my local and seasonal veggie match. It's a little soon to tell, but in this first week, I am pretty satisfied with my options.

The players are mint, green leaf lettuce, scallions, baby bella mushrooms, radishes, asparagus, baby bok choy, and grown up bok choy. I actually traded rhubarb for the asparagus. I'm allergic to rhubarb, but I hope those red stalks make someone very happy. CSA is a very different cooking beast than most of us are used to. It's cooking based on restriction, or cooking based on what you have. We're not used to cooking what we have instead of cooking what we want. Instead of planning my meals and then getting groceries, I now have to get my groceries and then plan my meals. I find this to be an exciting game. It's almost a puzzle. How can I cook and eat all these wonderful things while minimizing what I buy at the grocery store? Asparagus and lettuce are easy, since they pretty much stand alone with the right meal. Baby bok choy I stir fried with shrimp, scallions, oyster sauce, and sugar. I got a little more creative with the other stuff.

Hazelnut Milk Jam

2011-05-11T17:36:00.000-07:00

I am surprised that I have no pictures of the hazelnut milk jam making process. I am not surprised that I have no hazelnut milk jam pictures. I adapted this recipe from Christine Ferber's in her book Mes Confitures. In English, we usually use the term sweetened condensed milk. In French, the term is confiture du lait, which literally translates into milk jam. Since hazelnut sweetened condensed milk was too much of a mouthful, I stuck with the literal translation. While Ms. Ferber's recipe was quite tasty, the product wasn't very versatile. She leaves the nut pieces in the final jam. I will say, it is a decadent jam. However, I like this version because I can also put it into coffee or tea. It's also great over cakes or baked into apples. I basically adjusted the recipe using a gelato making technique to infuse the hazelnut flavor into the milk before sweetening it and condensing it. This is one of my favorite (and signature) recipes in my jam making arsenal.

Hazelnut Milk Jam
adapted from Mes Confiture

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted if you like
6 cups whole milk
4 cups sugar

1. Place hazelnut in a saucepan. Add enough of the milk to cover. Heat milk until it is steamy and really foamy. Cover, shut off heat, and let sit for at least one hour.

2. Strain milk into a measuring cup. Add enough whole milk to bring volume up to six cups. Pour milk into double boiler. (My double boiler is a big metal mixing bowl on top of a pot of simmering water.)

3. Add 4 cups of sugar to the milk. Stir to dissolve. Allow mixture to sit on top of simmering water, stirring occasionally, for about 4 hours. The milk will turn a lovely tan color. The jam won't be terribly thick while it's heating. Once it has cooled, it will thicken some, but still be pourable.

4. When the jam is finished cooking (turned lovely tan but not yet cooled), you can can it. I usually just put it into clean jars and put them in the refrigerator. However, it does can and keep just like any fruit based jam would.

What to do with your leftover milky nuts? I put them into cinnamon raisin bread. The most recent batch turned into pesto with parsley, radish greens, olive oil, and some really cheap parmesan.

Freezer Croissant Verdict

2011-05-04T07:15:00.001-07:00

So, I toasted and thawed all of the croissants in my freezer. I rebake them in the toaster oven at around 250 degrees. It isn't an exact science. The results are in:

Regular croissants: I was surprised, but the baked ones reheat better than the raw ones! The raw ones were perfectly toasted on the outside, but then steamy and slightly gooey on the inside. They take longer to bake than the already baked frozen croissants. Duh. They were still delicious. The moral of the story is bake all of your croissants.

Almond croissants: Pre-baked all of the way. I actually like the frozen pre-baked almond croissants slightly more than the freshly baked almond croissants. Because the filling is frozen when you pop it into the toaster oven, more of it stays inside of the croissant. Yes! The post-baked almond croissants were fine, but I found that they were dryer and got a little burnt on the outside.

The FINAL final verdict: croissants are delicious. I may keep a constant supply of almond croissants, since they make a quick breakfast when I'm out of yogurt.

Making Yogurt Without a Special Machine

2011-04-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

My yogurt making set up

I really love yogurt. My usual breakfasts are plain yogurt and fresh fruit in the spring, summer, and fall, and oatmeal with almond butter, frozen blueberries, and maple syrup in the winter. Even though I live on a student budget, I like to buy organic animal products as often as possible. Except meat. I really can't afford organic meat. Organic yogurt is not cheap. Milk isn't that cheap either, but it's cheaper than yogurt. I decided to try making my own yogurt because (a) I love cooking, and (b) I would save some money. After reading through a ton of recipes, I thought about getting a yogurt maker. Then I decided to give it a go with my toaster oven. I use Ikea mason jars that happen to fit perfectly inside when I move the toaster oven rack below the little metal thingies that hold it. I also put my toaster oven temperature to the mark below the 150 degree mark. So far, all of my yogurt has turned out nicely. At first, I just heated the milk and mixed it with a starter culture i.e. store bought plain yogurt (Brown Cow full fat, in case you were wondering). I thought this was a little too runny. I didn't want to buy any specialty ingredients like powdered milk, which is an option for yogurt thickening. The yogurt does thicken while it's sitting in the fridge, but this wasn't good enough for me. While I was flipping through I Know How to Cook (or Je Sais Cuisinier, which has a more clever rhyme and rhythm), I found a French housewife recipe for yogurt. In this version, you start with 6 cups of milk and heat it down to 4 cups of milk. This has worked great for me. I also don't really drink milk, so this keeps that extra milk from hanging out in the refrigerator for too long. While I find the yogurt turns out a little thicker and smoother if you stir it while it is reducing, it also turns out fine if left alone to reduce. You'll just have to take off the milk skin that forms. When I choose to hang out with it and stir, I bring a chair and some study materials into the kitchen so I can read and mark texts with one hand and stir with the other. I have tried this with whole, 2%, and 1%, all with fantastic results.

Homemade Yogurt
Adapted from I Know How to Cook

6 cups milk (any fat content is fine)
about 2 Tbs plain yogurt

1. Heat milk on the stove top to the point where it is foamy, slightly steamy, and not boiling. Allow the milk to reduce to about 4 cups. This will take about an hour. (I pour in 4 cups of milk first to see about where on my pot it is and then eye ball it to see when it's finished. It's not a finicky or especially important process.)

2. Allow milk to cool to slightly above body temperature. You should be able to stick your finger in it without discomfort. Pour about 1 cup (or less) of the milk into a cup and stir in the yogurt until smooth.

3. Pour the milk-yogurt mixture back into the pot of milk and give it a good stir. Pour this milk into glass containers that fit into your toaster oven.

4. Place glass containers into toaster oven. Set temperature to 100-110 degrees F. I use the mark that is below the 150 degree mark. Allow to culture for about 4 hours. The longer you culture, the thicker and more tart your yogurt will be.

5. Cover and refrigerate until use.

I like my homemade yogurt because it has a slightly rich and buttery flavor. It takes sweeteners like maple syrup or honey well, which don't mix that great with store bought yogurt. It is also something that does not require that much attention. I've started using it instead of sour cream, which allows me to reduce the amount of stuff I keep in my refrigerator and cut down on packaging that I have to throw out. The mason jars are great too because I just close them and put them away. Once I tried it, I found yogurt making to be much less daunting than it appeared.

