Highlights from the Spice Class

 I have to say, it was such a sweet highlight of my week to have the spice class at Preparing Wisely tonight! So many dear friends came to learn and share. Joy of joys to have my kindred-spirited sisters whom I've loved for so long join me once again! It made me smile. Well...smile more than usual. If that is possible.  There were also new faces. I'm so thankful for each one! Thank you all for being there.

So I thought I'd cover a little 101 for those who didn't make it or who are out of town. The first thing is...What is the difference between a spice and an herb?

 Herbs are the aromatic leaves, flowers and stems of plants. Fresh or dry work. Make sure you smell the jar. If it smells like the herb then the stuff inside is still full of flavor. If they smell like dust...then you are just going to be adding dust to your food. Eeewwww.  My darling friend Tina brought her spice rack and had quite a few jars that were very old and full of dust. So...we had an intervention party. I guess you had to be there, but the whole group was laughing at each new jar of dust as we cheered to see it emptied of the pointless "pretties" (like getting rid of a lame boyfriend who's good for nothing...) It was awesome! Very liberating and freeing.

Spices are seeds and bark. They will need to be ground. If you don't have a spice mill (not many do...then just buy the pre-ground and be sure it's fresh). For long term food storage, I purchase whole seeds and store them in non porous containers stored in colder temperatures (70 degrees or less) and preferably in the dark. 

We covered some of the basic homeopathic uses for culinary herbs. For the most part they ease digestion but there are quite a few very beneficial uses that are amazing!  That will have to be an entirely different post. There's a ton of information. 

The other thing we covered was basic herb combining and which flavors work together best for "ethnic" flavors. We made three identical pasta salads from the basic pasta salad recipe. Then we made three different salad dressings and had totally different and amazing salads! One Greek, one Mexican, and one Asian. This is where we didn't use a recipe. You read that right. No recipe. We're going to shut down our number crunching mind and start to trust our artistic ability. We're going to smell the jars! We're going to start to really get a feel for what's in the kitchen. It starts today. Mind you, I will give you some guidelines of herbs and spices that work together well...so you don't feel all together clueless.

Since we were in the store, we used all our freeze dried products instead of the fresh vegetables. You can't even tell the difference in a pasta salad.  We used Orzo pasta (it looks a lot like rice when cooked) but you can use cooked quinoa, barley, wheat or rice as the base instead. 

Basic Pasta Salad

1 lb pasta of your choice, cooked al dente and seasoned well with salt and pepper. (Lower carb? use of thin sliced cabbage will really improve that carb count.)

1 cup chopped bell pepper (1/2 cup dehyrated THRIVE mixed bell pepper hydrated with warm water 10 minutes)

1 cup carrots, shredded or chopped (1/2 cup freeze dried carrots, hydrated with 1/2 cup water)

1 stalk celery, sliced thin (1/2 cup freeze dried celery, hydrated with 1/2 cup water)

1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin or chopped fine (1/2 cup freeze dried onion, hydrated with 1/2 cup water)

Basic Vinaigrette (for pennies a jar...) (FAT free coming up in a few lines)

3/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil Organic 

1/4 cup red wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 tsp fresh pressed garlic

Herbs and spices

salt

pepper

Want fat free salad dressing? Did you know it's almost free to make if you have cornstarch and juice already in your cupboard? Use 3/4 cup vegetable broth or juice and 1/4 cup vinegar. In a cold sauce pan combine the vegetable broth with 1 T cornstarch. Add the liquid slowly and then when combined, cook on medium heat, boiling until thick, about 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and then add the vinegar and remaining herbs and spices. Use immediately. Keep refrigerated. If dressing gets thick simply add a little more vegetable broth to thin.

Flavors That Work Together Well

(Not a complete list of spices...just a guide) 

Italian:

Herbs: Basil, Rosemary, Thyme, flat leaf parsley, marjoram,

Spices: Fennel, caraway, crushed red pepper, celery seed.

