The PBJ bar!

Sometimes, I have ideas.  Sometimes, I have silly ones, big ones, wee ones, improbable ones and unstoppable ones.  I had a group of friends over to my house yesterday for a brunch type thing.  I was feeling exceedingly lazy, and exceptionally poor.  How best to pick a food to serve when you are feeling these things, I ask?  Some may say, "who needs food when you have mimosas?" (Unfortunately, this is a question I also asked yesterday, and 24 hours and two bottles of seltzer water later, I think I finally get it.)  Some people may also say "just go to Bodo's, stock up on the crowd pleasing carbs, and be done with it!"  No sir.  Not this day.  I wanted comfort food.  Something fun and childlike but with a twist!  And this my friends, is what I came up with:

The peanut-butter and jelly smorgasbord!


So much goodness all in one place!  I assembled fresh ground, honey roasted peanut-butter and almond-butter from our neighborhood Whole Foods, two types of crackers (a ritz style and a wheat), raisins, chocolate bits, honey, agave syrup, sliced bananas, mixed berry jelly, and finally gram-crackers.  Then, I dug in (before the guests arrived, yes.  I had to make sure this wasn't a wonderful, awful idea.)  It was everything I wanted.  The almond-butter with raisins on a wheat thin, the peanut-butter with banana and honey on a ritz, and for dessert, peanut-butter and chocolate on a gram-cracker.  Each one was so yummy, and it was the perfect different kind of snack to share.  The reviews were positive and to top it off, there wasn't much remaining at the end of the party, so that helped with the clean up.   See my friends, sometimes my ideas work out pretty well.  Sometimes they end up like the potato leek soup that I made that one time, where I didn't wash the leeks well enough, and the soup had so much sand in it that the only person that would eat it was my darling dad.  But sometimes, yes, sometimes things of beauty come out of it all.  Like knowing that leeks harbor massive amounts of sand, and also knowing that you are never too old to appreciate a good PB and J.

Lasagna experiment, or how 90 minutes at 375 saved my dinner.

Not all experiments turn out as well as the miso glazed num num episode.  This is a story about one that turned out fine, just not as golden as I would have hoped.  But now I have a great jumping off point for the next time.  Let's start at the beginning.

I ask Monkey (AKA my boyfriend) what he wants for dinner, every day I cook.  The past three answers have been an emphatic "Lasagna!"  My only lasagna experience (aside from eating it) was making a vegan version years ago with a friend.  (My vegan days, which are happily over and we shall never speak of again, lasted for many many years due to a dairy allergy from childhood that I outgrew and then I discovered the joy of cheese, yogurt and Ben and Jerry's.  But I digress.)

I have a large tool belt of "go to" recipes, but lasagna is not one of these things.  Okay, let's try this out.  Epicurious took me down a long road of recipes and I picked this one from Self magazine, 2005.  I tweaked it.  As per usual.  I don't do measuring when I cook if I can help it, so here we go!

What I used:

1 rounded cup of ricotta
1 tbsp thyme
1/2 tbsp basil (dried)
1/2 tbsp oregano
3 plus cloves of garlic

Mix all these things together and set aside.

Looks tasty, right?  And it is!  I could have used a little more garlic, but I can't ever have too much garlic, so use to your taste.  Also I sprinkled a little black pepper and salt.

Next I chopped up a ton of vegetables in the amounts of:



1 carrot
1 large zucchini
1/2 a yellow onion
1 green pepper
8 mushrooms
1 broccoli crown

For the remaining ingredients, I used one box of oven ready lasagna noodles that had been in the kitchen cabinet for longer than I care to admit, 3/4 jar of pasta sauce (it would have been an entire jar, but we had used a bit for pizza sauce the other night. Desperate times.) one 32 oz can of crushed tomatoes (to make up for the lack of tomato sauce remaining) and 1 large chunk of mozzarella, grated.   now the layering begins.

Start with coating the bottom of your pan with sauce.  Then layer the noodles, veggies, and top off with dollops of the ricotta mixture and a nice handful of the mozzarella.  Repeat these layers (I think I fit in 4 good layers?) and end with noodles, sauce and parmesan on the top.

• Having finished this layered beauty, it was time to put it in the oven (pre heated to 375) and bake!  Now, this is where it got tricky.  The recipe I used said it only needed to bake for 50 minutes.  As poor Monkey and I discovered after  each crunching our way through a small piece, this was not nearly enough time.  "That's it!"  I thought to myself.  "I am officially a failure in the kitchen.  One of the most foolproof foods you can throw together, and I can't make it."  Back in the oven and 40 more minutes later, I realized I was wrong.  It was good.  Quite good actually.  Maybe more cheese and sauce and less veggies for next time (I was trying to make this on the healthy side, but who am I fooling?  Cheese is what makes the world go round and why try and use less of a brilliant thing?)  Lesson learned my friends.  You can never have too much garlic or cheese in the world.

