"Rival Crock Pot Cooking" (Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce) and "Culinary Arts Institute Crockery Cooking" (Spanish Rice) - Super Bowl 50!

Date I made these recipes:  February 7, 2016 – Super Bowl Sunday

Rival® Crock Pot Cooking

Published by:  Golden Press

© 1975

Purchased at Goodwill

Recipe:  Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce – p. 45

Culinary Arts Institute Crockery Cooking (part of Adventures in Cooking Series)

Published by the Culinary Arts Institute

© 1976

Recipe:  Spanish Rice – p. 38

There is no perfect time to pull out a crock pot or two than during the Super Bowl because between the commercials and the pre-game and the game itself, who has time to prepare a meal the old-fashioned way?  Not me (even though I have a TV in my kitchen).  Besides, it's still winter out and that is a crock pot's moment to shine. 

Finding the right recipe combination is also essential to game-time and crock pot enjoyment.  Think Goldilocks:  not too basic, not too fancy, just right.

And this is how I ended up reviewing endless recipes for things like frank and beans, brats and beans, beans, hamburger and beans, hamburgers in the crock pot, chili verde, chile with meat, chili with beans, killer chili, hot dips and even mac and cheese.  I mean, there's no rule that says Super Bowl food has to be selected from one of these recipes groupings, but that tends to be the type of food people crave and I am all about giving the people what they want.

And by "people," I mean me and my husband.  I can count on one hand the number of times that I've watched a Packers game with friends (it's best if they don't see me go all full metal jacket during a Packers game) and by the time we get to Super Bowl Sunday each year, the thrill of football is (nearly) gone and I just want to hang out, be free without having to entertain.

Besides, as it happened, we went out for dinner with my mother-in-law for her belated birthday celebration and so making something in the crock pot to be eaten later was just the thing.  As it turned out, we almost ended up back at our house to eat as several of the restaurants she wanted to dine at were closed for the Super Bowl.  At zero hour, we found a place that suited and we got home just in time to see the half time show, our trusty crock pots nearly done slow-cooking our second dinner for the day.  Okay, true confessions:  we had it the next day.

The crock pot came into existence in 1970 and I don't think popularity for this wonder cooker has ever waned.  Every year, more and more crock pot (or slow cooker) books, like the ones I used hit the market, and new and improved recipes for everything under the sun keep popping up all the time.  The few crock pot cookbooks I own are not fancy-shcmancy but they do the job.

One crock pot cookbook (more like a booklet) that I used to death is the one that came with my Hamilton Beach crockpot which I purchased circa 1978 or so while I was in college.  My three other roommates and I, all college juniors and seniors, had a very busy schedule and so we took turns plugging in the crock pot so we'd have dinner ready after work or after class.  To this day, the beef dishes from this booklet, especially the beef in wine, are some of the best dishes I've ever made. (Can you go wrong adding wine to a dish?  No.)  These two dishes were good but not without some problems that I will address momentito.

As between the two books, the Rival cookbook had more recipes geared for the "common" man and I selected a lot more potential recipes from this book than the one from the Culinary Institute.  Some of the recipe names grabbed my attention until I looked at the ingredient list, for example:  "Bologna-Baga Bake" that contained bologna and rutabaga (ew) p. 64 or "The Babysitter's Favorite" – p. 65 that would not have been my favorite under any circumstances as it contained frankfurters, apples, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.  Are they kidding?  What teenage gal or guy wants that kind of food to eat while watching a bunch of kids?

On the other hand, "Camp-Out Chili Dogs" – p. 65 – sounded delicious and definitely Super Bowl-worthy.  There were a bunch of casserole recipes that sounded good but not for a football celebration.  The last chapter of this book was dedicated to breads and cakes and again, sounded good but not for tonight's repast.

And then there's the Culinary Arts Institute cookbook and I have to say that never, ever associated the term "crock pot" with a culinary arts school.  (Do note that the Culinary Arts Institute is not the same as the famed CIA – Culinary Institute of America® – but the model is somewhat the same).  This cookbook took more of an around-the-world approach, showcasing dishes from other countries such as "Bouillabaisse" – p. 70 or "Solianka" from the (former) Soviet Union – p. 54.  And while a lot of them sounded tasty, I had to work hard to find something to fit my football dinner theme and finally decided on the Spanish Rice recipe – p. 38.  It paired very well with my Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce and since I have two crock pots, I put them both to work to make this dish.

Because it needed a longer cooking time, I started the taco recipe earlier in the day and then refrigerated it until serving time.  My only complaint, and it could be my palate, was that I thought the dish was a little salty and I even used "No Salt Added" pinto beans.  I also made half the recipe and kept a close eye on the cooking time because I was worried I might burn it if I left it in for the required 8 to 10 hours (full recipe).  I think I pulled the plug after 6 hours and it was fine.  In fact, I'm not even sure why this dish needed to be made in a crock pot but mine was not to wonder why.

The Spanish Rice dish cooked for a shorter time (4-6 hours) but folks, for the first time ever, ever, ever, the rice did not cook.  I don't know why that is but I wonder if it didn't need more liquid to fully develop as the recipe is heavy on meat, tomatoes and tomato paste but not really on water.  Since the rice in the crock pot didn't cook, I made a batch in my rice cooker and it came out great but then again, the water ratio was dead on accurate.  And so if you decide to make this at home, add maybe ¼ cup of water and see how that works.  Aside from the fact that our Spanish Rice had a crunch to it, it was a pretty good recipe.

Oh—and the game?  Broncos 24, Panthers 10.  And by the way, I read that the NFL will return to Roman numerals next year and sweet merciful heavens, as if I don't have enough fun "translating" all the copyrights listed in Roman numerals in my older cookbooks, now I have to figure this out?  Next thing you know, we'll have to do the same with the score:  So let's see, the Broncos had 24 so that's XXIV and the Panthers had 10 so that's X and so then add the two, carry the two, divide by two and you get...liftoff?

