The Uncensored Kitchen

Oh How the Muffins Have Fallen!

2012-01-24T22:41:00.002-05:00

Or maybe they never rose properly. I tried out an orange juice muffin recipe from the Hillbilly Housewife, substituting polenta for half the flour and topping them with an oatmeal streusel topping. Hmmmm . . . maybe I just tried to do too much. They came out kinda flat, with the topping caved in at the center. The streusel made them crunchy on top, and the polenta was a bit too gritty for my taste.

Next time, nix the streusel and go with corn meal instead of polenta. The flavor of the orange juice: yum.

Cutie Pie

2012-01-20T16:54:00.006-05:00

For my sister-in-law who doesn't eat sugar . . .

*A bitty butternut squash pie sweetened with stevia*

Crockpot Apple Butter

2012-01-20T16:26:00.004-05:00

This really makes the house smell glorious, and it tastes pretty good too. I started my apple butter project at Thanksgiving by buying some apples intended for this purpose. At two months, there was one completely rotten apple and a few that were on their way out. Fast!

Yesterday I peeled and cored what was still good of the apples and sliced them up into my crockpot. The apples filled the crockpot (pictured below) right up to the lid. I added two cinnamon sticks (about 3 inches long each), about 10 whole cloves, and a little water to prevent the apples from burning on the bottom. I cooked them on high for about an hour just to get things going, and then turned it down to low. These babies cooked a full 24 hours, through our slumbering and into the following afternoon. I stirred them as I thought about them.

This afternoon I fished out the cinnamon sticks, ladled the brown, juicy mass into a blender with a cup of sugar, a dash of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a bit of grated fresh nutmeg and whizzed for a few minutes until smooth. It looked like what you see in the picture.

After eating a full slice of toast slathered with butter and hot apple butter, I had to eat another half. Just to make sure I really liked the flavor. =)

Yep. It's a winner!

Christmas Feast

2012-01-17T23:31:00.003-05:00

I know. I know. It was the same thing last year. Tamales and pozole for Christmas. But this year the pozole was a miracle and it rocked! What happened was we were at least an hour into our 5-hour trip for Christmas when I realized that in the whole igloo full of food, I hadn't put in pozole from the freezer. Luckily, I had just been looking up ideas for pozole toppings the day before and had read a blurb about making pozole, so it was pretty fresh in my mind. I had also happened to bring along some pork tenderloin I thought we might use in tamales. When we stopped for breakfast we made a quick trip to Food Lion for hominy and oregano. I called my mother in law (who was still at home) and asked her to bring chili powder, garlic, and bouillon.

And it turned out great! What makes the soup scrumptious is all the fresh toppings (which I DID remember to pack) that you add to your bowl when you eat it.

Anita's Throw-it-Together Pozole

1 lb. (more or less) pork tenderloin, cubed
1 29-oz. can white hominiy
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 chicken (or veg) bouillon cubes
water
oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In your soup pot, fry the cubed pork until browned (add a little water if it sticks). Add the garlic and saute a bit. Toss a bit of oregano and chili powder (one tsp. each?) and saute some more. Add hominy, bouillon, and enough water to cover plus some. Stew until ready to eat (and meat is cooked through)--for me, this was pretty much all day. Add more water as needed for the consistency you like. Correct seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. It will taste bland, but serve with the following garnishes for the pizzaz: chopped cilantro; fresh lime; avocado wedges; chopped green onion; sliced radishes; and extra oregano. Get creative with other veggies/herbs you like!

Peppernuts

2011-12-12T22:56:00.002-05:00

A Christmas tradition in our home three years in the making is to listen to Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" (by Focus on the Family's radio theater programming) while baking cookies. This year it was just peppernuts. Apparently, there are about as many varieties of peppernuts as there are people who make them. I think at David's family Christmas last year there were no less than four different kinds of peppernuts in attendance. For this year, I made the lighter, crisper ones seen in the back of the photo above, while David made the more assertive dark peppernuts in the front of the photo. They both have wonderful flavor which is only supposed to improve with age. Yes, like a fine wine or cheese, these little cookies can and should be aged. But they're so stinkin' cute and tasty, that it's truly hard to just let them be!

Anyone else baking a holiday cookie must-have?

Fall Fare

2011-12-12T22:47:00.002-05:00

Quick, before winter officially begins!

I made this a few weeks (okay, probably two months) ago and it was an absolutely delicious fall meal! Mashed potatoes (and turnips--could've done without those, actually) with spicy sausage and tatsoi. I sauteed onions, then browned the sausage and seasoned it with cayenne pepper, sage, and hickory smoked salt. Just before serving, I added some chopped tatsoi cabbage and cooked it just until it wilted a bit but hadn't lost its color.

