Windows Extra

Last weekend was warm(ish) after a week of dank, cold, rainy. We left the doors open on Sunday. Little girl did not know what to make of it. After running to and from the open front door several times we figured she thought it was summer again and wanted all the windows open.

We obliged by opening the bathroom window, giving her a choice of vantage points. She was like a little kid on Christmas morning, trying to decide which present to open first.

The windows stayed open most of the day and by evening she retired to her hidey hole, warmed by the central heating, which we turned back on after closing the windows again when it got too cold.

Quotable Quotes; in the category Gone But Never Forgotten

"No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove his fur from your couch."

Leo Dworken

Hyacinth for the Soul

I have been on a flower kick lately. Flowers go on sale at the grocery store and I ask Bill to buy me a bunch.

A few weeks ago it was gladiolas. He brought them home, flaming pink, along with a bunch of equally flaming coral colored roses. Without being asked he tossed the two bunches on the kitchen counter and stated "they were pretty so I bought them". What a guy!

I placed them into two vases at first, but each looked wimpy and incomplete. Then I placed all the glads in a shorter vase and placed the roses at the base of the tall spikes. Within a day or two all the glads had opened and the effect was stunning!

A few weeks went by with no sale prices low enough to entice me until last week. I thought I had asked for a generic bunch of flowers but what Bill brought home was a bouquet of multi colored roses - red, pink, creamy white tipped with rose, yellow, and I placed them all in a vase. They did not have the desired effect.

This week glads were on sale again. Bill said when he got to the store the sign said they were two bunches for the price of one. He brought home a bunch of the pink and another bunch of deep purple glads. Even the stems were a deeper green than the other bunch.

I tried to figure out what to do with them. The roses from the week before still looked pretty good so I rinsed out the vase and cut the glads down to manageable size, interspersing the two colors in the vase. Instead of placing the roses in another vase, I cut them just a bit shorter, both to make room and to give them a boost, hoping they would last a few more days. I interspersed them with the glads and hoped the pink and purple buds would open before the roses faded completely. Glad blossoms open from the bottom up.

Enjoy the pics as I enjoy the blooms.

One of Betty Smith's characters said, in her book "Joy In The Morning", "Man does not live by bread alone. He should also buy hyacinth to feed his soul. I read that somewhere". Well, I read that somewhere too. I don't have hyacinth but I have gladiolas and roses and my soul is enriched.

Quotable quotes; in the category Don't Give Me Flowers When I'm Hungry!

"Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter."
James A. Garfield

Windows 2009

This past summer was cooler than usual - or at least cooler than the past few have been. We hardly turned the air conditioner on all summer and we kept the windows open most of the time, closing them only when the temperatures got into the 90s and the humidity became oppressive. It was lovely to have fresh air circulating all summer.

Little girl seemed to enjoy having the windows open, too. She divided her time between the bathroom and bedroom window, and the open front door. Considerate cat folk that we are, we kept a stool by the front door so she could sit and observe her world at ease, not having to stand on her hind legs with her paws resting on the screen.

I am pretty sure she appreciated the effort.

Alas, this week we turned on the heat. We had to. Although I like the cool weather, it was nigh onto 60 degrees in the house. Too cold even for me. I set the thermostat for a balmy 62 degrees and enjoyed warm toes and a sweater.

Most cats look forward to furnace day. Our boys loved it. They knew when the furnace would cycle on and when the warm air would pour forth from the vents. They each had their favorite spots (Bill's lap among them) and sometimes had to jockey for the best position.

Little girl could not seem to care less about the furnace heat. She wants her windows! We opened them again over the weekend and kept them open as long as we could but by Monday night they were closed again. Poor baby, she trots back and forth from the bathroom to the bedroom to the front door, gently nudging at the blinds and wondering where her scenic vistas have gone.

We promised her we would open them again if it got warm enough. She would not respond. She is mad and she wants her windows. I hope next summer is a cool one.

Quotable Quotes; in the category Who Shut MY Window?

"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats."
English Proverb

Which Sandwich is Which?

The Cuban Sandwich, or Cubano, has been getting a lot of press in Chicago lately. Simply speaking, the Cubano is a hefty sandwich of sliced ham and roast pork, cheese and pickle, layered on a hearty roll with mayo and grilled in a sandwich press.

The Cubano's cousin, the Medianoche (midnight sandwich) is about the same with a few differences. A cursory search of the web shows the Midnight is so named because of the time it is usually eaten, late at night maybe after dancing. It might be smaller for lighter appetites, sweeter than the Cubano due to an enriched egg bread instead of the roll, and/or have lettuce and tomato layered with the other ingredients. One friend told me the Medianoche was not grilled (maybe too much trouble at midnight?) but web sources show it grilled in the same way as the Cubano.

