I wanted to write an open letter to all the mothers that I know. Just sitting here this morning and thinking about this thing we do called mothering and what it is all about.
It is an immense joy to be a mother, though it sometimes brings tears and sadness. But the greatest thing is that no matter what, we have given birth, we have created life, we have loved and cared for our children. We create history with our children. When we give birth, we never know what our children will grow up to be, but it doesn´t matter, we just love them. Then there are the mothers who though they didn't give birth, give just as much love. Whether adoptive mothers or step-mothers, or foster mothers, the love and attention they offer the children of the world in their care, is no less than if they had given birth.
Sitting on the bus recently, I had the good fortune to be able to listen to a little girl, about 4 years old, just singing her heart out. That sure brought a smile to every face on the bus. The day before that, it was a little boy, all excited about being on the bus, shouting out all the cool things that he was seeing while we rode along. Makes you look out the window and see things the way he was seeing them. Those were the kind of moments I remember the most about my own children. Seemed like they were always singing or chatting away about the "fabulous stuff" we were seeing. I like to cherish the memories of the small but happy things that we shared. Stopping by the pet store window every day on the way to the store, just to ooh and aah over the cute bunnies and guinea pigs, stopping to watch construction workers do exciting things with cool machines, running to the window every time it had rained and the sun came out, just to check and see if there was a rainbow, coloring together for 6 hours on an airplane, playing Candyland, making up songs about brushing teeth or our address. Those are also the things that make my heart fill with joy.
Every once in a while, I find tucked away amongst my things, a little picture drawn by my son or a note with a rainbow drawn on it from my daughter, both of them with "I love you Mommy" on them. These are the most precious things that I own. If my house caught on fire, I would want to save them as much as any photos I have. All it takes is to hold that note in my hand and the memory of them giving it to me floods my soul with the sweetness of it all. The very true and pure love of a child. This is truly the most exquisite feeling in the whole world for me.
So on this day that we are to celebrate being mothers, I wanted to acknowledge this wonderful, bond of motherhood we all share with each other. This is the day to give thanks that we were born women.
With love to all of you for all you do,
Jo
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Miss Jo Says
Here are a few cooking tips that I have learned over the years that might be interesting to some of you.
1. Wire whips are great for all kinds of things.
- Cutting shortening into flour when making pie dough or biscuits
- When browning ground beef for sauces or burritos, you can either use it in the pan to break
down all the lumps, or after browning, put the meat into a metal colander to bust up the
lumps (this eliminates a lot of grease too)
- If you have a lot of hardboiled eggs to chop for salads, etc. put them all in a bowl and take
that wire whip to them.
2. Rule of thumb for cooking vegetables
- if they grow under ground, start them in cold water
- if they grow above ground, start them in hot water
3. When breading fish, chicken, or veg, use 3 bowls, 1 for flour, 1 for the egg wash, 1 for the
coating. Keep one hand for the dry stuff and one hand for the wet, (or use a fork for dipping
in the egg)
4. If you are using batter or breading on your chicken or fish and it is still frozen, make sure all
the ice crystals are thawed off first or the batter or breading will "blow" off when you put it in
the fryer.
5. When putting food into a fryer or hot skillet with oil in it, lay the item in, by moving your hand
away from you. Use a smooth motion and you won't get burned
6. If you burn yourself, especially with grease, if you put vinegar on it immediately, it not only
takes that burning feeling away, it can also keep the burn from blistering. I like to pour the
vinegar onto a paper towel and keep applying it as long as it takes for it to stop hurting.
7. When cutting onions or garlic, use a stainless steel knife. When done, wash the knife off under
running water, making sure you rub any of your fingers that you used along the blade and
under the running water at the same time. All the odor will be gone. There is no need to buy
extra "aroma" eradicators. Actually, any piece of stainless steel will work as long as you hold
it under the running water while rubbing it along your hands or fingers. I like using the knife
though, cause then it is clean too. The sooner you get the aroma off your hands, the better.
8. Don't put your good knives in the dishwasher! In fact, they shouldn't have soap on them at all
as it dulls them.
9. Peanut Oil is great for frying. It doesn't have any cholesterol, it has a high smoke point, and if
you use it in your fryer, you can use it to fry both fish and potatoes or chicken, as it has no
transfer of taste. This is the only oil where this is true. Though expensive, it pays off since you
can use it longer.
10. Perfect roasts can be acheived by putting all your ingredients (carrots, celery, onions, meat,
a bit of liquid, etc.) into the roaster, cover with a lid or foil and pop it into an oven that has
been pre-heated to its' highest temperature for 30 minutes. Then turn the oven down to
325° or 165°C for 2 hours. Your roast comes out wonderful, brown, and tender. No need to
fuss with browning, etc. I got this from Jamie Oliver, just to give him credit.
11. When eating kiwis, just cut them in half and scoop out with a spoon. No need to peel them!
12. Bread dough is fun for kids to play with for an hour or so. When they are done playing, have
them make it into whatever shape they want, including decorations with seeds, cover and let
rise in a warm place. Then bake! It won't be the most perfect looking bread, but kids love it.
Yeast dough is not as delicate as many people think.
13. When making pizza or focaccia, after oiling your pan, sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on it. Makes
for a nice crust.
14. Use a serrated knife for cutting tomatoes.
15. You can use joghurt as a binder for ground meat instead of eggs. Adds a nice flavor too.
16. For meatballs, sausage patties or bacon - put them on a baking sheet and bake them.
No need to stand there turning them and they come out an evenly brown.
