Easy 15 Minute Danishes!

Yum!

These went over really well at Christmas.

So, I thought I would share them with you.

Now, here's the best part.

The are really easy.

So, these little danish-y things are...

super easy, taste great, are less-filling (sorry!)

and come courtesy of my friend Deb.

At Christmastime, when time is of the essence, this is a way to make a warm treat filled with your favorite sweets. These pics are from the first batch I made and some contain apple pie filling while others have blueberry "simply fruit" jam.

The second batch (sorry, no pics) included strawberry seedless jam, sugar-free orange marmalade, and even chocolate chips. Yum! We had quite the variety of colorful snackage to give us a quick burst of sugar-rush on Christmas morning. ;)

Here's the recipe.
For now, I've been calling them...

Crescent Kolachkies.
Makes 16

4 cans of 8 crescent rolls
1 brick of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sugar
Pie filling or fresh fruit
Vanilla


Use 2 triangles to make a rectangle.
Pinch seams together

Cream together:
Cream cheese, sugar (to taste), vanilla (to taste)

Spread some cream cheese mixture on rolls
Top with about a tablespoon of any fresh fruit or pie filling.

Fold the corners over the filling and push to seal.
Sprinkle top with sugar.
Bake as per crescent roll can.Get a quick assembly line going and pop em in the oven :)
Done!
Tips:
I highly recommend the "Simply Fruit" section of the jelly aisle.

The cream cheese part won't melt and spread much, so feel free to have it peek out nicely under the folds.

The jelly/jam/marmalade WILL melt and spread much depending on it's composition and lunar tide. So, be stingy.

Be sure you sprinkle the tops with sugar before baking.
It makes them yummy good.
Coarse sugar, also known as decorator's sugar, might also be good.

Be sure you pinch their little bottoms well.
Or else, they might split while baking.
And, then you have to eat that one.
And, that one.
And....

Can you make them smaller? Sure!
My sis suggested I try using only 1 triangle instead of 2 on the second batch to make them smaller. And, it worked, and they were REALLY cute. But, they were MUCH more work because the dough gets warm and tears, etc. So, that's an option depending on the time you have.

(Me? When I did them with one triangle instead of two I almost wadded up the whole batch and baked them up in a mound as a tribute to Close Encounters - because I got so frustrated. You remember the mountain of potatoes that Richard Dreyfuss....never mind.)

Downside:
These are not low cal.
Nope, didn't try using the low cal croissant dough or low fat cream cheese.

These are not inexpensive.
Nope, didn't try generic.

Good news:
Everyone will love them.
YOU get to name them.
And, you get to hand out copies to all your friends.

So, they can tell two friends,
And, they can tell two friends.
And, so on.
And, so on...

Thanks Deb ;)

Linking up to:

LOL Speak, AB Style!

For anyone who likes the site I Can Has Cheezeburger,
This is for you!

I got a little silly.
Forgive me, Alton.
If you like these, I might have made more...
*wink*

OK. - One more - For now.

I'll post more later if you ask nicely.
(Or, give bacon.)
BTW, if anyone borrows these, please credit appropriately ;)
Thanks.

My Week As A Waiter

Okay, not MY week.
But, that of Frank Bruni, NY Times food Critic.

Food for thought.
Here is his January 25, 2006 article.

Interesting reading.

For a bonus, Mr. Bruni explains some server terms he picked up along the way...
"Menu Tours"
"Verbalize the funny"
And,"Verbal Tipping," to name a few.

Top Chef: Chicago - Begins March 12th.

NEW YORK – January 23, 2008 – Let the flames begin.
Bravo's highly anticipated fourth season of the Emmy-Award nominated No. 1 food show on cable returns with "Top Chef: Chicago," premiering Wednesday, March 12 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Get ready to sharpen your knives as the newest crop of 16 rising chefs from across the country take on the windy city.

For more information, see the NBC Press Release.

Honestly...
I am not sure I can sit through another season of the hype and drama.

But, seeing that March 12 is the week of Chicago's International Home and Housewares Show - where Chefs from all over the world come to revel in Revere - I wonder if any area restaurants will make a deal out of the show's first episode.

What am I *thinking*?
Never mind.
D.

UK Reseachers To Create Human-Animal Embryos

Two UK facilities have been given the green light to merge fertilized human embryos with animal cells.

"The process involves injecting an empty cow or rabbit egg with human DNA. A burst of electricity is then used to trick the egg into dividing regularly, so that it becomes a very early embryo from which stem cells can be extracted," says an Associated Press article.

