The spatulas I always reach for first

I'm not saying my memory is failing, but I have no idea where these OXO cookie spatulas came from. I've had them for so long, they're in the "always had them" part of my memory. They might have been from some kind of promotion, or maybe they were tucked into a gift bag. I might have purchased one. But I know that I use them all the damned time. In fact, I had to rescue one from my dishwasher to take the photo.

The funny thing is that since I took this photo and put this post into draft mode where it languished, I somehow acquired a gray-ish colored one. Are they breeding in my kitchen drawer or what?

These are certainly not the largest or most robust spatulas I own. I mean, I'm not going to pick up a layer of cake or lift a turkey with one of these. But their small size is exactly what makes them so darned useful in the kitchen. They're a bit bendy, particularly along the tapered edge that easily gets under food. They can snuggle into the corner of a pan to lift out the first brownie, but they're rigid enough to be able to lift that brownie or an oversized cookie without bending and sending the baked goods to their doom.

Although they call this a cookie spatula, that doesn't mean it's only for sweets. I've used it to get slices of lasagna out of a pan, and I've used it for cooking all kinds of savory things on the stove because it's totally heat-safe for that kind of thing. You know, like for cooking scrambled eggs.

When it comes to maintenance, these things are the lowest of the low. Not only does food not stick, making hand washing easy-peasy, they're also dishwasher safe. Both of these spatulas have been through the dishwasher a multitude of times, with absolutely no ill effects. It's a good thing I have two of them, because it seems like one of 'em is always in the dishwasher.

Review: Hamilton Beach Cool-Touch Deep Fryer

I recently tested the Hamilton Beach Cool Touch Electric Deep Fryer. I'll be honest. I don't do a lot of deep frying, but I also have to admit that it gives the best results for some things. Chicken wings, for example. I mean, they're fine in an oven or air fryer, but the deep fried version is a different level of fry-ness. 

If you want to do a little deep frying without using gallons of oil to do it, this compact deep fryer may be just what you’re looking for. It uses a maximum of 8 cups of oil, and overall it's small and lightweight. 

While you can certainly use less oil than the max, you can’t use too much less since the oil needs to cover the heating element and have enough oil so the food in the basket is covered. The maximum fill line is embossed in the side of the black cooking pan, but it can be a bit hard to see, depending on the lighting. It might be easiest to measure the two quarts before adding it to the machine. While that doesn’t look like a lot of oil for the larger container, it accounts for the fact that the oil will bubble and spatter during cooking.

My major objection to air frying at home is the splattery mess. This has a lid you can close during frying, which helps contain some of the mess. But there's still some spattering when adding or removing the food, or any time you lift the lid.

My favorite, as mentioned, was chicken wings. Marinated in a tasty yogurt mixture overnight, and yogurt left on as a coating for frying, the wings emerged crisp and juicy. I also fried a variety of other foods including hush puppies and cauliflower. Because of the smaller capacity, this isn’t what you’d want if you’re making huge baskets of French fries for hungry teenagers (although it says it can handle up to six cups of fries in a batch), but it did a great job on all the smaller batches, which really is all I want.

I started with just four wing sections in the first batch, but went up to eight pieces per batch by the time I was done and it worked well. The instructions note that breaded or battered foods should be in a single layer so they don’t stick, while non-sticky foods can be stacked or layered and then shaken in the basket during cooking to make sure everything is getting cooked. 

This has a simple knob with temperatures at 265, 300, 340, and 375 degrees. Lights show when the machine is plugged in, and when it has reached temperature. I fried most things at 375 degrees, but appreciate that it’s adjustable for things that fry at lower temperatures. The power plug is held onto the unit magnetically, as a safety feature, and the cord is fairly short for safety, so cooking needs to be done close to an outlet. 

After cooking, the basket can hang on the cooker above the oil to let clinging oil drip off. When it comes to cleaning, none of the parts are dishwasher safe. Disassembly is simple enough. The basket comes out and its handle is removable. The heating element comes out next. This needs to be cleaned carefully, since the electronics can’t be submerged in water. The oil pan simply lifts out and the oil can be strained for another use, or disposed of. The lid is also removable, which is appreciated. However, we found that replacing the lid was a little fiddly. We got it back in place, but it’s not as easy as just sliding it into place. Once everything is removed, there are just a few places where oil needs to be cleaned up, but it’s not difficult.

Overall, I liked this machine, but I haven't used it since I finished testing. Mostly because I was moving on to testing other countertop appliances, and my counter's simply not large enough to hold all of the things. I may pull it out again next time I have a wing craving, because they really were good.

Hard boil your eggs in your microwave. No, really!

When I need a whole bunch of hard boiled eggs, usually I steam them on a rack, in a large, shallow pan. It works flawlessly. 

When I need just a few eggs, I turn to the microwave.

Yes, skeptical one. I said the microwave.

