A place at the table with a lesson in history

 As the rain continued to come down, I decided to do some cleaning in the house. I began to dust off my massive collection of cookbooks and after just a few minutes...I got distracted and began reading. It never fails to amaze me how many books are on the shelves here at home or the number of different topics that they cover, from grilling to eating healthy circa 1947!!It may not be the largest collection in the world, however it is mine and I love the feeling of being lost inside of time when leafing through them. I started with a true classic in every sense of the word, Cooking With Soup, A Campbell Cookbook. From what I am able to piece together this book came out sometime in the early to mid 1960's and can still be found in various used bookstores both online and off. Here is what makes this book special though, it was handed down from generation to generation. The person who gave it to me received it from her mother who had in turn received it from her mom. The book was given to the daughters on their wedding day, part joke and part serious, because as I was told nobody could cook anything!! As I turned the pages of the book, I could see fingerprints on some of the pages, hand-written notes on ingredients and best of all was the sense of family and love that came from it. I love what I am able to do. Teaching people to cook is more than a job or hobby. It is a part of me. Feeling the history and family coming from this book brings up memories of my own grandmother teaching me how to enjoy food and dining out. She also told me how she stole the sugar packets when nobody was looking. Years later when I would come home from college and see her...there were always a handful of sugar packets in the purse. Memories..... the simplest of things and always making me smile. I have not tried this next pair of recipes out but as soon as I get the chance...the review will be epic!!

Frankfurter Skillet Barbecue

The hand written notes on this page of the book changed some of the original measurments. I went ahead and made those changes here. If you take the time to prepare this before I can get to it, please send me along some feedback and let me know how it turns out!!

Couldn't find a picture of this dish anywhere!

1/2 Cup Chopped Onion

1 1/2 Pounds of Frankfurters (Hot Dogs, if you are uncertain)

2 1/2 Tbs Butter

1 Can Each, Condensed Tomato Rice Soup

1/2 Empty Soup Can Water

1 Tbs Molasses

1 tsp Mustard

1/2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar

3/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp Tabasco Sauce

Cook onion and frankfurters in butter in a large skillet, until the onions and frankfurters are browned. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat for the next 15 minutes. Stirring often. Serve alone or over a roll.

Hawaiian Chicken Velvet Salad

1 Envelope of Unflavored Gelatine

1/4 Cup Cold Water

1 Can Each Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

3 oz Softened Cream Cheese

2 Tbs Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

1 Cup Diced Cooked Chicken

1/2 Cup Drained Pineapple Chunks

1/4 Cup Chopped Celery

1/4 Cup Chopped Green Pepper

3 Cups Chopped Romain

In a small sauce pot sprinkle gelatin into the cold water. Place over low heat and stir gelatin until it dissolves. Remove from heat. In a seperate bowl blend the soup and cream cheese, stir in the gelatin, lemon juice and ginger. Add the chicken, pineapple, celery & green pepper. Pour the mixture into a mold and chill until firm. Unmold, serving on a bed of lettuce.

While taking this stroll down memory lane, I came across a pair of books that had me smiling and they brought back a particular and favorite memory of a chef who has inspired me for many years. Now, there are several Chefs that I have had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with. Over these years, one in particular has made a lasting impression...Chef Martin Yan. I used to watch the now famous series on Public Television known as Yan Can Cook. I was always facinated with the easy style and energy that he cooked with, the personality and mostly the genuine enthusiasm he put into everything. While in college studying to become a chef, I had the chance to spend a few minutes with him while he was visting the school. I became an amazing fan boy and have been ever since. This next recipe is from his book, Martin Yan's Culinary Journal Through China. I will often talk about a recipe or a moment in time where food has given me a reason to smile. It is perhaps my greatest goal that Kitchen Time treats everyone just like family. You will never see an article or hear me speak with the elegance of a literary master, however you will always get a sense of energy and a love for what I do. Chef Yan speaks from the heart and this book delivers all that and more. He relates his own experiences, speaks about different regions, and helps you to understand the culture from a world that has a rich tradition of culinary masterpieces.

