the cliff-hanger resolve

Hmmm...well, not really sure reading the items: limes, chicken, baking powder, zucchini, and bay leaf would piqued my interest enough to return to furlough food, and I'm the one who should be at least mildy amused by my own blog, right? Now if I had suggested "limes IN chicken" or "zucchini bombs" perhaps I would have returned. Hmm...Nope, still not sure.

But it looks like I'm here, and you're here so it must be something that brought you back. Perhaps you are one of the few who have asked for images and recipes of some items I've cooked recently. Perhaps you're just bored at work and looking to pass the time. I have a sneaking suspicion you are one in the same.

The title of my last post was "and I finally *made* muffins"; naturally there is a double meaning to that statement. The obvious: I did make muffins (three batches, in fact). The no so obvious: I am making the most of it (refer to post number one for what 'making the most of it' actually means). Explanation....

The Muffins:
It starts with a rather amusing beginner-cook story. This story is now logged nicely in my mom's book of Silly Cindy Young Cooking Adventures, tucked right next to the chapter she can read to you about the time I brought home 12 loaves of french bread to make one 9x13 pan of bread pudding for Thanksgiving. We had bread in the freezer for, well, YEARS really. And now I've got blueberries...lots of them.

I took on the Cooks Illustrated recipe for blueberry muffins (May/June issue). With a lemon zest sugar topping and a blueberry jam swirled into the muffins, it sounded like a winner. The blueberry jam thing is actually what got me...in more ways than one. (1) The blueberry jam and promise of good blueberry taste hooked me; (2) The preparation for said blueberry jam did a little "gotcha" on my brain and cooking confidence at the grocery store.

ONE: I don't actually like blueberry muffins very much, never have. I see them as the Emperors New Clothes of Food, really. I try one now and again and think to myself, "Do these taste like this to everyone? It this just muffin innards, with blue spurty things devoid of any taste? Where is the rich taste I think of when I think "blueberry"? Why is everyone eating these when clearly there is no taste?!?" Blueberries just near my Grandma's house in Stonington were rich, sweet and there was a little zing in those suckers; I ate them by the handful when I was a kid. So this recipe got me: it was a test to see if I could make a blueberry muffin taste like blueberry, as the author claimed it would.

TWO: I forgot my list of things to get at the grocery store so had to rely on my not-so-trusty-short-term-memory. I remembered the recipe called for "2 ____ of blueberries, picked over". Well that blank is pretty crucial, now isn't it? 2 tablespoons? 2 lbs? 2 cups? 2 what? I went to the frozen fruit area, and found some blueberries from Door County (just a stone's throw from the UP). I still couldn't remember what the 2 _____ was. I thought, "Well, you are going to be making a jam, so maybe it IS two pounds?? It needs to reduce and perhaps this recipe makes a double batch?? Two pounds sounds like an awful lot, but you better get more than have to come back, Cindy." So naturally if I'm looking for pounds, the item is sold in 12 OUNCE bags. I did my math...32 oz so I needed to get three bags....Wow, that's a lot (red flag! red flag! red flag!). What sort of recipe would seriously make you get three bags of frozen blueberries? I assured myself that well of course it will call for a lot of blueberries it is a top notch recipe. I grabbed three bags, the rest of the groceries and headed home to read what the devil filled in the blank. It was....2....(yes, I'm sure you figured it out when I gave you the 2___ options above)...CUPS. Of course, CUPS. The idea of making a jam, having never done so before, shattered my cooking confidence and scattered my clarity all over the floor of the grocery store. What else would explain coming home with two POUNDS of frozen blueberries? At least that is how I explained it to Todd who helped unpack the groceries and revealed bag after bag after bag of blueberries (holy crap, did you buy them out?). Gotcha, says blueberry jam. I will be making muffins for quite some time given the bags taking room in the freezer.

