GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

Tag: Recipes

  • Red Bean Paste: A Sweet Asian Puree Recipe

    Red Bean Paste: A Sweet Asian Puree Recipe

    Azuki, a small dark red bean, is the second largest Asian crop next to soybean. It’s the main ingredient in sweet Red Bean paste. Red bean paste and candied Red Bean are sold in Asian markets all year round, but usually they’re used in fall harvest desserts as pastry filling (Chinese moon cakes), light snacks (Japanese zenzai and anko), and sweet soups (Korean patjuk). This highly prized confection can be coarse or smooth. It has a taste similar to chestnut puree and pine nuts and is as smooth as pumpkin filling. It’s easy to make… and even easier with a blender. This recipe makes 4 cups.

    You’ll need:

    • a large pot with lid for soaking and boiling
    • a blender
    • a large mixing bowl
    • a large colander
    • 2 cups of dried azuki beans
    • lots of water
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 1tbsp salt
    • 1 tsp powdered ginger
    • four drop of vanilla
    • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (optional)

    Soak Your Beans
    As with most beans, azuki must be soaked and rinsed. In a large pot add beans and enough water to cover up to 2″ above the beans. Cover and soak overnight in a cool place (the fridge). Soaking overnight conditions the beans for boiling. Next day, drain and rinse beans until the water runs clear, then soak them again in clean water for another 6 hours at room temperature. Be sure to add enough water as before.

    Boil ‘Em
    Place the covered pot on hight heat until it boils, then lower the heat to medium and cook until the beans are very soft — roughly 2 hours. Add more water to the pot if the needed and stir every 20 minutes. When they are done, the skins should separate from the beans and they should mash easily with a wooden spoon. Check by crushing them on a cutting board. Be sure to rinse the pot clean, you’ll be using it again.

    Puree
    Drain the beans and reserve the hot liquid. In a blender add 1 1/2 cups of beans and enough of the reserved liquid water to cover 1″ above the beans. Set to puree and blend until smooth. Pour half the batch back into the clean pot. Add another cup of beans to the blender and puree, add more of the reserved liquid if needed. Repeat until the entire batch is blended.

    Simmer Down
    Set the heat to medium, add sugar, salt, ginger, and vanilla to the pureed beans and stir constantly to prevent burning. Simmer and stir until it is reduced to the consistency of thick fudge. Pour the finished bean paste into a mixing bowl and allow it to cool. It should have a deep purple-red color. For a velvet smooth texture add unsalted butter and mix well before it cools down completely. Store away into sealed jars and keep refrigerated.

    Foot note: Although butter is not a traditional ingredient, my grandmother would add refined lard to preserved red beans and Red bean Paste. It gave these preserves an incredibly smooth texture and a deep red color. In this age of chocolate covered bacon and rendered duck fat spreads this is not so far-fetched. If can find a quality refined leaf-lard, use this instead.

    You can keep red bean paste refrigerated for up to two months, but it’s best when used fresh. Use it as a sweet spread on pancakes or as a pastry filling. I like it with cream cheese on a toasted bagel at breakfast. If you make your own ice cream try this as a new flavor.

  • Not-so-sloppy Joe: A Ketchup Recipe

    Not-so-sloppy Joe: A Ketchup Recipe

    Ever wonder what to do with that drawer full of Ketchup and Plum sauce packets? The answer is  Sloppy Joe! I have such fond memories of the 70’s and Sloppy Joe Night that I barely remember that we were in a recession. Sloppy Joe served on a TV tray while watching gun Smoke! This is one of my favorite cheap eats, and you probably have most of the ingredients already. This recipe feeds four.

    You’ll need:

    • a medium size skillet with lid
    • 3/4 pound ground beef
    • 1/2 pound of diced canned tomatoes (6. oz.)
    • 1/2 cup each, chopped: onion, bell pepper, parsley
    • 12 packets of take-out ketchup (1/2 cup)
    • 6 packets of take-out duck sauce (1/4 cup)
    • 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1 tbsp hickory BBQ sauce (1 packet)
    • 3 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 tsp salt
    • liquid smoke (optional)

    Use these dried spices or an equal amount of a good dried BBQ seasoning.

    • 1/2 tsp each: cumin, oregano, thyme, black pepper
    • 1 tbsp dried basil
    • 1 tsp powdered garlic

    Step 1: Add 1 tbsp of oil to a hot skillet and brown ground beef, drain and discard excess liquid. Remove from the pan and set aside.

    Step2: Add 2 tbsp of oil to the skillet and add onion, bell pepper, and parsley and cover. Cook until bell peppers are soft. Lower heat to medium and add browned ground beef, dried spices, and salt. Cook for five minutes. Now add all the wet ingredients: ketchup, plum sauce, canned tomatoes, liquid smoke… etc. or a pack or dried BBQ seasonings. Cover and cook for 15 more minutes, stirring once or twice. It’s ready when the liquid has thickened. Serve it up on toasted bread topped with a crumbled layer of crushed potato chips… be sure to have it with a hot bowl of tomato soup.

  • Tostones: A Fried Plantain Recipe

    Tostones: A Fried Plantain Recipe

    Tostones are fried twice — that's what makes them so good.

    Plantains, a close cousin to bananas, are eaten when they are green, reddish black, or black depenging on the variety. The flesh is very firm, higher in starch and lower in sugar. They are prepared more as a root vegetable would be. A popular South American and Caribbean dish is tostones — twice-fried plantain chips. Tostones are easy to make, but there is a little trick to peeling plantains.

    Start by cutting off the tips and ends from each plantain, then  cut three to four shallow slits from tip to end.

    Loosen one section with your thumb and peel, then remove the rest of the skin. You’ll notice the skin peels off easily. The flesh should be very firm and creamy white or very light pink in color.

    Cut plantains into pieces that are 3/”4 to 1″ thick. If you’re not ready to cook, put them into a bowl of ice water and a little lemon to prevent them from turning brown. Drain and dry them when you’re ready to cook.

    Add vegetable or canola oil to a hot skillet — about 1/2″ deep or so. Check if oil is at frying temperature by placing a wooden spoon or chopstick into the pan. When bubbles form it’s fryin’ time. Place the plantain pieces into hot oil and fry until they are golden. Place them on a paper towel to drain.