You may know that if you put an egg in the microwave, it will explode. And no one wants to clean that up. 

But with a little magic (or science, if you prefer) you can cook eggs in the microwave with very little fuss. 

I've had this microwave egg cooker for more years than I can remember (but Amazon says I bought it in 2016), and it's seriously the only way I "hard-boil" eggs when I need from 1-4 hard boiled eggs.

Before you go there, yes, I've tried cooking eggs in my Instant Pot, and ... no. Just no. I never found the exact formula for the right timing, and about half the time I got distracted and overcooked the eggs to death. 

The microwave gadget is easier. I just stick the thing in the microwave with eggs and water, set the time, and walk away. At worst, I get distracted and the eggs sit a little too long before I cool them off, but they're not continuing to cook at high temperature - they're busy cooling down. So although they might overcook a little bit, they're not on their way to becomes sauna eggs.

So, the science here is that the eggs aren't actually getting cooked via microwaves. They're shielded by the metal in the cooker, so the waves never reach them. Instead, the microwaves heat the water and turn it into the steam. The steam rises from the bottom reservoir and enters the chamber with the eggs. The eggs cook from steaming, just like the ones on the stove.

There are no adjustments or settings or buttons. It might take a few tries to get the timing perfect for eggs the way you like them, but after that, it's just a matter of setting the time on the microwave and then letting them rest a short time before cooling them in cold water - I just dump out the hot water in the reservoir and drop the eggs in there and add cold water.

Cleaning is simple. Unless an egg breaks (which rarely happens, but it can if an egg has a crack that I don't notice) there's not much to fuss with. I just rinse it off, and let it dry and I'm done.

The one I have is made by Nordicware and when I bought it, it was the only one available. Since then, other brands have produced similar microwave egg cookers. 

Nordicware is a quality brand, and I've been happy with my little egg cooker for a long time, so I recommend it. But if you find another one that appeals, I suspect there aren't a lot of differences. The bargain ones might be a tad less sturdy, but let's face it, this isn't a super-complicated device.

I'm BACK! Just a little rusty, but it will get better!

Stella says "Hello" and wants a treat

After a long hiatus, I've decided to get back to blogging. Just for giggles.

Since I've been gone, I've gone low carb. Not no-carb, not keto, not carnivore. But no sugar, for sure. I occasionally have white or processed carbs, but on a splurgy day, like when I go out for a burger craving. But mostly not. So, no white bread and no white rice and no regular pasta.

I've substituted whole grain foods for the "white carbs" but I limit those, as well. What does that leave? Well, meat, eggs, dairy, vegetables and fruits (in moderation with the fruits, too.) I eat well, and now it's become a habit, so it's a whole lot easier than it was at first. And my doctor is happy.

For many of the foods that could be carby in their original form, I simply remove the carbs. Chinese food that's not sitting on top of rice, for example. Or I turn a sandwich into a salad. Or a charcuterie nosh. 

On this blog, I might do some recipes or review some cookbooks with an eye on what recipes are naturally low carb because that's where I am now.

There are also lots of low carb substitutes for things like pasta and rice that I've been checking out, so you'll get my opinions on those.

The one good thing about cutting sugar entirely is that things taste sweet to me that other people would say are not sweet. Like unsweetened whipped cream. So, that's a plus. Then again, actually sweet things make me shudder, just to think about them. Glazed donut? No thanks. Nope.

Also, in the past few years, my sweet dog Snickers passed away, and now I have Stella. For the first few weeks I had Stella, it was tough. She was a small white demon with too much energy and negligible training. Now, she's a weirdo sweetheart snugglebug, and I'm happy she's here. Like Snickers, she came from the Longmont Humane Society.

I'm also reviewing like crazy, mostly for The Spruce Eats, but I'll be dropping reviews here as well. There are plenty of things that The Spruce doesn't want to review, but I'm curious. So, they'll get dropped here. I'm also going to review things that may not have anything to do with food, like, oh, maybe some dog things. Because we have a lot of those. Or maybe not. And I'm going to drag some things out of the cabinets that I use all the time, but have never gotten around to reviewing. 

In short, it's gonna be what I want, when I wanna, and the heck with the algorythms, and SEO. We'll see how that goes, eh?

Shakshuka with Swiss Chard

Photo from The Diabetes Cookbook
for Electric Pressure Cookers.
Used with permission.

I always celebrate a little when someone I know has published their first cookbook, and this time it's even a little more special since Shelby Kinnaird was one of the first bloggers I got friendly with when my blog was fairly new.

Her book is The Diabetes Cookbook for Electric Pressure Cookers, and I was tickled to get a review copy to peruse. And cook from.

Shelby is pretty good at coming up with creative recipes that don't stand up and shout "I'm good for you!" or that seem like they're some kind of special restrictive diet. You'll find plenty of fresh ingredients, and, as she mentioned to me, there's only one recipe with an artificial sweetener, but that can be subbed for regular sugar if you prefer.

