Tomato Juice (p. 37) and Chai (p. 34)

I'm still amazingly behind on posts--I think I have about six of them to go. I always promise myself that I won't get so behind again but then, I do. Keep checking back--I leave for a conference this weekend and I would love the blog to be up to date before I leave.

I decided to whip up some quick Tomato Juice (p. 37). This picture is NOT impressive but the finished product was (believe it or not) rather impressive. It looked like normal tomato juice (maybe out of a can) but was so much more fully flavored.

The recipe was simple--tomato juice, lemon juice, grated celery, grated onion, grated horseradish (I used jarred), salt, sugar, paprika, and a dash of Tabasco.



Obviously it needs to be strained before serving. It would be terrific in a Bloody Mary--especially if you used Absolute Pepper (my favorite!). I recommend making your own tomato juice, it's really easy and it tastes better than straight out of a can. TJOC mentions that you can drink it hot or cold but hot tomato juice grosses Josh out so much I couldn't subject him to the sight of me enjoying it.

Chai (p. 34) always reminds me of my friend Emily. Emily adores chai, while it has always reminded me of drinkable pumpkin pie (and that's not a compliment). I'm not sure why I didn't make this recipe during one of Emily's visits, because then I could have had an expert opinion. I was interested in the concept of making it from scratch, although why I chose to do this in the middle of summer is a real mystery. Chai is a cold weather drink, if you ask me.

First, I needed to crush a few cardamom pods. Easier said than done! This would be much easier in a spice grinder (one of the items I hope I get the most off of my wedding registry), it wasn't particularly easy in a morter and pestle.



The crushed pods were combined with water (way more water than I would have expected), milk, sugar, cinnamon sticks, cloves, ginger, and peppercorns (one of these things is not like the others...one of these things doesn't belong...).



I brought it to a boil and then took it off the heat and let it steep for twenty minutes. Two tablespoons of black tea leaves were then added.



Which of course needed to be strained out:



Which was harder than it sounded:




The chai was good, if you like chai. I can't say it was outstanding and I wish I had been able to strain it better. Has anyone made their own chai from scratch before? Did you like it?

Carrots vichy (p. 266), Sauteed veal cutlet or scallopine (p. 486), and Sauteed mushrooms (p. 283)

I am proud to say that I actually made a solid, rounded meal with a meat and two vegetables. And every piece was absolutely delicious.

I've been meaning to make Carrots vichy (p. 266) for quite a while. I even meant to make it last Thanksgiving and then got so bogged down by all the other components that it didn't get made. But I wanted to make a vegetable and I always have carrots--it seemed like an obvious recipe to make. It's really strange that there six carrot recipes in the Vegetables chapter and I haven't made a single one, even though I always have carrots on hand.

The recipe was simple. I combined carrots, water, butter, sugar, and salt in a pot.



I brought it to a boil and then cooked it for about twenty minutes.



And it was done. I love recipes where you combine a bunch of ingredients in a pot and wait for it to be done. Easy!

I found some veal scaloppine on sale at the grocery store, so, of course, I snapped it right up. I made Sauteed veal cutlet or scallopine (p. 486). The first step of the recipe was to pound the cutlets but since I bought them already in scaloppine form, I skipped that step. I dredged the cutlets in a little flour and then added some salt and pepper.

TJOC mentioned that they should only take 30-60 seconds a side, cooked in olive oil. REALLY? That's such a short amount of time.



But it was correct. After about thirty seconds, the flour started lighting on fire. Watch the veal VERY CLOSELY or keep a fire extingusher close at hand. Or both.



The recipe mentions that the veal can be topped with Sauteed mushrooms (p. 283), which I thought was an excellent idea. I sliced a pound of mushrooms, and then added them to a hot butter/vegetable oil combination.



I cooked them for about ten minutes, twice the amount of time TJOC recommended, but they finally started to brown and cook down.



Very simple! The entire meal was simple--no more than fifteen minutes or so of active time for everything.

The meal was delicious! The cutlets were tender and flavorful, the mushrooms were tasty, and the carrots hit just the right note of sweetness. Plus I felt healthy! Two vegetables with the protein? We should do this more often!

Pesto sauce (p. 569), Curry powder III (p. 975), and Flavored nut butters III. Curried macadamia butter (p. 179)

First off, don't forget the contest!

Mom gave me bag of basil when I left Iowa--and I figured that basil would be perfect for Pesto sauce (p. 569). I love pesto but I've never made it...partially because fresh basil at the grocery store is so expensive.

