Spinach Artichoke Lasagna

Posted on April 25, 2011 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

Once upon a time, about 7 years ago, my lovely roommate and I decided we would go on the South Beach Diet. No carbs, mostly protein, vegetables, etc. About one day into our new diet, we were grumpy, overly emotional about nearly anything, and decided to forego our mission with a “fatty run” as we often called our one-stop destination adventure of filling up on a gorgonzola bacon burger, hand cut french fries, and a chocolate banana milkshake. I decided then, as I already had an inkling of, removing carbohydrates from my diet was just a silly plan. I’m pretty certain I could eat pasta of some variety every day. Sauced, un-sauced, tossed with vegetables, baked, layered, for breakfast, lunch, dinner…

Growing up, my mom always made my favorite lasagna. More often than not she’d make a homemade marinara sauce, sometimes meaty and sometimes not. She’d fill this big ‘ole monster of a lasagna with different cheeses, spinach, sometimes other vegetables. I created the following recipe for my partner’s 12½ year old son’s last birthday dinner. The recipe has been altered numerous times since then. I’ve used bottled marinara sauce before, but don’t prefer it. Homemade tastes a million times better. I’ve left out the artichoke sauce, replacing it with either more spinach filling, or vegetarian “meat” sautéed with other spices and vegetables. I’ve used only grated mozzarella or fresh slabs of it, or a combination of both. While there are a number of steps, the effort is worth the end results.

Creamy Artichoke Sauce

Ingredients:

2- 13.75 oz. cans artichoke hearts, with the liquid from one can
4 tbsp. butter
2 heaping tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter.

Once melted, add in your heaping tablespoons of flour and whisk in thoroughly, until you have a thick paste-like consistency. Allow this mixture to cook for about 4 – 5 minutes, paying close attention so it doesn’t burn. The mixture will turn a light golden color.

Add in the minced garlic and stir thoroughly. Pour the milk in, one cup at a time, making sure to whisk continuously so the sauce stays very smooth rather than clumping up. Whisk in about ¼ cup of the reserved artichoke heart liquid. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken up.

Fold in the artichoke hearts. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to cook for an additional 5 – 10 minutes.

Garlic-Basil Red Sauce

Ingredients:

¼ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1- 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (I used diced fire-roasted tomatoes)
8 – 10 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
¼ cup chopped yellow onion
¼ tsp. red chili pepper flakes
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. heavy cream
pinch of salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in saucepan. Add in the chopped garlic and onion. Sauté for 2 – 3 minutes. Add in half of the chopped basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Add in the canned tomatoes and allow the mixture to heat all the way through (3 – 4 minutes).

Pour the mixture into a food processor (or high-powered blender) fixed with the large chopping blade. Pulse the mixture until it’s smooth in consistency.

Add in the remaining basil, parmesan cheese, and cream. Blend until the basil is well incorporated and the sauce is smooth (2 or 3 minutes). Return to the stove to keep warm.

Spinach-Tofu Mixture

Ingredients:

1- 14 oz. block of firm tofu
1 pound fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 eggs
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

Directions:

Drain the tofu. In a large bowl, crumble up the tofu with your hands until it resembles the consistency of ricotta cheese. Add in the eggs and mix with the tofu thoroughly. Again, your hands are the best tool here! Don’t be afraid to get messy!

Stir in the garlic, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Toss in the chopped spinach. Continue to fold the spinach into the tofu mixture until it’s well incorporated.

Remaining Lasagna Ingredients:

16 lasagna noodles, cooked according to the package’s instructions
1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
16 slices of mozzarella, cut 3 x 1½ x ¼-inch slices
½ tsp dried basil or oregano (or a combination of both)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Spread about ½-cup of sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Layer lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan, overlapping them by about ¼-inch. Add about ½-cup of sauce over the noodles. Spread the spinach-tofu mixture over the sauce. Lightly spoon another ½-cup of sauce on top of the spinach layer and top with half the mozzarella slices.

Next, layer on more noodles, overlapping by ¼-½ inch. Spread the creamy artichoke sauce over the noodles, followed by the remaining mozzarella slices.

Layer the remaining noodles on top, lightly pressing down to compact the different layers. Spoon on the remaining sauce.

