Hi

I'm hoping to get this blog up and running again now that I have finally finished college. Here's a taste of what's to come!

Witch's Brew

I'm helping plan to the menu for a Halloween bash this year. I'm really pushing for this spooky witches brew that was featured in the October 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living. Doesn't it just look amazing?

It's a green curry coconut soup, and I feel like it really captures the creepiness of the holiday while still looking delicious. Taste is something that seems to be sacrificed way too frequently in Halloween cuisine. I'm hoping to see more recipes like this in the future.

Halloweeners

Halloween was not one of my favorite holidays as a kid. My mom would always make me these amazing, creative, homemade costumes and I hated them. I just wanted to fit in with all the little girls in crappy, store-bought polyester princess costumes. One year I had this awesome spider costume. Made of black felt, it had six false legs (three on each side) that were connected to each other with fishing line. The top leg on either side had an elastic band that went around my arms. When I moved them, the legs moved as well. The costume was undoubtedly one of the best I'll ever have, probably one of the best in the history of all costumes, but my youthful insecurity kept me from fully enjoying and appreciating its weirdness. Thankfully, as I've grown, I've learned to accept and enjoy weirdness in costumes, in myself, and as I've done so I've learned how to enjoy Halloween.

I am really looking forward to Halloween this year, as it is on a Saturday. My entire weekend is already filling up. The night of Friday the 30th the UO Cultural Forum is organizing a free concert by Natalie Portman's Shaved Head. Nate is a pretty big fan of NPSH because they have a song titled "Beard Lust". He might have some other reasons he likes them but I think it is mostly just that they share his appreciation of a good beard. Here's a fan video for "Beard Lust".



I'm not holding my breath that this concert will take place after the disastrous cancellation of the Passion Pit concert earlier this month, but I'm hopeful that this concert will happen and that it will be good. NPSH will be a free concert and open to the public, so if you are in the Eugene area on Friday the 30th, you should go. It will be on the U of O campus in the EMU ballroom.

Saturday night I will be going to a costume party, where I am hoping to influence the DJ with my wiles until he/she plays some songs by Dead Man's Bones. I posted this video on facebook a few days ago, but I feel like it deserves to be posted again.



Dead Man's Bones is made up of Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling (yup, of The Notebook and Lars and the Real Girl fame). The band was created to showcase their mutual love of the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland and Doo Wop music. Some of the songs are spookier, and thus more suited for Halloween, than others, but I enjoy them all. I will definitely be playing "My Body's a Zombie for You" at my bash this year. In fact, I'll probably just put the album on repeat.

One last thing I would recommend that you check out before October 31st rolls around is this new collection of scary stories titled Half Minute Horrors. It features short stories from a variety of well-known authors and artists, including Neil Gaiman, Lemony Snicket and (shout out to my childhood) R.L. Stine. You can get a glimpse of the insides of the book at the link. It is currently only $9.35 on Amazon.com, and part of the proceeds go to an organization that gives books to children. I'll be picking up a copy when I have a chance.

America is okay I guess sometimes

I'm always looking for good, regularly updated web comics to read. Something about cheesy puns and wacom tablet drawings just tickles my fancy, I guess. Right now, my favorite comic has to be Pictures for Sad Children. It's drawn by some guy named John Campbell. I don't know anything about him besides that he draws this comic. I've been reading it for a while now, although I don't remember how long. Maybe a year. I don't know.

Links to some of my favorite comics from Mr. John Campbell:

• One about cavemen
• One about a stray kitten
• One about a themed cafe
• One about parenting

Something about his combination of dry humor and depressing truth just gets me. I guess I love this comic because, when I read it, I never know whether to laugh or to weep. Also, feel free to buy me his book (autographed please) and/or this t-shirt.

If you don't already read it, click on over to Pictures for Sad Children, dang it. Also, if you have recommendations for web comics I should add to my RSS reader, leave a comment!

Beer Pairing Resource

Oh my lord, this blog has been neglected. Maybe that will change, maybe it won't. For now, here is what appears to be a great resource to use to decide what beer will pair best with tonight's (or any night's) meal. Check out the Beer Sommelier on GreatBrewers.com! I will definitely be referring to it often...

