Pate for the taking?

True story, circa 2004.

There once were two sisters that lived together, in a tiny white brick apartment on Clark Ave.  And in their kitchen, on the counter, lay a tiny food processor.  You could quite possibly hold it in the palm of your hand, and it was with that little machine, that a great disaster occurred.

There is a first time for everything, and usually with that comes a story.  I have a story of desire, disgust, and determination, and it all ended in pate.

With that tiny food processor, I pureed chicken livers, and cream, and spices.  Like a horror movie, but instead of blood, it was a milky pink holy mess all over me and the kitchen. Tessa, my sister, was there to witness it all. I collected myself, wiped away the evidence, and into the oven went my first pate. It turned out alright, I was even proud. And the liver was not to blame, I was the guilty one. Lesson learned, do not overfill a tiny food processor, especially with something that makes you a little queasy to begin with.

Brave eating is an admirable quality, and it takes "guts".  I have to say I wasn't introduced to organ meats here in NC, not saying anything about our eaters, but it was in San Francisco, were I lived for a short time, that I sat down at a restaurant to a plate of Rocky Mountain Oysters.  I was warned they were not oysters, but bull testicles, and I ever so hesitantly took a bite.

Since then, I continue to play for team Offal, team organ meat. I have had the daring adventures of making tripe, cow stomach lining bought from Cliff's Meat Market, in Carrboro, eating delicious sweet breads, the thymus gland of calves, at Fraziers, in Raleigh, and livers galore.

Liver, I found to be, surprisingly good for me. Like coconut, it is on my list of foods with unacknowledged health benefits, and I dare you to discover them by clicking here. Also, a few years ago I read the book, Eat right for Your Type, and liver was on the top of my list for optimal health! So, time and time again, I bring myself to eat it. But the most palatable way I have found to get it in my diet, is through pate.

 Pate I love and pate I make. 

This week it made my "to do" list.  It was made with a much bigger food processor, and myself and the walls, remained unsplattered.  I have eaten it for days and tried to share it along the way. Be brave my friends, be brave. I wouldn't share a recipe, if I didn't believe in you. 

Take the adventure. I dare you. (There is apple and butternut squash involved, that doesn't sound so bad does it...)

Creamy Chicken Liver Pate

(adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe and blog, Bitten

I apologize, for there are no pictures of the process. I was on the phone with my Dad the whole time, and my phone is my camera. So you will just have to make it for yourself to see how it unfolds!

Ingredients:

1 Pink Lady apple, diced into very small cubes

1/4 butternut squash, diced into very small cubes

1 T. olive oil

1/4 t. salt and sprinkles of pepper

10-15 peppercorns

2 allspice berries
1 clove
4 coriander seeds
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 T. dried sage
1 pound chicken livers
Salt
1/3 cup cream
1 to 2 tablespoons brandy
Bread or crackers for serving.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss apple and butternut squash cubes in bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven, on baking pan lined with parchment paper for 30 minutes. Allow to cool.


2. In a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder, combine peppercorns, allspice, clove and coriander seeds; grind until fine and set aside.

3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium-high heat; when foam subsides, add onion and sage, and cook until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add livers to pan and sprinkle with salt; cook livers on one side until they begin to brown, about 2 minutes, then flip them and cook the other side. Be sure to keep heat relatively high so that the outside of livers sears and inside stays pink.

4. Put onion, livers and their buttery juices, and apple and butternut squash, into a food processor or blender with remaining butter, the cream, spices and brandy. Purée mixture until it is smooth; taste and adjust seasoning.

5. Put pâté in a terrine or bowl, smooth top and put in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or until fully set. Serve pâté with bread or crackers.

slap em' on you

the best place to put those pesky fruit and veggie stickers.

 

every time.

