Recipie for Success

I was asked recently to think back over my life thus far and jot down any accomplishments or acheivements I was proud of and ENJOYED doing. Doesn't sound like a difficult task really until you start thinking about that word, enjoyed. Sure plently of us were mathletes, spelling bee champs, athletes and so on, but how many of our accomplishments were acheived because they were expect or better yet demanded of us. Deep down who is the real you, what did YOU do that you felt good about becasue it was a reflection of your inner spirit. I've started a journey of soul searching to find out about the real me. The me that will try and fail and the me that will try, fail, and pick myself up and move on and somehow stumble across my calling. Sometimes we find out we are right where we're supposed to be we're just going about it the wrong way and sometimes we find out just the opposite. So for your reading enjoyment, and I challenge you to this test of your wills too, a list of the things I have been most proud of during my short 33 years.

(Segment your life into three categories or more like I did below and then try to come up with a minimum of 5 accomplishments or acheivements that your really truly and honestly enjoyed doing.)

Accomplishments
Childhood
Earned lots of Girl Scout badges and stayed in G.S. from 1st to 8th grade.

Held second chair flute for 6th, 7th and 8th grade.

Won 5 awards my senior year of high school for my art.

Being elected to our youth church council for a year.

Attended 19 youth conferences in high school.

Was voted pfoof master my senior year of high school. (Don't ask.)

Traveled across the country to attend national youth conferences by myself.


Young Adulthood
Researched colleges and found one to attend on my own.

Was awarded college scholarship by the theatre department.

Designed and created sets for several theatre productions in college.

Helped design, plan, and build a room for an ASID showcase house and had it featured in a Chicago paper.

Spent several semesters as a life model for an art class at my college.


Adulthood
Bought a car on my own.

Packed up and moved to Minnesota a week after graduating college.

Had two of my kitchens published in magazines.

Was invited to judge a National Kitchen and Bath competition.

Volunteered to present about becoming a designer to a group of design students.

Won 5 customer service awards at Expo Design Center.

Survived a divorce and made new friends because of it.

Lost 20lbs and kept it off and discovered that I like working out in group fitness classes.

Participated in two polar plunges to raise money for a local zoo’s polar bear habitat.

World's Best Lasagna

This by far is THE best lasagna I've ever made. Rave reviews from the peanut gallery, which include one less than adventurous eater, and all were asking for seconds. This is even better the second and third day and can easily feed a small army of hungry children.

World's Best Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 c. minced onions
1 tsp. salt
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp.oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 32 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
1 16 oz. package large curd cottage cheese
1 lb. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 c. mixed Italian shredded cheese
1 can diced tomatoes


Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain.

In a large skillet over medium heat saute ground beef, onions, garlic, garlic powder, oregano and salt until meat is brown. Drain excess fat and add spaghetti sauce and drained diced tomatoes to the beef mixture, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Combine the mozzarella and Italian cheese in a separate bowl. Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Line bottom of pan with four lasagna noodles. Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture over noodles. Layer 1/3 of the cottage cheese over the sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the cottage cheese. Repeat this layering until no ingredients remain.

Bake for 60 minutes until cheese is golden brown and bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Chicagoland Sin - Deep in Minnesota

When you grow up 40 minutes outside downtown Chicago deep dish pizza is just a way of life and anything else is simply sin. I love a good thin crust but nothing compares to to a true Chicago-style deep dish. Others try to copy it, freeze them and ship them to the poor souls who have searched but come up empty handed, or pass off their pan pizza as deep dish. I've been in Minnesota nearly 10 years now and trust me NO ONE makes an authentic deep dish pizza, believe me I've looked. That's when I decided to take matters into my own hands and create my own version. The only thing missing is the scorching hot pizza oven and the well seasoned, cast iron, deep dish pizza pan. If you've got the time and have ever experienced the true joy that is a 50 minute wait to experience the salty, ooie-gooey, steaming pizza that IS Chicago deep dish and happen to be far from your beloved Chicago like me give this a try.

