One of the favorite family favorites is making our ownhome cooked ribs … or bbq ribs if you prefer that term.
I don’t know which of my daughters love ribs the most, but it is always something they ask for when they touch home base. Kristin is flying by on her way back to more graduate school, but staying long enough to cook and bake with the ol folks.By the way, it takes a bit of doing to get the ribs right… but it is well worth the effort. Click on the picture above to see how we make them.
There was a time that people had the ability to add and subtract in their head, eye ball a construction project with beautiful results, paint without numbers and create something wonderful. However, everyone can recapture those long lost abilities and cooking skills by simply viewing most things including recipes as ‘guidelines.’
My grandmother was brilliant in the kitchen and she would tell me that cookbooks are ‘useful’ and help to ‘spark an idea’, but were really only ‘guidelines.’ This time in my bread pudding, I used banana nut muffins, croissants, and french bread as the base. This is why a bread pudding can be wonderfully different every time!
I believe all ‘Bread Puddings’ were really only a catch all dessert bound together by eggs, infused with fruit and cream, and covered with a yummy sauce. One nice feature of my bread puddings is that they reconstitute very well. Left over sections can be placed into a container covered with sauce and they microwave back to life beautifully!
One of my favorite meals is to dine on Moussaka! It is a meat and vegetable dish that has a lot of appeal in certain parts of the world, but it is virtually unknown in others. However, not everyone enjoys Moussaka and I think it is not so much because of how it is prepared but because of some , or one , of its ingredients. How one prepares the eggplant either makes or breaks this marvelous dish!
I am finally getting down to making Moussaka today …and I am reminded that slicing and frying the eggplant very thin is key! Personally, I love the addition of zucchini and potatoes also sliced and fried thin. In the sauce, I use a mixture of lamb and pork which produces a soft and delicious meat filling.
When my daughters returned from their conference in Rio de Janeiro they met Laura in another conference in Boston. Kindly, they had brought with them some cookbooks for me… in Portuguese. Now translating cookbooks is relative easy regardless of the language, but Portuguese is a language that English speaking people find possible. Thanks , ladies!
3 cookbooks from Brazil and one from Boston
Now, I am busy!
BTW. Greek Festival in San Luis Obispo if you are looking for something fun this weekend!
I am lecturing tomorrow on the contributions of ‘spice’ over the ages to our culinary world. The attendees will not be culinary experts, except those who come by it naturally; they are college students. Yes, they will be fed.
Although spices have had an important place in collective history, many spices have virtually been forgotten in the last century. Few remember the uses of fenugreek, cardamon or mace. This is possibly why that all of my favorite cookbooks are well over 100 years old! However, with a renewed interest by both the professional and the skilled amateur has brought the use of spices back to the forefront.
History tells us that spices were often used as a preservative and anyone making corned beef or pastramiknows that to be true! It is impressive that someone could throw meat (often brisket) into a container covered with liquid and spices to ‘cure’ the meat over a couple of months, cook and consume the meal and suffer no ill affects, hopefully.
According to a recent study, oregano, garlic, allspice and oregano were 100% effective against a host of bacterial species they were tested against! In addition, thyme, cinnamon, tarragon, cumin, cloves, lemon grass, bay leaf, capsicums (hot peppers), and rosemary all inhibited more than 75% of the bacteria they were tested against. If you enjoy sushi, as you might imagine having Wasabi and ginger placed along with your meal has more meaning than just being a tasty flavoring!
Also spices are most often used in the hotter climates with Ethiopia,Kenya, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria and Thailand being the biggest consumers! (Of course , it helps that the production is done right next door or locally!)
Today, people making changes toward a healthy diet are finding that spices not only add the little bit of zing they want to their meal, but are low in calories and high in anti-oxidants.
