Cooking with Glögg

Have any of you tried cooking with glögg? I have a bunch sitting in the freezer that I couldn't drink and I want to do something fun with it. I'm thinking some kind of gryta.

This one could be good. I like that it has a hint of dark chocolate in it, kind of like Mexican mole sauce. Any other ideas?

The Littlest Kitchen

Here is what it looks like these days. I'm quite proud of how well we've managed to maximize the space.

Other things on my list to do: get little mug hooks to open up some cabinet space and cutely hang the coffee mugs on display, hang a wire mesh fruit basket from the ceiling beam, hang up a knife rack per Nigella's advice, and get a ComfortChef gel mat from Home Depot. Yes, I'm serious. After a few hours of cooking and dish-doing standing on the wood floor, as Ian would say, my dogs are barkin'! In other words, I acutely need a foot massage. (Do I need orthopedic shoes now that I've hit 30?)

Rediscovering Musli

I went through this phase earlier of eating granola obsessively and being really proud of myself for being so healthy. Then I started making my own, and realized how fattening it actually is (unless you make a modified granola recipe, which I have and can share). Whoops.

Sort of like how I used to be all self-righteous about drinking canned Arizona Green Tea instead of soda only to realize it has like 12 tablespoons of sugar.

So then I went back to basics and started eating musli and I actually don't even miss the butter and sugar. Then I deconstructed that even further by just pouring a tablespoon or two of uncooked oats right into my yogurt along with some fresh fruit and cinnamon and/or cardamom. Is that bad? I've been doing it for weeks now to no ill effect. It actually tastes great. If it's bad to eat uncooked oats, forget I said it. If not, try it!

Or you can try this yummy musli recipe I just found and am going to make tomorrow. I will translate it if any English speakers want it. I like the idea of using coconut and sunflower seeds, though I only like the white ones, not the black ones. (Does anyone know the difference?)

Cumin Seeds

Is it just me, or does cumin smell like body odor?

On a totally unrelated note, I got this awesome Indian food cookbook by Phaidon for Christmas.

I've already tried a bunch of recipes (I'll share some soon), and one thing I've learned about why Indian food is so awesome is that not only are the recipes all layered with so many flavors, but they take the extra step to toast spices before adding them. This is especially true of whole cumin seeds, which in their toasted state are ubiquitous in Indian food. So much more delicious and pleasantly aromatic than their ground, untoasted brethren!

That gave me the idea to replace ground cumin with toasted cumin seeds in recipes forevermore. It's definitely a different flavor, but I suspect a better one! Try it! Just throw them in a pan on medium-low heat for about a minute, until fragrant.

Mmm, Carrots...

This is a fantastic recipe from Alice Water's Chez Panisse Vegetables. (Mom, I really do use that cookbook you got me 15 years ago!)

It's great because it uses ingredients you probably have on hand most of the time. And it goes down faster than a fresh bag of Sour Patch Kids (is that just our house?). You won't be able to stop... Did you hear me? I'm talking about carrots, people!

Although it's a smidge spicy, I feel like this could be a good recipe to get kids to eat their carrots. Try it and report back please.

Spicy Carrot Salad
2 lbs. carrots (or whatever you have)
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp cayenne
3/4 cup olive oil (or less if you want)
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Peel the carrots and cut into julienne ("quick work with a Japanese mandolin" says Alice. If you don't own a mandolin, see my Le Creuset posting about becoming an adult. Just kidding, try using a vegetable peeler and just keep "peeling" the whole carrots into thin little slices. Or just chop them thinly.)

Mash the garlic clove with the salt, and mix it with the red wine vinegar, lemon juice and cayenne. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste for seasoning and add more acid, salt or cayenne if needed. Toss with the carrots, add the chopped cilantro, and serve.

Serves 4.

Nigella Lawson's Tips for a Cozy Kitchen

Check them out in this Wall Street Journal article.

I especially like this article because it validates my decision to go for the eclectic, lived-in look in my kitchen rather than the minimalist, ultra-modern (organized) look. Minimalist just doesn't work unless everyone (your husband) is on board with your fascist agenda.

Nigella says: "In spite of my early fear that I would be offering weapons welcomingly to any passing serial killer, I am now a firm advocate of the knife magnet."

I have had the very same thought!

Time to Grow Up

I became a woman today.

I now own my very own, extremely grown up $140 (for serious!) Le Creuset skillet.

Why spend $140 on a skillet? I have been researching pots and pans for years, literally. (What's the best long-term investment? Most even cooking? Does Teflon really leach into your food and poison you? Do you become fatter by not cooking with nonstick pans?) And Le Creuset gets the most consistent high marks.

I also recently read this book called The Conscious Kitchen, which is about how to shop to both avoid chemicals and minimize your environmental impact. I hoped it would help me prioritize which things to buy organic/locally sourced/renewable and where it might be not such a big deal, because buying all organic/locally sourced/renewable/plastic-free, etc. gets crazy expensive.

Alas, the book basically instructs you to buy everything organic and purge your life of plastic or you will be poisoned by chemicals. That is not happening under my recessionista budget.

Instead, I wrote a Post-it note listing five must do's I learned from this book:

1. Use iodized salt (Duh, except I had become a big fan of Kosher salt, which isn't iodized, so back to basics I guess.)
2. Do not use Teflon pans. Use cast iron or enamel-clad pans. (Enter Le Creuset.)
3. Try to use glass containers for storing food if possible, and maybe slowly transition out plastics. (Gave myself a raincheck on this one until we are rich.)
4. Compost! (We are going to buy one of those composting kits you can use even if you don't have a yard.)
5. Use a water filter. Tap water sucks, apparently, and I have been drinking it forever. I suppose I must put to rest my one-(wo)man campaign against the hegemonic rule of the Brita filter.
   

Back to Le Creuset. I have now learned that it is not only the absolute best for consistent, even cooking, it has an added bonus of not slowly poisoning you. I'm hoping to acquire a full set, one by one, and think you should too. Since the skillet is the one thing I use almost daily, I figure it's okay that my other stuff is still Teflon.