17. Use an ice cream scoop (the kind with a lever) to make all kinds of things. I use one for
cookies, meatballs, salmon patties, hushpuppies. You can buy them in different sizes. You can
go back an roll the meatballs a bit, or form the patties, but it eases the work a lot and makes
a nicer looking product. This is great for parties, or bake sales, where you want everything
to be the same size.
18. If you will be making hardboiled eggs, buy them 2 weeks ahead of time.
Start them in cold water, bring to a boil, turn heat down to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat & immerse in cold water. Your eggs will peel perfectly. I don't know why
older eggs peel better, but they do. This might be a good Mythbuster question.
Miss Jo says, have fun cooking and send me your tips too. Anything that makes life easier and more fun is fine with me. If you found any of these helpful, let me know.
1. Wire whips are great for all kinds of things.
- Cutting shortening into flour when making pie dough or biscuits
- When browning ground beef for sauces or burritos, you can either use it in the pan to break
down all the lumps, or after browning, put the meat into a metal colander to bust up the
lumps (this eliminates a lot of grease too)
- If you have a lot of hardboiled eggs to chop for salads, etc. put them all in a bowl and take
that wire whip to them.
2. Rule of thumb for cooking vegetables
- if they grow under ground, start them in cold water
- if they grow above ground, start them in hot water
3. When breading fish, chicken, or veg, use 3 bowls, 1 for flour, 1 for the egg wash, 1 for the
coating. Keep one hand for the dry stuff and one hand for the wet, (or use a fork for dipping
in the egg)
4. If you are using batter or breading on your chicken or fish and it is still frozen, make sure all
the ice crystals are thawed off first or the batter or breading will "blow" off when you put it in
the fryer.
5. When putting food into a fryer or hot skillet with oil in it, lay the item in, by moving your hand
away from you. Use a smooth motion and you won't get burned
6. If you burn yourself, especially with grease, if you put vinegar on it immediately, it not only
takes that burning feeling away, it can also keep the burn from blistering. I like to pour the
vinegar onto a paper towel and keep applying it as long as it takes for it to stop hurting.
7. When cutting onions or garlic, use a stainless steel knife. When done, wash the knife off under
running water, making sure you rub any of your fingers that you used along the blade and
under the running water at the same time. All the odor will be gone. There is no need to buy
extra "aroma" eradicators. Actually, any piece of stainless steel will work as long as you hold
it under the running water while rubbing it along your hands or fingers. I like using the knife
though, cause then it is clean too. The sooner you get the aroma off your hands, the better.
8. Don't put your good knives in the dishwasher! In fact, they shouldn't have soap on them at all
as it dulls them.
9. Peanut Oil is great for frying. It doesn't have any cholesterol, it has a high smoke point, and if
you use it in your fryer, you can use it to fry both fish and potatoes or chicken, as it has no
transfer of taste. This is the only oil where this is true. Though expensive, it pays off since you
can use it longer.
10. Perfect roasts can be acheived by putting all your ingredients (carrots, celery, onions, meat,
a bit of liquid, etc.) into the roaster, cover with a lid or foil and pop it into an oven that has
been pre-heated to its' highest temperature for 30 minutes. Then turn the oven down to
325° or 165°C for 2 hours. Your roast comes out wonderful, brown, and tender. No need to
fuss with browning, etc. I got this from Jamie Oliver, just to give him credit.
11. When eating kiwis, just cut them in half and scoop out with a spoon. No need to peel them!
12. Bread dough is fun for kids to play with for an hour or so. When they are done playing, have
them make it into whatever shape they want, including decorations with seeds, cover and let
rise in a warm place. Then bake! It won't be the most perfect looking bread, but kids love it.
Yeast dough is not as delicate as many people think.
13. When making pizza or focaccia, after oiling your pan, sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on it. Makes
for a nice crust.
14. Use a serrated knife for cutting tomatoes.
15. You can use joghurt as a binder for ground meat instead of eggs. Adds a nice flavor too.
16. For meatballs, sausage patties or bacon - put them on a baking sheet and bake them.
No need to stand there turning them and they come out an evenly brown.
17. Use an ice cream scoop (the kind with a lever) to make all kinds of things. I use one for
cookies, meatballs, salmon patties, hushpuppies. You can buy them in different sizes. You can
go back an roll the meatballs a bit, or form the patties, but it eases the work a lot and makes
a nicer looking product. This is great for parties, or bake sales, where you want everything
to be the same size.
18. If you will be making hardboiled eggs, buy them 2 weeks ahead of time.
Start them in cold water, bring to a boil, turn heat down to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat & immerse in cold water. Your eggs will peel perfectly. I don't know why
older eggs peel better, but they do. This might be a good Mythbuster question.
Miss Jo says, have fun cooking and send me your tips too. Anything that makes life easier and more fun is fine with me. If you found any of these helpful, let me know.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Miss Jo Says 2
Seems like the cooking tips are popular, so skimmed thru my memory for a few more that I use.
1. When making yeast dough, you can let it proof overnight in the fridge. Just mix up your favorite dough, put it in a bag or plastic container and put it in the fridge. Make sure the container or bag is big enough, cause the dough WILL double in size. The next day, just get it out, knead it a bit and form your bread or rolls and then let it rise before baking. If you are making pizza, you just press it out on the baking sheet, but you don't have to wait for it to rise. The dough can actually stay in the fridge for a couple of days, so if you wanted, you can just take out enough each day to use. I find this trick to be a real time saver, especially on holidays when you want to have nice rolls. (I have only done this with the instant yeast in packets or a jar, not the fresh yeast in a cube)
2. Making sauces look nice. If you are making a chicken soup or gravy and want it to have a golden color, you can either use a little bit of tumeric or a drop or two of yellow food coloring. This also works when making fresh pasta. It makes it look richer. If you are making spinach pasta, use a couple of drops of green food coloring.
