Mabuhay, mga kababayan! (If you don’t know Tagalog, feel free to google translate this or read until the end, it’ll make more sense)

Who doesn’t love the feeling of smelling bread freshly cooked from the oven, the aroma spreading throughout the entire house? With the amount of effort and time it takes to make it, calling it anything but a labor of love would severely be understating this wonderful bread. This filipino bread is a staple in every filipino household, including mine. Pandesal is a sweet bread that looks very similar to many bread rolls. It is typically covered in breadcrumbs and when you take a bite, breadcrumbs fall in every direction and you get this soft, heartwarming feeling inside of you. I may be biased, but my family makes the best pandesal, and makes different versions of it too, like coconut and ube.

Although this dish originated from a time where the Philippines were under colonization, it is so much more that. Pandesal was introduced while Filipinos were under Spanish colonial rule, which is very apparent in the bread’s name. “Pan” is Spanish for bread and “sal” is spanish for salt. So technically, the translation for Pandesal is salt bread. I’ve always found this funny, as pandesal is actually really sweet! However, it may have been different back then, especially in the 16th century. I like to think of this unique history of pandesal as another example of how optimistic Filipinos can be, using ingredients given by their colonizers (wheat and flour) and making something truly life-changing with it. Turning the bad into the good. Just like my ancestors before me, I wish to do good in the world, and I hope I can at least achieve that even a little by sharing this astounding and truly unforgettable piece of bread. My “labor of love”, in a way.

Pandesal has been the one constant of my life. It would be weird to say that I have some weird dependency on it, but I honestly do! When I started high school, it was hard, and my stomach became quite sensitive due to my anxiety. The only thing it could tolerate in the mornings was pandesal. I can’t live without it. My mom and I bonded over making this dish, because what’s better than making bread and gossiping in the late afternoon?

Don’t think of this bread as just breakfast food, because that would be offensive to many Filipinos, like you just cursed them out. I’m joking, of course (I’m not, beware). You can have pandesal for desert, for lunch, and even for dinner. There are so many things you can stuff it with, from ice cream, to traditional spreads (like nutella), pancit canton (filipino noodles), tuna, chicken, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Trust is very important to me, so I want to be honest with you all. I don’t make this bread all the time, as life gets busy, and I know many of you can relate. Sometimes, I go to my local Filipino store and buy some pandesal, which I know are still made with love, I promise! Some Filipinos may even go on to say that pandesal is their first love, which is quite possible. If you didn’t think love at first sight was possible, think again. Pandesal will have you in your feels with every bite.

What you’ll need :

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk (whole or 2%) – 1 minute in Microwave
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup melted margarine
• 1 tsp iodized salt
• 2 eggs (slightly beaten)
• 1 egg yolk (slightly beaten)
• 1 pack Fleischmann’s Rapid Rise Instant Yeast plain breadcrumbs

1. Mix all ingredients for 15 minutes or until dough is smooth. Use dough mixer or better results.
2. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with cloth (tea cloth is best to use)
3. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
4. Divide dough into 24 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball. Put breadcrumbs first at the bottom of each ball so it will not stop the second rising of the dough. Place in a baking pan.
5. Cover with a tea cloth and let rise for 1 hour or 1 1/2 hours or until almost double in size.
6. Put breadcrumbs on top of each dough ball carefully.
7. Bake in 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy your pandesal! You are now a honorary filipino, a kababayan (even if you haven’t made it yet)!

Merry Christmas! Wait, hold on— I mean, Happy September! Throw out your Eggnog because after you try this recipe, you’ll never want Eggnog again. My mom immigrated to the United States from Jamaica in the 90s, so of course we keep many Jamaican holiday traditions, like making Sorrel. Sorrel is a traditional Christmas drink made from the Roselle plant. The Roselle plant is a type of Hibiscus plant that bears a crimson-red accessory fruit that we call Sorrel. Every year my mom makes this tasty drink for our Christmas dinners, and when I was little, I’d pretend to be none the wiser when she gave me a small taste of the rum-filled serving reserved for the adults. Despite my more formal example, Sorrel is a very versatile drink. It can be served at your boss’s office party in hopes that he finally gives you that promotion (let it go), or if you’re anything like my family, you’re going to be sipping a glass in the living room as you complain about the newest line of Hallmark Movies. Regardless of where you choose to drink it, I hope this Sorrel can bring as much joy as it has brought me.

You will need:

• Sorrel (You can find it in your closest Carribean store).
• Ginger (Preferably Jamaican Ginger. Trust me it’s better).
• Pimento (Allspice) Berries
• Cinnamon (Leaf or Stick)
• Wray& Nephew White Rum (Optional, and you can only use this brand).
• Sugar (Preferably Brown Sugar, but do whatever floats your boat).

