Compass & Coffee Spoons

Weekend Brunch Special: Non Carb Zombie Edition

 

I love weekend breakfast/brunch. If I had to pick one meal to eat for the rest of my life, it would be breakfast. This is, of course, due to my being a carb addict. So many breakfast foods are carby, sugary goodness. The problem with this (yes, I said problem) is that your blood sugar crashes after eating a heavy pancake breakfast and you're a bump on a log for the rest of the day. Unless you have nothing to do, this is a problem.

Oatmeal pancakes to the rescue! I first discovered this recipe when I tried the South Beach Diet (which works great, but for me, is too difficult to sustain--the carb thing). These pancakes use oatmeal which has a low glycemic index and cottage cheese along with egg whites to create a pancake with high protein and no sugar crash later. This fact would also probably make the recipe a better choice for diabetics.

I found this recipe submitted by The South Beach Diet on Allrecipes.com. I've gotten between 4 and 6 pancakes from this. That's 1 serving, or 2 small servings.

1/4 c cottage cheese (or tofu--I've never tried that. I HAVE used ricotta, which also works nicely.)

1/2 c. old fashioned oats

4 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla extract

(You can also add cinnamon and/or nutmeg or other spices as desired. The recipe calls for 1/4 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg. I've put more, I've left out--it's up to you!)

Couldn't be easier. Heat a pan as in making pancakes. Put all the ingredients into a blender (maximum easyness is a stick bender or Magic Bullet...I'm sure a small chopper/food processor would also work). Blend. Make as in making regular pancakes. Serve.

I eat these with regular maple syrup, because I don't trust sugar free stuff. But, the real South Beach thing of course requires that you don't use sugar. I should also note that I've made these with 3 egg whites--this makes them slightly thicker (see below for pictures of that time). I imagine you could also get creative and do some mix-ins: dark chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry, pecan...whatever you like with regular pancakes. The pancakes don't taste like regular pancakes...but in some ways, I like them MORE. They're very substantial. And I'm not catatonic afterwards.

 

 

 



Make Your Own Vanilla

I admit. I had no idea 1.) how vanilla extract was made or 2.) that it could be made in one's home.  Then, my wonderful cousin Lauren surprised me and other family members with these:

Aren't they the cutest? And it turns out Lauren was ahead of none other than Ms. Martha! Because I opened Martha Stewart Living this month (Christmas gift!), and this is what I see.

Lauren is so cutting-edge. What really surprised me is how EASY it is. I'm going to shorten this, but basically, you take vanilla beans, scrape out the seeds, and stick the pods in bottles with vodka...and then shake them every day for a month or two. That's it! I'm so going to try this one day once Lauren's runs out. I'm wondering if I can do the same with anise extract!

Cool Yule

I've been told that my fans miss me. Sorry...I just haven't felt like blogging. Hopefully, this will get the juices flowing!

I spent about 10 days back home, and they went really fast. It was a somewhat hazardous holiday. Both my brother and his dog had "paw" injuries--my brother from cutting ham and my brother's dog from having my brother cut his nails. Doesn't he look sad? Notice the bandage.

 

That's okay, he got LOTS of toys from Santa, including the one he's holding and using as a pillow. I got great stuff from Santa too, including toasty gloves, a great new Scanpan frying pan, and boiled wool slippers. Love them! Check out the velvet "coat" on the Scanpan!

 

 

I had my own holiday party the weekend after New Year's--my Twelfth Night Tea. I love entertaining after the holidays. Why? Let me count the ways. 1.) it extends the holiday season; 2.) people aren't as crazed, so they can enjoy the party more; 3.) you get discounts on Christmasy party supplies; 4.) I'm less crazed so I can enjoy the party more!

I don't prepare for weeks before. That would be a sane thing to do, but unfortunately, that would negate the whole purpose of having it after the holidays because I'm too busy in December. No, I prefer to wait until a day or two before and work nonstop.

I had Friday off and so decided to work my magic that day. I had planned my menu a few weeks in advance, tweaking it along the way. I ordered most of the ingredients from Peapod (love it!). All of the stuff was able to be made ahead. Here's the menu: 

• Steamy Passion Cocktail
• Terrific Red Lentil Soup
• Spinach Cheese Quiche
• Bacon Onion Tart--with this filling
• Black Bean Dip
• Crudite
• Chocolate Brownie Cookies
• Molasses Cookies
• Pizzelles

And the results?

