Flavors

"Labor of Love" (aka liver & onions)

2010-07-11T12:07:00.004-07:00

The DH is severly anemic. How that happened we do not know. Upon hearing the news, he immediately requested liver and onions. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure organ meats have their place, but they have never had a place on my menu or in my stomach. When DH requested this I immediately flashed back to my childhood when I always thought anyone who cooked onions with round steak must be cooking liver. Anyway, not to deny an anemic man this request, I fried up this plate of said food and he was a happy man. Are people still told to eat liver if they are anemic? I don't know. What I do know is that taking huge quantities of iron, calcium and vitamin D is supposed to get him back in shape. Hopefully all of the pills will do the trick before he requests this meal again.

Tomatoes

2010-01-18T10:34:00.003-07:00

My own little local harvest. Picked not fifty feet from where I sit and not more than 5 minutes off the vine when they had their photo taken. The fruits of "old vine" tomatoes--planted last spring. Poor vines suffered through searing Arizona heat, monsoon winds and an onslaught of tomato worms. Never gave up or gave in--just kept up the organic food and plenty of water. Enough harvest for a tasty salad a day. After receiving only about 3 inches of rain in 2009, we are finally having rain today. What a relief. Made my trip to the compost bin a real treat. I waited until it rained to go out and deposit peelings and shredded paper from the office. What a wonderful feeling--real rain from the sky and not the faucet.

Whole Wheat Pancakes

2010-01-17T10:02:00.003-07:00

These whole wheat pancakes are light, fluffy and fast. They take only about 10 minutes from the kitchen to the table for the entire breakfast. Have tried lots of recipes and mixes and this is so easy and quick I don't know that I will ever use a mix again. These were served with black cherry, raspberry, blood orange preserves heated until they were the consistency of syrup--just added a bit of water to help thin the mixture.

Recipe

(Original--after years of practice)

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute

1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients and add to dry. The mixture will become light and foamy. If mixture seems too thick add a bit more liquid--water or milk--whatever you are using. Grease a non-stick skillet and pour mixture into skillet when it is hot. Flip pancakes when you start to see bubbles.

Notes:

I have used lots of variations of this recipe. Have used milk, rice milk, half and half, or cream as a substitute for the sour cream/yogurt and water mixture. The recipe requires about a half cup of liquid or more depending on how much liquid the flour accepts.

Easy Meal

2009-12-27T10:05:00.002-07:00

I love cornbread. I like the convenience of mixes and I really like home made. After a couple of days of eating very rich foods, we had a very easy and tasty meal that is comfort food to us. Martha White Sweet Yellow Cornbread Mix and a can of butter beans with those pretty red tomatoes and slices of sweet onion. Quite satisfying and the cornbread always tastes best when made in an iron skillet. This is one of my favorites. It was purchased at an estate sale and is small--marked "3" on the bottom. The small size of the skillet made the slices of cornbread extra thick.

My Table To Yours

2009-12-25T08:25:00.004-07:00

Wish I could share the blessings asked and bounty shared at this table for many years. The table is not so much used for eating anymore--only when there are many guests.

May all who gather at their tables today--the readers and writers, the bakers and bloggers, the chefs and cooks--to enjoy the celebration of this day partake of the Bread of Life whose birth we commemorate.

Peace be with you.

Marble Rye Croutons

2009-10-28T15:53:00.004-07:00

A tasty part of salad is the crunchy crouton. Decided to make these when there were a few slices of marble rye left. Cut into cubes, placed on a large baking sheet, sprinkle of really good olive oil and fragrant mixture of thyme, rosemary & oregano seasoning--baked until crispy. Very good and easy too.

Apple Cranberry Pie

2009-01-02T18:11:00.003-07:00

Don't touch that pie! It was the last piece of evidence that it existed and I wanted a picture. It was a really good pie and the first fruit pie I had made without following someone's recipe. It had the perfect balance of sweet apples and tart cranberries. We have been eating cranberries -- craving cranberries since before Thanksgiving. I have been buying them in 3 pound bags at Costco to satisfy the hunger. They have appeared in sweet and savory dishes and we love them. Here goes the recipe as I made it and if you decide to make a similar pie you may want to adjust the sugar according to the sweetness of your apples.

Crust--

2 Cups AP Flour

2/3 Cup Canola Oil

1/3 Cup Buttermilk

Pinch of Salt

1/4 Tsp freshly Grated Nutmeg

Mix dry ingredients.

Mix wet ingredients and add to dry.

Combine until a ball of dough can be formed.

Divide in half and roll into rounds between pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper.

Place one round in the bottom of 9" pie plate & reserve the other round for topping the fruit once it is added to the pie plate.

Filling--

6 or 7 Gala Apples (I was short 1 Gala so I used 1 Honey Crisp) peeled and sliced thinly

1 Cup Cranberries

2/3 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup AP Flour

1 Tsp Saigon Cinnamon

1/4 Tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

1 jar (4 plus ounces) of baby Apple/Cran Juice

Pinch of Salt

4 Tbsp Butter

In a large bowl combine apples/cranberries with juice. Combine dry ingredients and stir into apple/cranberry mixture. Pour into pastry lined pie plate, top with butter, and top with remaining pastry round. Crimp edges and prick top of pastry with knife or fork to allow steam to escape. Brush pastry with a little buttermilk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake in a 425 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 325 and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown (and probably bubbling over!). I always bake fruit pies on a cookie sheet to catch spills. Mom always said a fruit pie isn't ready until it bubbles over and generally she is right.

Lentils & Quinoa

2008-12-02T08:10:00.003-07:00

I love following the recipes of others. It is a challenge to see if I can create what someone else has created. Do my efforts meet the standard? Sometimes. Sometimes adding my own ideas make the recipe a failure, or interesting or even a success. I also like just cooking with things I have that I enjoy eating and making it up as I go along. Baking isn't as easy when following that path. Sometimes I imagine I can create biscuits from scratch with no recipe like my Great Grandmother did.

This lentil and quinoa dish was one of those creations that included just the things I liked that I had on hand. No special recipe. The bite and texture of the two main ingredients was the start. I added shallots, carrot, mushroom, small sweet peppers and parsley all browned in olive oil and cooked until the lentils and quinoa were still firm in vegetable broth. The result was a success for me. Sometimes not using a recipe is ok.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2008-04-06T09:04:00.003-07:00

This cake is truly delicious. Melts in your mouth & is very adaptable. I first read the recipe at Simply Anne's. Had to try it--with a few changes. The original recipe used dried mango & real eggs.

Recipe

8 T butter, room temp

6 oz. cream cheese, room temp

1/2 t salt

1 C sugar

2 t baking powder

2 C cake flour

1 C egg substitute

2 t lemon zest

2 oz. chopped dried apricots

2 T lime juice

Glaze--

5 t lime juice

1 C powdered sugar-sifted

Preheat oven to 350 F

Directions--

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, sugar & zest. In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese & butter until soft & fluffy. Add egg sub 1/4 @ a time, beating after each addition. Add lime juice & mix. Add flour until just combined & fold in dried apricots. Pour batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan & bake for about 50-60 minutes depending on your oven. Toothpick should come out clean when baked through. Introduce lime juice to sifted powdered sugar & use only the amount that makes the glaze the consistency you desire. Make holes in cake w/toothpick & pour glaze over top.

Note--am already planning different versions of this cake--using all lemon, all lime, w/ cranberries or blueberries or even mini chocolate chips &/or pecans. It is a truly moist & delicious cake that would make a great back drop for fresh strawberries & whipped cream.

Raspberry Fried Pies

2008-01-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

After nummerous requests, I finally made fried pies. They turned out well & were light & flakey. I used purchased pie dough & a cookie cutter to make some of the pies & free formed a couple with the dough left from cutting the shapes. The filling was made from cooking 2 cups of frozen raspberries with 1/3 cup of sugar, pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of raspberry preserves, 1/4 cup of water & 3 tablespoons of corn starch until thickened. Cooled the filling a bit, cut out the shapes, put a spoonful in the centers & closed the top layers with a bit of water around the edges & sealed with the tines of a fork, then deep fried them in canola oil. I don't have a deep fryer so I used a heavy metal pot with a couple of inches oil heated to medium on the cook top. They fried very quickly. After draining on paper towels & a sprinkle of powdered sugar they were ready. Very quick & easy. Family said they would want them again, so, that equals a thumbs up around here. Happy New year!

Potatoes & Ham

2007-12-31T08:52:00.000-07:00

Simple Sunday supper for us last night--all on one plate. A bowl of potatoes cubed & fried in olive oil, butter, pepper & onion flakes along with some delicious cubed ham baked for Saturday supper. Added a simple salad of iceburg lettuce & avacado with only a squeeze of lemon juice and a Gala apple for dessert & it was a wrap for our evening meal. Easy & delicious comfort food.

Gingerbread!!!!

2007-12-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

Actually, Gingerbread & Lemon Curd Trifle with Blackberry Sauce to be exact. My first attempt at home made gingerbread & my first trifle & it was a hit today. Tangy, lemony & creamy all at once. Great flavor combinations and a thumbs up from everyone at the table. This was a creation of Bobby Flay shown earlier this month on Food Network & one I will make again. The only changes I made from the original were to use pomegranite liquer instead of framboise & egg substutue & it didn't hurt the outcome at all. I assembled the trifle yesterday & refrigerated until it's unveiling at the table today.

