Peanut Stirfry, As You Wish

This post is dedicated to "Sue", one of my favourite coworkers.  She frequently compliments my lunches, which are usually dinner leftovers.  The big joke is that I'll say, "Oh, it was so easy!!"... but I've quickly come to realize that "easy" is a relative term (it's the chopping.  Sue hates chopping!)

Back when I was still expecting my little G-man (he'll be 11 months this week... gawd...), I was hit with a MASSIVE peanut craving.  It has... lingered.  I also had odd cravings for broccoli and tofu.  Sounds like a delicious combo for a stir fry!  So, with the power of the Interwebs, I've thrown together a little recipe.  Here it is.  I added the "As You Wish" in the title because it's endlessly modifiable depending on the veggies you have on hand.  Also, I like the Princess Bride reference.  Sue, try it, and tell me if it meets criteria for "easy" in your books!!

This was not my stir fry.  Ain't nobody got time for food photography with an active little monkey trying to climb into the oven.  This is the best approximation that Google Images could provide.  Photo credit goes to www.bakeyourday.net.

Peanut Tofu Stirfry, As You Wish

Serves 4

Adapted slightly from www.food.com

Stir Fry:

• 1 lb package of extra-firm tofu, cubed (or substitute any other protein.  Chicken, beef, as you wish...)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 cups vegetables, chopped (fresh or frozen.  I like to use broccoli, zucchini, and/or bell peppers.  You could do a bag of snow peas, so there'd be no chopping, Sue ;) Again, as you wish...)
• 1 cup baby spinach (this is usually pre-washed, but check the package, just in case, ok?  I don't want to be responsible for grit in your stirfry)
• 2 green onions, sliced finely
• Noodles, cooked according to package directions (I like to use duck egg "Chinese long life" noodles from the Asian aisle.  You could use Udon.  You could use rice vermicelli.  You could use spaghetti.  As you wish.)
• Optional: If you've got a handful of peanuts for garnish, great (like in the photo.  It's a good idea.  I'm stealing it)

Sauce:

• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (this should be in the Asian aisle in most major grocery stores.  If not, white wine or apple cider vinegar would work in a pinch, though I can't vouch for the results...)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (or 1/8 cup) brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder*
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger*
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to start... and/or crushed chilies, and/or sriracha.  As you wish)

1.  Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.  Start boiling water for your noodles (if required per their package directions.  I don't know what noodles you decided to use, so you're on your own here!)
2. Sauté onion until soft.  Add the 2 cups of vegetables until somewhat softened, but not 100% cooked (if you've got tougher stuff, like broccoli, add that first; softer stuff like mushrooms should go later.  Or you can be like me, say heck with this, and cook it all at once.  As you wish.)
3. Now is a good time to cook those noodles if need be.  Drain when done.
4. Add cubed tofu.  Periodically keep tossing it around with the veggies.  I like it when the tofu browns up a bit in the pan.  Mmm.
5. Stir together the sauce in a measuring cup.  Not going to lie, it'll look a mess (since the peanut butter won't really mix in well).  Fear not.
6. Add the sauce to the frying pan (which contains your veggies and tofu).  Turn heat to medium low.  Stir well; the PB will melt in nicely.
7. Add the cooked, drained noodles and toss thoroughly to coat.
8. Add the baby spinach and toss until just wilted.
9. Top with sliced green onions and peanuts and serve.

*I know this might be hard to imagine, but I've gotten much less judgey about dried herbs/spices.  When G-man is careening towards the cat food for the third time in as many minutes, finely mincing garlic is the last thing on my mind.  So if you don't have fresh garlic or ginger to chop, or if you've got the jarred/squeeze tube pre-chopped stuff, well, good enough!

Sue, this was for what I had for lunch.  I used a zucchini, half a red bell pepper, and half a yellow bell pepper for the veggies.  You can double the sauce like you mentioned for an extra-saucy version.