Easy recipe--basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, and garlic cloves went into the tiny food processor. I think I halved the the recipe because I only had a cup of basil (it was still early in the season!).



It smelled absolutely divine at this point. Amazing.



Olive oil was then slowly poured in as the food processor was running (not an easy task, there wasn't a very big hole in the top of food processor).



The original goal? I was going to make TJOC pesto macaroni salad. What actually happened? I binged on the pesto smeared on crackers. And it was amazing. I want more! I can't wait until I go home and mom gives me more basil. Amazing!

I ran out of homemade curry and decided to make another batch--this time Curry powder III (p. 975). Josh and I eat a LOT of curry but I was a little afraid of this recipe. It was complex and looked like it was going to make a huge amount--what if we didn't like it? So I decided to quarter the recipe.

The long list of ingredients? Turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger, pepper, red pepper flakes, fennel, mustard, poppy seeds, cloves, and mace.



I can't wait until I have a spice grinder. It's one of the items on my wedding registry that I really hope I get. Because I don't have one yet I used pepper instead of peppercorns and the fennel seeds didn't get near ground up enough.



Even so, it looked beautiful.



And it was very good. This curry yielded a much more complex flavor than the Curry powder I. Unfortunately, a quarter of the recipe wasn't very much and I had a strange suspicion that I would be mixing curry again very soon.

I had a big jar of macadamia nuts that I've been meaning to use. And now I had a jar of curry powder...the perfect combination for Flavored nut butters III. Curried macadamia butter (p. 179)! Sounds strange, right?

And it was strange. Six ounces of salted macadamia nuts, a still of cold butter, some honey, and a little curry.



The butter took forever to become "smooth".



How was it? Definitely weird. I was expect more of a peanut butter type feel and taste. This was more like nut-flavored butter not flavored nut-butter. Even so, it's tasty on a bagel. And it's fancy. I think this would be perfect for a breakfast where you are trying to impress people (the in-laws?)--it would be terrific on pancakes or waffles.

How do I get so far behind on posting? No idea. I literally have about twenty more recipes to post, so be sure to check back. And always feel free to comment or send me an email at thejoyofthejoyofcooking (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Brown beef stock (p. 117) and Chicken broth (p. 121)

I am many, many blogs behind, so be sure to keep checking back this week. I posted three blogs today, so make sure you read them all! Make sure to enter the contest.

I stumbled upon a bag of beef bones at the grocery store--5 lbs for about $2.50. Perfect for the Brown beef stock (p. 117) I need as an ingredient to knock one of the items off the randomized list. I was intimidated by the bones--they didn't have almost meat on them.



My mother said it wouldn't matter. I roasted the bones for about fifteen minutes.



At this point I realized that the tiny jelly roll pan I was using wasn't nearly big enough for the vegetables that needed to be added. I transferred the bones to my giant roasting pan, along with onions, carrots, and celery.



Everything was then transferred to a stockpot, where it simmered for another half hour. I then added some bouquet garni, a clove, and a leek to the pot, and simmered it for six hours. Make sure that you have plenty of time if you are going to make this recipe--it takes a long time. I would say that between the roasting and simmering, it takes about eight hours or so.



A little water was added to the roasting pan, the brown bits were scraped up, and poured into the pot.





I strained the stock and packaged it up. And totally forgot to take a picture, so here is a picture of the stock (days later) in the fridge:



The stock smelled delicious and was a beautiful color. I haven't used it for anything yet, but it tasted delicious as it was cooking.

I incessantly make chicken stock but I noticed a recipe for Chicken broth (p. 121) in the Stocks and Soups chapter. I had found a package of chicken legs on closeout and I had chicken thighs in the freezer, which I mostly dethawed, but still dumped into the pot in a block.




For some reason (well, I know the reason, I made about fifteen recipes in one day, which makes it difficult to remember what I took pictures of and what I missed) I didn't take any pictures past this point until the end. Pretty much, I simmered the chicken for a while and then added a finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery rib. I simmered that for another hour and it was done. I then let it cool and strained it and ended up with this (picture taken several days later):



Delicious and mild. Much more mild than chicken stock, which has a lot more seasoning (the broth has no seasoning). It also had a lot of sediment for some reason. But it was very tasty and worked well in recipes that I typically use stock for (namely, tortilla soup). I make chicken stock constantly. I can buy a chicken at the grocery store for $3.50. If I make stock out of it, I end up with a chicken's worth of poached chicken and a huge amount of stock. I also make it when I break up a chicken into it's component parts--it seems like a huge waste to throw the back away.