    Deep frying soften the plantains, which is important for this next step: pressing. Flatten them gently, but don’t mash the hell out of them. I use a small “tostonera,” a wooden press, but the bottom of a coffee mug works just fine.

    Finally, place the flattened pieces back into the hot oil and fry them again until they are golden brown on both sides.

    Drain them on a paper towel and lightly salt while they’re still hot. I like adding a little powdered garlic and black pepper too. Tostones go well with eggs — they’re good with any dish that you’d serve French fries. If you make a big batch you can re-heat them in a toaster oven.

  • Frittata Squares: A Cooking Ring Recipe

    Frittata Squares: A Cooking Ring Recipe

    I’m really getting into these cooking rings. Here’s another square egg dish: Mushroom Frittata with red pepper, parsley, cheddar cheese, and onion. It’s important not to over-fill the rings, otherwise they’ll flow over the tops of the rings as they cook. You’ll add the eggs into the rings to make layers. Since this dish is finished by steaming in a non-stick, you won’t need much butter, but that’s entirely up to you.

    You’ll need:

    • non-stick pan with glass lid
    • 2 square cooking rings, 2.75″ square X 1.5″ deep
    • a flat spatula
    • 1/3 cup each, minced: onion, parsley, red pepper
    • 2 medium size Crimmini mushrooms, sliced
    • 1/8 cup course breadcrumbs
    • 1/8 cup grated cheddar cheese
    • 4 large eggs
    • 1/8 cup milk
    • 1/2 tsp powdered onion
    • dried chives
    • 1/4 cup water
    • salt and pepper
    • butter

    Cook the mushrooms. In a hot non-stick pan, melt a pat of butter and lay the mushrooms in flat, sprinkle a little salt. Lower heat to medium, and cover. The mushrooms should release liquid in about 5 minutes. Remove from pan when both sides are evenly browned.

    Melt another pat of butter in the pan and add bread crumbs, red pepper, onion, parsley and sprinkle them with a little salt and powdered onion. Cook until the red peppers are soft, then set them aside.

    Make this frittta in layers. With the burner on high, place 2 well-greased cooking rings in the pan and melt 1/2 tsp into each ring. Beat 2 eggs with a little milk and pour about 5 tablespoons into each ring. Lower heat to medium and let the eggs cook form a solid base — it’s OK if some egg spills out, just trim it off later. Now add some of bread crumb mixture, cover the pan and cook until the eggs start turning opaque.

    Remove the glass lid and add more bread crumb mixture and cheese. Pour the rest of the egg halfway up the ring. Cover and let eggs cook as before. Now pour the final layer — arrange mushrooms and pour the rest of the egg with some dried chives. Make sure the eggs sit about 1/4″ away from the top of the cooking ring. Turn heat up to high, add water to the pan and cover. Let the eggs steam until the tops rise slightly over the rings.

    Remove the eggs and rings from the pan — don’t be a hero, use a flat spatula. Let them sit for a minute to cool, the eggs should shrink away from the edges. If they do stick use a sharp knife to free the edges. Plate them and serve with cocktail sauce and aside of buttered toast with strawberry jam. Make this breakfast for two this weekend for someone special, use what you like for filling.

  • Square Poached Eggs: Using Metal Cooking Rings

    Square Poached Eggs: Using Metal Cooking Rings

    This is not a Photoshop trick, these poached eggs ARE square. I stopped into a baking supply store to pick up some Vanilla. As I passed by the kitchen gadgets section, I spotted cooking rings and recalled the podcast that I did with Eric: “How to Poach an Egg…”

    After looking over stainless steel diamonds, ovals, and circles, I picked the squares. I’ve found that a thicker bands distributes heat more evenly, a thinner gauge of metal is
    better suited for making stacked presentations. I wouldn’t call this a recipe, this is more of a description of how I used a metal cooking ring.

    You’ll Need:

    • a metal cooking ring, large enough for large 2 eggs
    • a non-stick frying pan with a glass lid
    • flat spatula for flipping
    • 2 large eggs
    • dried chives
    • salt or grated Parmesan cheese
    • 1/2 tsp unsalted butter
    • 1/2 cup water
    • small bowl

    Place cooking ring into the frying pan and bring pan to medium heat. Crack one egg into a bowl and let the egg white settle. Melt 1/2 tsp of butter in the cooking ring and pour some of the egg white into the ring to form a solid bottom, then add the rest of the egg. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover with glass lid.

    When the egg yolk starts to form a slightly opaque film, remove the glass lid and sprinkle some dried chives and salt or Parmesan cheese. Crack the other egg on top of the first egg, return cover and cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes, or longer if you like your eggs well done. With a flat spatula, transfer the cooking ring and egg to a plate. Let it cool for a minute and carefully remove the ring, and serve.

    When you slice through, you’ll notice that bottom egg will be more well-done, than the top layer of egg. Here’s an idea: beat an egg with ham, smoked salmon, red pepper, or caramelized onion and make the first layer into scrambled egg, then make the top layer a poached egg — two for one!

  • Blancmange: A Dessert Recipe from the UK

    Blancmange: A Dessert Recipe from the UK

    Some Brits fondly refer to blancmange (blə-mɒnʒ) as “shape,” probably because this rich, almond flavored dessert is usually set in small molds. It’s hardly diet food —  made with milk, cream, egg, and sugar; and thickened with Irish moss (carrageen). This custard from the UK is similar to other puddings such as Bavarian cream, vanilla pudding, and panna cotta. This recipe requires whole milk — non-lactose milk, soy, or skim milk will not set properly.

    Carrageen, better known as Irish moss is used a thickening agent, just as agar (red algae) is used in Asian foods. For this recipe I used dried carrageen, not “carrageenan” the commercially prepared extract. 1 oz. of dried carrageen will roughly set up as one cup of liquid. Irish moss can be purchased in dried bundles from online stores or from health food stores. Although not authentic to recipe, you can also substitute with gelatin or agar. Follow instructions to make 1/3 cup.

    Blancmange is a very rich dessert and is best plated as small servings with a flavored syrup or treacle drizzled over the top. This recipe makes 4 small servings, double the recipe to serve more.

