My family immigrated to little Ballston Spa back in the 60s. As I have been told, my Dutch-Indonesian family was met with a healthy dose of curiosity, and what I imagine must have been a bit of friendly skepticism.

The VanDeinse family before moving to Canada and then America

Here was this new family, with a seemingly unpronounceable last name, VanDeinse (van DAIN-suh), moving into a fairly homogeneous community. My gramma, grandfather, mother, aunts and uncles don’t look incredibly different from anyone else. However, in terms of customs, they were. Their food was different – rice-based and full of exotic flavors. Holidays were different – Dutch Sinterklaas in addition to the religious observance of Christmas and NO Thanksgiving. Even my uncle, who became one of the area’s best and most prominent martial arts teachers, taught Pencak Silat, an ancient Indonesian fighting style.

Uncle Ringo demonstrating a high kick

My family was different in a wonderful way, something that was discovered very early on by many people throughout the Capital Region. All were welcome in my gramma’s kitchen, from my uncle’s students to friends and neighbors. I can’t tell you how many folks still rave about my gramma’s cooking from a meal they had thirty to forty years ago.

And while we did adopt American customs, like Thanksgiving and Andy Williams Christmas music, our experience in the country was enriched by great Indonesian dishes like Sajur or Semur, our traditional Dutch breakfast of Gouda cheese and ham on buttered bread, stollen with more butter (notice a pattern here), and hot chocolate on Christmas morning, our obsession with the Dutch National Football Team and the countless stories my gramma used to share with me at the kitchen table about her life in Indonesia and Holland.

Andy Williams at the Palace Theatre

I imagine that this is not an unfamiliar occurrence for families throughout the region. As families become more diverse, we are all faced by a need to maintain old traditions while embracing new ones. This couldn’t be more apparent around the holidays. Somewhere in Albany, Schenectady, Troy or even Saratoga, latkes are being fried, the aroma of cookies fill a home, someone is starting to plan for the Christmas Eve Feast of Seven Fishes and, as you’ll see in the video, a family joins to preserve a tradition by having a spekkoek bakeoff. It’s evident in each of our kitchens; our cultures create unique ways for each of us to celebrate family and the holidays.

Just like spekkoek, a traditional Indonesian New Year’s cake of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom, the American experience is a culmination of the patient layering of various traditions and cultural histories in to something wonderful.

May God continue to bless you and your family this Holiday Season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

*Video courtesy of my brother, David. Thank you.

Spekkoek Recipe

Preheat oven to 340^o_.

Cream butter and sugar.

Mix eggs into the butter and sugar mixture, one or two at a time. Continue to mix until well blended, with no lumps of butter.

Slowly add flour to mixture to make a smooth batter. Add vanilla.

Divide batter into two. Add the spices to one half of the batter.

Spread a thin layer of white batter into pan. Bake until set.

Set oven to broil.

Following the first white layer, add a layer of the spice batter. The heat will melt the batter a little, which will allow you to spread it in the pan by tilting it around.

Broil till set. Continue with the rest of batter, alternating between dark and light.

In this particular case, Milton Republicans should stop by at a Free Ice Cream Social that Dan Lewza, the endorsed Republican candidate for Milton Town Supervisor, is hosting on Saturday, September 10 from noon to 2 p.m. Stop by for a free cone, a round of mini golf and the chance to meet your candidate.  For more info visit www.danlewza.com.

Our many walkable and close knit communities are spoiled by a wealth of natural, cultural and agricultural amenities available throughout the region. Where else can you boast that, while living in the comfort of suburbia and urban centers, you can drive ten minutes to local family farms and stunning countryside? I could only possibly say this about one other location, the beautiful fertile Hudson Valley.

I feel like I’m cheating on my beloved Capital Region when I say this, but I love the Hudson Valley.

My teen years consisted of many trips down the Northway, to I-787, to I-90 East, to Exit 12 to Route 9 to visit my grampa in Red Hook. Many of you probably travel this way to reach Valatie or Hudson. This trip was especially lovely during the fall due to the fact that Route 9 winds through the countryside of Columbia and Dutchess County.

Leaves would turn to brilliant yellows, reds and oranges. Roadside farm stands would be stocked with pumpkins and other winter squashes. There are many apple orchards and country stores to make anyone a happy traveler. These have always been my favorite things about the Hudson Valley.

Now I have another reason to tout the Hudson Valley, CORE VODKA. I’ve been eyeing a bottle of this vodka for a couple months at my local wine shop. I finally gave in.

Core Vodka, produced by Harvest Spirits of Golden Harvest Farms in Valatie, is a lovely artisanal spirit distilled from apples. This is not your green apple vodka nastiness that college co-eds down at Jillian’s or similar college hangouts. Core Vodka is a clean, near buttery delight that leaves a subtle after-note of apples.

The annual apple harvest affects each batch created. Since the beginning of their distillation operations in 2008, they’ve kept track of the variance in taste and texture in their distiller’s notes. Each bottle is hand marked with a batch and bottle number for easy reference. I bought a bottle from batch no.19.

So far I’ve enjoyed Core straight, but I couldn’t help but make Gimlet for myself. To my surprise the lime juice made the apple flavor more pronounced in a pleasant way.

