Weekend Wrapup...pie verdict, flicks and red beans and rice...

My dough..made with my Grandmother's rolling pin!

Let’s see, let’s see….let us begin with the pie. You know…the apple pie I made from scratch…homemade crust and all( made with a rolling pin hand-carved by my great-grandfather for my grandmother as a wedding gift…so sweet). That sucker was kind of an all day affair. Apple pie is just…..laborious…I don’t know any other word for it. Peeling the apples, coring the apples, slicing the apples, mixing the dough, chilling the dough, rolling out the dough, rechilling the dough, don’t forget to put foil on the edges, make sure the pie is toward the bottom of the oven. Bottom line…it was a very nice pie(should be with two sticks of butter in the crust….Martha recipe), but it wasn’t good enough that I want to go through all that again. Seriously, I could have easily bought an apple pie that good, and enjoyed my day more. The nice gentleman who sat by me at Thanksgiving dinner  judged it for me….he said, “It’s pretty good but I kind of had to scoop it out, so it doesn’t look so good.” Or something like that. I didn’t hit him or even consider it….I graciously agreed, and silently made a pact with myself to never do that again. That was my last from scratch apple pie.

Caught a couple of good films over the weekend….The Blind Side starring Sandra Bullock is a winner…hands down, one of the best films I’ve seen in a while. And knowing the story of Michael Orr of the Ravens, made me admire him even more. See it if you had a chance. Also enjoyed Coco Before Chanel playing at the Charles Theatre. Oh so very French, very subtitled, lots of cigarette smoking, alors!! Interesting story about the woman who brought us the LBD(little black dress) and Chanel No. 5,  and the idea that clothing should be comfortable….bye-bye corsets. The film conveniently leaves out Coco’s affair with a German officer during WWII and the German occupation of France(it doesn’t really go that far timewise). Some say she was a collaborator, but she was never charged as one. Did Winston Churchill work behind the scenes in her behalf? Who knows, but she left Paris for Switzerland, as people didn’t feel so kindly towards her. Oh, Coco.

Also made some kicking Red Beans and Rice….made with real Camellia Red Beans, which people from Louisiana say are basic to the real thing(though I’ve used plain old kidney beans to pretty good effect). It’s a classic, that once you’ve made it, you really don’t need a recipe for…I just saute a couple of red and green peppers, lots of onion and garlic…put in a couple of ham hocks, bay leaves, Tabasco and your soaked red beans. Cover with water and simmer away. When the beans are tender, add some sautéed Kielbasa, or Chorizo if you’re feeling authentic. Let it cook a little longer, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve over rice. Yummo.

[Via http://hamiltonshabitat.wordpress.com]

Little trip out of town

Went to Notodden today. My car was finished and I was delighted to get it back. Roomy and big -and automatic!! Mom came with me  and we picked up some Christmas Sausage tht we can only get there. I got some cheddar I can’t get here and  Mom bought some cookies and candy for Christmas.

We have just finished supper, tortellini and caesar salad

I have played phone tag with Hubbyand a girl friend and am now making caramels for Christmas. Which means I have offivially opened the Christmas preparations, I guess. Found the recipe in Kristi’ s scout magazine:

It’s been simmering for an hour and is now ready to cool.

Time for a coffee and a breather before dog walking. I think my energy is returning !

[Via http://lisbethbula.wordpress.com]

Thanksgiving

Today, while taking a break from washing the silver place settings for 32, I looked out the door to see a man pushing a cart looking through the neighborhood garbage cans. “Hey Kat, do you have any food to give a homeless man?” I asked my erstwhile step daughter — my girlfriend’s daughter, but that only matters for honesty in blog writing (tautology or oxymoron?). Turns out the quarter piece of pumpkin was perfect. We had four pumpkin pies this Thanksgiving, one a yummy pecan pumpkin pie, so I got to feel good for being generous, and came out ahead by relieving us of the overabundance of pumpkin pie at our disposal. When I brought the pie out to the man with the cart, he was delighted. He was happily eating a plastic container filled with what looked like beef stew. I suspect a neighbor was disposing of her over full refrigerator in advance of the expected overabundance of Thanksgiving leftovers to come later in the day.

Thanksgiving was a success this year. My girlfriend, Elise, got to spend the day preparing a wonderful dinner with her daughter. Elise loves to prepare food for guests; the more the merrier. Kat, her daughter recently took up and then dropped the idea of becoming a chef. She loves preparing food as well. More important than the love of cooking they both share is the mother–daughter bonding. Elise said to me, “This is the best way to spend a holiday.” Kat told her husband that she is going to host Thanksgiving every year regardless of whether his relatives want to come. Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, and she wants to share it with her mother as long as she is able.

As the Gourmand and Gour-Man that I am, I support both. As the loving boyfriend, I want nothing less than for Elise and Kat to have this time together.

The food was great, and the leftovers fill the fridge. We have deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, two half turkey carcases, a quart of gravy, 3/4 of a caviar pie, candied yams, creamed onions, 2/3 of a ham roast, two quarts of mashed potatoes, a half sheet of brownies, and — oh yeah — an entire pumpkin pie. I wish I’d asked the homeless man to come back for leftovers tomorrow.

