Raw eggs anyone?

I'm starting to worry about Perla's editors. I have made my 4^th recipe from her book and maybe it's just a coincidence, but I keep finding what seems to be mistakes. They are just little things, but it is freaking me out how consistently I come across then. Why you wonder am I upset with her editor instead of with Miss Perla? There were a few years of my life when different people would encourage me to write a book. Who me? I cannot spell, I struggle with Language Arts, and I'm not sure what the difference is between "than" and "then". Not to worry say they, it is the editor's job to find that stuff. (Rant over)

Today's food made me feel a little elegant and grown up. I made an appetizer. I had to or my guys would have gone nuts. Dinner was a late affair.

Generally I am not a fan of boiled eggs but made some pretty boiled eggs for a pre-meal snack. The recipe was Hard-Boiled Eggs in Sauce Nimoise. (What is "Nimoise??? And why is only one of these words in a different language) It is sort of a garlic mayonnaise. You start by boiling 10 peeled garlic cloves and blending those with a raw egg and and part of a boiled egg with a drizzle of olive oil before blending in vinegar, chopped onion and anchovy fillets. I actually bought anchovies! Here was the odd part in the directions. I think I got it right…."Cut one hard-boiled egg in half, remove the yolk, and add it, together with the raw egg, to the food processor or blender"…. At first I was confident that it was the yolk that went into the blender. But the more I read it, the more I wasn't sure. It was all good. The eggs are cut in half and arranged prettily on lettuce with veggies and little pickles, then drizzled with the sauce. I wasn't crazy about the sauce. It all was eaten but we like to eat.

The soup was good. Red Bean Soup a la Cubana. Not sure what made it Cuban but it was good. I had a nice meaty hambone left from Christmas that was good in the soup. When I read through the recipe I was afraid it would be totally bland. But I think that the problem was that I have made so many vegan bean soups that require a heavy hand with seasoning. This one sucks the flavor from the ham. I am guessing that most of the soup eating world realizes that. It was new to me. Served it with Jalapeno corn muffins from Emeril L's Cookbook.

Finally I made a dessert. Chocolate Almond Pave. What is a Pave? First you make a sponge cake in a jelly roll pan. Then you melt chocolate with 2 Tablespoons of Coffee and 4 tablespoons of rum or Grand Mariner. Since I keep orange liquor on hand for baking, I used that but cut it down to 2 tablespoons instead of 4. Butter and sugar are whizzed together with two egg yolks. The whites are whipped and folded into the chocolate, which is folded into the butter with a handful of ground almonds. The sponge cake is cut and fitted into a loaf pan. It was supposed to be sprinkled with 2 more tablespoons of liquor. Instead I brushed it with a lavender simple syrup. Next you dump the chocolate mixture into the loaf pan lined with sponge cake, cover it tightly and refrigerate it over night.

Did you notice what I did not until I was putting it into the fridge? THERE ARE TWO RAW EGGS IN THIS!! Scary. Maybe all the booze is supposed to protect me. In addition, when I whipped the egg whites the directions said to gradually add the ½ cup of sugar. Latter I was supposed to add the rest of the sugar to the yolks. There was no "Rest of the sugar" I triple checked. Raw egg and all it is delish!

Want to know what I think? I think the edit mistakes are part of what makes this fun.

I was gonna toss it out…

Made a chicken dish from the new issue of Fine Cooking magazine (Feb/Mar 2010). It was fun to make but I didn't really like the dish so much.

This was the magazine that was on my case about not making very much of what they sent me. To be honest, there are some terrific recipes in this issue. It was just that I happened to have the ingredients for Orange and Soy Glazed Chicken Thighs. It was extremely easy to make from pantry ingredients. But I really wasn't crazy about the dish. It was chicken thighs cooked hot, then broiled to crisp up the skin before setting the thighs on a plate of rice and glazing with sauce and sesame seeds. But that sauce, oh my goodness, it was SO salty! It was soy sauce and marin with orange zest and just a whisper of orange juice. If I was going to do it again I would use far more orange juice and way less soy sauce.

