Next Stop... France!

Bonjour! The long-awaited French evening finally transpired in our dining room last night. Wouldn't you know, the study of France--home to some of the world's most complicated cuisine--would correspond to the same week when 35 kids would be descending upon my house to decorate cookies. Sooo... my plans to conquer the French culinary classic, Boeuf Bourguignon, were thwarted by an sudden onset of coming-to-my-senses.

Not that I couldn't handle it, you see. I was looking forward to rising to my inner Julia and meeting the challenge. But a recipe involving a 12 hour, 7-step process with two dozen ingredients was daunting for a school night, I'll admit. Besides, there is no Cognac currently residing in my cupboard, and I really didn't feel like dodging out to the liquor store post-gymnastics lesson to procure some.

Pressing forward with the comforting mantra of "blessed are the flexible," I opted for a much (MUCH) simpler recipe, a one-dish number called Baked Chicken & Brie. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-chicken-and-brie/detail.aspx Complementing the entree was Zucchini de Provence http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-zucchini-de-provence/detail.aspx and, but of course, zee baguette. It was rather a Rachel Ray-esque take on the French experience, but what I perhaps lost in authenticity, I made up for with faux Chardonnay and corny French accent.

The kids were so impressed by the effect of the candles and fine china, that they ran to grab their stash of play money so we could make it like a "real restaurant." Voila! Bienvenue a Chez Maman! Un table por quatre, s'il vous plait... (Don't be too impressed--that's the sum total of my year of French lessons. And honestly, I had to look up how to say "table.")

We had a wonderful evening of French culture and learning, capped off by the reading of Anatole over Paris, while enjoying strawberries in chocolate fondue. Of course, it was brought to my attention rather quickly that fondue is actually Swiss and not French. Sigh. I knew I should have made the mousse... Luckily, however, my children were oblivious to this faux-pas and skipped off to bed to dream of bon-bons and cheese wedges.

Viva la France, y'all! Au revoir...

Next Stop... Great Britain!

I seem to remember pontificating in the last post about avoiding stereotypes when selecting our token meal from each country. After all, I had eschewed borscht when preparing Russian cuisine, right? Well, here is where I will have to admit that the aforementioned moral high ground had little to do with cliche-avoidance, and everything to do with taste. Case in point... British food. I pretty much couldn't get more cliche than my dinner selection of... fish n' chips. I had something more grandiose in mind, and was waffling between bangers and mash and something with Yorkshire Pudding when reality set in. I had gone to the grocery store without having written down any ingredients for the big dinner. Sigh. As time was not on my side, fish n' chips won the day.

Of course, there were a number of advantages to this menu: (a) kids would eat it (b) it needs no recipe (c) it doesn't seem too difficult (read: how hard can it be?) and (d) I would finally get to bust out the mandoline that Mom had gotten me last Christmas. I remember walking by the frozen french fries and wondering if I was going to later regret not purchasing any as a backup. But the lure of trying out a new kitchen toy was strong, so I came home with only 1.5 lbs. of cod and 4 gigantic baking potatoes.

The fish portion of the combo came out very nicely. The chips... well, they didn't exactly look quite so professional. The mandoline was a little trickier than the box made the process out to be (imagine that), and I was somehow shredding my potato instead of making thick julienne slices. Switching the blade plate 4 different times transformed the tuber into 4 various geometric oddities. Now, frustration set in. Fortunately (this time) it also brought along its better half: good sense. You see, knives and I aren't always the best of friends on a normal day, so an untested instrument with numerous sharp surfaces in the hands of a Mama on the move is probably a bad combination...(especially considering the fact that I had also neglected to buy a roll of gauze bandages to re-affix any potential severed digits.

Though the fries were humble little hand-cut wedges, the overall effect was still a good one. Here was my first attempt at a plate of fish n' chips:

I failed to get any malt vinegar at the store to accompany our feast, but truthfully, I would have been the only one using it. My kindergartener took her fish for a swim in a sea of ketchup, along with a few of her English peas. The 3rd grader enjoyed them plain and pronounced the dinner delicious. Happy to have conquered another country in my kitchen, I returned to the mandoline and attempted to clean the blades (!) without injury. I was successful in this regard, but haven't yet worked up the courage to repack it into the box. Maybe it can stay on the counter until we get to France, where I can julienne some unsuspecting vegetable more successfully...