Enjoy.

Beef Tacos with Mexican Sauce – makes about 2 ½ quarters, enough to fill 2 to 3 dozen taco shells

Taco Filling

2 lb. lean ground beef

2 medium onions

1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon leaf oregano (Ann's Note:  I used Mexican oregano)

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup taco sauce (Ann's Note:  since I halved the recipe, I only needed 1/6 cup and that was not enough to justify buying a bottle of sauce so I used water.  We are not regular taco eaters in this house.)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 can (16 oz) pinto beans or green peas, drained and pureed in blender

Taco Shells

Mexican Sauce

Mexican Sauce

2 cups chopped peeled tomatoes or 1 can (16 oz.) whole tomatoes

1 small onion, quartered

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon chili powder

½ teaspoon leaf oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 small jalapeno pepper, fresh or canned (optional)

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onions; drain well.  Place beef and onions in Crock Pot.  Stir in remaining ingredients except taco shells and Mexican Sauce.  Cover and cook on Low setting for 8 to 10 hours.  Ann's Note:  since I made half the recipe, I cut the time down to 6 hours for fear of burning the mixture.  It's pretty much ready to go as soon as you mix all the ingredients but this is just a slow way to warm it up.  Taste for seasoning.  Fill taco shells and serve with sauce. 

Spanish Rice – 8 to 10 servings.  Ann's Note:   Be warned, the halved recipe still made a lot of Spanish rice.

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 green peppers, cleaned and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 pounds ground round steak or chuck

2 cans (28 ounces each) Italian-style tomatoes (undrained)

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 tablespoon wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 dash Tabasco (optional)

2 teaspoons salt

Pepper to taste

1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

Few grains cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

2 or 3 whole cloves

2 cups uncooked long grain rice (Ann's Note:  As stated above, the rice failed to cook at all and I have no idea why this happened.  To be on the safe side, make the rice separately and add it to the ground beef mixture when ready to serve.)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Add onions, green pepper, and garlic; cook over medium heat until tender and lightly browned.  Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon to an electric cooker.

Add meat to oil remaining in skillet.  Cook over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  Add to cooker with tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, cloves, and rice; stir thoroughly to blend well.

Cover and cook on Low 4 to 6 hours.

"The (Martin) Yan Can Cookbook;" "The Pot and How to Use It;" "Vegetable Love" - Lemon Chicken, Tangy Sushi Rice and Lemon Light Carrots

Date I made these recipes – January 17, 2016 – still cold

The Yan Can Cook Book (As Seen On National Public Television) by Martin Yan

Published by:  Doubleday

ISBN: 0-385-17606-6; © 1981

Purchased at local library used book sale

Recipe:  Luscious Lemon Chicken – p. 93

The Pot and How to Use It – the mystery and romance of the rice cooker by Roger Ebert

Published by:  Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC

ISBN:  13: 978-0-7407-9142-0

Purchased at Barnes and Noble Used Books – Roseville, MN

Recipe:  Tangy, Stick Sushi-Style Rice By Devin Chalmers on November 2, 2008 6:18 A.M. – p. 95-96

Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka with Christopher Styler

Published by:  Artisan

ISBN:  10: 1-57965-168-2

From my late friend Carol's collection

Recipe:  Lemon-Light Carrots – p. 188

For the record, it's still cold.  In fact, probably colder.  When I last peeked through my fingers at our indoor thermometer, I think it said -4 and that was midday.

You should also know that our kitchen, added after the house was built (1904), is not insulated.  Every single window displayed indoor frost.  Yes, that's right:  indoor.

So by all rights, I should have and could have made another comfort food dish just like last week's "fancy" chili except I decided I had held off on making my Asian meal long enough.  Besides, the use of lemon and lemon juice temporarily tricked me into thinking I was in a warmer climate.  Dream on.

In an "amazing but true fact" moment, all three of the dishes here worked well with each other.  And honestly, the Vegetable Love book just fell open to the right chapter to reveal a delicious carrot recipe. It was a sign, no?

Let's start with Martin Yan of The Yan Can Cook Book.  In the 1980's, well before the Food Network emerged, PBS hosted a number of shows from previously unknown chefs like Yan.  His book is named for his show.  As I found with his other books, Yan delivers a wide variety of Chinese dishes, all of which sounded pretty yummy to me.  The dish I selected was really tasty and the lemon sauce was light instead of cloying.  Sometimes I think the American versions of Chinese sauces come with instructions along the lines of "Make thick and goopy and by all means, add lots of sugar."  This is not that dish.

As I was making this dish, I thought about the first time I had lemon chicken and that was at LeeAnn Chin's, named after local Chinese restaurateur and cookbook author, Leeann Chin.

I've written about Leeann Chin before and how she turned a few family recipes into a culinary empire.   Back in the early 80's, she operated a couple of Leeann Chin restaurants before expanding the business to include several quick-service/take-out sites, and one of her famous signature dishes at all locations was lemon chicken. 

Leeann's lemon chicken is different from Martin Yan's as it is breaded and fried and then the sauce, containing sugar and corn syrup, is poured on top and not mixed in with the stir-fry.  If it's made fresh, it can be pretty divine.  But after she went the quick-service/take-out route it wasn't so divine.  If left to sit too long, the breading gets soggy and the lemon sauce recipe seemed to morph over the years from light and delicate to almost syrupy, at least to this palate.

And so even though I loved most of her other dishes, I feared my lemon chicken days over.

But then I found this recipe and I would make this again 1,000 times over.  The only small frustration with the ingredients – and it is small – is that the marinade calls for 1 teaspoon of "ginger juice."  Let's discuss!

A quick Google search told me I could buy a bottle of "ginger juice" at a grocery store but I'd be paying close to $5 for the bottle and that was ridiculous considering I only needed 1 teaspoon.

