Silver White Winters that Melt into Springs- My favorite things

The kitchen is often the centerpiece of a home. It's a place to gather, catch up with the family and of course prepare food. But, for me it's not just about making a meal. It's about learning and growing. Experimenting with recipes until I find one that works for us. It's about putting my love into the meals that will feed my family. This room is one of my happy places. And to create that serenity, I have a few favorites that are a part of my everyday life.

Mixing bowls: 

I am not sure I could have enough of these. I especially love the bigger ones with the rubber grip on the bottom. I try to hold myself back at Marshall's or TJ Maxx when I see gigantic bowls. I always want to get "one" more. Oh...and my big wooden spoon. We have a great stand mixer, but I've always loved mixing by hand. There's something about making cookies with a big wooden spoon that transports me back in time. 

Knives:

You know how it's considered strange to give knives as gifts? Well not with us! My husband and I have exchanged knives at Christmas and as random little tokens of love. A good sharp knife is one of the simplest tools any cook should have. Before I met my husband, I was clueless on the correct way to hold and use a knife. After a little coaching, I like to think I may even be faster at chopping than he is (shh don't tell him I said that)! The third one in is my "baby". It's a Portuguese 6" knife that just seems to fit my hand perfectly. 

Food Processor:

When I am pressed for time and need to get a bunch of things prepped in the kitchen, I break out the food processor. I will admit, it wasn't until recently that I started using this incredible gadget. I get intimidated easily by machines. Putting this together with all it's parts made me curse like a trucker (no child was present). I like to think that she and I had a love/hate relationship. Now, we are best buddies. It has practically taken up residence on my counter, I use it so much.

Cast Iron Pots:

Oh how I love thee...

This pot makes the perfect vessel for all things one pot meals. I have made countless soups, stews, braised beans, etc in this pot. Sigh, if only money grew on trees for us to splurge on Le Creuset. I keep my eye out for sales, in hopes that one day we will own a huge dutch oven from the renowned company. Until then, I will use/care for this one lovingly. 

Portuguese Ceramics:

My husband and I are both Portuguese. Funnily enough, I never thought I'd even date a Portuguese man (I was almost convinced they were all stubborn, hard to deal with men). Until, I met Marc. He was the most mild tempered man I had ever come across. We bonded over our heritage and I have even learned more of the language, since his first language is actually Portuguese. I've come to appreciate the beauty in the hand painted ceramics or the plentiful crocheted tablecloths we've acquired. Having them out, just brings a bit of the old country into our home. 

Blue Glass and Yorktowne dishes:

Nestled in my China cabinet next to Portuguese ware is my beloved late stepmother's collection. She loved collecting Yorktowne pieces and blue glass. She would go in search of these and was always happy to bring a new piece home to add to the hutch. Those dishes were used on mostly special occasions, but when they were taken out, we knew we were going to enjoy wonderful meals on them. When my stepmother passed almost ten years ago, I was blessed with these and quite honestly it feels like I was gifted with a piece of her. I find myself spying blue glass while out at yard sales. It just brings a smile to my face. I am reminded of her every time I walk into my dining room. 

COFFEE:

Yes, that is in all caps. I am a coffee drinker. Hi, I'm Kristine and I am a coffee snob. I can't really drink all coffee. I love the bold stuff. The bolder the better. I like to start my day with a nice steaming cup of joe, that was until our Cuisinart drip coffee maker died on us the other day. What is a girl to do? Thankfully, we also have an espresso machine. It may take more effort, but now I can make lattes/iced lattes to get me through. 

Dishtowels:

One can never have too many dishtowels. For one reason, when making breads, I need to keep them covered to rise. And since bread making is a weekly occurrence, I go through them fast. The other reason? When you live with a guy, they just see any towel as a place to wipe everything off their hands. I could have a really pretty Food Network dishtowel out and in one afternoon it is covered in dirt, sauce or grease. I've now learned to only put out the "good" towels when company comes over. 

King Arthur Flour:

Since I've discovered the art of bread making, I go through flour like crazy. There isn't a bag big enough at the store, so I run to BJ's Wholesale to get there 10lb bag. Believe it or not, that won't be big enough soon. I can't say enough about King Arthur Flour, it's pretty consistent for turning out perfectly baked goods. Plus, their recipes that they are provide are fabulous. I don't always use all purpose, I like to experiment with whole wheat or mix and match. Another flour I'm learning to love is Buckwheat flour (I'll share a recipe soon!). It's gluten free and makes the lightest, fluffiest cookies ever!

