Shifting the Focus: Fostering Community

A few months ago I decided to make a change in my living space. My dining room table was becoming a catch-all for mail, work, volunteer stuff, coats, clothes, pretty much anything but what it was meant for. So I decided to try life without a dining room table. I moved it to the guest room for temporary keeping, and placed a couple great reading chairs in its place. (Forgive the odd positioning of the chairs, Gracie had rearranged them while I was at work).

I used these chairs for their intended purpose a time or two, 

but mostly Gracie used them as a comfortable Neighborhood-Watch post.

I've also begun realizing that since moving to Kansas City a couple years ago, I can probably count on my hands the number of times I've cooked for my friends. Do you know what this means? They like me for me, and not just because I can cook. I have an identity outside of my kitchen. This is phenomenal, peeps: game-changing. Do I still love to cook? Yes. Will I still share my recipes with you? Yes. But I'm changing my focus from how great of an amateur-chef I [think I] am to spending time with my friends, fostering community, living life together. 

So, as I was home sick for three days recently, I decided to rearrange again. The dining room table came back out of the guest bedroom, and the reading chairs made their way into the living room area.

For those who have been to my home, you know I have a small house, which contains small rooms. I was nervous about moving two additional chairs into my living room area, thinking it might get cramped. As it turns out, now I have two more places in my living room for friends to sit while we play games, watch movies, talk about Jesus, live in community.

For those who have been waiting patiently for my next blog entry (supposedly containing a grand new recipe from yours truly), don't fret. When I invite friends over to share a meal, I still plan to share the recipes here. But my focus has become spending the time with my friends, and so you'll probably see more pictures of sharing the meal than you will of the meal preparation, because its not about how much my friends love my food, its about how much I love my friends. And the name of my blog is still fully legit. In fact, it kind of makes more sense now, since its about sitting down to share a meal: Now I Sit Me Down To Eat.

So be on the lookout for a dinner invitation, friends.

And don't worry, Gracie still has a comfortable Neighborhood-Watch post from which to stalk the neighbors.

#BecauseCommunity

Gracie Anne: A Review of My Greatest Food Critic

"Innocent" Gracie

This is Gracie.  [Also known as: Gracie Anne, Grace, G, G-Dog, Schnookems, Schmoopy, Schmoop-dawg, Schmufalupugus, Schmupalicious, Baby Girl, Good Girl, Naughty Girl, and, occasionally, Jacey (when Opa gets her mixed up with her human-cousin, Jace)].

"Impatient" Gracie

She is so many things: perfect, smart, beautiful, playful, soft, cuddly, loving, strong, impatient, stubborn, needy, demanding, and narcissistic (to name a few).  She's missing part of one of her ears.  I have no idea why its like that, but its one of my favorite parts of her.  I love her nose the most.

The day we met, our car ride home.

Gracie was already 5 years old when I adopted her.  She lost her home when her family lost theirs.  At first they just tried to board her until they could care for her again, but after a while they had to give her up.  I imagine that was one of the most excruciating decisions they had to make.  I never would have understood how difficult that would be before I fell in love with her myself.  There are times I want to find her previous family and beat them senseless for some of Gracie's bad habits (her dog-aggression, for example), but I also want them to know that Gracie has found a new home, and she's happy, loved, well-fed, and spoiled-rotten.

The year was 2012.  I'd been thinking of getting a dog.  I'd recently moved to a new city where I knew pretty much NO ONE.  I figured a dog would help keep me company.  I started volunteering for The Animal Rescue Alliance (T.A.R.A.), walking dogs at one of their boarding facilities (not the one Gracie was at).  One day one of the other volunteers was talking about "Gracie Anne" and telling her story.  My heart broke for her and so I looked her up.  [You can find her page here.]  I completed the application, met her that weekend, and the rest is history. 

Night #1 - That's her bed on the left...

I bought all the things a dog-owner should have: dog bed, toys, treats, food, food/water dishes, kennel.  I was going to do this right.  Bedtime came the first night, and I went to direct her onto "her bed."  No matter how hard I tried (or what I used to bribe her), she refused, and would just jump on my bed and lay down.  I gave up and let her sleep with me, but decided I would try again the next night.  Guess what didn't work on night number two either?  You guessed it.  She had already decided what "her bed" really was, and it was my bed. 