Flavor Agents: hard cheeses like Parmesan, asiago. Olives, roasted peppers, citrus zest, capers.

Greek:

Herbs: Dill, Oregano, Rosemary, Mint, parsley,

Spices: Fennel, anise, black pepper, dill seed

Flavor agents: Feta cheese, olives, pickled peppers.

Asian:

Herbs: cilantro, mint, lemon grass, sesame oil (use 2 tsp in place of some of the oil)

Spices: Cumin, Chile paste, curry paste, fennel, ginger,

Flavor agents: lime zest, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, citrus zest, peanuts or cashews

Mexican:

Herbs: Cilantro, Oregano, thyme

spice: Cumin, coriander, Chile pods, black pepper, allspice

Flavor agents: lime zest, Roasted corn, green onions, radish, black olives.

Toss the herbs and spices in the dressing. The flavor agents can be added directly to the

basic pasta salad recipe. Mix and match fresh veggies as they are in season. Add fruit if

you like. For hearty dinners, add some roasted chicken or beef. Marinate meat in the

vinaigrette and save a lot of money on those fancy bottles of pre-made stuff. You can

do it. Start to feel yourself free up in the kitchen. It is very liberating. Enjoy.

Now for you folks who just want a grab and go dressing fix, you can just use the pre-made spice blends. You

know...fajita seasoning, Italian seasoning, Greek Seasoning... Don't hurt yourself if you don't feel able to do the artsy stuff yet. I'm patient... and it's a process. Feel the Love babe.  

Upcoming this next week will be herb and spice week! I will have highlights on specific herbs and spices, their homeopathic uses and what to do with them in your foodie food! It will be so fun! Plus...Troy has ordered into the store a lot of bulk organic spices at very very reasonable prices! So you can add these to your food storage without killing your budget. Come back again this upcoming week. It will be full of surprises!

Basic Boiled Beans (Some Staple Cookery 101 from Chef Tess)

 Happy Tuesday.  All of our Thrive food products are 15% off in the store this month so it seemed like a great idea to cover some of the staples and how to cook them. This one's for anyone who has ever wondered how to cook beans. So...lets talk about magical food. Beans. I teach basic cooking skills as well as advanced culinary arts. That's what I do. I'm a firm believer in the fact that if you may never know when you will be called upon to cook a staple food, or a fancy dish. Knowing the basics of something as simple as beans is something you will never regret. You may know how to make painted breads, but honestly, that isn't a daily need unless you run a bakery. You will always have to feed yourself or your family. Sometimes things may be financially tight, or you may be looking for a lean nutritional main dish. Food wise, you can't go wrong when it comes to beans. Their nutritional data can't be beat, especially fiber and calories when it comes to filling up hungry bellies and staying full! Beans are amazing food...unless of course, you don't cook them correctly. Then you have these crunchy bean shaped things in sauce...that frankly aren't very appealing. It reminds me too much of eating bugs. Yes, I also ate bugs as a kid. I know that explains a lot.
 As for beans, what you really want, is this...

Basic Bare Bones Boiled Beans

You will need:

1 lb of dry beans ( like Pinto Beans , black,Black Beans  white, black-eyed peas,Kidney Beans  ,Small Red Beans )
water

1T  Baking Soda  (optional)

Flavor Options I use:

pepper, bay leaf, Chef Tess All purpose Seasoning  , garlic, 1/2 cup Dehydrated Onion, 1/4 cup Freeze Dried Mixed Peppers, and Real Salt  

Step 1:

Wash and soak* beans. Rinse with hot water and make sure there aren't any rocks or foreign matter in with your beans. Let's face it, they come from plants...there might be dirt. Clean it up. I soak my beans in a gallon of water with 1T of baking soda. I have found this step most useful in helping to break down the acids in the bean skins. They cook softer. After 8-24 hours of soaking, I drain the water, rinse again and put in a crock pot or the pot for my Global Sun Oven.  *Note, you don't have to soak beans, but it does help shorten the cooking time, as well as help with digestion "issues"...if you know what I mean. I think you do. You can "quick soak" beans by pouring boiling water over the beans and soaking one hour.

