Ho! Ho! Holiday Cheers!

What a wrap up to the first Christmas we hosted in our new home in Texas. 

Or, rather, 

the first Christmas we have 

EVER hosted. 

In summary, it was delightful! 

Tons of work for sure but all good and fun.

The first group of relatives arrived a few days before Christmas. My in-laws drove in on Christmas Eve after stopping to see family in Dallas, Texas. 

 We had scrubbed, cleaned, washed, and scented the house until Christmas smells were everywhere.  

We baked dozens of cookies starting with gingerbread and moving on to snickerdoodle, chocolate chip, ginger, molasses, and a variety of others.  Madeleine's favorite sweet is rice krispie treats so she and Patrick made large batches of those.  

We chuckled as the flour and sugar bin levels dropped and eggs were constantly plucked from the refrigerator.  

Then I got started on the main dishes:  

Quiches, 

chili, 

beef stout pie, 

cinnamon rolls, 

and breads 

were all prepared ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen.  I made a batch of brioche dough and put that in the freezer.  

So many lessons learned in terms of cooking for 10 people.  

Biggest lesson was 

ALWAYS 

give everything more time to thaw and to bake.  

It was great fun to set the table for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I had walked through my mind all of the dishes and table arrangements that I wanted to put together and finally laying everything on the table was so satisfying.  

It was like playing 

tea party 

for REAL.  

Everyone here was happy about the warmer weather in Texas. 

It was 

cool and nippy here 

but more like fall rather than winter.  Family was coming in from Missouri and they had experienced freezing temperatures and an impending snow storm just before leaving for Texas.  

The weather was beautiful here in comparison and it was nice to give everyone a break from their cold winter.

After Christmas, 

we all packed up and headed further south to the 

Gulf of Mexico.  

We rented a beach house on Surfside Beach on the Gulf.  

It was cute and cozy.  

My brother-in-law fished, we found fun shells, ate lots of leftovers, and shopped in nearby Galveston.  The holiday was hectic at times but overall relaxing and spirited.

Time to move forward now.

 Everyone is on their way home.

  We've rid the kitchen of the caloric treats (except for the cookies) that we consumed at will.  

Bills needed to be paid and financial objectives to be established for the new year.  Basically, the one word that will guide our financial decisions in the future is:  

college.  

Our daughter is a junior in high school and the college decisions that will need to be made in the upcoming 6 months just 

baffles and frightens me.

So, in reflection, 2010 was a year full of constant change for our family.  Moving 

to  Texas tops the list.

  Traveling to Switzerland and Provence was the highlight and feels like a lingering dream.  Hosting Christmas for the first time made us feel very grown up.  

Not shoveling snow or dealing with wintry weather was welcomed by Patrick but sniffled at by the rest of us.  So many new people met and 

hopefully 

so many more to encounter in the upcoming year.  

Life is changing.  

Our daughter is readying to leave the nest and none of us are ready for this change.  

We are a cozy happy family of four.  

Every Christmas tradition seemed bittersweet and dearly noticed.  

We don't know how far away she will head for college.  

Hopefully 

she will stay a few hours away in Texas but being new to the state, we don't want to shackle her here.  

Here's to another year upcoming, 

promising 

to be full of impending change for all of us.  However...

Life is good.  

Life is precious.

Olive, Tomato and Basil Sourdough Crispbread (or Crackers)

When you've got nice dips and cheese, you want something to scoop them from their containers and into your mouth. There is a fantastic recipe by Katie for sourdough crackers, but I wanted them there and then (or at least soon) and I hadn't added flour to starter 7 hours ago. You can't just pour your starter into the baking tray, because it's too liquid. Or can you? I like sourdough pancakes or crepes, because I don't have to plan in advance, I just mix up some starter with an egg and then pour the batter into a frying pan. Burst of inspiration and primary school-style curiosity. So I made my batter as usual but minus the sweet additions, then once I cooked my pancake, I cut it up and placed it on the baking tray to crisp up. It worked perfectly!

So if you need a shortcut, or shorter-cut at least...

Anyway, I topped mine with some slow-dried cherry tomatoes, black olives, plain yogurt, and fresh basil leaves. THEN as I bit through all those flavours, I thought why not flavour the crispbread/crackers with this combination?

So I chopped up the tomatoes and black olives, grated some parmesan, and added some dried basil to...THREE types of batter. One with egg white, one with egg yolk, one with both. Might as well make it a proper experiment since I already got myself into it.

Olive, Tomato and Basil Sourdough Crispbread/Cracker

Ingredients

1/4 cup starter

1 egg white OR 1 egg yolk OR 1/2 egg (check below for verdict. I recommend the 1/2 egg.)

small amount of grated parmesan

1 tbsp finely chopped slow-dried cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp finely chopped black olives

pinch of salt, pepper, dried basil

1 tbsp unrefined palm oil (or you can use coconut oil. or olive oil even. but I think palm oil helped it to crisp up?)

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

1. Mix all the ingredients together except the oil to make a batter.

2. Over medium heat, melt palm oil in the pan, swirl about, then pour the batter in.

3. Cook for about 2 min till set, then flip and cook for another 1 min.

4. Cut into desired shapes. Arrange on a baking tray without overlapping. Put into oven for 20 min till crisp.

My experimental crispbreads.