"Cousins"

When I first brought Gracie home, I didn't know how long she'd been at the rescue.  I figured it hadn't been too long, I mean, she was pretty much perfect: yellow lab, house-trained, loves people.  One day I figured out she'd been there for six months.  SIX MONTHS?!  Not just that, but for those six months, she lived in a concrete run with a gate on the front.  She had a dog-bed and interaction a couple times a day, but nothing like what she lost when her family gave her up.  How discouraged she must have been, wondering where her family went and when they were coming back.

I hope she doesn't remember the time she spent basically living in a cage.  But if she does, that must make this even more awesome:

Gracie has lots of quirks that make up her personality.  Because she was abandoned, she has an exaggerated need for attachment and to always know exactly where I am.  I can't so much as pee without her being able to see me.  If I shut the door to the bathroom, she tries to push it open (she has to make sure I'm not escaping out the window, you know).  If the bathroom door isn't latched, I have to be prepared for it to be pushed open, because it will be.  When we visit my parents, if I leave the house she waits by the front door for me, even if there are other people there in the room with her.  I'm her rescuer, and she will do everything possible to make sure she's not abandoned again.

Tuesday night snuggles.

Gracie is also dog-aggressive, which means she HATES other dogs (or really anything with four legs).  She's been that way since I got her, so I don't really know what made her that way.  Her previous owners just said "she doesn't really like other dogs."  She's missing part of one of her ears, so its possible she got in a fight with another dog.  Its also possible that her previous owners just didn't socialize her.  Dogs are like home-schooled kids.  You have to provide social opportunities for them or they become socially awkward.  (Gracie is definitely socially awkward.)  I do know that if a dog ever tries to break into our house, she will protect me to her death.  (Though I'm not so sure about a human breaking in.  I've told her numerous times that if anyone ever tries to hurt me, she's not allowed to ask them for a belly rub.  I'm not 100% certain she grasps this concept.)

Gracie is quite the cuddler.  She loves anything soft.  She'll move blankets around until they're in the perfect cuddling position.  She has dibs on every soft piece of furniture in the house.  She even has her own blankets (one on the bed, one on the couch, and one in the car).

The many cuddles of Gracie.

  
While Gracie has an intense hatred for anything with four legs, she has an equal amount of love for anything with two legs, particularly kids.  This is the weekend she met her human-cousin, Jace.  I do believe she approves.  What do you think?

Gracie LOVES when I have friends over.  She gets all excited like "just LOOK at all these hands that can pet me!"   She has no shame, and is not afraid to ask for a belly rub.  She'd also really love to make out with you, and she may succeed whether you like it or not. 

"May I have a belly-rub, please?"

One day a friend came over to do a home-energy audit.  We found proof that dogs really do have cold noses (and thus confirmed why I don't enjoy Gracie waking me up in the morning by putting her nose on the small of my back...).  She also apparently has really warm eyes.  Who knew?

Photo credit: Landon Hartley

Gracie sometimes provides reviews of the recipes on my blog.  She typically gives them two-paws-up (well, she would if she could get her face out of the bowl...)

"Quack-quack-seat-back" does not work in our house.

This one sweet, stubborn girl has taught me more about love than I thought possible.  I often think about writing a book called "The Gospel According to Gracie," because of how often her actions toward me mimic those that I should be showing my Rescuer, my Deliverer, my Savior.  She's so eager to spend time with me, she always wants me close, and she desires to spend every last waking moment with me.  She doesn't want to read a book about me, she wants ME.  Plain and simple.


Gracie sent in a little "thank you" letter to the great people of T.A.R.A. to show her appreciation for taking care of her while she found her forever home.  You can read that here.  She's right, I do love her more than I could have ever imagined. If you'd have told me a couple years ago that I could love a 4-legged creature so much, I'd have said you were crazy.  As it turns out, I must be the crazy one.  #CrazyInLove

Peppernut Biscotti (and other variations)

My family makes these tiny Christmas cookies called Peppernuts.  I've met other people that make peppernuts, but its usually a slightly different recipe (that I don't like very much).  The Fast family makes White Peppernuts.  As much as I'd love to share that recipe with you, I've been sworn to secrecy (you'll have to marry me for that recipe...)  This also leads to the disclosure that if you're one of the two people I've shared this recipe with, please don't tell my Aunt Betty.

