When our family finds something we enjoy, we can’t help but continue making it until time ends.
Here are more pictures and the recipe!
Now, on to the vine rolls!
Roger
Here’s a link to the original post as well.
… more Greek Snacks!
the food nobody makes
There is a beauty in learning how to cook and mastering those foods that are so special to you and those you care about.
The problem today is three-fold: first, very many people know very little about nutrition; secondly, basic meal preparation for a lot of folks comes out of a box or a can and ;lastly, they are stumped at where to go to learn. The folks on TV are entertaining, but they spend far too much time trying to be easy or different…. they don’t teach the basics of bread or cake making or what constitutes a well rounded dinner.
I even read in a current recipe book that one never uses any cake in a bread pudding! Funny, the old kitchens of the 1800’s to early 1900’s would throw in everything from bread to croissants and from cake to muffins! They really knew how to cook in those days… and they didn’t waste anything.
Here’s a tough question I asked a few people: how many minutes does it take to cook a 3 minute egg? It was surprising to find that a lot didn’t know how to begin to answer that question. I know it sounds a little mean … but it does show the state of affairs in many kitchens today.
I love my bread pudding with a wonderful brandy sauce!
The key to starting out is to start with the basics, master that and then move up. Children love to learn how to make desserts: cookies, pies and cakes. It’s great to see a child pull out their first set of Tollhouse (Chocolate Chip) Cookies… and dig in when they are still warm and gooey!
Teach someone to cook and you open a world to them that they never knew existed!
Roger Freberg
sweet & sour pork is a great anniversary dinner
Laura and I work well together… however, when we are both in the kitchen it becomes a bit of a struggle… but making this wonderful dish brought us together for our anniversary… now 37 years married.
We married at the ripe old age of 20 and one of our favorite places to go was “Madame Wu’s” in Santa Monica. MW’s was a gourmet Chinese restaurant … a bit unique for the time but a wonderful experience. Making this particular ‘sweet & sour pork’ recipe brought those fond memories back.
The future is always uncertain, but I hope we have many more of these wonderful years and incomparable meals!
Roger
making concord grape jam in san luis obispo
We can grow a lot of great things in our county and almost every variety of grape, except Concord I am told. So there lay the challenge! Some 20 plus years ago, I received a concord grape cutting from New York and planted it where I thought we would get the most wind chill. Our side of the world has a daily afternoon typhoon that will really bring the wind chill down at night… making for great bonfires and — of course — concord grapes. The dusting on the grapes is actually natural yeast, something that doesn’t usually happen in a vineyard until it is quite mature… things started to ferment right away when I pressed the grapes and for a moment I thought I might make wine instead…
Rather than just snack on our grapes this year, we endeavored to make some jam! There required a little more preparation than I intended, I went out and bought a ‘food mill’ from Bed , Bath & Beyond to easily separate out the troublesome seeds. We have many wild blackberries and such in the area and for years we were surrounded by them (think Sleeping Beauty’s Castle and you get the idea!) So, this is the first time we actually needed anything like a food mill.
Concord has a lot of its own pectin so many recipes exclude adding any… and I wanted to use honey rather than any other sugar… so we did a bit of recipe tweaking.
I am looking forward to toast tomorrow at breakfast! BTW, my daughter drew me as ‘chef bear’ …a family moniker.
Roger
our 37th wedding anniversary is saturday
By now, if you know us, then you are aware of how important the right food can be to mark a special occasion, be it: a great geographical landmark, our various travels, new cultures and their people, or even major seismic events. After all, cuisine is the international tongue that speaks to us all clearly. The expression “Breaking bread” ,and sharing a meal, has always been the first step to gaining an understanding of those around you… and you may remember in Sunday School how Jesus was recognized by his style in breaking and sharing bread.
In any event, Saturday marks Laura and my 37th wedding anniversary. Believe it or not, there is actually a stone or material to mark this unusual anniversary, it is ALABASTER. Hmmmm … I guess I could buy Laura an 8′ chunk of wall board… but that doesn’t sound very romantic… unless you view it as something to strengthen a well loved home.
Back to food, around the time of the Beijing Olympics , Laura was searching for one of her favorite Chinese meals to fully enjoy the festive occasion. She found a wonderful recipe for sweet and sour pork and added her own twist of vegetables. This will be our anniversary dinner as well.
Here is the recipe and Laura’s variation
Now, what to buy? …….. Is ten sheets of wall board too much?
Roger