    You’ll Need:

    • a medium size sauce pan
    • a medium, and a fine mesh sieve
    • 4 small molds or ramekins
    • a rubber spatula
    • 3/4 oz dried Irish moss (carrageen) or
      1/3 cup after soaking and rinsing
    • 3/4 cup whole milk
    • 1/2 cup cream
    • vanilla and almond extract
    • 1 whole star anisette
    • 6 cardamom pod, or 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
    • sliced rind of 1 lemon
    • 1  large egg
    • 2 tbsp caster sugar (fine sugar)

    In a sauce pan, bring whole milk and cream to a boil, add washed Irish moss, lemon rind, cardamom seeds (crush the pods first), star anisette, 1 tbsp caster sugar, and a few drops each of vanilla and almond extract. Lower heat and cover, allow to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes stirring occasionally. The Irish moss will have dissolved into the milk mixture to make a thick sauce. Remove from heat.

    Strain milk mixture through a medium mesh sieve, and with the spatula gently rub any remaining Irish moss. Be careful not to grate the dense fiber into the mixture. Strain once more through a fine sieve. The liquid should be smooth and thick.

    While the milk mixture is cooling down, separate egg white and egg yolk. Beat egg white until it forms stiff peeks. Add 1 tbsp caster sugar to egg yolk and mix well. Stir egg yolk into the milk mixture with a rubber spatula, then fold egg whites in until everything is evenly incorporated.

    Spray each mold with water then pour mixture evenly into small decorative molds. You can also use ramekins, or small round bowls. Tap the bottoms of each mold to free any air bubbles. Set molds on an even surface in the fridge for at least four hours, or overnight. The blancmange will set into a firm custard as it chills.

    When you’re ready to serve, set the molds in warm water for a few minutes. Use a sharp knife to free the edges if needed, then flip the mold over onto individual serving dishes. Heat up a little honey with strawberry or raspberry jam and drizzle it over the blancmange before serving. ©2011 all rights reserved

  • Mmmeatloaf: A Slow Cooker Recipe

    Mmmeatloaf: A Slow Cooker Recipe

    Slow Cooker Meatloaf
    Bet you didn't think you could make one of these in a slow cooker.

    A slow cooker brings to mind meals like all-day-long beef stew, chicken noodle casserole, and Super Bowl chili. But if you’re stuck at home all day, make a slow cooker meatloaf. It’s ready in just… five hours. So why would anyone use slow cooker to make meatloaf? It’s a great no-fuss meal that you can make while doing your chores. The first two meatloaves I made in my slow cooker were a bit dry in the center, even though it made a lot of liquid. After a little experimenting I found two things that help this stay moist and full of flavor: using moist, fresh, finely minced vegetables (onion, celery, bell  peppers, zucchini, etc.); searing the entire meatloaf before slow cooking.

    So get your mashed potatoes in order, make a small salad, and give this recipe a shot. This recipe feeds three people, it may sound like a lot of food, but it actually shrinks down in the slow cooker.

    Slow Cooker Meat Loaf Recipe

    You’ll Need:

    • a large electric slow cooker with a temperature setting (and timer)
    • a mixing bowl
    • a large nonstick frying pan
    • 2 wide flippers

    Ingredients:

    • 1/2 lb ground beef
    • 1/2 lb ground pork, or veal
    • 1/2 lb ground turkey
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 large egg, beaten
    • 3/4 cup plain bread crumbs
    • 1 tbsp sea salt
    • 1 tbsp granulated garlic
    • 1 tbsp dried basil
    • 1 tsp dry thyme
    • 1 tsp, black pepper
    • 1/2 cup each: finely minced bell pepper (red or green), onion, celery, parsley
    • 1/2 cup chicken stock or other cooking liquid

    Glaze:

    • 3 tbsp ketchup or cocktail sauce
    • 1 tsp liquid smoke
    • 1/2 tsp dried mustard
    • 1 tsp Worcestershire

    Put ground meat into a mixing bowl with all dry ingredients and spices, mix well. Then add all finely minced vegetables (pssst, use the food processor) and egg and mix again until all ingredients are evenly distributed. On a cutting board, form a rectangular loaf that is shaped more like rounded brick than a loaf of bread. You’ll round off the top in the slow cooker later. Let it rest in the fridge for about half an hour.

    Add olive oil into a hot non-stick pan. Carefully lower the loaf into the pan and sear the bottom until its firm enough to flip over. Sear all sides evenly, to a light golden brown.

    Set the slow cooker to high, add a little olive oil, and set the meatloaf in carefully. With the back of a spoon round the top of meatloaf and adjust the sides to a good fit. Make sure there is about a 1/2″ of space from the inner edge of the slow cooker. Now add the chicken stock (or other cooking liquid). Cover and let it cook on high for two hours, then flip it over. Baste every hour or so. The meatloaf should release more liquid. If the liquid is deeper than 1/2″, remove some of it with a turkey baster.

    After four hours, turn the slow cooker down to medium heat and flip the meatloaf over once more. Mix up the ketchup glaze and spoon it generously over the top of your meatloaf. Replace cover and let it cook on medium for another hour. Set the slow cooker to warm until you’re ready to eat, then let it sit for 10 more minutes on a cutting board before serving.

    Be sure to drizzle some of that thick cooking liquid over the meatloaf before it hits the table, and serve it up with a generous helping of Parmesan & chive mashed potatoes and steamed carrots. ©gardenfork.tv  all rights reserved

  • Chicken Stock Recipe: Make It Yourself

    Chicken Stock Recipe: Make It Yourself

    Eric and I stopped into Naruto Ramen ( Park Slope, Brooklyn ) the other day for lunch. We were in awe of the oil-drum size stock pot they use for making their soup base (the scallion cutting machine is equally impressive). It was simmering with whole onions, Napa cabbage, peeled ginger root, kelp, pork and chicken bones — all that good stuff. The ramen lunch with gyoza was excellent.

    The Stock Pot at Noruku Ramen in Park Slope Brooklyn

    Stock and broth differ in that a stock uses both bones and meat. I prefer to make my own. I know what’s in it, especially the amount of salt. It’s a healthy, good use of bone, meat and vegetable scraps (mushroom stems, tops of peppers and carrots,  peelings, leek roots… etc.). Onions skins give it a warmer golden color than turmeric. As I cook I store everything into a large bag that I keep in the freezer. I use just about any vegetable except for squash, potatoes and yams. They tend to make the broth cloudy and starchy. A good soup stock isn’t hard to make, but it takes a watchful eye.

