Sunday, July 12, 2009

Certain Key Qualities


Every once in a while, you may get it into your head that you want to do something with phyllo dough. You'll think of flaky pastry stuffed with savory meat and cheese. You'll think of layers of phyllo and honey and nuts in baklava. You'll think of Greek themed meals with olives and flaming cheese doused in lemon, leading up to a large pan of spanikopita. Your ambition will get ahead of you and you'll buy not one but multiple boxes of phyllo dough, carefully follow the thawing instructions, and roll it out onto the table.

Think very carefully before you get to this point, because it takes cerain key qualities to work well with phyllo. Can you be patient, or do you skip the resting stage and cut right into your meat? Are you persistent, or did you give up making falafel because they disintegrated in the hot oil? Can you be graceful or do you constantly bump your knee against the table leg – the same knee and the same table leg every time you sit down for dinner? Maybe you can be. Maybe your patience is solid as a cheesy spinach filling. Maybe you have endless layers of persistence. Maybe your grace shines like an egg wash.

Or maybe you’re like me.

I can barely persist through this blog entry. I eat appetizers while making dinner. I bump my knee on the table leg – the same knee and the same table leg – every single day. And I struggle with phyllo dough.

But I must have some quality that takes me back to phyllo every now and then. Is it optimism, in believing that this time the process will go more smoothly? No, not even close. You see, no matter the messiness, no matter the trouble, at the end of the day phyllo wrapped packages with their tasty and varied fillings always receive praise and admiration. It's my ego that takes me back to phyllo again and again. Trying to impress by appearing cool and collected while presenting a platter of spinach and feta stuffed phyllo triangles to my guests, I anticipate their oohs and aahs. In reality, they must be thinking how crazy I am to work with phyllo when I could have just as easily impressed them with chips and dip.

Already, the dried out sheets crumbling to pieces and the sticky layers that wouldn't come apart are forgotten because the ego is satisfied. Phyllo, it muses, why that's nothing. But you'll notice, I never make such things when I'm eating alone.

Spanikopita

Ingredients:
2 pounds washed spinach, wilted
½ cup finely chopped parsley
½ cup finely chopped scallions
1½ cup finely chopped onion, browned
½ pound crumbled feta
2 T olive oil
1 package phyllo dough
5 beaten eggs
1 T dill weed
1 tsp oregano
1 T garlic
1 T lemon juice
½ cup salted butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Mix all ingredients except for phyllo dough. Grease a 9X12X3 inch baking pan. Layer phyllo dough then mixture, in twelve layers. Cut into squares. Bake at 350° F for 1 hour.

To make this spanikopita into phyllo triangles:
Brush a sheet of phyllo with melted butter and place a second sheet on top of it. Use a sharp knife to cut the sheets lengthwise into thirds. Place a mound of filling at one end of each strip. Fold dough over filling, forming a triangle. Continue folding, like a flag, until you come to the end of each strip. Bake at 350° F for 15-20 minutes.

slip exam



nak tdow da. tp... baru dpt taw. itu pon dkt FB, itu pon secara x sengaja.

slip exam. baru nak ambik esok. bnyk sgt hal lately...


but baru dpt taw. kene denda sbb last friday last?

lambat = kene denda. n nasib la dpt ke x slip tuh.


malangnye x de sape bgtaw.

hukkk...malang sungguh. hurm.

mcm mane la nak ambik slip esok? erm.


aqilah. bangun3~! sedar diri skit.

hidup nih x leh harapkan sesiapa. ahah...



best of luck college mate~




good night.




Buttttttttttter up!

The name of this post sounds similar to "batter up" which reminds me...Cubs pummeled the Cards yesterday. Hoping for a similar outcome after today's game.

Anyways...butter. Butter is the topic of discussion this morning while I enjoy my morning ritual: cappuccino and blogging. And as husband sweats away playing Punch Out on Wii while Lily the bulldog sun bathes in 103 degree Oklahoma heat. Freaks..

As I opened my Journal of the American Dietetic Association this month, I found an eye-catching page devoted to the "Big FAT Truth": butter. Butter is certainly one of those confusing aisles we enter at our local grocery stores. The health claims, the rumored dangers of margarine vs. butter...and the list goes on. So, what
is the deal with butter?

