Monday Yumm Day

I lived in Bean Hall throughout my freshman year of college.   It wasn’t my first choice.

I’m sure you’ve taken note of the tight quarters.  Believe it or not, in spite of producing far too many inescapable cases of cabin fever, the close walls and er… vintage ambiance (?) created a tight-knit community.  Maybe that was the point?

Speaking of beans…. Not too far from good ol’ Bean stood a local (or what I thought was local) joint called Café Yumm. – Turns out they have several locations throughout Oregon and Washington, and even a couple in California.

Friends of mine raved about it for months before convincing me to go along with them.  I wasn’t sure what “was good there”, so I went with what I considered to be a safe bet: The Original Yumm Bowl.  Who doesn’t love a burrito bowl?

Café Yumm’s known for their famous Yumm Sauce.   Here’s the thing, the first time I tasted it… I wasn’t sold, nor was I convinced that I wanted to give it another try.  It had a unique garbanzo bean-y taste to it, at least that’s what I got out of it.

Surprisingly enough, that unique garbonzo bean-y taste has grown on me today.  Sometimes I just can’t get enough of it.  I like it best in a homemade Yumm Bowl: brown rice, black beans, cheddar, black olives, tomato, avocado, cilantro, sour cream and Yumm Sauce.  I find that it’s great for dressing broccoli, cauliflower, green beans and other veggies, whenever you’re looking for that extra pizazz!

Luckily, you can purchase Yumm Sauce at their restaurants and select grocery stores for roughly $12.  Though a tad spendy, I say it’s well worth it, plus I find that a bottle goes a long way.  Still, I couldn’t fight the temptation to try to make my own.  Before I get ahead of myself, my mom beat me to it a while back after I introduced her to the place, and thus, the sauce.  Her review?  The recipe she used called for way too much yeast.  She found the sauce creeping out of the container in the fridge the next day.  Not what she was going for.

You might say I’ve been waiting to stumble upon the perfect recipe that most closely resembles the Original Yumm Sauce.  Have I found it?  Thanks to a recipe found in my Oregonian Cookbook (this gem is jam-packed full of winners!) for Heavenly Sauce, I’m closer than I’ve ever been.

So, for your viewing pleasure and culinary inspiration:

Heavenly Sauce

1/2 C Vegetable Oil

1/2 C toasted/skinned hazelnuts (though recipe notes Café Yumm uses almonds instead)

1/3 C garbonzo beans

1/4 C soy beans

4 cloves garlic

1/2 C water

1/2 C freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/3 C nutritional yeast

1 T ponzu or soy sauce

1/2 t salt

1/2 t dried basil

1/4 t cumin

1/8 t ascorbic acid

 

In a food processor, combine oil, hazelnuts, garbanzo beans, soy beans and garlic.  Run the blender, stopping several times to scrape the sides and push mixture into the blades.

Once the mixture is a rough puree, add the water, lemon juice, yeast, ponzu, salt, basil, cumin and ascorbic acid.  Continue blending until mixture is relatively smooth.

The recipe makes about 2 1/2 C and keeps in the refrigerator for two weeks.

The key here is using nutritional yeast.  I’ve learned that the hard way you might say.  In my experience, dry active yeast gave it an overwhelmingly unpleasant yeast smell and taste.  No thank you.  Here’s to hoping the right kind of yeast gives it the heavenly factor the recipe promises and Original Yumm Sauce produces!  