According to BBC News, [researchers] "want to create hybrids to study diseases known to have genetic causes - such as Alzheimer's disease, spinal muscular atrophy and Parkinson's disease."

This news comes only days after the FDA rules that food from cloned animals is safe, according to Rueters.
Welcome to our Brave New World.

Baklava - With Recipe

Ah, baklava.

Honey-sweet drippy flaky goodness.

~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

Thank you for visiting Cooking at Cafe D. 
If you new here, welcome!

This baklava post is an oldie, but goodie.
Please take a moment to look around.

On your right you'll see various ways of keeping in touch through social media, rss, and e-mail.
And, there are categories - LOTS of them - whether you are looking for something Healthy, Quick, Inexpensive or even Soup-A-Licious.

~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~

As you know from our post, Gettin' Greeky With It, one of our meals this Christmas had a decidedly Greek theme.

And, Mr. Baklava came to dinner.
Yum.

This was this first time I made baklava,
so I used a tried and true recipe from my friend, Peter J. Rudy.
(And, he was kind enough to allow me to share it with you.)

While this recipe might not be perfectly authentic....
To my taste buds, it was perfectly tasty.

His recipe with his comments are in azure blue.
My ramblings are in a shade of maize.
Cuz, I can.
Baklava

Makes one 9x13 glass pan of goodness.
Serve with strong coffee or a couple of gallons of milk.
A syringe of insulin might also prove to be handy.

Nut mixture
half pound walnuts
half pound almonds
1/2 c. sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Syrup
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. water
2 T. honey
1 T. lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
several whole cloves (We used 4 and it was good.)

1 package of phyllo (one from a 16 oz. -two package box)
1 c. (two sticks) unsalted butter, melted

----------------------------------------
Defrost the phyllo according to the directions on the box.
Heat oven to 300.
Meanwhile, gather the ingredients.
----------------------------------------

In a medium saucepan (small one will make a mess as syrup boils), combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Let boil (higher than simmer, but not raging boil) for 15 minutes. As Alton Brown says, this is pretty much "culinary napalm" so be careful with that syrup. When the 15 minutes is up, turn off the heat, let it cool a bit and then put it in the refrigerator

(Or, in our case, cover with foil and set it outside in the Michigan snow.)

While the syrup is boiling....
Chop nuts in food processor until slightly coarse. (I find it easier to do the almonds first, then add the walnuts and pulse a couple times more). Add sugar and cinnamon and pulse a few times until combined. Transfer to medium bowl.

Don't have a food processor? No problem.
I put the nuts in a gallon-sized freezer bag and pounded them with a hammer out on the on the back deck. I use my hammer as often as possible....

Take 13x9 Pyrex pan and place on counter with the bowl of nuts next to it. Take the phyllo out of package and unroll. They will likely be 13x9-ish. (If you got the huge sheets, slice in half the short way and the resulting halves should be only slightly larger than the pan.) There are also packages that have the phyllo in two wrapped packages. these are already the right size.

Working with Phyllo dough
You really need to keep the dough moist while working with it.
Take this part seriously.
It's easy, just do it.

You will want to wet two still-connected paper towels and wring most of the moisture out and keep them on the phyllo when you're not taking a sheet. Failure to do this will result in disaster in a short time. Greek grandmas and aunts will sometimes use a kitchen towel. Whatever floats your boat.

With a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of the pan with melted butter (I keep the butter in the saucepan I melted it in on the lowest burner setting at all times). Take one layer of phyllo and lay it on the bottom of the pan. (Me? I buttered my bottom.) If it's slightly too long or wide, just fold the edge over, it's okay. Cover the remaining phyllo and brush the sheet in the pan with more melted butter. Repeat five times so that you have six layers of phyllo and butter on the bottom.

The butter.
Don't skimp.
Besides providing flavor, you are creating a fat layer between the pieces which gives it the flaky crispy texture - while keeping it from simply being layer upon layer of dry stuff that sticks in the back of your throat. This fat layer is important. I heard someplace you can use oil. I suppose you could do that...I'm sticking with butter.

Then take a handful of the nut mixture and sprinkle over the top. Spread it around so that it covers in a thin, even layer.

Take another phyllo sheet and lay on top of the nut mixture. This next phyllo layer (the one that goes on the nut mixture) is always the hardest to spread the melted butter onto. You may have to use your fingers to keep it in place. Once it's buttered, repeat the phyllo and butter process two more times so that you have three layers on the nuts.