Simply put, soft spreads have 70% less saturated fat than butter, no cholesterol, and "no" trans fats per serving*. These spreads are made with healthy plant oils including soybean and canola which are loaded with our near-and-dear mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids providing desired heart-healthy protection [1].

And by now you should be thinking, "That's great and all...but which soft spread do I grab?". Those listed in the ADA Journal included: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Country Crock, Promise, and Brummel & Brown made with Natural Yogurt [1]. These would all be better choices the next time you're butter browsing...but possibly not the best.

Let's delve a little deeper. If you visit Smart Balance's website, the first thing you read is, "Partially hydrogenated means trans fat"...and, right they are. That phrase on the ingredient list tells us consumers that there was a hydrogenation process in production. And that process is what puts trans fats into foods such as butter spreads, as trans fats do not naturally occur in the foods. Trans fat is way worse than saturated fat, even. It raises our bad cholesterol, lowers our good cholesterol, contributes to diabetes, and is linked to heart disease [2].

If you're really interested in trans fats (which you should be), more information can be found here: The Truth About Trans Fats. A seemingly innocent 2% increase in trans fat consumption can increase risk of cardiovascular disease by 23%. That's only 40 calories or 4 extra grams of trans fat a day. Can't say I didn't warn you!

In summary: no butter is "good butter". It's a high-calorie condiment with fat and should be used sparingly. Taste your food before buttering it up, and purchase products wisely. Read labels and stay informed: 0.48 + 0.48 + 0.47 + 0.45 + 0.46 (or 5 servings of "trans fat free" products) exceeds the recommended daily amount of trans fat.

* Products containing up to 0.49 grams of trans fat are not required to be put on food labels. Ahhhh!

[1]. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Big FAT Truth. Eat Right. July 2009 edition.
[2]. The Truth About Trans Fat. The Facts.

Kansas City Style(3rd in a series)


Kansas City style barbecue came to be in the early 1900's from the pits of Henry Perry. Kansas City, Missouri, boasting over 100 barbecue restuarants is another barbecue capital of the world.(I think I detect a trend here).

Kansas City style barbecue is known for its use of many different types of meat. These include beef brisket,beef and pork ribs,pulled pork,smoked sausage,chicken and in my opinion one of mans greatest discoveries, the burnt end. Burnt end is the ends of the brisket after its long cooking times. The ends get cooked more due to their thinness compared to the rest of the cut. This gives it a crunchy texture and is simply delicious. The sauce is a sweet and tangy tomato base and is intended to be used liberally. Most sauces can be found in spicier versions as well. Favorite side dishes are baked beans,cole slaw and fries.

(from wikipedia)
Kansas City traces its barbecue history to Henry Perry, who operated out of a trolley barn at 19th and Highland in the legendary African-American neighborhood around 18th and Vine.

Perry served slow-cooked ribs on pages of newsprint for 25 cents a slab. Perry came from Shelby County, Tennessee near Memphis and began serving barbecue in 1908. The style of Kansas City and Memphis barbecue are very similar, although Kansas City tends to use more sauce and a wider variety of meats, including pork, beef, chicken, sausage, and turkey. Perry's sauce had a somewhat harsh, peppery flavor.


Arthur Bryant's Barbecue at 18th and Brooklyn in Kansas CityPerry's restaurant became a major cultural point during the heyday of Kansas City Jazz during the "wide-open" days of Tom Pendergast in the 1920s and 1930s.

Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce Recipe

This is a rich, thick, tomato based Kansas City style barbecue sauce recipe. Adjust the heat by changing the amount of cayenne.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
•1 cup ketchup
•1/4 cup water
•1/4 cup vinegar
•1/4 cup brown sugar
•3 tablespoons olive oil
•2 tablespoons paprika
•1 tablespoon chili powder
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•1 teaspoon cayenne
Preparation:
Heat oil in a saucepan. Add garlic and sauté until brown. Add remaining ingredients and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
http://www.bbq.about.com