Chili Weather

Many things come with winter. Holidays, snow, and chili. What would the icy days be like without a bowl of beefy blissfulness? What would we do with all of our 5 for $3 cans of tomato sauce and paste? And let's not forget the hearty chopped tomatoes in making this perennial winter meal favorite. Some say, where there's a will, there are relatives. I say, where there is winter, there is chili.

Copious amounts of fresh onions and garlic are deposited into the pan along with beef, and the glorification of humble ground meat into a drool-inducing, stick to your ribs dinner has begun. I unearth from our gluttonously filled cabinetry an enormous pot, for chili will make its home in no other size pot. More than once have I attempted to make a "small batch", only to find myself transferring the contents halfway through into a larger pot.

A cascade of tomato sauce is poured into my pot along with the onions and beef. Chopped tomatoes are added for textural character and robust tomatoey flavor. Feeling particularly creative, I pureed fresh apples and spooned it into the bubbly mixture. Three different kinds of beans(dark kidney, pinto, and an unidentified speckled red bean) tumble into the pot. Time for the first of many taste tests. Good flavor and texture...now for spices.

With paprika being an important ingredient in most Kosovar dishes, I felt culturally impelled to add this zesty, if not festive, spice. I heavily sprinkled Penzy’s (a brand I’ve found in my fervency for flavorful spices) blend called “Arizona Dreaming” to the basin of my winter feast. It has such ingredients as ancho (dried poblano chili pepper), lemon peel, chipotle, smoke flavoring, and interestingly, cocoa. It is a healthy salt-free blend that adds zip and depth to any dish, especially Latin inspired dishes. Time for another taste. Bold, enticing, and enough heat to captivate but not offend delicate taste buds like mine.

Even the most long suffering among us, including my husband, can become quite impatient with the slow, mystical process of simmering. It takes several hours of stirring and prudence to know the exact “time” of the attainment of gastronomic perfection.

One more taste...

There is a distinctive aroma from the apples, yet one would not know they were in there if not told so. They mellow out the acid from the brazen tomatoes, adding balance and culinary grandeur. Grab a bowl and a spoon... it’s time to eat!

Going Bananas

With 3 interns for the summer just arriving and some very ripe bananas sitting on the kitchen table, I figured it was time to make some bread or some other baked yumminess. Eggs were taken out of the fridge to warm up for best baking performance. The flour and sugar were untucked from their usual resting place in the cupboard. Vanilla, baking powder, and bowls were brought out adding to the accumulating ingredients on the countertop. I peeled three quite soft bananas and mashed them into to something like gerber graduates baby food. Happily mixing away I forgot one important thing. I began to wonder why the batter was so thick and then I realized I neglecting to add the oil! Attempting to remedy the situation, I added the necessary ingredient and stirred with disappointment at my blunder. It did not seem entirely the right consistency, but I continued and hoped that the bread would not bake up like bricks in a kiln.
Slowly, but faithfully, a familiar aroma filled the air and wafted about the kitchen, filling it with it's simple sweetness. The scent beckoned me to peek in the oven, as if comfort itself glowed inside. After one inquiry~and then another~ and a poke from a butter knife, they are baked and ready for a taste test. Dry. Edible, but unusually crumbly and almost like a banana scone. With much confectionary sugar glaze it was a quaint after dinner dessert.

Dressing for Success

With ripe tomatoes and spinach piled high in the markets, it is only fitting and proper to enjoy the bounty of produce by making super sized salads. Cucumbers, red onion, crunchy carrots and boiled eggs atop a mound of mixed lettuces and fresh bacon~compliments of neighboring country Macedonia~make for a savory meal.
Limited salad dressings are available so I am adorning my jollification of veggies with homemade versions. Mustard, local honey, and red wine vinegar begin the sauce. Rich aroma bursts into the air as I whisk hearty amounts of garlic into the mixture. A dash of cilantro bespeckle the sides of the bowl, blending the flavors of sweet and savory perfectly in my now completed dressing. A thirty minute chill in the refrigerator made it ready to be a choice condiment for any salad.