Verdict:

(from left to right) Results of egg white batter, egg batter, egg yolk batter

The one with both yolk and white gives an in between result. It's more like a crispbread. Bit more depth to the flavour than no yolk.

The one with the yolk gives an almost biscuit-y texture, because the batter's quite dense, you get a very thick "pancake". After baking, when you bite into it, you get a "crunch" instead of a "crack".. do I make sense?

The whipped egg white one gives you a cracker, because the batter's more runny, you get a thinner "pancake/crepe", and crispier result after baking. But (I find) less flavourful?

This is how a "crack" looks:

Lastly, if you don't put them into the oven at all, you get a yummy gently tangy flatbread that actually works great for dips too! For that I recommend the egg white one because it feels lighter and has less..egginess? so the flavours are less confused.

Ok that's all. My old science teacher would be proud.

UPDATE: The crispbreads/crackers don't stay crispy till the next day, so you'll have to pop them back in the oven. I guess that's why you shouldn't do last minute work, but still, if you didn't prep your dough the day before, and will munch them up at a go anyway ..why not hehe.

2011 would be a year inspired by...

Anna Karina

Alice Glass

Karen Elson

Skingirls

Interpol

Punk

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Alison Mosshart

The Horrors

Karen O

 White Rose Movement

Sweden

I think all these things would be present during next year... and you?

New Year Ham with Black Eyed Peas and Braised Cabbage and Onion

Yesterday on this blog I featured pork and mentioned how there are many cultures around the world in which eating pork at New Year is considered to be a bringer of good luck. I thought that I would continue this theme today and expand on it slightly. I am therefore featuring boiled ham (as it is any type of meat from a pig which is considered lucky,) as well as black eyed peas which are also considered lucky to eat at New Year and cabbage, which is believed by many to bring riches in the coming year. I hope very much that if you are one of the millions of people who see a dish incorporating cabbage and immediately think, "I hate cabbage!" you will at least consider the way in which I have prepared it here before dismissing this offering altogether...

This recipe is for four people.

Ingredients

2lb piece of boneless, boiling ham
1/2 white cabbage
1 medium white onion
1 clove of garlic
14oz can of black eyed peas in water
6 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Method

The ham has to be cooked completely before anything else is started. Wash the piece of ham and place it in to a large pot. Stick the whole cloves in to the ham, crack the black peppers in a pestle and mortar and add them also. Note that the ham should not be salted, as it will have been cured with salt. Pour in enough cold water to completely cover the ham and put on to a high heat until the water starts to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for one and a half hours, topping up the water as required.

When the ham is cooked, it should be removed from the water with a carving fork and a large slotted spoon and transferred to a small bowl to rest. It is better to use a bowl than a plate, as this will catch the escaping juices. Cover the bowl while the cabbage and onion and the black eyed peas are prepared.

The cabbage should be quartered, the core cut out and each quarter sliced. The onion should be peeled, halved and also sliced. The garlic clove should be peeled and finely chopped. The olive oil should be put in to a large pot, brought up to a medium heat and the cabbage, onion and garlic all added. Season with salt and pepper and cook on a medium heat, stirring frequently for seven or eight minutes.

The black eyed peas should be poured in to a pot and heated for three or four minutes. Take care not to let the liquid boil. They should then be drained through a colander and are ready to serve.

The ham should be carved while the peas are heating and the cabbage and onion finishes braising. This delicious, lucky New Year meal may then be plated and served.

Tomorrow on this Blog

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve - Hogmanay here in Scotland - and I will be featuring my final recipe of 2010. I will also, however, be looking at New Year Resolutions, specifically in relation to food, and I hope very much that you will stop by to take a look.

I'm a Wishy-Washy Mix of Friedman and Thatcher

... so sayeth the quiz that our Monastery of Miscellaneous Musings led us to.


My numbers: Left/Right: 3.50
Social Libertarian / Authoritarian: 2.26.

Top 10 Best Things I Made in 2010

Leaving a year behind can mean a whole new start, new resolutions, shaking off the old bad habits and acquiring new ones (bad and good!). Not so with food. When a good recipe enters my repertoire, it bears repeating and improving.

It wouldn't be New Year's Eve without a top ten list, and like other food bloggers I've assembled my Top 10 Best Things I Made in 2010. Some of these I made for the first time in 2010, some are old favorites that were presented to other people for the first time in 2010. Some I've written about here and some I just never got around to writing about or never had pictures for. In any case, they are memorable and sure to be repeated in 2011 and beyond.

10. Silken Comfort Tofu

I thought about writing about this tofu dish many times. It is warm, spicy, sweet and nutty. It is truly a representation of its name of silken comfort. It's not the tasteless tofu that many people fear. It is a treat, and since someone else wrote about it before me, I'll just refer you to that blog.

http://www.food52.com/blog/420_silken_comfort_tofu

9. Raspberry Ribbon Shortbread
A simple shortbread with raspberry jam baked onto it is the perfect Christmas cookie. (See recipe below)

8. Roasted Potatoes from Cook's Illustrated


The trick, my friend, is to parboil the potatoes first, then toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, before roasting them. This gives them a crisp exterior, creamy interior, and great flavor and color.