Spread more nuts as before. Continue the nuts and three layers of buttered phyllo process until you have five or six sheets of phyllo left. This will be your top layer. These get the individual butter treatment as well.

BEFORE YOU STICK THE PAN IN THE OVEN:
You have to cut it into diamond shapes. I find it easier to make nine or ten cuts parallel to the longest side, then diagonal cuts. Um, I didn't follow his directions. So, my pieces have that, er, "rustic" look. Sure, that's the ticket. They're "rustic." I'll be following his directions next time... You will need a sharp knife to do this. Dip the knife in hot water if it sticks and the phyllo starts to pull and tear. Once it's cut into diamonds, pour any remaining melted butter evenly over the top. Then put it in the oven.

Bake 55-65 minutes, but I'd check after 45 minutes just to be sure. The top layers should be tinged with light brown and because it's a glass pan, you should see slightly darker orange layers at the bottom.

AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT OF THE OVEN:
Take the syrup out of the fridge, take out the cinnamon stick and cloves, and spoon the syrup all over the baklava. I tend to follow the cut lines, but just make sure that every piece gets some luscious syrup and don't forget the edges.

Did he say "spoon?"
Oh, we didn't read that part either.

We poured it right outta the pan - well, outta a measuring cup.
The cold syrup on the hot phyllo bubbled and gurgled and sputtered.
It was pretty fun.
Here's a shot of my niece - with the hot molten lava of love.

Cover loosely with foil and put in the refrigerator to cool.
(Or, place it in a snow drift, if one is available.)

So, there you have it.

A very tasty treat...

Make some...and let us know what you think!

Never Hurts to Ask.

Recently my sis showed me paradise.
What I mean is...

If Jimmy Buffet lived in this town,
In Michigan,
Ran a bar/restaurant
And kitsched it up to high heaven...
THIS might be what his place looked like.

I realize this post is useless w/o photos.
Sorry.

I didn't bring my camera.
I couldn't capture the little Santa hats perched on every single parrot, reindeer, fish, and palm tree in the place.

And, for that, I ask your forgiveness.

I promise.
Next Christmas, once I have my camera in hand (and after a quick conversation with the owner allowing me to disclose the name), I am sooooo posting this place.

Until then...

The Point.
It never hurts to ask.
"Anything you are especially proud of?"

Yes, I'm ending that sentence with a preposition.
Moving along...

You see, when I get the feeling that there just might be a hidden gem in the place, I sometimes muster up the courage to ask.

'Course, when the server responds,
"Um, I guess our fries are pretty good, "
I feel like a complete dolt.

But, sometimes you strike gold.
Like... at this place.

I ordered the roast beef and cheese sammie and asked about the sides. Turns out they have the rockingest - is that a word? - it should be - the 'Rockin'est' Sweet Potato Fries I have ever had!

Now, granted, I give them a 2 on the appearance scale.
(They're orange and brown and fried in grease.
Not a lot to work with there.)

Portion size - a 10.

And, for taste - they get an 11.

Taste was fabulous!
Crisp on the outside.
Soft sweet potato goodness on the inside.
Yum!

So, even if you might feel like a dork...
Might be worth asking...

"Anything you are especially proud of?"
*grin*

"What Can You Tell Me About The Egg?"

There I was.
Standing at the stainless steel food prep table, cracking a case and a half eggs - (that's 270 eggs to you and me) - cracking them two at a time into a giant Cambro container, when one of the cooks I admire walks over, picks up an egg, and asks...

"So, what can you tell me about the egg?"

I look up and see him holding the little white egg, index finger on the top, thumb on the bottom, shaking it slightly for effect, and just barley holding it up to the light.

All he needed was a German accent.

Or, French.
Yeah, it would be French in the movie.

Now, this guy has a rocking sense of humor, but you have to earn the right to hear it.

He speaks little.
Listens much.

And, when he does utter something it's either very important and well thought-out...or it's the best pun you've heard all week.

And, there he was.
Holding the egg up to the light.

"So, what can you tell me about the egg?"

I smile.
Alton Brown has prepared me for this moment.
"Well..."
I can name 5 parts to an egg.
The shell, which is porous.
The albumin.
The yolk.
The membranes.
And, the chalaze, this stringy part.

"More?" I ask while I cracking the eggs.
"Continue," he says.

OK.
I know of 3 grades of eggs.

Grade AA are the freshest, they have perky yolks with a tight membrane around them.

Grade A are a bit older.

Grade B eggs have yolks that will likely burst when they hit the pan, so they are bad for fried eggs.