Alright, time for a cup of calming chamomile, perhaps an episode of the newly-rebooted Sailor Moon Crystal (yes, I am a product of the 90s), then bed.

Finally settling into mommyhood while still putting tasty dishes on the table,
-Honeybee

Bar hopping

There's something about bars.  I know I've expressed my love for this form of baked good before, so it should come as no surprise that I've whipped up a few more batches since.

Uncharted brownie territory...

A few months ago, I was hit with a peanut butter and chocolate craving.  Badly.  As in, a scoop of PB on a spoon and a couple chocolate chips just wouldn't do.  My parents have this new philosophy, which I think is pretty smart: only eat what's in the house already.  So basically, no quick trips out for just one or two ingredients just because you want something; try to make do with what you have on hand.  Cuts down on food spending, food waste, gas to get to the store, etc.  I was raised by some smart people, let me tell ya.

Back to the craving.  In keeping with this philosophy, I wasn't willing to head out and buy some Reese's cups (as Hubs suggested).  Instead, I hit up Allrecipes.com to figure out what I could rustle up.  Behold!

Got a little fancy... I couldn't justify eating the whole pan, so a number came with me to work for a baby shower.

Does a brownie officially become a dainty if it's in a wrapper?  Also, has anyone heard the term "dainty" in this context outside of Manitoba?

I altered the original recipe a touch, adding about 3/4 cup of dark chocolate chips and about 1/3 cup roasted peanuts.  I also followed the advice of a commenter: in order to make these brownie-like, I mixed all the ingredients by hand.  These most definitely kicked the craving!!  They were so easy to make, too, with items I had in my cupboards.  One of my American Sign Language classmates had a birthday yesterday, so I threw together a batch just an hour before I had to leave.  I got to serve them up soft and warm, which took the edge off the misty, chilly evening.

Next up: a personal culinary challenge that I had been meaning to tackle for months:

Oh yes, folks.  They're Nanaimo bars

I really enjoy Nanaimo bars.  I couldn't tell you the first time I ever tried one; I'm pretty sure they've been a favourite since youth.  Up until now, though, I'd never tried making them myself.  Mostly, it was the filling part of the bar that scared me.  What IS that stuff, anyway?  Mostly sugar, sure, but there's got to be more to it.  So once again, I put my trust in Ms. Olson and gave it my best shot with her recipe.  My only modifications?  I replaced the nuts with more chocolate crumbs (not a huge walnut fan), left out the coffee powder, and added some pink food colouring to the filling (since I was making these for a baby girl shower at work).  Pretty delish!

These photos highlight two of the (relatively minor) issues I had with the recipe.  When I was cutting these puppies, the chocolate layer cracked a bit.  Due to the pressure of the knife on the firm chocolate layer, the filling then smushed out the sides.  I tidied them up for serving, but lesson learned: cut these in the pan to avoid squishing as much as possible!

Despite the slicing issues, these were pretty simple overall... after I found custard powder.  Safeway wanted something like $4 for a large can when I only needed a few tablespoons... Bulk Barn to the rescue!  I love that store!  I constantly find fantastic stuff for cake baking and decorating... but more on that another day.

Wondering what bars she'll bake in the coming weeks to stave off wedding jitters,
-Honeybee

More Cookies, More Counsellors

Cookies were a frequent (and blatant) bribe to attend educational sessions or dissertations during my master’s program.  So much so that we were bitterly disappointed if there were no biscuits in evidence; this usually resulted in us declaring the event a wash.  My classmates and I even came up with a saying: “No cookie, no counsellor!”

Now THERE's a cookie worthy of my undivided attention...

I wanted to pass along two cookie recipes that I made recently for my wonderful fellow counselling coworkers.  One batch was made for dessert to finish of my wine-tasting afterparty; the second was made as part of a bon voyage surprise party for one of my coworkers, who will be going on a fabulous pilgrimage across Africa.  Lucky her!!

