Pad See Ew -- Thai Soy Sauce Noodles

I usually order drunken noodles at Thai restaurants but every once in a while I will crave a good pad see ew.  Pad see ew is no nonsense noodle goodness. While pad thai and pad kee mao (drunken noodles) are more complex in flavor, pad see ew is simple.  The key ingredient is the dark sweet soy sauce. 

I must have about 15 different soy sauces in my pantry.  I believe every bottle serves a different purpose.  For this recipe, I bought a different brand of sweet soy sauce to try out.  I've been using the Healthy Boy brand but wanted to try the Dragonfly brand.  I remember seeing a bottle of this stuff in mom's pantry. I give it a thumbs up.

In San Diego, fresh rice noodles can be found in almost all Asian grocery stores.  The noodle factories deliver warm noodles daily.  In Denver, we get the noodles from California and instead of warm and soft, they are refrigerated and hard. Refrigerated noodles do not stand up well when fried but the only other option is making your own noodles.  My aunts are expert noodle makers.  They helped my grandmother run a noodle soup stand when they were teenagers. They still make noodles from time to time.  I should attempt making fresh noodles one day.

My mom doesn't like factory made noodles.  She says the oil used to coat the noodles cycles through the machine continuously.  She prefers to buy the dried noodles and soak the noodles in warmish-hot water.  I used refrigerated fresh noodles and blanched them in boiling water.  The noodles do fall apart a bit but I think they are still pretty yummy.

Pad See Ew
adapted from Serious Eats
yield: one generous serving 

For the meat:
4 ounces chicken breast, pork, or beef; thinly sliced
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons thin soy sauce (sometimes called white soy sauce)

For the sauce:
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons thin soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 clove garlic; minced

For the stir fry:
4 tablespoons oil
1 large egg
8 ounces fresh wide flat rice noodles; separated or noodle sheets; separated and cut
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
3 stalks gai lan (Chinese broccoli)
2 ounces fried tofu


1. Marinate meat with baking soda and thin soy sauce.  Set aside.
2. Combine ingredients for the sauce.  Set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place noodles in a strainer and dip noodles into boiling water for a few seconds until soft.  Set aside.  Place chicken in strainer and dip in boiling water until cooked.  Set aside.
4. Heat a wok on high.  Add oil and when oil starts to smoke, add egg.  Allow eggs to set then scramble.  When eggs are cooked, add noodles.  Stir noodles to coat with oil and then allow to cook a minute.  Drizzle in 2 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce.  Toss well.  Cook until slightly charred.
5.  Add gai lan, meat, and tofu.  Toss until all ingredients are heated through.  Add the sauce mixture.  Stir fry a few more minutes.
6. Serve immediately.

To substitute dried noodles: Soak noodles in warm/hot water for about 30 minutes and drain.  Skip the blanching in hot water.

The sauces (from left to right): rice vinegar (either mizkan or marukan brand), Mae Krua brand oyster sauce, Healthy Boy thin soy sauce, Kwong Hung Seng or Dragonfly brand sweet soy sauce (blue cap), and Healthy Boy sweet soy sauce.  Behind the Healthy Boy sweet soy is a bottle of Healthy Boy dark soy sauce.  I used Kwong Hung Seng for the sweet soy but some people prefer Healthy Boy sweet or dark soy.

gai lan, noodles, eggs, marinated meat, sauce mixture, fried tofu.

Add egg to hot oil

Scramble the eggs

Add the noodles

Add sweet soy sauce

Add gai lan

Add meat, tofu, and sauce mixture

Som Moo (Naem or Sour Pork Sausage)

I called my mom on Christmas Day.  I was on my way to the Asian grocery store.  She's coming to Denver in a few days and usually brings me goodies.  She was just in town over the Thanksgiving weekend and brought rambutans, guavas, seaweed, mangosteen, and other goodies.  When J* was in San Diego a few weeks ago she sent him back with a large bag of guavas for me and a bag of snickers for his plane ride.  While we were talking, my mom said that our Lao sausage guy passed away a few days ago.

He's the guy that we always got our sai krok and som moo from.  I didn't eat beef or pork for a long time.  I started eating pork but only in certain forms (when the flavor is hidden enough that it no longer tastes like pork).  I always brought back a few packages of sai krok and som moo.  The sai krok is the best I've ever had.  It's sour, garlicky, and lemongrass-y.  (Maybe I'll attempt making sai krok and lap cheong when I feel like dealing with the casings.) I never eat som moo by itself but I keep it around for nam khao.

One of my favorite Laotian dishes is nam khao.  A few years ago I was looking for a recipe on the net and I couldn't find one so I came up with something based solely on my memory of eating it. I've been told that my recipe is missing the red curry paste.  I think it tastes fine without.  One of the key ingredients for nam khao is som moo.  Now that my sausage guy has passed away, I must come up with a way to make my own or else settle for American ham doused with lime juice.

