Corned Beef and Vegetable Casserole

Wanting to have something that could be made as a main course or a side dish? This is what we looked into when dusting off this book from our collection. The Spice Cookbook by Avanelle Day and Lillie Stuckey was originally published back in 1968 but don't let that

deter you. Filled with a history of various spices and their countries of origin, the book describes old uses for the spices then takes a look a large variety of recipes. Flipping through the slightly yellowed pages and looking at the different choices, we settle on Corned Beef and Vegetable Casserole. 

Corned Beef and Vegetable Casserole

2 cups cooked, diced potatoes

2 cups cooked, sliced carrots 

1 cup cooked, sliced celery

1/3 cup onion flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1/4 teaspoon minced garlic

1 can (12 ounces) corned beef

1/4 cup vegetable cooking water (vegetable broth)

3/4 cup soft bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Combine the first 8 ingredients and turn half into a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Break corned beef into small pieces over the vegetables. Cover with remaining vegetables. Add vegetable water. Combine bread crumbs and butter or margarine and sprinkle over the top. Bake in a pre-heated moderate oven (350° F). 45 minutes or until browned. 

- The Artist - 

There were a couple of slight differences to the recipe that I had done but was still thrilled with the results. Instead of using cooked vegetables, I used fresh raw vegetables. The other change I did was 2 cans of corned beef instead of one and not using extra salt, instead opting to rely on the saltiness of the meat to do the work instead. I assembled the casserole as the directions instructed but at the 45 minute point, I stirred everything then put it back into the oven for an additional 25 minutes to finish the cooking process of the potatoes. The end result was tender vegetables complimented by the texture of the salty corned beef. The best way to describe the experience of this is like eating a deconstructed pot roast dinner. In the future when making this particular dish, I will probably experiment with adding other vegetables such as corn or even turnips. 

Cabbage Smothered with Bacon

Wanting to use up some left over cabbage or just went on an impulse buy at the local farmer's market and not sure what to do with that sizable head? That was our dilemma on today's Food Quest installment. So what could you possibly do with this understated vegetable? We found an answer! This time we take a peek at an unlikely recipe book in our eclectic kitchen library which gives us a solution - Ideas for Entertaining from the African-American Kitchen by Angela Shelf Medearis. The book itself is filled with meal ideas set up as a menu then discusses how to make each item in order to celebrate various holidays throughout the year. Chapters are divided by month and celebration which are as follows: 

• January
• Emancipation day - Jubilee Dinner Party
• An Afrocentric Baby Shower
• Martin Luther King Day Celebration
• February
• African-American History Month Buffet
• African-style Engagement Dinner for Two
• March
• Women in History Month - Sisters' Rejuvenation Brunch
• April
• Traditional Easter Dinner
• Blue Monday Party
• May
• National Malcom X Day Dinner
• Memorial Day Dinner on the Grounds Picnic
• June
• Junteenth Caribbean-Style Dinner
• Jumping the Broom Rehearsal Dinner
• July
• Fourth of July Family Reunion Barbecue
• August
• Young Adult Rites of Passage Dinner
• September
• Honoring the Ancestors - Parents' Day Dinner
• October
• Heroes' Day Children's Party
• November
• Thanksgiving Harvest Celebration Dinner
• December
• An Old-Fashioned Christmas Dinner
• Kwanzaa Karamu Feast

In the Martin Luther King Day Celebration section, one of the side dishes caught our attention which was perfect for our needs. 

Cabbage Smothered with Bacon

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 small head cabbage, washed and shredded

1 large green bell pepper, sliced

1 large yellow onion, sliced

1 large tomato, peeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, cut diagonally into thin slices

     Fry the bacon until crisp in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Remove the bacon and set aside, reserving the bacon drippings in the pan as they will add flavor and moisture to the cabbage. Add the cabbage, bell pepper, onion, tomato, and celery to the pan. Raise the heat to high and fry the vegetables, stirring constantly, for 5 to 8 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer the vegetables for another 5 minutes. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle it over the vegetables. 


- The Artist - 

The recipe was rather easy to follow, the cooking of the bacon taking most of the time to cook. The only item in the ingredients list that I changed for this was instead of a green bell pepper, I used a yellow one instead since I'm not personally a fan of the bitterness that the green has. Since I was working with a massive amount of cabbage, I put a lid over the whole pan of vegetables for them to sweat down a minute or two before I was able to actually stir the entire mixture. Flavor-wise, it was very reminiscent of something I had in my use when I lived in Germany for a few years. Though simple, the butteryness of the cabbage was brought out by the drippings of the bacon. This went perfectly with the sweetness of the bell pepper and tomato which was itself balanced out by the salty bacon. Since this was a side dish, I had made a herb seasoned pot roast and jasmine rice to go along with it. 