And so I then Googled "make your own ginger juice" and came up with several recipes.  My version was undoubtedly not the right one (dice up ginger, add water, voila!) but it worked for me.  Besides, it was for the marinade so it didn't need to be spot on.  At least this is what I told myself; purists may differ.

Luckily, you'll only have to marinade this for a half an hour and then you can get going cooking it in your wok.  I love dishes like this.

So that's Martin Yan's recipe and now let's discuss the book The Pot and How to Use It – the mystery and romance of the rice cooker by Roger Ebert.

I do so hope you remember Roger Ebert.  He became a household name to many when he and the late Gene Siskel, both film critics for competing Chicago newspapers, starred in the TV show, Siskel and Ebert At the Movies. 

When this show started up, I remember thinking that it was kind of quirky but it soon became incredibly popular, with viewers tuning in to watch the two guys throw down against each other.  I don't recall Ebert liking too many movies and the fact that Siskel usually liked something Ebert hated spurred them on into near fisticuffs.  Still, it was an entertaining show and I learned a lot about the movies.

After Siskel died, Ebert took on a new movie critic partner and all was well until Ebert was diagnosed with cancer.  He wrote this book while undergoing treatment (he died in 2013) which is amazing to me because a mere headache can wipe me out, never mind cancer.

It appears that this book was prompted by Ebert's desire to eat relatively healthy after his cancer diagnosis as well as a love of cooking things in one pot.  Others favor soup pots or casseroles but for Ebert, it was a rice cooker.  The beauty of this book though, is that it includes more than just basic recipes such as  "Seafood Jambalaya (p. 85)," "Chicken Spaghetti (p. 85)" and even "Oatmeal (p. 97). " And these were all fine and well and good but at day's end, I opted for the sushi rice to accompany my lemon chicken.   Yes, that was a totally predicable choice but it worked out really well.

This recipe – Tangy, Sticky Sushi-Style Rice (submitted by Ebert fan, Devin Chalmers) – could not be easier and yet, finding white sushi rice, as opposed to brown sushi rice (OMG – ugh!) turned out to be harder than I expected. Actually, let me clarify:  I could have easily gotten my hands on several pounds of sushi rice but I didn't need that much and so finding just the right amount proved to be the challenge.  Inexplicably, at least three stores I visited had brown sushi rice and I must confess that never, ever did I think that sushi was made with brown sushi rice.  Seems like a sin against culinary nature to me!

Happily, Whole Foods had a small package of white sushi rice containing just about the amount I wanted and so all was well with the world.  And, considering that Whole Foods' nickname is "Whole Paycheck," we got out of there for only a couple of bucks – score!

For the record, all of the recipes in this quirky book sounded great and Roger's commentary is hilarious so it was a total win-win purchase on my part.

This leaves us then, with our third cookbook, Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka.  This thing is a "tome," containing 667 pages of vegetable recipes and then several more source lists.  Naturally, it weighs a ton and so do handle carefully!

Normally, selecting a recipe from a book this large would overwhelm but as I mentioned previously, the book just seemed to fall open to just the recipe I needed to round out my Asian meal:  Lemon-Light Carrots.   This dish – basically, slow-cooked carrots – is freshened up by lemon juice, lemon zest and Chinese five-spice powder.  We loved it.  But if carrots are not your thing, then by all means peruse the rest of the book for alternatives, broken out into the following chapters:  "Vegetables of the New World;" "Vegetables of the Mediterranean Basin, Europe and the Arab World;" "Vegetables of Asia and Africa," and "Citizens of the World."  The carrot recipe, found on page 188, was part of the "Mediterranean Basin, Europe and the Arab World" section and yet it fit perfectly with my Asian theme. 

And as with the other two books by Martin Yan and Roger Ebert, Vegetable Love's author, Barbara Kafka, is very well-known in culinary and cookbook circles.  Her cookbook, Roasting, is probably the most well known and yet you know what?  I don't have it.  I must rectify this forthwith!

Luscious Lemon Chicken – serving size not given but there was enough for two decent servings

½ pound chicken or 2 breasts, boned

2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons green onion

¼ cup soup stock

1 tablespoon wine

1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar

½ lemon, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon cornstarch solution (Ann's Note:  I guessed at the ratio and thought my solution was a bit too thin i.e. too much water to cornstarch but it worked.)

For the marinade

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons wine

Dash black pepper

1 teaspoon ginger juice (Ann's Note:  you can buy this premade or make it like I did – finely chop or grind some fresh, peeled ginger, then add water.)

Cut the chicken into 1 ½ inch squares; marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in wok over high heat and stir-fry chicken for 1 ½ - 2 minutes. (Ann's Note:  The chicken pieces were still pretty raw after 2 minutes so I cooked them for a few minutes more.)  Add the remaining ingredients except cornstarch and lemon.  Mix well and reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer for 1 ½ minutes.  Add lemon slices and continue to cook for 1 minute.

Thicken with cornstarch; garnish with extra lemon slices. 

Tangy, Sticky Sushi-Style Rice – serving size not given but I made about 2 cups (Recipe with notes from Devin Chalmers)

2-3 cups white sushi-style rice (short-grain) (Ann's Note:  Use the plastic measure that came with your rice cooker pot as the measure for your rice and not a regular measuring cup.)

5 parts rice vinegar to 1 part sugar with a bit of salt

Rinse white short-grain rice carefully.  The water should be clear, and long-grain rice is for Communists.  (Ann's Note:  I'm sorry to say, I feel the same way about brown rice!)

Add a little (maybe a third by volume) more water than rice.  Let it soak for a good half hour or so.  (Ann's Note:  I barely covered the rice and it cooked perfectly!)

Cook in the Pot.

