Store Bought vs. Homemade

I had an "intelligent" conversation with my mother's husband this afternoon about the virtues of making things on your own. While going over recipes in the file, my mother and I were trying to think of something sweet to bake. There were cakes, brownies, and cookies in the desert section; unfortunately we had very few ingredients with which to make such things.

Having nearly settled on chocolate cake we discovered that we lacked a few key ingredients, like powdered sugar for the chocolate butter cream frosting. We then suggested going to the market to buy some of the things we needed. Bob unwisely chose to then suggest that if he was going to the market, he would just buy a cake instead of baking it.

Now before I go any further, please let me explain. I don't really like Bob. I'm not saying that he doesn't have important qualities; I always turn to him when something needs mailing or the cost of a stamp comes up, but all in all, we have nothing intelligent to talk about.

While I am by far no expert on food, I am deeply in love with it. Not just in the eating of food, but the preparation of a great dish, the buying of ingredients, and the look on the faces of those eating what I have cooked. It is an experience to be enjoyed. Cooking for me is a labor that takes effort, planning, and love. Even when my back is killing me, or my feet are sore, and sweat keeps finding its way into my good eye, I love what I am doing.

I try to articulate this. It is never better to buy a desert for a lazy Sunday afternoon if you can make it yourself. Something pre-packaged that is so simple to make like a cake, pie, or brownies just tastes better when you do it yourself and can control what is in it. When I make cheesecake, there are no preservatives added, it's all flavor. When I make a quiche, it is a fresh, home made pie crust - I don't like using pre-made crust when I can do it myself and have it taste amazing.

Then Bob, foolishly, says: "You think you're like a real cook or something don't you?" As if this statement alone is not ignorant enough, he then says: "I can whittle but I don't think I'm a carpenter."

Here's what I should have said: "Well, Bob. I'm glad you can whittle, but other than copious amounts of tools and woodworking magazines you have no real talent for woodworking beyond the useless owl house you built over the course of a year. Whereas I am passionate enough about food and everything surrounding it that I am prepared to make a career out of it for the rest of my life. But by all means, please go back to eating packaged cupcakes on your break at the Post Office."

He then tried to argue with me that there was no way my Chocolate Cream Pie was better than what he'd been eating for fifty years at the local bakery. Well the reason he is wrong is proved conclusively by half of my co-workers, and Mischa's mom, asking me how I made that pie. When was the last time you walked into the bakery and asked, "How did you make that?"

When we buy something in the store it is convenient and sometimes it is very necessary. What was missed by Bob was the personal touch. He has no capacity to interpret what an individual can add to even the most rudimentary thing like a chocolate cake. I think it always tastes better when you add something of yourself to the food you prepare. Perhaps you can see my point of view, perhaps you cannot. Perhaps you think that cooking and baking is not worth the effort. I simply disagree. And since this is my blog...I can!

Cheers

Merry Christmas...Again!

Tonight my boss, Bob, invited everyone from the Lab, X-Ray, and Pediatrics to his house for our Christmas Party. I made Quiche Lorraine a la Christopher, Chocolate Cream Pie, and New York Cheesecake.

I've yet to mention my cheesecake. Allow me to explain. I make THE best Cheesecake in the known universe. End of discussion.

I have been making the recipe from Better Homes and Gardens website for nearly ten years now. I have perfected it after many mistakes, and I am constantly tweaking things to compensate for calories and varying tastes. However, as you may deduce from the picture I am attempting to upload, it's a crowd pleaser.



I am proud of how this cheesecake turned out. Thanks to one of my coworkers, I learned a slightly different technique in the mixing of ingredients to allow for a smoother and creamier texture. For years I had been combining the cream cheese with the sugar, flower, and then the eggs and the cream after the cheese had been combined. However, I have noticed that if I first mix the eggs and cream with the cream cheese, the texture is more favorable. Also, I think it is wise to use Nuefchatel cream cheese. It is made with goat's milk and as such it is naturally lower in fat than traditional Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I also find it to be softer and to have a more robust flavor that combines quite harmoniously with the other ingredients.

The most important thing about the cheesecake recipe, though, is that I have made it my own. I have added personal touches and extra ingredients for a unique flavor and combined with a little finessing I have produced a wonderful desert that people I cook for very much enjoy.

This Christmas was a financially trying holiday. Many of my co-workers honored me with presents that I could not afford to reciprocate. Tonight I was able to return the favor in the form of cooking. The pie was rich and chocolatey, the Quiche was flavorful without being morosely fattening, and the Cheesecake was, in my opinion, to die for. Bob even suggested I compete in the 2010 local fair. I may like to do that. It's time I started earning my place as respected Pastry Chef.

