Bacon and Corn Okonomiyaki (Cabbage Fritters)

As a student of Japanese language and literature, one inevitably learns about Japanese food. Japan happens to have an incredibly rich food culture, and each region of the country has great pride for their local specialties. Okonomiyaki is a regional specialty of Osaka. At its simplest it is a mix of battered shredded green cabbage and scallion, fried like a pancake on a griddle, and brushed with a glossy, sweet-salty Worcester based sauce and topped with squiggles of Kewpie mayonnaise. Generally, if you go to a grill restaurant (teppanyaki) in Japan for okonomiyaki, you are provided with all the ingredients for your choice of type of okonomiyaki and cook it yourself at your table, which has a griddle built into it. Some people also make it at home either on the stove or a tabletop electric griddle, especially for parties because it is easy to make a lot and easy to share.

The idea of okonomiyaki can be difficult to explain concisely to people unfamiliar with Japanese food. I prefer to make it for them first so they can taste it without expectations. I usually call it "vegetable pancakes" since "cabbage pancakes" can put some people off. Cabbage seems to get a bad rap where I live (though after living in an Asian country and especially after trying okonomiyaki, I think cabbage is incredibly underrated by Americans in general). The okonomi in the name translates to "what you like" but that doesn't explain at all what's in it.  I've also heard it called "Japanese pizza" which on one hand is misleading because the main ingredients are totally different from the food we know as pizza, but on the other hand it's conceptually very similar to pizza in that it lends itself to a huge variety of topping and filling ingredients that each diner can vary to their diet and preferences to enjoy their food to the fullest.

However you choose to wrap your head around the concept of okonomiyaki, it's delicious and worth trying!

This particular recipe is not exactly authentic but it embodies what I love most about okonomiyaki. It was developed by a friend who didn't have much first hand experience with Japanese food but likes to cook, and I like his better than any other okonomiyaki recipe I've ever made. The batter clings to the ingredients nicely but isn't too thick or floury tasting, and cooking the meat beforehand and mixing it in ensures that it gets fully cooked, you get some of the flavor in each bite, and it doesn't awkwardly fall off when you try to eat it or cut the pancake. The bacon adds salty, savory, and smoky flavors, and the corn adds some sweetness. If you don't like or can't eat bacon or corn, you could easily substitute those for any number of other ingredients that suit your diet and tastes.

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RECIPE:

Bacon and Corn Okonomiyaki
adapted from my friend Eliot's recipe
Makes 4 pancakes

1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup water
2 eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 green onions, including tender green parts, roots removed, chopped fine
Dash of seasoning salt
1 tbsp sake or plain vodka
About 1/3 medium head green cabbage, chopped into ½” pieces (4-5 cups)
1 cup corn, canned (drained) or frozen (no need to thaw)
½ cup Rice Krispies cereal (optional)
¼ to 1/3 pound uncooked bacon (4-5 strips), chopped into small pieces
Okonomi sauce, for serving
Japanese mayonnaise, for serving (optional)
Aonori or shredded toasted seaweed, for serving (optional)
Bonito flakes (katsuobushi), for serving (optional)

Combine flour, water, eggs, garlic, green onions, seasoning salt, and sake in a large mixing bowl. Stir cabbage, corn, and Rice Krispies into batter until just incorporated. 

Fry bacon pieces in a large skillet until almost crisp (8-10 minutes). Remove bacon pieces from the grease and stir bacon into batter.  Reserve grease (pour into a mug or small heatproof bowl). Wipe any grease drips off the underside of the pan.

Heat skillet again on medium heat with ½ tablespoon bacon grease in it. When hot, put about 1 ½ cups batter into skillet and spread to create a 6-7 inch circle (don’t make it too big or you will have trouble flipping it without breaking it). Fry for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and repeat on other side. Slide onto a plate. Top with 1-2 tbsp okonomi sauce, a few squiggles of mayonnaise, aonori or toasted seaweed, and bonito flakes. Repeat with remaining batter, regreasing pan each time. Serve hot. Makes about 4 pancakes.

If storing for later, fry the pancakes but do not add sauce or toppings, let cool, cover, and place in refrigerator. Reheat in 350°F oven or toaster oven for 10-15 minutes.

Transcendental Granola

For those unfamiliar with the Youtube channel You Suck At Cooking, it is mostly silly and humorous but also provides actual recipes you can replicate. The granola made in Episode 43 looked so good I needed to try it myself. This particular episode pokes fun at new age culture and it's wonderfully spot on. Watch the video for a more entertaining walkthrough of how to make the granola.

I have made granola in the past but I'm pretty sure the prospect of dried blueberries and knowing where I could get some gave me the motivation to try it.