Yum, yum!

Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

2011-11-09T10:09:00.003-05:00

Wow. Brown butter takes frosting to a new level! It gives a caramel-y punch that really means less icing for a LOT of flavor impact. Paired with pumpkin . . . you gotta do this!

The brown butter frosting is taken directly from Martha Stewart's website (find it here). I think I just added more powdered sugar to make it a little stiffer. I also used whipping cream (because I had it on hand) which made the frosting fluffier than it would have been with just milk.

The pumpkin cake recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I did scale it down to 11 servings instead of 14 for the two nine-inch rounds you see in the picture. For the sake of ease, I'll link to the recipe and also write out the measurements I used below:

Pumpkin Cake

1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. applesauce (or another 1/2 c. vegetable oil)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. pumpkin (I used a mix of pumpkin and butternut squash)
3 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. each of ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg

Instructions: Beat sugar, oil, and applesauce together. Blend in cooked pumpkin (I never pureed mine, just scooped it out of the shell and dumped it into the batter!), vanilla, and eggs. Sift the remaining ingredients into the bowl and stir until smooth. Bake in two nine-inch greased and floured cake pans for 30 minutes at 350F (you'll have to adjust the baking time if you use a 9 X 13, bundt, or do cupcakes). And don't forget a light frosting of that brown butter icing!

Cran-Cayenne Jam

2011-11-09T09:44:00.002-05:00

After an early snow and frost, I had to salvage what hot peppers I could quickly. Their texture was no longer good for canning as rings in sauce, so I came up with this sweet, tart, spicy jam instead. YUM! And the color is absolutely stunning. Now it sits in the fridge, just waiting to be processed in cute little jars (for Christmas presents?) . . .

Cran-Cayenne Jam

2 pkg. fresh, whole cranberries (24 oz.)--sorted and washed
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. vinegar
3 c. (1/2 lb.) fresh, whole cayenne peppers
3 c. sugar
1 pkg. (1.75 oz.) powdered pectin
water (as desired to achieve the consistency you like)

In a food processor, chop (or grind as fine as you like--I personally like a little texture to my jam) the cranberries and peppers. Combine in a large stock pot with the remaining ingredients and cook until the mixture thickens to the consistency you like (it will cook another 15 minutes later if you process it by boiling water method). Taste and correct sugar/lemon juice/water according to your taste. That's it! Not sure of the yield as I've used a good bit already and haven't canned the remainder yet.

Cook's Word: This is spicy!!! by itself, but less so on bread. In the picture above I served it with bread and cream cheese, placed under a broiler until slightly toasted before adding the jam. I briefly thought about adding some apples to the jam too for more sweetness without using more sugar, but I liked how peppery it was, so I let it be in the end.

Way Back When

2011-10-14T00:47:00.002-04:00

Way back when I was cooking and baking . . .

I made this for a combination birthday party/baby shower a few months ago. Two yummy chocolate cake rounds layered with a mint frosting with additional melted chocolate on top! I think I ate a piece of this every day until it was all gone!

Since giving birth to my son at the beginning of September, I honestly haven't cooked much--the food has been rolling in from so many generous friends and family members. But the last meal arrives tomorrow, so it's back to the kitchen for me!

Ethiopian Plate

2011-09-10T00:13:00.005-04:00

Wow. I com-PLETE-ly missed August! Not like I was getting ready for a baby, spending as much time as possible with ALL my sisters, and attending (plus helping with) two awesome weddings!

Somehow, I did find time to cook too, just not time to blog. And, honestly, I should be in bed now--preparing my body to give birth--not squeezing one blog post in first. *sigh*

But just to tease you . . .

I had a short Ethiopian food craze last month. Two meals (since I'd made tons of injera the first meal). Homemade injera (wish I could get it nice and tangy!); red beet and lentil salad; potatoes and green beans in tomato sauce; and spicy lentils. Definitely a meal I could repeat any day (besides all the work it takes).

The injera recipe came from a cookbook I have--they were surprisingly easy and fun to make, although I think I need to work on my technique a little to get them to be a more uniform thickness. It was like making crepes (that don't stick to a dry pan). Let me know if you have a kicker recipe!

German Chocolate Cheesecake

2011-07-22T22:47:00.002-04:00

For a friend's birthday recently, I got together with two other women to create this concoction. We combined a few recipes: one for the dark chocolate cheesecake (just the filling), and another for the crust (I think) and German chocolate cake topping. Viola! The best of both cheesecake and German chocolate cake. And it was GOOD! Smooth (a food processor makes all the difference in my opinion), chocolate-y, and just plain yumminess in that topping of coconut and pecans.

