I BELIEVE IN BROCCOLI AND BROWNIES
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 Ever try to pull your Kitchen Aid mixer or blender across the counter only to have it be unmovable? Well here is a kitchen quick tip. Place a neatly folded kitchen towel under your blender, mixer, or food processor. The towel makes the appliances glide across the counter.
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 During the stay at home orders I’ve been working on enhancing my cooking skills. A while back I saw chef Jacques Pepin make a souffle without whipping the egg whites. I thought I should try that, but never got around to it. Then the other day there was a repeat of the cooking show (there are a number of repeats happening right now). Well this time, I went online and printed the recipe. Surprisingly, I had all the ingredients, even fresh chives as my outdoor plant was in bloom.
 Once upon a time there was a girl trying to find a pattern for a cloth face mask. The first one she found was too small, the next one two big, and finally after modifying couple of patterns she found one that was just right.
 About 15 years ago, I made homemade flour tortillas on a consistent basis. The ingredients were simple, they were easy to make, and tasted good. But like many things in life overtime I stopped making them. I probably stopped because it is really, really, easy to pick up a pack of tortillas at the grocery store. With the current COVID pandemic happening, I’ve been staying at home and limiting trips to the grocery store. So, I decided to take up tortilla making again. While tortillas are easy to make, they do take a little time to roll and shape, but the delicious flavor is worth the time.
The ingredient list is simple: Flour, salt, fat (shortening or oil), and water. Start by mixing the flour and salt together. Then add in your fat. You can use oil or shortening. I use oil, because I’m a dietitian and oil is healthier than solid fats. Use your fingers to cut the fat into the flour mixture until it make coarse crumbs.  In the midst of COVID-19 I decided to head out to the grocery store. I didn’t really need to go, but thought my local store wouldn’t have all the panicked shoppers seen in large cities. I went on a weekday at 9:30 am, which is usually very slow. To my surprise (I shouldn’t have been surprised after watching the news) the place was packed. Shelves were bare and I was in the checkout line for 1 hour. The cashier told me the store had closed at 10 pm the night before (they’re a 24 hour store) because they ran out of food. Two semi’s came in during the night and store was restocked. But by 9:30 am the milk, tortilla, and bread shelves (along with others) were mostly bare. As I passed by the bread shelf, I thought I can just make bread, I bake it on a consistent basis.
So here is my 18-hour bread recipe. With 18-hours in the name -- It sounds like it would be laborious, but it is embarrassingly easy. In a large bowl whisk together flour, yeast, salt, sugar. Then add some water and vinegar just until a ball forms. Protein is an essential nutrient that has many functions in the body, including:
 Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are 20 amino acids, 9 of them are essential, meaning you need to consume them. Amino acids are linked together to create different proteins. The order the amino acids are linked determine what protein is created. For example, one order creates insulin, while another order of amino acids creates hemoglobin. There are thousands of proteins in your body built from 20 amino acids. All amino acids have the same backbone with an amine and acid group, the side chains are different for each amino acid.  The protein RDA (how much you need) for adults is 0.8 g pro/kg body weight -- less than many think. For a 150 pound person that is 54 grams of protein each day. To put that amount in perspective -- 8 oz of milk has 8 grams of protein, ½ cup rice has 3 grams of protein, 1 ounce of meat has 7 grams of protein, and ½ cup vegetables has 2 grams of protein. Most healthy adult Americans consume enough protein.  Protein is found in both animal and plant foods. Animal products such as meats, eggs, and dairy are high quality proteins. High quality protein supply amino acids in proportion to the body’s needs. Plant products such as legumes (beans), grains, and vegetables are lower quality proteins, because they lack or are lower in some amino acids. You can meet your protein needs with animal or plant foods. Choosing a variety of foods helps ensure your protein intake is adequate.
 For years my mom and dad have made Chocolate Peanut Clusters for their neighborhood Christmas gifts. As they’ve gotten older, I’ve helped make these delicious treats. There is really no recipe – all you need is chocolate and peanuts.
My parents buy these huge blocks of chocolate – probably 10 pounds or more at the local department store. It takes a butcher knife to chunk up the chocolate. The melting takes place in a double boiler – a metal bowl placed over a pan of steaming water.  Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel the body uses for energy. From a chemical standpoint carbohydrates are made of three elements: carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. We call these compounds saccharides and generally divide them into two basic forms – simple and complex. Mono and disaccharides - also called simple sugars are generally 6 carbon molecules. A monosaccharide is one sugar molecule. Mono= 1. A disaccharide is two sugar molecules. Di=2.
Glucose, galactose, and fructose are monosaccharides. Glucose is main form of carbohydrate found in the body and is important in providing energy. It can be measured in the blood (blood glucose) and stored in limited amounts. Galactose is a monosaccharide that combines with glucose to make lactose. Fructose is a monosaccharide commonly found in fruit. When two monosaccharides are combined, they become a disaccharide. Glucose and fructose combine to make sucrose -- more commonly known as table sugar. When glucose and galactose combine the disaccharide lactose is created. Lactose is the natural sugar found in milk. When two glucoses combine maltose is created. Maltose is usually found when long chains of glucose are broken down.  I grew up with a mom who was a Home Economist. She taught high school for a while and then spent 39 years as an Extension Agent for the land grant school -- Utah State University. As a Home Economist she was an early adopter of many home appliances. While not unusual now – my family had one of the first home microwaves in the neighborhood. Home microwaves became available to home consumers in the mid 1960’s and by the early 1970’s my family had one. It sat on the kitchen counter next to the fridge. It was heavy, had a turn knob, and lasted forever. With this new gadget there was a lot to learn and my mom worked through most every recipe that came in the microwave cookbook. One recipe became a favorite and we are still making it – Tangy Mustard Cauliflower. To start remove the stems from a medium cauliflower and wash. Place the cauliflower in a microwave safe dish (I like to use a quiche pan) and add 2 T water, cover with plastic wrap and cook in microwave for 7-8 minutes until tender.
 En Papillote is a cooking method where food is cooked wrapped in paper. Parchment paper is usually used but the good ole “tin foil” dinner might fall into this category as well. En Papillote is my no fail way of cooking fish. It is fast, easy, and the fish turns out perfect every time.
First start with a large piece of parchment paper – big enough to fold over the fish and all the vegetables you’ll be adding. Place your fish on one half of the paper. I live far from a coast, so I almost always purchased frozen. I place the frozen fish right on the paper. |
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