Next Stop... Russia!

I was a little surprised that the first stop on our European Grand Tour would be Russia, hoping selfishly for an "easy" country for a change. Ask anyone on the street about the finer points of Russian cuisine, and typically they will admit the extent of their knowledge is "borscht." Mmmm, what kid (not in Russia, of course) doesn't love cold, pink, parsley-garnished beet soup? I will admit that adventurous though I am trying to be, I do want to serve something that I at least find appetizing. Besides, a true study of a culture goes deeper than the stereotypes, right? So, I embarked on a mission to find some exciting, enticing and (dare I say?) edible Russian entree. Survey says? Blinis!

Blinis are Russian pancakes, similar in form to a crepe. They are typically served during the season preceding Lent and are filled with a wide variety of flavors, including jam, mushroom sauce, meat, or even caviar. Wanting to ensure a homerun with my crew, I opted for jam. I was even creative and made some with butter, sugar and cinnamon. As you can see, the folding of the blini was most improper, but by the time I got to that point in the process, I was just glad to get them on the plate. I love how my recipe said to simply "cook for 90 seconds, then flip the blini." Well, that's easier said than done when you've made the pancake as big as the entire skillet. When my XL spatula failed me, I resorted to the aerial method, (think Tom Cruise in Cocktail.) Except... not, actually. This didn't exactly work out the way I had envisioned, but my children enjoyed it immensely. They were a bit wide-eyed--never having seen Mommy so vigorously attacking a helpless pancake before.

Finally, thanks to my Mom, I figured out to pour just enough blini-batter in the skillet to make a nice-sized circle, but one that was smaller than the pan. You wouldn't have thought it would have cost the life of half a dozen innocent cakes to master this, but it did. Please don't think less of me--it was Saturday morning as I wasn't sufficiently caffeinated.

The end result was a success, at least judging by the way my crew cleaned their plates. The Kindergartener set the table for me, complete with a Matryoshka doll at every place. I have to say, they are really getting into this. It is fun to watch their creativity unfold. It is satisfying to watch them try so many new things. And it is humbling to know that on occasion, they are just humoring me.

Here is the recipe that I found for the blinis: http://http//allrecipes.com/recipe/blini-russian-pancakes/detail.aspx

I omitted the citric acid powder, as frankly I don't have any idea what it is, nor did I happen to have it on my spice rack. Who knows? Perhaps that 1/8th of a teaspoon was the magic ingredient that would have made the flippin' blinis... I mean the flipping of the blinis go a little more smoothly. Let me know if you figure that out, will ya?

Next Stop... Thailand!

Once we had conquered Israeli cuisine, I was determined to give myself a country off. I mean, Thai food? Let's go check the shelf. Yep, no Thai cookbooks. I have to admit that I do have more cookbooks than I can count--each well-loved in its own right... or it will be just as soon as I get around to reading it. My collection reflects my ecletic foodie passions: half a dozen or so on Italian/Mediterrean/Tuscan cooking (Mangia!), one procured at the local Greek Festival (Opa!), 2 from the country of Louisiana (love me some cay-jawn), 5 or more general purpose, old school cookbooks (thanks, Mom), a number of Texian tomes, and likely a dozen or more cookbooks of Southern variety. Of course, these include 2 Paula Deens (butter!), one Virginia Hospitality (ham!), one Civil War cookbook (cornbread and beans!) and one Gone With the Wind cookbook. You know, I might have checked that one for a Thai recipe, but I think Scarlett preferred sushi...

Once again, my sister-in-law (who is very supportive of my adventure) came to the rescue with some delicious recipe ideas. I also found inspiration vis-a-vis Rachel Ray, whose "Fall Football Faves" included an easy recipe for Thai appetizers. So, for the eating of Thailand, we indulged on grilled chicken and beef satay (See below photo. Note the metal skewers... major loss of points on presentation, but I forgot to soak the bamboo ones ahead of time, and we all know that catching one's kabobs on fire kinda puts a damper on the fun. So we went with metal. Which get hot on the grill--brilliant!)