"Ratatat" Lasagna

(the bright spot)

"I wake up, it's raining and it's Monday...", but I am doing alright...cause the memory of our spring like Sunday is still with me and today I have already encountered a bright spot. I am so glad I decided to check the mail. I don't dig checking the mail. But once a month I smile as I open the box to a bright, colorful, and shiny food magazine, and admittedly I salivate a bit at the cover. Last month it was at a short rib sandwich and today, a pizza topped with fresh mozzarella from LA.

So now you know, I cook, I eat, and I read about food. See, it is all aspects of food that I crave. On the days when I tire of cooking, and I don't want to think about doing it, it doesn't discourage me. Six years ago, when I decided to leave NC State and academia itself, I made a choice. I closed the school books, and decided I liked food better. Across the world, people are cooking and eating. There are teachers everywhere, and in the every day. It is up to me to consume the knowledge, and it is through that, I gain the energy and strength to become motivated back into the kitchen. The learning process is never ending, and there is plenty to go around.

So, along with my once a month food magazines, and a slew of individuals that I observe, admire, or bottle with questions, there is the ever fascinating world of the internet. It opens me up to a plentiful amount of resources. When it comes to daily food findings, I consider the New York Times to be the cream of the crop. And on a certain winter day, it was from reading online, Mark Bittman's food blog, Bitten, that I learned how to make a fantastic, yet alternative lasagna. He used celery root puree to replace a traditional bechamel sauce. And with it, a new flavor reigned supreme.

Inspired, I applied the knowledge in my own kitchen. Using his idea,  I created a new lasagna with a ratatouille theme. It is summer somewhere, and thanks to that I could find squashes and zucchinis, tomatoes and eggplants at the store. So out of the oven came a winter favorite with a much needed taste of summer. It was a version healthier than the heavier, but more traditional one that I usually make.

And it was just as pleasing and even more impressive.

All the vegetarians in the house, this one is for you!

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil
3 cups of milk
1 large celery root, peeled and chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 zucchinis, seeds removed, and chopped
3 yellow squashes, seeds removed, and chopped
1 1/2 cups roasted tomatoes from the Whole foods olive bar
    (substitution: 1 large can diced tomatoes with juice, if so skip on the tomato paste and the water)
2 T. tomato paste
2 T. water
2 T. thyme, stems removed, and minced
2 T. oregano, stems removed, and minced
2 bunches Swiss chard, rinsed, patted dry, and chopped
1 T. olive oil
lasagna noodles, I prefer the no boil kind (they cook as they bake)
Whole milk mozzarella cheese, grated


Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Now lightly salt eggplant rounds and let sit on the counter for about 30 minutes to sweat out the liquid. Be sure to rinse off salt and pat dry before roasting, because eggplant will taste too salty. Toss rounds with olive oil, a little salt and pepper, and roast for about 20-25 minutes (check at 20min), flesh will be soft but chewy, and skin will be crisp.

Once done, turn oven heat down to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, combine celery root and milk in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. At first keep an eye on it, stirring, there is nothing yuckier than boiled over milk. Once celery root is mushy, pull out a half a cup of milk cooking liquid, then drain out the rest. Puree celery root in food processor or blender, adding reserved milk to make it smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Next, saute onions and garlic on medium high heat til softened. Add zucchini, squash, tomatoes, and tomato paste, and 2 T water, and cook together about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add fresh herbs. Mix well. It should be slightly on the mushy side.

Quickly, on medium high heat, saute in 1 T. olive oil, Swiss chard til wilted. Very lightly season with salt and pepper.

Go ahead and grate your cheese, and grease with butter a deep dish pan (one that is suitable for lasagna).

It is layering time. First, spread a thin layer of celery root puree on the bottom of the pan. Top with noodles, then ratatouille mixture, eggplant rounds, Swiss chard, and cheese. Then repeat. Celery root, noodles, ratatouille mixtuure, eggplant rounds, and cheese.

Bake in oven covered with foil for 20 minutes. Then uncovered for 30 more. Turn heat off and leave in oven for 30-45 more minutes.

Now, taste the difference.

the "extra mayo" club

are you a member?

