10 Minutes of TV Terror

Saturday was the big demo day, folks. Myself and 12 other lucky home cooks made the long haul to Seattle Center KCTS 9 studios for ten minutes of public television glory.
KCTS 9 Family Favorites airs on Saturday from 11:00am to 3:00pm. The show's hosts Carol Dearth and George Ray has been gracefully leading home cooks through a terrifying course of brights lights and big cameras for years. Th studio is an honest to goodness television set complete with false roofs and short perspective invisible to the viewer's eye.

This girl's family favorite was Spinach and Blue Cheese Stuffed Chicken with Lemon Wine Sauce. I wrote the recipe in the spring, when I was in my fresh spinach and lemon craze, but I think the flavors carry over well into any season. Sure tasted good each of the four times we've had it since getting the call two weeks ago. Poor Hubs.

Everyone has been asking how I got on the show, and to be truly honest, I cannot remember. I sent in a recipe, but can't for the life of me recall if I say the ad online or was flipping through the channels and saw it. I had nearly forgotten about my entry until I got a call from the show's producer Nicole. She immediately set a fun, inviting comfortable tone, wish carried through the entire experience, well except for the first hour...

For some reason, we thought I was going on fifth, but when I got to the studio (late, of course) it turned out that I was airing second. Ack! Thank goodness for the mass of volunteers that came to my rescue. Each of us demonstrators was assigned two volunteers who transferred our ingredients from the classy cardboard box I brought everything in, to glass ramekins and onto a rolling cart. From there, the demonstrators were not allowed to touch a thing. It was the volunteers' job to get out food from the prep kitchen to the studio and into place in front of the cameras when it was our turn. While they were taking care of all that, I was busy sitting in the green room trying not to barf. Some how I made it out of the green room unscathed aside from the half pound of make-up on my face.

It was go time and I was petrified. Here's how it goes...Whoever is on deck (next to go), sits on the side of the studio just outside of the view of the cameras and watches the person ahead of him/her. And who am I behind? Oh, a freaking cooking instructor. THAT'S FAIR! He was fabulous. I felt like an indi rocker who has to go on after Eddie Vedder randomly shows up at the bar. Fun times.

As soon as my predecessor finished, the camera swings to the left and Paula does her spiel about buying the cookbook and DVD to support public broadcasting. Remember, all of this is live and being taped in the same room. She's on for exactly two minutes which is how long the volunteers have to clear what was just prepared and set up my stuff. As I stood there, not allowed to help, I felt like I had concrete feet and Gumby arms. My neurons had given up and quit firing, while my nerves were cracking like sparklers. Chaos had officially set in in my brain.

Luckily, Chef Carol came to my rescue and gave me a huge welcoming smile. She grabbed my around my waist and plopped me into place, snug and cozy between her and George. Up goes the camera girl's fingers and the countdown begun. Five fingers, four finger, three...Smile!

Here is where the lights go out. I chopping bacon, saying "whack it" and trying to smile, but other then that its a bit of a blur. From what I'm told by Thus Hubs and assorted friends and family I did alright, my jokes weren't too lame and the food looked great. Ash Hollow and Willapa Hills were mentioned, which was as important to me as not cutting off my fingers. 

Thinking Ahead by Looking Back

In an effort not to spend much money for Christmas a few years back, I put together a family cookbook. My aunts and great aunt, grandma, mom, cousins all sent in their favorite or most requested recipes, while I dug through the depths of Grandma’s infamous picture drawer for eating-related photos to scan in. The intent was to cover everyone and to save the recipes we all loved so much. Little did I know how important this would be.

Our cookbook was designed in Adobe InDesign, but any pagination program will work, even the dreaded Word. Send out an email and make phone calls announcing your intentions to put together a family cookbook. You’ll be surprised how excited people get to participate. With your older family members, offer to come over and sift through the recipes with them and help them pick out and write them. Many recipes are probably kept in their heads, dash-of-this and pinch-of-that type meals. Let them take their time and explain the nuances of each dish. Be an investigative reporter and write the recipe from your interview.

My copy is a little worn.

Choose pictures that tell a story. The kids with olives on their fingers. The clang of New Years’ martini glasses. The matriarchs and their simmering pots and pans. If you don’t have a scanner, FedEx Office (formerly Kinkos) does. They can also help you print and produce the books. I used a simple black wire bind and covers that were printed on heavier stock to hold up longer. You may want to laminate the covers. Online book sites, like Shutterfly and MyPublisher, make it easy to upload your images and deliver high quality hardcover books.

My recommendation to you is to save and publish your family’s recipes. Start now. Don’t wait. I was surprised how many of my grandma’s recipes came from other people, from her mother and grandmother. Some of those recipes are nearly 100 years old. Handed down through the generations and there’s no reason why our quick paced age bracket should stop that. In fact, as we return to whole foods and slowed down cooking those historical recipes reemerge as jewels that will set your cooking apart. Even the recipes that seem so simple most likely have a secret spice or technique that will change the outcome if not included.

Sadly, this past winter we lost my Auntie Arl. My grandmother’s only sister, Arlene was an angel among mortals. She was gentle and calm (compared to the fiasco that is our family), and always left you with big kiss marks on your cheek. I miss those kisses a lot. And from the kitchen, I miss her pies and lemons bars. Oh, her lemon bars were addicting! The recipe is in the book, but I’ve noticed when anyone else makes them they just aren’t the same. So what was her secret? That we may never know, but luckily we can try to figure it out.

And because I love you, here's the famous lemon bar recipe!

Photo courtesy of abcnews.com.