Triple Pepper Steak

1 Pound of Flank Steak, thinly sliced diagonally

Beef Marinade

2 Tbs Oyster Sauce (available in the 'specialty' food aisle of any supermarket)

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Combine the marinade ingredients into a plastic or glass bowl. Add the beef and stir, coating all the pieces. Set aside.

1/2 each of a red, green and yellow pepper. Cut into strips. (Save the other half of the peppers for a salsa dish that is coming over the weekend!!)

Beef Sauce

1/3 Cup Beef Broth

2 Tbs Rice Wine or Cooking Sherry

2 Tbs Soy Sauce

1 tsp Cornstarch

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Combine all sauce ingredients into a bowl and set aside

3 Tbs Cooking Oil

2 Tbs Water

1 tsp Garlic

1/2 tsp Fresh Garlic

Place a skillet or wok pan over high heat. Add 1 Tbs of oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add peppers and cook for about 1 minute. Add water and cook until peppers are crisp and tender, about another 3 minutes. Remove peppers to a serving plate. Add remaining oil into the pan, swirling to coat. Add in the beef. Allow to cook until it browns on both sides, but is still pink in the middle. This should take about 2 minutes on each side. Remove beef from the pan, leaving a small amount of oil. Add garlic and ginger into the pan for about 10 seconds, return the beef and add sauce. Cook until sauce boils and thickens. Serve over the peppers and enjoy!!

It is an honor to me that so many people come online to view my blog and to comment. The emails I receive and the positive feedback mean everything. Thank you, to everyone who supports and encourages this process. Our new Kitchen Time website is up and running. Please check us out!! www.teachingyoutocook.com we are also on Facebook and on Twitter @ChefSeanPike

This Friday I will be sharing a fresh salsa recipe along with some tips to turn pita bread into tasty chips!! I am also going to begin a three part series about eating foods to improve your mood, increase brain activity and help keep your energy up during the day.

A cup is equal to a what? Let the confusion of conversion begin!!

Today, I am going to try my hand at standard recipe notes and measurements. I am often reading through a recipe and find something that seems obscure or I need to cut something in half. When you cook it is always easy to add too little of a spice or some other ingredient...problems start though when you add in too much of something, because once you do, it doesn't come back out...EVER!!

On a side note and because I am a huge fan of using a cookbook and adding in notes as you go. When I was collecting books years ago for my library here at home, someone gave me a collection that had been sitting inside a pair of boxes for years. The books had notes written in them from generations of family members and you could see stains from fingers that had turned pages. I read them all carefully and discovered that some of the books went as far back as the 1920's. I contacted the person who had given them to me and she said that it was ok to keep them. She wanted them to begin a whole new journey with another family that would enjoy them as much as her grandmother had. When my dream finally comes true, I plan on having them on display so that everyone can learn from the sense of history each one has. I know the little story above does not have much to do with recipe conversions and such, but it just makes me smile when I think of it...now back to the real reason I was typing today.

Here we go with some simple abbreviations...they come in all shapes and sizes, but this will help you get through it ok.


Tablespoons- TBS, Tbs or tbs
Teaspoons-  Tsp, TSP or tsp
Ounce-  oz or OZ
Pound-  lbs or #
Gallon-  Gl, gl or gal
Quart-  QT or qt
Cup-  C
Pint-  pt

Now onto some of those facts to help you convert recipes

3 tsp are equal to 1 Tbs

2 Tbs are equal to 1 fluid ounce

4 Tbs are equal to a 1/4 cup

1 cup is equal to 8 fluid ounces

2 cups is equal to 1 pint

1 pint is equal to 16 ounces

2 pints is equal to 1 quart

1 quart is equal to 32 fluid ounces

4 quarts is equal to 1 gallon

Did you know that the term 'mise-en-place' means...everything in it's place...which is always a good way to go about preparing food. This way you don't have to run around looking for ingredients, pots/pans or cooking untensils while you are in the middle of something important, like making a great Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast With Tomato Relish!!


Some other quick kitchen conversions for when you are cooking...

