Recovery - Eggs in Baskets

For someone whose life revolves around work and karate, it shouldn't be surprising that weekends are suddenly gone, three out of five workdays involve at least an hour and a half in heavy So-Cal traffic, and sleep is almost nonexistent. Training for my career and extra training for karate drain the life out of me like forgetting to water an orchid. All this running around has me cobbling together meals from bits, pieces and leftovers, seemingly perpetually scrambling for extra calories so that I don't faint during (or after!) a bazillion two-hour class of intense karate. Luckily, I've finally found some time today, a blue moon free half-weekend, to put pan to stove and eat!

It seems fitting that my first post back from, well, the past six months, should be something a little more simple and typical of what I'm really eating these days. I had a post about candied citrus (!) almost ready to go, then it languished for 3 months. Which means, if you think about it, I've been wanting to come back and procrastinating on this for a full 3 months.

Meep.

So, what did I do in the last six months? Not necessarily in chronological order:

- Graduate with my master's (shamefully "mastering out" of a PhD program, as they say)
- Find a job (!)
- Get a raise (!!)
- Start a program that will culminate in my parts inspection certification
- Spin my somewhat blue-collar job into an internship and recovery period from grad school
- Move more south in Southern California, within walking distance of said job
- Split the purchases of significant pieces of furniture for the apartment
- Make shodan (1st degree black belt!!!) in shotokan karate
- Get really, really, really physiologically drunk from a single shot (same day)
- Drive/ride (I carpool) over 1,400 miles on the way to and from karate
- Start the instructor training program in the AJKA-I organization (karate)
- Teach a 40-kid karate class by myself (with assistance from a lovely brown belt friend)
- Karate crisis! AKA why our karate dojo (school) has so few women
- Stay up until ???am in the morning talking with my friend and forever karate idol
- Recover from karate crisis (thanks to said friend and karate idol!)
- Pay first deposit toward the karate trip to Japan I'll be taking in September (!!!)
- Start taking proper care of my face (Korean skincare!)
- Learn more about skin chemistry and ingredients than I ever needed, but I love it
- Get my boyfriend into wearing sunscreen everyday (he'll be pretty forever <3)
- Help a friend write several academic papers/applications/letters
- Speak three languages at work
- Start investigating new jobs... one that actually uses my engineering degree...!

All of this means that my kitchen adventures are less ice cream cakes (story for another time...) and more simple, sustaining food like this, an Egg in a Hole. I'm told they go by many names, but as my personal history consists more of rice and scrambled eggs than fanciful fried egg dishes, I'll leave those English names to the experts... those who grew up in English-speaking countries with English-speaking parents ;)

And here we go!

Egg in a Basket
Egg-strapolated from Wikipedia

Ingredients (scale up as desired!) for 1 Egg in a Basket
1 egg
1 slice of bread
Butter
Cooking oil (I like the big olive one from Costco. Huge, reasonably priced, and tasty)
Salt (optional)
Pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. With either a cookie cutter or a knife, cut a hole in the slice/s of bread. I like round holes, but if you prefer corners, then who am I to deny?

2. In a frying pan, add about a teaspoon of oil and around the same amount of butter. Fry the slice/s of bread on one side. You're going to have to flip these slices, so leave a bit of extra space.

3. Add a bit of oil or butter to the hole/s in the middle of the toast. With the toasted side up, crack an egg into the hole of each toast. Allow to cook for at least 30 seconds, or until the egg whites have set.

4. Sprinkle salt and pepper if desired. With a spatula, lift up each egg in the hole, add a touch more oil or butter, and flip the toasts. Now it gets a bit interesting: controlling whether your yolks are runny. I like them so, but my boyfriend prefers medium-cooked eggs. About 30 seconds more will get you said runny yolks, and about 1 minute will cook them about medium. The more oil/butter you add, the earlier you can get away with removing the eggs.

5. Plate and serve! Enjoy!

Postscript: Yes, of course I fried the little bread cut-outs afterward to make butter toast :)

Update: Almost done with this post, I smelled something oddly toasty. I went to the kitchen to find that while I was writing, my rice on the stove had totally burned to a pretty, speckled, black/toasted beige/silver/white pattern. Good job, Asian-American food blogger.

