Sweet Potato and Apple Mash

This recipe takes some pretty homey ingredients and makes a filling and sweet side dish! It goes great for Thanksgiving, as a side for pork chops, or for me, a hot breakfast when I'm sick of oatmeal. Because the ingredients are already sweet as is, you shouldn't need to add a ton of sugar to make the dish sing. And once you figure out how easy it is, you'll be making apple sauce and mashed sweet potatoes all the time!

Sweet Potato and Apple Mash
makes 4 side portions

2 small-medium sweet potatoes
1 golden delicious apple
1/4 inch ginger, grated
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1/3 stick of butter (Optional, apologies in advance for your arteries)
generous squeeze honey

1. Wash and peel sweet potatoes and apple. You don't have to be perfect - leaving a bit of skin on is okay for fiber and nutrition, but try to get like 90% of it. (I like leaving a bit of apple skin especially for texture, but if you do so, it has to be chopped fine.) Cut sweet potatoes into 1.5 inch chunks. Core apple and cut into 6-8 slices.
2. Heat a nonstick pot (stainless steel for me) and add sweet potatoes. Add 1/4 cup water or apple juice and the coin of ginger. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 
3. Stir the sweet potatoes and add more water if you notice the bottom of the pot is dry. Add the apple slices on top and cover again. Come back in another 10 minutes.
4. Hopefully by now you're starting to see the sweet potato soften. Go ahead and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, clove, and honey. If you'd like the mix to be spicier, add ground ginger. Mix well and continue to simmer with the pot lid off. 
5. As the sweet potato softens, mash it with a fork. The apple should have cooked down the apple sauce already. Mash the two together. As more sweet potato cooks and the mixture becomes thick and difficult to work with, add the butter a tea spoon at a time. The mixture will become much smoother.
6. Season and add butter to the consistency you like. I like mine mostly smooth, but its totally your preference.
7. To make it more fancy, sprinkle some toasted nuts over the top, or mini marshmallows.

Pumpkin Chicken Curry

'Tis the season for autumn vegetables - namely squash! I wanted something light, a little sweet, yet savory. I wanted fall in a bowl - and TADA!

Pumpkin Chicken Curry
Serves 4, about 1 hour

5 cloves garlic

1 red onion roughly chopped

1 tomato roughly chopped

1/2 of an inch of ginger, peeled

3/4 lb chicken diced. (I had 3 chicken thighs, meat cut off the bone)

1.5 lbs of diced pumpkin (fresh plz, not canned) or butternut squash. Should be peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 large carrots, cut into slices or half moons

1 red pepper, chopped into 1 inch squares

1/4 cup cream, half and half, or coconut milk

1. Toss the first four ingredients into a food processor, and pulse until you have a salsa consistency - small chunks, mostly broken down into a puree.
2. On medium high heat, add a teaspoon of vegetable or olive oil to a medium sized pot.  Sear the chicken bones, then the chicken meat. When almost cooked through, remove from the pot. Set chicken aside.
3. Pour in the puree from the food processor. Cook on medium heat until you have reduced the water content by half and have a thin paste.
4. Add the pumpkin or squash and the carrots. Cover and simmer for about 5-10 minutes until almost fork tender.
5. Add the red pepper, cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add 1/4 cup half and half, cream, or coconut milk.
7. Serve over rice, topped with cilantro.

Mango Pudding with Basil Lime Whipped Cream

Mango pudding is one of my nostalgia foods. It reminds me of church picnics and Dixie cups. It recalls memories of Hong Kong and dims sum over Victoria Harbor. Its cheerful color and tropical flavor never fails to put a smile on my face or impress friends. The smooth silky consistency and rich mango burst of flavor make this one of my favorite desserts.

And it is deceptively easy to make! And if the mango wasn't good enough, I also have a special whipped cream that will put you right over the edge. This is quite possibly the best thing I've ever made.

Mango Pudding
Serves 8, 20 minutes active cooking

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup room temperature water
1 cup hot water
2 1/2 cups mango puree (I buy a can from the Indian grocery for about $2 for about 25 oz)
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
1 tablespoon lime juice

1. Set up a baking tray with 8 ramekins/molds/cups. Each should have capacity for about 6 oz. Clear a shelf in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the 1 cup of water.
3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, preferably with a spout for pouring, add sugar, salt, and gelatin. Add 1/2 cup room temperature water and whisk to incorporate for a minute.
4. Add the hot water to melt the sugar and gelatin. Whisk until the sugar dissolves and gelatin is a little frothy. 
5. Add mango, heavy cream, and lime juice and stir to combine.
6. Pour into the ramekins in equal servings
7. Refrigerate for approximately 2 hours. Serve cold.

Basil Lime Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lime zest
4 basil leaves, minced

1. Zest the lime into a small sturdy mixing bowl. 
2. Add the minced basil leaves and sugar. With a fork or spoon, grind sugar into the zest and basil to release the essential oils and blend the flavors. You should have green sugar!
3. Add the whipping cream. With a hand mixer, slowly beat the sugar and cream mixture. You can slowly increase the speed as long as you're not going to splash yourself!
4. Whip the mix for about 5 minutes until you have soft peaks. The cream will actually increase in volume because of the air, so don't worry if you don't think you have enough!
5. Serve 1 tablespoon on top of mango pudding.

