Happy New Year

Finishing the nixtamal for my fresh tortillas and it's chicken enchiladas for New Years's Eve dinner. I am pretty sure neither madam nor I will be awake at midnight. I actually think we should celebrate New Year on the Winter Solstice to be accurate anyway.

Everyone have a safe and happy New Year.

Variations On A Theme - Potatoes Gratinee

Madam had her Boxing Day luncheon for the ladies yesterday and I sliced way too many potatoes for the individual Pommes Dauphinois. Instead of wasting the potatoes I just put them in a bowl of water to keep them from darkening and I'll use them today to make a little less rich variation called Pommes Lyonnaise.  The Dauphinois is just layers of potato and Le Gruyere all covered with cream or milk and baked. My version of Lyonnaise loses the cream and uses chicken stock and adds onion to the layers of cheese and potatoes. Sometimes you'll find the recipe is identical to the Dauphinois and just adds the onion. Try them  all and see what you like. I'm being lazy today but there are a bunch on the web just Google "potatoes dauphinois" or "potatoes Lyonnaise" and you'll get plenty of options. Whatever one you pick make sure that it is simply potato, Le Gruyere and milk or cream for the Dauphinois and just potoato, onoin, Le Gruyere, and broth for the Lyonnaise. NO extraneous additions. BTW, don't bother to make either if you aren't going to use real Le Gruyere Swiss cheese.

Mince Pies

Santa can come now as I have his mincemeat pies ready.

Happy Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve. We have a couple of friends over this evening for kind of a pot luck. I'm doing a small prime rib and they are bringing a fish curry. It was a last minute thing since we were going to be alone so we figured why not get together.
Anyhow. got some baking to do since there will now be someone to eat it. I've got a pumpkin pie in the oven now and next will be small mince pies. Later I'll do an apple tart as well. I've had my Christmas pudding since the end of November and it has had a few nips of cognac over the weeks so it's ready. I've still bread to bake as well.

Everyone have a nice Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Sane versus Crazy

It's becoming clearer to me. This whole hubbub is not between the white and nonwhite and police and protesters. It’s actually between sane people and crazy people. It’s between people who believe in peace and justice and those that want to hate and see people that don't look and believe as they do as something less than human. The tragedy is that they will never change.

Vegan Red Beans and Rice

It's a cool misty day here in Atlanta and a great day for something warm and nourishing.
Here is a nice recipe that meets this need and it has the bonus of being what's known as
cheap eats. It's also nice to have something simple while we are surrounded by all the
rich holiday food.
Traditional Red Beans and Rice fills the bill but to make it authentic you have to shell out
for some expensive ingredients like Tasso, andouille (smoked sausage) and smoked ham
hocks. It's delicious but so is this vegetarian version and while I am a huge fan of smoked
meats you don't really miss it in this dish. My small red beans(cranberry beans and not
the larger kidney beans) are all soaked and I'm ready to go. If you just really have to have
some meat in it just add a pound of diced smoke sausage(pre-cooked) or crumble in
some cooked bacon after you do the smashing bit.  Enjoy.

Vegan Red Beans and Rice
Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped finely
1 medium bell pepper chopped
4 stalks celery chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 lb. dry red beans soaked for at least 8 hours or overnight, drained and rinsed
6 cups vegetable broth or water (I use 1 box of vegetable broth(4 cups) and 2 cups of water)
1 tsp dried thyme or 2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 whole bay leaf
½ - 1 Tbsp smoked paprika or 1 tsp liquid smoke and regular paprika
Freshly cracked pepper to taste but don't be shy
Pinch cayenne pepper
6 cups cooked rice ( prefer brown basmati but white rice is traditional)
1 bunch green onions, sliced for garnish

Instructions

The night before or early in the morning, put your rinsed and picked over beans in a
large non-reactive pot and fill with enough cool water to cover the beans by a few inches.
Set them aside to soak. I actually put 2 TBlsp. of salt in the soaking water (which will be
rinsed off) as it seems to keep the beans from falling apart. Sort of like brining the beans.

