culinary k Archives - Author K. Williams

Chinese Food Order – Open Book Blog Hop #384

July 10, 2023 By Captain Maiel 3 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #384

Have you played with AI in your writing?
Tell us what you think about it.

Welcome back to another Open Book Blog Hop! The authors included in this ongoing series wish to thank you for your reads. Even more so, we appreciate that you share our writings with friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors engage and impress weekly. Prepare to become a regular reader.

Ordering from my local Chinese Food restaurant is always a favorite choice for me when I don’t want to cook dinner, or nothing I could make sounds good at the moment. I’ve been a patron of that restaurant since 1999. That was when I had my first plate of Chinese Food. You see, my family was not big on ordering takeout from anywhere except their favorite pizza place. So, I didn’t get to try a lot of things. Also, my dad is pretty set in his ways as far as the menu is concerned. I could still recite the menu to you from my childhood. That menu only had the usual suspects on it. Super limited.

Needless to say, my palate was bored. I grew up, just like any other kid, not necessarily liking a lot of things. Because of this, it didn’t bother me until my late teens, early twenties that we kept having the same foods over and over. My mom was a great cook and baker, besides. It’s not for lack of know-how. In fact, I challenge her to make me a different birthday cake every year. I’ll peruse recipes and see what I can get her to make from my short list. Each time, that woman has risen to the occasion. She’d give a professional a big run for their money.

The main issue was always my dad. He had a typical white male American palate. He liked his steak and potatoes. This is how I also found out that beef causes my system a lot of inflammation. Having it on the regular, I had a lot of intestinal issues, but could not figure out what was bothering me until I was responsible for cooking for myself. Steak being expensive was almost always out of my range. Therefore, I was able to find out that I felt better when I didn’t eat beef. Today, I avoid eating red meat, unless it is bison (which does not bother my system at all). If I want a burger, I have cherry juice on hand to reduce the inflammation.

I’m lucky that so far, I have not had an allergic reaction, but I assume the beef issue is mild allergy. Because of that, I do keep it showing up in my diet from time to time, so that the allergy does not become more severe. After a tick bite that rendered my niece highly allergic to meat from all animals with hooves, you find out how difficult it is to avoid beef entirely. The biproducts will show up in many recipes and processed foods.

When I order from the local Chinese restaurant, I don’t bother with the beef items. I started out with the ubiquitous General Tso’s, moved to Sesame Chicken, and then Orange Chicken. These three are sisters. They’re the same dish tweaked just enough. If heartburn has been an issue, I’ll go for the sesame to avoid the heat. If I want something a little different, it was the orange. General, however, remains a top favorite. It’s like a security blanket for times that are rough.

My first taste of Chinese food, however, wasn’t in the late 1990s when I started patronizing that establishment. My aunt and grandmother took me to their place at about the age of twelve. I ordered Cashew Chicken (of which I now make a rendition at home). I tried egg rolls and wasn’t a fan, now they’re a must. Of course, I loved the rice! Fortune cookies are always a treat I partake in since that event.

I’ve tried Chinese food at a number of places during my time, including a great restaurant on Elizabeth Street in New York City. They have since changed their name and probably undergone a change in ownership to go with it. This was where I first had Duck. Oh my gaaahd! That will never not be my favorite. Now and again, I treat myself to some, as it is quite expensive to order.

In recent years, maybe because of the pandemic, I have branched out my menu choice more and more. I dated a guy back in the aughts who took me to a nice place up the street from where I now live. There, I tried the Kung Pao Chicken. That was amazing! Very spicy. Hit all the spots for me.

I’ve tried crab rangoon, cream cheese rangoon, fried wontons, wonton soup, egg rolls, mushu pork, moo goo gai pan, chicken lo mein, chicken chow mein, chicken and broccoli, sweet and sour chicken, bourbon chicken, both pork and chicken fried rice, and some others I know I have forgotten.

If I placed an order tonight, I’d be most likely to get a large container of pork fried rice, a couple egg rolls, and possibly the friend wontons. This has been my go to comfort food order of late. The place I go makes the best pork fried rice and I am absolutely forever into it. They also redeemed egg rolls for me back in the day. If I didn’t order that, it would be chicken something. Maybe Kung Pao, since it has been a long time since the last order.

Asian food is something I love exploring, right alongside learning about the cultures. My next exploration is going to have to be Korean Barbecue. I’ve been wanting some for quite a long time now, and still haven’t found a place near me that does it like I’ve seen on the travel/food shows. Probably, I never will, and I need to give them some grace. We’re in the United States not in Korea, so the food is going to be vastly different anyway.

Great, now I need to have some Chinese food. This has given me a mad craving! Let’s hop through the other author’s responses to this question by clicking on their links below. To get this hop delivered to your inbox weekly, drop your email address in the space at the top of this page. See you back here next week!