A Foodful Mind

Since we last met, I’ve kept myself busy with food in more ways than one.   Though to be fair, would you expect anything less?  I’ve resumed permanent place in the kitchen, cooking up recipes new and old.  Some fresh and memorable culinary endeavors (a majority of which I found in the magnificent Oregonian Cookbook I received from my parents) include:

1. Green Beans in a warm Gorgonzola Vinaigrette
2. Ham Palmiers with Dijon and Gruyère
3. Cheddar Ale Soup
4. Pot Stickers – yes, made from scratch.
5. Monte Cristo Sandwiches – I was recently asked to help whip up a batch of them.  I can’t say I’d ever tasted one before, or had much of a desire to do so.  For some reason the ham and powder sugar combo just doesn’t spark my taste buds, but maybe I’m missing out on one of life’s absurdly adored flavor pairings.  I’m not saying the attempt was a defeat, but I wouldn’t exactly put it up there with my top successes.  So now I’m just determined to try again!  Soon enough, soon enough.  I will not be burned by that fryer!
6. Feta Dip – The Super Bowl gave my mom and I a chance to whip up some tasty snack recipes we’d been wanting to try.  I can’t say much football was watched, but I did fall in love.  Its name is feta dip.  (Once again, I found some pinspiration.)  A quick blend of garlic, feta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil gives you a perfect spread for veggies, pita, crackers, burgers, chicken, etc.  I still have that butterfly feeling in my stomach about it, so the possibilities are endless as far as I’m concerned.

Lately, aside from my time in the kitchen, I’ve been enamored with cooking shows.  I just can’t get enough.  Current favorites:

1. Top Chef Seattle – always a classic.  (Though I’m sad to say the season’s winding down.)
2. Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off (I mean, Food Network.  What’s not to love?)
3. Bobby’s Dinner Battle (I mean, Bobby Flay.  What’s not to love?)
4. Any episode of any Food Network show I haven’t seen.  (Let’s be real.)

I must say I was intrigued by previews for ABC’s new show, ‘The Taste’, but one episode wasn’t enough to win me over.

In other news, I’m pleased to say I officially found work related to my degree!  Can I call it my first big girl job?  Interning part-time at a small PR firm in downtown Portland gives me a chance to explore The Pearl District in a new way.  I’m loving it so far!  Aside from liking my new routine, I’m enjoying the plethora of new dining opportunities nearby.  It’s dangerous, but so exciting!  After three weeks, I can tell this will test my restraint like no other.  Already, I’ve fallen in love with:

1. Nuvrei – A French pattiserie & café that I can’t wait to visit more.  Sadly I can’t take credit for the photos photos.  (Thank you Google.)  I desperately wanted a photo of their macaroon display but didn’t move quickly enough.  Still, you need to see this.
2.   A small, charming Italian place I was treated to on my first day to celebrate the start of my internship. – I plan to return, if not for the ambiance alone, for the hope of devouring their mushroom stuffed ravioli served in browned butter.
3.  Local Choice Produce Market – Who wouldn’t love a trendy market with a gourmet delicatessen fine wine section?  One more thing, they have wine tasting.  Let’s just say it’s at the top of my to-do list.
4. The Portland food cart scene – Enough said.

I foresee wonderful food adventures spawning from this new journey!

Tardy Thanksgiving Meal Follow-Up

I realize Thanksgiving has slipped out of focus now that Christmas festivities are in full swing, but I still want to share my review because it was nothing shy of successful (in my eyes anyways).

On another note, since the big holiday feast, I’ve enjoyed a vast array of foods.  I find them 100 percent share worthy, thus, the list includes but is not limited to:

-       Individual Chicken Pot Pies – My mom, sister and I substituted turkey instead, a great way to use up all the bird leftovers!

-       Fried Smashed Potatoes with lemon, parsley and thyme – I just couldn’t get the recipe I saw watching a lemon-themed episode of Giada at Home off my mind.  Note to self, use less lemon, parsley and thyme next time.

-       Chicken Tikka Masala – Whenever I get a hankering for this Indian dish, I turn to the recipe I discovered a couple years back.  (I’ll share that another day.)  I’m loyal to it, it never disappoints.  (Something that is disappointing, however, is that it seems I have the worst luck with jalapeno burns.  I keep telling myself to wear gloves next time.  Anyone have any ideas to toss my way??)

