K's Caramel Apple Pie: How to be good at small talk

I've been realizing in recent weeks that I do not excel at small talk.  In fact, I stink at it.  I'm missing a little bit of the concentration level or the talent for engaging people in a conversation, especially when I don't know them well.  I love chit chatting with my close friends, and usually within 15 seconds I'm off on some tangent that definitely doesn't qualify at all as small talk (usually education or the plight of curriculum in the state of CA) but to ask people questions about their daily life and to get to know them; I just am not good at.  Part of it is due to my own inherent introvert tendencies and the other part, I think is lack of practice.

However, this weekend, I watched a master of small talk take things to the next level and execute the act of getting to know someone to an art form.  He is a trained interrogator (being in law enforcement) and his years of asking questions and engaging criminals takes small talk to new heights.   He took someone he didn't know well at all (who happens to be my best friend) and proceeded to take her very complicated job as a top level manager and dissect her job into the smallest detail.  Afterwards Friend was quite shocked and said, "I don't think my husband even knows exactly what I do." Post interview, KK revealed that his number one tactic at getting people (and criminals and gangsters) to open up is to be interested in the details.  THE DETAILS.  By asking all sorts of minuscule questions (including one where he asked my friend to describe the position of the desks in her office) and being interested in the answer, people open up and say things that you just don't expect.  Bear in mind, that I listened in on this interview, and in almost 20 years of knowing this friend, I learned new things during this conversation that I would not have expected.

Now this is all somewhat foreign to me, as I realize that I'm not good at focusing on the small details of a conversation.  I've always prided myself on "cutting to the chase" as it will, but I also find myself shying away from situations where I'm supposed to make small talk, mostly because I tell myself I don't like it.  Maybe I just don't try hard enough.  Maybe my level of interest at unwrapping someone isn't at the level it needs to be at.  I'll only say that watching KK peel away layers of my best friend's job was interesting and fascinating to me and it made me want to be better at getting to know people.

In the end, I've mostly filed away what KK did and I'll continue to mull on it and think about it.  But I've been practicing the engaging of people I don't know well and trying to talk to them.  I spoke to our garbage man the other day, asking him why the truck didn't have the automatic arm and if he had plans for the rest of the week.  We spoke about 2 minutes, back and forth (this while I had groceries in my arm, and he was shouting across the street as he tossed the trashcans into the truck) and at the end of it, I discovered that the regular drives on my route complained about our area as having too much work, so he was called in to relieve some of that burden.  As he said, "I'm not the lazy type to sit back and want someone else to do my work - I just get out there and do it" and I found myself respecting his work ethic, watching his smile, and appreciating the sense of duty to his job.

I'm calling this pie after KK because it just so happens that his two daughters LOVED it. They gobbled it down as it were, and enjoyed every last bite.

Make the caramel first, so you can have it ready to go and set aside (even do it the day before), and then do the pie crusts.  I love this recipe for pie crust because it doesn't need to be chilled which means that your pie making time reduces.

Caramel Apple Pie
Makes 9 inch pie, serving 8 to 10 people

Caramel
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
¾ cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons (½ stick of butter)

Method
While cake is baking, make caramel.  Have both butter and cream, measured and ready to go.  In a heavy bottom sauce pan (bigger is better - go for a 2 or 3 quart saucepan) add sugar and heat over medium high heat.  The sugar will begin to melt and caramelize.  As this happens, slowly drag sugar to the center of the pan and swirl the pan around so as to not burn the sugar.  Allow all the sugar crystals to melt, using patience and diligence to watch and check the caramel.  As soon as the sugar is all melted and is dark amber in color (Dave Leibovitz says like the color of a dirty copper penny) add butter all at once and whisk vigorously incorporating it into the sugar syrup.    After butter is all melted remove from heat.  Add cream and whisk  until the caramel is a delicious mixture, all uniform in texture.  Transfer caramel to a jar.  (You’ll use a cup for the pie itself, and have about ½ cup remaining to drizzle over the pie after it’s done.)