Aprons:

Sometimes, I like to think that I'm a domestic goddess lol. I can whip up a meal, clean like the dickens and spend real quality time with my family. I fantasize about wearing pretty house dresses and aprons like they did in the 50's and have a martini ready for the husband when he gets home.  In reality, I'm often covered in flour, in a pair of jeans and hoodie and what's waiting for the husband is a messy haired wife and overly excited child. One little piece of my fantasy that is true, is my cheery little Williams-Sonoma apron. I pride myself on little bargain finds. As much as I love that store, it's a little rich for my blood. So, I often peruse and check out the clearance section. I lucked out digging through their bins and found their well-made apron in yellow for only $6.99! I wear this every day and love it.

Butter:

One things a cook cherishes, butter. It's gotten a bad rap. Yes, it is fattening, but when you want to create flaky pie crusts, delicious cookies and countless other things, it's better than the alternative. I can't even look at margarine or any other impostors at the grocery store. The ingredients scare the crap out of me. I like to look at a product and see one ingredient, cream. I love Cabot butter. Unsalted has always been used in baking, but I've recently started using it in cooking as well. If we want to top toast, I started buying a European style butter that has a fresher, almost grassy taste. And a little goes a long way.

Olive Oil:

Speaking of fats. Olive oil is a staple in our kitchen. We buy it in bulk, because it's used to cook with, dress salads and top off soups. This Portuguese kind is great and reasonably priced too. We cook with pure olive oil and save the extra virgin stuff for salads.

Music:

I don't what I would be without music. In any facet of my life, music is often what keeps me sane. I love to sing, it soothes me. I've been able to connect with a song or a melody and get through whatever life has thrown at me. Cooking and music go together like peanut butter and jelly. As soon as I get started taking out my ingredients, I immediately put on Pandora on the phone. I have a few stations that just scream Kristine. One in particular is the Sara Bareilles station (I will share some favorite songs in a future post). I put on a song, close my eyes and start singing. When the song is done, it's like I've had the best 3 minute therapy session of my life. All troubles seem to melt away. I love that this has passed on to my son. He has the ability to feel music and I love that is growing up to be a sensitive, artistic child.

Reference Material:

I partially blame my mother for my obsession for cookbooks. I noticed that she always collected them. Her entire library was practically cookbooks! So, it wasn't a big surprise that I started stocking up too. I think it started when I was only a teenager. I was curious about cooking/baking and found more entertainment in reading a cookbook than a regular paperback. If it's a good book or magazine, I read it cover to cover. Some favorites are Vegetarian Times, Food Network, America's Test Kitchen, Pioneer Woman, the list goes on and on.

The Trio:

When I am stumped on how to prepare veggies, I fall back on three things that we are never without in our kitchen. Coarse sea salt, fresh ground black pepper and red pepper flakes. Add a tiny bit of olive oil and your veggies turn out delicious (as long as you don't overcook them!) We like spicy foods in our house, even our son, these flakes are homegrown. They come from super tiny hot Thai peppers that my husband has dried. Literally one or two flakes is all you need to kick up a dish.

Bulletin Board:

I'm sure most of you need some kind of organization for bills. I dread, absolutely dread opening up the mailbox and seeing a bunch of bills that have to be paid all at the same time. Instead of our old system of leaving them on the table for them to mysteriously get lost, I invested in a cork board to organize by the date they are due. And since I have to look at their ugly little paper faces, I needed room to fill the board with happiness. So, I started hanging up works of art by my little guy next to them. This makes the "bill" board more tolerable!

Love:

The cheesiest, but most important thing about our kitchen, is the love that fills it. As a little family of 3 (okay 4 cat included...or 28 if you include the chickens!), we cherish our time together. We learn from each other, we respect each other and most of all love unconditionally. My husband and I made a pact before we got married to always remain honest with each other, even if that meant hurting each others feelings. But we always manage to regain our ground and think about the things that made us fall in love in the first place. We still try to do little gestures to surprise each other. One day, he came into the kitchen with this. A wooden heart he had created in his workshop. Something small, but meant the world.

I encourage you to look around your home and admire the things that have a special place in your heart. Sometimes, taking a beat to acknowledge those little things can really change your perspective.