1 cup of whole milk is equal to 1/2 cup evaporated milk mixed with 1/2 cup of water

1 cup of whole milk is equal to 1 cup of skim milk and 2 tsp of melted butter

1 cup of whole milk is equal to 1 cup of soy milk

If milk conversions are not your cup of cream...

1 cup of heavy cream is equal to 3/4 cup of whole milk and a 1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of sour cream is equal to 1 cup of yogurt


Hope some of these help out!! I know over the years I have had to run back and forth to my computer to look these sort of things up. Keeping in mind that you don't want to do that running around during your kitchen time...remember  MISE-EN-PLACE and do your conversions ahead of time

Some Of That Old Black Magic

Welcome to 2012!! I know it has been forever since I posted and for anyone who knows me,will tell you that sometimes life has a way of running at breakneck speed and taking me with it. I want to wish everyone a great, healthy and happy new year before we really get into things. It is also important for me to give some background on where I have been for the last few months.

 

We begin this past October when the family and I were getting ready for the arrival of baby Rowan. Amy, both boys and I were spending each day trying to figure out how,where, and when life was going to change. Having a little boy is one thing, having a baby girl is another animal entirely and speaking as a dad of a brand new baby girl, it's not that easy! Well ready or not, Rowan arrived on October 21st after a marathon 30 hours of labor. Mother and baby came through with flying colors. A few weeks after baby arriving home, I lost my part-time job because I was being stupid. As soon as that happened though, I received an amazing opportunity to teach at the local high school. The only drawback was that it was for a limited time and it was teaching a subject that I consider an old nemesis, BAKING AND PASTRY ARTS!!! Now I am pretty good inside of the kitchen, can tear through creating amazing dishes and can prepare something from nothing. Baking however is tricky, you don't get room to add a little of this and a whole bunch of that. So I did my best, students didn't throw things at me and I came out on the other side a better person.

 

Now that I am home, time to start writing once again!! Well not so fast, you see first of all I still have 3 kids and I can tell you stories about the dogs that will leave you laying on the floor laughing so hard that you may in fact have a bathroom accident!! My baby's first words are going to be "Brady NO!!" along with "Missy STOP!!"

 

Everyone all caught up on life yet? Are you asking about where the food stuff is? What does black magic have to do with food anyway? Have no fear true believers (bonus brownie points if you just caught that reference) because today is all about bringing back the magic in honor of Friday the 13th, which was last week and if I am not mistaken, will show up two more times this year.

 

I did some research and read a few books...it appears that food & magic have gone hand in hand for centuries. We carved pumpkins to chase away evil spirits on the Halloween holiday, or did we? Garlic is used to get rid of vampires, but what about mustard seed?...Read on to see some of the fun things I found out!

 

* In Europe, people would sprinkle mustard seed across the roof of their homes to keep them safe from vampires.

* In Japan people would scatter beans in dark corners and entrances of homes during the festival of Setsuben to chase away evil spirits

* Coffee grounds spread under the steps of your house will get rid of ants

* When baking, make sure to crush the egg shells!! Or else witches could use the ends to make a boat and sail into the ocean creating terrible storms

* Make sure to never slice a banana, only break it apart. This way you dont have to worry about having bad luck

* Peaches don't just taste delicious but they will also grant you wisdom

 

* Going bald? Well it is believed that if you pour rum onto your head it will cure those thinning spots

* Ancient Egyptians believed that onions kept evil spirits away and if they made a promise, one hand would always hold an onion.

* The last one and a personal favorite...grow rosemary by the garden gate or entrance to your home. It will chase away evil spirits and provide love and protection to family/friends who enter your home. What's not to like about that one?

 

Do you know of some food ideas blended with a bit of magic? If so I would love to hear them. In the meantime, keep on cooking and enjoy all it has to offer. Later on I will be talking about the Cider Braised Pork Shoulder I made last weekend and according to another Sean in my life it was, and this is a quote..."mmmmmmmmm". This weekend I am working on Smoked Sausage with Skillet Fried Potatoes...