Gingerbread Cake:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

3 cups ap flour

2 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp minced crystalized ginger

10 tbsp (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp

1 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup molasses

1 cup boiling water

2 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

Lemon Curd Filling, recipe follows

Blackberry Sauce, recipe follows

Position rack in center of oven & preheat to 350 degrees F.

Spray 1 half-sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; spray paper. Sift flour & next 6 ingredients into medium bowl. Mix in crystalized ginger. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in brown sugar. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Gradually beat in molasses, followed by 1 cup boiling water. Mix in grated lemon peel. Gradually mix in dry ingredients. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan sides. Turn out onto a rack & peel off paper. Cool & cut into 1-inch cubes.

To assemble:

Using a trifle bowl, start with an even layer of gingerbread cubes, top with 1/3 of the lemon curd mixture, and 1/3 of the blackberry sauce. Repeat 2 more times. Top with remaining whipped cream. Cover & refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Lemon Curd Filling:

2 (11-ounce) jars prepared lemon curd

2 cups heavy cream, sweetened with sugar & vanilla, beaten to soft peaks

Place lemon curd in a large bowl. Fold in half of the whipped cream until combined. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Reserve remaining whipped cream for the top of the trifle.

Blackberry Sauce:

2 pints fresh blackberries, or 1 bag frozen blackberries, thawed

1/4 cup sugar

Pinch salt

2 tbsp framboise (raspberry liquer)

1 tablesponn fresh squeezed lemon juice

Place blackberries, sugar & salt in a medium saucepan & cook until the berries are soft & the sugar has melted. Transfer to a blender & blend until smooth. Poor through a strainer into a bowl. Stir in the framboise & lemon juice. Set aside until ready to use.

Next time I will make half the gingerbread recipe as I had plenty left over after assembly -- which is not a bad thing! If you make the original cake recipe, you will need a VERY large bowl.

July 4

2007-07-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Happy July 4th!

Hope everyone is enjoying the day in a relaxing way. Yesterday was my baking day--Pina Colada Cake baked in the convection oven. Living in the Valley of the Sun when it is 115 degrees, I really don't like using my oven. It heats the house--not to mention the electricity usage. I love my little convection oven.

We will celebrate the 4th quietly. We will feast on the fruits of summer--a compote of blueberries, strawberries & raspberries (maybe served over that cake from yesterday). Ribeye steak, baked potatoes, & corn on the cob on the weber. Some family members are working today so we will watch the fireworks produced at a nearby stadium but still close enough to be viewed from our patio. Makes me melancholy for summers past when we could actually have our own fireworks displays. We all had our own sparklers & "punks" & Dad's that were the masters of orchestrating marvelous roman candle displays--the summer sounds of cicadas, the smell of freshly mown green grass, home made lemonade, chiggers & mosquito bites. It was home & it was safe & delicious.

Even though our celebration will be low key, I will be busy. I am totally immersed in an online course--my first. Required class for teachers in the Copper State. My current "Block" is estimated to take 6 hours. I hope that is an accurate estimate. I'm learning--that is the good thing & proof that an "old dog" can learn new tricks.

Tomorrow I take the day off. Tomorrow is the day that my sister-in-law & I take off every summer & shop. We are Phoenicians & the heat doesn't stop us! We have planned our first stop for a year now. It will be Penzey's. I have read many comments on the wonders of this place & all it has to offer. I'm sure I won't know where to begin. I've read every single listing from their website & have narrowed my list down to an even dozen items. Penzey's is on the other side of the world from where we live. This makes this trip even more special, a sort of mini-vacation to Scottsdale.

If anyone has any suggestions of "must haves" from Penzey's please leave a comment.

Strawberry Tart

2007-03-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist buying those red beauties. I will eat strawberries without dressing them up at all. I love strawberries. My family requested that I "do" something with the huge container I brought home. Had never made a strawberry tart so this was a gamble. It was really delicious. The whipped cream topping didn't hurt. I used the same toasted pecan crust that I had made to go with my chocolate tart last summer. Just enhanced a container of premade strawberry glaze with a tablespoon of Gran Marnier & a couple of tablespoons of wild straberry gelatin to help thicken the glaze. This got the thumbs up last weekend!

Reubens

2007-03-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a week now since many of us enjoyed corned beef & cabbage. If you are lucky , you have an Irish neighbor who supplies you with delicious Irish Soda Bread, hot out of the oven. If you really are experiencing the luck of the Irish you get to share it all with family you've not seen & have a chance to do some catching up. That was our March 17 & it is all memories now. Some captured digitally. Helping a niece make her first batch of "real" lemonade--picking the lemons herself & squeezing the juice & then watching that sweet, toothless, 6 year old smile when we all drank her concoction. The only tangible thing left was that bit of corned beef stowed in the freezer. Couldn't think of a better use for it than to make our favorite hot sandwiches-reubens. Nice marbled rye from the bakery, aged swiss cheese, thousand island dressing, and a bit of crunchy sauerkraut and of course that thinly slice corned beef. They tasted great and I feel like I won't need to eat for about a week--very filling.

(Thanks to Customsigngenerator.com for the sign at the top.)

Vanilla Paste

2007-01-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like trying new things in the kitchen? Should have included this in the previous post with the Saigon Cinnamon. Have used the cinnamon & vanilla paste together in several recipes over the holidays & they are so wonderful. The vanilla paste is quite tasty & contains flecks of vanilla bean. Have stirred it into yogurt & made ice cream with it. Substitute it for vanilla extract in like amounts. Wonderful!

Saigon Cinnamon

2007-01-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

Have you tried this wonderful cinnamon? Had been seeing it & didn't know the difference between this & my usual cinnamon until Thanksgiving. My sister-in-law made wonderful desserts using it & all I can say is wow! If you haven't used this & you like cinnamon, you really should put it on your shopping list. The aroma is unbelieveable & the flavor is superb. Have used it in my own oatmeal cookies & cranberry upside down cake. Anyone else love this fragrant spice?

Gardening in the Desert

2007-01-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

There are advantages to living in a desert. This is the payback for having weathered multiple 100 degree days & months with no rain. Stepping out into a tiny microclimate & retrieving citrus & salad for the day tends to make one grateful for where we are. Hope you are all blessed and grateful for what you have & where you are & will be in the coming year.

Happy New Year!!!

2006-12-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

Blogger Postcards From Around The World

2006-08-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love receiving mail? Electronic mail, snail mail or any other kind of mail is usually a welcome and sometimes greatly anticipated event in our lives. The wonderfully creative Meeta designed a way for many of us who enjoy sending & receiving mail to experience an extra special event.

This event has been fun from the beginning. I have enjoyed looking at "the list" and reading the blogs of the participants, some of which were new to me.

Tried to think of something that would be representative of where I am & couldn't think of anything better than the Grand Canyon. It's majesty knows no bounds & it is a true wonder to behold. As soon as I finish this little post I'll be off to the post office to mail my card to someone wonderful & interesting who is far away.

Meanwhile, I will be anxiously checking my mailbox each & every day looking forward to receiving my special card.

Thank you to Meeta. We know this was a time consuming project for her & her efforts are much appreciated. If you didn't have an opportunity to participate this time, check back around September or October for another postcard exchange. Link to Meeta's page
http://whatsforlunchhoney.blogspot.com/

Tarte Tatin

2006-07-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

Tarte Tatin is a dessert I just had to try. We love apples and I like to try recipes that are new to me--sometimes for the flavor--sometimes for the experience. This recipe is based on one I read at Epicurious.com and was really pretty simple. The next time (and yes, there will be a next time) I make this I will change the recipe once again to give it more caramelization. I may even be brave & make the traditional pate brisee dough or even use a puff pastry. This time around I used my old favorite oil crust recipe and it worked fine--except for the parts that stuck to the edges of my skillet. Those extra bits of crust did not go to waste. I scraped them off the edges of the skillet and crumbled them over the top of each serving of the yummy apple dessert. I could not do one version of the recipe that calls for a cast iron skillet since my cook top is Ceran. Possibly, I could achieve good results using the cast iron skillet in the oven but felt it would take more time & I was anxious to try this. Following is the recipe which I altered from the original*****

1 recipe of oil pie crust

2 Cups AP Flour
2/3 Cup Canola Oil
1/3 Cup Milk
Dash of Salt
For this recipe I added a dash of nutmeg & cinnamon.
Mix all ingredients & roll out between 2 pieces of parchment. Use as much of this as you need to cover your apples after their session on the cook top & 20 minutes in the oven. I had a bit of dough left so it was placed in plastic wrap & then in the freezer.

