January 2019 - Page 2 of 3

The Impossible Dish

Chicken, Cooking, FoodJanuary 20, 2019January 19, 2019 Sinmi

Roasted Chicken leg marinated in soy and burnt caramel marinade with dusting of spring onion slices on a sheet pan

There are few things I knew about myself. One of those things was that I don’t like sweetness in my savory dishes. In the last few years, I have sensed an evolution in the way I eat. I understand that sugar can be more than just sweetness. Sugar can be used to create a different flavor. Sugar is the secret ingredient that creates the joy in this soy burnt caramel chicken.

Bitterness is the opposite of sweetness. It is the sensation that many seem to want to avoid. The truth is bitterness as a part of the flavor palette serves a function. I explore that function in this marinade for chicken. The first time I made the soy burnt caramel chicken, I was skeptical but I had to keep going. This recipe is one that required me to have faith in my imagination.

I kept going and this many years later, I keep going with it. It is something that I created and love. By burning the sugar in this marinade, I get to explore another side of the sweetness. Burnt sugar is not a one note flavor. It has layers that can range from smoky to almost pungent. These layers become even more extraordinary when paired with the magic of soy sauce.

Soy Burnt Caramel chicken served with noodles

It is only right that I admit that this recipe is one that would give a bit of anxiety. How do you know when the sugar is ready? How do you not burn down the house? What tips do I have to make this process doable? Trust yourself and be patient. The initial step of burning is the one that is most anxiety inducing. Once you get through that phase, there is a ton of flavor banked already that makes this a walk in the park. Are you ready to make soy burnt caramel chicken?

Soy Burnt Caramel Chicken

Sinmi

A delicious umami experience enabled by the richness of burnt sugar with soy sauce. The marinade makes the chicken juicy and well season from the inside out.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Soy Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Tbsp Chili Flakes
1 Tbsp GInger Grated
1/4 tsp Salt
2 pounds Chicken leg

Instructions

Pour the sugar into a dry light-colored saucepan. Start heating the sugar at medium. As the sugar begins to liquify, swirl the pan slightly to get an even melt. Let the sugar sit on the heat for about 10-15 minutes until it is a dark brown color. Turn heat to low.
Once sugar is dark in color, add in the soy sauce and 2 cups of water into the saucepan carefully. Start to stir mixture to encourage the seized up sugar to melt.
Once sugar is dissolved into the liquid, turn of the heat. Smash the garlic and add it to saucepan with the ginger as well as the salt and chili flakes. Let the mixture cool down completely
Pour the soy burnt caramel marinade over the chicken. Seal the chicken and set in a refrigerator for at least 2-4 hours. I have let the chicken marinade overnight without issues.
Preheat oven to 425F. Take the chicken legs out of the liquid and pat dry before setting on a baking tray. Roast in the often for 20-25 minutes.

Easy Fancy Pots

SweetsJanuary 19, 2019January 19, 2019 Sinmi

Blood Orange curd and Yogurt Parfait with Granola

The other day, I noticed that I had a couple of blood orange starting to wrinkle in my food pantry. I knew it was time to get about figuring what to make with the blood orange. The result of my search was this blood orange curd parfait layered with a coconut flavored yogurt and crunch pistachio granola.

Citrus is one of the things I love about this time of the year. The abundance of oranges, grapefruits, and even the bewildering buddha’s hand makes for a wonderful winter. Every time I go to the market and I see the blood orange cut open, I am drawn to its deep color. There is just something about seeing the ruby red instead of the orange that is jarring and intoxicating to my senses. I often find myself buying it just for the pleasure of looking at it. The juices end up tasting just like a regular orange and work perfectly for making this curd.

Blood orange curd parfait with yogurt and granola layer

One of the things I crave in recipes is simplicity. I love making simple things that look that they require more effort than they actually do. This blood orange curd and yogurt parfait is a prime example. Just thinking about blood orange curd seems like a cumbersome process. In truth, the process of making the blood orange curd is simple as long as you follow the process closely. The best recipe I have found for blood orange curd is the one by Melissa Clark of the New York Times. It is wonderfully written and produces a beautifully thick curd.