Ray was cleaning up for me and asked what he should do with the left over sauce. I told him to "toss it out". All three of my guys protested because they liked it so much. Hummm. They liked the whole meal. Here I am thinking that was one I wouldn't do again and they want more. Who knew?

Julie and Julia

Since I share my home with three adult men, I have put off renting "Julie and Julia". Everyone was busy this afternoon so I found it on direct TV and settled in to watch. It is, without a doubt, a chick flick. You have probably already seen it and know that it is a foodie chick flick. Even though all of my guys were home before it was over, I did enjoy it, being that I am both a foodie and a chick. I am guessing that there is a book and if I had read the book I would have better understood the fight and the mom. The move has a somewhat weak ending but most movies do end with a sigh rather than a powerful message. The premise is that Julie cooks and blogs her way clear through Julia Childs original cookbook, while also telling the story of a younger Julia and her husband. Not long ago I was reading one of my foodie magazines which included a survey wanting to know what percentage of their recipes did I make each month. Very few. I have a large collection of cook books but with a couple of notable exceptions, there are three to four recipes that I go to in about 30% of them. The rest look like new. I am inspired to try everything in just one of the many cookbooks on my shelf.

One of the first cookbooks that I bought as a young bride was a monster by Perla Meyers. Within weeks of buying "From Market to Kitchen Cookbook" I made a decision to go vegetarian. I read for the travel and the market writing. She is a very good writer. But I cannot remember ever making anything from this highly recommended volume. It is not vegetarian (never mind vegan) cookbook. After a twenty year romance with both vegetarian and vegan kitchens, along with a large collection of well used vegetarian books to guide me I have come back to reexamine Perla. Really, I was inspired by the movie.

I had shell steaks in the refrigerator. That in itself is not common for me but they had been crazy cheep at my favorite Mexican market. I had planned to just broil them with olive oil and herbs, toss them down with a baked potato, salad and some kind of bread. Who doesn't know what to do with the original fast food? Instead, lugging out Perla, I opened the index to find "steak". Nothing. Looking again in the beef section I found two titles. One for "Grilled Steaks in Herb Butter" and one for "Sautéed Steaks in Mustard Sauce" Mustard sauce is a personal favorite but I decided to go with the first one. That was a whole lot of butter! But two steaks served four people. That doesn't usually happen in our house. I took the plunge. Chopped the shallots (you can get a whole bag of nice firm, pink shallots for about 5 dollars at the cash and carry. Lasts me most of the winter usually), chopped the parsley and creamed them into the butter. Half the butter went on a plate that set over simmering peanut potatoes, half stayed at the ready in the bowl. Perla uses 1 and ¾ inch steaks. Mine were only 1 inch so I cut back the time per side to keep them rare in the center. High heat for three minutes then low for 7. Even cutting back the time seemed to produce to crusty of a steak before turning it over for another (4) minutes. What looked like ruined steak went on the hot plate of now melted herb butter. The reserved herb butter was spread on top of the steaks which were then covered with foil while I finished the soft cooked potatoes in the reserved pan font. Tossing them about to crisp up the skins. The steak is thin sliced before serving with the potatoes and the salad. Extra butter-herb sauce is drizzled across the sliced meat with a sprinkle of course salt and fresh pepper. Absolutely mouthwatering. I don't even want to know what my arteries are saying.

The TV is my shepherd

The TV is my shepherd,
I shall want more.
It makes me lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the faith;
It destroys my soul.
It leads me in the path of sex and violence
for the sponsor's sake.
Yeah, though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibility,
there will be no interruption, for the TV is with me.
It's cables and remote control, they comfort me.
It prepares a commercial for me in the presence of my worldliness;
It anoints my head with humanism and consumerism;
My coveting runneth over.
Surely, laziness and ignorance shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house watching TV for ever.