Greek Almond Crescents

This time around, we bring to you a recipe from The Afternoon Tea Collection published by Metro Books. Full of colorful pictures of decedent snacks along with their easy to understand recipes, there are so many goodies to choose from to make and enjoy with a perfect cup of tea. Flipping through the pages, trying to narrow down just one to try out could be a bit difficult. Chapters in the book include:

• Sandwiches
• Scones
• Friands
• Little Tarts
• Little Cakes
• Big Cakes 
• Biscuits
• Slices

Today we take a look at one of the options in the Biscuit category called Greek Almond Crescents. 

Greek Almond Crescents

250 g (8 ounces) butter, softened 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup (60ml) brandy

3/4 cup (120g) roasted blanched almonds, chopped finely

2 1/2 cups (375g) all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups (225g) self-raising flour

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup (60ml) rosewater

1/2 cup (125ml) water

3 cups (480g) confectioners' sugar 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease oven trays.
2. Beat butter, extract and caster sugar in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and brandy; transfer to large bowl. Stir in nuts and sifted flours and nutmeg, in two batches
3. Turn dough onto floured surface; knead lightly until smooth. Shape tablespoons of dough into crescent shapes; place about 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart on trays.
4. Bake about 15 minutes or until browned lightly. Lift hot crescents onto wire racks; brush with combined rosewater and water. Coat thickly with sifted icing sugar; cool 

prep + cook time 50 minutes      makes 50

- The Gamer - 

I wasn't quite sure what to be expecting when I first got my little plate full of crescents, as I hadn't been informed yet as to what had been used as ingredients. What I did notice shortly after taking a bite was a slight tartness to it, which I would assume came from the rosewater, as it was accompanied by the faint scent of roses. The pastry is fairly well balanced, not too dry that it just crumples in your mouth, but also not so moist that it's just a soggy mess in your hand. The dusting of powdered sugar also compliments it well, giving it a bit of sweetness that wouldn't be present otherwise. There was a slight background flavor of almonds that could almost be missed if a person wasn't looking for it. Overall, it was a rather tasty treat and somewhat reminiscent of things that my grandmother and/or mother would make when I was a child.

- The Artist - 

Having been looking forward to trying this recipe out for some time, I gathered up the ingredients that I needed and set about following the instructions. Since I didn't have any caster sugar, I went about and used one of my mortar and pestles to manually grind white sugar into the superfine consistency that I needed. The only alteration that I made to the recipe was the size of the crescents, making them just a little larger in size. This only added an additional 10-12 minutes to the cooking time. Pulling them out of the oven, the kitchen was filled with the subtle scent of the chopped almonds and vanilla from the little tidbits. This was soon accompanied by the wonderful floral notes from the rosewater as I brushed them with the mixture and gave them all a good snow fall of powdered sugar. Finally having a chance to taste my hard work, I was pleasantly surprised and rewarded by how all of the scents and flavors worked together in harmony in my mouth. I ended up pairing the treats up with a nice cup of peach green tea which worked wonderfully. The only thing I would probably do differently to my process would be chopping the almonds a bit smaller then I had done or use a food processor to make sure they were small enough. 

Lavender Rose Tea

      2015 is finally here and we are dusting this little foodie haven. After a bit of a discussion, we agreed that it would be a good idea to also include recipes that we will try out which will range from meals and desserts to beverages. With a small library of cookbooks at our disposal and friends who suggest things to us via Facebook, there is no lack of inspiration. So what are we starting off the new year with? Tea!

Lavender Rose Tea

   
- The Artist -

     There are so many types of tea out on the market but for those who are more on the DIY stance of things, there's always the option to make your own which gives you more freedom to try various flavor combinations. One popular option is floral teas. If you have your own edible/herbal use flowers, you are able to harvest and dry your own. For  this particular combination, use English Lavender and Autumn Damask Rose. If you are unable to grow your own, check your local ethnic grocery stores or online. Mix equal parts (of course feel free to play around with the ratio of the combination to find out what you like) dried rose and dried lavender and brew like you would a standard loose leaf tea.

