One Year Closer

I did it. One year of grad school over, and another to follow. I don’t like to think about it very much, simply because the idea of leaving academia in search of a career scares the heck out of me. School was my only focus for months, and as a result my work at the community center suffered, as did my overall health and social life. I wrote my final papers and proposals in a haze of fatigue and tear-filled vision, my walls finally crashing down and hard. How long have I been like this, you ask. Too long, dear friends. Too long.

The Meals with Morri front page was up on the screen of my laptop on a daily basis yet untouched, a neglected hobby you once couldn’t tear me away from. At one point I had so many recipes and photos it took, I kid you not, weeks to get them all down. It’s been over three weeks, and not one recipe was recorded, with only one meal photographed. I didn't even celebrate my site's second anniversary back in April. Something was seriously wrong. 

Mother's Day Dinner: Grilled scallops & crispy polenta salad

I don’t take the idea of depression well. It’s a phenomenon that happens to other people, whereas all I experience is a funk that won't go away. All the stress and the obligations and the things I simply wasn’t doing were purposefully replaced with over-activity and worrying. I wasn’t eating enough, sleeping enough, or being enough… and people noticed. All I wanted to do was sleep and read, a red flag telling me to slow down if I ever saw one. But I didn’t slow down. I just kept going and going and going.

I know I said I wouldn’t use the “h-word” early on in my writing, but I’m using it now. I hated it. I hated that I couldn’t do it all. I hated that people and activities I loved with every essence of my being were left in the dust while I scrambled to make everything work. The past wouldn’t stay where it was, and the future was a mixture of uncertainty and terror. Never mind the present, I said to myself, because if I work my butt off now I will have everything in place for later. That’s the thing about time, though: it’s always the present.

So with summer school starting next week, I’ve decided to change my focus. I’m not working at camp this year, sadly, but I will have the energy to get through school and also spend these months being with friends and family, starting new hobbies, and going on adventures. 

After all, Life isn’t about how much you do but how much it means to you doing it.

Self-Realization and Without a Plan

I have been wondering almost to an obsession why I have suddenly come to a standstill. Over a week had gone by and there wasn’t a recipe made, a photo taken, or a witty post written. I came back from my long weekend in Florida and discovered something daunting and rather terrifying: I lost my plan.

It didn’t occur to me until a few days ago what my breakup would mean in the long run. Here I was at twenty-two (a month shy of turning twenty-three), in a relationship with a man I thought was the forever kind, and poof! All the plans and dreams that involved "us" were gone, completely thrown out the window as if it never existed. I was feeling, for lack of better words, lost, because for 2.5 years I didn’t have a plan without him in it.

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” (J. Campbell)

Flash forward to today, with hormones and emotions flaring up, and I have been looking into new plans, short and long-term goals for what I want to do in life. My friend in Florida and our mutual friend in Italy have shown me from their past heartbreaks that the heart does heal and the world will not implode in on itself while being single. By no longer having a plan that includes another person at this point in my life, I can focus on my studies, my health, my passions in conflict resolution/food justice/sustainable development, and learn the beauty of solitude and inner quiet.

 "By creating a strong body and emanating good health, we attract more of the same in our lives." (R. Mars)

The world seems so vast and new, raw and intimidating. I have started to see how much of ourselves we give to others, intentionally or not, and the positive and negative effects it can have on you as a whole. You start to question yourself: Did I make this decision for me or because it was expected? The scary part is wondering whether or not you would know the difference.

You think you know everything in your early twenties. You think you can handle whatever trials the world decides to throw at you, because it is what is expected. I can’t believe how much self-inflicted stress I endured because I felt I didn’t have the plan that suited the expectations of everyone else  (Rosenberg and Gandhi’s (2003) Nonviolent Communication has really helped in this department). Once my old plan literally fell to pieces, the one that consisted of pleasing everyone along with unrealistic goals and expectations I had put upon myself, self-realization and an inner calm overtook me.
 
In a lifetime of gasping for air, in asking for the right to breathe, I could feel my entire lungs utilized and I breathed deeply. I’m sleeping throughout the night and eating healthily. I’m finally acting my age and having fun doing it.

So what’s my plan? To keep doing what I’m doing, and learning all I can along the way. I’m going to continue being inspired by the people life puts on my path, love them and honor them for the lessons they bring. I’m going to give generously, receive fully, and pay it forward whenever I can.

And naturally, with an assortment of recipes coming your way. 

A Little Bit of Philosophy in Sun Butter

Before you read any further, I must ask that you pay no attention to the background of the photos. The blurred, artistically cropped things of food surrounding the sun butter are not important right now. What is important is that little glob of sunshine smeared on the still-warm dish. The littlest things in life, at least for me this week, are the most significant.

Thus, sun butter.

Sun butter is that holy grail of spread that took me so long to find and create to my liking. I didn’t want sun butter (or sunflower seed butter, but I like its abbreviation better) that had additional oils or sweeteners, and I didn’t particularly care if it wasn’t raw. I wanted something that stuck to the roof of my mouth just like any nut butter and taste what it really was: sunflower seeds.

There are a lot of great recipes out there for sun butter, though I find in my search through cyber space a twisted hope that I don’t find it. If you go on an adventure to find something and come back empty-handed, that is where your creativity, ambition, and strength to make do come out to the light. So what if you don’t get exactly what you wanted? Sometimes getting what you want is the last thing you need. Sometimes you do get what you want and realize it wasn’t what you were hoping for. Sometimes it just takes a little more effort to get there, perhaps with more twists and turns along the way.

Sun butter has become the focus of my philosophical “aha!” moment this morning. Here is this dollop of brown gloop just sitting there at the center of whatever I happen to put it on, and I get lost in its significance. 

I’m learning to break things down into manageable blocs of focus throughout the day. There’s time reserved for meditation, for studying, for classes, and for my part-time job. There’s time reserved for blogging, for eating, for exercising, and other things. From my week enjoying a spoonful of the sunny stuff I learned to not stress over being perfect the first time around (case in point, the delicious “flop” food the sun butter is so delicately placed on), and to not micro-manage everything. Just because I’m managing my time is no reason to become too time oriented and rigid. There’s stuff going on between the studying and the classes, the blogging and the meditating, little stuff that cements those blocs into the collective whole that is my life in a day. Life happens and there will be bumps and bruises and tears amidst the smiles and smooth sailing. That’s just a small part, the majority of which being rather amazing and awe-inspiring.