Pastry (adapted from Williams-Sonoma)
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
6 to 8 Tbs. ice water

Method
To make the dough in a stand mixer, fit the mixer with the flat beater, and stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.

Transfer the dough to a work surface, divide evenly into two, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. (Although many dough recipes call for chilling the dough at this point, this dough should be rolled out immediately for the best results.) Take one ball and lightly flour the work surface, then flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick.  Lay crust into 9 inch pie pan.  leave overhang of pie crust on until later.

Set aside second ball until needed.

Apple Filling and Construction
Ingredients
4 lbs of Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup of caramel sauce (recipe above)

1 egg white, beaten
2 tablespoons sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 400.

Using a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife and your very good knife skills, carefully slice the apple into thin slices, about ¼ inch thick.  The more evenly thinly sliced the apples, the better the overall texture as there will be no air pockets. Drizzle lemon juice, sprinkle flour and cinnamon, and evenly toss the entire mixture together.

Carefully lay apples, as close together, filling the pie dish.  The goal is to have few air pockets and a dense of apple layers.  Pour 1 cup of caramel sauce over apples once they are in the dish.  Roll out the second pie dough and place it over the top of the apples and the pie crust.  Trim overhang of pie crust edges with scissors or knife and pinch together dough in order to create a seal between top and bottom crusts.  Make slashes or cut outs in the top of pie in order for steam to escape and brush top pastry with egg white.  Sprinkle sugar all over top of pie.

Set pie dish on top of cookie sheet (you’ll thank me for this later when your pie doesn’t leak all over your oven) and place in center of oven.  Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until top of pie is golden and the juices are bubbly and delicious.

Set pie aside and allow to cool, juices to thicken, about 1 hour.  Serve with a scoop of ice cream, and additional caramel sauce to drizzle on top.

Printable recipe

Super lightweight and sharp Japanese Mandoline which I love (and makes great apple slices)


My choice of pie dish - looks beautiful and bakes up pies gorgeously
 

Garbanzo Beans with Sun Dried Tomato Dressing: For all complaints, my name is James

Friend SH and I have recently been lamenting how much our families complain about the food that we put in front of them.  It's funny because her family will eat what I'm cooking and my family loves what she's cooking, but when we cook for our own families, no one seems to be satisfied.  Both of us want to emphasize health, more vegetables than meat, and a focus on eating balanced meal, while our audience members seem to think that what we are serving them isn't what they ordered.  For the record, families, there is NO menu from which to choose.

It's hard cooking for family because they are the biggest critics and the biggest gripers.  If I make meatloaf one night, Daughter #1 is over the moon while Daughter #2 and Son complain.  (I happen to really like meatloaf as well.)  If I make some steak, Daughter #1 will complain while Daughter #2 and I enjoy it.  Son is neutral.  If I make a spicy curry, Son and I will chow down while Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 complain.

I've left Husband off of this list of complainers because he is in a different category.  Don't get me wrong - Husband is incredibly supportive of the food that comes out of my kitchen.  He eats everything that I put in front of him, minus beans, and eats with relish and a thankful heart for the food he's been given.  However, he can't just eat the food and smile and say, "It tastes great."  He always has to offer some sort of comment about how it doesn't quite taste like the last time, or how he wishes it was angel hair pasta instead of spaghetti, or how he likes this same dish with gravy.

Hmph.  Every once in a while, when I get good and fed up about the number of complaints (please address James when complaining) I go all crazy and cook something that I KNOW no one else will like but me.  Beans.  A salad.  Something cold.  Something that looks herby.  Something that I'm sure that no one will enjoy but ME.

I raided my pantry, stumbled upon a can of garbanzo beans and made a quick and easy bean salad for myself using up some Italian parsley, shallots, and sun dried tomatoes I had.  And THIS....THIS became the hit for the day among Children.

