Being labeled, boxed and filed away.

As a species, humans are comfortable when they can label each other.  That way, they can place an individual into a box or file folder, and know how to deal with them without stress.  It's also a form of protection; you know who is just like you, and who to be cautious of because they are different from you.

One famous question is, "What religion are you?"  I love this question, cause I can drive a person totally insane with my answer: "Why do you need to know?"  Yeppers, I put them on the spot.  Hey, they just met me, and that's the first question they can think of to ask me...why?  Because they need to label me, and figure out which box or folder to put me in.  Am I one of them, do I have the same beliefs, and are, therefore, safe?  Or am I "one of those other people"?

I see this more as two types of fear.  The first is "fear of the unknown"; a religion different from one's self, that you know nothing about; how can you have an intelligent civil conversation, and/or debate, if you know nothing about the religion?  The idea about learning about it seems to not come to mind, for some very odd reason. 

The second fear is, and I've experienced this from others, that the other person's religion is better or more right than their own.  Eh???  Now that one really puzzles me, for how is one religion more right than another?  In the United States, the First Amendment is "Freedom of Religion", so don't be singing, "I'm Proud to be an American" when this amendment bothers you to no end.

So, for those who know me, or for those who haven't met me yet....My religion is "Other", and that's all you need to know.  That's right, when filling out surveys or questionnaires, that is what I mark down, the "Other" box.  Now, those folks who are very close and precious to me, they know who and what I really am, and they are quite comfortable and content with it. 

Basically, this is a good example of "judging a book by its cover".  How in the world can you really know a person if you judge them immediately on one facet?  Seriously, get over the fears, take the bull by the horns and run with it.

So, today's recipe is a cookie that looks rather plain on the outside, unless you add to the surface.  But what's on the inside is a complete surprise, if you take the chance and bite into it.

Mint Balls

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

3 dozen “Junior Mints” candies

Preparation:

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla extract; slowly add the flour and salt to the creamed mixture.  Cover and chill till the batter becomes firm, but manageable.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Take the batter by teaspoon, place a candy mint in the center, and form a ball around it.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet (AirBake is the best for baking), and continue forming balls. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes; cookies will be lightly browned. 

Let cool; can be eaten as is, or rolled in confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 36 cookies.

Note: before baking, the balls can be rolled in crushed nuts; and if you’re seeing the pun, then have a great laugh.

Mary Cokenour

January 25, 2011

Keeping the past alive in some way.

Europe, Asia, India, Africa, it's not unusual to see buildings and structures that date back centuries in that land's history.  However, in the United States, our own history is often destroyed in the name of "progress".  We are still considered a relatively young country, yet we can find very little that dates back to our own beginnings.  What is called constructive, is, in truth, destructive; that's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

However, in families, one item that is treasured is "family recipes", handed down from generation to generation.  In other countries, these recipes can be traced back by centuries, and many were brought to the United States by immigrants.  My own grandparents came to this country from Croatia, and with them came many wonderful recipes which were passed on to my mother, and then myself.

Here is one that I'd like to share:

Split Pea Soup

This recipe has been passed down from my maternal grandmother.  She emigrated, from Croatia, in 1925 with her husband, and was pregnant with my uncle.  In 1935, she gave birth to my mother.  My mother recalls, when she was a little girl that she would go to the butcher for ham shanks, and four would only cost 25 cents.  My grandmother began teaching me how to cook when I was five years old, and when he was six years old, I began teaching my son.

Ingredients:

2 cups dried split peas

cold water

1 large smoked ham shank

2 cups carrots, peeled and cut into ¼ inch slices

3 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups fine egg noodles, uncooked

Preparation:

In a large bowl, cover the split peas with water; soak overnight and drain.

In a 5 qt stock pot, on high heat, bring 3 qts of water to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium; add in the peas, carrots, potatoes, onion and ham shank, cover.  Occasionally stirring, let these cook until the meat can easily leave the bone; about 30 minutes.   Remove the ham shank, pull off and shred the meat, return meat to stock pot. 

