It's Lent again! Cheater's Gumbo

So my dad, as I may have mentioned before, is from the South. He knows how to make things like hog's head cheese and a few other specialties. One thing he also makes is gumbo. Now, his gumbo isn't a traditional one--he uses canned soup, which is absolute heresy to gumbo enthusiasts--but it's still really, really good.

Tuesday was Mardi Gras, so I decided to make a batch for myself and the household. I had to keep everyone's tastes and issues in mind--the roomie can't handle a lot of spice, and my husband is allergic to crab. With a pot of rice, this filled us up for a couple of days. Don't get turned off by the chicken gizzards, by the way. They add to the flavor and they taste like (what else?) chicken. :)

Cheater's Gumbo

3 cans cream of chicken soup
4-8 Louisiana hot links, sliced into rounds
1 whole chicken, cut up into parts
1-2 crabs, washed and cut up into quarters, legs removed and set aside
1 package chicken gizzards (no hearts)
Water to cover
1 pot of cooked rice

Put all ingredients except rice into a large stockpot. Cook slowly for four to five hours until gizzards are tender, and chicken is falling off the bone. Serve with a pot of rice.

Happy birthday Deka, or the Fried Pickle Extravaganza

A dear friend of mine celebrated her birthday last weekend. She's from Texas, and one of her culinary addictions is fried pickles. Sure, you can get them from your local Hooters, but as good as they are, they're just not the same unless they're homemade.

I brought the pickles to her birthday party, and they were a big hit. I think all the guests tried at least one, and with the ranch dressing, they were awesome. Even the cup of pickles I didn't fry disappeared. They say everything's big in Texas, and I guess fried pickles are no exception.

This recipe was originally found on Foodily. I took out the cayenne, but feel free to add as much (or as little) as you like. Enjoy!

Fried Pickles

2 cups dill pickle chips
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups finely crushed saltines
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method:
In a large plastic food-storage bag, mix together the flour, salt and black pepper. Place the pickle chips in the bag and shake until they are well coated.

Mix together the eggs with the buttermilk. Place the crushed saltines on a plate and mix in the cayenne and dill weed. In batches, dip the flour-coated pickles into the eggs and then lightly dredge in the saltines. Place cracker-coated pickles on a large plate or sheet. Repeat until all the pickles are coated.

In a large, heavy skillet heat 1/2 inch of oil on medium heat until it reaches 350 degrees. Cook the pickles for one minute or until golden brown, turning once. Depending on the size of your skillet will probably have to do in several batches. Drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately with your favorite ranch dressing.

Putting the Soul in Soul Food

My parents are both Southern--Mom's from North Carolina, and Dad's from Arkansas. I go to a Southern Baptist church, which is filled with women who look like my mom and hail from Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. Many of them, including my aunt, are amazing cooks when it comes to food from the South. Even my pastor is good at it--his collard greens put the ladies' versions to shame.

I, on the other hand, suck at cooking that stuff. My fried chicken is either burned or underdone, and the first two times I tried to make collards, I nearly killed my then roommate with salt overload (I'd forgotten that flavors get more concentrated as water boils off). So I decided to fix it.

After a chat with my mom and my aunt, I decided to attempt chicken and dumplings, candied yams, collard greens (my nemesis!), red beans and rice, and banana pudding. Everything turned out really, really well, except for maybe the red beans and rice (too much water, not enough time).

My mom was very proud of me when I told her how dinner came out. She was glad I'd finally learned how to cook this stuff for myself. So I guess, in general, I've managed to get over my fear of soul food.

Except for fried chicken. I'm coming for you, ya clucker...

Collard Greens

2 bunches collards
1 chicken boullion cube
2 tablespoons pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon tumeric
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 slices bacon

Wash leaves and place them on top of each other in a stack. Fold the leaves in half, and slice into 1 inch strips. Fill pot halfway with water and add strips. Add all spices. Cook leaves on medium heat until tender and water has evaporated, roughly 1-2 hours or longer.

