[Ninja Baker] Singin’ in the Rain
Ninja Baker
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| Hot out of the Ninja Baker oven: Deceptively Delicious oatmeal cookies. |
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| The Ninja Baker's rendition of Mrs. Seinfeld's chocolate chip cookies. |
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| Author of A Migraine Sufferer's Cookbook, Diane Meredith Bentley Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley |
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| NBC Photojournalist and author of Motor Dolls, Lori Bentley Law Photo courtesy of Lori Bentley Law |
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| Tangy chicken thighs with Gramp's applesauce. Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley |
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| A Bentley family fave: Salad with roasted asparagus, parsnips and feta cheese. Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley. |
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| Diane Meredith Bentley in her state-of-the-art kitchen. Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley |
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| Egg white omelet with fruit salad Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley |
The Ninja Baker--
Posted By Ninja Baker to Ninja Baker at 4/19/2011 09:38:00 PM
Donald S Hiroto PhD
Yumi Takada
I want to try making it.
How is everyone at dance class? Sorry we couldn't make it after all.
I had most busiest time after 9:11! And now my schedule is finally settled down.
I'd like to have a coffee with you and David sometime!
Yumi
Yumi Takada Casting
315 South Lucia Ave.
Redondo Beach CA 90277
310-372-7287 phone
424-247-8522 fax
310-920-5567 cell
yumic...@earthlink.net
On Apr 19, 2011, at 9:38 PM, Ninja Baker wrote:
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> Singin’ in the Rain. More than a terrific title for the 1952 film classic, it’s a great metaphor for life. When worries wage war in our minds, we humans seem to wiggle our way back to joy with song, dance and a myriad other capers.
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> According to MD types, discovering delight is easier when the body – the mechanism – the temple which carries us through life is properly nourished. Yet many children (of all ages) tend to resist all the good-for-you stuff. To combat this problem, Jessica Seinfeld penned Deceptively Delicious. She designed recipes disguising mashed up veggies to support Jerry’s kids. (Think Seinfeld offspring. Not the Labor Day TV special.)
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> Upon its debut on Amazon, I purchased Deceptively Delicious. Do I have kidlets? No. But with the faith of a mustard seed, with the hopes of a visit from my nieces and nephews, I plunked down my credit card.
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> “Believe.” “Prepare for what you want.” Isn’t that what all the self-help gurus tell us?
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> Hot out of the Ninja Baker oven: Deceptively Delicious oatmeal cookies.
> Well maybe California dreaming is not all hocus-pocus. (Or a hokey-pokey dance.) My New York niece, Eliza and nephew, Adam are doing a West Coast tour (with their parents.) In preparation, I baked Deceptively Delicious oatmeal cookies. Less expensive and just as tasty as a health food store purchase, the combo of oats, brown sugar and bananas are yummy.
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> Confession: Cupcakes celebrating niece, Eliza’s birthday contain the refined white stuff. Although the vanilla recipe I selected does require lighter ingredients such as two percent milk and egg whites. Also, since I had Mrs. Seinfeld’s recommended trans fat-free soft tub margarine on hand, I used that for shortening. If you crave a bite of scrumptious vanilla cupcake or want to sneak a peek at the recipe, click here.
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> Ninja Baker Notes: I whipped up the egg whites in one mixer with the whipping attachment. And in the bowl of the other Kitchen Aid, I used the paddle attachment to mix up the flour, sugar, milk, vanilla mixture. I added the two whole eggs to this latter mixture. The soft peak textured egg whites were folded in last.
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> The above cookie and cupcake recipes will not disappoint.
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> Neither will my niece Eliza's rendition of Don't Rain On My Parade.
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> Speaking of entertainers and Mrs. Seinfeld, catch her husband’s reruns on
> late-night TV to combat the blues.
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> Or if you don’t want to re-visit Jerry, head farther back in time to the 1970’s and purchase DVDs of Fawlty Towers - the BBC show starring John Cleese of Monty Python fame. In my never-to-be humble opinion, it’s hilarious. No joke: To prevent an exacerbation of breathing problems from excessive laughing, my husband, David and his brother, James had to ration their elderly mother’s viewing.
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> Or you can go really old school and view the spectacular Make ‘Em Laugh performance by Donald O’Connor and his colleagues in Singin’ in the Rain. If this is your first time viewing the number, you’re in for a treat! Just thinking about it makes me smile.
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> In any case, do make an effort to laugh. According to scientists and the experts at
> Be Happy 101.com, laughing is absolutely essential. And a stress buster.
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> And if nothing but an old-fashioned American chocolate chip cookie will produce a giggle, try Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious recipe.
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> The Ninja Baker's rendition of Mrs. Seinfeld's chocolate chip cookies.
> The texture is softer than its Nestlé’s cousin. You forfeit the pleasure of a chocolately crunch. But, you also forgo the calorie guilt. In addition to the brain fog which follows a half-dozen Mrs. Fields. Even Paula Deen, the over-sixty Southern belle and butter advocate, warns against consuming large daily dosages of lard.
