A New Holiday Tradition

I am aware that there are some who go out on Christmas Day for a Chinese meal rather than cook themselves. Because we like to cocoon on Christmas Day with good smells coming from the oven, this never appealed to us. However, the whole family is quite fond of Chinese cuisine so this year we decided to change our Christmas Eve feast to Chinese dim sum. My son-in-law grew up assisting his parents with a Chinese Restaurant and can whip out meat stuffed dumplings and won tons in rapid fashion. So building on these two items of boiled ginger chicken dumplings and fried pork wont tons, we added char siu (barbecue) pork tenderloin, sesame stir fried green beans, szechuan braised eggplant, mu shu pork, yang chow fried rice and shrimp lo mein, all courtesy of the family kitchen. I think this was a successful change from our Jewish deli inspired previous Christma Eve meals of pastrami and corned beef sandwiches. It appears our family is conflicted on which cuisines go best with Christian holidays. But then again, when our oldest daughter got married with Methodists, Catholics and Mormons on one side and Buddhists and Baptists on the other, my daughter compromised and got a Jewish judge to perform the ceremony.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking

One of my Christmas presents was Julia Child's first cookbook. I also watched the Julie and Julia movie over the holidays so - no surprise - I decided to try out a recipe or two, (four to be exact) from the cookbook. With Alli as my sous chef, we attempted a half day cooking marathon. I was a little skeptical that all the different cooking steps that Julia insisted on (which required four different recipes) could beat my previous attempts at bouef bourgennone ala the crockpot. We deftly patted the beef dry and sauteed it carefully in batches so as not to crowd the meat and let it carmelize. We simmered the sauce of wine (a nice Chianti recommended by Julia), beef stock, and herbs and poured it over the meat, stuck it in the oven to braise and made the next two recipes of carmelized onions and golden mushrooms. For the onions, we peeled 24 pearl onions, sauteed them in butter until golden, and added some beef stock to stew them for an hour. I will say the sauce that resulted was meltingly delicious. We set these aside for later. Then we sauteed the quartered mushrooms in butter, again in batches so as not to crowd and prevent browning. These also were set aside. After about three hours of braising the meat in the oven, we removed the meat from the sauce, brought the sauce to a simmer and thickened it with flour. We put the onions and mushrooms in the serving dish with the beef and poured over the sauce. We served this whole delicious mess with crusty bread for dipping. On the side we made buttered peas with pearl onions. Even though we used frozen peas, I could not believe how much better they tasted done Julia's way. My way was to microwave with a few tablespoons of water and maybe a pat of butter if I felt fancy. Julia's is to boil the pearl onions until soft (about 15 minutes), drain, add the defrosted peas and roll around in the pan to get rid of all excess moisture over medium high heat. Once dry, you add six (yes, six) tablespoons of butter, sugar to taste (I used about a teaspoon) and salt and pepper. Once melted you roll the peas in this yellow gooiness until the peas are cooked. No water or broth but it still makes a nice sauce. Best frozen peas we ever made. I wish we could find fresh and try out the recipe again.

Final verdict - this took a lot of kitchen time but the result was delicious. I rarely have time to put all this effort into cooking but that is the point of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Alli noted it was "Delicious. I was surprised how the sugar enhanced the peas". But best of all, Jeff, who usually disdains French food because of the wine, went back for seconds.

Mediterranean Bakery and Little Panda in Embry Hills

This office location at Koger Center lunch options has been pretty much limited to finds along Buford Highway but we recently stumbled across the Mediterranean Bakery & Sandwich Shop in Embry Hills. This little grocery store and bakery also has a hot food counter where you can order Lebanese sandwiches and plates. I ordered the Ground Lamb Kebab plate which had several skewers of perfectly seasoned lamb, a big pile of pita and two sides. I had the hummus and babba ganoush for sides. Baba ganoush was deliciously smokey. My dining companion got the lamb kabob plate with hummus and greek salad. The plates also include a scoop of rice pilaf. Very delicious. While not a glamorous setting, you order at the counter and sit at some tables in the middle of the store, it was quick and delicious and we will go back. I understand their chicken schwarma is supposed to be their best dish but the lamb was perfect.