So that is a long prologue into muffin making....I did in fact make the blueberry muffins (jam and then some). The buttermilk batter and sweet, yet tangy, little blueberries made the perfect muffin. I did the lemon zest and sugar for a topping in the first batch, the second batch I tried the strudel topping. Lemon zest sugar is WAY better than the strudel (little heavy and flavorless). While it still wasn't like eating blueberries by the handful, there was a good dose of blueberry flavor throughout the entire muffin. After baking (and eating two warm ones), we put them in a container and I swear they were better the second day. I'm not sure it is legal to post the recipe but here goes:

Topping:
1/3 cup sugar, 3 teaspons lemon zest (it calls for 1.5 but I doubled it)

Muffin Ingredients:
2 CUPS blueberries (fresh or frozen, depending on the season), picked over (duh)
1 1/8 cups sugar (plus 1 teaspoon for jam)
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Making the gotcha jam:
Bring 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon sugar to a simmer, mashing berries and stirring often. Reduce to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Let cool.

Batter (or "crumb" as those in the muffin biz call it):
Oven to 425, grease 12-muffin tin
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in large bowl. Whisk 1 1/8 cups sugar and egg together in medium bowl until combined; slowly whisk in butter and oil until combined; whisk in buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Fold in egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened (batter will be lumpy...do not over mix!). Using ice cream scoop (this is crucial), and fill muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using a chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion (note: figure-eight will likely not work and will make you feel inept if you try in your itty bitty muffin cups of your tin...just swirl in what ever fashion you can). Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over muffins. Bake until just golden and just firm (17-19 minutes), rotate muffin tin 1/2 way through baking time. Cool for 5 minutes in tin, transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.



The muffins pictured here actually have a strudel topping, but don't do it, stick with the lemon.

And lastly, Making the Most of It:
I have left the ranks of coen+partners as a full time employee. The reasons are many, but largely personal. I love all the people, and see a fantastically talented group. Hopefully the entire lot will be at the Michigan wedding, but it was time for me to try something that suits me. It will be filled with design, to be sure, but as my dad has always said, "It is good to be your own boss." I've decided to heed that advice and am working on aligning personal and professional health (with a slight slant to the personal for the time being), being my own boss as it were. I am scared, overwhelmed and busy these days...but am just beginning to realize the possibilities in this great, big, humorous, enjoyable thing called LIFE.

I promise to resolve the limes in chicken and zucchini bombs in the next post. I needed to revel in a little muffin-ness for today and frankly I imagine you've lost your attention span by this point...if you're still here.

and I finally *made* muffins

After a serious hiatus in posting, I'm back! What's that you say?

Furlough? Well, no, not exactly.

Food? Well, ya, just not documented. Lots of food of the delicious kind. I finally got behind the (iPhone) lens again, and will post them soon.

To entice you to return: limes, chicken, baking powder, zucchini, and bay leaf.

Discuss.

weekend delights

Well, let's just say I did not get that Sunday roast in the oven...yet. I did, though, finish my capstone book and it is with my advisers for review! That feels pretty good. We did have a few delicious treats. Baked ziti from Cooks Illustrated (thanks for the subscription Phyl and Darrel!). It is a fantastic recipe - calls for cottage cheese instead of ricotta and a few other tricks make it tangy and full of flavor. I'll post the recipe later but wanted to get these up given that you all read my posts first thing in the a.m. (it's just as informative as watching the news or reading the paper, I know).
Ziti sauce and pasta in process. Note the cool Le Creuset spatula in the hot simmering sauce...am I nuts using such a utensil?!? No, this one is made of that fancy stuff that can with stand heat, my curses and the next atomic bomb. Thanks Phyl!!

The final product - baked ziti (well, penne really), a delicious green salad with a great balsamic vinaigrette (garlic, dijon, balsamic, olive oil and lots o pepper).

And, this morning, we were quite hungry again (I am sure our stomachs have been stretched over the last two weeks). So I made some delicious whole wheat pancakes (Creme de Colorado) and eggs with aged white cheddar, green onion, canadian bacon, tomatoes and yellow pepper. The pancakes are delicious, but lets be honest, all Skellengers know they are just a vehicle for the 1940 Club Syrup. All hail Uncle John's Sugar Shack!! Eggs were delicious too!

