Hero Chicken

Our picnic chicken tenders were marinated in a "Jerk" sauce prior to baking. Since my thoughtful husband suggested we picnic on Saturday instead of a rainy forecast Sunday-we did.  Sunday is Fathers Day, and he is everything opposite of a jerk-so I called this my "Hero" Chicken.  My 2 Bean Salad is made with South Carolina red peas.  The dressing is so good-we even dipped our chicken in it!  We had mango slices on the side and shared a fresh baked cream horn from our farmer's market baker friend Patty.  

Jerk Marinade

(Serves 2)

Mix hot coffee with remaining ingredients.  Pour over chicken.  Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. 
2 Tablespoon fum
2 Tablespoon white vinegar
2 Tablespoon strong coffee
1 1/2 teaspoon molasses
1 1/2 Tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tespoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Fresh grated nutmeg 
Fresh grated ginger
2 garlic scapes, minced
4 raw chicken breast tenders  
Bake or grill chicken until internal temperature is 165 F.

Our picnic today was at North Bend State Park near Cairo, West Virginia.  There is fishing, boating, hiking, swimming, bird watching, a nature center and off course-picnic tables near full service restrooms.

     

Repurposing the Sourdough Starter

In my retirement life, I enjoy a challenge-usually centered around food. Throughout my career as a registered dietitian, my goal was to entice customers to enjoy healthy foods. In our healthy cafe, we offered choices among many nutrient dense foods. I planned the meals and the recipes then-but didn't cook them. In my now role cooking for two, I enjoy trying techniques that would not have been practical in quantity food service. Making and baking with sourdough starters is one of them. 

Preparing the starter was interesting. Somewhere in the middle of the 10-12 days necessary to prepare the starter, I blew the bottom off a quart size Ball jar. Unsure what happened-like the movie the "Blob", the dough was all over my counter the morning after I fed it and sat in the middle of the counter.

The second attempt was better, but the bread I made was too hard for our senior tastes.  The third time was much better. I've enjoyed the tea bread made then.   

So one week later, it was time to feed the starter.  I pulled the jar from the refrigerator before going to bed.  In the morning, I portioned out 1 tablespoon of the starter and mixed with 50 grams of whole rye flour and 75 grams of water for one jar and repeated that in a second jar. In the late afternoon, when the starter became active, I refrigerated one jar and used the second jar ('the leaven") for this recipe.

  

Sourdough Pie Crust

(Makes 1 10-inch pie crust)

In a large bowl, mix leaven, flours, salt and sugar.
30 grams leaven
1 cup whole spelt flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoon sugar

Grate cold butter into flour mix.  With fingers, mix into flour.  Stir in egg yolk, then water.  Knead about 10 times.
7 ounce cold butter, grated with box cutter
1 egg yolk
30 grams ice water

Form a dough round, then flatten into a 7 inch disc.  Wrap in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1-3 days.  When ready to bake, roll on a floured board into a round bigger than the pie plate.  Cut around edge of pie plate.  Roll scraps of flour, cut in strips for the lattice top.

Peach Filling

To peel peaches, immerse individually in boiling water for 1 minute.  Remove and immerse in very cold water for 10 seconds.  Peel and place in juice.  Repeat with each peach.
9 medium peaches
1 teaspoon juice

Remove pits from peaches and slice.  Mix flour, sugar and salt into juice.  The add peaches.  Spoon into pie plate lined with bottom crust (dough).  Form lattice top.
3 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Sprinkle with grated nutmeg.

Cover with foil.  Bake at 425 for 30 minutes. Remove foil.  Bake 15 minutes more.

 
   
 
   

Barm Bread

This yummy sourdough tea bread is based on a recipe by Holly Davis in her newly published book Ferment. To make the "barm", I fed the rye starter with apple juice instead of stout.  I chopped dry figs in place of currents and (since I grind my own spelt berries), used whole grain spelt flour for the white spelt flour.  The bread has just the right amount of sweetness with all the deliciousness of whole grains and figs.  In each taste, I loved sampling even more of the ingredients, including lemon zest, tea and caraway seed.  They're all there!

Rye Sourdough Starter

75 grams water
50 grams whole grain rye flour
In a glass bowl, mix together the water and flour, using a rubber spatula.  Mix thoroughly, scraping bowl down.  Cover bowl with a clean towel and leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

1 tablespoon starter
75 grams water
50 grams whole grain rye flour
For the next 10 days, 3 times a day, remove 1 tablespoon starter and place in a clean glass bowl.  Add water and flour, mixing with a rubber spatula.  Scrape bowl down.  Cover bowl with a clean towel and leave at room temperature for 6 or so hours.

