Ghee, Ghee, Ghee

The first time I tried ghee, I didn't care for it much, but now, I feel lost without it. I use it instead of butter or oil for almost everything and feel better for it. Plus it has this slightly...nutty?...flavor that really adds good flavor to pastas and veggies. 

But...what is Ghee? (Besides another cooking ingredient I have a crush on)

Ghee is butter without any solid milk particles or water. It is used for daily cooking in India, South Asia, and my kitchen. Maybe yours too. Most often, I hear Ghee referred to as Clarified Butter, but it is also known as Drawn Butter, Butter Oil, Ghee Butter or Anhydrous Milk Fat (AMF).  

Essentially, Ghee is prepared by melting and simmering unsalted butter until all the water evaporates and the milk solids settle at the bottom. You can try to do this yourself (a task I have yet to completely master) or buy it in most health food stores and/or in the ethnic section of a grocery store (it is gaining in popularity, I would expect to see it become easier and easier to find as time goes on). Traditionally, ghee is extracted from buffalo milk, but I am only familiar with ghee from cows milk (it is yellow in color).That's the route I'd recommend.

I will almost always include ghee in my recipes, but know what olive oil and/or butter can be substituted if ghee just sounds too out there for you. I do encourage everyone to try it though. Why? Well, I could do a poor job of justifying in my own words why I recommend having an affair with ghee, but, it would be a poor job. I instead have opted to use some words from someone who has done it better. Below is an excerpt I found at http://www.nafella.com/naflogger/?Sandeep/What_is_Ghee

The difference between Ghee and Butter

Great for cooking:  Ghee has a very high smoke point (~400 °F) and is considered one of the best oils for baking, sautéing and deep frying.  When you sauté with butter, the milk solids precipitate to the bottom of the pan and they burn to produce a bad smell, appearance and taste.  Ghee does not contain milk solids and it is very stable at high heat.  In fact, ghee gets richer in flavor as you heat it!

Casein and Lactose-Free:  Casein and lactose are removed from butter during the clarification process, making ghee easier to digest.  As such, ghee is suitable for people allergic to dairy or have casein or lactose intolerance.

Shelf Stable: A well-prepared ghee has very little moisture content and it is shelf-stable.  You do not need to refrigerate it for 2-3 months if you keep it in an airtight container.  This makes it suitable to carry while traveling or camping.  When kept in refrigerator, ghee can last up to a year.  Aged ghee is considered to have healing properties.  Some families in India have ghee which is over 100-year old.  Such an old ghee is rare and is very expensive.

Rich Flavor: Ghee has a rich, sweet and deliciously nutty flavor.  A little amount of ghee adds a lot of flavor to the food.  One tablespoon of ghee can replace up to three tablespoons of oil or butter in your recipe.

Alkalizing Effect: Ghee has slightly alkalizing effect on the body whereas butter has a slightly acidifying effect.

Medicinal Usage: A ghee which has been properly washed accordingly to Ayurvedic specifications is very beneficial in healing the skin.  A small amount of ghee applied to belly button nourishes the entire body and is especially helpful is healing dried lips.  Ghee is widely used in Ayurvedic massages and medicines.

So there you have it! In a nutshell. If anything else, at least you'll know what I'm referring to when you see it in recipes now.

Oatmeal Fruit Cookies

This cookie recipe came into being one evening before grocery day a few weeks ago. I remembered I needed to bring a sweet treat to an essential oils presentation I was going to the next evening at a classmate's house. Our fridge and pantry were quite bare. I had no chocolate chips, no peanut butter, no cream of tartar (for snicker-doodles) and no baking cocoa for brownies. I absolutely did not want to go to the store and buy ingredients.

As I was scouring the kitchen and refusing to go to the store and spend money, I came across some dried apricots and dried apples my parents had sent us at Christmas time. I hesitated because I knew the store/chocolate chip route was safer...there was still a 50/50 chance I'd have to go that route after making the batch of cookies I was going to invent because of cookie failure (baking is hard to improvise, but I never seem to learn...). Even so, I decided for the adventuresome fruit/cookie route and am so glad I did! We ate at least a quarter of the batch that night; I had to take the cookies and leave them in the car the following day so my husband wouldn't eat the rest of them while I was at school.

The only non-typical ingredients in this recipe are the dried apricots and dried apples. However, dried cranberries can be used instead and I would imagine that raisins would also work. Here it is:

Oatmeal Fruit Cookies
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar*
1/2 cup white sugar*
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat flour**
2 cups white flour**
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground clove
1/3 cup dried apricots (chopped/diced)
1/2 cup dried apples (chopped/diced)


*1 cup white OR brown sugar can also be used INSTEAD OF 1/2 cup of each.
**You are welcome to use only wheat flour or only white flour if you prefer. Just make sure there is a total of 2 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup rolled oats however you choose to divide it up.

Baking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the rolled oats, spices and baking soda. Mix. Add the wheat flour followed by the white flour. Stir until everything is mixed in. Add the dried fruit. Chill if necessary.*

Shape the dough into balls about the size of walnuts (or whatever size you want your cookies to be). Place on a cookie sheet. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes until slightly brown. Remove from tray. Enjoy!


*Sometimes the dough is still sticky at this point. If it is, put it in the fridge for a few minutes to chill (or freezer if you are impatient like me) that normally helps. In general, I cheat on this step by putting cookies on the first tray to bake and then putting the rest of the dough in the freezer between baking rounds...

Spice it Up!

As I mentioned in my last post, I believe in spices. Majorly. They make food taste good while remaining good for you. Instead of piling on the fat, sugar or cheese for flavor, throw in some curry or oregano or cumin. Plus flavorful food is just yummy. There was a reason all those Europeans years ago put so much effort into finding different trade routes to the East for spices.