Here are the recipes:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-satay-with-peanut-sauce-recipe/index.html
(I did modify his marinade, using sour cream instead of yogurt. It was delicious. Grating fresh ginger was something new to me, but is easier than it sounds, and it added a lot to the flavor. Also, didn't bother with low-sodium soy sauce. If you know me, nothing labeled "low" or "less" or "reduced" resides in my residence. (I'm sure you likely picked up on that with my affinity for Southern cooking...)

http://www.rachelraymag.com/recipes/rachel-ray-magazine-recipe-search/appetizer-starter-recipes/beef-satay
(This was tremendously good. Plus, the kids got to try the leftover coconut milk with dinner!)

I also served noodles, peanut sauce and snow peas. Yes, again. Reinforcing the new vegetable and using up the rest of the bag before move onto Europe... a continent with which I'm much more culinary-ily comfortable. Or so I thought...

Next stop... Israel!

I have to admit, I began to rethink my culinary commitment by this point in the year. Israeli food was not in my repertoire, and Google was beginning to fail me. So I turned to my fellow foodie and sister-in-law in New Mexico for some inspiration. She sent me some great ideas, one of which was Challah. I did some research and learned more about the history and custom of the making and taking of this traditional Shabbat bread. One website explained:

"Shabbat bread is called 'challah' because it is a mitzvah to 'separate challah' from bread dough, when it is made in a certain quantity. This is considered a special mitzvah for women, with its source and significance dating back to the Torah itself."

(If you are wondering, like I was, what "mitzvah" means, it refers to a commandment or religious duty.)

Along with Challah recipes, I found a lengthy description of the practice of making the bread. Before baking the dough, a portion is separated after the recitation of a special blessing. The translation is as follows:

"You are blessed, Lord our God, Sovereign of the world, Who made us holy with His commandments and commanded us to separate the challah from the dough."

I thought this would be a great learning opportunity for the girls, as after all, this grand adventure was centered about the unique intersection of cooking and culture. Of course, baking with wee ones is more easily accomplished when a recipe isn't a 16-hour process that calls for sifting about half a bag of flour. So this Mom cut corners on their learning opportunity, and opted to bring them in on the braiding-stage only. That evening, long after everyone else was in bed, I began the kneading and separating process. I was trying my best to follow the prescribed manner in which to make and bless the bread, to be able to say I had made in it the proper tradition. But I had failed to bring up the correct screen on my laptop before immersing my hands in sticky dough. Elbows on touch pads only work so well, you know. So there I stood in my quiet kitchen all alone, with half-kneaded dough badly in need of a blessing. I figured that, as I was making an honest attempt to make a proper challah, my brand of prayer would be a reasonable substitute. I bowed my head over my bowl, and earnestly offered the Lord's Prayer as I worked the dough. Something akin to rubbing one's head and patting one's stomach, it was difficult for my brains and hands to be concentrating on two entirely different subjects. Call it fate or a Freudian slip, I actually did hear myself utter the words: "And knead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." These are the moments when you realize that perhaps 4 and 5 hours of sleep a night really isn't enough for you any more...

Fast forward to the next day: the girls enjoyed "braiding" the dough and pronounced our twice-blessed bread "delicious!" To complete the Israeli meal, we had a Shabbat fish recipe http://allrecipes.com/recipe/moroccan-shabbat-fish/detail.aspx along with some delicious mint iced tea.

Here is the basic recipe I used for the Challah bread:
9 cups flour
2.5 cups lukewarm water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 Tbsp. salt
2 oz yeast (no need to dissolve)
5 eggs

--Preheat oven to 325. Mix together 2.5 cups flour with sugar, salt, yeast, water and oil. Mix in 4 of the eggs. Beat in 1.5 cups flour well. Add 4-5 cups flour until a very soft dough is formed. Knead. Separate challah, if necessary. Refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let warm to room temperature, for at least an hour. Make balls, then roll them into ropes. Braid. Let rise (covered) for at least 1/2 an hour. Beat last egg in separate bowl. Brush it on challah. Bake for 1/2 hour. Apply egg wash once more and bake another 30 minutes (again, watch carefully.)