I personally don't bother with the pyramid thing but if you want to, go ahead ;)

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RECIPE:

Transcendental Granola
from You Suck at Cooking, episode 43 (July 12, 2016)
Makes about 6 cups

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups nuts, roughly chopped (any kind you like; I used almonds and cashews)
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup pure maple syrup or honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup dried blueberries or other dried fruit of your choice (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place oats and nuts in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. In a microwave safe bowl, heat coconut oil in 20-second increments until melted. Remove from microwave and stir in maple syrup or honey, vanilla, and salt. Pour coconut oil mixture over the oats and nuts and stir until evenly coated. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Return to oven and bake for 15 more minutes, checking every 5 minutes or so to make sure it doesn't get too brown (take it out before the second 15 minutes is up if it starts to get darker than golden brown). Let it cool to room temperature. It will get crispy as it cools.

Once cooled completely, stir in the dried fruit if desired. Store in a glass jar at room temperature. It will keep for several weeks.

Holiday Bakeathon 2016

Holiday baking day #3 and hitting our stride, though we were still at it for nearly 12 hours. We made a lot of truffles this go around and the white chocolate horchata ones I tried to design were an abject failure. White chocolate is so finicky! Someday I will figure it out. Again, we had a mix of old favorites and new ideas to try.

RECIPES

• Spicy Gingerbread Cookies (Smitten Kitchen)
• Cream Cheese Frosting
• Chocolate Caramel Crunch Almonds (Smitten Kitchen) -- these didn't turn out quite right (sandy textured instead of glassy coating, the sugar did not end up melting again despite instruction that it would) but they were still tasty.
• Cranberry-Pistachio Biscotti (Joy of Baking) -- colorful and tasty! We dipped the ends of some in melted white chocolate, the sweetness of which pairs really nicely with the sour cranberry.
• Cinnamon-Sugar Rugelach -- a repeat from last year because we love them.
• Decadent Hot Chocolate Mix (Smitten Kitchen) -- a repeat from years past because it's really good.
• Toasted Coconut Marshmallows (Ina Garten) -- Sarah has made these before and they were just as tasty this time. I kept accidentally burning the coconut because I would get distracted with other baking tasks and forget! I finally got it on the third try, haha. I might crumble the toasted coconut into smaller pieces next time because it didn't stick very well to the marshmallows as large shreds.
• Peanut Butter Balls / Buckeyes (Irvin Lin via Simply Recipes) -- This was my first time ever making them. I had always wanted to try making them ever since seeing my grandma's recipe for them in my mom's collection as a child, but her recipe called for paraffin wax (yikes!) so we did not use it. I think these ended up a little soft, but we used coconut oil instead of dairy butter so they would be vegan, and that might have messed with the texture. I'd absolutely try again though. Make them smaller than you think you would like them, because they're quite rich.
• Dark Chocolate Coconut Truffles (Melanie Stephens, via Feed Your Awesome Machine) -- a repeat from 2014, still love them. Next time I want to roll them in toasted coconut.
• Irish Cream and Coffee Truffles (The Crumby Cupcake) -- delicious. I'd definitely consider making them again. I decided I don't like them coated in bright blue sprinkles though.

BAKEATHONS PAST

• 2015
• 2014

Cinnamon-Sugar Rugelach

There are lots of rugelach recipes out there and I am sure many are good, but this is my personal favorite. A former coworker at a job I had for many years always made these for our year-end work party, and once I told her how much my husband and I liked them she would save extra ones just for us, which was really sweet. We made these once for a holiday baking day at my insistence and Caroline realized these are the same kind of holiday cookies she remembered her grandmother would make, but she never knew the name of and never got a recipe for before she passed away. It feels good to have reintroduced them into her life.

Notes:

• Use the highest quality cinnamon you have since it really shines here. I am partial to Penzey's Vietnamese Cinnamon.
• I have great luck using a plastic pull-apart pizza cutter to cut the rolled out dough.
• I can usually fit 24 of these on a single sheet pan.
• The last step of brushing more melted butter on the finished cookies is 100% unnecessary, but very delicious.
• The cinnamon sugar kind are my favorite, but I have also tried filling these with a number of other things. Omit the cinnamon sugar and walnuts, and try a fruit flavored jam or chocolate-hazelnut spread (such as Nutella) instead for a variation. Warm it slightly in the microwave so that it spreads over the dough more easily. For a more intense fruit flavor, you could use dried fruit.

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RECIPE:

Cinnamon-Sugar Rugelach
from my coworker Anne; makes 48 (4 dozen)

Pastry:
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Beat cream cheese and butter until well blended. Stir in flour and salt. Divide into 4 equal size discs. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to roll (~1-2 hours minimum).

Filling:
Cinnamon sugar: 2/3 cup sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon (you will have extra)
6 tbsp (3/4 stick) butter, melted
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out each pastry patty to 10" diameter. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle the dough with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar and 1 tablespoon walnuts. Using a pizza cutter, divide each circle into 12 wedges and roll up from wide end to narrow end; shape into crescent and pinch ends closed. Bake for 25 minutes, or until turning golden brown. When cool enough to handle, brush with remaining melted butter and roll in leftover cinnamon sugar.

Salted Bourbon Pecan Pumpkin Pie

I never used to like pumpkin pie when I was a kid but I have grown to love it as an adult. My family did not make pecan pie so the first time I tried it was at my husband's family reunions. Now that we are old enough to be starting our own Thanksgiving traditions, I decided it was time to try new kinds of pie too (also because my husband doesn't like fruit pies). I decided to give this one a go because it combines two pies that I like...with bourbon! I love the extra layer of flavor that beer, wine, and spirits can give to foods.