Step 2:

Place drained beans in 4 quart crock pot or stove top 6 quart pot. Cover beans with 6-8 cups very hot water and simmer. No salt is best at this point. No tomato products either. Salt added at this point will make it take longer for the beans to cook. Acid products like tomatoes will make it hard to cook period. To be sure, use just the water and the beans. If you use chicken stock to cook beans it adds flavor, just be sure it's low sodium. Okay...I say that and then I realize I use black pepper and bay leaf at this point as well. Okay...so it's okay to add Spanish seasoning like whole cracked black pepper, bay leaf, ground cumin, dry oregano, ground coriander (about 1/2 tsp each)...just not the salt until the end. This is where I add the 1/2 cup Dehydrated Onion, 1/4 cup Freeze Dried Mixed Peppers, Fair? You can also add a whole onion, with the "paper" skin removed. Just whole in with the beans. It sounds strange, but a Mexican gal I love showed me that trick and it's great for adding onion flavor without adding any chunks of onion...if you don't want chunks. Just remove the onion after cooking, and discard. I've also done this with a whole carrot and a whole celery stalk when I just want to add the flavor. You can also just add the dry onion, garlic, or dry vegetables, again being sure there isn't salt. A little won't hurt, but it again, will take longer to cook the beans. Yes...I know there are a lot of people who add pig to the beans. Salt pork, bacon, ham...all add salt and a nice smoky flavor. Do what you want, it will take a little longer (by 1-2 hours) if you add a lot of the salted meats. Add 3-4 drops of liquid smoke and you don't have to add meat at all. For black beans, I also add a dash of allspice, believe it or not, I really like the flavor in black beans.

Step 3:

Simmer 1 1/2 hours on stove top or 2 1/2 hours on high in the crock pot (3 hours in the solar oven). If you cook them on low temperature, it will take 4-5 hours. If you cook stove top, you may need to add additional water, be sure it is very hot, or the cooking time will increase. Yes you can  Pressure Cook  beans...they take 20 minutes that way, but that's another lesson.

Step 4:

Season. When cooking time is up, check to see if beans are soft before you add the Real Salt  salt and any additional Chef Tess All purpose Seasoning . . . If you want to add tomato powder or any  tomato products, now you may do so if  and only if the beans are tender.

  Continue to simmer a few minutes.
Now this next part is me. Totally me. I love garlic in my beans. I love a very pronounced flavor of garlic in my beans, so I add it last. Fresh pressed, two cloves in my pot at the end of cooking. If you want a hint of garlic, but not a bold statement, then you can add fresh pressed at the beginning of cooking.

This is what we end up with.

Homemade beans on a homemade tortilla...is dinner for pennies. It's not fancy, but it may not be fancy you need. It may be just making it to the next paycheck without feeling deprived of good food. This my friends, is my gift to you. Enjoy a few more dollars back in your pocket. Fire up the crock pot or Global Sun Oven .

Oh, and one last note. Because beans are so high in protein, at the right temperature they are the perfect breeding ground for food born illness. Please be sure to cool them quickly. I put my beans in smaller bowls and leave the top vented when I cover them with foil so they will get cold quickly in the fridge. If you freeze, be sure to cool them in the fridge first and then transfer to the freezer, as to not overwork your freezer, and keep the beans at a safe temperature. One pound of dry beans will usually yield about 7 cups of cooked beans! That's enough for a family easily! Serve that with Homemade Rice-Y-Roni Mix  or regular rice...and you've done it. Dinner on the cheap.

There you go.

Oh. One last thing. How do you store beans?

Storage Conditions from THRIVE:

Temperature: Storing THRIVE at a high temperature can significantly increase the speed that calories and vitamins will degrade over time. In the correct storage container, low-moisture foods such as THRIVE can be stored at room temperature or cooler (75 degrees Fahrenheit or lower) and remain nutritious and edible for years. Our stated shelf life assumes that the product will be stored in optimal conditions.