In conclusion, my dear readers, the little dollops of sun butter are just the minute experiences that make the whole dish of life that much better. So go ahead and take a spoonful. Just remember that there are other meals to taste along the road.

A Little Bit of Sunshine Roasted Sun Butter

330 g Raw sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp. Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
Spread the sunflower seeds flatly on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Roast for 30 - 35 minutes*, until golden brown and aromatic, stirring 1 to 2 times.
Remove and add to your food processor, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Process for 10 - 12 minutes, continuing to scrape as needed.** 
Once it is smooth, add the sea salt and process for another minute or so until it is at the desired consistency.

Makes 10 servings.

* Sunflower seeds take a little longer to brown, but I assure you the “roasted” taste in the sun butter is worth it.
** Okay, sun butter takes quite a while to become, well, sun butter. For a time it will seem like all it’s becoming a sunflower seed flower, but then it will ball up and have the consistency of sticky dough. The ball will twirl around the processor and then it will flatten out and finally liquefy. (But is it worth it, Morri? you ask. Yes, yes it is.)

Honesty

Honesty. Let us reflect upon the word together and discuss its meaning. The word is often overlooked or taken for granted as a virtue, because the truth can be a hard thing to face. But as they say, the truth will set you free, and I hope my being honest does the same.

Writing about hypothyroidism has been a fun learning experience, including the feedback I’ve received from people telling me their stories. I’ve written about my frustrations and my experimenting with food lifestyles and thyroid medicine doses. I did a little research on what foods may affect the thyroid in a negative way, and started looking into what forms of exercise can be beneficial to those with thyroid disease. But there was a symptom of hypothyroidism I kept close to my heart, something that I felt was slowly ruining my life and all I held dear.

Three little words, my dear readers: sleep maintenance insomnia (SMI).

A good cat nap is apparently hard to come by.

This post was originally going to portray a "Why me?!" diary entry, filled with ranting, less than positive language, and feeling sorry for myself. But after two days of fully slept nights, with the exception of getting up to use the bathroom and drink a glass of water by my bed, I hold my head high and wish to tell you this story honestly and completely.

There’s that word again. Honest.

 Now, I have told people of my less than awesome sleeping habits, about how not days, not weeks, but months passed by with my SMI waking me up between 2:30 and 4:00 most mornings on less than five hours of REM sleep.  I woke up starving, so I would fill my clawing hunger with an early breakfast and attempt to go back to sleep. But the damage was already done. Over six months of this terrible secret of mine kept me from being social after hours and rekindling my orthorexic tendencies and anorexic habits. I was so terrified that I was gaining weight I upped my workout habits to such a degree that it made matters worse.

Thus the vicious cycle repeated itself, day after day and night after night: lack of sleep leads to eating more leads to working out. I looked myself in the mirror and saw distortion. I found myself bringing out my worst inner critic, the one that screamed “Not Good Enough” and “How are you not losing weight? You must be doing it wrong.” I tried, dear readers, I really did. I did eat. I did exercise. And I did try certain remedies for a complete REM cycle: yoga, hot baths, a light snack right before bed, no caffeine after three in the afternoon…  

Herbal tea? Been there... done that.

But every morning I looked out to see streetlights glaring against the pitch black night, and felt my stomach growl like a predator that demands an easy meal.

I became so obsessed with controlling things like when and what I ate, how many times I exercised per week and for how long, because I felt that my life was spiraling out of control. No matter how busy I was or how many posts I published on Meals with Morri, my fatigue pushed me to work harder, to see more people, and to exercise more often.

And I could see the looks of disappointment in my friends’ faces when I couldn’t stay out long or not go out at all. It broke my heart that my lack of sleep only gave me certain hours of the day open to see people, and that was filled with exercise, work, and blogging. I could feel the concern and the confusion when I didn’t accept how they saw me: busy, in shape, and helping others. Finally, on Tuesday, it all came crashing down.

I was on my parents’ bed, my body heaving with uncontrollable sobbing. I was so tired it hurt, my mind restless and always thinking despite its exhaustion. I was frustrated that my fitness regimen wasn’t doing what I thought it would be by the end of May (i.e., firm tummy, toned arms, happy Morri…), and I was beyond angry how I looked at myself.

I just wanted eight hours of continuous sleep each night. Is that so much to ask?

Mama Dazz, who also has hypothyroidism (but in the form of Hashimoto’s), consoled me the best she could. From what came of the conversation, all my problems were the cause of my insomnia. It is improbable, highly unlikely, and extremely difficult to lead a healthy lifestyle while suffering from insomnia. As one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, it is a leading cause to weight gain (or in my case, my body was always “on”, so it couldn’t keep up with my lifestyle and held onto my "plush" for dear life). I had restricted myself and controlled everything in my life to such an extent that, when I couldn’t complete a basic state of being, I felt so broken.

So there I was, curled up in a ball, crying my eyes out that shook my entire body, feeling like I was crazy, stupid, and the most useless sentient being in the world. If my SMI had gone on for another month, it is highly likely I would have been hospitalized until I was considered “normal” again. Between a rock and a hard place, I chose another option, one I wasn’t thrilled about but I did it anyway out of desperation.

I took medicine to sleep.

In the name of my holistic beliefs and philosophies, taking medication was something I’d refused for months. At the time, I felt like I would be a complete hypocrite to take over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. I’m personally not a fan of antidepressants, and as such I do not take them. I don’t take diets pills for weight loss, and instead eat healthily to the best of my ability and exercise when I can. I felt like taking medicine to sleep was, well, cheating. And if I was a hypocritical cheater, what made me think I could run Meals with Morri with a clear conscience?  

Bangin' bread on little sleep.

At the moment, sleeping well for two nights in a row is quite an achievement, and my body is following suit. It’s starting to understand how exhausted it truly is, and what it means to slow down and turn “off”. I’m not pushing myself to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to prove how happy I am. I’m calmer and quieter, with a “sparkle” in my voice that I was told has been missing for quite some time.

