Product Review: New West Knife Works

Santoku

I was contacted some weeks ago by New West Knife Works; a small company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming to see if I would be interested in trying out one of their knives. Naturally, I said I'd love to.


Lindsey & I had some nice back-and-forth, and I was asked to pick the knife I'd like to test. The truth was, they were all so gorgeous I couldn't decide. Matt & I poured over their catalog, and I narrowed it down to three models. I then told Lindsey to pick for me!

To my immense surprise, what arrived on my porch was not one but two functional works of art. The stunning Santoku, above, and the Chopper, pictured below.

Admittedly, there was a certain amount of time spent simply admiring the knives. I don't know that I've ever seen more attractive cutlery.

But we all know it's about substance, and not flash, so the true test came this past week or so as I had some pretty chop-heavy recipes lined up. Sushi, jambalaya (twice), chili, empanadas; the sheer quantity of vegetables and meats/fake meats was astounding.

I often find knives are too light or too heavy or...something. I also have small hands, yes. But when I started using the NWKW knives? It was perfect. The weight, the balance, the feel.

And oh my; these knives are sharp. Nothing I cut, no onion or chunk of beef, not even slightly frozen chicken, could stop it. Everything sliced through like butter. It was almost as if the knife didn't need me; a bit of direction & look! Your stuff's cut.





The Chopper


Both knives got a work out; and both were fantastic. I didn't know you could be in love with a utensil! But it's true. We have some pretty good knives already; including two ceramic. I thought they were the epitome of slicing & dicing. But...I've had a change of heart. I still like my ceramics, but the New West Knife Works knives? They're my first-choice now.

The company has a decent selection of knives, and I'll be honest: they're not cheap. But as Matt said, "Is a knife really worth $200.00? The answer is yeah, it kind of is."

They run from the $45.00 Mini-Paring to the $250.00 Sashimi knife. There is definitely a range!

The knives are divided into two collections; Fusionwood & Phoenix. The Fusionwood have a bit of an old West flair to them, while the Phoenix have a decidedly sleeker & contemporary design. Really, it doesn't matter which collection you go with; both are beautiful.

So, it comes down to this. New West Knife Works makes some darn fine knives. Good craftsmanship, fantastic cutting & slicing, and looks good on your counter tops, too!

And I've been walking around saying 'Jackson Hole' for days...

Blog Party#43: Spice it Up---The Round Up

Hi there! Welcome to the post-mortem for the latest Blog Party. I apologize for it's lateness, but not everyone has been well here lately, and that's thrown me off schedule.

It was another great party. The food & drinks were perfectly spiced, and as always, we had a darn good time. But then, get a group of food-loving girls together, it's bound to happen!

Normally I showcase serving dishes or napkins or whatever that tie-in with our theme. But this time I decided to keep it simple: nice apothecary jars from CostPlus World Market, filled with spices from Penzeys. Cinnamon sticks, cloves, nutmeg...pretty and aromatic!


There was some great music, starting with Spices of Zanzibar



and Rough Guide to Indian Lounge



as well as Music of Indonesia 10: Music of Biak, Irian Jaya




But I know you're really here for the food, so here you go. We had a nice little group this month, and the dishes were spectacular.




First to arrive was Natashya; and yes, I was very happy to see her back!

And she gave us plenty of spice, first in her Chorizo-Stuffed Mushrooms, with the already spicy sausage as well as cumin.
She followed that with a pitcher of Spiced Rum Punch; as the name implies, spiced rum with peaches; yum!
It was wonderful to see you again, Natashya.







Our next guest was Sarina; she brought the perfect party food, spiced up!
I confess I ate quite a few of her Curried Potato Chips! Brilliant idea, no? Chips, spices.
To temper any heat from the chips, she served some Basil Lemonade, which is going to be on our picnic menu this summer, for sure.
Glad you could be here, Sarina.







It was with great joy that I opened the door to my dear friend Jeanne; it really had been ages!
With her was a tin of these wonderful Roasted Chickpeas with Moroccan Spices. Talk about finger food!
We've always been big on tea in this house, so of course her Mint Tea went over big, too.
So very happy you made it, Jeanne.