If I were a cartoon character, my head would have spun around in its socket several times and then rolled off.  And my decapitated head would ask, "Oh!  Is THIS what you like?"  But it is really good and tasty and oh-so-easy-to make.

Garbanzo Beans with Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

4 sun dried tomato halves (not in oil), finely chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

15 1/2-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed, drained

¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a medium-sized bowl, add whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, sun dried tomatoes and shallots.  Add garbanzo beans and toss into dressing.  Finish with Italian parsley and salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and refrigerate for about 45 minutes or longer to allow flavors to blend.

Serve as a side salad, or on top of toasted bread for a tidy appetizer.

Printable recipe

The sun-dried tomatoes I used - but the amount sold here is a HUGE amount.

Cooking Thanksgiving: Less is more

Rather than buy a centerpiece, I had my girls put together this one, in the photo above.  I told them to raid the fruit bowl, the garden - anywhere they could to make this.  I thought it very pretty, seasonal, and a wonderful mix of colors.

I've said it many times - I LOVE the holidays. I love the food, the excitement, the holiday spirit, the hustle and bustle - I really just love it all.  That is...I loved it all until I became overwhelmed by it all.  I pressured myself to do more, cook more, buy more, invite more - MORE MORE MORE - until I decided enough was enough.

I stopped going crazy overboard over the holidays about a year ago.  Don't get me wrong - we still DO the holidays - I just do them differently.  More calmly.  I do them with less instead of more.  I buy less, I cook less, I invite less and I just DO less so as to preserve my sanity.  After all - if I'm insane during the holidays, does it really make it worth it?  I think not.

That being said, this year I spread out my Thanksgiving cooking over several weeks instead of cramming it all into a short period of time.  This year I decided to have a mini Thanksgiving with my two best friends from high school and their kids, and we did this meal in October.  I made a turkey, I made stuffing, I made two pies and did the traditional fixing of potatoes, green beans and sweet potatoes.  BAM.  Done.  I wasn't too frustrated, I enjoyed a meal with my friends, the kids ate well and we even had two desserts. The only thing I worked on ahead of time was dry bringing a turkey and making a bit of pie crust.  The rest was done the DAY OF and it was all perfect and wonderful.  No complaints.

I'm having some family over this weekend and after some discussion, we decided to do a ham, and not a turkey since the family isn't into turkey.  (I happen to love it, but many others don't, so I'm not going to bother.)  The shopping is mostly done, and I'll do a major part of the cooking on the day of the dinner (Saturday) with some prep on this Friday.

The bottom line is that cook what you like to cook, feel comfortable cooking, and enjoy eating for your day. I think we're caught up with the whole it-must-be-turkey-or-it-isn't-Thanksgiving nonsense, and this definitely isn't the case.  We really should more focus on the what-will-I-be-happy-cooking-and-eating with friends and family instead.  I'm liberating you all!!!  Feel free!!  Mix it up!  Make what you like!  Make it a potluck!  Have fun!! Liberate yourself!!

If you find that you ARE going to be cooking, and going the way of the traditional Thanksgiving, below is a bit of guide to help you figure out what you need to do when.

My simple Thanksgiving menu is here.

Thanksgiving Countdown

Thursday, November 15 - MAKE A LIST of what you need.  Buy your turkey and other staples you'll need to make your Thanksgiving dinner.  Chicken stock, whipping cream, flour (if you're baking), cornmeal, onions, celery, potatoes, pumpkin puree. Any staples that you can fit in your fridge or pantry needs to be purchased and put away.  BEGIN DEFROSTING YOUR BIRD!

Friday, November 16 - If you're going to the market again, continue adding to the food that you will need.  Make your dry brine if you'd like.  Begin organizing your plan and have a sense of how much more shopping you have to do.