There are quite a few theories why SMI has reared its grumpy head: too low a dose of thyroid medicine, boredom, restlessness, etc. And because the medicine to help me sleep seems to be working, I’m going to continue taking it for a few weeks and see how it goes. Mama Dazz has also put curtains in my bedroom to keep it dark and cool, which has also helped enormously. I’ve started seeing progress in my eating and not being ravenous all the time. Oh, and my climbing seemed to improve overnight, so I’m rather happy with that in particular .

My sincerest hope is that I’ll continue sleeping, and that we can continue to share our stories honestly with each other. I end this post with an interesting read I found on sleep:

“People say, 'I'm going to sleep now,' as if it were nothing. But it's really a bizarre activity. 'For the next several hours, while the sun is gone, I'm going to become unconscious, temporarily losing command over everything I know and understand. When the sun returns, I will resume my life.'

If you didn't know what sleep was, and you had only seen it in a science fiction movie, you would think it was weird and tell all your friends about the movie you'd seen.

They had these people, you know? And they would walk around all day and be OK? And then, once a day, usually after dark, they would lie down on these special platforms and become unconscious. They would stop functioning almost completely, except deep in their minds they would have adventures and experiences that were completely impossible in real life. As they lay there, completely vulnerable to their enemies, their only movements were to occasionally shift from one position to another; or, if one of the 'mind adventures' got too real, they would sit up and scream and be glad they weren't unconscious anymore. Then they would drink a lot of coffee.'

So, next time you see someone sleeping, make believe you're in a science fiction movie. And whisper, 'The creature is regenerating itself.”

(George Carlin, Brain Droppings)

Pleasant dreams, my dear readers. Here’s to finally sleeping in on a Saturday morning.

One Eggtastic Year

On my one-year blogversary, I meant to write the things I learned along the way. But as you recall, I spent those days fighting off something I’d never wish upon anyone. I had recipes lined up for that week, most of which I couldn’t even muster the energy to write them down (let alone make it). But today is the last day of taking the antibiotic, and hopefully I’ll be back on my fitness regimen and social calendar by Monday. 

For now, I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned these last twelve months. For instance:

• I learned that measuring ingredients by weight makes recipes easier to follow and more precise.
• I learned that there is a huge difference between healthy food and eating healthily.
• I learned that taking things too seriously is not the same as seeing them as they are.
• I learned to accept the mistakes I’ve made, both in and out of the kitchen, and that the best way to move on is to let it go.
• I learned that life is one huge experiment that has more than one equation and more than one answer.
• I learned to work around my “weaknesses” instead of denying ever having them at all, making me a stronger person as a result.
• I learned that comparing myself to others is a disservice to both parties involved.
• I learned that my dreams are enormous… and so are my plans to seeing them through.
• I learned that food is a philosophy in of itself and that making a recipe is as rewarding as writing poetry. 
• I learned that grain-free flours are my favorite to use and how applesauce makes a great sugar substitute.
• I learned that progress is still progress, no matter how small you think it is, and that I’ll get to where I want to be soon enough.

As for what I hope to learn, I plan:

• To enhance my cooking technique and plating skills
• To really understand how digital photography and editing works
• To become a better writer
• To write many restaurant, book, and product reviews
• To go on food-related adventures (i.e., farmers markets, food/health/environment festivals, conventions, etc.)
• To understand as much as I can about hypothyroidism, how it relates to my health (eating and fitness included), and how it can help others find healing
• To accept that I am human, that I do make mistakes, and that I don’t have to be perfect
• To make delicious confections, desserts, and finger foods that holds to the Meals With Morri motto
• To focus on being happy and healthy and not on how much I weigh
• To be relaxed and able to handle whatever stress comes my way
• To continue avidly rock climbing and running, and to also balance my activity with meditation, yoga, and the right food intake

And I invite you all learn along with me.

This recipe is one I’m particularly proud of, because it has everything you like about egg foo young without all the stuff you don't like. Back in my BGF days, we used to order Chinese takeout often. We consumed vast amounts of fried chicken wings, fried rice, fried egg rolls, and we would switch egg drop soup for hot and sour when the mood struck us. But once in a while we ordered the egg foo young, an eggy mass completely submerged in gravy of indiscernible origins. It was a way of feeding me vegetables without my catching wise, but I have a feeling it wasn’t the healthiest option on the menu.

Initially I was going to make separate the mixture into individual servings, cooked one at a time for every plate. My biggest concern, though, was that one person may not get an equal amount of the veggie goodness in their omelet. So I did the next best thing: I turned it into a frittata.

It had to be done.

This recipe doesn’t include gravy, simply because I felt it didn’t need it. Instead, I drizzled the top with sesame seed oil, providing a lovely flavor that didn’t overpower the rest of the ingredients. The dish turned out to be light and filling in all the right ways, and a great new way to keep egg dishes interesting.

Veggie Love Egg Foo Young Frittata

3 Carrots, coarsely grated
1 Celery rib, coarsely grated or finely chopped
1 White onion, finely chopped
100 g (around 2 c.) Mung bean sprouts*, cleaned and patted dry
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper
1 tbsp. Black sesame seeds
8 Large eggs, lightly beaten (yolks and whites still separated)
Coconut oil, for greasing
Sesame oil, for garnish

Combine the veggies in a mixing bowl and fold in the eggs and spices until evenly distributed.
Place the coconut oil in a large iron skillet pan on medium heat, and then pour the egg mixture and cook until the sides begin to bubble.
Place the dish under the broiler until fully cooked (about five minutes… but watch it closely!).**
Slice into the desired number of servings and garnish with sesame oil.

 Makes 1 frittata, 4 – 8 servings depending on if it is a main dish or an appetizer.

* Can’t find mung bean sprouts? For those who tolerate soy, they can be substituted with soy bean sprouts.
** If you don’t have a broiler, or feel uncomfortable using this method, look to my crustless quiche recipe and follow those instructions.

The Best Oven-Baked Chicken You'll Ever Make

There are days where I come up with a recipe I like and really want to share it with the world. But two situations sometimes occur: firstly, Life with a capital “L” leads me in a profusion of directions and blogging is the last thing I think about; and secondly, the most common of the two, I don’t have much of a Story behind it.

