Cooking Risotto is like our Relationship with the LORD?

Great question? Or just me spending too much time thinking about things that are way to deeo? In the next two or three days I will post my recipe for Risotto ... and while I am preparing to write this recipe down and taking the pics for this post ... I am thinking about my relationship with the LORD. In order to make a great Risotto you have to be patient and work the flavors into the rice as you cook it. This takes a lot of time and heat. The heat and the moisture make the rice absorb the liquid that surrounds the rice. If you heat the rice up too hot then it will not absorb the liquid because the liquid will evaporate. If you keep the temperature too low then the rice will not absorb any liquid at all and the rice will not cook.

The LORD keeps us over the heat just enough so that we absorb the lesson he is trying to teach us ... he does not turn up the heat too much so we do not burn ... he knows just how high we can handle the heat ... sometimes we are a bit "thick-headed" and the LORD pulls us off the heat until we are ready to learn his lessons. Funny thing is while we are sitting off the stove just waiting for the LORD to deal with us ... we think this is where we are supposed to be ... we think that this is successful for us ... no stress ... no issues ... no challenges ... but when the LORD puts us back over the flame that is when we absorb the "flavors" of life and learn the lessons that the LORD has in mind for us.

So think about it this week ... does the LORD have you over the heat now? Are you ready to absorb the flavors of life? What lesson is he trying to teach you? We will talk Risotto later this week ...

Ciao,
Mark

How Long has it Been?

I know ... I can not believe that it has been this long since I have blogged. It is kind of funny that I would even think of this. Last night I went to a soccer practice/tryout for my son Nyan ... he is our 17 year old that we adopted several years ago. So I go to make sure all of the paperwork is taken care of ... well he is a boy and a teenager ... so the likelyhood that he would do it correctly is ... well ... slim at best. So I am filling out paperwork and talking to a very helpful woman with a "shorty" t-shirt on. Obvious from her control of the entire situation that she is in charge even if she does not have the title at the company she is working with. She helps with my paperwork takes my check and does it all with a smile. Great Service ... end of story ... right?

NO ... so tonight my friend Marybeth calls and tells me about a friend of hers that used to love to read my blog. Well it turns out that this firend of Marybeth's also has a t-shirt with "Shorty" on it and was signing up kids at a soccer tryout the night before ... can you believe it I meet in person one of the only people that used to read my blog! It must be a sign for me to keep writing. So this is a start. I will try to keep writing ... and telling you how and what I am cooking.

Take care and thank you for being so patient!

Oh ... Hi Marybeth ... and you too Shorty!

Ciao, Mark

Puffy Pancake

I have got to tell you that one of the most exciting recipes we make for breakfast is the "puffy pancake." Yes, I said exciting, because the kids love the way this looks when it comes out of the oven. This recipe is a regular in my house and very simple as my two boys will make it once a week. It usually will feed 3-4 people assuming that you have two growing boys like I do. I hope that you will take a minute to try it this weekend.

Puffy Pancake

3 tablespoons butter

4 Eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup milk

/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Beat the eggs, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Then add the flour, sugar and salt and beat well with a wisk. Yes, you are trying to eliminate the lumps. So beat it until it is smooth.

Once the oven has reached temperature put the 13" x 9" glass pan in the oven with the butter in the pan. I like to use butter right out of the refrigerator so that it take a little longer to melt. One of the things we are trying to do here is to get the pan very hot while we melt the butter. Keep and eye on the butter in the pan, once it melts and starts to turn a little brown the pan is ready. At this point slide the pan out of the oven and add the pancake mixture. Return the pan immediately to the oven. Now cook the pancake for about 12-14 minutes. You will see the pancake "PUFF" up along the sides and possible in the middle well over the edge of the pan ... do not worry this is what the kids want to see.

Remove the pancake form the oven and sprinkle with the confectioners sugar. You can serve it plain or with some maple syrup.

Enjoy this one ...

Ciao, Mark

Oprah Show ...

You can see pictures of my family and some of our friends on the Oprah Show!