I look up.
He's just smiling.

If you want a very smooth scramble, you can strain out the chalaze.

And, if you give me a raw egg and a hard boiled one, I can tell you which one is which, by spinning them on a table, then stopping them and removing my hands. The one that continues spinning is the raw egg.

Again, I look up.
He's listening, and waiting, wiggling the egg from side to side.

We now have a bit of an audience.
Someone is standing behind him,
And the person to my right stops chopping fruit to listen.

But...judging by the way you are holding that egg...

What you REALLY want to hear is...

It is virtually impossible to crack an egg by pressing only on the top and bottom of the egg - without cheating a little and applying a bit of pressure to the sides of the shell.

He smiles.
And, gently returns the egg to the case beside me.

Later he passes by.
I'm still cracking eggs.
(A case and a half is a lot of eggs.)

"Anything else?" I ask.

"An ostrich egg, how do you open that?"
He yells from across the prep area.

"Across the middle, the equator, usually with a hacksaw,"
I respond, mumbling a quiet 'thank you' to to the creators of Iron Chef America and Masaharu Morimoto who I have seen open plenty of ostrich eggs.

Later, he walks up to me for one last question.
"Why is the shell porous?"

"Because the little chicky needs oxygen," I tease.

He smiles. (Did I see a slight nod?)
Satisfied, he walks away.

I laughed, out loud just a bit - much more on the inside - because I knew I could have waxed poetic for at least 5 minutes more on the Incredible Edible Egg.

Why...I hadn't yet mentioned that...
Heat is extremely important in cooking eggs. Low and slow for fluffy scrambled and higher for fried.

The egg is an great emulsifier. The yolk is fat and the white is protein.

It's a "complete protein."

The average hen, gallus domesticus, can produce one egg a day every day of the year.

And, that's just a start...to the wonders of the egg.

So, thank you, Alton Brown.
For the egg education I have received over the years.
For helping me make good eats.

And, for making the cook smile... and, not break an egg in my face.
*grin*

While looking for a picture of Alton with an egg...
I found this video.
I hope you enjoy it.

BTW, yes, after cracking all those eggs,
your fingers do get pruney.

Now, "Go wash those chickeny hands!"
And, enjoy the video below.

Iron Chef America - The Video Game?

Appears there is an Iron Chef America video game on the brink of release by the company Destineer Studios. It was recently listed on Gamestop's website for DS and Wii formats, and then it was pulled.

Hopefully, it will be released soon.

Couple of interesting points.
1) In the video(shown below) the voiceover is not Alton Brown.
Perhaps he's in the actual game, though. If not, well, there goes my sale.

2) The newest Iron Chef, Michael Symon is included.

3) The video shown is a commercial for Food Network - I haven't seen it air yet, but good to see they are getting their money's worth.

Video trailer (if my embed ever fails)and additional information can be found here.

Hmm, to Wii or DS...
That is the question.

FDA May Soon Rule:Is It Time to Send in the Clones?

According to the Wall Street Journal,
the FDA may soon rule on whether to lift the temporary ban on cloned livestock. Such a decision may allow meat and dairy, etc. from cloned animals into the U.S. food system.

Click here for the full article.

Some retailers have chosen to avoid selling cloned animal product. Details can be found in the WSJ article.

However, if the FDA does rule to allow such sales, there may be no way for you to tell whether the product you purchase is from a cloned animal.

According to the WSJ:
ViaGen and Trans Ova Genetics, [one]of the three livestock-cloning companies in the U.S., recently announced a voluntary tracking system that will help food makers, slaughterhouses and marketers to prove, if they choose, that they aren't selling such foods. The program doesn't cover the offspring of clones, however.

...

Consumer wariness toward cloned food may lead to a backlash from opponents in Congress and other markets, such as the European Union, who are concerned that not enough data are available for a viable study on the safety of the products. There are also ethical worries because cloned animals tend to have more health problems at birth than conventionally bred animals.

U.S. food companies could face more trouble from European Union regulators and consumers, who are unlikely to respond favorably to the idea of eating cloned animals or their offspring. According to a recent poll, 55% of Italians think the EU should ban food made from cloned animals. The EU already bans most meat imported from the U.S. because it's often raised using hormones. (It imports only $70 million worth of meat a year from the U.S.) Similarly, trade rules allow the EU to ban the import of cloned animal food if it's for health and safety reasons.

While I am not yet sure on where I stand concerning the sale of such products, I do feel that an effective tracking program should be essential.

Me?
I don't want to be a guinea pig.