Sunday, November 18 - Dry brine your turkey.  Rub it with the salt mixture and get it going.
Dry Brined Turkey Recipe

Monday, November 19 - This is your last shopping day.  Make sure you get everything that you need for your big day (unless you have major refrigerator restrictions) and prep easy meals for your family to enjoy before Thanksgiving.  Don't forget to turn your turkey over and rub it.

Tuesday, November 20 - Dessert preparation and planning.  If you are making cookies, or making pie, this is the day that you should make your crust and chill it in the fridge.  Wrap up the crust in saran wrap and then stick it into ziploc bags.  They will be ready to go for you on Thursday.  Rub your turkey.
Pumpkin Pie and Crust

Wednesday, November 21 - If you're making nuts, this is a great day to make it. Make cranberry sauce.  Make corn muffins for cornbread stuffing.
Sweet and Spicy Nuts Recipe
Orange Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry Orange Relish with Mint (from Bon Appetit - made it this year and it was refreshing and different)
Honey Cornbread Muffins

Any chopping you have to do - get it done today.  If you're going to make stuffing, chop everything up and put it into ziploc bags ready to go.  If you're making green beans, you can chop up the onions for the caramelized onion topping and have it ready to go in a ziploc bag.
Green beans and Caramelized Onions

At the end of the night, before you go to bed, take your turkey out of the bag, and place it in on a tray or in the roasting rack to dry off.

Thursday, November 22 -The BIG DAY!!!   I always start with my pies.  I wake up early and get those babies into the oven.  However many i'm doing, that is the first that that makes it into the oven.

The next priority is baking off all other desserts that need to be done.

If you're making sweet potato casserole, roast off the potatoes as well.
Sweet Potato Casserole with Apple and Pears

PULL YOUR TURKEY OUT OF THE FRIDGE ONE HOUR BEFORE YOU ARE GOING TO ROAST IT!!!  People underestimate how much better a turkey (or any meat for that matter) cooks when you allow it some time at room temperature.  IF your home is super warm then you may only take it out 45 minutes prior to roasting.

Once the turkey makes it into the oven, make stuffing, blanch green beans, peel potatoes, and prepare things for gravy.
Gravy

For a compilation of all the recipes related to Thanksgiving, check this link.

Polenta with Sausage and Mushrooms:

The lovely folks over at Roland Foods sent over a little care package of some of their products, and in this box I found some sundried tomatoes and polenta.  If you've never had polenta, it's basically like a silky cornmeal concoction - you either love it or you hate it.  I'm a huge fan of polenta because it cooks up easily and leftovers can easily be turned into polenta cakes which can be fried or grilled.  No matter what - I totally dig my polenta.

One of my favorite memories of polenta is eating a restaurant with my best friends over my 40th birthday weekend getaway.  It was cooked under a glass, topped with lots of yumminess and the scooping down to get every delicious last bite of the polenta was hard work but well worth it.  It's a food memory I won't soon forget, mostly because the company and the polenta were both so good.

This dish isn't even a copy of that memorable polenta, but I love it because it's easy to make and Son can have it, provided I leave out the butter and cheese for him, which I do.  It's a hearty enough meal for your family and it can be made with very little preparation, aside from having the ingredients.  You can change the sausage if you like, leave out the mushrooms if you're not a fan, or add a different cheese.  Either way you look at it - it's an easy dish to fiddle with and improvise upon.

As a warning, polenta is best served piping hot from the pot otherwise it thickens up and becomes something else altogether.  Make the sausage mixture as you bring your polenta water to a boil, and once the sausage mixture is done, actually work on the polenta.  Once the polenta is done, quickly move towards serving it.

Polenta with Sausage and Mushrooms
Serves 4 to 6

Sausage and Mushrooms
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 lb sweet italian sausage, casing removed (or if you can find bulk sausage, use that)
8 oz of mushrooms, quartered
3 sundried tomatoes, not in oil, finely chopped
3 tablespoons basil chiffonade, for garnish
parmesan or fontina cheese for grating and sprinkling on top

Method
Heat a fry pan over medium high heat and add olive oil, garlic, and sausage, breaking up sausage with the back of the spoon.  Continue breaking up sausages and when they are almost cooked, add mushrooms and sundried tomatoes.  Continue to cook until mushrooms are browned and warm.  Set aside until polenta is ready.