1. Add the Sorrel to a pot of water along with the other spices and heat to a boil. You don’t need too much water, just enough to balance out the amount of Sorrel you have used. (Which should be the entire packet). Once the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat down and let it simmer for ten minutes.
2. Turn off the stove and let it steep overnight, or at least twelve hours.
3. Strain and sweeten to taste.
4. When it comes to rum, I believe the more, the better. However, you can add as much or as little you like.

It is best served cold with Ice.

Hey hey! Today I’m going to talk about red beans, and why I think you should definitely try making them, especially as a college student (Hint: this recipe is super cheap to make!). Growing up one of my favorite dishes my mom made for my brother and I was red beans, rice, and chicken. Today we’re focusing solely on the red beans.

To me, red beans are like taking the perfect nap. For me personally, I suck at taking naps. I’ll say just 30 minutes, which either results in me feeling worse after 30 minutes, or sleeping for another 2 hours. But every now and then, I’ll hit the perfect nap. Not conking out for 2-3 hours, but only for half an hour to 45 minutes. Not waking up with that really uncomfortable post-nap taste in my mouth, but feeling like I didn’t even nap in the first place. Not disoriented, but fully energized and ready to take on everything else that I need to do for the day. Perfection. These red beans can give you that feeling every time, guaranteed. They’re so warm and comforting, and are packed with flavor that will fill you up ready to get back to work.

If I’m ever having a bad day, red beans are the go to. Good day? Red beans. Realllyyyy hungry? Red beans! Red beans have been there for me through thick and thin, for all the ups and downs, and will forever hold a special place in my heart.

I’ve been eating red beans ever since I was little, just like my mom. These red beans are my grandmas recipe, who used to make them for my mom, who now makes them for me. Hopefully I can do these red beans some justice and teach you how to make them. Without further ado, here’s what you’re going to need:

-any sort of oil (I use olive oil)
-1 can of Goya red kidney beans (or the dark red ones, they taste the same but look prettier once everything’s put together)
-scallions
-1 tomato
-a few cloves of garlic (or garlic powder if you’re lazy)
-Ketchup
-1 packet of Goya Sazón

All of my familys recipes are done based off of feel, not measurements, so feel free to adjust any of the above ingredients to your own liking. For me, I always start with cutting my tomatoes into thick halves, chopping my scallions, and finely dicing my garlic.

I pour some olive oil into a pot on medium heat, and start with putting my garlic in the pot. After a minute or so, I add my scallions, and after another minute or so, my tomatoes. I add them in this order so that the softer ingredients don’t get too mushy from the heat, especially the tomatoes. We’re going to want them to keep the majority of their texture.

At this point, I’ll add my can of red beans along with the juice in the can. Don’t drain the juice in the can! At this point I’ll add my packet of sazòn and s good amount of ketchup, and stir everything up. I’ll leave the beans on the medium heat for a few minutes, just until I can see that the sauce that’s formed isn’t liquidy and has thickened up. Depending on how hungry I am, I’ll either take the beans off the stove and dive in, or crank the heat down to low and let them sit for another minute. And that’s it!

Pair these beans with some plain white rice and I guarantee you your life will change forever. Enjoy!

Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies!

Well, almost. I have a friend who despises chocolate so I always set aside a batch of anti-chocolate cookies just for her. But either way, cookies! Surely a simple recipe, right? All you need is flour, sugar, more sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, salt, butter, chocolate… hey, why are there so many ingredients? Don’t people usually think of cookies as one of the simpler recipes?

Unfortunately (or fortunately) for me, things never go according to plan when I bake cookies. Even though I’ve baked them countless times, I always seem to forget how long I’m supposed to bake them for the perfect cookie texture. Mix up baking soda with baking powder and you’ll be taking out 6 charcoal disks instead of 6 edible cookies. Crack open an egg and you might get two yolks instead of the one you need. Or, crack open an egg from a carton labeled “LARGE BROWN EGGS” and get a nickel-sized yolk. Pour out granulated sugar from a paper bag and end up dumping in two more cups than intended.