I looked at a few recipes.  I love the directions on the Lao Cook website so I followed the instructions but went with the seasoning recipe from Thai Food Master because he included sugar and MSG.  I made two batches -- one using just sticky rice and another using the nam powder I thought I used nam powder but I guess I threw away the actual sodium nitrite packet mistaking it for one of those oxygen absorber packets.

Please visit the Lao Cook and Thai Food Master websites for a recipe.

I started off with some pork. I bought these from the Asian store.  In hindsight I should I have bought a leaner pork loin and the frozen pork skin instead.

I trimmed the meat, saving the ski.  I boiled the skin and sliced them up.

I ground the meat user the grinder attachment on my Kitchenaid.  While I don't feel that it's the best meat grinder, it works for occasional meat grinding.  I had to cut the meat into small pieces to get it to fit the chute.  I bought my mom a stand alone meat grinder and took it with me to San Diego. It was surprisingly difficult to find a meat grinder in San Diego but almost every store in Denver carries it.  (Excuse the mess.  I was working on a few different cooking projects.)

I kneaded the meat using the dough hook of my Kitchenaid.  This can be done by hand but it takes a long time.

After kneading, I divided the meat into two batches.  The one below has the sticky rice.  (I didn't think I had enough pork skin but it was perfectly fine.  I should have trimmed off more of the fat.) I finished the kneading by hand after I mixed in the ingredients and the pork skin.

I wrapped the batches differently.  The one without the rice were wrapped smaller and has the chili on the outside.  The one with the rice were wrapped larger (I was a little tired by this time) and had chili in the middle (like how Lao Cook does it).

I ate the sausages (even the batch without the rice or the sodium nitrite) and I survived.

Beignets

Happy Christmas Eve!!  I know I haven't posted many recipes lately.  I've been cooking and I have several recipes in draft right now but the whole process of food blogging takes a lot of time.  I can't manage to pull out the DSLR camera, find the cord to upload, and edit photos so right now iPhone photos will have to do.  I need an SLR camera that will email photos to me. 

I've made this recipe a few times over the past several months. I've tweaked the recipe a bit, decreasing the amount of flour just a bit to get a more pliable dough.  I've starting converting many stand mixer bread dough recipes to work with my favorite Zoji bread machine.  

I find that this dough tastes best when allowed to rest overnight.  It still tastes find after refrigerating a few hours but the complex yeast-y flavors take longer to develop.  The dough also poofs up nicely with the longer rest.  I've fried half the dough the first morning and the other half the second morning.  The dough can be kept in the fridge for a few days but I find that after day 3, it starts to get too flavorful.  I've also frozen the dough and it's worked beautifully.

I love eating beignets with Vietnamese coffee made with either Cafe du Monde or French Market chicory coffee rather than cafe au lait. 

Beignets

adapted from Tyler Florence "Ultimate French Quarter" episode

Ingredients

• 3/4 cups warm water
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 3 3/4 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• Cooking spray
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 1 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Add all ingredients except for cooking spray, oil, and powdered sugar to bread machine.  Set dough cycle but don't let the dough complete proof cycle.

2. Place dough in oil bowl (cooking spray or butter) and cover.  Refrigerate dough overnight or at least 4 hours.  (Beignets are most flavorful if allowed to rest overnight.)

3. Once rested, gently turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a little more flour on top so you can work with the dough. Gently shape the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle so it can be cut into squares. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter cut into squares, (you should yield 12 large squares, depending on how thick you rolled the dough).

4. Heat about 2 inches oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the beignets in batches, turning them and gently bouncing them with tongs to encourage them to poof, until golden. Remove from oil onto a paper towel lined plate. To serve, transfer beignets to a serving plate and dust generously with powdered sugar.

Review of FitBit Ultra -- My Experience

This post is not about food.  I've been using an activity tracker (fancy pedometer) for over a year.  It all started when I was at a Wellness seminar at the Four Seasons Denver.  I started talking to the guy next to me.  (I'm an introvert but I talk a lot.)  He's a wellness expert and as part of his job, he tests wellness products.  We started talking about pedometers so I asked him what was his favorite pedometer.  We were using Omrons at work.  He showed me his FitBit Ultra in blue.  I was with a few coworkers and we all got excited.  When we got back to the office, we convinced our boss to buy FitBits for everyone.

So that's how it started.  I ordered about 50 FitBits (five at a time on the 24 Hour Fitness website using my member discount and coupons).  This triggered the 24 Hour Fitness fraud department.  I called them and assured them that they were valid orders.  I was one of the first ones in the office to test it out before we distributed it to the staff. 

Set-up was a little finicky so I wrote up a Q&A and tip sheet for everyone.  I was already starting my pre-wedding diet before I started using the FitBit but it was a handy tool to motivate me.  I found that often I was hovering below 10,000 steps per day.  I would then get in the car and drive to a store in the middle of the night and start walking around.  When I returned home without buying anything, J* would ask where I was at.  I would tell him I was at the store to get more steps.

