Cold Weather Coping Mechanism

Ohio sunshine in November is deceiving.  You expect to walk out into it and be blanketed in its warmth and have your face flushed with its toasty rays.  But you are always surprised when it's not warm, and even the splashes of sun can't cut through the windy chill.  A light sweater doesn't provide enough barrier to block the chill from hitting your skin, and you realize that you must wear a jacket or more layers to keep yourself warm. 

For me, it's always hard adjusting to the falling temperatures.  We experience such distinct seasons in Ohio that I am just getting used to summer when fall starts pushing the warm weather out.  There is never enough time to truly get comfortable with one season before you have to swap out your dresser drawers for a more weather-appropriate wardrobe. 

I try to ignore the changing weather for a while.  This morning I decided to leave my warmer sweater in the car and walk the half block to my office without it.  It wasn't so bad the first 30 feet or so, and then I found myself in a self-hug position, trying to shield my self from the cold air with my arms.  Tomorrow, if the cold temperature remains, the sweater is coming with me!

Heating myself up from the inside out is really the only solution I can reasonably come up with for coping with the cold.  Hot tea becomes my new best friend, replacing her iced cousin.  The amount of hot tea that I've imbibed during just the few short weeks of cold temperatures is enough for most people to be worried about staining their teeth.  However, I have been blessed with perpetual white teeth (thankfully) and drink my tea with reckless abandon.

Tim has found his own way of staying warm.  Spicy foods--and the spicier the better.  A few days ago we ordered some Dewey's pizza, and before I even handed Tim his plate I went ahead and sprinkled his slices generously with red pepper flakes.  I knew if I didn't he would do it himself.  And it isn't uncommon for Tim to put red pepper flakes AND sriracha on his pizza simultaneously.  I often wonder how his taste buds have fared with all of this intense spiciness but he assures me that they are all in good working order. 

This cold weather coping mechanism is not unfamiliar to me as my dad was known to eat hot wings so hot (how hot were they?) that he would wipe sweat from his brow between bites.  So maybe it's a man-thing, or maybe it's just a men-in-my-life thing, or maybe a men-in-my-life-during-cold-weather thing, but no matter why, it has increased the spicy factor in our food as of late. 

If you are also a lover of warm, spicy, comforting foods, you should definitely try upping the spiciness of vegetarian chili, home-made stir-fry, and this incredibly easy Coconut Thai Curry (all of which I thought were plenty spicy as I've adapted, but Tim added extra sriracha to his for added heat).

Coconut Thai Curry
adapted from Everyday Food Magazine
serves 4

I was able to find coconut milk very easily in the international aisle or the "mixed drink" aisle of the grocery store.  You can buy it in a 13.5 ounce can.  Also, consider adding broccoli or carrots when you add the cauliflower and potato.  Or toss in some peas or cashews when you add the chickpeas.  The possibilities are endless with this curry. 

Ingredients for the rice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cup jasmine rice
salt & pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and ground mustard and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring until onion is soft.  Stir in rice.  Add 1.5 cups water, season with salt & pepper, and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer; cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork before serving.

Ingredients for the curry
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tbsp spicy chili garlic sauce (or more for extra spiciness)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets (about 2.5 cups)
salt & pepper
1 can chickpeas (15.5 ounces), rinsed and drained
optional--fresh cilantro for serving

At the same time as making the rice, in a Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring until soft about 3 minutes.  Add curry paste and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in coconut milk, spicy chili garlic sauce, and 1 cup water and bring to a boil.  Add sweet potato and cauliflower, season with salt & pepper, and reduce heat to medium.  Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, between 10 and 15 minutes. 

Stir chickpeas into curry and increase heat to high.  Simmer rapidly until liquid reduces slightly, about 2 minutes. 

Serve curry over rice with cilantro.

Game Night and Homemade Pot-Stickers

I'm not really sure how it happened but board games have become a huge part of our relationship.  It may have started around Tim's first Thanksgiving with my family.  You see, after dinner we return to my parent's kitchen table and pull out our dominoes.  This is no ordinary after-dinner-dominoes-game--we play Mexican Train dominoes all the way from double blanks to double twelves.

This game can take some time, and usually a long time, but my family is committed to seeing it through to the end.  The usual suspects always play:  my dear grandma, who like any loving grandparent loves to set up plays that will destroy everyone else's gameplan; my mother, who pretends not to be competitive but delights in winning (and wins often); my father, who acts like he's not interested in playing but plays anyway; my brother, who used to beat us all when he was 10 years old; and there is still my sister, her husband; and now Tim, my stepdaughter Melissa, and me.    

I like to think that this enthusiasm for board games was one of the first things that Tim and I had in common (besides an affinity for good red wine and good music).  Tim has learned that I am competitive when it comes to games, and lucky for me, he is my perfect match. 

