The Law of Edudynamics

Navajo Stew

Thus is my very first vegetable stew. I found the recipe in Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers.The part that took the longest was the slicing of the vegetables. I added some extra vegetables to my stew. I had a half of a red onion and half a leek leftover which I also added plus I added extra chipotles in adobe sauce.

Navajo Stew
Inspired by a Southwestern Native American dish, this is a sunny, colorful stew of roasted vegetables in a hot and smoky mole-type sauce.
SERVES 4
TIME: 55 MINUTES
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 red or green bell peppers
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 15-ounce can of tomatoes
1 tablespoon canned chipotles in adobo sauce
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 15-ounce can of butter beans or black beans, drained
flatbread (tortillas, lavash, or pita)
plain yogurt, sour cream, or Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
Preheat the oven to 450°. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Stem and seed the peppers and cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel the onion and cut it stem end to root end into thin wedges. In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the garlic, oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Stir and continue to roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy.

While the vegetables roast, purée the tomatoes, chipotles, and cilantro in a blender until smooth. Set aside. When the vegetables are tender, put them into a 2- to 3-quart baking dish, stir in the tomato-cilantro sauce and the beans, and return to the oven until hot, about 10 minutes. A few minutes before serving, warm the bread in the oven. Serve the stew in bowls topped with yogurt or sour cream, with warm flatbread on the side.
INGREDIENT NOTE You can substitute 1 tablespoon of Cumin Salt for the cumin and salt in the recipe. You may need to add more salt to taste. serving & menu ideas.
This is a filling stew, but Corn on the Cob makes a wonderful side dish, and if you’ve still got room for dessert, consider Warm Plums with Mascarpone.

I have also been busy writing Where are the Professional Managers? I wrote this after seeing an article where it was seemingly pointing out that just employees behave unprofessional. In reality they both are at fault.

I leave you with this quote:
A man's character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation. 
Mark Twain 

Chicken Veronique

How is this for the main course of the meal - chicken with grapes with a wine butter sauce.

This recipe came from Chicken Breasts by Diane Rozas. I have had this book for a while and cooked quite a number of recipes from this including Chicken Paprika.
Here is the recipe.

Here is the chicken in the pan, ready to be served. The grapes are heated a minute before serving so they had a very fresh flavor. I cut the chicken breasts in half. I actually only bought a little bit over a pound of chicken breasts.

This meal is really appetizing and if you are worried about not having a dinner that included grapes as part of the main course - don't be. I have a fussy eater in my household who at first turned up their nose at grapes. Then they tried it and said it was quite tasty.

I leave you with this quote:

Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.
Julia Child

Bead Curiosities Esty Store

Dining By Rail with a Cuban

I never have cravings for sandwich, but here it is - I had one. Decided to have a Cuban. I have never had one before. I can say that most of the sandwiches I love have both lettuce and tomato on them. As you can see this one does not. I found this recipe in this recipe book...

This is the book I found the recipe in Dining by Rail by James D. Porterfield. The book is very informative with all kinds of information about the placing of the food on a plate, and the different trains and their meals. 

This sandwich was served on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. 

Here is the recipe from page 169 of the book.

I like the taste of the pickles in the sandwich and happily add a few extra chips.

The quote I leave you with...

Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.
C. S. Lewis

Bead Curiosities Esty Store

Have You Tried Ice Breakers Ice Cubes?

Have you tried Ice Breakers Ice Cubes? I love the bubble gum flavor - any look - It's sugar free.

Banana Omelet

This omelet was excellent. And just think, this was a dish served in the 1930s. I did do a slight spin of my own to the recipe, but all I can tell you is this omelet was good.

When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's by Joan Kanel Slomanson. Schrafft's was a candy factory based in Sullivan Square, Charlestown, Massachusetts constructed in 1928. They later opened a restaurant chain nationwide.
Here is the recipe found on page 109 of the book.

Banana Omelet with Bacon Curls (1930)
1. Peel a banana, cut into 1/4'inch slices, and sprinkle with 1 tsp. lemon juice.
2. Saute 1/3 of the banana (8 slices) in 1 Tbsp. butter until very light brown. (I sauteed half of the slices instead).
3. Lightly whisk 2 eggs, cook in 1 Tbsp. butter to make omelets, and just before folding add the sauteed banana. (I instead added the other half of the banana while the egg was still cooking, folded the omelet and added thew sauteed banana to the top. )
4. Bacon curls are made by rolling up slices of raw bacon, placing them on a rack in a pan, and baking in oven until crisp. Serve 1 curl on each side of the omelet.  (The bacon to me was optional so I opted out.)

That is what I call yummy!

I leave you with this quote:

I think happiness comes from self-acceptance. We all try different things, and we find some comfortable sense of who we are. We look at our parents and learn and grow and move on. We change.
Jamie Lee Curtis

Bead Curiosities Esty Store

Teryaki Chicken in a Bowl with Buckwheat Noodles

I made Jamie Cooks It Up infamous Teriyaki Chicken in a Bowl the other night and it was a hit and it was so easy. What was really great was also the fact that you make your own Teriyaki Sauce. Follow this link to the recipe.

Here they are. These noodles are from the Oriental Market but I found mine at Stop and Shop.

It was a truly delightful meal.

I also wrote some articles recently:

Promote Your Business Events with Calendars to Share and Download

Role Model: Sam Evans of Glee

Employee Loyalty in Today's Workplace

My quote for today:


I love books.
Reese Witherspoon

Salmon Pan-Seared with a Honey Soy Glaze with Almonds

I had dinner planned when I went to the grocery store, and I changed my mind in the middle of shopping. I didn't have any idea what I wanted to make so I created my own recipe.
1 lb salmon fillet
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup honey
1 T minced garlic
1 t Chinese five spice
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup slivered almonds
Mix together the soy sauce, honey, garlic and five spice in a shallow bowl or pan and marinate the fish for half and hour or so.
Meanwhile heat up a large skillet ( I used cast iron) and add the sesame oil on medium-high. Place the salmon, skin side up, in the saute pan, include the marinate ingredients. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the salmon is seared on the top, about 10 minutes. Once seared, add the chicken stock and continue cooking. Turn the salmon over and continue cooking about 10 minutes or so. Cook down the sauce. When the sauce is quite thick in the last few minutes of cooking add the almonds, and stir to brown a little and heat.

Here it is in the pan nearly finished. It was quite tasty.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Audrey Hepburn

Bead Curiosities