Heaps - Pasta with Artichoke Hearts

Past midnight and not quite finished with my presentation slides, due tomorrow (now today, I suppose), of course. It is quickly gearing up to be one of those weeks that seem to heap upon you until you yourself dissolve into a heap, but it could be much worse. Yes, my adviser shot instructions and advice like a firehose at my labmate and me on Monday, but it means we have a clear direction for a while. Yes, I have logistics to carefully time, plan and diplomatically carry out, but it is because I just became the captain of the collegiate karate team. Yes, I have a hard set of challenge questions opening on Thursday, closing on Sunday, overlapping that pumpkin holiday, but it means I am one step closer to an incredible opportunity to learn about data science.

This heap means that time to buy and cook food has been short. Luckily, I still have frozen artichoke hearts from Trader Joe's (probably my favorite item, outside of those amazing, huge chocolate bars). With the flour, olive oil, salt and pepper perpetually stocked in my cupboard, and some eggs and milk brought over by my wonderful, patient boyfriend, yesterday's lunch even managed that coveted title of "delicious." This recipe uses a pasta machine, but if you have a bit more time, it's easily made by hand. Of course, if you're more prepared than I am, you probably have dried pasta somewhere anyway...

Pasta with Artichoke Hearts
Inspired by the contents of my cupboard and freezer
Feeds 2 tired grad students

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried or 1 cup fresh pasta (see below)
2 cups frozen artichoke hearts (canned works, but I prefer frozen)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons reasonably nice olive oil*

Directions

Cook the pasta until about al dente. There are too many Italians in my lab for me to argue. Drain the pasta, reserving the water. Alternatively, I use chopsticks to fish out all the noodles, since fresh noodles have a beautiful, maddening tendency to tangle into a magnificent heap anyway.

In the remaining hot water, drop the artichoke hearts in and boil until soft, about 2 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Meanwhile, toss the pasta with the salt, pepper and olive oil to taste. Once the artichoke hearts are cooked, add them to the seasoned pasta.

Divide into preferred serving vessels (I like bowls, my roommate likes plates), and enjoy!!!

Fresh Pasta
Inspired by various sources and a lovely quote on this particular page

Ingredients
1 egg
Splash of milk
Water if dough is dry
1/4 teaspoon salt
~ 2 cups flour (I prefer a mix of spelt and all-purpose)

Directions

In a large bowl, mix the egg, milk and salt. Mix in the flour, kneading until it is a soft dough, neither dry and flaky nor soft enough to puddle in the bottom of the mixing bowl. Allow to rest at least 20 minutes, but it will survive up to a few days in the refrigerator. If you have extra dough left over, it stores well, protected by plastic wrap or a box, in said refrigerator.

If you have a pasta machine: Pinch off small pieces of dough and feed through a pasta machine, gradually reducing the thickness with each pass, then cutting the pasta. Flour the dough lightly, to prevent sticking.

If there is no pasta machine: Divide dough into two pieces and with a rolling pin or wine or pisco bottle, roll each one into a thin sheet. Heavily flour each side, then gently roll each sheet into logs. Slicing the logs with a sharp knife will yield lovely noodles, once each slice is uncoiled.

Boil a pot of water, and toss each batch into the boiling water once each are ready. With a pair of chopsticks or a fork, separate the strands as they cook, then fish them out once done. Fresh pasta cooks in 60-90 seconds, so keep a close watch on the pot! They also tend to foam up and bubble over when fully cooked, so it is in your best interest to remove cooked noodles promptly.

Cooked noodles stick together after a few minutes, but you can mitigate this by adding a little of the cooking water or oil and stirring frequently. Toss with your desired toppings and seasonings, and enjoy! Fruits of one's labor, indeed...

Note: It is possible to buy tasty extra virgin olive oil at a reasonable price. I prefer the ones in the glass bottles at a local grocery store. I currently have a nice one from Spain, purchased from Trader Joe's, that clocked in at about $8 for 1L.

