My Reach!!!!!!!

For my second FYS project I cooked Key lime Bars. I decided to make Key lime bars after noticing a box of key lime bars at the local HEB. I learned that key lime bars have to be baked and since I have burned cookies in the oven, baking in particular is a reach for me. I first had to bake the crust in the oven for a few minutes and then I poured the keylime filling over the hot crust and baked it for about 25 min. After it was done baking I let it completely cool and (instead of cocaine) I sprinkled powdered sugar on top.

Although the crust needed some tweeking, Andrea said, "It was an amazing explosion of subLIME goodness."

Thank-you Andrea.

I Smell Like Olive Oil: An Italian’s Adventure in Italian Cooking.

For my “from home” cooking project I decided to cook my favorite meal that is original to my family; Rigatoni with Mild Italian Sausage. My dad first started cooking this meal when we were young, first with meatballs before the Italian sausage. I don’t really remember the quality of the meal when it was first made by my dad but I definitely will not forget how it tastes now.
Three weeks after arriving at SU I was severely missing home, and since I also needed the recipe for class, I decided to call my dad. It was the first conversation we had since I got to SU and we had a very heart-felt conversation that ended with me forgetting to ask about the recipe. Nice Elise. I decided it was ok though after my dad sent me an email with the recipe since it would have been too much to copy over the phone.
In the words of my dad, the recipe is as follows;
> 1 package of 5 mild Italian sausage links > 1 box of rigatoni (any brand will do) > 1 jar of Ragu Old World Traditional tomato sauce
> olive oil (lots and lots of olive oil!)> Italian seasoning mix > garlic powder > salt
>grated Parmesan cheese Directions:
“Preheat oven to 350. In a glass baking dish spread about 2 tablespoons of oil. Place sausages in the dish, cover with tin foil and place in oven. Heat sausage for 40 minutes turning them once after the first 20 minutes.

SAUCE: Open the jar of tomato sauce and place in a large sauce pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, Italian spice mix and garlic powder to the sauce. Simmer at low heat. When sausage is ready, cut sausage links in half and add to the tomato sauce. Cook sauce on low heat until the pasta is finished stirring periodically.

PASTA: In a large pot hopefully with a draining pan, add water and about 4 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat on high heat until water boils. Do not reduce heat when water boils. Add rigatoni and immediately stir so pasta doesn't stick together. Cook for 12-14 minutes or until pasta plumps up and floats to the top.
In a large pasta bowl place about 3/4 of tomato sauce in the pasta mixing bowl but don't add the sausage yet. Use the rest of the sauce for the side to add if needed. Mix the well drained pasta into the sauce and mix well making sure the pasta is well coated in sauce and not stuck together. Add the sausage on top of pasta & sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese (optional). And there it is. Bon appetite!!”
I followed the recipe down to the last word (I did have a Bon Appetite) and had a successful and messy experience making my first meal of Rigatoni and Italian Sausage. In my experience, the most important factor in Italian cooking would have to be olive oil. There can never be enough olive oil especially in this recipe, which is why you could imagine why I would have smelled like olive oil. Olive oil adds flavor as well as lubricant to the pasta so it won’t stick. So, whenever any of you decide to cook Italian meals, DON’T FORGET TO USE THE OLIVE OIL!

Monument Cafe

A cafe; every small, old town has one. You know, that place that looks so run down, but then you decide to give it a chance and try it out. As soon as you walk in, there is the homey feel to it; all the employees smiling, the customers enjoying their wonderful meal, and the cooks, laughing and having a good time. That's exactly the feeling i get when i went to the Monument Cafe for dinner on Tuesday night.
The night started out a little rough, i just had gotten back to SU after driving in rain, fog, and lots of traffic. My boyfriend came down form UMHB to come see me and take me out to dinner. At first i was a little hesitant because i was tired and what not, but he convinced me to get out of the dorm and go out to eat. He lets me decide where i would prefer dinner, and after a long time debating between Chipotle or Monument Cafe, i finally decided on Monument Cafe.
We drive up, and all i see is a sea of cars. My first thought was that we leave and go to Chipolte, but my boyfriend talked me into staying. We walk in and get seated almost instantly, and our food and drink orders are taken immediately. After about a 10-15 minute wait, his chicken fried streak, and my cheeseburger are brought to us. We finish our food and then we decide that we want to spilt a dessert. We look at the dessert menu and we both agreed on the homemade banana spilt.
From everything being organic and home grown, the meal was absolutly delicious! I would gladly recommend that cafe to anyone! And, it wasn't too expensive. I mean, two college students could afford it.
Please, when you have an urge to go out for a meal, please try the Monument Cafe!