If you are making a brown sauce, gravy or stew and you would like it to be darker, depending on the flavor, you can either use Worchestershire sauce, or a teaspoon or so of instant coffee. The coffee won't change the flavor too much and in fact makes it a bit tastier.
3. Ribs. When preparing ribs, please, do not just put them on the grill. They will be burnt before you ever get them done enough to eat, plus they will be tough. Try this method:
Turn the ribs over to the bone side. This is usually covered with a tough, transparent skin. Using a fork, pierce this skin and rip it off. This might take a few tries til you figure out how to do it, but it is easy and will make the ribs more tender. Then, if you have Liquid Smoke, make a mixture of that and some water and dip your ribs in it. (you can do this with chicken too) Put the ribs in a deep baking pan, criss-crossing the racks of ribs, or flip every other one over, so the bone side is up on one and down on the next one. Add some liquid, (you can use your liquid smoke mixture) Cover with either a lid or foil and bake at 350° for at least 1 & 1/2 hours, or even 2 hours. Now, you can brush the ribs in BBQ sauce and grill them. Or if you don't have a grill, put them on a baking sheet in the oven with the sauce on them. As soon as the sauce looks fabulous, they are ready to eat. Yumm. Your picnic guests won't have to wait so long and the meat will be tender and falling off the bone.
4. Corn on the Cob. Well, living here in Germany isn't the best place for corn on the cob, but maybe some one will read this in the states. I have seen all kinds of elaborate methods, like peeling the husks down, cleaning off the silk, pulling the husks back up, tying with string, etc., but it is just not that difficult. Waste of time really. So try this:
Soak your Unhusked ears of corn in water, in the sink or a clean container for about a half hour, throw them on the grill, turning often (or put them in the oven) for a half hour. The husks and silk will fall right off and the corn tastes so good, you will wonder why you ever did it any other way. You can even use this method in the microwave, but you don't have to soak them first. You can only do 2-3 ears at a time though and they take about 10 minutes.
I have got to say, I really do miss good sweet corn. I don't know why they can't grow it here. The corn here is like field corn, something left over from the cattle feed. Someone could make a fortune in Germany selling crops of "Salt & Pepper" or "Sugar & Cream" or "Silver & Gold" or whatever other kinds of yummy corn we have in Ohio. You can take the Buckeye out of Ohio, but we still miss our corn.
So, heres to some good cooking and please, send me your favorite tips to make life in the kitchen easier and tastier!
1. When making yeast dough, you can let it proof overnight in the fridge. Just mix up your favorite dough, put it in a bag or plastic container and put it in the fridge. Make sure the container or bag is big enough, cause the dough WILL double in size. The next day, just get it out, knead it a bit and form your bread or rolls and then let it rise before baking. If you are making pizza, you just press it out on the baking sheet, but you don't have to wait for it to rise. The dough can actually stay in the fridge for a couple of days, so if you wanted, you can just take out enough each day to use. I find this trick to be a real time saver, especially on holidays when you want to have nice rolls. (I have only done this with the instant yeast in packets or a jar, not the fresh yeast in a cube)
2. Making sauces look nice. If you are making a chicken soup or gravy and want it to have a golden color, you can either use a little bit of tumeric or a drop or two of yellow food coloring. This also works when making fresh pasta. It makes it look richer. If you are making spinach pasta, use a couple of drops of green food coloring.
If you are making a brown sauce, gravy or stew and you would like it to be darker, depending on the flavor, you can either use Worchestershire sauce, or a teaspoon or so of instant coffee. The coffee won't change the flavor too much and in fact makes it a bit tastier.
3. Ribs. When preparing ribs, please, do not just put them on the grill. They will be burnt before you ever get them done enough to eat, plus they will be tough. Try this method:
Turn the ribs over to the bone side. This is usually covered with a tough, transparent skin. Using a fork, pierce this skin and rip it off. This might take a few tries til you figure out how to do it, but it is easy and will make the ribs more tender. Then, if you have Liquid Smoke, make a mixture of that and some water and dip your ribs in it. (you can do this with chicken too) Put the ribs in a deep baking pan, criss-crossing the racks of ribs, or flip every other one over, so the bone side is up on one and down on the next one. Add some liquid, (you can use your liquid smoke mixture) Cover with either a lid or foil and bake at 350° for at least 1 & 1/2 hours, or even 2 hours. Now, you can brush the ribs in BBQ sauce and grill them. Or if you don't have a grill, put them on a baking sheet in the oven with the sauce on them. As soon as the sauce looks fabulous, they are ready to eat. Yumm. Your picnic guests won't have to wait so long and the meat will be tender and falling off the bone.
4. Corn on the Cob. Well, living here in Germany isn't the best place for corn on the cob, but maybe some one will read this in the states. I have seen all kinds of elaborate methods, like peeling the husks down, cleaning off the silk, pulling the husks back up, tying with string, etc., but it is just not that difficult. Waste of time really. So try this:
Soak your Unhusked ears of corn in water, in the sink or a clean container for about a half hour, throw them on the grill, turning often (or put them in the oven) for a half hour. The husks and silk will fall right off and the corn tastes so good, you will wonder why you ever did it any other way. You can even use this method in the microwave, but you don't have to soak them first. You can only do 2-3 ears at a time though and they take about 10 minutes.
