Coconut-Curry Popcorn Seasoning

Coconut-Curry Popcorn Seasoning

1 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
7 Tbsp. curry powder
2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar (generous)
1 1/2 tsp. ginger, ground
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne, ground
1 tsp. garlic powder

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse to combine. Mix as little or as much as you'd like with popped corn. Enjoy!

Perfect for a chilly winter evening! I hope you are keeping warm enough!

An Invitation

You are invited to visit my other blog, My Cozy Kitchen. It's a quiet place where I share healthy, whole-food recipes. The recipes are posted from my collection as I prepare them or as they come into focus when I am browsing through my recipe files. They are filled with antioxidants and phytochemicals, are full of fiber, and help maintain wellness and promote good health. If you stop by, please leave me a comment so I know you've been by. I'd love to share a cup of tea with you, but in blogland a few words will have to do. Happy eating and stay healthy!

Disease Proof by Dr. Joel Furhman is a site that I enjoy and is highly recommended for help with healthy eating and food choices. Don't forget the G.O.M.B.S. method for wellness!

Books & Cooks

 

"We may live without friends;
we may live without books;
but civilized man cannot live
without cooks."


Owen Meredith (1921)


Picture: one of my favorite teacups and a chicken cookie cutter from my childhood.

The Longest Table and Shared Soup

The university that Rylan attends has an annual dinner that is unique and that helps the university students connect with community. The event is called "Longest Table' and brings together a crowd of more than 2,000 students and community members. The main street in town is closed off and one very long table it set up in the middle of the street. It stretches for many blocks. There are a variety of foods at this event, as each person who hosts a section of the table serves a menu that is unique to them, as well as table setting and centerpiece. Sometimes families go together to provide for a larger number of community members. For example, one group of three families got together to make a Mexican fair with a taco bar, salads, cream puffs, flan, and roasts. Another host family provided a lovely meal of sushi and other Japanese food and decor. Each hosts menu is different, but they are all tied together by being served on one long table. I just love the idea! What a way to share with others! And the cost to students and community members who attend is nothing! It is a community event that is designed to draw the students into the community and participants provide it as a volunteer service; a gift from the heart. 


This community service event reminds me of a story I used to read my boys when they were young. I believe that sharing stories that involve food are a great way to tie other subjects to cooking experiences and character development. Here is a story that can be used to teach cooperation, sharing, and self-reliance. It can also be used as a topic starter on problem solving. 


SHARE SOUP

Once upon a time there was a small village.  The sun was going down and it was dinner time. As usual, everyone was in his or her own little house thinking about the same thing --- what shall we have for dinner tonight?  But on this particular night everyone thought and thought for a very long time. There was a problem, and it was a problem that everyone shared. No one had enough food in his or her house to make a dinner. Everyone had the same problem!

Because this was a friendly little town where everyone knew everyone else, the word soon got around. Neighbors were talking about their problems with each other in the street, on front porches, and over back yard fences. They all agreed that something had to be done soon because everyone was getting very hungry.

There was a man in the town who happened to be a very good cook, and as he was thinking about this problem with his wife, she came up with the answer. "We will make a new and different kind of soup called Share Soup, and you will direct the cooking," she said. Her husband thought this was a wonderful idea that his wife had, and as the townspeople in the village found out about the idea they became more and more excited and happy. But what was Share Soup, they asked? The man's wife explained, "Share Soup is a soup you make with a big pot of water and every one's share of food.  If everyone brings their little share of food from home, we can make one big delicious soup for everyone. I call it Share Soup." 

"First we'll need a large pot," he said. The people brought the largest pot they could find. "And now," the man said, "water to fill the pot and a fire to heat it." It took many buckets of water to fill the pot. A fire was built on the main street of the town and the pot was set to boil.

"Soup needs salt and dried herbs," said the man. He began to stir and the children ran to get salt and dried herbs.

"Salt and dried herbs make good soup, but if there were carrots it would taste much better."

"I think I have some carrots," said one woman, and she ran home. She came back with a handful of carrots and put them in the pot.

"Share Soup should really have some cabbage," said one man, and he returned soon with a big head of cabbage which he cut up and put in his pot.

"How I wish we had some potatoes and onions; then this soup would be the most delicious soup ever," the man said. Some children remembered where they'd seen some and hurried home to get them.

A delicious soup --- and all from some water and every one's share of food. It seemed like magic! As the man stirred the soup he thought, "If we had a little rice and a cup of milk, this soup would be the best soup in the whole world." More people ran home to get a little milk and rice. Soon everyone from the town had put in his or her share of food. 

The man who was such a good cook stirred and stirred the soup while everyone watched happily. And then the soup was ready.

"Everyone gets a taste," said the man. "But first, let's set the tables." Great big tables were place in the main street. All around were lighted candles. Such a soup! How good it smelled! It really was the best soup anyone in the town had ever tasted!