Back in the day, I used to enjoy a Slim Jim sandwich at the Big Boy restaurants in the Detroit area. This was a distant cousin of the Cubano - sliced ham and cheese with "secret sauce" grilled on a "Grecian" roll. Close, but no Havana Cigar!

Enjoy your Cubano with a cup of Cafe Cubano, or as I like to call it, "Have a little coffee with your hot milk"! The Medianoche might go better with a beer, unless you are unaffected by late night caffeine, you're drinking decaf, or you made the Medianoche at noon!

To properly enjoy your Cubano you'll need Pernil - seasoned roasted pork. Failing that, roast your pork in the usual way and make sure to keep enough leftovers for sandwiches later in the week. This may become part of your repertoire.

You need bread - Italian, French or Cuban style. The kind of bread you might use to make homemade garlic bread or a Dagwood or Submarine Sandwich. Slice it in half and spread with mayonnaise. Layer on sliced ham and roast pork, slices of Swiss cheese and pickles. Use sweet or dill. The long pickle slices may be easier to handle. Wrap the sandwich in foil (optional but recommended, especially if you will be heating the Cubano in the oven, or if you have brushed the outsides with melted butter).

Cook the sandwich in a panini or sandwich press. Your George Foreman grill will make a good substitute (you may have to cut the sandwich into smaller portions to fit). Use a grill pan, if you have one, or just use a cast iron skillet. I recommend low heat, preheating the skillet with another smaller skillet resting inside, so the insides will heat and melt while the outsides toast rather than burn. Place the smaller skillet on top of the sandwich and press. You will have to flip the sandwich over to toast both sides (not necessary with the grill or panini).

For oven cooking wrap the sandwich in foil and place on a baking sheet. Place a second baking sheet on top and weight it with your heaviest cast iron pan. Heat in an oven preheated to 350, about 30 minutes until hot and toasty. Unwrap and slice on the diagonal into serving pieces.

For a great recipe for roast pork, google "Pernil" or "Daisy Martinez".

Quotable Quotes; in the category Ah, but THIS I understand!

"Too few people understand a really good sandwich".

James Beard

Some Dim Sum?

I love dim sum. But I hate crowds. If we go for dim sum on Sunday mornings there are lots and lots of people. There are also many extra goodies on the tea carts that are not available other days of the week. If we go on Saturday mornings, there are fewer people but usually only the basics are available - shiu mai, shrimp dumplings, funn roll and other favorites. We go on Saturday. It's a toss up. We miss out on some of the fancier (read expensive) things like lobster roll, but we don't have to battle the crowds for parking and maybe our bill is a little smaller.

I love sticky rice at dim sum, the kind that comes wrapped up in a lotus leaf. I also love the sticky fried rice at dim sum, the kind that comes on a small plate covered with an inverted clear plastic dome. There are always a few slices of Chinese sausage on top of the rice. I love that sausage. Nothing else tastes like it. Not even chicken.

We usually get the fried rice. Why? Because Bill says the sticky rice I make at home is better than the version we get at dim sum. I'm sold. Compliments go far, and we have the added bonus of not having to unwrap that ungainly lotus leaf all over the table and try to neatly portion out the rice and goodies inside.

Sticky rice is not hard to make. I takes a long time because the rice and lotus leaves have to soak in water overnight, and it takes an hour or more to cook in the steamer basket. But the actual preparation is not difficult or time consuming, and the ingredients are readily available. Sort of. If you live in Chicago or another bustling metropollis with a vibrant Chinatown. And getting the special ingredients, while a challenge perhaps, is also a part of the adventure.

If you would like to make sticky rice at home, here are the ingredients and methods I use. Give it a try - or else try dim sum next time you have the urge to eat something "different", fun, and tasty.

Sticky Rice Steamed in Lotus Leaves

3 cups glutinous (sticky) rice
3 large dried lotus leaves
½ cup dried chestnuts
8 dried black mushrooms (or shitake)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Filling

2 teaspoons vegetable or peanut oil
2 Chinese sausages thinly sliced diagonally
¼ pound diced boneless chicken thighs
4 thinly sliced green onions
2 minced cloves garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
¼ pound thinly sliced Chinese Barbecue Pork
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 salted duck eggs (optional) whites discarded and
yolks cut in half (I use regular hard cooked eggs, white and yolk)

Allow time for overnight soaking to prepare this dish. Although the preparation and cooking are lengthy, it is a fairly simple dish to prepare and requires little hands on work. If you do not have a wok and bamboo steamer you can substitute a large stock pot (the one you use for boiling pasta) with a steamer rack. If you have a pizza pan that is full of holes (intended to brown the pizza crust) that would work too. The fragrance of the lotus leaves steaming will make your kitchen smell like a Chinese tea room. Settle down with some Pearl S. Buck and enjoy a good read.

