Cookies Throughout the Decades

My favorite magazine of all time, Gourmet, recently published online their favorite cookies for each year they've been in print. It's quite the spread and really illustrates the evolution of cookie culture since 1941. From Cajun Macaroons to Glittering Lemon Sandwich Cookies they've got it all.

Can you find the cookie of your birth year? Can you find mine?



Check it out, it kept me entertained for nearly an hour - though that's not really all that hard to do...

Gourmet's Cookies Throughout the Decades

Urban Chicken Farming

Although Mr. TA makes fun of me for it, I can't wait to some day have chickens of my own. Not only to harvest my own eggs, and because I love chickens, but to donate the extra to shelters and food banks - supporting a people who live too often off of canned goods and processed garbage. Newsweek recently did an article on urban chicken farming, a subject near and dear to my heart. Even if you're not interested in it yourself, I urge you to check out the article and accompanying video. It's quite an interesting trend, one that I hope really catches on.

For too long Americans have happily distanced themselves from food production, happy to believe meat comes from a Styrofoam package wrapped in plastic and fruit is perfectly colored and unblemished. Get a life people. Agriculture is smelly and loud and hard work. Quite copping out and buying your food from CAFO's and happily munching away at meat from animals who are abused and exploited, fruits that have been sprayed with chemical pesticides, and vegetables that contain more nitrogen than friggin' fertilizer.

Buy a damn chicken and get eggs you know have been raised properly. Or, at least don't get pissed off at your neighbor who does.

Fug Tong Gang Buad

Fug tong gang buad is a Thai dessert or side dish of squash cooked in coconut milk and palm sugar. Characteristic of most Thai sweets there is a lovely play of salty on sweet to mix up the substantial squash pieces. The recipe traditionally calls for pumpkins, which are available year round in Thailand, but a substitute of any yellow meat squash will suffice. I used a kabocha squash (yes I know, it's Japanese) and although I nearly lopped off a finger or two trying to peel the sucker it gave great flavor to the finished dish.

One of Mr. TA's favorite things to eat is Thai sticky rice and mangoes. It's a traditional Thai dessert of steamed glutinous rice soaked in sweetened coconut milk and served with sliced mangoes. He requests it on a near weekly basis, so I try to ration it out. Coconut milk isn't exactly a health food. So when my sister told me about this website and I found the recipe for squash cooked in coconut milk I thought it would be received equally well. He was a little disappointed after arriving home to the familiar scent of warmed coconut milk to not find sticky rice steaming, but after trying the squash I think he enjoyed it quite well. You know those people who you can read their emotions on their face like a book? Mr. TA is not one of those people. He'll give a mediocre reaction to a meal to only question weeks later why he haven't had that totally awesome blah-blah-blah. It's quite an interesting life... So I'll have to assume the grunt of approval coupled with the "Yeah, it's pretty good." means it gains approval for a repeat performance.



I would recommend that if attempting this with a kabocha instead of a pumpkin you halve, seed, quarter and then chop the skin off with a knife in controlled downward motions. Then to get the remaining stubborn green off use a sharp vegetable peeler. It's a bit of a chore, but I can't imagine anyone's going to want to cook some huge ass 15 lb. pumpkin in coconut milk. I also would not recommend using an acorn squash, you're peeling this sucker, you really want to attempt that with an acorn squash? Save your digits and don't even bother. Unless you can get someone else to do it for you, then by all means have at it.

One important part about this recipe is to ensure your coconut milk is not too creamy. When boiled coconut milk nearly always curdles, so you have to be careful while cooking. So, don't be tempted to use all coconut milk, it won't end well. Start it off at medium heat, when it really starts producing steam turn it down to medium low, then low when it starts to simmer. By that time it should be fully cooked through. It's really much easier than I made it sound. Just keep adjusting the heat level so it doesn't boil.

On a final note, squash is extremely good for you - you should eat as much as possible over the winter months. And..uh..just because this is filled with sugar and fat from the coconut milk doesn't mean it's not also healthy...right?

Just don't burst my bubble...



Fug Tong Gang Buad

Serves 4

1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pumpkin, or other yellow meat squash
1/3 cup palm sugar
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup water

Peel the squash, chop into 1/2 in. dice. Add all ingredients to 3 qt saucepan and heat over medium until steam rises rapidly. Do not allow to boil, the coconut milk will curdle. Turn heat down to medium low, stirring occasionally. When it starts to simmer turn to low heat. Remove from heat when squash is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately or cover with lid. Tastes equally good warm, room temp, or cold.