All Good Things- The night I made crab cakes from Heaven

One night, my husband and I were watching America's Test Kitchen. This episode was about crab and how to make the perfect crab cake. That sparked a craving. I haven't had a good crab cake in a long time. Most restaurants serve crab cakes that are mostly filled with breadcrumbs and not a whole lot of crab. I wanted to take a stab at ATK's version, with a little twist of my own. But I didn't want to stop there, I wanted to make the buns and an aioli to top it. This was going to be the ultimate crab cake.

Before I begin, my eyes glance at a sign that has become a fixture in our kitchen. It may seem sappy, but this rings true for the love in our little family. We have gone through our share of struggles, but no matter what, we will hang on to that deep love and respect we have for one another.

First I started with the buns. I had mentioned that a book I often refer to is The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila. Once again, I turned to her for her expertise. http://www.eatingfromthegroundup.com/2009/09/brioche-hamburger-buns-and-passing-the-love-updated/

Ingredients:

1 cup warm water
3 tbsp milk
2 tsp active dry yeast
2 tbsp sugar
3 large eggs
3 3/4 cups of flour plus some for covering work surface
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted room temperature butter
If you'd like toppings you can use poppy seeds, sesame seeds, coarse salt etc

In a measuring cup I add the warm water, milk and sugar, mix and let it stand for 5 minutes. Let it get all foamy on top.

I had a little oops, which turned out to be great. This differs from the original recipe, but I liked the outcome. I beat 3 eggs instead of 2. If you want to try it my oops way, just know you will need a fourth egg for the egg wash later.

I weigh my flour and add the salt. Then I add the butter in pats and use my fingers to gently mix into the flour.

Add the eggs and the yeast to the flour and mix well with hands until a dough forms. On a floured surface, knead the dough for about 10-15 minutes until the dough is pliable and can form a nice smooth ball.

I rub a little olive oil on the bowl I put the dough into so it won't stick. Cover with plastic and let it rise for 2 hours.

Then I go to work on the aioli. This is just "fancy" mayo.

Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 roasted bell pepper
1 roasted jalapeno
1 head of roasted garlic
salt
pepper
cayenne
lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 tbsp mayo
3 tbsp Dijon Mustard
Safflower oil

Cut the top off the garlic head so you can see the cloves inside. Rub with olive oil and cover in foil. Leave the peppers whole, wash them and rub with olive oil. Roast at 350 degrees. The peppers take about 30 mins until blistered. Keep turning to let them blister evenly. The garlic takes about 45-50 mins. Once peppers are done, put them in a paper bag for 10 mins to steam and cool enough for you to remove skin, stems, ribs and seeds. Take garlic out of foil to cool and then just squeeze the cloves out.

In a food processor, put all the ingredients in except the oil. I just eyeball the spices. Again, I like stuff spicy, so I do a lot of cayenne. Pulse until combined. Then slowly feed the oil through the tube as the mixture blends. Unfortunately had another oops : (
The safflower oil came out a little too fast, so my aioli was too thin. I then added some Dijon and mayo to thicken it up. Still thin, so it's more like a sauce then a mayo. But still tasted amazing. I put it in a airtight container and put it in a fridge.

Now the dough is ready for the next step. Split it into 8 sections of dough and form into a ball. Put on parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover with clean dish cloth and let it rise another hour or so.

Time for the crab cakes.
Ingredients:

1 can good quality jumbo lump crab
4 oz shrimp peeled and deveined
1/2 bell pepper seeded and chopped
1 whole onion minced
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
black pepper
heavy cream
milk
lemon juice

I went to the local fish market and got a can of good quality lump crabmeat. I pick through it to look for any shell. One trick America's Test Kitchen taught me was to soak the crab in milk and put in the fridge while working with the other components.

I also got unbelievable shrimp that is used for a binder (another ATK trick). These might have been too good to use for this purpose, but I couldn't pass on these babies!

The bread is ready to go in the oven. I heat it up to 400 degrees. I place a cheap foil pan filled with water on the oven floor (this helps to steam the bread). Mix together one egg and a little water. Brush on bread and top with any toppings you like. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden on top.