Soak the rice overnight in water to cover; Soak the lotus leaves in a large pan, dishpan or basin with water to cover; Soak the dried chestnuts overnight in a small pan of water to cover. Next day, drain and cover with fresh water and parboil for five minutes, then drain again; Soak the mushrooms in warm water to cover for 30 minutes. Drain, remove and discard the stem, and slice the caps.

Line a bamboo steaming basket with 2 of the lotus leaves, pointed centers downward, overlapping and allowing the edges to drape over the edge. Drain the rice and season with salt and pepper. Spread it evenly over the leaf lined basket.

Heat a wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and heat. Add sausages and chicken and stir fry one minute. Add 1 tablespoon of the green onion, the garlic, ginger and mushrooms, and stir fry one minute. Add the barbecue pork and dried chestnuts and cook another minute. Remove from the wok and add the oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and sesame oil.

If using duck eggs (or regular eggs) arrange them over the rice. Spread the remaining filling evenly over and sprinkle with another tablespoon of green onion. Place the 3d lotus leaf over the top with the pointed center facing up. Tuck the edges of the leaves into the steamer and place a heatproof plate upside down over the top to hold them in place.

Cover the steaming basket (if using a stock pot, cover with the pot lid) and place it over a wok of rapidly simmering water. Steam over medium heat about one hour until the rice is tender and translucent. Add more boiling water to the wok or pot as needed.

Remove the lid and the plate (careful, it’s HOT) and unfold the lotus leaves, draping over the edges of the steamer (you can buy a darling, if flimsy, set of tongs just for removing plates from the steamer at a Chinese grocer). Garnish with the remaining green onion if desired. Place the entire steamer basket on a platter and serve with fragrant Oolong tea and fortune cookies.

Notes: Glutinous rice, also called sweet rice or sticky rice is very short grained rice that becomes starchy and sticky when cooked. It is often served as a dessert with sliced mango and is usually soaked before cooking. It can be found in Asian markets.

Lotus leaves can be found in Asian markets. I have found them stacked and wrapped in a plastic or cellophane wrapper, about a dozen or so leaves per package.

Chinese Barbecue Pork, Chinese Sausages, dried chestnuts, black or shitake mushrooms and dark soy sauce can be found in Asian markets, especially if you have a Chinatown area near you. If you cannot find or do not like some of the ingredients they can easily be omitted or substituted. Regular soy sauce for dark for instance, roast pork instead of barbecue, etc. You can also use regular button mushrooms. The sesame oil and oyster sauce are fairly essential but should be readily available. I know of no substitute for the sweet Chinese sausages.

If using salted duck eggs, they must be cooked before using. Scrape off the black coating and wash, place in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Rinse, cool and remove shells. Use only the yolks in your recipe.


Quotable Quotes; in the category Where Shall We Go For Dinner?

“Never eat Chinese food in Oklahoma.”
Bryan Miller (NY Times Restaurant Critic)

It's Nice. It's Nicoise.

I love Nicoise salad. And I love using up leftovers, just as much as I hate recipes with lots of fussy steps. Many recipes for Nicoise salad involve steaming green beans, boiling potatoes and eggs, and other redundant activities. Named for the Nicoise olives from Nice in France, this is a great summer meal and can be made quickly from leftovers if you plan ahead.

Make vinaigrette by mixing a few spoonfuls of Dijon or grainy mustard with about ¼ cup lemon juice and balsamic or wine vinegar, salt and pepper and fresh or dried herbs. Whisk in about ½ cup olive oil and set aside (you probably want about ¾ cup altogether). Hint: Make vinaigrette part of your routine so you always have some on hand. It keeps well in the fridge and is ready at a moments notice.

Boil some red or new potatoes, the small ones with the thin skin. Peel if you wish or just scrub. When tender, cool until you can handle them. Slice and toss with some of the dressing. Hint: Next time you cook red or new potatoes, fix a few extra and plan to have Nicoise salad soon.

Steam some green beans and other vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, then cool and dress with the vinaigrette. Hint: See those potatoes? Ditto the green beans, broccoli or asparagus.