If you're single make it for a prospective significant other. It will either seal the deal or reveal that they are nuts if they don't fall over dead at the effort you put in and ask you to marry them on the spot over the mind blowing experience they just had tasting the best pizza they've ever had. If you hear something to the tune of eh I'd rather have thin crust, run, run far far away. If you aren't single well this is a fantastic way to seal the deal for eternity and ensure you're never single again!

Good luck. For best results use a 12" pizza pan with straight sides. I have a great heavy duty spring form pan which makes it easier to get it out without damaging the pan.

Serena's World Famous Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

Pizza Dough
1 c. warm water
1 package fresh yeast
3/4 c. cornmeal (see instructions)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 c. olive oil
2 TBL melted butter
2 1/2 c. flour (2-3 c. as needed)

Filling
2 c. mozzarella cheese shredded
2 c. Parmesan cheese shredded
2 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can unsalted diced tomatoes
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt

Additional fillings optional (Use your favorites but remember fresh veggies release lots of moisture and will create a soggy pizza.)
1 8 oz. can mushrooms
1 8 oz. can sliced black olives
2 boxes Hormel mini canadian bacon

Directions - Dough
Makes enough dough for a 12" round deep dish pizza pan. 1/2 recipe is the perfect amount for a 9" round cake pan. Preparing the cornmeal: One secret to making a great Chicago deep dish pizza is getting the cornmeal ground very fine so that you don't have a grainy texture to the crust. To do this take 3/4 c. cornmeal and grind it find in a coffee or spice grinder. Take the ground corn meal and sift it into your mixer bowl.
Next follow the instructions on the packet of yeast. Add the warm water to a mixing bowl with the cornmeal, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and melted butter. Using a whisk attachment on your stand mixer stir the mixture for 10 minutes.
Add one cup flour to the mixer and use the dough hook to combine all ingredients. Add the remaining flour 1/4 c. at a time until you can handle and kneed the dough without it sticking to your hands. Over mixing the dough in the mixer will result in a tough crust. Depending on the humidity in the air you may need more or less of the 3 c. of flour. Next take the dough out of the mixer and kneed it by hand on a lightly floured counter. Kneed the dough for 3 to 5 minutes. The end result should be slightly softer than the palm of your hand near the base of your thumb.
Let the dough rise in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place. A good secret is to put some boiling water in a deep skillet. Put the skillet on the bottom wrack of the oven and the dough on the top wrack. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, about 30 to 90 minutes.

Forming the crust
After the dough has risen punch down the ball. Place the ball on a lightly floured surface and flatten with your hand. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a uniform circle about /4 inch thick. Very lightly oil the bottom of your pizza pan. Take your rolling pin and roll the dough around the pin, then lift it gently and place it over the pizza pan. Form the crust by pinching the dough 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rise another 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.

Filling the pizza
Layer the pizza in reverse from a traditional pizza. Combine your mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses in a separate bowl. Squeeze the excess moisture from the diced tomatoes. Add the salt, diced tomatoes, basil and oregano to another bowl and combine well. Start with a layer of cheese on the crust, then a layer of diced tomatoes, mushrooms, and olives or whatever veggies you are using. For best results squeeze excess liquids out of the veggies before adding them to the pizza. Next add your meat layer and finally add a layer of sauce. Repeat these steps ending with sauce.

Baking the pizza
Put your pizza in a 475 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes reducing the temp to 450 and continue to bake for approximately another 20-30 minutes.

This is a super time consuming recipe but it is well worth it. I make it about once a year and it can be a fun project when you stuck inside with the kids on a blustery winter day.
You should end up with something that looks like this:

Addict or Enthusiast?