It was tough to get over 10,000 steps most work days. The day of our company picnic I was over 17,000 steps and I was still continuing to walk.  I think I ended up with over 20,000 steps that day.  During a trip to Vegas, we did a lot of walking and there were days where we were at 40,000 steps. I wish I could consistently reach 10,000 steps per day.

By dieting and using the FitBit, I lost over 20 pounds.  Keep in mind, I'm just over 5 feet tall.  Then one day after returning from a trip to California, I recall taking my FitBit off and putting it on a table.  I couldn't find it the next day.  I looked around but couldn't find it. A while later when J* was doing laundry, he found my FitBit in the dryer.  My FitBit had gone through the washing machine and dryer.  I suspect our cat Tasha, who has a habit of knocking things off tables, knocked it into the hamper that was near the table at the time.  I tried letting it dry, putting it in rice, and resetting it and nothing worked.  I googled "fitbit washing machine" and found that I am not the only person who has done this because FitBit has troubleshooting instructions on washing a FitBit.  I followed the instructions and nothing worked.  The troubleshooting page said to contact support using the provided link for additional help so I contacted them. 

I received an email from support within a day.  (Support is not instantaneous but someone does respond.) "Emily" gave me additional instructions on troubleshooting and still nothing worked.  All I got was the flashing "FITBIT 4.14" on the screen.  Emily then told me she was sending me a replacement.  I couldn't believe it!  I thought that perhaps they would offer me a replacement at a reduced cost (like my little sister usually gets from the Apple store) but they were sending me a free replacement. 

The replacement came rather quickly.  Emily also sent me instructions on syncing a new FitBit to an existing account.  I couldn't get the darn thing to sync at all.  I tried resetting using the paperclip, rebooting the computer, trying a different USB port, uninstalling the software and reinstalling, standing on my head while holding my breath, and pleading with the darn thing before I decided to give up and try syncing to my Mac at home.  I went through the same steps but this time instead of uninstalling and reinstalling, I was installing, uninstalling, and reinstalling the software.  Finally the screen on the FitBit just died.  I thought perhaps, I used up the juice while trying to get it set-up so I left it on the base overnight to let it charge before I tried again.  It never charged, the screen never came back up and I was never able to get it to sync.

I contacted support to see to see if they could point me in the right direction.  I remember it being a pain to get my first one to sync but it eventually worked. Support got back to me and apparently I had a defective FitBit.  They were sending out a new one but wanted me to send a picture of the FitBit.  Below is the picture I took.  FitBit Left was the original FitBit that was washed.  It keeps flashing "FITBIT 4.14" when on the base.  FitBit Right was the replacement FitBit that died within 12 hours.

The second replacement took a while to get to me.  I waited anxiously.  By this time I've been without my FitBit for a few weeks now.  I received notification that the my FitBit shipped on 10/4 but I kept checking and nothing.  Finally on 10/10, it showed that it was actually shipped.  I received it on 10/13.  When I finally received my second replacement, I was able to get it to sync right away on my Mac.  It worked the very first time but I noticed that the screen on this one was blurry and there's a rectangular illuminated frame around the letters.  You can see below the lines above and below the clock.  It looks like it wasn't assembled correctly.  For now it works (although it's not crystal clear like my old FitBit) but remember that I have 50 other coworkers with FitBits (plus several of my coworkers purchased units for their partners and spouses under my 24 Hour Fitness membership) and I've had reports from a few people that their displays have since died.  Hopefully mine does no die. 

Another thing I've noticed about me wearing the FitBit is that I've developed a rash near where I wear it.  (One of the locations recommended by FitBit is on your bra and that's where I find it's most secure.  Many of my male coworkers wear it on their pants (either on their waist or in their pockets) and it has fallen off without them noticing since it's so small and lightweight.)  After several months of dealing with this rash, I went to see my doctor and he quickly diagnosed it a yeast overgrowth and prescribed a cream.  The cream worked and the rash would go away for a little while and return.  Since I have not been wearing my FitBit, I haven't had a rash.  (I disinfect my FitBit every few weeks.)

I hear that FitBit has introduced two new trackers.  The Zip is a cheaper version missing the sleep tracker and the One, which is a replacement for the Ultra tracker.  Honestly, I only used the sleep tracker the first few weeks.  I was tired of it telling me that I wake up over 30 times per night.  The Zip looks like it's a little larger than the Ultra so it might not be so easily lost.  It also operates on a battery so maybe people won't have issues with their battery dying over time.  The One looks really sleek but I'm not in love with the burgundy color.  I'm liking the new wireless bluetooth dongle but it looks like the charger is separate unlike the Ultra.  It's also sweat-proof!!  Not sure if the new One is worth trading up for.  I can't say I'm always one of the first adopters of new technology.  I'm still using IPhone 4S and did not run out to get the new 5 when it came out.  Heck! I haven't even upgraded the OS on it yet.  J* asked if I had since he was updated the OS on his IPhone and on his IPad.  When I had the 3G, I never updated the OS and wondered why I could not participate in group texts with my friends.