Filling

1/2 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
7-9 Gala Apples, peeled, cored & halved
Dash of Cinnamon & Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Spread butter over the bottom & sides of skillet (I used stainless steel). Pour sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg over the bottom of skillet. Arrange apples vertically on sugar. Pack them tightly in an even circle. Cook apples over medium heat, undisturbed, until juices are brown & bubbling. This took about 25 minutes. Put skillet in middle of oven on a cookie sheet (to catch drips). Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and lay pastry over apples. Bake until pastry is browned, about 25 minutes. Ovens vary, so watch after 20 minutes. Place skillet on a rack and cool for at least 10 minutes. Invert a platter (larger than your skillet and best with some type of lip) over skillet. Use potholders and invert tart onto platter. There may be some of that great caramel left in the skillet--don't waste it. Scoop it out and pour it over apples. Supposed to be served warm. We ate it warm & cold the next day. Either way -- delicious!
Great with ice cream, whipped cream, or just a plain splash of cream or milk over the top. Next time I would use more sugar, maybe even some brown sugar to yield more caramel. I won't feel I need to stick with only Gala apples. I'll use whatever I have. Anyone have a different recipe for Tarte Tatin you love & would like to share?

Happy Baking,
Fran

The Long Green Mole

2006-06-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

This wonderful cooking adventure began a couple of weeks ago. I was reading a beautiful post at Cream Puffs In Venice about a delicious Crepes Suzette recipe. Ivonne told the story of finding Mrs. B at Eating Suburbia who was editing a cookbook (The World is a Kitchen) to be released in August. Mrs. B had invited fellow bloggers to test the recipes from the upcoming book. This caught my interest. What does a teacher want when school is out? An assignment, of course! I contacted Mrs. B at her wonderful site and she sent me the names & descriptions of 4 recipes. The only recipe I eliminated was one which included snails, as I wasn't so sure I could find them. I told her I would be willing to do any of the others. My assignment--a 22 ingredient Mole Verde--one of the 7 Moles of Oaxaca. Mrs. B told me it would take "stamina" to complete this recipe and I gladly accepted what I viewed as a challenge. This was a cooking adventure that taught me to enjoy the journey as well as the destination.

I quickly perused the list of ingredients and was pleased to discover that I actually had most of them. There were only a small number that I would search for at a store that I knew would have them if anyone would--epazote, yerba santa, chile de arbol. Visiting the market was a story in itself. Everyone was very helpful when I explained what I was doing. The produce manager directed me to the fresh epazote & chile de arbol. The bakery manager directed me to the store manager who directed me to the yerba santa leaves (turns out to be a type of "mint"). Couldn't resist the pastry while visiting with the bakery manager. I just felt compelled to buy something (you'll see why later). Brought home pumpkin & sweet potato filled empanadas, yoyos(strawberry & coconut), cherry & apple fritters, & a cute corn shaped pastry filled with raspberry! To top off an interesting trip (which I thought would be a short routine grocery run) the president of the entire 3 state grocery chain popped in for an unannounced visit & bagged my groceries! It was a great trip and I met a lot of nice people and came home with lots of good stuff. DH always says I'd talk to anyone (I don't mean that in a bad way--he says it out of concern). I think he thinks I must be related to the famous humorist from our home state (Oklahoma)--Will Rogers--never met a stranger. Anyway, I digress.

Ingredients assembled, the first thing was to clean & soak small white beans overnight. That part I knew I could do. I read & re-read the recipe & hoped it would turn out. I issued instructions that the morning belonged to me & the kitchen was "off limits", although I know we had breakfast and I seem to remember a turkey sandwich in there somewhere for DH. If we were to sit down and talk I would tell you every single detail of every step of the process. DH says I am long winded--he's right. I just don't want to leave any detail out that might be important. I would just like to say that this was a wonderful recipe & a wonderful experience from start to finish. Don't be stifled if you see a recipe with many ingredients or a "difficult" rating. Give it a try. It may not be perfect, but you will be richer for the experience of the journey & I still believe there are more successes than failures.

I will take this mole & make it mine next time. It was a wonderfully green tasting, light (yes, light) dish. Green, green everywhere. Layers of flavor--the green of the leafy ingredients, celery, peppers, tomatoes, & tomatillos. A few of the tomatoes, tomatillos & the bay leaf from my garden. That gave me a bit of satisfaction. The great corn flavor from the masa. Heat--but not burn your mouth down--from the peppers. Never made a pork stock and frankly, didn't even think it sounded good. The stock was absolutely wonderful & light. Seasoned with the fresh bay leaf, peppercorns and allspice. Didn't think it would be possible to make a dish with 9 big jalepenos and not be crying but when I make it again(I call it making it mine)I'll add more--even thought it was absolutely delicious the way it was. It really is true-when you remove the seeds & membrane from peppers you can taste the wonderful flavor & not just the heat. I'll never make any stock again without the addition of allspice. I'm a very meticulous & slow cook on any day. I am a fanatic about cleanliness in the kitchen. I scrub everything--maybe it is not necessary, but I do it. Just a few more notes & then the recipe. I think a mole is a very individual thing. If you make one, add & subtract as you like. It wll be like your stamp on it--on anything. Like your Dad's special chili or Grandma's fried chicken or Mom's apple pie. There are common ingredients but they all do something special that makes it theirs. A few days ago I read the magnificent Cooking Diva-Melissa's version of mole that I can't wait to try. I know it won't be as beautiful as hers, but I can enjoy the process--the journey--as well as the destination--wonderful food! Just for those who haven't tasted some of these things before--epazote is a leafy green with what I would describe as having a slightly medicinal but not bad taste. Yerba Santa leaves are fresh & minty & in fact I think next time I could substitute a bit of mint (maybe spearmint) from the garden. Italian flat leaf parsley is great but you could use curly leaf if that is what you have. Chile de arbol is in the pork stock & when tasted before cooking was not hot but after cooking it was hot. I cooked the pork longer than suggested just because it wasn't tender yet. When using ablender with hot ingredients--remember--it gets explosive in there! Vent it! Unless you have an unusually large blender bowl, you might want to blend in batches. I was true to the recipe but when I make it again I would probably use less garlic, more jalepenos, less epazote, more parsley & mint. I would make it in stages. Make the beans & pork the first day & assemble on the 2nd day.

Thank you to the fantastic Mrs. B for giving me the ticket to this experience. (Find Mrs. B at
http://eatingsuburbia.blogspot.com/ )I loved every minute! Even DH, who isn't crazy about this kind of cooking announced it was very good. Said it was like ham & beans! Well, I guess it is a form of pork with beans. Here is the recipe if you have stuck with me this long, you can make the Long Green Mole. Enjoy!

Mole Verde
Serves 8
"This mole, from Susana Trilling's Seasons of My Heart, is one of the seven legendary moles of Oaxaca. Unlike the dark moles with their voluttuous richness, this one tastes fresh & bright, vibrant &, somehow, green, even when you close your eyes." (Quote supplied by Mrs. B along with the recipe)

1 white onion, sliced
1 garlic bulb
1 carrot, peeled & thickly sliced
3 celery ribs, with leaves
1 bay leaf
1 whole allspice
1 chile de arbol
5 black peppercorns
Kosher salt
1 pound baby-back ribs, cut Chinese style
1 pound boneless pork shoulder, in 2-inch cubes
3/4 cup dried small white beans, soaked overnight & cooked in salted water until tender
1 pound fresh tomatillos, husks removed
1 pound green tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium white onion, cut into chunks
1 garlic bulb, cloves separated & peeled
9 large fresh jalapenos, seeded
2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
8 ounces prepared corn masa for tortillas or 1 cup masa harina for tortillas mixed with 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup epazote leaves
1/2 cup yerba santa leaves, ribs removed
Black pepper to taste

Pour 3 quarts of cold water into a large soup pot & add the sliced onion, whole garlic bulb, carrot, celery ribs, bay leaf, allspice, chile de arbol, whole peppercorns, baby-back ribs & pork shoulder. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and skim off any foam that forms on the surface of the liquid. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Use tongs to transfer the ribs & shoulder to a plate. Increase the heat to high & simmer 15 minutes more. Strain the stock into a clean container & discard the vegetables. Season the stock to taste with salt.

Put the tomatillos in a 2-quart saucepan & add enough water to just cover them. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low & simmer until they just change color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain & place in the container of a blender, along with the green tomatoes, chunks of onion, garlic cloves, jalapenos & 1 cup of the reserved pork stock. Puree until smooth. Pour the oil into a large soup pot set over high heat. When it smokes, add the pureed tomatillo mixture & stir continuously, until hot, about 10 minutes. Put the masa in a blender and add 2 cups of pork stock. Puree until smooth & stir into the tomatillo mixture. Simmer over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.

Put the parsley, epazote & yerba santa in the blender & add enough pork stock to blend well. Pour the herb mixture into the tomatillo mixture & simmer over low heat for 15 minutes more. Add salt & pepper to taste. At this point, the mole should be thick enough to coat a spoon but no thicker; if it seems too thick, thin with a little of the reserved pork stock. Return the ribs & shoulder meat, along with the cooked white beans, to the stock & simmer gently to heat through.

Ladle the mole into soup plates, making sure each serving includes a rib & a piece of shoulder topped with lots of sauce & beans. Serve immediately, with hot corn tortillas alongside.