-Mercedes

A New Mexican Meets Tex-Mex

Tex-Mex. Throughout my childhood I was warned against this monstrosity from the east, an unholy combination of my beloved Mexican food and... Well, I was never quite told what it was combined with, except colors like "Orange Cheese" and "Green Sauce." For some reason I was reminded of crayons, their flavor names so enticing yet their actual flavors always lacking in the deliciousness department. It was these crayons that I saw when I ordered my first Tex-Mex, an enchilada platter covered in a substance waxy in appearance that, despite my dining partners' insistence was cheese, screamed "Sunflower Orange." I was scared, and my meal proved to be ruined.

It wasn't until this past weekend that I was persuaded into dining at the altar of Tex-Mex itself, Chuys. The tacky decor and the exclamations of Tex-Mexiness on the menu only convinced me that I had descended deeper into culinary hell, exactly where I feared I'd be so many years ago. But then there was a glimmer of hope: Green Chile. The defining aspect of New Mexican cuisine, and there was not one but TWO varieties on the menu. I was shocked, amazed because they even went so far as to name two legendary sources of this green gold that I knew. I ordered the enchiladas and, while attempting to keep my excitement level to a minimum, bit down on the platter that made it's way to our table. My taste buds exploded in applause. Not only was it a direct connection to home, it was a good one. Even though the sauce may have been just a bit lacking in the spicy department (and why two types of cheese are used I'll never understand) it was a bite that brought back memories in an instant. Therefore, Tex-Mex, while you don't have my full approval just yet, I'm not ashamed to say you've got a winner in Chuys. Or at least a respectable runner up to the countless better places back home.

oh, the joys of procratination

Sopapillas, the mexican dessert. Not hard to make, but it can be painful. Having hot oil splash on you is not the most pleasant thing...Neither is trying to make both FYS items in one day. But I got it done! I made my sopapillas for mostly everyone in the group, and finished my very bright cupcakes in the same day. (Sorry Dr. Piedmont-Marton, i was going to make you a sopapilla, but old, cold sopapillas aren't the best thing for one palate). But everything turned out great! Well, i think it did. The cpcakes were by far my favorite, though. I love anything that involves me being creative, and cupcake decorating is the perfect outlet!
-Mercedes

Cheese Cake, Harry Potter Cookies, and Upside Down Apple French Toast with Cranberries!

Phew. So the title basically says it all! I havent posted before, so here's my 3 cooking adventures in a nutshell!

At the beginning of FYS I was determined to cook an entirely Persian meal before class was over; however, I didnt take into account the fact that I had none of the needed ingridents! I just couldnt bring myself to cook a make-shift meal and call it something from home when it would be anything but. Don't worry though! Just because I couldnt fit it into our class time, doesnt mean its not going to happen. Good things are to come.

SO : ).

I've never really cooked anything in my life. My mom's cooking is so incredibly complicated (at least to me) and with both my parents working full time (and then some) I never really learned to cook anything other than the usual: ramen, tv dinners, and anything else from a box or bag.

Terrifyingly, I took on the 'daunting' task of making a cherry cheesecake, something that my mom would always beautifully make. And guess what? It was SO easy! The best part was probably Brady eating the first piece and loving it. I probably woke up whoever lives in the dorm under the kitchen from all my jumping and giddyness (it was around 1AM when we all enjoyed it). Even more suprisingly everyone else loved it too! I loved it because they loved it ^^!
There is such satisfaction in not only cooking, but in providing and then seeing the positive effects it all. I felt like I finally understood first hand what I've been reading about.
I think I've found a new love for baking and cooking!