Amazake

I bought koji to make my own soy sauce.  Soy sauce takes several months to properly ferment so no soy sauce post for a while.  With a big tub full of koji mold spores, I looked up other items I could ferment using the koji.  I thought about making sake but it required getting some sake wine yeast and I didn't want to drive to a home brew shop.  Plus after reading about home brewed sake, it didn't seem like it was worth the trouble.  I then considered making miso.  I then remembered I don't particularly like miso and looking at the recipe, making miso requires starter miso.  The other item listed on the container was amazake.  I started reading up on amazake and it seems very similar to the rice wine dessert that my mom loves.  People raved about amazake.  It's yummy and good for you.

So with this information, I set out to make some amazake.  I fermented half in a yogurt maker and the other half in an igloo beverage cooler.  In the morning I had amazake.  I didn't like it.  It was sweet but not sugary sweet like cane sugar.  It was more malty sweet but the strange yeasty smell was not appetizing.  The yeasty smell wasn't exactly like fresh baked bread but more like smelly feet.  I cooled the amazake and froze it for later.

2 cups short grain rice
5+ cups water
1 cup koji

1. Cook rice until soft.  (I used a a rice cooker and left the lid open to prevent it boiling over.  I can be done in a pot on the stove top.)
2.  Let rice cool to 140 degrees then stir in the koji grains.
3. Ferment at 122 to 140 degrees for 10 ten hours.  (My yogurt maker ferments at exactly 120 degrees so slightly lower than the ideal temperature.  Some people use a rice cooker at the keep warm setting but mine was too hot.  I found the igloo beverage cooler ideal for this.  When the temperature dropped close to 120 degrees, I drained some of the water out and heated it in the microwave for a few minutes before pouring it back into the cooler.
4. When amazake tastes sweet, it's ready.  Bring the amazake to a boil to stop the fermentation.  

I froze the amazake and moved on to fermenting other things.  Maybe I'll come back to the amazake and use it to make something at a later time.

Gluten Free Thai-Style Coconut Waffles

I'm back...sort of.  The wedding is over but I'm still busy with post-wedding projects and baby shower planning.  I co-hosted a shower about a month before my wedding, just got done with sis-in-law's shower (I did not host but did help out), and have another baby shower in a few weeks.  My mom came out to Denver with me on June 4.  She leaves in a few days so I have a few weeks before I fly back to San Diego again.  2012 has been a busy year filled with many significant life events for everyone around me.  I'm so excited for everyone!!  So in the meantime, I will be blogging from time to time using photos taken with an iPhone instead of a real camera.

I had a coconut sitting on my kitchen counter so my mom (she's visiting), decided to make coconut waffles.  These waffles (like many Asian desserts) are gluten free because they're made with rice flour instead of wheat flour.  The rice flour gives the waffles a very different texture.  They're light, crispy on the outside and soft and slightly chewy on the inside.  Mom said she tried using half rice flour and half wheat flour and it didn't taste very good.  She said my dad kept on commenting on how it wasn't very good after she repeatedly tried serving the same batch to him.  She eventually tossed them.

The measurements used are very unusual but it is the usual way I get recipes from my mom or grandmother.  I usually convert many of these recipes to conventional measurements but I like the novelty of using the coconut milk can as the measuring "cup." This recipe also makes enough batter to feed a crowd.  I made a third this time around and still ended up with about ten very large waffles.  We took the batter (the one with 3 bags of flour) over to my aunt's house with a waffle iron in tow and we actually ended up mixing up another batch while there and I ended up writing the recipe down for everyone.  They're that good.

The waffles can easily be made into Pandan Coconut Waffles with the addition of pandan extract.  To use fresh (frozen) pandan leaves, substitute some of the water in the recipe with the water from extracting the pandan leaves.  An easier (but not as tasty) method is to use bottled pandan extract usually sold pre-mixed with green food coloring.

Gluten Free Thai-Style Coconut Waffles

3 16 ounce bags of glutinous rice flour (or as I call it, the green bag)
1 19 ounce can Mae Ploy brand coconut milk
1 19 ounce can granulated sugar
7 large eggs
pinch salt
half a grated coconut*
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (mom doesn't usually use this but this was my addition and mom even admitted that it improved the look of the waffles)
2 19 ounce cans of water (don't use the entire 2 cans. start off with 1.5 cans and add more to make a thick but loose batter)
drop of yellow food coloring gel (optional but it gives the waffles a nice golden color)

Mix all ingredients and let sit 30 minutes or overnight.  Cook waffles according to waffle iron instructions.  I'm using an extra deep Belgian waffle iron from Waring Pro.