 
 
Before guests arrived, I had a quiet moment:

 

Yup, bar's all set...

 

Let the guests arrive!

 

And Jake wins as the youngest guest in his cute puppy outfit from Christine! :)

 
 

When guests left, I gave them a tea bag with a sticker commemmorating the event. Unfortunately, the stickers were illegible. Doh!

 

 

 

Viva El Taco!

Hola Amigos!

I simply refuse to believe it has been 2+ months since I posted. To be honest, I have considered quitting the blog. It's just not that rewarding anymore, and I can't explain why. I'm frustrated by Typepad (like now, when it keeps changing the font size on me). Anyway, we'll see. I'll keep you posted.

One of my favorite meals ever is tacos. And I don't mean fancy, Oyamel tacos, though those are delicious too. I mean the type 10 year olds like. Crispy shells, ground meat, cheese, etc. I do make mine a little more adult-friendly by using ground turkey breast (gotta watch that cholesterol), but otherwise, it's pretty much the same I ate as a kid. Except I skip the iceberg lettuce because I can't be bothered.

Being a child of the 80s, it never occured to me that seasoning could come from anything but a packet.  Literally, until I was 30-something, this never occurred to me. It was only when I was looking for something with less sodium that I found out a little secret: taco mix is just spices. (Well, unless you buy those packets in which case you're getting a lot of strange chemicals too).

So, I started making my own. There are many varieties on the Web, and really you can play with it until it's how you like it. And, that is the wonderful thing about it--it's customizable. I personally like ones that incorporate corn starch, because it then thickens into a sauce like the packets mom used to make. I based mine on a recipe from The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever by Beatrice Ojakangas (a really kick ass book). I did make some adjustments.

Taco Seasoning

2 T Chili Powder (pick a heat level that works for you)

2 t Paprika

1 t Cayenne (again, adjust the heat)

1 1/2 t Dried Oregano Leaves

1 T salt

1/4 t Black pepper

2 T Cornstarch

1/4 t. Garlic Powder

1 t. Ground Cumin

A few dashes of Ground Chipotle

Mix it all together. Store in a jar. Add about 2 T with about a cup of water and cook for 5 min after browning meat. If you feel it's too thin, add a wee bit more.

Buen Provecho! Enjoy!

WOWZA! It's been a long time!

Yeah, so it's been awhile. It's not that I don't think of you. Or this blog. I do. I just haven't been able to devote enough energy, mental or otherwise, to it.  I've thought of transferring my blog over to Blogger. Thoughts? Paying seems stupid. I used to have a Blogger blog. Actually still do, I guess, just not active. [Edited: Upon trying to "fix" the fonts...I ended up with a big mess...sorry. I don't understand why Typepad does this. And I pay for the privilege of a messed up blog]

I've been on a bit of a "product" kick lately. So, I thought I'd share a few of my material discoveries (also note that I've played with the image here in Picnik):

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer SPF 55 Liquid Sunscreen ($12.99 at Drugstore.com)

This stuff is 'da bomb. I had always wanted to heed the "wear sunscreen daily" mantra, but I HATED how the stuff felt greasy on my already oily-tending skin. This is one of the only ones I'm actually comfortable wearing. It's very light and non-greasy. As far as I can tell, it isn't clogging my pores. Another bonus is that this stuff goes pretty far, but is in a small enough container that you could pack it in your carry on!

Biore Enliven Cooling Eye Gel ($9.49 at Drugstore.com)I can't back up the claims it makes about making me look more awake (I'm sure those who have seen me in the mornings lately would beg to differ), but the stuff feels great.

Crest 3D White Vivid Toothpaste ($4.29 at Drugstore.com)I have used those strips before, but really hate having them in my mouth. Whether this "removes 90% of surface stains within two weeks" remains unseen, but I could tell within one use that it was doing something. That was enough for me. Their snappy ad with the chick getting the photoshoot and drinking wine against the orders of her manager didn't hurt.

The next thing I have "discovered" lately isn't a beauty product but a food. I bought a watermelon at Harris Teeter that was  bit mushy, but still sweet. Overripe, I guess. So, I decided to do what I'd seen on the streets of Taipei: make a sort of batido--blended watermelon juice. Basically took the chunks and blended them. Yummy and very refreshing. Today, I amped that up a notch. I froze the remaining chunks then blended them with pinot grigio for a fancy grown up slushee:

Big. Yum.

