Garden Variety Family

garden variety pie

This turned out so well I just thought I'd show it off. Goodies from the garden inside: tomatoes, they are still everywhere; spinach, onions, mushrooms. Gorgeous isn't it? Whole wheat crust. I forgot the cheese. It still tasted great. Yeah, bacon!

wonderous variety

I need to start the fall off right and that means I have to write more! Summer has been so slack for me. And now I need to get to work celebrating the Garden Variety life by sharing with you, chronicling this journey, and highlighting the cultural variety that makes this country and the world so amazing and fascinating. (note this post was published several times while testing a new service)

I'll start humbly with a favorite recipe. I made it yesterday. It simply must be passed on and enjoyed by others. I know nearly nothing about cooking from the Latin American parts of the world. These are nothing like the quesadillas I am accustomed to, these are muffins! They are so scumdelicious and easy to make, you must try them. So here it is:

Salvadoran Quesadillas

~from the amazing Extending the Table... ...A world Community Cookbook by Joetta Handrich Schlabach with alterations noted with * that I make

Preheat oven to 350°F 180°C

Cream:

1/2 cup (125 ml) melted margarine
3/4 cup (175 ml) sugar *I sometimes use brown sugar very loose*
2 eggs

Combine in a separate bowl

2 cups (500ml) flour *I use half all purpose & half whole wheat or all whole
wheat*
2  (10ml) teaspoons baking powder

Add this mixture alternately to creamed mixture with:

1 cup (250ml) milk or sour cream

Stir in 1 1/2 cup (375 ml) shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese or combination of the two. *I always use cheddar shredded with the biggest grate on my grater*

Fill paper baking cups in muffin pan or greased muffin pan 3/4 full of batter.

Sprinkle with: Sesame seeds  *to me this is the best part, I use lots!*

Bake 15-18 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (unless of course it hits a pocket of yummy melted cheese!)

Aren't they gorgeous!
You can alternatively bake it for 20 minuted in a 9 x 13 (3.5L) baking pan and then cut into squares. These freeze great but never last that long around here!

This brigs me to a final thought I have for the day. The world is such an amazing place with so much to discover. This simple recipe reminds me, there is no one way to do anything. A quesadillas in Mexico is not the same as a quesadillas in El Salvador. It reminds me of a quote from Robinhood Prince of Theives delivered by the always wonderful Morgan Freeman. ( I am not the type to remember specific quotes, I don't write them down and store them, but this one I have always remembered I guess because it is an idea I hold so dear to my heart).
A little girl asks Azeem (a Moor) Did God paint you?
Azeem laughingly repeats, Did God paint me? For certain.
The girl asks, Why?
Azeem replies, Because Allah loves wondrous varieties.
With this statement I feel calm...

tiny asian cultural wonder

Food: necessity for life. Cuisine: a characteristic of culture.  There are secrets of cuisines tucked around the world often getting lost in translation. For me particularly the Asian cuisines. There is a lot I've learned a lot I've ascertained and placed them in my basket of culinary knowledge. But there is so much that is lost on me in the characters of Asian written communication. I have trolled the isles of crammed Asian groceries but often I have to guess. Oft times the owners don't fully understand me nor I them or maybe there is an element of preserving mystery. That is often how I feel. My mother-in-law is an artist in the kitchen. Her food dances for joy on the tongue and sparkles on the platter. I have picked up so much from her but often when I ask specifics she'll reply with, "Oh, you know!" I don't but she doesn't illuminate.

During my days in Vietnam the women employed to cook for me were commensurate with the talents of dear mommy-in-law. I tried to cook with them to learn their secrets but I think they preferred to preserve the mystery or opted for job security.

On with the tiny Asian wonder...It has always disturbed me that I have never been all that much fond of is the seaweed in many East Asian dishes. I insist on eating it but my tongue never seems as enamored of it as my mind is. It is very good for you, of great nutrition and it is a staple of a culture I adore and gosh, cuisine is the cornerstone of culture.

So there is this lovely soup that my husband's mother makes. It has seaweed in it...large elastic pieces of a truly wonderful seaweed, kelp I think. I have asked her several times what it is with no luck. Well when Steven's aunts came for a visit from Korea we all had lunch one day with this soup. I asked again and got an answer in Korean, my mother-in-law was forced to show me what everyone was talking about. It took 3 aunts to travel 7,000 miles to unleash the secret for me.

Here it is: tiny, dry, brittle, put it in water it grows more impressively than a magic sponge, it adds nutrients magically. I am fascinated by small things and this little secret amazes me and begs to be shared. Only problem is, Istill don't know what it is exactly but I have the partial package Steven's mom gave me so it will be going with me to the store when I need more!

Cool, huh?