*Frozen grated coconut can be substituted but the shreds are a little finer.  These waffles are traditionally made with larger pieces of hand shredded coconut.  I used a fresh coconut but I coarsely chopped up in the food processor.  
 

Green Chiles

I'm still on break from blogging bit the wedding planning has slowed down somewhat. I have most of my vendors booked. Now we just have to wait until it gets closer to finalize everything else. I'm still quite busy at work but last weekend I actually didn't work so I drove out to west Denver and bought some green chiles. (I made it just in time because green chile season is nearing an end.)

I bought two bushels. I usually buy a few at a time during green chile season and when they’re out of season, I usually cook with poblanos, jalapenos or anaheims. I bought a pork loin the other day and decided to cook it with chiles. I had a few anaheims in the fridge so I roasted them in a cast iron skillet.

I thought they tasted fine but not as flavorful as when I make it with green chiles. I even added a roasted jalapeno. (This last batch of jalapenos I roasted was extremely hot.) I then came across an ad for the chili guys. I live in Colorado. Green chile is roasted at Whole Food and about every farmers market. Why am I not buying it by the bushel? Folks from out of state have it mailed to them at outrageous prices. I decided it was time to make the trek and pick up some green chiles.

I guess I didn’t realize how much I was committing to when I said two bushels. I justified my purchase of two bushels for $25 with the fact that without the coupon, a bushel started at $23 for some of the varieties. With the coupon I could choose two bushels of any variety.

I had the chiles roasted for me. Some people prefer to take them home and do their own roasting but I didn't feel like watching over a barbecue grill. Plus chile vendors have a really cool roaster designed especially for roasting chiles. One the drive home, the chiles steam in the bag and are ready to peel shortly after you get home. Wait a little bit since they get pretty hot. Remember to invest in some plastic gloves. I never keep plastic gloves around the house but I remember seeing a few pairs in my cake decorating kit.

I asked for a mild chile. I said maybe Big Jims. (Honestly Big Jims are the only variety I am familiar with.) The nice man suggested the Hatch Mediums. I also saw Hatch Milds but they only had about half a bushel left so I went ahead with the Hatch Mediums. The varieties were arranged from mildest to hottest. The Hatch Mediums were only one variety away from the mildest. It looks like most people opt for the extra spicy varieties such as the Sandia.

I’m not sure what exact variety he sold me because I don’t believe Hatch Medium is a variety. Hatch is the name of the region most green chiles are grown in. The mediums are probably a mix of NuMex Joe E. Parker, NuMex 6-4, and NuMex Big Jims because I noticed the chiles in the batch were slightly different shapes and sizes. The shop also had the Dynamite variety that is locally grown in Brighton, Colorado. I’m not sure if the Dynamite variety is mild or hot.

I am a wimp when it comes to spiciness. I love the flavor but I hate the heat. That’s why I love poblanos so much. I know they are consistently mild without any surprises. As I was peeling and seeding the chiles, I noticed a few in the batch were extra spicy. You can tell when a chile is spicy when you cut into it and starts to burn your eyes and nostrils. As I cleaned those, I made sure I removed all seeds and membranes and rinsed out the capsaicin really well.

Some people prefer to simply freeze the peppers as is but I don’t like having to wait for my chiles to thaw so that I can peel and seed them. Plus leaving the seeds in, allows for the capsaicin to penetrate the flesh of the chiles, making them spicier. I don’t mind some skin so I peel as much off as possible but leave the stubborn pieces on. I don’t like the seeds mainly because of the heat so I remove as much as possible along with the membranes. I don’t go too crazy about removing everything because with two bushels, I could be working all day. I finished two bushels in about three hours. After processing, I lost about a third of the volume. I didn’t take the time to pre-chop the chiles. Chopping is pretty easy to do right before adding to a recipe.

I bagged them up and froze them flat. (I should have used smaller bags.) I just pulled out a bag today to add to the crock pot salsa chicken I'm making tomorrow. I also took a chile out and sliced it into thirds lengthwise to use in the three breakfast burritos I will be eating for breakfast this week.

The burritos were inspired by an Einstein Bros. breakfast wrap called the Spicy Elmo but I opted to use turkey sausage instead of bacon and I skipped the cream cheese. I cooked up three eggs, topped them with shredded cheese and then heated up some precooked turkey breakfast sausage, put them on top of the eggs and then heated the green chiles to remove the excess moisture and put that on top. The filling is in one glass snapware container. In the morning, all I have to do is grab a multi-grain wrap and fill it with a third of the filling and heat in the microwave at work. I made enough for three breakfasts this week. I really like doing make ahead breakfasts because sometimes I get tired of eating Greek yogurt all the time.