My possibly separated-at-birth sister/friend Deb was next, and she sure had the 'spice' angle covered!
Perfect little Baked Somosas with Mint Chutney! How I do love those.
But I think it was her Rose-Pomegranate Martini that left me most impressed...it was just so darn pretty!
A pleasure, as always, Deb.









Our last guest made a very special effort to be here, and although I adore her already, having J show up meant a lot.
Her too-cute Peppered beef on Rosti Hearts endeared her to the other guests, as well!
The Stem Ginger-Topped Cake didn't hurt, either. Some Ginger Champagne continued the spiciness.
J, I am truly happy you could come.



There were some great spiced offerings, but of course I had to add a couple of my own.






Chocolate Chili Cups

A warm chili; with oregano, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, coriander & chipotles in adobo. And of course, chocolate! Served in tiny tortillas cups.





Tandoori Chicken Bites

I cheated just a little, using a Tandoori spice mix from an Indian market; mixed with yogurt. Marinate chicken, then grill. Serve with any chutney of your choice. We have plenty.




Aloo Parathas

With the help of our tortilla press, this was a fun & easy bite-sized project. Make the dough, flatten, fill with a mixture of cooked potatoes mashed with ground cumin and salt (we used a pink Indian salt), fold over & flatten again. Cook in pan till those brown spots appear.




And to drink? I mentioned we're a tea household; I served up a pot of The Happy Sorceress tea! A blend I had made; it's Ceylon sonata, ginger & cinnamon. Heavenly to smell, spicy, but not overpowering.

Thanks again to everyone who came, and again sorry for the delay. You all nailed it, like you always do!

March's theme will be announced Sunday; another revisit of a past Blog Party theme. It's one of my favorites, and I hope you'll look forward to it as much as I am.






Tagged with: Food and Drink + Blog Party + Events + Appetizers + Cocktails + Canapes + Parties + Finger Food + Mocktails + Spices + Blogging

Wartime Wednesdays: Butterscotch

CANDIES

When sugar and a liquid are boiled together, a sirup is formed which grows thicker as the boiling continues. The thickness of the sirup determines the general type of candy that will result.

Testing the Sirup

The simplest and must accurate method of determining whether the sirup is thick enough for your purpose is to measure it's temperature, because the temperature rises steadily as the sirup thickens.
A CANDY THERMOMETER registering up to 350 degrees F. is not expensive, and it will not only give you a higher average of success in candy making but will save you the time and labor that must otherwise be given to testing the sirup. A table giving the various stages of sugar cookery will be found on page 12.
---The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book, Wartime Edition; published 1943

Such a simple recipe; corn syrup, water, white & brown sugars are stirred, then boiled till 250; butter is added & then...depending on whether you wanted soft or hard candy...cooked a bit longer. I went for hard, so the magic number was 300 degrees F. Remove from heat, add in some vanilla. The recipe wants it poured onto a cold slab; failing to locate one, I used a greased baking dish.

This tastes exactly as it should. A deep, rich, flavor. Took very little time, with fantastic results.

Potato-Cheddar Cheese Soup

This was a loaded baked potato. Just in soup form.

I'm serious!

This recipe was so simple, came together quickly, and proved hearty.



Fry some bacon (or the fake stuff Alex & I eat) in a pot; drain on paper towels.

With the rendered fat (or some olive oil for the veg half), cook chopped onion till translucent. Of course, this will require longer than the five minutes allotted by the recipe. But those of us in the know merely shake our heads.

Add in water, potatoes (cubed) and salt; boil, reduce to simmer, cover & cook till taters are tender.

Puree half the soup, return to pan, set burner to low & add in shredded cheddar. Stir till melted. Serve, topped with the reserved bacon & greenery of your choice.

The soup got a bit thicker than Matt likes, but it's pretty good. And it really did taste like a well-topped baked potato!



And now I send this over to Deb, and her Souper Sundays; legitamizing adding soup to each week's menu.