Miso glazed num nums

Ah miso, such a rare, misunderstood, mysterious thing you are.  Frequently found in the dairy section or hiding in a cooler in your neighborhood health food store,  I love you and I want to share my love with everyone!  Here is a little something I made last night (much to the delight of my darling boyfriend, whom we shall call Monkey to protect his identity.)  Since this is cooking and not baking, the exact measurements are much more flexible so feel free to add, subtract or mess with as you see fit.  That's exactly what I did and this is what I came up with:

Miso Glaze from Whole Foods Market website (the actually recipe was "miso glazed catfish and bok choy" but I"m not the biggest catfish fan, being a dedicated follower of salmon, so I took some of these ideas and ran!)

What I used and you may need, if you make this like I did.  This fed two very hungry people, and there was enough left for lunch for two less hungry people.

3 bunches baby bok choy (or one large bunch of regular bok choy)
1 lb (ish?  1 pack?  Whatever.) of extra firm tofu.  I let it sit between a few sheets of paper towels and between two plates with two heavy jars on top of it, to force out any excess water.  Once again, whatever you want.
10 or so shiitake mushrooms (because I LOVE them)
1 bunch of scallions.

For the Miso glaze:

2 tablespoons oil (I used olive)
3 tablespoons white miso (like the picture above)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons warm water

Whisk these four ingredients together.  Slice tofu into thin, wide strips, and place into a baking dish.  Brush half of the glaze onto the tofu, making sure to coat and get both sides, and set aside.

While the tofu is lounging in it's own yumminess, saute scallions and mushrooms in a little olive oil.  Add baby bok choy (chopped up into a manageable size) and a little bit of water. Cover and let steam for 3-5 minutes, or until the bok choy is done just enough to your liking.  Add the remaining glaze and mix in.  Turn down and let simmer while you go back to the tofu.

Now, I will say in retrospect, I will choose to bake the tofu in the baking dish because Monkey and I decided that the tofu was a bit oily because I chose to fry it.  Nonetheless, it was yummy and you do what you want.  So I fried it on a high heat, turning it over after 3 or so minutes on each side.

So it was really yummy, and I can only imagine it would have been yummier still if I had a) let the tofu sit in the miso glaze even longer or b) baked the tofu which would have burnt off less of the glaze so there would have been even more to spoon over the finished product.  I also served it over brown rice, which I'm assuming all of you fine folks can figure out how to make (hint, follow the directions on the box.)  In any case, this was a really well played experiment!  Monkey loved it and said this one of, if not my best meal experiment yet!  And if Monkey is happy, than by golly so am I.  So take away from this, that miso is SUPER yummy, and a really great addition in stir fry recipes.  And now for the final product!

Miso Num Nums

Editors note:  I made this dish again because I've been craving it ever since try number once, only this time I baked the tofu in the miso glaze at 300 for 45+ minutes.  AW, MAN it was EVEN BETTER than the first time!  I had never tried baking tofu before and I could see this being an awesome and healthier way to enjoy tofu, as opposed to frying it (when I often tend to fill the house with smoke anyways, so perhaps it's best I stick to the oven for this dish.)  I would imagine any kind of marinade and tofu, baked at a low heat for a long time, will undoubtably be yummy.  Anyway, I am once again full and happy, and that's kind of the point of it all, am I right?

The most epic blueberry pie recipe (and gosh darn if she ain't a looker too!) Part two: the filling

Okay, did we survive that part okay?  Are we ready for the easy part?  ("Wait, that wasn't the easy part?" you ask.  I know my friends.  It was easy.  And yet, this part is even easier.  Who would have thought it possible?)  The filling.  Now, I can not take the tiniest bit of credit for this recipe.  My dear friend (who we shall call "Miss P" to protect her identity) made this one day for me and my boyfriend and after having had multiple pieces, we both said "hold the phone!  We MUST have this recipe!"  So she was good enough to pass it on.  I have no idea if she made it up or from whence it came, but we are just happy to have it.  So here we go.

You need 1 pre-baked pie crust.  Since the recipe we just used made two, (and when was two pies ever enough for anyone I ask?) I just doubled the filling recipe below so do the same if that's how you are going to roll.  And let me just say, do it.  You will be happy you did.  Also, go ahead and brush the crust with a little egg white before you embark on the filling journey.  Ready?  Okay.

