Eggs, Glorious Eggs!

Behold- the egg!

Eggs are one of my ideal foods. I eat them in just about everything and in any form possible (except raw- yuck). I like hard boiled eggs chopped in salads, whole, sprinkled with salt and pepper, as a snack, or halved and dropped into a bowl of ramen noodles. I use them in custards and baked goods. I like them scrambled, over easy, sunny side up, and poached. I grew up with my dad, periodically, poaching eggs in pasta sauce to go with spaghetti, which I make sometimes as well. (I highly recommend it!)

Parmesan and portobello omelet

Humans have been eating eggs for eons (or like my mom would say, since “God was a boy”). It’s a food that is easily scavenged and healthy (or unhealthy given its bad rep surrounding all of the cholesterol hoopla). Due to the domestication of chickens, ostriches, ducks, and the like, eggs are more readily available, and of course, extra easy to come by in modern times because of grocery stores and farmer’s markets (which is where I usually pick them up- gotta love local family farms!). Eggs are a symbol of fertility and rebirth. They are depicted in art (like Fabergè eggs), decorated for Easter, pickled, and are a staple at picnics and parties (i.e. deviled eggs).

Smoked gouda omelet on an English muffin

Omelets are my preferred egg style. They only take a minute or two to make and the cleanup is easy. I, usually, either: (1) turn my omelet into a sandwich, or (2) stuff the heck out of it. When I was little, my parents made tacos with thinly made omelets instead of using hard or soft tortillas. They are probably one of most versatile ingredients out there that can be eaten on its own or in savory or dessert dishes alike.

Eggs don’t have to be boring. Sure, they are good with just salt and pepper, cooked in a little bit of butter. But why not add more to spruce them up a bit if you’re bored of the same old thing?

Basil and garlic omelet stuffed with Old Bay seasoned hash browns, white cheddar, and wilted spinach

Vegetarian Thanksgiving Extravaganza!

Thanksgiving marked two momentous occasions for me this year- it was my first meatless Thanksgiving and it was my first time cooking the entire meal all by my lonesome! Strangely, this was also my first Thanksgiving meal in two years. (Last year, we were vacationing in the Kingdom of Tonga and we made curry for dinner that night.)

A Thanksgiving dinner without turkey can be done. And more importantly, it can be just as awesome! I know, I know. The image of a turkey is the first thing that pops into every American head when they think of a Thanksgiving meal and many look forward to it all year round. Turkeys pop into my head too but these days I prefer to just have turkey decorations then to actually eat a turkey.

For our first vegetarian Thanksgiving, I decided to make stuffed acorn squash, as the main dish, to celebrate the autumn harvest. Fall foods are so hearty and wonderful plus the warm and inviting colors of apples, root veggies, squash, and the like, are just fantastic. (I’ve never met a squash I didn’t want to devour.) For the remainder of the meal, I prepared the usual, or traditional/classic, holiday fare. As a side note, by not making a turkey, meal preparation and cooking time was quite quick (plus the oven wasn’t occupied by a big fat turkey, for hours on end, so it could be used for other baked goods). By making many things from scratch and omitting meat, a lot of fat, added sugars, sodium, and the like are cut from the meal. Although that didn’t stop me from eating until I felt like popping! Several dishes, like the pie, ice cream, cranberry sauce, and rolls, I made a day or so before to save time so there was very little food preparation for me to do the day of.

The Dinner

stuffed acorn squash (with a bread stuffing containing seasonings, sun-dried tomatoes, dried fruit, and nuts)

mashed potatoes with vegetarian gravy

honey glazed carrots

green bean casserole

cranberry sauce

and homemade rolls

The Desserts

homemade pumpkin ice cream

pecan pie

Many people don’t realize how easy cranberry sauce is to make. The basic sauce has three ingredients- cranberries, sugar, and water- and it’s easy to modify. You can replace the water with apple juice. Add lemon or orange zest, a cinnamon stick, or whole cloves. The following recipe is for my own cranberry sauce I made this year, which turned out fantastically. It can be eaten on its own, on rolls, or, my personal favorite, on plain yogurt with granola.

Zinfandel Cranberry Sauce

2 cups White Zinfandel

1 (12oz) package of fresh cranberries

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup dried cherries

¼-½ cup fresh raspberries

1-2 tablespoons of crystallized ginger (optional)

Plop all the ingredients into a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring periodically. The cranberries will pop and thicken the sauce. Once thickened, remove from heat. Cool completely (it will thicken more as it does so) and refrigerate. Cooking time is only 15-20 minutes.

Local/Restaurant Review: Pete’s Grill

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day. I couldn’t tell you why. Maybe it has to do with the simplicity of breakfast foods, my love of eggs, or that it’s the first food you shove in your mouth in the morning making your taste buds thrilled and happy after a long night of disuse. I don’t know what it is, but breakfast makes for a happy Rachel.

One of my favorite things to do on the weekend, after perusing the Waverly Farmer’s Market, is to eat at Pete’s Grill. Pete’s is a breakfast diner (although they do serve some lunch items as well, including burgers that get rave reviews) located on the corner of 32^nd Street and Greenmount Avenue in Baltimore City. They serve a good, cheap, filling breakfast, plain and simple. And I can tell you, I always leave happy and stuffed! The building where Pete’s is housed was initially built as a bank in the 1920s. Pete’s has been there for 30 years (and was another restaurant prior to that). It’s a very popular joint, with an old-fashioned diner feel. Everyone from the mayor to Johns Hopkins students to Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps (who lives in Baltimore) eat at Pete’s. The atmosphere is busy and lively (great for people watching). They only have around 25 seats or so at their long counter, so expect a wait, which will range between just a few minutes to half an hour. Your food comes fast after you order. The workers move at lightening speeds and it is probably the most efficiently run restaurant I’ve ever been to. But be forewarned- they close early at around 1pm and they only take cash.