    You’ll Need:

    • 2 12 quart stock pots
    • 1 large colander
    • large mesh strainers, medium and fine mesh grades
    • large wooden spoon
    • 10 quarts of water
    • 1 lb of chicken scraps, skins and bones
    • 1 lb vegetable scraps
    • 3 tbs of sea salt
    • 2 tbs unrefined sugar
    • 1 whole fresh onion, peels and all
    • 8 cloves of garlic, whole and crushed
    • 1 tbs black pepper corns
    • scant sage and thyme to taste
    • peel from one orange

    Step 1: Bring a large stock pot of water to a fast boil and add salt and sugar. Add bones, meat and vegetables, then lower heat to simmer. Make sure that your contents are 2″ below the rim — remove water if needed. Add all herbs and spices. Cover and simmer for about 4 hours (or longer) on a low-medium flame. Stir occasionally. You’ll know it’s done when the broth has clarified and a silky layer of fat has risen to the top of the pot.


    Step 2: You’ll need another stock pot of equal volume. Remove  stock pot from heat and let it cool for about 30 minutes. Set up another large pot with a large colander and pour the hot stock through. Clean any residue from the first stock pot and set up a large medium grade mesh strainer. Pour the stock through. Clean residue from the other stock pot , set up and a fine grade mesh strainer and pour stock through once more. Discard all stock solids as you sieve.


    Step 3: Your stock should be translucent and golden. Finally, simmer the stock once more for another hour, or until it reduces to 90% of volume. Salt to taste. Let it cool and store away in containers. Stock freezes well in air-tight containers — you can keep it frozen for up to four months.

    Vegetable Stock
    To make a vegetable stock, follow the same instructions but use twice the amount of vegetables. Before you simmer brown everything first. Coat vegetables evenly with one cup of olive oil and roast them in the oven on a baking sheet.

    Seafood Stock
    If you’re making a seafood stock wrap everything in gauze — fish heads, tails, fins, skin, bones, shrimp and lobster shells. Fine bones and shells break down easily and tend to get gritty when they simmer. For this kind of a stock I would sieve everything through a gauze lined colander to catch any sediment.

  • How to make Fried Rice: The Basics

    How to make Fried Rice: The Basics

    Pork Fried Rice Topped with a Fried Egg

    “Fried rice” is a misnomer, it’s actually pan-seared and you don’t use much of oil. I love fried rice for late breakfast, but there’s nothing worse than when it’s made either dry or too soppy. Here are a few tips for making the perfect fried rice. It all starts with a hot pan and left-overs.

    It’s all about the rice. In our age of healthy eating, white rice still works best. Brown rice becomes very gummy and tends to stick and burn… and wild rice is not rice at all. Rice works best when it’s made the day before — sugars have settled near the surface of the grain and the moisture is evenly distributed. So if you have one of those take-out containers of rice from last night, keep it tightly sealed at room temperature and use it the next day.

    There aren’t too many tricks to how to make fried rice. Here’s a simple recipe. Rice, as it sears, will shrink down so use a large flat pan. Don’t use a lot of oil, a non-stick pan is not a bad idea. All ingredients should be cooked separately then combined later. Vegetables and meat should be cut relatively to the same size for even cooking. Delicate things like scallion, chives, basil, or fresh peas are added last.

    You’ll need:

    • a large frying pan or a flat bottom wok
    • a flat spatula
    • a bowl for preparing the rice
    • 1/4 cup peanut or canola oil
    • 2 tsp of course salt
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 2 1/2 cups cooked rice (packed)
    • 1/2 tsp white vinegar
    • 1 egg
    • 1/8 cup leek greens, or kale
    • 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
    • 1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
    • 1/4 cup diced left-over pork, or dark meat chicken
    • 1 tbs ketchup
    • 1/8 cup chopped scallions

    Step 1: Place cooked  rice in a bowl and add salt and garlic powder. Add vinegar then wet you hands. Run your hands through the rice to break up clumps. The vinegar keeps the rice from sticking.

    Step 2: In a hot pan add a little oil. Scramble one egg. Put egg aside and slice it into small pieces. Add more oil to the pan if needed. Sear the left-over diced pork or chicken with ketchup then set aside. Now pan fry the all the vegetables except of the scallions, and set them aside.

    Step 3: Rinse the pan. Make sure the pan is very hot before you add the remaining oil, then put the rice into the pan. With a flat spatula, press it into the pan — it should make a sizzling sound. Don’t stir it up yet, let is sear for two minutes then break it up and flatten it into the pan again. Repeat until the volume of rice has reduced to about 85% of it’s original size. Now, add meat and vegetables and stir it up. Be sure to taste and add more salt if it needed. Before your ready to serve, stir in the scrambled egg and chopped scallion and give it one last press into the pan. If you have cooked fresh peas, this is when you throw them in.

    Keep it covered and warm until you’re ready to serve, no ones likes cold soggy fried rice. Top it with a fried egg, ham, or steamed vegetables like collards or kale. I prefer fried chicken myself.

  • Rugelach – Roll Up Treats : GardenFork.TV

    Rugelach – Roll Up Treats : GardenFork.TV

    My Grandmother and Mom made Rugelach for the Christmas holiday. We also called Rugelach ‘roll-ups’ not sure why, maybe it was easier to say. But, Rugelachs are easy to make, and with Eric’s recipe for rugelach, you can too. Our family’s version of rugelach used the classic nut – sugar mix, but we also used jam or jelly. Its important not to use too much jam or jelly; when you bake the rugelach, some of the jam may seep out and burn you cookie sheet. Not a good thing.

    Eric’s Rugelach Recipe

    2 cups all purpose flour

    2 sticks butter – cold – cut into 1/2 cubes

    3 teaspoons sugar

    8 ounces cream cheese – cut into 1 inch blocks

    1 teaspoon salt

    2 cups chopped walnuts

    1/2 cup brown sugar

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    lemon zest – optional

    Preheat oven to 350F

    In a food processor, pulse the flour and butter together until the flour coats the butter and the mix starts to look like large cornmeal.