About 3 or 4 hours before you're ready to eat finely dice the celery, bell pepper, and
onion, and mince the garlic. Cook the trinity (celery, bell pepper, onion) in a large pot ( I
like a Dutch oven) in the olive oil over medium heat until softened (8-10 minutes). Right
before you think the trinity is done add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
In a colander drain the soaked beans  and rinse with fresh water. Add the rinsed beans to
the pot with the vegetables. Also add the vegetable broth or water, thyme, oregano, bay
leaf, smoked paprika, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. If you
don't have smoked paprika you can try adding a tsp or so of liquid smoke.
Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a full boil over high heat. After it reaches a boil,
turn the heat to low and simmer for at least two hours.  Stir the pot occasionally to make
sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Keep an eye out and don't let the beans get to dry.
If they look dry then judiciously add water.

After two hours (or longer if desired) the beans should be soft and tender. Mash some of
the beans against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon. This will thicken the pot
and make the classic, creamy texture of the dish. Remove the bay leaf and allow the pot
to simmer for about 30 minutes more to let it thicken.

This is usually served by putting the red beans in a bowl and topping them with a scoop
warm, cooked rice. Sprinkle sliced green onions over the top.

It's a good idea to have a bottle of hot sauce handy for those that like a bit more kick. I'm
a big fan of Cholula from Mexico(the one with the wooden ball top) but whatever your
favorite is is fine.

Yuletide Blessings

For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the December or Winter Solstice marks the longest night and shortest day of the year.  This special day is coming up tomorrow, Sunday, December 21 at 23:03 UTC (6:03 p.m. EST).  December may be marked by Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, but for pagans the Winter Solstice is the time to celebrate Yule. Yule celebrates the rebirth of the sun and beginning of winter. It is one of the oldest winter celebrations known.

Originally the Christian calendar focused on Easter. It was only in the fourth century that the church decided Jesus Christ’s birthday should be celebrated. Since the Bible did not point to an exact date when Christ was born, Pope Julius I chose Dec. 25. It’s commonly believed that the church chose the date in an effort to replace the Roman Saturnalia and Pagan Yule celebrations with the Christian holiday.

Many Christmas traditions including dinner feasts, gift-giving, and decorative wreaths can be traced back to winter solstice rituals. For instance, for the Celtic druids, mistletoe was a sacred plant  called “All Heal.” Mistletoe was believed to cure illnesses, serve as an anecdote for poisons, ensure fertility and protect against witchcraft. People would hang it from their doorways or rooms to offer goodwill to visitors.  Ancient Celts would plant holly in their homes as a form of protection since the plants was believed to hold magical powers for its ability to survive the winter months.

So, regardless of which holiday (and there is nothing wrong with celebrating them all!) have yourself a Merry Christmas/Winter Holiday/Yule/Hanukkah or Kwanzaa.

A significant and fun fact about the coming solstice is that it occurs within about two-and-a-half hours of a new moon.

How Now Flu?

According to the enters for Disease Control and Protection we’re just at the beginning of what could be a fairly rough flu season. For starters, the dominant flu strain this fall has been a tough bug (called H3N2) that, in previous years, has caused increased hospitalization and death rates -- especially among the elderly, very young children and people with chronic medical conditions. Worse, this year’s flu vaccine doesn’t fully cover that nasty strain. Long story short, the virus mutated after the vaccine was already in production -- so the vaccine will be less effective this year than in other years.

If for some strange reason you haven't had your shot this year then do so as it will protect you from the other strains that are out there.

Second, add extra Vitamin C and some Zinc to your vitamin regimen. It will boost your immune system (C) and help lessen the symptoms(Zinc).

Wash your hands like a crazy person.

Mashed Potato Leftovers

OK, leftover time. Everyone tries to find something to do with the turkey and there are a lot of good ideas. Pazole or other soups, casseroles, and pot pies. The lowly mashed potato usually get short shrift.