My Kid's Lunch Is More Interesting Than Your Kid's Lunch. I Bet.

Pride goeth before...well, you know. I'm bound for a tumble, then.

I love the way Alex eats. One day he's taking a caprese salad for lunch, the next, satay. Another day it's fried rice. Or maybe Pad Thai.

This was his first time, and he loved it. He decided he could do without the squeeze of lime juice, but he ate it all up. Then asked if there were left-overs, so he could take it to school the next day. And oh, Mom...are my chopsticks clean?

Yeah, I'm proud.

His & Hers

A sign of true love: for Valentine's day, we made dinner for each other. Matt made a ton of sushi for me.

And for him, it was a recipe from Food & Wine. A balsamic & rosemary steak, with puffy potatoes.









We're cranking up the flavor for this month's Blog Party; it's time to Spice it Up!

Hope to see you there.

Fried Tofu with Noodles

This was something we sort of made up.

We've been using rice noodles a lot lately; we had some tofu in the fridge we didn't want to go bad.

Tofu, chopped & breaded with panko. Quickly fried in a wok.

Next, fry up water chestnuts, garlic, hoisin sauce, plum sauce; toss in cooked rice noodles. Add in tofu, and serve.

It was a good start. The tofu was great, but neither of us are crazy about hoisin. So, we'll do this again, but with a different sauce.











We're cranking up the flavor for this month's Blog Party; it's time to Spice it Up!

Hope to see you there.

Smoky-Hot Ginger Chicken Stir Fry

This recipe from Food & Wine caught my eye; doesn't that just sound good?

Marinate the chicken (or for us these days, Quorn), heat your wok & fry up a bunch of chilies. Remove, get the wok hot & shiny again, then cook your chicken (or whatever you're substituting) in batches till browned. Put it all back, with the chiiles, adding in a lot of ginger; cook about a minute. Next, brown sugar, cooking till it's caramelized. Some soy sauce & rice vinegar thicken the sauce to finish, and eat over rice noodles.

I had really high hopes for this; thinking that while there aren't a lot of flavors, the ones involved would really stand out.

Instead, it was an 'Ok' dish. The ginger was there, but not nearly as prominent as we'd expected.

And I'd definitely add a few more ingredients...vegetables, nuts...if I tried it again.








We're cranking up the flavor for this month's Blog Party; it's time to Spice it Up!

Hope to see you there.

It's Not Just Hearts & Flowers, You Know

I made these cards for a couple of new friends, connected by our love of comics & superheroes & villains.

One has a big thing for the Scarecrow. He pretty much creeped me out, while I was drawing him. I guess that's a good sign, yes?



I was going for really cheesy, school Valentine greetings. You know, corny.




The other, like me, is a big Batman fan. Problem is, he's not exactly the first guy you'd think of when Valentine's comes around!




But it proves a point: you don't always have to say it with flowers.







We're cranking up the flavor for this month's Blog Party; it's time to Spice it Up!

Hope to see you there.

Chorizo & Chickpea Soup

Can't recall where this came from; but apparently, it was good. Substantial & filling. Simple, because that's the current cooking plan.



This is my bi-monthly addition to Deb's Souper Sundays!






We're cranking up the flavor for this month's Blog Party; it's time to Spice it Up!

Hope to see you there.

You Could Eat the Whole Box

A few weeks ago, a friend & I decided to make this cake. We were going to go fondant-coated hand to fondant-coated hand, see who made the better cake.

This was probably a bad idea, on my part. She's a caker, and I often refer to her as 'The Fondant Queen'. I, on the other hand, would be using it for exactly the fourth time.

But when the horrific fires hit Australia, my sweetheart of a friend bowed out of competition, as she had generously auctioned off cupcakes to benefit relief funds. With hundreds of little cuppies ahead of her, there'd be no time for a fondant frenzy.

I opted to go ahead with the cake, as a gift for Matt.

The idea came from here; rather than roll all those truffles, I made molded chocolates instead. Each filled with either Nutella or ganache; the ganache then either plain old chocolate, or raspberry or mint flavored.