Peppernut Biscotti

One of my cousins has voted my Peppernuts the best in the family.  I admit that she's only one of almost 30 grand-kids, so it's not like I've won by a landslide....  But I'll take even the small victories such as this one.  She enjoys eating Peppernuts with coffee for breakfast, which is what led me to think maybe I could come up with a recipe for Peppernut Biscotti.

So, this is what I set out to do the day before Thanksgiving this year (because the cousin who voted my Peppernuts the best in the family also happens to host Thanksgiving each year.)  By the third batch I think I've found a recipe that works.  It gives the proper flavor of Peppernuts in the form of biscotti.

Giving credit where credit is due:  I used a base recipe for American-Style Vanilla Biscotti that I found online.  You can find that recipe here. 

INGREDIENTS:

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

6 Tbsp Butter, softened
2/3 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2 Eggs
2 Cups Flour

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Cream butter and sugar.  Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, vanilla and baking powder.  Mix in eggs, beat well (its okay if the "batter" looks lumpy at this point).  Add the first cup and flour and mix with your mixer.  Stir in the second cup of flour by hand.  Dough will be a little sticky.

On a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper (I find parchment paper to work best with this recipe), shape dough into a 14" x 2.5" x 3/4" log.  I find it a little easier to do this if you grease your fingers lightly with some butter.

Dark Choc.-Almond Biscotti

Bake at 350 F for about 25-30 minutes.   Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, lower the oven temperature to 325 F.

Spritz warm log lightly with room temperature water.  Cool another 5 minutes.  Transfer log to cutting board and slice into approximately 1/2-3/4 inch slices at a 45 degree angle.  Its best to use a serrated knife.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Place the cut cookies back onto baking sheet and bake at 325 F for 25-30 minutes, turning half-way through the cook time.  The cookies may take a few minutes longer, depending on your oven.  You want them to begin getting crispy around the edges, but not too browned. 

Serve your biscotti with coffee or hot chocolate.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

VARIATIONS:

VANILLA BISCOTTI:
*Increase vanilla to 2 tsp.
*Omit pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon.
*Add up to 2 cups of mix-ins, such as
-----dried cranberries, pistachios, and the zest of 1-2 large oranges.
-----dark chocolate chips and sliced almonds.

CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI:
*Omit pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon.
*Increase vanilla to 2 tsp.
*Increase Sugar by 2 Tbsp.
*Add 3-4 Tbsp Dutch Process Cocoa (you can use regular cocoa, but dutch process has a much richer flavor).
*Add up to 2 cups mix-ins, such as
-----Sliced Almonds
-----Chopped Dark Chocolate and the zest of 3-4 medium oranges

Chopped Dark Chocolate and Orange Zest

Coconut Curry Chicken

This is another recipe that started with a trip to a restaurant.  I love that I can "dissect" a dish with my taste-buds and then work to recreate it.  Its more fun than most people know how to have in the kitchen.

I'm not sure if this technically qualifies as a curry, but its definitely got curry in it!  If you don't like the texture of coconut, you can leave that out at the end, and just thicken the gravy with more corn-starch slurry or more chicken.

INGREDIENTS

1 small whole chicken (or 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
Salt & pepper
1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk (shake well)
1 cup chicken broth (more if needed)
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground ginger (to taste)
1 Tbsp (approx) curry powder (to taste)
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp corn starch (more if needed)
Shredded sweetened coconut (3/4 - 1 cup)

DIRECTIONS

Poach chicken.  Shred.  (Not sure how to do this?  Google it).

Combine milk, broth, sugar, ginger, and curry powder in sauce pan or skillet with high sides.  Heat til sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently.  Add chicken and cook approximately 10 minutes.  Combine water and corn starch in seal-able container; shake.  Add enough to gravy for desired consistency (leave a little "watery" as the coconut will thicken the gravy further).  Add coconut.  Serve over rice.