Summer Just Means No Excuses - Blueberries and Cream

There might be an impending career change in my future, and of course, instead of writing a Kalman filter or applying for fellowships/jobs/internships/anything that might hire a semi-trained engineer, I think I'll stay up past 4am, finally finish cooking that pot of beans from 3 days ago, work on the croissants that I started, impulsively, in the afternoon (see Kalman filter and applying for actual, plausible sources of funding), and whip together this, a take on berries and cream.

On the weekend of July 4th (Independence Day for the U.S.A. folks), my family kindly deposited several grocery items at the house. It's always a blessing and a challenge. Extraordinarily sweet of them, but it does take creativity to finish everything before insidious fuzz creeps in.

One of those items with an alarmingly close use-by date happened to be fresh blueberries, which my aunt had probably scored for less than half-price. More of an idea than a recipe, this jelly works quite well with almost any other berry or fruit that releases a lot of juice when cooked. If you are gelatin-adverse, might I suggest a cornstarch or agar pudding instead?

Forgiving Blueberry Jelly sponsored by Frugal Chinese Relatives, Inc.

Ingredients

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 tbsp sugar

1-2 drops vanilla extract

1 tsp gelatin powder

Directions

1. Toss the blueberries and sugar in a heat-proof bowl. Microwave for around 3 minutes, until berries are hot and mostly liquid. 

2. Add the drop/s of vanilla extract. Sprinkle over the gelatin powder, then stir to dissolve.

3. Refrigerate for about 2 hours, until gelatin is set. I actually put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes, which is great if you can remember it's there.

Amaretto Whipped Cream

Inspired by one day running out of vanilla extract. You may pull my baker card now, but only if you promise to taste this whipped cream first.

Ingredients

1/4 cup heavy cream

Pinch (really small!) of salt

1/2 tsp almond liqueur 

Directions

1. Whip cream with the salt until soft mounds form.

2. Add the Amaretto, then whip a bit more. It will form soft peaks.

3. Dollop on top of your cooled blueberry jelly. Alternatively, it's great on hot fruit compote, cake, ice cream, crepes, and pretty much anything. I have completely ignored vanilla extract in favor of Amaretto in my whipped cream for months now, convinced that it's the most heavenly item that has ever left my kitchen. 

Enjoy!

Pasta from Palermo, Sicily

It's little Italy here in the lab! My adviser is Italian, and a constant stream of visiting scholars (all but one is Italian, and we think one of the Italians will stay for his PhD...) have brought in language opportunities, jokes about espresso machines and a mild obsession with spaghetti. Over the past few months, I've become good friends with D, who happens to hail from the lovely, sun-soaked city of Palermo, Sicily.

D. is only staying here for six months, but already in the past three and a half, he's taught me to make three pasta dishes, thrown his own birthday party (it was fantastic, and involved a lemon meringue pie) visited Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Universal Studios, San Francisco, and taught Italian phrases to anyone who will listen (yes! I love languages!). On the last nights that one of our friends (the one non-Italian visiting scholar so far...) was here, before she returned to her home country, he made this particular dish. It's fast, since you can put it together as the water boils and the pasta cooks, simple, requiring eight ingredients total, and incredibly flavorful.

He likes spaghetti, but I find it messy and difficult to eat (I use chopsticks! Don't judge my inability to handle a fork properly!). I've substituted small shells, but those and macaroni happen to be my personal favorites. He also used fresh tomatoes, but it's winter in this hemisphere (even here in So-Cal) and I find that canned tomatoes are cheaper, with a more intense flavor. I buy the huge cans (cheaper by the oz.) and save them for a few days, cooking more dishes throughout the week. You should have approximately twice as much tomato as tuna. Another note is that any quality of Parmesan can be used. I think he originally made this dish with the little paper packets that come with pizza slices. Oh, and don't overcook the pasta. Imagine an opinionated Italian man lecturing you on the importance of al dente rather than soft pasta. I think David Lebovitz gets a pass, though, for being a god of pastry.