OK, I have not said anything in here about this ... but last week my family and our friend were on the Oprah Show. Can you believe it? Neither can I. We were on the show to talk about the adoption of our oldest son, who is from Liberia, West Africa. The story has gotten alot of legs ... with articles in Readers Digest, USA Today, O Magazine and many others. Being on Oprah was a great experience. We got to share our story and how we were asked by GOD to do what we did. When the show was on TV (Jan 29, 2007) they left all the information about GOD in the show! My e-mail has been flooded with people from all over the country wanting to tell us what a great thing we did ... but I have to tell you that ... we are normal and we only did what we were asked. The reality is, that we were not capable, we did not have the moeny and we did not have the room for an adoption ... but with GOD all things are possible ... and now we are a family of five ... or maybe more like 85 ...

I hope you saw the show ... if you did not ... well I may just have an extra copy ...

Thank you for reading,

Mark

Great Cook Book for Kids!!!

My son got the Emeril LaGasse Cook Book, There's a Chef in My Soup, for Christmas this year. It is a cookbook for kids. I was a little suspect about getting a cookebook for kids for him ... not because I do not want him to cook. More because I wanted to make sure that what Dominic was going to be cooking would be edible for the rest of us. This is a MAJOR concern for many of the cookbooks out for kids. Well to my suprise this is a GREAT COOKBOOK!

Dominic has made several of the recipes from this book so far. All ... and I mean ALL of the recipes we have made were great to eat. Dominic enjoyed making them much more than even I had anticipated. So if you are looking for a great cookbook to buy for one of your kids ... I highly recomend this one. If you want to sample on o0f his recipes ... just follow the link below to see his recipe for Emeril's Favorite French Toast Recipe. It is a great breakfast and again, the kids love making it and "treating" Mom & Dad.

http://www.famousfoods.com/emsfavfrento.html

Have a great day ... and enjoy time with your family in the kitchen,

Mark

Beef & Cheese Enchilada's

This is a great recipe for the winter months. It is easy to make and it is VERY easy to make more the one batch. Usually I like to say ... serve with something else ... but not this time ... this one can stand on it's own.

Beef & Cheese Enchilada's

3/4 Pound Ground Beef (Ground Turkey or Chicken work just as well)
2 tablespoons olive oil.
1 medium yellow onion, chopped.
1 clove garlic, crushed

1 large can enchilada sauce (24 ounces)
2 cups rice, cooked.
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed.
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
15 - 20 soft corn tortillas

Heat skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and then saute the chopped onions and garlic for about 2 minutes, until tender. Add the ground beef and saute till browned. Remove from heat and drain the fat from the meat. Combine the ground beef, rice, black beans and cilantro. Toss mixture till combined.

Pour about half of a can of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan. Take 4-6 of the tortillas at a time and heat them in the microwave for about 30-45 second until they are warm and easy to roll. Start by laying out one warm tortilla, add about 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture and 1 tablespoon of the cheese and then roll up the tortilla and place in the 13 x 9 pan with the seam down. (This will hold the enchilada together.) Repeat this until the pan is filled. Pour the remainder of the enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with sour cream and hot sauce.

Enjoy ...

Is this a special recipe???

Really ... you want to ask ... is this a special recipe? In truth it is not a special recipe. But the meal IS considered special. You see it is not always those special "meals" we make, but, as I have said before, it is who we are inviting to eat with us! So in this recipe we are making Buttermilk Pancakes ... for my kids!



So what makes this recipe special is really the fact that I got help making the pancakes from Sophie and then heard the kids "loving" the pancakes for breakfast. This is the best way to start a day ... with my kids smiles around the table. So take some time to cook with your family ... you will love the memories you are creating.

Buttermilk Pancakes:
(Adapted from The Joy of Cooking)

1 1/2 Cup Flour (not packed)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put all the dry ingredients in a ziplock plastic bag and then shake it to mix. I use the bag so that I do not have to wash anything and I can save it for the next time I am making pancakes or waffles.

1 1/2 cup butter milk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all of the wet ingredients in a large bowl with a wisk or a fork. Once the wet ingredients are combined then pour in the mixed dry ingredients and stir until combined. Let the batter stand for about five minutes while you heat up the griddle or pan that you are using. Keep in mind that the heavier the pan the better ... then the pancakes will cook better. Cook on a medium heat so they do not burn. Serve with warm syrup.

Sit with your kids while they are eating and talk about their plans and hopes for the day ...

Enjoy ... Mark