Later that week, I also made sugar cookies for the first time! Since we are at Southwestern and everyone has their nerdy loves I'm assuming everyone knows and or adores Harry Potter. If you're a big fan, however, you'll know the internet sensation of the Potter Pupper Pals (look it up!). I decided to cut out harry potter shaped heads, used black icing for Harry's messy hair, his scar, and the rim of his glasses. Then I used white icing to fill in his glasses. And of course the white/tan color of the cookie was his skin color. They were so cute : )! I think the cookies turned out pretty well, perhaps a little thin. I made the dough and everything all from scratch ^^.

And finally, my friend Derra and I decided to make Upside Down Apple French Toast with Cranberries and Peacans.

I know O_O.

We came upon a few...er...bumps in the road. Some of them much appreciated. Others...not so much.

First we couldnt find the right bread (challah bread) at the grocery store. BUT, not to worry, because we used Hawaiin bread instead.

I know O_O. Amazing. This was like the best thing that could have ever happened! It was ridiculously delicious as french toast.

We did make a 'minor mistake' though when it came to the butter portion of this dish. We, for some reason, thought that it called for a CUP of butter. That's 2 STICKS of butter. When it reality, it only called for HALF a stick of butter O_O. So we had like a VAT of carmel that we didnt even need! ...but then again, who says thats a bad thing? We worked it out and balanced it with the needed amount of brown sugar.We skipped on the pecans because Derra is deathly allergic, and since cranberries arent really in season, we opted for crasins (who doesnt like crasins!?). We topped the carmel, the apples, the crasins, and AMAZING "french toast hawaiin bread" with a bunch of whip cream and enjoyed it with Derra's friends and roomate late at night in her apartment on campus, and it was WONDERFUL : ). We were so worried that with all our improvising everything was going to be terrible, but WOW I'm definetly going to make this again!

So thats all : ), I can't wait to take on some more cooking and baking!

Oh and P.S.,
I LOVE it when our kitchen is bustling and busy! Everyone running around, borrowing sugar, measuring cups, beating this, rolling that, flour is everywhere and music playing. It's the best.

I Ate a Vegetable Today!

Over the weekend I went to a restaurant called Mimi's Cafe and ate an amazing breakfast including fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, a blueberry muffin, and an omellette stuffed with spinache artichoke dip. I have having difficulty deciding what to make for my challenge dish for FYS. I was considering making baked alaska or recreating a cake from Ace of Cakes, but as I frequently bake but seldom cook an actual meal, I couldn't get my omellette from the weekend off of my mind and decided to do a modification with crepes. I found a great recipe online and added garlic of my own volition and had quite an experience chopping the garlic and onions as I could only find a butter knife in the swarf of seven people cooking around me. The crepes kept on coming, the dip turned out just fine, and the Senior Society enjoyed my food. I think that this experiment was a success.

Kartoffelpuffer!

German people enjoy meat. In fact, they love it so much that finding a recipe without meat is nearly impossible. For this Wednesday's pot luck German club meeting, I had volunteered to bring food for people who were "Vegetarisch," which is the German word for vegetarian. I thought I could find a vegetable dish pretty easily, but this was not the case. Most of the recipes I found were labeled as Deutsch Vegetarisch but listed meat as one of the ingredients. Disappointed, I was ready to give up my search when I thought of Julia Child and her famous potato episode. Potato pancakes were definitely German as well as vegetarian! However, when I started the project, I realized that Julia made things look way simpler than they actually were. Peeling a potato is tough; peeling six is ever tougher. Luckily, I enlisted the help of Jonny and soon the mix was ready to be cooked. As I heated the pan and covered the bottom with oil, I couldn't help but wonder if I would have the courage and conviction to flip my pancake. Jonny tried first, and his pancake landed on the stove rather than in the pan. But we weren't too worried because Julia reminded us that "if you are alone in the kitchen, who is going to see you?" We quickly put the pancake back in the pan to kill any bacteria with heat and continued cooking and flipping with more success. In the end, I was able to flip a potato pancake (on the third try), and everyone at the German meeting loved the Deutsch Vegetarisch dish!