A great use for left over mashed potatoes is potato pancakes or in German, kartoffelpuffer. The basic recipe is just the potatoes, egg, flour and (sometimes) onion but I am kind of a fan of cheese as well and the kind of cheese is flexible. I like cheddar, Le Gruyere, pepper jack or even ricotta or cottage cheese.

Basic potato pancake

3 cups chilled leftover mashed potatoes
2-3 Tbsp chopped shallot, onion or scallion(green and white parts) if using
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp flour plus 1/2 cup flour for dredging
Extra virgin olive oil, butter, for pan-frying

If you are adding cheese then make it about 2/3s cup of you favorite shredded cheese.

In a large bowl, stir together the mashed potatoes, cheese if using, onion, shallot or scallions, egg and 3 tablespoons flour until combined.  Using a small ice cream scoop, tablespoon or your hands, divide the mixture into 12 equal portions. Roll each portion into a small ball then flatten it into a pancake about a 1/2-inch-thick.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter  in a large sauté pan over medium heat. (Add enough oiland butter to completely coat the bottom of the pan.)

While your oil is heating put the remaining 1/2 cup of flour in to a shallow bowl and dredge each pancake, carefully coating each side.

Fry the pancakes, in batches, until they're golden brown and crispy on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Add more oil and butter to the pan as needed between batches.  Resist the temptation to turn the pancakes too soon, you want a nice crisp crust. Transfer the pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately sprinkle them with salt.

Serve the potato pancakes topped with plain Greek yogurt or sour cream and garnished with additional chopped shallot, onion or scallions.

This will make 12 pancakes.

Note: Depending on the mashed potatoes you may need an extra egg if they are very dry or a bit more flour if they are overly wet to start with.  Also, if you are using a wet cheese like cottage then a bit more flour is needed.

Happy Thanksgiving

Gosh, I have been terrible in neglecting this blog recently but I'll do better. Anyway, everyone have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Minimonk is joining us today but it won't be a blowout. Game hens, dressing, mashed spuds, creamed corn, sweet potatoes, cucumber and onion salad, and fresh rolls, Punkin pie for desert or an apple tart.

Veteran's Day

It is the 96th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that brought an end to World War I in 1918.  It was called Armistice Day.  Now it is the official U.S.  holiday to commemorate Veterans Day.

Let the veterans in your life know you appreciate their sacrifice.

Quick Butternut and Leek Soup

Fall is definitely here and now is the time when soup becomes the star of many a meal at
the Monk homestead. I have butternut squash in the basement and plenty of leeks still in
the garden so what better option than another variation on Butternut Squash soup.
Instead of the traditional onions, I'll use leeks and instead of milk or half-and-half I'll just use
chicken or vege stock. To make things simple I do it in one pot instead of roasting the
squash in the oven first.  (I am still without an oven but maybe Monday.)

Butternut Squash & Leek Soup

You'll need:
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped.
2-3  tablespoons of butter
1 butternut squash, peeled, cut in chunks(the smaller the chunks the faster it will cook)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 tsp Kosher salt
Depending on the size of your squash you'll need 2 - 3 cups of broth(chicken or vegetable)
1/2 cup yogurt or sour cream. I use Greek yogurt since that is pretty much all I ever have
on hand.
6 or so fresh sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

Add the squash and the dried thyme to the leeks and stir to heat through for a few
minutes. Add just enough stock to cover the squash. Simmer over medium heat for 15
minutes or so or until the the chunks of squash can be easily pierced with a knife.
I use an immersion blender and blend in the pot until it is mostly smooth but you can
transfer it to a blender or food processor and give it a whir. Optionally, if you like it a bit
chunky you can just take a potato masher after it for a bit. Stir in the yogurt or sour
cream. Adjust salt and add freshly ground pepper to taste.

Garnish with a dollop more of yogurt(or sour cream),  and maybe some fresh thyme leaves.