Once polenta is cooked, ladle polenta into plate and add a hearty spoonful of sausage mushroom mixture, sprinkle with basil and cheese.

Polenta
Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal or polenta
4 ¼  cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter

Method
Bring 4 ¼ cups of water to a boil in a heavy saucepan.  Add salt and slowly whisk in cornmeal and reduce heat to low, stirring often until cornmeal is tender, about 15 minutes.  Add butter.

Printable recipe

Barley and Kale Salad with Golden Beets and Feta: The Blame Game

The month of October was spent at the dentists' office.  We recently changed insurance and then had to change dentists and with that series of changes it meant that I crammed a bunch of appointments in a few weeks.  Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 and Son all had a date with their dentist.

I probably shouldn't complain because we are lucky to have insurance and we are lucky to have such nice dentists.  But I have to complain because although Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 got off relatively easy (minor grooves in the rear adult molars requiring some sealant), Son did NOT get off easy.

My life spent at the dentist for Son in a nutshell consists of 3 cavities requiring 3 root canals, leading to 1 abscess and 1 tooth extraction.  He's FOUR YEARS OLD and he had three cavities which required 3 root canals and now one of the root canals didn't take so he developed an abscess and now he has to lose the tooth.  (All of these procedures were done without a cool video playing on the ceiling and no laughing gas.)

No one is more upset than I am.  In fact, up until this evening I was seemingly the only one upset, only Son heard me talking about a taking out a tooth and had a temper tantrum on the floor about it.  "I don't WANT to take my tooth out!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.  I couldn't help myself.  I said to him, "You are losing your tooth because you haven't brushed carefully enough nor have you allowed me to brush your teeth well enough nor did you take your antibiotics regularly enough nor did you do the salt water rinse after every single MEAL!"  Yep. I laid that ALL at Son's  feet.  Because really, the person I blame is me.

I'm not sure if I could have prevented the cavities.  He's susceptible.  I struggle with brushing his teeth because he fights me on it.  When the abscess first developed he screamed and yelled about the antibiotics (something that I wasn't really all that keen on giving him in the first place) I had a hard time being consistent with the medicine only because he was a bear about it.  And the end result is at the age of 4, Son will be missing a back molar that doesn't grow back until he is 12 years old.  The dentist reassured me that this was incredibly common as I sat in a chair with my head between my legs.  I am nauseous from all of this because this is not common to me.

And I sit blaming myself wondering what more could I have done.  Brushed harder?  More often?  Yelled more about the medicine and flossing?  Been more diligent and vigilant about gummy and fruit consumption?  I know that casting blame around isn't the best use of my time nor is it productive but I can't help wondering what I did wrong.

It's times like this when I feel like a horrible mother that I have to do something to make myself feel like a good mother.  Kale.  Whole grains.  Nutritious foods.  These things make me feel better and it's an area where I know I can always be better than I was yesterday. I found this recipe in my Bon Appetit magazine and knew I had to make it right away.  The yellow and green colors were appealing and the use of kale, which is sturdy so it holds up well made me feel healthy, just by its mere presence.  There is a bit of finickiness as the kale, beets, barley all require separate preparation before it is tossed together, but each separate preparation is so simple that this can be an easy weeknight meal (and it can be made ahead to boot.)

The recipe calls for Tuscan kale, also called black kale, dinosaur kale, Lacinato kale, or cavolo nero, which has long, narrow, very dark green bumpy leaves and is available at farmers' markets and some supermarkets.  I find that the best way to separate the leaves from the stems is to grab the stem with one hand and with the other, pull down and basically pull the leave away from the stem.  (I prefer this from the more tedious method of cutting out the stem, but you can do this too.)

