Pardon the Brain Nap...

As you've noticed, thanks to a busy holiday, a broken camera aaaaaaandd a lazy blogger, MK's (cyber) Kitchen has been on the back burner for the last few weeks.

Parties, relaxation, family time and an overload of calories have resulted in one giant brain nap over the last two weeks. We had a low-key, but high-energy Christmas with my family (enter 2 excited nephews and 2 crazy dogs) and what ended up being a not-so-low-key (but FUN) dinner party at our house for New Year's Eve. And in between there were plenty of late nights, lazy days and a couple fun day trips.

But, now that I'm cruising down the homestretch of holiday break, I'm switching gears - preparing for the intense last 2 days of my second course of culinary school, and paying some much needed attention to the blog - camera or not.

So, here is an update on the last 2 weeks of school. I finished up my first class, Nutrition and Sensory Analysis with a final exam and a practical, and started my second class...wait for it...Principles of Beverage Service....in a "classroom" that resembles nothing short of a scene from "Cocktail."

Yeah.

By the time this class is over, I will have had 9 days to study nothing but beer, wine and distilled liquors. I know what you're thinking...how horrible! Oh, but I didn't mention all the tastings and pairings, gosh...pitiful me.

Seriously though, don't get excited, it really has been difficult. There is a lot of information to squeeze into such a short time frame, plus throw Holiday break right in between days 7 and 8, giving 2 weeks to completely forget everything you've worked so hard to learn so far, just to be tested on it as soon as you get back. Along with a group project (which is one of my biggest annoyances in life). And don't forget about that brain nap I told you about earlier...yep...I'm in trouble.

But, the class itself is very interesting. Who knew there were so many things to learn about the processes, ingredients and history involved in producing alcohol. Or, that there were so many rules involved in mixing cocktails. Did you know that Scotch Whiskey must be from Scotland and aged no longer than 3 years and 1 day? 1 day?? And in order to be called a Bourbon Whiskey, the contents must be made from 51% corn? And that contrary to popular belief, it can be produced in any one of the contiguous United States, not just Kentucky? Or, that the only difference between Bourbon Whiskey (Jim Beam or Maker's Mark) and Tennessee Whiskey (Jack Daniels) is the extra step of filtering the Whiskey through maple charcoal? Well, I didn't. And if you didn't, you know now!

I think the most interesting thing I've learned so far is the correct way to taste wine. It's actually a much more involved process than I realized. Don't worry, the swirling and the sniffing that we all do to look like we know what we are doing is still the first step. But, the actual tasting involves 4 different stages that can take any where from 5 seconds, to 30 seconds or more to taste the actual flavors of the wine after you sip. Everything before that is really just the punch from the tannins, and a brief taste of nothing but water. Sounds complicated, but if you concentrate you can really taste those hints of vanilla, oak or apricot that the label lists or the sommelier (fancy term for wine expert) describes.

Next class up is dun dun dunnnnnn....Principles of Meatcutting. Eh. Wonder if I can skip that one?

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday break as much as I did...no matter how long or short. At the very least, I hope you got a good brain nap in.

Cheers!

Healthy Cooking

It's hard to believe but my first class is halfway over! Today will be day 6, out of 9 days in "Nutrition & Sensory Analysis." I've really enjoyed this class because I have found a lot of similarities in the techniques and processes we are learning to the way I tend to cook at home. Using creative methods to add flavor to dishes, without having to add all the fat and calories.

I love my Southern roots, but I tend to believe that there is no reason to go all Paula Deen and add 2 sticks of butter to every dish. Sure it adds flavor, but if you want to save on hospital bills down the road, I'd suggest re-routing. And I'm proud to say that this class is proving me right, and showing me even more creative ways to achieve that same flavor...without all the negative side effects.

Here are some ways to improve the nutritional value of your dishes: (and also prove I've actually been learning)

- Instead of frying or sauteing your meats in butter/oil, try roasting, grilling, steaming or poaching (cooking in liquid)

- The maple-brined pork with sauteed apples pictured above was grilled first to sear the outside, then finished in the oven through roasting. (recipe below)

- Instead of thickening sauces with heavy cream or flour, try mixing in pureed fruits or vegetables

- Or even better, instead of serving meats with a thick, creamy sauce, try adding a relish, salsa or chutney made with fruits or vegetables

- And probably my favorite way to save on calories and add flavor, is to always include seasonings, herbs and spices to whatever you are making. It's easy and delicious!

Maple-brined Pork Tenderloin with Sauteed Apples

Serves 10

Ingredients:

3 pork tenderloins, trimmed

1 T. butter

1/2 tsp salt

4 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup maple syrup

For brine:

2 c water

2 c apple cider

1/2 c maple syrup

1 T. fresh thyme leaves

3 T. Sugar

3 T kosher salt

4 shallots, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

1/4 light soy sauce

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 bay leaves

Combine all ingredients for the brine in a large bowl, stir until sugar and salt have dissolved. Add pork tenderloin and marinate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat, and oven to 325. Remove pork from brine and pat dry. Place on grill and cook each side 1 -2 minutes per side to achieve grill marks.