As I browsed through the book, I decided I was hungry enough to want to make something right away, so I chose the Shakshuka with Swiss Chard. Unfortunately, I didn't have any Swiss chard or anything else that resembled it. But I decided to make it anyway, subbing other friendly vegetables for the chard.

I also cut back on the recipe since I was just cooking for me, and eggs aren't exactly stellar when reheated. And then I had to fiddle with the technique a bit, since it calls for setting a pressure cooker for 0 minutes, but mine won't go lower than on minute.

My version of the book's shakshuka. So yummy!

Still, I think it was a good example of what you'll find in the book.

The other recipe I considered making right away was a Mexican zucchini casserole, because I happened to have the right ingredients. There were plenty of other recipes that sounded good, but would have required shopping, and I was too hangry for that.

But still, I've got cauliflower on the shopping list to make the Parmesan Cauliflower Mash. That sounds like a perfect side dish, doesn't it?

The book has everything from breakfasts to side dishes to main dishes to desserts, so there's something for everyone.

Since I mangled the original recipe so much, I'm giving you the recipe as it appears in the book:

Shakshuka with Swiss Chard
Serves 4 (110 carbs per serving)
Recipe reprinted with permission from The Diabetes Cookbook for Electric Pressure Cookers by Shelby Kinnaird  and Simone Harounian

Need a great brunch option? Try shakshuka, a dish where eggs are cooked in a seasoned tomato sauce. This version leans towards the Mediterranean with flavors of basil, oregano, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram. Your EPC needs to be at low pressure for this recipe. The first time I made it, I use high pressure and my eggs ended up overcooked. Look for a pasta sauce that's low in sugar and sodium (or make your own).

4 ounces Swiss chard (about 4 large stems and leaves)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black peper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce with Red Lentils (from the book) or tomato-based pasta sauce
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese

Separate the stems from the leaves of the Swiss chard. Finely chop the stem; you'll need about 1/2 cup. Stack the leaves, slice into thin strips, then chop. Set aside.

Set the electric pressure cooker to the saute setting. When the pot is hot, pour in the olive oil

Add the Swiss chard stems, onion, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to the pot and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the Swiss chard leaves and garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.

Hit cancel. Add the pasta sauce and let the pot cool for 5 minutes.

Make 4 evenly-spaced indentions in the sauce mixture. Carefully crack an egg into a custard cup, then pour it into one of the indentions. (Note you can crack the eggs directly into the pot, but the whites will spread out more and the eggs won't look as nice.)

Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. Set the valve to sealing.

Select low pressure and set the timer for 0 minutes.

When the cooking is complete, hit Cancel and quick release the pressure.

Once the pin drops, unlock and remove the lid.

Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan, and serve immediately.

Substitution tip: If you don't have any Swiss chard, use 1/2 cup bell pepper to replace the stems and 2 cups kale or spinach to replace the leaves.

I received a review copy of the book at no cost to me.

There's a giveaway on Shelby's Facebook page for the book and more goodies! Good luck!

Home Made Ponzu

The salad that started the search for ponzu.

I usually buy ponzu in a bottle, but recently I needed some to make a salad dressing recipe and even thought I clearly remembered a bottle of ponzu sitting on the lazy susan in the cabinet with similar items, I couldn't find it.

It wasn't hiding in the cabinet where oils and vinegars lurk. It wasn't on the lazy susan with unopened sauces. It wasn't in the refrigerator. It wasn't anywhere that an open bottle should be hiding.

And it wasn't on my grocery list, which is where it should have been if I actually finished off the last of that opened bottle and threw it away.

Bah, humbug. 

Then I realized that the book I was using (Japaneasy) had a recipe for home made ponzu. Hmmm. I'd never really thought about making it, but after I saw the recipe, I as stunned at how easy it was.

I may never buy ponzu again.

Or, to be clear, I may never buy ponzu again after I finish off the two bottles of unopened ponzu that I found a few days after I couldn't find the opened bottle I was sure I had.

Ponzu
From Japaneasy by Tim Anderson
Small batch makes about 1/3 cup. Large batch makes about 1 cup

Small batch
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, or a combination
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar

Large batch
7 ounces soy sauce
4 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, or a combination
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar

Combine all ingredients in and stir to dissolve the sugar. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Cali'flour Kitchen Eggs in a Basket #AbramsDinnerParty

As part of the Abrams Dinner Party, I've been getting a ton of cookbooks published by Abrams Books. This time around the book was Cali'flour Kitchen.

Cauliflower has gotten trendy these days, thanks in part to the low-carb movement using cauliflower to make pizza crust. I never tried that particular delicacy, but when I got the book Cali'flour Kitchen by Amy Lacey, I figured I'd be making some of that crust.