-Whisk together in a tiny bowl and set aside:
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

-In another small bowl, mix together and set aside:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
-Optional, zest half a lemon and add that too.  I did and man oh man, was I happy I did!)
A pinch of salt
A pinch of cinnamon (once again, optional, but why not, I say?

-Other things you will need:
5 cups blueberries
1/2 cup water

Measure out 1 cup of blueberries (use the softest ones, or if you are me, ignore that point and just measure out a flipping cup of blueberries.)
Put them in a medium sized saucepan with 1/2 cup water.  Cover and bring to a boil,  Reduce to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until berries begin to burst (I hate that word, but there's just not a better one for us to use at this point) and juices begin to thicken, 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Gradually add cornstarch mixture to berries, stirring constantly, than add the sugar, lemon, salt and cinnamon mixture.  Return to stove and simmer 1 minute or until mixture becomes translucent and thick.

Now, I have to confess, this is where I panicked.  There was nothing "translucent and thick" happening with my blueberries.  I turned the heat up a little and not much was changing, surely not in the minute that the recipe said.  So I threw in a little more cornstarch and I think that and the combo of the slightly higher heat joined together to make some thickening magic!  Whoo hoo!  Now, back on schedule.

Remove from heat and immediately and gently, fold in the remaining 4 cups of blueberries.  Immediately spoon into pie shell and set aside for two hours at room temperature.

Oh dear lord.  Its so beautiful!

There you have it my friends.  Fresh blueberry pie made from scratch, crust and all.  Now don't be greedy and save some for your friends.  They will thank you for it.  Mine did.

How can I eat a thing of such beauty?  Oh, alright.  If I must.

The most epic blueberry pie recipe (and gosh darn if she ain't a looker too!) Part 1: The Crust.

I love pie.  Pie is the perfect dessert, breakfast, snack and sweet option in my book.  I'll take if over chocolate any day.  The combination of sweet cooked fruits, or perfectly spiced pumpkin or sweet potato, combined with a flakey crust....mmm....but I digress.  I am a very busy lady, and the fact that I found the time to make this pie, not once in a week, but TWICE?  Yes, that speaks to just how flipping easy and how AMAZING TASTY it is.  So here you go followers.  Here it is with my little tweaks.  Let us begin with the pie crust: 

Foolproof Pie Dough
Cooks Illustrated, November 2007

Makes enough for one 9-inch double-crust pie
2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour  (This time I am subbing 1 cup of whole flour, we will see how it goes.)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar (for round two, I left this out.  I like my sugar left in the filling and not in the crust, but that's just me.)
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into small bits
1/4 cup cold vodka
1/4 cup cold water

This is where the recipe and I differ.  I do not have a standing mixer, so I used my pastry cutter (which I love dearly, and I like to get my hands dirty so it's much more fun in my mind.)  So you can either:
a) process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Or b) mix everything in in the same steps listed about, but do it with a pastry blender.  Like so.  Then:

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Here is where the fun begins.  When you have waited exactly 45 minutes (I'm not good at doing all this ahead of time, okay?) bring out the dough and roll it out into a roundish shape, big enough to line a pie dish. Preheat your oven to 350 and line the pie crust with parchment, paper, wax paper or aluminum foil.  They say you should fill the crust at least two-thirds full with pie weights, dry beans or rice.  What did I do, you ask?  I'm lazy and I didn't have any of these items, however I did cover the edges of the pie with foil so it wouldn't burn, which I hoped would redeem me in the eyes of purists.  Anyways, place pie crusts in the over for 20 minutes.  Remove from oven, cool a few minutes and (if you were a good girl or boy and actually used the pie weights) remove the weights carefully.  Since I did not, the pie had puffed up a bit from the bottom of the dish.  However, not to be deterred I followed the next step which was to poke small holes in the bottom of the crust, remove the foil from the edges and return to the oven for an additional ten minutes.  Then I removed them from the oven and let cool.

So pretty, right?  Yay for the pice crust!  Okay, now round two.  Pie filling.

Quick Update

I know.....I know....It's been a bit since I've written.  Tomorrow I will have a lovely blueberry pie recipe to post complete with pictures, but since this blog is called "things I like, by me", I thought I would do a little shout out to my friends who don't read this blog, but are currently staring in "13 the musical" at Live Arts.  It is really great.  Really great!  It is freaking awesome what some good musical direction can do and this show's music is hard!  The entire cast (from what I can tell) is under the age of 21, and the show was written by Jason Robert Brown who wrote "The Last Five Years", "Songs For A New World" and "Parade".  While chatting about the show afterwards with friends over a few drinks, we decided this was the show that "High school Musical" should have been.  Smart, funny, good music, and so much more about what it's really like to be in high school.  So you only have a few more days, but go see it.  Really.