Take 1/2 of the panko and toast in a pan. The other half needs to be crushed a little finer. I just put it in a plastic bag and using a rolling pin to crush them. Take all the panko and put into a big bowl. Wipe out the pan and add a little olive oil.  Add in onion and bell pepper. Add salt, a little lemon juice and pepper and let saute for about 5 minutes. Add that to the panko bowl. In a food processor add your peeled and deveined shrimp. Pulse a few times. Then while the blade is on, slowly pour in some cream. It will create a mousse. Add that to the bowl. Now drain the milk from the crab and add that to the bowl. Mix well until all combined. Create patties. Add oil to a large pan and a few patties at a time. Let them develop a nice crust on each side.

Now that all the pieces of the puzzle are done, time to assemble. I was dying to try this out.

If there was ever a recipe where you could taste the love that was put in it, this would be it. When I asked how it was, my husband couldn't even form a sentence. He sat there happily eating with a smile on his face. That was the biggest pat on the back I could receive.

Snack Time!

Snacks. They should be a way to get us through the day until the next big meal right? They should be somewhat healthy, portioned little noshes that act as fuel to keep the body running. But when you look at what is in most of the snacks sold in stores today, they look more like chemistry experiments gone wrong.

I am in no way a dietitian or professional chef, but I like to think I am a knowledgeable consumer. I've always read the labels/list of ingredients and over the years I have either cut certain foods out or purchased less processed goods. But with a little more researching of blogs and cookbooks, I've walked down the snack aisles and thought, why don't I try to make these myself?

So far, my favorite inspirations are The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila (http://www.eatingfromthegroundup.com/the-book/). I have checked this book out 3 times from the library and can't stop referring to it, so I think it's time to purchase it. The Yummy Life blog (http://www.theyummylife.com/), where I learned how to make "Kind" bars. That's where it all started. And another Wonder Woman who inspires me, Ree Drummond a.k.a The Pioneer Woman (http://thepioneerwoman.com/). When I received her cookbook at Christmas and opened the beautifully photographed pages, I was in awe. She lives on a cattleranch, cooks simple yet elegant meals and photographs everything herself. Hmmmm someone I definitely relate to.

With all these "weapons" at my disposal, I can try to create healthy, satisfying homemade goods with my own two hands. My goal is to eventually open up my cupboard to see pretty little canisters of my own snacks. Now that makes me feel empowered and happy. Today, I will share with you two of the easiest snacks to start with. Mixed Nuts and Crackers. You may never want store bought again.

In this house, we have to buy nuts in bulk. I use them in so many recipes, for baking and cooking. I almost always choose raw (unless I can't find them, like the peanuts shown here) and unsalted. That way I'm in control of the roasting process and the amount of salt. Use 2 cups each of whatever unsalted, raw nuts you like.

I like to buy quality ingredients if it's an item we are going to use a lot. It may seem like a waste of money, but trust me, when you taste what real maple syrup is like, you'll forget about the commercialized ones we see on grocery shelves. My husband is lucky enough to know someone who can get great syrup. Ha! It sounds like something out of a mobster movie, "he knows a guy.."

Did you know that not all cinnamon is created equal? I had no idea that those sticks you often see in the bakery aisle were not "really" cinnamon. Most of what we see is actually cassia or Saigon cinnamon. They are a member of the cinnamon family, but they are stronger in flavor and lends itself better for savory dishes. Ceylon is "true" cinnamon. It's more expensive and sometimes can be hard to find, but it's health benefits and subtle taste are excellent.

In a bowl, I mix together 1/4 cup of maple syrup, couple turns of fresh ground black pepper, couple of pinches of salt, couple of shakes of cinnamon, touch of lemon juice and a few shakes of cayenne pepper. This is all to taste. It can be customized to how you like it. I add more cayenne, because maple syrup can be overpowering, plus I like things a little spicy! Add in your 6 cups of nuts and mix together really well.

Spread them evenly on a lightly buttered rimmed cookie sheet. Making sure to not have many clumps. Roast at 300 degrees. Check them occasionally by shaking the pan slightly. Make sure they aren't burning. They are usually done when you can smell the nuttiness filling the air. About 15 minutes or so. Take them out to cool. While that's happening, I move on to my crackers.

The ingredients (my recipe is large because we are a crackers and cheese kind of family):

2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour (plus a little more for dusting surface
2 1/2 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of course sea salt
1/2 tsp of paprika
1 1/2 tbsp of ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp of vanilla
Pinch of black pepper (optional)
8 tbsp of cold unsalted butter cut into small pats
1/2 cup of water

Put all your dry ingredients into a food processor or bowl and whisk together. Then I have my frozen butter that I cut into chunks (carefully) and add into the flour mixture and mix until a little clumpy.