Place pork on sheet pan and roast in oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until temperature is 140 degrees.

Remove pork from pan, and let rest for 10 minutes until juices redistribute and temperature has reached 145 degrees.

Meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add butter and cook apples with maple syrup until golden but still firm. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice pork and serve with apples spooned over.

Enjoy!

Culinary School - Day 1

First of all...thanks for all the supportive messages, texts, calls and emails! Even though I'm semi-far from home and away from my friends and family, it feels great to know so many people are thinking about me!

So, here's an update: So far, I'm completely overwhelmed, absolutely exhausted and way out of my element...but I'm having a blast!

For the next 7 days I'm enrolled in "Nutrition and Sensory Analysis" where the cooking methods we're concentrating on are steaming and poaching...along with other healthy techniques that don't involve a lot of fat, but still include great flavors. It's a great class to start off with because, 1 - I'm told it's one of the more difficult classes, so I'm getting that over with, and 2 - everything we eat is good for you!

On day 1, we took it easy and each group made a different sandwich. Our group was in charge of sliced poached chicken on ciabatta with roasted red peppers and a white bean puree. The bean puree took the place of the mayonnaise, and by poaching the chicken in court bouillon we added flavor without incorporating fat or losing a significant amount of nutrients.

Day 2 was a little more involved...we studied the technique of en papillote, which involves wrapping a protein (chicken, pork or fish) with an acid (vinegar, wine or lemon), aromatics (herbs or spices) and vegetables in parchment paper and steaming the little packages in an oven. Our project was Chicken en Papillote, which I must say was delicious!

Thursday has more fun in store with a special "field trip" to the university auditorium to view a culinary demonstration by Certified Master Chef, Helmut Holzer of Atlanta Foods International, which I'm super excited about.

While I know there are MANY more exhausting days ahead...I am looking forward to them all and ready to soak up some culinary knowledge!

Stay tuned for more updates, but for now I'm counting down the days to a fun weekend with my husband in Charlotte, a break from classes, a little r&r...oh yeah, and a tiny little football game. :)

Pumpkin Pasta Bolognese

Recently, I've had some downtime to get ready for my busy year at Culinary School (which starts in just over a week!!!), and in my "downtime," I had a hankering for an all-day project. Enter "Bolognese."

I've never made this sauce before, but its essentially a thick meat ragu typically served over pasta, polenta or something starchy that's capable of soaking up the rich flavors. It's typically slow-cooked over 3-4 hours, with attention needed every 15 minutes or so for stirring...just to keep it from sticking to the pan.

I prepared mine with a mixture of ground pork, ground chuck and ground lamb...which made for a hearty combination. Other variations include veal or turkey, but this combination worked for me this time.

I bought 2 servings of fresh pumpkin pasta a couple months ago at one of the last Farmer's Markets of the season and stuck it in the freezer until I could figure out what to do with it. And this seemed like the perfect opportunity. So, Pumpkin Pasta Bolognese it was.

The sauce turned out velvety thick, with an infusion of rich and hearty flavors. It was definitely a full afternoon of cooking, but it was so worth it in the end.

This recipe made enough to feed both of us for dinner, plus fill (2) gallon-sized freezer bags. And you better believe I froze the leftovers for another day!

(Pumpkin) Pasta Bolognese

olive oil

3 oz pancetta, diced

3/4 c. celery, diced

3/4 c. carrots, diced

1 1/2 c. onion, diced

1/2 lb ground chuck

1/2 lb ground pork

1/2 lb ground lamb

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 T. tomato paste

1 c. red wine

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

1 1/2 c. chicken stock

salt and pepper

water

2 T butter

1/4 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

Pasta to serve

Fresh basil (for garnish)

Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat with 1 T. olive oil. Add the pancetta and saute until crispy, 4 -5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and onion and saute for 15 minutes until browned. Add the chuck, pork and lamb, cinnamon, nutmeg, oregano, thyme and tomato paste and saute until browned. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits and cook down for about 2 minutes. Then, add tomato sauce and chicken stock, plus salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil, then turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 3 - 4 hours, stirring often and adding water by the ladlefuls if the sauce begins to thicken too early. After sauce has cooked for 3 - 4 hours and has reached a thick consistency, remove from heat and stir in butter and parmesan cheese.

Serve over pasta of choice, and garnish with more cheese and fresh basil.

Enjoy!

Bleu Cheese Burgers with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Spiced Sweet Potatoes

Funny how plans can change with the discovery of an unavailable ingredient. In this case, it was charcoal. We originally planned to grill out Sunday night (on the most beautiful Fall evening yet) - bleu cheese burgers alongside grilled brussels sprouts and roasted sweet potatoes.

So I patted out the burgers, and cleaned and seasoned the brussels sprouts ready to throw them on the grill. However, when Stuart went to light the grill, he realized we were lacking the single most important tool in cooking - the heat source.