You see, I’m not partial to simply posting the recipe without a little introduction about it at least. Cooking is linked to just about everything in my life. Food is a basic need after all. We need nourishment to thrive, to survive, and to simply enjoy the process of being nourished. 

Believe me when I say recipes are plentiful in this household, hurriedly written on notepads or loose paper, jotted down in pencil or ink (and sometimes a Sharpie permanent marker). I am always changing the recipe based on the ingredients I do or do not have, removing one in place for another, adding more to reach the consistency I desire, etc. There are a few I thought I’d posted already or had lost in my attempts to organize my life, and there are many that I truly enjoyed and wished to post but didn’t have my camera at the time and thus no photos to provide.

If there aren’t any photos to post or stories to tell, a recipe will not be published. It’s that plain and simple.

“Why is that?” you wonder. Well, I’ll tell you. I’m not a computer. I’m not a cooking robot who wants to keep it formal and prim. I want to show you how my photography skills and storytelling are steadily improving. I want to open a little window for you to see what goes on in my life and inside my head. I’m a real person, one who succeeds and fails, laughs and cries, learns as she goes, and loves to share her passions with others.

In short, I want perspective… for you and for me.

I want to meet people who are like-minded (or not), who have stories of their own that are related to mine. I want you to comment, to provide constructive criticism and encouraging words to others as well as myself, and to do so lovingly and with respect. I want you share your lives and your recipes with me and those who visit this site, because what you have to say may be the most important thing for someone to hear.

If you really think about it, the Gluten Free movement is rather amazing. Actually, any form of movement, whether it’s for a kind of dietary lifestyle, an ethical standard of living, a political and/religious principle, or a love for all things Sci-Fi, there are people all over the world who you can talk to, become friends with, give and receive advice, and spread the word. This can be just as negative as it is positive; still though, the movement spreads and spreads. Gluten free eating is significantly easier to accomplish these days with pre-made CGF products, restaurants and grocery stores that cater to those with food allergies, and most certainly blogs (ahem). There are people out there who truly care about the health of their family, their community, and the world. That’s why I do the GFRR every month (at least, I try). I want to show you just how marvelous and freeing any form of “restrictions” are. 

I made grain-free popovers, people. That feat alone showed me just how far I could go with a little effort and persistence. And it doesn’t stop there. There are recipes I’ve yet to try, and many of them I know are likely harder to successfully create than others (the following being the simplest recipe anyone can do), but they are all doable. Remember, someone before you made it delicious, and someone after you will also. So keep at it and keep moving forward. You’ll get there.

As I said, this recipe is easy-peasy. But... it isn’t really a recipe. It’s a method. Actually, it’s a perfect-every-time-you-do-it method. The recipe itself is up to you. It is one we have almost once a week, just like chili is. All you need is chicken (with skin and bones, if you please), some aluminum foil, a paper towel, a rather large deep-dish pan (depending on how many you want to feed), a silicon brush (optional, but I recommend it) and a hot oven.

For those who say they burn water or look to the microwave to make food edible, I promise this is a recipe you can do. Just follow the directions, be patient, and have fun. You are going to make the best oven-baked chicken you have ever tasted.

Let’s start with the oven, shall we? Preheat to 425ºF, and be sure that the shelf is in the very center of the oven. While you wait, line the deep pan with one or two sheets of aluminum foil. Lay the chicken pieces flat on the foil. In order to get a crispy skin, dab the skin dry with the paper towel. 

At this point, you can spice it up any way that sparks your fancy. I typically do sea salt and cracked pepper, but I grew up with Old Bay (gluten free, by the way) on my oven-baked chicken and heartily recommend it. In this case, I used chili powder in addition to the former two. No oil is required or encouraged (more on that later).

  

When the oven is ready, place the dish on the center shelf and bake for at least 45 minutes until checking. At this time, a pool of chicken fat will line the bottom of the pan, and I use the drippings to coat the skin with the silicon brush for epic crispiness. By one hour it should be done, but my family is partial to the meat being removed from the bone easily with a fork, so we bake it longer (around 15 to 30 minutes).

The result is a crispy skin, moist interior, and fall-off-the-bone and melt-in-your-mouth chicken. Next time I want to mix in honey with drippings and coat the chicken.

Now, I’d love to hear from you! How do you prepare oven-baked chicken (you know, aside from that fact it was baked in the oven)? What seasonings have you tried, enjoyed, and disliked? What methods have worked to get the skin especially crispy, or the meat particularly moist and falling off the bone?

Little Bitty Popover Bites

I don’t think people realize how invigorating writing this blog has been for me. It has been a humbling, maddening, and amazing experience. There have been flops as many as there had been successes. I’ve cooked and baked outside the box, and the same goes for my fitness and health. As January comes to a close, I stand before the month of February empowered and amazed what four weeks into the New Year has done for me. Amongst the mistakes and the experiments and the lessons, I am proud to say I participated in the first Gluten Free Ratio Rally of 2012.

For all of January the participants of the GFRR worked hard to come up with popover recipes, and all of us had our trials. I personally had three flops before a winner emerged. During this time I made different breakfast bakes, perfected cornbread, and dressed up quinoa. I also started rock climbing no less than three times a week (bouldering to be more precise), running twice a week, working two part-time jobs, and loving everything about my life.

Now, even though my cornbread boosted my confidence, it was the success of January’s GFRR that proved just how limitless I was, and just how limitless and delicious being gluten free can be with a little patience and perseverance.

So you may be wondering, “just what was this month’s GFRR, Morri?” Well, with an ingredient ratio of 1 flour : 2 liquid : 1 egg, can you guess what it is?

If you said “popovers,” you are absolutely correct.

I wish I had taken photos of the flops, because when I say flops, I mean flops. The first batch was cooked in duck fat, with a much too thick batter that essentially turned into savory donut holes in muffin tins. The second batch was made as a dairy free Dutch baby, but it was like a thick pancake without the rise. The third batch was made in my new mini muffin tin, with pureed banana, buttermilk, and coconut flour that ended up being your average muffins more than anything. But the fourth batch was just right, so right in fact gluten loving Burt-man ate practically the entire batch without a second thought of them being gluten free. And this was a man that feared most of my gluten free experimentations!

Needless to say I was quite pleased.

