Wednesday, February 20, 2008
That don't make no sense
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Cocido con Leche
Well, the other day, I was craving something warm and delicious (it was freezing cold and snowing). So I thought about making some hot cocoa with toast or some delicious peppermint tea (which is one of my favorite cold-weather beverages). As I rummaged through the cupboards like a bear foraging for honey, I found that we had no hot cocoa and no peppermint tea. I was distraught—how in the world was I going to enjoy liquid heat coursing through my frigid extremities if I didn’t have any “hot drinks?” (did you catch the Word of Wisdom joke?) I suddenly realized that we had milk, sugar, water, and yerba mate (mah-tay)—all the essential ingredients to cocido con leche. It is a traditional Paraguayan drink, often consumed in the morning or when it’s cold. So I got out a pan, burned some of the sugar in the bottom of the pan and tossed in the yerba, toasted it a little too, and finally threw water into the pan. The brown, boiling sugar hissed angrily and began to dissolve and eventually, this green, grassy smelling concoction was boiling merrily. I turned off the stove, strained the brew in a cloth, and added more sugar and milk. My craving was soon to meet its doom. As I slurped the sweet ambrosia I had recently concocted, I felt the warmth return to my toes. Cocido con leche is the best!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Strawberries
In our family, one thing that we make whenever there is an impression to be made (fancy dinners, potlucks, etc.) is chocolate covered strawberries. I don't know why, but the Coleman's are famous for bringing chocolate covered strawberries to church events, having them at wedding receptions, and the like. I really don't know why everyone fusses over them so much, they're dirt simple to make. The secret is in using the biggest, juiciest strawberries you can find and bittersweet chocolate. Milk is OK if you must have milk chocolate, otherwise use bittersweet, or dark, chocolate.
To melt the chocolate for dipping, we use microwave-safe bowls.* You put the chunks of chocolate in, microwave for about 30 seconds. Its very important not to over-nuke the chocolate, or it will burn and you will have chunky chocolate (eesh). Stirring the chocolate after each time in the microwave and nuking in small increments will prevent this. Once the chocolate is sufficiently melted, simply dip the strawberries in and place on a foil lined jellyroll pan (make sure the foil is not wrinkled, or you will have trouble when you take the strawberries off). Also important to note is that you can only melt chocolate once and retain the same quality, so you need to work quickly! After a pan is full, place in the fridge to chill until set. Gently remove the strawberries by peeling off the foil. Serve decoratively!
*If you have a double boiler, this is the best way to melt chocolate and keep it melted throughout the dipping process