     Your nose will be greeted by a wonderful aroma of lavender and rose harmonizing together. The color itself is a lovely golden hue which shimmers just slightly from the essential oils that had come off of the flowers during the steeping process. The reason I chose to add rose to the lavender in the first place was that I wanted to see how it would work with the strong flavor of the lavender. I was not disappointed in the results. Yes, the lavender was dominant, but the rose seemed to tone it down just a bit and add a subtle sweetness to it. On another note, if you choose to add sweetness to your tea, try only 1/2 Tbsp of honey.

A Failed Attempt.. Time to Plan

Having returned from our travels, we sat down and debated on how to classify our success level of our little mission. Sadly, past the wonderful hidden gems we mentioned for Day 1 of the road trip we were on, the rest of the trip had nothing to really report about. Besides the complimentary breakfasts provided by the hotels we stayed at (there was one which had cold scrambled eggs as part of the offered items) and grabbing snacks from gas stations, our food adventure was quite lack luster. Though we did have an exciting trip, it did leave this pair of Foodies feel that there was something missing. 

How are we to make up for this lack of tastebud stimulation? Well it would seem that we're in the process of planning another road trip set for some time in September. We will be traveling from Sacramento to San Francisco in order to connect with Highway 101 which will take us up the Pacific coast line through Oregon and Washington. Are you in Northern California, Oregon or Washington? Know of some local eateries that we should try along the way? Feel free to let us know and suggest your favorite must-visit locations! 

Epic Food Quest... ON THE ROAD!

After an absence and lack of inspiration, there is a break in the doldrums that come in the form of a road trip. So for the next couple of entries, we will be taking you along with us on this foodie journey.

Day 1 - Breakfast 

Our first stop on our journey was for breakfast. After a bit of looking around, we came across the Bear Beach Cafe located in South Lake Tahoe, California. An intimate, down to earth family style diner, the cafe offers dark coffee, delicious food and friendly employees. Some of the breakfast choices include Fruity French Toast - french toast made from sourdough bread and topped with your choice of blueberries or strawberries, and the Greek Isle Omelette - an omelette of 4 eggs, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, ham, mushrooms, and tomatoes with a side of potatoes.

Bear Beach Cafe 

3310 Lake Tahoe Blvd. 

South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

bearbeachcafe.com

Dinner

As we come to the end of the first day of our journey, we find ourselves in the town of Ely, Nevada. Asking the receptionist at the hotel we decided to stay at for the night for a possible spot to have an evening meal, we were directed to Racks Bar and Grill which was just down the street. Strolling into the small sports bar, we were surprised by the welcoming atmosphere. With comfortable surroundings with the locals enjoying their drinks, some of the items on the menu include Calamari as an appetizer or a Swiss Mushroom Burger - a juicy burger with Swiss cheese, sauteed mushrooms, thick cut tomatoes, and lettuce on a soft bun with a side of fries.

Racks Bar and Grill

753 Aultman Street

Ely, Nevada

racksnevada.com 

Original and Green Tea with Honey Yogurts

Tarté Asian Yogurt 
Created originally as a healthier alternative to Greek style yogurt, taking in consideration a healthy diet and Asian flavors, Tarté has humble origins from a home kitchen in Santa Monica, CA and the Dairy Products Technology Center at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Sweetened with Stevia, Tarté comes in Strawberry & Guanabana, Original, Blueberry & Acai, Mango & Coconut, Pomegranate & Goji, and Green Tea & Honey. 

Tarté Asian Yogurt
California 
www.tarteyogurt.com 

-The Artist- 
Having spotted a new yogurt in my local grocery store while trying to find ingredients to make dinner, I couldn't help but curious as to the brightly colored Tarté yogurt cups. Would they be liquidy like a lot of standard yogurts with little flavor and too much sweetness or would it lean more towards a thick, slightly tart Greek yogurt? The first one I tried was the Original. Creamy and smooth, I was pleasantly surprised that its consistancy was a happy medium between the overly thick Greek yogurt and your typical soupy type. The flavor was light and had a gentle sweetness to it which I found as a delightful change of pace. The second one was of course the Green Tea & Honey. With the same consistancy and creaminess as Original, the light flavor of honey seemed to tickle the tastebuds but wasn't overpowering. With it, hints of the green tea would pop up but seemed to be in the background as gentle support instead of being bluntly in your face that it was there. I would have to say that if you're a fan of yogurt, give this line a try. They would probably also taste good drizzled over some home made granola with fresh fruit or even added to your favorite morning smoothie.