-       Gingerbread Pear Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting – Hats off to The Culinary Chronicles for this delicious recipe that’s officially assumed a permanent slot in my recipe collection.  I’m pleased to say my sister shared half of our batch with her good friend’s family; they had nothing but good things to say.

-       Chocolate Cheesecake – This chocolaty treat, found stored in my mom’s recipe box, has the perfect balance of rich and sweet that boggles my mind.  It was the perfect treat to celebrate my brother’s 19^th birthday.

Now to the real subject at hand, those nontraditional Thanksgiving menu items and paying tribute where it’s well deserved.  I don’t want to speak to soon, but … thanks to Gluten Free Canteen and Tastespotting, it seems as though I may have started a new Thanksgiving tradition!  The gluten free biscuits exceeded all expectations and the cranberry sauce turned out just as I hoped it would.  Both are here to stay!  My mom actually admitted that she preferred the lemon cranberry combo I made to the orange cranberry recipes she’s tried in years past.  Whadda ya know?!

 

Better yet, our dinner guest who inspired me to embark on my first gluten free kitchen adventure appreciated the gesture more than I’ll ever know.

I believe she said something along the lines of… “just when I think I’ll never have biscuits again in my life, you go and prove me wrong”.  I’ll take that as a good sign.  Plus, it’s enough to show me that I did my job and to yet again reaffirm my love for cooking!  I love a successfully finished product that gives others a full tummy and the utmost feeling of satisfaction.

Speaking of satisfaction, here’s a shot of one of my favorite holiday foods: the breakfast braid. It just wouldn’t be a Lawson Christmas or Thanksgiving without it.  (Yes, it was featured this Thanksgiving… and it was apple, to be exact.)

Sure this is pre-oven, but the after shot didn’t exactly turn out.  I still wanted to show it and, well, it just holds a special place in my heart.  We tend to switch up the flavors for different holidays, say apple for one and peach for the other.  (The peach showcases a silky, sweet cream cheese goodness that’s hard to pass up.) Unfortunately, my mom recently discovered – the hard way – a newly developed peach allergy.  Looks like we’ll be exploring new combinations this Christmas!  No worries, I’m on it folks!

In terms of looking ahead, preparations are underway for my mom’s birthday this Sunday.  Here’s a look at the intended menu:

- Lasagna Quattro Formaggi

- Broccoli

- Green Salad

- Cranberry Apple Pie À La Mode (recipe to be selected)

 

Nontraditional Thanksgiving Menu Items

With Thanksgiving just a day away, preparations are well underway in my family’s household.  My mom and I have compiled the menu, completed the hefty shopping load (or so we think) and are working to get the house Turkey Day ready.  Today marks the start of the annual feast’s kitchen marathon as we bake our pumpkin pies, apple breakfast braids (a family tradition), a trial run of a new recipe and prep veggies for our bread stuffing (not to be confused with the wild rice stuffing to be contributed by my older brother).

Those who know me know how much I rally for tradition, at all times, Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, you name it.  In fact, a recent personality test I took confirmed that my “type” values tradition.  Here’s what I can conclude from this:

1. I can and should seriously read into my findings; they seem to be spot on (with the exception of a few career suggestions).  I’ve never pictured myself as a librarian or insurance agent, but it’s something to keep in mind I suppose.
2. I finally have an explanation for the seemingly irrational stubbornness I express for tradition.
3. It provides family and friends with additional ammunition to poke fun at my …particular requests.

I welcome the teasing, but really my insistence is a testament to the experiences and memories I have grown up with and come to cherish.  For that I have my family to thank.  While it’s nice to have things stay the same at times, this current transitional period I’m in (life after college/unemployed) helps open me up to the idea of change and going with the flow, you might say.  Would you look at that folks, I’m showing growth!  (Pat on back.)