[Via http://sreinheimer.wordpress.com]

Thanksgiving Side Dishes & Prepping Your Bird

My local CSA  also sells organically raised chicken and turkeys. I  just picked it up my fresh 19.1 lb turkey from the farm – this post will cover  the care and preparation of a fresh turkey  for the Thanksgiving feast as recommended by my CSA:

Brining the Turkey:

2 cups kosher salt

2 cups sugar

2 gallons water (you can substitute orange juice, apple cider, or vegetable stock for some of the water)

Optional ingredients for flavor:

2 – 3 bay leaves

1/2 cup of your favorite dried herbs/spices (the usual suspects are sage, oregano, thyme, basil, cloves, cinnamon, etc)

1 tbs cracked black peppercorns

lemon and orange slices

crushed garlic cloves

In a large stockpot over medium heat, combine 1 gallon of water, salt,sugar & what ever optional ingredients you choose. Stir until sugar and salt have dissolved, but do not boil. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.

Next, spread a layer of ince into the bottom of a cooler that is a little larger than the turkey. Place your brining bag inside cooler of ice and place the turkey breast side down, inside the bag. Pour the cooled brine over the turkey plus an additinal gallon of water or juice. To further cool the brine add ice into the bag. Seal bag, make sure to let out as much air as possible. Add additional ice to the cooler so that your turkey stays at 40 degrees while brining. Brine for 30 minutes for pound, Do not over brine to turkey will be salty.

Remove turkey from brine – completely rinse to remove excess brine. Prep for cooking as desired.

I will be prepping my bird as follows:

Melt 4 tbs butter (butter can be substituted for olive oil)

Gently seperate the skin from the breast but don’t remove it. You just want to be able to get your hand between the skin and the breast skin and the meat.  The goal is to rub the melter butter on the turkey breast between the breast skin and the meat. Don’t butter the outside of the skin. If you want to you can put some Rosemary and Thyme again between the breast skin and the meat. Lightly salt and pepper all the skin on the outside.

You may refrigerate your prepped  bird for up to  24 hours before cooking.

[Via http://lv2cookgdfd.wordpress.com]

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Waxing Moon

Uranus Retrograde

Cloudy and mild

I’m headed up to Maine for the Big Dinner with 50+ people. It’s always wonderful — especially since the agreement is to keep conflict outside the door, and, for over 30 years, that’s the way it works.

It will be slightly bittersweet this year. My grandmother died a few days before Thanksgiving last year, and, while we missed her, she still felt very present, especially since her memorial service was the day after Thanksgiving. This year will be the year we realize she’s truly gone.

I’m feeling tired and run down from all the dealings with scumbag landlords and corrupt state agencies. Too many entities feel they are above the law. And they count on grinding down those who won’t just roll over and take it. I’m glad to have a few days to regroup and dig in again.

Migraine yesterday didn’t help, either.

In the category of Unbelievable Ignorance, I was tweeting about editing/revision/cutting with some people and mentioned how much I love to cut and edit and that “The Red Machete is my best friend” meaning I use a red pen when I edit and I cut a lot. I’m not unnaturally attached to words, I know nothing is ever wasted, etc. So what happens? In a matter of minutes, I get a slew of nasty emails and DMs from right wing nuts accusing me of all kinds of things because they think “Red Machete” has a political or religious connotation. Which, of course, it doesn’t — I did my research before starting to use the term. Don’t these people have lives? They’ve already proven they don’t have brains or hearts, but one would think they’d have more important things to do than troll the internet and attack people for imagined contexts.

It’s part of the deal if you’re going to be out in public, and, if you’re a writer, you have to spend a certain amount of time out where people can take shots at you. If you’re going to cave or threaten to pack up your toys and go home every time someone behaves like a dick, this is not the line of work that’ll make you happy. I have no problem with legitimate discussion of different points of view, but in our current Culture of the Screech, far too many people make judgements with nothing to back it up.

Let’s just say being offline for a few days will be good for both body and soul!

Ran errands. Baked Toll House Cookies. Made a shepherd’s pie big enough to feed 10 people. Cooked dinner for myself and another. We did all the dishes. At the time I had to post this, I still had to wrap presents and decide what the heck I’m wearing to The Dinner!

The shepherd’s pie tray doesn’t fit into the cooler, so I have to build a make-shift cooler to transport it and the cheesecakes. Oy!

When I get back, I need to go back to storage and get out all my other cookie sheets. I accumulated a lot of them over the years, especially the year I baked 30 cakes and 1200 cookies. I’m not going quite that far this year, but it will be . . .a lot.

I love using parchment paper to line the sheets, though. I prepped all the sheets with parchment, stacked them, then just filled them and slid them into the oven.

Considering I have a galley kitchen, it’s amazing how much I can get done!

Signing off until the weekend. Have a great holiday, everyone!

Devon

[Via http://devonellington.wordpress.com]

weekly accounts

A big part of my keeping to a budget has been menu planning. Each week I take a look at what’s in the cupboard and decide what to make for dinner each evening. Breakfast is every man for himself and lunch is dependent on whether the husband is home or not. Planning dinners has allowed me to shop sales and make sure the food we buy gets used and not thrown away. Plus I love to find recipes and then ignore them when I cook, the menu plan gives me a starting point. So let’s see what’s on for this week…

I am not even attempting a menu plan this week.  We move on Wednesday and I’ve spent the past six days packing boxes.  I hate packing the kitchen so I don’t even want to spend any mental time there right now.  Our meals will come from the freezer and cupboard, be simple, easy and use no more than two pans, a spoon or a spatula as everything else is packed.