But then ... they also offered some of their pre-made crusts, so I just moved on to using them rather than making them. Easy peasy.

The book isn't ALL about the crusts, though - there are recipes for using cauliflower in all kinds of recipes, including soup, mashed cauliflower, buffalo cauliflower ... there are recipes for making and using cauliflower rice, and for using cauliflower in pretty much every was imaginable ... and some ways that I might not have imagined.

So, anyway, the pizza crusts arrived, I had no other plans for dinner, and I browsed the book to see what recipes I could make with what I had on hand.

First, I decided to try avocado toast because I happened to have avocado on hand. They had a pretty long list of variations, and like most avocado toast it starts with smearing mashed avocado on the toast. Or in this case, on the cauliflower pizza crust. The caprese version had tomatoes and balsamic vinegar. I didn't have fresh basil, so I left that off. Another version had salsa.

I don't know that I'd ever consider combining avocado and cauliflower on a normal day, but I figured I'd give this a try, and it was certainly interesting. To be totally honest, I think I'd prefer regular toast, but then again I don't have issues with wheat flour. For folks who can't have wheat, these recipes - and the pre-made crusts - are a great option.

Next up, I tried the eggs in a basket, which were pretty familiar. Basically, you cut a round hole where you want the egg to nestle, then cook the egg and crust together in a skillet along with some cheese. You almost don't need a recipe for this, considering it's so simply, but since you'd be working with a cauliflower crust rather than bread, it's nice to have the tips for working for the crust.

After trying both recipes, I have to say that the eggs in a basket inspired me a bit more, because I happen to like the flavor of cauliflower and cheese together. I think it would be awesome with some roasted red peppers.

If you're going low carb or you need to stay away from gluten - and if you like cauliflower a lot, I think you'll enjoy this book. But that's not all. Every recipe indicates whether it's gluten free, grain free, paleo, keto, vegan, vegetarian, or dairy free.

Oddly, I'm none of those, but there are still a bunch of recipes that sound pretty interesting. Hello, cauliflower ... nice to eat ya!

Yes, I did get the book at crusts at no cost to me.

Chocolate Sorbet #AbramsDinnerParty

As part of the Abrams Dinner Party, I've been getting all of the cookbooks from Abrams Books at no cost to me. Yay, me. Send bookcases.

The most recent book to land with a thud on my doorstep was Ibiza, Land and Sea by Francoise Pialoux.

The subtitle of the book is 100 Sun-Drenched Recipes, so of course I expected a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. And since Ibiza is an island off the coast of Spain, I expected seafood.

There were a couple potato recipes that looked pretty darned good (I kind of love potatoes and had a fresh bag of them waiting to be cooked), then I thought about making a lemon tart (mmm, lemon) or eggplant parmesan.

But then I found myself in the chocolate chapter, and I got stuck there. And then I saw the chocolate sorbet. I knew I had to make it.

This is a freakishly simple recipe with just a few simple ingredients. The result is pretty amazing. It's rich. Almost like a very cold ganache or a super-rich gelato. If I didn't tell you there was no dairy, you might assume it's simply a super-rich ice cream. It's not crazy sweet, but it's sweet enough. But still, you could serve it with something sweet, like the dulce de leche in the book, or maybe a pillow of sweetened whipped cream. But really, it's great on its own, although I really do suggest small servings. It's worth savoring.

Because this has so few ingredients, you'll want to choose a chocolate that you love, because that's what this is going to taste like.

The recipe calls for mineral water, which isn't something I ever have on hand, so I used plain old tap water. Next time I'm at the store, I'll grab some mineral water and see what difference it makes.

Since this book has a European heritage, it's assumed you're going to weigh the ingredients. I'm fine with that, but if you don't have a scale, you'll need to convert the weights to volumes. Some of the ingredients also needed a little translation, like the caster sugar called for in this recipe. I couldn't remember if caster sugar was granulated or powdered sugar, so I asked my cooking buddy Alexa who told me that it was a finely granulated sugar. I went with regular granulated sugar. It was supposed to melt, anyway, so it seemed like it would work.

This stuff is definitely a keeper.

Chocolate Sorbet
From Ibiza, Land and Sea by Francoise Pialoux

120 grams (4 ounces) caster sugar
200 grams (7 ounces) dark chocolate, 53-60% cocoa solids
80 grams (2 1/2 ounces) bitter chocolate powder

In a saucepan, combine the caster sugar (I used regular granulate sugar) with 1/2 liter (2 cups) mineral water. (I used tap water. Yes, I'm a risk taker!)

Heat over a moderate flame, stirring until the sugar has melted.

Now add the chocolate, broken into pieces, and mix. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate has melted.

Add the cocoa powder, stir, and allow to cool.

Pour into an ice cream maker or turbine to freeze.

Yup, I did get this book at no cost to me.