Spread the shredded mozzarella over the top. Sprinkle on the basil and/or oregano. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes. Allow the lasagna to rest (out of the oven) for 15 minutes before serving.

 

Posted in Dinner, Kids, Lunch, Sauces, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mom’s Banana Bread

Posted on April 23, 2011 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

When I started this blog, I told myself I’d only do it as long as it was fun.  Once it became a chore to post things, or became something I dreaded doing, I’d stop.  Its been interesting to balance blogging recipes with daily life, especially on the days we’ve got kids in the house.  Seems like everything is always on the go.  Last week I realized I can’t even go to the bathroom( get plumbers in Vancouver) for 1 minute before someone’s yelling, “Juuuulie! I neeeed you! I can’t do _________ or I need help with ________ or UH-OH! I just did ________ !” (Not that I’m complaining, really. Life with two kids and a grown-man-partner-kid is an enjoyable adventure.)  Needless to say though, by the time everyone else has rolled into bed and the house is quiet, the near-last thing I want to do is sit down and write a long, detailed blog post.  So it turns out I’m not the most avid blogger, but it’s still fun to share recipes here. And I am always cooking anyway, so I may as well keep at it.

The following recipe is my mom’s banana bread. I can’t remember where the recipe originally came from.  Growing up in Hawaii, we had bananas growing in our backyard, always in abundance.  My mom made this particular bread more times that I can try to remember.  It’s actually quite sweet — like a cake. I’ve learned to vary the recipe to my own liking by decreasing the sugar and sometimes using soy/almond/2% milk rather than cream. Despite trying to be conscious of healthier alternatives there are times I follow my mom’s recipe exactly, as the memory of eating warm slices fresh out of the oven, smothered in butter, is difficult to pass up… My partner’s 12½ year old son has an extreme distaste for bananas. However, he’ll still eat this banana bread… willingly. When 5½ year old Silas helped me last week, we added unsweetened cocoa powder, mini chocolate chips, less sugar, and turned these into chocolate banana mini cupcakes.

Mom’s Banana Bread

Yields: 1 – 9x5x3″ loaf  or approx. 48 mini muffins

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
3 ripe bananas (the riper the better!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
1¼ cups granulated sugar

Optional Ingredients:

2 or 3 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:
For a loaf of bread, preheat the oven to 350° F.  If doing mini muffins, preheat the oven to 325° F. Lightly grease your pan.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, cream, vanilla, and vegetable oil.  Whisk together until blended completely.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. If you’re using it, also add in the cocoa powder now. Mix thoroughly.
In a third bowl (I’ve tried to do this in various ways to use less dishes… however, for some reason the only way this recipe seems to turn out well for me is to use 3 separate bowls!) mash up your bananas. Gradually add the sugar into the banana mixture.
Add the egg mixture to the banana-sugar mixture and stir well.
Slowly add the flour mixture to your wet ingredients
until they’re well combined.
Get yourself a good taste-test. Especially if you’re 5½ years old.
If the batter’s delicious enough and you get your 5½ year old’s permission,
stir in the chocolate chips and/or nuts if you’re using them.
Pour into your prepared bread pan, or fill muffin cups about half-way full.
(I always over-fill my cupcake pans for some reason. Usually accidentally at first and then just to keep things orderly after I mess up.  Oops.)
Bake for approximately 1 hour if doing a full sized loaf, or about 12 minutes for mini cupcakes. If the top starts getting too brown, lightly cover with a piece of foil and continue baking until a toothpick stuck in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Enjoy.

Posted in Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Empanada!

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

April 8th is National Empanada Day. Yes, I realize that was a week ago. However! I am in full support of both making and eating empanadas as often as possible, not just on April 8th. If you search “empanada” on Wikipedia, one thing you’ll notice is that there are over 20 countries whose varieties of these little pockets of deliciousness are entirely different. They’re originally from Spain. Typically, but certainly not always, they are a savory pastry stuffed with meats and/or vegetables.

The pastry dough I use for this recipe is delicious! Consisting of only 4 ingredients, it’s rather simple. Plus, with butter, cream cheese, flour, and salt… how can you go wrong?  I try to balance out the not so healthy crust with a veggie filling that is both delicious and nutrient-providing. Filled with brown rice, fresh spinach, veggie meat, and cheeses, the kids still really liked these empanadas.