In a world where we readily have oh 1000+ television channels available at any given time with slight variations of roughly the same programing on virtually all of them and at least 50% of those channels promoting reality TV that represents pretty much anything other than reality I find myself sucked into any cooking or travel experience available on the boob tube. If there's been anything that's been a consistent interest of mine since I was a kid it has been the narrative, conversational format of cooking, travel, and nature shows. My favorites growing up were The Frugal Gourmet and Marty Stouffer's Wild America. I also willingly ate Grape Nuts and tofu as a kid so I'm not exactly sure how I didn't end up back-packing around the world and living out of a tent though sometimes that seems like a much more fulfilling alternative to life in the burbs.

The mass variety of culinary viewing available is almost mind boggling.  How many shows specific to ethnicity, budgets, dietary restrictions, and weird foods can there be? There's a lot riding on being a celebrity chef and often I wonder how much control they actually maintain over their passion once they've gone mainstream.

As I pursue my culinary endeavors I wonder if it's normal to develop crushes like a teenager for her high school teacher. The know how to wheeled a knife, wisdom, and the worldliness that come with years of international travels of any professional chef become intangibly sexy.

Crush #1

Couple the sarcastic, dry, intelligent wit with the bad boy, reformed, I don't give a f@$k attitude and experienced chef/world traveler/brilliant food critic/writer persona and this girl melts like chocolate under a heat lamp.

Crush #2
OK, not your classic beauty but come on every girl has to have a crush on the cute funny guy who'll eat or do anything to impress her, right? If humor and a talent for cooking make a man attractive well then Andrew Zimmerman has that all buttoned up.



Crush #3
And what girl doesn't love a grown man that goes by the name Bobby ya'll. Throw in a sweet southern drawl, a love for his Mama, and well it doesn't hurt to be tall, dark, handsome and a little funny and he can mash my sweet potatoes all day long.


Some gals drool over pro athletes and some over rock starts, obviously my weakness is for professional and celebrity chefs. I can think of worse things. A little inspiration never hurt in the kitchen so until I win the lotto (I need to start playing first) and can quit my day job to go travel the world, learn French, and go to culinary school I'll just have to keep watching my cooking and travel shows to survive my daily 9 to 5. The occasional cooking class or new cookbook should keep the dream alive too.

Cheers to you all who find your inspiration and motivation in the every day and keep dreaming big.

Confetti in the Kitchen

So as I mentioned I am a bit of a freak when it comes to bowls. Some people hoard reusable containers, ok I kind of have a problem there too, some people collect Hummels, and others collect various other trinkets and chotchkies. I on the other hand prefer my collecting to be of the functional variety. I think somehow this has translated down the line from my Mom's side. Her Mother, my Grandma Tippy, was born during the GREAT depression (unlike the great recession we have been experiencing now for what 10 years). As the story goes my Great Grandparents were so poor at one point they didn't have enough money to buy a stamp, I believe it too. Growing up, like my Grandmother did, in very rural Burlington, IA with only your vegetable garden and the handy crafts of neighbors and fellow church goers to sustain you would lead any family to cherish and keep everything that might now or someday be of any use or value.

Where am I going with this? My Mom too held on to just about everything that came into our home when I was a kid. Though eventually mass purging would take place to make way for new and wonderful treasures found during our summer escapades throughout Chicago and trips to Iowa, Indian, Wisconsin, and so on. Somehow all of this "collecting" had an opposite effect on me, as an adult, causing minor panic attacks when piles start to over run the house thus the functional collecting began!

Bowls are functional in every which way. The kids use them in the summer to make mud soup outside, they collect "unique" rocks from the gravel piles in the park, bowls are handy when harvesting the precious fruits of our long summer labor from the garden, they make handy resting places for the junk that isn't junky enough for the junk drawer but to junky to be displayed and doesn't have a proper home, and most importantly they become vessels of creativity in the kitchen.