Auntie Arl's Lemon Bars

Ingredients

2 c flour

1 c butter

1/2 c powdered sugar

6 eggs

3 c sugar

9 Tbsp lemon juice

Dash of salt

6 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 baking powder

Powdered Sugar

Directions

Preheat the over to 350-degrees. Blend together first three ingredients. Press evenly into a jelly roll pan or high sided cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Beat together eggs, sugar,lemon juice and salt. Fold in flour and baking powder. Pour over crust and bake for 25 minutes. After completely cooled, sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

This is the tricky part. I think most people don't let the bars cool enough and the powdered sugar dissolves. These bars, if made the proper Auntie Arl way, should have a snow field on top. Lots of powdered sugar over very cool cake. In fact, you may want to cool the bars in the fridge. Hmmm...that might be it. Give it a try and let me know.

Frostbite Fever

You open up your freezer to get even with the heat that's blasting your house, and you stumble upon...

Ack! Freezerburn blueberry monster, dun, dun duuuu. But wait, don't toss those berries just yet. Try this instead.

Blueberry & Peach Tea

Muddle blueberries and peaches together in a seperate container from tea or use an emersion/hand blender. Strain pulp to remove excess skin and seeds.

 Not proper straining technique.

Combine mash and tea, and you're good to go. Garnish with a few blueberries and a sprig of mint.

Phat Compounds

Being a spoiled little girl certainly had its privileges. Minimal supervision. Lots of toys. But most importantly, my Grandmother fed me well. Very well. Every day I started out with breakfast-in-couch, while I watched my cartoons. When asked what I wanted to eat my first and only response was "cinnamon toast," ah glorious cinnamon toast.

Cinnamon Sugar Compound Butter
Click on picture to link to Recipes page.

Poor Grandma must have made two tons of cinnamon toast for me over my extended 18-year stay at her house. Everyday, she would lug out her giant tub of margarine from the fridge, go cupboard diving through 65 years of dormant spices for the cinnamon and top it all off with a perfectly sprinkled dusting of snowy powdered sugar. Had she known about compound butter she'd have at least five more years worth of morning solitaire under her belt.

Compound butter is nothing more than butter mixed with seasoning to make it more flavorful and then chilled for slicing. You've probably seen it hanging out on top of your steak or contrarily as sweet, honey butter on scones and muffins.

Why should you like compound butters?

It's easy;
You'll look cool; and
Versatility abounds.

Easy as 1-2-3. Start with room temperature butter (1). Don't microwave! Mix in your ingredients of choice (2), place in a covered container and put it back in the fridge (3). Many people use small food processors to mix compounds thoroughly, but if your ingredients are pre-chopped hand mixing will do just fine.

For more sophisticated palettes, cut off a slice of butter from a log you've chilled in rolled plastic wrap and place on top of warm steak, chicken or fish. The ease of this finishing adornment aside, plates will look professional and classy and you will look stylish and chic. This finishing touch takes seconds, but will impress all night long.

Efficient and versatile, compound butter can be used as the fat in a saute or in baked goods, as a pasta dressing, to finish sauces, as a spread and, as mentioned, a garnish.

Compound butters are limited mostly by the imagination, but there are a few simple guidelines to follow for success. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before you mix and avoid melting the butter. Start with an unsalted butter and season to your preference. Salted butter takes away the control and who wants unruly butter. Try to eat your creation within a week or freeze it up to a month. Although acid, like lemon juice, will help preserve it.

Summer Zucchini and Tomato Gratin

Next time you're at the farmer's market try to find a stand without tomatoes and zucchini. It's impossible, because the red and green vitamin monsters are in full bloom right now. Take advantage of fresh, clean flavor-packed brilliance and make this recipe tonight!

Summer Zucchini and Tomato Gratin is the best of both worlds - fresh healthy vegetables with perfectly seasoned bread and butter!

Summer Zucchini and Tomato Gratin
Serves: 4
Serving size: ½ cup
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
· 1 tablespoon butter
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1 medium yellow or white onion
· 2 cloves garlic
· Salt and pepper
· 2 young zucchini
· 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
· 2 tablespoons parsley
· 1 tablespoon basil
· 2 tablespoons butter, melted
· 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
· ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Grease a casserole dish with cooking spray.

Over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil together. Cut off the ends of the onion and discard the papery layers of skin. Quarter the onion lengthways and cut into ¼” slices. Add onion to the pan and sweat until translucent, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle in two pinches of salt and a pinch of pepper into the pan. While onion is cooking, smash garlic with the flat side on your knife and discard paper. Dice garlic finely and add to pan. Cook through, about 2 minutes. Watch the heat. Garlic burns before you know it and then it’s gross and your husband makes that fake smile face.

Cut off the ends of the zucchini and quarter lengthways, like the onion. Cut into a large dice, about the size of a gumball. Cut tomatoes in half. The tomatoes and zucchini should roughly be the same size. Chop parsley and basil together. In a medium mixing bowl, combine zucchini, tomato, herbs and onion-garlic mixture. Take a taste of the mixture and make sure you have enough seasoning and enough herbs. If not, add some.

In a separate bowl, combine butter, bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. The consistency should resemble gravel more than sand. Yummy, huh?

Pour the vegetable mixture into the greased casserole dish and top with the bread crumbs. Make sure the crumbs cover the top of the vegetables, but don’t flatten the crumbs. Leave some peaks and valleys. Bake for 35 minutes or until bread crumbs are toasty brown. Remove from oven and let the gratin rest for a few minutes before serving to thicken up sauce.