The yogurt layer and the granola layer are so simple as well. The coconut cream in the yogurt layer adds an unexpected tropical touch and adds structure to the decadence. These can be done from start to finish in 30 minutes. The Blood Orange curd and yogurt parfait would feed a crowd just as well as a small group of friends.

Blood Orange and Coconut Yogurt Parfait

A super simple recipe that produces a fancy looking Blood Orange Curd and Yogurt Parfait with Crunch Granola. Perfect for the days when you are short on time but full of creativity.

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Ingredients

Blood Orange Curd (see notes)

Yogurt Layer

1.5 cup Strained Greek Yogurt
1 cup Coconut Cream
1/2 cup Cream
1/4 cup Honey
1/2 orange zest

Orange Pistachio Granola

3 Cups Rolled Oatmeal
1/2 Cup Pistachio
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Orange Zest
1/4 cup Honey

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300F
Combine oatmeal, honey, oil, and salt with orange zest in a bowl. Spread on a baking tray. Pop into the oven and bake for 20minutes, stirring halfway. Let it cool down
Add the yogurt, cream and coconut cream into a bowl with the honey and orange zest. Whisk until the mixture is well mixed and forms soft peaks.
Chill in refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
In a cup or jar, add in about 3 tbsp of blood orange curd. Then layer on the yogurt mixture. Chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
When you are ready to serve, top each parfait with a crunchy granola layer.

Sparkle!

Drinks, Mocktails, SyrupsJanuary 18, 2019January 17, 2019 Sinmi

Have you have discovered a fruit and then become obsessed with? That’s the story of my relationship with citron, aka Buddha’s hand. I had never seen it and suddenly it was everywhere last winter. One of the fascinating thing about citron is that it can be consumed like an orange because it has no juice. It is basically all zest and rind. Its limitation made it perfect for this Pineapple Citron syrup.

Citron has a zesty smell with floral overtones. It is the floral notes in its oil that I find most intoxicating when I cook with this lovely fruit. When I was thinking of how to balance the syrup, I decided to pair it with lemongrass. Lemongrass, as the name implies, has some of the same notes as lemon with grassiness. Smell is an important part of the experience of drinking. When I build my syrups, I am very conscious of the fact that there is a lot of sugar and sometimes limited palette for taste. By thinking about the nose, I can further enhance the experience of drinking.

A bottle filled with clear yellow pineapple citron syrup with the crown of the pineapple fruit.

The Pineapple Citron syrup is focused heavily on smell, but it also tastes smashingly good. I have always loved the way pineapple feels in the mouth. Chilling down that pineapple taste and then carbonating it makes a massive difference. That’s why for mixing the syrup, I chose crisp sparkling water.

One tip for making this syrup: The Pineapple Citron Syrup taste best when the pineapple is just about to rot. The whole and uncut pineapple is ready when you can smell it in the room and it starts to attract flies. Really! I usually buy a ripe pineapple from the store and just let it hangout in my house for a couple of weeks.

Pineapple Citron Syrup

A lovely pineapple syrup enhanced with the addition of citron and lemongrass. Perfect for mixing mocktails, cocktails and flavoring desserts.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Chilling time 2

Total Time 35

Course Drinks

Ingredients

1 Pineapple Overripe
1 Citron Small
1 Lemongrass stalk
2 cups Sugar

Instructions

Cut off the crown of the pineapple. Wash the skin of the pineapple thoroughly then chop the pineapple into chunks. Cut the citron into pieces as well. Smash the lemongrass open with a rolling pin or dull edge of a knife.
Arrange the pineapple, citron, and lemongrass in a medium pot. Pour the sugar over the mix and add in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils, reduce heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat.
Let the syrup cool down in the pot for about 30 minutes. Strain out the syrup. Don’t be afraid to press down on the pulp in the pot to get the juices flowing out.
To get that super clear syrup, I strain a second time through two layers of coffee filter.

Keyword Buddha’s Hand, Citron, lemongrass, Pineapple

My First Winter Soup

Cooking, Food, SoupsJanuary 17, 2019January 16, 2019 Sinmi

A white bowl filled with tomato chicken soup with kale. the soup is topped with a soft boiled egg.