Empanada Crust

Ingredients:
12 oz. cream cheese, brought to room temperature
1 stick of butter, brought to room temperature
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
¼ tsp. salt

Directions:

In a food processor fitted with the dough blade attachment,
pulse the cream cheese and butter until very smooth.
Scrape down the sides as needed.
Add the flour and salt a little at a time.
Continue to process until the ingredients are just combined.
Turn the dough out to lightly floured surface.
Knead the dough lightly, adding more flour as needed
to form a soft, non-sticky round of dough.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Empanada Filling (and Assembling)

Ingredients:
1 (14-ounce) tube of Gimme Lean Sausage-Style vegetarian “meat” protein
1 lb. fresh spinach, chopped
½ an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup cooked brown rice
3 stalks of green onion, chopped
¼ tsp. red chili pepper flakes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper (to your taste)
1 egg, lightly beaten
Directions:
In a pan over medium-high heat,
sauté the garlic and onion in some olive oil
until the onions are slightly translucent.
Add the Gimme Lean and cook until browned.
Add your chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
Don’t overdo the salt and pepper,
as you’ll be able to add more if needed, after the greens are added.
Add the spinach and green onion to the mixture.
When the spinach has just begun to wilt,
add the mixture to the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the large blade.
Add in the cooked brown rice.
Pulse 3-5 times until coarsely ground.
Preheat the oven to 450° F.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/8 inches thick.
Cut into 6 or 7 inch circles. You can use a bowl or plate as a guide.
After cutting as many circles as you can, collect the scrap pieces and rework them into a disk,
then roll out again and cut more circles.
You should be able to get about 8 large circles of dough.
The dough will be very stiff but will get easier to work with
as it comes to room temperature.
Note: I prefer to roll the dough to about ¾ inches in thickness
then cut with a round 3½-inch biscuit cutter,
and roll each round to the desired 1/8 inches thick
 and 7-inches in diameter.
Put about a ½ cup of filling on half of the round, leaving about 1 inch
of space from the outside of the dough.
Add a couple pinches of cheese on top of the spinach mixture.
Now fold over the top half of the dough.
Starting from one side, start to fold the bottom edge over the top,
packing the spinach filling tightly as you can.
Use a fork (lightly floured) to crimp the folded edges.
Place the empanada on a lightly greased baking sheet.
(I used parchment paper instead of oil.)
Brush the tops with the beaten egg.
Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.
* * To reheat these the following day, I usually microwave them for 1-1½ minutes,then place in a 350° F toaster oven for 5 minutes, so the insides are thoroughly warm and the outside’s still flaky and crunchy.
Note: This dough is very versatile. You can vary the filling as you wish.  I’ve filled them with a blackberry-mango filling before, as well as cinnamon apples.
Posted in Appetizer, Baking, Dinner, Lunch, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Vegetarian Tamale Casserole