Let the soup cook another 30 minutes before adding in the egg noodles.  Cook an additional 10 minutes and serve.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

January 24, 2011

Nothing wrong with a little indulgence.

That's right, a little indulgence once in awhile does a person good.  Makes you feel special when the world seems to be against you.  Stress is in your life whether you want it to be or not; you may not look for it, but it will find you.  The real choice is how you handle it; crying, screaming, getting violent, complaining are all very negative choices.  Makes you look pathetic for the most part, and doesn't really improve the state of mind.

Next time you feel stressed out, laugh, laugh out loud as hard as you can.  Trouble finding the inspiration to laugh, watch a really good stand up comic on Comedy Central:  Gabriel Iglesias, Sinbad, Denis Leary, Lewis Black, Bill Engvall, Jeff Foxworthy, Jeff Dunham to name a few.  While you're at it, eat something indulgent; a slice of rich pie or cake, smooth and creamy Belgium chocolate, or whatever little tidbit makes your sweet tooth make your whole body, and soul, feel great.

Here's a treat that you'll really appreciate, and if it doesn't give you that feel good feel that you need, then consider a mental health professional, cause you're that far gone.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie
 
Ingredients:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 ½ cups chunky peanut butter
2 cups vanilla pudding

1 tub whipped topping (do not use light or fat free)

1 - 9 inch deep dish pie crust, prebaked

Preparation:

In a small bowl, cut together the powdered sugar and peanut butter until it becomes crumbly.  Spread out half of the crumbs in the bottom of the pie crust.

Mix 1 cup of whipped topping with vanilla pudding, spread out evenly in pie crust over peanut butter crumbs.  Top pudding with other half of crumbs (reserve ¼ cup for topping).  Spread out remaining whipped topping and sprinkle ¼ cup of crumbs over.

Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

January 23, 2011

Maybe tomorrow I'll have that pajama day

I don't envy people who work second or third shifts; did it for 7 1/2 years, and hated it; Roy did it for 4 years and wasn't too happy about it either.  However, for all the disdain I felt for the job, the money and benefits were just too good to give up, so I plodded on.  It was also a cushy job; no management to watch over us, only one other coworker, and most of the time we just sat around listening to music, surfing the net, or taking naps.  When the company was bought out and we got the announcement about being laid off, all I could feel was relief.  I was getting a nice severance package, eligible for unemployment, and a nice bonus for staying on until the company was finally done with the department.

Roy was soon laid off from his job too, so we needed to make plans and quickly.  We'd made a 5 year plan, but the layoffs forced us into a 2 yr plan.  Living in Pennsylvania was something we had both started to dislike...intensely.  I had fallen in love with Utah when we visited his mom in 2006, and even then I had said to him, "Honey, one day we're going to live here."  Ok, so October 2008, we took a 2 week trip to Utah, scoped out potential areas to live in, and made a decision....we put the PA house up for sale.  Coordinating with realtors in PA and Utah, we sold our home and purchased a new one; well not a new-new one, it was more like a handyman special, and we had to put a lot of work, and money, into the house to get it livable for us.  Not our dream home, but it'll do for now.
 
Ok, I've gone on another tangent here, so back to working nights.  No matter how many years you do it, you just can't get used to not being up during the day, feeling sunlight on you, and experiencing everything going on around you.  You're always tired, mainly because people insist on waking you up during the day.  You never really have a full weekend off; Saturdays are usually spent sleeping part of the day, and then trying to get everything done you didn't do during the week.  Sundays you were still playing catch up on chores; then suddenly, it was back to work.

Now we both work days and have full weekends off; yet, for some reason, we barely ever have a day when we can just do nothing at all.  Oh to have a pajama day; staying in night clothes, watching movies in bed and basically doing squat all day, and not caring at all.  Just doesn't happen as often as we'd like it to.  The main problem, we don't want life to pass us by; don't want to miss anything.

