What you need...

…as it turns out, not as much as you think! When I mention to somebody that I like to cook I think visions of double ovens, industrial refrigerators and exotic utensils dance in their heads. My kitchen is very basic. One oven, electric stove (oh, what I would do for gas), the refrigerator that was here when we moved in, a cheap-o department store knife set. I don’t think there is any one item in my kitchen that isn’t in most kitchens.

I’ve mentioned before, among the many reasons I love cooking from scratch is the economy of it. The inclination to rush off to buy a specific gadget to perform every small task in the kitchen can turn cooking into a pricey venture. Here are a few things I don’t thing any cook needs:

* Egg separator. Quite conveniently, eggshells are well suited to this task.
* Stand mixer. I have writhed in jealousy over many a mixer, but what can a stand mixer do that I can’t do myself? Nothing.
* Rolling pin. They do look pretty hanging on the wall, but a floured drinking glass does the job nicely.
* Electric can opener. The old-fashioned elbow-grease kind work better anyway.
* Pretty much any kitchen gadget that was invented in the last 20-30 years. Most of these were created in the name of convenience, the same plague that (ironically) has driven us right out of the kitchen and to the drive-thru.

I don’t want to come across as though I entirely reject modern conveniences. I am a mother and work full time; I need all the help I can get! Here are a few of the technological aids I use frequently:

* Food processor. I made my first daughter’s babyfood with one (and when the little one is ready for solids I’ll do it again). It’s also wonderful for soups and pesto.
* Electric waffle iron. I’m not even sure waffles existed before electric waffle irons, but if they did I bet they would take way more work to create than I could handle!
* Microwave. I almost exclusively use the microwave for two purposes: defrosting frozen things and re-heating leftovers. When I was single I went for years without one and I would actually love to wean myself off of it again.
* Garbage disposal. I really do love mine!
* Dishwasher. Mine is broken at the moment and washing dishes is probably my least favorite chore.

There are some necessities for a nicely functional kitchen. Here are a few things I don’t think I could live without:

* Several sizes of casserole dishes. I think everyone has a couple of big ones, but I’ve gotten a surprising amount of use out of the smaller ones!
* Several sizes of mixing bowls. A couple of years ago my mom bought me a brightly colored set of five mixing bowels that fit together. I love them!
* A big stockpot. Great for, well, stock and for big batches of anything.
* A good selection of knives. I have one really nice chef’s knife and the others that I use often are a collection of small paring knives, a long serrated bread knife, and an average size serrated knife.
* A steamer basket.
* Lots and lots of old dingy kitchen towels! I don’t bother with pretty ones…I need to have a drawer full of towels I don’t mind getting all manner of slop on.
* At least a couple of nice cutting boards. I think the best combination is two large-ish, at least one made of some non-porous material for cutting raw meat.
* A garlic mincer. Yes, you can chop a clove up with a knife, but your fingers will smell like garlic FORever.


This isn’t a very comprehensive list. On any given day, depending on what I’m cooking different items will be indispensable. You should see my set up for letting bread dough raise: a medium size skillet filled with hot tap water, topped with a wire cooling rack, topped with the bowl of dough, covered with a warm damp towel. It looks more like I’m trying to balance as many kitchen utensils as I can rather than letting dough rise. My point is, you can make do better than you think if you just dive in!

No Rest for the Weary

Sometimes when I look at my children I say to myself, "Lillian, you should have stayed a virgin."
Lillian Carter, mother of Jimmy and Billy


So here's the reality--I don't have a second to spare in the kitchen. Yesterday both my daughters woke up at about the same time. This is a dilemma because they both need my attention basically immediately, but there is only one of me. I'm sorely out-numbered. I decided to feed the infant, Ava, first, then go retrieve Lacey, the toddler, from her crib. It sounded on the monitor like she was entertaining herself nicely. Ava enjoyed a peaceful breakfast, I swaddled her and settled her in her bassinet hoping for a two hour nap or so. I went to get my still quietly playing Lacey.

As soon as I opened her door I was hit with the smell of animal pen. While I so blissfully enjoyed a morning feeding with my youngest, a diaper blow-out of major proportions had been brewing in the nursery. I'm really still such a rookie parent. I should have been suspicious of all that happy quietness! After (carefully) disrobing my soiled child she went directly into the bathtub and then downstairs to have breakfast an hour later than usual. As Lacey finished eating her oatmeal and toast Ava launched into a crying jag. I re-swaddled her and rocked he back into contentment, however brief. By now it was almost time for Lacey's first nap, but I still had the defiled crib to deal with.

