The Lunch Ladies

Some of you may or may not know that a group of my friends and I get together each Friday and make lunch. One of us hosts the luncheon. It’s a great way to get together and talk as women can only do. Oh, and to eat great food. This week it was my turn. Maybe you’ll like some of the recipes I tried….

Today’s Menu—Chicken Curry, Mango Slices, Green Salad, Raspberry Squares

The chicken curry recipe is from Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals first book. This picture is exactly how it will look--minus the zucchini. Now, I love Rachel Ray’s recipes, but I haven’t always loved her. A few years ago we got satellite TV so I was officially hooked up to the Food Network channel. Ah, sweetness! Being a foody, I immediately started watching that channel as often as I could. I noticed this show called “30-Minute Meals.” What I also noticed was the host’s mannerisms—her tone of voice, her hand gestures, her silly made up words. Ew, I couldn’t watch it! Over the next few weeks I kept coming back to the show because I sure needed tips on getting dinner on the table fast. Slowly, I didn’t mind Rachel Ray so much! I even liked her and her silliness eventually. I brought this up today at lunch and we had a good laugh. A good laugh because we were likening it to sin. (A stretch yes, but stick with me.) At first we are repulsed by sin. Then we tolerate it, then we accept it. Then we enjoy it. Then we never saw the harm in the first place. Oh yes, there is a gospel lesson to be learned even from watching a cooking show.

Chicken Curry
Here’s my version of Rachel Ray’s Curry in a Hurry. I add yogurt to make a creamy and thick sauce. Please don’t substitute curry powder for the curry paste. It won’t even be the same dish. And don’t skip out on the mango chutney! That’s where the sweetness comes from. This is what I make when I’m craving dinner at Bombay House. Best of all, it’s done in 30 minutes or less!
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs or a combination of both, cut into chunky pieces and dusted with a handful of flour
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 piece of fresh gingerroot, about 2 inches, peeled and grated (optional)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (optional)
3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1-2 cups canned chicken broth
3 tablespoons mild curry paste (found on the international aisle of grocery store, I like Patak’s)
¼ cup golden raisins
2-3 tablespoons mango chutney (found on the condiment aisle)
½ cup lowfat or whole milk plain yogurt
¼ cup chopped cilantro
hot cooked rice, preferably Basmati rice

In a large skillet working over medium-high heat, brown the chicken four minutes on each side in the vegetable oil. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add the onion, ginger, and red bell pepper to now empty pan. Saute for 3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the two tablespoons of flour and cook 3-4 minutes to get rid of the “floury” taste. Add one cup of chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan until all the browned bits come off. Return the chicken to the pan. Simmer another 5 minutes. Add yogurt, mango chutney, and cilantro. Serve hot over rice.

Raspberry Squares
My favorite cookbook in the whole world has got to be The New Best Recipe by the editor’s of Cooks Illustrated. Over a 1,000 recipes that have never failed me yet. (Not that I’ve tried all 1,000—yet!) The recipe says this makes 36. Huh? I don’t think so! I cut them into 12 squares and us lunch ladies at the whole pan! Of course I don’t like nuts in my desserts so I omitted them.
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups quick oats
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup finely chopped pecans or almonds (optional)
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) softened butter, cut into chunks
1 cup raspberry preserves

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. (The foil will essentially be lifted out of the pan after baking so you can cut the squares.)


2. Combine the flour, oats, sugars, soda, salt, and nuts in a mixer. Add the butter, one piece at a time and mix about 2 minutes—until the mixture resembles wet sand.


3. Transfer two thirds of the oat mixture into your prepared pan. Pat down with your hand. Bake for 20 minutes. Spread the raspberry preserves over the bottom of the hot oat mixture. Then sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top. Bake another 30 minutes. Cool, remove from the pan, cut and eat!

Disappointing Conversation

On a recent airplane flight I was talking to a lady who was making her very first trip to Utah. People had scared her with the crazy liquor laws we have here and also with the fact that there is only one Starbuck’s coffee shop. She simply couldn’t get over that, “Only one Starbucks!” I didn’t bother to tell her it was brand new either. Before Starbucks all coffee connoisseurs had to go to the Nordstrom food court (also somewhat new) or to the very scary Juice n’ Java on 100 South. That place is a circus freak show. Anyway, back to the disappointing part of the conversation.