Humidity: The affects of humidity on a closed can are caused by heat and very similar to the affects of high temperature (see above). High humidity can corrode the cans and in some cases even cause the cans to leak. Areas with high humidity can reduce the opened shelf life of the product. As humidity varies with location please use your own discretion to prevent possible sickness from eating spoiled food.

Damaged Container: Minor dents in the center of the can are usually just a cosmetic issue. However, a can that has been dented near or on a seam can have a compromised air-tight seal and allow oxygen to enter the can. If this is the case we recommend using the dented can within the specified opened shelf life, rather than closed.

The best way to maintain the highest quality of your THRIVE products is to take care of them. If you intend on storing your food for the sealed shelf life, store the cans in a place that is not open to elements such as water, light, and air. Take care of it. Don't expose it unnecessarily to the elements. Also, be sure to keep the temperature and humidity low and even. Under these proper storing situations your THRIVE will maintain its delicious taste, natural coloring, and proper nutrients.

View shelf life on all THRIVE Click here 

Chef Tess Homemade Gourmet Chocolate Cake Mix

It's Mix Monday! Oh I love exploding myths and making convenience foods from scratch. Why is it? Why do I love it? Well...perhaps it's the sweet stream of email flowing to my heart thanking me for saving family budgets around the world. Literally. It's so highly motivating to get a thank you note. It warms the coggles of my heart. If you come down to the store, we will have copies of this week's recipe handy for you to take with you all week long. Isn't that cool? We'll trying to offer you a new food storage recipe every week. Speaking of recipes...

How many recipes call for a box of cake mix? Well in America anyway I've seen whole books written on the subject. They're books that doctor a cake mix into a lot of other stuff. However...what if the person making the cake or doctored mix had some crazy stipulations? I do. I want the mix being made with all natural ingredients, from scratch and things most people have access to. I want it made to taste wonderful without adding a lot of chemicals to my diet. Yikes...did I just say "diet" in blog entry about chocolate cake? Oh the irony of my existence is sometimes scary.

You will need some very high quality vanilla. It will still make a very impressive cake. If this recipe looks familiar, It is in fact an adaptation of the Chocolate Toffee Buttermilk Cake Mix. A simple form of that cake with some subtle changes.
The texture is still perfect. You will need a digital scale to make this mix or to be very accurate in your measurements.

Chef Tess' Homemade Gourmet Chocolate Cake Mix

yield 18 cups mix (4 1/2 mixes total)

2 cup  Powdered Butter butter
6 cups (1 lb 11 oz) all purpose White Flour 
3 cups (11.5 oz) baking cocoa (Hershey's available at the Preparing Wisely store)
1 cup ( 4.5 oz) non-fat milk powder Soy Milk 
5 cups(2 lb) granulated sugar
4 tsp Real Salt  
1/3 cup (2 oz) baking powder Baking Powder (Aluminum Free)  
1T double strength vanilla ( or vanilla bean paste)
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cayenne pepper

To prepare mix: In a large 3 gallon or larger bowl, combine the powdered butter,  flour, cocoa, dry milk
sugar, baking powder and salt, cardamom and cayenne very well.  (My Yellow Homemade Cake Mix) Divide into quart size bags. 2o oz of mix equals one cake mix.


This is almost exactly 4 cups of measured mix.
To bake:
Combine with 3 eggs
1/3 cup oil
1 cup water
200 strokes by hand or 3 minutes medium speed.

Bake time 350 degrees:
Pan size: 2 8 inch 33-35 minutes
2 9 inch 28-31 minutes
13 by 9 inch 32-35 minutes
bunt 38-43 minutes
24 cupcakes 18-21 minutes
High altitude: stir 1/4 cup all purpose flour into mix. Mix as directed.