Ingredients:
About a cup of dried pasta (or the equivalent amount of spaghetti)
2 cloves garlic
1 can tuna
About 1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese (any quality works)
Salt to taste (about 1 tsp)
Black pepper to taste (about 1/2 tsp)
More olive oil than you think you need (about 4 tbsp)

Method:
In a medium pot, boil enough water that you can completely cover the pasta when it's added. Meanwhile, mince the garlic finely and toss it into a medium bowl. To this bowl, add everything but the pasta and mix it well. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta to the water and cook about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Drain the pasta, and put the pot back on the stove. Add the contents of the bowl and cook just long enough to heat it through. Any longer, and face the wrath of said opinionated Italian mentioned above. Dish up, and enjoy!

Next up, the lemon meringue pie that was previously on my aspirations list!

Quick Indulgences - Macaroni and Cheese

Did you know it is possible to have macaroni and cheese in under 20 minutes?  Made from scratch?  This is very important to a college student who has just come home at 4:00pm, having eaten a total of a small roll, an apple muffin and half a lemon bar since 8:30am that day.  I found the recipe at the delightful blog White on Rice Couple, and kept it as an active tab for the two weeks it took me to find spare time and buy groceries.  Diane writes about the speed and simplicity of her macaroni and cheese, and the techniques she used to develop her recipe.  I followed hers...mostly.  

You see, I have a portion control problem, where, essentially, I have none whatsoever.  I cut the recipe in half (devouring the entire batch, of course), and it cooked in about half the time that Diane lists.  The rate of energy transfer (temperature rise) is directly proportional to mass, yes?  I also removed most of the mustard (not fond of it), used whole milk instead of low fat (I only have the refrigerator space for one half-gallon of milk at a time...), skipped the butter (well, she said you didn't need it...) skipped the black pepper and (here's why) used only about 1/4 cup of a nice, spicy, pepper jack cheese.  Still, thick, rich, creamy, flavorful, all those lovely adjectives that typically describe a good macaroni and cheese.  Also, I used a brown rice fusilli (gluten-free!), because my friend graduated, moved out of the apartment and kindly left me a 6-month supply* of rice.  Fusilli and cheese?

Simple Macaroni and Cheese from White on Rice Couple
Makes enough to serve one
  
Ingredients
1 cup dry macaroni/pasta pieces
1 cup whole, low-fat or skim milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch nutmeg (optional)
Pinch ground dry mustard (optional)
1 oz. or 1/4 cup shredded cheese 
Black pepper to taste (optional)

Directions
  
1. Pour the milk and macaroni/pasta into a pot (mine is about 3 quarts or so and has survived my shenanigans since freshman year).  Turn on the fire to medium and add the salt, nutmeg and mustard, if using.  Stir, and keep gently stirring while the milk comes to a simmer.  Don't let the milk boil over!  You might need to add more milk or water if the milk evaporates too quickly, before the macaroni/pasta has cooked.

2. Once the macaroni/pasta is cooked and the milk has been reduced to a pleasant, creamy sauce, add the cheese.  Stir the cheese into the sauce, then cover the pot, turn off the fire, and let it sit for a few minutes.  This lets the cheese melt completely (if you just cut chunks off a block of cheese, like I do, because you buy cheese in the cheapest form and still don't own any sort of grater...), the macaroni/pasta absorb the last bits of water from the sauce, and you to get more hungry while smelling the delicious cheese melting on the stove.

3. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

* Does wondering whether I have too much rice automatically kick me off the Asian island?  To my credit, I graduate in two months, too, and still don't know where I'll be living this summer.  I'll be working as a research intern at Brookhaven National Lab, but haven't been given any information about where I'll stay.  What if they don't allow rice cookers where I'll be living?!

Postscript: I love daylight savings time!  I don't get enough sleep to resent losing just an hour, and the extra daylight time is completely worth it to me.  It means that I was able to make and eat this macaroni and cheese dish, write this post, and still see the light outside.  Sunlight, well, the light that manages to filter through the current clouds, makes me so happy!

After the Hurricane...Happy Halloween!

So, Hurricane Sandy blew through our state, and plenty of surrounding others.  Despite some damage around campus:

One of the graduate apartments on campus.

Our apartments survived safe and sound.  Our power went out for a mere half hour (thanks to the small power plant on campus), the hospital's generators are working fine, and I'm incredibly lucky to have stocked up on groceries last Sunday.  About 90% of Long Island is currently without power, the subways are flooded and many schools (including ours) wound up being closed for a week while crews are hard at work clearing roads, patching up power lines and restoring networks.  I wish everyone affected by the storm a speedy and full recovery!