We also tried the Little Panda, a new little Chinese restaurant in the Embry Hills shopping center. Again, a fast low cost option. The restaurant interior is clean but sparse. Lunch options are standard stir fry with fried rice, choice of soup, and choice of egg roll or wing. The unusual thing was the fried rice was actually flavorful and the wonton soup had slivers of red pork and nappa cabbage. My garlic chicken was fresh but not a wow. But the price was only $4.99. Much better than McDonalds as a quick meal option. We will be back, especially on days, we are pressed for time and money.

Can There Ever Be Too Much Chinese Food?

All my life, I thought I could not get enough Chinese Food but since we moved the office near Buford Highway, I am beginning to reconsider. We have tried numerous Chinese restaurants as lunch spots with a mixed result. I am not sure if this is because I have over-indulged in Asian cuisine or if previous positive reviews are not up to my standards. I am going to give a brief recap of a number of restaurants but note I have only eaten at most only once so this is not a final review.

Chef Liu's - I had never eaten at the old location in Pine Plaza (now a taco stand) but stopped by this week during their grand opening and was suitably impressed. We stuck with the dim sum side of the menu and sampled soup dumplings (good not great), pan fried pork buns (outstanding), leek cake (an acquired taste despite the raves), the chiang mei (spelling?) noodles (wonderful and comforting) and wonton soup (delicate broth flavored with cilantro and light dumplings). We had sooo much food leftover and were suitably impressed. A definite return to keep exploring the menu. I want to try more of their noodle dishes.

BoBoGarden - Unfortunately we got the round eye menu for lunch. We had heard about casseroles and other delicacies but didn't realize we got the standard lunch menu until too late. The dishes were good - chicken with snow peas and mongolian beef - but next time we will ask for the authentic menu. The restaurant was quite stylish with great service.

Dim Sum Heaven - Also in Pine Plaza, a small, clean space with attentive service but little English skills. Fortunately they have a picture menu and with lot's of pointing we had a lot of success. I am not sure what anything was called because it was written in Chinese characters but the potstickers were wonderful as well as a variety of steamed buns and dumplings. We also had wonton soup to share and it was quite tasty. We will return again.

Cafe 101 - This is definitely the "upscale" one of the bunch. Very authentic menu. I had spicy eggplant which was meltingly delicious and seasoned quite right (I like more spicy rather than less). My dining companion had some sort of bitter melon soup which was wonderful. Because it was a celebration we topped it off with the multi-bean dessert. I am not sure I would have it again but it was definitely celebratory and interesting. A big pile of shaved flavored ice (coconut milk?) was topped by a variety of different beans that were slightly sweet. Definitely enough for four to five. We will return to try other interesting things.

China Delight - Definitely not delightful. This had been recommended as a possible dim sum lunch place but when we arrived there were few cars in the parking lot and even fewer patrons in the restaurant. While the menu had dim sum we were told they did not serve it for lunch any more. So we tried a couple of the standard lunch menu items. I had some sort of pork and vegetable stir fry. The pork (if it was truly pork) was breaded and tasteless tossed with some limp vegetables and covered in a thick tasteless sauce. I had two bites and quit. A record for me who is known to eat even bad Chinese food. We will definitely not be back.

There's a few more places we have tried but I will report back on another day.

Spicing Up Armaggedon

What's worse than a Depression? Why, the end of the world of course. I saw a trailer for the new movie 2012 which is based on a Mayan myth that the world will end in December 2012. The special effects have haunted me. Another new TV show is Fast Forward, a sci fi fantasy about predestination. Its my understanding that this show is somehow connected to the gigantic collider thing that makes "god particles" that some predict will blow up the earth if it works. Some scientists have come up with the novel notion that something from the future keeps coming back to break the thing so that they can save the planet. I am channeling the Terminator or something.