Hot and Sour Soup

I've been super swamped with school and the blog has been incredibly neglected. I hope to remedy this over spring break, but for the time being, here is a recipe for hot and sour soup that I modified and made for dinner tonight. I had tried making the original recipe a while back, which was considerably more complicated and called for some really hard to find ingredients. It also called for dried mushrooms, which it turns out I am not a very big fan of. I decided hot and sour could be done better and easier with fresh mushrooms and ingredients you can find at any supermarket. So here is my recipe, which I think is easy, delicious and it's vegetarian!

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 1 small can of bamboo shoots, sliced thinly
• 1 and 1/2 cup sliced small mushrooms (white button or crimini)
  
• tofu (amount is up to you, 1/2 of a block should be enough), cubed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp corn starch dissolved in about 1/3 cup water
• 1 egg, beaten
  
• White pepper and chili oil to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a medium sized sauce pan. Add bamboo shoots and mushrooms. Stir, and add tofu. Return to a boil. Add salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and oil. Let simmer for a minute, and adjust seasonings to taste.

Stir the cornstarch and water, then add to pan, stirring constantly. Return to a boil, then remove from heat. Slowly pour beaten egg while stirring in one direction. Add white pepper and chili oil to taste.

Evergreen's Chicken Tikka Masala

The Eugene Weekly's seasonal printing of "Chow: Guide to Food and Restaurants" is well known in these parts. In my opinion, it's the best printed resource for finding the new and tasty places to dine at that you've been missing. The Winter 2009 issue came out a few weeks ago, and this time they included some of the best recipes from local restaurants. The recipes varied from the relatively simple salsa verde to the WTF-worthy braised short ribs with mashed celeriac. But there was one gem that really stuck out.

Everyone in Eugene and Corvallis knows that Evergreen is the place to go for lunchtime Indian buffets. And it would be my guess that they all know that the thing to get is the chicken tikka masala; it's definitely the dish of choice for all of my friends. So to say that I was happy to see the recipe for it printed in the EW would be a serious understatement.

Here's the recipe, typed up by me for your enjoyment.

Chicken Tikka Masala from Evergreen Indian Cuisine
(Photo by Michael Hays and yoinked from Wikipedia)

Evergreen owner Meeraali Shaik came to the U.S. in 1990 and worked as a cook for nine years before opening Evergreen Indian Cuisine in Corvallis in 1999. The Eugene location opened in April of 2007. Manager Usha Shaik says this dish is one of their most popular. They grind and prepare all of these spices fresh each day.

Part A:

• 2 lbs of boneless chicken breast, cut into 4" pieces
• 1/4 c yogurt
• 3 tsp ginger paste
• 3 tsp garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp each: cumin, coriander, curry powder, garam masala, turmeric
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 4 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt
• Skewers
  

Part B:

• 3 tsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tsp ginger paste
• 2 tsp garlic past
• 2-3 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 2 green chilies (they use chopped jalapenos)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tomato
• 5 oz tomato sauce
• 10 oz tomato puree
• salt to taste
• 2/3 c cream
• 1 c milk
• handful of chopped cilantro

Whisk all of the ingredients in part A into a large bowl (the ginger and garlic pastes can be made in a blender) and add the chicken. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, put the chicken on skewers and cook in a tandoor (clay oven) for 10 minutes. (If you don't have a tandoor, cook in your home oven at 350 degrees until chicken is cooked through.)

While chicken cooks, make the sauce. In a pot over high heat, add the butter and chopped onions from part B. Fry the onions until golden, then add the ginger and garlic paste. Cook for one minute, then add the cloves, cardamom, green chilies and everything from part B except the cream, milk and cilantro. Cook on low heat until the sauce thickens. Add the cooked chicken, milk and cream to the sauce and stir. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Serve with hot basmati rice and nan bread. Garnish with the cilantro leaves.

I have not yet made this recipe, but if it really is what they make at Evergreen, I can say without hesitation that it warrants some delicious grub. I hope to get a chance to make it sometime soon.

Hummus Variations

Hummus is the chameleon of the culinary world. There are infinite possibilities of delicious dips based on the simple concoction of chick pea, tahini, lemon and garlic. Really, the sky is the limit when it comes to hummus. And I love to eat them all.

I talked briefly on the phone with my mom on Sunday and she told me that she had made her own version of the cilantro and jalapeno hummus you can get at Trader Joe's. I haven't been able to think of anything else since then, so I made some myself to have as a snack between classes for the rest of the week.