 

Here I go again with the egg. It is so basic, yet so power packed with nutrition and versatility. I got lucky this week too. My cupcake slinging friend bought me a dozen from the farmer's market. If there is one thing in life you should judge by it's color, it's the egg. The paler it is, the lower the quality. Pale wall paint, good. Pale egg? Not so great. Think about if your face goes pale, well then you aren't feeling so hot. When I see a pale yellow yolk, I question the chicken's livelihood. I really do. But if it is a rich golden yellow, be reassured, a healthy chicken laid that egg.  

And once the shell is broken, that is when miracles happen.  One happened in my kitchen recently, well okay, in my parent's kitchen. If you haven't noticed, or heard, yes, I am 27 years old and I am living at my parent's house. And I just got braces. 

Both of which were also true in 1995. But hands down, the 2010 version of the story is so much better. As for the braces, I only have six, I have fruit flavored wax, and from here on out, I will never take eating and my teeth for granted again. And as for my rents, I have my own room, my own bathroom, my step mom is one of my best friends, and the kitchen is filled with appliances that not only do I know how to use, but I use the ever living heck out of them.

The food processor is my favorite, because it does all the work for me. How else would I have made a miracle, not miracle whip, but real mayonnaise, ready to spread, in less than 5 minutes. I am one of those that truly thinks the world is a better place with mayonnaise in it. I know I am not alone. So I am creating the "extra mayo" club. There are only two requirements. One you don't believe it will make you fat. And two, you have been known to bother your server to go back for more, and sometimes still, yes it isn't quite enough, but noone wants to pester a hard working server, so it will do.

I don't even want to discuss the "light" version, so I won't. But if you can't raise your hand to admit you are in the club, I know you use mayo, even if it is sparingly. Because we all eat a sandwich from time to time, and unless you are hardcore and just use mustard, I bet you spread a very thin thin layer of mayonnaise on one half of the bread. If not just on the bread, what about what is in between. Aside from deli meat, chicken salad, tuna salad, egg salad, and pimento cheese all require a spoonful mayo.

And because of the homemade girl I have become, for reasons of living on a living wage and I'd say a bit of passion, that on my last visit to the grocery store, I merely glanced over the jar of mayo, and committed to making it on my own. I will warn you...

Homemade is catching, as all good things should be.

I made the mayonnaise, and with it I made pimento cheese. And with that I made my lunch. 

Today, I conveniently learned that pimento cheese topped with sprouts and avocado, on a tortilla wrap, gone a little soggy from being in the fridge, is very suitable for an incredibly sore metal mouth. And yes, I did spread a thick layer of mayo beneath it all. And I enjoyed it one nibble at a time.

To receive a one-time only lifetime membership to the "extra mayo" club, just follow the recipe to make your own homemade mayo. And if you don't have a food processor, use a blender. If you don't have a blender, just whisk the heck out of it.

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 t. lemon juice

1/2 t. mustard

1/4 t. honey

1/2 t. salt

3/4 cup canola oil, divided

Method: 

In the food processor first pulse garlic clove til minced. Next add egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, honey, and salt. Pulse to blend together. Now from a measuring cup, add very slowly, and literally one drop at a time, 1/4 cup of oil, with food processor running the whole time. Egg mixture will thicken up a good bit. This takes a bit of patience and about 2 minutes. Now, not quite as slowly, but in the form of the thinnest drizzle you can manage, add the other 1/2 cup of oil with food processor running. Mayonnaise will begin to take form. Once oil is all added, remove lid, and with a spatula scrape down the sides and combine egg on the bottom near the blade that didn't quite get blended. Pulse to blend a few times. Also, if you like a thinner spread, add a tablespoon of water and blend.

Welcome to the club!

hearts and bones

Do you want a treat?
 

 

We are in the thick of it now.  The runaround.  It's unavoidable. Pink and red hearts are hanging from the ceiling and can be seen in the eyes of the ones most devoted to the big V day! 