Greek Week

It's Greek Week in Christine's Kitchen. I typically like to pick a dish to make for lunch and one for dinner, to last me through the week. This week, through no premeditation, it just so happened to be of a Mediterranean vibe, from two yummy recipes from Cooking LIght online. Find them at the links below (don't want anyone getting legal on my butt).

Tabbouleh with Chicken and Red Pepper

Swiss Chard Spanikopita

Seriously, the flavors in these are magic. I don't know if it's the lemon or the mint or the parsley, but they sing.

The Tabbouleh...

From this:

And this...

To this:

 
 
 
And the spanikopita of sorts with delicious Swiss chard! From this:

To this:

All a girl needs for some fun is a big, rubber...

Spatula! (Get your mind out of the gutter, you cheek!) I scored a really awesome and BIG Le Creuset spatula/scraper in a fun olivey green at Home Goods yesterday. (A big THANKS to my friend Erin who incorporated a trip to Homegoods with a search for her new apartment. I don't go to Home Goods often, because they are not really accessible to me, but I like it because it's like the Marshall's or TJ Maxx home section (my favorite section of those stores) on steroids. Sure, you have to kind of ignore the sensory overload of the faux flowers and huge paper mache roosters, but you can find some good deals on essentials. I will definitely go there if I ever need table lamps; their selection in that department was fantastic. But, on to the subject at hand, my spatula.

The spatula is actually made of silicone with a wood handle. The head is detachable, too. I feel the spatula is really the unsung hero of the kitchen. What else can make sure you get that very last bit o' batter into your mouth...uh, I mean, pan? Or, the peanut butter out of the jar? This find was particularly exciting because it's added a new size to my collection:

 
  

I like my teeny one on the far left, from the Williams Sonoma Outlet, for getting the last bits out of jars. The two Pampered Chef ones are good all-rounders. I don't know why I have the black handled one...it was kind of a cheap, Kmart purchase a long time ago, but I guess I figure you can never have too many. However, as you can see, the new one trumps them all in size. Can't wait to dive into some new recipes to try it out!
  
  
  

Damn Those Australians and Their Licorice!!!*

That's all. Carry on.

 

*Actually, Australians are very nice people, and I'm sure it's not their intent to derail my nutritional program with the licorice, but there you have it.

Rainy Day Baking Fun

I am proud to say today was a much more successful day in my kitchen! I baked bread. I was suprised that although my food processor is 12 cups, they still only recommend making one loaf in it. Oh well. I credit the food processor with the wonderful wonderful resulting loaf. This greatly surpasses any bread I ever made kneading by hand. It truly makes breadmaking easy. It doesn't change the time greatly (can't make that yeast act any faster than it will), but it does make it a little less messy and made the bread turn out delish. Nice and soft and airy inside.

Yum-my.

Cracking Up

Yesterday was not a proud day for Christine's kitchen. I thought I'd bake bread, using my new food processor, but clearly did not leave enough time to do so between laying around and the time I'd have to leave to meet Miss Emily for cocktails and a movie (Shutter Island--pretty good). So, instead, I decided to make crackers, something so Martha Stewart I've always wanted to do it. Well, the day started badly. As I reached for baking powder, a spice jar fell out of the cabinet and broke one of my bread dishes that was sitting in the sink:

I'm thinking of trying to repair it. We'll see. I'm sure it will sit on my counter for awhile.  Anyway, back to the crackers. I was using a recipe from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook but alas, did not follow the cardinal rule. I started before reading through the entire recipe. I put in too much of the salt and threw the butter in before mixing the dry ingredients. I used my food processor to cut in the butter and indeed, it made it super easy. The recipe is also easy: 2 c flour, 1 T sugar, 2 t salt, 2 T chilled butter, & 2/3 c milk. Basically, you mix everything up (only 1/2 t of salt), and then roll out, score, sprinkle w/ the rest of the salt, and bake at 425 for 6-8 min on one side and 5 on the other.

 

Rolling and cutting the crackers was also easy. You just score it slightly, to make them easier to break off later. I used a ravioli cutter for one sheet and a knife for the other. I should have made both sheets during the same round in the oven (mistake 3), but I didn't. 

 

 

 

Now here's the problem. First pan: too thickly rolled and on the airbake pan, probably needed longer in the oven. In contrast, second pan, nice thickness, but the dark pan helped burn my crackers. Sad.

 

 

That said, I liked my cracker baking experience. It was fairly easy and the crackers, even the burnt ones, were tasty. So, I'll take those little "learning moments" and apply them to future attempts!