I have got to say, I really do miss good sweet corn. I don't know why they can't grow it here. The corn here is like field corn, something left over from the cattle feed. Someone could make a fortune in Germany selling crops of "Salt & Pepper" or "Sugar & Cream" or "Silver & Gold" or whatever other kinds of yummy corn we have in Ohio. You can take the Buckeye out of Ohio, but we still miss our corn.
So, heres to some good cooking and please, send me your favorite tips to make life in the kitchen easier and tastier!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Miss Jo Says 3
Gosh, I was kind of hoping I would get some kind of good idea about a fascinating subject to write about, but all I keep thinking about is cooking stuff. Maybe its cause I am alone in the kitchen most of the afternoon, cooking for the guys. Lots of time to think to say the least.
Anyway, todays tips are about my favorite cooking utensils, etc. Over the years, ya try a lot of stuff and a huge amount of it is just crap and not really worth the money. These are my faves tho.
1. Kitchen Aid Knives- Just got a set of these not too long ago, and they are perfect. The chefs knife fits my hand just right. If they aren't advertising these specially for women, they have missed the boat. It is a nice knife, cuts great, feels good in your hand as the handle is some kind of material that gives a bit, and if you read my first, Miss Jo Says, it also takes that garlic smell right off your hands when you wash it. It is just a little bit different than other knives that I have used. My previous favorite was a Zwillinger and I suppose if I had tons of money I could go out and buy a bunch of those too til I found one that fit my hand. To be honest though, I only ever use 2 or 3 knives. Maybe if I was into cleaning fish, I might use a filleting knife, but cleaning fish is for someone else to do.
2. Mario Batelli Pizza Cutter - This is one of those items that every house seems to have one or two of and mostly they really don't do a good job. But this one, man, it just slices thru your pizza like butter. I love it. Know its expensive, but it is worth it. If you have those non-stick baking pans tho, you will probably have to stick to the ceramic or plastic cutters. Too bad!
3.Turbo Vegetable Peeler - I saw this at the market here in Bornheim and couldn't seem to stop watching the guy and his demonstration. The second week he was there, I broke down and bought one. For TEN euros! I know what you are saying, that is waaay too much for a tater peeler. But its not. It is so much fun to use, that the thought of peeling 10 lbs. of spuds has become a joy. I am actually happy when mashed potatoes are on the menu. I can do 10 lbs in 15 minutes or less. It whizzes thru carrots too. If you see one downtown or at your local market, buy it and you will then understand what I mean.
4. Mandoline - This is the easy way to slice potatoes, tomatoes, cukes, etc. They are hard to find downtown, but sometimes they have them at American bazaars or in front of Woolworths. I got mine for about 25 euros and it has been worthe every penny. It sure is alot easier to clean up than a food processer. Plus, it makes these neat waffle looking slices, like a tic tac toe. If you have little kids, this will help with those veggies.
I have some more faves, but you will have to wait.
Anyway, todays tips are about my favorite cooking utensils, etc. Over the years, ya try a lot of stuff and a huge amount of it is just crap and not really worth the money. These are my faves tho.
1. Kitchen Aid Knives- Just got a set of these not too long ago, and they are perfect. The chefs knife fits my hand just right. If they aren't advertising these specially for women, they have missed the boat. It is a nice knife, cuts great, feels good in your hand as the handle is some kind of material that gives a bit, and if you read my first, Miss Jo Says, it also takes that garlic smell right off your hands when you wash it. It is just a little bit different than other knives that I have used. My previous favorite was a Zwillinger and I suppose if I had tons of money I could go out and buy a bunch of those too til I found one that fit my hand. To be honest though, I only ever use 2 or 3 knives. Maybe if I was into cleaning fish, I might use a filleting knife, but cleaning fish is for someone else to do.
2. Mario Batelli Pizza Cutter - This is one of those items that every house seems to have one or two of and mostly they really don't do a good job. But this one, man, it just slices thru your pizza like butter. I love it. Know its expensive, but it is worth it. If you have those non-stick baking pans tho, you will probably have to stick to the ceramic or plastic cutters. Too bad!
3.Turbo Vegetable Peeler - I saw this at the market here in Bornheim and couldn't seem to stop watching the guy and his demonstration. The second week he was there, I broke down and bought one. For TEN euros! I know what you are saying, that is waaay too much for a tater peeler. But its not. It is so much fun to use, that the thought of peeling 10 lbs. of spuds has become a joy. I am actually happy when mashed potatoes are on the menu. I can do 10 lbs in 15 minutes or less. It whizzes thru carrots too. If you see one downtown or at your local market, buy it and you will then understand what I mean.
4. Mandoline - This is the easy way to slice potatoes, tomatoes, cukes, etc. They are hard to find downtown, but sometimes they have them at American bazaars or in front of Woolworths. I got mine for about 25 euros and it has been worthe every penny. It sure is alot easier to clean up than a food processer. Plus, it makes these neat waffle looking slices, like a tic tac toe. If you have little kids, this will help with those veggies.
I have some more faves, but you will have to wait.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Miss Jo Says # 4
Well, thought it was about time to post another "Miss Jo Says". We have been watching "Top Chef" and "Hells Kitchen" quite a bit, and that of course gets me to thinking about what my signature dish would be and if I could hold my own with the competitors. I don't really think so, but it is a fun fantasy to have.