Yes, that's a crock pot int he picture. I told the bf that I will probably be working late the next few months so either he does the cooking or we get a crock pot.

The roasted chiles were placed in this bag. It started leaking in the trunk.

Currently on Break...

...from food blogging

I'm getting married!!! So I've been busy with wedding planning. I thought I would be able to do both but this wedding planning is taking a lot longer than I expected. First we had to find a venue. We looked into places in San Diego and then places in Denver. After having a little panic attack because the thought of hosting a wedding for 500-800 guests almost threw me over the edge, we decided on a much smaller wedding (200 guests) in Las Vegas.

So far I'm ahead of schedule with a lot of the planning. I have two dresses hanging in my closet, three pairs of shoes, jewelry, veil, the venue, photographer, dj, cake designer, officiant...the save the dates came in today. I'm knee deep in invitation samples. I still have a lot to do but I feel really good about my progress.

Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Roasted Poblanos

The inspiration from this stew came from one of my coworkers. She loves roasted poblanos and uses them in many recipes. She makes a stew with lean ground chicken, acorn squash, and roasted poblanos. I texted her one day and asked her what sesasoning she used for her stew. She texted back and said she varied the spices depending on her mood. Some days it's herbs de provence and other days it's jerk seasoning and rosemary. Sometimes she adds parmesan cheese and other days she uses white wine vinegar and tobasco.

I went ahead and I used whatever I found in my spice drawer. I didn't have ground chicken so I just chopped up some chicken breast.


Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Roasted Poblanos

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound chicken breast (fine-medium dice) or 1 pound ground chicken
1 clove garlic
1 shallot, diced
1 tablespoon Jerk Seasoning
1 tablespoon Essence of Emeril
black pepper, to taste
sea salt, to taste
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
water, to cover
1 teaspoon Better Than Buillion
1 to 2 poblanos, roasted and diced

1. Heat olive oil in a medium dutch oven over medium heat. Saute chicken breast, garlic, and shallots. Cook until chicken is lightly golden.
2. Add jerk seasoning, Essence of Emeril, black pepper and salt.
3. Add butternut squash, water and Better Than Buillion. Bring to a boil and cook until squash is soft.
4. Add poblanos and return to a boil.

Homemade Yogurt -- Two Methods

I've been experimenting with homemade yogurt over the last few months. This is a rather strange post for me because although I do like yogurt and I eat it. I don't think I can say that I LOVE it. I go through periods where I feel like I should eat yogurt because it's good for me. I mainly purchased Yogplait because I preferred it over Dannon and then I started eating Activia because of the digestive health claims and the non-traditional prune flavor. I tried other brands like Brown Cow cream top and I gagged. I hated the taste of Horizon and Mountain High had a strange grainy texture.

I knew I should be eating a different brand that wasn't loaded with high fructose corn syrup and various thickeners but they were all pretty expensive. It wasn't really the price that deterred me from purchasing the other yogurts. It was the fact that I only had a like relationship with yogurt so it wasn't really worth it.

On a whim, I tried making my own yogurt. I remember trying this a long long time ago with milk and an acidophilus pill. I think the milk was either too hot or not hot enough. I know I didn't use a thermometer. It never turned into yogurt so I tossed it.

I went out and bought a half gallon of Horizon whole milk and a four pack of Stonyfield YoBaby yogurt. I used a quart mason jar and an Igloo insulated water jug and four hours later, I had the yummiest yogurt I had ever tasted. It was a bit whey-y and a bit separated but I drained off the whey and mixed in a spoonful of homemade jam and drizzled a bit of local Colorado honey and tasted pure heaven.

So over the last several months, I've been making yogurt at least once at week (sometime as much as 4 times week), trying out different milk and different yogurt starter cultures. So far, I think whole milk with Yogourmet or Activia yogurt make the best texture yogurt. The Stonyfield yogurt as starter is delicious but a bit grainy.

So what do you need to do before getting started? You need to decide on the method, milk, and starter to use.

First off, you will need to decide on whether or not to purchase a yogurt maker like one of these things.

or use something you have around the house like this insulated beverage jug.

I started off making yogurt using the jug and then I went out and bought a yogurt maker for the convenience. Some people report great results using a crock pot but I find that most crock pots run a little too hot even on the keep warm setting. There are also other methods using an electric blanket, an oven, a warm place abov the fridge...but all these methods require way too much brain damage for me.

Next you want to choose your milk. I tried various brands of milk and with various fat percentages. I find whole milk the most decadent but 2% also produced nicely thickened yogurt. I prefer using milk from a local dairy. It comes in reusable glass bottles. Some people use skim milk and add powdered milk. I tried a batch with powdered milk but the taste really bothers me so I make mine without.

Finally, it's time to experiment with yogurt starters. Using plain yogurt from the grocery store is the easiest way. I think Stonyfield Yobaby is a great starter with lots of strains of good bacteria. But for the best texture, I prefer either Activia or Yogourmet freeze dried starter. Amazon sells three boxes with 6 envelopes in each box for about $13.