Brown bacon in small pan. Just before serving, add bacon and bacon fat to collards. Toss until covered and serve. Serves four.

Valentine's Day: Romance on the Rails

Ok, so I'm gonna break with tradition here, and post about something I DIDN'T cook myself. But it was a heckuva lot of fun.

Valentine's Day weekend, I was chosen to ride the Niles Canyon Romance on the Rails train trip. The trip gave patrons a chance to ride an old school 1940's lounge car, sample local wines from Livermore and nibble on some hors d'oeuvres. As a reporter, I schmoozed--uh, made friends with--the crew and the snack ladies, and got in on the food and drinks.

The trip was awesome, the food was amazing, and the company was incredible. Wonder if I can talk my way back there next year?

Iron Chef: Lunar New Year

So my new editor, the one from Union City Patch, called me to ask if I had any photos for my latest article on Lunar New Year.

"Uh...no..." I admitted, then hastily added, "But I can get some for you. I, uh, was planning to make an Asian style dinner tonight." (I'd actually planned to make burgers, but an impromptu LNY dinner was much more intriguing-- and a heck of a challenge.

After the conversation, I quickly Googled a bunch of recipes on my Blackberry. One shopping trip to my local Ranch 99 and some advice from one of the ladies that worked there ("You want the red bean cakes, not the moon cakes. That's another festival."), I had all the ingredients. Two hours after that, dinner was ready.

We ate Steamed Red Snapper (a recipe I tweaked),Longevity Noodles, and gyoza (store bought). In an attempt to recognize the Vietnamese side of things, I tried to find banh chung, but no luck--I ended up with the regular kind. But I have to admit, that and the brown sugar cake was pretty darn tasty. The pictures looked pretty good too--my editor was very pleased.

The whole experience taught me a lot about Lunar New Year and how it's celebrated. Who knows? Next year, maybe I'll celebrate it with some friends. :)

Note: The original recipe comes from Everyday Chinese Cooking: Quick and Delicious Recipes from the Leann Chin Restaurants.

Steamed Red Snapper

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 pounds whole walleye or red snapper, well cleaned
* 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon soy sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
* 2 green onions, with tops

Preparation:
1. Slash the fish crosswise 3 times on each side. In a small bowl, mix the ginger, vegetable oil, garlic, salt, sugar, soy sauce and sesame oil; rub the cavity and outside of the fish with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or longer.
2. Cut the green onions into 2-inch pieces; shred lengthwise into fine strips. Place in a bowl with ice water to cover; let stand 10 minutes, or until the strips curl. Place the fish in a steamer, if you have one and cook for 10 minutes. If not, place on a cooling rack (See note below). Place the rack over a pot of boiling water and cover with a lid until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes. (Add boiling water if necessary). Garnish with the green onions.

Note: If you want to cook this fish in the microwave, cover the fish with plastic wrap on a microwave dish and cook for 3 minutes on high. Let stand for 2 minutes and rotate the dish. Cook an additional 2 minutes on high.

New Home, New Features

Hi folks! Welcome to my blog's new home on Blogger.com! You'll notice that now I have links to my favorite sites and other blogs, as well as other features, like pictures. I hope you enjoy it!

You are what you eat... or is it the other way round?

Stolen from Michael Procopio at Bay Area Bites:

"Let's pretend for a moment you were asked to translate yourself into a plate of food.

If you were to turn the phrase "You are what you eat" on its ear and attempt to eat what you are, what exactly would you be eating? What would it look like if you laid bare all those little bits of yourself-- your own, personal ingredients, I suppose-- and put them on a plate for all the world to see?

And what would you taste like? Would everyone want a piece of you? Would you wind up as bland and dry as Zweiback toast? Or would you be so off-putting that you'd just sit there, scorned, like a half-melted aspic on a cruise ship buffet table? It's a little unnerving to think about.

Unnerving, but interesting."

I wonder what I would be? Maybe a nice hearty beef stew? or a frilly sort of strawberry tart? Maybe something rich and diet busting, like Chocolate Stuff?

This definitely will take some more pondering...