While the Pot goes, prepare a solution of approximately 5 parts rice vinegar, 1 part sugar, and a bit of salt.  Call it a third of a cup total for 2 to 3 cups of rice.  Microwaves can help with this, or you can cleverly harness team from the Pot to assist dissolution.

Remove the rice to a large, shallow bowl-like thing.  Have a friend fan the rice while you drizzle the vinegar concoction and gently turn the rice.  (Fanning helps with the stickiness.)  (Ann's Note:  I put Andy in charge of the vinegar/sugar/salt mixture as well as the direction to "remove the rice to a large, shallow bowl-like thing."  Upon reading that, he snorted and then got out a large, plastic, not-so-shallow bowl-like "thing" a/k/a/ Tupperware and that was that!)

For extra fun: (suggested by Devin)

• Add (low-sodium? Perhaps) soy sauce and wasabi for a cheap cheap cheap alternative to waiting in line at a sushi restaurant.  All you really wanted was the soy sauce and wasabi, right?
• Make rice balls!  You can put thing inside them.  I suggest using a piece of plastic wrap to keep your hands clean if you're making more than a few.  Make a hole with your thumb to insert fillings – maybe something sweet, bits of pickle, anything.
• For added points shape your rice ball into a fat triangle and wrap with seaweed.  Eat while the nori is crispy.
• Rice balls are notoriously hard to keep more than a day; they dry out in the fridge very quickly.  I've had some limited luck microwaving them a bit.

 Lemon-Light Carrots – makes 5 cups; serves 8 as a side dish

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

10 medium carrots (3 pounds), peeled, trimmed and cut into 3 x ¼ x ¼ -inch matchsticks (Ann's Note:  OR—you can do like I did and buy carrots that have already been cut into smaller matchsticks for salads and then just keep an eye on your cooking time.  Worked like a charm!)

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

Zest of 2 lemons – removed with a vegetable peeler and thinly sliced into long strips (about 3 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Melt the butter in a nonreactive 4-quart pot over low heat.  Stir in the cayenne pepper.  Add the carrots, onion and lemon zest and mix well.  Cover the pot.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender but not mushy and the onions have softened and turned light yellow, about 45 minutes.

Stir in the five-spice powder, lemon juice and salt and cook for 30 seconds more.

"The One-Dish Cookbook" - Ground Meat and Bean Cassoulet ("fancy" chili)

Date I made this recipe:  January 10, 2016 – Cold Weather food

The One-Dish Cookbook by Robert Ackart

Published by:  Grosset & Dunlap Publishers

© 1975

Purchased at Falling Rock Cafe, Munising, Michigan

Recipe:  Ground Meat and Bean Cassoulet (read:  fancy chili) – p. 165

"I thought we were having chili," said Andy.  "Well...we are, it's just "fancy chili."

Slight misnomer, that.  This recipe is called "cassoulet" and a cassoulet is a (fancy) French term for "bean bake."  Missing from this particular "cassoulet" though, are pretty much most of the  ingredients that make it a cassoulet:  duck, pork sausages, and the like.

And so we're back to "fancy" chili.

Going into the home stretch on Sunday, I had no intention of making chili.  But when the weather turned nippy, I abandoned my plans to make a lighter, Asian menu in favor of something substantial.  Chili came to mind to match the chilly weather but it's not like I have a whole lot of "chili" cookbooks sitting around and so finding a recipe for that required a bit of thinking and searching.

So I pulled up the spreadsheet I used to track all my cookbooks and searched for "one pot" and "casserole" and sure enough, I found this book and this recipe.  Make that two recipes.

The main recipe – the one I made – was for Ground Meat and Bean Cassoulet - but right below that was another recipe was Chili Pie that used some of the same ingredients.  The "cassoulet" used thyme and thyme is not what we are used to in a chili recipe.  The Chili Pie used traditional chili powder and was topped with a corn-bread topping making it more of the chili we Americans are used to but I wasn't all that interested in the topping.  And so at the last minute, I erred on the side of the fancy baked bean... chili and left the Chili Pie for another day.  Don't cry though, as below are both recipes for your reading and cooking enjoyment.

This cookbook has a wide variety of meals that will likely satisfy whatever craving you have.  The cover promises it contains "over 250 delicious and economical meals to please family or guests, featuring less expensive cuts of meat, poultry, fish" and (and I love this) "suitable side dishes."

Well I would so love to know what an "unsuitable" side dish is but we don't have time.  

The author includes quite a few recipes by country of origin, e.g. France, Germany, etc. although I'm not too sure that they are all the real deal.  In 1975, when this book was written, let's just say that Americans more or less winged a lot of foreign dishes, substituting local ingredients for those that would require a trip oversees and through customs.  Hilariously though, there is a French recipe for tripe  on p. 227.  I passed on that one.  You're welcome.  (Do note that tripe is a dish favored almost everywhere else in the world except here...and if you ask me, there's a reason for that!)

At any rate, because you will use canned beans for this recipe instead of soaking them overnight, this is a pretty easy dish to make.  You just brown the meat, mix it with the beans and spices and bake.  And it was tasty to boot.  But it definitely failed Andy's "chili" test, to wit:  "Shouldn't a chili be a little bit more...soupy?"

Yes, it should, and it would have been had I not made a fancy chili masquerading as a cassoulet masquerading as fancy baked beans!

Ground Meat and Bean Casserole – serves 6 generously (Doubles/Refrigerates/Freezes)

6 slices bacon, diced

1 ½ pounds meat-loaf mix (beef, pork, veal)

1 20-ounce can red kidney beans

1 20-ounce can white kidney beans (Cannellini)

1 1-pound can stewed tomatoes

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon thyme

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Reserved bacon bits

In a flameproof casserole, cook the bacon until it is golden but not fully crisp; remove it to absorbent paper and reserve it.

In the remaining fat, brown the meat; discard the drippings.