So today, I have my own simple recipes that I use all the time. I call them general, all purpose recipes, cause they are just the basics, you can add anything to them you like, to make it your own. I am always trying to work things out so I can add a basic recipe to the collection in my brain. I hate following recipes too closely and always want to add stuff to them that I like or delete other stuff, like bell peppers which I detest. Ha! But I love sage and garlic and hot chilis, cumin and corriander, and cheese of all kinds. So, I throw them in when I can. It is what makes cooking fun for me.
- Tomato Sauce: Use in pasta, in lasagna, chili, etc.
1 onion diced fine
500 gram ground meat (if you are vegetarian, leave it out)
3 cloves garlic (fine dice or use a garlic press)
1 lg. can tomatoes (whole or diced)
1 can tomato sauce (1 box if you live in Germany)
1 can tomato paste (half a tube if you live in Germany)
1 tblsp. oregano, 1 tblsp. sugar, fresh basil if you have it, salt and pepper to taste
Saute your onions in 1-2 tblsp. of olive oil, then add garlic and meat. Stir til meat is browned.
(this is where you can use your wire whip!) Add tomatoes, sauce, etc. Break up tomatoes if
whole. Simmer for 30 minutes or more.
Additions: Use lamb and some curry for a nice change, add beans and hot peppers to turn it
into Chili, leave out the meat and the tomato sauce and you have a nice pizza sauce. Add
eggplant if you want to go meatless. Or some zucchini at the last minute. Add some fresh
parmesan and you have something yummy. Please don't buy that crappy parmesan in the
can! You can get nice hunks of it at the store and then you just use your peeler to slice off
slivers. Way easier than grating.
If you want to make lasagna, make a 2nd mixture of 2 cartons of ricotta cheese (you can use
cottage cheese if you like it better) 2 eggs, 2 tblsp. of chives, salt an pepper.
Ladle some red sauce into your baking dish, noodles, sauce, some mozzarella, noodles, the cheese mix, noodles, sauce, more mozzarella and parmesan or romano. Bake uncovered for about 45 min. at 350°F or 175°C. Let sit for about 5 minutes before cutting. This makes 6 generous servings.
- Yeast Dough:
8 cups flour
2 packages of yeast, or 5 & 1/2 tsps. if you are using the kind that comes in a jar
2 tsps. salt
1 tblsp. sugar
1/2 cup oil
Mix the flour and the salt together, make a well in the middle of the bowl, sprinkle in your yeast, the sugar, and 1 cup of tepid water. Don't mix it. Let sit for 5 min. or so. It should be frothy
looking. Add the oil, and two more cups of warmish water. Don't make it too warm. It is better to have it too cool than too hot. You might need to add more water. Up to another cup. Mix it well, then turn it out onto the counter or large cutting board. I like to use my kitchen table. Start kneading. You will probably need more flour on the counter. Just keep kneading and adding flour if needed until it stops being sticky. Put some flour in a large bowl, put in your ball of dough, cover it and put it in a warm spot. This can be a sunny window, next to a room heater, the back of the stove, or in the oven which was warmed up just a tiny bit. You can also put a pan of hot water in the oven which makes it nicely warm. Leave your dough for an hour. Then take it out, punch it down, and then form it into whatever you like, bread, pizza, rolls, etc. Oil your pans. If making pizza, you can go ahead and put the sauce, etc. on it and then bake them. Bread and rolls need to rise again, so cover them with a dish towel and let them raise for another hour. Bake at 450 for 10 min. then at 350 for however long it takes. This will depend on what you have made as a big loaf of bread will take longer than rolls. Look this one up in a cook book. I bake my pizzas at 450 the whole time, about 20 minutes. This will depend on your pan too.
*Additions, add chopped walnuts at the beginning and some honey. Or wheat germ. Add herbs like oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary. Or sunflower seeds. Garlic and some grated parmesan. I also make calzones with this dough. Substitute some whole wheat flour or some rye or buckwheat, or malt for some of the white flour if you wish.
To make a sweet dough, add 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1 cup butter or margerine, 4 eggs, to the flour, etc. and reduce water to 2 cups. Follow the rest of the directions. To this dough, you can add raisins, cinnamon or poppy seeds. Or make wonderful glazed breakfast rolls.
Well, I think that is long enough for today. Let me know if you have questions or if you like these. I will be back with some more recipes, like tomato soup, cheese sauce, salmon patties, and so on.
Happy Cooking!
So today, I have my own simple recipes that I use all the time. I call them general, all purpose recipes, cause they are just the basics, you can add anything to them you like, to make it your own. I am always trying to work things out so I can add a basic recipe to the collection in my brain. I hate following recipes too closely and always want to add stuff to them that I like or delete other stuff, like bell peppers which I detest. Ha! But I love sage and garlic and hot chilis, cumin and corriander, and cheese of all kinds. So, I throw them in when I can. It is what makes cooking fun for me.
- Tomato Sauce: Use in pasta, in lasagna, chili, etc.
1 onion diced fine
500 gram ground meat (if you are vegetarian, leave it out)
3 cloves garlic (fine dice or use a garlic press)
1 lg. can tomatoes (whole or diced)
1 can tomato sauce (1 box if you live in Germany)
1 can tomato paste (half a tube if you live in Germany)
1 tblsp. oregano, 1 tblsp. sugar, fresh basil if you have it, salt and pepper to taste
Saute your onions in 1-2 tblsp. of olive oil, then add garlic and meat. Stir til meat is browned.
