Beans'n Rice

I posted this on my own blog a little while ago, and thought I'd share it here.

Ingredients:
3 T. canola or olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
as much garlic as you can handle, chopped (I like 3 or 4 cloves myself)
2 cups raw butternut or other winter squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes
2 cans or 3.5 cups cooked black beans
1 can or 2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander
1 t. dried oregano (fresh is better if it's summer time)
1 T. brown sugar
generous dose of hot chili powder - I use up to 2 T. but that's too much for some folks
water, as needed
cooked basmati or brown rice, to serve
shredded cheese, to serve...Jack, White Cheddar, Cotija are all good options

1. Sauté the onions and peppers in the oil for several minutes, until they're soft.
2. Add the garlic and spices and cook for about a minute; don't let the garlic burn.
3. Add the chopped squash and about 1/2 c. of water, just enough to let it simmer without scorching the bottom.
4. When the squash is about half-cooked, add the beans, tomatoes, salt and oregano and sugar and let the whole thing simmer for 15 minutes or so.
5. Serve over rice with shredded cheese. Be sure to compliment the cook.

Banana

Here's a bad banana joke I made last night. Daniel didn't get it, then it fell on the floor when I tried to explain it.

I was eating a banana, and he walked in and said, "Did you eat all my bananas?"

(teasing--we had two bunches!)

me: "Yep, every single one. All the married ones were taken."

ba dum dump

Coconut

Here is a random and pointless post about coconut. Enjoy.

I just made some fancy stuff with coconut. We buy shredded coconut in a resealable bag in the refrigerated section of the Indian grocery. A bag lasts us a long time. Today, I used the coconut three ways. (We're having Tom over for supper. He's a guy from church, formerly of "tom and kate.") Daniel's making Chicken Curry (imagine that), and we're also having couscous and carrot cake. Hey, all start with C. Just noticed that. Anyway, so here's the fun with coconut: I made the spice paste for his curry. It called for cumin seeds (my favorite), coriander seeds, cinnamon stick* , cardamom seeds, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, dried red chillies, and coconut. So I measured them all out and roasted them in a bit of oil, and it was so beautiful and smelled so awesome that I thought "If I had a camera phone or a digital camera, I'd post pictures of this. I'm gonna blog about it anyway." Then I transferred it to a plate and put 1/2 at a time into the coffee grinder. It was just so awesome and fragrant, that I had to tell you about that. I don't know if the recipe's worth posting or not, but I'll let you know tonight (or sometime.)

So we got a cake mix carrot cake, and I spiced it up by chopping up some peanuts and grating a carrot and substituting pineapple juice for the water and adding an extra egg. My dad had told me a long time ago to always add an extra egg to cake mixes and to use pineapple juice instead of water, but this was the first time I'd done the pineapple juice, I think. Anyway, there was a little recipe on the bottom that called for the additional egg and the pineapple juice, and some coconut, chopped nuts, and raisins. But I used carrot instead of raisins, cause we don't have raisins. I'm excited about that cake.

And the third use was a snack for Daniel. I love Daniel so much, and we're getting along better and better as we get to know each other, but I just have to tell ya, the guy's a picky eater. It's hard to find quick and simple snack options for him that are also cheap, and today the coconut did the trick.

* Lots of times Indian recipes will tell me to grind a cinnamon stick, but I've tried it in the coffee grinder and the food processor, and it was very defiant and strong-willed in both. I gave in and started using powder, which is so not the same. Today, though, I found a way to beat that cinnamon stick. I stuck it in a zip lock bag and took it outside and beat it with a hammer. Worked fine in the coffee grinder after that.

Christopher's Spice Cake

I promised this for Jenn some time ago after mentioning it on my blog; finally, I've gotten my lazy butt up to bring the cookbook to the computer and post the recipe. This is the cake I've made for CJ's past two birthdays, and may make again for Tom for his birthday this weekend. This recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from 2000--Mom gave it to me as a Christmas gift that year. It's my go-to book for ideas; I frequently tweak the recipes to our tastes, but I get the basic structures here. I'll also post the recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting, which is what I use for this cake. I make a basic 13x9 cake and leave it in the pan.

Spice Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 c butter, softened
1/4 c shortening
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 t vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 c buttermilk*

Grease a 13x9 baking pan and set aside. Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla, beat until well combined (should have a light, creamy, but somewhat crumbly texture). Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each. Add dry mixture and buttermilk alternately to beaten mixture, and beat at low speed after each addition just till combined. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes till done (or wooden toothpick comes out clean). Cool and frost; makes 12 servings.

*If you don't have buttermilk, pour 1 1/4 T of lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup, then enough regular milk (preferably whole, but 2% will work) to make 1 1/4 cups of liquid and stir. Let it sit for 5 minutes to sour, then use. General rule of thumb is 1T of lemon juice or vinegar for each 1c of buttermilk needed. I usually take this approach since I rarely remember to buy buttermilk, and never use a whole quart of it before it expires.

Cream Cheese Frosting*
6 oz. cream cheese, softened.
1/2 c butter
2 t vanilla
2-4 3/4 c powdered sugar, sifted

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating well. Once mixture is combined, gradually beat in another 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups of powdered sugar to reach desired spreading consistency. Makes enough for top and sides of two 8 or 9 inch layers.

*Personal note--I rarely use more than 2 1/2 c of powdered sugar total for this recipe, and have plenty to frost the top of a 13x9 cake. Using less sugar makes the frosting more tangy, which we personally like. Another personal note--the cream cheese and butter MUST be softened if you're using a hand mixer, or else it will just cling to the beaters and getting any powdered sugar into will be a challenge. If you're lucky enough to have a stand mixer with some power, you can throw in the butter and cream cheese straight from the fridge and you're good to go.

And for those who may have a problem with butter, you can substitute margarine in the same amounts. There is no substitute for the shortening. Personally, I prefer butter over margarine in general and especially in baking--I can never get a consistent result with margarine in cakes and frostings tend to break and run at room temperature.

Christmas Food

Wow! Has it really been over a month since anyone has posted to the food blog? It's hard to believe time is rushing by this fast.

I don't have any recipes to put on here immediately. As soon as I locate it again, I'll post the recipe for my grandmother's scrumptious homemade jam cake with caramel icing. Yummmm Yummmm yummy! I just haven't had time.

Yesterday, Jamie and I had Christmas dinner with Rachel's family. They are nice people! We had ham, turkey, green bean casserole, homemade stuffing (yum!), homemade dinner rolls (double yum!), five or six different kinds of pie. I think I ate enough for three people just at their house. I was so full, I didn't eat anything else for the rest of the day! But it sure was good.

Hope you all had a wonderful, food-y Christmas full of laughter and love. Hugs to you all!