Degusta Box, December 2018

Every month, I get a box of goodies from Degusta Box, so I can tell my readers all about it.

I usually write about it on my review blog, but I thought I'd move it over here for this month. It's all tasty food, and it would be awesome as a gift for yourself or a friend.

Each box is different, so it's a sure bet you'll find things that you've never seen before. Some you'll love, some you'll sample and decide it's not what you're looking for. But that's great, too, because sampling is fun, no matter what.

Speaking of samples, most of these items are full-size products, although sometimes there will be sample or snack sizes.

So, anyway, here's what was in the December box.

Garden of Life protein bar
Back when I used to spend a lot more time commuting, these kinds of bars really came in handy. Like, when traffic was at a standstill and I was getting grumpy hungry. Working from home has shortened my commute, but these things can come in handy for days when it's half past lunch and I need something to curb my appetite. I haven't tried this one yet, but the ingredients sounded good.

G.H. Cretors Popped Corn
Oh my. I got a couple snack-sized bags of the caramel and cheese mix which is insanely good. I need, like, a 55-gallon drum of this stuff to dive into. Seriously good snacking.

Sunspire SunDrops
These are candy-coated chocolate candies that are kind of like a big brand name you know, but these don't have any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. I've had these before, and they're really nice. I've got a big bag here and I'm imagining that I'll bake them into cookies. Realistically, I'm just going to eat them as-is.

Campfire Marshmallows
Ah, marshmallows. These are great for Rice Krispies treats, for topping hot chocolate, or for all kinds of holiday baking and treats. Yum. I got a large bag of white marshmallows and a little bag of colored marshmallows. I'm not exactly sure how I'll use these, but they will get used.

Hu Chocolate
Seriously, who says no to chocolate? This is a vegan and paleo chocolate bar, so pretty much no one can say no to it, right? It's also free of pretty much all the things that people are allergic to. Yup, it's a chocolate bar that you can consider healthy.

Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blend
I used to think that seasoning mixes were silly, because I have a lot of spices that I can mix on my own. Except when I'm cooking and I'm feeling lazy, the last thing I want to do is grab all those spices. And then put them back again. It's not fun. So, seasoning mixes have become a thing here. I got the "Poultry Magic" version which would also be lovely on pork. Or vegetables. It's got a little garlic and some herbs and it's a well-balanced and not-too-salty blend.

Vahdam Teas
I have a love-hate relationship with tea. I love tea. Hot tea, iced tea ... but sometimes I'll find one that's just ... oh, no. So I love sample packs, like the one that came in this box. So I can try a bunch of flavors and pick out the ones I like best to buy in larger quantities.

Dave's Gourmet sauce
I've been buying Dave's Gourmet products for quite some time, and I've never run into one I didn't like. This time around, it's a hot sauce that's great as a condiment, as a cooking sauce, or even as a dip. This one was nicey hot with notes of ginger and lime. But, hey, they've got a lot of flavors, so you can no doubt find at least one you love.

Bahlsen Iced Cinnamon Stars
Awwwww ... stars. These are a perfect little holiday cookie. From Christmas to Fourth of July, I guess. Or any time it's starry outside. And they've got cinnamon flavor, which is one of my favorites in baked goods.

Chimes chewy ginger candies
We all know that ginger is great for a rumbly tummy, but it's also a nice flavor in a candy. These are chewy and flavorful and great to have on hand as a little snack or an after-dinner treat.

Why yes, I did get this for free.

12 Days of Christmas (the cooking version!)

You know the song.
Now, sing along, with Santa's favorite reindog!

Ahem!

Are we in tune?

Okay, let's GO!

On the first day of Christmas, my sous chef gave to me ...
a new fridge and a pear brie

On the second day of Christmas, my sous chef gave to me ...
two oven gloves,
and a new fridge and a pear brie

On the third day of Christmas, my sous chef gave to me ...
three French breads,
two oven gloves,
and a new fridge and a pear brie

Aw, don't make me type out the rest. Let's skip to the end!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my sous chef gave to me ...

Twelve tasters yumming
Eleven icers piping
Ten timers beeping
Nine onions mincing
Eight meads for drinking
Seven wines a-mulling
Six pizzas baking
Five bold hot wings
Four lemon curds
Three French breads
Two oven gloves
and a new fridge and a pear brie!

And that means there's enough fridges to store all the leftovers!

Cheers!

Chocolate Pizza and Peanut Butter Wings

I usually post food reviews over on the gadget and review blog, but I haven't been doing as much cooking as usual, and food is food, so ...

I'll be posting a few reviews here, and maybe even some roundups, if the mood strikes.

The yummies that came to me this time (at no cost to me) were from the Chocolate Pizza Company. No surprise, they make chocolate pizzas, which are large round disks of chocolate covered with fun candies and decorations and stuff.