When I first moved to the US, this soup was one of the first things I associated with winter. My stepmother would make a huge pot of tomato chicken soup during the winters in California and it was always the best thing. Especially the next day, when all the flavors would have co-mingled properly. This is my version of that soup, a tomato chicken soup with barley.

One of the things I find interesting about this soup is that the tomato, red pepper and onions are blended in Nigerian style. I never asked my stepmother is this was how the recipe was originally made or this was influenced by marrying into the Nigerian culture. She also tends to make her version of the soup with potatoes. Oh! Those cubes of potatoes would have soaked up so much flavor the next day.

A white bowl filled with tomato chicken soup with barley and kale. the soup is topped with a soft boiled egg.

I started making my version of this tomato chicken soup with barley when I lived in Manchester England. It was my first time experiencing a snowy winter. I am not sure how I found barley but this soup is one of the only places I eat barley. I like barley. It is soft on the outside with a bit of a bite in the middle. That’s how I cook my barley.

The thing I like about making this tomato chicken soup with barley is that I can make the barley ahead. In fact, I recommend cooking the barley separately from the broth of the soup. Barley has a lot of starch that would thicken up the soup if cooked in the broth. I prefer to add in my cooked grains of barley into the soup at the last stage.

Tomato Chicken Soup With Barley

Sinmi

A lovely soup filled with vegetables and barley. The tomato chicken soup is easy and quick since the broth does the work of bringing in the flavor.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Course Soup

Ingredients

2 cups Chicken Broth
1 can tomato puree
1 Red Pepper
1 Onion
1 bunch Lacinato Kale chopped
1 cup barley cooked
1/2 cup Mirepoix
1 clove garlic
Salt
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp Vegetable oil

Instructions

Blend the tomato puree, red pepper, chili flakes, onion, and garlic together in food processor until smooth.
In a large pot, add in the vegetable oil. Heat the oil for a minute or two before adding in the mirepoix. Season with some salt and then cook the mirepoix for about 4-5minutes until soft and translucent.
Add in the tomato mix into the pot along with the chicken broth. Bring up to boil, then reduce heat and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Add in the kale and allow that to cook and reduce into the soup for about 5 minutes before adding in the cooked barley. Check that the salt is balanced and adjust is necessary
Let the soup simmer for a couple minutes before serving.

Notes

I use a homemade chicken broth when I make this soup. This why I don’t need to worry about seasoning the soup because all the flavor is in the broth. I have a recipe here for how I make chicken broth at home.

Keyword barley, chicken soup, kale, tomato chicken soup, tomato soup

A Soup to Remember

Cooking, Food, SoupsJanuary 16, 2019January 14, 2019 Sinmi

Butternut squash soup with black beans in a white bowl

The first time I had a variation of the Butternut Squash soup with black beans, it was such an unexpected treat. It happened a couple of years ago at the Boston Public Market.

The Boston Public Market is one of my favorite places to wonder in the winter. I love looking at the stalls of the local producers and buying donuts. Every once in a while, I stop there to get a meal. Usually, I either get a pastrami sandwich or I go get food from Bon Me.

On the day I tried the butternut squash soup, I got accosted on my way to Bon Me by an affable guy. He was offering me soup for free. He told me, “if you don’t like the soup, you don’t have to pay for it.” Unlike my normal self, I didn’t brush him off. I figured I had nothing to lose. Plus, I loved his approach. So I tried the soup and I paid for it. It was amazing. His was a vegetarian version that was tangy and spicy with loads of vegetables and beans with sweet potato. I love it and I ate every bit of it.

My version of the soup tries to capture some of the magic of that moment in a simpler version. The butternut squash soup with black beans starts with a mirepoix. Mirepoix is are so commonly sold in grocery store prepped vegetable sections. Buying the vegetable pre-chopped makes life easier but I usually make my own mirepoix at home because I don’t like carrots. Also, I use leeks instead of onions.