Core Vodka is definitely worth trying and a nice option for locavores who need a good martini. I can’t wait for my next trip to the Hudson Valley to take a tour of the distillery. You have to love New York State’s agritourism.

A Classic Vodka Gimlet

1          Part Vodka

1          Part Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice

Serve in a rocks glass with ice and a wedge of lime.

This is by far one of my most favored times of the year. The air is crisper and I always become more inspired to cook. Living in a notoriously hot second floor apartment really deters me from cooking during the Capital Region’s muggy hot summers. I digress.

This season is magical for this one reason alone: vine ripened tomatoes. I’ll be the first to admit, I love raiding my mother’s garden year after year for her tomatoes. Over the years she’s grown some of the most delicious tomatoes I’ve ever tasted.

On occasion I have to visit to let my family’s beloved black labs, Max and Mandy, out for a bit. While little Max runs around under the willow trees and Mandy is sniffing the breeze I run to the little garden and one by one pick the sweetest grape tomatoes. I find it hard to resist eating them right then and there.

Not everyone has a garden on hand from which they can harvest. I understand this. So what is one to do? Two words: Farmers Market. The following recipe came to me as I was shopping with my brother, his wife and my baby nephew at the Saratoga Springs Farmers Market. As we perused stall after stall, it was the beautiful colors of the vegetables that drew me to the deep royal purple eggplants, the glowing red tomatoes, the clean white of chèvre and the refreshing green of the basil. These items became dinner.

Simplicity was the plan. Thick slices of eggplant pan fried in organic olive oil. A little salt. A bit of goat cheese, tomatoes and basil and then you’re finished. The textures complement each other. The goat cheese adds creaminess and melts a little with the heat from the eggplant and the tomatoes add sweetness and a refreshing bite. Try it for yourself.

Ingredients

• Eggplant
• Olive Oil (I used a Turkish organic olive oil available at Ocean State Job Lot in Ballston Spa)
• Salt
• Goat Cheese (chèvre)
• Grape Tomatoes (or Cherry Tomatoes)
• Basil

Slice your eggplant into thick slices, a little over ¼ inch thick. Heat your oil over a medium heat. Be sure to manage your heat as the eggplant can burn easily if you don’t pay attention. Cook to a golden color on each side. Place finished slices on paper towels to absorb excess oil and season with some salt.

To assemble, top your eggplant round with goat cheese. To get a neat appearance shape a small ball of goat cheese in your hands and flatten slightly. I find that when I spoon goat cheese its crumbly texture makes it fall apart. Slice your tomatoes in half and place on your rounds. Chiffonade* some basil leaves to place on top.

Plate and enjoy.

*To chiffonade basil, or any other flat leaf herbs such as mint, stack a few leaves on top of each other and roll them together lengthwise. Take your sharpest knife and slice through the rolled stack to produce nice long confetti like strips of basil.

Lately I’ve been craving lentils and for once my cravings are following a healthier route. This is an unusual craving considering that I usually have constant cravings for Stewart’s Mint Marcy ice cream or Ben & Jerry’s Bananas on the Rum, which sits dangerously in my freezer as we speak. So to be a good girl, I decided to make a savory Red Lentil Curried Soup this afternoon.

I try to increase the amount of protein I consume in a day, but I know I do not get enough. Twenty-six percent of a lentil’s mass is made up of protein. So if you had just 3.5 oz of lentils you would be getting 26grams of protein, and you would also satisfy the 60% of iron and 67% of Thiamin (B1) you need in a day. In many parts of the world lentils are an essential part of a low or no meat diet.

Also note that curry powder, especially the yellow varieties are quite good for you. Yellow curry powder contains a lot of turmeric, which gives curry its yellow color. Turmeric is an excellent anti-inflammatory, which is good for bad joints and your heart. Many of the problems associated with your heart and joints are because of inflammation; osteoarthritis and inflammatory heart disease are great examples.

So, I hope you enjoy this delicious yet healthy soup and be sure to let me know what you think.

Red Lentil Curried Soup 

Soup Base

6          cups of chicken broth, organic, low sodium & free range (if possible)

1          can of coconut milk (the can I used was 14 oz. and was a Thai brand)

2 ¼      cup of water to round out the total liquids

—–

8          cups of liquid total

1          pound of organic red lentils

1 ½      teaspoons kosher salt

Flavors

2          tablespoons organic almond oil or any high smoke point vegetable oil

1          medium onion, minced

1          red bell pepper, minced

2          carrots, minced

5 to 6   cloves of garlic, minced (I cheated and used a garlic press)

1          tablespoon ginger, finely minced or grated (I used the garlic press here as well so I didn’t have to peel the ginger)

2          tablespoons curry powder, organic bulk

1          can of organic pureed sweet potatoes

Finishing Touches

Lemon juice

Dash of cayenne pepper

Rinse lentils in water till water runs clear. In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, coconut milk and water. Add lentils and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce to heat to low and add salt, cover and cook until very soft.

Heat the almond oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add minced onions, peppers and carrots to the pan. Cook the vegetables for about 15 minute or so until soft.