Barley and Kale Salad with Golden Beets and Feta
Adapted from Bon Appetit November 2012
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 bunch Tuscan kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch squares
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 medium golden beets (about 1 bunch), trimmed
1 1/4 cups pearl barley
4 ounces feta, crumbled
2 tablespoons (or more) lemon juice

Method
Whisk 1/4 cup oil, red wine vinegar, honey, and lemon zest in a large bowl to blend; season with salt and pepper. Add kale and shallots; mix until completely coated. Cover and chill until kale is tender, at least 3 hours.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. Place beets on a piece of tin foil and drizzle with olive oil.  Completely wrap up and seal beets in foil.   Bake beets until tender when pierced with a thin knife, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool completely. Peel beets using your fingers.  They will peel easily.  Cut into 1/4-inch pieces (you should have about 2 cups).

Cook barley in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. Drain barley and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet; let cool completely.

Add beets, barley, and feta to kale. Drizzle salad with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons lemon juice.  Fold gently to combine. Season to taste with pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Salad can be made two days ahead.  Cover and chill.

Printable recipe

Homemade Microwave Popcorn: Feeding many with little

Because I work with young writers right after their school day, they more often than not show up to my house HUNGRY.  Some think about a snack and their moms provide them with something but a vast majority of them rush here from school and haven't eaten anything since their lunch.

As one of my students says, "I'm always hungry."

I get hit with the ravenous appetite of teenagers daily and I know that expecting them to push through an hour of grueling writing and drills isn't easy on an empty stomach.  So I have to give them something - something inexpensive, easy to make, and easy to eat while they are working.

I've discovered that popcorn (aside from the insane mess it leaves underneath my table in my classroom) is a great snack for the kids.  It's filling, not so fattening, easy to eat while writing and doesn't break my piggy bank.  I can feed a lot of kids with a single bag and they all love it.

And I've discovered the BEST way to make popcorn - and it's in the microwave.  I'm not talking the bags you pick up from the grocery store (read the label of those bags - you're consuming a lot of extra stuff that is unnecessary) but a bag that you fill with popcorn kernels, oil, and salt and stick in your microwave.  I can pop about 1/2 cup of popcorn and yield about 4 cups in under 3 minutes.  It's the most wonderful thing ever, and I've even taught some of my students how to make it so they can go home and do it themselves.  The flavor is really wonderful as well and the texture is crisp and light.

Best of all?  No big pans to clean and nothing to wash except for salty fingertips.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Ingredients
½ cup popping corn kernels
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 large lunch bag

Method
Into your lunch bag, place corn kernels, vegetable oil and salt.  Fold over top of bag and give a vigorous shake so that all kernels get a bit of oil and salt.

Fold over top of lunch bag twice and place lying down in microwave.  Set your microwave to cook the popcorn (mine cooks the whole bag in 2 minutes 15 seconds but individual microwaves vary.)  Start with 3 minutes, and when popping sounds reduce to less than 1 every 3 seconds, shut off microwave.

Carefully open bag (it is HOT) and enjoy!  Add more salt if desired or other special seasonings. You can even make the popcorn mix with this method.

Be careful - some lunchbags may not be large enough for the ½ cup amount and you’ll end up with a mess like I did.  Reduce your popcorn amount to ⅓ cup and you’ll be fine.

Printable recipe

Easy Chicken Vindaloo: When bad music comes home

There are two piano songs that I truly cannot stand - one is "The Entertainer" and the second is "Fur Elise."  I grew up hearing these songs butchered repeatedly; they were the two songs most often played when someone mentioned that they played the piano and they were the songs that you played when you saw a piano and felt like tickling the ivories for a bit.