Making hummus is the opposite of baking. It is an art, not a science. I never get hung up on amounts when I make it. Everything is done by eye, and by taste. Put in a little more lemon juice. Taste. Add more garlic. Taste. Salt and pepper. Et cetera. For this particular batch of hummus I decided to replace your regular, everyday garlic with some pickled garlic that my mom gave me. It gave the hummus a subtle flavor that I like.

Cilantro & Jalapeno Hummus

• 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded
• 5-6+ cloves pickled garlic
• 2 limes, juice of
• 2 14 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 T tahini (sesame paste)
• 1-2 handfuls of cilantro, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper

Process jalapeno, garlic and lime juice in food processor until finely minced. Add chickpeas and tahini and process until smooth. Add cilantro and process until well incorporated. Taste. Adjust ingredients and add salt and pepper to your taste.

I will be eating this wrapped up in a whole-wheat tortillas with a sprinkling of feta cheese and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Yum! I think it could stand to be a little spicier, though. I can't decide if I should use two de-seeded jalapenos next time, or just leave the seeds in the one...

Have a favorite hummus variation of your own? Share plz!

Shellfish link

The Oregon Department of Agriculture has a great online resource for finding out the status of recreational shellfish harvesting being allowed on the coast. You can find it here. Keep in mind though that the website is not updated as often or as rapidly as the hotline.

I'm so glad to see that toxin levels are back down to normal levels! Now to find a bucket and my waders...

Obama's Inauguration!

This isn't supposed to be a political blog, but it would be impossible for me to not mention today's inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. In celebration of the occasion, my mom and I made Obama logo sugar cookies this past weekend using the recipe in the America's Test Kitchen cookbook. They're so delicious, they're almost as good as freedom.

Sauerkraut

I didn't think this day would ever come, but I've finally used the last of the massive amount of sauerkraut I made this autumn. Most of it went to friends and family as Christmas or anytime gifts, but there was still plenty left over to accompany a number of sausages, pork chops and Reuben sandwiches. While at times it felt like the 'kraut wasn't worth the amount of space it took up on the fridge, now that it's gone, I miss it immensely. I'll be making another batch as soon as possible (and hopefully posting a related blog post)!

Roast Chicken

There's something a little magical about cooking a whole bird. For some reason I feel a satisfaction when roasting and carving a whole chicken that I just don't get from cooking various pieces. Cooking the bird whole is more rustic and authentic, I guess. And it's far more cost effective when compared to buying your chicken in pieces. With the right recipe, it's really tasty too.

What is it, then, that keeps people from roasting a whole chicken?

When I was younger, digging out the giblets hidden in the bird's cavity was a real turn-off. I have to admit that there is still something rather unappealing about sticking my hand in a cold dark cranny to pull out strange bits of squishy meat. If you're feeling squeamish, you can get most of it out by turning the chicken head end up and giving it a good shake.

The idea of "trussing" the chicken may intimidate some. Trussing a chicken just means tying the carcass with butcher's twine so that it will cook more evenly, keeping the legs and wings from drying out. It's not as difficult as it looks.



The last time I cooked a whole chicken, I didn't have any butcher's twine. I just tucked the wings under like you can see in this video and it turned out just fine.

I tried this recipe out this past Sunday. I can't wait until I can make it again.

Thomas Keller's Favorite Simple Roast Chicken Recipe

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird. Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken—I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 tablespoon). When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone—I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip—until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be superelegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with mustard on the side and, if you wish, a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

This recipe was amazing. I read a suggestion in it's comments that I would highly recommend. Use a broiler pan instead of a traditional roasting pan. Line the bottom of it with tin foil, and then lay slices of a potato out over the foil. Return the top part of the broiler and place the chicken on top of that. Because you are cooking the chicken at such a high temperature, it is likely that the grease may burn and fill your kitchen up with smoke. The potato slices will absorb the grease, keeping it from burning and setting off your smoke alarm.

I think this would be great served with Mom's garlic mashed potatoes and a salad along side. I can't wait!

Flex your Mussels! and other shellfish stuff

One of the things I find most enjoyable about living in the Willamette Valley is being so close to the Oregon coast. It only takes an hour in the car before you can hear sea gulls and breathe in the salty sea air. Growing up, trips to the coast usually entailed exploring tide pools and munching on clam chowder and garlic toast at Mo's. Picking out various kinds of saltwater taffy to bring home as a tasty treat was another favorite activity. However, these days the thing that gets me most excited about the Oregon coast isn't sweets or chowder, but the vast amount of easily accessible wild foods.