Slice red or yellow peppers, raw zucchini, radishes, celery, carrots, green or red onion, garbanzo beans, and add some of the dressing. Use any vegetables you like or have on hand. The dressed vegetables can stand in the fridge a few hours of a day or two, until needed. Hint: Those last few - if you dress the veg with the vinaigrette and keep it in the fridge until needed, your salad can be assembled in seconds.

Cook a few eggs by placing them in a pan of cold water, bringing slowly to a boil, simmer about a minute or two then cover and turn off the heat and let stand 13 minutes. Cool in cold water. Hint: You know where this is going, right? You guessed it. Make egg salad or eggs for potato salad and fix a few extra.

To make the salad, for each serving, line a plate with washed and dried salad greens. Scatter over the top the green beans, asparagus, and other vegetables. You can place them in sections or mix them all up. Place a small can (or half a regular sized can) of drained tuna on top and garnish with slices or wedges of tomato and hard cooked egg. Look for Italian tuna packed in olive oil. (You can also use a small fillet of grilled or seared tuna).

Top off the whole thing with a generous handful of Nicoise black olives, or any cured black olives such as Kalamata. Drizzle any extra dressing over the top and season with Kosher or Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Make a family sized version by increasing the amounts accordingly and arranging on a large platter.

Quotable Quotes; in the category What Can I Have For dinner - - - Or What Can I Remember Having Had For Dinner?

“Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories. Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart.”

Thomas Fuller, 17th century author.

Tasty! Yes!

We ate in a new (to us) restaurant last week. One of those places that we have driven by a thousand times, always meaning to stop, never finding the right moment. We are adding this to our list of "take our friends here" places.

The restaurant is called Smak Tak. Apparently that is Polish for Tasty! Yes! It's true. This is a tiny store front on Elston Avenue, just a short drive from the house. Inside it looks like somebody's log cabin. Perhaps at one time it was intended as a tavern, or maybe this is the way Polish restaurants are supposed to look. Looks aren't everything. But being cute AND having good food are both good things.

The menu is small but appears large, because the left hand page lists all the dishes in Polish, while the right hand page lists all the same dishes in English. Choosing is not made any easier by the few photos of laden plates of food which adorn the menu.

This place serves one of those "I will have to get that next time" dishes. It consists of a Hungarian potato pancake generously wrapped around a healthy portion of Goulash and adorned with sour cream and two or three vegetable salad selections. Other choices include Bigos (Hunter Style Stew) pork loin served with fruit, Pierogi and Potato Dumplings. Shish Kebab and BBQ ribs are also listed. Entrees range from $9to $12. Each includes potatoes and at least two vegetables or salads, chef's choice.

Stuck into the menu is a plain white sheet of paper listing the specials of the day. This takes the form of a $15 full meal and includes your choice of 2 or 3 soups, your choice of entree, potatoes, bread, vegetables and dessert.

On our visit, Bill ordered the special. Some kind of dumpling resembling round Pierogi, a generous basket of bread and butter, mounds of cucumbers in sour cream and shredded, pickled beets. The dumplings were swimming in melted butter, which Bill felt somewhat made up for the brilliant fuchsia beet juice encroaching on their space. Bill chose the chicken noodle soup (I would have opted for the mushroom) and also had a slice of torte as his dessert (no choice of dessert was offered).

I ordered the pork cutlet. A piece of pork, pounded thin and flat, large enough to be imposing on the platter-sized plate which held it and blanketed with sauteed mushrooms. Three small ice-cream scoops of mashed potato, garnished with minced parsley and dill, and mounds of shredded carrot salad and good red cabbage (I don't know how to spell Rotkohl).

The food, along with two slices of bread and butter, was enough that I was able to take home two of Bill's dumplings and one scoop of my potatoes, along with the uneaten portions of salad for a nice lunch the next day. We shared the slice of cake, which was drizzled with Hershey's chocolate syrup and which the wait person presented with two forks, due to her powers of insight.

Although the place was empty when we arrived, and a quick read of the restaurant reviews decorating the walls indicated that evening crowds were not the norm, at least three other tables (of the 10 or so available) were occupied while we ate. Apparently construction crews and other hearty eaters frequent the place for lunch, less so at supper. But no liquor license means you can bring your own choice of beer or wine and appropriate glasses will be offered without asking.

This is not a typical Polish all-you-can-eat buffet and lacks something in the "stuff yourself" factor. But the well prepared food, nicely presented in pleasant surroundings and not too expensive make it a hit. We will be back. Hopefully with friends. Hopefully soon.

Quotable Quotes; in the category But Fish Wasn't Even On The Menu!

"Fish, to taste right, must swim three times - in water, in butter and in wine."
Polish proverb