Rudy's, Michael Pollan, & Me

A week or so ago, because of some collective boredom with the Common's food a couple of guys and I went to Rudy's Barbeque. For some reason I was expecting it to be akin to Goode Company Barbeque in Houston, which is kind of dark, with a cafeteria style line and a massive stuffed buffalo. Not so much. Rudy's, I discovered, is attached to a gas station and has a convenience store off to the side, but the restaurant portion wasn't quite what I'm used to-no dingy tables, no old wood paneling, and no fried chicken and biscuits. Then again, it was more of restaurant with an attached gas station; it was all about the feeling that you were eating at a truly American establishment-after all, you could by gas and barbecue and be back on the road in no time. For lack of anything better to do while waiting in line (I had already decided that a quarter pound of brisket, some jalapeño sausage, and potatoes were in order), I picked up the house brand barbeque sauce and started reading. 1st on the list of ingredients was high fructose corn syrup, followed by several other corn byproducts, all of which got me thinking. The brisket came from a cow that was probably fed on pretty much only corn and the sausage from a pig which was probably also fed on corn. That being said, the only thing I tasted was some dang good barbeque.

The Departed

After combing through the cooks.com, Cook's Illustrated, and other assorted websites, I found a recipe for blueberry lemon bread, that, among its many ingredients, called for a full cup of sugar, which, for a loaf of a bread, I figured was the perfect amount. Today, after I was done with classes for the day, I thought I would get my final food project done, instead of Wednesday night/morning around 2. Before I go into the details, I feel the need to make a caveat-whenever I cook/bake something, I never, ever stray from the recipe. I hold onto that sheet of printer paper like it shows the date of the Second Coming, Saturday's winning lotto numbers, including powerball, and the answers to my Roman Civ final. That being said, on this specific occasion, I, uh, departed from the recipe. Normally, I'd forget something like salt, which is insignificant and doesn't make a heck of lot of difference to the finished product. Not this time; I forgot the milk-two cups' worth. If the recipe called for a little water and perhaps some cream or half-and-half, I wouldn't have been quite so worried, but, unfortunately, the only thing that resembled a liquid in this mixture was the two eggs I thankfully remembered. About 20 minutes after I put this mixture (I hesitate to call it 'batter') in the oven, I, with a string of colorful words, recalled that the two cups of whole milk never made it into the mixture. After debating whether to attempt some kind of last minute salvage, I decided to let it cook, and if it came out a little dry, I'd serve it with some ice-cream-which, in my book, could make shoe leather taste good. Thankfully, the bread tasted fine, probably thanks to the copious amounts butter and sugar that went in that KitchenAid.

A baking experience.

Every year for Christmas, my family makes Kiflin, a type of almond butter cookie. I decided to take a crack at making this tasty little cookies, and overall, I feel like my attempt was fairly successful.

I first had to ask my mom for the recipe. When I recieved the recipe, I realized that there really wasn't much to the cookies. The recipe called for flour, sugar, chopped almonds, vanilla, and butter (lots of butter, I would find). I then made my trek to HEB to buy all the ingredients.

I came back and mixed all the ingredients together in a bowl, and found that there wasn't anything doughlike about the mixture. When I looked back at the recipe, I realized that I had definitely not put in enough butter, the main ingredient. Once I put in the entire 3 and half sticks (a lot, I know) I had my dough. I made the cookies a little bit larger than usual, but overall they came out quite nicely. In the end, I got a little taste from home!

The Hillbilly Housewife?

Surprisingly, I had some free time today after my classes. After doing the necessary homework for tomorrow, I decided to do my second cooking project, or the "reach project" as we've begun to call it. I glanced at the cookbooks we have in the kitchen and was somewhat overwhelmed by the one specifically about bread. I had always wanted to bake a loaf of bread, but that book pushed me away from the idea...but I found a recipe online that laid out what I needed to do in pretty simple terms. While the recipe was from a website called The Hillbilly Housewife, I decided to give it a try.

