Pie with nothing wrong

Pie with nothing wrong

I nailed it, the pie with nothing wrong in it! 

Gluten-free diary-free sugar-free vegan / parve crust

2 cups of Medjool dates 

2 cups of cashew nuts 

Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

Vegetable oil (avocado, corn, grape, safflower - any vegetable oild without strong taste) - 1/4 cup

Vanilla extract - 1 tea spoon (optional) 

A pinch of salt

Blend dates with lemon juice, add cashews, salt, vanlla extract, oil and blend together. 
Press the paste against the bottom  and walls of the pan. 

Keep in the fridge for at least an hour, overnight or not at all. 

Gluten-free diary-free sugar-free vegan / parve filling

Genrous amount of cut cooked sweet squash

         For best results, use kabocha squash, delicata / sweet dumpling  squash

1 sour apple cut in small chunks

Mix together 

Cholesterol-free dairy-free meringue  --or-- egg-free sugar-free whipped cream

Egg whites from 3 eggs

Sugar powder or white sugar - 60 mg

Lemon juice

A pinch of salt

Cream of tartar or vinegar - small amount to stabalize the foam
Beat egg whites in a glass or metal bowl (no plastic)

Beat them slow, beat them faster, get some peaks before adding sugar  and other ingidients, 

beat the mix to get soft peaks, medium peaks or stiff peaks depending on your preference. 
Stiff peaks are nice for decore. 

--or--

Whip heavy cream (guess you can explore a vegan whipping cream option, I used a regular whipping cream / heavy cream) 

And now all together  

Start preheating the oven at 200F

Take the pan from the fride, add the filling, top with meringue

Bake for about 45 min 

--or--

Preheat the oven at 400F

Take the pan from the fride, add the filling 

Bake for abot 20 min

Cool

Add whipped cream on top

Bottomline 

Truth to be told, I almost nailed it down. 

It still contains either egg whites or dairy cream (unless you figure it out with coconut cream option). 

If egg whites are involved, you'll need sugar for meringue. But then it's parve. 

In any case the crust and the filling are vegan, parve and sugar-free.

 

Complex tastes: creamy cilantro ginger fish soup

A very quick version of a very nuanced fish soup

If you mix sweet, sour, salty tastes together, it will help you with your life struggles. 
You'll come out as sophysticated and self-confident individual. 

Ingridients

Fish - any white fish fillets will do, tiplapia, cod, flounder, sole, haddock, pollock... - 2-3 pounds
Water - tap water as needed
Coconut milk - 1 can

Cilantro - 1 bunch (thick)
Ginger root - 1 arm
Onion - 1 large yellow onion, cut in large pieces
Garlic - ~5 cloves
Half lemon or 1 lime
Sweet potatos or yam - 2 medium or 1 large
Tomatoes fresh or canned - 1 can  or I can't? I think there don't belog here/ 
Spices: coriander, salt, curry (green curry paste works as well)

Bake potatoes (I use microwave) to make them easy to cut, or cut the raw ones

Mash cilantro and cut onion in  food processor with 1 glass of water
Mash peeled and cut giner root and garlic with 1 glass of water
Combine in a pot, add spices and simmer.
Mash tomatoes or skip tomatoes? 
Add coconut milk and bring to boil
Add ~2-3 more glasses of water and bring to boil
Add yam cut into small cubes 
Add fish and bring to boil again
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
If the stock is too concentrated for your taste, dilute with more water and bring to boil
Squeeze 1/2 lemon / lime (optional)
Let it cool down a bit and serve

Serving

Chooped greens (scallions, cilantro), lime wedges are optional
Nice with a side of rice or good bread

Storage

Good in the fridge for a few days

Cheese Souffle

Souffle goes as a sweet dessert 

    if paired with black currant, 

    raspberry preserve, 

    orange jam 

    or fresh berries. 

It makes for a great savoury dish 

    if paired with truffles, 

    fried porcine 

    or portabella  mushrooms.