You can get pizzas with standard greetings, no greetings, or custom greetings. There are a lot of options for candies and decorations, too. I didn't see any pepperoni, but I did see peanut butter cups and white chocolate drizzle.

They sent me a slice of their snowflake pizza, which had white snowflake sprinkles along with red and green coated chocolate candies. That slice was actually a really nice size for me, so I'm glad they didn't send a whole pizza. I mean, a whole pizza would be fun for a family or a party or an office ... but a slice was just enough for me.

The peanut butter wings, on the other hand.

Oh my.

They're rippled potato chips, coated with peanut butter, then dipped in either milk or dark chocolate. Let me say that again.

Oh my.

Where have these things been all my life?

So here's the deal. You buy some for every family member's stockings, and maybe you hang up some stockings for people who don't actually exist. Like, you could hang a stocking for the TV or the refrigerator. Or the cat. Or that spider that's living in the basement.

Then, when everyone is busy with their other presents, you raid the stockings and swipe all the peanut butter wings for yourself. Hide them in a safe place. Eat them when no one is looking. If people notice their wings are missing, you just look innocent and say they flew away.

Or, I don't know, maybe just buy a couple of the big tins and everyone's happy.

Braised Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes (Poulet Basquaise)

No, I haven't decided to make the blog bilingual or French. But this recipe is from a French cookbook. If your first thought about a French cookbook is that it's likely to be haughty, fussy, long-cooking, and insanely time-consuming, you might want to think again.

Sure, there are foods that ought to cook a long time, but this time the book is Instantly French by Ann Mah, and it's all about cooking French food in an electric pressure cooker. You know, like an Instant Pot. This time I'm cooking in my Breville Fast and Slow, but the brand shouldn't matter when you're making these recipes.

Like many books (and other things) that show up here, I got this book straight from the publisher at no cost to me. But let's not let that get in the way of dinner, okay?

The book is nicely arranged by categories, and I'll have to admit that I got stuck in the Chicken section. I love chicken cooked in the instant pot, and the recipes all sounded good. And homey. I picked the tomato and pepper recipe because I had almost everything I needed to make it, so it wasn't going to require a big list at the grocery store. Basically, I needed the chicken.

This was super simple. The prep took me about 30 minutes, if we're counting prep as the time before the pressure is put on.

I multi-tasked a bit during prep time. I had the chicken browning while I was cutting the peppers and onions, and I had everything else measured and ready to go before it was time to add them.

Then I cleaned up the kitchen and unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher while the vegetables were sauteing. So it's not like it was 30 minutes of actual kitchen work. Just 30 minutes before pressure was on and I could walk away completely.

On the other end of the recipe, my pressure cooker actually has a "reduce" button, so I used that instead of the saute button. I let it go on its own for the beginning of the reducing time and just checked on it and stirred when there was less liquid in the pot. The ingredients really don't require stirring - you just want to make sure that food doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot where it could burn.

Braised Chicken with Peppers and Tomatoes (Poulet Basquaise) 
Adapted from Instantly French By Ann Mah

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 5 ounces each)
1 medium onion, diced
1 pound red bell peppers, cut into 1/4 inch slices (for me, this was 2 large peppers)
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3/4 cup canned whole tomatoes, lightly crushed by hand
1/2 teaspoon sugar, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon piment d'Espelette or sweet paprika, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cooked long-grain rise, for serving

Using the saute function, heat the olive oil in the pressure cooker. Dry the thighs with paper towels and add them to the pressure cooker. Cook until golden brown on all sides, about 7-8 minutes. You might want to do this in batches, since it's unlikely they'll all fit at the same time.

Remove the chicken and place on a plate or in a bowl. Juices will collect, so make sure the container will accommodate that.

Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. (Since my cooker has a nonstick pot, there was no scraping needed.) Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Turn off the saute function.

Add the tomatoes, sugar, and piment to the pressure cooker. Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Return the chicken to the pot, along with any juices, nestling the chicken skin-side down. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. (You might want to quickly hand-wash the plate or bowl to use it again when you're reducing the liquid at the end of cooking time.)

Release the steam manually, then transfer the chicken to a plate, leaving the juice and vegetables in the pot. Using the saute function (or, as I did, the reduce function), bring the cooking liquid to a boil. Cook, stirring as needed (you just want to make sure the food doesn't stick and burn), until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more sugar, salt, piment, and/or black pepper, as needed.

Return the chicken to the pot, along with any juiced from the plate nestling it into the sauce, and let it heat through for serving.

Serve with long-grain white rice.

Savory French Toast from Home Made Christmas #AbramsDinnerParty

Whoop, whoop, another fun (and free) book for my participation in the Abrams Dinner Party.

This time the book is Home Made Christmas by Yvette van Boven. When I saw the title, I thought it might be about making Christmas food gifts.

Nope, this is about food you might serve during the holidays.