(this is where you can use your wire whip!) Add tomatoes, sauce, etc. Break up tomatoes if
whole. Simmer for 30 minutes or more.
Additions: Use lamb and some curry for a nice change, add beans and hot peppers to turn it
into Chili, leave out the meat and the tomato sauce and you have a nice pizza sauce. Add
eggplant if you want to go meatless. Or some zucchini at the last minute. Add some fresh
parmesan and you have something yummy. Please don't buy that crappy parmesan in the
can! You can get nice hunks of it at the store and then you just use your peeler to slice off
slivers. Way easier than grating.
If you want to make lasagna, make a 2nd mixture of 2 cartons of ricotta cheese (you can use
cottage cheese if you like it better) 2 eggs, 2 tblsp. of chives, salt an pepper.
Ladle some red sauce into your baking dish, noodles, sauce, some mozzarella, noodles, the cheese mix, noodles, sauce, more mozzarella and parmesan or romano. Bake uncovered for about 45 min. at 350°F or 175°C. Let sit for about 5 minutes before cutting. This makes 6 generous servings.
- Yeast Dough:
8 cups flour
2 packages of yeast, or 5 & 1/2 tsps. if you are using the kind that comes in a jar
2 tsps. salt
1 tblsp. sugar
1/2 cup oil
Mix the flour and the salt together, make a well in the middle of the bowl, sprinkle in your yeast, the sugar, and 1 cup of tepid water. Don't mix it. Let sit for 5 min. or so. It should be frothy
looking. Add the oil, and two more cups of warmish water. Don't make it too warm. It is better to have it too cool than too hot. You might need to add more water. Up to another cup. Mix it well, then turn it out onto the counter or large cutting board. I like to use my kitchen table. Start kneading. You will probably need more flour on the counter. Just keep kneading and adding flour if needed until it stops being sticky. Put some flour in a large bowl, put in your ball of dough, cover it and put it in a warm spot. This can be a sunny window, next to a room heater, the back of the stove, or in the oven which was warmed up just a tiny bit. You can also put a pan of hot water in the oven which makes it nicely warm. Leave your dough for an hour. Then take it out, punch it down, and then form it into whatever you like, bread, pizza, rolls, etc. Oil your pans. If making pizza, you can go ahead and put the sauce, etc. on it and then bake them. Bread and rolls need to rise again, so cover them with a dish towel and let them raise for another hour. Bake at 450 for 10 min. then at 350 for however long it takes. This will depend on what you have made as a big loaf of bread will take longer than rolls. Look this one up in a cook book. I bake my pizzas at 450 the whole time, about 20 minutes. This will depend on your pan too.
*Additions, add chopped walnuts at the beginning and some honey. Or wheat germ. Add herbs like oregano, sage, thyme, rosemary. Or sunflower seeds. Garlic and some grated parmesan. I also make calzones with this dough. Substitute some whole wheat flour or some rye or buckwheat, or malt for some of the white flour if you wish.
To make a sweet dough, add 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla, 1 cup butter or margerine, 4 eggs, to the flour, etc. and reduce water to 2 cups. Follow the rest of the directions. To this dough, you can add raisins, cinnamon or poppy seeds. Or make wonderful glazed breakfast rolls.
Well, I think that is long enough for today. Let me know if you have questions or if you like these. I will be back with some more recipes, like tomato soup, cheese sauce, salmon patties, and so on.
Happy Cooking!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Miss Jo Says # 5
I like to make soups and sauces. Soups are great for using leftovers and they taste so nice on cold, rainy days. Forget about cold soups though, that just sounds yucky. The words "soup" and "cold" do not go together at all. One of my favorite soups to make is tomato soup. It is so easy and tastes so much better than the canned stuff, that once you make it, you will never buy Campbells again. That is one of the benefits from moving to Germany. I couldn't find things that I was used to buying in the states and had to learn how to make them from scratch, like canned soups, tortillas, refried beans, and so on.
Tomato Soup
1 onion diced
1 tbls. butter
1 large can of tomatoes
milk or heavy cream
chicken boullion
Saute your onions in the butter. When soft, add the tomatoes and cook for 5-10 min. Puree with your immersion hand mixer. Add milk or heavy cream to your desired consistency. Some people like thick soups, others prefer thin. Flavor with 1-2 tsp. of boullion. Serve when hot. Float some croutons on it if you like. Add fresh basil, chives, grated zucchini, or some fresh parmesan as a garnish. I do like the taste of heavy cream though, it just adds a richer flavor to any soup or sauce that you make.
I use a lot of sauces at work, especially cheese sauce for mac and cheese or au-gratin potatoes, or for making sausage gravy or creamed beef. I will always be grateful to the Army for teaching me how to make gravy and creamed beef. Until I went to the Army cook school, I only knew the way my mom had made gravy or thickened sauces. She would stand there, mixing up flour and water, straining out the lumps, and usually not very successfully. Then it would be a search and destroy mission with the gravy, trying to find any lumps that had escaped the original mixing. Tupperware even makes a special cup for mixing flour and water. Why, why, why??? When it is so easy to make a roux with some kind of fat and flour and you never get lumps. The Army cooks even have a nickname for this kind of thickening method of flour and water, but it's rude and I won't print it here.