What we eat: hash browns, egg and cheese on an English muffin, a short stack of chocolate chip hotcakes (i.e. two pancakes), French fries, and an omelet.

Pete’s has fantastic hash browns. They are fried to perfection with onions and fresh cracked pepper, giving them a slight spiciness, but not overwhelmingly so. The eggs are light and fluffy and the French fries are made from fresh cut potatoes. The chocolate chip hotcakes are utterly perfect and extremely filling. They are filled with semi-sweet chocolate chips and sprinkled with powdered sugar. When you drizzle them with syrup, you are in sugary pancake heaven. I can never resist their hotcakes!

Other, equally wonderful, foods I’ve had at Pete’ include blueberry hotcakes and the Belgian waffles (with a ton of blueberries, mind you).

For vegetarians who care if their eggs are being cooked, directly, next to sausage and Scrapple, this might not be the diner for you. Most heated foods are all cooked on the same surface.

Giving the Gift of Food

I recently just started my own Kiva account through Kiva.org. My husband has had one for years and I had been meaning to start my own. For those who don’t know, Kiva is a charity organization, where 100% of the proceeds that you lend, go to the recipients. Kiva’s purpose is to help “alleviate poverty” throughout the world. How does it work? You lend money to people in need who are trying to start or finance their own businesses (i.e. you help them in getting a loan). Once the borrower’s goal is reached, they can begin working and paying back the loan, which you can, then, relend the returned money to others in need! Simple as pie!

There are individuals (or groups) on Kiva who need loans so they may buy new machines for their furniture making businesses or aid them in purchasing fabrics for their clothing stores. By loaning money, you can help people support their families and their communities.

So how on earth does this relate to my food related blog? Well, I have made five loans, recently, for agriculture related businesses! Agriculture is a difficult line of work that can be rather tricky and unreliable due to problems such as draught, climate change, disease (of plants or livestock), and flooding, among other disasters that can occur. Humans (mostly/but not entirely) are no longer hunter gatherers so we rely on agriculture for our survival. We have to get food from somewhere!

I have lent money to: (1) a middle aged widow in Kyrgyzstan so she may purchase more livestock to help her sell more dairy and meat, (2) a group of women, in Senegal, who wish to purchase chickens to breed and sell at the market, (3) another group or women, in Paraguay, who need to purchase livestock, (4) a 64 year old rice farmer, and father of 7, in Rwanda, who needs to buy fertilizers for his farm, and (5) a young couple trying to buy cacao plants for their farm in Peru.

[Note: Yes, I did lend money to livestock farmers. I am a vegetarian but it doesn’t mean I disapprove of others eating meat. It is a personal choice, involving multiple factors. I would never press/harass others to become a vegetarian. Frankly, that is just not how I roll. For many small farmers, this is their only means of making ends meet- they are not part of some giant, evil meat corporation.]

Kiva is a fantastic way to help people get the extra push they need to help them succeed in their endeavors, especially in poor areas where people are already struggling with so much. I’m so glad I (finally) got around to starting an account and helping those who need it!

http://www.kiva.org/

Dia de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead)

Dia de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 (All Saints’ Day/Day of the Innocents) and November 2 (All Souls’ Day/Day of the Dead) to honor, respect, and remember deceased loved ones. Religiously, the holiday is a combination of Catholicism and indigenous beliefs. Unlike many other customs surrounding death, the Day of the Dead is not considered a somber affair. In Mexico, there are parades, festivals, costumes (especially of skeletons), picnics with family and friends at cemeteries, bright, vibrant colors, and plenty of yummy, traditional holiday fare! Families build alters at home or at the cemeteries and give the deceased offerings of their favorite foods and drinks when they were alive (so the souls of the dead are encouraged to party too!). These days are meant to be celebrations of both life and death. Our ancestors make us who we are. They helped shape our beliefs, traditions, and ways of thinking. So why not celebrate their awesomeness?

[Painting by artist Pristine Cartera Turkus]

Food is an integral part of any holiday celebration. For the Day of the Dead, traditional foods include: sugar skulls, skeleton designs on cookies and cakes, candied pumpkin, breads shaped like animals (for children), candies, tamales, mole, atole, enchiladas, and pan de muerto (bread of the dead).

Above is a loaf of pan de muerto that I made for Dia de los Muertos last night. The design is supposed to symbolize a skull and crossbones. (Of course, mine rose bizarrely, but I guarantee that it is tasty, albeit, weird looking!) It’s a dense, sweet bread with a slight orange flavor. It’s supposed to have crushed anise in it, but I was out of that ingredient. (Whoops!)

Celebrating the Day of the Dead is not limited to only those in Mexico. It’s observed in many places around the world. Many people have lost a loved one, be it a child, a parent, grandparent or friend. So today and tomorrow, let us not dwell on the sadness of not having our loved ones with us, but let us remember the happy times and how much fun it was to have had them in our lives, no matter how short that time was.