Still, it's Halloween today, so I leave you all with this: Caramel Corn.  Quick, requiring few ingredients and less fuel, it cheered us all up in less time than it took to cool :)

Oddly addictive.  I think this is one of the best party treats ever.  
Now, if I only ever went to parties...

Caramel Corn straight from the flames of It's on Fire!!!
Makes about 2 quarts of popcorn

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unpopped popcorn kernels or 2 quarts of fresh microwave popcorn
2 tablespoons oil or butter
⅓ cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons salted butter
¾ teaspoon salt

Equipment
2 medium pots (1 to pop the corn, 1 to make the caramel)
1 light baking sheet or pot cover with steam holes
1 large cookie sheet or 2 medium ones (to hold to popcorn)
Parchment paper to line the cookie sheet
1 rubber spatula
¼ teaspoon measure
1 tablespoon measure 
⅓ cup dry measure

Directions

1. Lay a piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet.  You will put the popcorn here.

2. Pop the popcorn.  If on the stove, heat up the oil in the pot until it bubbles around a single corn kernel.  Add the rest of the corn, cover and shake lightly, until the corn begins to pop.  Leave it on the stove until the popping slows down substantially, then take it off the stove.  By now, the pot will be full or almost full of popped corn!  Pour it out onto the prepared cookie sheet.

2. In the second pot, add the sugar in an even layer.  Turn the fire to medium and cook, stirring as little as possible, until lightly caramelized.  David Lebovitz has a wonderfully helpful tutorial here.

3. Once the sugar has melted and caramelized, take it off the heat and add the butter.  Be very careful, because it will begin to splutter.  Stir it or swirl it gently, until completely melted.  Add the salt and stir until it dissolves.

5. Add as much of the popcorn as will fit in the pan, and gently stir to coat.  Pour out most of the popcorn from the top onto the parchment paper, leaving some of the leftover caramel in the bottom.  Pour in the rest of the popcorn, and stir again to coat, until all the popcorn is coated.  Allow the popcorn to cool until crisp, then enjoy! 

Inspiration - Peppermint-Stracciatella Ice Cream

Although this post really follows yesterday's, it was originally inspired by an amazing cup of gelato from New York City. I now regret not taking a photo of this wonderful scoop of heaven (in two flavors!), but as it was, I was running to catch a train after an interesting day in itself.

Peppermint-Stracciatella Ice Cream adapted from David Lebovitz 

Makes somewhat less than a quart (especially if people keep tasting...!)

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk (I used 2% since that's what I keep on hand)

¾ cup sugar

Pinch teaspoon salt

3 egg yolks

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon peppermint extract

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

Equipment

1 small saucepan

1 rubber spatula

2-cup liquid measure

¼ cup dry measure 

1 whisk (for custard)

Directions

1. Mix the milk, sugar and salt on the stove and heat until steaming.  Meanwhile, in the 2-cup liquid measure, whisk together the egg yolks.  Pour a little of the hot milk into the yolks, stirring constantly (I like to dip the 1/4 cup measure into the milk and use it as a scoop).  Pour about another 1/4 cup milk or so into the yolks, then pour all the yolks and milk back into the saucepan.  Cook, stirring constantly, for another 10 minutes or so, until the mixture stops swirling within 2 seconds of pulling out the whisk or spatula.

2. Gently pour the custard into the cream and let cool.  Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts, then cover and cool in the refrigerator overnight.

3.  The next day, either churn in an ice cream maker, or put into the freezer, stirring once every half hour.  When the ice cream is almost firm, drizzle the chocolate in slowly and stir until frozen.  Enjoy!

Waking Up - Homemade Yogurt

Sometimes I feel like I am just waking up now, seeing sharper colors, clearer lines, feeling the keys hit my fingers, inhaling the aroma of the fresh loaf of bread sitting on desk.  It feels like each memory before was a dream, a foggy recollection that resembles sleep-walking through life.  I made conscious, rational decisions, I’m sure of it, but thinking back now, the logic looks so fuzzy.  About once every few months I do this.  I guess this is the meaning of the phrase, “Hindsight is 20/20.” 