F is for Fudge Brownie

This recipe comes from the very first cookbook I ever had, the Gold Medal Alpha-Bakery Children's Cookbook.  Yes, I started young.  When it comes to brownies, the boxed mixes are generally just as good as anything else, except this recipe.  Its my all-time favorite (hence, this page in the cookbook is a little, um, chocolatey?) 

I do alter the original recipe very slightly (adding cocoa powder), with extra alterations when I begin making them and realize I'm almost out of chocolate chips...  I love the addition of cocoa powder to the recipe as I think it makes the chocolate flavor a little richer.  Its a personal preference, but can be left out since its not part of the original recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup margarine or butter (butter is always better)
1 package (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts, opt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, opt

Heat oven to 350.  Grease bottom of a square pan (8x8).  Heat butter and 6 oz chocolate chips over low heat on the stove, stirring constantly (or in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, being careful not to burn the chocolate).  Stir in remaining ingredients except nuts and 1/2 cup chocolate chips until smooth.  Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.  Spread into pan.  Bake until center is set, about 30 minutes.  Let brownies cool completely before cutting. This recipe doubles easily and bakes in a 9x13 dish. 

Last time I made this recipe I realized I only had 12 oz of chocolate chips (I was doubling the recipe), and I really like to add the additional chocolate chips at the end.  I did, however, have some milk chocolate stars.  Since milk chocolate isn't as rich as semisweet chocolate, I added an additional Tbsp of cocoa powder.  I will admit that even though I substituted in the melted chocolate portion in order to have leftover chocolate chips to stir in at the end, I completely forgot to stir in the additional chocolate chips before baking.  Oops!  Oh, well.  I took the brownies to work anyway, and my co-workers raved over them.  In fact, I found out there's a sort of "calling-tree" that happens when someone realizes I've brought treats.

As usual, I went back to the break room after a little bit and there was one lone brownie left.  And, yes, I did eat the last brownie.  

TIPS:

Bake (will take less than the 30 minutes in the recipe) as muffins and freeze for future single treats.  Microwave individual frozen brownies for 20-30 seconds and enjoy (may need to let cool slightly).

Instead of chopping walnuts with a knife, place nuts in a zipper baggie and "smack" with your rolling pin.  Also a great release for frustration.

Chicken Corn Chowder

Fall.  My FAVORITE season.  The colors.  The clothes.  Season premiers.  Warm blankets.  The yearly return of SOUP to the menu.

Soup kind of has a bad rap.  I blame the invention of condensed soups.  While great for cooking, they're not particularly great for eating after you turn 25 (kind of like canned pasta...).  Never fear, GOOD soup has made a comeback, you just have to know where to get it (or how to make it).  Enter, my Chicken Corn Chowder recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
1/2 - 1 cup red pepper, chopped
2 stocks celery, chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
3-4 cup chicken broth or stock
2-3 medium potatoes, cubed (regular potatoes or combination of regular & sweet potatoes*)
Thyme (1-2 tsp if using dried)
1 lb frozen corn
12 oz evaporated milk
2 carrots, grated**
1/2 roasted chicken, chopped (or 2 hindquarters)
corn starch & water (or potato flakes) - as thickener***

Cook bacon in stock pot over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon with slotted spoon.  Drain all but 1/4 cup drippings from pot.  Add butter and peppers to pot.  Cook until peppers are tender.  Add flour, stir with whisk, cook 2 minutes (will be thick - see picture to the right).  Add broth, potatoes and thyme.  Cook until potatoes are tender.  Add corn, carrots and milk.  Simmer until corn is tender.  Add chicken and cooked bacon.  Season with salt & pepper.  Thicken with corn starch or potato flakes as needed. 

* Remember sweet potatoes are generally big.  I usually use one sweet potato and one medium regular potato.  

** If you buy carrots with the tops still on, leave a bit of the top on when shredding the carrot so you have something to hold on to.

*** If using corn starch to thicken the chowder, shake 2 Tbsp corn starch in a small sealed container with about 2 Tbsp water, enough to make a "slurry."  Shake well and then add a little at a time to the chowder until desired consistency is reached.

