Nancy's Every Changing Chicken Salad and a Chat With A Real Home Ec Teacher...

Nancy's Chicken Salad:

* chicken cooked and deboned ( 2 cups chopped )
* mayonnaise 1/2 of a table spoon
* 1 bunch scallions chopped well in to the ends of the greens
* 1 generous tbs ginger spice jelly mixed with 1 tbs juice of any pickles.blend together
* mix........ then add
* 2 tbs black cherry preserve
* Mix and serve ..

why ever changing .. some times fresh cherries are perfect. Or dried cranberries or ..........what ever you are in the mood for . Chicken is very accepting and of course non judgmental.

These are the wise words of Nancy Simonic, a former home economics teacher who feels that she will always be a home economist. Nancy lives in my town and she is passionate about the importance of home economics programs in schools.

She loves to share her knowledge of cooking and has even set up her home in a demonstrating kind of fashion; She has her prep and cooking island perched high above on a platform to make sure that no one gets in her cooking way. She is not opposed to others helping her in the kitchen, she actually welcomes it, but if you are to be on her "perch" you need to take it seriously. Respect everyone's space, be self-sufficient up there or sit down below and watch :-).

She explained that even though she stepped down from her home ec career in the early eighties after the school board deemed home ec not important enough to be paid for with tax dollars, she still believes that all the valuable knowledge one learns in classes like cooking, sewing, wood shop and metal shop can lay the foundation for succeeding in any career. For example, how can one maintain a career if they cannot be self sufficient in their home? Kudos to Nancy!

One more thing: Nancy, herself, is a successful home chef and entrepeneuse (is that a word?). She feels that her accomplishments are, in part, due to her ability to tolerate failure. She is able to try, without much fear, new things in life AND in cooking, because her parents always encouraged her to experiment, make a mess, and it was all O.K. because it was part of the learning process. What a great message to impart to our children.

Another excellent point she made was to use visuals when teaching cooking to our kids. She found that when she had long, red, beautiful eighties nails, her students paid excellent attention! I will have to try that one. Thanks, Nancy!!
P.S. Make sure to check out my video and recipe for making Raymond's Style Home fries at http://www.baristanet.com/baristakids/blog/take-back-the-kitchen-raymonds-potatoes--at-home/#more You can weigh in on the discussion of whether or not cooking potatoes IS actually Taking Back Your Kitchen!

My Cuisinart Workshop and Amazing Pumpkin Pie!

 

Hi everyone and welcome to all my new blog subscribers from the Montclair Community Pre-K festival! I hope you all survived this weekend's sugar.

Before I tell you about my pumpkin pie to die for, I want to tell you about a workshop I will be facilitating: "How to Finally Use Your Food Processor that Has Been Sitting in the Box since it Was Ordered From Your Wedding Registry"
Wed., November 18th
9:30-11:30 AM.
Fee: $30.00 per person
Please email me if you and your pals are interested at alma@takebackthekitchen.com

So, I'll be quick-this pie rocks! I found it on line but modified it with a rich heavy cream and a homemade graham cracker crust. Please consider making your own crust because it tastes so good and really is simple. 3 ingredients-that's it!

I made it with my daughter who was very proud to bring it to her class party (see video below). When only half was eaten, I wrapped it up, left with it, and gave it to a friend outside who said she had not made her husband a cake for his birthday that day. A perfect ending to a perfect pie day!

Pumpkin Pie:

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 15 oz. can pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional

* Whipped cream, for topping

Directions

For the filling, combine the melted cream cheese and pumpkin. Add all the other ingredients and stir until fully combined by hand or, preferably, in a mixer.

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs-one pkg.
1/2 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar

Pie Crust Preparation:
Combine all ingredients; press over bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 1 hr. 30 minutes, (this is NOT an error-one hour and thirty minutes) or until the center is set. Make sure to fully cover the pie with tin foil so the crust doesn't burn. That pie is going to be in there for a long time! When it is done,place on your counter to cool and top with whipped cream if you like that-I don't...
P.S. Thank you, Kahane, for the great Halloween photo!

