Quick Jalapeno Cheddar Buttermilk Bread

Another pinterest recipe success - an incredibly helpful link to a basic buttermilk quick bread (for when your milk or kefir milk or yogurt has soured) that can be easily modified into a variety of sweet or savory loaves. Another life lesson in the kitchen for me: do NOT replace a specified freshly chopped jalapeño quantity with the same quantity of canned jalapeño! Common sense would say to use less, but those of us not quite on the ball forget that a greater amount of spiciness/pepper exists in the canned version which leads to a super spicy buttermilk quick bread that only the wife can eat.... oh well, next time I'll get it right.

Buttermilk Quick Bread with Cheddar and Jalapeno

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 c. buttermilk (or sour milk or kefir milk or yogurt with a bit of water)
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil (or unsalted butter, melted)
• 1/4 c. minced jalapeno pepper (or 1/8 c. canned jalapeno pepper)
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 - 2 tsp cumin seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9x5 loaf pan.
2. Whisk dry ingredients together. Whisk the wet ingredients together (including the jalapeno)
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, gently folding in the cheddar cheese and cumin seeds at the end. (don't overmix!)
4. Scrape batter into pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
5. Let loaf cool 15 minutes, then transfer to a baking rack to finish cooling.

Sweet Potato Baked Dumplings

I stumbled across this recipe on pinterest (I think), though I can never tell anymore these days between bookmarks on two computers, emailing myself recipes, and pinning others on pinterest. Anyways they appeared on naturallyella's blog along with a gorgeous photo and I was excited to see a baked dumpling recipe not only because I had wonton wrappers in my freezer, but also because I find the whole steaming/frying process a bit labor intensive and it forces you to work in batches (ergo eating in shifts). The filling for the wontons was intriguingly non Asian, though still paired with soy sauce for dipping, an interesting combination of flavors that quickly won me over. This is a perfect appetizer for a party dish as the filling can be prepared in advance, or the dumplings can be prepared completely and frozen until needed. I have some in my freezer as we speak, and other than a couple of the wontons cracking, they look none the worse for wear.

Baked Sweet Potato Potstickers

(makes ~44-50 dumplings, depending how full you stuff them)

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium onion cubed
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• sea salt and pepper
• 2/3 c ricotta cheese
• 1/2 c parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 - 2 Tbs fresh rosemary (or dried, if dried maybe only 1 1/2 Tbs)
• 50 wonton wrappers
• sunflower or canola oil to brush the potstickers

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes and onion with olive oil and spread on a baking tray (or glass roasting pan). Bake for 25-35 minutes until tender. Let cool for ~ 10 minutes. (Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F at this step if you're going to bake the dumplings immediately)
2. Combine sweet potato, onion, salt, pepper, rosemary, ricotta, and Parmesan cheese in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth (there can still be a few small lumps)
3. Preheat oven to 350.
4. Place about a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper. Wet edges with water and crimp shut. Place on parchment paper on a baking tray. Continue until the tray is full.
5. Brush each potsticker  lightlywith oil and bake for 15-20 minutes until the potstickers are golden brown. Serve with a soy sauce/sesame oil/chili sauce and grated ginger mixture.

Kefir - The Experiment, Part 1

In addition to canned peaches and a homemade lavender facial scrub (yes I am indeed blessed with the most thoughtful and generous of friends!), I also came home with my very own kefir grains!!! (And no, I did not confess to the border guards about the kefir grains. I thought they would be flummoxed enough by the 125 lbs of trail mix chocolate clay in my trunk, but they didn't bat an eye.)

So far I have attempted to read many websites and follow my friend's note card of instructions on care and use of kefir, but already I am at a bit of a loss, so I think I will document my learning experience with the grains.

(1) kefir grains: when growing, they look like tiny little cauliflowers, kind of squishy. Photo to come...
(2) kefir: my understanding is that this is the liquid/whey/curd portion that forms when you pour milk in with the grains and allow it to ferment. It is a slightly sour (think yogurt), fizzy beverage, that supposedly can also be allowed to ferment further and thicken? Though this is the part I'm less certain of. I have yet to see any curds form...

So far, I've poured in 2 cups of milk (1%, straight from the fridge) with the grains into a glass jar and left it on the counter to ferment for 24 hours. The lid is put on loosely, and I give it a little shake once in a while. Then I will strain out the grains (again controversial - some websites say absolutely no metal can touch the grains, while others say a stainless steel strainer is okay), put them into a fresh jar and add new milk. The strained out liquid will go in the fridge where I am trying to stockpile a quart of it to make kefir cheese, which is also called "the champagne of cheeses". How fabulous does that sound??