I pretty much use the rule of thumb of 1 tblsp of fat to each tblsp of flour. Brown it for however long you like. White sauces don't need to cook too long before adding milk. Better Homes and Garden Cook book has a basic white sauce recipe that I use. I just add my cheese, or lemon juice, or chicken flavoring. If I am making a cream soup, I will go ahead and saute my onions, or celery or mushrooms, or bacon in the fat before adding the flour. Milk is the usual liquid, but you can use broth of any kind. This is great for using up any kind of leftover veggies or meat.
Saute some onions and or bacon, add your flour to make the roux, add your liquid of choice and then the veggies, etc. If you want, go ahead and blend it with your immersion hand mixer. This is great for broccoli, cauiflower, zucchini, carrots, and so. This is sneaky way of getting veggies into your kids too. Just don't use this machine on potatoes, you will get a gluey mess. If I already have a soup or stew that needs thickening, I will make a roux and then add it to the liquid. This will work for potato soup too.
If you are making sausage gravy or creamed beef, add a couple tblsps of butter to the meat as it browns. Add only enough flour to absorb all the fat. If you put too much flour in, then add a bit more butter. After stirring and cooking for 5 min. or so, add your milk, stirring constantly. I like to be conservative, adding just enough milk to get it mixed and then adding more as it thickens. If making sausage gravy, I like to add lots of sage and some ground red pepper or hot sauce. Creamed beef gets lots of Worcestershire sauce and I also saute onions with the meat.
I taught my husband how to make these and this is a guy that did not know how to cook anything before we got married. He does a fabulous job of it now! He makes sausage gravy, creamed beef, lasagna, pasta, meat loaf, and made from scratch pancakes. You go Dave!
Tomato Soup
1 onion diced
1 tbls. butter
1 large can of tomatoes
milk or heavy cream
chicken boullion
Saute your onions in the butter. When soft, add the tomatoes and cook for 5-10 min. Puree with your immersion hand mixer. Add milk or heavy cream to your desired consistency. Some people like thick soups, others prefer thin. Flavor with 1-2 tsp. of boullion. Serve when hot. Float some croutons on it if you like. Add fresh basil, chives, grated zucchini, or some fresh parmesan as a garnish. I do like the taste of heavy cream though, it just adds a richer flavor to any soup or sauce that you make.
I use a lot of sauces at work, especially cheese sauce for mac and cheese or au-gratin potatoes, or for making sausage gravy or creamed beef. I will always be grateful to the Army for teaching me how to make gravy and creamed beef. Until I went to the Army cook school, I only knew the way my mom had made gravy or thickened sauces. She would stand there, mixing up flour and water, straining out the lumps, and usually not very successfully. Then it would be a search and destroy mission with the gravy, trying to find any lumps that had escaped the original mixing. Tupperware even makes a special cup for mixing flour and water. Why, why, why??? When it is so easy to make a roux with some kind of fat and flour and you never get lumps. The Army cooks even have a nickname for this kind of thickening method of flour and water, but it's rude and I won't print it here.
I pretty much use the rule of thumb of 1 tblsp of fat to each tblsp of flour. Brown it for however long you like. White sauces don't need to cook too long before adding milk. Better Homes and Garden Cook book has a basic white sauce recipe that I use. I just add my cheese, or lemon juice, or chicken flavoring. If I am making a cream soup, I will go ahead and saute my onions, or celery or mushrooms, or bacon in the fat before adding the flour. Milk is the usual liquid, but you can use broth of any kind. This is great for using up any kind of leftover veggies or meat.
Saute some onions and or bacon, add your flour to make the roux, add your liquid of choice and then the veggies, etc. If you want, go ahead and blend it with your immersion hand mixer. This is great for broccoli, cauiflower, zucchini, carrots, and so. This is sneaky way of getting veggies into your kids too. Just don't use this machine on potatoes, you will get a gluey mess. If I already have a soup or stew that needs thickening, I will make a roux and then add it to the liquid. This will work for potato soup too.
If you are making sausage gravy or creamed beef, add a couple tblsps of butter to the meat as it browns. Add only enough flour to absorb all the fat. If you put too much flour in, then add a bit more butter. After stirring and cooking for 5 min. or so, add your milk, stirring constantly. I like to be conservative, adding just enough milk to get it mixed and then adding more as it thickens. If making sausage gravy, I like to add lots of sage and some ground red pepper or hot sauce. Creamed beef gets lots of Worcestershire sauce and I also saute onions with the meat.
I taught my husband how to make these and this is a guy that did not know how to cook anything before we got married. He does a fabulous job of it now! He makes sausage gravy, creamed beef, lasagna, pasta, meat loaf, and made from scratch pancakes. You go Dave!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Joys of Living in Frankfurt
I thought it was time to talk about Frankfurt, simply because of the overwhelming bad press this city seems to get. The weirdest part is I can never figure out why it gets bad press. Where did it come from? Is it an old reputation of Frankfurt that they can't seem to shake off or what? Anyway, I am going to write about the good stuff and why I like it here. It isn't in any kind of special order either, just as the thoughts come to me.
Since I started studying the history of this city, it has made me appreciate just where I live. The history here is amazing and it is a shame that so few people seem to know anything about it. All the emperors and the coronations and the parties in the Römerberg. I like that the Romans were here and wandered on the same streets that I am wandering down today. I liked that feeling in the Forum in Rome and on a donkey path in Greece too. Just thinking about all those people who have walked here is interesting for me.
All the foreigners here make life great in Frankfurt. With over 25 % holding a foreign passport and probably another 25 % with either a parent that was foreign or who have taken on a German pass or have dual citizenship, mulit-culti is normal. We have all these wonderful ethnic restaurants to chose from and I like the way the foreigners are such entrepreneurs. So many of the start-ups are from people who want a better life, who are willing to work long hours and are willing to risk it.