We are using a system that is somewhat based on $80/week for grocery and non-edible and the $50 a week budget. Each week we calculate how much we spent overall and I announce if we are under or over budget.

eating out – $49.42

grocery – $7.99

grocery non-edible – $5.42

Apparently sending the husband and Toddler L away for a few days is all my budget needs.  Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for feeding my family.

[Via http://compactbydesign.com]

One for the cookbook! Fly Cemetery

This an old family favourite, I believe this recipe was handed down from my grandmother in Scotland. It is a twist on Christmas pies, but the layout is what gives it its name.

difficulty: 3

Cooking Time: +/- 25 mim.

Prep: 20 min, easier if pastry made on food processor.

Oven: 200 c

Requires 2 batches of sweet short pastry.

1 Bottle Fruit mince.

1 Cooking apple, grated.

1 Tbsp. Brandy.

1 Tbsp. Brown sugar.

2 Tsp. Cinnamon.

Roll out first batch pastry to fit 23cm x 33cm baking tray to about 5mm thickness. Place pastry on greased baking sheet, make sure is there is enough to cover edges of baking sheet. Mix fruit mix, grated apple, brandy, brown sugar and cinnamon together. Spread over pastry base evenly. Cover with second pastry sheet and seal edges.

Mark pastry in three even sections lengthwise and then 3 cm sections width wise to create the cemetery feel!

Bake in hot oven (200 c) until brown, +/- 20 minutes depending on oven. Serve warm with Cream or Vanilla Custard.

Enjoy.

[Via http://thebournes.wordpress.com]

Hysterical History Party

THEME:  History, with a twist    

"Fourscore and seven years ago . . ."

INVITATIONS:  Write in longhand on parchment and roll in a scroll, sealing with wax or an official-looking sticker.  The idea is to make it look like a historical document.  Use officious language, such as:  “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary to find some diversion unrelated to that which has been our wont, we, (host and friends), have hit upon a plan which we believe will provide well beyond the required amusement.  Therefore, we hereby announce the Hysterical History Party, to be held on (date) at (time and place), to which you are most cordially invited.  Whereas this event is in celebration of history, we respectfully request your person to be attired in full regalia of any historic person of note.”  (And so on, and so forth . . .  get the idea?)

     This party works well for college students and adults.

MATERIALS FOR ACTIVITIES:  Random props from famous tales from history, such as hatchet, old flag, lanterns, toy rifle, etc. (or you may prefer to let them pantomime their props); equipment to play folk games from history in ours or other lands; words and music to old folk songs, both foreign and domestic.

FOOD:  Famous foods from history will do here.  Search old cookbooks or history books for ideas.  You could do a whole formal dinner or just have desserts.  Some suggestions might be Cherry Pie, Lincoln Log, Lindy’s Cake, or Sweet Potato Pie.  This is where some actual learning might come in!

DECORATIONS:  Decorate the party room with anything that looks historical–antiques or pseudo-antiques, flags from different countries or items significant to the history of ours or other countries.  You could use tapestries, Native American blankets, Japanese lanterns, African masks, or other curios.  Some fake cobwebs leftover from Halloween could make the stuff look really old.

 BLOW-BY-BLOW:          As guests arrive, you (the host/hostess) have them play an icebreaker game similar to “Who Am I?“.  As they mingle, they ask yes-or-no questions of each other to detect which historical figure each person represents.  When everyone is acquainted–historically speaking–seat them for the dinner.  If not doing a dinner, begin the activities by dividing the guests into several groups and giving each group an assignment to reenact a famous historical event.  You may give them props, if desired, but ask them to act out the story as they think it might have really happened!  (The emphasis is on humor here.)  Give each group about ten minutes to plan their skit, and then–lights, camera, action!  (Actually, making a videotape of this is not a bad idea.)

            After the rewriting of history, you may wish to play some old folk games from ours and other lands.  (Look for some in future posts on this blog, or you may want to do some research at your local library.) 

            Cool off with some refreshments, and finish the evening by singing some old folk songs, accompanied by piano or guitar, if possible.

A Swedish Tribute

Grandma Nikander’s Swedish Pancakes have been one of my favorite delicacies since the late ’60s.  Naively, I assumed it was a secret family recipe brought across the pond by scarf-donning ancestors, handed down and down and down to my Grandma in Eastern Oregon.  It probably was handed down, but I learned later in life that other people call them crepes… and eat them for every meal of the day…. and they aren’t very secret.  I vaguely remember visiting my Grandma in her later years, when she was no longer able to make her Swedish pancakes.  I thought the world had come to an end.  Little did I know that I would be standing over the stove flipping them for another 70 years.

My youngest son requests these drool-producing paper-thin pancakes at least once a week.  They are also a family favorite of the next generation, and to no surprise….. they are mouth-wateringly delicious.  They are a tad on the sweet side, yet airy and light…. I prefer them slathered in melted butter and sprinkled in powdered sugar.  We leave them rolled up…. always.  My boys pour maple syrup on them, but my daughter follows my powdery taste for sugary goodness.

I’ll even share the secret Swedish Pancake recipe!

In a blender mix: 3 eggs (without shells), 2 cups of milk, 2 Tbsp Sugar, dash salt, and 1 cup of flour.  I have used whole wheat flour, but honestly, they taste better with the white not-as-good-for-you-bleached-flour. 