While Lacey entertained herself by removing every diaper from the basket I keep them in and distributing them all over the house, I got to work on her bed. I cleaned every surface of the crib three times: first with baby wipes to remove the, um, general mess, then with a mixture of vinegar and water to disinfect (yeah, it smell a lot like salad, but I don't want harsh chemicals right where she sleeps), and finally a once-over with water to cut down a bit on the salad smell. Her sheets, blankie, and stuffed animals all went into the wash...then it was naptime. I realized then, the only other cribsheet I own was also dirty. I couldn't very well lay her down right on the vinyl covered mattress, so I decided this was a good time to try napping on the "big girl" bed in her room for the first time. (Yeah, like I said, I'm a rookie.)

After seven trips back into her room to place her back in bed I began to realize that sleeping on vinyl couldn't be that bad. I spread a blanket over the mattress, hoped it would stay put, and placed Lacey in her salad-bar smelling, but clean, crib. Ava was still asleep. I so look forward to the rare hour when both kids are sleeping, but it also stresses me out a bit. I usually spend the first twenty minutes trying to decided what to get done. This day I decided to pick up the upstairs (Lacey had destroyed that entire floor of the house while I cleaned her crib) and I loaded the dishwasher.

Lacey woke up just as I finished. Without getting into too much more detail the rest of the day was filled with a late lunch, lots of laundry, a trip outside to kick the soccer ball around (to ensure a sleepy toddler come bedtime), and in between all this: a spilled cup of coffee, a leaky water bottle which soaked Lacey, many diaper changes and several feedings for Ava. Then it was time for dinner.

Here's where cooking at home beats the pants off take-out or eating out: leftovers! I didn't have to turn on the oven. I just warmed Lacey and I up a bowl of the beans and sausage I made the night before. If I had spent the time making that pot of beans on, say, watching TV and ordering take-out, I would have been a little poorer and probably wouldn't have many leftovers. I would've had to cook or continue the cycle of eating out or eating convenience food. As it was, I found myself at the end of a long, hard day reaping the benefits of the time I spent in the kitchen the night before.

There is a point to this long story. I think we fall into the thinking that cooking is just another never-ending task. The truth is when you make time to cook and spend your time in the kitchen wisely, your time becomes an investment. Here are a few of the ways you can make your time count: plan meals in advance; always shop from a list built around your planned meals; batch and freeze your leftovers; leave your kitchen clean before bed each night; and, most importantly, don't be afraid to toss these rules out the window when necessary!

Blackeyed Peas and Sausage

* Soak dried beans according to directions. (I start mine soaking first thing in the morning and in the pot I plan to use to cook the dish in, in this case a large soup pot.)

* Drain and rinse the beans and set aside.
* Start some sausage browning in a skillet.
* In the pot you used to soak the beans heat some chicken broth (homemade, preferably!) to a simmer. Adjust the amount of broth according to weather you like a soupier dish or heartier. I like my bean dishes thicker and heartier, so I add just enough to cover and simmer the beans, meat and veggies.
* Add to the broth: 2-3 chopped carrots, 2-3 chopped celery stalks, 1 chopped red bell pepper; simmer until tender.
* While the veggies are cooking, add to the sausage: 1/2 to 1 whole onion and 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced. Sautee until tender.
* Once veggies and onion are tender, drain sausage and add the blackeyed peas and sausage to the broth.
* Allow mixture to simmer until beans are as tender as you like.

Since I was sharing this dish with my toddler, I only added a little pepper for seasoning, but you could spice it up with some cayenne pepper. I also don't specify how long you should cook anything...this is on purpose! I like my veggies and beans a little firm, but you can just cook until they are as firm or tender as you like. I spent a total of about 30 minutes putting this together.

Enjoy!

The Ugly Truth

Cutting up a whole chicken is disgusting. I've been doing it for almost a year and It still grosses me out. I really have no excuse because by the time the chicken comes to my kitchen it is thoroughly dead and neatly gutted and plucked. The nice farmers who get it in this condition for me deserve a word of thanks! I am very much the product of a generation who thinks that chickens hatch from the egg pre-packaged in Styrofoam and plastic wrap. We don't generally like to think of our food in its original, clucking, kind-of-cute form. If we would think a little more often about where our food really comes from I think a large portion of society would naturally be drawn to sustainable local farms and be willing to pay a little more to eat for dinner a chicken that has been allowed to live a healthy, chicken-y life, rather than one that has never seen the light of day.

So what am I doing cutting up chickens, you might ask? I'm making homemade chicken broth! Using one whole chicken I can make four(ish) quarts of broth for use in soups or just about any savory recipe that calls for water (try substituting the broth for water--Mmmm!). Making your own broth is certainly economical--whole chickens are cheaper per pound than pre-packaged parts. The broth is richer and you can control the flavor and saltiness. I find store-bought brands much too salty. Plus there are bragging rights! When I say I'm making chicken and noodles from scratch I mean it! (OK, except for the noodles, but pasta is on my learn-to-make list!)