Maybe once every six months, we finally get that pajama day, and boy, does it feel good.  In essence, no, don't let life pass you by just cause you can; seize the days and enjoy them.  But once, every once in awhile, give yourself a pajama day cause you earned it.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

 

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts, deboned, skinned, cooked and diced.
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 - 10 1/2 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 - 10 1/2 oz can refried beans
15 1/2 oz jar medium, chunky salsa
8 oz. sour cream
2 cups grated Mexican style cheese (1 1/2 cups + 1/2 cup set aside)
cooking spray
1 package (10 in package) corn tortillas
 

Preparation:
 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In large mixing bowl, mix well the first 7 ingredients (not the 1/2 cup of cheese set aside).

Spray a 2-quart baking dish, place 4 tortillas on bottom. Covering bottom and up the sides. Spread out 1/2 the mixture from the bowl. Cover with 3 tortillas, spread out other 1/2 of mixture. Cover with 3 tortillas, spread 1/2 cup of cheese over top of tortillas.

Bake for 45-60 minutes; until top is slightly brown, and mixture is bubbling. Set aside 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4-6.

Mary Cokenour

January 22, 2011

I Admit to it…I’m a Pizza Snob.

Being born and raised in New York, eating pizza is a staple of the true New Yorker. There are two basic types in any pizzeria: Neapolitan is round in shape with a reasonably thin crust (not wafer thin, around 1/4"), with sauce, aged mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, and various toppings. Usually made in a gas oven, the dough is stretched (occasionally tossed, but that's mostly for the tourists), covered with a sauce primarily made of canned tomatoes and Italian herbs or a cooked sauce, and liberally covered with cheese. The slices are large and usually folded when eaten.

The second most common style of pizza in New York City (that’s the 5 boroughs; and Long Island) is the Sicilian, or “square” pie. Characterized by its thick crust, Sicilian pizza is baked in an oiled pan, giving the crust a completely different taste from that of its round counterpart. The crust of a Sicilian pie is much more bready than the Neopolitan, and usually has a tomato sauce that was more thoroughly cooked before the baking of the pie

Chicago pizza is a deep dish pie made in a reverse fashion than the New York style.  Not bad really, but that’s for another day.

Here comes the complaint…there is not any place in the Four Corners area that makes a great New York pizza.  Some come close to a decent pie, but on a rating scale of 1-10, the highest has been an 8. Cassano’s Italian Restaurant in Moab, Utah and Domino’s in Cortez, Colorado (http://pizza.dominos.com/colorado/cortez/) have come the closest so far.  Domino’s has a pie called the “Brooklyn” pizza, and if they bake it for 25 minutes, instead of the usual 20, than it’s pretty close to perfect.

Other than that, most places undercook the dough, so the crust is pale and doughy, or the dough is so thick, that it is gooey in the center.  Instead of using good mozzarella, it’s usually a mixture of mozzarella, cheddar and jack cheeses.  Why?  What is so hard with sticking to the original, and most perfect, recipe?  Also, why so cheap with the sauce…a smear just doesn’t justify calling it a pizza.

Ok, so here’s my rant about pizza, and yes, I’m a pizza snob and I don't intend to ever apologize for it.

                                                  Pizza Dough

Basic Dough

Ingredients:

1 cup of warm water

3 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of sugar (to feed the yeast)

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of yeast

Preparation:

Put warm water (80 to 110°F) into a bowl. Add salt and sugar and mix with a spoon. Add yeast, mix and let it sit for about 10 minutes.  If the water is too warm, it will kill the yeast; too cold, and it will not awaken.

Start mixing, with a fork, by gradually adding flour and olive oil.  Once it is too thick to mix by fork, remove to a floured, wooden board; start kneading by hand.  Knead the dough until you have a smooth ball. If the dough cracks it is too dry. Add water bit by bit until if forms a smooth ball. If your dough feels more like batter, it is too wet and you need to add flour bit by bit. If you need to add water or flour, do it by small amounts; it is easier to fix too little than too much.