I must admit upfront, I have a bit of a salt addiction. I don't ever make things too salty, I just use it a lot. Salt is technically a "flavor enhancer" spice that brings out the flavor of whatever it is you put it on. That's why it's so good. (And why it is always in cookie recipes.)

In looking at my spice rack, I have chosen 15 spices/herbs I think belong in EVERYONE'S kitchen. I know, 15 sounds like a lot. The thing is there are about 7 I use all the time, another 4 I use most of the time, and the rest I use some of the time. They are all spice staples in their own right and prove to be crucial flavor points in the meals I do use them in. Then there are the other 10+ I have in my cabinet for special uses...but we're not there yet.

If spices are new to you or you are poor (like me right now), and/or the idea of spending $5 a pop for a little plastic or class container of a new spice you may or may not use more than once makes you a little indignant, PLEASE don't give up on the spice idea. Instead, discover the joys of BULK SPICES. These days any health food store and many regular grocery stores sell spices in bulk. If you aren't

convinced the spice belongs on your shelf,go spend $.75 on a couple tablespoons of garam masala, oregano, cumin, etc and try it out. Then keep buying them that way. I find it to be a much cheaper and more realistic way to support my spice habit. Plus it makes experimenting easier.

Enough about that. Here is the spice list. I would guess most kitchens already have at least 4-6 of these, or maybe all of them. Whatever. Just be prepared to see them in many of my recipes.

Salt-I prefer Sea Salt, both the fine ground (but unbleached) and the coarse stuff. It is a more natural form of salt than the bleached, iodized Morton Salt I grew up with.

Pepper-Both peppercorns and pre-ground are useful. Fresh ground pepper often has more flavor.

Garlic-MMMmmm. Granulated garlic, garlic salt, garlic powder, any one of the three, just something with the garlic flavor. Fresh garlic is also a plus, but is also sometimes a bit of a pain.

Cumin-Ahh, cumin how I love thee. I didn't even know what cumin was 1 1/2 years ago, now we are best friends. Ground cumin works great. We also use cumin seeds sometimes. If you are going to choose one, start with the ground stuff.

Curry Powder-There are so many varieties, any kind will do.

Oregano-Simple as that, dried oregano.

Basil-Dried and ready to use. Fresh basil is also amazing, but not always as easy to have on hand.

Rosemary-Same as the basil, dried is easiest. Fresh is always more flavorful. I find that fresh rosemary will last longer in my fridge than fresh basil.

Cinnamon-We have a big Sam's Club sized bottle of ground cinnamon.

Tumeric-The yellow spice! It makes anything it touches yellow, but is great for promoting digestion and has it's own unique and subtle flavor.

Garam Masala-Once again, so many varieties, any one will do. I always think it smells a little bit sweet even though it is a savory spice.

Ground Coriander-I rarely use whole coriander seeds, ground is the way to go on this one. (Did you know that what most American's call cilantro is the same thing as coriander? One is the leaves, the other the seeds...at least here. When we were in Australia is was all coriander. That threw me for a loop, I always thought of them as two very distinct substances.)

Ginger-Ground. Fresh ginger has more flavor but can be intimidating to some, plus I use the two differently.

Nutmeg-One of the only-used-sometimes but gotta-have-it-when-I-need it spices. Ground.

Clove-In the same boat as Nutmeg. You can buy whole cloves or ground cloves, if choosing one, go for ground. I primarily use the whole cloves when making tea.

And there you have it! The spice rack is beginning to fill up. Really, spices are so much fun, I hope you can fall in love with them too (if you aren't already in love!)

Your Guide, Me, the Chef

I am a fan of food. I love eating and cooking but have never mastered the art of following a recipe or following the "rules" of the kitchen. I am lucky enough to be able to cook by "feel" or "taste." I like the meals I make to be quick, flavorful, healthy, fresh and easy to create. Generally, I demand a lot of flexibility and bit of creativity from my kitchen (my number one kitchen allies? SPICES!). My rule is that, if there are two vegetables in the fridge, then there is a meal to be made.

I own a whole bookshelf of cookbooks (which I love), but I ironically, rarely use them. Whenever I am looking for inspiration for a new meal, I may pull a couple of them out and find 2 or 3 recipes that sound good, only to learn I am missing this special ingredient, or that kitchen tool or another spice. I'll try to make it anyway and normally end up substituting things I shouldn't. The unwritten rule at our house is, when making a new meal from a recipe, my husband makes dinner that night-and makes sure we have all the necessary ingredients before hand. He is a good cook who has more patience with cookbook rules than I do. However, he is also the one always pestering me to write down the "recipes" for many of my more delicious throw-together adventures, so we can have the meal again in the future.

I want to share my kitchen creations, the successes, the failures and the everyday things that make cooking worthwhile. I will pass along stories, tips and, yes, many "throw-together" recipes for the normal cook in the normal kitchen with normal time constraints.

I do have a few disclaimers about my food philosophy and cooking style first:

I believe in eating as little pre-packaged food as possible, my cooking reflects that. Many people seem to think this makes cooking harder, but it doesn't. It just makes it healthier. And fresher. And tastier.

Every meal starts with a vegetable. Without veggies, it's hard for me to move forward; the kitchen creativity dies.

I do eat more of a "vegetarian" diet, and believe doing so makes my body healthier and happier. I put "vegetarian" in quotes because I do not follow any sense of strict vegetarian rules and can and will easily tell you when throwing in some chicken or beef would be a good idea. My recipes are not meat focused though.

The food I eat changes with the seasons, so will my posts.

With the last four points sounding all "health" focused, some of my best throw-togethers are batches of cookies...

Well, let's get started!