I remember at one point, my wonderful and completely white-haired piano teacher told me that I would never play Fur Elise.  She thought the song had become cliche (sorry Beethoven) and that the song was too often played poorly.  At the time when she told me this, I thought she was basically trying to come up with a nice way to tell me that I wasn't good enough to play the piece and it wasn't until much later I realized how true her words were; people love to play "Fur Elise."

At the beginning of the summer, Daughter #1 got "The Entertainer" and I looked the piano teacher right in the eye and said, "You're trying to kill me, right?"  She laughed and just said that it would be a fun song for Daughter #1 to play.  Fun for her.  Torture for me.  The plinking sounds of the piano keys bouncing around threatened to put a hole in my head, and it appeared that this song was going to be once again strangled, sent to an early death by Daughter #1.  I barely survived the two weeks of practice and breathed a huge sigh of relief when she moved on.

This afternoon, after Daughters' piano lessons, I heard Daughter #1 picking out the notes of "Fur Elise."

"Please top playing that.  It's not your song."

"It is mom!  Teacher Megan gave it to me!"

"What?  NO!  Show me!"  and she proceeded to show me her assignment sheet which clearly had written on it, "Fur Elise."  Inwardly I groaned and just walked away from the piano to the strains of the song which so much haunted my youth.  Daughter played the song happily, deciphering unfamiliar notes and rhythms and began making sense of the music, however torturous it was to me.

But in the same way Daughter #1 has to sort of destroy this song in order to learn how to play it, I do that in the kitchen as I try and figure out the best way to make certain dishes.  I make a mess of the ingredients, misfire a series of steps, and can make a complete hash out of something before it tastes good.  I don't doubt Daughter's ability to play the song well with enough practice (whether I can handle hearing all the practice is another story altogether) and the end result may be something she enjoys, whether it tortures me or not.  This vindaloo dish which I adapted from Ted Allen's cookbook In My Kitchen is probably at best, an amateur of a traditional vindaloo but I tweaked things and improvised to make the flavors as easy as possible for me to achieve.  Instead of toasting and grinding whole spices, I went with powdered spices and I also added a ton of vegetables so I could enjoy just a one pot meal.  The end result was something super delicious, probably not close to an original vindaloo, but all the same, worth making and eating.  I'll think of Fur Elise as I'll eat it, and perhaps the mix of vindaloo and painful song will come together into some strange, unexpected harmony.

Maybe.

Easy Chicken Vindaloo with Peas and Cauliflower
Adapted from Ted Allen’s In My Kitchen
Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons cardamom powder
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (reduce to 1 teaspoon if you want to reduce heat)
1 ½ teaspoons turmeric powder
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 garlic cloves
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper
2 to 2 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs left whole
14.5 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
2 medium yellow onions, quartered
10 oz bag frozen peas
12 oz cauliflower florets

Method
In a mini food processor, or in a mortar and pestle, process together, cumin powder, coriander powder, cardamom powder, red pepper flakes, turmeric powder, cloves, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, and lemon juice and 2 teaspoons salt.  Process together until a uniform paste is made.  Smear and massage paste into boneless skinless chicken thighs.  Refrigerate and set aside for about 30 minutes.  (can be left for 4 hours)

Puree tomatoes and onions in mini prep processor or food processor.

In a heavy pan over medium high, heat oil.  Add chicken and sear on all sides about 6 minutes.  Add tomato onion mixture, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 ½ cups water and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer covered, for 45 minutes.

Add peas and cauliflower and check seasonings.  Add salt and pepper if necessary.  Chicken should be tender and falling apart.

Serve with basmati rice and raita.

Raita
(makes about 5 cups - you can halve this recipe)
32 ounce container of whole milk yogurt
1 cup finely chopped tomato
1 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients and serve immediately or refrigerate in a covered container for up to 4 days.


Printable recipe

This is Ted Allen's fantastic cookbook.  If I ever get to write one, I'd like it to look like this.  An eclectic mix of recipes from different ethnic influences and a photograph to accompany almost every single recipe.  (A great dessert section as well.)