You really gotta try this, especially with the help of two other friends. Makes the process so much more fun. The only thing I would do different is make MORE of the topping so it could kinda drizzle down the side. Mmmmmm . . .

Pit Pics

2011-07-13T22:52:00.005-04:00

So, there you have it! Only a month later (it would have been just 3 weeks later if Blogger wasn't taking such a long time loading pictures--grrrr).

We (that is, David) started by digging a hole in the ground, maybe three feet by two feet and a couple feet deep. This was lined with rocks that we all participated in gathering from public property on the way home from church (it was all legit, promise.)

Once the hole was dug and lined with rock, we (that is, David again) started a fire in it and let the fire burn down to a nice bed of coals. In the meantime, Mom and I were prepping the food--a pork loin rubbed with herbs and some baking potatoes. Once the coals were ready, we lined them with banana leaves and placed the banana-leaf wrapped pork and the foil-wrapped potatoes in the middle of the hole. This was all covered with the remaining banana leaves we had and a wet sheet (to keep dirt from getting in the food packets). Then it was all smothered with dirt, and we went off to distract ourselves with other pursuits for three hours. Below is a picture of us uncovering the food. It was an anxious moment . . .

The pork was succulent and juicy, perfectly done through to the center. But surprisingly, the potatoes weren't yet soft through! I would have thought the potatoes would cook before the meat. Never mind. We finished them up in the microwave and enjoyed our meal splendidly. Complete with fresh mango chutney (for the pork), corn and lima succotash, and fresh pieces of coconut! Yum.

Pit Cook

2011-05-30T12:15:00.002-04:00

We are in the wilds of Pennsylvania for the weekend and taking the opportunity to fulfill a dream of MIL. Dig a pit. Line with rocks. Light fire. When the fire burns down to coals, we layer in banana leaves and food wrapped in banana leaves (and some in foil too), cover it all up and leave to cook for three hours. That's where we are now. With one hour down, and two to go, it looks like it'll be a pretty late lunch! Pictures to follow.

Enjoy your holiday!

Pumpkin Pasta

2011-05-20T11:38:00.003-04:00

So I had this pumpkin around since last September. It came in our CSA box, and we had so many pumpkins around that I never used this one. A few weeks ago, I suddenly got tired of looking at it, and took a knife to it. I made pumpkin and chickpea chili. I made a pumpkin curry. And I made this pasta sauce.

The sauce involved sauteeing onions and garlic in some oil, adding the pumpkin, and then cooking it down until it was mash-able. I added a can of apricots and some sausage too! Spices included: cumin, cayenne pepper, and fresh sage and green onions. I think I finished it with a little milk to make it creamy. It was pretty good--savory and a little sweet with a cayenne zing!

And now I'm ready for fresh spring produce!

Birthday Baklava

2011-04-18T21:01:00.004-04:00

A few months before I turned 30, I made a list of "30 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 30". I numbered to 30 down the page, carefully circling each number. I wrote a first entry: "Make Baklava".

I never wrote anything else on the list.

Dawn my 30th birthday. I haven't made baklava yet. I do have a recipe. And phyllo dough. What I don't have is pistachios and enough butter. I make a run to the store. I know I'm not going to get the baklava in the oven before 11:27 am (the time I was born). When I get home my husband is fiddling with the microwave--he's turned the clock back a few hours to give me more time to meet my goal. Sweet.

Another delay. I could only get pistachios in the shell. We spend about 10 minutes shelling 1 pound of nuts.

Yet another delay. No food processor to crush them in. I painstakingly clean out our coffee grinder and process the pistachios in miniscule batches until they're all chopped nicely. I add 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon, and set them aside.

I melt a stick of butter with 1/4 cup canola oil.

Assembly time! The first five layers of phyllo dough get just butter brushed in between them. Then I start layering them with butter and nuts until I've used all but the last five layers. I don't trim the sheets, just alternate which side of the pan I fold the excess over on. The top five layers get just butter again.

Next I score the baklava into diamonds (and triangles at the edges), and sprinkle a little nut dust in the middle of each piece. As I'm doing this, I realize that the nuts will probably burn while baking and I should wait until after the syrup is poured on, but it's too late now.

The pan goes into the oven at 325F for one hour. While it bakes I prepare the syrup: 1/2 cup water with one cup sugar. Bring this mixture to a boil and boil, stirring, for 5 minutes. Let cool.

When the baklava finally comes out, the cooled syrup gets poured over it. I dust with some fresh pistachios. Viola! Birthday Baklava! Too bad I have to let it cool before tasting.