Even though Frankfurt is considered a big city and it does have a lovely cosmopolitan feel to it, it never feels TOO big. Almost every time I go downtown and I do go downtown a lot, I seem to run into someone I know. It is almost like a small town, but with the amenities of a big town. We have lots of wonderful street festivals where everyone is having such a good time. I pretty much always feel safe here too, no matter what time of night it is or where I am walking. I know some folks are leery of the Bahnhof quarter, but my gosh, there are hundreds of people there day and night, lots of cops, lots of cameras, and frankly I have never once had a problem there. The restaurants and ethnic stores there are cheap and fascinating. I love going in the Indian fabric stores and the spice stores, or walking by the African produce markets and going shopping in this huge Asian store. When I walk into my favorite Chinese restaurant I am greeted with big hellos and how are the kids, even if it has been a year since I was in there.
I like it that Frankfurt chose a unique, personal way to honor their Holocaust victims. We have one of the few Memorials that has the names of those Jewish citizens who lost their lives due to the nazi regime. It is so moving to take people there on our tour who do not know of its existence and as we walk towards it I start explaining that each block has a name on it and there are 11,200 names. Their eyes widen and their mouths drop open, and the usual comment is - OMG, there are so many! When one sees it like that, it changes the perception. These are people who have no gravestone, their families would have no place to come and grieve if it was not for this memorial. There is a famous saying - "When a persons name is forgotten, then that person is forgotten." The city of Frankfurt is insuring that these people are not forgotten, that each person is remembered as an individual. There are also memorials here to the Roma and Sinti, Homosexuals, the Slave Laborers, and the Jehovah Witnesses who were also executed by the nazis.
Frankfurt is a city that doesn't really have any "Must Sees" like the Eiffel tower, or the Pantheon, but it has lots of things you can see at leisure, so you don't have to rush around. You can take your time and simply enjoy what is there. It feels ok to walk around the park that goes all around the city center and is where the city wall and moat used to be. Or spend all the time you want gazing at the wonderful collection of art at the Städel, without the urgency of running around trying to see the Mona Lisa and Co. It is a relaxing tourist destination. We even like our skyscrapers and occasionally have a fest to celebrate them. It is just plain fun.
I am sure to think of a dozen other things as soon as I post this, but thats ok too. Cause then maybe you will come back and read some more!
Since I started studying the history of this city, it has made me appreciate just where I live. The history here is amazing and it is a shame that so few people seem to know anything about it. All the emperors and the coronations and the parties in the Römerberg. I like that the Romans were here and wandered on the same streets that I am wandering down today. I liked that feeling in the Forum in Rome and on a donkey path in Greece too. Just thinking about all those people who have walked here is interesting for me.
All the foreigners here make life great in Frankfurt. With over 25 % holding a foreign passport and probably another 25 % with either a parent that was foreign or who have taken on a German pass or have dual citizenship, mulit-culti is normal. We have all these wonderful ethnic restaurants to chose from and I like the way the foreigners are such entrepreneurs. So many of the start-ups are from people who want a better life, who are willing to work long hours and are willing to risk it.
Even though Frankfurt is considered a big city and it does have a lovely cosmopolitan feel to it, it never feels TOO big. Almost every time I go downtown and I do go downtown a lot, I seem to run into someone I know. It is almost like a small town, but with the amenities of a big town. We have lots of wonderful street festivals where everyone is having such a good time. I pretty much always feel safe here too, no matter what time of night it is or where I am walking. I know some folks are leery of the Bahnhof quarter, but my gosh, there are hundreds of people there day and night, lots of cops, lots of cameras, and frankly I have never once had a problem there. The restaurants and ethnic stores there are cheap and fascinating. I love going in the Indian fabric stores and the spice stores, or walking by the African produce markets and going shopping in this huge Asian store. When I walk into my favorite Chinese restaurant I am greeted with big hellos and how are the kids, even if it has been a year since I was in there.
I like it that Frankfurt chose a unique, personal way to honor their Holocaust victims. We have one of the few Memorials that has the names of those Jewish citizens who lost their lives due to the nazi regime. It is so moving to take people there on our tour who do not know of its existence and as we walk towards it I start explaining that each block has a name on it and there are 11,200 names. Their eyes widen and their mouths drop open, and the usual comment is - OMG, there are so many! When one sees it like that, it changes the perception. These are people who have no gravestone, their families would have no place to come and grieve if it was not for this memorial. There is a famous saying - "When a persons name is forgotten, then that person is forgotten." The city of Frankfurt is insuring that these people are not forgotten, that each person is remembered as an individual. There are also memorials here to the Roma and Sinti, Homosexuals, the Slave Laborers, and the Jehovah Witnesses who were also executed by the nazis.
Frankfurt is a city that doesn't really have any "Must Sees" like the Eiffel tower, or the Pantheon, but it has lots of things you can see at leisure, so you don't have to rush around. You can take your time and simply enjoy what is there. It feels ok to walk around the park that goes all around the city center and is where the city wall and moat used to be. Or spend all the time you want gazing at the wonderful collection of art at the Städel, without the urgency of running around trying to see the Mona Lisa and Co. It is a relaxing tourist destination. We even like our skyscrapers and occasionally have a fest to celebrate them. It is just plain fun.
I am sure to think of a dozen other things as soon as I post this, but thats ok too. Cause then maybe you will come back and read some more!
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