Can you make this a vegetarian dish?  Yes, eliminate chicken and bacon, and substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.  You'll have to take further steps to make it vegan (substituting for the butter and milk).  If you're using this as more of a side-dish, feel free to leave out the chicken.  The chicken is meant to make this soup a meal.  However, bacon DOES make everything better, so don't skimp on the bacon.  :)

HOMEMADE TOUCHES:

I roast the chicken myself and then make my own chicken stock.  You, too, can do this.

WHAT IT TAKES:

1 roasting chicken (generally 4-5 lbs)
2-3 carrots, peeled
2-3 stalks celery, washed
Several cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 Tbsp kosher salt (or 1 Tbsp table salt)

Heat oven to 350 F.  Remove the packet from inside the chicken ("you want me to stick my hand in WHERE?  and pull out the WHAT?").  The good news is that someone has already "dislodged" the "innards."  All you have to do is pull out the packet with the "usable innards."  NOTE: we will not be using them in this recipe.  Discard appropriately.

Place the chicken, back-side-up, in a roasting dish (a casserole dish will work).  Salt and pepper the chicken.  Bake 20 minutes for every pound (so a 5 pound chicken would cook 1 hour 40 minutes) or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 180 degrees.  Flip chicken breast-side-up half-way through cooking.  You can cook the chicken breast-side-up the entire time, but that tends to dry-out the white meat.


Let chicken cool slightly, then remove the meat from the bones.  There's no real rhyme or reason to removing the meat; remove the skin and then pull off the meat.  Keep all parts of the chicken, separating the meat from the skin and carcass.  Chop the meat into small pieces and refrigerate until ready to use.

I gave a little bit of the chicken to Gracie with her dinner.  She gave it two paws up.


Well, she would have given it two paws up if she could get her face out of the bowl. 

Place carcass and skin in a stock pot.  Add carrots and celery (cut into 3-4 inch lengths), garlic and salt.  Cover with water (as much as your stock pot can hold), or about 4 quarts (16 cups).  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat slightly and cook for a couple hours, until liquid is reduced slightly.  Strain liquid into a bowl.  I used a colander lined with cheesecloth.  Discard carcass and vegetables.  Season stock with additional salt if necessary.  Use necessary amount of stock for your chicken corn chowder.  The remaining stock can be frozen.  I choose to freeze some in 2-cup quantities and some in ice-cube trays, for those times that you need just a small amount.

You can still have a little bit of homemade without having to deal with the raw chicken (or the "innards").  Just buy a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.  

Cinnamon Crown Cake

You know all those funny e-card pictures floating around Facebook and Pinterest these days?  I saw one the other day that made me laugh harder than most.  "Everyone's in a relationship, getting married, or having babies.  And I'm just over here like 'I love cake.'"  I laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and then realized that was me.  So, I guess the least I can do is share a good cake recipe with you, right?

I consider this one of my mom's signature recipes.  I'm not sure where she got the recipe from, but I LOVED when she'd make it (though I don't remember her making it just for us as a family - there was always an occasion).  These days I don't need an occasion to enjoy this great cake.  Its very much like a coffee cake, so it works for breakfast or dessert.  Or whenever.

It looks like it might be difficult, but its actually very easy.  The trick is in the pan.  I find two things necessary when using a bundt pan.  1) Get a good bundt pan.  Cheap ones don't bake or release properly in my experience.  2) Grease the pan generously and then dust with flour.  Make sure you grease all the crevices, or the cake won't release from the pan properly.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups flour
1/2 cup applesauce
3 tsp. baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup quick oatmeal
2 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350.  Generously grease and flour 12-cup bundt pan.  Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off.  In large bowl, combine first 8 ingredients (flour through milk).  Beat 3 minutes at medium speed.  Spoon 1/2 batter into pan.

Stir remaining ingredients into remaining batter.  Spoon over batter in pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool upright in pan 30 minutes.  Invert onto plate.  You may need to loosen the sides of the cake from the pan with a butter knife.  Serve warm with ice cream or applesauce.

I find that I don't need any sort of occasion to make this fabulous cake.  In fact, my co-workers seem to love me because I selfishly make something because I want some of it, then bring them the rest.  In fact, I put this cake in the break-room first thing one morning.  20 minutes later I came back to find this:

And, yes, I ate the last piece of cake.