You can barely see it, but the syrup pitcher has been upon many Carlson breakfast tables. My Grandma Carlson would make us breakfast and Geoff and I each had our own "Good Morning!!" rooster pitcher for milk. I have both now...Geoff, come over for breakfast and I'll get it out for you!

So, to work I go...left overs are packed and ready for my first day back! Mom, I didn't layout my clothes, but I did iron.

Ode to the Followers

I see a common theme in photos of furlough food followers.
A wave, a dog, a child, two doggies and a cat,
All following a human food blog, imagine that.

To the followers I say, thanks for your support!
You've left messages and emails and warm friendly smiles,
I never would have guessed you'd follow all the while.

A few more meals to post:
Friday, Saturday and Sunday a roast
To work I go on Monday morn, I am happy and excited
so please don't look forlorn.

My furlough, it's come to an end
but there is another 'right round the bend.
And furlough food will have posts galore
kept alive by two or three good friends.

They'll post and post...and post and post
if I know them at all
they'll post treats and meals
and
funny dog tails

But it is all of you I toast:

Thank you for reading and enjoying my ventures
It has been a fun, exciting and rewarding endeavor.
Through these times we will continue the pleasure
Of making it through many challenges together.

Make muffins, make muffins I say, and make the most of your day no matter what comes your way.

Dining OUT!

Despite the urge to spend every waking minute cooped up in a drafty house in Saint Paul, Todd and I ventured from the cool to the cold, cold world outside our door. Todd suggested we head out for a little bit and it was a welcomed suggestion. He sent me a text (yes, from the upstairs to the downstairs), asking if I wanted to go to a local neighborhood eatery...I was knee deep in recipes (or perhaps I was finishing up the text for my capstone book but I want you to think I'm looking at recipes and plotting meals and kitchen take-overs). I texted back, "You read my mind."

I donned my Tuesday best, Todd did too, and we headed out to the Nook (linked to delicious flickr images). This place is the stuff of legends, as Po would say (he's the panda in Kung Fu Panda). People of legends, meals of legends....You know it is a legendary place when they can get away with tshirts that say, "Have you had your nookie today?"

So off we went to the Nook (link to reviews), I in my sweatpants and smartwool top (my "furlough uniform" as I like to call it). He in his cat hair laden fleece and serious goatee, we were warmly welcomed at the Nook...a 21st Century Cheers, really.


Todd and I have now been here about four times so we're at the point where we don't even look at the menu. I have the delectable Juicy Nookie with fried onions and he goes for the California burger (with cheese please, and no mayo). It is a treat like no other, and I cannot believe we JUST discovered this place (thanks Zach) after living in Saint Paul for 3.5 years. We are about 2.5 miles from the joint and my new requirement is "if we want it we gotta walk it". Of course, I made that promise only AFTER I consumed my juicy. It is pure bliss if you're looking for that 1500+ calorie treat. Given that we had our proverbial coffee and cocoa this a.m. and that's about it, I was ready for some calorie overload.

Todd in anticipation:

Cindy's delight:
and from the inside.....
Zach, you drooling? Bill(y), you too? It was even better than it looks. And in no time flat, the Spartans had beat the Wolverines (expected but darn it) and I had decimated my nookie.


And now I'm about to collapse of sodium overload, and I'm really feeling like I've completely negated Sunday's dairy-less dinner. But it was fun to get out and see how the other half lives!

Post Script: Bill(y) was so tempted by our description of the Nook, he decided to venture all the way from Clarkston, Michigan. This photograph is from January's night out at the Nook. He ordered the Paul Molitor (juicy nookie with pepper jack cheese). How was it Bill(y)?