On my trip to HEB for ingredients, I was overwhelmed by the many types of flours and yeasts to try. The option of white, whole-grain white, wheat, white whole wheat flours compounded by the plethora of yeasts (quick-rising, fast-rising, super fast-rising, and so on) made for one very confusing and decision-filled trip. I went with white whole wheat and rapid-rise.

As for the actual preparation, the 6 ingredients worked together well, and kneading was fun. Since I had never worked with active yeast before, I was somewhat afraid that the water would be too hot. Luckily it was not, and 3 and half hours later, I had dough in a bread pan ready to bake.

Then came the next challenge: how long to bake the bread? The website said 30-45 minutes at either 350 or 375, but I wasn't sure. The last thing I wanted to do was burn my creation...so I placed the bread in the unpreheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and waited.

As I opened the oven to a thick and heavenly smell I had never experienced before, I was somewhat concerned. My loaf was the same color as when I put it in. Further inspection showed that the loaf was actually baked to crusty greatness. I couldn't help but slop some butter on top and throw a pat on a slice for some pictures.

Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking...in France?

We've all read about how revolutionary Julia Child was here in the States with Mastering the Art of French Cooking and The French Chef, where she managed to make French cuisine accessible to America. But how was she seen in France?

While browsing The New York Times online for my Intro to Islam class, I stumbled upon an article about Julia's work abroad. As it turns out, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia's most popular cookbook, was never translated into French, and Julia never really appealed to our foreign friends. Actually, some French food experts say Julia "caricatured French cuisine in her book and cooking show, making it seem too heavy and formal." This is highly different from our Americanized view, where Julia is THE authority for our French cooking...which made me wonder: how much of what Julia called French is actually American?

Two for one!

I was strolling through the aisles of the local HEB yesterday, when I spotted an something interesting: a box of FlipSides pretzel crackers. Yes, you heard me. Pretzel crackers. I picked up the box, and studied the curious concotion. This snack is half pretzel, and half cracker. I thought to myself "I have to buy this."

I brought the strange combination back to my room, and hesitantly opened it. How is it that someone could combine two of my favorite snacks into one super food? I suppose that's what the food industry is all about. Being a curious consumer, I had to try it. Now I no longer have to buy crackers AND pretzels, because I can buy it in one product. It's quite a feat, I have to admit.

And so I'm sure you're all wondering how the pretzel cracker tastes, and I have to say that they are pretty satisfying. You can most definitely distinguish between the two flavors, although I do have to wonder how the producer is able to seperate the cracker side from the pretzel side. (To be quite honest, I'm not sure I want to know!) Now I'll have to wait for the next two in one combo, and who knows what that will entail!

No mention of dirt on the menu...

To precede this bash of a particular dish from the Commons, I would like to mention that I have been pleasantly surprised by the food more than once. They have a fresh make-your-own salad bar complete with the spinach I've grown accustomed to finding in salads at home, a decent - though slightly redundant - brunch menu of breakfast tacos with real eggs (if they're powdered, they do a good job of hiding it), and some very delicious Polenta with Garlic & Parmesan.

To be fair, I'm not really one for pastas made with red sauce in general, but this one was even more mediocre than its predecessors. I took the first bite of my Baked Pasta Torte with Fontina and noticed a taste unforeign to plants, but usually not consumed by humans. That's right, my pasta tasted of dirt. Now, to say that the pasta did not contain other flavors would be a lie, but that earthy taste was inescapably present. I must say that it very well complimented the fat worm-like shap of the noodles, but I would expect such a dish to be served as a joke, or on Halloween - for which it would be appropriate, but the Commons main dish just didn't live up to my expectations tonight.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the flood gates are now open.

About a week ago, I went to What-a-Burger. Now, on the surface, this statement seems pretty normal, but if one knew the story behind this, one would understand the gravity of those 8 (11?) words.

Earlier this summer, I read The Omnivore's Dilemma, and after reading it I was (excuse the vulgar cliché) scared shitless. I developed a pretty heavy case of orthorexia to say the least. Just about overnight I switched over to a completely "organic" and "whole foods" diet. I started eating mostly vegetarian, and for about 2-3 months this was how I ate. This shocked my friends and family because before I read the book, I was probably the least healthy eater anyone could find. I ate fast food almost once a day, and basically did not think the least bit about nutrition.