Anyways, in order to quit dwelling on doom and disaster, today I will review another affordable lunch place on Buford Highway, Little Szechuan. I have been going to this authentic szechuan place for years. While more recent reviews say it has gone downhill, I disagree. I just think it is less than novel so others have moved on to the latest new fad. If you stick with the Szechuan dishes, you will not be disappointed. Lunch always starts with a plate of cold pickles which include sesame flavored bean sprouts, cabbage and turnips. Lunch also includes soup and an eggroll but the best are the large family sized portions of food big enough for sharing with your dining companions. I like the dumplings in hot oil, too, when splurging. For entrees my favorites include the hot pepper chicken, a spicy dish of hot jalapeno or some other hot green pepper, snow peas, nappa cabbage and chicken. Another favorite is the pork with hard tofu and chinese celery. All the tofu dishes, mapu tofu, shredded pork on tofu, are winners, too. I always order food extra spicy. I think they keep a spare Hadron collider in the kitchen to smash a few ingredients into Szechuan god particles.

Little Szechuan

5091 Buford Highway

Chamblee-Tucker

Cheap Treats Debut: Restaurant Reviews and Food Highlights

A new feature of my blog will be reviewing bargain food treats and restaurants. This will be less about the hottest new thing but instead neighborhood favorites and food discoveries.

Today's review is Little Cuba in a dreary little strip mall near I-285 on Chamblee Rd. We recently relocated my office to the Koger Center so we have been looking for lunch places close by. What a delight to discover Little Cuba. I had really been missing my pressed Cuban sandwich since Little Havana burned down.

Well, Little Cuba is even better with delicious home style cooking and a neat, interiour for lunch dining. The staff are all welcoming and helpful with the menu. They have a number of lunch specialities named after I Love Lucy characters including the "Ricky", half Cuban sandwich (very big) with a side of black beans, yellow rice and crispy fried plantains. They usually have two lunch specials, the Ethel 1 and Ethel 2. The Cuban sandwich is the standard, pork, ham, cheese, mustard and green pickles, pressed hot. The beans and yellow rice are the best. While served separately they are best if you pour the beans and broth onto the rice. Another favorite is the pressed pork sandwich which has delicious thin slices of marinated roast pork on cuban bread, pressed hot. They also serve crispy fresh potato chips.

This place merits a once a week visit for lunch.

Little Cuba

3350 Chamblee Tucker Rd.

A cold day in Atlanta

It's been a while since I posted because the weather keeps me outside but today we are having a cold snap.

While I am not so worried about being on the brink of disaster, I still think we are in for a long recovery and still possibly a depression. So we continue to cost cut and save. Our biggest thrill continues to be the penny coupon at Publix but I have added a new one as well. We have been clipping coupons for a while and I match them to the grocery sales. Today we got a jar of brand name peanut butter for less than 50 cents. And I got a box of frozen crab cakes and a box of fried shrimp for $5 by using a Buy One Get One Free sale and two $1 off vendor coupons. Not on sale, this would have been a $15 dollar purchase.

Today's recipe is: Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas (adapted from Nooshi's food blog)

Two chicken breasts cooked and shredded.

Pace Salsa Verde (delicious)

Wheat Tortillas

Shredded cheese (I used a cheddar jack combo)

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh Cilantro

Green Onions

I poached the chicken breasts in broth, let them cool and then shredded with a fork. Put a couple tablespoons of salsa verde in the bottom of a glass square baking pan. Fill each tortilla with a heap of chicken, some diced cilantro, diced fresh tomato, shredded cheese and roll up. Place seam side down. Pour remaining salsa evenly over the enchiladas.

Bake at 350 (covered with foil) for 30 minutes. I like to cook it covered to keep things from drying out. Remove foil and top with a row of shredded cheese down the middle. Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted or bubbly. Remove from oven. Top with chopped tomato, cilantro and green onion.

An alternate ingredient could be to add sour cream as a filling ingredient but Jeff doesn't like sour cream cooked. We serve it on the side.

I served with yellow rice, black beans and quacamole.