The method described below makes the yummiest, thickest, and creamiest yogurt ever. It doesn’t need any thickeners such as pectin, gelatin, or starch. It doesn’t require any straining and is still as thick as Greek yogurt. This makes a half gallon of yogurt. Double or halve the recipe as necessary for your needs.

Equipment Needed:
Double Boiler or large bowl and pot
Thermomether
2 quart mason jar (if using insulated cooler) or 2.5 to 3 quart glass or stoneware bowl (if using yogurt maker)
ladle
insulated water jug or cooler
or
yogurt maker (incubator)

Ingredients:
2 quarts milk (whole or 2%)
2 packets (10 grams) Yogourmet yogurt starter or 8 ounces plain yogurt

Method:
- Heat milk in a double boiler to 185 degrees and keep the temp between 185 and 190 degrees for 30 minutes. This denatures and unravels the whey protein, resulting in a thicker and less whey-y yogurt.

- Cool milk to 110 degrees. Pour yogurt starter into a small clean bowl and thoroughly mix with a small amount of milk. (I find that if using yogurt as starter, it's easier to mix the yogurt directly into the milk and use an immersion blender to thoroughly mix. This helps create a smoother yogurt.) Add mixture to milk.

- Incubate at 100 to 120 degrees for 4 to 12 hours. Once yogurt is thicken, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

- You can go ahead and strain the yogurt and use the whey for something else but I find it unnecessary. My yogurt comes out as thick as Greek yogurt without any straining.

Incubation Methods:
You can use any incubation method that works for you. I started with an igloo water jug. I filled a quart mason jar with the yogurt mixture and filled the water jug with 120 degree tap water. I monitored the temp the entire time and after 4 hours, the water temp was at 104 degrees. You will have to add more hot water if you plan on incubating for longer than 4 hours. I find that with the water bath method, my yogurt thickens up faster. Maybe there's just better heat circulation. I bought a yogurt maker to make life easier. The yogurt maker kept the heat constant for the entire duration of the process.

Method in pictures:

Heat milk in a double boiler to 185 degrees.

Keep milk between 185 to 190 degrees for 30 minutes.

Cool milk to 110 degrees and then add yogurt starter.

Incubate yogurt for 4 to 12 hours between 100 and 120 degrees. This shows temp of water after 4 hours using an insulated water jug.

Refrigerate until cool.


...and then spoon into individual containers.

Yogurt Toppings and Mix Ins:
I applaud those who are able to eat plain yogurt without any sweeteners or flavorings. I mix in a spoonful of homemade jam and drizzle some local Colorado honey on top. This is how I eat yogurt and it’s yummy. The bf likes to eat his topped with fruity granola.

Yogurt Maker/Machine:
I read reviews on the Waring Pro yogurt maker, a Yogurt maker that retails for approx. $90 but read that many people bought it at Tuesday Morning for $29. I decided to drive over to Tuesday Morning and check it out. They had three in stock. I bought it and made a batch of yogurt to test it out. The nice thing about this yogurt maker is that it comes with six 8-ounce containers and two 16-ounce containers. Not all the containers will fit in the machine at once but it's nice to have options. You can even use your own mason jars, bowls or whatever will fit in the machine. I like the flexibility of not being stuck using only the provided containers. It is basically just a device that keeps the temp between 110 to 120 degrees. (I took the temp by sticking the probe of my thermometer in the machine and it registered exactly 120 degrees..)

It is convenient but totally unnecessary. The $8 igloo water jug worked great. I think the water bath did a great job of circulating the heat.

If you’re looking at purchasing a yogurt maker, I really like the large canister type machines that make 1 or 2 quarts in a removable bucket. The Yogourmet maker uses a water bath system. I think water does a great job of incubating yogurt. If you want the flexibility of incubating one large batch of yogurt or small individual containers of yogurt, find a machine with a flexible jar configuration like the Waring Pro or the Yolife machines. Both machines come with individual containers with the option of using your own container. Some people use 4 quart mason jars in the machine but I prefer using one large glass or stoneware bowl.

Yogurt Starter Cultures:
I started with Stonyfield YoBaby whole milk yogurt as my starter. I was very happy with the results. Stonyfield yogurt contains the most bacteria strains I’ve been able to find in any commercial yogurt. 365 brand plain yogurt was also good. The smoothest and most custardy yogurts were made using Activia yogurt and Yogourmet freeze-dried starter. I use Yogourmet mostly now because I like the flavor and texture. The only downside is that the regular Yogourmet that I’m able to get doesn’t include l. casei bacteria. Yogourmet does make a starter with l. casei but I haven’t tried it yet.