Popovers are light, hollow rolls made from an eggy batter similar to Yorkshire pudding, though instead it is cooked in a special kind of baking tin (or a muffin tin if you don’t have one) and cooked in butter as opposed to drippings. The oldest known reference to popovers is from a letter in 1850, and the first cookbook to mention this delectable treat was M. N. Henderson’s Practical Cooking (1876).

U.S. American poet Ogden Nash even wrote a light-hearted albeit inverted chronology of the popovers:

Let's call Yorkshire pudding
A fortunate blunder:
It's a sort of popover
That turned and popped under.

Mrs. R of honey from flinty rocks is our amazing host for this month’s GFRR. As a woman who is all about overcoming the shortcomings that happen in life, I say she chose the perfect challenge for the rest of us. At one point I was ready to throw my hands up and say “Nope. I’m done.” But on the last day of January, I figured I’d try at it again with three new tricks:

1. Using starch in the recipe (45 g out of 120 g)
2. Putting the leftover butter into the batter after greasing the pan (Thanks for the tip, Jonathan!)
3. Steam

The third, I believe, made all the difference in the world. On the shelf below the popovers I put a third of a teakettle of tap water (not hot) in a broiler pan but otherwise cooked as Ruhlman’s book Ratio instructed.

The rest, my dear readers, is history. I hope that you realize from each month’s GFRR is, whether you are gluten free, vegetarian (with or without the animal by-products), dairy free, nut free, or following a specific diet (SCD, ACD, Keto, Paleo, etc.), you should never deny yourself good food. Look at me; I made popovers. Grain-free mini muffin tin ones that followed the Meals With Morri motto “Delicious. Nutritious. Gluten free.” without compromise.

So then, what on Earth are you waiting for? Get cooking!

Little Bitty Popover Bites

240 ml Whole milk, room temperature
2 Large eggs, room temperature
19 g Quinoa flour
56 g Garbanzo bean flour
45 g Tapioca starch
1/2 – 3/4 tsp. Sea salt
30 g Butter, melted

Place a mini muffin tin (or small popover tin, if you have it) in the center shelf of the oven and preheat to 450ºF. 
In the shelf below, place a covered broiler pan filled with a third of a stovetop teakettle of water for steaming.
Except the butter, place the ingredients in a blender and pulse until just combined and let it sit on the counter to let the batter set.
Once the oven is preheated, take the muffin pan out of the oven and grease the tins with a silicone brush generously (do it at least twice).
Pour the leftover butter, between one and two teaspoons, in with the batter and pulse through the blender one more time until combined.
Fill each cup to the top with the batter and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375ºF, and continue baking until done, about 20 to 30 minutes (mine were done at 20).
Serve straight from the oven (pierce the tops to allow steam to escape) with preserves or honey, in soups or stews, or as is with a cup of tea.

 Makes 16 Little Bitties. :) Just saying "little bitty" makes me smile.

Here are the other participants for your viewing pleasure. And thanks again, Mrs. R, for hosting!

*Mrs. R | Honey From Flinty Rocks    Popovers - Gluten & Dairy Free
Brooke | B & the boy!    Chocolate & Sweet Potato Popovers
Charissa | Zest Bakery    Lemon Vanilla Popovers with Minnesota Raspberries
Claire | My Gluten free home    Chai Popovers
Erin Swing | The Sensitive Epicure    Popovers
Ginger Bardenhagen | Fresh Ginger    chive and black pepper; toasted onion and aleppo pepper
gretchen  |  kumquat    strawberry cream cheese popovers
Heather | Discovering the Extraordinary    Basic Popovers
Jenn | Jenn Cuisine    Chocolate Popovers
Jonathan  |  The Canary Files    Cinnamon & Star Anise Popovers
Mary Fran | FrannyCakes    Gluten-Free Honey Coconut Popovers
Morri  |  Meals With Morri    Little Bitty Popover Bites
Rachel  |  The Crispy Cook    Corny Popovers
TR | No One Likes Crumbley Cookies    Sweet Cherry Popovers

The Breakfast Bake Jamboree!

Last week must have been my most bangin’ week that I’ve had in a while. I was busy when there was something to do, and was relaxed when there was nothing to do. The house is cleaner, my demeanor is happy-go-lucky and open, and better still, I’m sleeping. Last night was my longest sleep yet: nine-something hours.

It’s weird, though. I figured that this awesome way of looking at the world would give me more time to blog, but the somethings in my life (i.e. working two jobs part-time equaling thirty-two hours, cleaning, exercising, hanging out with people) have kept me plenty occupied. In retrospect, I think this blog was my outlet from stressing out and losing it last semester, an escape through recipe writing and reaching out to those who visit Meals With Morri with stories of my day-to-day life. But after this week, I know when I am free to cook just for the sake of cooking, and following up with a post.

This particular post on my take of breakfast bakes has been two plus weeks in the making, if only because I wasn’t sure if I wanted each recipe to have its own post or do like I did with my various socca versions in “The Socca Chronicles”. After my stagnation of not blogging much of anything, the photos on my camera were adding up and I was getting overwhelmed with the idea of having to do so many over a short amount of time. In my something-nothing philosophy, that kind of thinking just wasn’t kosher. 

One post it was then.

My first ever “breakfast bake” (if I could call it that) on this blog was significantly different than what they look like today. They’ve transformed based on how they are cooked and in what, and I am truly digging my oven-safe soup bowls to do the job I wanted. They’ve varied in flours, liquids, fruits, leavening agents, and fats. Some of them have been amazing while others, well, not so much. I wasn’t partial to baking powder, only because of wanting to avoid cornstarch (or starches in general to keep the bakes whole-grain), and used equal measurements baking soda and cream of tartar instead. At the moment I’m only using baking soda, not as highly rising a product but delicious all the same.

By the way, the following recipes were baked in a preheated soup bowl at 350ºF for 30 or so minutes. Butter and coconut oil were used for greasing the pan just before adding the batter, though I’m using coconut oil currently. Oh, and all of the batters were made the night before and placed in the fridge to “set”.

The first is similar to the breakfast bake I had almost every day during the boyfriend's and my ski trip. It was made with 60 g of garbanzo bean flour, 90 g water, one egg, salt, baking soda and half a Granny Smith apple, so I just rolled with calling it a “socca bake”. But I started to realize that my tummy could only handle so many beans in a day, so I tried it with buckwheat flour and groats. 