Spaghetti carbonara (p. 329)

First of all, welcome to all the new readers that have wandered over from the foodie blogroll! I try to post when I actually made the food, not when I post, so this blog hasn't been ignored for several weeks like it looks. Don't forget the contest!

I recently made a big list of how much progress I have made in every TJOC chapter. I am doing extremely well in certain chapters (stocks and soups for example) and doing very poorly in other chapters (pickles and relishes, where I have made zero recipes). You think this would have motivated me to bake more cookies and make more game. Instead, I decided to make Spaghetti carbonara (p. 329), a recipe from a chapter I've been making excellent progress with. This will be a short post because it was an extremely easy recipe.

I love recipes that start by sauteing bacon in olive oil:



So much bacon!



White wine was added and then cooked until it evaporated.

I mixed three eggs, some Parmesan, and salt and pepper in a little bowl:






And then added the bacon and the egg mixture to hot pasta (which cooks the egg):



Tasty and easy--a perfect combination. I really recommend this recipe and I will make it again in the future. It fried up well the next day too

Deviled ham or chicken spread (p. 180), Broiled shrimp or scallops with persillade (p. 387), and Cornmeal waffles (p. 647)

First of all, don't forget to enter the contest!

Mom had leftover ham in the fridge when I got to her house. I thought it would be the perfect time to make ham salad--mom likes ham salad whereas I find it absolutely disgusting (something about pink paste just doesn't make me hungry). I thought Deviled ham or chicken spread (p. 180) would be perfect (especially since I had just been to Penzey's and some terrific paprika on hand).

The recipe was simple--diced ham, mayonnaise, chicken broth, some fresh parsley out of mom's garden, paprika, and a bit of salt and pepper went into the food processor (I halved the recipe because mom didn't have enough ham for the full recipe).



And processed it:



I found it horrifying but mom thought it looked delicious. If you like ham salad, it's a good use of leftover ham. The paprika gave it a more robust flavor than most meat salads (doesn't that sound disgusting? "Meat salad"?).

Mom also had a bag of frozen shrimp she wanted me to use during my visit. While looking through the shellfish recipes, I spotted the perfect recipe--Broiled shrimp or scallops with persillade (p. 387). I figured it was perfect because it used fresh parsley and mom had a fecund parsley plant right outside (fecund--now there's a GRE word!). A persillade is apparently a mix of chopped parsley and garlic and is often mixed with breadcrumbs.

I spread the shrimp on a jelly-roll pan and sprinkled them with some olive oil.




In a bowl I mixed breadcrumbs, parsley, and (more) garlic (than the recipe actually asked for). I covered the shrimp in the breadcrumb mixture.



And into the oven it went. It's only supposed to broil for a couple minutes on one side and a couple of minutes on the other side. After the first couple minutes, I thought "uh oh":



As you can see, the shrimp started to burn (or rather, the breadcrumbs on the shrimp started to burn). So if you make this recipe--keep your eye on it! I think it would be much easier in my electric broiler than it was in mom's gas oven (easier to watch, at least). The shrimp was still really good though and I loved the breadcrumbs--delicious and easy. I will make this again but I really need to watch it better next time!

For some mysterious reason, I thought Cornmeal waffles (p. 647) would be the perfect accompaniment to the shrimp. It probably had more to do with the fact that I didn't want to leave mom with a bunch of leftover buttermilk and thought I should knock out another recipe that requires a waffle iron than that I thought the two foods went together. The recipe started similarly to the other waffle recipes. I mixed buttermilk, melted butter, maple syrup, and egg yolks in a bowl. Flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt went into another bowl.

(This picture isn't totally accurate, obviously the garlic, parsley, and breadcrumbs weren't involved in the waffles and the melted butter was added to the wet ingredients):




The wet ingredients were mixed into the dry ingredients...and then...

I needed to whip up the egg whites in another bowl. Whipping egg whites was (embarrassingly) something I've been really afraid of--which was one of the reasons I decided to start TJOTJOC. First I tried to whip the egg whites by hand, which was never going to happen (it takes several minutes of fast whisking--apparently I don't have the stamina!). Then I put the whisk attachment on mom's Kitchenaid hand mixer and *bam* there it was! Not very difficult--I think I may have moved past my fear!