Thanks Nooshi! www.nooshi.com

Too Depressed About the Depression

I have been particularly blue about the economy and the shenigans in Congress to feel like writing lately. But now I've been reading "One Second After" reviews and it has jogged me out of my apathy. According to this new book, some kooky country like North Korea or Iran will get hold of an electro magnetic pulse bomb and set two or three off in our atmosphere instantly stopping all things depending on electricity. One second after detonation, planes will drop from the sky, cars made after 1970 won't run, heat and electricity are gone which also means water from our sewer system. In addition, most communities have less than 30 days of food in the grocery stores so starvation looms. So I guess my plans to start a garden in the backyard seem timely but I don't know what to do about water. And, since I am squeamish about killing things, I guess I'll have to go vegetarian. Better go out and buy a few chickens for eggs, too.

Waiting for Global Warming

If worrying about the economy isn't enough, we also have a few additional worries including a near miss asteroid which could have wiped out our world and, of course, global warming. In Georgia, we are struggling through a ten year drought which makes global warming seem very real. However, recently we have been having weird cold weather. As I documented before, we got huge hail and tornadoes last week. This week we got five inches of snow in MARCH! And we got subfreezing temperatures. So where is global warming? In honor of the weather, I prepared my famous Chicken and Okra, the perfect dish to warm up your soul.

Chicken and Okra Stew

Cut up two or three chicken breasts into large chunks (thighs are great, too)

1 TBSP olive oil

One small sweet onion, chopped

2 cans tomatoes with green pepper (or use fresh green pepper)

2 cups of fresh chopped okra (can use frozen)

lemon juice

1 tsp of red pepper flakes (use more or less depending on your spice tolerance)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

fresh, chopped parsley

Fry the chicken in hot olive oil until brown on all sides. While chicken is browning sprinkle 1 - 2 tbsp of lemon juice on the okra in a bowl and set aside. (If using frozen, omit the lemon juice soak.)

Add the onion to the skillet (pushing chicken aside) and cook until limp. Add the cans of tomatoes, garlic powder and red pepper. Simmer , covered, for 30 -45 min until the chicken is done. Add the okra and simmer another 15-20 minutes with the lid off until okra is done. Add a handful of chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice. This makes enough for 6-8 servings. I usually freeze half for later.

We Survived the Weather

Now hear I go and worry about the economy when what I really need to worry about is the weather. Here's one of the hail stones that landed in my back yard last night heralding our normal late winter tornado season.

Armaggedon is over

After 9/11, we followed some crazy government advice and stockpiled some food, water and other supplies. We never went so far as to get a gas mask, bolts of plastic wrap and duct tape but we did think about having at least a few days supply in case of stormy weather which is quite common in Atlanta. Slowly, we used up our supplies and I thought all was gone until my husband brought up some cans of corned beef hash last week.

Well, with the current economy, I thought I would cook some corned beef hash patties for dinner. The last time I ate corned beef patties was about 30 years ago early in our marriage when true famine loomed at the end of every month as we awaited my husband's pay check. It was not unknown at the time for us to search in the couch cushions to find enough change to put gas in the car. (Of course this was before $2 gallon gas when 10 cents could go a long way.) So tonight I went to open one of the cans and read "Best used by Oct. 2007". It being Feb. 2009, it made me pause.

When Jeff called to say he was on his way home, I said, "Before you go I have one question. Should we eat the hash if it is out of date?" His response? "That stuff, like Spam, is made to last forever. However, I don't feel Armaggedon is looming so toss it and cook something else."

So tonight we had chicken cordon bleu, a glass of cheap shiraz and toasted the end of Armaggedon....at least for this week. After all, I did note that stocks had dropped again today and my 401K has bottomed out. It makes the Publix sale on canned soup enticing for stocking up . With these new-fangled pop-tops on soup, it makes for easy opening when awaiting the end of the world.