Since late 2007, I've been really excited by the idea of digging clams. The word "clam" can refer to any kind of bivalve mollusk, but usually in the United States it refers specifically to those that burrow in mud and sand. Lucky for us Oregonians, there are six kinds of delicious clams that can be found on our coast! The Oregon clams are:

• The Razor, the most delicious and most difficult to catch
• The Gaper, also called the Empire clam, which can grow to weigh up to five pounds
  
• The Softshell, a non-native clam that was transplanted to the Pacific coast in the late 1800s
  
• The Cockle, a large clam known for its ridged shell
  
• The Littleneck, a small clam that is also known as a Steamer
  
• The Butter, the most scarce of the clams found in Oregon

Digging clams is a low-cost activity that provides good fun and great food. A digging expedition requires just a few things. Probably the most important is that everyone in your party purchase a shellfish license. You can get a shellfish license at most sporting good stores and at stores like BiMart. Be sure to bring in your driver's license, and you will need to know your social security number if you have never had a hunting or fishing license before. An Oregon shellfish license costs only $6.50 for residents and is good through the end of the year. You will also need a shovel or a rake, depending on the kind of clam you're going after, and a bucket to store your clams in. Rain gear and weather boots are always recommended for outdoor activities at the coast. Wear clothes that can get muddy!

Clam beds, the areas where a bunch of clams are hanging out, can be found up and down the Oregon coast. If you find yourself at the coast and are interested in digging clams, probably the easiest and best way to find out where the clam beds are is to ask a local. Ask around and someone will be able to point you in the direction of the biggest and tastiest clams. I would recommend going after softshell clams, as they are relatively easy to dig and can be found near most of Oregon's main coastal towns.

Acquired your gear and located a clam bed and now wondering what to do? Tromp down to the bed an hour before a minus low tide. On the exposed mud you should see some small holes, about 3/4 of an inch in diameter. These are likely clam shows, or the hole the clam sticks its neck through to feed. To make sure that this is a clam show, stick your finger in the hole. This will disturb the clam if there is one, and you will feel its neck retract.

Now start digging! Start approximately 6 inches from the clam show. You may have to dig down as much as twenty inches, but eventually you should see the clam shell. Try not to break the shell with your shovel, as sharp shell edges can cut fingers. When you are able, pull the clam out of the mud and place it in your bucket. Be sure to grab the clam by the shell and not by a protruding neck, as this might damage the clam. In Oregon, the softshell clam limit is the first 36 dug up per person. When digging softshells, you must take every clam you dig up, as softshell clams are not able to rebury themselves.

Once you've dug all your clams, fill the bucket with sea water until they are covered. If you don't plan on eating them right away, you can add a handful of corn meal to the water and the clams will pump out any silt themselves. After a day, use them in your favorite clam recipe; softshell clams are great for steaming and frying, or can be used in clam chowder!

This weekend, Nate and I had been hoping to head to the coast to get some mussels. Mussels are similar to clams, only they aren't buried in mud. Instead, they attach themselves to tidal rocks with threads called a "beard" or "byssus". This makes them far easier to collect, and just a few twists with your hands will free the shell from their rocks. Mussels are filter feeders, which means they can possess small particles including deadly toxins and organisms. Usually this is only found during the summer months, which leads to the saying, "only eat mussels in months with an R". Fortunately, Nate decided to call the state shellfish hotline anyway. This winter there are unusually high levels of toxins in the mussels here in Oregon and collecting them is restricted. Hopefully the toxin levels will decrease before May so that we can enjoy some mussels this season!

The Oregon state shellfish hotline number is (503) 986-4728.

I want to wrap this post up with a link. Here is a really cool tutorial on how to make a homemade camping stove with soda bottles. Maybe you could even use this to cook your shellfish in the field?

Note: I referenced an awesome book for much of this post, Clam Digging & Crabbing in Oregon by John A. Johnson. I would highly recommend it if you are interested in clamming. It can be purchased at Englund Marine Supply stores, or by sending a check or money order for $12.95 + $1.00 shipping and handling to:

Adventure North Publishing, Co.
P.O. Box 1601
Waldport, OR 97394
(541) 563-3743