Some of the fresh mole ingredients--
Finished delicious Mole Verde--
Cooked beans & pork heating in pork stock--
Tasty pastry from the grocer's Mexican Bakery--
Souvenirs of a long ago trip to Mexico--

Hey, who drank my Mexican Coca-Cola ;-)

Porcupine Meatballs

2006-06-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well, just to let you know there is no actual exotic meat in this dish, just plain freshly ground lean beef. I chose this as a retro food 1st because I know I have been making & actually enjoying them for more years than I care to admit. Before that, I was fed these meatballs or a version of them by the cooks in my family. When I first asked about the curious name, I was told it was because the rice grains resemble little porcupine quills! True? I don't know. It is a good story. I am not sure of the origin of the recipe (there are many variations--most more complicated than mine--one is found in my very retro 1967 edition of The Joy of Cooking-p.430). The story of the original recipe as I heard it was that it was devised when pressure cookers became popular way back when and the meatballs could be made quickly. Those of you who are older, probably remember all of the accompanying horror stories of pressure cookers. When I was growing up every kitchen had one, yet I never (fortunately) witnessed any of the awful accidents told by the cooks of the day. Probably a heartfelt warning to keep children away from the hot stove.

Please note the retro dish which contains the meatballs. This is the pattern I chose to live with back in the early 70's and keep them around for old time's sake. Yes, I am very sentimental. (I guess I am a retro relic myself). The recipe for this retro dish is easy and is still a regular on our menu. You can change it to your liking. Spice it up with hot sauce or pepper flakes or google a more complicated version, but this is something that always comes away with an A+ rating, especially served with (don't cringe) instant mashed potatoes, & Le Suere Baby Peas.

Ingredients***
I Can Campbells Tomato Soup (10 3/4 ounce size)
2 Soup Cans of Water
1/4 Cup Uncooked Rice (does not need to be instant, but you can use it)
1 to 1 1/2 pounds good ground beef
Finely Chopped onion (about 1/3 Cup)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix meat, rice, onion, salt & pepper in a large bowl. Form ping pong ball sized meatballs (or larger if you are my DH and don't want to take the time to make smaller ones). This will make up to 2 dozen. In a large pan mix soup & water over low heat. Gently add meatballs to the soup. Keep the heat low & watch since the soup and any stray rice will want to stick to the bottom of the pan. When you stir, stir gently. The mixture will seem watery, but after about 1 1/2 hours of cooking it thickens nicely, the rice is cooked and you have a wonderful warm bunch of comfort food.

Thank you to Laura Rebecca's Kitchen for hosting this fun event. Can't wait to see & try the other contributions.
You can visit her site @ http://laurarebeccaskitchen.blogspot.com

Chocolate Tart

2006-06-05T14:51:00.000-07:00

Did you ever have any ingredient in your kitchen that was just begging to be used? I did. Creme Fraiche. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. The clock had been ticking & I kept checking the "use by" date. I wanted to make a chocolate tart & if I was going to use this creme fraiche, now was the time. I had watched Giada make Chocolate Ricotta Pie and loved the look of it. Giada's crust used pine nuts and that sounded good. But alas, the filling used 4 eggs and if I was going to be able to eat the pie I would need to use a recipe with fewer eggs. (I don't have a good relationship with eggs.) What I finally decided upon was a crust which used pecans instead of pine nuts and a filling with creme fraiche and 1 egg.

Crust Ingredients******
(I will make this the day before next time.)
AP Flour 1 1/2 cups
Cornmeal 2 tablespoons
Pecans 3/4 cup
Sugar 1/4 cup
Butter 1 stick, melted & cooled slightly

Process the dry ingredients (including the pecans) in a food processor until fine. Add butter & process until dough forms. Press dough over the bottom & sides of tart pan. My tart pan is one piece and it works fine with this crust. At this point the original recipe called for the dough to be refrigerated for 30 minutes. I placed mine in the freezer for 15 minutes & all was well. Blind bake the crust in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until just set. Remove foil & weights from blind bake. (I lined my crust with aluminum foil and sat a pie plate on top for weight--next time I will spray the foil before it touches the dough, as I lost a bit of crust when removing the foil.) Bake the shell about 10 minutes more or until golden. Cool completely. I put my crust in front of a fan at this point to speed the process. Now you know why I will do it the day before next time.

Chocolate Filling Ingredients******
The creme fraiche I used was from Bellweather Farms (got it at Trader Joe's) and it was delicious. Very smooth & buttery tasting. The packaging has several recipes as does their website. I used their Chocolate Tart recipe as a starting point for my filling. Their recipe uses bittersweet chocolate and no sugar. I am a chocolate lover but knew that DH would not go for a dark chocolate pie that was not sweet. This is my version--

Half & Half --1/2 cup
EggYolk--1 large
Creme Fraiche--7.5 ounce
Powdered Sugar--6 tablespoons(This was another deviation from the original recipe.)
Vanilla-- a few drops(Another deviation, use the best you have.)
Chocolate--7 ounces, finely chopped (I used 3 rectangles of Dagoba Organic Eclipse 87% extra dark chocolate, 2 squares of Lindt 85% dark chocolate, and made up the difference with Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.) Use what you like.

Lightly whip egg yolk with creme fraiche. Bring half & half to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Add vanilla and mix. Add powdered sugar a spoon at a time, stirring after each addition so that the mixture remains smooth. Slowly add egg/creme fraiche mixture & mix thoroughly. Pour chocolate mixture into tart shell and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. At this point my tart was not set. I upped the temp to 350 and set it to be checked in 5 minute intervals. I removed my tart 13 minutes & 33 seconds later. Sounds rather unorthodox but I was panicking when it was not done at the appointed time. Next time I will try 35o degrees for 25 minutes.

For a little color and extra taste I added the strawberry puree with a ittle sugar and topped with a few chopped pecans.

The verdict--a thumbs up! Very rich, very chocolatey, needs the fruit (raspberry would be excellent). What we liked best--honestly as delicious as the filling was, we loved the crust and decided it would make great cookies!

Now I want a tart pan with a removeable ring so I can make
tarts with different (not as sturdy) crusts and have the nice shape hold together.

Berry Cobbler

2006-05-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Seems as though my baking is driven by requests from DH. That's ok since he has more of a sweet tooth than me & I love baking. I have made this cobbler twice in the last 2 weeks. DH says he is craving berries. The first cobbler was made from all frozen berries but this time it was a combination of fresh & frozen. The colors are all natural & beautiful. I must admit that sometimes when I make cherry pie I do add a few drops of red food coloring. It was amazing how the fragrance of raspberries permeated the house during & after baking. The recipe is one that has developed over time. Sometimes I use cornstarch and sometimes tapioca as a thickening agent. I was out of cornstarch yesterday so I used tapioca. If you love berries (you can use a combination of just about anything you like) this is a great way to use them. I use my standard oil crust recipe (found in the November Archive) and you can use your favorite crust recipe.

Ingredients******
Raspberries (12 ounces fresh or frozen--used frozen this time)
Blackberries (12 ounces fresh or frozen--used fresh this time)
Sugar (1 cup--you may use less if you don't like it as sweet)
Lemon Juice (fresh from 1/2 lemon)
Nutmeg (dash)
Instant Tapioca (3 tablespoons)
Turbinado Sugar (Just a sprinkle over the top crust)

Mix berries in a large bowl. Mix dry ingredients. Pour lemon juice over berries & then pour dry ingredients over berries and mix to coat.

Line the bottom of pie plate with a layer of crust. Add fruit mixture. Cover with a layer of crust. Sprinkle with turbinado. This may be a solid layer of crust or a pattern or just free form pieces of crust. This is a cobbler & not a pie!

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for up to 50 minutes. Ovens vary, so watch carefully. I start checking mine at 30 minutes. When top crust is turning brown, I remove it from the oven.

Notes--This is not an exact recipe. You may use a little more or less of any berries you choose. I have used different combinations with success--strawberries, blueberries, golden raspberries, cherries. If you prefer a less sweet dessert, just use less sugar. If you don't have lemon juice use orange, lime, or grapefruit. Use less tapioca if you like a juicier treat. This goes great with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Carrot Ring Cake

2006-05-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

This recipe is one that I adapted from The Silver Spoon cookbook. I have enjoyed perusing the pages and since I had a request for a carrot cake, this became my first try at a recipe from the new cookbook(new to me). I made some changes but if you want the original recipe it appears on page 1045. I enjoyed the cake's texture and not being "too" sweet. The frosting was added, as it is a favorite on any carrot cake at our house--the original is sprinkled with confectioner's sugar.