Healthier Oatmeal Bars and Cancer Help

Hi everyone. As it is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, I wanted to share some inspiring women, very helpful services, and recipes with you. First off, the lovely lady in the photo is Pam, a friend in our town who is undergoing chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. She bravely decided to go to our school's Halloween party donning her PERFECTLY shaped bald head and her pink, breast cancer fairy costume. You go, girl! p.s. I am not the only one who thinks she is so great-check this out: http://portraitcommunity.blogspot.com/2009/10/pamela-cytron.html

Secondly, I recently met a writer, Jeanne Besser, who just happens to have written a cookbook with three nutritionists from the American Cancer Society. The book is called What to Eat During Cancer Treatment. What makes this book unique is that it has recipes that are focused on different side effects of treatment such as what to eat when you are nauseated, when you have a sensitivity to smells, etc. In addition, there are recipes that the entire family can enjoy. I am waiting for my copy so I can make sure to create helpful and delicious recipes for my friends and loved ones undergoing treatment.
Here is the link to get the book:

http://www.amazon.com/What-During-Cancer-Treatment-Family-Friendly/dp/1604430052

Here's a link for the Great-American-Eat-Right-Cookbook which is another book by Jeanne to prevent cancer:
http://www.amazon.com/Great-American-Eat-Right-Cookbook-Good/dp/094423593X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256671276&sr=8-3

Also, here's a blog that also helps with recipes for people with cancer:
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2009/10/classic-comfort-food-during-cancer-treatment.html#more

Lastly, we have Gigi Gould, an inspiring cancer survivor who provides exercise sessions for post-op breast cancer patients. Although descriptions of some exercises are now available on the internet, Gigi stresses the importance of having an individualized program, and guidance to ensure that the exercises are done correctly to prevent injury and to gain the full benefit intended. She is a certified Pink Ribbon Program Exercise Specialist.

Gigi also began a Mutual-help group for women diagnosed with breast cancer. They meet every two weeks and the main goal is to provide on-going support for one another. In addition, they share new information about the latest studies, treatments, and nutritional information. Space for their meetings has been very generously offered by Dawn Diamond of the NJ Center for Healthy Living on Bloomfield Ave.in Montclair. For more info about her Pilates/Pink Ribbon Program sessions, please contact Gigi at movetorecovery@gmail.com.

Here is a link to an article that just came out about the benefits of exercise after breast surgery:

http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.show/id/2/article_id/1299

Here is a recipe that is a nice alternative to processed desserts for a bakesale. A volunteer at the Halloween costume party made them and they were so good, I asked her to email the recipe to me. Thanks, Elizabeth!

Oatmeal Jammy Bars:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks/6 oz) cold, unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cup store bought jam ( apricot and raspberry work great) - use more for sweeter version.

Preheat oven to 350*. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish. In large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, using a whisk to combine thoroughly. Scatter the cubed butter evenly over the flour mixture and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two kitchen knives until mixture is moist and slightly crumbly. Add in the oats and toss evenly to mix.

Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Dollop jam in smaller spoonfuls over crumb mixture then spread to cover evenly. Crumble remaining dough evenly over the top, and press down lightly.

Bake until top is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack, and then cut into bars.

(1/4 cup ground pecans or almonds can be an optional addition to the dough. Add when oats are added. I do not put them in mine.)

Tuna Empanadas, Composting and Tad Martin on my BLOG!!!

Hi everyone. Yes, you guessed it! That is Tad Martin (Michael Knight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tad_Martin)from All My Children in the photo (and my friend, Kristin with her empanadas). I met him at the Little Kid's Rock benefit concert where Clarence Clemons was being honored for his charitable works with kids and music education. I overcame my obstacle of shyness :-)and approached Michael Knight who indulged me. He talked to me about how he had never been given the opportunity to sing as a kid. He was there to cheer LKR on because he knows how important music education is. Yay, Tad!

Well, I am so proud of Michael Knight AND of myself because I finally put together my new compost bin by myself and had my kids and their friends help me throw in tons of scraps of fruit and vegetables as well as leaves into the bin (see how in the video below). As you may know, I hate waste and I even hate to waste waste! Composting allows me to even use my garbage scraps to save room in landfills as well as enrich our soil.

Now, how do I tie in the recipe to the content above? Hmmm....Well, my friend Kristen served me this delectable tapa, Tuna empanada, last week when we visited her and her boyfriend, Sal. Let's just say that we recycle our memories when we reunite by recreating our time spent in Spain in the early nineties. She always cooks me delicious, homemade Spanish food and this is one that I will be adding to my own repertoire. Enjoy it!

Tuna Empanadas:

2 sheets frozen puff pastry dough (we both made the dough from scratch but it was WAY too much work and boxed is much easier and better)
1 can tuna in water, fully drained
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 large chopped onion
1-2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chopped roasted peppers (mine were Trader Joe's brand)
1 egg, beaten
Tomato Sauce for Empanada

Sautee onion in olive oil until transparent, but not browned in oil. Add tomatoes and cook with onions on medium heat, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as they soften. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, continuing to break up tomatoes if needed. Add the salt and pepper and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes until thickened enough that the sauce will not pass through a small strainer because you will want to spread it on the pastry dough.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place one layer of the puff pastry dough. Spread the onion, tomato sauce on the slightly defrosted pastry dough. Add a layer of drained tuna and a layer of chopped roasted red peppers. Top with the second layer of puff pastry, pinch all the sides together to stay closed and brush the raw, beaten egg over the top.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until golden brown on top. Slice up and serve warm.