Sourdough Croissant Adventure

2011-04-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

Last year, I lived in a basement in the Bronx. I tried to catch a good sourdough starter. All of my bread tasted like feet. In February, I caught a new beasty yeasty in my current Brooklyn apartment. Ground level. This starter is great. The sour flavor is mild, which is good for me because I don't actually like sourness. I do like the idea of never having to purchase yeast again though. So for the past month, I've been experimenting with the totally wheaty sandwich bread in last month's Cook's Illustrated. I don't know if my starter has enough rising power for a good sandwich loaf, but I do make a mean honey wheat loaf now. I'll post that recipe once I feel that I have it down 100%. Then over Spring Break, I decided to try adapting a regular cinnamon roll recipe to fit my sourdough starter. That was a success. Even more recently, I was in Williamsburg and given an almond croissant. Every now and then, I eat a pastry that opens a door. A door to indulgence (and non-stop fatness) and kitchen experimentation. This almond croissant opened that door.

In college, I had tried making croissants with traditional yeast. I just remember it being tough work with satisfying results. Now, forty croissants into my baking rampage, I realized I had made several mistakes. I didn't roll the butter out separately before adding it to the dough. This really helps achieve proper lamination. I also chilled my dough too cold. It really only needs to be in the refrigerator, not the freezer. Anyways, before running blindly into my sourdough croissant creating adventure, I decided to do a quick google search.This is the recipe I settled on. However, I do science and precise measurements all day at school. I don't like to do them in my kitchen. I don't weigh my baking ingredients. I have no idea what hydration level my dough is at. And I don't think I want to. I like the idea of leaving the science at work. Well, not completely. I am still pretty much a nerd. But I do draw some lines. Like weighing flour. Or buying special bread flour.

Anyways, first I will walk you through the process. Then I will list a shortened version of the recipe that minimizes my witty commentary. So, I made my starter with 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of water. When I bake with my starter, I pour off the hooch and then use half of whatever is leftover. I feed my yeast baby one cup of flour and one cup of water, give her a good stir, and put her back in the fridge. To start the croissant dough, I took half of my yeast baby and kneaded in 1 cup of all purpose flour. This makes a firm dough ball, and it takes a little bit of work to work all of the flour in. My idea here was that I wanted my yeasts to "be fruitful and multiply," in the Biblical sense. They've been sitting in the fridge. Why not give them a whole bunch of food and some warm time to themselves? So I leave the yeasty dough ball, covered in plastic wrap, at room temperature overnight.

Yeasty Dough Ball

When I wake up, I remove the plastic wrap from the yeasty dough ball. It's slightly warm, and there are some bubbles in it. These are good signs. This means the yeasties have been getting busy while I was sleeping. Again, be fruitful and multiply. That was my plan the WHOLE TIME! Then I add the rest of the flour, some sugar, salt, milk, and half of a stick of butter to the ball and work it into a dough with my hands. This dough will be softer and stickier than the yeast ball was. I actually used 3/4 cups of whole wheat flour because I ran out of all purpose flour. These were my "healthy" croissants. This dough then gets covered in plastic wrap and stuck into the fridge. For at least an hour. Maybe a few hours, or overnight, depending on your schedule.

While the dough is chilling, take out two and a half sticks of butter. Take out a lot of plastic wrap, and lay a big sheet of it down on your counter. Arrange the butter on the plastic wrap, and fold the plastic wrap over it. Take your rolling pin (my rolling pin is an empty wine bottle) and start pounding that butter. The idea is to create a butter slab, so pound and roll. When you've created a beautiful sheet of cold butter, put the sheet in the refrigerator and pull out your dough. Now flour your surface and roll your dough out. You want to create a sheet about twice as large as your butter sheet. My dough sheet fell a bit short. Then remove your butter from the fridge and place it on your rolled dough.

The beginning of something beautiful

Next, you want to fold your dough over your butter. I fell short on this, but it's okay.

I convinced my dough that size doesn't matter

You may have noticed that my dough is still sitting on top of plastic wrap. I cheated and rolled it out on plastic wrap the entire time. It helps with folding the dough. Folding the dough? So, croissants are nice and flaky because of lamination. Lamination is basically thin layering of dough and butter. Butter really does make everything better. Except maybe bacon. Anyways, fold one third of the dough in, and then repeat on the other side. It's like folding an envelope.

imperfect envelope

If your dough is still cold enough, you can roll it flat again and then fold it into an envelope again. If your dough isn't cold enough, it will get sticky and difficult to work with. At this point, cover it in plastic wrap and stick it back into the fridge for at least an hour. Repeat this 4-5 times. After the final hour+ chill, you are ready for the final roll and shaping. I cut my dough in half and work with it one piece at a time while the other piece stays chilled in the fridge. Cutting the dough in half also allows you to see the results of all of your folding and rolling.

Hot lamination

Here is where you need to be on your rolling game. This is not the time to be nice. Look at the dough. Now think about that douche bag. The one who gets the girl. And then breaks her heart. By cheating on her...with her mother. Then breaks her mother's heart. By cheating on her...with YOUR mother. After running this or another equally infuriating scenario through your head, you are ready to roll the dough. You want to roll this thin, like half a centimeter thin. You can do it. I did it with a wine bottle. After your dough has been rolled and you've relieved yourself of some pent up rage, cut the dough into squares. Then diagonally cut those squares into triangles. I should have taken pictures of this part, but I didn't. I guess I was still a little pissed off. Take each triangle and roll up, from base to tip. It's like putting on an anti-condom. You can curl them into crescent shapes if you'd like. I don't because I'm lazy and find it offensive towards Muslims (this is a true, fun history fact). Lay your shaped croissants on your prepared cookie sheet. You can use parchment paper. I use foil because it's recyclable, and I'm a hippy like that. Let the shaped croissants rise for a few hours. I let mine rise overnight, and I had freshly baked croissants for breakfast.

raw, shaped croissants

The croissants didn't look like they had risen much overnight, but when I poked them, they were squishy, which indicates air bubbles. They do rise more when being baked. Right before baking, I brushed them all with an egg/milk wash while the oven pre-heated. I got a good crumb and some layery flakiness. I did a second batch using all all-purpose flour, and the flaky layers were much more noticeable. I do not have pictures, as I used all of those to make almond croissants using one cup of almond meal from Trader Joe's in the filling. I like the Chocolate and Zucchini version because it does not require any specialty ingredients like almond paste. I do not have pictures of those because I ate them all. I suggest using all all-purpose flour. Croissants are not health food.

Frozen Croissant Results!

A peek through my oven door

Crumb and finished croissants

Now for the recipe

Sourdough Croissants
Makes 16-24 croissants, depending on size

Dough:
half of sourdough starter, hooch poured off, fed at a ratio of 1 cup flour and 1 cup water
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour, separated
2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3 sticks unsalted butter, separated
1 Tbs sugar

Egg wash:
1 egg
1 Tbs whole milk
1 tsp sugar

1. Knead 1 cup flour into the sourdough starter. This will make a firm dough ball. Cover in plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for several hours to overnight.

2. Add salt, milk, 1/2 stick of softened butter, and sugar to the starter ball. Mix this until smooth and gloopy. Add and knead in the remaining 2 3/4 cups flour. This dough will be quite wet and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Can chill overnight if necessary.

3. Arrange the remaining 2 1/2 sticks of cold butter onto plastic wrap and cover in plastic wrap. Beat then roll with a rolling pin to make a sheet of cold butter. Chill in the refrigerator.