 

***

Take 3 large eggs and lightly beat with a fork.

Mix in ricotta (15 oz box). Take reduced fat option if this is your preference.  

Add grated lemon zest. 

Add a teaspoon of natural vanilla extract - strictly optional. 

Mix together. 

Add 2 table spoons of either 

        potato starch (gluten-free option but perfectly appropriate for any diet) 

        or wheat flour, 

topped with half-teaspoon of baking powder 

    and a pinch of salt. 

Mix into batter well. 

Add 1 measuring cup of grated cheese (Parmesan, or mix of few cheeses). 

Mix together with a spatula. 

***

Start heating the oven. 

Polish the bottom and sides of baking from with butter. 

Pout batter, helping yourself with spatula, into the form. 

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes. 

Once  you almost like the colour, turn off the oven 

    and keep  souffle in there for 10 minutes. 

Take the form out and let souffle to cool down for at least 10 minutes, 

    placing the form on a rack.

Nudge souffle out of the form on a cutting board. 

Now you should be able to cut souffle with a knife. 

Serve warm.   

 

Chicken soup diet - 3 day weight loss program without feeling hungry

Chicken soup for your diet

For preparation, you'll need a large stock pot and a skimmer tool,
Fiskars 7 Inch Folding Saw / meat cleaver or garden scissors, vegetable peeler.  

Consider 

Le Creuset Enameled-Steel Stock Pot, 8-Qt

Consider 

 SUR LA TABLE STAINLESS STEEL FINE-MESH SKIMMER

Wash your chicken and cut it in quarters. 
Place into the stock pot. 
Add 4-5 liters of water, 1 table spoon of salt. 
Bring to boil, remove the foam and reduce the heat, keep simmering for an hour. 
Add 1 whole onion, 2 peeled carrots half-way. 
Remove the onion and dispose of it. 

Diet with your chicken soup

Day one
For early lunch drink 300 mg of bullion. 
Eat half of chicken quarter. 
Pause between meals. 
Repeat 2 times during the day. 
Eat 1/2 carrot. 
If you get hungry, drink more bullion. 

Day two
For early lunch drink 300 mg of bullion. 
Eat half of chicken quarter. 
Pause between meals. 
Repeat 2 times during the day. 
Eat 1/2 carrot. 
If you get hungry, drink more bullion. 
 
Day three
For early lunch drink 300 mg of bullion. 
Eat half of chicken quarter. 
Pause between meals. 
Repeat 2 times during the day.
Oh! I guess no more chicken left for the last meal. 
Eat remaining carrot. 
Drink all the bullion you want. 

***
Whole chicken provides you with 3300 calories. 
You'll feel extremely satisfied by the end of this 3-day exercise and may wish to repeat every 4 weeks. 

Fat and salty cookies

 

200 gr. of coarse-grated sharp cheese (e.g. Parmesan) 

mix with

6-8 table spoons overloaded with flour

and baking powder at the tip of the knife

Then manually involve

80 gr. frozen grated butter

into the mix of dry ingridients

Add 1 egg beaten with 1-2 half egg-shells of water.

Make 2  balls, wrap into plastic or something else to prevent drying 

and cool in refrigerator for 1/2 hour. 

Roll with a pin and cur out cookies with a small glass or the cookie cutter of your liking. 

Bake at 180C for 12-18 minutes till golden.  

Enjoy instead of breakfast. 

Breakfast ideas for breakfast-conscious

Breakfast with farmer's cheese Mediterranean way

Farmer's cheese or greek yogurt [ gvina lebana ]
with chopped tomatoes
cucumber chunks
black olives
and olive oil
- add salt and pepper or have it bare.

Best popcorn recipe for healthy diet

Pour moderate amount of good oil (no coconut oil or palm oil, please) into a thick-bottomed pot,
add a pinch of salt,
distribute corn kernels evenly in a single layer,
add another pinch of fine salt.
Cover the pot and put heat under the pot on high.
Once you hear few pops in a row, wait for 15 seconds and turn the heat off.
Wait till popping subsides.
Open the lid and empty the pot into some suitable bowl.
Enjoy in place of supper with plenty of water. 