Even if that is not you, or me, it can't be ignored this week, the question of love. So I got to thinking about who really is the most deserving of my effort this year. I realized, the most unconditional love that I have in my life, is always the most overlooked during this showy celebration of the heart.

There are many ways to show someone how much you love them. But my belief is that it is in the every day. It is human nature, however, to fail this. Even in the greatest of loves, the ability to depend on another fully is impossible. But if you are as lucky as I am, there is a love that one can count on. It is there each day and it never disappoints. It is a love that keeps growing, and never seems to stall, or end. It doesn't get hard or complicated, and it is always appreciated.

A dog's love. Nelson's love. He has little hearts in his eyes year round for me. No matter what I'm doing, or mistakes I'm making, he is by my side. He has been with me through every move and geez, three boyfriends. When I first met the little buddy at the Orange County shelter, his tail between his legs, he was not the pick of the litter. But, he was the one. 

I love and hug him the most, so it is he, that will be getting treats this Valentine's day. He is my pick. And I won't even make him sit for them!

(Nelson with his "brothers" Trump and little Beso, 2006)

To show your love for the pup in your life, read more for the all-natural, Liza lou tested and Nelson approved, hearts and bones treats.

Ingredients:
makes enough treats to share

6 cups oats, not instant, soaked
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 carton or 4 cups beef broth
2 medium sweet potatoes, chopped
1 pkg of bacon, cooked to perfection, grease drained and reserved
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
pinch of salt
1 cup flour



Method:

The night before, or at  least 6 hours prior, mix the oats with the buttermilk and allow to soak, covered, at room temperature. (Doing this allows for better digestion of the oats and absorption of the nutrients. Also, will make oats lighter and puffier.)

When oats and you are ready, first, pour beef broth in a pot and bring to a boil. Add your sweet potatoes and cook til soft, about 30 minutes. Strain sweet potatoes and allow to cool. Meanwhile, cook your bacon and drain the grease into a bowl, to remove the burnt bits, because we will use it in the treat batter. Now chop bacon into tiny bacon bit size pieces.

 

 Now, in an electric mixer or with hand mixer, beat eggs for one minute. Add cooled sweet potatoes, bacon grease, peanut butter, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt, mix on medium speed til blended well. 

Next, on low speed and in batches, add oats to mixture. Batter should be getting a bit thicker. Still on low, sprinkle flour in ever so lightly, and not all at once. Use a spatula to scrape down sides. Put in refrigerator and allow to chill about an hour, for better rolling.

Now, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll treat batter into 1 T. balls and then shape into hearts or bones, or just bake as normal cookies. The dogs won't mind if they aren't cute. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown.  It is best to bake them on parchment paper. 

Good Boy!!

"love bombs"

"Thanks for calling The Cupcake Shoppe, this is Liza."
 

I honestly couldn't tell you how many times a day I answer the phone this way, with perk mind you. But, to answer a commonly asked question, I do know that on average The Cupcake Shoppe bakes around 1000 cupcakes a day.

It's ok, bring your jaw back up into place as you begin to imagine the impressive amount of cute individual size cakes that are not only being made each day, but are all made from scratch. Now lick that icing.

Easily today, as always, food businesses have the option of "crapping out", my way of saying, putting out a cheap product by taking the quickest route possible. It is happening in Raleigh, but I will tell you, not at The Cupcake Shoppe.

I know this because when I get to work at 9am, and greet Tom, the baker, with a "good morning", I get a roll of the eyes, but as usual he can't resist my cheer and smirks back "good morning". His morning has come and gone. He has already made and scooped batters, and baked off hundreds of cupcakes by now, and is about to ice the first round to fill the deli case by open time.  Tom may not want to admit it, but each day as he rises before the sun and comes in to bake, he is creating what for the rest of the day will be a delight for others and so often, a gift of love.

One can find in every great city, a cupcake shop.  And it is no surprise that my city of Raleigh, which is well on its way to greatness, has one of its own.  People wonder, but I know first hand, why cupcakes are off the charts in popularity.