4. Roll chilled dough to a 1 cm thickness. If you can't roll it that thinly, it's not too important at this point. Place the chilled butter sheet on the chilled dough sheet. Fold the dough over the butter and pinch to seal if possible. Fold one third of the dough butter sheet in, then fold the opposite third over the part you just folded in. You now have a dough butter sheet envelope. Roll this sheet flat. Try to get to a 1 cm thickness. Fold into thirds again. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

5. Remove dough butter envelope from the refrigerator and roll out to 1 cm thickness. Fold into thirds and chill for at least one hour. Repeat this step 4-5 times.

6. Roll dough butter envelope to 1 cm thickness. This time, it's important to roll the dough as thinly as possible. If you can get it to half a centimeter, you're a rock star. Cut the dough into rectangles, and cut these rectangles in half to form triangles. Roll the triangles from base to tip to form croissants.

7. Arrange formed croissants on a baking sheet and allow to rise at room temperature for several hours to overnight.

8. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Make the egg wash by beating together egg, milk, and sugar. Brush egg wash over each croissant before baking. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Eat, but don't eat them all!

There you have it. My non-hardcore-sourdough-baker's version of sourdough croissants. I am also experimenting on freezing pre-baked and post-baked croissants and almond croissants. I will let you know the verdict once I have recovered enough to eat more croissants. Also, if you are in the Brooklyn area, I would be willing to share my sourdough starter. I really enjoy its mild flavor, and I've had pretty good luck with it. I've also heard you can dry starter and then rehydrate it later. I would be willing to try this if someone would like to trade starters by mail.

Taking a Different Way Home

2011-04-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

Last night, Maxx and I decided to walk a friend to the train station as part of our evening walk. In New York City, sometimes it's worth it to walk a mile to the desired subway line instead of taking one train (sometimes into Manhattan) just to switch to another train going back into Brooklyn. Especially at night when the trains aren't running as often. As we walked home, we took Underhill south from Atlantic. We usually don't walk this far up Underhill, as our usual 1.5 mile route includes Vanderbilt and Washington. On our way back, we passed by a dumpster full of goodies. It must be behind a uniform making store or something, because we found tons of different patches and bolts of unused fabric. It titillated my former costumer. If I wasn't so busy with medical school or hadn't been using one of my hands to walk the dog, I may have brought home some fabric for crafting purposes. If it hadn't been raining today, I might have made a second trip back to said dumpster to re-peruse some of its treasures. This is the humble bounty I brought back with me.

Driving at Night

2011-04-16T10:42:00.001-07:00

So, our Spring Break trip was concluded several weeks ago, but I thought I would say a little about road trips and driving at night. While road trips and company are definitely fun and relaxing, I had no idea how much I would enjoy driving back to New York alone at night. Night time driving is a different beast. I really appreciated being able to blast music as loudly as I wanted in order to keep myself engaged and awake. Maxx is really great in the car and pretty much just slept the whole time. We took a few stops to stretch our legs and walk around. We were stuck in traffic in New Jersey for over two hours. The stopping and starting really interfered with Maxx's sleeping and probably confused him for a bit. But somehow, the freedom to do the drive as I wanted to with no concern for someone else made the whole thing bearable. It was refreshing to again be in the glass and steel bubble that is a car and have the experience to myself. I probably would not have appreciated it as much if I drove a car regularly.

City Dog, Country Dog

2011-03-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

So this week is Max's first trip out of the state of New York. I would say it's his first journey out of New York City, but he's been to Westchester. We are staying at my dad's house in lovely and historic Fredericksburg, Virginia. I wasn't sure what to expect since my dad has a pug (Frank). I've actually been quite shocked at how well the dogs get along, and how well my family gets along with my dog. Call me old fashioned, but I generally don't expect country folk to be gushing over a pitbull, even if he is mixed with some breed that is awesome at cuddling and spooning. He has actually taken to the country quite well. He loves being let off leash to run and relieve himself in the yard. He still enjoys his walks. Making efforts to train him while in the city have definitely paid off for his country behavior as well. In Brooklyn, he must behave during walks because of traffic, other dogs, and pedestrians. In Fredericksburg, we are generally alone, but he can show that rare country dog how to act like a gentleman when we come across one. I've noticed that the country dogs show much more dog aggression than the city dogs, probably because they aren't forced to interact with others on a daily basis. Max has also been great with Frank. I know that pitbulls don't always get along well with others. Frank is several years older than Max too. However, Max is still a puppy at heart and runs away when Frank growls at him for getting too close. They both will chase the same toys in the yard and definitely team up to beg for food. The only thing they won't do together is sleep on the same couch. I'm hoping by the end of the week, they'll overcome that barrier. I actually enjoy traveling with the dog because taking him on walks allows me to see the sights at a slower pace and really enjoy the atmosphere. I have not been using our play time in the yard as a replacement for walking. I view our walks as a time to reinforce our training and owner-dog relationship. I don't know if it's the air, or the change of scenery, or the attention, but Maxx is definitely enjoying his first vacation away from NYC.

Maxx running freely

Bacon Hamantaschen for a Purim Birthday

2011-03-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today is Purim. Last night for the eve of Purim, I hosted a little Purim/birthday party for the Silverback. His birthday happened to fall on the day before an exam. To make up for it, our group decided to throw a holiday party complete with costumes. As Silverback figured out, we all decided to dress up like him in honor of his trip around the sun. It may turn into a birthday tradition in these parts. It will take someone else's trip around the sun before we know for sure.

Max's best Silverback impression

I actually have very fond memories of making hamantaschen. At my synagogue, the Ladies' Auxiliary would host a hamantaschen making event every year after Sunday school. Kids and women were invited to make hamantaschen that would then be sold to benefit our congregation. It was always a lot of fun. The dough came in giant freezer bags. The fillings were all canned. I learned some neat tips from the grandmothers about working with dough, which was really helpful since my Asian family could tell me nothing about European style baking. This was the first time I made hamantaschen outside of that synagogue kitchen. While I was rolling and cutting the dough, I kept thinking of those Southern grandmothers, all made up, teaching their grand kids how to make hamantaschen. To keep up with my shul's tradition, I also ate the ugliest ones before the batch was presented to my guests.

Our festive spread of food and alcohol

Of course, my brother calls these blasphemous hamantaschen, since they are filled with bacon. For the dough, I used a New York Times recipe, which I will reprint here since we only have a week left of unlimited access to articles. I made up the bacon filling recipe and filled the remainder with my blueberry lemon marmalade.

Sylvia Lav's Perfect Hamantaschen Doughtaken from New York Times
Makes enough for about 36 hamantaschen

4 cups flour
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 cup of oil
3 tablespoons of warm water (I didn't add this. I have an aversion to adding water because of its effects on pasta dough)
Zest of 2 lemons (I forgot to put this in, but I bet it's a swell contribution)
1 cup sugar

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, sugar, and salt. Make a mountain out of the flour mixture, and make a well at the top of the mountain.

2. Add one egg into the well. Work it into the flour to make a dough without destroying the walls. Add 1/4 cup oil and do the same. Repeat until you've added all of the fluids and have a nice dough.

3. Knead the dough on a floured surface for a little bit. It should be sticky fun.

4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight. It should be clean fun.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" thickness. I can never do this in real life, so I just roll it out as thin as I can. Using an old wine bottle since I'm too cheap to buy a proper rolling pin. Using a cookie cutter or a glass dipped in flour (cheap), cut 2-3" circles. These are the hamantaschen bases! Here, the original recipe says to paint an X of melted butter across each circle. I did not do this as I have no idea why you would. Anyone with more kitchen knowledge, please enlighten me. Fill each circle with about a tablespoon of filling and pinch into a triangle shape. Traditional fillings are prune, poppy seed, or apricot. You can also use any jam you want.