CranMuffins (CRANBERRY MUFFINS)

Season of fresh cranberries in New England.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup cranberries, quartered
• 8 tablespoons sugar, divided
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel, optional
• Cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

Sprinkle cranberries with 2 tablespoons sugar; set aside. Sift remaining sugar, flour, baking powder and salt into large mixing bowl. In separate bowl, beat egg, milk and oil. Make a hole in center of dry ingredients; pour in liquid ingredients. Stir only until mixed; do not overmix. Add berries and lemon peel. Fill greased standard or extra-large muffin cups with mixture. Sprinkle tops of muffins with cinnamon-sugar. Bake at 400° about 18 minutes for standard-size muffins or about 22 minutes for extra-large muffins.

Yield: 12 standard-size

Originally published as Cranberry Muffins in Country February/March 1991.

Now, if you want to pretend it's healthy to eat 3-4 muffins with your evening tea, substitute sugar with brown sugar, substitute 1/2 flour with oats, I guess it will still taste good. And, of course, if you have a lot of physical activity, sports and otherwise, or you are a young child with quick metabolism, these muffins are exceptionally good. 

I halved cranberries,  not quartered, worked fine. Cinnamon sugar is just a mix of ground cinnamon and brown sugar. 

Brunch party menu 1-2-3 (part 3)

Part 3. This will feed 33+ people. 

Sharlotka

Vegetarian

A lot of sour green apples, really a lot (Granny Smith) - 8-10 big apples

4 tbs brown sugar

Cinnamon 

4 cups of milk 

3 eggs

Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract. 

Unsalted Kate's butter - 8 oz.

Layer of dry white bread generously dipped in milk mixed with eggs (natural vanilla extract optional), a layer of sour apples, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, and again a layer of bread and a layer of apples, sprinkled. 

Stick big chunks of butter here and there by perimeter. 

Bake at ~350F for some time till it feels right - apples are soft and soaked bread is like bread pudding (takes about an hour).  

This dish better be prepared a day before the party than warmed in the oven. 

Brunch party menu 1-2-3 (part 2)

Part 2. This will feed 33+ people. 

Hash Browns / Mashrooms / Sour Cream / Cheese casserole

Gluten-free, vegetarian

Fry chopped onions till translucent. 

Fry mushrooms till fried. If you see mushroom juice expressed in the process, get rid of it.

Peel and cut potatoes in cubes, place into large bowl with cold water. Wait till the water gets cloudy, dispose of water and repeat.  The objective is to get rid of starch in order to achieve crispness when baking.

Splash oil on backing sheet, bake potatoes (some salt) till golden brown. If you see liquid expressed from potatoes in the process of baking,  get rid of it.

Put mushrooms and onions on top.

Put sour cream (large box) mixed with few eggs and some salt and nutmeg or cloves on top of mushroom/onions.

Bake for some time till top layer feels ready.
Top  with layer of grated cheese and bake till cheese becomes golden-colored melt.
Once ready and removed from the oven, let the casserole rest for 10+ minutes before cutting into it.

Brunch party menu 1-2-3 (part 1)

Part 1. This will feed 33+ people.

"Mimosa" (staple brunch cocktail) 

I don't have to spell it out here. 

Bagels (staple breakfast food) 

ALERT: THIS IS NOR GLUTEN-FREE, NEITHER VEGETARIAN.   

Pre-order 2 dozen Brugger's bagels for pick up or delivery fresh from the oven right before the party

Goes with cream cheese, butter, smoked salmon, smoked whitefish, cucumbers. 

I like poppy seed & pumpernickel bagels and jalapeño cream cheese. 

But don't forget: plain bagels and plain cream cheese are always popular.

Shakshuka (Jerusalem love affair with eggs)

Gluten-free, vegetarian

3 medium-size  eggplants - cut in chunks and bake   (some salt). 

Splash a bit of oil (sunflower / avocado / grape-seed) on the deep baking tray.   

Cut tomatoes in rounds and place as first layer on the tray. Be more generous with tomatoes than I was today! Add salt.

Put pre-baked eggplant and freshly cut sweet peppers mixed together as second layer (some salt). 

Slice some garlic.  Add spices such as cumin.

Crack eggs on top, yolk intact. At least a dozen (some salt on top).

Bake till eggs become solid. To get unusual brownish color for the yolks use oven "broil" setting.
This is "feed the crowd" recipe. In normal circumstances use the frying pan & stove top. 

 

 

Almond flour cake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

It's really simple.
Started making one for a friend of mine who benefits from gluten-free diet - and can't stop.
You'll need 3 bowls, 1 measure cup, 1 teaspoon, 1 table spoon, one mixer.
Mix 3 cups of almond flour, 1 pinch of salt, 2/3 teaspoons of baking powder, lemon zest in one bowl.
Take 5 eggs and separate yolks and whites.
Mix whites with 1/2 (or slightly less) cup of sugar and few drops of lemon juice till you get pronounced peaks.
Mix yolks with 1/2 (or slightly less) cup of sugar, 1 table spoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice till consistent and pale yellow.
Mix yolk mixture into flour mixture, then fold in whipped whites.
Bake in round form at 350F for 30 minutes.
Once done and cooled, there are numerous ways of making it presentable.
Say, spread thin layer of jam in a circle (for stickiness) and drop some slivered almonds on top.
Or cut the cake and pour some fruit preserve which is on liquid side (black currant) in spiral starting from the center.
Or top with fresh strawberries.


I leak my bowls clean - each one is a dessert by itself.

Mammographer

There was this guy, mammography tech. Divorced, no kids.
He saw such beauty in women's breasts that he became obsessed with it and broke the medical code of conduct.

Women that come for breast cancer screening test can be pretty vulnerable.
And they have to wait for days, up to to 2 weeks, to learn the results.
He was telling them they can contact him and learn the results a bit earlier in case they are nervous.
If they were interested, he handed them his phone number.

Results were none of his business but he gained access to computer system and actually could check patient's data.
As we know he broke medical code of conduct.
Some results were bad news, some needed one more visit, most were good news.
Most women didn't call him but some did.
If news were good he delivered them and asked whether they'll be interested in the opportunity to have their photos taken at his studio.
Because he is an artist who is working as mammography tech for living.
He is taking photos for competitions and contests - and he knows she will bring him luck, for she is so beautiful.
Most women didn't agree to come for shoots, but some did.
Some expected him to make advances and prepared to protect themselves, some flirted and tried to seduce him after he took their photos striped from waist up.
But he was very professional and never did any such thing as have sex with them or even touch them.
All he was interested in were their breasted as an art object.
He was very grateful for having them in his studio.

When news were bad or not clear, he evaded delivering them. Most women never called again but few called after learning they were about to have a surgery.
They wanted their half-naked photos taken before the surgery.
He valued these models even more.

When he grew old and stopped working, eventually he had to move to retirement home.
His niece flews from NY to put her uncle's house on sale.
To her astonishment, there were hundreds and hundreds of black-and-white photos of women breasts,
young and old, perky and sagging, white and black, pale and tanned. Each had a number and the age of the model.
She asked her uncle who nearly lost his vision what to do about them.
He asked to bring him #56 and toss the rest.
His niece who was about to put his house on sale to raise money for his retirement home fees, spent day and night, day and night looking for #56.
But to no avail.
While browsing through boxes full of A1 size photos, she got used to and started liking these pictures of breasts.
She couldn't bring herself to tossing them into the garbage.

Instead she got rid of the furniture, put the photos up on the walls and put small price tags next to them.
She was Art Major, after all.
Most of the people who came to open house didn't pay attention but some bought one or two photos.
It was a small town.
The word spread.
People started coming to see the photos.
Then people from towns and cities nearby started coming.
Meanwhile, the photographer got very sick.
The niece extended her stay. She got very good offers for the house and sold it.
The new owner asked to keep some photos. The town library took some.
The town hall acquired some and planned exhibition hall with ex-mammography technician name on it.
The hype was attributed either to the fact that some prominent ladies on city council came forward and claimed to be the models decades ago -
or to the story of the artist, now on his deathbed, who did mammograms for living.

Charlotka, weekend brunch plans

Plans for weekend branch - onion pie, , may be shaakshuka as well, baby spinash with beets and goat cheese salad, "bread dish with apples".


Bread dish with apples: it's called Charlotka or Sharlotka, I belive it's Russian <-- French (there was a strong French influence before the war with Napoleon in 1812, aristocracy spoke French better than Russian). Layer of dry bread briefly dipped in milk mixed with egg (more mild than eggs, may be 2 cups of milk and 2 eggs), a layer of sour apples (or quince), sprinkled with sugar (I prefer brown sugar) and cinnamon, and again a layer of bread and a layer of apples. Bake on ~400F for some time, till it feels right (30 minutes?). Stick big chunks of butter here and there at some point (before it's done).
Once it cools down, sprinkle with powdered sugar for better presentation.

Time machine - wives liviing today in the 50s, 40s, 30s

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1042702/Time-Warp-Wives-Meet-women-really-live-past.html

If I were to choose, I would say get me a wife from the 50s!

I adore cloche hats from the 30s.

Lord & Taylor, on sale @ $24.99

But 50s wife as of from "Mad Men" is the best.
This couple is featured in TV series here:



According to Joanne Massey of the UK show Beehive wives her idea of the perfect day is staying in and cooking for her husband “I love nothing better than fastening my pinny round my waist and baking a cake for Kevin in my 1950s kitchen.I put on some lovely Frank Sinatra music and am completely lost in my own little fantasy world. In our marriage, I am very much a lady and Kevin is the breadwinner and my protector. We’ve been married for 13 years and we’re extremely happy because we both know our roles. There is none of the battling for equality that I see in so many marriages today.”


That was from 2008.

"They never mentioned that I do actually have a job (Joanne works two days a week at Shugborough Hall)."

Joanne was also irritated that neither organisation mentioned her considerable vocal talents. The 36-year-old is better known as her alter ego Lola Lamour, a Forties chanteuse who entertains audiences at dances and re-enactment events across the land.


Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/1950s-loving-Joanne-happily-stuck-past/story-12504774-detail/story.html#ixzz3gOdRlU4A

That was from 2009.

Joanne has three jobs and she enjoys them all. She works part-time in the shop at a National Trust property near where she lives. “Its a great place to work. Its right on my doorstop and I can cycle to work in the Summer on my 1930's push bike! My colleagues at the shop are good fun and lovely people. I also get to meet and chat with the customers and many locals come in for a chat.”


On some weekends she also works for the lord who lives at the property, which is her second job. Joanne said that it has been a great experience for her working there. She also had worked for Lord Patrick Lichfield up until his death a few years ago. “I enjoyed every minute of it. He was a true English gentleman and I miss him.”


Joanne would work at his house whenever he would have a house party, which was every other weekend in the Autumn as it is shooting season. “I was and am a maid. I do the rooms, serve dinner and help in the kitchen. Pack and unpack for guests. It was one of the best experiences of my life as I met many rich and famous people.” Since Joanne began her singing career, which is her third job, she hasn’t been able to work there much.

That was from 2010 - this interview creates a more sophisticated portrait.

Hope to find more follow-up articles and interviews in recent years.

 

Carrot curler strikes again

Gave a carrot curler as a souvenir to my girl friend from college.
- I remember how your Mom always made beautiful appetisers and salads for your birthday parties. Visually pleasing not just tasty.
These carrot curlers reminded of those good old days. 

Sur la Table @ $9.95

Carrot Stripper Curler Curls Vegetables for Garnishing-Kitchen Tools & Gadgets

Kitchen Tools & Gadgets  @ $18.95

---

Games people play

Had an opportunity to play with Conectaballs (r) the other night.

These are stretchable strings with 8 wooden balls each.

Two or more strings combined together will let you form this or that shape. 

Oh, they can grow pretty huge being connected as series of shapes. 

Natural wood is smooth to touch, addictive like praying beads.

Some adults will find coloured version more attractive, this is a matter of taste.

For young kids coloured version will be easier because you can get prompts from assembled coloured 3D shapes. 

This brain teaser may keep one engaged for hours but at the same time you can get a simple result pretty fast. Possibilities seem to be endless, as your imagination could be miraculously awaken.

It's a versatile game adaptable for early childhood development and for high school mathematics education.

Could be used for theoretical mathematics and stereo-metrical reasoning development: how many 8-ball strings are needed to assemble a 5-beam star? And how about a square pyramid with four beads on the side? How about a cube?

But just playing with the strings of balls without reasoning will work too! 

Very suitable for adult pass time. Trust me, one can be childfree and have fun with the game (yeah, you don't need kids to get kicks out of this puzzle). You can chat and drink with your friends and manipulate Conectaballs creating a new shape at the same time.

What is next? I hope next version will come with a stack of cards with pictures of the assembled shapes, marked with levels of complexity. It's real fun to create outside of the box, people like to say.  For me it's fun to see the target and know that I am advancing to the next game level.

But – bummer! - this item is not sold in any store: nor Amazon neither ToysRUs. Not even in  Learning Express Toys...

This can be changed and you are in control: support Conectaballs @ Kickstarter and wait for  your rewards (they ship internationally) as you help this wonderful product to make it to the stores. Imagine happy people buying Conectaballs for their kids, nephews and nieces, friends, ageing parents and themselves. 

 

Everclear

Everclear is pure grain alcohol bottled at 151-proof (75.5%) and 190-proof (95%). Sale of the latter is prohibited in many U.S. states.
I was lucky to have a cocktail made of home-made Everclear lemon and fresh ginger bitters mixed with sparling water and ice.

It's a real eye-opener I must say!

Back into the future

Sketchfab Talks 3D Printable Ties

There aren’t many ways that men today can express themselves with formal or office wear these days. While women are often pressured to wear stylish and expressive clothing, men tend to be forced into a box of bland sameness where your suit colors are black, brown, or blue. But wearing interesting neckties is often where men are allowed to shine, and express themselves and their unique personalities.

And what is awesome, neckties work for girls too!

And I told you so.

Bonus:

Protein pancakes

Life is sad without pancakes this time of the year. With darkness, cold and snowstorms  carbohydrates become unsanely desirable. 

3 eggs, a cup of milk, 2 teaspoons of white sugar, a pinch of salt and a half teaspoon of baking soda or a teaspoon of dry yeast and enough all-purpose bleached wheat flour mixed together to make for batter that has to be scooped rather than poured. Grilled in substantial amounts of oil and served with sour cream, jam or honey to make a perfect winter breakfast.
Very high in carbs.
And what we need is a healthy balance of protein, carbs and fat. 

~

Substitute white sugar with brown sugar,  take unbleached flour...
Sorry, whom are we kidding, still very high in carbs.

~

~~

Option one.
Sub sour cream with something high in protein: Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese.

~

~..~

~<>~

Option two.
Make batter protein-reach:

whisk 3 eggs, mix with 1 cup of cottage cheese, few tablespoons of water and 1 cup of rolled oats (branded as "Old-fashioned oats"  vs. "Quick"), let the mix stay for 7-10 minutes to let oats reabsorb the liquid.   Add 2 rounded tablespoons of flour, salt and soda. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if needed to achieve desired thickness.

Go!