Every day, when I hand over Pretty in Pinks, Big Reds, Mint Conditions, You Mocha me Crazies, and other favorite flavors, in perfect white boxes, you tell me... it's for a birthday of course, she just had her baby, I have a new neighbor, I want to say thank you, It's for my girlfriend, I'm going home, my hair dresser loves the Cookie Monster, and my absolute favorite, "I'm treating myself".

This is why cupcakes shine over their bigger counter part, the cake. It makes me laugh to imagine in all these situations, handing over to someone a big cake. Cupcakes are just enough. They are just enough to eat and are just enough thought to show that you care. They say thanks, they say congratulations, they say...

I love you.

We all love them and love to give them. Thanks to The Cupcake Shoppe, this Valentine's Day, you can share them with the ones you love.  And know this boyfriends, chocolates may not be out this year, but for the ladies, cupcakes are in.

You can pre-order The Valentine's Day gift pack, just $12

This weekend, I will be there serving, boxing, and ringing up cupcakes. And it is not just Valentine's Day that will be making it special for me. It is my one year anniversary. I started just a year ago and it alone has been a gift. Come see me and share the love. And if you ask me my favorite, I will always say the carrot cake.

Thanks to you buddy

Every one I know works really hard. Well, almost everyone I know. But in every situation there is determination, or drive, or just habit.  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Repeat. Repeat. TGIF. Oh here comes Monday, and we do it all over again.

I don't know why or how we all do it? For money? Of course. We all have to eat. For love? Let's hope so. I was told that if I could find a way to do what I love, and do it well, the money will follow. Sometimes, I don't even know what I love.

But I know what I do. I take cupcake orders and I cook for a family. I love to see what other people do. Delivering the mail. Serving food. Serving drinks. Artists. Cutting wood for sheds. Taking account for other peoples income. Settling cases. Developing pictures. Running a business. Growing and standing behind bunches of collards.

I like to think we are all searching for the opportunity to do what we love. But in the meantime we keep on doing what we do. We work.

But aren't we really all just working for each other? I just thought of it that way. I serve coffee to the boy at the art store next door and little cakes to every craving woman on the planet. My sister brings someone that much needed drink after a long day. People need accountants, tattoos, even lawyers, and people need their Starbucks. I in particular, like to get my Starbucks on. And I will always appreciate a farmer. Especially when I get a big bunch of collards at the farmers market for just 99 cents/lb, and they look killer and will feed me for days. So, aside from the moo la, there are perks. They are there in you and in me, and in everyone else.

And at the end of the work day, we always know how to find something that makes us forget it ever even happened. Tonight, for me it was a kitchen spa from the steam of the pressure cooker and taking a run with Nelson. Who, don't you know, has the hardest job of all. Just being a dog is exhausting, how else do you explain all the sleeping! 

Call me what you like, but read more to see the recipe for the chicken soup with collards and give yourself a steam facial.


Ingredients:
Serves 2, with leftovers

1 T. butter or olive oil
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 bone in chicken thighs, with skin for flavor
8-10 collard leaves, chopped
4 of 5 whole peeled canned tomatoes
water
1 whole lemon, juiced
1 whole lime, juiced
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 t. salt
pressure cooker

I love cooking with a pressure cooker, it cooks things in just a quarter of the time that it would normally take to be good, and it's a lot cheaper than a day at the spa. The recipe is written according to the pressure cooker I use at home. It may differ from yours or from the one you go out and buy. It was found at the Flea Market in Raleigh, and bought for just five bucks. I am lucky to be able to use it. It is possible it is from the 1950's.

Method:

First if you can remember, salt your chicken all over, an hour or so before you begin.

In pressure cooker, saute onions and garlic in butter or oil on medium heat. Add carrots, chicken thighs, collards, and tomatoes to pot. Just barely cover with water. You never want to go over three quarters the way full of liquid in the pressure cooker. Now add your lemon, lime juice, red pepper flakes, and salt. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once it begins to boil, put the lid on the pressure cooker and seal it up.