There are plenty of dinner ideas, along with sides and desserts, but I got stuck on the idea of making the savory French toast. I mean, I like plain French toast, and I generally don't make it super-sweet (although I do love it with maple syrup) but this sent the savory meter all the way over to the no-way-is-this-sweet side.

The recipe includes mustard, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and cheese. So, if you happen to like savory breakfasts, you'd like it. But I had it for lunch. Because it seemed to make sense.

The best thing about this recipe is that it opens the door for all kinds of savory variations. I mean, I wouldn't make it with anchovies, but you could change the cheese, add more heat, or add some herbs and spices. It's not completely unlimited, because the ingredients would have to be able to either soak into the bread or stick to the outside. But it could be fun to fiddle with.

This called for a salad of fresh herbs on the side, but I skipped that and just had the French toast. And while this is meant to be savory, I can see how a tart jelly or jam could work with this. Probably not maple syrup, but something fruity. Maybe even cranberry sauce, hmmmm?

I also didn't cut the bread into shapes with a cookie cutter. Cutting the bread into triangles after cooking was as fancy as I wanted to be. But yeah, for a holiday breakfast, they'd be fun cut into shapes.

Wentelteefjes, or Savory French Toast (the Dutch version)
Adapted from Home Made Christmas by Yvette van Boven

4 large eggs

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon mustard
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
A pinch of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
A few drops of Tabasco sauce
6-8 slices of good-quality white bread
Butter, for frying

Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, and mustard until foamy, then stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper, a little Tabasco, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce. (You can do this the night before, if you want to save a little time, and save yourself from early morning measuring.)

Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl.

Place two slices of bread in the bowl - or really, as many as you can fit at one time, whether it's one or 4 - and let the bread soak for a minute or two.

Heat a nonstick frying pan on medium heat, with a small pat of butter. Cook the bread slices for about 2 minutes per side, until they're golden brown. Let them drain on paper towels as you continue cooking the rest of the sliced.

Sprinkle with a little extra cheese and serve with a green herb salad.

Kentucky Butter Cake

When I got the book Cake!, my first instinct was to make one of the coffee cakes. I absolutely adore all kinds of coffee cakes, and they're usually not too sweet, so they're great to have with coffee in the morning. They're also nice for dessert. They're like, all-purpose cakes.

Pecan Pie Coffee Cake sounded particularly appealing. I love nutty coffee cakes a lot.

But then I saw the Kentucky Butter Cake in the Bundt Cake and Pound Cakes section.

That sounded good because I have a bazillion Bundt cake pans, and I love pound cake.

But, alas, pound cake has been my white whale ever since I moved to high altitude. The first one I tried to make here boiled out of the pan. After I got over that trauma - like, several years later - I tried other recipes. While they mostly were fine cakes, they weren't as dense as I wanted them to be. They were more like sponge cakes than pound cake.

Bah, humbug.

As I eyed the Kentucky Butter Cake recipe, I saw that it was pretty similar to pound cakes I'd made in the past, with one very interesting difference. Instead of beating the butter and sugar together, and instead of beating egg whites or yolks to add air, this recipe called for chucking everything into a bowl together.

Wow. I love a recipe that's not fussy.

So I decided to give it a try.

Oh, and the other great thing about this recipe is that all the ingredients were in even numbers. It's not that I have some kind of mystical affinity for even numbers. However, it made the recipe easy to cut in half. As much as I like cake, I didn't want a whole pound cake for myself. So, I cut the recipe neatly in half and I baked it in a loaf pan. And it worked perfectly.

And it was almost a perfect pound cake, the way it lives in my memory. It was a little paler in color and not as yellow as some I've made, but that's not a big deal. And the texture wasn't perfect. There were a couple of larger air bubble holes here and there. Not enough to ruin the texture, and certainly no a flaw in the recipe. But if this is the only issue that high altitude caused, I'm giving this one a high five.

I didn't make the glaze since I was happy with the sweetness of the cake without it, but for a party or special occasion where this is being served as dessert, the glaze would certainly add something extra to the cake.

While I cut the recipe in half, here's the original. Get yer decorative Bundt pan ready.

Kentucky Butter Cake
Adapted from Cake! by Addie Gundry

For the Cake
3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for the pan
2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the Glaze
3/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Confectioner's sugar for dusting
Caramel sauce, warm, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan (I always use the baking spray that has flour in it).

Beat the flour, sugar, butter, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, salt, baking powder and baking soda with your stand mixer fitted with the paddle, or with a hand mixer. Start on low for about a minute, then increase to medium, until it's smooth.

Pour the batter into your pan and bake for 65-75 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When the cake is done, start the glaze. Place the granulated sugar, butter, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan. Heat on medium-low heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.

While the cake is still warm in the pan, poke it multiple times with a wooden skewer, then pour the glaze over the cake.