The egg whites were then added to the batter:



And folded in. I didn't know how far to fold them, so there were still lumps of egg white when I finished (this picture is pre-finish but not much):





The waffles were AMAZING. OMG they were delicious. They were light and fluffy and cornmeal-y (and I LOVE cornmeal muffins/bread/pancakes/etc). Since the maple syrup was already included, a little (or a lot) of butter and they were ready to go. I actually wanted to continue eating these long after I was full. Plus they froze perfectly (as waffles should). I can't recommend these enough!

Buttermilk waffles (p. 647) and Eggs baked in a muffin tin (p. 199)

First of all, don't forget to enter the contest! I'm extending the deadline because I'm so behind in posting. I was in Des Moines visiting my mom so one of my best friends, E, came to visit from Kansas City. We stayed out (late) catching up and decided to get some breakfast before going shopping. I decided to make Buttermilk waffles (p. 647) and .

The waffles were really simple. The wet ingredients (eggs, butter, and buttermilk) were mixed together:



In another bowl, the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt) were mixed and I made a well in the center. At this point I thought that it would have been a good idea to read this recipe before starting so I could have used a bigger bowl--it wasn't much of a well.



The wet ingredients were poured into the dry and it was briefly mixed. Don't worry if there are lumps--there are supposed to be lumps, overmixing the batter will ruin the waffles. I used a measuring cup to transfer batter to the waffle iron.



Several years ago, my mother kept complaining that she wanted a waffle iron. I knew full well she wasn't going to use it more than once a year so I refused to buy her one. Then, one day, I was out with my friend Ben at garage sales and we found a waffle iron for two dollars. It works perfectly, even if it is rather ugly:



The waffles were tender, fluffy, and delicious. They were easy to make, didn't stick, and were terrific. I think they were better than the waffles that I made earlier. I would (and will) make these in the future--and it made six waffles, exactly like it said (so if you are making waffles for a big group, make sure to at least double the recipe).



I thought that I should make something else to go with the waffles and the recipe for Eggs baked in a muffin tin (p. 199) jumped out at me (OT--I hate when people misuse the word "literally" as in "it literally jumped out at me". Unless words are attacking you, in which case you may want to seek medical attention, it didn't literally do anything).

I greased my mother's thousand-year-old muffin pan with some butter and then sprinkled some grated Parmesan and diced ham into each cup.





I cracked an egg into each of the spaces.



The recipe recommends a water bath but mom didn't have a big enough pan, so I didn't bother.




It didn't matter--they were absolutely perfect. And adorable! This may be the cutest breakfast item I've ever made. Plus they were delicious with bread. The Parmesan and ham were a great addition and it was a terrific way to make portioned eggs for a group.





And I'm sure that all of you are wondering what I bought when we went shopping :) I found my outfit for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner! I found a BCBG dress for 70% off!



And I ABSOLUTELY LOVE these Calvin Klein shoes. LOVE LOVE LOVE them. These shoes were amazingly on a double sale and then mom also had a coupon! Perfection.

To do list meme

I am amazingly behind in posting again because I have been so busy--but I have cooked a lot, so keep your eyes peeled (possibly the most disgusting metaphor ever) for new posts (which will be backdated like always).

As most of you know, I almost never do meme's on this blog because it's a food blog and I figure you don't care. But I really adored this list and I would love to know what the rest of you have done. (I stole this from http://littlestorydesigns.blogspot.com/ )

I've bolded the ones I've done.
1. Started your own blog--and here it is!
2. Slept under the stars--although it's difficult in Iowa, too many bugs in the summer.
3. Played in a band--sure! Oh, you mean a rock band? Well, I've been in concert band and marching band, close enough :)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower --awesome but no
6. Given more than you can afford to charity--pretty much every Christmas.
7. Been to Disneyworld/Disneyland--when your grandparents live in FL, this is a given
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables--I hate gardening but I love gardens
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train--I've even had a sleeper car :)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you were not ill--sorry high school!
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors--and it was amazing! I would like to go to some of the other birthplaces
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke--this is the least likely to happen on this whole list
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling--second least likely to happen. I hate breathing when I'm underwater
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater--although I live about three blocks from one
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class--just one!
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check--only once.
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar--I have several caviar stories :)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been laid off from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book--this is one of my major life goals
81. Visited the Vatican--three items on this list ticked off from one visit to Rome!
82. Bought a brand new car--only ever had new-to-me
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake--seen it but never swam in it
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee