Greek Yogurt: One of many things Greeks are the best at

Greek yogurt is a whole different animal than regular yogurt, and is really so much more special and tasty it deserves its own post.  It is a thick, rich, tart/sour and creamy concoction that is very versatile and can be used both in savory and sweet ways.  It does have a few downsides... its a bit pricey and the full fat is pretty high in fat.  So I don't end up buying it too much but when I do I always wish I had more.  

My mom loves to eat it with fresh fruit, granola, and a dollop of honey.  The other day I stirred a few shakes of cinnamon and a little bit of honey into it before dipping the strawberries in it, and it was made for a great sweet treat.  It makes regular yogurt seem pretty boring.  

Another way I like to use greek yogurt is to make a quick tzatziki - I add some chopped cucumber, a little lemon juice and olive oil, some chopped mint or parsley, and salt and pepper - you can have with grilled lamb or chicken, or on its own as a little salad (if you eat it on its own I would add more cucumbers).

I hear the fat free version of the Fage brand is almost as good as the full fat... does anyone have any thoughts on that?  Any other ways you like to eat greek yogurt?

Pig, Part One: A Wonderful, Magical Animal

Does that look as good as it tasted?  I don't think so.  It was delish though, I swear.  It was so good I started eating it before I remembered to take a picture.

Right now I am rockin' to George Michael while Tom does the dishes, Lucy is sitting in the bath and Harris is sleeping.  Yes, it is an awesome Friday night.  Oh dear god, what happened to my life.  I used to be cool.  

Anyway, let's not get too depressed, you can still eat delicious pork chops into your thirties.  This recipe is old school, out of the book of Tom's Grandma Charles.  To summarize, gravy = good stuff.  I like to make my own gravy, but this meal is is great because it is so convenient, hence the jars of gravy.  If you are daring, or have some extra time, make your own.  You can do it!

Grandma's Pork Chops

Serves 4

4 center cut pork chops, bone in

one sleeve saltine crackers, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 eggs

2 T milk

3-4 T canola oil

5 T butter, divided

2 8 oz packages mushrooms, sliced

2 sm. jars pork gravy

3 T butter, cut into small dots

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Scramble egg and milk mixture in one shallow bowl, and crushed saltines with salt and pepper in another.  Dip pork chops in egg mixture and then coat in saltines until they are fully covered in saltine mixture.

Pre-heat a non-stick skillet to medium high heat and add the canola oil.  When it is nice and hot add the chops and brown on both sides.  Remove chops to a baking dish.  Clean skillet of all brown bits and return to heat over medium flame.  Add 3 T butter and mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are soft and browned, about 10 minutes.  Add gravy, stir to combine, and pour over chops. Dot remaining 2 T butter on top, cover with foil.  Bake, covered, for 2 hours.  

I recommend serving with mashed potatoes, because you have lots of delicious gravy to soak up.  We also served with one package of sauteed spinach, sauteed with a little olive oil and s+p.   

Red Lentil Coconut Soup

I decided to spend a part of my afternoon ignoring the fact that Lucy isn't napping, and am making soup instead.  I thought it was a great plan at the time.  It did pretty much backfire on me, but that's for another blog.  Anyway this soup is full of Thai flavors and was adapted from a recipe I got from my friend Victor Littig, who until recently was the chef at Lake Street Cafe in Elkhart Lake.  I had this soup there on a cold winter night in December - and its perfect to enjoy right now too, since we are currently entering the Frigid Blast of 2009, according to the weather people.  It is aromatic and tasty and the lentils give it a protein boost so it is probably good for a light meal.  I will post a pic of it tonight after we have it for dinner!

Red Lentil Coconut Soup

2 medium red onions, chopped

1 stalk lemongrass, sliced thin

10 cloves garlic, minced

1 thai bird chili, minced

3 T olive oil

1 c. red lentils

1 14 oz can coconut milk

14 oz water

2-3 kaffir lime leaves (can be omitted if you don't have)

1/2 to 1 tsp. salt

juice of one lime

3 scallions, chopped

1/2 c. cilantro leaves, chopped

Saute the onions, lemongrass, garlic and chili over medium low heat in about 3 T olive oil (eyeball it, as Rachael Ray would say) (sorry Tom for the Rachael Ray reference, but at least I didn't say EVOO). After about 10-15 minutes, the lemongrass and everything will get soft, which is what you want.  What you don't want is to burn the garlic, so keep that flame down.  Garlic gets bitter if burnt.

Add the lentils, water, coconut milk and lime leaves and bring to a boil.  Then lower heat and simmer until lentils are soft, about 25 or 30 minutes.  Then add salt to taste when the lentils are soft.  Don't salt before cooking the lentils - I have heard that will toughen lentils.

Right before serving, add a squeeze of lime juice and chopped cilantro and scallions to the bowl.  The soup has a little heat to it but die hards may want to add a squirt of Sriracha hot sauce.  

Edited to add: Photo of soup above; Note re: chili.  The chili pepper I used, which was a skinny green one, ribs and seeds and all, had no heat.  I will use something different next time.  Also, be sure to saute the aromatics for a while before adding the lentils.  The lemongrass stalks will be a bit crunchy otherwise!

First. Post. Ever.

Here we go... New Years Resolution number one is underway.  Does this mean I can forgo the other one, getting in shape?

I have talked and talked for a long time about starting a page about food.  I love to eat and read about cooking, dining, and to some extent, nutrition and the agricultural industry.  I know there are a lot of great food blogs and pages out there, and I am not sure I can reach that level of greatness.  But my goal is simply to share various food experiences - the sublime to the ordinary.  As a stay at home mom of two, we have plenty of ordinary... I probably shouldn't tell you that today I had a hot dog and shells and cheese for lunch.  But we also seek out, and occasionally find, the extraordinary.  The unforgettable... perfect tacos de carnitas, with a greasy and crispy filling of delicious pork, spicy green salsa, a sprinkling of salt, some chopped cilantro and onions, and a squeeze of lime... spicy fish curry with a broth of coconut milk flavored with fish sauce, thai chilis, onions ladled on top of perfect sticky jasmine rice...or garlicky pan seared chicken thighs simmered in a sauce of white wine, green olives, and crushed red pepper.  These are a few of my favorite things to make at home, and hopefully, as the posts progress, I'll have a chance to share these recipes and many others with you.  To the extent that we can actually get out of the house to eat at restaurants, I will share that too.  

The title of my blog comes from a favorite Hemingway book, where he writes about living, and to some extent eating, as a young writer in Paris.  I live in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.  So don't get any awesome ideas about that.  But Hemingway was definitely passionate about describing flavors, textures, and emotions surrounding some of his favorite foods.  We do have that in common.