Me: So, where are you staying?
Seattle-ite: At the Residence Inn
Me: That’s nice. Would you like any restaurant recommendations?
Seattle-ite: No, I found an Olive Garden. That should do it.
Me: Oh, um, yea, that should be fine.

But it’s not fine! I realize Utah valley is not known for its culinary cuisine but there are a handful of great restaurants. I was all ready to recommend Bombay House, Chef’s Table, Café Rio, and Chinatown Restaurant. Instead I disappointingly added, “Yea, all the chain restaurants are along University Parkway. You shouldn’t have any problems finding a restaurant. (Notice I didn’t say finding a good restaurant.)

The Panacea of Chocolate Cake

All three of my children have their birthdays within 30 days of each other. That’s a whole lot of cake going on. Not just cake—but chocolate cake. I didn’t really see a trend in the constant making of chocolate birthday cakes until I went back and looked at photos. The cakes are always a two-layer round cake with chocolate frosting and usually with sprinkles. Martha Stewart calls sprinkles jimmies. I don’t like that name. I like calling them by their action. After all, you sprinkle them on a cake. You don’t jimmy them onto a cake. Whatever.

I didn’t quite realize where my obsession with double chocolate layer cakes with sprinkles came from until I ran across this photo circa 1979. Obviously like mother, like daughter. So there, I blame my mom for my obsession with chocolate cakes. Would I ever buy a chocolate cake for my kids birthday? No. Yes, my kids beg every year to have a store bought cake with airbrushed icing and cheap poncho-give-away toys littered across the top. But those just aren’t good eats. Not to mention, I like telling my kids no. I like to foster that spirit of deprivation among them. Someday they’ll be sitting in a college dorm room talking amongst their peers explaining how their cheap mother would never buy them a pretty cake. Actually, I secretly hope they’ll defend my cakes. Oh sure, they may not be the best looking, but they are the best tasting. Hands down. So here’s my recipe for chocolate cake. I think I have perfected it for the high altitude at which I live. Just to prove how picky I am about baking I use the cake recipe from one book and the frosting recipe from another. Sweet indulgence.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake (from The New Best Recipe by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated)
1 ¼ cups (6.25 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour (use 6.8 oz if you live at high altitude)
12 tablspoons (1 ½ sticks) unalted butter, softened but still cool
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ teaspoon baking soda (decrease by 1/8 tsp if you live at altitude)
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup Hershey’ cocoa
2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 8-inch round cake pans with Pam. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and spray again.
Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and shiny, 30 seconds. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar; beat until mixture is fluffy and almost white, 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 1 full minute after each addition.
Whish the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa, and coffee in a medium bowl. Combine the milk and vanilla in a liquid measuring cup. With the mixer at the lowest speed, add about a third of the dry ingredients to the batter, followed immediately by about a third of the milk mixture; mix until the ingredients are almost incorporated in to the batter. Repeat the process two more times. When the batter appears blended, stop the mixer an scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Return the mixer to low speed; beat until the batter looks satiny, about 15 second longer.
Pour into pans and bake 23-30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in pan and then remove to cooling racks.

Soft and Creamy Chocolate Frosting (from CookSmart by Pam Anderson)
½ cup egg substitute (Egg Beaters)
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon instant coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick soften butter
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
4 teaspoons light corn syrup
Mix the egg substitute, coffee, vanilla, and slat in a small bowl. Beat the butter in a bowl with a hand mixer. Add the melted chocolate and cocoa mixture. Beat until mixed. Add the sugar and mix. Add the corn syrup and beat until fluffy and glossy.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Of course my very first food blog entry is a cookie recipe.

Probably the best cookies I have ever made. I won’t even tell you how many I ate. These cookies are thin and chewy—the kind I like. I’ve never really liked thick and puffy. Those kind are too muffin-like. This recipe is from Barefoot Contessa Parties, although she uses chopped white chocolate instead of chocolate chips. I used Dutch processed cocoa but next time I’ll use regular old Hershey’s cocoa to see which I like better. She says to use a 1 ¾ inch cookie scoop. That seemed huge to me! But I guess you can if you want. If so, she says to cook for 15 minutes.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup unsweeted cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ pounds good white chocolate, coarsely chopped OR 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy in a the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Mix well. Add the cocoa and mix well. Sift together the flour, soda, and salt and add to the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough on a baking sheet lining with parchment paper, with a medium scoop or a large tablespoon. (Not an ice cream scoop—too big.) Dampen your hands and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for 10 minutes—the cookies will seem underdone. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.