Now, Tim can lay claim to being the better of us at trivia games.  I have never met anyone in my life who knows more trivia than him.  My friend Meg has said that her husband is the same way, and that meeting of the minds that we've been planning needs to happen soon (and we'll need to start penciling in an inevitable rematch). 

But Scrabble--that is my specialty.  I'm not fancy, and I don't always draw the best tiles, but I always have a strategy.  If I put the tile here, will that maximize my points?  Can I save a Q until I pull a U so I can use that for a triple letter score or double word score? 

On some game nights we just grab a couple of good blocks of cheese from Murray's Cheese Shop in Kroger.  Other times we sip on Brandy Alexanders while we play.  This past Saturday, I opted to make home made pot-stickers and Tim picked out some Tom Waits on vinyl. 

The pot-stickers were relatively easy to make.  The filling was a simple mixture of Asian staples that most people who cook stir fry on a recurring basis would probably have around and the amount of pot-stickers one batch made was enormous.  As a bonus, we finally got to use the meat grinder attachment for our Kitchenaid to turn some boring boneless pork chops into ground pork. 

I know that you can just grab a bag of ready-made pot-stickers from TJ's or Whole Foods any day of the week, but it was pretty satisfying to assemble these myself, and the recipe is so simple, it could be adapted any time to fit your mood or craving. 

Whatever we are eating or drinking, I like to imagine that we are going to end up as that couple, stooped over the kitchen table, quietly putting together puzzles or playing cards, and enjoying that comfort of just sitting near one another.  In many ways, we already are that couple, and that's nice to think about. 


Fast Pot-Stickers
recipe from The New York Times
makes 45-50 pot-stickers


Dumpling wrappers can be a little hard to find in the grocery store.  Tim found them with the refrigerated organics and natural foods at our grocery store.  The kind we bought came as a pack of 50.  Also, these could easily be made vegetarian (or even vegan, I suppose, depending on the dumpling wrapper) by upping the cabbage and perhaps adding some carrot or mushroom.  The water is not necessary in the filling if you go the veggie route. 

Ingredients
3/4 lb ground pork or other ground meat
1 cup minced cabbage
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
6 scallions, minced, white and green parts separated
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp soy sauce, separated
dumpling wrappers
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup of water, divided

Combine meat, cabbage, ginger, garlic, scallion whites, 2 tbsp soy sauce, and 1/4 cup room temp water.  Using your finger or a small brush, spread a bit of egg around half of the circumference of the dumpling wrapper.  Spoon about a teaspoon of filling into the center of the wrapper and fold over, pressing down to seal the edges together.  Place dumplings on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Do not stack dumplings.

You can freeze part or all of the batch at this step if you just put the baking sheet into the freezer for about 2 hours or until the dumplings are frozen, and then pack the dumplings into zip lock bags or air tight containers.  Store up to 2 weeks.

To cook (fresh or frozen), add oil to a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  When oil is hot, add dumplings in a single layer.  Cook for 2 minutes or until slightly browned on one side.  Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and cover.  Let simmer about 3 minutes. 

Uncover dumplings and cook another minute or two, flipping dumplings if you desire both sides to be cripsy, but it's not necessary.  Serve hot.

For dipping sauce, combine remaining green scallions, soy sauce, and vinegar. 

Tried and True Pad Thai

For my older sister's birthday a few years ago, we went to Thai 9 in the Oregon District of Dayton, Ohio.  Being a somewhat adventurous orderer at restaurants, I am certain I picked some sort of moderately spicy dish like green curry.   Tim likely ordered a stir fry that was so high on the 1 to 10 heat level that he probably blistered his tongue and wandered around in a tasteless world for a few days.  I definitely remember (which is rare since I already told you about my memory issues) my sister, Amy, who prefers tried and true meals, ordered pad thai.  Being the food snob that I am, I likely balked at her ordering such a simple noodle dish.  How unimaginative!  How predictable!

Amy, I would like to apologize for not trusting your tried and true food choices.  It was not until this week, when I saw a recipe for Vegetable Pad Thai in Everday Food Magazine that I decided to give it a shot, and I am certainly glad I did.  I even successfully convinced Tim (a man with hunterer and gatherer instincts) to have a meal with no meat (gasp)!

Thankfully when I went to the West Chester Farmer's Market there were vendors who have had much more luck in their gardens than we are having.  I did make a little "wish list" before I left for a few things that I knew I needed to pick up, one being green onions.

Lucky for me green onions were in abundance.  From one vendor I got a medium zucchini and this huge bunch of green onions for only $1.75.  I felt like it was a small victory, and just another reason to shop there again.  I'm a bit disappointed that we will be out of town this weekend and I won't get to go back and visit for a few weeks. 

The recipe I was following was easy enough.  As with all Asian cooking, prepping everything you need before you even fire up the stove top is key to a successful dish.  You don't want to overcook because you will lose the texture of the ingredients.  I found it very efficient to drop the rice noodles in hot water to soak while I prepped everything else.  The only change I made to the recipe was to add a little bit of peanut butter to the sauce so that the dish would go beyond a basic soy sauce mixture into the arena of distinct peanut-ty flavor.