Spiced Apple Buckwheat Bake

30 g Raw buckwheat groats, whole

30 g Buckwheat flour

90 ml Filtered water

5 ml Unrefined apple cider vinegar

1 Large egg

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Allspice

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into small chunks

1 – 2 tsp. Butter, for greasing

Combine everything into a mixing bowl (except for the leavening agents, the apple, and the butter) and let it sit in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF with a small oven-safe soup bowl (or ramekin) in the center.

Add the leavening agent and apple chunks into the batter and let it sit on the counter until the oven is heated.

Melt the butter in the hot bowl and swish around the bottom as well as the edges and then pour in the batter.

Bake for 30 minutes (or until you press the top in the very middle as does not give way).

I cut mine so it resembled a puffy sandwich and put a little peanut butter love in the middle.

Over the next few recipes I fell in love with cream cheese and wanted to use it in a few of my breakfast bakes as well as topping them with it.

Strawberry Dream Breakfast Bake

60 g Buckwheat flour

6 g Buckwheat groats

90 ml Filtered water

1 Large egg

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/8 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

Stevia, to taste

30 g Cream cheese

140 g Strawberries, cut into small chunks (if frozen, put in the fridge to thaw overnight)

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 – 2 tsp. Butter, for greasing

Like the “Spiced Apple BB” recipe above, mix together all but the cream cheese, strawberries, leavening agents, and butter to sit in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF with a small oven-safe soup bowl (or ramekin) in the center.

Add the leavening agent, the cream cheese in small patches, and strawberry chunks into the batter and let it sit on the counter until the oven is heated.

Melt the butter in the hot bowl and swish around the bottom as well as the edges and then pour in the batter.

Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

I think I would have liked it more if there was a little more stevia in the mix, but it was very satisfying nonetheless.

While I’m on the cream cheese track, I made one with cream cheese, coconut flour, and pureed berries for a cheesecake breakfast bake sort of thing. It looked darling until it sank. And there needs to be a different flour; the coconut gave it a weird texture.

Moving on.

I started craving the lemon poppy combination, and thought about making a breakfast oatmeal cookie with the two flavors. But I found that quinoa flour and garbanzo bean flour were simply made to be together, and deliciousness ensued.

Lemon Poppy Bake with Sweet Poppy Cream Cheese Spread

30 g Garbanzo bean flour

28 g Quinoa flour

120 ml Filtered water

12 ml Orange juice

1 Large egg

1/4 tsp. Grated lemon zest

4 g Poppy seeds

1/8 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

Stevia, to taste

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 – 2 tsp. Coconut oil

Sweet Poppy Cream Cheese Spread

15 g Cream cheese

1/8 – 1/4 tsp. Poppy seeds

Stevia, to taste

With this recipe, you can combine all of the ingredients with the exception to the leavening agents and coconut oil and bake as instructed above. I particularly enjoyed this one because it was something different, and quinoa flour has been neglected for much too long in this house.

Along with using the typical dry ingredients for the “flour" component, I also tried out pumpkin and sweet potato for a change of pace. Both bakes were significantly softer and creamier than the others, and resembled very much like a baked pudding or spoon bread.

Pumpkin Pudding Bake

60 g Garbanzo bean flour

183 g Pumpkin puree

90 ml Filtered water

1 Egg

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/4 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

1/4 tsp. Allspice

Dash of Powdered sage

Stevia, to taste

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

Finally, in an attempt to keep the Winter Wonderland Spirit alive (since it only became cold enough to snow as of Friday), I thought of some of the recipes I didn’t get to make in December, like gingerbread cutout cookies and other recipes associated with the holidays. But I did have fresh ginger root on hand. And I did have some odds and ends that reminded me of ornaments, trees, and lights…

Gingerbread Bake with a Touch of Currant

30 g Buckwheat flour

28 g Buckwheat groats, coarsely ground in a spice blender

120 ml Filtered water

1 Large egg

1 tsp. Orange juice

1/4 tsp. Grated lemon rind

6 g Finely grated fresh ginger

5 g Fresh ginger, cut into very small cubes (you can also use candied ginger in its place)

15 g Dried currants

5 g Unsweetened baking chocolate, finely ground in a spice blender

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. Allspice

1/8 tsp. Bourbon vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

7 g Honey (or 1 pureed prune, as I had done)

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

1/4 tsp. Cream of tartar

1 – 2 tsp. Coconut oil

Just like with the "Lemon Poppy Bake" and the "Pumpkin Pudding Bake" you combine all of the ingredients except the last three to sit in the fridge overnight. And just when you are preheated the oven you add the leavening agents, and then put the coconut oil into the hot pan ahead of the batter.

So there you have it: five breakfast bake recipes with an additional two mentioned in passing (one of those passing fancies being a flop). I learned a lot about how leavening agents differ, and the glories of cream cheese were only just realized. There were many I didn’t photograph simply because I was up at such a ridiculous hour and my brain was fuzzy with fatigue and hunger, but I have one of the recipes written down and one still in the thought process, both of which need to be tinkered with.

It’s official: January is definitely Breakfast Bake Month for the year 2012. Don't get me wrong; that’s just dandy. I do, however, intend on the last week of this month having other recipes besides breakfast bakes. Cookies maybe. Or something with whole grain quinoa in it. 

We'll just have to wait and see.

Change, Growth, and Skillet Cornbread

It seems like the transformation occurred overnight. Along with my feeling better from that two-week flu, I’ve seen a complete change in my perspective. I feel like a new person, a new Morri who is taking life into her own hands, and daring to fly. 

Change has always been a scary thing for me, and for a while I avoided any form of it that would bring positive growth simply because I was afraid to fail. I was living quietly, for I didn’t wish to cause ripples, and I didn’t wish to disappoint. I felt I was and was not living to others expectations at the same time, and I suffered as a result. I was waking up at 4:30 a.m. on five to six hours of sleep, restless and tired of the constant chatter in my head. I had no desire to blog or go out with people, even though I have had plenty of time to do both, and became absorbed with Sherlock Holmes. There was a loss of connection with the world around me, stagnation in my relationships with the people who mattered most, and insecure with how I fit into it all.