Note: You can, of course, use onions and garlic instead of the leeks and roast the squash
first. Roasting the squash brings out some caramel notes from the natural sugars and is
very nice if you have the time.

Día de los Muertos

It's All Saints Day and the Latina Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead.

Frances Ann Day summarizes the three-day celebration, the Day of the Dead—

On October 31, All Hallows Eve, the children make a children's altar to invite the angelitos;(spirits of dead children) to come back for a visit. November 1 is All Saints Day, and the adult spirits will come to visit. November 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives. The three-day fiesta filled with marigolds, the flowers of the dead; muertos;(the bread of the dead); sugar skulls; cardboard skeletons; tissue paper decorations; fruit and nuts; incense, and other traditional foods and decorations.

—Frances Ann Day, Latina and Latino Voices in Literature

Samhain and a New Year

Well it is Halloween and Samhain, the Pagan New Year. A new turn of the wheel starts tomorrow. I did my duty and voted today. I figure it was poetic to vote for the freak show we are about to see in the Senate on Halloween. We could be pleasantly surprised but I am not going to be betting in serious money on such an outcome.

I did get my new ovens ordered and it should be delivered on Saturday. If you haven't priced them double electric oven are very expensive, like we are talking 2 grand and up. I settled for a nice GE that has convection (fan oven for you Brits) in the top plus regular and just conventional in the bottom. I have convection in both upper and lower in the unit I have but I never used the lower for much of anything so I won't miss it all. If you are unfortunate enough to have to replace a double oven then beware that there are all kinds of little add-ons you have to pay for on top of the price of the oven itself. Measuring fee for the installer to measure and see if any modifications are in order...$69. Hall off of the old unit $20 and in my case removing the piece of wood I added to make the hole fit my current oven which is 110 dollars. Since I bought this at Home Depot another company will do the install but Home Depot will deliver. They advertise free haul off of the old appliance but that is only if the old appliance is already uninstalled which it won't be. So I've paid for everything and scheduled the delivery but have no word from the installers when they will appear.

So anyway, I broke down and bought a bag of Kit-Kat snack size if any trick-or-treaters show up....probably not. I can count on my two hands the number of T&T's we have had in the 33 years we have lived here but I am always ready and yes, the pumpkins are off the front porch as well.

I usually do pizza for Halloween night but that's out since I have no oven....

Whole-Wheat Biscuits and Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

I just realized that I haven't posted anything here in weeks...sorry. To apologize here is a recipe for whole-wheat biscuits.

We are all used to biscuits made with white flour and they are very nice but there is absolutely no reason to not make them from whole-wheat flour and skip the empty carbs from the white flour. Use a good quality whole-wheat flour such as King Arthur and they even have a white whole-wheat flour which is great for these biscuits. I prefer buttermilk biscuits but regular milk works as well though the chemistry is a little different because of the acidity of the buttermilk.

Whole-Wheat Biscuits and Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups whole-wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
4-5 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup cold milk

To make the biscuits with buttermilk substitute 1 tsp of baking soda for one tsp of baking powder(for the acid in the buttermilk) and substitute 1 and 1/4 cups of buttermilk for the milk.

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder/soda, and salt. Mix well with a whisk or a fork.
Cut the butter into little pea-size pieces and scatter them over the flour mixture.
Mix the flour and butter together, using  a fork or pastry cutter or fingers to mash the butter pieces into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the milk and mix together thoroughly without overmixing and trun the loose mixture out onto a  floured cutting board or counter.  Knead the dough with your hands 4 to 6 times until it just comes together. We really don't want to overwork the dough or we'll have tough biscuits.
Pat the dough out flat with your hands until it’s about ¾ inch thick. Add a little more flour if the if the dough sticks to your fingers, sprinkle a little flour on the top and bottom. If it’s too dry (not holding together), add a splash or two of milk or water.
Cut out biscuit rounds. Gently press together the scrap dough and cut another biscuit or two, taking care not to over-handle the dough.
Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

You should get 8 - 10 biscuits. Serve them hot with lots of butter and homemade jam and jelly. Honey and sorghum works too.