*Adapted from Stone Soup, by Marcia Brown

The Kitchen, an Interesting Room

Edith Schaeffer shares insights from her experience as a homemaker and mom in her book "The Hidden Art of Homemaking". Her goal is to share creative ideas for enriching everyday life. I love how she expresses herself and shares what sounds to be a very delightful time in the kitchen with her children.  See what you think.

"For growing children at play, there is nothing so interesting as really 'doing things'. To 'help cook' is one of the most enjoyable things of childhood --- to say nothing of being a sure way of producing good cooks.  A child can cut up carrots at a very early age, with no more risk of injury than from falling down outside at play! A child can mix and stir, knead the dough and be given a piece to make a roll man, cat or rabbit with raisin eyes. A child can fry eggs or make scrambled eggs ---- one of mine did every morning from the age of three! The kitchen should be an interesting room in which communication takes place between child and mother and also among adults. It should be interesting in the same way as in an artist's studio, as well as being a cosy spot in which to have a cup of tea while something is being watched or stirred, or while waiting to take something out of the oven."

Now, doesn't that just create the most pleasant word picture in your mind? I hope it inspires you to make your kitchen such a place! It inspired me!

Kid's Size Loaf of Yummy Bread

Winter is a time for nesting. And there's nothing more fun than cooking in the kitchen with kids! So invite a neighbor, grandchild, or one of your own children, and share in the experience together. Here's a recipe for a kid's size loaf of delicious, wholesome bread. It's perfect for little hands to knead and mold.

In a small bowl, mix together:

1/4 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. honey

Stir together and then let mixture sit for five minutes. The yeast will start to bubble and rise.  Then add:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of salt

Knead the mixture for ten minutes, adding sprinkles of flour as needed so little hands don't get too sticky.

When the dough is smooth and like elastic, place it in a bowl and let it rise until it is twice the original size. Make sure it is warm and free from drafts.

Spray vegetable cooking spray on the sides and bottom of a small loaf pan.

Punch the dough down. Form it into a loaf. Place the dough into the prepared loaf pan.

Let the loaf rise until double the size.

Bake the loaf in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 20 - 25 minutes.

Making "Sea Salt"

I love the glass canisters of sea salts that are sold by the ounce in the gourmet section of the supermarket.  They come in a variety of colors; black, brown, tan, and white, depending upon their source and how they are processed.  Some are aged in oak barrels while others are fresh, pristine, plain white.  Each is named in some fashion according to the location it was gathered.  They are flavorful and unique.  The cooking experience is enhanced by something as simple as sea salt.  It is generally thought to be more flavorful and have a better texture than regular table salt.  Gourmet cooks seek it for their dishes.

Recently members of an online recipe group shared their ideas for making their own sea salt.  It was a new idea to me!  Have you ever made your own sea salt?  Their conversation centered around the use of a slow cooker to speed up the evaporation process.  The subject peaked my interest and I decided to see what more I could discover on this subject.  Sea salt is a product of evaporation where brine is taken from the sea and warm, dry air applied and dissolution occurs.  The sun's energy is generally used, but in cool climates other energy sources must be applied.

Making sea salt in your own home is a simple process, although not without its complications if you do not live by the sea.  But, for the fun of it, let's explore the possibilities.  You will need:  sea or ocean water, a gallon size jar, a kettle, and a stove (unless you decide to use a slow cooker).  Be sure the sea water is as clean as possible.  Check out the environment where you gather it to make sure that there is not stagnant water with obvious pollutants.  Once you are in your kitchen, strain the sea water through cheesecloth to remove any particles of debris or sand.  Place the sea water in a kettle and boil on the stove-top for several hours.  The idea is for the liquid portion to evaporate (take opportunity to give yourself a steam facial in the process).  As the kettle becomes emptier, keep close watch.  Remove it from the heat when there is a small layer of water left at the bottom of the kettle.  It's important that you do this so that you don't scorch or burn the salt at the bottom of the kettle.  Allow to sit overnight, if possible, so that the remainder of the water evaporates naturally.  Then, scrape the salt crystals from the kettle and onto a plate.  Allow the salt to dry out completely.  When dry, pour the salt into a small container and use when cooking your favorite recipe.  How fun is that?  

(The slow cooker method would be similar, but would require less attention than a kettle on the stove-top because it is less likely to burn.) 

~ Photos:  Bandon Beach, Oregon ~ 

Cooking America

Are you busy preparing for Thanksgiving dinner? Across America, grocery stores and markets are filled with shoppers buying ingredients for their traditional family foods. Kitchens are starting to sizzle with the sounds and fragrance of one of the most family-oriented American holidays. More people will be traveling to visit family during this yearly holiday than any other. Life has been busy at our house too. In the midst of it all, I've been trying to blog 'three recipes a day' at My Cozy Kitchen. Stop by for a last minute holiday recipe if you'd like. I look forward to seeing you there. And then I'd better get cookin' too. What's cooking in your kitchen?

Photo: Elm Street Antiques

Dutch Oven Cooking

Unfortunately the dutch oven cooking demonstrations did not take place the day we were there, but everything was set up and ready to go. I enjoyed walking around and looking at the equipment and food items set out for the next morning's demonstrations.