The broth is definitely my homemade chicken broth that I have tailored to my specific taste. One special thing that I do with my soup is make cut my butternut squash into tiny cubes. Bigger cubes would work in the soup, they would just need to be cooked longer.

The magic spice in this bowl of goodness is the cumin. The cumin brings everything together and especially after the final squeeze of lime. Don’t skip out on the cumin or the lime. It makes such a huge difference to the way the taste plays out.

If there is one thing I am loving this winter, it is finding easy ways to eat my vegetables on the regular without it feeling like a chore. This butternut squash soup with black beans is such a joyous experience that I can’t help repeating it.

Butternut Squash Soup with Black Beans

The butternut squash soup with black beans takes me back to a beautiful moment of discovering new food profiles unexpectedly. It is such a joyful recipe because of its robust flavor with cumin and lime playing with the sweetness of the butternut squash.

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Cook Time 20

Servings 4

Ingredients

2 Cups Butternut Squash
1 Can Black Beans rinsed
1 Cup Mirepoix
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Lime
1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt
1 tbsp Vegetable oil

Instructions

This the perfect recipe to use the pre-cut butternut squash that is sold in the stores. It cuts down on prep time. Cut the butternut squash into chunks if you are prepping it yourself. I prefer smaller pieces to cut down on cooking time.
Smash the garlic cloves. Add the oil into a medium saucepan. After heating for a minute, add the mirepoix and smashed garlic cloves. Sprinkle a pinch of salt. Stir frequently and allow the vegetables to sweat for few minutes until translucent.
Once mirepoix looks soft, add in the butternut squash chunks and the cumin. Stir frequently for about four minutes, then add in the chicken broth. Bring it up to a simmer.
Add in the black bean. Taste the soup to check that salt is at an optimal level. Let it all cook together until the butternut squash chunks are tender.
Serve soup in a bowl with a wedge of lime. Squeeze lime juice over the soup before eating.

The Leftover Soup

Cooking, Food, SoupsJanuary 15, 2019January 14, 2019 Sinmi

Rice and Kale Chicken Soup with Pesto topped with avocado slices in a white plate

This is the easiest kind of soup. Everything is already prepped and cooking really is about warming up together. This Rice and Kale Chicken Soup with Pesto is one more tool in my fight against food waste.

The flavor base of the soup, the chicken broth does most of the hard work. By making building in the flavor of the herbs in the broth already, I can concentrate on just adding in my ingredients into the broth.

One of the things I like about this soup is that it solves the problem of leftover food. When I make this recipe at home, I am usually using bits of chicken leftover from a rotisserie chicken. The rice also tends to be leftover rice.

Really there is no recipe for this soup. I start the rice and kale chicken soup by sauteeing some kale in some oil. Any greens would work if you are not a fan of kale, Once the kale or greens are wilted, I add in the chicken broth. Bring that to a simmer, then add in the chicken bits and rice. I let it simmer for another couple of minutes, I taste it to check if it needs anything. Most times, I have to add a pinch of salt because I don’t make my broth with salt.

The rice and kale chicken soup goes in a bowl to be topped with some pesto. I also like avocado on this soup for some creaminess. A squeeze of lemon also works wonder by elevating the broth.

Omi Eran

FoodJanuary 14, 2019January 13, 2019 Sinmi

A glass container filled with chicken broth and surrounded by celery, thyme, rosemary and lemon

I once put up a picture of my pot of chicken broth coming to life on my personal Instagram account. One of my friends asked jokingly what I was doing. You see, in the Nigerian kitchen, chicken broth is not something we intentionally make. Broth is often the result of braising meat for consumption. So, I feel almost silly writing this recipe on how to make chicken broth.

In Yoruba Language, Omi Eran is what we call stock or broth. It literally translates to the juice of the meat.

My knowledge of Nigerian food is based on my heritage as a Yoruba woman. This caveat is important because Nigeria, as a country, is an amalgamation of many rich cultures that have many different traditions. These traditions converge and often times, they diverge. Even when the Yoruba heritage, many different tribes have their perspective on food. My knowledge of food is based on my heritage as a Yoruba woman who grew up in Lagos. My food is rooted in my mother’s Abeokuta lineage and watching the Cooking Channel obsessively.