Some people save a little bit of yogurt from a previous batch to culture the next batch. I don’t like to take chances of introducing the wrong bacteria. Good milk is not cheap and the number of hours involved to incubate a batch of yogurt is too numerous to take chances. Plus yogurt starter is not all that expensive. Yogourmet is a bit expensive but not by much. It works out to $.83 per one-quart batch for me. Stonyfield Yobaby is about $.67 and Activia is about $.50 when I buy the four packs. It could be less if I bought the larger container and froze the yogurt in an ice cube tray. I don’t do this because the savings are not worth the headache. If I bought the 32 ounce tub of Stonyfield plain, I would get approximately 8 starters and at $3.99 per tub, the starter would cost $.50 per batch. I haven’t priced out Activia large tubs but I would guess that a price per batch is probably slightly less. And of course I could use Dannon plain as the starter.

My goal here is not to make the cheapest yogurt because with just the two of us, cooking is usually not about quantity. If we wanted to make economically friendly yogurt, we could use powdered milk and any plain yogurt. Many people swear that yogurt made with powdered milk tastes pretty good but I cannot stand the flavor.

Freezing Starter:
Yogurt bacteria do survive freezing but I’m not sure if every strain survives and how much of it survives. I used previously frozen Stonyfield YoBaby and it took longer to set than the batch made with fresh yogurt. The finished yogurt was also slightly slimy. It wasn’t very slimy but I could definitely tell a difference as I spooned the yogurt into individual containers. The sliminess went away after about a day.

Milk:
Whole milk make the thickest and creamiest yogurt. I tried cream top milk but the texture of the separated milk fat bothered me. The first time I made yogurt, I used Horizon brand whole milk. Be careful when you buy organic milk because a lot of brands ultra-pasteurize their milk. I hear ultra-pasteurized milk does not work very well for yogurt milking. Horizon sells both regularly pasteurized and ultra-pasteurized organic milk. I know a lot of people who will not buy organic milk because of this. Raw milk would be ideal but it seems like you have to be part of an underground cult in order to purchase raw milk. So the next best thing for me is to buy milk from the local dairies. Grocery store milk is perfectly acceptable.

I heat my milk to 185 degrees and keep it between 185 and 190 degrees for 30 minutes. This helps to denature and unravel the whey proteins. I know some yogurt makers only heat to 110 or heat to 185 and immediately cool. I find that keeping it at 185 degrees for 30 minutes, helps with the whey separation issue. When I didn’t heat my milk, I ended up pouring off or straining the whey from the yogurt so one quart of milk only made about 3 cups of yogurt.

The easiest way to heat milk is in a double boiler (or big bowl over a pot of simmering water). I've tried microwaving in a quart-sized glass measuring cup and heating in a thick bottom enamel pot with mixed results. It's hard to sustain the 185 degrees for 20 minutes using a microwave and I've managed to scorch milk in the Le Creuset.

Yogurt Containers:
I dislike most single serve yogurt containers that come with most yogurt machines.
So most of the time I culture the yogurt in a large bowl stoneware or pyrex dish and then spoon into single serve containers when the yogurt is cool. I could just leave it in the bowl but there is a convenience factor with single serve portions. I spoon them into cute glass containers. The containers are by Gurallar Artcraft, a glass company based in Turkey. I bought 16 of them from Ross. They hold 9.25 ounces each but I usually leave room for jam and other mix-ins.

Since the bf’s prefers his batch of yogurt with gelatin added, I make his batch separately and I culture it directly in Ball freezer jelly containers. Many folks like using the Ball and Kerr 8 ounce glass jelly jars (and I have about 5 dozen of these jars at any given time) but they are a bit too bulky and unless you purchase the one-piece plastic lids, the two piece lids are annoying to use

Commercial Yogurt:
If you're too lazy to make your own yogurt, I think Stonyfield is a great brand if you are looking for what us Americans think of as yogurt. I highly recommend another brand called Noosa. I think Noosa is slightly better than Fage. The only problem I have with Noosa is the powdered milk.

Noosa yoghurt is a local yoghurt made using Morning Fresh Dairy milk and an Australian culture. I liked it but I didn't care for the powdered milk. It was thick but not nearly as creamy as the yogurt that I make. They add cream, which makes it really decadent. Below is the ingredient list. I thought that in order to be labeled yoghurt or yogurt, it must contain both Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus salivarius ssp. thermophilus
Noosa Yoghurt: Milk, sugar, cream, skim milk powder, honey, pectin, milk proteins live cultures: acidophilus, bifidus, l. casei

Batch of yogurt cultured in a wide mouth quart size canning jar:

A batch of chilled yogurt. You can see the whey leak out as I spooned the yogurt. You can strained your yogurt to remove the whey but I just stir it back in. The yogurt is still thick enough for me even with the whey stirred back in.


Yogurt spooned into individual serving containers.


One the left is the bf's yogurt made with Activia as the starter and 1 package of gelatin to set the yogurt. On the right are my containers of yogurt.