Stolen from the "Pure Church" Blog

http://purechurch.blogspot.com/2009/11/tv-is-my-shepherd.html

Pelosi Health Care; Now What?

I had such a sinking feeling. Long before the vote, everyone knew this monster was going to pass. One of the few things that strikes me as unexpected is that the stack of paper that is now half-way to becoming the law of the land is not referred to as Obama Care. Why is that? The more I watch our beautiful young president, the more questions I have about democrats. I wonder if perhaps the powers that call themselves Democrats choose an attractive, idealistic young man with a tendency to idolize ideas and those who spoke them, and began to groom their puppet.

During the campaign I was astonished that the American press was anxious about the Republican vice Presidential candidate's "inexperience." What? Did we really fall for that one? On the one hand, the man running for President was a Junior Senator, who was hardly two years into his position, never so much as president of the PTA or any of the community organizations he belonged to. On the other hand, the woman running for VICE president had mayor and governor on her resume. Why did America keep turning her collective eyes back to Sarah Palin's work history instead of Obama's? He didn't even believe that he was qualified. He told us that he surrounded himself with men who understood things and he would depend on them for advice. Ol' Harry Truman reminded us that, "The Buck Stops Here". What should the plaque on President Obama's desk say? "Paying to Play?" "The Coin Flips Here?" "I'll Get Back To You?"

I wonder because the man is famous for not naming his dog for 6 months. But when an advisor has progressive advice, he jumps on it. Apparently finishing a war we started is not progressive, but that is another thread.

Pelosi Health Care. How did her name end up on this? Blogs are piling up with commentary on what will happen now. Dooms-day predictions. Utopian society. Who knows? It probably isn't as bad as many say and for certain it is not as good as others say. There is only one thing I know for sure. Though I am a citizen, this land is not my home. I love my rights as a citizen of the United States but my hope is Heaven and the benefits I depend on come from the throne of Grace, the place where the King of Glory reigns. I am an ambassador to the land. I know what true hope is. Hope in a soon coming King. Hope in the Creator of all, who gives the seat of power to whom he will, to turn our hearts to himself and the things that are eternal, peaceful, abundant with joy. Who truly heals all our ailments because he IS our savior. We are not without hope unless we refuse the one who so loved us that he gave His only son ….to carry what ails us, be is sickness or sin.

To those who despair I encourage you to "fear not" Y'shua/Jesus will not abandon us and walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death.

How good is your Pastor?

Mine is actually Great. I'm guessing that if I was a bit more aggressive about prayer for him and his message, he would be greater still. That is on me, not him, but I intend to carry that burden this week.

…"When, then, will the believers en masse understand that they are primarily responsible for the preaching which they hear, yes, more than their preachers? If every pastor knew and felt that the congregation was praying and that each member had prayed, that the congregation was supporting him, interceding for him... what preacher would not feel himself a new man and whose preaching would not be transformed? Once again, preaching the word is a function and activity of the Church, not the function and specialty of a man…"

 

Quote from: Pierre C. Marcel in The Relevance of Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1963)…stolen from Pure Church blog.

Shalom--Peace

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 RSV

I have noticed that often the first thing attacked is peace. (I suppose in earthly war, the sentinel is likely to be the first to be put out of action if possible, and Peace is our sentinel.) When our peace is shattered, vital prayer ceases, and the love which was to burn and not be put out—the love that finds sheer joy in sacrifice—fails utterly. So let us guard our peace. In disturbed times we can learn that circumstances have no power whatever over peace: "When He giveth quietness, who then [what then] can make trouble?" Job 34:29 The only thing that has power to do that is sin. "Vouch safe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin."

Amy Carmichael, "Edges of His Ways"

October 26

To stress in times of strife and conflict is to sin because it denies the sovereignty of God in circumstances and relationships.

Carol Wojehoits of Poland (aka Pope John Paul II)