A glass of green smoothie made with chicken broth with avocado and lemon — One of my favorite things to have in the morning is a warm smoothie. The recipe for this green smoothie is on my Instagram page. You can follow me here.

The intersection between what is mine to claim within my culture and that I have gleaned from a foreign culture is what makes my food interesting. It is what makes my chicken broth interesting. I have often seen food bloggers talk about how to make chicken broth. Many recipes focus on wringing out the essence of the chicken bones.

I view chicken broth as more than just the essence of chicken. For me, making chicken broth is about creating a flavor base that saves times. In writing this recipe on how to make chicken broth, I am really telling you one of the ways I bring flavor into my kitchen. A cup of my homemade chicken broth already is well balanced with different herbs and spices so that when I use it, I can worry less about building a flavor profile.

Here is the truth about my daily cooking, it is very unfussy. I am often short on time but long on hunger when I get into this kitchen. This means I want something quick that is not bland. Having homemade chicken broth stored in my freezer allows me to cut down on time when I am making things like soups. My chicken broth also makes cooking whole grains like brown rice and quinoa much more pleasurable.

One thing I will say about how I make chicken broth is that I want to have as a versatile brew. This means I stay away from strong herbs and lots of spices. So, although I am a big fan of cumin and rosemary, I prefer to avoid them because it is hard to build other flavors on them. I tend to reach for the more thyme, celery, leek and onions in my broth. This combination produces a broth that is beautiful in color, tasty in the mouth and easy to use when cooking.

The goal this week is to show you ways that I use this chicken broth so that you are inspired enough to make it.

Chicken Broth

Sinmi

An easy recipe for making chicken broth at home. This chicken broth is great because it is a flavor base that makes other meals are quick.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 20

Ingredients

3 Pounds Chicken Bones
1 Onion (large)
1 Leek (large)
2 Garlic bulbs
2 Carrots
2 inches Ginger
6 Sprigs Fresh Thyme or 1 tbsp of dried thyme
1 tbsp Parsley
1 Lemon

Instructions

This step is optional. I like to brown off the chicken bones before I use them. The browning of the bones allows the fat on the bones to rendered off in a pan. I collect this fat for roasting vegetables and other recipes
The vegetables in this broth don’t have to be finely cut. The onion, garlic and ginger and lemon can be halved. I cut the carrots and leeks into chunks. Also, note that I often only use the green bits of the leek for making broth.
Arrange the vegetables, herbs and chicken bones in a large stockpot. I usually cook mine in 4.5-quart pot pan. Arrange the vegetables and chicken bones in the pot, and fill up with water. Then bring up to a boil.
Once the water in the pot is boiling, I turn down the heat to a simmer, and then I start the clock. I’ll usually let the broth simmer for about an hour after it comes to a boil. Let it cool down completely before attempting to strain out the liquid.
If you have a bit of fat floating on top, this can be captured by putting the broth in the freeze let fat solidify. Then the solid fat can be picked off the broth. I usually don’t have this issue since I render the fat off before making the broth

From the Yoruba Kitchen…

Cooking, Food, SaucesJanuary 13, 2019January 13, 2019 Sinmi

Tomato Eggplant Sauce in a black cast iron pan.

As a child, living in Lagos Nigeria, I was more familiar with garden eggs than I was eggplant. Sometimes, tomato sauces were made with the garden eggs. I never liked the tomato garden egg sauce. Something about the text just put me off. Many years later in adulthood, this same sauce is the inspiration behind this tomato eggplant sauce.

As with many vegetables that I eat, my relationship with eggplant was frosty to begin. I am not sure when I became a fan of eggplant but here we are. Suddenly, grilled eggplants have become a signature item of my kitchen. The other way I love my eggplant is in this versatile Tomato Eggplant Sauce.

This sauce is perhaps the most Nigerian recipe I have shared so far. It features the classic trifecta of a Yoruba woman’s kitchen; onion, tomato and red pepper. I should add that Yoruba people love spicy food so there is fourth item, habanero, that is used in the traditional blend. Every Yoruba woman, and many Nigerian women, have their preferred ratio for these vegetables. Some like a sweeter mix and others prefer a spicier or more pungent mix. Sometimes, the tomato pepper mix also changes with the dish being prepared.