First up are cherry almond cookies, which come from the fantastic Nemmie on her retired blog, Cast Sugar.  I had been wanting to make these for, no joke, about eight months.  The problem?  A significant lack of dried cherries.  Oh, sure, I could’ve used cherry-flavoured dried cranberries, but it’s just not the same.  Every time I went to Bulk Barn or passed the dried fruit section of the grocery stores back home, I’d keep my eyes peeled… but to no avail.  The Winnipeg food purveyors must be smiling down on me, though, as I found them at both the Bulk Barn at Ellice and Empress, AND two different Safeways.  I bought the ones at Bulk Barn, since a) I didn’t need very much and b) they didn’t seem to be coated in sugar the way the prepackaged ones at Safeway looked to be.

I’m so glad I stuck it out and waited for the real thing.  Oh, man.  The texture of the cherries was nothing like dried cranberries… they almost had a texture more like prunes or dried apricots.  Definitely still some moisture there.  And the FLAVOUR… concentrated tart cherry deliciousness.  If I didn’t have this specific recipe in mind for them, you can bet I would’ve eaten them all out of hand.  Give this one a go, folks.

Next up are these outrageous chocolate cookies, from the lovely Holly at Phe.MOM.enon, in turn from Martha Stewart.  I can’t say I’m a huge Martha fan, but these puppies were GOOD.  The only issue was the sheer amount of high-quality chocolate they demanded.  Since I’d already used quite a bit for a phenomenal chocolate amaretti torte (which, sadly, I forgot to take pics of), I decided to cut down a bit and use the rest of my peanut butter chips in place of the chocolate chunks.  

Ahh, Lindt.  Only the best for my coworkers :D

Yes, kids, this is how baby chocolate cookies are made.  It's a wonderful and miraculous thing.

 The only other change I would have made?  I think I overbaked these puppies.  They ended up a little drier and not as chewy as I had hoped… but it’s hard to tell when the cookies are so dark to begin with.  These cookies are also worth a shot, for sure… I’ll have to try them again as the original recipe intended, with slightly less baking time, to see if they achieve the promised brownie-like consistency.

They're also good with coffee.

As my coworkers have jokingly (and in one case, perhaps not-so-jokingly) warned me about their possible weight gain, I may switch back to bringing desserts from the G.I. diet cookbook that everyone can feel a bit better about.  There are several I haven’t tried yet, and I need my work guinea pigs to help evaluate them!

Wondering if I’ll be lambasted for bringing in a pan of butterscotch brownies before I switch to healthier treats,

-Honeybee

The path to a friendly workplace...

...is paved with baked goods.  Trust me on this.

The usual suspects...

I have a fantastic, synergistic relationship with my coworkers when it comes to baked goods.  During my first couple of weeks at my new job (a.k.a. the whole reason I'm on this new adventure), my coworkers started noticing my homemade lunches.  They (correctly) surmised that I enjoyed cooking and baking, and graciously and selflessly offered to be guinea pigs for any new recipe that I should want to try.  My waistline greatly thanks them for this, since if left to my own devices, I would eat everything all by myself.  Hrm.

I came across these gems while cruising around, you guessed it, Nemmie's blog.  They're Nutella-peanut butter chip cookies, with chunks of hazelnut for good measure.  I've always adored Nutella, ever since my Nonna first made me a sandwich with it.  How can you NOT love chocolate-hazelnut spread?!  I once learned a bit of its history while watching Food Network- turns out it was produced in Italy during WWII to stretch out expensive chocolate stores.  Who knew??

Looks good, eh?  And Hubs was making fun of me for my new white dishes...

Now, after I found the recipe for these cookies, which were molto bueno, I decided to open my mouth and tell my coworkers that I'd be making them that night and bringing them in.  Bad idea.  I stopped at Safeway (a slightly sketchy one) on my way home from work, battling heavy traffic, only to find that they were charging almost $5 for a teeny jar of Nutella.  Erm, no.  I also couldn't find hazelnuts anywhere in the store; the peanut butter chips, which I grudgingly bought, also seemed way overpriced.  After battling with budget frustrations and traffic, I got home in a sour mood.  The day was cloudy, I was missing Hubs desperately, and all I wanted to do was curl up and sleep.  Which I did.

