Last weekend, I baked sweet potatoes for J’s breakfast, but he never finished them… and I found a recipe for Sweet Potato Biscuits to use the leftovers. They were moist and fluffy, crispy on the outside, and perfectly seasoned. The sweet potato flavor is pretty subtle, which was a plus. We ate them with jam (both raspberry and ginger), but I imagine they would also be delicious with ham.
Cooking on Holidays
I don’t make corned beef and cabbage every year, but we were able to find a small brisket at Costco. There is one addition passed down in my family, but mostly I follow the package instructions. Starting with cold water (and skimming the scum), simmer for 4 to 5 hours, covered in liquid, with red potatoes, carrots and cabbage added toward the end. This one only had mustard and caraway seeds, so I added some peppercorns, bay leaves and half an onion. With my favorite coarse mustard on the side.
And below is what we made with cheap ham at Christmas (Bob’s Red Mill 13 Bean Soup). Not very pretty, but so creamy and good.
Today’s Beatles: Paul & Ringo
Recently, Paul McCartney was nice to the paparazzi, which coincided with an album release. (Call me cynical.) I hadn’t heard him solo since “Say Say Say” with Michael Jackson, so I was intrigued enough to listen. He’s dipping his toes into jazz standards, backed by Diana Krall’s band, but I just don’t think he has the voice for it now. He is still music royalty, so I feel guilty criticizing.
Ringo released a new album this year as well. I didn’t know what to expect, since I’d never heard him without the rest of the band. The songs were fun and familiar, reminding me of the pop-rock hits that the Beatles had. Nothing stuck in my head, which tends to be my gauge of whether I’ll be listening more, but I liked the feeling that it had.
Spring Makeover: Part One (Haircut)
My last professional haircut was a few years ago, and I don’t miss the experience. When I cut my own hair I get exactly what I want, without the conflicting artistic vision that can come from having someone else do it. My hair was waist-length, but had recently thinned from stress and allergies. This morning, I got brave and cut off 8″. It’s still long, but now it looks thick!
The Long Road to Ramen
Earlier this week, we splurged on steak (big, thick porterhouses that we could split, on sale for $5 per steak), smothered in mushrooms and onions with a side of rosemary potatoes. I kept the bones, bits of meat still attached, and simmered them with star anise and root vegetables (onion, ginger, garlic and asparagus). But I lost my patience after four hours… the bones had not given up all of their protein, while the meat and tendons were falling apart in the most delicious way.
Strained broth plus the beef, ramen, soy sauce, sriracha and (for me) hoisin sauce. J was skeptical while it was simmering… but is constantly surprised by my ramen, as I’ve gone this route with chicken wings in the past.
Note: Odd bits like tendon are not for everyone. The texture is soft, similar to bone marrow, and it is said to be good for joint health.
New Year, New Blog
My blog is currently under construction as I migrate from sweetlithium.blogspot.com.
PS – I’ve been told the gray color scheme was depressing, so I updated my theme/design. Must have been the winter blues.
Feasting on Chicken
As soon as I collected two quarts of chicken bits (necks, backs, wingtips and gizzards), I cooked chicken noodle soup. Quartered onion, couple stalks of celery, couple carrots, scraped-off corn cobs, chicken, and cold water to cover by about an inch or two. (Plus kosher salt, peppercorns, and some herbes de Provence since I didn’t have bay leaves.) When it boiled, my tuna strainer doubled beautifully as a skimmer. Simmering for three agonizing hours, it let off wonderful smells. (After an hour and a half, J wanted some, so I ladled out a little broth, veggies and a heart). At the end, I processed the chicken, added cooked egg noodles and raw corn. Seven generous bowlfuls, and it was so good we polished it off in less than 24 hours (and still wanted more).
I wanted something much easier for tonight, after spending the afternoon at the laundromat. We had a whole chicken thawed in the fridge (on sale last week for $2.50). Normally, I’d butterfly it so it would cook quicker and I could save bits for soup, but I was feeling lazy. So I stuffed it with a halved lemon and some garlic, topped it with olive oil, salt and pepper, and popped it in the oven with a couple of potatoes (and a couple of sweet potatoes for breakfast tomorrow). That’s when it hit me: my standards have changed drastically, if this were the easy option. A few months ago, I might have nuked a frozen dinner if I were tired. But I’ve been feeling so much healthier since I started cooking almost everything from scratch, and that keeps me going on those days when I don’t have the energy.
Plus, I finally found a recipe for all those chicken livers, since I can’t use them for soup: a chicken pâté made with apples, calvados and nutmeg (from The Sweet Life in Paris). Because I just couldn’t get excited about chopped liver.
Sweet Lithium 