Sunday, October 10, 2010

Homemade Veggie Pizza

At my birthday parties when I was younger, my mother always made a huge batch of pizza dough and everyone could choose their toppings to make their own personal pizzas. This was very special. I always loaded my 6-inch pizza with toppings three inches high because I wanted a little bit of everything (and more!) on mine.

Making homemade pizza gives me a nostalgic sort of feeling; I take great joy in it and hope to spread the tradition on to... well, my
sister's children in the future.

Usually, I make a yeast-less dough because I do not have a lot of experience with yeast. However, I tried a yeast-dough this time for practice and also because I think it adds a lot to the crust. You decide. Personally, my crust preference is just a little doughy, but my boyfriend likes it crisp. The crust on this pizza was a happy medium: crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy (though not doughy) on the inside. I dipped my pizza in marinara sauce and vinaigrette.

Also, note to self: curry pizza? We'll have to try it.

Homemade Veggie Pizza

Dough:
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 c. warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 1/4 c. flour (a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose would be best)
2 T olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning (basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, sage, oregano, etc.)

Toppings:*
1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. sliced peppers (I used yellow peppers)
1 tsp olive oil
1 c. marinara sauce
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 sliced tomato
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/8 c. vinaigrette**

In a large mixer bowl, dissolve yeast, sugar, and salt in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
It should have that pleasant, yeasty smell.

Add bread flour and olive oil to the yeast mixture; stir well with a fork to combine. Now beat well with a dough hook in an electric mixer (or knead with your hands) until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Saute onions and peppers until golden.

Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round ball and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Lay dough out onto a baking stone or other baking sheet. I always rub olive oil on the pan and sprinkle it with cornmeal before putting the dough on it to prevent sticking. Cut excess dough off and form a crust around the edges. Put in heated oven for about 5 minutes.

Remove the dough from oven. Cover with red sauce, cheese, tomatoes, then sauteed veggies. Sprinkle with garlic salt and perhaps some more herbs, then drizzle with vinaigrette. Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.


--

You'll have to forgive me for my lack of visual aids. I made the mistake of waiting until the last slice to take a picture; I heated it up, went to get my camera (maybe I got sidetracked taking pictures of my woof), and lo' and behold'! No more pizza. Whoops. Lesson learned. Sorry!

*Pizza is versatile; Put anything you could imagine on top! I've tried things like plums, zucchini, eggplant, pineapple and more--You can't go wrong.
**Vinaigrette is fairly simple to make; I use a mixture of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, water, and herbs.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Roasted Hazelnuts Two Ways

Something about carefully roasting nuts on a rainy fall morning just warms my insides. Their earthy fragrance mingles in the air with the sweet aroma of the apples I just happen to be drying. It really is quite pleasant.


Last year some friends and I picked pounds and pounds of hazelnuts from a local farm (for about 79 cents/pound!) and I still had a box of them hidden under my bed. Perfect day to roast them? I think so. Last night I spent about an hour and a half cracking the nuts on my bed (cue coffee cup for smashing, cutting board for base, and towel to prevent flyaways) while watching an episode of two or Star Trek.

I love Star Trek. I love Data and I love Picard. I love the whole crew.

Anyways, I made a gargantuan mess--nut casings all over my bedspread, pillows, and floor--but I enjoyed the smashing. No, I do not own a nutcracker. Yes, that may have been easier. But not so fun!


In the wee hours of the morning (well, 9 o'clock) I arose bright-eyed and ready. I had thought of two ideas the night before: curried hazelnuts and chocolate hazelnuts. Savory and sweet.


Let me tell you, I cannot get enough curry. Which is rather strange as I ate curry for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for about a week straight after the last batch I made. You'd think I'd be tired of it, but that is not so. I've been putting curry powder on my eggs in the morning, on my veggies, sprinkled on my cereal.


Well, maybe not my cereal... But anywhere I can. The curry hazelnuts had a nice, full flavor, but next time I'll add more curry powder and cayenne pepper and less salt.