7. Haitian Chicken Puffs

These make a great appetizer. They are spicy and savory and anything with puff pastry is bound to be a success.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001981753

6. Miso Butter

I just made this a few weeks ago and waxed effusively about it. I can't imagine making steak without miso butter now.

http://cook-it-yourself.blogspot.com/2010/12/warmth.html

5. Winter Cabbage Salad



I've got to throw a salad in here, and this is the best one of the year, edging out a nice Thanksgiving spinach and pear salad, a mushroom, fennel and parmigiano-reggiano layered salad, a frisee, ham and egg salad with dijon dressing, and any kind of salad with avocados.

http://cook-it-yourself.blogspot.com/2010/02/getting-bad-rap.html

4. New York Style Crumb Cake

You will look for excuses to make this crumb cake. Suddenly you'll be throwing tea parties and showers, even though you're a celebrated hermit. You'll volunteer to bring in the cake for the office potluck and the 4th of July picnic. You'll invite yourself to your neighbor's annual summer luau and claim the cake is a Hawaiian staple. It's that good.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/New-York-Style-Crumb-Cake-358217

3. Chicken and Dumplings

This is the real thing. Boiling a whole chicken to make your own stock, gravy, and topping it off with dumplings is comforting and makes your feel a little like Martha Stewart or a settler of the old west or something.

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001134065

2. Bacon Shrimp and Grits


I wrote about how decadent this recipe was, but it's also great because once you've made it you don't really need the recipe anymore. What could be easier than chopped onions and garlic, butter and olive oil, grits, bacon, and shrimp cooked in bacon fat?

http://cook-it-yourself.blogspot.com/2010/05/decadent.html

1. Double Chocolate Mocha Brownies


Dense and chocolaty, they are my favorite kind of brownie. There was a time when I never made brownies from scratch. They always came from a box and they were perfectly acceptable. But let me remind you that desserts are a lot of calories and perfectly acceptable is not good enough. They need to be AMAZING. And these are.

http://cook-it-yourself.blogspot.com/2010/02/kind-of-brownie-i-like.html

Here's wishing for a 2011 with as many great new finds and rediscovering old favorites, in food, friends, and life. Cheers!

Raspberry Ribbon Shortbread
Yield: 4 dozen bars

Dough:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

½ cup vegetable shortening

½ cup powdered sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

½ cup seedless raspberry jam for filling (stir until smooth in a small bowl)

Beat butter, shortening, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla in mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy. With mixer on low speed, add salt and flour. Beat just until blended. Divide dough into four equal parts and flatten each slightly into a disk. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for a least 2 hours until firm or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, shape each disk of dough into a 12 inch long “rope” then flatten to 5/8 inch thick and about 2 inches wide. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches or so apart. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, press a ¼ inch deep groove along the center of each rope.

Bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven and gently press grooves down again using spoon handle. Fill each groove carefully with jam. Return to oven and bake 8-10 minutes more until firm and light golden brown at edges. Remove pan from oven.

Let cool 10 minutes on pan, then gently cut into ¾ - 1 inch wide slices. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

Thursday Blog Hops and Link Ups...

Enjoy what you read here at Golden Reflections? Please vote daily over at Picket Fence Blogs! Just click on the button below!

Cooking mama desember Pasta Meat Sauce

31 Desember 2010, Jumat

Ini masakan uda bikin dari kemarin2, tapi entah mengapa, semangat buat update kok ga muncul2..penyakit malas merambatiku lagiii!!! Gawat...gpp dah, coz hari ini mulai semangat update lagi, n jangan ikutan malas juga ya blogger friendzz..

Kali ini resep cooking mama, gw yang tentuin, yaitu Spagetti, jadi kumpulin dah resep2 spagettti yang enak enak ya. Gw milih pasta meat Sauce, yang jadi favoritnya anak2.

Bahan
100 gr daging cincang
1 bh bwg bombai
1 potong wortel
1 bh peaman
1/2 bungkus jamur
5 gr mentega
1 bh bwg putih
1 sdm olive oil
keju bubuk secukupnya

Saos
1 kaleng tomato sauce
50 cc air
2 sdm oster sauce
2 sdm ketcup sauce
1 sdm mirin
1 bh consume kotak/ maggie kotak
1 sdm olive oil
garam lada secukupnya
1/2 sdm tepung terigu
5 gr mentega
Cara membuat meat sauce
1. Sayur potong iris tipis, masukkan mentega n olive oil ke ferifan
2. Tumis bawang putih n bombay, sayur, masak sampe layu
3. Masukkan daging, masak mpe daging berubah warna
4. Masukkan tepung aduk rata, masukkan sauce, api kecil, hingga matang

Penyajian
1. Rebus pasta, angkat ,tiriskan
2. Masukkan mentega n olive oil, tumis pasta bersama meat sauce, masukkan garam lada buat penambah rasa
3. Tuang di piring, sajikan bersama meat sauce, taburkan keju bubuk

Juxtaposition

---