Coat the dough with olive oil, place it in a large bowl and cover it with a clean, cotton towel. Let the dough rise for about an hour at room temperature, then punch it down, so it deflates. Let it sit for about another hour. If you want to use it the next day, put it in a refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap.

Put the dough on a lightly floured surface; a pizza peel (wooden board with a handle) is easier for transferring the pizza from surface to surface. Put a bit of flour on your hands; using the balls of your finger tips and hands, make it into the shape of a circle by stretching it out from the center outwards. If you’re having a problem stretching the dough by hand, se a rolling pin until the dough is about 1/4" thick.   

The average size of the pizza will be about 16” which can be transferred to a pizza pan or stone. You get better results when you use a pizza baking stone. The pizza stone should be preheated to 450F for an hour prior to baking, and should be placed in the middle of the oven.   

Spread out evenly about 1-1 ½ cups sauce; then add favorite toppings such as cheeses, meats and/or cut up vegetables. 

The oven should be preheated to 450F.  Bake for 20-25 minutes; the crust should be browned, but not dark.  Remove from oven, use a pizza cutter for easy slicing up and serve.  Makes 8-10 slices, depending on how its cut up.

Mary Cokenour

January 21, 2011

I'm a mom, but you wouldn't know it.

Yes, I'm the mom of an adopted son from El Salvador.  He was two years old when this tiny little person came off a plane, and into our arms.  Adorable was the word to describe him, sweet was another.  I, the woman who never wanted to have children, was now a mother...a mom...and I didn't have an instruction manual, so I winged it.  Every day, I let William know how much I wanted and loved him; gave up working outside the home for eight years to be a stay-at-home-mom.  I only went back to work when he started going to school full-time, and being at home was no longer beneficial to anyone.

We weren't rich, but did better than most of our friends.  We provided him the best we could afford, and refused to buy those expensive trendy clothes and toys.  The most important thing is that we taught him values, manners and morals; not something a lot of parents do anymore.  So many times I was stopped by a person and told, "He is such a well mannered boy; you don't see that much nowadays".

My first husband wasn't in the picture much; he loved having the title of "father", but that's where it ended.  He was mentally, emotionally, and many times, physically abusive to us both.  I filed for divorce the day after he tried to strangle William with his bare hands.  Instead of growing up and older with his son, he felt he had been replaced as the center of attention, and that was too much for this man to handle.

William had many goals as he grew older, but his main ones were to be an architect and an artist; when it came to artwork, he was very good.  So enters Roy, a graphic artist, and he was able to help William with his artwork.  Unfortunately, a young girl with severe personal problems came into William's life also.  Drinking, drugs and sex were her lifestyle, and endorsed by her own mother...like mother, like daughter.

But she wasn't the only cause of William's downfall; he had established many a friendship with boys who lived on "The Hill".

Living in half million dollar homes, parents making six figure salaries, country club memberships, housekeepers and cooks...how were we middle class parents to compete?

And so, all the values, morals and manners taught to William went out the window, and were replaced with lying, stealing, staying out all the time, and making sure he couldn't be reached.  His goal to go to college was replaced with, "you have to finance an apartment for me, buy me a $30,000 car, and give me free access to your money."  He wanted to party all the time, and be bankrolled by us.  Surprise!!!, ain't gonna happen little boy.

I haven't really had much contact with William since I've moved to Utah.  We asked him to move with us, start a new life out West, but he stayed in Pennsylvania to be near his friends and girlfriend.  The girlfriend?  She moved to Michigan, got herself a new boyfriend, of course, after cleaning out William's bank account.  His friends?  They all went to college, didn't have much to do with William, except if he had booze and pot to share. 