In a colander, drain the beans; rinse them with cold water.  Add them to the meat, together with the tomatoes, parsley, and seasonings.  Gently stir the mixture to blend it.  Over the top, sprinkle the reserved bacon.

Bake the casserole, covered, at 350F for 1 hour.

Bonus recipe:  Chili Pie

6 slices bacon

1 ½ pounds meat-loaf mix

2 onions, chopped

1 20-ounce can red kidney beans

1 1-pound can stewed tomatoes

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon thyme

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Reserved bacon bits

1 8 ½-ounce package corn-bread mix (prepare as directed)

In a flameproof casserole, cook the bacon until it is golden but not fully crisp; remove it to absorbent paper and reserve it.

In the remaining fat, brown the meat and the onions.  Discard the drippings.

In a colander, drain the can of kidney beans; rinse them with cold water.  Add them to the meat and onions, together with the tomatoes, parsley and spices.  Simmer the meat mixture for 15 minutes.

Over the top arrange the dough from an 8 ½-ounce package of corn-bread mix, prepared as directed on the packet. 

Bake the chili pie at 450F for 20 minutes, or until the corn bread is golden brown.

"CookFight" by NYTimes writers Kim Severson and Julia Moskin and "Second Helpings from the Union Square Cafe" - Pork Braised in Milk and Cream and Mustard Mashed Potatoes

Date I made these recipes:  January 1, 2016 – New Year's Day

CookFight – 2 Cooks, 12 Challenges, 125 Recipes and Epic Battle for Kitchen Dominance by New York Times Food Writers Kim Severson and Julia Moskin; Foreword by Frank Bruni

Published by:  Ecco

ISBN:  978-0-06-198838-7

Purchased at Barnes and Noble Used Books, Roseville, MN

Recipe:  Pork Braised In Milk and Cream – p. 89

Second Helpings from the Union Square Cafe – 140 New Favorites from New York's Acclaimed Restaurant by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano

Published by: HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN:  0-06-0196647-5

Recipe:  Mustard-Mashed Potatoes – p. 251; Mashed Potatoes "base" recipe – p. 321-322

Happy New Year!

It's been a long time since I've planned the main dish around a side dish but my husband was set on this mashed potato recipe and so there it is.  Oh sure, we could have just eaten a big bowl of mashed potatoes on New Years but that seemed a pretty inauspicious way to start the new year.

Originally, I asked him to look through the Second Helpings cookbook to check out some other main dish recipes I tagged, intending to make one of them on Christmas Day.  He liked them, but as he is wont to do, he checked out the entire book and said "I want these mashed potatoes.  I'll settle for the horseradish ones but these are the ones I really want."

Well, who am I to play the Grinch during the holidays?  Wish granted!

The problem though, was that the potatoes didn't really go with the entree I selected for Christmas Day – Martha Stewart's Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives.  In fact, the pasta dish I made for Christmas Eve was a much better fit for the pork stew and so we combined the two and ate those together. 

Still, the mashed potato recipe was hanging out there mocking me.  I kept promising to make them "any day" now and did make them "any day now" after I found something to go with the potatoes.  According to Second Helpings, chicken, rabbit, pork chops, and salmon pair well with these mashed potatoes.

And so enter the Pork Braised in Milk and Cream recipe.  Now I know some of you are probably already turning up your nose at the thought but many moons ago, I saw a recipe for this dish in a magazine and thought it sounded good so I clipped it.  Finding it though, was another story and so luckily, CookFight included it for me.  Archeological dig avoided!

Still, this recipe calls for milk and cream and then lemon and at this point, my nose starting turning up but I trusted the recipe and was not disappointed.  Plus, I trusted the authors, Kim Severson and Julia Moskin, who write for the New York Times and whose columns I've read off and on over the years.

Rounding off our heavy-hitting food writers is restaurant owner, Danny Meyer, whose book – Setting the Table – The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business  (2006) -was a monster hit when it was released.  Danny, who owns several restaurant, led the way in creating a true service environment in restaurants, one where staff (from dishwasher to dining room captain) was as valued, if not more valued, than patrons because if they were happy, customers were happy.  (But "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!").  Exemplary service was not a nouvelle idea, but placing value on the staff was and by gosh, this concept caught on and is seen in practice in almost every successful restaurant.

One of Danny's early and most successful restaurant enterprises was Gramercy Tavern in NYC (Union Square Cafe, the topic of this cookbook was his first one).  After reading about Gramercy Tavern in his book, I made a mental note to go there some day and one fine day in August 2004, I did.  I go to NYC regularly and that year, planned a trip to the city the week after I took the Minnesota Bar Exam to decompress.  Yes, probably only me goes to one of the world's largest city to center herself but that's the way I'm wired.

At any rate, when my friend, Susan, who lives in NYC, asked where I wanted to go to "celebrate" finishing that torture test, I said Gramercy Tavern and so we went.  And It. Was. Spectacular.  The service was, as you might imagine, off the charts and the food was sublime.  At least what I remember of it.  Let's just say that between the pre-dinner cocktails, dinner cocktails and post-dinner cocktails and my total exhaustion from that hideous exam, I don't have a full memory of what we ate except that it was good and it likely involved steak on my part.  You gotta live large sometimes, folks.  Gotta live large.

So anyway, the place blew my mind and I would love to go back sometime with my husband, this time in a more locked and upright position.

A little side story about the service:  Susan and I had walked all over town that day and just when we got off the subway and were walking to the restaurant, a blister on my foot broke.  No problem, we thought, we'll just find a Duane Reed (drugstore).  There's pretty much a Duane Reed on every other corner in Manhattan.  Except, of course, this particular corner.

So I limped into the restaurant and asked the hostesses if by chance they had a Band Aid and after giving me one of those "you must be joking" looks, they pulled themselves together, re-read their "playbook," Setting the Table  ("Chapter Two:  When the patron wants a Band Aid...") and got me a Band Aid.  And then checked up on me – twice.  God Bless these angels!  After we dined, I scribbled out our impressions on a survey they provided (good lord, what my handwriting must have looked like) and after that, I got a thank you note.  "No, no—thank YOU!"  Again – impressive!