    Add in the cream cheese and pulse to mix it all together, it should start to form small marbles, and also just some fine powder as well. ( it never looks like it does on the food TV shows, don’t worry )

    Put the flour mixture into a large bowl, and start to add small amounts of ice water, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Mix the water into the flour until you get a dough that is wet, but dry enough to handle.

    Shape the dough into a big disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and put in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or the fridge for 30 minutes. You can also leave the dough in the fridge until the next day if you want.

    Mix the walnuts with the brown sugar and cinnamon. You can also add lemon zest to the nut mix.

    On a floured counter or plastic wrap, or whatever you like to use for dough, try to shape the dough into a big circle, like a pizza. If it isn’t perfect, don’t worry, use a pastry scraper to cut out a rough circle, save the extra pieces.

    Pour the nut mixture onto the circle of dough

    Cut pizza slices into the dough. the outside of the slice should be 1.5 – 2″ wide.

    Roll up the slices so they look kinda like croissants.

    Place on a greased baking sheet, bake at 350F for about 30 min. The crust should be slightly golden, you can bake them more if you like, just don’t burn them.

  • Gnocchi Made with Yam Recipe

    Gnocchi Made with Yam Recipe

    Gnocchi Made with Yam

    Gnocchi is an Italian dumpling made with wheat flour, egg, and potato (nocchio means “knot”). Although this hearty dumpling was a military staple during the early Roman Empire, the potato was introduced into European cuisine only since the 16th century. Making your own Gnocchi is a minor task but it’s absolutely worth all the effort. The real challenge is to create a dumpling that is light, firm, and velvety soft — not dense like NYPD grade rubber bullets. These instructions are guidelines as to how the dough should feel before and after cooking.

    Gnocchi Made with Yam

    Gnocchi varies by region — with cheese, without egg, with breadcrumbs… etc. Shapes vary as well, they can be crenellated, rolled into small balls,  or cut into pillows. In this recipe I use yam for a slightly sweet nutty flavor, a soft salmon color, and a silken texture. Yam, the sweet potato’s close cousin, has a higher sugar content by nature which makes it very starchy and sticky. This also makes it a bit challenging to work into a smooth dough. Gnocchi works best when made on a large cool surface like a stainless steel or marble counter — I have neither. But after much exploration I found a few steps that work for the small urban kitchen. You’ll need two large cutting boards and a clean space in the refrigerator. You’ll also be dusting with flour a lot. Would it kill you to wear an apron, Mr. Big Shot?

    Yield: 6 servings

    You’ll need:
    1 medium size yam
    2 medium size potatoes
    1/2 a large carrot
    2 tbsp sea salt
    1 small egg, beaten
    1 1/4 cup white flour
    1/2 cup flour, for dusting

    1 ricer
    1 sharp knife
    2 large plastic cutting board
    2 medium size mixing bowl
    1 rubber spatula
    1 slotted spoon
    1 stock pot with lid
    1 colander
    1 dinner fork (optional)

    The mushroom sauce recipe is at the end of these instructions.

    Gnocchi made with Yam

    Add 1 tbsp of salt to a boiling stock pot of water. Peel yam, potatoes, and carrot then cut them into slices of equal size. Peeling before boiling removes some of the starch. Lower heat, add everything to the boiling water, and cover. When you can push a fork easily through the thicker pieces, remove contents to a colander to cool and drain. Carrots will take longer, they should be absolutely “smooshy” when they’re ready. After everything has cooled, remove any bruised or blemished parts. Reserve the water, you’ll use it to boil these dumplings — then later make a quick mushroom sauce.

    Gnocchi made with Yam

    YOU DON’T OWN A RICER?
    A ricer makes the perfect texture for this type of dough. I think it’s a must-have tool in the kitchen. It extrudes dense tubers into a light, smooth starch while removing any extra fiber. Don’t skimp, go out and buy a good one. Rice yam, carrot, and potato slices in alternate layers into a mixing bowl. Discard any fiber that remains in the ricer. The texture should be a little dry and airy.

    Gnocchi made with Yam

    DOH!
    The trick is to not overwork the dough — it’s a common mistake that makes it hard and rubbery. Mixing aside, this dough is kneaded only once. Add 1 tbsp salt, a beaten egg, and half the amount of flour to the bowl. Mix it with a rubber spatula from the bottom back to the top. Dust with the remaining flour in small amounts and mix until the dough takes on an even salmon color, and it no longer sticks to the bowl. Feel the dough, it should be very soft and smooth and it should not stick to your hands. Flour your hands and knead the dough for two minutes. If you need more flour don’t use more than a 1/4 cup — there’s more flouring ahead.

    Plunk the dough onto a lightly floured cutting board to flatten it out. Do not knead. Dust it with flour and cut it into four pieces. It’s easier to work with smaller portions. Place each piece into small well-floured containers and place them and the cutting board in the fridge for 20 minutes. Check your email, text a friend, get your cat to talk, fold laundry… etc.

    Gnocchi made with Yam

    PILLOW TALK
    Take one portion of dough and the cutting board from the fridge. Lightly flour the board and roll the dough into a ball. Flour the top of the ball and flatten it with the palm of your hand to a depth of 1″. With the broad side of a knife, form the dough into a square by pushing the sides in. Cut 1″ wide strips and roll them into long cords that are about 5/8″ in diameter. Be sure to roll from the center of the cord out. Cut the cord into 3/4″ pillows and dust them lightly with flour. Place them on a freshly floured cutting board and let them rest in the fridge for another 10 minutes. Meanwhile back at the range, bring the water back to a boil.

    FORKIN’ AROUND
    Here are some instructions for crenellating your Gnocchi with a fork. I prefer this type of treatment, it holds more sauce and it makes a better presentation. Make sure your hands are absolutely dry, flour your fingers.

    Step one: Rest a dinner fork, face-up, at a slight angle on the board (about 10°).

    Step two: Place a pillow of dough at the top of the tines and with your thumb make an indent into the dough while dragging your thumb to the end of the fork. The dough should curl away from the fork.

    Step three: With your other fingers roll the dough into itself so that the crenellated side faces out. Set it aside on floured board and make more.

    If the dough sticks clean the fork with a paper towel and dust it in flour. Place them on a freshly floured board and let them rest in the fridge for another 10 minutes (uncovered). Was that really so hard? Give it a shot.