Heat a non-stick frying pan to med-high heat.  I use #6.  Butter the pan before each pancake.  My soup ladle measures out the perfect amount of batter to cover the bottom of the pan.  I have to pick up the pan and swirl it to get a perfect circle.  When the surface of the batter is no longer shiny, flip the pancake.  When lightly browned, roll up and serve…. quick.

A perfect pancake for Thanksgiving morning.  Try it.  You’ll like it.

2 seconds to cheese heaven

Apparently they make something like this at Red Lobster. I’ve never been, but these cheese biscuits are delicious and super fast:

2 c Bisquick

1/2 grated cheddar cheese (I used a very  generous half cup)

2/3 c milk

melted butter

garlic powder

red pepper flakes

Mix the first three ingredients vigorously until you have a stiff dough. Drop on a greased cookie sheet by spoonfuls, and bake at 425 degrees for about ten minutes. While still warm, brush with melted butter and sprinkle spices on top. They would also be pretty tasty with some chopped jalapenos inside.

Sweet Potatoes

aka  Yams

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            While they’re not going to win any beauty contests, yams are runner-up as the healthiest item in the produce section.  Does it surprise you that a potato is one of the most nutritious veggies?  Behind leafy greens, yams with the skins provide more of the daily recommended vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants per serving than other vegetable choices. Many people falsely believe that potatoes should be avoided.  It is the preparation methods that decrease the nutritional quality of a potato.  French fries, chips, topping them with marshmallows, sour cream, mayonnaise and bacon is what turns this nutritious veggie into a health hazard.  If you are worried about carbs, you should watch your portion sizes and cut refined carbs – not vegetables (read “Carbohydrates” in the Categories section for more guidance).  Potatoes are good for you!

            Unfortunately potatoes often have high levels of pesticides both on the outer skin and inside.  When randomly tested, potatoes are consistently found to contain more chemicals than most other produce.  If you want to make a small change that will have an impact on your health, I advise only buying organic potatoes. 

            You must try the Citrus-Chili Yam Wedges recipe posted under Recipes-Vegetable Side Dishes. They are a tasty dream for potato fans, carb lovers and health fanatics alike.

Very Productive!

I had a very productive Saturday, 11/14/09 due to the fact that I needed & wanted to get all my “weekend chores” completed today since I would be racing tomorrow and knew my morning would be busy at the race and my afternoon/evening would be spent relaxing & recovering from the race!  =)

Here is how my day went:

• Woke up just before 8am
• Started laundry
• Walked the dog
• Cleaned the bathrooms & dusted
• Ate breakfast

MultiGrain Cheerios w/2% Milk, Cantaloupe & a glass of Orange Juice

• Grocery shopping (Walmart & Publix), stopped and got a Iced Coffee at McDonalds on my way to Publix.

• Unloaded groceries and ate lunch

Publix Boar's Head Italian 1/2 Sub on a Multigrain Hoagie w/lettuce, tomato & pickle and some Chips on the side

• Laundry & more laundry
• Made chili

Chili

• Spent some time with the family outside enjoying the amazing day!
• Attached the last of my Publix Premier Peppermint Ice Cream that was at the very bottle of the carton about mid-afternoon.

• Made & ate dinner

Quasada

Quesada (Mushroom, Green & Red Peppers with lots of Cheese)

• After dinner I dropped my daughter off at my mom’s as she was going to spend the night with her so that they could both meet me at the race the next morning.
• Watched UFC 105 with the husband after I got home and munched on a mini bag of Kettlecorn while watching (sorry forgot the picture).
• Hit the bed around 11:30pm as I had to get up very early for the race that starts at 7:30a.m.

A homecooked meal.

Before she headed back to Boston, my sister made us an incredible meal at our house. All from scratch!

Tomato-butternut squash bisque with homemade croutons. I WISH I HAD AN ENDLESS SUPPLY OF THIS STUFF. IT'S LIKE SOUP CRACK.

Here’s Billiam trying to win the heart of yet another dog.
Image 001: Tico and Billiam in serious discussion.
Image 002: Billiam smiles but Tico is focused on the graham cracker.
Image 003: Tico begrudgingly looks at the camera.

Did any of us predict the family gymnast would turn into a chef? NO.

Slow-cooked pork chop, cream marlasca sauce, mushrooms, shaved lettuce, and roasted apple.

Tico: World's smallest heifer.

Cooking by Any Other Name

Somebody has to stand up and speak up! And since I see no one coming to the fore, it falls to me, alas to carry the message that we, chefs of the land, are being abused and derided. We must speak up and demand the justice that we are entitled to, lest future generations think we laid down and gave up without a fight. Our very digestive evolution is at stake!

Well, now that you are properly awakened to the seriousness of this post, let me relax a bit and set the stage.

I was a baby of the 50’s and so forth. It was in those dark ages of the past that certain greedy business types yearned to make money off the backs of American labor by instituting what they called “helps,” for women mostly. This took the expression in the past of things like vacuum cleaners, iceboxes, electric stoves and motorized washing machines. All pretty heady stuff.

But they had to go to food. What do women want? Less time in the kitchen! Perhaps they should have stuck to things like microwaves and appliances, dish washers, and cleaning materials, but no, they had to address food itself.

And of course they did. Today, any trip to the grocery store finds that around the perimeter of said building one finds food, identifiable as such, and the rest of the place is filled with boxed and frozen things that purport to be food. Whether we are compromised health wise is a big question, but not one we are addressing today.