Fast-forward to the next day.  Coworkers jokingly express disappointment during lunch that I didn't bring cookies in.  Of course I know they're teasing, and there was no pressure whatsoever... but I knew that baking was probably the best way to bring me out of this weather-induced funk.  So I stop at Dollarama on my way home and buy a $1.25 jar of knockoff Nutella (I think it was called Nugatti).  It's not QUITE as good as the real deal, but hell, I'll take it!  One jar (and several new white pieces of tableware) later, I'm feeling much more chipper and I took on the recipe!

It's un-ladylike to drool, right? Sorry.

Victory was mine!!  These were fantastic; they spread just the right amount in the oven, and cooled with that lovely crackly top that's usually associated with molasses cookies (which is what one coworker thought they were, initially).

I was definitely taken back to a much simpler time when I ate these... a time when I'd be dropped off at my Nonna's house in the morning, fed a delicious Nutella and peanut butter sandwich for lunch, and then walked to afternoon Kindergarten by my uncle Peter (who was in seventh grade at the time.  Crazy!).  The PB & N flavours in this cookie take me right back to her 70s table, next to the stove, looking across the table at a much younger Ni while Nonna fixed us a meal.  She's the most amazing woman, and my inspiration for how to live life at 76 years old.  I've been missing her a lot since moving, but I know she's doing well, with a social life far more active than mine!

Dunking these in milk and wondering how much Canada Post would charge to ship a few to Nonna,

-Honeybee

Nemmie, peanut butter cup cookies, and food adventurism

I've mentioned that I love baking.  I've also mentioned that I try not to keep the requisite ingredients *coughbuttercough* in the house, lest I get into a baking groove and eat the fruits of my labour.  Oh, sure, a couple of cookies won't kill you... but all three dozen?  Consumed over a single weekend?  Problematic.

Cookie dough.  It's a weapon of mass destruction (or mass creation, if you ask my thighs).

These particular cookies come from my favourite food blogger/inspiration/role model, Nemmie.  I came across her blog about two years ago, while Googling to find a "grown-up" dessert to bring to my friends' (Lauri & Alex's) house.  I came across her almond cherry upside-down cake, and that was that.  The only downside was that Laur's piece had the only two cherry pits in the entire cake... oops!  Sorry about that.  Luckily she was careful, so her teeth were no worse for the wear.

I'm sad that Nemmie has decided to retire her blog to spend more time with her own Hubs and her adorable son... though I totally understand her priorities.  Thankfully, though, she's left the blog up, which gave me the opportunity to give these cookies a shot.

Don't eat every one of them... don't eat every one of them... This is hard!!!  And yes, Hubs, the oven mitt isn't just for show.  I'll stick by my promise to avoid more oven-burn scars on my hands... they tend to look bad in wedding photos.  Safety first and all that.

The philosophy behind these cookies is genius.  I strongly suggest you read Nemmie's post about them, then give them a go yourself.  The prospect of a cookie with the texture of a chocolate chip cookie but the flavour of a peanut butter cookie definitely appealed to me.  So, to try to stay as true to the recipe as possible, I measured very carefully and avoided major modifications (save one).  I even (gasp!) measured out the vanilla extract precisely.  With a measuring spoon.  I NEVER do that; I just free-pour from the fantastic bottle of the real-deal, not imitation, alcoholic (!!) version that my darling parents picked up from Costco for me.  Who knew they had such treasures hidden in their mile-high warehouse shelves?

I seem to love the up-close, gratuitous texture shot.  Ignore the blue spoonula.