Dream Space – Open Book Blog Hop #382

June 26, 2023 By Captain Maiel 5 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #382

Describe what your dream writing space would look like.

The dream space (or ideal space) in which to write is probably one of the most common day dreams of any writer. For one reason or another, most of us are lamenting what office or corner of the house we’ve situated ourselves in to do the thing. Those of us lucky enough to have a spare room have probably turned that space into the writers den. I’d wager that is more rare, though not as rare as having an actual dream space.

Some time ago, we talked about dream nooks. My ideal space in which to read would be the same space in which I want to write. To me, those spaces would converge because the activity of reading is how I come to write. Don’t forget, we have to read through the work we get on the page to review our progress, do rewrites, polish, or even re-inspire our brains.

Reading Nooks – Open Book Blog Hop #120

The reason I most often think about this topic of late is that I am preoccupied trying to decide if I’d like to ever attempt to buy a home instead of renting one. If not, should I attempt to rearrange the home I rent now to make a better space for writing? Is that plausible or just wishful? The main difficulty I face is keeping my daughter’s play areas separate from my work area. She’s five, so my stuff is still her stuff, and she often invites herself to whatever isn’t put away. In fact, the moment I make a space for myself, take anything interesting out to work with, she will be at my side.

Not only is it difficult to remain focus under such circumstances, but it can be difficult to keep your things safe. Imagine, if you will, all the cool art supplies at your finger tips. You’d want to get into them, too! I can’t blame her. Therefore, my easel and paints remain put away, along with notebooks and writing implements. Lucky for me, she is not all that interested in my laptop.

My dream space would include a door to close, so that my daughter would be less tempted to get into my things. I know that short of locking her out is tenuous. However, I have given her my trust and I explain my reasoning to her about why my supplies aren’t for her use unless I’ve given express permission. I’m not mean, just short on funds. I can’t afford to replace things so easily. Besides, she has her own kit!

Another feature would be a lovely window of some kind. In my mind’s eye, I see something like a small raised area with a couple steps to a pair of window seats flanking a French door that opens on a small balcony. Above that would be a roundel, probably stained glass. The window treatments would be romantic, Victorian–sweeping sheers, swags, and voluminous dark panels.

This dream space also needs to be easy to clean. I can’t emphasize it enough that I don’t have time to be cleaning up constantly. It’s rough with a dog that sheds whole other dogs twice a year (January to June and July to December). I fully expect I’d have a gaggle of dogs to sit around my feet as I work. Wood floors make an easy clean up. Dark wood is my preference.

The walls would be that Victorian green that poisoned half the world back in the day due to arsenic. Of course the trim would all be that dark cherry wood I adore. Excuse me while I sigh with longing. Let me tell you about the wood trimmed ceiling! Oh! And, let’s not forget the cozy fireplace.

Now that I’m set with the basics, I’ll have to fill this space. I’ll need plenty of Victorian furniture to go with the theme–the kind that has all the buttons in it. My desk would be spacious, wooden and situated on a the left wall as you come in, facing the wall. The chair would be comfortable, leather, and also fitting my theme. The other wall would be covered in shelving for my library.

Ferns and plants would dot the space, which could be very bright in the light of day, but the curtains would be able to make it deeply dark when needed. My plants will require the light and I take a lot of joy in their bright presence. The star of that show would be my potted lemon tree, who I grew from a seed. She’ll need a new, bigger pot.

I toy with the idea of being able to hide my electronics in cabinets, so that it doesn’t mess with the aesthetic. Regardless, I’ll carry the laptop around the room to lay on the couches, sit in the various chairs (let there be a nice recliner and ottoman, as well as a couple wing backs, scroll backs, and fainting seats). Pillows can make a nice lap desk to boost up the laptop for typing. A hidden refrigerator full of my favorite soft drinks would be helpful, but I’ll need a small snack stash cabinet, too.

There would be too many little details to write out and sustain the reader’s attention, so I will end this here. Be sure to click on the other author links below. Have the hop delivered to your inbox every Friday by dropping your email in the box on the top right. See you soon!

Clever K – Open Book Blog Hop #381

June 19, 2023 By Captain Maiel 6 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #381

Besides writing, what other ‘subjects’ are you good at?

The odd knack to know just about every dog breed has been a strange facet of my knowledge base. It’s a lot less strange if you understand my background: my grandfather bred and showed dogs, but I also had aspirations of being a vet for a good portion of my high school years. Dogs have always been at my side. However, that is not exactly where I ended up going in my higher education days.

My family would often cite how clever I was. Reading and writing was a huge aspect of my life from early on, however it wasn’t the only thing. Exploring the land was one of my favorite hobbies. Getting outdoors and seeing the animals on our few acres was exciting. There were deer, salamanders, frogs, pileated woodpeckers, fox, and all kinds of critters in-between. At my side was our trusty family dog.