I did not use the crust given in the recipe; I replaced it with Smitten Kitchen's All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough instead because I know how it behaves and I didn't have buttermilk for the other one. Other than that, it was made as written.

Verdict: This is some god tier pie. If you like pecan and pumpkin pie, it is not to be missed. I made another one about a week after Thanksgiving because I liked it so much. Somehow I don't feel like it turned out quite as good as the first time, but it was still really good.

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RECIPE: All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough
RECIPE: Salted Bourbon Pecan Pumpkin Pie

Georgian Dinner Party

We had a dinner party featuring Georgian food. This is Sarah's brainchild and while I am not entirely sure what inspired it (though it was probably Nigella Lawson or Christina Nichol's Lucky Peach blog), it was a fun way to try some new foods I probably never would have found and made on my own. We had at least one vegetarian in attendance and we planned it so that almost all of the food (except the chicken, of course) was vegetarian friendly.

RECIPES

• Georgian Stuffed Chicken -- we cooked a separate batch of the rice stuffing in a glass dish so vegetarians could enjoy it.
• Beet Latkes with Horseradish Cream
• Badrijani Nigvzit (Walnut Stuffed Eggplant Rolls) -- these were my favorite food from the meal! A little labor intensive but really delicious and absolutely worth the work.
• Hachapuri (Cheese Stuffed Bread)
• Muhammara (Red Pepper Walnut Dip) -- I'm not sure of the exact recipe Sarah used to make the one served at our dinner, but I have made the one at this link several times and I love it.
• Dark Grape Pelamushi (Grape Juice Pudding) -- I made this since I had a lot of grapes given to me by our farm share. It turned out more brown than purple, and I am not sure how well executed it was since I had never had it before, but it was fun to try to make something so different. It had a nice sourness from the grape skins and grapey flavor since the grapes had seeds (waaaay different from most American table grapes, which barely have any grape flavor and are mostly just sweet). If I ever make it again I will probably try this recipe instead.

Other things we served that we did not prepare:

• Sartori MontAmore cheese (heart eyes emoji here)
• Olives
• Pita bread
• Khortytsa, a Ukrainian vodka (we couldn't find any Georgian spirits locally to buy)
• Red wine
• Our favorite beers

Dirt Cake

Dirt cake is one of our family dessert staples. Imagine cookies 'n cream ice cream but not quite as cold so you can taste all the delicious flavors. I'm not sure when I first had it, but my mom has been making it all my life. It is a favorite birthday cake of my oldest brother, who was born in January, but we also made it in the summer. My mom still makes it whenever more than one of us comes home to visit. Imagine my surprise at hearing it was my boyfriend's favorite birthday cake too! It is not the only reason I married him but it certainly didn't hurt. He requested it again this year, and we shared this one pictured above at his birthday party.

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RECIPE:

Dirt Cake
from my mom, original source unknown
serves 12-20

20 oz Oreo cookies, crushed
¼ cup (½ stick) butter or margarine, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
3 ½ cups milk
2 small packages (3.4 oz each) Jello instant French vanilla pudding mix
12 oz Cool Whip, thawed

Put Oreo cookies in a zippered plastic bag and crush into small pieces with a rolling pin. Set aside. Beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside. In another large bowl, combine milk and pudding mix with a whisk until completely mixed. Let stand 5 minutes until thickened. Fold in Cool Whip to milk and pudding mixture. Mix pudding mixture into butter mixture until well combined. Layer 1/3 crushed Oreos, ½ cream mixture, 1/3 Oreos, ½ cream mixture, 1/3 Oreos in 9x13 inch rectangular pan. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until flavors have blended. Store covered in refrigerator.

Notes:

• This recipe was written when standard packages of Oreo cookies were 20 oz. They are now over 25% smaller at 14.3 oz (booooo). You can still make it with one package of cookies but if you really like a lot of cookie crumbs in your dirt cake, consider buying more than one and having some leftovers, or buy another, smaller package.
• If you can't get Oreos where you live, you can substitute a different kind of chocolate sandwich cookie with vanilla cream filling (like Hydrox? Are those still a thing?)
• Do not use non-dairy milk. The pudding will not set.
• You can make this in individual servings too! Instead of putting the whole thing in a 9x13 pan, put a little bit of cookie crumbs in the bottom of a clear plastic cup, top with a few spoonfuls of the cream mixture, then sprinkle more cookie crumbs on top. This will make anywhere from 12-18 servings depending on how much you put in each cup.
• I recommend serving gummy worms/candies on the side if you have the urge to put them in at all. I have discovered I'm a dirt cake purist: no flavored cream (especially chocolate because it competes with the chocolate cookies) and absolutely no gummy worms or candies in it WTF gross. Something about mixing gummy and creamy textures is just really revolting to me and I can't be the only one who feels this way. Plus I imagine children would love the idea of putting their own worms in their dirt cake.