Ganache Glaze:
1 cup cream
1 lb chopped high quality chocolate (we used Guitard)
1/4 tsp hazelnut oil
1/4 tsp fresh ground cinnamon

Boil one cup of cream in a sauce pan and pour over the chocolate. I added 1/4 tsp hazelnut oil, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8th tsp ancho chile powder...and blended until smooth. When chocolate is melted completely and the glaze is smooth, drizzle over one inch squares of baked cake.
These where double layers of cake with peanut butter filling...

There you go. Chocolate Cake mix. All natural.  My Yellow Homemade Cake Mix is another very good one to make.

Cottage Dill Millet Sourdough Bread (100% whole grain and sugar free)

 Cottage Cheese Dill rolls are and will forever be my first love when it comes to dinner rolls and what brought me to my obsessive compulsive need to have herb bread in my life...and to the love and dear friendship of Tara  ...my Evil Twin. I have many things to say about her. All good. Good friends, like good herbs and spices are worth keeping in your life. 


 We keep herbs in our food storage. It's how we roll. Why? Well it changes a normal bland loaf of bread into something savory and full of depth and flavor. Just like a good friend changes your life into something more meaningful. A good friend gives you more character.


 So does a good grain.

 Have you ever cooked millet? Met him?  Well, don't feel oddly if you have not ever met my friend Millet. He's a cutie, but he's not very well known in America if you're not a bird lover. It's sad really. Such a lovely grain should get more attention...affection...praise...perhaps a wall sconce in it's honor? Is that too Martha Stewart? How do you make a millet wall sconce anyway? What the carp is a wall sconce?!

 I digress. In my garden I have a freak-fest of this crazy dill. Who likes dill? I mean that much anyway?! There's only so many pickles even I can make. In all honesty, the bush of dill is now taller than me. Literally over my head. It's actually getting to be kind of epic. I might start filming a whole Star Trek episode in it's honor...because every time my son sees it he says, "By captain Kirk's Nipple's! It's incredible!"  You all needed to know that.

 Yes...that is my neighbor's roof...and my dill.

 The last time I went to be on  Valley Dish I was so desperate  eager to share the love that I took  some to the studio.

Decidedly it was time to start drying some of the epic mount of dill weed...and start baking. Plus...really I just love dill in bread. I love how it makes the loaf taste. I love how it couples with tuna and cheeses of all kinds. I love it as toast. I'm in love with this bread. Gosh it's a good thing I'm married.

 So, here we go.

Cottage Dill Millet Sourdough Bread 

with Onion and Garlic

1/4 tsp yeast (optional)

1/2 cup cold water 

1/2 cup Chef Tess Sourdough Starter

1 1/3cups whole wheat Prairie Gold bread flour

2/3 cup Hulled Millet  

1/2 tsp  Real Sea Salt  

I Combine all ingredients in a 3.5 Gallon Threaded Bucket with Lid . I use a bucket because I can easily use it anywhere...even camping! So I can make bread in my buckets and then bake it in my Global Sun Oven . As for this dough, cover and leave in a cool room until you are ready to bake the bread, 12-18 hours. If you will be leaving it for more than 18 hours, it may be stored in the fridge part of the time, or stir after 8 hours. This will keep the yeast happy, moving it to greener pastures and evaporate any alcohol produced by the fermentation process that would otherwise hurt the yeast's ability to raise the bread.

After 12-18 hours it will be really puffy and smell like a good yeasty bread dough. Remember to keep it rather cool during this overnight period.

Get out your liquid measuring cup...the one that is clear with writing on the side. You will also need a measuring spoon. The ones made with writing on them for baking, not just the flowers or whatever on your silver spoons...

To your bucket or bowl add 1 cup Luke warm water, 1 cup Homemade cottage cheese or store purchased cottage cheese 2 T honey and 2 tsp yeast (optional). Note: if you omit the yeast, it will take the dough about 12 hours to raise.

 Wash your hands. Now don't be scared. You will have to touch the dough. Actually you will have to really get in there and mix it up with your fingers. Break it down.

This may be my favorite part.

Woosh it around (very technical term I know) until it is smooth and batter-like. Yea. Batter-like is a word.