Japanese Dinner Party

The art of the dinner party is beginning to be lost due to convenience, but its one art that I'm hoping to revive little by little. Nothing beats home made food served with love and care and good conversation. I recently entertained a coworker and his wife for dinner. They're on secondment from the Tokyo office for a few years and I was looking for the right pan-Asian menu to complement the homemade Japanese food that they would be bringing. (Homemade Japanese food! Exciting!!) Although I didn't know until that evening what they would bring, I knew I had a general theme for Perry and I to work around.

The Menu (links to recipes):

• Sesame Shrimp
• Tofu Soup with Chinese Mushrooms
• Short Ribs (Perry's contribution)
• Okonomiyaki (Hiroko)
• Potato Ham Croquettes (Hiroko)
• Tamagoyaki Egg Omelet (Hiroko) make sure you turn on closed cations in English!
• Mango Pudding with Basil Lime Cream

The photos:

Okonomiyaki

Short Ribs

Settlers!

   

As I get time on my hands I'll try to add additional recipes and such. The party was so much fun and I really enjoyed trying a little bit of homemade Japanese food!

Beer Can Chicken

Beer Can Chicken. Do I have to say anything more to capture any man's attention? Not only does it include meat and alcohol, this dish is deceptively easy to make, incredibly moist, and flavorful.

Beer Can Chicken

Serves 2-4

1 3-5 lb whole chicken
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
1/4 tsp Cumin, poultry seasoning, garlic powder or sprig rosemary- optional and to taste
1 stalk celery

1. Move the oven rack to the lowest setting as the chicken will be very "tall." Preheat the oven to 350. Take out a baking dish where the chicken can stand comfortably in.
2. Mix the salt, pepper, and any other dry spices in a small bowl.
3. Dice the celery into chunks.
4. Remove anything from the cavity of the chicken. Remove excess fat from neck and bottom and discard.
5. Dipping your fingers into the spice mix, generously cover the inside cavity and outer skin of the chicken with the spice mixture.
6. Take the celery and pack a handful in the inside cavity. If you have fresh herbs, you'd stuff them in here.
7. Wash the can of beer. Open it and drink half.
8. Stuff the beer can up the cavity of the chicken and stand the chicken up in the baking dish, so that it "sits" on the can. The weight of the beer in the can will help stabilze the chicken.
9. Fold the wing tips back so that they don't burn. (Think about it like this - its the equivalent of taking your right hand and touching your right shoulderblade)
10. Arrange the skin on the top so that it doesn't leave any of the meat exposed. If you don't have enough skin, try to cover with some celery or tin foil.
11. Optional - dice potatoes and toss in bottom of baking dish with extra celery for a quick and easy side. Sprinkle with excess salt/pepper. Stir the vegetables halfway through the cooking process.
12. Bake for about 1 hour for a 3 lb chicken, and 1.5 hours for a 5 lb chicken. (Obviously test to make sure its done and cooked through!)
13. Let the chicken "rest" for 10-15 minutes after removing from the oven. Carefully lift the chicken off the beer can and serve.

Easy Pumpkin Muffins

If you know anything about Kelly and I, you know we're suckers for pumpkin goodies. Pumpkin spice latte's, pumpkin loaves, pumpkin cheesecake - you name it, we want it. Its almost a shame that pumpkin is an autumn-only food.

Today's post celebrates pumpkin season in the spirit of my recent breakfast goods kick. When you Google "pumpkin muffins," the first result isn't the Food Network or Recipes.com. Its a food blog called "Smitten Kitchen" Of course, I modified the recipe, adding a few other fall ingredients.

Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from the American club, in Kohler, Wisconsin via Gourmet Magazine via Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon clove

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chopped cranberries

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon to top

1. Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter muffin tins.
2. Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, spices, 1 1/4 cups sugar, ginger, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth. Add walnuts and cranberries. Then whisk in flour and baking powder until just combined.
3. Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.
4. Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full). 
5. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. 
6. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
7. Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Yields about 12-18 muffins. Sorry no pictures - I ate them too quickly!

Quick Plum Granola Cobbler

I tried another batch of granola bars today and had a ton of little granola scraps at the bottom of the dish. Of course I could just enjoy as crumbly and delish as is - but why not have some fun and enjoy some extra vitamins too? Its quick, easy, and makes a super fast warm breakfast or low fat dessert.

Quick Plum Granola Cobbler
Serves 1, 10 min

1 plum diced
2 tablespoons granola
3 tablespoons milk

1. In a little bowl or dish, layer in diced plum. 
2. Top with granola from leftover granola bars scraps.
3. Spoon milk over the mixture
4. Microwave 1 minute
5. Devour

Would be excellent with peach or apple, berries or pineapple - really just go crazy.