When I began my bachelor degree, my focus was biology. Being the clever kid, I knew what I wanted fairly early on. The point was to gain the base for either zoological work or carry forward into the veterinary sciences. When I faced my shortcomings in calculus, I had to reexamine my future plans. This really put a dent in my ideas that I was clever. Yet, at this time, I already wrote books and honed my craft as an author. I figured I would keep this as a happy little hobby.

Regardless of what I thought I knew or how clever I was, life had other plans. While my high school days and early college days gave me a strong understanding of the biological sciences, coupled with my preoccupation with canines, I also really enjoyed historical topics. Most of what I read was historically based and I consumed a lot of documentaries with my dad. World War II was my major interest and behind that came Victorian Era culture (mostly the arts: textile-including clothing, design, writing, and so on). The rest of history would split my remaining interest pretty fairly.

As you likely surmise, the next natural path for me was to pursue my writing and focus on history along with it. The presence of film and documentaries influenced where I ended up focusing my specialization along these lines. My masters studies amalgamized history, film, and writing into several epic years of study that renewed my interest in writing and allowed me to delve deeply into World War II spy history, along with consensus building and propaganda use in the mid-twentieth-century.

You guessed it! I specialized in my second book‘s topics. It was an amazing ride of which I enjoyed every bit. This is also the period when I met the editor of several of my books: Kara Storti. I worked with her sister who introduced us. If it were not for Kara, I don’t think I would have continued publishing. I know the books wouldn’t be presentable! Editing, strangely enough, is just not my strongest skill–at least when it comes to my own work. I might think I’m clever but I am not foolish!

My love of the biological sciences and history have fed into my writing projects in more recent times. You’ll see wolves featured heavily in Trailokya, paying homage to my most central and oldest loves. Likewise, screenwriting studies have heavily influenced my style and process. I can’t say that this began after my degree, as I had pursued screenwriting earlier than this on my own.

Cutting Board that reads Culinary K, The Blue Honor Blog - culinary K

Something that you may not have seen coming is the influence my science background has had on a hobby (and daily activity) of mine: cooking. These culinary interests are about as old as my love of dogs. Common memories of childhood heavily lean into this subject. Just like I had thought about being a veterinarian or zoologist, I also gave some thought to becoming a chef. That said, I didn’t want to deal with the hours and very real stresses of such a job. The work is hard (understatement). Growing to despise culinary arts was just not something I was willing to risk.

One of my favorite celebrity chefs is Alton Brown. He uses science (chemistry) and historical/cultural knowledge to explore food and recipes on a show called Good Eats, which featured on Food Network back in the 1999-2012. What could be better? If that doesn’t sound right up my alley, you should know that he delivered every episode with humor and unconventional elements. Alton was someone like me, and I wager he’s very clever in real life. I still hold him on high in my list of influential professionals.

In the end, writing won out over all the other subjects that I love. However, each of the other interests developed into skills that appear alongside my art in surprising ways. They’re deeply entrenched in my thinking, so it only makes sense. After all, you write what you know! Maybe I should start a series called Clever K…

Click on the links below to see what the other authors are good at. To get this blog hop delivered to your inbox every Friday, drop your email address in the box on the top right. See back here next week!

Cooking Hell – Open Book Blog Hop #357

January 9, 2023 By Captain Maiel 3 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #357
Have you or any of your characters experienced cooking disasters?

What a great question for an author who also enjoys cooking/baking! I like to think of it as my untapped talent, which I keep for the benefit of family and friends. Cooking or baking takes a lot of effort, and the payoff is limited. Very little about the culinary arts is permanent.

If you took a photo of your culinary masterpiece, passed on a recipe, or managed to preserve a sample for posterity–it would never be the same again. I guess you could argue the same for the experience of any art. Once experienced it will never be the same experience again. Even if someone made the recipe to exacting specifications, it wouldn’t taste the same. I know this because I make Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies using the recipe on the morsels packet the same way as everyone else with the same ingredients. However, mine come out (pardon my ego) amazing. I even beat out my mother who I thought made the best chocolate chip cookies in my life.

So what happens in the process of making a recipe that the result is changed? You’d need to analyze every piece of the process from one cook/baker to the next. Even a brand change in ingredients (such as flour) can alter taste. Did you know that a sack of flour by the same producer can be different depending on harvest time and the details of the process it underwent (such as weather, moisture, etc)? It’s true. Butter from one cow will taste different from the next cow’s butter.

That said, how do you account for consistently different results using the same ingredients at the same period? For instance, I used to make those chocolate chip cookies at the same time of year as my mother (the holidays). They’d still differ. We lived in the same town, shopped the same grocer, and bought the same products to make our cookies. Still different. It is so wild!