Cook's Word: This was actually fairly simple and fun to make. I might skip the pistachio shelling next time and just use walnuts, but for such a special occasion, I'm glad I chose the better nut. =) If you like a more syrup-y baklava, just increase the amount of syrup. The friend I got my recipe from prefers to use the proportions I've used here, and I think that's a good idea.

Pi Day Remembered

2011-04-16T17:13:00.002-04:00

I was at work on March 14 (3.14) when my co-worker comes in with a, "Happy Pi Day!" Mild panic. I'd forgotten all about Pi Day! I had no plans for a pi day dinner! Luckily my husband and I, along with Mom and sister had just canned cherry pie filling about a week prior. So. Cherry pie was definitely on the menu. I saw a friend and invited him to come share it with us later that evening. "Give me a call to confirm".

When I got home, I decided to do it up well, and have a main-course pie too. I scoured recipes and decided on a fish pie with mashed potato topping. Our friend called to confirm that he would come for pie, and I said he might as well join us for dinner too. As I closed the phone, I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that I might already have other plans for the evening. I checked my calendar. Yikes! In less than an hour I was supposed to meet my sister-in-law for an outing. I reconciled myself to missing the dinner I was creating and went into high-gear production mode.

I called my husband to make sure he would be home in time to meet our friend and get the pies out of the oven. And I made him promise to leave me some leftovers.

I threw together the pies, got them in the oven, heated up some leftover chili for myself, and just had time to clean the table, brush my teeth, and say "hi" and "bye" to David before I had to go. Some Pi Day celebration! I guess the guys enjoyed dinner (David invited a third friend) because a lot of the food was gone when I got home (including 1/2 a carton of vanilla ice cream!).

Before turning in for the night, I had a bedtime snack of cherry pie.

Lavender Vanilla Soda

2011-04-16T16:20:00.003-04:00

I was craving some soda a few weeks ago while doing some regular grocery shopping. Having agreed not to purchase items with high-fructose corn syrup in them, I was at a bit of a loss as to how to satisfy this craving. Then it came to me. Dry soda. We sell it at the restaurant I work at--a product developed by a pregnant lady to be able to enjoy a good tasting dinner beverage without feeding baby lots of sugar. I bought a bottle of club soda and determined to make my own.

I started with lavender, steeping 2 tsp. of the flowers in a cup of hot water.

When it had steeped for 10 minutes, I added 2 tsp. sugar, a pinch of salt, and a 1/4 tsp. of vanilla flavoring. Into the freezer for about 15 minutes to cool.

After chilling, I mixed the syrup with an equal amount of club soda, and that was it!

It could have been sweeter, less lavender-y and more vanilla-y. But overall I found it refreshing and simple to make. I tried adding whipped cream to make it like a cream soda, but found I didn't care for the effect.

Other flavor ideas: plain vanilla, orange, ginger, cherry . . . Got any to share?

St. Pat

2011-04-16T16:12:00.003-04:00

A nod to our St. Patrick's Day feast this year. I did make a lovely Irish venison stew (with carrots, turnips, and potatoes) which stewed all day, cooled, and stewed again the next day. Loved the fresh rosemary! Served it up with some hot Irish soda bread and shamrock butter cookies (many of which I burnt--*sad face*).

Angel Food

2011-03-23T20:19:00.004-04:00

This is a story about faith. About waiting and trusting that an un-seen, hoped-for result (as in the picture above) will take place. Like waiting for crocus to bloom in my yard after it seems everyone else's are up. And my all-too-often lack of such faith.

Armed with some brief instruction and a hand-written recipe on a slip of pink paper, I set out to make--for my younger brother and sister's joint birthday party--my first-ever Angel Food Cake. From scratch. I had deliberated about this, as it seemed like a complicated, unpredictable thing to make an angel food cake from scratch and the box mix costs just a few dollars. However, the list of un-pronouncable ingredients on the back of said box (along with some I can pronounce but prefer not to ingest), a little love of adventure, and not a little bit of pride helped to convince me to bake the scenic route (like that line?).

So to make angel food cake the "scenic route", you take a ton of egg whites, beat them into a heavenly frenzy with some sugar, vanilla (and almond, if you like) flavoring, and then--so as not to distress the airy batter--fold in some softly sifted flour/salt mixture, and bake it! Simple.

Let me tell you. If any part of this is going to cause you to have a nervous breakdown, sigh and moan frequently, and give in to a few curses, it will be the egg whites. Not that I know this from experience.