Millet with Currants and Sliced Almonds

Hi everyone! First off, I want to remind you that I will be running a Take Back the Kitchen workshop at the Montclair Adult School on November 2ndat 7PM. To sign up and learn ALL that we discuss here re: storing, prepping, shopping for and cooking delicious meals on a consistent basis and more!, click here: http://adultschool1.org/index.cfm?method=ClassInfo.ClassInformation&int_class_id=10441&int_category_id=2&int_sub_category_id=20&int_catalog_id=0

O.K....Today's recipe is another simple pantry dish; Millet. As we have discussed, millet is a really healthy grain that you can pull out of your cupboard and prepare as a side dish or entree with very little effort. If you are afraid of how old the stuff in your pantry is, check out the site Melissa and Lisa told me about which tells you how long you can eat aging food: http://stilltasty.com/

My dish was made easier by the fact that I used up the remaining herbs from my herb garden which meant I did not have to shop at all to make it. I had my almonds in the freezer (for freshness) and my currants in the pantry. I made this as a side dish but you could easily throw in some tofu or shrimp to make it a full meal. Stock the Pantry! It's that easy! Once you have made your life easier, you'll have more time to enjoy the important things in life-like your kids on a swing...

Millet with Currants and Sliced Almonds:

4 cups cooked millet, cooled
2/3 cup minced fresh parsley
2/3 cup minced cilantro
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup currants (tiny raisins you can get at most supermarkets and Whole Foods)
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS chipotle pepper sauce (Optional-can get at Latin stores or Whole Foods)
1 tsp salt- more to taste
ground fresh pepper

In a large bowl, combine all the above ingredients, stir and enjoy warm or hot.

P.S. Check out my recipe and video later today on http://www.baristanet.com/baristakids/blog/take-back-the-kitchen-nugget-alternative/#more

Chipotle Corn Salad and Shoe Gambling

Hi everyone. As promised, I am showing you my beautiful and comfortable new Tory Jane shoes. I have coveted these shoes for months and finally bought them. Now, as many of my friends know, most of my clothing is purchased from yard sales (like my new leather jacket for $25.00) which is my form of entertainment, like gambling.

I allowed myself the guilty pleasure of the new shoe purchase because I know how much I save at the yard sales. Much like spending on organic fruit and vegetables for good health, knowing that I use every scrap for cooking and now composting with my HUGE compost bin that I bought yesterday (I feel so virtuous helping the earth) makes me feel better about where my money is going. Similarly, saving all that cash at yard sales allows me to shop for some new and fabulous items.

Are you wasting money or food? Let's make sure to store our food properly and plan ahead so we don't throw out all those ingredients that go bad. Also, keep your eye out for those awesome ToryJane sales :-)

Here's a great recipe to use up all the rest of the fresh corn of the season. If you don't plan on using the corn right away, cut the corn off the cob and freeze in a ziploc , double bagged, to avoid freezer burn.

Chipotle Corn Salad:

3 cups corn,steamed for 5 minutes, cooled and cut off the cob (about 5 corn cobs)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 tomatoes , med. sized, seeded and chopped
1 tsp salt
few grinds pepper
Olive oil to taste, start with one TBS to taste
1/4 tsp ground chipotle pepper
juice of 1/2 lime

Mix all above ingredients together in a big bowl. Delicious as a side dish!

Shrimp with Basil and I Don't Care if You Don't want it...

Hi everyone. My husband won't eat shrimp and it makes me CRAZY. Shrimp tastes so good and is very simple to prepare. Instead of getting mad at him whenever I want to eat shrimp, I invite a shrimp eating friend over to dine with me. Thanks for coming, Suzanne. So there.

Shrimp with Basil:
1 tsp peanut or canola oil
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp chili sauce (optional for spice)
1 lb raw shrimp
1 med. sized onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch cleaned and chopped bok choy
2 Large green or red peppers, thinly sliced
3 TBS chopped roasted peanuts or cashews (optional)

In a large wok or skillet, heat up the oil. When it is hot in a few minutes, add onions, peppers and garlic and stir for a few minutes.
Add bok choy and stir a bit until wilty-a minute or two.
Add raw shrimp and cook until it turns pink.
Add soy sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce and stir.
Lastly, add the basil, stir just until it gets wilted and serve with rice or by itself. Top with nuts if you are using them.

P.S. Check me out on baristakids this week at http://www.baristanet.com/baristakids/blog/take-back-the-kitchen-losing-the-junk-food-without-losing-your-mind-3/#more

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