Porkulus or Stimulus

This week in Washington DC our nation's elected officials were busily trying to pass the biggest economic stimulus package ever, nearing one trillion dollars! Some have cried "Cut the Pork!" But I say "No! Pork is the other white meat."

Cooking various cuts of pork was the theme of our January cooking class. Of course we also had a couple of side dishes and the girls made a dessert which was very popular, though a little messy.

There are some recipes on the sheets we did not demo that night. They are good side dishes with pork.

So why not do a little cooking with the other white meat?

Bushe de Noel

Christmas Braid

Read entry in an earlier post. But here are the accompanying photos.

Cooking Class December 08

Christmas Cooking Class

It is December so it is the perfect time, in my view, to teach the class some of my favorite Christmas recipes. I love breakfast, so I decided to focus this class on Christmas breakfast, with one exception. We also learned how to make a Yule Log Cake, also known as a Buche de Noel. Some have said, "life is short, eat dessert first." I don't actually agree with that, but let's start with the recipe for Buche de Noel. It is easy, delicious, and impressive looking. My twin daughters each made one before class, as I had to be gone in the crucial hours just before class began. Each cake turned out perfectly.


The main dish of a Christmas Breakfast, in my opinion, is the Christmas bread. I have been making this bread for more than thirty years. The recipe makes four breads. You can give one or two away, but even for a small group you will probably want to have two. And you will probably eat one--with help from others--right after it is baked. It is so delicious fresh! But it is also very good if you make it ahead, freeze it, then reheat on Christmas morning. At cooking class, the young women liked it enough to have seconds, and several said they would try this recipe at home for their own Christmas. I think it may become a tradition for many of them. It is certainly a tradition for us!

What Christmas breakfast would be complete without an egg dish of some kind? I vary this from year to year, and will provide two recipes here, but I let the class sample the Hashbrown casserole. It is easy--meaning quick to make and fool-proof--and it is just right. One casserole can easily serve eight people if you are serving fruit, bread, and wassail or hot chocolate.

Wassail is something I look forward to all year. I do remember a time when I didn't like it, but that was a lifetime ago. I will admit though that for class I used the Williams Sonoma mulling spices added to a gallon of apple cider and a bottle of apricot nectar. Easy and delicious.

Although we didn't do a hot chocolate recipe I saw a cute way to serve it: put a dollop of whipped cream on the top and splash some red and green sprinkles on top.

Why don't you try one of these recipes.

Omelet, Omelette

There are probably thousands of ways to prepare an omelet, and two or three ways to spell it. Regardless, it is an easy, nutritious, inexpensive meal and usually the ingredients are readily available.

You can google omelet recipes and find all kinds of suggestions on how to cook them. You may want to try some other recipes. But do try--do not be afraid. Omelets are easy. Main thing is to have all your chosen ingredients prepared and ready to go so you can work quickly (things like chopped peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, bacon, ham, salmon, cheese, and you name it).

Start with a 6 inch skillet and heat it over med. to med-high heat. Add a little pam or oil or butter. Rotate the pan so the entire base and a little of the sides get a bit of oil.

Stir three eggs together in a small bowl, whipping slightly with the fork. When the pan is hot, pour in the eggs and again rotate the pan so that the egg is evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper. Working quickly, gently lift the edges of the egg towards the middle, using a rubber or silicone spatula. The idea here is to get a little of the runny egg to go behind the cooked edges, but still to keep the nice round shape. Continue doing this all the way around the omelet for a minute or so. When about 70% of the egg is cooked you may add the ingredients and season again.

How? It depends on whether you want it open-faced or folded. If you want it folded, put the ingredients on half of the egg mixture and with the spatula lift and fold the rest of the egg on top of the ingredients (like a taco or gyro). Let cook for another minute or two until the egg is golden (to you liking) and the cheese is melted, the vegetables warmed. Slide onto a plate or two and you have done it! For the open-faced omelet (sort of like an egg pizza) evenly distribute the fillings across the top and continue cooking for a minute or two. Cut into wedges and serve.

Sour cream or salsa make nice condiments for omelets.

Freezing Peppers

http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ciqpeppers.shtml

Click the link above to learn about how to freeze peppers for quick use in omelets, fajitas, pasta, etc. Buy them when they're cheap and use them when you want.