At Holly Davis recommendation, I placed the discarded starter in my compost bin.  She says the "live" cultures are good for the compost.  After the first 11 days, I'll only be discarding starter for a day or two before the next baking.  

After the first 11 days, the active starter is ready to use as a leaven.  Place the rest in the refrigerator in a 1 quart glass jar with a lid.

Celtic Barm Bread

(10-12 servings)

 Balm
100 grams apple juice
100 grams active sourdough starter
80 grams whole grain spelt flour
100 grams water
For the "barm", remove 100 grams active starter to a clean glass bowl.  Add spelt flour, juice and water.  Mix with a rubber spatula, scraping bowl down.  Cover bowl with a clean towel and leave at room temperature for 12 hours.

Bread
70 grams maple syrup
40 grams molasses or barley malt
1 cup strong unsweetened brewed tea
Dissolve the syrup and malt in the tea and allow to cool.

250 grams barm
Zest of 1 lemon
60 grams lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
280 grams diced figs
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
550 grams whole grain spelt flour
100 grams melted butter
In a large clean glass bowl using a rubber spatula,  together the tea-syrup-molasses mix, 250 grams of the "barm", lemon, salt, figs, caraway, flour and butter.  Scrape bowl down and mix until all the flour and butter is mixed in.  Place sticky dough in a 8 inch greased cake pan.  I used a deep dish ceramic pie pan.  Allow to rise 3 hours.

Bake at 375 F. for 50 minutes.  Cover with foil after about 15 minutes.

Immediately after removing from oven, brush with 1 tablespoon maple syrup.

Unused "balm" can be refrigerated in a quart glass jar with a lid.  Feed as you do a starter, adding apple juice in place of water.

 
        

Summer Picnic Station

With chances of a thunderstorm, we planned our Sunday picnic at a park with a pavilion. This is our 4th year of summer picnics, so we've become familiar with those parks where we can find shelter.  Ryerson Station Park, a Pennsylvania State Park, has several picnic tables under shelter.  This one has a perfect view of the wildlife area.  There were birds and bees, water and trees all in view.

Our picnic today featured:

 Shrimp, Brown Rice and Vegetable Salad

Sweet Italian Sausage Roll

Strawberry and Coconut Parfait

The salad I originally planned was a Jambalaya Salad.  When we saw our baker friend Patty was selling the Italian Sausage Rolls at yesterday's Farmers Market, I opted to eat her roll and eliminate the sausage from the salad.  Wow, was that a good choice.

For the salad, I first cooked 1/4 cup brown rice in the rice cooker and mixed it with 2 ounce mascarpone cheese.  I sauteed fresh green garlic and onion with fresh grated ginger in 2 teaspoon sesame oil.  Then I blanched 1/4 cup each shelled edamame, corn and peas.  I mixed the rice and vegetables and refrigerated.  The salad was placed in a lettuce lined bowl and topped with 1 tablespoon each toasted ground almonds, 1 teaspoon pimiento peppers, fresh tarragon, basil and parsley. Cooked shrimp (marinated in 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce) crowned the bowl. The recipe was a mix of many, though I did monitor the portions as I did with the roll, which was halved and shared. I often finish a picnic with a fruit and yogurt parfait.  Here's todays:

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

(Serves 2)

In a mini food processor, blend berries, yogurt and sugar.  Remove to another container.
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced
6 ounce plain non fat yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar

In a clean mini food processor, mix water, prunes, vanilla, cocoa and coconut.  Process until prunes are finely chopped.
1 Tablespoon hot water
5 prunes
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa
2 tablespoon coconut

In each parfait, layer as follows:
2 tablespoon blended yogurt mix
1 tablespoon prune coconut mix
1 tablespoon fresh strawberries, chopped 
Repeat.
Garnish each with a fresh whole strawberry.

   
 

A Meal for Momma

At 93, my Mom's mobile days are few. I took advantage of a good day-the day I took her to the Veterans cemetery to see Dad-and stopped at the adjourning park. The day was warm with a little breeze and I positioned her to view the lake while I set the table with some foods I thought she'd enjoy. Mom has a good appetite and went to work on some foods she hadn't had for a while.  First the Two Bean Salad, then the watermelon and then a crab salad. I stopped on the trip over at a lake bakery to buy the jumbo muffins.  Moms' was blueberry and mine carrot. We ate 1/2 and she took the rest home to hopefully enjoy later. I was so pleased to watch her clean the plate.  Here are the salad recipes I assembled and kept cold between ice packs during my 1 1/2 hour trip.