Baked potato topped with tomato eggplant sauce, basil, and cheese on a white plate

Growing up, the tomato pepper mix I have used in this Tomato Eggplant sauce was always available in the freezer. On Sundays, a fresh tomato pepper blend would be made, boiled down to get rid of the moisture and then stored in the freezer. This blend was then used during the week to make stews, egg sauces, beans, and other items. It was the backbone of many meals.

I don’t eat as much tomatoes as I did when I lived in Lagos. This is mostly because I find the quality of tomatoes disheartening. Too watery in most cases, not enough sweetness and definitely missing a lot of the tartness that balances a good tomato. In the winter, I often choose processed and packaged tomatoes over fresh ones because the quality is better and more consistent. Also, I like that I can get fire-roasted tomatoes when I make things like Jollof Rice or even this Tomato Eggplant sauce.

spooning out slices of cooked onions from tomato eggplant sauce in a black cast iron pan

One of the things I have grown to love about this Tomato Eggplant sauce is its versatility. For this post, I have served it with baked potatoes. The slightly spicy edge of the sauce is perfect for a hot potato with cheese. Plus, I really can’t resist the sweet tendrils of caramelized onion covered in tomatoes with pillowy potato morsels.

The tomato eggplant sauce would also make a good dressing for pasta or even a base for shakshuka. There are many possibilities for the sauce; you need to be a bit adventurous.

Smoky Tomato Eggplant Sauce

Sinmi

A simple and relatively quick tomato sauce that is versatile and filled with lovely vegetables.

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 30

Course Dinner, Sauce

Cuisine African, Nigerian

Servings 10

Ingredients

1 pound Purple Eggplant
1 can Diced Tomato
1 Onion (Large)
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Red Pepper (Medium)
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp Parsley
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tbsp Crayfish Powder optional*
1 tbsp Chili Flakes
Salt to taste

Instructions

On a gas stove or in a grill, burn the skin of the whole eggplant. The eggplant should have a substantial char all around it. The process of charring the eggplant usually takes 10-15 over an open gas flame. Also, it is possible to do this can be done ahead of time.
Place the burnt eggplant in a bowl and cover. Trapping the heat of eggplant would steam off the skin. Let it rest for about ten minutes. Once it is cooled down, remove as much of the skin as possible. Don’t be tempted to scoop out the middle. The bits of the skin left after cleaning helps to give the sauce a smoky aroma.
Roughly chop off the cleaned roasted eggplant flesh. Don’t do this in a blender because you don’t want a paste. You want chunks of soft eggplant.
Add the tomato, 1/2 of the onions, garlic, the red pepper as well as the chili flakes into a blender. Pulse into a rough paste.
Slice the remaining onion.
Add the vegetable oil into a saucepan over medium heat. After a minute, add in the onion slices and a pinch of salt. Let the onion cook gently.
Once the onion slices are wilted and almost caramelizing, add in the tomato sauce into the saucepan.
Stir in the herbs, paprika and crayfish powder into the tomato sauce at this point. Let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes, mixing occasionally.
The tomato sauce is ready for the eggplant chunks when most of the moisture is cooked off. The tomato sauce should be thick before mixing in the eggplant. Make sure to mix in the eggplant chunks so that it is well distributed within the saucepan.
Taste the sauce to check for salt. Now is the time to adjust.
Let the tomato eggplant sauce simmer for about 5 minutes and then it is done.

Notes

*I debated adding this ingredient to the recipe because it is so culturally specific but I want to be able to talk about how I cook as a NIgerian woman. A good substitute for the crayfish powder would be to melt in some anchovies into the sauce. This boosts the flavor of the sauce.