6. Bake in preheated oven for about 12 minutes. Mine took more like 20 minutes. They should be slightly golden and yummy looking. Remove from oven and cool on a a rack.

Sweet Bacon Filling
Makes enough to fill 12 hamantaschen

4 strips thick cut bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tb flour

1. Cut bacon strips into slightly smaller chunks. Throw chunks in food processor and process until smooth. Add brown sugar and process until mixed.

2. Mix flour in with a fork. This is so the fat doesn't get to oozy and spill out. You want the fat to stay in the cookie so that you can eat it later and not clean it out of your oven.

3. The filling is ready to go into pastry.

Silverback blowing out the candles on his birthday bacon hamantashen

There's a first time for everything, or third time's a charm.

2011-03-16T18:23:00.000-07:00

Max looks innocent when faced with his handiwork

After today's rain, I decided to go on a run with Max in the park. It's our third time running together, and he loves it. He got excited as we were crossing the street in front of the Brooklyn Public Library. Each run, we've been getting better and better. He spends more time running perfectly behind me and to the side. I am able to run farther before taking a break. Today, we did most of the Prospect Park circuit. I would say we ran about 3 miles. It's been a balance between Max's obedience and my physical ability. Now I think we're to the point where it's mostly his obedience. While he spent a good amount of time running like an angel, he did cause a little incident at the Bandshell. For some reason, he always goes a little crazy in this spot. Today, on our third run, was the first time he tripped me. That's right, my dog made me eat shit. Luckily, things weren't that bad, and we had a pretty good run besides this little incident. I may have to start walking in front of the bandshell. A small scrape is a good way to call in the spring.
Better shot of the damage

Introducing: Maxx Malone!

2011-03-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

My constant companion

This is my dog, Max (short for Maxx). He's been living with me for four months. I know the first year of medical school isn't the best time to make a long term, life changing commitment, but I decided that if I wanted something badly enough, I could make it work. Max is a pitbull mix that I rescued from the Brooklyn branch of New York Animal Care and Control. When I had decided to look for a friend, I wanted a small, full grown dog. I ended up coming home with a 30 lb ten month old. Now that we've been living together, I truly understand the meaning of the term companion animal. If nothing else, Max is my constant companion. As I type, he is lying under my desk. He has more comfortable places to nap, but nowhere else that's as close to my feet. He stays in the kitchen when I cook. Most of the time he lays across the floor. I actually think he's trying to trip me so that I spill a tasty morsel for him to devour. He waits by the bathroom door when I shower. He also waits by the front door when I step outside for a short time. Although I love dog ownership, I have had to make some sacrifices. I can't stay at school as late as I want to because I need to come home to walk the dog. Weekend or overnight trips now require advanced planning so I can get a dogsitter. I have to wake up earlier in the mornings to make sure he gets his morning walk and "relief." He's destroyed headphones, papers, and half of a couch cushion. He has learned that he can knock the trash can over to get at the treasure inside. While all of these things are nuisances, he has been able to outgrow some of them due to training. I also know that I have to be careful about irresistible items like electronics with thin cords. Overall, I love him. He's great at cuddling, he loves food as much as I do, and he shows his affection non-stop. One of my room mates jokes that he must have no sensory nerve endings in his tail because when that thing wags, it is a force to be reckoned with! I find the rewards of dog ownership to be well worth the sacrifices. I'm sure Max is happy about that too.

Lemon Party - Blueberry Lemon Marmalade and Lemon Curd

2011-02-25T16:37:00.000-08:00

So last weekend was a rare time when I didn't need to be studying anything. I took advantage by making way too much food, especially jam. It's rather nice to be making jam when it's less than 100 degrees outside, even pleasant if it's closer to 30 degrees. I really like lemon desserts. It goes back to an old family friend who used to buy lemon cakes for us to have at tea time. She was from Zimbabwe and only went to this one specific baker from Johannesburg. While I haven't been able to find a lemon cake as good as the one she would get, lemon desserts still bring back fond memories of our tea times. I also really like toast with butter and marmalade. While fulfilling my lemon fantasies, I went through a total of 11 lemons. It was so satisfying. For the lemon curd, I used David Lebovitz' recipe. I'd never had it before, but it is the nectar of the gods. I've been eating this every day. I also made a plain lemon marmalade, and a blueberry lemon marmalade using frozen blueberries. I like frozen berries because they are cheaper and generally more nutritious because they are frozen soon after being picked. I can't vouch for their nutritional superiority when they are cooked into jam though.

Blueberry Lemon Marmalade:
about 3 lemons
water
sugar
1 cup frozen blueberries

1. Wash the lemons. Quarter them lengthwise and remove the seeds. Then slice them as thinly as possible crosswise.
2. Measure the lemons, throw them in a pot, and add an equal volume of water. Cover, bring to a boil, uncover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the lemon mixture sit at room temperature overnight.
4. Measure the lemon mixture. I had 2 1/2 cups. Measure out an equal volume of sugar.
5. Bring the lemon mixture + blueberries to a boil. Add the sugar a half cup at a time and allow the mixture to return to a boil.
6. Cook down your jam until it passes the cold plate test.
7. Can your jam.

If I'm giving jam to friends who I know will eat it right away, I usually just put my jam into clean, used jars. If I've made a whole bunch, then I'll go through the process of actually canning the jam.

My entry into the wonderful world of lemon curd.

Cooking down my lemon blueberry delight.

In My Kitchen: Bacon Chocolate Chip Waffles

2011-02-06T08:41:00.001-08:00

So, I must admit, I love Epic Meal Time. I eat mostly vegetarian for environmental reasons, but I still love meat for the sake of meat. However, I have neither the funds nor the disregard for my health to do a full on Epic Meal Time. I did decide to recreate a portion of the meal from my favorite episode: Breakfast of Booze. I didn't realize the waffles were beer waffles, so I made the first buttermilk waffle recipe that came up on Epicurious. I also had to overcome my irrational fear of waffle irons in order to try this. I've had a fear of waffle irons for many years. In college, there was an awesome waffle iron with a picture of our mascot, a Boston terrier, that would be on the waffle. I told myself that I would try to face my fear and make a waffle in the dining hall. After four years, I still couldn't do it. But now, thanks to Epic Meal Time and a little help from my friends, I have made waffles by myself in a waffle iron.

About the recipe: I didn't have a steadfast measurement for the amount of chocolate chips I put in. I did allot one strip of bacon per waffle. This was not enough. I would say use bigger crumbles of more bacon. Biting into a big chunk of salty bacon in the middle of a maple syrup covered waffle is so divine. We tried one with shredded cheddar cheese, but I couldn't really taste it. I also did not make the recommended Jack Daniels Maple Syrup, but the booze free version was fine. These are some damn good waffles that you probably can't get in a restaurant.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Waffles a la Epic Meal Time
Makes 3-4 waffles

6-8 strips of bacon
~3/4 cups chocolate chips
1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tb sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk (I used 1 cup whole milk with 1 Tb white vinegar)
3 Tbs melted unsalted butter
1 large egg

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet. Drain on a paper towel and crumble or cut into chunks. Save the grease because bacon grease makes everything better. Preheat your waffle iron.

2. Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. Mix together the buttermilk, melted butter, and egg. You might want to beat the egg first.

4. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Also mix in the bacon and chocolate chips.

