Quarantine Sourdough... or what I did on spring break part 1

One would think being on lockdown during a pandemic would give a person so much more time to blog! In my case, apparently not.

I have, however, over the past few months, discovered the joys of sourdough baking. I would like to genuinely thank the early pandemic yeast hoarders for basically forcing me to explore sourdough.

I wouldn't have done it without you.

Rather than go into explicit details right now, I'm just going to post of photos of my journey and get back to the actual process later.

Name- Tamagotchi
Date of birth- 4/6/20

First attempt- utter failure
This was AFTER baking

Second attempt- getting there...

Found the sweet spot!

Experimenting with scoring patterns

And different shapes

Then I figured out how to make/bake two loaves at once

In part 2, I'll give you the links I used to start my own starter, and how easy it is to make this bread once you have active sourdough!

Pork Loin Chops with Mushroom Marsala Sauce

I'm mainly just putting this here so I don't have to reinvent the wheel every time I make it.

4 thick-cut pork loin chops

salt and pepper

2 T. butter, divided

generous handful of mixed dried gourmet mushrooms

1 1/4 C. hot water

1 C. sliced button mushrooms (white or crimini)

1 C. sliced fresh shitake mushrooms

1/3 C. marsala wine

1 t. dried herbes de provence

1/2 t. salt

1 T. cornstarch

2 T. milk

In a small bowl, soak dried mushrooms in hot water for about 30 minutes, or until softened and hydrated. Strain soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, squeezing most of the liquid out of the mushrooms. You should have about 1 cup of liquid. Set aside for later.

Season pork chops generously with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, melt 1 T. butter over medium-high heat. Brown pork until golden on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Melt remaining butter in pan; saute all mushrooms until moisture has evaporated and they're starting to brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Return pan to medium-high and deglaze with marsala, scraping up any bits and reducing to about half. Stir in herbes de provence, salt, and HALF the mushroom soaking liquid. Return pork and mushrooms to pan, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Whisk cornstarch and milk into remaining soaking liquid. Remove pork from pan. Bring mushroom mixture to a boil, and add the soaking liquid mixture. Boil until thickened, stirring constantly. Spoon sauce over chops to serve.

This is delicious with polenta, but I also often serve it with fancied-up mashed potatoes. Rice would be good, too!

Salami and Potato Frittata

I love frittatas. They're relatively quick and easy. They're great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You can put just about anything in them and they'll be fantastic. All you need is eggs, cheese, and whatever you happen to have languishing in the fridge/pantry. Some of my favorite ingredients are spinach, broccoli, chopped bell peppers, mushrooms, ham, bacon... but pretty much anything goes. This time, I had some sliced dry salami left over from Christmas meat and cheese platters, a hunk of mozzarella, a large bag of potatoes, and a random Roma tomato. I don't normally put anything on them as a topping, but the diced tomato dressed with red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard was a perfect addition of fresh flavor to the richness of salami and cheese. Served with your favorite salad (Fresh Express Pear Gorgonzola Salad Kit pictured here), it makes a hearty, delicious meal in almost no time!

This recipe is EXTREMELY flexible. Use whatever variety tomato, potato, onion, and/or cheese you happen to have on hand.

Salami and Potato Frittata

1 C. finely diced tomato 

2 t. red wine vinegar

2 t. Dijon mustard

2 t. extra virgin olive oil

pinch kosher salt and black pepper

Combine all ingredients; set aside.

1/4 lb. thinly sliced dry salami, cut into 1/2" pieces

1 T. oil

4 small-medium potatoes, diced (about 3 C.)

1 C. chopped onion

1 1/2 C shredded cheese

10 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375°. Select a large saute pan with an oven-safe handle. I used to exclusively use one of my cast iron pans for frittatas, but recently discovered even my cheap non-stick pan handles are oven-safe to at least 375°. Who knew? On stovetop, cook salami over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until just beginning to crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels, leaving as much rendered fat as possible in the pan. Add oil, potatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper to pan; cook over medium-high for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add onions and continue cooking until onions are translucent and potatoes are starting to brown, about another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Sprinkle salami pieces and cheese evenly over potato mixture. Pour in beaten eggs. Place pan in oven and cook until eggs are set, about 7-12 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with a tablespoon or so of the tomato mixture. It's just... that... easy!

Slaw of Opportunity

Links to the honey lime chicken thighs and coconut lime cilantro rice recipes will be provided below.

So I've been making variations of this slaw for the past few years, and I have recently come to the conclusion that, aside from one constant, the rest of the recipe is infinitely variable.

The one constant is... drumroll please...

A package of instant ramen. Top Ramen... Maruchan... doesn't matter what brand... you know what I'm talking about.

Depending on the ingredients you add, it may not taste remotely Asian at all. 