No, we are addressing the unconscionable practice of equating boxed food with “creating a meal.” And I’m not prepared to let them get away with it any longer. The manufacturers, abetted by the ad agencies, have conspired to give people the impression that serving boxed food at a table with silverware constitutes “meal preparation.”

NO! “I OBJECT.” Point of order Mr. Parliamentarian.

Recently, I’ve noticed a few examples of this lie. Just the other day, someone reported that in  a recent survey by some organization, that some 60% of households reported that “family” meals were eaten (not fast food) 4-5 times a week.  I say BULL!

If it’s anything like what I see on TV commercials about “family meals” than it is nothing more than opening boxes and heating, wetting, or otherwise mixing up prepackaged stuff and calling it food.

A commercial the other day is a case in point. One is taken to Italy, and shopping for the ripest most perfect tomatoes, the perfect onions. Said material is sauteed and stirred on the stoves for some hours and then poured over lovely pasta. Except that the point of the ad is that one can achieve the same perfection by opening up this frozen package, microwaving, draining and combining two separate packets. One then is getting the same as the home made Italian sauce.

WHO ARE YOU KIDDING? The way to eat wholesome homemade food is to buy it in a frozen box and heat it up? I don’t think so.

Another case in point. A frazzled family. Mom and Dad are busy and the kids are busy. They realize the need for family meals. They gather together in the kitchen and “cook” together. There is sharing and bonding. There is STOUFFER’S LASAGNA! Heat that up mom and see the squeals of delight at the “home cooked” meal you prepared!

Home cooked my eye. You can’t push this crap off on me as food.

Okay, okay, so it is food of a sort. And yes, I too have imbibed such fare from time to time. I don’t think it’s wrong to eat such fare from now and again, when time is negligible and we have to move along. But let’s not claim it’s home cooked food. I mean this separates from “fast food” exactly how?

I spend more time in the kitchen that is required to put a box in the oven. I create pasta sauce. I create salsa. I create heavenly biscuits from scratch, lovely brownies from real chocolate. I know the inside of a can of baking powder and have touched real flour. I want recognition for my efforts! I create home made food, and if you don’t then I am better than you!

Well, maybe we don’t need to go that far. I’m not necessarily better, but maybe a little? Actually the problem here is not being acknowledged by the hubby. When the commercials make it so dang “simple,” then my efforts are not rewarded. The Contrarian sees no need to offer to wash dishes so much, or take me out to eat, when he sees this “home made meal” so easy to concoct on the screen.

It’s hard slavish work this cooking and I want my kudos damn it! I’m working my little nubbins to the bone in that there kitchen and I have the mess to prove it. Don’t wipe out all my efforts by showing the career mother with seventeen kids and pets spinning off a four course delight hardly breaking a sweat! It makes me look bad. It makes my efforts look silly and prissy.

I want my recognition, and I want it now!

Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce

I’ve made these little heart shaped Coeur a la Creme desserts before, and this time I think I enjoyed them even more.  I changed up the Raspberry Sauce by eliminating the raspberry jam Ina Garten calls for in her recipe.  I just wanted to enjoy more of the pure taste of the raspberries without the over sweet taste of the jam.

I made 6 mini hearts and 1 large heart.

I’m told you can make these in colanders if you don’t have the molds, but my favorites are the mini coeur a la creme molds.  Just enough for a generous single serving per person and you don’t have to scoop into the larger heart and give each guest a scoop of dessert on a plate.  These make such a pretty presentation.

Above: Coeur a la Creme Mold

Cream and cheese mixture wrapped in cheese cloth.

Simply line your mold with cheesecloth, pour in the cream mixture, set on a plate and place in your fridge overnight.

Pour a pool of raspberry sauce on a plate,  gently lift out your molded cream and carefully place it in the center.

In the past I’ve poured chocolate over the top and decorated with several fresh raspberries.

This dessert has the texture of mousse.  The flavor is reminiscent of cheesecake and vanilla bean ice cream.

A very elegant dessert, yet simple to make!

Coeur a la Creme with Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce
Adapted from Ina Garten’s “Barefoot in Paris”

12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1  1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
2  1/2 cups cold heavy cream
2  teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4  teaspoon grated lemon zest
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
fresh raspberries–I had to use frozen

Place the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the beater and bowl with a rubber spatula and change the beater for the whisk attachment. With the mixer on low speed, add the heavy cream, vanilla, lemon zest, and vanilla bean seeds and beat on high speed until the mixture is very thick, like whipped cream.

Line a 7-inch sieve OR Coeur a la Creme molds with cheesecloth or paper towels so the ends drape over the sides and suspend it over a bowl, making sure that there is space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl for the liquid to drain. Pour the cream mixture into the cheesecloth, fold the ends over the top, and refrigerate overnight.

To serve, discard the liquid, unmold the cream onto a plate, and drizzle Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce around the base–I like to place the cream into a pool of the sauce. Serve with raspberries and extra sauce.

Raspberry and Grand Marnier (OR Cointreau) Sauce:

10 ounces frozen raspberries, defrosted
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)– I used Cointreau because that is what I had

Once the raspberries are defrosted, puree them in a blender or food processor. Add the sugar and blend until smooth. At this point, strain raspberries through a sieve/cheese cloth to remove the seeds.   Chill for at least 4 hours.

An Ode to Eating

A thoughtful meal is a wordless way of saying grace.