The Ingredients****

Butter (2 Tablespoons--melted)
AP Flour (1 1/4 Cups)
Soft Brown Sugar (2/3 Cup)
Baking Powder (2 Teaspoons)
Ground Ginger (pinch)
Freshly Grated Nutmeg (pinch)
Milk (2 Tablespoons)
Canola Oil (5 Tablespoons)
Eggs (1 whole & 2 egg whites lightly beaten)
Raisins (Generous 1/3 Cup & enough fresh orange juice to soak raisins until soft)
Pecans (1/2 cup chopped)
Carrots (2 finely chopped)
Salt (pinch)

Frosting Ingredients

Apricot Preserves (1/2 cup melted)
Cream Cheese (8 ounce package--room temperature)
Honey(2 Tablespoons--spray the spoon with non-stick coating 1st--easy release)
Powdered Sugar (5 Tablespoons)
Fresh Lemon Juice & Peel(1 Tablespoon of juice and finely zested peel of 1 lemon)
Salt (pinch)
Vanilla (the best you have--just a splash)

Procedure***

I used a small ceramic bundt pan. Spray pan with non-stick coating. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together all dry ingredients. Add milk, oil, butter, eggs & mix well. Stir in raisins (with OJ from soaking) & pecans and then the carrots. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour. Ovens vary so check accordingly. Remove from oven & cool in the pan. Turn out on plate and coat with the melted apricot preserves. I unmolded while still slightly warm and the preserves were warm as this helps the cake soak up the apricot flavor. When cake is completely cooled, frost (or not). For frosting--put the room temp cream cheese in a sandwich size resealable plastic bag with powdered sugar, honey, vanilla, salt, a bit of lemon zest and lemon juice. Press the sandwich bag closed and mash the ingredients together until thoroughly mixed. If you are good at decorating you can snip the corner of the bag and pipe the frosting onto the cake. I'm not that talented, so I frosted the entire cake and sprinkled the remaining lemon zest over the top.

Notes--The original used walnuts, 2 whole eggs, did not soak the raisins, no frosting or lemon & zest or oj and used either olive oil or sunflower oil instead of canola. I'm sure the original is delicious but I adapted it to use the ingredients I like.
And there you have it--my version of--

"Ciambella Alle Carote"

Breakfast Frittata

2006-05-07T09:28:00.000-07:00

This morning's breakfast frittata was the result of a combination of things. First, DH declared he was tired of the usual and I have been reading 2 wonderful books. Sometime in the winter I acquired Mark Bittman's inspiring book--The Best Recipes in the World. The Pasta Frittata (Italy) on page 558 was the original inspiration for my modified recipe. The other interesting reading & inspiration comes from another book I've been delving into--The Silver Spoon. The Silver Spoon includes several variations of frittatas. I settled on the following ingredients--

1 medium white rose potato (grated & squeezed dry)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
4 slices of crispy cooked bacon (crumbled)
4 eggs (used 2 whole eggs & 2 whites)
4 tablespoons butter
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (to taste)

First, coat pan with vegetable spray & add 2 tablespoons of butter to melt.
Add potatoes to melted butter and cook until brown (essentially making hash browns).
Combine eggs, cheese, bacon, salt, pepper, pepper flakes and cooked potatoes in a bowl.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the pan and add the mixture to the pan.
Cook over medium heat until it starts to firm up. Transfer the pan to a preheated 400 degree oven & bake for about 10 minutes. It will be firm on top. Result--a big thumbs up from Mr. Meat & Potatoes Guy (he had to have ketchup on the side).

Notes--There are so many variations on this dish I think you can do what you want once you get the basic idea. Do want to try Bittman's original with pasta. I did not use a non-stick pan. When my last one was ready to go I vowed not to buy another because of the dangers of non-stick pans I had been reading about lately. Using the cooking spray and the fact that the recipe had butter added to the pan before cooking yielded good results.

These 2 books are so interesting. I'm having a great time reading them and thinking of what I would like to try next.

Tea Glazed Almonds

2006-04-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

I realized I had used a lot of nuts in my cooking lately--bananas, coconut & pecans--sticky buns for Sunday morning breakfast (which I will post)--chocolate pie with pecans. I love eating them raw or toasted or in a cooked dish--sweet or savory. Have been eating raw almonds for a few years because I had read they were healthy. At first I didn't really think I would care for them raw & then learned how very delicious they are. So, now I keep raw almonds in my desk & munch them throughout the day. I also love tea and when this months shipment of Gunpowder Tea arrived from Adagio I had a brainstorm. I had made different versions of spiced pecans, walnuts & almonds before so thought I would do a tea glaze for almonds. If you have ever "glazed" almonds or other nuts before you know it is a pretty simple process. Since I really do like the flavor of tea I decided to use the actual tea to flavor the almonds. Here is the recipe & the procedure--short & sweet

1 Cup Raw Almonds
1/4 cup white sugar
1 Teaspoon Gunpowder Tea
Dash of Salt

Process the sugar, salt & tea in a mini food processor until the tea is broken into smaller pieces. Place the almonds & sugar mixture in a pan over medium heat. It takes me about 15 minutes on my cooktop to complete the process of having the sugar melt & stirring the almonds to thoroughly coat. Once the sugar starts to melt, keep the almonds moving until all of the sugar is melted and the almonds are coated. You really can't walk away from this process. When the sugar does start to melt, lower the heat to finish. When the cooking is finished turn almonds out onto waxed paper in a single layer. It won't take long for them to cool & dry. The glazing also toasts the almonds & they are delicious. If you don't like tea you could leave it out or add something like cinnamon. I entered this recipe in the Adagio Tea Chef contest for the month. The Gunpowder does make a good cup of tea and it is great iced too.
To view some creative ways to use tea visit the Adagio site @

http://teachef.com/view-recipe.html?recipe=175

Coconut Banana Pudding Baby!

2006-04-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist buying this cute little hand of Baby Bananas recently. Should have taken the picture with a regular banana to show the contrast. After eating a few, I decided to make one of our favorites. This dessert would definitely fall into the category of comfort food at our house. It is rich & creamy and if you like bananas & coconut give it a try. Mom always made a version of this minus the coconut & sour cream since Dad didn't like either. It is a simple recipe that can be put together very quickly. The ingredients & procedure are -----------

One Box Instant Coconut Pudding (prepared according to directions)
1/4 Cup Sour Cream added to pudding mixture
1/4 Cup Cream (whipped & added to pudding mixture)
Vanilla Wafers (about 24 or however many it takes to line your dish)
Bananas (Probably 2 sliced)
Coconut for topping
Layer the ingredients as pictured-wafers, bananas, pudding & a sprinkle of coconut over the top

Notes--You can use vanilla pudding, banana pudding or whatever you like. I've made many variations and we have liked them all.

Happy Easter

2006-04-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone has had a wonderful day of celebrating and eating. I have been on a sort of self-imposed hiatus. Work & family have taken my "blogging" time. Hope to do more posting. No recipe today, but when I saw these little beauties at a local market I couldn't resist. These dainty little quail eggs brought back a rush of memories for me. I grew up in quail country and my Dad raised quail for a while. I had forgotten how beautiful they are both inside & out. Should have taken a photo of the inside for those who haven't seen the beautiful blue shell that is such a contrast to the speckled outside. This being the season for coloring eggs, I thought it was appropriate to post a photo of nature's handywork.

Bananas, Coconut & Pecans

2006-03-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

This was a dessert I made this weekend. Wanted something different and was thinking about DH telling about how his Grandfather made fried bananas for breakfast. This was easy & quick. Made it after we finished dinner & served it warm. Have to admit the best part had to be those pecans! The ingredients were--
2 large bananas sliced lengthswise
1/4 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Unsweetened Coconut
1/4 C Pecan Halves
2 Tablespoons Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (My new favorite yummy tasting oil) You must try it!
1/4 C Fresh Mandarin Orange Juice

Procedure****
Placed the oil & sugar in a warm pan. Added sliced bananas to the pan when the sugar started to melt. Added the pecans & coconut around the sides of the pan. Flipped the bananas over after about a minute, all the time stirring the pecans & coconut around the edges of the pan to keep them coated with the sugar & oil. This only takes a few minutes to accomplish. Add the OJ right before removing from the pan.

Notes--you can see there is a lot of room for your own variation in this recipe. You may want less OJ or none at all. You could substitute butter for the oil. I must tell you that the coconut oil is delicious all on its own. Make it to suit your tastes. I can see doing this & using orange sections instead of bananas or maybe using some of the mangoes I found this past weekend.

After the last post about tea I thought I would just add a note from time to time about any tea that was particularly interesting. Started the day with a very good Apricot Decaf from Republic of Tea. I could really taste the apricot & it was a nice mellow way to begin a busy day!

My Journey with Tea

2006-03-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

This is a "thank you" note to Mom, Dad, Grandma & Adagio Tea. I grew up in a time when the coffee pot was always on the burner of the stove & almost every adult drank coffee all day. The longer it stayed on the burner the stronger it got. Having spent lots of time in my pre-school years in my Grandmother's kitchen (which was conveniently next door to our house) I learned to love the smell of coffee on the stove. It was a warm & comforting aroma. Kind of a security. Grandma's kitchen was the center of the neighborhood & in those days the door was never locked. Coffee was always a part of those days. In those days my Grandmother would tell any child that drinking coffee would stunt your growth so as to try to keep us from being caffeinated I guess. That was no threat to me. I had tasted the strong potion & thought if it only tasted like it smelled it would be wonderful--but it didn't--& it wasn't. So I grew up never liking coffee & when I reached adulthood & everyone my age started drinking coffee I would just pass it by. I never cared for tea either. Having grown up in the south, there was always iced tea available & it was passable for younger people to drink that. That was no temptaion either as it always seemed bitter even with sugar.