Two Bean Salad 

(Serves 2)

Mix beans, onion, pepper and tomatoes.  Cover with parsley, sugar, vinegar, oil and celery seed.  Toss, refrigerate and allow tastes to develop.  
1 cup cooked green beans
1/4 cup cooked kidney beans
1 green onion, diced
1 mini sweet yellow pepper, seeded and diced
4 yellow cherry tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, snipped
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon celery seed 

Crab Salad

(Serves 2)

Mix crab, celery, onion, pimiento and mayonnaise.  Keep cold.
4 ounce wild jumbo crab
2 tablespoon celery, diced
1 teaspoon green onion
1 tablespoon pimiento
2 tablespoon mayonnaise with olive oil

We often say the view from the Veterans Cemetery reminds us of the view from Mom and Dads' backyard.  I told her that was Dad fishing on the lake in front of us.

I enjoyed hearing a couple of her stories on the trip to and from the park.  One of driving from her sister's home in a snow storm (she thought my Grandma actually enjoyed the excitement when they pulled off the road and waited for a snow plow).  My favorite story was when she took me to an area pool by a factory (both long gone) as a very young girl and describing the lifeguard's panic when I jumped in the deep water.  I was a fish and he soon learned I could swim.
Today was one of those memories I hope to remember.   
 

    

Setting the Meal Backdrop

It's part of the master meal plan-providing a clean and inviting scene for eating. Plate arrangement, food safety and sanitation, orderliness of surroundings all contribute to the enjoyment of a meal. Whether eating at home or in a food service establishment, the environment is as important as the menu and the service. Take a seat and enjoy the meal with me:

• Start with a pretty plate, basket, tray or lunchbox to place the food. Add cutlery as necessary with napkin and cup.

• Trust that the food was prepared in a clean kitchen where food was stored and prepared at proper temperatures. Was hand washing frequent? 

• Find a spot free of clutter, with a view that avoids piles of papers, boxes, dishes and garbage. 

• Enjoy a meal without a screen or even a "to do" list in front of you.

• Try to allow at least 20 minutes of actual eating time.

The plate or lunchbox can help in planning the meal components and portions. Think vegetables and fruit in half the compartments, whole grains in a quarter and lean protein in the rest. A 7 inch plate can make the portions appear larger. Adding a beverage of milk or plant based dairy contributes calcium, Vitamin D and B vitamins to the diet. 

The picture above was a picnic meal, served cold in a park setting. The plate base is covered with two whole grain tortillas, then topped with colorful vegetables and fruit. The roasted flank steak, seasoned with cumin, coriander and chili powder, was sliced thin and kept cold between ice bricks in transport. Shredded cheese provides some calcium to the meal in lieu of a calcium rich beverage. 

Eating outside, whether on the meal break or a picnic may be the perfect setting. Fresh air and sunshine is good for the soul.  Hiking is exercise and an appetite builder.



      

Second Time Around Chicken Tagine

While the weather on Mothers Day was cold and rainy, my spirits lifted when my husband said we could take a picnic to a park with a shelter. There were plenty of leftovers from the scrumptious Moroccan stew I'd made the night before.  I cut up and heated the vegetables with the infused spices-put those in a thermos and served the chicken cold. This was a meal where seconds are a must!

Chicken Tagine

(Serves 4-6)

Grease pot with olive oil spray.  Place assorted vegetables in bottom of pot.  Add water.

3/4 cup red peas, cooked

(red peas are a legume similar to black-eyed peas)

1/3 cup onion, cubed

1 lemon, quartered

6 carrots, peeled and quartered

6 new potatoes, halved

1/4 fennel bulb, sliced

1/2 cup sugar snap peas

1/3 cup green pitted olives

2 mini sweet peppers, cut in 2 inch chunks

1/4 cup cilantro, snipped

1 teaspoon fresh mint, snipped

1 cup water

Mix spices in a ziploc bag.  Cut chicken in pieces to fit the remainder of the casserole dish.  Place chicken pieces in bag and shake to coat with spices.  Place chicken breasts skin side down in casserole dish.  Add lid.

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon caraway seed

1/4 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1-4 pound roasting chicken, backbone removed

Bake at 325 F. for until internal temperature of chicken breast reaches 165 F. Test the temperature of the chicken beginning  1 hour after placing in the oven. The chicken may reach temperature before the vegetables are of preferred doneness. For this meal, I removed the chicken 30 minutes before removing the vegetables.

Today's picnic was at Mason Dixon Park near Core, West Virginia.  The grass is green and cut.  There are bathrooms with running water and several shelters to take cover. Even the birds nesting in the shelter did not mind our presence!