Coincidentally, these two books – CookFight and Second Helpings – are similar in their approach.  They are both conversational, with photos in each.  The photos in CookFight are of the two writers in their kitchens and their conversation is around their recipe battle.  The photos in Second Helpings are of some of the diners in Union Square Cafe, such as Jacques Pepin, and the narrative in the front of the book centers around how the two authors travel to France and Italy each year (and who knows where in between) to get inspiration for recipes for their restaurant.  Both books have a ton of recipes that are sure to please.

Out of the two, CookFight, is perhaps a tad more interesting because of its format.  Each month, the authors faced off in a cooking  battle, selecting a menu of goodies to make, and writing about their experiences.  Their stories are hilarious, for example, Julia writes of the January "Budget Battle": "Her (Kim's) fifth appetizer was like a knife in my heart." Kim's thoughts about her dish – the milk-braised pork – echoed my own:  "On the surface, this dish might sound horrible, but if you are confident enough and patient enough, the reward is a sauce that is so good it nearly made [Julia] Moskin's husband leave her for me."  Ha!  The contest was suggested by fellow New York Times writer, Frank Bruni, who refereed the face-offs before deciding, wisely, that it was a tie. 

Patience is indeed required when making the pork dish because you must allow a few hours (or overnight) to coat the pork roast with garlic and sage and then you need 3-3.5 hours to slowly simmer the roast in the milk bath.  On the other hand, the potatoes are pretty easy to make so I timed them to finish just about when my pork did.  You'll need to make the "base" mashed potatoes first then add the ingredients to make them mustard potatoes.

All in all, both recipes were a big hit and I would love to cook more of them from these books but if didn't limit myself to one per book, I would never make it through the rest of my collection.  Not that I am making it through my collection, I just like to think I am.

Before I go, I have to say that I was just a tiny bit concerned about not making a bean/pea dish to bring good luck for the New Year as I have the past several years.  (Hoppin' John, a dish made with black-eyed peas, is the traditional American favorite).  Well, I am happy to report that I worried for nothing because when I Googled "foods that will bring luck for the New Year," "pork" came up as a lucky food.  Whew, dodged that bullet!  According to Epicurious.com, thanks to "its rich fat content, signifies wealth and prosperity."  Works for me.

Happy cooking everyone but no cook fighting!

Pork Braised in Milk and Cream – makes six servings

One 2 ½-3-pound pork loin roast

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon chopped garlic (for the rub)

5 large garlic cloves, slightly crushed and peeled (Ann's Note:  You will add these after you start cooking the roast)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (for the rub), plus leaves from 2 or 3 fresh sage sprigs (Ann's Note:  you will add these after you start cooking the roast)

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups milk

3 cups heavy cream

2 lemons

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Season the pork well with salt and pepper.  Rub with the chopped garlic and chopped sage and refrigerate; overnight is best, but a few hours will do.

Bring the meat to room temperature and brush off as much of the sage and garlic as you can.  Heat the oil in a heavy pot with a lid, preferably enameled cast-iron.  Sear the meat well on all sides – this will take about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat to keep it warm.

Peel several long strips of zest from the lemons.  Squeeze the juice from one of them (you'll use this when you finish the sauce).

Transfer the pork to a platter and wipe the fat from the pot.  Add the butter to the pot and set the heat to medium.  Add the garlic cloves and allow to get a touch golden.  Add the sage leaves, reserving a few for garnish, and stir, then set the roast back in the pot, along with any juices from the platter.  Bring to a simmer, add the lemon zest, reserving a few for garnish, and season to taste with salt.

Pour the milk and cream into the pot, partly cover, and simmer gently for 3 hours or more, turning the roast once in a while and stirring to prevent excessive sticking; the sauce should look slightly golden and clumpy.  Ann's Note:  I turned the roast every 30 minutes and this worked out quite well.  Turn off the heat and allow the meat to rest fr at least a half an hour, or until you are ready to make the sauce, up to an hour.

When you are ready to serve, remove the roast and slice it ¼-inch thick or so.  Place on a platter.

Pour the sauce through a sieve into a saucepan, using a wooden spoon to help it along.  Gently reheat the sauce (no boiling!), then stir in the lemon juice and pour it over the meat.  Garnish with the reserved sage leaves and ½ lemon slice.

Mustard-Mashed Potatoes – serves 4

For this recipe, you'll make the mashed potato recipe first, then add the ingredients for the Mustard-Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and peeled

2 teaspoons kosher salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

½ cup heavy cream

½ cup milk

¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Then add:

2 tablespoons dried mustard

1 tablespoon warm water

1 tablespoon honey

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric

Place the potatoes in a 2-quart saucepan with 1 teaspoon of the salt and cold water to cover.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, until completely tender, about 30 minutes.  Test the potatoes by piercing them with a paring knife—there should be no resistance.  Place in a colander and allow to drain well for several minutes.

Combine the butter, heavy cream, and milk in another saucepan and heat gently until the butter has melted.  Keep warm.

Working over the saucepan used to cook the potatoes, pass the potatoes through a food mill or a potato ricer.  If you have any difficulty, add a little of the hot milk and butter to the potatoes.

Place the potatoes over a low flame and begin adding the warm milk mixture, whipping the potatoes with a wooden spoon or spatula at the same time.  When all the liquid is absorbed, season with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and the white pepper.

Stir together the mustard, water, honey, salt, pepper and turmeric in a small bowl.  Fold the mustard mixture into the warm mashed potatoes and stir over low heat until piping hot.  