5. Grease the waffle iron. Use bacon grease because you have it right there, and it's delicious. Or you could use vegetable oil, but that wouldn't be right for an Epic Meal Time inspired recipe. Ladle batter into the waffle iron. Cook according to waffle iron directions.

Yeah, we had waffles and tomato soup for dinner. Changing the game!

They make it look so easy!

2010-10-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, I've been in medical school for two months. And it just dawned on me: doctors make it look so easy! I feel like I am cramming my head full of information at almost every waking moment, and I still don't have an appreciable portion of information that could help me save your life.

I had a huge kitchen experimentation fail with the October issue of Bon Appetite. I tried their root vegetable tagine, and it was an epic fail. However, my sweetheart and I came up with some potential fixes, so I feel more encouraged. My birthday is in two weeks, and for that, I will be cooking up a storm. One of the cardinal rules of entertaining that I habitually break is to not try out new recipes on guests. I just can't help myself! This is really one of the most exciting things to happen to me since I started school. I really just want an excuse to cook mass quantities of food for friends, new and old.

New Beginnings

2010-09-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting as much as I would like to because in August, I started my first year of medical school at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn. There has been a lot of transitioning: moving to Brooklyn, being back in school, living more than a mile away from my boyfriend. When Brian and I were talking, he told me I would adjust and that I would do the things I like to do but less often. I would watch less movies, and my meals would get less exciting. This thought was a little depressing for me.

I started cooking when I moved away from home to start college. I was homesick, so I called my mom and asked her for some recipes. From then on, cooking has made me feel at home. I didn't feel like I had completely moved in to my new apartment until I made my first batch of jam, which I started at six in the morning because I couldn't sleep. Since food is such an integral part of me feeling at home, I've decided that I just have to try that much harder to try new recipes and keep my meals exciting. It may not seem like much, but to me, it's a ver uplifting idea.

For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History

2010-07-15T14:45:00.000-07:00

Sarah Rose

This is a pretty good read. It has adventure, it has science, and it has history. I could totally see a young Harrison Ford enacting the plot to this narrative, and I can't believe this story is true. There's sneaking around in the jungle, wearing disguises, earning the trust of tea processors, and plenty of drama between characters. You don't have to like tea to like this story. I would say more, but I don't want to ruin it for you!

In My Kitchen: Salted Butter Caramels

2010-07-08T08:35:00.001-07:00

So, due to my David Lebovitz addiction, I've been wanting to make candy. After watching an episode of Good Eats, my boyfriend wanted to do the same thing. We did the Alton Brown recipe, and it was fantastic. Best caramel I've had. During our first attempt, we ended up with a burned mess because we heated the caramel too quickly. Second try was much better. Our only downfall was the New York heat and humidity. We had to refrigerate the candies before cutting them, but now we have tins of delicious treats in our fridge.

Other than candy, I've also been doing a bit of jam making. More details about that will come soon.

Tour de Cure

2010-06-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't been posting much lately, mostly because I've been busy biking! This past Saturday, I participated in the Tour de Cure, a bike ride fundraiser hosted by the American Diabetes Association to help fund diabetes research. I did the 30-mile ride (there were 15 mile, 30 mile, 55 mile, and 100 mile routes). I've biked hundreds of miles training for this event, and it was well worth it. I had so much fun. There were rest stops every ten miles with cold drinks and snacks. Before and after the ride, there was entertainment, breakfast and lunch, and student massages. It was a great event, and I felt good doing it. The ride was non-competitive, and the crowd was much less confrontational than the typical Critical Mass crowd. I was one of two people that I saw biking in jeans. Everyone else had appropriate fitness oriented attire. If there was one thing I would change, I would have liked to see more bike commuters participate. It seemed to be mostly people who bike for recreation or exercise, which is cool too and totally one of the reasons that I commute by bicycle. This was the first time that I took part in an organized ride, and I totally enjoyed it. I was a little nervous at first because I didn't know what to expect, but it was totally chill and relaxing. A great way to spend a Saturday morning.

Riding to the Right

2010-05-26T05:52:00.000-07:00

One commonly used rule in biking in the street is "ride to the right." While I think it is generally a good idea to stay out of the way of cars, there are times when I take issue with this rule:

1) Depending on where you are biking, drivers aren't looking for a bike on the right before they pull in to a parking spot or cut over to make a right turn.

2) For me, one of the scariest things on the road is a line of parallel parked cars, especially if one of them has any lights on or a person in it. I don't know if someone is going to pull out of a spot or open their door suddenly, and I really don't know if they can see me on my bike, even with my hot pink helmet. In these cases I often ride more in the center of the lane to make myself more visible.

3) Buses. I have made the mistake of riding to the right of a bus and getting nudged towards the bus stop. I then had to stop suddenly while loads of commuters got on and off. When I'm near a bus, I'll usually ride behind the bus in the center of the lane. Buses don't go very fast, so I'm not slowing down traffic. Then, if the bus starts to pull right for a stop, I can pass on the left and then start to ride to the right once I clear the bus.

Like any rules, there are times and places to bend them. My one hard and fast rule of biking is: No one can see you. Ride like you are invisible.

The Hypochondriacs: Nine Tormented Lives

2010-05-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

Brian Dillon

The Hypochondriacs documents the lives of nine famous hypochondriacs, including James Boswell, Florence Nightingale, Glen Gould, and Andy Warhol. I think the idea is interesting, but I found this book to be really unsatisfying. The book simultaneously gives a history of the definition of hypochondria while giving snippets of how this condition affected the lives of the person being discussed. Each section focuses on a different individual. I thought the sections were too short to be really interesting. I also thought the author wasn't clear about how each individual was a hypochondriac. I mean, feeling sick and having a breast tumor doesn't sound like a mental thing to me. That sounds like actual disease. I also wasn't really interested in how people defined hypochondria in the nineteenth century. If I wanted to know that, I would have read a book on the history of medicine. I also would have been more satisfied by reading a biography on any one of the people instead of reading a super focused snippet. Overall, I think this book dabbled in a lot of areas without going sufficiently into any one.

Bronx Green Roofs Tour

2010-05-18T17:37:00.001-07:00

This rolling meadow is actually on top of the Bronx County Courthouse. On Monday, May 17, I went on the Bronx Green Roofs Tour, which was one of the official events celebrating Bronx Week. I was surprised to learn that the Bronx has the largest area of green roofs in New York City. The leader of our tour, Kate Shackford, is the Executive Vice President of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation. She can give tours of the green roof on top of the Bronx County Building any business day from 9-5. I would highly recommend this if you are in the area and have some time to kill, because as you can see in the picture above, it's gorgeous. If you have a group and would like to have the big green roofs tour, you can arrange that with her as well.

Anyways, the idea behind green roofs is that they help to capture some of the carbon released by urban centers, and more importantly, they help to reduce the urban heat island effectcaused by our concrete and asphalt jungles. Green roofs have also been shown to lower a building's heating and cooling costs by providing insulation and increasing the efficiency of air conditioners, and they capture a lot of storm water runoff.

We visited four green roofs: the Bronx County Building at 851 Grand Concourse, Mount Hope Community Center at 55 East 175th Street, the St. Simon Stock School at 2191 Valentine Avenue, the Fordham Bedford apartment building at 2241 Webster Avenue, and the WSFSSH Grandparent Program at the corner of 163rd and Prospect Avenue. Each roof had a different design and flavor.