Spiced Curry Hazelnuts

2 c. hazelnuts
2 T. butter
3/4 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. ground red cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees and prepare a 9x12 pan covering it with parchment paper. Melt butter in sauce pan; stir in spices and hazelnuts. Turn into shallow baking pan. Bake in heated oven for 20 minutes, stirring nuts at the 10 minute interval.


I've borrowed another recipe from joythebaker.com! I slightly tweaked it though, using half the sugar and less butter. This recipe is actually very simple and satisfying. However, next time I will either lower the oven temperature to 275 degrees and/or lower the roasting time. Also, I might reduce the amount of butter by a tablespoon or two as well.

Salted Cocoa Roasted Hazelnuts
(Recipe adapted from Miss Joy)

3 cups nuts ( a mixture of hazelnuts, pecan halves and walnut halves would be best)
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place a rack in the center. Spread nuts out on a half sheet pan (17×12x1-inch) or a 9×13-inch baking pan works in a pinch. Toast nuts for 10 minutes. Remove from the sheet pan and set aside.


Scatter the butter pieces over sheet pan and place in the oven to melt. This should only take a few minutes. Remove the pan as soon as the butter is melted.


Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites. When the whites just start to hold their shape, gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk on medium-high for two minutes. The mixture will be sticky and shiny, but may be a bit thinner than meringue.


Sift the cocoa over the top of the beaten eggs and fold in. Pour the chocolate mixture over the toasted nuts and fold in.

Spoon the coated nuts on top of the butter on the baking sheet. Spread out into an even layer. Not all of the butter may be covered by nuts, that’s ok!

Bake nuts for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and quickly stir a bit. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, remove and stir once again. The meringue will look like it’s drying out a bit. This is when you add the salt. Sprinkle it on top of the meringue and nuts. Return to the oven for a final 10 minutes, remove and give it one final stir, breaking the nuts up a bit as you stir them.

When done, the butter should be absorbed and the nuts and coating crisp. Let cool completely before handling. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.


Sunday, September 26, 2010

Northwest Washington Hikes: Max's Shortcut

If you're familiar with the world of The Hobbit, you'll remember the story of "Bilbo's shortcut," which as it turns out is no shortcut at all. Well, this is one thing Max's Shortcut has in common.



It was a beautiful weekend and I was rearing to go play outside. Just the previous week, my chemistry professor had recommended this hike to me, so I was carried there. Several years ago, on my first hike ever in the Chuckanuts, my friends and I accidentally took Max's Shortcut on a failed trip to the Oyster Dome.* We ended up finding a logging road which we followed until we found a spectacular view of the ocean and (ahem) the Oyster Dome about four miles in the distance. Hm...



Anyways, four friends, two dogs, and I drove to the upper parking lot late in the afternoon. We followed the road up a mile or so (don't miss a surprise view of Baker to the right!) before we hit the intended trailhead. It was called the Alternate Incline Trail: a nice steep ascent and one great workout.



We wandered, we examined mushrooms and random railroad ties, I chased the dogs. It was a very lovely fall hike. We went by Lily Lake (that's not a lake!!!) and sat down for a little bramble fire. I made s'mores and we ate dinner. After thoroughly putting out the fire, we tromped down the mountainside via Max's Shortcut... in the dark! My friends were familiar with the trail, so I followed them. We had flashlights and headlamps, but often we find it more adventurous to keep them off. However, we did turn them on after about an hour and a half of stumbling and tripping off the trail. Right in the nick of time! Our hidden turn was ahead and we found it. We took one detour and had to backtrack a bit, but we found the parking lot no problem.