When it comes to food safety, I feel the more data, the better.
I would be fine with the FDA continuing the temporary ban.

Greek Salad - With Recipe

Since you've requested them,
I'll provide a few recipes this year.

And, here's the first.
The Greek Salad.
Yum!

Now, this one is a fav of mine for a few reasons.
The color. I mean just LOOK at those greens, and reds, and purples.
The feta. Oh, the feta.
The veggie crunch.

No guilt.
"I'm eating healthy!

Here's the way I make my salad.
Starting with Dana's Tips.
The flavor's in the details...

Tomatoes.
(Wait, does that have an E?
Thanks to Dan Quayle, I am insecure every time I spell out potato or tomato.)

Tomatoes, continued.
I don't put them in direct sunlight.
And, I don't refrigerate them.
Why?
Because cold turns off some of the flavor in the tomato.

Here, I'll let Alton Brown explain,
from his Good Eats episode, Tomato Envy:
Oh, and never put them in the refrigerator, okay?
If they drop below 50 degrees a flavor compound
called (Z)-3-dexenal is just going to flip itself
off like a chemical switch ... permanently.

Tomatoes, the prologue.
Beefeaters have lots of liquid.
Cherry can be tart.
Grapes can be...expensive.
I usually go with plum.
Cherry, grapes, plums... we ARE still talking about tomatoes, right?

Lemons.
I don't refrigerate those either.
No spiffy quote.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Can we please stop calling it EVOO?
If you are going to be eating it straight, like in this dressing application, be sure it's fresh, a pretty light green, and smells, well, to me it smells and tastes a bit fruity. Expiration? Yep, it expires. In Italy, the expiration date is two years after the production date. So, if you only see a production date, you do the math. Many people will replace their oil if not used within a year.

(If it smells like nothing, and tastes bland, it won't make for a good dressing. Maybe you can use it as a lubricant for your bike chain. Maybe not.)

Feta
I lived 2 miles from a Greek Deli all of my life and never knew it until I looked online at whitepages.com. Seriously. Wonderful imported groceries, cheese, and olives. Look under Greek or Mediterranean - it's amazing what cute little stores are out there.

(Mine has a sweet lady named Katherina who gives advice on life. Your mileage may vary.)

Oh, feta, yeah, I buy domestic for the salad.
It's what people are used to eating. Not too strong, keeps a good dice. Oh, and you can see from the photo that I use a lot. You could get away with using half the amount I use. For my Greek Lamb-burgers, I prefer imported. Oh, I should blog those, too...

Kalamata Olives
Are NOT black olives.
These are strong, briny, purple orbs of love.
They have pits.
Warn about the pits as necessary.
Unless you are providing dental insurance with dessert.
*wink*

Oregano, dried.
If it hasn't been replaced in two years, now's the time.
If it smells like sawdust, adding more will just increase that sawdusty flavor. Not-Good-Eats.
You're taste buds will thank you.

Garlic, fresh.
Refrigeration - bad.
And, the bulb should be heavy.
If it's light, it's not fresh.

If there is a little green sprout in the middle of the clove (I've never looked - are those mono or di-cotyledons?), remove the green. It's bitter. But, really, you should just toss that and buy some fresh garlic. Once the clove has started growing the sprout, the goodness it spent.

Red onion
Refrigeration - just say no.
Taste them, since some are stronger than others.
Reduce, if necessary.

OK, now the recipe.

Greek Salad.
Serves 4

6 plum tomatoes, diced large
1/2 cucumber, sliced in thin half moons
1/2 green pepper, diced small
1/4 red onion, sliced thinly
8 oz. feta cheese, cut in large cubes
16 olives, vary according to taste

Dressing
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon table or sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced.
1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground

Place all the cut veggies into a shallow bowl, I highly recommend red. It really makes the tomatoes - pop - with color. For me, half of cooking is being amazed at the colors and aromas.
Ohh, naked salad!
Gimme me a second to get it dressed...
And, find the cheese.

Put the dressing ingredients in a snap top container and shake them to combine. Vigorously. Think of it as exercise.

Add the cheese to the salad and pour the dressing over the top right before you serve.

Notice there is no vinegar in the dressing.
Nope, not a mistake.

Depending on the flavor of your olive oil and your tastes, you might want to add a bit of red wine vinegar. I don't. I might add a bit more salt, or garlic, or lemon - play a bit - but usually I stick with the ingredients listed above. If I have done my research well, the lemon and oil dressing is called Latholemono, and makes for a nice marinade on fish or chicken, too boot.