The first, at the Bronx County Building, was designed to sustain itself. They also received a grant from the EPA to study the temperature and runoff differences between green roofs and traditional blacktop roofs and have two experimental setups for this purpose. The roof is primarily planted with setum plants that naturally cover meadows and does not routinely need added irrigation to sustain the plant life. At the Mount Hope Community Center, the roof has a more designed look with walkways and setup and plans to put sitting areas. This roof is also planted with setum but is less established and still requires some irrigation.

The St. Simon Stock School green roof is set up to be a learning experience for the children as well as an economic and environmental asset. This green roof features non-native flowering plants and a vegetable garden planted by the children, which both require added irrigation. In this location, we had the opportunity to speak to Peter Spartos of the Gaia Institute. The Gaia Institute is a non profit organization that assists with the implementation of green roof technology and has also designed a soil that is mixed with styrofoam to create a lighter load for roof tops than existing soil mixtures. The Gaia Institute also hopes to revitalize the New York area farming industry for the purpose of creating materials for green roofs. Peter did a much more detailed job of explaining this. This guy is a real scientist, and it was awesome to talk to him. He plans to add green walls to the fences surrounding the roof (basically grow ivy up the fences) which already have bird houses. The Fordham Bedford green roof was built basically to reduce temperature control costs, and it wasn't that impressive. It also wasn't planted as well (used much less soil medium) and may not be able to take off the way it should.

The WSFSSH Grandparent Program is subsidized housing for grandparents who are the primary caregivers to their grandchildren. This green roof was designed to be an oasis of calm for its residents and features walkways and permanent benches. We were able to eat lunch on top of this roof on a gorgeous May day in the Bronx. It was awesome, and I'm so glad that something like this exists in my burrough.

Overall, if you can arrange or attend one of these green roof tours, you absolutely should. It was enlightening, and it made me really proud to live in the Bronx. The one sad thing was knowing that the funding is not currently available to subsidize and expand these programs to all the box stores in the burrough and eventually the entire city.

Harlem River Drive

2010-05-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

In celebration of Bike Month (yay May!), I would like to post my personal reviews of different greenways that I use throughout the city. The first NYC Greenway I'd like to talk about is the Harlem River Drive. Although it's a little weird to get onto if you're coming from the north, it is gorgeous. It's not too crowded, and you get to ride really close to the river. You get great views of bridges too. There aren't any killer hills either. My chief complaint would be that it's short. However, if you're looking for a short, scenic weekend ride, this would be a great route to take.

Green, Inc.: An Environmental Insider Reveals how a Good Cause has Gone Bad

2010-05-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

Christine MacDonald

Reading this expose definitely informed me of aspects of green, non-profit companies that I hadn't clearly thought about before. That being said, it was really confusing for me in the beginning because she refers to all the companies by their abbreviations. There were capital letters flying all over the page, and it got to be a bit much. MacDonald does address the reality of some hot topics, like reforestation projects, the lumber industry, banks, carbon footprints, and biofuels. She goes into lengthy detail about the relationships between different non-profit organizations and their relationships with some of the big environmental bad guys. The big crux of her book is that environmental agencies don't do as much as they should because they accept money from major "looters and polluters," to quote Tourette's Guy. I didn't really find this to be a surprise. She ends by listing ways that consumers can use their dollars to force companies to make more environmentally friendly and sustainable decisions. If you're interested in environmental issues in detail, you should totally read this book. However, if you're more interested in making better consumer choices, I would recommend The Better World Shopping Guide. It's much more user friendly.

So Much for That

2010-05-14T14:35:00.001-07:00

Lionel Shriver

So, I think Lionel Shriver is a great writer if you can stomach her subject matter. I really liked We Need to Talk About Kevin, her novel about the mother of a student who killed several of his high school classmates. So Much For That chronicles the emotional and financial difficulties faced by two families as they deal with different health crises. I don't know if I would call the characters completely realistic, but they are likable and relatable. I didn't so much like the contemporary cultural and political references, but I tend to not like having someone else's social or political agenda so obviously hurled at me. However, those mostly occur at the beginning of the novel, before the shit hits the fan. The book addresses insurance, emotional, and work-related difficulties faced during chronic conditions, end of life care, and "non-essential" procedures without being solely about those issues. Shriver even manages to put in an uplifting ending. In the end, this book is really about people. She has a great sense of humor, which is what enables her to tackle such heavy subject matter without depressing readers. I think this book is definitely worth a look.

In My Kitchen: Hoisin Ginger Barbecue Sauce

2010-04-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have done nothing to this recipe. It is straight from Ming Tsai. I got it off of one of his websites about three years ago. I have made it regularly ever since. Luckily, I saved the ingredients to my computer, because I tried looking for it again about a year ago, and wherever I got it from does not archive their recipes. This barbecue sauce works great on the grill or in the oven. I pretty much only use it on dark meat chicken, which means quarter legs, drumsticks, and thighs. Wings are too expensive and don't have enough meat, whereas thighs and drumsticks are money. This sauce tastes a lot spicier when you cook in the oven instead of the grill, so you may want to cut the amount of sambal if you're oven cooking for someone who isn't so heat tolerant. It is definitely worth the effort to use fresh garlic and fresh ginger. Sometimes I grate the ginger with a cheese grater to save on time, but it depends on the hunk of ginger I'm using. Some ginger is easier to cut. Chopping the garlic, green onions, and ginger can take a little while, so I like to make a super big batch, toss in chicken pieces, and freeze the chicken in the marinade so that it can soak in the flavor whenever I choose to thaw and cook it.

This sauce can also be used on tofu. Here, I marinated some pressed, extra firm tofu and threw that on the grill as well. It turned out just as delicious as the chicken.

Hoisin Ginger Barbecue Sauce
recipe by Ming Tsai

2 cups hoisin sauce
2-4 tbs sambal oelek
2 bunches scallion, chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup minced ginger (can grate with a cheese grater to save time)
2 tsp ground black pepper
8+ pieces of chicken, (legs, wings, and thighs) or many more pieces of tofu

1. Combine hoisin sauce, sambal, scallions, wine, garlic, ginger, and pepper. Mix well.

2. Marinate the chicken pieces in the sauce overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Grill the chicken until it is done, or bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, flipping pieces over halfway through. You can also broil for the last 5 minutes to crisp the skin.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is one of my favorites and definitely something that my friends and family request.

Roasted Banana Ice Cream

2010-04-26T14:54:00.001-07:00

Recently I volunteered at a health fair that was so well attended, I ended up bringing home bags of leftover apples and bananas from the healthy eating tables. Basically, I've been scouring the internet for ways to use these ingredients. Banana bread is the go to, but I have so many bananas, I know I'll have the chance to make plenty of that. So I wandered over to Elana's Pantry and found this recipe for Roasted Banana Coconut Ice Cream. I like several things about this recipe. One is that it uses no added sugar. Two is that I don't have to wait for my bananas to ripen before I start using them. Three is that the end product is easy to freeze (well, duh).

So, I had to make several adjustments because I don't have an ice cream maker, I don't use coconut oil, and I only had light coconut milk. Easy enough. Here is a resource for us old fashioned people without an ice cream maker, although I used an immersion blender, so it wasn't completely technology free. I was also worried that the ice cream would turn out too icy because of the low fat content, which happened when I had an ice cream maker in college. So I turned to one of my most trusted food writers, Mark Bittman, to explore the quality of cornstarch based ice creams. Creamy? Works with lower fat dairy? Awesome! As for the coconut oil? I substituted with olive oil, which has way less saturated fat. The result? Vegan banana ice cream!