If you think about it many of us have bowls passed down from Grandma and Great-Grandma that we spent Easters and Christmases mixing cookies, cakes, bread dough, and other treats while chewing their ears off and spilling the beans on our siblings. Those bowls aren't just bowls but rather they represent those who came before us and all of their heritage, knowledge, and caring. Maybe that's why my bowls are so important. Maybe someday I'll pass down my favorite set of confetti nesting bowls to my daughter in the hopes she too will fill them with memories and cherish the ones we've made.

My favorite 50's inspired Confetti nesting bowls from Zak! Designs
http://www.zak.com/Confetti-4pc-Bowl-Set--Assorted-Brights_p_934.html

Black Bean, Sweet Potato, Chicken Chili

This is a great, super easy and very healthy chili I whipped up. It made the house smell great and it tastes even better. The sweet potatoes give it a great texture and the orange ginger glaze adds very subtle flavor while the whole serranos add just a smidge of heat making it manageable even for kids!

2 medium to large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 serrano chili peppers poke several holes in each but leave whole
2 TBL olive oil
l lb (about 3 large) chicken breasts cut into chunks and browned in olive oil
2 small yellow onions diced
4 garlic cloves chopped
2 to 3 cups fresh tomatoes chopped or about 16 to 24 oz. canned diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans drained
4+ TBL chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. unsalted chicken broth
1/2 c. Iron Chef orange ginger glaze (in the Asian section of the international isle)

Add everything to a crock pot and cook on high for 5 hrs or low for about 8 hrs. I served it with day old bread from Jimmy Johns. It made at least 6 to 8 servings.

Potatoe Salad - Yes with an "e"

(From left to right circa 1979. Me, My Mom, Grandma Tippy, Great-Grandma Melba.)

Nothing better than potato"e" salad done right. My Mother recently shared with me many of the recipes she has held dear for many years in her blue gingham binder. These recipes are a collection of her favorites passed down from my Grandma Tippy, my Great-Grandma Melba, and various other aunts, PTA meetings, magazines, and newspaper clippings. I was startled at first when my inbox was suddenly full of time treasured, memory making, childhood favorites. My first thought was, "Oh my God Mom's gonna kick the bucket!" Then after politely prodding my Mother as to the intentions of passing on this treasure trove of knowledge and receiving a simple, "I just thought you'd like them", I thought I would share them and all of their simpleness, goodness (misspellings and all), and of course tastiness with the world.

Now potato"e" salad isn't just potato"e" salad in the world of a second generation rural immigrant German and Irish farming family like my Grandfather Ralph Cludy and my Grandmother Melba Cludy "nee Binder". Nope there's a lot of unspoken know-how that goes into preparing those spuds and getting it just right. Somehow these just don't translate on paper and are lost to the whispers of time. All I'm left with is my Mother's beautiful handwriting, a few ingredients, and my imagination.

Potatoe Salad

4-5 hard boiled eggs
potatoes (How many? Your guess is as good as mine.)
onion
celery seed
salt

Mayonnaise - Melba Cludy
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 TBL flour
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
a little salt

Beat the eggs with a mixer until frothy. Mix together the sugar and flour. Use mixer and beat the whole thing. Bring to a boil and boil a little bit. Beat again. Thin with cream if needed.

Honest that's all I've got folks. I find it humorous in the world over developed and overly specific recipes that this is the ENTIRE potatoe salad recipe and no doubt would have been the best you've probably ever had. I'll give this a whirl someday and post the modern complicated directions below.

A Smile Never Hurt

One of my downfalls when it comes to the kitchen are my collection of spoons and bowls. Anyone who loves to cook and is a planning freak like me must have a minimum of 20 bowls of various shapes and sizes and a plethora of spoons on hand at any given time. 20 bowls is probably a low estimation of my hoarding, however, it prevents me from leaving out key ingredients and keeps the process moving.

Spoons on the other hand come in handy for many other reasons such as preventing cross contamination, loosening jar lids, scraping the burnt gunk off the bottom of a pot (Yes I still burn things but I blame it on having and electric flat-top stove. I STILL after years of cooking on gas CANNOT get used to electric.) and most importantly threatening ill behaved children (I kid).