Test gauge to make sure it isn't clogged and allow steam to come out for a second as proof. Keep the heat on high until pressure starts to release, it will take about five minutes so don't go any where! Then cut your heat to low and let it go for an hour. Now you can walk away and watch tv or something, just be in ear shot, in case it needs you.

After an hour, release all the pressure and carefully give your self a steam facial. Make sure the steam is coming out smooth with out liquid splatters before you put your cheeks close! It is ever so extremely hot inside that pot! Let the smells relax you.

Remove lid and allow soup to cool a bit. And with tongs, you can pull out the chicken, remove the skin and bones, and return the meat back to the pot.

What a way to end your day. Enjoy.

"Everything's gonna be alright"

a little snow bear

Pretty cute and appropriate I know, but honestly, I can't say I made him because I really wanted to.  I just had to do something. I didn't make snow cream, for the snow had turned to ice by the time I got home to put out a bowl. And I didn't have the snow clothes or the energy, or the guts, to lay flat on the ground waving my arms and legs back in forth to make a snow angel.

See, it rarely snows here in our little city of oaks, so that every time it does and sticks,  I feel as if it is my responsibility to feel that same excitement that I did as a kid, to take part in as many "snow activities" as the day has time for, and to be ever so amazed and grateful that it is here. The obligation I feel represents one of the things I love most about myself...that I never forget how to act like a kid.

But never as a kid would I have felt the snow was an inconvenience. And aside from the fact that I caught a few flakes on my  tongue, had the quick thrill of a sled ride on a baking pan no bigger than the size of my butt, I acted my age this snow fall, the 27 year old, reluctant adult, that I am.

I cared when I missed a day of work and made less this week because of it. I cried, disappointed, when I slipped and fell down the front steps and lost a pot of thai coconut chicken soup, that I had made for the family I work for. Snow is much colder to me now and I didn't care so much for being outside, but rather, I enjoyed the snow from the inside.

There, it was cozy and warm. From the window I could see my little snow bear, with the pumpkin seed eyes, carrot nose, and chocolate covered raisin buttons. It was in the house that I would play. As a kid I would of never thought it exciting to spend the whole day in my socks. And in them, I enjoyed breakfast at noon. For that I was grateful.

I made oatmeal and stayed awhile.

Snow, or no snow, in the winter cozy up with a bowl of oatmeal. 

Read more for a taste of little Liza lou's...

Ingredients:

serves 4 (you don't have to cook it all at once)

2 cups oats (not instant)

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

2 T. coconut oil, or butter

1 apple, chopped

1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice (or any of the following: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice)

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 t. salt

water

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

drizzle heavy cream, or half and half

pat of butter

pumpkin seeds

Plan ahead, the night before, soak your oats in 1/2 cup of butter milk combined with chopped pecans. You can use yogurt instead. Leave in bowl covered on counter over night. This allows for better absorption of the nutrients and aids in digestion, also, cuts the cooking time in half, and expands the portion size of oats by twice the amount. Not to mention, once you have tried them soaked, you won't be as happy with out them soaked.

In the morning, if cooking for just yourself, pull out 1/2 cup soaked oats. If cooking for two, pull out 1 cup. Store the rest in the fridge for next day or later use. 

Saute chopped apples in coconut oil, or butter, in small pot on medium high heat for about 5 minutes. Add pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Saute for a few more minutes, stirring constantly. It should smell pretty freaking good right about now.

Add soaked oats and pecan mixture to apples and just barely.cover with water. Add coconut shreds and stir. Once pot begins to boil cut heat down to low. Cover with a lid and let simmer for 15 minutes. (I set a timer.)

Once done, spoon into bowl(s), drizzle with cream and top with a pat of butter and sprinkle with as many pumpkin seeds as you like.

Look who else got cozy with oatmeal.