Roasted Banana Ice Cream
Adapted from Elana's Pantry

5 medium bananas, chopped into 1" pieces
2 dates, chopped (I used Medjool)
1 Tb vanilla extract
2 Tb olive oil
1 (14-oz) can light coconut milk (I used Trader Joe's brand)
2 Tb cornstarch (next time, I might add more)

1. Toss the bananas, dates, vanilla extract, and olive oil together in a large Pyrex baking dish. Roast at 375 degrees until the bananas start to caramelize, about 30 minutes. You may want to rotate the baking dish 15 minutes in so the bananas cook evenly.

2. While the bananas are cooking, empty most (like 3/4) of the coconut milk into a heavy bottom saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Mix the cornstarch with the remaining coconut milk and add to the pan once it starts simmering. Stir until the mixture starts to thicken. When it coats the back of a wooden spoon, take the coconut milk mixture off of the heat.

3. Dump the bananas and dates into the coconut milk and process, either with a food processor, blender, or immersion blender.

4. If using an ice cream maker, freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. If processing by hand, pour mixture into a freezer safe bowl and place in freezer. Stir with egg beaters, an immersion blender, or a good old fashioned whisk and spatula every 30 min to 1 hour until it becomes ice cream. Yay!

I put together these loose nutrition facts. I am not a professional, so I can't guarantee these are 100% accurate. What I do is enter my recipe into NutritionData.com and then adjust the values for ingredients I used that they don't have listed. It does not account for differences in nutritional value due to the cooking processes, but it does give you a ballpark estimate of what you would be enjoying.

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life

2010-04-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Lilian Cheung

This book applies the teachings of Zen Buddhism and mindfulness specifically to the action of eating as a solution to the diabesity epidemic. As you may know, the information and technology to help people control their weight and live a healthy life are both available (well, eating less and exercising more may not qualify as technology per say), but many social, political, and cultural factors exist that prevent people from implementing healthy lifestyle changes. Savor is kind of a mindfulness workbook to help you overcome these issues while acknowledging that some people's living situations are more of a barrier than others'. Much of the book is dedicated to teaching the reasons for mindfulness and applying that mindfulness to daily activities. It reiterates the notion that life happens now and to fully enjoy life, we must spend more time concentrating on living in the now rather than in the past or the present. I found the breathing and meditation exercises to be calming, and they definitely helped me feel less stressed about the things I have to do regularly. The first half of the book doesn't even feel like it is about food; it really just concentrates on mindfulness. The book also walks readers through creating action plans, a technique used in chronic disease self management. I found the book to be thoroughly enjoyable and useful, and it presented scientific research as well to support its claims. The blend of spirituality and science was refreshing, and the book does not at all feel like it is pushing a religious agenda. It really is teaching introspection. There is also a companion website, which you can use to help you develop your mindfulness practice or get more information about the book before reading it. I haven't used it personally, so I can't vouch for it, but it's easy enough to click the link. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in practicing mindfulness, whether or not you are concerned about your eating habits as well. Anyways, mindful eating is so much more enjoyable than mindless eating.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

2010-04-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

Mary Roach

This book describes different things that happen to bodies after death. It starts off with the expected subjects, like bodies donated to science to be used in medical school anatomy labs or for other teaching purposes. Then it delves into more peculiar subject matter, like research facilities looking into the natural decomposition of humans, crash test and ballistics sites, and plastination. I enjoy reading books written by journalists for exactly this reason: they go so much further than I would ever think to go. Her research was very thorough, and her descriptions were detailed without being graphic. I can't imagine what it would be like to visit some of the places she visited. Even though she is talking about dead people, she manages to do so in a light-hearted yet respectful way. She also includes tidbits of barely related information that she learned while doing her research, which can help to lift the mood considerably. This book is interesting without being too intense, and I definitely recommend it, even if you don't plan on dealing with human bodies more than necessary. It's funny, and you just might learn something.

Enrico's Pastry Shop

2010-04-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

1057 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461

If you are at all familiar with the Northeast Bronx, you have probably heard of Enrico's and/or Conti's. Enrico's has a pretty good selection of pastries, cookies, and cakes. They also serve Italian ices, perfect for summer. Of course, the big thing to try at any Italian bakery is the cannoli. If you get the mini pastries or cookies, they run for around $11/lb. I would suggest going this route, as you will save money and get to sample more pastries. I got a decaf coffee, a mini cannoli, mini berry tart, and two cookies for just under $3. I was pretty satisfied with the quality of these desserts. The cannolis here are pretty good. I think the cream was a little too sweet for my taste, but it was still excellent overall.

The staff are very friendly and willing to answer questions. They will even give their opinions on which pastries they do and don't like, so don't be afraid to ask. One of my criticisms is that there aren't many smaller sized cakes and things available. The cupcakes, cheesecake slices, and other cake slices (carrot cake and chocolate cake) are all pretty generous. For many people, I'm sure this is a plus, but I didn't really want a large quantity of cake in the afternoon. Out of the cakes, I think the small slices of tiramisu were the most appropriately sized for afternoon coffee and dessert. There also isn't a whole lot of room to sit. The seating consists of small tables and chairs, something like the tables at a small diner that aren't the booths. It easily accomodates a group of two, but you may feel like you are in the way if you come with a group of four or more. I did go with a group of four, and we were able to make it work. If they had been busier, I'm not sure that would have been the case. Most of the orders here are to go.

Overall, I would recommend Enrico's to anyone with a craving for Italian pastries. I will say I prefer Conti's in terms of ambiance and the quality of their cannolis. The cannolis at Conti's are filled when you order them, and their seating is much more comfortable.

The black and white cookies are a little lemony. They have the right texture, but that lemony flavor isn't quite right. And I do love lemon desserts.

Sura: Thai Urban Kitchen

2010-04-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

2656 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

Sura is a Thai/fusion style restaurant. The thing that drew me into here was the happy hour special. They had a choice of one of four entrees for $6 and sangria or draught beer for $4. Ten dollars for food and booze? Yes, please!

My boyfriend and I split the Thai Coconut Boston Lettuce Cup appetizer and each got an order of Pad Thai and a drink. The appetizer was unique and interesting but held to traditional Thai flavors. It featured fish sauce, lime juice, peanut, and a little bit of sugar over toasted coconut flakes in a cup of Boston lettuce. I thought the flavors were great, but the appetizer was a little difficult to eat because the coconut flakes would fall out of the lettuce cup as you bit into it. The presentation as a finger food is more traditional for Thai cuisine, so I appreciated this aspect of the dish. I don't know if I would have gotten the appropriate mix of flavors if I had tried to eat the cups with a fork. I also got the Shrimp Pad Thai. The portion size was reasonable. Many restaurants give huge portions of greasy noodles, but the grease factor in this pad thai wasn't too bad. The sweet and sour flavors were well balanced, good amount of peanuts. Overall, a good and traditional pad thai. My sangria was excellent. It had lychee juice, lychee, coconut meat, apple, grapes, and melon. I thought the lychee juice was really good with the red wine and helped to make the sangria more appropriate for Thai cuisine.

The ambiance was clean and modern. I really enjoyed the decor. It wasn't completely golden traditional Thai statuettes and mini architectural things. I was totally satisfied with my experience at this restaurant and would recommend it to anyone, especially if it's happy hour.