Furlough Midterm

Last night it was like I was back in school again sitting my stormwater final exam...I had two minutes trying to figure out how much runoff a 10 year storm would yield in an 20 acre urban setting with over 75% impervious surface, with disconnected wetlands and a curb and gutter system. EVERY question after this initial question hinged on whether or not my answer was correct....a stormwater pressure cooker (and I still can't answer that question, nor do I even know if it is a valid question).

Anyway, so I had a little anxiety about dinner last night. It marked the middle of my furlough, so I had Mom over for dinner again and put myself to the test cooking for her and Todd. She, by the way, walked from her house to my house (roughly 6 miles of urban pavement in the dark, and lots of winter ice...champ).

I decided to cook the other white meat and the seed of a leafy plant: pork and quinoa. And to throw that trick question in to the exam, I wanted to do so without dairy products (being a little lactose intolerant anywhere I can cut dairy is good...though I love all things dairy it is super hard to restrain myself!). Pork is not my first choice in a meat, but the recipe for adobo rubbed pork loin with pico de gallo sounded super flavorful and I wanted give that other white meat another chance. To complement the pork and pico de gallo flavors, I looked up a tasty quinoa salad. I had a fantastic quinoa dish at Cafe Gratitude this past fall and I wanted to see if I could recreate some of the taste (though not vegan style). And, to add a little extra green to the table I made a delicious guacamole that brought it all together.

Mom had seconds so either she was REALLY hungry from the walk, or it was pretty darn good. Probably a bit of both. Everything hinged on the pork as the main course, or so I thought. I think it ended up that each part of the meal was flavorful and hearty enough to be the main course! Here's a close up of the treats:

The quinoa salad and pork tenderloin. The pico is added to the pork and was unbelievably tasty.


Mom was excited to be in a warm house again and Todd, knife in hand, was just ready to eat already...stop taking pictures Cindy!

We ended the evening with a little cocoa by Todd - here's a process graphic:


All in all it was a pretty darn good meal. Todd loved the pork and my mom was smitten with the quinoa. I have to say, the quinoa was unreal - delicious lime flavor and bursting with cilantro, cherry tomatoes and black beans. I could have made a meal of the quinoa, guac and pico de gallo. The flavors were much needed during this long, cold winter. If I was true to the whole eat local and seasonality of our food - which I am trying to be better about - we would have had a meal of hard snow, fresh cut willow twigs dusted with switch grass awn from our front garden and accented with a little road salt. I needed a little light-hearted food goodness for my for midterm furlough and it was the most fun exam I've ever taken.

Adobo Rubbed Pork Tenderloin Recipe from Epicurious (modified a titch):
Pork

• 5 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp coarse salt
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 pinches cayenne pepper
• 2 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed, cut into 3- to 4-oz pieces

Pico de gallo

• 15 oz black beans cooked and rinsed
  
• ~ 40 cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp minced jalapeño pepper
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

To make pico de gallo, mix all ingredients.

For pork, preheat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, mix paprika, black pepper, salt, chili powder, sugar, and cayenne. Rub both sides of each tenderloin piece with spice mixture (I let it sit for a good three hours). Preheat skillet over medium-high heat and pan-sear pieces until golden brown on both sides. Transfer to pre-heated broiler pan in oven until done (6 to 8 minutes for each inch of thickness).

Serve 1/2 cup pico de gallo over tenderloin.

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa from Epicurious (modified a titch):

• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• ~ 40 cherry tomatoes, diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  

Whisk together lime zest and juice, oil, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.

Bring 2 cups salted water to boil (1/2 teaspon for 2 c water). Add quinoa and bring to boil. Cover and turn heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until tender and water has boiled off. Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Guacamole for two (Stephanie's recipe):

• 2 avos
  
• 1/3 red onion diced
• 10-15 cherry tomatoes diced
  
• juice of 1/2 lime (or a little more)
• dash of cumin, sea salt and ground pepper to taste
  

A few other fun photos from the evening...
Making the pico.


Salivating over the guac...hmm..not the best photo here, but Stephanie's recipe is awesome - lots o' lime and a bit of cumin makes all the difference!

Thanks for walking all this way Mom!