    Gnocchi made with Yam

    Gnocchi made with Yam

    BOILING MAD
    You’ll need two mixing bowls — one with plain tap water and another with ice water. These two baths stop the Gnocchi from cooking further. Gnocchi will collapse into mush if it’s overcooked. Carefully place Gnocchi into the boiling water, 10 or 15 at a time. When the they rise to the top wait for another 15 seconds. Transfer them to a bowl of tap water with slotted spoon. When they sink to the bottom transfer them into the ice-water bath. Repeat. When everything has been boiled and cooled, drain everything into a colander.

    Gnocchi made with Yam

    Gnocchi made with Yam

    Taste a few but resist from eating everything. They should be firm, light, and slightly sweet. Now you can store the Gnocchi away in the fridge for another night, or sauce them up and eat them right away. You can use a basic red sauce, sauté them in butter and garlic, or make a quick mushroom sauce.

    GET SAUCY
    Wait! Don’t throw out that pasta water! Reserve 1 cup to make this mushroom sauce.

    Gnocchi made with Yam

    You’ll need:
    4 tbsp olive oil
    1 tbsp unsalted butter
    6 large cremini mushrooms, sliced
    3 cloves of garlic, minced
    1/4 cup chopped shallots
    1/2 tsp dried sage
    1/2 tsp fresh thyme
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 cup of pasta water from the stock pot
    fresh parsley
    Parmesan cheese
    1 sauce pan with a lid

    In a non-stick sauce pan heat up olive oil and butter, add mushroom slices and salt, cover and reduce heat. When mushrooms release a little liquid, stir in garlic and shallots. When shallots have clarified add spices and pasta water. When liquid reduces by one-third add the Gnocchi into the pan, salt and pepper to taste. Let the Gnocchi sit in the sauce until they are properly heated. Carefully transfer to a bowl and top with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley. Impress your spouse. Take a photo and brag to your FaceBook friends. Eat ’em up and enjoy.

  • Chili Corn Chowder with Fennel: A Blender Soup Recipe

    Chili Corn Chowder with Fennel: A Blender Soup Recipe


    Warm up a cold rainy day with a hot bowl of Chili Corn Chowder with Fennel. Corn and chili are classic South Western companions, fennel ads a slight sweet anisette flavor and a rich body to this soup. I made this with the last of the summer’s fresh sweet corn, but frozen corn works just fine. Corn, like green beans, improves in flavor after freezing. It’s an easy soup to make, but you’ll need a blender. Turmeric (aka, “curcumin”) is a spice powder made from a dried South Asian root, it’s the prime ingredient in commercial curry powder. It also adds a warm yellow color to food. Tumeric touts some wellness claims such anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, … yadda, yadda, yadda, let’s get cooking.

    Chili Corn Chowder
    Yield: 6 servings

    You’ll Need:
    1 good blender with puree setting
    1 stock pot with lid
    1 skillet

    4 ears of sweet corn (3 cups)
    Half of fennel bulb, shopped (1 1/2 cups)
    2 cups chicken broth
    1 pint Half & Half, or milk
    1 medium onion, chopped
    4 cloves of garlic
    6 tbsp unsalted butter
    1/2 cup first-press olive oil
    1 tbsp sugar
    1 tbsp salt
    1 tsp powdered chili
    1 tsp onion powder
    1/2 tsp turmeric
    1/2 tsp dried thyme
    scallions, minced
    bacon (optional)

    Chili Corn Chowder
    If you’re lucky enough to get sweet ears of corn, first the cut kernels from the cob. With a sharp knife hold an ear of corn diagonally on a cutting board. Slice one side with the knife going “away” from you (otherwise keep 911 on auto-dial). Turn corn and repeat until all kernels are cut. Be sure not to cut too deep into the cob, you just want the kernels.

    Chili Corn Chowder
    In a stock pot bring stock to a boil. Add corn, sugar, and onion powder. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. If you’re using frozen corn, simmer for 5, but makes sure it’s thawed out completely before adding to the boiling stock. Meanwhile, in a hot skillet (cast iron preferred) melt 3 tbsp of butter. Throw in chopped onion, fennel, garlic, and salt. Cook until fennel and onion have clarified (4 minutes). Add everything from the skillet into the stock pot and simmer for another 10 minutes.

    So why cast iron? I find it heats up much more quickly and evenly than other types of pans. Care is simpler than non-stick pans, and when it has been properly seasoned it is virtually non-stick. It is also a good nutritional source of iron in your diet. Mostly of all it looks really cool in a photo.

    And now for the blender — this thing is so handy, I should have two. Don’t be a hero, let the stock pot cool a bit and carefully pour 80% of the contents it into the blender (otherwise keep 911 on auto-dial). Puree until everything has a smooth consistent texture. It works best if you blend in smaller batches. Returns the blended soup into same stockpot heat up Half & Half (or milk), then add remaining butter, olive oil, thyme, chili, and turmeric. Turmeric adds a warm color and deep flavor to the soup. Now add the blended corn to the stock pot and heat for 5 more minutes. Done. Serve it in a deep bowl, top with minced scallions or crumbled bacon, grab a spoon, kick back and turn on the Netflix.

    Chili Corn Chowder

  • Creamy Potato Leek Soup: A Blender Soup Recipe

    Creamy Potato Leek Soup: A Blender Soup Recipe

    Served hot or cold, Creamed Potato and Leek Soup is the perfect fall meal.

    The growing season has come to an end here on the East Coast. One of my favorite harvest meals is potato and leek soup made with heavy cream — a very humble yet satisfying meal. This soup is perfect for fall’s fickle weather. The soup base can be kept in the fridge for up to a week and then served as a hot hearty meal, or served as refreshing, chilled Vichyssoise (pronounced vee-shee-swaz). Despite its French trappings, Julia Child called Vichyssoise “an American creation,” invented by Louis Diat, a French chef who worked at the Ritz-Carlton (c. 1917)

    Leeks are mild-mannered cousin of the onion, they tend to be gritty since they grow in sandy soil. They require much washing before cooking. They have a very mild onion flavor and a subtle sweetness. Give it a shot, it’s not that hard to make and you probably have everything in your kitchen, but you will need a blender.