I Feel Like A Millionaire

My husband read this book called "The Millionaire Next Door." Basically, it said those who had assets of a million or more rarely lived conspiculously but drove older cars, did not live in mcmansions, and frequently shopped at Walmart. Well, if shopping at Walmart means you are a millionaire, count me in. We shop every couple of weeks at our local Walmart, stocking up on essentials and dry goods. I don't get meat or produce there as I can find better quality (and sales) at my local Publix. However, whenever we shop at Walmart and we find some cheap new thing, my husband exclaims, "I feel like a millionaire." In order to enhance our happy glow, we now combine lunch out with our Walmart excursion. There is a McDonald's in our Walmart and while hubby is checking out, I run over and buy something off their dollar menu. Usually I get myself a plain hamburger (.79) and my husband gets a double cheeseburger (1.19). While we eat our lunch in the parking lot, we grin and feel we have really joined the ranks of the elite.

How Low Will We Go?

One of our local evening news programs has a new series titled something like "How to Survive in a Recession" but it is more oriented to mass starvation and total anarchy. Last night they highlighted a woman who can make leftovers into all sorts of soup. The low point was when she demonstrated how to add chicken broth to lasagne for a great "noodle soup". She also added some salad greens to the soup for extra nutrition. I am not sure I want to ever reach the point where I add chicken broth to about anything. Wouldn't the lasagne be better just heated in the microwave with a little side salad? I think my next purchase will be a shovel so I can dig a hole in the backyard to live in.

Here's my favorite lentil soup recipe:

1 lb stew meat (or ham)

small onion chopped

2 ribs of celery, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1 lb lentils (rinsed)

1 can tomatoes (can use the basil and olive oil or plain)

1 tsp of Italian herbs (basil, oregano)

Salt/Pepper to taste

Parsley (optional)

Brown the stew meat, onion and celery. Add the chicken broth and slowly simmer the meat for an hour or more. (If using leftover ham, you can skip the simmering of the meat). Add the lentils, tomatoes and herbs to taste. Simmer for 30 - 45 minutes until the lentils are done. Add a handful of chopped parsley and stir. Ready to serve with a nice crusty loaf of bread.

Birdwatching: Inexpensive (mostly) entertainment

One of my hobby's is birdwatching which is relatively inexpense compared to the hours of enjoyment daily. I started with one nice feeder that I bought for my husband - the squirrel flinger. I actually bought it because we thought it would be amusing to watch squirrels fly. However, the squirrels are a bit smarter than that, though they do try and get to the food.

Now we have several feeder stations in the yard and I have put bird baths outside my kitchen window. We get tons of birds throughout the year. Right now, we have our year round buddies, the chickadees, wood peckers, tufted titmice, house finches, cardinals, blue jays and Carolina wrens but our seasonal visitors this month are goldfinches and pine siskens. They particularly like the nuts and berry bird seed and we are going through several 10 lb. sacks a week.

My most unusual visitors this year were the flock of turkeys that ranged in my back yard over the summer.

Getting Ready

As the economic recession gets deeper, I find myself saving and hoarding. I have become addicted to Publix "penny sale" every Sunday. It becomes my BDO (big day out). I wait with anticipation each week to see what the mystery coupon will bring. Today it was Publix brand coffee. Not bad at a savings of about $3.50 and I drink a lot of coffee while pouring over the days latest economic bad news.

I also find I am making sure things in my fridge get used up and not tossed. For example, on Friday I had half a green pepper that needed to get used and a couple of chicken breasts that needed to be rotated out of the freezer. I stir-fried the green pepper with onion and some red curry, tossed in the chicken cut in chunks and added some coconut milk, and little bit of fish sauce (soy would work, too) and had a nice chicken red curry. I also had some portobellow mushrooms that needed to be used so I sauteed them with some onion in olive oil, threw in a cup of brown rice and added two cups of chicken broth. Once it was boiling, I transferred it to a casserole dish and threw it in the oven for 45 - 50 minutes at 350 degrees and got a nice brown rice dish which is a favorite at our house (courtesy of Joy of Cooking). So, not only did I make sure I used up some of the vegetables in our crisper but I also got a healthy, high fiber meal that I could sneak under my husbands nose.