Now get out your whole wheat bread flour I use Prairie Gold wheat from Wheat Montana. It is by far my favorite bread wheat and flour. I don't even work for them. I grind my own (Flour making day...flour power.), but you can buy it. As long as it is fresh.Here's a peek into my flour bin. We're gettin' a little low...

Don't mock me, but I am going to show how to measure flour. Someone asked me and I don't want to assume too much of anyone reading my blog. If you are seeing this for the first time, I'm glad to help. The rest of you can just sit tight and humor me. I love everyone wherever they are in the learning process here. So here's how it's done:
Lightly scoop up the flour...don't bang it or try to pack it in there.

Get a butter knife.

Set it up on it's spine so the blade is pointed up:

Hold it flush to the top of the measuring cup and push off the extra flour so it is flat:

Like this. See?

Add 4 cups whole wheat bread flour and 1/4 cup oil (preferably expelled pressed or extra virgin) and 2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup dry minced onion, 2 T minced dill, 1T minced tarragon, 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

 1 1/2 tsp fresh pressed garlic, about 1 large clove

 The dough should take only 10 minutes of efficient kneading to attain supple perfection--600 strokes by hand. Form into a ball. This makes a balloon like structure that helps hold in the fermenting gasses and helps the texture of the bread. Place in bowl smooth side up.

(From here on I'm using a few older pictures...)

Then I lightly spray the top of the dough with water. This helps it to stay moist, which ensures no lumps of crusty dough in my bread, just a nice even dough.

Keep that spray bottle around too. I use it a few times during bread making.

Get it pretty wet. Look how shiny. Oooo. I'm easily entertained.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to raise at room temperature (75-80 degrees) about 1 and 1/2 hours. Sometimes it takes 2 hours if the room is cold. It helps to measure the temperature of the dough if you want to be sure. This can be done with a meat thermometer. This one was right at 85 degrees internal temperature so it took almost exactly 1 and a half hours. If it is cooler it will take longer.


It has raised about 2 inches from the top of the bowl. See the tiny belly button dot where I poked it with a meat thermometer?

When you just can't resist it anymore, go ahead and giggle and poke it with your finger.

If you don't have to use much effort, it gets those creases right around your finger, and it leaves a hole when you remove your finger, then it is ready to punch in the head.

So, punch it down already. Expel as much air as possible. This moves the yeast to greener pastures, releases trapped alcohol, and evens out the dough temperature. It's not just for the fun of punching something (though it is elating to punch something sometimes).

Reform into a ball and place back into the bowl. Spray with water again and cover with plastic. Allow to raise again. This time it should take about 1 hours. Less if your house is warm.


I had to show how the gluten strands are showing here. It's really something wild to see...

Like an alien in my kitchen...that we eat. Toasted. Mmm. Alien...

Okay, so cover the ET blob with plastic. In the meantime, lightly oil 2 standard size loaf pans. I also lightly coat them with a little cornmeal. I use 8inch by 4 inch almost without exception. This size makes great shaped loaves (see:Sandwich Loaf Molding and baking for more details on this phenomenon).

Once the dough has risen to within 2 inches of the top of the bowl again, or passes the finger poke test (yea, I know, not again a technical term). The actual technical term is the "ripe test". Just poke it. It works...

Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a clean counter top that has been lightly misted with WATER.

Why did this picture just make me giggle with joy? I'm either really nuts or really love bread. Not sure which... Please look at this and find joy...

Mmm. Dough. Okay. Now get giddy crazy and divide the dough in half. It should look like this if you get on your knees and peek up over the edge of your countertop...

Now go here: Sandwhich Loaf Molding and baking . It will lead you in all things right and good with makig this bread into a sandwich loaf. Go ahead now. Don't be scared. I will still hold your hand and walk with you.

The killer delight is the millet nibbles. They just make me giddy. Oh millet. I love theeeeeeee.

Look at all that crusty delightfulness. Don't you just want to make some right now?!

There you go.