    You’ll need:
    1 medium size stock pot with lid
    a blender
    1 large bowl for rinsing leeks, or a salad spinner
    1 large colander

    4 large leeks, sliced
    1 onion, chopped
    3 large cloves of garlic
    3 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced
    2 cups chicken stock
    1 cup milk
    1/2 cup unsalted butter
    1/2 cup olive oil
    3 tbl sea salt
    1 tbl sugar, or honey
    heavy cream

    WASH LEEKS
    No one likes sand in their soup. Here are some instruction on cleaning and washing leeks. Discard the roots and any part of the leeks that are too fibrous and stringy, usually it’s just the top outer portion of the “greens.” With a sharp knife cut leeks into rings that are about 1/4″ to 1/2″ thick and put them into a large bowl (or pot) of water with a 1/4 cup of vinegar. Break up the rings with your hands and rub the leeks vigorously. Vinegar is the key, when the pH factor is adjusted dirt and grit are attracted to the water, as the leeks float to the top dirt settles at the bottom. It also gets rid of any unwanted garden visitors. Rinse under tap, drain in a colander and repeat until all grit it removed. If you have one, a salad spinner is real time saver. So… why don’t you have one yet?

    MAKE THE SOUP BASE
    In a large stock pot melt butter, then add roughly chopped onion and salt. When the onions have clarified add the cleaned leeks, garlic, and olive oil. Cover and reduce heat to medium and sweat everything for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add stock and bring to a boil. Add peeled potatoes and sugar then reduce heat. Make sure the potatoes are cut into smaller pieces of even size. Return cover and simmer until potatoes are fork friendly (40 minutes or so) then set aside to cool. Next, dust off that blender — ladle soup into the blender and puree. There you have it, the soup base. You can store this away in the fridge for up to a week, but don’t freeze it. For a vegetarian version use mushroom or vegetable bullion.

    SERVE IT UP HOT
    In a smaller pot heat up a cup of milk, add about three cups of the soup base and little cream (4 tbl). Salt and pepper to taste. Optional: Top soup with more heavy cream before serving. This goes well with a toasted crusty bread.

    SERVE IT UP COLD
    On one of those weird hot fall afternoons, serve up some Vichyssoise. Add cold milk and cream to the soup base and mix it well. The only thing that can make this better is light topping of crumbled bacon or fried onions.

  • Mushroom Hunting – Foraging for the Chicken Mushroom

    Mushroom Hunting – Foraging for the Chicken Mushroom

    One of my best friends drove over from NY state yesterday and arrived with a bag full of interesting mushrooms. He and his wife have become quite adept at finding Morels and Oyster mushrooms.

    He had found these near their house, down the road a mile or so, and stopped to pick a few.

    Chicken Mushrooms

    We brought them into the house and I pulled out my mushroom books. We found the mushroom, identified as the Chicken Mushroom ( Laetiporus sulphureus ), in my favorite book, The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms.

    But to make sure we knew what this was, we cross checked with our other mushroom books, and confirmed that the mushrooms were indeed Chicken Mushrooms.

    Always make sure you know exactly what you are doing with mushrooms found in the woods, if you’re not sure, don’t eat them, OK?

    Considered Choice Edible by the Audubon Guide, we first simmered them in salt water, as suggested online, and then sauted them with a little butter. They were quite good. Not amazing, but good enough that we will pick these again and add to a meal.

    What fun mushroom or wild food finds have you found lately? let us know below:

    a quick simmer in salt water was suggested
    Sauteed in Butter, yum.
  • Black Bean Corn Salad Picnic Potluck Recipe : GardenFork.TV

    Black Bean Corn Salad Picnic Potluck Recipe : GardenFork.TV

    Here’s a recipe that’s perfect to make ahead and bring to a picnic or a potluck. Black Bean Corn Salad, super tasty, easy to make, and its made from ingredients you have at home.

    Do you have a variation or similar recipe? Please share it below:

    Black Bean Corn Salad Recip

    1 can Black Beans

    1 package frozen corn

    1 small red onion, chopped fine

    1 clove garlic, crushed

    1/2 cup olive oil

    3 tablespoon red wine vinegar ( or to taste )

    1 tablespoon brown mustard

    1 tablespoon honey

    1 teaspoon pimenton

    Mix together the corn and beans and onion.

    In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic and honey.

    Pour dressing over corn and beans mix, allow flavors to meld in the fridge for a bit before serving.

  • Jiffy Mix Cornbread Recipe Hack – GF Video

    Jiffy Mix Cornbread Recipe Hack – GF Video

    Super easy cornbread recipe that’s kinda cheating, hence the name, Jiffy Mix Cornbread Recipe Hack. Lets take a box of Jiffy Corn Muffin mix and throw in a can of creamed corn to create a not-original recipe for pretty a darn good Creamed Corn Corn Bread Recipe. I’ve heard about different Jiffy Corn Mix hacks, and I wanted to try out one I had heard of from many people. The Creamed Corn Recipe Hack.

    Full Recipe at the end of this post. Here are some of our other cornbread recipe videos:

    I have a few corn bread recipes, but this one works for me and many people have commented that it works for them as well. There’s something in that comfort food vein that is evoked with Jiffy Corn Bread Mix. Hope they never change the box, who knows what the uproar would be? The idea for this recipe hack comes from my friend Charlie Shaw, and it sat in the back of my head for several years until I had the lightbulb moment to put a can of creamed corn into a box of Jiffy Cornbread mix. And you see what happened here. Cornbread Splendor.

    Do you use Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix in your cornbread recipe? What do you add to mix it up? Let us know in the comments below:

    Jiffy Mix Cornbread Recipe Hack – GF Video
    Cuisine: American
    Author: Eric Rochow
    Prep time:
    Cook time:
    Total time:
    Ingredients
    • 2 boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
    • 2 eggs
    • 2/3 cup milk
    • 14oz can of creamed corn
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    Instructions
    1. Put a #8 – or 12″ cast iron pan in the oven at 375F for about 15 minutes
    2. Mix together the 2 boxes of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix with the eggs, milk, creamed corn.
    3. Pull the cast iron pan out of the oven, drop in the butter and swirl it around, make sure it gets up on the walls of the cast iron pan.
    4. Pour the batter into the cast iron pan, and bake for 30 minutes.
    5. Check for doneness, the edges of the crust should be starting to brown.
    6. Let cool for a few minutes, run a spatula up under the pan to loosen the corn bread. Flip onto a plate

     

     

    Thanks for watching, eric.