Dad always liked coffee and would drink it all day, even at work. When he got older he switched to hot tea as it had less caffeine and he said helped settle his stomach. Mom finally told me after I was grown that I would never be able to "socialize" if I didn't drink tea or coffee! She was only half joking. I thought --now you tell me! Anyway, a few years back I embarked on my tea journey. Being pretty sensitive to caffeine, I decided not to travel the coffee route. My sister-in-law first hooked me on sweetened herbal raspberry tea. My brother-in-law thought it just tasted like kid's kool aid--good--more for me. I started branching out, and after a period of time I discovered I really did like real tea, herbal tea, fruity tea, and most any tea. I surprised myself--I realized I liked it even without sweetener. The result of what has now become an obsession (yes, I admit it) is a whole section of my kitchen cabinet devoted to a plethora of teas.

As I ventured into reading about tea, I discovered that people actually cooked with tea. That put me on the next leg of my journey. I experimented with lots of recipes. Some good & some disasters. One day while looking at food blogs I found a link to Adagio Tea and found they had recipes using tea. This was wonderful! I loved it. Then I found the part that said "Tea Chef". I was hooked. Adagio would send aspiring "tea chefs" a sample size tin of tea in exchange for them submitting a tea related recipe. I began submitting recipes. In the winter it was for Granita. In February it was a Tea Brined Pork Loin (which I posted on the blog). I was thrilled when the winner was announced--yes, my little loin of pork had won. Now the really fun part--the "fabulous tea related reward". They don't tell you what you win. I think that makes it better. I kept having flashbacks to the movie "The Christmas Story" when Darren Mc Gavin wins the hideous leg shaped lamp. I don't know what the other "winners" have received but I absolutely love my prizes. Adagio was very generous & I thank them. They mailed a wonderful IngenuiTea tea pot/brewer. It is fabulous for that 2 cups in the morning or even for a quick brew of tea to pour over ice. They also included a generous size of February's tea--Green Pekoe. All of the tea I have received from Adagio is of very good quality & I would recommend it to those who are tea drinkers. If any of you like tea & like to cook with tea you can check out the teas & recipes at http://www.adagio.com/

Thanks Mom, Dad, Grandma & Adagio!

(p.s. I think Grandma may have been right about coffee stunting growth--I only smelled it and despite the fact my Dad was 6'2" I only made it to 5"2")

Bok Choi Colcannon

2006-03-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

Colcannon is something we have enjoyed around our table before I even knew to call it that. I have made many variations of this potato dish using cabbage of various kinds and onions of many kinds also. Being a tradition at this time of the year, I knew it was time to make it again, this time trying something yet different. I recently discovered an asian market not too far away and they have a wonderful produce department. We enjoy bok choi made other ways and since it is in the cabbage family I thought it would make a perfect combination along with green onions & potatoes for this year's colcannon. My "recipe" is not really a precise one but it works for me. I used several large russet potatoes--peeled, chunked and boiled in salted water. Stir fried about a pound of baby bok choi & 1 bunch of green onions in about 2 tablespoons of butter. The bok choi & onions were roughly chopped. Mashed the potatoes (this time with about a half stick of butter and a bit of half & half) & then added the almost browned greens to the potatoes & mixed them together. Very good as the bok choi is quite mild & the green onion added just the right extra something.

You will want to visit http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/ for all of the great Weekend Herb Blogging.

Here Endeth The Drought___

2006-03-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

If you live in the Valley of the Sun in the Sonoran Desert you heard the wonderful sweet lullaby sound of rain early Saturday morning.

Not a big event in many places, but when you've not heard that sound since October 19, 2005, it was cause for celebration. The official Sky Harbor Airport reading was 1.4 inches. Where we live it was a gracious 2.4 inches. The parched earth just soaked it up like a sponge and you could almost hear the trees sigh with relief.

A friend who abandoned city life and moved away from civilization said it was so dry that even the cactus were perishing. No more of her delicious Prickly Pear fruit jelly.

Our wonderful Irish neighbor, K, was in her baking mood--preparing for St. Patrick's Day. She called & said to come take possesion of our annual loaf of warm Irish Soda Bread. I hurried over for a visit with K & her sweet puppy and took my prized loaf home. Soda bread is so named because it was originally devised as a bread that could be made without yeast. K is an excellent baker and is very generous with the raisins. We started eating ours last evening. We used it as the base for our dessert of strawberry shortcake with whipping cream. Delicious. There are lots of recipes out there for this wonderful bread. Try it, you will like it! Wonderful warm with butter & honey or jam. Can't do better than that on a rainy day--dessert in the desert!

Find the Kitty--WCB #39

2006-03-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is a Tilly picture. She was a great helper this morning;) Originally, I wanted to post this just to show the daffodils and the story behind them. The flowers and the little journal were gifts to me last week on my birthday. They were hand delivered in the pretty yellow bag by a darling student of mine. Sometimes the perks we receive that are job related are not material but from the heart. This was just what I needed on this particular birthday. If you have read my previous posts, you know that the past 3+ months have included some trials--which I realize are not unique to me alone. If you could see the sweetness and sincerity with which the bouquet was delivered you would just melt. The surprise part of these flowers (a real bonus) is that they are all attached to pens!

Now to the Tilly part. Have any of you read that cats don't see color? I am convinced that Miss Tilly does indeed see at least green. She will try to eat anything that is green--lettuce, cabbage, spinach, corn husks and yes, silk plants! So now I guess I have given her hiding place away. She thought she would just slyly sneak around the back & take a little bite.

Today I am most thankful for job perks from the heart and one sneaky kitty!
Don't forget to go visit http://eatstuff.net today to see all of the weekend WCB's.

Green Pekoe Brined Pork Loin

2006-02-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is a dish that we really enjoyed. I have decided that I really like to brine certain meats--pork, chicken, turkey (next will try lamb). The brining process really does help the meat stay moist and you can use whatever seasoning you prefer after using the basic salt & sugar. There are many excellent brining recipes out there & I encourage you to try at least one if you do eat these foods. At Thanksgiving we brined chickens instead of turkey and cooked them on the rotisserie and they were excellent.

Ingredients
1 quart cold water
1/3 cup sea salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 tablespoons Green Pekoe Tea
2 lb. pork loin
2 tablespoons cooking oil
paprika

Directions
Bring water, salt, sugar, & peppercorns to a boil. Remove from heat and add tea. Cool solution to room temp. Place pork loin in a self sealing plastic bag and add enough solution to cover. Place sealed bag in a large bowl (just in case it leaks).
Weigh the meat down by placing an object (such as a can of food) on top so that the meat is submerged in the solution. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove pork from solution & rinse & pat dry. Discard solution. Brown pork on all sides in vegetable oil. Sprinkle all sides with paprika and place in a 350 degree oven for approximately one hour. Ovens vary, so check doneness by making a small cut in pork. Remove pork from oven & tent in foil for about 10 minutes. Slice & serve.

Note--the tea used in this recipe was from Adagio. I am a real tea drinker and frequent this tea site. I have entered this recipe in the February Tea Chef contest (the name of the recipe is listed & my other initial M. Hall) If anyone feels so inclined, I would appreciate your vote (by Feb. 28) over at

http://www.adagio.com/

Happy Cooking,

Fran

WHB #20

2006-02-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

"Hunger pangs for fresh veggies"--that is what I was hearing today. Went searching in the veggie bin and found these--eggplant, purple onion, red & green bell peppers, & tiny tomatoes. We love roasted veggies, so I decided to make the eggplant the centerpiece. Keep it simple today. EVOO in the bottom of the dish, next the sliced eggplant, then the onion, the peppers, tomatoes and another splash of olive oil, sea salt & fresh cracked pepper. Roasted them in 400 degree oven for an hour. Sounds like a long time to roast, but they tasted yummy. Nice & and brown & mushy!

Grilled Macaroni & Cheese Sandwich

2006-02-16T14:02:00.000-07:00

So many cheese sandwiches, so little time to make them all. What a creative bunch of lovely Food Bloggers! There are lots of thoughts about this in my head, but I am not as expressive with this as so many of you are. I just come to you with my offering thinking that I am probably one of those true "cheese sandwich" bloggers.

My contribution is a Grilled Mac N' Cheese Sandwich. (Although technically this sandwich was not "grilled".) I am a public servant so I don't have the funds to purchase a much wanted panini grill. Considered using my George Foreman grill or my waffle iron, but I hate the cleanup on those. Instead, I selected my hand me down (from my dear Grandmother) Revere Ware skillet with a copper bottom. It is probably old enough to be considered an antique and I certainly wish I had all of the great food that has been cooked in it. Anyway, I digress.

I truly believe this version of the cheese sandwich is best made with cheap & soft white bread rather than a tasty artisan loaf. Cheap starchy mac gives the innards of this recipe the starch to stick up to becoming the integral part of a sandwich. The recipe could certainly be made with Dreamfields, spelt, or rice pasta but in this case it was straight starch all the way.

The recipe for the mac n' cheese is a truly wonderful recipe which my family loves and has enjoyed many times. As you will see, the recipe can be adapted to include the types of cheese you like the most. This recipe calls for 5 cheeses--sharp & mild cheddar, muenster, monterey jack & yes, velveeta. It is Patti LaBelle's Over The Rainbow Macaroni & Chesse Recipe (easily googled).

Now to the construction of the sandwich. It is quite simple. Place a chunk of the delicious mac n' cheese between 2 pieces of bread. Place at least 1 tablespoon of butter in the skillet. Brown one side and repeat with more butter for the flip side. This really does make a good sandwich and if you have a bit of leftover mac n' cheese, it is worth your time.