"Cakes, Cookies and Pastries" by Myra Waldo - Italian Rum Torte - Zuppa Inglese - Christmas

Date I made this recipe:  December 28, 2015 – "Christmas Dinner" Dessert        

Cakes, Cookies and Pastries – 187 great dessert recipes from around the world by Myra Waldo

Published by: Galahad Books

© 1962; Third Printing 1970

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, NYC

Recipe:  Italian Rum Torte (Zuppa Inglese) – p. 56-57

When my husband tasted this recipe, his first words were "How much booze is in this thing, anyway?"

Answer:  a lot!  But it's Christmas and so it's time to cut loose and what better way with this boozy dessert? 

As you can see by the date, I didn't make this until Christmas was well and truly over but if you read my other holiday blog posts, you saw that I was just a tad exhausted and so didn't make anything on Christmas Day as I planned.  This was supposed to be the final ta-da to my holiday frittata and holiday pork stew (both recipes from Martha Stewart) but I just didn't get there.  Still, Christmas lasts well past its sell-by date of December 25^th and so I had time.

I've written about cookbook author, Myra Waldo before and have five of her cookbooks (out of a dozen or so) in my collection.  She started writing cookbooks in the 1950's as well as a few travel guides.  The artwork for her The Art of South American Cookery is still one of my favorites and I quite enjoyed the recipe I made for the blog as well.

This book is pretty compact – 119 pages – but it provides a nice variety of delicious pastries for you to enjoy.  I was sorely tempted to make the "Frozen Eggnog Pie" on page 87 but at the very last minute, switched it out for the rum torte.  On the booze meter, the eggnog pie only contained 2 tablespoons cognac or light rum whereas the rum torte lived up to its name with a whopping ¾ cup being used for the dish, and another ¼ reserved for the whipped cream topping.  My husband said that when he took the cover off the torte, he was almost knocked out by the fumes.  Slight exaggeration but you get the point. 

As the book title suggests, this book is filled with recipes for cakes and cookies as well as pastry consisting of tortes, macaroons, pies, tarts, other pastries, and frostings, creams, glazes and fillings.  I tell you what, as between enjoying frosting and enjoying cake, I am a frosting gal and so I might just make up a batch of the Seven-Minute Frosting (and variations) found on page 114 just for the heck of it.  I love me some seven-minute frosting!

Assuming you do not make your own ladyfingers (and I could have but chose not to), then your only task in this very easy recipe is to keep an eye on your custard and allow enough time for it to cook, gently, to creamy and silky perfection.  And then get out your booze, pour some for the recipe and a lot more for yourself and congratulate yourself on making a recipe that is sure to impress if not inebriate you and your guests for the holidays. 

Italian Rum Torte (Zuppa Inglese) – makes one 11-inch deep pie

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

36 lady fingers

1 cup rum

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Sift the cornstarch, salt and sugar into a saucepan.  Gradually beat in milk, then the egg yolks.  Cook over low heat, mixing steadily, until thickened and smooth, but don't boil the mixture.  Remove from the heat and beat in the vanilla.  Strain if there are any lumps.  Cool.

Line the bottom of an 11-inch deep pie plate closely with some lady fingers; pour ¼ cup rum over it.  (Ann's Note:  If you don't have the right sized pie plate, try a similarly sized casserole or baking pan.)  Covered with half the cooled custard.

Make another layer of lady fingers (reserving some for the top), sprinkle with ¼ cup rum, spread remaining custard over it and cover with remaining lady fingers.  Sprinkle with ¼ cup rum. 

Cover and chill for 3-4 hours.  Just before serving, pour the remaining rum over the top, and cover with the cream whipped with the confectioners' sugar.

"The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook" - Holiday Frittata - Christmas

Date I made this recipe:  Saturday, December 26^th (intended for Christmas morning)

The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook – A Collection of Favorite Holiday Recipes from the editors of Martha Stewart Living

Published by:  Oxmoor House

ISBN:  0-8487-2739-8

Recipe:  Holiday Frittata – p. 82

If some of Martha Stewart is good, more is better, right?  So what if I just made a Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives by Martha Stewart for Christmas dinner.  It was from a completely different cookbook so that makes it A-okay to make!

Originally, I perused this cookbook looking for recipes for our annual holiday party but nothing leapt out at me.  And let's face it, some of Martha's recipes and long and involved and I don't "do" long and involved.  I like my recipes short and sweet and without much fuss and so for sure, this ruled out the complicated "Birch de Noel" (also known as "Buche de Noel" a/k/a Chocolate Yule Log) starting on page 358.  The basic Yule log is not too difficult to make but my gosh, the accompanying meringue mushrooms are another story altogether.  And only Martha would spend hours carefully drawing lines under the mushroom cap to resemble the actual mushroom top.  And then of course only Martha would dust the meringue mushrooms so perfectly with cocoa to make them look like they were just picked from her back yard.

I am not Martha.  I do not do Yule logs therefore, I do not also make meringue mushrooms.

What I did do though, was to make her Holiday Frittata recipe because it was easy.  But Martha would have likely failed me big time because instead of making it on Christmas morning as intended, I made it for Sunday dinner.  Because I can. 

Actually, Andy ended up doing most of the cooking on this thing.  I roasted the red pepper because I am very good at that (having a gas stovetop makes all the difference), and I chopped the vegetables and mixed everything but then had him do the heavy lifting on actually making the frittata figuring that if Martha inquired later as to how it went, he could tell her he screwed up, not me.  Not that Martha would call because we don't know her from Adam, but I always feel her lurking in the kitchen when making her recipes.  Happily, the frittata came out great and it was very good (because of course it was) and so we dodged a Martha bullet once again.

If you are in a Martha mood for breakfast items, you might also want to consider her "Frittata with Sausage and Pecorino" recipe on the same page as the Holiday Frittata.  Same instructions, different ingredients.