I tend to get a little meditative when I prepare a major meal, especially as I tend to start early in the morning, after I’ve eaten a little home made yogurt mixed with jam from a good friend who is more obsessed with fermenting than me.  I’ll put down my tea and start on the things that take longer to set before the actual cooking even begins.  I’ll pour the last of the milk, from a different neighbor, into a pan and turn on the heat, remembering with the rising smell of the thick, fatty milk how I drove out to her farm and it was raining a little, and as we walked out to the storage tank in the barn we were followed by a herd of barn cats, all hoping for leftovers, and how we dipped out the milk in the overwhelming heat of the dairy ripe with the rich scent of milk, real milk, not pasteurized cleaned store milk, but milk that smells like fat and cow and grass, and then walked back out so I could see a calf that had just been born and struggled to stand, still a little damp from its passage down its mother’s birth canal, and how, driving home with a gallon of milk on the passenger seat in a reused Acme water jug, I burst into tears of astonished gratefulness, for a neighbor who barely knew me but unquestioningly let me into her home, sent me home with a gallon of milk because I’d called her up, haltingly explaining how I wanted to try making yogurt, and for a cow who produced this amazing, nutrient rich substance that smelled so vigorously of life I could barely breathe.

And then, coming back to reality, I add a little lemon juice to the now near boiling milk and stir until I feel the thick gobs of curd hit against my spoon, then I cover the pan and let it sit until, several minutes later, after I’ve started kneading bread in a bowl on top of the still warm stove top, I can check the pan and see a translucent yellow layer of whey, and, gently lifting the spoon, find rich, white curds of cheese, which I then transfer to cheesecloth, squeeze to remove the whey, and hang with twine over my kitchen sink.

While the cheese sets, I finish the bread and leave it to rise, and start in on the vegetables, washing, boiling and peeling tomatoes, chopping eggplant and peppers and garlic and onion and setting them aside, all the while falling deeper into a trance, thinking of picking the eggplant on a sun drenched summer day in the field up the road, surrounded by birds and insects and more often than not distracted by the farm dog, who would nose up unexpectedly between the rows of plants, invisible beneath the broad leaves of the nearby squash except for a wagging tail, to knock me over from my crouch and lick the exposed skin of my arm, which smelled of sunblock and dirt, until I would throw her ball down the rows of vegetables for her to retrieve and come running back, but not before she would stop to smell a deer track imprinted in the soft ground the night before.

Squeezing tomato juice into a bowl, my fingers slipping over the skins as they peeled away from the soft, tender flesh beneath, I think of eating cherry tomatoes off the vine, each bursting like a little flash of sunlight when my teeth broke the skin, each one a different color, a slightly different flavor, all mixed together in a carton like a bowl of multi colored candy, each fat and full of water and reflecting the sun.  I remembered teaching my cousin, who had one day picked tomatoes with me, running up and down the rows, singing and laughing and throwing tomatoes at one another, how to make pasta sauce from scratch, explaining how to remove the skin and squeeze the juice without squirting it half way across the counter, and watching as he drank the juice straight out of the bowl like it was nectar from the gods, which maybe it was.  The farm gods, the field gods, the kitchen gods: the little gods that grant us blessings in the smell of fresh milk, the taste of a sun-filled tomato, the sight of your first ever cheese sitting solid and real on your kitchen counter; the intoxicating odor of rising bread, so much like beer, the unbelievably rich purple black skin of an eggplant, the impossible way the inside of a bell pepper curves into thousands of translucent veins, so much like stained glass.

Finally, everyone sits down to eat, sprawling on the floor, on odd pieces of furniture, glasses of wine catching the dying sunlight from the window, using torn pieces of bread to scoop up curry coated eggplant and pepper, laughing in surprise at the unexpected bite of a piece of hot pepper, at the mysterious even brown of a piece of fried cheese.  Voices melt and join and blend together, woven together with the rain damp field of cows, the roasting heat of the field, the mellow warmth of my kitchen, with the windows wide open and letting in the sounds of insects and the kids playing in the yard next door.  Eating is a way to give thanks for life, for the joy of waking up every morning and finding yourself, still, remarkably, breathing, an astonishing collection of flesh formed out of the things you put into your stomach, broken down and reassembled into your lungs, your legs, and your heart.

What, I ask you, can be more defiant of a system that demands isolation, obedience, uniformity, than living a life so full of richness, possibility, and community it can’t help but sweep up others in its path, and carry us together on the promise of a future when every day can be filled with so much life we can barely stand it?

Hell if I know.

 

Black Bean, Lotus Root & Sparerib Soup

Every now and then I will make this soup when I see lotus root selling at the Chinese grocery store. Alexander likes the black beans in the soup. Ethan will take some lotus root slices besides the beans. We don’t have soup everyday in our house so whenever I make it I will make extra to last for another meal. Since we eat the soup ingredients so I use pork spareribs instead of lean pork which is too chewy.

Black Bean, Spareribs & Lotus Root Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb spareribs– cut into chunks
1 cup dry black bean– soaked at least 30 minutes, rinse
1 lb lotus root– peeled, trim off both ends and slice into 1/2 inch thickness
3 gallons water
salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil 3 gallons of water in a big pot. In the meanwhile, fill a medium pot with enough water then bring to a boil. Add spareribs to blanch. Remove from heat. Rinse blanched spareribs under water to get rid of any bloody impurities, drain.
2. Rinse soaked black beans a couple of time to get rid of the dark water, drain.
3. When water in big pot is boiling, add spareribs, soaked black beans and lotus roots. Be sure there is lots of water covers the ingredients (the ingredients will have room to flow freely in the water when you stir it). Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes. Turn heat down to medium and cook for another 2.5 hours, until the black beans are soft to bite. By this time the soup should be cloudy looking. Add salt to taste before serving.