All the chocolates, save 3 or 4, were made by me. I discovered, around two o'clock this morning, that despite several trays, I was still short! Luckily, I had some Lindt truffles on hand that could be pressed into service.

A heart-shaped chocolate cake, frosted with a basic buttercream, then covered with red fondant.

It's not perfect. My friend would have done a much nicer job. But I'm happy with it, and more importantly, so is Matt.

And for once, when diving into a chocolate box, you really could eat the whole thing!






We're cranking up the flavor for this month's Blog Party; it's time to Spice it Up!

Hope to see you there.

I've Been Bitten

Repeatedly. By a dozen of these little guys.



Happy Valentine's day...or at least, as celebrated in schools everywhere.

Beef & Ginger Stir Fry

I know, I know. We've been on a real Asian/stir fry/Donna Hay kick. But, we love the flavors, the ease, and of course Donna!

This recipe was yet another quick one: grated ginger & garlic go into a sizzling hot skillet, followed by the beef (or Morningstar Farms Meals Starters, faux beef-style) & brown, a couple of minutes. Next, red pepper & soy sauce, cook a couple more minutes. Add rice noodles (here's where we differed: instead of adding a few teaspoons of stock earlier, we just let a bit of the noodle water get in the pan), toss & serve. No cilantro for us, because we don't think food should taste like dish soap.

Good flavors, wonderful texture. Fast, easy & filling. Perfect weeknight meal.






We're cranking up the flavor for this month's Blog Party; it's time to Spice it Up!

Hope to see you there.

Wartime Wednesdays: Potato Omelet

Sample Breakfasts

Pineapple Juice
Prepared Cereal
Poached Eggs on
Wholewheat Toast
Milk, Coffee

Oatmeal with Prunes
Slab Bacon
Cinnamon Toast
Milk, Coffee

Apple Juice
Cracked Wheat Cereal
Sweet Rolls
Milk, Coffee

Tomato Juice
Soft-cooked Eggs
Corn-bread, Honey
Milk, Coffee
---The Victory Binding of the American Woman's Cook Book; Wartime Edition published 1943

This lovely omelet, simple in it's preparation, made a good breakfast for Matt. The recipe called for cold boiled potatoes, I used some grilled potato wedges we had left over from the day we grilled. You know, that day it got into the seventies. In early February.

Dice the potatoes, add to some heated bacon fat & season with pepper and salt. Cook about five minutes. Add some lightly beaten eggs, with just a bit of milk added, and cook till set. Flip over, finish cooking.

Now, I did in fact use bacon fat. It seems odd, I know, for me to have my own bacon fat supply. But I grew up in a house, my grandparent's house, which always had a ceramic pot of bacon grease. It sat on the stove, center back. If you were frying up some cold boiled potatoes, or making scrambled eggs, you always added a spoonful of fat. Something I tried to tell Matt; unfortunately his taste-buds aren't as sensitive as mine so the flavor is usually lost on him.

But for years now, I've been saving the bacon fat (ok, I occasionally give it to the dogs, over their food) in a Tupperware container, for occasions exactly like this.









We're cranking up the flavor for this month's Blog Party; it's time to Spice it Up!

Hope to see you there.

Show Me Yours & I'll Show You Mine, Part 2

Deb & Natashya, we're half-way there.

Part 2 of my never-ending cookbook collection. This batch lives in the kitchen, next to the old, double-sink & another set of shelves holding a large portion of our gadgets, and above where the dishwasher would be if we even found a day when we were caught up.





Bottom shelf is ethnic. Once upon a time it was organized by cuisine/region, but those days have long passed.



Some of the ethnic volumes bleed onto the middle shelf, with the rest of the space filled by most of our vegetarian books. Yes, I like Moosewood...what's your point?





The top shelf is a sort of catch-all; basic & general purpose books, a batch of down-home volumes, and the like.



And because I just know you're squinting, trying to read the spines, I've included photos of ALL the books. Just click on them to see them better.













































We're cranking up the flavor for this month's Blog Party; it's time to Spice it Up!

Hope to see you there.