Talking of food and recipes…

Last night I started thinking about Mother's cooking.  And trying to remember things she cooked that I especially enjoyed and remembered.  I was surprised with what I came up with--or rather, what I did not come up with.  I loved mom's pot roasts, and to this day try to emulate them.  I remember that Aunt Pud also made the same great roasts and she told me that she sprinkles the flour for the gravy into the skillet around the roast before it goes into the oven so that the flour is already blended with the fat and cooked--ready to add the liquid when the roast is removed from the pan.  Good hint!  I remember creamed tuna on rice (or toast!)--and a variation on the theme: chicken  a la king.  I liked the turnip greens that she cooked.  But I don't remember much else of the meals she prepared… rather I remember the breads (rolls, cornbread and dilly bread) and the sweet things (sugar cookies, pecan pie, stuffed angle food cake a la GaGa, fig preserves, patience candy, divinity, and my favorite from Jefferson days, Pineapple sherbet).

I am wondering if Twinkie and Pam spent more time in the kitchen cooking with Mother and if they have favorite dishes she prepared?  I think some of her grand children may remember favorites from her table.  I would love to hear what you recall and if your cooking was influenced by hers and in what ways.

This is an invitation for some exchanges!

On a Roll

Well, I enjoyed posting the green bean recipe so I'm inspired to add another recent discovery!  One of my favorite recent kitchen successes: Asian Chicken Sandwich.  Sooooo good!  A great summer sandwich! A little bit of a 'deal' to put together--but worth it for sure.

ASIAN CHICKEN SANDWICH

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 15 min.

Cook Time: 15 min.

INGREDIENTS:

Panko Crusted Chicken:

2 tbsp canola oil, divided
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise, cut in half again
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
1/2 cup of flour
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cups of plain panko crumbs
Hamburger buns

Asian Cabbage Slaw:

2 cups of coleslaw mix (green & purple cabbage and carrots, shredded)
2 stalks green onions, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
Juice from 1/2 a lime
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
Sesame seeds

Sriracha Mayonnaise:

1/2 cup of mayonnaise
Sriracha, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Line a baking sheet with tin foil then top with two cooling racks.

Cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise then cut each piece into half widthwise. You should end up with four pieces of same thickness chicken. Season both sides of the meat with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and garlic powder, to taste. Pour the flour onto a flat plate. Whisk the egg and milk together in a bowl. Pour the panko onto a flat plate.

Dredge the chicken into the flour; next dip into the egg mixture followed by dipping into the panko crumbs, making sure to get an even coating. Place onto the cooling racks; repeat with the remaining chicken. Place the chicken into the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Side Note: Don't skip this step, it helps the panko adhere to the chicken.

After the chicken has been in the refirgerotor for 30 minutes, remove and set on the counter for 15 minutes. Heat half of the oil into a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add four pieces of the panko crusted chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes on the first side, until golden brown. Flip the chicken over and cook for another 3 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate with a tin foil tent. Repeat the process with the remaining oil and chicken.

Place the coleslaw mix, green onions, and cilantro in a bowl. In another bowl, combine the grated ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, and rice vinegar. Whisk the ingredients while adding the sesame oil into the dressing. Pour the dressing over the coleslaw mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Side Note: I made the coleslaw when I started cooking the chicken so it would not get soggy.

Combine the mayonnaise together with the sriracha sauce, to taste. We liked our sauce spicy. Set aside.

Toast your hamburger buns in the oven for a few minutes, if you prefer. Slather some sriracha mayonnaise on the bun, place a piece of chicken on top then a good spoonful of slaw. Slather the top bun with more sriracha mayonnaise, if desired. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Celebration

Last night we celebrated Jim's birthday--a small family gathering here at the house.  Everyone brought something to the table, so there was lots of good eats!  But one of my favorite things was a green bean salad which Pam suggested I offer to the MZJ group.  So here it is:

Lemony Green Bean Salad with

Feta, Red Onion, and Marjoram

Chef's Note: This salad, on the surface, seems like one you see at every barbeque -- except that this one is more lemony, only gently oniony, fragrant with marjoram and entirely balanced. The secret? A dash of agave nectar in the dressing, which sweetens and smoothes the lemon and feta. Make sure you don't overcook the green beans -- you want them to snap under your teeth.

Ingredients

• 1 pound green beans
• 4 ounces feta cheese
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 3-4 sprigs fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup California Olive Ranch  extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• dash agave nectar (or sugar to taste)

Directions

Step 1: Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Throw in green beans for about 4 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. 