My favorite spoon happens to be from the Colorways Spoon collection by Zak! Designs. They are extremely sturdy, will not melt when left in a pan, and best of all just make me happy. Check out the Zak products and add a little fun to your daily routine.
http://www.zak.com/Colorways-Cheeky-Spoon--Red_p_914.html

Why gnarly?

I thought long and hard about what would be not only a good blog name but what would have potential to spin into a dream someday and something that would define my style. I love touches of the unique whether it's a fun scarf, cool shoes, one of a kind jewelry, a locally made piece of art, or some mystical combination of ingredients that seem to good to be true. (I also love that the "G" is silent :) I've always loved the thought and feel of a quaint cafe open from early morning to late afternoon. The kind with local artists paintings for sale on the walls, a view to the cramped but bustling kitchen, and cozy tables that people have no choice but to share. Don't get me wrong I have the greatest appreciation for the folks who actually own and operate these establishments as I know it is life consuming and takes a great deal of blood, sweat, and tears to make it successful. The idea of a gnarly spoon makes me think of satisfying and comforting foods that bring little gems of goodness and something new to someones day. Foods that make you stop for just a second and think MAN I could do that but I'll leave it to these guys because I want to come back here to see what's new again and again.

World English Dictionary

gnarly (ˈnɑːlɪ)

— adj
1. another word for gnarled
2. informal ( NZ ) good; great
3. slang surfing difficult and dangerous


Slang Dictionary

(g)narly definition

[ˈnɑrli]
mod.
extreme; excellent; great; superior. (California.) : This pizza is too gnarly for words!

Butternut Squash Soup

Though it's been one of the most mild winters I can remember for many years I still love a good hearty bowl of soup. Soup seems to have become something of a specialty for me as it is generally easy to prepare, always filling, and generally pretty healthy. Most of my soups go straight in a crock pot in the morning and are ready to go by dinner. I LOVE flavorful foods and experimenting with spices. You'd laugh at the number of cabinets and boxes of spices I have but I blame my father. We had a big tote of spices in our kitchen pantry and I remember the immediate punch of perfume when I'd open it to get something for him when I was a kid. Have fun with this recipe. It freezes well too. Portion it out into containers and take it to work. I can live on this for about a week before I'm ready for something new. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and warm corn bread for a great filling meal.

1 large butternut squash (about 3-4lbs)
1 large yam or sweet potato
2 large carrots
1 large granny smith apple
1 small yellow onion
4 celery stalks
1 32oz low sodium natural chicken stock
1/2 stick salted butter
Olive oil
2 cups milk (the higher the fat the richer the soup-I use 1%)
Thyme
Bay leaf
2 cloves
Paprika
Garlic powder
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Cut squash in half, brush cut side with olive oil and lay cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes then add the carrots, yam and apple on the sheet and bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Remove squash seeds and skin. Cut squash, carrots, yam and apple into large chunks, removing the apple seeds.

Chop onion, thyme to taste (about 1/2 tsp.) and celery and saute in a large stockpot in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan until tender. Add the yam, apple, carrots, salt and garlic powder. I don't have exact measures as I add a little hear and there and taste until it's where I like.

Add squash, butter and stock to the stockpot and the other spices until the taste is where you like and allow to cook at a high simmer for about 25 minutes until the squash is easily mashed.

Taste, taste, taste add spices and SALT as necessary. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. In small batches run though a blender or food processor until all ingredients are blended smooth. Return to the stockpot.

Temper the milk in a pan or the microwave for 2-5 minutes and add gradually to the soup until you reach the desired consistency. I prefer mine a medium thickness.

Voila butternut squash soup. Serve with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese, a dollop of sour creme or a drizzle of maple syrup and a few pieces of toasted French bread.