Zerza Mediterrano

2010-04-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

308 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10003

Zerza is a Mediterranean and Moroccan style restaurant and bar. The price is middle-range. I went with my boyfriend and a friend, and we split the Lamb Mrouzia Tagine (braised with caramelized prune and almond) and the Couscous Chicken Berber (has caramelized onions and raisins). When we first looked at the dishes, we thought we had not ordered enough food for the three of us. However, the dishes were so rich, we were totally satisfied. The lamb shank came easily off the bone with just a fork and was tender, but not so tender that it was difficult to eat. The prune sauce was delicious, rich, and slightly sweet with great aromatic spices. It was great mixed with the plain couscous served as a side. The chicken couscous was also a treat. The chicken itself, simply a quarter leg placed on top of the couscous and vegetables, was tender and moist, but the flavor wasn't particularly spectacular. The couscous itself was great though. The caramelized onions were perfectly balanced with the raisins. I didn't really feel the need to use the broth that came with the dish. I didn't really think the flavor of the broth went with the flavor of the vegetables in the couscous. I wish there had been a higher caramelized onion and raisin to couscous ratio. I think for the flavor of the chicken, you might as well get the vegetable couscous because it's the same dish without the chicken leg plopped on top.

The restaurant itself felt a little cramped. A waiter did knock over a plate as he was maneuvering tables to accommodate a larger group. There were two waitresses covering the whole restaurant on a Friday night. Our waitress wasn't too welcoming. She was not happy that we asked to be moved away from the door on a windy, rainy, drafty evening. It also took her awhile to ask for our orders. This wouldn't have bothered me if we had been looking at the menus, but we were talking to each other for ten minutes with the menus flat on the table after we had obviously been looking through them. She may have just had an off night. Overall, I think the food was excellent and satisfying, but the ambiance felt a little off.

No More Trouble Zones

2010-04-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

Call me a sellout, but I love Jillian Michaels. I just had to get that out of the way.

This workout takes about 50 minutes and targets "trouble zones," namely the arms, abs, butt, and thighs. It is a circuit training workout, so you do sets of different moves and then repeat the circuit. I'm in decent shape (I run 3 miles a few times a week), and I definitely work up a sweat while doing this workout. It uses three pound weights and takes the low weights high reps approach. Before starting this video, I was doing a circuit training routine put together by a personal trainer using eight pound weights. I saw results much faster with the No More Trouble Zones workout. My main trouble zone is my arms, and they were noticeably smaller (by me and by my boyfriend) in two weeks.

One thing that annoys me with workout DVDs is that the people are too peppy. I find the things Jillian says to be motivating without being cheesy. She's tough, but not too tough. She says things that remind you that you have to put in the work to get the results, which I like. She also doesn't do everything in the workout. While this may annoy some people, I find this encouraging. The fact that she can't do the whole workout and give proper instruction at the same time tells me that this workout is serious. That and the fact that I'm usually pretty sweaty within fifteen minutes. Another small thing she does is that she doesn't give the beginner variations right away. Most of the time, she waits until near the end of the set or until the second set to give you the cheats. This motivates me to do both sets entirely without taking those shortcuts. It's small, but I definitely notice and appreciate this part of her instruction. Her cool down stretches are also pretty thorough. A lot of DVDs barely stretch you out afterwards. She's not doing anything crazy for insanely flexible people. In fact, she is notoriously inflexible, but she gives you enough where you will get a good stretch.

I really love this workout, and I have gotten results pretty quickly while doing it regularly. It does take 50 minutes, but it also cuts out the time it takes to go to and from the gym. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, especially those concerned with their arms and thighs.

Bakesale Betty

2010-04-08T18:21:00.000-07:00

5098 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609

Bakesale Betty is an awesome bakery in Oakland on Telegraph Avenue. They are known for their fried chicken sandwiches and their strawberry shortcake. The founder worked at Chez Panisse for three years. The line goes around the block, and it is worth the wait. Anyways, I did try both the fried chicken sandwich and the strawberry shortcake. The fried chicken sandwich comes on freshly baked bread (always a good sign) with cole slaw. The cole slaw is not the traditional mayonnaise slathered mess. It has a more vinegary base and is slightly spicy, which goes well with the heaviness of the fried chicken. They balanced each other very well. I am half Asian and Texan, so I really enjoyed the spiciness. I was with some New Yorkers, and the spiciness did bother them a little bit. I would say if you have a mild tolerance for spicy foods, you should be fine. As for the strawberry shortcake, I never really liked strawberry shortcake, and I loved this one. The shortcake isn't the usual sweet pound cake. It is cornmeal based and not too sweet, which complements the perfectly macerated berries and whipped cream nicely. I thought there was too much whipped cream, but to each his own. They also offered a variety of cookies and pastries, which I did not have room to try. I would definitely go here again and take people who were visiting the Bay Area for the first time.

Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself

2010-04-08T18:14:00.000-07:00

This is a book by Alan Alda featuring many speeches he has given at different ceremonies, mostly graduations. It is a light read and funny without being silly. If you're wondering why the Columbia University Medical School would want Alan Alda to speak at their graduation, so did he! That's part of the fun of this book. He is able to make fun of himself without being sarcastic. I really appreciate this man's humor. This book may seem a little simple for some, as there isn't a huge amount of subject matter, but I really enjoyed it. There is some good autobiographical information in there as well. If you're a fan of Alan Alda's work, whether on Broadway, MASH, or Scientific American Frontiers, you will enjoy this book. Great for an airplane.

Ginger Brown's Old Tyme Restaurant and Bakery

2010-03-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

6312 Lake Worth Blvd
Fort Worth, TX 76135

For anyone familiar with the Lake Worth area, I pray to God you are familiar with Ginger Brown's. It is a country style restaurant located right next to the Lake Worth Department of Public Safety in a strip mall with a grocery store. Even though I grew up in Fort Worth, my brother and I made it a tradition to renew our driver's licenses at this DPS every year and then follow that with a hearty breakfast at Ginger Brown's. The food here is awesome. The cinnamon rolls are just as good as they advertise. If you are planning on eating anything besides a cinnamon roll, share one with a friend. Otherwise, this will be your breakfast. This is country-style cooking, so throw your diet out the window. The biscuits and gravy are good, the omelets are good, the senior citizen skillets are good. The lunch options are delicious too, but I am much more partial to a country style breakfast. Whenever I eat here, I usually don't eat anything else for the rest of the day because I am so stuffed. The clientele are a mix of older, country folk, complete with plaid shirts and cowboy hats, and young high schoolers looking for hearty food that brings back memories of being over stuffed at family gatherings. Ginger cooks in the back, so you will often hear people ask their server to relay messages of appreciation. Sometimes, Ginger will even come to the front of the house to serve a cinnamon roll or accept a compliment. The restaurant also has free WiFi, table jukeboxes, and a collection of interesting cookie jars on wall-mounted shelves that circle the restaurant. I've never tried using the WiFi, but I like the availability of modern amenities in a rural atmosphere. For anyone looking for an authentic Southern experience with authentic Southern food, this is it.

Welcome!

2010-03-22T18:23:00.000-07:00

This blog is basically about my tastes in everything. Think reviews of movies, books, restaurants, and recipes. I really enjoy food and cooking, so I imagine this will mostly be about that. I may include some political commentary as well, but in general I don't like to talk about politics because I feel like these types of conversations lead to people talking at each other; no one ends up convincing anyone of anything, and no one changes their mind. I have a diverse background and try to understand where other people are coming from, so I have pretty diverse tastes as well. Welcome and enjoy!