Lily "Lake":

So if you're interested: From I-5 take the Alger exit (#240) and go west for about a half mile. Turn left on Barrel Springs Rd. for another .7 miles and turn right on Blanchard Hill Road. One can park at the first sign for Lily and Lizard Lakes, this is a good place to park if you have a horse trailer. Another option is to pass the horse trailer parking area and ignore the Lily and Lizard Lake Trailhead sign and travel about two miles up the road, staying right. There is another parking area after the sign that will be visible on the left side of the road. After parking, you walk along the road continuing upward for about a mile and a half or so, then the incline trail will be on your left. Have fun!


*There is a way to reach the Oyster Dome from the east side of the mountain, but we did not find that way.

Northwest Washington Hikes: Oyster Dome

I feel like the Oyster Dome Trail is one of those hikes that gives a lot of bang for your buck. Right outside of Bellingham along Chuckanut Drive, this trail is convenient, moderately easy for a seasoned hiker, and has spectacular views of the ocean and San Juan Islands.


This was at least my sixth time doing the Oyster. There are some things you need to bring on this hike: Firstly, you'll need an adventure woof:


Right there Clif is eating grass. Terra a golden woof came as well. Next on the list of necessaries is your trusty hiking buddies. Kat, Alex, and Mimsical joined me this time.


You'll need a mushroom guide to show you what's what. Mimsical was our semi-expert (though he always gets a second opinion before eating anything; you can never be too careful with mushrooms).


This is a puffball, which are edible unless they're overly mature. When that happens, you can squeeze them and green particles POOF out. It's fun. Poof poof poof!

And finally, you can't leave the trail-head without an apple to share with the horses you'll find at the end of the hike.


Well, okay, you don't actually really
need any of these things, especially the last one. Horses are aloud on the trail, but this was the first time I had ever seen any. The Oyster Dome Trail is a very pleasant hike to do by yourself. If you do bring your dogs, bring doggie bags to pack their wastes off the mountain. Also, there are some steep parts so bring some decent shoes. And mostly, be respectful of others and enjoy yourself!

It was breezy but surprisingly warm for us this time. Altogether another great trip.


DIRECTIONS: From the north, take Exit 250 to Chuckanut Drive, following that road for about 12 miles. Just past the Oyster Bar is the trailhead on the left side of the road; park on the pavement on the right side of the road. Sometimes it is easy to miss so keep a lookout.

A LITTLE INFO ABOUT THE TRAIL: It begins with a couple miles of switchbacks. I find this to be the toughest part not because it is the steepest or athletically taxing, but switchbacks aren't my thing. But fear not! At the end of this stretch is the first viewpoint! A nice bench overlooks a portion of the waters. This is where my friends and I usually take a water break. Because water is delicious. From there, you'll travel several miles over easier terrain, over some streams and through beautiful woods. Then finally, two very steep parts are the only things between you and the Dome. There is a trail leading to the bat caves in the middle of the second climb. They are very cool and I definitely recommend a visit. When you reach the top of the second incline, you follow a trail up a little hill and reach the end! Soak in the views, go explore. It's fun. Try it.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

It's Curry Night Again!

I do love curry.


Not so much as Lister does on Red Dwarf, because if I had curry for every dinner my bowels might not appreciate me.

But almost as much as Lister.


Tonight after a very beautiful hike right outside of town, my friends and I gathered at my house and we made two different curries: a pineapple-chicken curry and a spicy vegetarian green curry. I was responsible for the veg curry and my friend whipped up the other one.

Neither of us followed any sort of recipe, but rather just started putting things into a pot. Mine had coconut milk, sauted onions, peppers, eggplant, some potatoes, tofu, carrots, bananas, pineapples with juice, coconut flakes, garlic, curry paste, and then a bunch of spices like curry powder, red pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, cinnamon, onion powder, but no salt.


I'm all salted out from salt & pepper pistachios from Everybody's Nuts! Have you tried those? You have to, they're just too good. They're more peppery than salty, but if you eat half of the huge bags, you'll be salted out too.


The pineapple-chicken curry consisted of basically the same, but with coconut flakes and eggplant omitted and chicken instead of tofu. She also added cashews and honey. She is a fantastic cook. We served it with delicious store-bought naan from Costco and some white rice. Then we watched a Western. Monte Walsh.