(I think I remembered everything. You can leave out the yam and carrots if you have a good size squash but I think the additional veggies give the soup a better flavor.)

Where Babies Come From

January 25th, 2012
A conversation between my son and daughter while visiting their Grandma in Red Wing, MN (Keep in mind Lena has just read a book for children about where babies come from and how they are made.)
Lena said to Grandma, “We use to live in Red Wing.” And I (Grandma) said, No honey you didn’t, your Mom was pregnant with you at the time, but then you moved to Rosemount where you were born and have lived up there since then.

Then Miles said, “Well I live in Red Wing!” Lena said, “No you didn’t you were born after me!” Miles said, “Oh that’s right I was born on August 22 and then I came out of my Mommy’s tummy. “ Lena said, “No you didn’t, you came out of her Vagina. “ Miles said, “her vagina is that what they are calling it now?” Lena, said “yes that’s what we learned, remember. “ Miles said, “oh”.

Centenarian

Janurary 17th, 2012 Miles (age 5) on Mommy turning 33, "Mommy you sure are getting close to 100!" Me, "Thanks bud. I know but that's quite an accomplishment don't ya think?"

Crinkle

Lena age 2: Mom why are your legs so crinkly? (Me: Because you made them that way.)

Thai Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

This recipe has been adapted from one of my most favorite, life saving, sanity maintaining websites ever! If you haven't already discovered The Six O'Clock Scramble go check it out, www.http://www.thescramble.com/. I'll tell you more about this site later but for now give this a try. It received four thumbs up between myself and my other half.

Great soup/stew to put a little swing in your step on a cold winter night. Also extremely easy to help maintain dinner-time sanity. Throw it all in a crock pot in the morning and you'll be good to go by dinner time.

3 medium sweet potatoes peeled and diced
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 28 oz. can diced unsalted tomatoes
32 oz. unsalted chicken stock
1/2 c. peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Pinch of salt (optional)

Add all ingredients to a crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Even if you can't make it home after 8 hours to turn the crock off or down don't sweat it. The soup will just continue to thicken a bit, which I personally prefer.

Finally take 1/2 the solids and blend in a food processor or blender (careful with the blenders as the steam can build up and cause it to explode from the top). This is optional if you prefer a creamier soup. Add the blended mix back to the crock and give it a good stir.

Serve with toasted flat bread or over basmati rice. Garnish with a chiffonade of fresh basil or cilantro.

Enjoy!

From soup to nuts.

Just like soup from a can life gets a little boring when you don't stir it up once in a while. For as long as I can remember the one thing that I have consistently loved to do, with a passion, has been cooking. I remember coming home from school and diving right into the kitchen to experiment with whatever ingredients we had on hand. Creative genius evolves in the kitchen and makes me feel alive. Sharing my creations with family and friends feeds my deep need to take care of those I love. Food is the one thing that unites us all and universally brings comfort.

I hope to make this a place to share recipes I have dreamt up on my own, modified from other creative geniuses, or have found so simply irresistible they just scream to be shared. Some of these recipes are treasures from my Grandmother's kitchen that hold very fond memories for me. Like many of you I have deep Midwestern rural roots, through my extend family. While many of my Grandmother's recipes are simple in form they are often the greatest comfort food, sometimes simple is best.

Born and raised, myself, in the suburbs of Chicago I grew up with the best of both worlds when it comes to food. My father from an artistic, creative, foodie family and my mother from rural, Burlington Iowa, farming family. With a drive to explore, my Mom, always presented new opportunities to me. We explored every corner of the big city and spent Christmases, summer breaks and other holidays with Grandma in Iowa. It was a great balance and one I strive to share with my own children. Ultimately it lead me to pursue a college in downtown Chicago for design. Funny how life often has other plans for us as my life currently is anything but creative with the exception of my cooking.

Long story short I hope you enjoy, share, and comment on the recipes and other fun finds I post.

Soups on!

Serena