Rainy Saturday

Rainy Saturday in the Northern Atlanta burbs so we won't be getting much gardening done today. Did manage to get Zoey's walk in between showers though so that's something. We have a potluck birthday party this evening for our friend Carmen at its a "Crock Pot" thing. I'll take my Tuscan Bean Stew and a nice batch of fresh focaccia. Any fresh bread is good with a hearty soup but focaccia seems to really hit the spot. I use Nancy Silverton's method for the focaccia which is really nice and easy to boot. So it is going to be a day in the kitchen it seems. Well, I am trying to convince Madam to go with me to the CVS on the corner to get out flu shots but other than that I'll be cooking mostly.

The fall garden is growing nicely BTW as you can see by the pictures of romaine, Napa and mustard.

Not Really Pumpkin

The Huffington Post has a story up about canned pumpkin not actually being pumpkin but a variety of butternut squash called Dickinson...at least when it comes to Libby's, Libby's, Libby's. Whatever. it still makes my favorite pie and the best recipe is still the one on the canned Libby's pumpkin label. There are actual pie pumpkins out there and I actually grow some. I actually got a pretty good crop this year with about 10 good sized pumpkins from a relatively small space. I haven't made a pie out of one yet to compare to the Libby's canned but I'm sure it will be good. These are an heirloom Amish pumpkin specifically grown for pies. We'll see. The picture is half my crop and aren't they cute.

Raining With a Chance of Garlic

I missed the dark of the moon on Wednesday for planting my garlic since the seed garlic bulbs hadn't arrived. They did arrive on Saturday and I got them in the ground today. Four days past optimum but we do have a waxing moon which should do the trick. Going big this year with four varieties and dedicating one whole bed to just garlic. (Kettle River Giant, German Red, Chesnok Red and Inchelium Red if you're interested.) A mix of hard neck and soft to see which does best for me. Even when I only plant half as much I usually can't get it used before it dries out so I really don't why I am planting so much other than curiosity and variety.

Been really busy cleaning up the summer garden and planting the fall one. Yesterday was two more beds of various cool weather things like Savoy cabbage and red cabbage, More broccoli,Giant Japanese mustard, Romaine lettuce and Swiss chard also went in.

I tagged along with Madam's garden club on Friday to tour Joe Lamp'l's garden. He is the producer and host of Growing a Greener World on PBS and his home and garden are just a little North of here. It's very nice. All his 16 beds are made from 6x6 redwood stacked three high and are like mine 4'x8'. Makes for a nice working height and allows for very good soil depth. I'm going to make mine a little deeper but with the addition of a pressure treated 2x10 hooked into the cinder blocks with a 4x4 on the corners...should do nicely. No way I can afford to use redwood 6x6...especially since mine wouldn't be tax deductible. Since he films some his shows in his home garden his expenses are deductible. Oh well..I'll post a picture I took yesterday at Joe's....really a very pretty garden and yes I am a bit jealous of the beds.

Rain is starting to move in so I was just in time with the planting today but I did have enough time to harvest some leeks. We have a house guest for the next week or so and tonight they are getting leek and potato soup from the garden(all completely home grown except for the chicken broth).

Autumnal Equinox

It's here tonight...fall that is. For those of you interested the Autumnal Equinox occurs when the sun passes over the celestial equator moving from North to South. For those below the equator it is the first day of Spring.

September Equinox in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. is on

Monday, September 22, 2014 at 10:29 PM EDT (Change city)

September Equinox in Universal Coordinated Time is on
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 02:29 UTC

Good Reasons to Vote this November

This list appeared on Twitter but I thought it needed to be shared here as well. This is an important election coming up and no Democrat or Liberal Independent can afford to sit it out. We are facing momentous problems and the GOP is not interested in solving any of them. We can win if we all vote.