Do you like my idea?
"Curry and Cowboys." I thought it was clever. It sounds nice at least.

Also, Monte Walsh is one of my favorite movies. Behind Quigley Down Under, my top movie of all time, but still pretty good. Tom Selleck makes one fine cowboy. He's just a great actor in general.


So go try making curry! It's simple, delicious, and a fun event to do with friends. Curry is a social food.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bacon-Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Waffles

I have a problem, a dilemma you might say.

Bacon.


Why is that a problem you ask? I don't eat bacon. I don't eat pork at all for that matter, nor beef, chicken, lamb, etc. I am a pescetarian, fish is my only meat.

But I love baking with bacon. The excitement spreads throughout my entire body. BLTs, classic bacon and eggs, bacon and chive twice baked potatoes, bacon cookies, bacon weaves, bacon bacon bacon. Chicken bakes with bacon bits at Costco?

I don't even
like bacon. It's just fun to play with in recipes.


Today I made waffles for my boyfriend topped with bacon, bananas, peanut butter, a drizzle of maple syrup, and some whipped cream. He said the bacon kind of clashed with the other flavors, but he liked it. (He always likes it though--He's the best). So maybe I went a little crazy with bacon this time, but maybe you want to try it out!


Oatmeal Peanut Butter Waffles
(serves two)

1 c. quick oats
4 T. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 T. sweetener of your choice*
2 slices bacon
1 banana, sliced
cinnamon
syrup

Mix first five ingredients together and cook in a waffle iron. Fry up your bacon. Then in the same skillet**, fry the banana with several shakes of cinnamon. Serve bacon and banana over warm waffle with a drizzle of maple syrup.

I topped it with cinnamon whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup because my friend loves it and I had a huge tub of whipping cream in my fridge.***

*I go for honey.
**No bacon for me! Same for bacon grease. I just use a little butter.
***I made a fried egg (duck egg, double yolk) and cut up some peaches for a side, but the waffle was so big he didn't even get to them.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Peanut Sauce With Chicken

It may come off as rather odd, but most foods I post and/or make in my kitchen are not consumed by myself. I love making cookies, but would rather give them away to neighbors, friends, strangers, etc. rather than eat them up myself.

Also, I do not eat a lot of meat. "Pescetarian" is the technical term, so I eat fish and seafood, but chicken, beef, pork, and the likes are not part of my diet. So it might be a little weird that I get excited about foods like chicken bakes from Costco (mmmm) and bacon in any form.*

Mostly, I feed my boyfriend. I like making food for him because he appreciates it and says that everything I make is delicious, even when it is not. He always eats what is on his plate, even my terrible experiments. Luckily, tonight's dinner was "delicious."

As always.

I must be some cook. :)

ON THE MENU TONIGHT: chicken breast sautéd with garlic, pepper, and rice vinegar; white buttered sticky rice; steamed broccoli; and to top everything off, some homemade peanut sauce.**

But first an appetizer? Frozen boxed eggroll and Asian dumplings from Trader Joes.


Peanut Sauce
(Recipe from Cooking With Amy)

1/4 cup peanut butter (natural, no sugar added kind)
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup coconut milk (lite is fine, if you prefer or substitute water)
1/4 cup water
red chili flakes to taste
chili garlic sauce to taste or 1 clove crushed garlic

Optional:***
sesame oil
curry paste
rice wine vinegar
fish sauce
grated ginger
shallots sauteed till brown in oil
Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients with a whisk in a small bowl, adding the water last. Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Experiment with this sauce adding a teaspoon at a time of one the optional additions and tasting as you go. Serve hot or cold.


Try it out. My boyfriend says, "If one was okay and ten was pretty great, I think I'd probably give you a hundred and ten thousand stars."

Oh, I like that man.