On that note, I’m going crazy (or so it seems) and making a few adjustments to my favorite Thanksgiving menu items.  First of all, this year’s “nontraditional” food items include biscuits and cranberry sauce.  Stop right there.  Of course these are Thanksgiving dinner staples for most, but this year ours will be nontraditional in the sense that I’m taking them in a different direction.

I’m typically partial to the simple, yet classic, cranberry jelly, but for the sake of adding another dash of homemade love to this holiday, I’ll be using one of the many recipes for basic cranberry sauce featured on Tastespotting (one of my all-time faves).  It’s going to be a change, but one that I’m looking forward to!  It seems fairly straightforward, but you can bet I’ll be reporting back.

Every year my family looks forward to my baking powder biscuits (or so I like to think).  While I’ve developed a hearty appetite for them myself, I’ve made the brave decision to take a stab at a gluten free recipe in honor of one of our guest’s diets.  I honestly haven’t explored many of the gluten free options that exist today; then again, I haven’t really had a good enough reason to.  After careful consideration and thorough research, I’m trying a recipe from Gluten Free Canteen.  (Thanks for providing me with a new and exciting culinary challenge!)  People say gluten free doesn’t have to taste bad, let’s hope I can prove them right!  I’ll be conducting a trial run this evening.  After all, everyone will be expecting tasty biscuits and I want to live up to my reputation!

Alas, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  May your feasts be a scrumptious success!

Buffalo Chicken Craze

I don’t know what it is, but something this summer spawned my newly developed craze for buffalo chicken: wraps, salads, wings, sandwiches, pizzas and more!  Perhaps one too many happy hours at Buffalo Wild Wings are to blame.  In fact, a strong attraction to their spicy garlic sauce, thanks to a convincing plea from my brother, the spicy food king, lead me to take a stab at my own recipe.  While I have a special place in my heart, er tummy, for BWW’s, my recipe does satisfy the taste buds and alleviates my BWW cravings.

For your dining pleasures, I want to share the recipe I based my Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce recipe on.  I will say it has a bit of a kick to it that leaves the nose running, so feel free to use less cayenne if you prefer a milder heat.  Also, I’m a boneless wing gal, so I opt to cut up chicken breasts in 1-2 inch pieces, bread them with seasoned flour and bake them in the oven.  It’s a healthier alternative to frying, but I drizzle a little olive oil over the top to get that desired crunch factor.  (Lesson learned: it’s safe to mix up more flour than you anticipate needing.  I’ve run short the last couple of times and I like to have a nice, thick coating.

I would like to thank a recent Pinterest perusal for providing me with even more buffalo chicken inspiration!  Last night I made shredded buffalo chicken in the Crock Pot (it seems to be my go-to appliance as of late). Let me tell you folks, it’s a winner.  So simple, yet so versatile!  Pinterest alone offers several recipes to choose from, but my research shows they’re all pretty similar.

Here’s what I used:

-       3 medium to large-sized chicken breasts (I used fresh over frozen to prevent toughness, but I’m sure it works just fine)

-       1 bottle of Frank’s Original Buffalo Sauce (Making wing sauce from scratch is high on my to-do list.  I have yet to find a recipe.)

-       1 pouch of dry ranch dressing mix

-        1-2 T butter

Here’s what I did:

After salting and peppering the chicken breasts, I placed them in the Crock Pot and poured roughly 2/3 of the sauce over them.  I sprinkled the entire pouch of dressing mix on top and left them to cook on low.

After 6 ½ – 7 hours the meat was nearly cooked through and falling apart, thus easy to shred.  I returned it to the pot with the butter and let it stew another 30 minutes or so.  Roughly five minutes before serving I added the remaining wing sauce.

The pictures just don’t do it justice.

I chose to spoon it over a bed of brown rice and top it with a few bleu cheese crumbles.  I’m looking forward to doing something different with it next time, the possibilities are endless!  In the future, I’ll try using extra wing sauce.  This recipe lacked the saucy element I yearned for!