Add a little more oil to pan if needed and add garlic, ginger and curry powder and sauté for another 5 minutes. Sautéing the curry powder will allow certain flavors to develop, that can really only be released by cooking it with a little oil.

Add vegetable mixture to lentils. Stir in the pureed sweet potatoes. This will add a little natural sweetness.

To serve squeeze a little fresh lemon juice and a little dash of cayenne pepper on the top.

Some things you can look forward too:

• Dutch Pancakes with Rose Syrup
• commentary on Bahamian Conch and Conch Fritters
• Tropical Fruit Ambrosia, as part of a series of posts I am planning on Cheap Eats

So, posts will be up and running.

Since this is the last day of January, I don’t think I’ll be able to accomplish either of those goals today. So here is the proposed list of restaurants for the year. Some of these restaurants I am already a fan of and some are just on my list because I’ve always wanted to check them out.   ****

February – Have you ever had pizza from Pizza King in Schenectady? If not it is well worth the trip. There is a large variety of pizza and all are mouth watering.  

March – Since it is the month of my grandmother’s birthday and hopefully I’ll have my tax return around that time, I think a nice dinner at Yono’s in Albany is just what we all need. If you love Indonesian food or even finely prepared food of the continental persuasion, this is the place to go.   

**Have I mentioned that my grandmother is Indonesian? You’ll hear about her soon, look for little video cooking lessons from the both of us.  

April – If you are planning on seeing Jesus Christ Superstar, the farewell tour, at Proctors and need a good place to eat beforehand, I suggest Cornell’s in Schenectady’s Little Italy on North Jay Street. The food is fabulous and the staff makes you feel right at home.   

May – When I think of May, I think of Mother’s Day and then I think of an afternoon tea. So we’ll check out The Whistling Kettle in downtown Ballston Spa.  

SUMMER IN SARATOGAOkay, so you can call me biased, but I love Saratoga, especially in the summer. I can just hear the Race Track’s jingle now: Saratoga, Saratoga…  

·        June – What’s lovelier than some traditional fried chicken to officially start summer? Personally, I cannot think of anything better and the place to dine on the finest fried chicken north of the southern states has to be Hattie’s. Bobby Flay, of Food Network fame, only solidified what Capital Region residents and quite honestly probably a lot of City and Long Island folk already knew, Hattie’s has the best.   

·        July – This is by far the most anticipated month for me of the year. With July comes the Ballet Season. In order to properly appreciate all the beautiful dancing and the men in tight tights, you need to have had satisfying meal. Much like the NYC Ballet Summer Season, the Spring Water Bistro is a Saratoga staple.    

·        August – What is finer than making a killing at the track? Okay, so that has never happened to me, but where can one go to heal ones wounded horse race gambling ego? Siro’s, which has been serving track patrons for years and it helps that it is only across the street.  

September – I think by early fall I will start craving some comforting food, and to me Casey’s fills that need. It’s a charming little place located in Rensselaer.  

October – I will be celebrating my quarter life birthday, so I think that calls for some Provençal French food at Provence in Guilderland. I haven’t been there yet, but all I hear is good things.  

November – By this time of the year I will be craving the warmth of summer and the taste of the Caribbean, so I think we’ll check out First Choice Caribbean American Cuisine of Troy. I have to get across the river at some point.

December – In honor of St. Nicholas’ Greek heritage, we’ll dine at The Chariot in Guilderland.****

I don’t know about you, but writing this list has made me so hungry; and I can’t wait to meet the fabulous people that have brought these interesting and varied restaurants to the Capital Region. So look forward to this series that I will start in February.

In no way am I an expert, but I would say that I am passionate about good food. I love to cook and bake and share what I have made with those I love. I love experiencing a fine meal and discussing food. The food we eat is often overlooked, but it nourishes us, connects us with our families, our culture, our history and ultimately we need to give it more thought.

I intend to learn new skills and to share them on here. I will share my favorite recipes and learn the recipes of my family. I promise pretty pictures, because I want this to be visually appetizing too. I will pass on interesting articles about food, because the more you know about the food you eat and cook the better off you will be.

In addition to sharing my food, I want to be able to showcase the food of the Capital Region of New York State. Why the capital region? Well I believe we live in best of both worlds.

New York State as a whole has so much to offer in the way of agriculture, and the Capital region sits in the middle of it all. We have beautiful apple orchards, lovely local farms, and a growing interest of local food from farmer’s markets. Many of the populated areas of the Capital Region aren’t too far from the countryside so it isn’t too hard to come across fresh tomatoes, plump blue berries and a whole assortment of goods that a farmer can offer. 

Another large benefit of living in the Capital Region is that culturally, for a small metro area, we are quite diverse. Not only are there people with many different ideas politically, after all it is the seat of New York politics, there are different ethnicities and different religions. I believe all of that plays a part to what kinds of food and especially restaurants that are available to each Capital Region resident. 

So weather you are most likely to be catching a meal in Schenectady before a musical at Proctors, or are sipping on a summer cocktail at the Track in Saratoga, or are working late among the politicos of Albany or are just cooking in your kitchen at home, you will find something that you can feast on in this blog.