Step 2: Blend together lemon juice, zest, olive oil and agave nectar. Combine beans and red onion, crumbled cheese, and marjoram. Toss with dressing. Chill until those lamp chops come off the grill.

From "California Olive Ranch"

PS I used a bit of honey instead of the agave nectar--which I did not have.  (Thanks to Emily who mentioned once at her table in Madrid that she added just a touch of honey to her dressing.  You can't taste it--but it is there and is wonderful!

The evening was great--EXCEPT the Spurs lost to the Heat.  You'd have thought they could have won since we were all there expecting a birthday present for Jim from the Spurs!  Too sad.

testing, testing....

OK, got it! Did not see the New Post in the upper, upper right hand corner. I will make a note on the cheat sheet so that I won't fumble around so much the next time I endeavor to share something.

Pecha Kucha is tonight! Ben Judson and Callie should stand up and take a bow for getting such a fun and interesting project off the ground. It is soooo successful that it has  outgrown the original site. Tonight it moves to the mercado and we will see how that goes. Hopefully his parents will get to enjoy the gift of this incredibly interesting event! Hint, hint!

Back to the original post-this is pretty easy..thanks Gay!

Today Jim was wondering about the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day--so he did a little research.  He learned that Memorial Day honors all those who died while serving our country, Veterans Day honors all those who have served the country in uniform.  But, he also learned that it began as Decoration Day--when families went to the cemetery to clean and decorate the burial site of those who died in service of the country--and when the Unknown Soldier is honored.  Which reminded me of our trips to the cemetery in Jefferson to weed and trim our family plot there.  It was a happy event--a family gathering where stories were shared and maybe even a picnic shared.  I'm wondering if Catherine or Pam might also remember those trips?  I don't know when they occurred with us present since our summer trips were after school was out during the years Mother was teaching.  I particularly remember weeding the little plot.

Two other Jefferson cemetery memories:

First, what a wonderful family gathering we had when mother's children and grandchildren gathered in Jefferson with Aunt Pud's family for the burial of Mother's ashes.  Wayne did such a lovely service at the grave site for us.  (The little church where the mass was said for her has since burned down and been rebuilt.)  I remember walking through the town with Aunt Pud pointing out memorable sites--I have a picture of some of the family gathered in front of the House of Four Seasons.  That was a wonderful Zachry family time.  Wish I had pictures from that trip on this computer so I could include them--with a few from the cemetery!

The second is a trip Jim and I made to Jefferson before we were married.  We walked to Little Brother Jimmie's house.  He was mowing the yard with a hand mower.  He had no idea who we were--surprised when I walked up and gave him a big kiss, then introduced ourselves!  We spent the day visiting with him.  He told tales of our family history and that of Jefferson.  We made TWO trips to the cemetery to illustrate some points in his tales!  What fun.  He was the sweetest man!

Happy Memorial Day!

Good bye, Madrid, land of the Goyas..

Goya is one month tomorrow. Tomorrow I head back to Maine. In my suitcase garbanzos, Asturian beans, not-quite Asturian beans, garbanzo beans, bomba rice, and a parsley chopper,  as well as some little booklets and a few gifts.  But not, alas, Goya! The best must be left behind...

I am sure Joel is not as sad over my departure as this picture would lead you to believe...

Chris had a great story to share when he visited Sunday.  He wrote it up for MZJ family blog:

Once again I found myself at a donor appreciation event at the San Antonio Museum of Art where I was the only person without a coat and tie. That I was also one of the youngest people in the room only amplified the mumblings about my latest faux pas. Upon being introduced to Carol Lee Klose, she asked if I was related to Kay Karcher. After explaining that I was not her brother, but nephew, Carol asked if I was related to Margaret Jones. My affirmation resulted in a big smile and the unexpected comment, “Margaret was one of my favorite people. We were very close.”

Turns out that after graduating from college, Carol Lee was hired to teach remedial English at Edison High School, where, “Margaret ran the English department.” With a degree in theatre, Carol Lee continued to tell me how she was woefully unprepared for the job, “and if it hadn’t been for Margaret taking me under her wing, I would never have succeeded. She was a dear friend of whom I was very fond.” Carol Lee went on to reminisce about coming over to our house regularly to, “crawl on the floor with Kenny. Do you remember when your Mom decided Kenny needed to have his arms and legs moved?” She also asked if I was still an artist.

It was terrific to hear someone talk about Mamama again, especially someone who so clearly loved her, as we do.