I’m just starting my spring break, and have already begun considering the countless possibilities and goals I have for this one.  Working during vacation should seem hard, but most of the time I am already so overscheduled (I do this to myself, accidentally-on-purpose) that a week without regular obligations seems like bliss.  I finally have time to concentrate!  To fully immerse myself in the work and completely engage!  Of course, with this free time, I typically fail to schedule it properly, forget to take other obligations into account, and generally wind up procrastinating most of it, anyway.  And so passes yet another “vacation” just as stress-filled and unproductive as the rest of the semester, albeit with a little less sleep-deprivation. 

And so I am waking up now.  I have plans for this spring break, radically different ones from those made in years past.  Once in a while, this happens to me, too, where I find bits and pieces of advice that seem to reveal to me the secrets of life.  I think, oh, this makes so much sense!  And promptly begin to attempt to lead my life in this direction.  My boyfriend actually pointed this out; the reason that I procrastinate so much is that I look for direction externally, from other peoples’ stories, when I should be writing my own.  After being a little insulted (I’m also working on taking criticism less personally), I am realizing that it’s true.  I am not looking for a quick fix.  I am working on establishing a life that I am proud to lead now, and more difficult and importantly, will be proud to see in the future, looking back with that 20/20 vision. 

Funny thing is, looking back, one of the best things I’ve learned to make this semester is also the most humble.  Although a bunch of my Indian friends have informed me that homemade yogurt was a staple growing up and therefore boring, I have never ceased to feel a spark of excitement when my warm, purely liquid milk magically transforms into a solid block of creamy yogurt.  It’s also incredibly simple, requiring nothing more than milk and some yogurt.  The equipment can be improvised.  Many websites call for a spare towel, but being a poor college student, what I used was my (clean!) high school cross-country sweatshirt.  Don’t worry, it never actually touches the yogurt.  It’s used as insulation material to keep the milk warm as the microbes do what they do best, and magically turn your plain milk into a soft, tangy, creamy yogurt.  I have found that although it can be eaten plain or mixed with toppings, my favorite use is a milk substitute in baking*.  Bread, cakes and quick breads all turn out softer and moister, even cornbread.  Sometime this week, I’ll share my favorite cornbread recipe (adapted from Allrecipes.com) and a lovely yogurt cake recipe (adapted from Clotilde of Chocolate and Zucchini).   

So smooth, silky and creamy...

Homemade Yogurt adapted from a multitude of websites

Makes however much your final container holds

Ingredients

Milk, enough to fill your final container (You can use anything from full-fat to skim)

Plain yogurt (I scoop a little off the top of any yogurt with fruit on the bottom)

Equipment

1 non-porous container, preferably with a screw-top lid**

1 saucepan, large enough to hold the contents of the container

1 spare towel, sweatshirt, or very warm room (75F or so)

1 rubber spatula or spoon to stir the milk

Directions

1. Thoroughly wash your container, pan and rubber spatula or spoon with hot water and soap (skip the soap if your spoon is made of wood).  Thoroughly dry everything.  Fill the container with milk and pour it into the saucepan.  Slowly heat the milk until it begins to foam around the edges, and small bubbles occasionally form in the center of the pan.  Stir often to prevent scorching and lumps.  I don't cover the milk, because I think it evaporates some of the water and creates a slightly thicker yogurt, but it's your choice.

2. While the milk heats, put about a tablespoon of yogurt into the container and allow it to slowly come to room temperature (i.e. just let it sit there until the milk boils).

A rare in-progress photo: you are looking for these small bubbles in the milk.

3. Once the milk is simmering, turn off the fire and wait for it to cool to a little higher than body temperature.  Although some places tell you to put it in the sink and run cold water around it to cool it down quicker, I am not confident enough that water from the sink will not splash into the pan, even covered.  Besides, there's no action involved.  Just be a little patient.