Breakfast Pizza

I discovered breakfast pizza about 7 years ago thanks to an ill-fated establishment called "Nona's Pantry." It was formerly located along Old Orchard Beach in Saco, ME. My family and I rented an apartment above Nona's for a week's stay one summer. Every morning the heavenly scent of baking dough and eggs would waft upward from the floor below us, through the open windows and right to our olfactory bulbs. I discovered a new and wonderful way to eat my favorite breakfast items in one tasty dish.

The people who owned Nona's were more than obliging of my curiosity with regards to their breakfast pizza. They explained that the way to cook it is simple. Beat eggs as if you were going to scramble them. To the eggs add whatever fillings of meat and veggies you desire, and toss in some cheese(s). Set the bowl of filling aside and roll out a pizza dough. The only thing they told me to do differently was to build your crust up as high as you can so the dough acts like a bowl for the filling. Pour in the filling gently and then bake till all is golden brown and the soft-firm consistency of an omelette.

The variety of egg filling can be as vast and broad as any omelette or quiche that you can imagine or conceive of. The method of making can vary as well. You could scramble your eggs first and then bake the pizza in the oven and put them together, or perhaps a lighter, more calorie-friendly version like the one I am currently making for Rachel and myself. By substituting egg whites, low-fat cheese, and turkey sausage, and by adding some lower calorie veggies like asparagus and diced potatoes, the dish is more volumetric but still filling and delicious. I encourage anyone with a love of eggs in the traditional American breakfast style to try this method. It is relatively quick an easy, and it just tastes good!

My First Quiche

Thanks largely in part to my malfunctioning, ancient, automobile, I found myself home today and with no plans to leave the house. Thankfully, my family did! Not wanting to waste the pie dough that was left over from last weekend, I decided to concoct a quiche.

I have never made one before, and followed no recipe beyond baking the crust. I did, however, screw that part up a bit. You see pie crust is derived from a highly fragile dough that needs special attention. I succeeded in rolling it out effectively, however I failed to properly distribute it in the pie dish. You see, whomever you are, if you've never baked pie crust, it is vital to account for the dough to shrink a bit from the heat. If you don't rest the dough properly on the edges of your pie plate when it heats up, you'll find it may slip down into the dish, and thus not form properly. This is most likely, of course, when you are baking the crust alone to firm it up before filling.

The quiche itself is just beaten eggs with some creme' fraiche, cheese, onion, ham, and canned sliced potatoes. I baked it at 425 for a total of about 35 minutes. I was concerned about the length of time. I took it out at one point thinking it was done, but it was a bit watery when I cut into it so I put it back into the oven for a bit longer.

As you can see from the photo, it came out quite well. It was not half bad to the taste, either. Even Bob, who is rare with comments on my cooking, pointed out how good it looked. I hope he and my mother have some for breakfast tomorrow. As long as they leave me a bit!

I am going to get back in my bed now, because the basement feels like a meat locker, and I think I'm going to lose my toes if I don't warm them up soon.

Anatomy, Physiology, and Chemistry...Oh My!

So I went to NECC today to meet with my advisor, Jayne. I like Jayne. She's oober smart, funny, and very down to earth. She basically told me that if I want to get into the RN program at Northern Essex, I will not only need to retake A&P I, but Chemistry. Now here's the back story on Chemistry...

Last Spring, I enrolled in Physiological Chemistry. I thought that it would help me to tie in all the "stuff" I've learned working in the lab. It didn't. It was an abysmal disaster resulting in a C. Now, I must retake it. On the bright side, I can take a much simpler course like Intro to Chem. The A&P...well...I'll just have to wait till next fall for Dr. Holden. I did not just spend the entire semester taking all those notes to try it again with another professor and more notes.

So Chem is planned for the Summer, more A&P in the Fall. As for the Spring 10 semester, I am taking Lifespan Psych, and Intro to Sociology. Both classes are online, thankfully, so I will not have to keep driving hither and thither from Nashua to Haverhill.

I'm looking forward to continuing my education. I may still, however, have to go the LPN route. The RN programs are extremely competitive, and I am not as smart as everyone thinks I am. I know I can handle it, but sometimes, I just can't do better than a C. I'm good with clinics and needles, its text books and classrooms that really suck sometimes. At least as an LPN, I would be considered Advanced Placement, and C's would be perfectly acceptable. Anyone know of an LPN program that runs nights?