*There are so many things you can do with bacon! You have the classics like eggs and bacon and toast, BLTs, twice baked potatoes with bacon and chives, chicken bakes. Then you get the weirder stuff like bacon weaves, bacon cookies, peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, etc. etc. Everybody loves bacon. I love bacon. Just not eating it.
**My friend tells me that next time I HAVE to make some Pad Thai to go with the peanut sauce.
***I added one teaspoon yellow curry paste and two teaspoons rice vinegar.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

The four of us returned home from Alaska Wednesday morning, 5 AM! Let me just say that Alaska is incredible. I did three hikes in three days, met such nice folk, learned to appreciate every inch of a walk, and saw a lot of wildlife.


Five bears moseyed alongside the highways, four moose--one chilling in the middle of a pond with some swans--chewed on their moose chow as we whizzed pass, two red fox sidled by, countless ravens and bald eagles and hawks, a golden eagle up close. So many adventures and sight-seeing.


Three days to get there, four days visiting, and two days back. I saw my pops. He made us a sourdough pancake breakfast twice--so yummy! And an interesting, perhaps random, occurrence: My appetite was monstrous! I ate so much food and was hungry all the time.


Beautiful, serene, clean, wonderful.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Northwest Washington Hikes: Damfino Lakes


Do you know the wonders of the northwest? Have you visited every nook and cranny of the rolling foothills of Mount Baker, the lush forests and rocky beaches, and everything in between?

Well, neither have I.

There are so many places to explore, and though it is quite impossible, I look forward to discovering every single one.


However, this has been a summer of very little hiking and camping. Blasphemy, I say! Between work and attending nursing assistant classes, house-sitting and taking care of critters, there seems to have been little time to take a few days off to enjoy one of my favorite activities in the world.

So I finally set some time aside for a lovely escapade in the mountains. Thank god.


Three friends and I, as well as two adventure woofs took off on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, sleeping bags and lots of snacks in stow. Damfino Lakes and beyond was the destination. On the drive, I sang Beatles songs and the two guys debated about Dungeons & Dragons. This topic would be a common occurrence during the trip.

"...and the vampire would call his minions to do his bidding"
"What is the likelihood that a Mindflayer could..."

The air is so clean out in the wilderness. Intoxicating.


The trail began with a steady uphill path, enveloped in green vegetation. About .7 miles in you have the option of going left to (Canyon Ridge Trail), but we stayed to the right towards Damfino Lakes. The trail is well marked.

We saw several groups of people, as it is a very popular trail. All were friendly and adored Clif and Sophie, the two dogs leading the way.*

A mile in are Damfino Lakes, which for some reason I imagined as higher up and made up of glacier water. Not so. My friends and I were keen on the idea of jumping into that glacier lake in our nudey pants in the evening, a dreadful tradition we happily uphold. However, a lovely pond-like lake is what we found. Watch out for skeeters!


Lovely wildflowers spotted the overwhelming greenness.**



Also, this is one of my favorite colors:


The vibrant green against a vivid blue... Ah! So beautiful. The path crosses a vast meadow on the side of a mountain. You'll see the first views of what I believe is Church Mountain and other smaller peaks. This path was punctuated with remarks like "I wish I could cast repel vermin" or perhaps "gust of wind."


The last stretch was an uphill battle, and let me tell you--I was feeling my summer without hikes. The burning in my lungs felt right. How sad is it that I was having issues climbing those stairs? I am ashamed, I tell you. Very ashamed.

These thoughts subsided when we reached the peak of a hill along High Divide trail. Amazing! Three-hundred and sixty degree views of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, the Rockies to the north, even Rainier in the distance! This is Lingfei drinking in the surroundings.


That reminds me: This was Lingfei's first camping experience! I wish the bugs hadn't been such a bother, but they were not as bad as they could have been. We decided this was the perfect spot to set up camp, despite the rocky ground. You could not beat the views. Look! Rainier:


Lingfei and I set up the tent as the boys gathered some fallen limbs for a campfire, and then we ate supper in temporary dwelling. Scrambled eggs, grainy toast and cheese, bananas, granola bars, and mango-bean salad was on the menu. Mealtime is always so satisfying when you're camping because you're so hungry that everything tastes delicious. Mmmm.