Here is the recipe for the slaw pictured above, along with a few suggested substitutions...

crucial ingredient-

1 package of instant ramen, noodles crushed onto foil-lined baking sheet

seasoning packet, reserved

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast crushed noodles until slightly golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

dressing-

In a small bowl/tightly sealed container, combine the following:

instant ramen seasoning packet

2 T freshly grated ginger

1/4 C rice wine vinegar

1/4 C canola oil

1 T soy sauce

1 T white sugar

1 T mirin

1 T toasted sesame oil

10 heavy dashes Maggi sauce

Whisk or shake until well combined. Set aside.

*Notes- if you don't have fresh ginger, use powdered. If you don't have powdered, omit completely. No big. No rice wine vinegar? Use whatever you have. No mirin? Add a smidge more sugar (or not). No Maggi? Got fish sauce? No? Fuggetabouddit. Make the flavor profile your own.

WHAT I HAD IN THE FRIDGE---

2 large stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, grated

2 large green onions, sliced

however much shredded cabbage... I was just free-wheeling at this point...

choppped cilantro

WHAT YOU MIGHT USE---

Any vegetables you can cut into slaw-like pieces (including peas)

Don't forget fruits (including dried)

Toasted or candied nuts. Go nuts.

Proteins... diced chicken, bacon, USE YOUR IMAGINATION

Don't be afraid to add cheeses.

Combine toasted noodles, dressing, and whatever happened to jump in the bowl. Toss vigorously. Cover and chill until you feel the correct vibe coming from the bowl, at least one hour. Taste for seasoning. Accept that it's good enough for now, but start thinking about future corrections. Serve.

Skillet Honey Lime Chicken

This is honestly one of the fastest, easiest, most delicious recipes I've ever made. 

Cilantro-lime Coconut Rice

One of my go-to recipes!!

Mango Avocado Salad

In my ongoing quest to use up the lovely items I've been getting from Imperfect Produce before the fruit flies get to them, I came up with this salad. It is light, creamy, and refreshing, especially when paired with a well-seasoned grilled protein.

Jerk-seasoned pork chop, cumin grilled zucchini, jasmine rice, and mango avocado salad

2 T. mayo

1/2 lime, juiced

1 t. Dijon

few dashes hot sauce

salt & pepper, to taste

2 large mangoes, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

2 avocados, diced

3 green onion, sliced

1/3 C. fresh basil, chopped

In medium bowl, gently combine all ingredients until well mixed. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Liver... and... onions... ew

I'm just going to come right out and tell you, I hate liver. Hate eating it. Hate cooking it. Absolutely loathe it. Hate everything about it from beginning to end. However, it was my ex-husband's favorite thing ever, so we came to a compromise. I would cook it once a year for his birthday. In the 30 years we were together, I kinda nailed it. There will be no photos in this post, as I am never going to touch that stuff again in my life, but I can't let my recipe just die either.

Here it is... the ultimate liver recipe...

1 lb beef liver... or calf liver... or whatever the fuck OMG JUST GET SOME DAMN LIVER, YOU MONSTER!!!
1 qt buttermilk
2 t salt
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1 c flour
2 t salt
fresh ground pepper
2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
1/2 lb thick sliced bacon, cut into 1" pieces

The SECOND you get in the house with your supplies, head directly for the kitchen. Find a medium sized bowl (preferably with a corresponding lid). Remove liver slices from original container and place in bowl. Pour half the carton of buttermilk over. Add salt, onion, and garlic powders. Toss and mix everything until completely coated. Cover and let it sit there and think about what it's done.
In a large frying pan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain and reserve all fat and drippings.
Saute onions in 2 T. bacon fat, sprinkling with a little salt, until transparent and just starting to caramelize. Remove onions from pan and hold with bacon.
Place flour, salt, and pepper in a plastic bag, shaking to mix. Carefully... very carefully... grab the smallest corner of the nearest piece of EW!!! Shake off as much buttermilk as you can and throw it in the bag of flour. Shake shake shake the bag... grab a corner and shake the liver slice some more... ew... then put it on a rack to, once again, contemplate it's life choices. Repeat with remaining slices.
Heat remaining bacon drippings, adding more butter if needed, until almost smoking. Dip each liver slice back into the buttermilk mixture, then back into the flour, then omg IthinkIneedatherapysessionrightnow... carefully lower into hot fat. Fry until coating is golden and blood is just starting to rise to the top. Turn and fry for another few minutes, until golden brown. The liver should be barely pink in the middle when cut. Set onto warmed serving plate to rest. Throw onions and bacon back into hot pan to reheat. Scoop over fried liver slices. Serve to the child of Satan who eats that crap.

I don't eat it... I just work here.

Creamy Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad

For those days when you've got everything to make a salad... except lettuce...

Creamy Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2" dice
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 large tomato, seeded and cut into 1/2" dice
1 large avocado, cut into 1/2" dice
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 C. sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
2 T. mayo
2 t. sugar
1 T. white vinegar
1/2 t. dried dill
ground pepper to taste

Place cucumber in a strainer and toss with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes, then rinse under cold water. Dump into a few layers of paper towels and squeeze lightly to drain. Combine dressing ingredients in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.