Thank you Kalyn & Brother for the fabulous Icons. Am looking forward to reading every single contribution on this topic.

Fran

Chocolate Cake

2006-02-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day! After reading many posts today, I had to think of a way to join with something that seemed to be in the spirit of the day. Since I haven't been doing any baking lately, I searched my photo file and found just the picture I wanted. A few months back I made a wonderful chocolate cake that was moist, delicious and a little different. I borrowed the recipe from Fanny at http://FOODBEAM.BLOGSPOT.COM. The recipe was in her September Archive. I struggled a bit with the conversions but we did enjoy the end result. The surprise ingredient was Guinness. The recipe makes quite a bit of glaze or sauce and I couldn't stand to waste it--so--I cored 2 MacIntosh Apples, stuffed them with pecans and poured the rich & buttery sauce over the apples. Baked them for about half an hour & they were yummy! Hope everyone enjoys whatever they cook, bake, or eat today.

Fran

WCB

2006-02-05T12:09:00.000-07:00

Have missed being here for almost a month. Miss Tilly Girl has been my constant companion and nurse during my time away from blogging. Maybe that explains her trying to get away for some "me" time in her photo. Shortly after my last post I broke my knee--ouch! Am now in PT and hoping to be on the road to recovery. Have had lots of time to think and be thankful for what I had taken for granted--like being able to go into my wonderful, beautiful kitchen and cook anything whenever time allowed. I had accumulated pages of ideas to try and to post and of course, that has all been placed on hold. I have not cooked a thing in almost a month. Husband has been doing the KP. Shopping, preparing and cleaning, plus nurse duty for me. Only once did we have take out burgers and one trip for chinese take out. My wonderful sister-in-law, P, (who is the total master cook) has supplied delicious meals 3 times. Chicken and noodles, turkey and dressing (with all of the trimmings), wonderful spicy chili, and for desserts she has offered up apple blossoms, chocolate cake, pumpkin pie, and spice cake. Our Guardian Angel neighbor, K, made the most delicious pork chops and cheesey potatoes, along with tender tasty muffins from Paradise Bakery. K has carted me from one end of this town to the other (literally) for doctor appointments with never a complaint and always in good humor. My friends from work have kept me up to date on that front. My dear colleague, J, just brought the most yummy peanut butter/chocolate/coconut bar cookies. She "accidentally" made a double batch. My dear friend, C, has been an invlauable liason between work & home and keeps telling me everything will be ok.

My wonderful friends in the blogging world have also been a great source of encouragement during this time. Thank you Dear Paz, Cooking Diva Melissa, Fanny, and Tattum. During those times when I could cozy up to my computer it was so nice to see your kind words.

At this time I have no recipe or picture of food, but my head is full of ideas for the future.
Please be thankful for every day you can spend doing what we obviously enjoy doing--cooking and baking. A lesson learned the hard way...............

Love & Best Wishes To All,
Fran

Apple Pie

2006-01-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

Start with these
Do This--Peel, Core, Slice
Eat This!
This is my favorite apple pie recipe. I found the book that I took it from--it is the Crisco American Pie Celebration (1989). It contains many wonderful recipes from different regions of the U.S. I don't use solid shortening for my crust. Some of you may have read my November 28 post about pie crust and know that I am a fan of oil crust, so that is what I used for this pie. If you would like the crust recipe I use just go to the archive & check it out.

Ingredients--

Sugar (1 cup)
AP Flour (1/3 cup)
Cinnamon (1 tsp)
Nutmeg (1/8 tsp)
Salt (1/8 tsp)
Apples (I used 9 cups today because we like lots of apples) peeled & thinly sliced
Butter (2 tbsp)

Procedure--

Heat oven to 425 degrees F

For filling--combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, & salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle over apple slices. Toss lightly until apple slices are completely coated. Spoon filling into unbaked pie shell. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Flute edges. Cut slits in top crust to vent the steam. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until top crust begins to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes. All ovens are different, so watch your pie. Cooking times can vary. Cool until barely warm or room temperature before cutting & serving.

It is great served with vanilla ice cream or a slice of cheddar cheese or even just some cream or milk over the top.

My DH always says "this is the best one ever". As my Grandma would say --he knows which side his bread is buttered on. (To keep the pies coming!)

Happy Baking,
Fran

WCB 31

2006-01-07T08:24:00.000-07:00

Don't let the cat out of the bag! This is my sweet Tilly. Why do cats love to get into things? Bags, boxes, cabinets, etc? She gets inside of everything she can squeeze into--and loves it. She then gazes with those big round golden eyes as if to say "Do you see me? You see me don't you? Come play!" I'm sure there are lots of cute kitties out there this weekend for WCB 31. Enjoy them all.

New Year's Dinner Recipe & Photo Swap

2006-01-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year to all! This was our New Year's meal which I decided to submit to Melissa Cooking Diva's Dinner Recipe & Photo Swap. The menu was--

Black Eyed Peas (with a splash of hot sauce)
Fried Okra
Baked Uncured Ham
Cornbread (with Honey Butter)

These are all foods we love at anytime of the year but we always have the Black Eyed Peas on January 1st. We must! It is tradition! It was a great meal. The cornbread doubled as dessert for me since I topped it with honey butter. (Must admit I used a mix for the cornbread this time). I think DH did sneak back in for some cool creamy rice pudding made earlier.
This is the center of our traditional New Year's meal. I have prepared it many different ways over the years, including a version call "Hoppin John". These were prepared quite simply just using a package of dried Black Eyed Peas according to package directions using the quick soak method. Basically, you can soak the peas overnight and drain or boil them for a couple of minutes & let them set for an hour drain and cook with your seasonings. After draining & rinsing the "quick soaked" peas I browned about a cup of purple onion, one shallot, one diced carrot, and about a cup of diced sweet red, yellow and orange peppers in a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. After these were brown, I added the peas back to the pot along with about 6 to 7 cups of water. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a couple of hours. I like to use chicken stock for the liquid sometimes but it tends to be salty so I opted for water. To give it the nice thick consistency you can take out about a cup of the peas, mash them and add them back to the pot. After they are plated we add a splash of hot sauce.
We love okra any time of the year but I decided on having it with this meal to satisfy the "green" requirement of a traditional New Year's meal. We have okra in our summer garden so it was fun to use something that was homegrown. You don't need to slice the okra but I did. I used about 3/4 pound of okra (you can find it frozen--use sliced or not). Since the okra was frozen I simply rinsed it in a colander placed it in a plastic container and added about 3/4 cup of cornmeal I had seasoned with 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt and black pepper to taste. Use more or less of those seasonings to suit you. Shook all of the mixture up in the container and add carefully to a pan of hot oil. Fry it until it is as brown as you like. Drain on paper towels. I will post one of our favorites in the future--Okra Salad--yum!
The ham on the menu was delicious. It was an uncured ham (no nitrates, etc.) that I found at Costco. There will be no waste to it . It is all "ham". The only preparation I did was wrapping it in foil and baking it at 375 degrees for about an hour. It was great for dinner and will make good sandwiches and breakfasts too! Ham is traditional at the holidays for us. Sometimes cooked in the Black Eyed Peas. Very traditional would be to use a ham hock in the cooking of the peas.
Thanks to all who have visited my blog. I hope to have some flavorful posts in 2006. Thanks to all who gave their vote to "Granita". A great looking cupcake won. Happy New Year to all and please visit again.

Fran

Weekend Cat Blog #30

2005-12-31T09:15:00.000-07:00

Here is Tilly Girl resting up before a nice long day of napping. Glad to hear Kiri is gaining the weight back. Tilly and her people wish everyone a Most Happy New Year!
(Yes, there are legs, paws, and a tail under that fur!)

Vote For Granita!

2005-12-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not a very bold person, but just this once I thought I would ask if anyone thinks the Granita on the previous post deserves a vote in the Adagio Tea recipe contest please post your vote. You can vote at http://www.teachef.com/view_recipe.html?recipe=70

Thank you very much--if the above does not work, you can just Google Adagio Tea and follow the prompts to the contest. I'll let you know.

Hope to be posting a recipe tonight--keeping my fingers crossed on the outcome.

Thanks to all who have visited here and Happy New Year!

Fran

Lemon Meringue Pie

2005-12-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

Wanting to make use of the beautiful lemons hanging on the tree just a step off the patio, I decided to make a lemon pie. Perfect weather here in The Valley of the Sun today. Lemon pie has been a favorite in my family. I really enjoyed baking today. Picking the lemons off the tree and smelling that wonderful, fresh scent of lemon. The fragrance filled the house and reminded me that it really won't be that long until the citrus is in bloom again. Nothing can match that smell--if it could only be captured! The recipe I used today is nothing that unusual, but it is a good one. I have a great collection of cookbooks from County Extension groups, churches, and other community organizations. This particular recipe is from the Oklahoma Centennial Cookbook (A century of Logan County Cooking 1889-1989). The book came to me from Mom who received it as a gift from my sister.