The one modification I made to the recipe, out of regional necessity, was the peanut butter cup "chips".  As far as I'm aware, The True North Strong And Free does not boast the Trader Joe's chain of gourmet markets.  I've seen locations in Chicago, IL and Royal Oak, MI, but unfortunately these are now much to far away for me to take advantage of.  My daily Can/U.S. border crossing days are behind me, for now at least.  Though I do miss "importing" my McDonald's brewed sweet tea and my Cherry Coke Zero... *sniffles*

Sorry.  Back on target (crap, I miss Target, too!).  Since I couldn't find any peanut butter cup "chips", like the recipe suggests, I bought a bag of "mini" (about 3 cm in diameter) peanut butter cups.  It being summer, I lobbed them into the freezer to chill down, then chopped each one into quarters to mix into the cookies.

Quick side story: I'm such a huge cookie nerd that I actually own two "portioners" (smaller versions of the spring-loaded ice cream scoopers) to ensure that all my cookies are the same size, and will bake evenly.  This comes after years of my mother, watching over my shoulder as I rolled ready-made cookie dough from tubs sold for school fundraisers.  I was frequently met with criticisms such as, "That cookie will be too big!", and "That one's a different size; it'll burn in the oven before the others are done!"  Clearly, the cookie scoops are a necessity.  My BFFK (Best Friend Forever, Kiks) would be so proud of my solution for those "scoop and plop" cookies!

Nemmie's recipe made quite a few dozen of these tempting gems.  Normally, this would nullify my weekly workouts; however this time I had a plan.  My coworker/friend Jessica's birthday was the next day, so the vast majority of these peanutty dreams made their way to the mail room (a.k.a. all-you-can-eat jean-busting junk food buffet) at work.  I've never seen my wonderful coworkers resemble a plague of locusts so closely; the container was nearly empty by 11 am.  Luckily, I'd hand-delivered a few cookies to the birthday girl first-thing that morning, so she didn't miss out.

Knowing full well that no cookies would survive the 8-hour day to be brought home again, I had saved about eight or so for my own consumption.  This is where the adventurism kicks in: I decided to make ice-cream sandwiches.

Notice anything funny?  Juuuuust keep reading....

Any French-savvy friends (with good eyesight, since the carton's blurry) might be catching on to why this is adventurous.  I LOVE chocolate and peanut butter as a flavour combination.  I also LOVE the classic chocolate and mint pairing.  Whenever I buy a bag of those mini filled chocolate cups, I'm always torn between milk-chocolate-and-PB and dark-chocolate-mint crème.  Merde!!

After baking these delish cookies, I decided to go for broke.  Why couldn't I have BOTH of my favourite chocolate companion flavours simultaneously?!  I know what you're thinking... the transitive property (I can hear my mother cheering) doesn't exactly apply here.  Just because:

chocolate + peanut butter = good
(though this would kill Nicole and Tori), and

chocolate + mint = good
(though I know many who debate this equation),

it doesn't necessarily follow that
peanut butter + mint = good.

Mom would be so proud.  Regardless, I set about to prove the above theorem.  A scoop of President's Choice Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream and two freshly baked cookies later, I think I succeeded.  I really wasn't sure what to expect... I think of peanut butter as a warm, earthy flavour, while mint is a much cooler, fresher one.  Didn't know if they'd play nicely together on my palate.  But, overall, I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.  Although, upon further reflection, I hazily recall having made peanut butter and mint jelly sandwiches in my youth and enjoying them... this latent memory must have surfaced to enlighten me once again.  Don't ask why I thought it was a good idea to use mint jelly in a sandwich.  It was only in the house at my behest... we're not really a "roast lamb and mint jelly" kind of family.  I think I might have seen it used on some sort of children's television program.

Anyway, this little experience taught me that I may have to experiment with peanut butter and other slightly unconventional flavours again in the future.  I will NOT, however, experience another peanut butter and Cheez Whiz sandwich.  Sorry Chaddy... I love you, but that was not the highlight of our undergraduate studying picnic by the Thames.

Steering clear of processed "cheez" spreads as a general rule,

-Honeybee