Keyword Aubergine, Eggplant, Pasta Sauce, Tomato Eggplant Sauce, Tomato Sauce

Cleaning Up the Pantry

Baking, Cake, FoodJanuary 12, 2019January 11, 2019 Sinmi

A cut loaf of lemon poppy seed cake decorated with slices of lemon and thyme buds with dripping frosting on a white plate

There is a theme emerging in my life at the moment. Food waste, and how to reduce it, has become a big thing for me. I am trying to use what I have on hand instead of continually shopping for food. This Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Thyme is a result of my attitude adjustment.

I live in a house with four other girls. As someone who loves food so much, I have managed to wrangle a more than massive amount of storage for my food and kitchen equipment. I have always known that I own a lot of food and things. Undertaking the project of organizing my personal pantry this week blew away my expectations.

It has always been clear to me that in order to manage my money, I have to manage my food budget. As someone who has survived an eating disorder, I get nervous when it comes to placing any form of boundaries around food. This has been the justification for shopping without controls for years. My free all approach means I am constantly buying more food than I can eat and throwing things out. Or I just forget that I own food. I decided to make Lemon Poppy Seed cake with Thyme because I discovered that I had an unopened jar of poppy seed in my stash.

A loaf of lemon poppy seed cake decorated with slices of lemon and thyme buds with dripping frosting on a white plate

The poppy seed jar was an impulsive purchase from sale. I just assumed I would find a use for it. That was about a year ago. Physically going through the pantry, and seeing what I had on hand, has made me realize I need to shop way less. For the next few weeks, I am committing to eating what I have already; in the pantry, fridge and freezer. It all has to go.

The recipe for the Lemon Poppy Seed cake with Thyme came from the Bake From Scratch. The only amendment I made was to half the recipe. I didn’t need two loaves of cakes in my house. The batter was pretty easy to put together especially since I used a Standing Mixer. I didn’t get the sense that this was finicky in any way. It almost felt like I was making a pound cake with some flavoring added.

I have had the Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with Thyme for past couple of days and I am impressed with the texture. My daily slice has been consistently moist. It has been a great accompaniment with my morning cup of tea. Although, I have had to stop that because I really try not to start the day eating sweets. I feel like it makes the rest of the day turn into a massive sugar rave.

Do you have any emerging theme for 2019?

Winter’s Milky Brew

DrinksJanuary 11, 2019January 10, 2019 Sinmi

Golden Turmeric Milk in a transparent glass jar

Like so many Americans, I have only recently discovered the magic of turmeric. In the last few years, turmeric has become a recognized superfood in the Western world because of its anti-inflammatory powers. No wonder a milky brew made of turmeric is called Golden Milk. The Golden Turmeric Milk is one of the pleasures of winter.

I regularly make golden turmeric milk in the winter when it starts to snow. There is something about warming up with a creamy cup of turmeric spice cooked in coconut milk or almond milk. For the recipe below, I have used half almond milk and half coconut milk. The combination of milk makes it extravagant. You can choose to use any kind of milk that taste best to you.

One caveat I feel like I need to add before you try this recipe is the staining capability of turmeric. Turmeric stains everything. I won’t recommend cutting turmeric on white chopping. The yellow hue of the turmeric is stunning, but you don’t want to live with physical memories of golden turmeric milk. I recommend using glassware and metals when making this brew.

PS Don’t be tempted to omit the black pepper! You need a combination of turmeric and black pepper to get the anti-inflammatory effect. Or turmeric and ginger also work well together.

Turmeric Milk/Golden Milk

Sinmi

Turmeric is one of my favorite ingredients in the winter. It is a highly functional food that is anti-inflammatory. This milk is what I reach for on those days when I have shoveled too many inches of snow and I just need something soothing

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Course Drinks

Servings 1

Ingredients

8 oz Light Coconut Milk
8 oz Almond Milk
1/4 cup Whole Almonds
6 Pieces Tumeric chopped
Salt a pinch
1/4 tbsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp Maple Syrup optional

Instructions

In a dark-colored saucepan, bring the almond milk, coconut milk, chopped turmeric, and whole almonds to a boil for about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a blender, then add in the salt, black pepper, and maple syrup before blending.
Strain out the husk of almond and turmeric. Then serve!

Keyword golden milk, golden turmeric milk, turmeric, turmeric milk