Ingredients

1 Baked 9" pastry Shell (See previous post)

Filling:
Sugar (1 cup)
Cornstarch (1/4 cup)
Salt (1/4 tsp)
Water (1 1/2 cup)
Egg Yolks (3)
Butter (2 tbsp)
Lemon Juice (1/3 cup)
Grated Lemon Rind (1 1/2 tsp)

Meringue:
Egg Whites (3)
Sugar (6 tbsp)

Procedure:
Combine 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch and salt in double boiler top, gradually blend in water. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened. Cover, cook 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, beat together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar. Blend a little of the hot mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then stir all into hot mixture in double boiler top. Cook over boiling water 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from boiling water. Add butter, lemon juice and lemon rind. Cool. Pour into cooled, baked pastry shell. Spread meringue on pie filling. Bake 15-20 minutes on 350 degree oven.

Notes--I don't own a double boiler so I just used 2 different sizes of sauce pans. I used a copper saucepan for cooking the actual filling and placed lemon rinds in the water in the larger pot which holds the boiling water and I do double duty--not only cooking the filling but polishing my copper pan at the same time!

Happy Baking,
Fran

Christmas Eve Granita

2005-12-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Thought we would go a little light on the dessert last night so I came up with something I had wanted to make for a while--Granita. It was sweet but refreshing. Would be nice during hot summer months too.

Ingredients

Spearmint Tea (2 cups brewed with 4 teaspoons of tea)
Sugar (1/2 cup)
Lemoncillo (1 tablespoon)

Procedure

Boil 2 cups water and add the sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves and add tea.
Brew for about 5 minutes. Strain tea into a 9 inch metal cake pan and stir in the Lemoncillo. Place pan in freezer. Check about every 30 minutes until ice begins to form. When mixture begins to freeze scrape with the tines of a fork and replace in freezer. Repeat this process until everything is frozen and about the consistency of snow cone ice. Serve in scoops on a plate or a nice glass.

Worth Waking Up For! WCB #29

2005-12-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

So glad to read Clare's wonderful news that Kiri is back! I woke Tilly girl up from a nap just to give her a hug and tell her I was glad she is here when I read the news. People without pets really don't know the joy they miss. We are so fortunate to share our lives with our pets. Believe it or not I didn't stage this photo. Tilly came up with napping on the sofa with the pillow and the quilt. She is a sweetie. We hope that all the pet lovers in the world have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy each other's company--especially Kiri and his people.

Cranberry Scones with Orange Glaze

2005-12-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

These scones were delicious this morning. It was cloudy and kind of cool so I was in a baking mood. The recipe is one I adapted from Tyler Florence's recipe from Food Network. I have used this recipe several times using different fruits--blueberries (original recipe) and raspberries (absolutely melt in your mouth) for the scones and have used both lemon and orange for the glaze.

Ingredients

Scones

Flour (2 cups)

Baking Powder (1 tablespoon)

Salt (1/2 teaspoon)

Sugar (2 tablespoons)

Butter (5 tablespoons, cold, cut in chunks)

Heavy Cream (1 cup, plus more for brushing the scones)

Cranberries (1 cup--or other fruit of your choice)

Glaze

Orange Juice (or lemon-1/2 cup, freshly squeezed)

Confectioners Sugar (2 cups)

Orange Zest (zest of one fruit, finely grated)

Butter (1 tablespoon)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the cranberries into the dough. (If you use blueberries or raspberries, be careful not to mash them since they will color your dough.)

Press dough into a rectangle about 12" x 3" x 1 1/4" on a floured surface. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then and 1/2 again. Cut the squares in 1/2 on the diagonal. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until light brown.

Mix the orange juice and confectioners sugar together in a microwave safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. I microwaved mine in 30 second intervals until it got smooth. Add the zest and butter. Microwave for 30 seconds more. Stir until smooth and drizzle glaze over the top of the scones.

Happy Baking,

Fran

Tilly

2005-12-11T09:47:00.000-07:00

This is Tilly. She is the sweetest kitty on the planet. She has ruled our household for seven years now. She is a 6 pound Tortoiseshell Persian. Loves to get into small spaces as you can see. She gets anything she wants--but mostly what she wants is just to be with her people and be petted.

Raisin Bread Pudding

2005-12-07T19:00:00.000-07:00

Maybe it is the cooler weather (even in Arizona) that makes me think more about "comfort food". I had been thinking of making bread pudding when I read Fanny's post at Food Beam for her delicious chocolate cupcakes made in the microwave. Our favorite bread pudding is made in the microwave. Not only is it a time saver, but an energy saver too. I wouldn't not use my oven if it sacrificed on the taste but this pudding is as good as any made in the oven. So, Fanny, this is for you and anyone else who likes bread pudding.

Ingredients
Raisin Bread (4 cups cubed)
Raisins (1/4 cup)
Eggs (3)
Brown Sugar (1/2 cup, packed)
Vanilla (1 teaspoon)
Salt (dash)
Milk (2 cups)
Butter (2 tablespoons)
Cinnamon (to taste)
Nutmeg (to taste)

Procedure
-In a lightly greased microwave proof dish (I use a glass bundt pan), mix bread and raisins. --Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt until well blended.
-In a 4 cup glass container heat milk and butter on high (maximum power) for 4 1/2 to 5
minutes or until steaming hot.
-Gradually stir in egg mixture.
-Pour over bread and raisins, sprinkle with cinnamon &/or nutmeg.
-Cover with waxed paper.
-Cook on half power (simmer) 12-14 minutes--ovens vary so the time may vary also.
-When cooked, center may be slightly soft but will set as pudding cools. Serve warm or
chilled.

Hints
-If you like maple syrup--drizzle a little over the top when serving warm pudding.
-If you are not using a bundt type pan you can place a microwaveable glass in the center of
your baking pan to make the same shape and your bread pudding will cook more evenly.
-I have made this with just a good textured bread and added rasins or dried blueberries,
cherries, cranberries or snipped apricots and it is delicious.
-I have had this recipe for a long time and am sure I got it with one of my early microwave
ovens.

Happy Baking,
Fran

Easy As Pie--Dough

2005-11-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

This is the easiest ever pie dough (crust). If anyone has ever had problems with making a pie dough I invite you to try this. My Mom, Grandmothers, and Aunts have all been wonderful bakers and I thought I just couldn't make an edible pie until a friend at work (Jeanne) told me about this wonderful recipe that I have used for years. You can use it for sweet or savory fillings. If you are making a 1 crust pie just use half and freeze half. You can also just take the extra dough and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar for a little extra treat. The pictures show the the steps. First--Mix 2 cups all purpose flour with a pinch of salt in a large bowl (you can omit the salt). Second--Mix 2/3 cup oil (I like canola--it is light) and 1/3 cup milk (you can use cream, half & half, skim, whatever you like). Third--mix the liquid into the dry with a fork. It will make a sticky mixture but don't panic. Form the dough into a ball. Halve the dough and form 2 dough balls. Roll each ball out between pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Proceed as you would with any pie recipe. Just know that this will not be like a fancy dough with chilled butter that is kneaded and rested. It is very forgiving. If it tears in the pie plate just patch it up--it will be fine. These pictures show the making of a Cherry Pie which we had on Thanksgiving. Next post I plan on showing the Cherry Pie recipe. Hope if you try this it is successful for you. It has been very consistent for me--always flaky. Happy baking .

Flavor of Cherry Pie

2005-11-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite Cherry Pie Recipe. The previous post has the recipe for my favorite pie crust.
I adapted this filling recipe from Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking.

Make pastry.
The filling ingredients are as follows:
2 cans of sour red cherries (water packed)
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 to 4 drops almond extract
1 tablespoon butter
3 to 4 drops red food coloring
Drain juice from cherries: there should be about 3/4 cup of juice. Blend sugar, salt and cornstarch in saucepan. Stir in juice gradually until smooth. Place over heat and cook and stir until clear and very thick. Remove from heat, stir in extract, butter and coloring, then the cherries. Set in pan of cold water to cool. Roll out pastry and line a 9" pie pan. Turn cooked cherries into lined pan, spreading level. Top with other half of rolled pastry. Crimp edges and put a few fork or knife holes in top pastry to vent. I like to make mine into a design. It also makes a nice crust if you brush the top with milk or cream and sprinkle with a bit of of sugar, but this is optional. Bake about 30 minutes in a 425 degree preheated oven or until golden brown. Juice should bubble up through the cuts in the crust. Remove from oven and cool on a rack for 2-3 hours before cutting. Ovens are different and yours may be different than mine. If the edges of the crust seem to be getting brown and the rest of the crust is not--cover the edges with aluminum foil to keep it from getting too dark. We had this pie for Thanksgiving this year instead of the traditional pumpkin. It is a standard at our house. If you try it I hope you like it. The crust is for you Tattum and the cherries for you Fanny.
Happy Baking,
Fran

Source of Morning Flavor

2005-11-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is one of the trees that provide wonderful flavors to our meals. Abundant harvest this year. Orange Juice, marmalade, cakes, cookies, scones and savory dishes too. Recipes soon!

First Flavors

2005-11-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

First flavors of this day were from freshly squeezed orange juice. There is an abundance of citrus in our yard this season and we will enjoy many of the flavors from these fruits. Breakfast was nice and warm--pancakes with butter and organic raspberry preserves, crisp bacon and "dino" eggs.