 
The resulting pad thai was salty and peanut-ty with complex textures from the soft, chewy rice noodles and crisp green onions.  Next time I make this (and there will be a next time, perhaps even this week if my sister and her hubby come over for dinner on Tuesday) I might toss in some shrimp or tofu, but it's definitely not necessary.  This simple pad thai stands tall on it's own.

Vegetable Pad Thai
adapted from Everyday Food Magazine
serves 4

Ingredients
8 ounces dried, wide, and flat rice noodles
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp creamy peanut butter
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 green onions, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup), separate white parts from green
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Soak noodles according to package instructions.  Drain and set aside.

In a small bowl mix together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and peanut butter.  In a large non-stick skiller, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add green onion whites and garlic, cook while stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet until eggs are almost set, about 30 seconds.  Remove egg mixture (including green onions and garlic) to a plate.  Add noodles and soy sauce and cook while stirring constantly until noodles are soft and coated with sauce, about 1 minute.  Add egg mixture and mix in with noodles, breaking the egg up gently.

Serve topped with cilantro, remaining green onions, and peanuts.

The Secret to Stir Fry at Home

If you prefer to pick up beef with broccoli or kung pao chicken from your local Chinese take-out rather than spend the time in the kitchen to make your own, I can't fault you.  It will take time to prepare a fantastic stir fry at home, but when you add the first clove of garlic to the hot skillet and experience cooking this dish with all of your senses--it will be so worth it. 

There are some essentials you will need to keep around the house to create the perfect stir fry flavor profile.  Soy sauce, for one, is a key ingredient in homemade stir fry.  The salty flavor acts as a base for the sauce and  silky texture gives it body.  Rice vinegar is an Asian staple that can either be found in the International aisle or with the oils in your local store.  Vinegar will give a fresh acidic flavor to the sauce.  To round out the flavor profile, we need two more things--sweet and spicy!  I used regular white granulated sugar in this recipe, but brown sugar, fruit (like pineapple), hoisin sauce, and sweet chili sauce are also commonly used in stir fry to add a touch of sweetness.

Now let's discuss spiciness.  I know not everyone loves spicy foods (as much as my husband does), but I think that without even the touch of spice, stir fry can be a bit...bland.  On the rare occassions that we do dine out, we generally choose our favorite Cincinnati Thai restaurant, Wild Ginger.  If you've dined at Thai restaurants before, you'd know that they are similar to Chinese restaurants in fare, but in my experience the food is of higher quality and the dining experience is more enjoyable.  (There's also the addition of curry on Thai menus, but that's another post, another day!) Usually your server will ask, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how spicy would you like your stir fry?"  No matter how spicy you enjoy your food, I would not suggest going higher than a 5 or 6!  In Asian cooking, very spicy ingredients such as sriracha , spicy chili sauce, and chili oil can be added to make your dishes increase on the spiciness scale.  A little bit of these spicy ingredients goes a very long way. 

So I'd suggest, as you ponder making a stir fry in your own kitchen, that you consider adding as little as a hint up to a copious amount of spiciness.  Personally, I fall somewhere in the middle of that range.  (I'm a 3 in Thai restaurants, in case you want to order like me.)

The actual stir frying doesn't take very long, but you need to make sure you have everything prepared before you heat up the oil in the skillet.  As soon as you start cooking, the process goes fast. 

Don't forget to start the rice!  I like to bring the rice to a boil before I even start on the stir fry, and nights when I miss this step, it is pure torture waiting for it to finish while my formerly crisp veggies sit in the warm skillet and begin to get a little rubbery.  You will thank me for this reminder when you are sitting down to sensational dinner! 

You may never pick up take-out again.  

Beef and Snap Pea Stir Fry
Recipe adapted from Everday Food Magazine
serves 4

Ingredients
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp spicy chili garlic sauce
12 oz boneless New York strip steak, trimmed and thinly sliced across the grain
salt
1/4 cup green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp vegetable oil
8 oz snap peas
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high.  In a small bowl combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and spicy chili garlic sauce.   Season the steak with salt and lay in a single layer in the hot oil.  Use tongs to set the steak in the oil to avoid being splashed by the sizzling steak.  Cook for 2 minutes on one side until browned, then turn and cook for 30 more seconds until cooked through.  Remove steak from skillet and set aside in a bowl.

Add snap peas, green onion, garlic, and ginger to the skillet.  While stirring constantly for one minute to allow the vegetables to slightly brown and then add 1/4 cup of water and cover.  Cook for 2 minutes, remove the lid, and cook until the water has evaporated, about 1 minute. 

Add the soy mixture and cook until fragrant, only about 10 seconds.  Remove from heat, add the lemon juice, and toss the beef back into the skillet.  Serve over rice.