Note:

• For making soup, choose lotus root that are mature– they usually feel heavy and have pinkish/brownish flesh.

Florida Produce: Carrots

Another one of those commodities that Florida is not known for growing is the carrot. Grown mainly in Orange County, Florida carrots are available from November through June.

How to buy
Carrots should be well-formed with a smooth skin and a solid orange color. The deeper the color of the carrot the more amount of nutrients it has. Do not buy carrots that are overly large; these will have a tough wood-like core and will not be sweet.

Tips for storage
If you buy carrots with green tops still attached, remove them before storage. Store carrots in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag. Do not store them in water for more than an hour, even if they are already peeled, or they will become limp.

Cooking tips
When a raw carrot loses its crispness, put it in a bowl of ice water in the refrigerator for up to an hour. Always blanch carrots until almost tender before using them in a stir-fry because they take longer to cook than most other vegetables. Try roasting carrots in the oven; the natural sugars in the carrot will concentrate and caramelize.

Flavors well with
Curry, honey, citrus, mint, thyme, rosemary

Here’s a delicious recipe from our very own Chef Justin. This recipe is one of many that appeared in our The Florida Chef: Flavorful Seasons cookbook.

Florida Wildflower Honey Glazed Carrots
Yield 6 to 8 Servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 leek, white part only, halved, sliced small and washed thoroughly
1 pound Florida carrots, sliced
1 cup Florida orange juice
1/4 cup Florida wildflower honey
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
Fresh squeezed lemon juice from 2 small lemons
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation

Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium. Add carrots and cook 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes or until carrots are soft. Discard cinnamon stick before serving.

Nutritional Information:

One serving contains the following: Calories 114; Total Fat 1g; Cholesterol 2mg; Sodium 111mg; Total Carbohydrates 27g; Protein 2g. Good source of Vitamin A (426%).

TIP: If you can’t find any leeks, you can substitute sliced onion.

Sausage and Peppers

To totally mix things up from my last post, I’m going from Indian to Italian.  To me there are few things that say you’re Italian more than sausage and peppers and thus, that’s what I’ve made.

Sausage and Peppers

• One package of Premio sausages 16oz. (I used the one long strand but the individual ones work well if not better)  Also, I used a sweet basil type but any sweet sausage works fine
• A mix of different types of sliced peppers- reds, greens, yellows and oranges, whatever you can get- more color= more aesthetically pleasing= more likely to eat and make again
• sliced onions (about 1/4 of a medium onion will do)

First, you must boil the sausage in a large pan with a few tablespoons of water, 1/4 of a cup max, for a few minutes on each side until the outer casing looks grayish. 

If the water hasn’t evaporated by the time this is done, empty it into a sink and cook the sausage as is on medium heat until the skin begins to brown and flip to do on the other side.

Then, you can add sliced peppers and onions (or slice them first and then add) to the pan.  

Immediately after you should cover them so that they can become a bit soft and can absorb the sausage flavor more easily.  Since I didn’t have a cover, I used a baking pan, which worked well for the most part.  Do this for a few minutes and then remove the pan.  

Keep cooking all the ingredients together, turning the sausage(s) over every few minutes or so.  Also, you can start to begin to add a few tablespoons of water at a time again in order to create a bit of a caramelization of the peppers.

Cook for about 10-15 minutes total.  It should be done when the onions are browned and soft and when you cut into the sausage it shouldn’t really be pink for the most part.

I love this dish because it reminds me of my family and my roots.  More specifically, when I was young, my mother used to cook every night and encouraged my family to eat at the table.  I particularly remember gathering over sausage and peppers (also stuffed peppers but that’s a different dish altogether) and to this day it makes me smile when I eat it.  Not to sound too stereotypical but there’s nothing like food and family. Bon Appetit.

Speaking of Garlic...

The other day, Liz made some garlic based soup that smelled heavenly. She said it helped knock out her cold, and was delicious to boot.

She tells me the recipe came from Smitten Kitchen, a blog I am now totally enamored with. And I think I’m going to make a big pot of this soup this weekend! (Liz also says she left out the cream, and it was just fine)

44-Clove Garlic Soup with Parmesan Cheese
Adapted from Bon Appetit, February 1999

26 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 1/4 cups sliced onions
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
18 garlic cloves, peeled
3 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
4 lemon wedges

For the instructions and the rest of the post, check out Smitten Kitchen’s blog post here.

Salad of Lost Jewels with Sweet Chili Dressing

A simple and delicious sweet chili dressing makes this salad taste amazing!

This is a very simple recipe that I put together for a light lunch. It is perfect for times when you want to enjoy healthy food that takes little time to prepare. All you need to do is just takes whatever veggies what you have in your fridge or pantry and whip up some dressing. Putting together this salad probably took no more than 10 minutes. (Eating it will probably take even less )

The dressing is slightly sweet, balanced out with a splash of fish sauce and lemon juice. Quite refreshing and has a slight hint of Thai flavour. I highly recommend adding in cilantro; it really greatly boosts the flavour!