Next mix together the water and vanilla in a bowl and slowly add it to your flour mixture. Using the food processor, I use the dough blade and keep pulsing as I pour in the water/vanilla. It will eventually become a soft ball of dough.

On a well floured surface, I divide the dough into 4 sections since it's easier to work with. Work with one piece at a time. The other pieces should stay covered with a clean dishcloth so they don't dry out. I pat down the dough with a rolling pin and begin rolling out the dough into a large rectangle/circle shape.

I decided to do two shapes. Here is the round cracker, in which I use a small juice glass as a cookie (err..cracker) cutter. Get the circles as close as you can. You can try to take the remaining dough and reshape and roll it out again so you aren't wasting a ton.

I decided to get a little fancy and make pretty little edges. If you want to take the time to do this, you just use the tines of a fork. It is tedious though...just a warning.

Now I make my other shape, just plain old squares/rectangles. They aren't fancy and definitely not perfect, but they are homemade, so that's perfect enough for me! With a large knife slice the dough into strips and then into small squares/rectangles.

Since the nuts are removed from the oven, you can turn the oven onto bake and turn up the heat to 400 degrees. Place the crackers on a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheets. Don't worry if they seem close together. They don't expand much. Lightly sprinkle fine salt onto all of your crackers. Bake them for about 8 minutes or until they have turned golden and crisp.

And there you have it. Two snacks that you can get done in no time. Fresh, delicious snacks your family will gladly gobble up.

Something's Fishy

Growing up, I hated fish. I thought it was too well...fishy. Looking back, my dislike of fish must have been a horror to my Portuguese family. Most holidays included fish, unless your Nana (like mine) would do anything to get you to eat and supply you with Elio's pizza or Kraft macaroni and cheese. It wasn't until a plate of what looked like fried chicken, had me whistling a different tune. My father called it "chicken fish" and I believed him. Yeah, I was a pretty gullible child.

It took me years to learn to appreciate the many preparations of seafood. Now, if I had a choice between a niece piece of grilled fish or a steak? I'd choose the fish.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to go to Whole Foods. My friends and family know that a trip to a grocery store is like a spa day for me. I leisurely stroll through the aisles, compare prices in my head and grab inspiration from fresh ingredients. I'm a real hoot, huh?

When shopping for fish, don't be afraid to talk to your fish monger (I just like saying that word). For instance, I know that my local Shaw's gets their fish delivery on Tuesday. I have them take the fish out of the case and smell it. Fresh fish should smell like salt water, if you smell anything else, you don't know how old it is. Take a look at the color, it should be bright (but be careful of it being too bright, as some companies inject dye). And it shouldn't be slimy, wet, but not slimy. Here is a beautiful piece of Coho salmon.

I decided to simply roast it along with other random veggies I had left in the fridge.

I slice the salmon into 3 almost equal portions, lay them on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

I chop my cauliflower and carrots, toss in olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley and add that to a foiled lined baking sheet.

I pop those into a 400 degree oven and cook the fish for about 10 minutes. While that's cooking I make a sauce to brush on the salmon. It's fresh lemon juice, Grey Poupon Dijon mustard, fresh rosemary and thyme. Just eyeball the ingredients and taste to alter. Mix well.

I then begin making my other side dish of Israeli couscous. I love this stuff! It's chewy, yet delicate and makes a great accompaniment for lots of light dishes. I decided to make this with pumpkin seeds and a touch of lemon juice. Follow the ratios for broth to couscous on the box/bag.

I toast the pumpkin seeds for a couple of minutes and remove them from the pan. Then I add in minced onion with a little bit of oil and saute for 3 minutes. I add in the couscous and toast for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly so not to burn. Then I add in my chicken broth and couple of tbsp of lemon juice, bring down to low and cover. Simmer until all the liquid has absorbed.

Remove fish after 10 minutes and brush on your sauce. Put back in oven for another 10 minutes.

Check the veggies and turn pan if needed so they roast evenly. They will roast for about 25 minutes. Want to get a kid to eat their veggies? Roast them. It brings out the natural sweetness and it's soooo good.

When everything is out of the oven and off the heat, I add the pumpkin the seeds back into the couscous and plate. This was one healthy and delicious meal!