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery
When four other people eat this for dinner and one adult says, “This is the best thing you’ve ever made!” another says it’s delicious, the 5½ year old says, “Uh, Julie. This isn’t my favorite. I kinda don’t like it. But I’ll eat all my rice,” (when he doesn’t usually like rice at all and pleads not to have it put on his plate), and the 12½ year old says, “I like this! It’s good tasting… but it’s kind of sticky?” and then an hour later, flat out says, “I don’t want this for breakfast in the morning,” though he usually requests any Mexi-style leftovers for the following morning… it leaves me wondering whether this recipe is a keeper or one to toss.
The flavors were tasty.  I think the homemade beans helped.  Some things I’d do differently the next time:  bake the first layer of masa so it isn’t quite as sticky by the end of the casserole’s cooking time; either leave out the zucchini and onions, or cook them prior to adding them; perhaps add some cheese to the filling, rather than just on top.
For this particular recipe, I made a pot of homemade beans, which is quite simple:
You can soak the beans overnight… or if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself doing fifty million things even in the moments right before you crawl into bed, so you forget to leave a bowl of water-covered beans sitting on your countertop the night before… and end up using the quick-soak method:
Start with 2 cups of dried pinto beans:
Fill the pot with enough water to cover the beans with an additional inch or so of water:
Place the pot over high heat until boiling. Boil for 1-2 minutes, then turn off heat, cover the pot and let sit for about an hour. Drain the beans and rinse, then return to the pot. Add:
1 onion, cut into large chunks
1 small apple, cut into quarters with the seeds and stem removed
a handful of baby carrots (or 1-2 large carrots, roughly chopped)
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. sea salt, 1 tsp. dried thyme, ¼ tsp. dried red chili flakes, 1 tsp. ground black pepper.
Cover with enough water to completely submerge beans. Place over high heat until just simmering. Reduce heat and cover, cooking for 3 – 4 hours. Check every now and then to make sure there’s enough water, always keeping the beans completely submerged.
Skim out the vegetables and fruit. Yields approximately 6 cups of beans.
Vegetarian Tamale Casserole
Ingredients:
For the crust:
4 cups masa harina (corn flour treated with lime, not to be confused with cornmeal)
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1½ tbsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. sea salt
3¼ cups warm water
For the filling:
6 cups of beans (you can use canned beans, drained; homemade adds extra flavor)
1 – 28 oz. can stewed tomatoes in juice
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. sea salt
3 roasted red peppers, sliced
2 small zucchini
1 small onion, diced
2 jalapeños, minced (optional)
1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375° F, then prepare the filling:
Empty the can of tomatoes into a large saucepan. Mash with a potato masher, to create smaller chunks, over medium heat.
Add the beans, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and sea salt. Mix well and heat for about 15 minutes, until some of the liquid has been reduced.
While the tomatoes are cooking, prepare the other vegetables. Dice the onion into about a ¼” dice. Slice the zucchini into thin half-rounds. If you haven’t done so already, slice the red pepper into thin strips. If using, mince the jalapeños.
*Although I didn’t do this, next time I think I’d sauté the zucchini and onion so they don’t have as much crunch in the end product.
Prepare the masa dough for your crust: Combine the masa harina, baking soda, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and salt in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
Add the oil into the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly (your hands are the best tool for this!). Add the warm water, mixing with your hands until you’ve created a semi-stiff dough.
Take half of the dough and spread in the bottom of a 9 x 13″ pan. Pat the dough down with your hands until it’s even in thickness, covering the whole bottom of the pan.
* Next time I’d bake the dough at this point, for 15 minutes or so — until it’s slightly browned and not so sticky in consistency.
Spread the roasted red pepper, jalapeño, onion, and zucchini over the masa layer. Pat down lightly. Spread the bean and tomato mixture over the vegetable layer evenly. You can’t really dump the remaining dough over the beans and spread it out evenly. Instead, work with a small handful of dough at a time, and flatten it with your hands. Layer it on the casserole, repeating the process until all the masa is used up and the entire top is covered. Sprinkle the top with the monterey jack and cheddar cheeses. Cook for 30 minutes until the top is brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
Serve topped with sour cream, avocado slices, cilantro.
Posted in Dinner, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Homemade Chai Tea

Posted on April 10, 2011 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

I admit it. I am a coffee-drinker. In the morning, I’d prefer coffee over tea almost 98.99% of the time.  However, I also love a good cup of chai. Atlas Tea Club helped me to get different kinds of experience with each cup of tea I sip. Chai simply translates to tea. Most folks use the word tea to describe any typical tea, so chai is often used to describe masala chai. Masala chai literally translates to spiced tea, and is often a blend of black tea, ginger, cardamom, and other spices. 

There are some great chai concentrates and ready-made batches of chai available. Dragonfly Chai is one of my favorites.  Also, Oregon Chai and Tazo Tea have some decent products available.  Honestly though, making chai at home is easy, affordable, and fun. Plus, when you’ve got a pot brewing, it makes your whole home smell deliriously, aromatically, amazing!

Homemade Chai Tea

Ingredients:
5 – 7 cinnamon sticks (I prefer ceylon cinnamon, as it’s sweeter and milder than cassia)
3 – 4 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin slices
15 – 20 whole cloves
15 – 20 whole green cardamom pods
2 tbsp. fennel seeds
1 tbsp. anise seeds (I’ve also used star anise, which is different… but just as tasty in this recipe)
1 tbsp. black peppercorns
1 tbsp. white peppercorns
3 – 4 tbsp. loose black tea      * see note
6 cups water
1 vanilla bean, split down the center  (optional)
¼ cup honey
milk 

* Note:  There are numerous options for the type of black tea you use. I’ve found that most darjeeling teas work great. As does rooibos, green tea, maté. The only tea I’ve used which came out terribly and will never be used again for this recipe is keemun black tea. It’s delicious when consumed plain, but overly bitter when blended with the spices in this recipe.