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> Over forty people tried my take on Mrs. Seinfeld’s chocolate chip concoction and gave a thumbs-up. One lady guessed coconut was in the mix. Only a bean-hater detected the mashed up chickpeas. (AKA garbanzo beans.) However, he said the chocolate covered up any beany flavor and promptly ate two cookies. You can’t go wrong. After all, Jerry Seinfeld endorses the Deceptively Delicious product…
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> Author of A Migraine Sufferer's Cookbook,
> Diane Meredith Bentley
> Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley
> Another must for any health conscious kitchen is Diane Meredith Bentley’s
> A Migraine Sufferer’s Cookbook. She and her NBC photojournalist daughter, Lori Bentley Law were plagued with headaches. Determined to discover a cure, Diane headed to the kitchen. After months of experimentation, the Madame Curie of migraines found tasty formulas for family meals with no nasty consequences. For more details, go to Diane’s home page. Grab your own copy online. Or insist your library order the cookbook.
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> NBC Photojournalist and author of Motor Dolls,
> Lori Bentley Law
> Photo courtesy of Lori Bentley Law
> And proceeding a fall/winter publication, you can also demand that your local library carry her daughter’s novel, Motor Dolls. Take a cyberspace cruise over to Lori’s web site and learn more about her latest adventures in the literary world. (As well as her past accomplishments which include covering everything from Columbine to the Pope.)
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> Here are a few recipes from A Migraine Sufferer’s Cookbook which keeps the heads of this dynamic mother and daughter clear. And ready to conquer the world!
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> Gramp’s Applesauce
> Courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley
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> Ingredients:
> 5 large Granny Smith apples
> 3 tablespoons raw sugar
> 1 teaspoon cinnamon
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> Place apples in a pressure cooker with 1 cup water. Pressure cook for approximately 20 minutes (or according to manufacturers directions.)
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> Cool cooker, and place apples in food mill (looks like a big strainer with a blade and handle, found at any kitchen store) over large bowl. Push soft apples down with a fork and mash until all pulp is in the bowl. Keep turning back and forth until only the skin and seeds are left in the food mill. Do one apple at a time. And clean out discards from the food mill after each one.
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> Using 5 apples will yield about 2 cups of applesauce.
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> Add sugar and cinnamon to apple puree in bowl and mix well.
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> Refrigerate. (Only keep for a few days.)
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> Author’s Note 1: This recipe is for a small pressure cooker. (5 apples are the maximum that will fit.)
> Author’s Note 2: If you don’t have a pressure cooker, just use a large pot and add the water. You will need to check every few minutes and add water as needed. It will take about 30 minutes for the apples to get soft. A really good way of doing this is in a two-piece steamer pot.
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> Tangy chicken thighs with Gramp's applesauce.
> Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley
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> Tangy Chicken Thighs
> Courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley
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> Ingredients:
> 1 cup rice vinegar
> ½ cup balsamic vinegar (Wild Thymes Red Raspberry)
> ½ tablespoon minced garlic
> ½ tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
> 8 boneless chicken thighs, skinned and fat cut off
> 1 tablespoon canola or olive oil
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> Combine vinegars and garlic and bring to a boil. Continue to cook on low boil until thick and syrupy. (Takes about 15 to 20 minutes or so.) Stir in rosemary. While sauce is cooking; cook chicken.
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> Heat oil in a large, heavy oven proof skillet. When oil is hot, add chicken thighs. (Make sure all bones are removed as you will need to fold them in half to cook.)
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> Season with salt and pepper.
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> Cook on both sides until brown, about 5 minutes.
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> Remove chicken to a platter and drain off any excess fat. Put chicken back in pan. Transfer pan into 450 degree oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Or until the chicken is done.
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> Remove chicken from oven and brush on vinegar mixture.
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> Place under broiler until glaze is bubbly. About 1 to 3 minutes.
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> A Bentley family fave: Salad with roasted asparagus, parsnips and feta cheese.
> Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley.
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> Egg White Omelet
> Courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley
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> Diane says, “Make sure you have all your ingredients ready before you start cooking. A two-sided omelet pan is essential. And it’s an inexpensive item which is found at most kitchen stores.” She adds, “These amounts are approximate. Experiment to find the amounts and ingredients you like.”
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> Diane Meredith Bentley in her state-of-the-art kitchen.
> Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley
> Ingredients:
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> 4 to 6 egg whites at room temperature
> ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper or to taste
> Dash of paprika
> ¼ mustard (Rothschild or dry mustard)
> ½ cup diced fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers, chilies or other veggies
> 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh herbs (basil, oregano, cilantro)
> ½ cup farmer’s cheese, natural cheddar or fresh mozzarella
> 1 to 2 teaspoons butter
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> Egg white omelet with fruit salad
> Photo courtesy of Diane Meredith Bentley
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> Omelet Pan Recipe
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> Whisk egg whites until foamy and a little stiff. Add seasonings. Melt butter on both sides of pan until it sizzles. But do not let the butter brown.
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> Pour half of the egg white mixture in each side of the omelet pan. When it starts to cook a little on the edges, lay veggies and cheese on top of the eggs on one side. Let it cook a little more until set and flip lid over.
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> Cool approximately 3 minutes on each side. (If a toothpick comes out clean, it’s done.)
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> 8” Non-stick Fry Pan Method
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> Heat butter in pan. Pour egg whites into hot skillet.
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> Over high heat quickly shake skillet while cooking until eggs are set. Using a spatula, pull eggs away from the side of the pan to allow uncooked eggs to set.
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> Put ingredients (cheese, tomatoes, chilies, etc.) on one side of the eggs. When you can easily lift up the other side, fold it over.
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> Lower heat and cover pan until eggs are done.
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> Voila! Diane’s egg white omelets. Now that is a wonderful way to say Good Mornin’ to the ones you love!
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> Wishing you health, humour and headache-free days.
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