Sunday, June 24, 2007

Living it up and Slumming it down


Sometimes you want to take the time to make the best possible food you can, and then there are the times when you go with what you know. This was discussed last night when I made strawberry shortcake.







no, not that one.

I was going to go with a complicated shortcake recipe, cutting in the butter, sifting, etc., but then I realized two things. 1: I didn't feel like doing all that. 2. I had Bisquick in the pantry.
So I whipped me up some Bisquick and we were enjoying the season's best in 12 min. flat. I did cull a good tip from the fancy cookbook however, mash some of the strawberries and mix in with the sliced- this way you don't have the unfortunately "slide off" problem.

The experience got us thinking, and so I'll end my post with a question, Carrie Bradshaw-style: Which foods are worth the extra effort, and which are best straight out of the box?

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Catholicism and Blue Cheese






Two great things that taste great together? No, just the curious link between guilt and food. Here's the story:

Recently, I've been on a steakhouse kick: red meat for sure, but mostly that old-timey
salad of iceberg lettuce wedge and blue cheese dressing. My
sister-in-law makes a kick ass blue cheese dressing. She wrote the
recipe down for me once (I think it included soy sauce and orange
juice), but I've seen her cook and she is more of a Jackson Pollock

than a Piet Mondrian:

lots of improv and tasting, to hell with the rules. Consequently, mine has never tasted the same.
I
set out to make a new batch and figured I'd go to the gold standard:
"America's Test Kitchen" cookbook. For those not familiar, this is a
book that takes a standard recipe and tests it hundreds of times in any
permutation until it's perfect. I don't always use it because I'm often
too lazy to go through all the extra steps it will list to get that
perfection, but when I want something I know will be great, it's the
source. Plus, their blue cheese dressing recipe was easy: mash some
blue cheese, buttermilk and garlic, add sour cream and mayonnaise.
Great! Except I didn't have buttermilk, so I used regular milk, and
then realized I didn't have sour cream, so I used low fat plain yogurt,
and then crap! No mayonnaise. So I just added a little more yogurt. Let
it sit for a bit, break open the iceberg and .....it's great. Really
great. And it gets better the more it sits. So I patted myself on the
back for a job well done, "Iron Chef" style, felt slightly guilty
(Catholic upbringing) for eating blue cheese dressing at two out of
three meals a day, but put it to the back of my mind. Until itoccurred
to me: this dressing is healthy! Lots of happy yogurt cultures! Low fat
dairy! Calcium! And a little penicillin from the blue cheese!

Try it. You'll never feel bad again.

6 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1/2c. milk
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 and little more of yogurt (plain)
2 TBSP rice vinegar (white will work too)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper.

Mash the cheese, milk and garlic to make a paste. Add everything else. Eat and feel virtuous.

Monday, June 18, 2007

More deviling

Pickle juice is also a good addition to any mayo-based treat. Try it in potato salad, egg salad, macaroni salad- you get the idea.
For the devilish type: Some other additions to try are curry (good for your fanciest tailgates), bacon (good on anything), or mashed avocado for a little health boost/guacamole spin.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Shamed, and Deviled

Yes, my excuse for being MIA in forum-land is indeed what used to be called a 'delicate condition'. One of the many delightful outgrowths of this condition has been a recent obsession with creating the perfect deviled egg. Who doesn't like these? Perfect for the summer cookout (as long as you don't leave them in the heat too long), an appetizer that always pleases. Too bad making them yourself is so time-consuming, but, even the lazier Homespun Sister has to admit the homemade ones are far and away better than your pre-made supermarket creations.

Want to know a secret? After making many batches, getting input from people's Southern Mamas (one said: I just put Hellman's mayo, a bit of lemon juice and a bit of Dijon mustard in mine- topped with anything like chopped parsley, fresh
chives-caviar- whatever! Some people add relish or chopped green olives to the basic mixture.-") I have hit upon the Holy Grail ingredient: PICKLE JUICE. This isn't just a pregnancy talking. When you mix up your yolks, Mayo (I like Duke's), powdered mustard, celery salt and pepper, toss in some of the juice from your favorite pickle jar, be it dill or sweet (just never serve me the sweet without a warning, or you may have to clean deviled egg off your floor.)

Monday, June 4, 2007

public shaming and baby food

In an effort to get the other half of the homespun urban team back on the blogging saddle, so to speak, here's a topical query for the readers: What about making your own baby food? Yes, there will soon be a homespun baby on the way, and perhaps it's because it's not my baby, but it seems kind of silly to pay for baby food. Why not just buy the fruits and veggies in season, cook them, and puree? Wouldn't it be cheaper and better? Are there readers out there who snort at this idea and say "sure, let me see you and your homemade babyfood when you haven't slept for three days and you're covered in baby spit." I'm not mad, I'm just asking.