Directions:
In a large pot over high heat, combine the first 10 ingredients. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover the pot and simmer gently for 10 minutes.  Stir in the honey and vanilla bean. Remove from heat and let the tea stand (covered) for at least another 15 minutes (the longer it sits, the stronger the flavor; generally I let my stand for an hour). Strain the chai.  

When serving, you can add as much milk as you prefer. I often use 3 parts tea to 1 part milk. Also, you can add more honey or sugar to your liking. 

Makes approximately 48 oz.

Posted in Beverages, Breakfast, Dessert, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cashew Macadamia Nut Butter

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery
 
 
Growing up, peanut butter never sounded all that appealing to me.  Aside from Nutella, I didn’t know alternatives for peanut butter even existed.  When I moved to Oregon, I found that the grocery stores around me carried almond butter, macadamia nut butter, cashew butter, hazelnut butter, sunflower butter, etc.  I was surprised and decided to try every single one at some point or another.  Much to my astonishment, I loved every single one. I re-tried peanut butter. It didn’t have the same distaste I remembered.
 
A good peanut butter and jelly sandwich seems quintessential to a kid’s food experience growing up.  My partner’s 5 ½ year old has an allergy to peanuts, so he misses out on this simple experience I’m sure most kids don’t appreciate for years. However, he’s not allergic to other nuts.  Being that almond or cashew butter can cost us anywhere from $6 – over $10 for a single jar, I decided that making it ourselves would be more cost efficient, tasty, and fun. Plus it would provide a good substitute for that memory-inducing good ol’ PBJ sammich.  
 
Almost any nut can become good butter.  I prefer to buy raw nuts instead of pre-roasted in bulk, as they’re cheaper and roasting them at home is extremely easy. Plus already roasted nuts tend to be salted, so you have less control over that factor when flavoring your butter.  
 
Its been interesting for me, starting this blog, because so much of my cooking isn’t measured. I throw in pinches of this, handfuls of that. Not for everything, but most things. This particular cashew butter, for instance.  I finally measured out everything today so I could effectively post a recipe that was accurate and still easy enough to follow.  
 
Continue reading →
Posted in Breakfast, Kids, Vegan, Vegetarian | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Barbecued Tempeh and Twice Baked Potatoes

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

Yesterday, around 5:30 PM I thought, Julie, what are you making for dinner tonight? The Mister would be home soon, no kids in the house, a semi-full refrigerator, and no cravings whatsoever. To aid my decision, I drank a beer, edited some photos, then finished up some laundry. Barbecued tempeh strips and twice baked potatoes sounded doable.


I don’t ever crave tempeh. It’s often one of my least favorite sources of vegetarian protein. A slab of fermented soybeans is difficult to talk yourself into wanting to eat. Actually, it’s not that bad, really. In fact I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of different tempeh brands, flavors, cuts, etc. and have found that I can make it quite tasty with a little creativity.  

There are various brands of tempeh available. Some of my favorites include Surata Soy’s multi-grain tempeh, Lightlife’s garden veggie flavor or smoky tempeh strips,  and Turtle Island Food’s five-grain flavor.



Barbecued Tempeh Strips

Ingredients:

1 package tempeh, cut into strips approx. ¼” thick   
1 bottle of dark beer (whatever you like)

1 ½ cups barbecue sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ – ½ tsp. chili pepper flakes

½ tsp. freshly grated ginger
olive oil

Note: Typically I make my own barbecue sauce.  I imagine I’ll share that recipe soon enough. Last night, however, I took the quick and easy, cheater method and used bottled Red Tail Ale sauce with some alterations. 







Directions:


In a 9″ skillet over medium heat, saute the garlic, ginger, and chili pepper flakes in a ½ tsp. or so of olive oil. Add the barbecue sauce. Add about ¼ cup of beer and mix well. 