May this recipe bless you, as it did me, with a wonderful kitchen memory shared with your kids (and perhaps accidental inspiration for a new blog!)

Next stop... India!

Yeesh. Remind me next time to start a blog at the beginning of an adventure, rather than trying to make so many entries witty and interesting after the fact. Like getting behind in your diary, right??

Japan was lovely, indeed, but we were ready to move on to India--a country with a special connection to our family. My grandfather worked in Indian agriculture for a number of years in the 1950s. My father attended a missionary school in Trivandrum (or Thiruvananthapuram, as it is known today.) We have a lot of art, artifacts and photos from their time in that beautiful land. "Poppy", as he is known to the girls, mailed AB some Indian rupees to take to school. I wished she could have taken Poppy to school for show and tell, but he lives too far away for an impromtu visit. AB was proud of her Indian flag and mini-book she had created and really wanted Poppy to see them. How did I solve this problem? By taking yet another plunge... this time by the name of Skype. How many of you are Skypers out there? For all I know, this has been around for years and I am just now figuring out about it, but this blog is for celebrating kitchen adventures, not technological ignorance. (Thank goodness.) Our inaugural Skype flight was a success, though we lost all track of time and wound up staying up way to late on a school night. Oh well, it's the journey to bed that counts, not the destination, right?

India night was celebrated with our family's chicken curry recipe, developed by my sweet grandmother. What a lady--born and raised in a tiny community near Mineral Wells, Texas, who knew nothing of the world before she married my grandfather. Little did she know, she would travel all the way around the world--visiting palaces, friending royalty, and spreading Texan charm all the way. If she were alive today, I would get her to tell you the story of teaching the Maharani to make jam in the palace kitchen. But she is alive in me, and I will tell you the moral of her story: nothing is impossible for you when you are open to adventure. Bloom where you are planted... y'all. :)

Here is Grandma's Curry Recipe... brought to you by a remarkable woman named Laverne, and her legacy of unintended adventure being the sweetest!

1 medium potato, cubed
3/4 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
4 tsp. curry powder (I halfed it for my crew)
2 tsp. tumeric
1 jalepeno, sliced (I omitted this for my crew)
1 Tbsp. vinegar
3/4 lb. chicken
2 Tbsp. Crisco
2 C. water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 C. chicken broth
Rice

Boil chicken and reserve broth. Warm Crisco and curry powder together in big saucepan. Fry garlic, onion, and potato all slowly in the pan. When they are fried, add broth and 1 C. water. Continue boiling, adding tumeric, jalepeno and vinegar. Continue boiling until potatoes are done. Add chicken, and boil another 5 minutes. Make rice while boiling. Add last cup of water to get desired consistency (soup-like.) Delicious with mango chutney.

Namaste!

Next Stops... South Korea and Japan!

Next chapter in the book was South Korea. And guess what? This one came with a recipe for Korean BBQ Beef. Delightful! Soooo, we had a Korean night. Remind me and I'll type up the recipe for you sometime.

Well, as you can imagine, when Japan's time rolled around the next week... the entitlement mentality set in. "When are we going to eat Japan, Mommy?" Now that's not a question you hear everyday... It was at this point that I took the adventurous plunge. Funny how you can always remember those moments, isn't it? You know, when you hear yourself saying aloud those delightfully prophetic words... "How hard can it be?" We mothers never learn, do we? So with that mantra, I declared that we would travel around the world via our kitchen, all within the comfortable confines of our dining table. And away we went.

If you are interested, here is the link to the eating of Japan... a wonderful shrimp tempura recipe I found on allrecipes. By the way, how did people teach their kids before Google? (shudder)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/shrimp-tempura/detail.aspx

You might be thinking sushi would have been the more obvious choice than frying seafood on a weeknight, but I did want my kids to eat it! And I am not adventurous enough to attempt to make sushi. After the horrible frozen potsticker experience, I--rather rashly--decided I would make each of our world dining experiences from scratch. You know, everything seems possible in September...

**Added bonus of the evening--my picky-eater daughter was eating snow peas like they were going out of style! Best quote of the evening: (overheard when my kindergartener was dissecting her snowpea pod) "Oh, look! It's triplets!"