Let the cake cool completely in the pan, then invert it onto a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar and drizzle with caramel sauce before serving.

Did I mention that I got this book for free? Yeah, I think I did. But I'm saying it again. Free to me. It's great to be me.

Juk (aka Congee) #AbramsDinnerParty

When I got the book Korean Home Cooking from Abrams books (free, because I'm participating in the Abrams Dinner Party) I was really curious. What's Korean home cooking like?

If that sounds weird, think about cookbooks you own that focus on cuisines you know well. Think about what you cook at home or what your mom made when you were a kid. There are some cookbooks that feature home cooking - those recipes you'd find at anyone's house - and then there are recipes that would only show up for holidays, or that are normally found on restaurant menus.

My mom made a few things that I thought were traditional foods, until I got older and realized that I never saw them at anyone's house, and I never saw them in restaurants. They were homey and comforting and really good, like her tomato soup or her cabbage and tomato stew.

So, anyway, I was looking forward to seeing what I'd find here. I was totally surprised to find a breaded chicken breast that would have been totally familiar to most people. It looked good, but I decided to make what is actually a very common Korean dish - juk, also known as congee. This is the kind of dish you'd make if someone wasn't feeling well, either physically or emotionally. Basically, it's a rice porridge.

If you never had congee, think of it as something like risotto, but cooked even more than that, so the rice is even softer and breaks down a little more. Totally yum.

Juk (Congee)
Adapted from Korean Home Cooking by Sohui Kim

2 cups short grain rice (sushi rice is recommended. I think Arborio would work, too)
5-6 cups anchovy stock or water (I used chicken stock)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 thick slices fresh ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions for garnish
2-4 soy marinated eggs, poached eggs, or soft boiled eggs (optional)

Okay, I have to make a confession here. I cheated. I tossed all the congee ingredients into my rice cooker and pressed the "porridge" button and sat back and waiting until it was done. Yeah, sometimes I'm lazy, but I also know that rice cookers are ubiquitous in Korean kitchens, so I don't feel too guilty.

Here's how, if you don't have a rice cooker"

Put the rice, 5 cups of water/stock, salt, pepper, ginger, and soy sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 35 minutes.

Uncover the pot, discard the ginger, and add 1 more cup of stock. Let it cook for another 10 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and the rice is soft and tender.

Serve in bowls. Sprinkle with the scallions and drizzle on more soy sauce. Add the cooked egg to each bowl, if desired.

I actually opted for TWO eggs in my bowl the second time I made this, and skipped the scallions.

Just in case you missed it, I'm getting books for free from Abrams Books, just so I can tell you all about 'em.

Green Olive Dressing #AbramsDinnerParty

Once again, I'm working with Abrams Books to tell you about their cookbooks. I had a blast doing this last year (and I collected a lot of cookbooks!) so I was more than happy to sign on again.

One of the first books I got was Matty Matheson, A Cookbook. The author, in case you hadn't guessed, was Matty Matheson.

The book follows his culinary life, with the first recipes being family favorites, moving on through culinary school, and then finally through his restaurant years.

I settled on one of the family recipes, and this one is from the section about his inlaws. As much as I love eating at restaurants, and I like making complicated recipes when I'm in that mood, I'm always curious about recipes that have been passed down through families, particularly when they're nothing like the things I remember from my own family.

I know, salad dressings seem pretty simple, but I'll bet this one is quite different from ones you've made before. And I'm a sucker for salad dressings. If I pick up a cookbook at it has a recipe for salad dressing that looks interesting, it's a pretty sure bet I'll give it a try.

This was tasty and well-balanced. While it's meant as a salad dressing, I think it would be lovely on top of fish, as well.

I made one little "oops" with this dressing. The instructions say that you shouldn't let it emulsify. It's supposed to be chunks of olives and stuff floating in a vinegar and oil dressing.

I don't know if the issue was me being heavy-handed with the blender, or if my blender was just too overpowered to not emulsify this, but it started emulsifying pretty quickly, and then I just said the heck with it and blended it until it was almost smooth.

I can see how chunky bits of olive would be appealing, but I thought it was fine as its smoother version, too. This made just about a pint of dressing, so it's plenty for a party and it ought to keep well in the refrigerator for at least a few days.

Green Olive Dressing
Adapted from Matty Matheson, A Cookbook

2 cup pitted Cerignola olives
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 green onion, chopped
Zest and juice of one lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 bunch parsley, leaves chopped
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
Salt and pepper
Salad greens, because if you're making dressing, you'd better make a dressing.

Put the olives, garlic, green onion, lemon zest and juice and olive oil into a blender. Pulse several times until it becomes frothy and lumpy, like a tapenade. Keep pulsing, but don't blend, since you don't want it to emulsify.

Pour this into a bowl and add the shallot, parsley, vinegar and canola oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve.

Just to make sure you know, I'll be getting all these books for free.