Here's our salad, properly dressed.
Quite a looker, isn't she?
Enjoy!

Linking up to:
Easy Natural Food's Summer Salad Days

Gettin' Greeky With It

So, I've been getting requests for recipes.
Hmm.

OK, I can do that.
Where to start?

This Christmas we had a marathon of "family meals."
You know, when the family is so large that the feasting continues for days with different segments of the family depending on who is in town?

In our case, we had 3 days of food (and fun) ahead.

And, my sis, knowing that I would likely be packing a chill chest - with filled with Kalamata olives, Feta cheese, another cheese called Kasseri, and one more called Kefalotyri - and toting it across two states lines...knew just what to suggest.

Greek Day!

It was a great idea.
I was already planning to make pasitsio (which is like a Greek lasagna) and she asked if we could make a Greek salad (sure, I have a favorite recipe), and some bakalava.

Full Stop.

I had never made bakalava.
But, I know this guy who makes it, and I have access to his recipe.
Whew.

"OK," I said, "Let's do it!"

Now, while I knew the pastitsio would rock (yeah, I'm a bit confident on that one) we were indeed taking a bit of a risk. You see, we were feeding the non-Greek side of the "fam" and a few friends, too. We had Michiganders, we had a gentleman originally from Mexico and his teen aged son, and a young guy visiting for the first time from Guatemala.

Honestly, we had no idea how this would go over.

Result?
Well, I can tell you that their plates were clean when they finished. Granted, they might have been really hungry. Or, waaaay to polite to leave anything on their plates. But, it seemed the meal was enjoyed.

(And, a little birdie told me that the teenager and the young guy from Guatemala each went back for seconds.)

Score!

So, while our Greek Fest was a bit of a risk, I think it was well-received.

I'm glad my sis suggested it.
Recipes forthcoming.
Stay tuned.

At The Root Of It - Rutabaga

New Year.
New veggie.

I was shopping over Christmas for some typical fare, when I saw two ladies standing over a basket of round purple roots.

Feeling chatty, I asked what they were.
Rutabagas, I was told.
Oh.
Oh? (The woman almost fainted.)
I said I wasn't sure if I had ever had a rutabaga.
(She succeeded with her faint.)

OK, not really, but she started with, "Oh, you're are KIDDING me. Rutabagas are one of my favorites!" And, she had only begun to explain.

While her friend stood by, the lady said she had grown up with them. Very tasty things. I asked how you cook them. A lady in red, walking by, happening to overhear explained that you cook them like mashed potatoes then smother them in gravy.

Pleased with her answer, the lady in red stood by to reap her rewards.

They were NOT forthcoming, I soon found out.

"Oh, sure, you CAN cover them with all that CRAP," the first lady explained, but then you might as well just make potatoes. She shot a look at the lady in red.

(Wow, this was getting steamy.)

Lady in red shrugged, and kinda hovered in the area, pretending to pick out veggies. I think she was as interested in hearing about the rutabaga as I was.

Lady one continued, yes, you can cook them like potatoes. Cut them in cubes, boil them, and mash, then smother them with whatever. But, please, she begged, would I first just try them plain, maybe with some salt or butter. She was raised with them, and they were one of her comfort foods. And, healthy to boot.

Hmm.
Should I try them?

I called out to my sis, checking if she would mind trying something a bit different for dinner. Sure, she was up for it. OK, then.

I grabbed one of the smaller bulbs but the lady protested. She explained that the rutabaga is covered in a very thick non-edible wax - so the actual veggie is much smaller. She also warned that I would need a very sharp knife to cut through the wax and the root itself. Not a problem. And, she added, I should be very careful not to cut myself with that very sharp knife. I assured her I would be careful.

You know, I was beginning to really trust this woman. After all, she gave cooking tips (boil till fork tender, but you could also roast it or use it as you would a carrot or potato in most applications), selection tips, safety warnings...my kind of woman.

I grabbed a larger one and she and her quiet friend seemed pleased. I thanked them for their insight, trying to include the (still hovering) woman in red in my appreciation without setting off the "cover them in crap" firestorm again.

That evening we had cubed rutabaga with our roast. Little butter, little salt, on slightly orange potato-looking pieces. You know, the taste was very familiar. I think I've had it plenty of times in restaurants but I didn't know what it was.

My sis would have preferred them cooked a bit more and mashed.
Maybe we will do that next time.

But, out of respect for the lady who introduced them to me,
I don't think I'll cover them... ;)
Thanks lady.