So here's how I do it. I find it helps contain the mess to place the chicken in a large casserole dish to cut it up. You'll need a sharp knife,(a smaller one is easier to work with), if you have them some kitchen shears are helpful, but not really required, and a large stock pot.

* Pull the leg away from the body and cut through the skin to expose the joint. This is easier said than done--I still have to dig around to find where the bones meet (blech).
* Cut through the joint, toss the leg into the pot.
* Repeat with opposite leg.
* In similar fashion, pull the wings away from the body, find the joint, cut and toss into the pot.
* Put the rest of the chicken into the pot.

You could, at this point cut along either side of the backbone (the shears work well for this) and break the breast bone to separate the breast, but I skip this step. If your intention would be to cook and serve the parts you would want to complete this last step and probably separate the drumsticks from the thighs as well. This way you would have nice, neat chicken parts instead of the half-butchered mess I'm satisfied with for making broth!

In case you're wondering, the cutting up is necessary! The first time I tried to make broth I just threw the whole chicken in and ended up with slightly chicken flavored water. The more of the bone and tissue you expose, the richer your broth will be.

* To the pot add the following:
* 3-4 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped, leaves and all
* 3-4 carrots, coarsely chopped
* 1 onion, quartered
* 2-3 cloves of garlic, cracked
* several sprigs of fresh thyme

This is where your own tastes come in...other ideas for adding to your broth: turnips, parsnips, more or less garlic, whole peppercorns, bouquet garni. Don't bother adding salt until you've drained your broth. It will just evaporate during the cooking.

* Add enough water to cover
* Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, depending on the size of your chicken.
* When finished cooking, remove the chicken parts and set aside.
* Strain broth into storage containers suitable for storage in your freezer. Cheesecloth works well for straining if you have it. I just use a very fine colander.
* Add salt to taste.
* Discard the veggies. I hate to waste, but the idea in making broth is to leach all the flavor from the veggies into the broth, so they will be soggy and flavorless!
* Pick the meat from the chicken and use as you please!

I love to use a portion of my fresh broth and the chicken to make a big pot of chicken and noodles right away. My version is very simple! I just cook some fresh carrots and celery in the broth until tender, add egg noodles, chicken, some thyme and a little mixed flour and water if I want to thicken it.

This is just my version of chicken broth. I would love to hear other additions to the seasoning or other methods! Please share!

The Evolution of a Bread Maker

I love to cook. In the kitchen I can silence all the alarm bells of daily stress in my life and give myself over completely to the task at hand. In this age of "talking things out" and "sharing our feelings" we've lost touch with the simple (and effective) therapy of kneading the hell out of some bread dough!

I don't claim to be very good. (Ahhh...another lesson learned in the kitchen: humility!) I've only really embraced cooking over the last three to four years. It began when I discovered that the apartment I lived in in West Virginia was walking distance from an amazing indoor/outdoor farmer's market. I soon fell in love with the place and spent hours each Saturday picking over the local produce and browsing the wine shop, butcher's counter, and fish monger's stall. Due to the highly stressful, 60-hour-per-week job I had then, all my time hanging out at the market did not translate into much extra time in the kitchen--I did develop a love for fresh, local ingredients, though!

Fast forward to the birth of my first child. I took twelve weeks of maternity leave and as Lacey and I settled into a routine I found I had more time to spend cooking. I picked up a cookbook full of exotic recipes and I was unstoppable! I'm sure Lacey's father would've liked to come home some night from work to find out we were having meatloaf or spaghetti for dinner. I wasn't interested in the traditional at this point--it was chicken tikki masala or spanakopita for us every night!

Over the next couple of years several things began to re-shape the way I cooked. I returned to work and it was no longer practical to cook international dishes each night that always required a trip to the grocery for special ingredients. Lacey began eating solid foods and I decided to make her babyfood from fresh, steamed, and pureed produce. In her interest, I began to think a lot more about basic nutrition. Most recently, I lost my job and gave birth to my second daughter. I found myself having to stretch my food dollar (and all my dollars, for that matter) farther than I had in quite a few years, but without giving up on the high standards I now harbored for my childrens' nutrition. I found the best way to do this was to simply cook more from scratch.

I'll get more into the specific benefits in other posts, but cooking from scratch is much more economical than buying prepared, processed food at the grocery AND it helps reduce or eliminate from your diet evil elements in processed food like high fructose corn syrup--which gives us the long, unnatural shelf life we love in convenience foods, but which also makes and keeps us fat!

What I love most about cooking from scratch isn't all the nutritional, economical, environmental, and political reasons (I'll get into those last two later), its the common sense element. In my humble opinion, what the hell good are you as a cook if you can whip up a perfectly creamy risotto, but can't make a basic loaf of bread?