Spicy and Sweet Halloween Eats

As promised, I have returned with my Halloween-themed treat review.  (Better late than never, right?) First, allow me to take a moment and point out my page’s new look!  Here’s to hoping that this fresh makeover will entice me and help me bring this page back to life.

In addition to planning an after-dinner treat fit for the festive occasion, I resorted to a hearty classic that I often enjoyed as a child on Halloween.  If my memory serves me right, there was typically a large pot of homemade chili brewing in the Crock-Pot while I decked myself out in costume, aiming to be the best Tigger, Snow White, veterinarian or Romy (or was it Michelle?) I could be .  Remembering the warm contentment I felt resting deep in my belly as I ventured into the wet and chilly fall-decorated streets, I set out to whip up a pot of my chorizo chili.

My sister and I discovered this hit recipe last winter.  It has the perfect amount of heat to make your taste buds dance, all the while enjoying the rich blend of spices and flavors.  Some things to consider:

1. You’ll notice the recipe calls for olive oil but I find that the ground meet (whether it be chicken, turkey or beef) combined with the chorizo produces enough juices to omit the oil.  In the past, using both has given my chili an undesired oily taste.
2. In the case of excess oil, I’ve puréed the chili with an immersion blender to fully mix all of the ingredients together.  It seems to help, plus I must say that I prefer the smoothness over the chunkiness (though this ignites an intense battle of the textures between my mom and I that I won’t get into).

As for my Halloween scene ….cake?  To be fair, it’s probably best described as a pudding treat seeing as it serves as the base of the dessert and actually has no cake whatsoever.  After mixing pudding (sugar free allows me to enjoy some guilt free indulgence) with whipped cream, sprinkling chocolate cookie crumbs for dirt, and adding whipped cream-crafted swirl ghosts and assorted decorations, you’re done!  It’s super quick and simple.

I received my share of nods of approval and was pleased with my result, even if it doesn’t exactly match up with the image I previously shared and based my culinary endeavor on.  Perhaps the white picket fence and spooky background does wonders for the appearance factor.  To top it all off, I had the ultimate pleasure of digging into it with one of my best friends, ever.  A family friend recently told me that every person has their go-to best friend, the one with whom they share a one-of-a-kind language that no one else understands.  I guess Kathryn’s mine!  We enjoyed the night lounging in our sweats, watching the most recent episode of Dexter (purposely saved to celebrate Halloween), stuffing our faces and chitchatting into the wee hours of the morning.  What can I say, it’s what we know best!  Word of advice, as you might expect, the pudding, whipped cream and candies (if used) don’t hold up well at room temperature when two gals get carried away with laughter and conversation.

An Appetite for Activity

Here I am once again reuniting with my blog after some time.  Given the amount of time that’s passed since my latest entry, I’d say my blog and I are both hungry for some writing.  Having graduated from college in June, I can finally say I’m done with school.  Forever!  I fully intended to devote a good chunk of my free time to reviving this page and sharing my culinary endeavors, but needless to say, things didn’t exactly go as planned.  You might say I’ve been distracted preparing for my entry into the work scene (the hunt continues!) and, alright, enjoying some down time.  I’m ready to get back into a routine and whip this page back into action!

In honor of Halloween, I thought I’d use this entry as an opportunity to share a festive treat that’s on my agenda.  This summer, I took the liberty of convincing my mom to go through and organize my family’s recipe collection, a task much needed and long overdue.  Despite some resistance early on, she quickly came around and admitted it felt good to check it off the to-do list.  Aside from having a newly revised recipe system, we now have several must-try recipes: soups, sandwiches, roasts, empanadas, cakes, cookies, burgers, breakfast dishes, etc.  You name it, it’s in there.  Including this gem:

This is the desired end result, of course.  I can only hope my go turns out half as good.  I guess this serves as a little appetizer or hors d’oeuvres if you will of what’s to come.  Stay tuned, I will return with my outcome and review!