4. When the milk is cooled enough that it feels warm to your finger, but not hot (that would kill the microbes), slowly pour it into your nice, clean container.  Gently stir the milk and the yogurt until completely homogenous.  Close the container almost all the way, either by screwing the top not quite shut or covering it with plastic wrap, and put it where it can sit undisturbed for at least 8 hours or so.  Wrap it in some form of insulation, be it towel, sweatshirt, or simply placed atop the heater.  Leave it alone for 8 hours.  If you check it and it still behaves like milk, leave it longer.  Once it took nearly 24 hours to finish fermenting.

5. Once the milk no longer swishes in the container, you should see a gloriously smooth and silky mass, almost like very soft jelly.  Congratulations, you have yogurt!  Thank the little microbes, furiously working just for you :)  Screw the top on tightly or transfer to a container that you can close tightly.  Store in the refrigerator and use within about a week.  Enjoy!

It only looks like this before you stir it.  It's quite difficult to see how thick it is, otherwise.

Notes:

* My friend and suitemate, the one who took that beautiful picture of the cookies we made last week, also happens to be lactose-intolerant.  However, she can eat yogurt, since the microbes eat most of the lactose (a sugar found in milk and other places) while fermenting.  Since she told me this, I have been substituting yogurt for almost all of my items that require milk, and report great success.

** The container I use is the one from a jar of almond butter.  It's perfect because it's a straight-sided, wide-mouthed, glass jar that allows you to clean thoroughly the entire inside, screws shut very tightly, and reuses a resource. 

Desperation Bread - Cornmeal Cakes

Over the past two weeks, I've slowly settled into my beautiful apartment.  I'm getting used to cooking for myself, living twice as far from campus as before, and timing my life to the somewhat unstable bus schedules.  Last night, I even helped my friend to make dinner, surrounded by more friends in their apartment.  The stew was spiced and stuffed with vegetables, followed by a perfect pasta dish with sauce made by yet another friend.  We finished with a famous pumpkin pie and vanilla whipped cream made by my boyfriend's father.

One thing I'm not used to, however, is not being able to buy food whenever I like.  With a meal plan on campus, all manner of emergency edibles are available to you.  These items can be bought for cash as well, but I am loath to pay so much for mediocre quality.  In particular, bread.  I’ve learned to bake soft and fluffy Chinese bakery bread, and have since become reluctant to eat simple carbohydrates that I don’t love.  Bagels from NYC (even the airport) overshadow any from the grocery store, and the plastic-bagged limp loaves whimper rather than speak to me.  Sadly for my bread cravings, though, I had run out of flour the day before.  Unwilling to give up and inspired by my corn muffins the weekend before, I started to fiddle.  

Bright and sunny cornmeal always makes me a little happy.

Cooked like pancakes, these little patties are crisp outside and barely tender within.  They’re very sturdy and hard to overcook, since they’re pretty dry to begin with.  However, they’re crumbly and a little hard to handle until cooked.  I made them on Thursday, again last night and once again this morning to photograph, and I think I’ve come up with something edible that doesn’t require a lot of ingredients or time.  They don’t keep very well, drying out a little and losing their crisp edge, but I would definitely still eat them (after a full day of classes, a remarkable number of things are appreciable).  I think they’d be great just crumbled and toasted like cereal, actually.  I’ll try this out as soon as my cereal runs out.

Cornmeal Cakes straight from the flames of It’s on Fire!!!

Makes around 6 tablespoon cakes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon salted butter, melted (if using unsalted, add a pinch of salt)

½ cup cornmeal

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Equipment

1 small mixing bowl

1 fork for mixing

¼ teaspoon measure

1 teaspoon measure

1 tablespoon measure

½ cup measure

1 frying pan (I used my small pot, since, um, it’s the only item I have)

1 frying spatula

Oil or butter for frying

Directions

1. Melt the butter, probably in the bowl in the microwave.

2. Mix in the cornmeal, baking powder and sugar.  Add the milk and mix completely. 

3. Heat the pan to medium and add some oil or butter to heat.

4. Pack the tablespoon measure with the cornmeal mixture and gently drop into the hot oil.  Press lightly with the spatula to flatten if desired.  Allow to cook for one minute, then flip and cook for two more minutes.  Enjoy while hot!

They make a good quick breakfast when you're running out the door.

Note: The cakes may fall apart.  At that point, I think they’re best used as cereal.