Nuts N' Honey

With eager expectation I opened the vacuum~sealed bag of peanuts, bellowing its nutty aroma into the air. They were already salted, so I did not feel the need to add more. Waiting in a white paper bag were some fresh shelled walnuts. I plugged the transformer to change the voltage into the plug so I wouldn't make my handy chopper a handy cooker and poured in the nuts. Walnuts first, because they have been so patient, then the peanuts. With a twist of the top and a chop chop chop the nuts quickly turned into a lovely homemade two~nut butter. I also added wildflower honey~quite a bit actually. Semi-sweet and coarser than traditional creamy peanut butter, this spread made an excellent snack smothering an apple. A few tablespoons of olive oil were infused to keep the mixture consistent and the texture from being like concrete mix. This is just the beginning of many homemade peanut butter experiences I will have here in Kosovo. This post brought to you in part by Pami brand peanuts...we're nuts!

Chocolate Cravers Brownies

Okay y'all here is the recipe for the brownies mentioned in an earlier post... I might say that when it comes to recipes I like to tinker. So, feel free to do that too. Add butterscotch chips instead of chocolate pieces, add another egg to make them more cake-like. It is hard to mess them up unless you burn them or omit too much oil. If you decide to use applesauce or fruit puree to make them healthier, I recommend using half the oil/butter called for and substitute the rest with applesauce/puree. The texture can become dense when substituting applesauce for all the oil in recipes. Also, feel free to substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose. Again, the texture may be heavier and slightly drier than the all white flour recipe. I add extra cocoa in my chocolate recipes and I reduce the amount of sugar by about 20-25%. If you reduce the sugar by much more than that, the outcome will be a less fluffy product. I am using a convection oven so the time was short and sweet. Do not overcook these brownies, when they are ready they will have shiny delicate cracks on the top. A butter knife inserted will come out moist not completely clean. I do not recommend using a glass pan. I have tried it both ways and they cook up better with a metal pan. For an ultra rich ultra yummy brownie use melted butter instead of oil. Good luck!

Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1/2 cup sugar(I have already reduced the sugar amount-use 3/4 c. if you have a sweet tooth)
1 tsp vanilla
1 heaping tablespoon instant coffee granules
2 eggs
1 3oz chocolate bar(I used 70%), chopped
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts(optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, vanilla and coffee granules. Beat in eggs. Combine chocolate bar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; gradually stir into the egg mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts, if desired. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Mixture will be thick!

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the brownie begins to pull away from edges of pan. Let cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Do not overcook!

Culture shock and chocolate cravings...

The experts say that right about this time Jason and I are going to experience various symptoms of culture shock. I think it has come with cravings that are comforting and devilishly fudgy. Brownies. No box, no mix, and I don't own a hand mixer yet...

The chocolate products available here are in your kissy-face-Hershey good. So far, Jason and I have collectively eaten the equivalent of half of Willy Wonka's inventory of chocolate bars- and of course, it must be dark.

Succumbing to primordial chocolate desires I made a small batch(which means not nearly enough) of brownies. Incorporating instant coffee to it made them unbearably yummy. Needless to say, they were the best brownies I have ever made.

Fudgy and moist(but not greasy), they were an inspiring accompaniment to a simple glass of milk. Flavors from cocoa powder and freshly chopped 70% chocolate bars made these no-box brownies go faster than a Wii after-Christmas sale at Wal-Mart.

I feel another craving coming on soon...

Not your Memaw's Macaroni Salad

Macaroni, check. Celery, check. Artery clogging amounts of mayo, check. With the red onions, carrots and diced cucumbers playing in the bowl already so cheerfully, I thought I would add something new to my mixing bowl. Asian pears. They added a splash of juicy sweetness to the quickly becoming not-your-memaw's macaroni salad. With a delicate flavor and a hearty crunch, pears were the perfectly palatable solution for ho-hum macaroni salad. Pale yellow peppers native to the mediterranean were gutted and chopped small-and unlike a bell pepper they do not overwhelm with their aroma and flavor. Dill along with fresh pressed garlic made a zesty appearance and mingled with the mayo creating a stunning backdrop for the colorful collage of veggies- and now fruit. I thought about apples, but they create appleness in everything they are in. Hmmm, not ready for apple macaroni salad yet.

This is a new day for macaroni salad. It will no longer be the bowl that is neglected on the reunion table, whose only redeeming qualities include copious amounts of cubed ham or bacon bits. It shall with pride display a vast array of flavors and textures to delight even the most discriminating Grandma. Johnny still only eats pig-in-a-blankets and green beans. But, if you are ready to try something new, this is for you. Now nestled happily between industrial amounts of fried chicken and corn pudding, macaroni salad has earned its place in the most honored position on the table of gluttony. Fruits and veggies unite in harmony to elevate this humble salad to an elegant side for any occasion. I think they pair well together.