But in the end, something always comes out edible. You may have to adjust the amount of flour until you have a workable dough, carefully scoop out the extra sugar (and put it back in the bag without telling mom), and bake a couple batches until the cookies come out not caving in or burnt. The beauty of baking is that it is a process adjusted and refined over time, through repetition and experience and experimentation. This isn’t exactly a holy grail recipe – no matter how precisely I follow the instructions, the cookies seem to turn out different every time. Despite how they turn out, whether they’re a bit too brown around the edges or a bit too soft in the middle, my brother will still eat them. My dad will still take them to work, boasting about how good his kid is at baking and triumphantly handing them out to his coworkers. My mom will still eat three a day, even though she claims she will cut down on sugar. I will still send my boyfriend to college every week with a container of 20 cookies because according to him, as long as it has chocolate and is made by me, it will be a good cookie. And for me, who doesn’t like appreciating (and eating) the fruits of their labor?

TraciE's Trial-and-much-Error Cookies

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until it forms a paste. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. 
4. Pour a fourth of the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients and fold together with a spatula until combined. Repeat this process until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the wet mixture.
5. Set aside a portion of dough for your chocolate-hater friend if you wish, then fold chocolate chips into your remaining dough.
6. Scoop a tablespoon of dough for each cookie onto the baking sheet, making sure to spread them out unless you want polygonal cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on how many cookies you bake at a time (more cookies = more time) and how powerful your oven is (trial and error... good luck).
7. Enjoy!

If you have a field trip, are going to the beach, or need an easy dinner, you have to make a torta (Mexican Sandwich). They’re delicious, require a few ingredients, and make you want more than one. Tortas can be traced back to the 1800s to workers and students eating them due to their easy assembly and low cost. This was revolutionary at the time because the bread used for tortas(bolillo) became popular. In the state of Puebla and Mexico City, flavors like breaded chicken, ham, cheese, and more created a whole category for tortas at every Mexican restaurant. Today there are new forms of tortas, there are tortas ahogadas, a normal torta indulge in sauce, and guajolota, a tamale in a bolillo. Tortas are like pregnancy carvings, you need them even though they’re a little strange. Personally, I see why the torta became popular. It’s easy to stuff anything between two pieces of bread: a little butter or mayonnaise, vegetables, and protein. When I was younger I remember my mom would give me a less mainstreamed torta, just scrambled eggs and beans between a bolillo and it was just as delicious as this recipe.

you will need…

• Bollilo(roll)
• Two slices of ham
• Mozzarella cheese
• Refried beans
• Pickled jalapeños
• Avocado
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Butter/mayoneise
• A pan

Start up by heating up the pan and adding butter to the surface. Cut your roll in the middle so that it can open up like a butterfly and add more butter using a butter knife and spread it. Toast your roll on the side where you spread the butter on the pan and toast it to your liking, I like a golden brown look for that crunch. 

After toasting the bread add more butter to the pan and add the slices of hams till they get a brown color on both sides. While waiting for the ham to get nice brown add the refried beans to one side and spread it. Add cheese to eat a slice of ham and once melted, flip them onto each other and add it to the sandwich. make sure to turn off the pan.

You could leave it as it is and eat it but I love toppings. slice the avocado and add some salt because that is the only way to eat it. cut your tomato and add it to the torta and add it as well as the lettuce. I love spicy food

We will be using the Posting and Commenting function of blogs@baruch throughout the semester, so you’ll have to familiarize yourself with how to do this:

1. Scroll over “Blog” in the menu bar
2. Scroll down to “Blog #1: due 9/9”
3. Read the instructions (see below this list)
4. Click “+ New” in your top toolbar to add a new post
5. Answer the assignment in the text box
6. On the right side of the screen, find the “Categories” tab. Check the box next to “Blog #1: due 9/9” in order to properly upload it.
7. Click the “Publish” box to complete your post

Blog #1 Prompt:

À la Danny Licht’s excerpt we read in class, from Cooking As Though You Might Cook Again, write a recipe for something you like to cook/make. You can write this in a more traditional form, like a classic cookbook, or do something a little more strange and creative, like Licht does (the tone is more personal essay/poem than instruction manual). The choice is yours! You can include photos, quotes, quips, jokes, whatever! Make it YOU.

No matter how you write it, you are required to include at least one paragraph about, either:

• (1) where the recipe comes from, historically or culturally… What is the *objective* lineage of this dish or these food items? Is there some history around this food? Is there some social or cultural significance?
• (2) your personal relationship to this recipe/food item… What does this dish/these ingredients mean in your *subjective* life? Is there a personal history the food helped you deal with? How did the food nourish you? Is there some personal significance?

If you don’t cook, you can describe how to do something else that requires step-by-step instructions, and you still have to include the above paragraphs, somehow. Does the task have an objective history, or a subjective personal history?

Put your best foot forward… maybe we’ll make these into a class cookbook/guidebook?!?

PS – If you need some further inspiration, check out these recipes by poets.