One thing that I do know I do differently is melt my butter not just soften it. The microwave process may affect the molecules of the butter, but there is documented proof that the state of the butter alters the taste of the resultant food. I will never go back to simply softened butter. The mostly melted version creates such a great tasting cookie with amazing consistency.

How did I discover this? It wasn’t through research per se but through experience. I forgot to thaw the butter to make the cookies. Disaster loomed! When you don’t have time to mess around, you can’t just buy another pound because that would be too cold as well. Hence, microwaving the butter to soften it. Well, the uneven heating causes melting, not just softening. Butter melts super quickly in the microwave and there is no way to do this to simply soften it–especially with a frozen stick of butter. Additionally, in a rush to have the cookies done for the next day, I just melted the butter to get it done. What’s the big deal? The butter is going to melt once you bake them, right?

That was the best thing that could have happened. It taught me a different way to create the same recipe with even better results. The cookies were a major hit.

What you put into your recipe and how you put it in affects the results you get. If you make cookies with margarine instead, They will be different. If your measuring cups are off, they will change the outcome, too. Brands affect taste, consistency, and even appearance. If you skimp to save money, it will show in the results.

Exploring changes in a recipe is a great way to find something that works better. You can always improve a recipe, regardless of feeling it’s good enough as is or that you’re comfortable with what has always been. I loved my mom’s chocolate chip cookies and wouldn’t have changed a thing about them. They were a comfort. Yet, when I found myself pressed for time but was willing to explore that opportunity with a risky solution, the result was the best cookie yet! Don’t let yourself get stagnated. Explore.

Exploring changes in recipes could result in absolute disaster, but if you’re familiar with cooking and baking then you shouldn’t be afraid of that. You’ll rely on your experience and knowledge to make those choices. The truth is, anyone can cook/bake. If you follow the recipe and pay attention to the task at hand (that attention thing being the hardest part), then you are going to do great. Time and experience will build the rest.

None of my books carry any of these cooking experiences. Sure, there’s food and cooking going on in them because that is a shared human experience, but I don’t get too much into it. Emily does focus on the heavy details because of her depression, which makes her hyper-focused on the mundane stagnating her life. When things change for her, you see a lot less hyper-focus from her. You won’t be seeing the detail of her breakfast any longer. That’s because her focus has changed. Claire focuses on food like an anchor to keep her anxiety from spinning out of control.

Click on the links below to find out what culinary exploits the other authors have had or what their characters have gone through in the ways of food.

Mom’s Fudge Brownies

May 6, 2022 By Captain Maiel

It’s been sometime since I’ve posted a Culinary K piece! Here we are again, though.

As you know, TikTok has taken a lot of my time. It’s a lot of fun, and I can’t blame myself if I do. Yet, doing recipes on there is a whole other level. Between time constraints and visuals, it’s a lot to undertake. In most cases, I just stick to showing the food, and pointing viewers here. That works right? Another thing about that, they’ve said that they hate long intros about why this recipe, why now. I don’t blame them. I hate looking for a recipe that is many pages (or clicks) down from a pointlessly drawn out and irrelevant story.

This one isn’t irrelevant. The only reason this recipe is going up on the blog is because one of my new followers requested it during a live and I am following through on my promise!

What you’ll need:

Your handy-dandy stove, a 13 x 9 baking pan (or 2-8″ pans), measuring cups and spoons, a spatula, mixing fork/spoon, kettle of boiling water, mixing bowl, and the following directions.

3/4 Cups Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa (or other brand)
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
2/3 Cup Vegetable Oil (in 2 equal parts)
1/2 Cup Boiling Water
2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
1-1/3 Cups Un-sifted, All-Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2-3/4 Cup Walnuts (if desired).

Boil water in a kettle. Preheat oven to 350°

Stir cocoa and baking soda in mixing bowl. Blend in 1/3 cup vegetable oil. Add boiling water. Stir until mixture thickens (it will look a little granular). Stir in sugar, eggs, and remaining 1/3 cup vegetable oil. Stir until smooth. Add flour, vanilla, walnuts if desired, and salt. Blend completely. Pour into a lightly greased 13″ x 9″ baking pan or two 8″ square pans using spatula to scrape bowl.

Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes for 13″ x 9″ pan, or 30-32 minutes for the 8″ square pans.

Let cool completely before cutting into squares for serving.

Yld: approx. 18

Tips:

Other options are adding caramel swirl and seal salt. Use a sundae caramel and drizzle on top of raw batter. Use a toothpick to drag the drizzle into pulled designs. Sprinkle coarse sea salt on top to taste.

If you like corners, use the 8″ pans. You’ll get twice as many!

These freeze nicely. Wrap in wax paper and use freezer bags or foil to seal them up.