Add your tempeh strips and turn the heat up to medium-high.  Let the strips cook for 5 minutes, then flip. Spoon sauce over the tops. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a stove-top grill to high.  Generously brush with olive oil.


Place the tempeh strips on the heated grill.  Cook for 2 – 3 minutes, then flip. Cook for another 2 – 3 minutes.  Keep the pan of barbecue sauce over low heat.

Add the grilled tempeh strips back to the barbecue sauce. Let simmer for 10 minutes then serve.










Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large (or 6 smaller) baking potatoes
¼ – ½ cup sour cream
½ cup milk
2 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic, minced very fine
½ tsp. onion powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste



Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Scrub the potatoes under cold running water. Dry and then using a fork, poke 12 – 16 deep holes all over the potato (so moisture can escape during cooking). Bake potatoes for 1 hour, directly on oven rack.  





When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes.  Slice each potato in half, lengthwise.


Turn your oven onto the broiler setting (high) and place the wire rack 6 inches from the flame.  



Scoop all of the flesh from each potato skin into a large bowl, making sure to save the skins.  Use a potato masher to slightly break up the potatoes.  Add in your butter, garlic, onion powder, sour cream, ½ cup cheese, milk, salt, and pepper.  Mix until well blended and creamy.  










Spoon the mixture into the potato skins.  Top each with the remaining cheese. 




Note: I over stuffed my potato skins and ended up with three leftover skins. This is entirely okay to do!


 



Place the potatoes back into the oven for approximately 6 minutes.  Turn the pan halfway through that cooking time.  When done, the cheese should be lightly browned and crisp.









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Overnight Yeast Waffles

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

Posted in Breakfast, Vegetarian | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

About Julie and this Blog

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Julie Hashimoto-McCreery

I don’t know what this blog will turn into.  All I know is that over the last 25 years, food has been a necessity, a desire, a complexity, a difficulty, a joy, and a complete fascination in my life.

I graduated from college with a degree in psychology and creative writing, with no desire to enter the field of psychology, nor the desire to attempt writing as a profession.  In the last three years, I’ve found myself increasingly curious about cooking, food, meal-preparation, and culinary arts.

My learning has mostly been self-taught, in between various memories of my parents’ cooking and lots of reading. Food and cooking has become a welcomed preoccupation for me.  It’s such a basic need… one that can bring such a fulfilling joy and a complete fullness that can so easily be filled.

I live in Southern Oregon with my vegetarian partner, and half of the time, his two kids (a 12 ½ year old vegetarian and a 5 ½ year old self proclaimed “meat eater and a vegetarian”).  My style of cooking varies; during kid-week, we eat a lot of Mexican-influenced meals, simply because they go over well with everyone and make it easy to provide a pretty balanced diet for our family. On the weeks we don’t have the boys, I experiment more and often include fish into our meals.

When I think of food, I reminisce about family gatherings, I think about places I’ve enjoyed and loathed meals, I wonder where recipes have originated. I desire learning, appreciation, growth.  I want more. Not more food (well, not always, at least), but more connection. More understanding.  I want to know how to cook, what to cook, where ingredients have come from, where recipes have come from. I want to know what your great grandmother or grandfather, parent, sibling, lover, spent hours in the kitchen preparing… the things they adamantly avoided preparing.

I don’t always make good eating decisions. I don’t always make it a point to cook healthy things. I crave meals, desserts, snacks, things, that are definitely not good for me.  I don’t always want to prepare something elaborate. Sometimes the only thing I am hungry for is a bag of Thai Spice Kettle Chips for dinner.  I try to remember moderation… and give in to cravings without feeling too guilty.

What does food mean to you?  What do you cook?  Why don’t you cook?  What do you enjoy about eating?  What are your most loved and most hated foods?  I want stories, musings, memories. Maybe you aren’t as obsessed as me. I still want to know! I’m starting this blog, because over the last couple years I’ve gotten requests from friends and family to share recipes I’ve come up with, or questions about what I’m cooking at home. Plus I’m addicted to reading other peoples’ food blogs.

Happy reading (and eating). Thanks for stopping by.

Feel free to contact me at:    julienaomi (at) gmail (dot) com 

Posted in Life | 9 Comments