On to plan B.

Lucky for us, we have a nicely seasoned grill pan...and an oven. So, the blue cheese burgers were saved by the stovetop, and who doesn't love roasted brussels sprouts? I wasn't completely thrilled with the sliced sweet potatoes, (which I tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and cinnamon and roasted for about 30 minutes) They needed a little bit more caramelization. But, that might could have been solved with a higher heat setting and a sprinkle of brown sugar. So, I won't share that recipe, but here are the other two.

Bleu Cheese Burgers

Yields 5-6 burgers

2 lbs ground chuck

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 tsp worcestire

2 oz bleu cheese

to dress burgers:

arugula

spicy mustard

hamburger buns

Mix all ingredients together, except bleu cheese. Form meat into even-sized balls and set aside. Break bleu cheese up into small 1" balls, as many bleu cheese balls as burger patties. Form a small indention in each meat ball and place he bleu cheese ball inside, then form the patty around the bleu cheese and flatten out to about 1" thick. Season the outside of the patties with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat grill pan over medium-high heat and add 1 T canola oil. Using a paper towel, spread oil over whole surface area of the pan. Add burgers 4 at a time (or enough to fit) and cook for 5 minutes on one side, then flip, place a cover over the grill pan and cook for another 5 minutes (for medium). Remove from grill pan and let sit for at least 5 minutes to let juices re-distribute. Meanwhile, add buns to the grill pan, face down and heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly charred.

To assemble burger, place a handful of arugula on the bottom of a bun, add the burger on top, then spread mustard on the top bun.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

About 20 brussels sprouts, cleaned and outer leaves removed, cut in half length-wise

olive oil

salt & pepper

large pinch of nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375. Toss brussels sprouts with oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Roast in oven for 12 minutes. Stir the brussels sprouts and add the pecans, then roast for another 5-7 minutes being careful not to burn pecans. Remove, let cool slightly.

Enjoy!

Rosemary-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Happy "fall-back" Sunday!

We enjoyed our long morning with some "shortcut" drop biscuits, using Bisquick mix and adding cheddar cheese and rosemary. I did not have any milk, so I substituted half-and-half, which added a nice accent of sweetness.

I served the biscuits with creamy scrambled eggs, fried canadian bacon and of course, a hot cup of coffee.

Hope you had as wonderful a weekend as we did.

Rosemary-Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Yields 6 biscuits

Ingredients:

1 cup Bisquick

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 T chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 450. Mix all ingredients just until combined. Drop by the spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 7 - 9 minutes, checking on them once halfway. Serve with butter.

Enjoy!

Acorn Squash stuffed with Spiced Pork and Quinoa

This past Sunday, Stuart and I finally broke down and gave the house a major clean-up. Top to bottom. We're talking dusting the shelves, polishing the silver and vacuuming the blinds. Intense. We felt so good when we were finished, we wanted to show our hard work off and have some friends over for dinner.

I'd bought some acorn squash at the Farmer's Market the week prior and had been dying to use it. So, I decided to stuff it with ground pork, quinoa and some good cold-weather spices. I only had one acorn squash on hand so since we decided to invite another couple over, I used the heads of 2 leftover butternut squash from a previous recipe a couple weeks back. (leftover winter squash holds up well in the refrigerator)

The warm cinnamon and smoky cumin created a nice sweetness for the pork, and there was the perfect amount of nuttiness from the nutmeg. I love this combo of spices and will definitely use it again. I served the stuffed squash alongside a simple salad of arugula, grapes and goat cheese. Such a delicious (and easy!) meal to enjoy with good friends after a productive fall day.

Happy Friday everyone!

Acorn Squash stuffed with Pork and Quinoa

serves 4

Ingredients:

2 acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 lb ground pork

3 small Italian peppers, minced

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 T fresh rosemary, minced

1/4 c half and half

1/4 c parmesan, grated

salt and pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 375. Season squash with salt and pepper and olive oil, then bake, flesh side down, on a baking sheet for 45 minutes. Let cool before handling. Once cooled enough to handle, scoop out the flesh into a bowl, leaving about 1/2" thick shell. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place quinoa and water in a 2 qt. saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until water is absorbed. Set aside.

Also meanwhile, heat a saute pan over medium-high heat with 2 T olive oil. Add ground pork and break up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Season mean with salt. Cook until no longer pink, and slightly browned. About 10 minutes. Add Italian peppers, garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin and nutmeg. Saute for 5 minutes more, then reduce heat and continue cooking until quinoa is ready. Add quinoa and stir to incorporate. Season mixture to taste. Deglaze pan with a tablespoon or so of water if brown bits have formed on the bottom of the pan. Scrap up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add half and half and rosemary and stir to combine.

Scoop mixture into shells, top each with some parmesan cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for another 15 minutes on 375. Then, move the pan to the top rack and broil on low for about 2-3 minutes, watching closely so the cheese doesn't burn. It should be golden brown, not too dark.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!