As is de rigueur (good manners) with Martha, she includes several menus to give you guidance over the holidays but feel free to pick and choose which items you want and for what holiday occasion.  Just don't tell her I told you that because she'll likely be mad at me and I don't want Martha mad at me.

Here then, is the perfect and I do mean perfect, Martha Stewart Holiday Frittata with the perfect mix of yummy "fillings" such as red bell pepper and goat cheese, made perfectly by my perfect husband, Andy, on a perfectly good night after Christmas when all through the house we were exhausted and so we made breakfast for dinner.  It's the new "thing" you know and I do believe Martha would approve although if she doesn't she can damn well come over to our house next Christmas morning and make this herself!

Holiday Frittata – serves 6

1 red bell pepper

12 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

¾ cup sliced scallions, white and light-green parts only (about 1 small bunch)

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped, plus a few sprigs for garnish

1 teaspoon coarse salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

½ tablespoon butter

½ tablespoon olive oil

2 small red potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick

Ann's Notes:  I thought a dozen eggs was a bit much, but it was just right.  Also, I am not fond of tarragon but probably could have used basil instead.  It would have been cheaper than buying fresh tarragon.  And finally, I almost never garnish anything I'm serving and this is likely to earn me a major Martha demerit but I like living life on the edge.

Roast red pepper over a gas flame or under a broiler until blackened.  Place in a bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let steam 5 minutes.  Peel and seed, then cut into ¼-inch-wide-strips.

"One Pot - From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living" - Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives - Christmas

Date I made this recipe:  December 24, 2015 for Christmas Day dinner

One Pot From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living – 120+ easy meals from your skillet, slow cooker, stockpot, and more

Published by:  Clarkson Potter/Publishers

ISBN:  978-0-307-95441-1

Recipe:  Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives – p. 25 ("One Pot, Four Ways Pork Stew" – p. 24 and 25).

So, the backstory:  I had my eye on this book but generally don't buy newer cookbooks as I don't have the shelf space.  Instead, I often get the book from the library and then if it passes muster, I put it on the "buy" list, the purchase often happening years later and often at a discount.

But Martha is different.  After my library perusal was over, I decided I should buy it, mainly because my own rule of blogs:  If you post it, you should own it.  It's my own rule and I could break it if I wanted to (I'm very flexible!) but I wanted to finish out the year on a high note and with a clean conscience. 

And so it came to pass that Martha Stewart's One Pot cookbook is now part of my collection, acquired just so I could make this stew for Christmas.  Well, the stew and possibly one more dish, thereby breaking my second, self-imposed rule of blogs:  Thou shalt only make one recipe per book. 

By the time I made the decision to purchase the book though, we were days away from Christmas and so I had to hustle to find a copy of it from a bookstore.  Martha is always popular, you know.  Thankfully, the Barnes and Noble downtown Minneapolis store had a copy and so I grabbed it. Never mind that I had to drive and park downtown, I was on a mission.  I hope Martha appreciates this.

The recipe I selected for our Christmas Day repast was the very delicious Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives.  It was easy enough that I could have made it Christmas evening but something prompted me to make it on Christmas Eve while I was making Christmas Eve dinner and then reheat it Christmas evening and I'm glad I did because I was feeling a bit under the weather Christmas Day and did not have the energy to make the (Martha Stewart) Holiday Frittata I planned for breakfast nor did I have the energy to make this from scratch.  Thankfully, I had enough energy to push the button on the microwave.  Besides, everybody knows that stew tastes better the next day!

Now, it is not often that I dare to diss Martha because well, she's Martha after all, but this recipe – pork stew, four ways – was hard to follow.  The main recipe featured is that of Pork Stew with Root Vegetables and all the ingredients listed are for that and then the instructions to make the pork stew with root vegetables followed.  Then on the next page, she listed all the substitutions but not in a list.  Instead, she wrote things like "In step 1, replace leek and thyme with 1 sliced onion, 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, and 1 dried bay leaf."  And so I found myself flipping back and forth to see what the root vegetable instructions were compared to the fennel with olives and then while shopping, had to double-check to make sure I got all of the right ingredients.

I am going to have to "ding" Martha for making me work so hard.  My preferred way to write this is to list all the ingredients and substitute ingredients in one big list and then add clear instructions for each stew.  Yes, Martha, this takes up more pages but your way drove me crazy.  I'm sorry.  (By the way, the other three pork stew recipes are:  Pork Stew with Root Vegetables, Pork Stew with Potatoes and Rosemary, and Pork Stew with Asparagus and Peas, all found on pages 24 and 25.)

The stew though, was really good although for the first time ever, I didn't taste it at all, instead putting it in the refrigerator after it cooled along with the remains of my Christmas Eve pasta dish.  The thing is, these two dishes paired really well together but I didn't plan to serve them together until my Christmas Day intentions went awry. 

As to the "one-pot" recipes, Martha breaks them out by "Dutch Oven;" "Slow Cooker;" "Skillet & Sauté Pan;" "Roasting Pan & Baking Dish;" "Pressure Cooker;" "Stockpot" and then even throws in some Dessert recipes that aren't necessarily made in one pot but by this point, who cares? If Martha wants to include a recipe for Molten Chocolate Cupcakes, then Martha gets to because again, she's Martha.

Whenever you make this recipe, it's delicious and relatively easy to put together.  The hardest part for me was finding the right amount of pork shoulder roast (most I found weighed way more than I needed) but once you get that right, it's smooth sailing from that point on.

Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking, Everyone!

Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives – serves 4

1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 sliced onion

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups white wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc

1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed with their juice

2 heads fresh fennel, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Season pork with salt and pepper.  In a small Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high.  Working in batches, add the pork and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.  Add remaining oil, the onion, fennel seeds, and bay leaf.  Cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute.

Add the white wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and juices and pork and bring back to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cook, partially covered, until pork is tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Add fennel and olives, and return to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer; cook, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes more.

Stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper.