Baked Beans for BBQs or Potlucks

July 16, 2013 0 Comments
 
Who knew they were so easy?!


I made baked beans for a potluck and was pleasantly surprised at how darn easy they are. There are very few ingredients and you just throw it all in a slow cooker. This is adapted from my friend Elise's (SimplyRecipes.com). I just wanted to add even more depth of flavor, so I added a couple more ingredients. I was very pleased with the results, and so were the folks at the potluck.

 Baked Beans

 1 pound (bag) dry white beans such as small navy beans 
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
3-4 Tbsp dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 cups hot water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1/2 pound salt pork or bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion chopped

Pour the beans onto a plate and sort through to make sure there is no debris. Place in a large bowl and pour in water to cover them with 2 extra inches of water. Let soak overnight.

 Drain the beans and rinse them. Set aside.

 In a medium bowl mix together the hot water, brown sugar, molasses, cloves, mustard, vinegar, and Worchestershire sauce. 

 Place half of the salt pork in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add half of the chopped onions on top and then half the beans on that. Layer again with salt pork, onions, and beans. Pour the molasses mixture over the top. Set slow cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hours. 


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Education is Key at Chefs Olive Mix

July 05, 2013 0 Comments
For many of us that live in the Sacramento area, Old Sacramento is where you take out-of-town guests when they come to visit. We residents seldom go there except to attend an event, meet at a restaurant, or watch the fireworks. We've turned a blind eye to the kitschy souvenir shops and the period museums.

 It was a bit of a surprise, then, when I stumbled across Chefs Olive Mix one day. Located on the corner of 2nd and J Streets, it's a store that the locals shouldn't ignore.


 Upon entering the store you'll be greeted with shelves of gleaming metal cans, each labeled with contents of oils or balsamic vinegars. Beneath are the bottles and tasting cups. It's a bit overwhelming to the uninitiated, but soon you'll be greeted by someone to assist you on a new tasting experience.
Chefs Olive Mix was opened in December 2011 by Lisa Paskaly, a Florida transplant who switched from dentistry to retail. It's her attention to detail in both pursuits that is leading to a successful venture - and it all revolves around education of ultra premium olive oil.

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Lunch Break: Thai Canteen

June 26, 2013 0 Comments
Thai Canteen on Urbanspoon

Can a college town hangout translate into the city? A country mouse become a city mouse? Such is the question for the new Thai Canteen on 16th Street. The original Thai Canteen sits on the main drag of Davis, a popular place for college students. Now the owners have opened a second location in Sacramento in the space formerly occupied by Mati's Indian. 

 We stopped in for lunch to find the place completely transformed. Even the facade of the restaurant is new with wooden (bamboo?) framing for the windows and doors that give it a more welcoming feel than the stucco of the building it occupies. Inside you will find a couple of long picnic/communal tables and not all that many individual tables. There are plenty of counter seats, though, along the window, bar, and outside railing.

 The service is organized as fast casual. The menu is posted above with specials written on a roll of butcher paper by the cashier. Place your order, take your number card stand to a table, and await delivery. The food is delivered, water is refreshed, and you leave the dirty dishes behind for them to clean up. 

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Sichuan Spice House - Orangevale

June 16, 2013 0 Comments
Sichuan Spice House on Urbanspoon

Fact 1: Everyone knows that if you truly want to know if an ethnic restaurant is authentic, then you need to get the opinion of a native. Fact 2: It is rare to find a good, authentic Sichuan restaurant in the United States. Including the major cities like New York and San Francisco.

I will tell you up front that this review of Sichuan Spice House (8847 Greenback Ln.) is not going to talk about each individual dish, how it was made, what spices and flavors stand out, etc. I'm not qualified to. What I will tell you is this:

1) I was referred here by Hank Shaw, recent James Beard award winner, and someone I trust with an above average knowledge of food in general.

2) The restaurant has a 5 star Yelp rating. I personally dislike Yelp, but even I know it's difficult to find an honest 5 star rating.

3) I went with four Chinese friends who are all here on work visas. Meaning, they grew up in China and have only been in the U.S. for a few years. One of them was from Sichuan province.

So really, I don't need to review it. I just need to tell you that their verdict was four thumbs up. "Pretty authentic but with toned down heat level". Basically, on a scale of 1 to 10 for heat level, they could have taken it wrenched up another six notches. Myself, I like spicy food and with 10 being "I won't even put this in my mouth", this was a 7 for me.

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Berry Picking

June 14, 2013 berry , things to do 0 Comments
REPOST TO SHARE BERRY PICKING DETAILS AT BOTTOM

July 2011

It has been a crazy year for weather. With our winter stretching well into JUNE, everything that grows got off to a late start. This time last year Poor Girl Kimberly and I had gone up to pick our own berries. We were able to get blueberries at $3.50 per pound and blackberries at $5.50  per pound. When we both decided to participate in yesterday's Pie Party, it demanded another trek up the hill in search of berries.


The weather did, indeed, effect the growing season. The blueberries were only just starting to turn. We got enough, but you could tell that the blueberry picking at Bolster's is going to extend throughout July. This time the berries were $4.50/lb, possibly due to it being early in the crop. Last year I had been just grabbing clumps without too much scrutiny. This time, with so many unripe berries, I carefully picked out only plump, dark berries. I came home with 3 pounds.

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Dairy-Free Kheer

June 03, 2013 0 Comments

Recently I had an Indian dinner party. I made a very simple Indian dessert, kheer, but I made it dairy-free. One of my guests has a lactose intolerance, so I substituted rice milk for cow's milk. 

 Kheer is basically a rice pudding, but it's flavored with cardamom and rose water. I'm a big rose water fan and you'll find it in a lot of my recipes.


Dairy-Free Kheer

 2 cups coconut milk
2 cups rice milk
3 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup Basmati rice
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon rose water
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
1/4 cup flaked coconut, optional 

 Place the milks in a medium saucepan and heat over low heat to a low boil. Add sugar and rice. Let cook for  20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Add raisins, cardamom, and rose water.  Serve either hot or cold, garnished with pistachios and coconut.

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The Chocolate Architect - Building the Perfect Chocolate

May 25, 2013 0 Comments

Like so many stories, it started as a home business, making product as gifts for friends and family. Twelve years later, it's in a storefront with online sales and plans for expansion. The story of Becki De Koning Tyner and her business, The Chocolate Architect, is an example of a single homemade product growing into full fledged business.
Tyner pictured with her product
For years Tyner had been making a chocolate fudge based on her grandmother's recipe. Over time she had tweaked it until she had created something that was unique - not quite fudge, not quite a hard chocolate. "It's more like the inside of a truffle," says Tyner. Or like a firm ganache. Smooth and silky, she named it Chocolate Silk, which she eventually trademarked. 

Tyner used her chocolate as gifts that she gave to friends and family. She also gave it as holiday gifts to her clients and business associates while she worked in her career as an architect. Everyone commented that it was something unique, that they had never experienced elsewhere, and that she should develop into a business. 

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Strawberry Rose Cupcakes and Flavor Crystals

May 23, 2013 1 Comments

Being able to play with new products is one of the fun things about food blogging. When I went to the Fancy Food Show in January, I noted some trends. One was the new delivery systems for flavors. There were flavored sprays, gels, and crystals. I was lucky enough to get sent some of the crystals: basil, mint, fennel, and rose.
The Herb and Flower Crystals are made by Fresh Origins. These flavor crystals are really flavored sugar crystals. Fairly large crystals at that. The most obvious use for them is on top of desserts such as cookies and cupcakes. They would also add a nice little bit of crunch on the top of a sundae.

 To rim a glass for a cocktail, I had to grind them down a bit smaller with a pestle. I love basil muddled into my mocktails and  so having a glass rimmed with these crystals gives that bit of flavor as well.

 You can find these crystals available online from Gourmet Sweet Botanicals and Marx Foods.


Strawberry Rose Cupcakes

 White cake mix of your choice
6 large strawberries, diced

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cupcake liners in pan. Prepare cake mix as usual.
Mix together the cake mix and strawberries. Fill prepared cupcake lined pans up 2/3 of the liner. Bake for 20 minutes or until cake tester draws out cleanly. Remove from oven and let cupcakes cool completely.

 Frosting

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon rose water

 In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy. Beat in the rose water.

 When cupcakes are cooled, frost with icing. 
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Vegan Before 6 - A Forgiving Plan

May 21, 2013 0 Comments
One of the things that immediately struck me in Mark Bittman's book VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 was when he discusses the word "diet". To pretty much everyone, the word "diet" refers to a temporary meal plan meant for weight reduction. In actuality, the word "diet" just means "what a person or animal usually eats and drinks". 

When you hear the word from your doctor, it's because he's telling you to change what you eat and drink for medical reasons. Even so far as to go vegan. That's what happened to Mark Bittman when he was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic with indications for heart disease as well. Bittman, a food writer for the New York Times, wasn't interested in taking drugs like Lipitor or eliminating the foods he loved. How would that work with his job? Besides, he loved food too much.

 He decided to compromise and created a lifestyle plan that has worked for him for over six years. During the day he eats vegan, then after 6 p.m. he can eat whatever he wants. Vegan Before 6.

Like any diet book, VB6 discusses how the American diet has deteriorated over the last 50 years with the dependence on fast foods and highly processed foods.  It goes over how we should all be eating more vegetables, whole grains, and stay away from processed foods that strip nutrients and are just wasted calories.

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Frank Fat's Wins James Beard Award

May 08, 2013 2 Comments
And all I got was a fabulous lunch! LOL.

It seems that Sacramento goes forever without any real recognition in the food world and then this year we had two, that's TWO, James Beard Award winners.  Our friend, Hank Shaw, won for his blog,  "Hunter Angler Gardener Cook." Frank Fat's won for America's Classic.

 Today I was treated to a press lunch to celebrate their award.The America's Classic is awarded to "beloved regional restaurants". "Distinguished by their timeless appeal, they serve quality food that reflects the character of their communities."

In the case of Frank Fat's, it's been a fixture in Sacramento since 1939 and even has the nickname of the "Third House" of the Legislature. This refers to the fact that over the decades many a political deal has been hammered out within their walls, over a cocktail or a plate of their famous Frank's Style New York Steak. Every governor and scores of politicians has eaten at Frank Fat's over the last six decades.
 
Frank's Style New York Steak


It was interesting to learn a few things about its history. The New York steak has been on the menu since the very beginning, never changing. 

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