  • How to Make Applesauce Recipe : GardenFork.TV

    How to Make Applesauce Recipe : GardenFork.TV

    Learn How to Make Applesauce as fall starts and apples ripen. We get apples from our local pick your own orchard or from our neighbors who have a very nice apple orchard. After you’ve made applesauce, you can can it, watch our hot water bath canning video.

    How to make applesauce the GardenFork way

    Making applesauce is not rocket science. It does take some attention, making sure you don’t burn the bottom of the pan, but is easy to do. This is something you can do with your children, get them involved in cooking.

    How to make applesauce

    Your first choice is are you a skin on or off kind of person. I leave the skins on when cooking down apples to make applesauce. The skins add the red-pink color to the sauce and also thickens it a bit more. I think there’s also a nutritional benefit to the fruit skins.

    Next up is do you want to remove the seeds and core before or after cooking down the apples. You can core the apples before adding them into the pot, or just put whole apples in to the pot and deal with the cores later. You can also just quarter the apples and remove the seeds later.

    If you are leaving the skins on, you’ll need a food mill. These are great tools to have around anyway for other projects. You can use it to make tomato sauce and de-seed other fruit pulp.

    Also important when making applesauce is a pot with a thick bottom so the sauce does not scorch, or you can use a heat diffuser. The key here is to cook down the apples, but not burn them, low and slow works well.

    So there you go, some pointers on how to make applesauce, below is the recipe.

     

     

    How to Make Applesauce Recipe : GardenFork.TV
    Recipe Type: Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Author: Eric Rochow
    Prep time:
    Cook time:
    Total time:
    Serves: 32 ounces
    This recipe makes it easy to make your own applesauce.
    Ingredients
    • 3 lbs ripe apples
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 1 tablespon Cinnamon
    Instructions
    1. Core and cut the apples into quarters.
    2. Add cored – cut apples and water to the pot, put pot on high heat.
    3. When the water and apples start to sizzle, turn down the heat to low, cover, and let the apples cook down.
    4. Add the cinnamon.
    5. Mash the apples down occasionally, until the apples become sauce.
    6. If you like a smoother sauce, cook the apples down longer, taking care not to burn the apples.
  • Kinpira Gobo Burger, Cooking with Sesame Oil

    Kinpira Gobo Burger, Cooking with Sesame Oil

    On an episode of Gardenfork Radio, Eric and I asked for a recipe using sesame oil. Listener Jasmine came through and sent Eric a recipe for an interesting veggie “burger”.

    The “bun” is cooked sticky rice that is then formed into a patty and then fried. The filling is a carrot / burdock stir fry which Jasmine described:

    “Kinpira gobo is a traditional vegetable side, however in this case I like to use it as my “burger” filling. If you can’t find burdock root this works just as well with just the carrots or really any root vegetable.”

    I was looking forward to seeing Eric make it.

    Ever see that scene where they ask a line of soldiers for a volunteer and everyone steps backward, leaving one guy standing there? Eric responded, “hey thanks for that and the recipe. mike will make this and report back!”

    I have said that Eric does all the work and I get to have the fun, so I guess I need to pull my weight here and actually make something.

    I was buying the ingredients, but I couldn’t find burdock. I bought parsnip instead. (My camera operator said I should have gone with celery root and I think she’s right) I loaded up on sesame oil, soy sauce, rice, and the other ingredients and then one ingredient stumped me. I sent a text to Eric from the store:

    Here was my guide from Jasmine, but there was only one choice, Aji-Mirin.

    “I suggest either hon mirin or mirin-fu chomiryo. Hon mirin is true mirin and contains alcohol while mirin-fu contains less than 1% alcohol. Either way I would steer clear of shio mirin as it is the same as hon mirin except with salt added.”

    Rice Burger Patties
    1 1/2 cups (per sandwich) Japanese-style medium grain rice or similar
    1/2 Tbs. olive oil for frying/grilling
    Cook an appropriate amount of rice for the number of servings desired. Take the rice and press it into ½ inch thick circles. I use plastic wrap to do this as the rice will otherwise stick to the skin. (It is important to use a medium grain rice as instant or long grain rices will not stick well on their own. You can still use these but it will require other ingredients to get them to stick.) Once your patties are shaped simply fry them in the oil or grill them on a well oiled surface.
    I suggest using wax paper or kitchen parchment when you eat them so it doesn’t stick to your hands.

    I used an ice cream scooper to dish out an appropriate amount of rice, and then I smashed it between layers of wax paper. It made reasonable circles.

    Classic Kinpira Gobo
    2 burdock roots, well scrubbed
    2 small or 1 medium carrot, peeled
    1 Tbs. sesame oil
    1 tsp. dry red chili pepper flakes, or 2 small fresh red chili peppers finely chopped
    1 Tbs. sugar
    1 Tbs. mirin
    2 to 3 Tbs. soy sauce

    I wanted to buy Japanese rice, but unless I wanted 25 pounds of it, I had to settle for this brand. It worked fine.

    Cut the burdock root into matchstick size pieces and soak in a bowl of water. Strain the burdock and refill the bowl with clean water to soak a few more minutes. Drain again then pat the burdock root dry. Cut the carrots into matchstick size as well. As long as you rinsed the outside of the carrots there is no need to soak them.

    Heat up a wok with the sesame oil. Add the burdock root, carrot pieces, and any other vegetable you might like to add. Sauté briefly, tossing to coat the pieces with oil. Add the chili pepper flakes and toss. Add the sugar, mirin, and soy sauce and about 1/2 cup of water. Lower the heat to medium, and continue cooking and stirring until the moisture has disappeared from the pan. Taste a piece of burdock root: it should be crisp and tender. If it’s too crunchy for you, add a bit more water and cook some more.

    As it cooks down. I know, I wasn’t patient enough to make match sticks. These are more like, uhm, giant match sticks.

    Finished Product

    Here is the finished product. I picked up some Japanese beer to go with the “burger”. It was a little messy, but it was fun to eat and it tasted very nice. Sweet, salty, spicy, with interesting textures. The sesame gave it a little smoke flavor too. It was worth the work and I can see this as somethign easy to whip up if you already have the ingredients around. Thanks Jasmine!