Salad of Lost Jewels with Sweet Chili Dressing

Serves 1 – 2 (depending on how much veggies you want to have~)

What you’ll need…

• 1/4 cup pomegranate
• 1/2 cucumber, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 avocado, diced into small chunks
• 1/4 cup cilantro, plus extra for garnish

For thedressing:

• 2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 drop soy sauce
• A drizzle of sesame oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Dice half an avocado into small chunks. Add in lemon juice and set aside.
2. Peel and slice cucumber into very thin strips. Sprinkle sliced cucumbers with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and let stand for a few minutes. Squeeze out excess moisture. Set aside.
3. Combine sweet chili sauce, fish sauce, water, soy sauce and sesame oil in a small and mix well. Stir in cilantro.
4. In a large bowl, toss together cucumbers, corn and avocado. Pour dressing over salad and mix well.
5. Sprinkle in pomegranate (here’s a simple guide on how to open your own pomegranate). Add garnish. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or cooled.

I intentionally made this salad meatless, but you can definitely add in some meat (chicken or seafood perhaps?). Also try tossing in a handful of nuts or some feta cheese to top it off! Use this recipe as a basis and play with it!

Healthy and Delicious!

Wednesday

Went to Praa this morning.

It looked alright from the main lot.

Gash bag ruining a parking lot. The seshuan was pretty short. Mega chops due to hardcore winds.

A key fob was made in the Wilson garage.

I was shaping a hand plane and Ben picked up the negative and put to his face as a stache. So I was inspired to make a wooden stache.

Authority.

First time I’ve cooked Bow-Tie pasta in my life. It was awesome.

Apple Butter Recipe

Grandma sent us this recipe, and I’ve made it twice already.  The first time I made it I messed up on the spices – I put in a tablespoon of cinnamon instead of a teaspoon, and omitted the cloves – I can’t talk on the phone and cook at the same time! – but we liked it that way so I just changed the recipe.  Hot, spicy apple butter is perfect on warm biscuits. BAKED APPLE BUTTER 8 cups apples, peeled, cored and chopped 1 cup cider 2 1/2 cups sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground allspice In large saucepan or kettle, bring chopped apples and cider to a rapid boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until apples are soft and pulpy, about 20 minutes.  Blend sugar into hot pulp. Mix in spices.  Pour into a casserole dish or baking pan.  Cover loosely with foil.  Bake in 400 degree oven for one hour.  Stir frequently until apple butter is thick enough for spreading.  Pour into canning jars and boil in water bath for 10 minutes.
Psst – NaNo word count: 5,008

Preparation for Christmas begins!

 

I know it may seem strange to begin posting recipes for christmas in november,but i have found preparation is the key !  Plus it gives you chance to practice and scoff a few mince pies in the process ! You can also always freeze the pre prepared pies and forget about them until december 24th when you leave one by the fire for santa!
Remember Mincemeat is better if left to mature for a while anyway so for even yummier mince pies have your mince meat prepared well in advance This will yield about 3 dozen pies. 1 lb Self raising Flour 8 oz Trex 4 oz caster sugar 1 egg little water

Mincemeat *

Rub Trex  into flour and sugar until resembling fine breadcrumbs. Lightly beat the egg, and mix in with a knife adding a little water. Resulting paste should be smooth and soft and very pliable. No need to rest in fridge. Roll out thinly, you will need plenty of flour as the pastry is quite sticky – this is correct as it will ‘thicken’ slightly when cooking. Line your mince pie tins with the pastry (greased), placing a spoonful of mince into each,don’t overly fill your spoon as the mince will expand in the oven and you will end up with exploding pies and a messy oven !place on pastry tops and seal gently with finger tips (no added liquid necessary). Be careful, this pastry is Rather soft to work with. Cook at appox 180/90c until lightly golden. (Approx. 20 – 25 mins,this will depend on your oven fan assisted oven times do vary and of course adjust cooking times as you see fit). Leave pies in tins to cool for a few minutes Then tip onto a wire rack  - tap the bottoms of each pie and they should  slip out fairly easily if you greased the tin well enough too much or too little grease is killer to the pies. (Don’t attempt to hook out with a knife – they will break!) When cooled turn them the correct way up and serve or store as you require. Sprinkle with a little  icing sugar if preferred or maybe cinnamon or whatever you prefer. I find these to be great slightly heated served with a little brandy cream The pasty  for the pies will be crisp, yet crumbly –  it keeps and freezes exceptionally well

Recipe to follow *

 

Mmm Peach & Raspberry Crisp!

Ina Garten is by far our favorite Food Network chef. She’s always cooking up something fresh, easy and delicious and leaves us always wanting more from the self-proclaimed Barefoot Contessa.

This weekend we decided to try our hand at a peach raspberry crisp that turned out to be soooo delicious that we just had to share it with you! Since peach season is just about over, if you’re unable to find them, you can always substitute a different fruit.

Serves:

10 servings

Ingredients:

* 4 to 5 pounds firm, ripe peaches (10 to 12 large peaches)

* 1 orange, zested

* 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

* 1 cup light brown sugar, packed

* 1 1/2 cups plus 2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

* 1/2 pint raspberries

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

* 1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 10 by 15 by 2 1/2-inch oval baking dish.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds, then place them in cold water. Peel the peaches and slice them into thick wedges and place them into a large bowl. Add the orange zest, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the raspberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid, add 1 more tablespoon of flour. Pour the peaches into the baking dish and gently smooth the top.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, oatmeal, and the cold, diced butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of the peaches and raspberries. Bake for 1 hour, until the top is browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator and reheat in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until warm.

Enjoy!