Now William works two food industry jobs, shares a house with three other young men, and is basically learning how tough it is in the real world.  He'll be 21 on February 9th, and be considered an adult in every way, shape and form.  Now the question is, will he really become an adult, take responsibility for his own actions, and stop blaming his family for "all his problems and losses"?  Good question, wonder if I'll ever find out the answer?

I still love my son, am sad for him, but am sadder still that what was allowed to take place was the death of a close and loving mother-son relationship.

Which brings me to today's recipe, "Funeral Potatoes"; "say what?!?", you might ask. I received the recipe from a friend and coworker named Heidi, who explained that it's a dish that usually shows up at any meal related to a funeral, hence the name.  It's a Utah thing.

Funeral Potatoes – It’s a Utah thing

Ingredients:

7 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet)

½ cup butter, plus 8 additional ½ Tbsp pieces

1 can Cream of Chicken soup, family size

½ can milk

1/3 cup onion, minced

1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, grated

1 pint sour cream

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

Corn flakes

*optional: real bacon bits

Preparation:

Boil potatoes, skin on, till fork tender (slightly firm); let cook, peel off skin and grate.

In a large saucepan, combine cup of butter, soup and milk, on medium heat, till hot; do not bring to boil.  Whish in onion, cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper till smooth.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish (spray with non-stick spray), layer potatoes then sauce (there will be 3 layers of each).  Top with an even layer of corn flakes; dot with the 8-1/2 Tbsp of butter.  Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.

Next day, preheat oven to 350F.  Bake, covered with foil, for 45 minutes; uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Life is like a quiche.

We all start out life as a simple, basic human being.  As we grow and learn, little facets of the world around us, and other people, add to our own lives.  We accept or reject what we want to, and allow ourselves to be molded into an independent individual, or we just become one of the crowd.  Everyday we learn something new; that is, if we have open minds and want to see beyond our own little worlds.

Personally, I enjoy traveling down the road less taken.  That poem, by Robert Frost, has much meaning, if one cares to really read it and understand the concept of being an individual, not just a clone.

"The Road Not Taken"

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

...and that is what makes life like a quiche. 

Quiche

A quiche is egg custard with savory additions like meat, cheese or vegetables, baked in an open pastry shell. The quiche is a favorite and traditional dish, as it is usually served at room temperature or chilled, so the custard has time to set up; but it makes a simple dinner also. It is quite simple to make, and additions of savory ingredients can vary: cheese (Swiss, Gruyere, Cheddar, Goat), meat (bacon, ham, sausage) and vegetables (raw or cooked).  Quiche is a versatile meal, and can be adjusted to suit any taste.

Basic Quiche

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups half n’ half

4 eggs, beaten

1/8 tsp salt (can be adjusted up or down dependent on ingredients added in)

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

 1 – 9” unbaked deep dish pastry shell

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Combine half n’ half, eggs, salt and pepper.  Pour into pastry shell; bake for 45-50 minutes, or until egg mixture is golden brown and set.

Notes: The above is the simple egg custard; the adventure is what is added.  Add 2 cups shredded cheese (your choice) to the bottom of the pastry shell, before pouring in the egg mixture, for a simple cheese quiche.  Reduce the cheese to 1 cup if adding meat and/or vegetables to not overwhelm them.

For meats, distribute a ½ cup of cooked meat (crumbled bacon, diced ham, crumbled ground sausage) with the cheese.

For vegetables, ½ cup of sautéed onion, peppers, leeks, zucchini or yellow squash distributed with cheese, or cheese and meat.  If using a root vegetable (potato, sweet potato, Jerusalem artichoke), peel, dice and boil in water till tender before adding inside the pastry shell. A raw vegetable, such as spinach, should be chopped before adding.

Depending on the salt content of the cheese and meat, it can be adjusted prior to adding to the egg mixture.  Herbs, fresh or dried, can be incorporated into the egg mixture. 

Mary Cokenour       January 18, 2011