After my various heart-to-hearts with the boyfriend, Mama Dazz, and myself intrapersonally, I realize I have been doing an injustice to myself. At one point this weekend, I remember the chatter being particularly critical and unpleasant, and in the darkness of my bedroom I realized just how unproductive it really was. Instead of griping about things I could indeed fix, that energy could be used to do something about it. It was my first of many “Well, duh!” moments these past few days, but it altered a lot of my thinking in the right direction. 

And yet here I was, treating my own self as the enemy, as someone who couldn’t be trusted. If I wouldn’t dream of treating others like that, being overly critical and judgmental with how they live their lives, why the hell am I doing it… to myself?  This question lifted my post-graduation funk, just as the New Year shows itself to be an enlightening one.

 

My other enlightenment takes the form of a new philosophy: when there is something to do, do something; when there is nothing to do, do nothing. I’ve found that the reason behind a person’s boredom and restlessness is that you’re doing nothing when you should be doing something. Mental exhaustion and physical strain, on the other hand, is the result of doing something other than doing nothing. When it comes time to doing nothing, you shouldn’t be thinking of the things you would have to do later. Doing nothing can be anything that relaxes you or brings you peace, so as long as you don’t tire yourself out with them. I dare you to try it out, because you will never be bored and/or exhausted again. Better yet, you will feel like an entirely new person.

This new attitude has given me a new confidence, a new fitness regimen, and I am actually getting things done. My room is getting cleaner by the day, and the house is setting itself back into order. I ran this morning, all bundled up in an early January rain, and I feel so free of all the static and prattle that once plagued me. I’m still getting up earlier than I would prefer at 5:45 a.m., but I’m sleeping an hour more than I had been recently. Much of it has to do with a firmer pillow, but I like to think it has more to do with my new outlook on life than anything.

So, even though I’m working two jobs part-time, and I do have obligations to uphold, I’m not going to live a life of mediocrity anymore or settle for good enough. If I’m going to work and exercise and blog, I’m going to do the best I can. And if I’m going to rest and meditate and love, I’m going to give the time doing nothing deserves. Above all else, the fear of failure and success shows itself in many forms, from cooking to expectations to how high you aim to go.

To quote two people who've inspired me for many years:

 “It is sometimes a mistake to climb; it is always a mistake never even to make the attempt. If you do not climb, you will not fall. This is true. But is it that bad to fail, that hard to fall?” (N. Gaiman, from The Sandman: Fables and Reflections)

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.” (M. Gandhi)

You may be asking, what does this have anything to do with cooking or health? Well, it has everything to do with it. If you only stick to the things you know how to cook and are good at making, you will never learn but you will never fail either. As for change, I’ve learned to treat my body (and thus, life in general) as one big experiment. The food you eat and the life you live is forever changing. It is a push and pull movement, a dance that never ends, sometimes obvious and sometimes not.

I have every intention of succeeding, no matter how it may be defined and no matter how scary it is. It took numerous times of failing to getting cornbread right, but that didn’t keep me from trying.

If I can make a perfect cornbread recipe, I can do anything.

Cornbread is one of those foods that can be finicky at the best of times. The cornbread I remember as kid was out of a box, a Jiffy box if I’m not mistaken. For some reason, my homemade recipes were grainy, dry, and not too appetizing. I tried using various flours with different grain sizes of cornmeal. I tried incorporating applesauce, using milk in place for water, and different kinds of fats. As the Southern states have made cornbread without any other flours for years and years, I was at a loss as to what I was doing wrong. My goal was a dense Southern cornbread in comparison to the cakelike Northern counterpart, with a good crust which only came from a hot skillet, and a final product that held up to stews and sauces.

Masa harina was the answer.

I was successful in making the recipe the two times I made it, the first with buttermilk and the second with lassi (drinking yogurt), though I am sure regular milk will work here also. The recipe I am posting is from the second batch, since the former was accidentally erased (note to self: always write a recipe down on paper). Both were moist and dense, the perfect basic skillet cornbread. I do intend on playing around with additional ingredients and flours, but this is just delicious as is with a slab of butter and a drizzle of honey on top.

For future reference, dear readers, all recipes will be measured in grams from now on in the name of precision, though teaspoons and tablespoons will be listed as they always have been. 

Basic Skillet Cornbread

240 g Masa harina (also called maseca)
2 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 – 3/4 tsp. Sea salt (if using lassi, put in less salt)
240 ml Water
240 ml Lassi (or buttermilk)
2 Eggs
1 tbsp. (21 g) Honey (15 g was in the first batch)
3 tbsp. Butter

Preheat the oven to 425ºF, and place an 8 – 10” iron skillet in the middle.
Combine the masa harina, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs in with the liquids (including the honey but not the butter), and then pour it onto the dry ingredients.
Blend with a wooden spoon until a wet dough forms (the baking powder will make it rise and give it an airy texture), and let it sit for a few minutes.
Take the skillet out of the preheated oven and melt the butter to coat the bottom and edges of the pan.
Drizzle the remaining butter into the dough to combine, and then pour the dough into the skillet (to evenly distribute the dough and smooth the top, use a medium-sized silicone spatula).
Lightly cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Take out of the oven and let it sit for a few minutes, though it’s recommended to be served warm.
Serve with butter and honey, or as an island in the middle of a huge bowl of chili or stew.

Makes 8 servings.

Cottage Pie

Do you ever have those moments where you ended up questioning something, even things in the past you didn’t have control over in the first place? Do you ever think you took the wrong path, whether it is for a career or a college major? My blogging activity waned for five excruciatingly long days, just as my motivation had for school. I kept cooking, and I kept going to school, but when it came time to study the weekly readings or blog my latest recipe, I couldn’t focus, my eyes glazed over, my mind went blank, and all I wanted to do was sleep and hide from the world.

Yesterday all I did was sleep, and I was still exhausted. My inability to sleep more than six hours without the compulsion to get up each night was starting to get to me (zombie-free, thank goodness). I look out from my bedroom window, gazing at the beauty of this clear autumn day, and I can’t help but feel so disconnected from the Cosmos. I don’t feel like I’m part of my own life.