Brave Soldier Boy Comes Marching Home.

Mischa's best friend Nick has gone to war. He will soon be deployed to Afghanistan for one year. I pray he will make it home unharmed and intact. Nick, is a goofy, nerdy, kid with exceptional artistic vision, and skill with a camera. I have frequently enjoyed his company and the company of his girlfriend Leah. In fact, it is thanks to Nick that my laptop monitor works, and that I have a 250g hard drive for storage.

Dr. Kelly's son Chris is also over seas, defending our country. I have only met him once, but he was a very nice young man. Too young to be in harms way. Too young to have to fight, to kill, to risk their lives.

I do not believe in war. I completely understand the need to protect one's home and borders, however I feel that war is the ultimate failing of humanity. I feel that when one human is forced to kill another in the name of God, Liberty, Justice, or Freedom, you insult creation itself.

I pray that the light of love and peace will burn brightly enough to bring our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, our friends and our neighbors, home.

Leaves from the Vine...
Falling so slow.
Like fragile tiny shells...
Drifting in the foam.

Little soldier boy...
Come marching home.
Brave Soldier Boy...
Comes marching home.

Please come home.

Supremes de Volaille a l'Ecossais

Tonight I made dinner for Mischa and Monica. Oh my GOD! I love French cooking. It's too heavy, there's too much butter, and too many calories but it is DEVINE. Tonight I did everything I planned on doing as far as cooking. My family is away on a long weekend Holiday, and I had the kitchen to myself all afternoon.

I made a huge batch of my special Avocado spread....yum! And then I had at pie-making with my new food processor. I will admit that the Chefscape does not "pulse" as efficiently as my grandmother's smaller Cuisinart. However, I must presume that such sacrifice is needed for an extra 5.5 cup capacity. The crust came out perfectly, and I made extra for Sylvie.

I started by making the pie. Chocolate Cream...! One bag of Milk Chocolate chips, some cream, coolwhip, Godiva Liquor, Orange extract, and Instant pudding mix, and a perfectly baked - homemade - crust. Mischa professed an orgasm upon eating it. Not the way I intended on causing people to have orgasms, but I'll take what I can get!

Next, I tackled my personal recipe for Bruschetta. Four tomatoes, 3 different colored peppers, fresh basil, romano, garlic and....Blackberries! I know it sounds crazy but it tasted so very yummie. I then pan fried French bread in E.V.O.O. and topped it with the Bruschetta. I did this, based entirely on Amy Adams portrayal of Julie Powell, in Julie and Julia. There is a scene where she makes bruschetta this way by frying the bread. I was dying to try it. The Blackberries were entirely my idea, for the record.

So, on to the Supremes. I followed the recipe to the ink. It came out perfect. Monica loved it...which was a blessed surprise. I was afraid she'd hate it. Mischa seemed quite impressed as well. I cut the breasts into smaller portions to make them fit better in the casserole dish. The onion, carrot, and celery were perfectly diced, and the breasts cooked longer than the recipe said, but I felt it necessary to make certain that my first attempt at French cooking didn't result in salmonella poisoning. Also, I feel quite firmly that the Madeira tasted and smelled better than the Vermouth so I chose the Madeira for the sauce. I made the right choice.

Also at my table was some Asparagus a La' Emeril, and a tossed salad with lemon juice for dressing. It was a terrific success. I think next I will tackle boeuf bourguignon.

Bless you Julia, Simca, and Louisette!

Cuisinart 5qt Casserole Dish!!

I went out with Mischa and Sylvie to get Mischa's new glasses, and do a little browsing at Williams and Sonoma. I picked out a new pair of Rayban frame-less eyeglasses, and Mischa can give me a 50% discount coupon and I really like the frames so I think I will get them. I set aside $2,000 of FSA money so I may indulge myself.

After the mall, we went to Marshalls. I love Marshalls. I never consider them for their exceptional array of gourmet foods and ingredients. I bought a jar of Apricot Preserves for only $3.99. It was $9.99 at W&S. I found a ceramic pie dish for Sylvie and then I found the money pot!

A Hunter Green, 5qt, Cuisinart, Covered Casserole dish. It retails for $120.00 and it was on sale for $60! I put it on layaway and will go pick it up on Thursday. I cannot wait to make use of it. So I call my mother who has wanted a Le Creuset, which is quite similar, for years. I tell her that I put this wonderful casserole dish on Layaway. She got mad at me because she seems to think we have no room left in the kitchen to store it, and that I should buy that when I have my own place.

I think she should increase her meds! Can't wait till Thursday.