So I practiced this ridiculous diet until I came to SU, and after, among other thing, trying the food at the Commons, I knew that I did not have the money or the refridgeration abilities to keep the diet up. So I slowly, but sure gave it up. I started eating meat again, and then starting eating pizza, and this finally devolved into going to What-a-Burger.

All I have to say is... that burger was delicious.

One corn-on-corn combo with a corn drink, please.

Adventures in Supermarket Cookery

People express their homesickness in different ways. For some, it's the longing for a familiar scent or the company of certain relatives. For others, however, baking can be the activity that they long for most. Such was the case for my girlfriend, her homesickness showing itself in a longing for the ability to bake something, anything. So, this past rainy weekend, I took an excursion to H-E-B in search of a delicious dessert to bake. With nothing in mind, I made the decision to let the boxes guide me.

Where to begin? I chose the obvious, the baking aisle, in hopes of finding something that didn't come straight out of a box but required some actual effort. I wanted to be able to add the egg to my cake mix. Before the mixes, however, were the Honey-Maid pie crusts pre-pressed in the pan. I wasn't above cheating just a little bit, so picked up a crust and looked for recipes on the back. Low and behold, there it was: pudding pie. Confirming my decision was a similar recipe I found on the back of the Jell-O Chocolate Pudding box (cook and serve, not the instant stuff. I needed to work a little bit) which directed me to the Cool Whip, where the recipe was yet again. That decided it: brand name pudding pie it was, in a decision that was just as easy as the food industry wanted it to be. Morally I feel a little bad for giving in to the idea that I should let myself be guided by a recipe on the back of the box... But honestly? The pie was delicious, and (this time) that's all that mattered.

Taste of Home

I got a taste of home this long weekend when I made my grandma's yeast rolls. I had made them three times previously, and it's always an adventure (and exciting to see that they're edible). The dough rose just fine, because the oven was hot. The only real problem was that I made them pretty small, so they were a little harder than I anticipated. Overall it was a good experience, and twenty-eight rolls were gone in about fifteen minutes. Hot rolls, lots of butter, and honey made me pine for my home and my dog, but it was nice to bring that bit of comfort here. Kudos to Grandma!

Whole Foods aka Whole Paycheck aka Whole Health Care?

After Dr. Piedmont-Marton mentioned John Mackey's Wall Street Journal article concerning health care and healthy eating, I was curious enough to look for the article and read it myself. A full version can be found here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574342170072865070.html

After looking over the text, I can understand why people have been viewing it with mixed reactions. Essentially, Mackey argues for changes in one's lifestyle rather than changes in our health care system. He discusses the Whole Foods approach to an insurance plan, which involves "high deductibles" and "additional deposits into employees' Personal Wellness Accounts" thus giving employees more freedom in how they go about spending their money. Mackey also outlines many ways to reform health care, but boldly points out that “a careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter.” He suggests that the major issue at stake is “poor health.” According to Mackey, adults are accountable for the effects of their choices in terms of eating, exercising, smoking, and drinking. The big question is whether making healthier choices in our daily routines will change the need for health care. Perhaps eating carrots for lunch instead of French fries will add two weeks to my life, but what about injuries from car accidents, illnesses that are hereditary or autoimmune diseases? Thoughts?

Chicken nuggets!

I find it pretty humorous that the Commons served chicken nuggets today, after we learned so much about them. I didn't eat the little round morsels (not that I would have prior to the Pollan reading, but that's a different story), but I did think of them differently. I thought not of the processed non-meat like I normally would, but instead: How many chickens were at that particular farm? Where did the corn come from? What hybrid was it? How much did those corn farmers profit...is their equipment old, like our good friend Naylor's? Or are they in massive debt from new implements?

I know several people who farm corn in my hometown, and I'm even related to a few. I wonder if I asked them about where their corn goes they'll tell me. Maybe they don't really know, or really want to know. In the end, it will be all consumed by someone or something...which made me think of the possibility of surviving a corn famine. With our reliance on corn, I don't think it would be possible.