So I’m looking back at my college career, and I think about Steve Jobs and Chris Botti. Both men are geniuses of their respective crafts, Jobs with computers and Botti with his trumpet. Neither one of them completed college (Jobs dropped out and then back “in” college, only taking the classes he found interesting and Botti dropped out to pursue the life of a musician), but look at the impact they’ve made in the world! I started thinking to myself, my minor classes in anthropology were the ones that kept my GPA under a 3.5, and suppose if I decided use those credits to take the classes I found interesting. Where would my GPA be? Where would I be as a person if I took a year off before going to school and traveled? A lot of recent opportunities have come up in the S/CAR program, opportunities that I can’t be part of because this is my last semester as an undergraduate. Maybe this is where it all started, when I found out that future S/CAR majors would have the ability to turn their senior year into their first year of the Masters program. That, and the fact that I still haven’t heard anything about my grades from Sweden transferring, that kept me from filling out my application and, in my mind, hindering my ability to being selected for the upcoming spring.

For the past few weeks I’ve been angry and frustrated and sullen. I was angry because I felt cheated, because I didn’t know what George Mason could have offered me if I hadn’t taken on the anthropology minor. I was frustrated because all the motivation and drive I had was quickly fading, and December was looming closer and closer. And I was sullen, because the only thing that was keeping me from the people that mattered most to me and inhibiting me from doing the things I loved and wanted to do was, well, me.

The nervous breakdown last night, in front of my family and friends, was my turning point. We all get together on a monthly basis to eat, love, meet new people, and discuss new ideas and philosophies. We started talking about the concepts of Wyrd and Ørlög, or fate and its path, as it is known in the Old Anglo-Saxon and Germanic cultures, and despite all my efforts to not break down, the tears fell and I excused myself for the rest of the discussion. It was at that moment I knew I didn’t feel connected to something I felt I should have been, and that my fate and destiny were secrets I wasn’t in on that they might as well not exist. What was I going to do with my life after graduation? What credentials could I possibly have that gave me a doorway to do something great for the world? What was the point of going through higher education when upon graduation I don’t feel prepared for life outside of academia? I am scared, so completely and utterly terrified, and more than once I’ve half-jokingly told people I’m going to become a Buddhist nun just to get away from everything. I began doubting my ability as being a conflict resolution practitioner. I began doubting my ability to cook. I began doubting the things I loved and the things I was good at. I wanted to put the covers over my head and wait until graduation, to not eat or move or talk.

I sat there, petting my uncle’s two dogs while I calmed down, and a couple of people came down to check on me. I told them why I was a blubbering mess with tears in my hair and a heavy heart, spilling out my fears and my reflections. Two of them, brothers and roommates, said they went through the exact same thing before and after they left the military. In fact, most if not all who talked with me said they’re still trying to figure it all out. “Your career doesn’t define you”, my uncle’s girlfriend said, “but that doesn’t mean you won’t end up where you’re supposed to.” I left the get-together in better spirits than I had arrived. I couldn’t have felt more loved or supported, and for that I am grateful for the amazing family I have.

If it hadn’t been for following Mama Dazz’s incentive and looking into conflict resolution as a discipline, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I learned the art of communication, the power of empathy, and have met the unsung heroes of this wonderful world we have. If it hadn’t been for George Mason or the S/CAR program, I wouldn’t have met the people whom I cherish more than anything, including my colleagues in my classes or the love of my life one fateful Halloween party two years ago. And finally, if I hadn’t been part of this program, I wouldn’t have gone to the conference last year and hear Andy Shallal’s speech that inspired me more than he will ever know.

Thinking about this, now, as I write this post, further reiterates what I’ve always known. Everything is connected. There is no such thing as a coincidence. I’ve been disconnected from the Universe because I’d lost my belief in the process. And when you turn your back on that process and distrust it, you become lost and your way is uncertain. You begin to fear the process, and what it might bring. 

When I was first looking into making shepherd’s pie for the family, put into my single serving Pyrex® dishes, I searched for other people’s recipes before I sought to create my own. Maybe I wanted a point of departure so I wouldn’t mess up something I’ve never made before. Or maybe I wanted to walk down a path already traveled. But then, I noticed none of the recipes were what I was going for. I was afraid to pave my own path, even if it was a recipe for cottage pie (and before you say it, there is a difference between the two recipes).

So, despite my revelation (and a bangin’ original recipe), am I still terrified, frustrated, and sullen? A little. Graduation is still coming up. Midterms are still this week. Morri is still a stressed out, hormonal mess. But you can’t change what has already happened, and you shouldn’t worry about the things you can’t control. Sometimes what other people have done before you isn’t exactly what you want to do. And there may be a better way to do what you have in mind.

Everything happens for a reason. Trust in the process. Believe in your fate and that path your fate is taking. So here, have some cottage pie for your journey. I guarantee you’ll feel better.

Cottage Pie

1.5 lbs Lean beef stew meat, chopped into bite-sized chunks

2 carrots (about 5.5 oz), peeled, quartered, and finely chopped

1 White onion (medium), peeled and finely chopped

5.25 oz Petite peas, fresh or frozen

3 tbsp. Olive oil

2 Garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

20 oz Water

1 tsp. Unrefined apple cider vinegar

1 Bay leaf

1 tsp. Thyme

1/4 tsp. Rosemary powder

1/4 tsp. Sage powder

1 tsp. Sea salt

1/2 tsp. Cracked pepper

3 (heaping) tbsp. Potato starch

4 Russet potatoes (about 2.5 lbs), cut into small chunks

2 Garlic cloves, whole

1 oz Salted butter

3 oz Sour cream

1/4 tsp. Sea salt

1/4 tsp. Cracked pepper

In a pressure cooker or large pot, combine the beef, veggies, water, and spices (sans the potato starch, and cook for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Cover the potato chunks and garlic cloves with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat until tender.

Drain the water and add the butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper, and mash the potatoes until there is a smooth consistency.

When the pressure has subsided in the pressure cooker, create a slurry with the potato starch (about 2 oz water) and add in with the meat and veggies on medium-low heat.

Once the stew thickens, turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf, and pour it into an oven-safe casserole pan.

Top it with the potato mixture and evenly spread it out.

Bake for thirty minutes or more if you want the potato to brown.

Serves 4 – 6 people.