Woohoo, family portrait!


So we ate, then went to make the fire. Well, honestly the boys did most of that. Let me tell you, Alex makes the best fires, blazing and angry. Beautiful.


Did I mention we went camping on a full moon? No?? There she is rising over Shuksan!


I can't believe I forgot to mention that. The night-sun illuminated the countryside, bright as a bulb. Oh, that's a terrible metaphor. It doesn't do justice. Bright as a... "lustrous shining globe of beauty." I had to ask Alex how to describe it--He did much better. The night intensified his and Chris's imaginations.

Alex: "What would you do if a ..."
Chris: "Probably just ignore it until it went away..."

They're funny.

The four of us slept snugly in our three-man tent, and unfortunately Sophie and Clif had to sleep outside with the insects. Luckily, a slight breeze blew the flies and mosquitos away for the most part.

The sunrise in the morning was as spectacular as the moonrise the night before, and she brought with her a blanket of blue. Pure, intense blue. The downhill hike back to the car took much less time than the way up. Obviously. The dogs took a dip in the lakes. Sophie is the queen of swimming, and Clif always loses on the way to the stick, but they share. It's cute.


I definitely recommend this one. Serene. Easy. Accessible. One more picture!


From Bellingham go east following the Mount Baker highway. Travel 31 miles to the Mount Baker Service Center*** where you can purchase a parking permit (only five dollars), then travel two more miles on the highway turning left on Canyon Creek Road. Follow this well-maintained back road for 16 miles. After the bridge, be sure to stay left at forks in the road. The trailhead is marked and there is a privy.

This is a dog-friendly trail. Don't forget doggy bags!

As always, pack out all wastes.

*Perhaps I am making that up because I am biased--They actually startled several people on the way. Attack dogs!
**Did I mention the northwest is very green? I think I've pointed that out too many times.
***You may want to stop in and fill up on water, use the restrooms, etc.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Four Little Chickies

Well, I guess they're no longer little chickies...

But big news! One of them laid her first egg.



This is a major milestone.

Congratulations!

I bet it was the fat black chickie. Hen.

There are three black chickens, and one of them is about three times as fat as the other two.

She's very cute.

And fat.

Also, that is not actually where I found the egg.

Obviously.

Woohoo, eggs from free-range chickens! I ate it for breakfast with mozzarella cheese.

Mmm.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Pineapple-Chicken Curry

Tonight I fed some nerds, some very dear and beloved nerds playing Magic: The Gathering.


Curry for dinner, and cookie dough balls for dessert. Yes, I am a (semi-)grown-up, but I still love eating cookie dough. Just make your standard Tollhouse cookie recipe, stick some toothpicks in them, freeze them for a while, dip them in melted chocolate chips, and there you have it! Delicious.


It was fun. That is all I have to say for tonight, aside from try this sometime. It's good stuff; filling, flavorful, and fun to make.


Pineapple Chicken Curry

2 c. rice
5 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 potatoes
1 c. sweet yellow onion, sliced
1 c. sliced carrots
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cans coconut milk
2 T. yellow curry paste
1 can pineapple

Begin cooking the rice as instructions dictate.

Boil the potatoes until they become soft and tender. Cool and proceed to cube them.

In the meanwhile, cook cut chicken in a large skillet over medium heat until fully cooked. Set aside. In the same skillet, saute potatoes, sliced onions, and carrots adding water as necessary. When vegetables are tender, combine chicken. Spice with curry powder, cinnamon, and salt to taste.*

In a large pot, add sauted veggies and chicken along with the coconut milk and curry paste. Bring to a boil than reduce to a simmer until thick. Add the pineapples with the juice. Enjoy over the cooked rice!