I whipped. And beat. And beat. And beat. Sugar. Beat. Beat. Beat. For about 30 minutes. This is not an exaggeration. I may be a wimp, but my arms hurt. And I was using an electric hand mixer! Whoever invented this recipe (if it was before the age of electric kitchen appliances) got a devilish delight out of calling it anything that refers to the heavenly realm!

Finally! It seemed I had achieved "medium peaks". And if they weren't medium, I didn't care!

Next, gently stir in the flour . . . a little . . . bit . . . at a time . . .

I had to test the consistency a lot.

Then--also gently--spoon the batter into the pan. No grease or that cake won't cling to the pan and rise properly!

You can see the lack of faith on my face, mingled with anxious hope.

I put it in the oven, turned on the timer, and left the kitchen. I'm not sure how I passed the time, but I did get up once to check on the cake. I made an audible exclamation which caused my husband to wonder if in distress or relief. It was a miracle! The cake was rising! Hooray!

Once it was done baking, the cake came out of the oven and was turned upside-down on the counter to cool. If cooled with the pan upright the cake can fall back down and ruin the effect.

To dress it up for the party, I bought a tub of whipped cream and some frozen blueberries to make blueberry sauce. Isn't it pretty?!?

And it tasted good too. Relief! Since I used raw sugar (whizzed to a fine powder in my food processor) it looked a little darker than a normal angel food cake.

Would I do this again? Maybe. But probably only for a special occasion!

Currently

2011-03-16T22:22:00.004-04:00

Just because I didn't post at all in February doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. I did have a little dip in my interest-level in food, but now that the feel-good trimester has hit, I'm back to normal--ooohing and aaahing over this or that food . . . getting super-excited about the next meal I'm going to make . . . exclaiming, "this is going to be SOOOOO good!" as I stir a pot of Irish Stew . . .

Which brings us to the present moment. I'm sitting here in my living room enveloped in the warm, tantalizing smell of a slow-simmering Irish Stew. Venison chunks, onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, turnip, red wine, broth . . . wow. I can't wait for tomorrow!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Granola

2011-01-31T19:55:00.003-05:00

Like my search for the perfect basic bread recipe, I have been trying, discarding, and tweaking granola recipes for the past year or so. Until finally. I have it the way I like it. Each time I make it, I give a little away, and I've had enough positive feedback that it's time to post a recipe. I honestly have no idea the path this recipe has taken (I typically like to cite my sources), so I can only report on the final product.

Granola di Anita (sorry, just feeling a bit Italian at the moment!)
Yield: about 8 cups (I usually make a double batch)

DRY
4 c. rolled oats (I sometimes use 1/2 barley flakes if I have them)
1/4 c. each wheat bran and ground flax*
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup nuts (I always include raw cashews if I have them)

WET
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP vegetable oil
1/4 c. honey
2 TBSP molasses
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp each vanilla and maple flavoring
2 TBSP water

WAIT!
1 c. flake coconut
1 c. dried fruit (figs, apricots, cranberries, currants, raisins, etc.--mix and match!)

Instructions: Preheat the oven to 325F. Mix the DRY ingredients together in a big bowl. Next, mix WET ingredients by melting butter (or just use all veg. oil if you like) and then adding the other ingredients, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir to coat. WAIT to add the coconut and fruit (they will burn if you bake them in from the beginning. I know.) Spread granola on baking sheets (one 11 x 14 for a single batch) and bake for 10 minutes. Stir granola and rotate trays (if you are using more than one), then bake another 10 minutes and stir again. NOW add your coconut and dried fruit. Bake another 10 minutes. Finally, let cool . . . undisturbed! Your granola will have a mental breakdown and literally crumble if you stir it while cooling. So if you want it to chunk together, DO NOT TOUCH (okay, you can snitch a taste or two while it cools if you must). When completely cool, package in plastic containers or ziplock bags to store. Will keep for weeks (if it lasts that long!).

*Just leave out the wheat bran for gluten-free granola. You can substitute oat bran if you like.

Fish Soup

2011-01-31T19:43:00.002-05:00

I found a recipe in a Mediterranean cookbook I have for fish baked in a tomato-olive sauce that looked really good. Great way to finish off those two last fillets in the freezer. Um. Make that one fillet in the freezer. No problem. I turned the "sauce" into broth and when the fish was cooked, I flaked it into pieces for a fish soup! I loved the combination of flavors! The broth consisted of sauteed onions, tomato paste, pepper paste, and water. After the fish was cooked, I added chopped black olives, fresh cilantro, and salt & pepper to taste. Just writing about it is making me hungry! And now that I've bought more fish . . . could be anytime!

Holiday Eating

2011-01-28T08:39:00.003-05:00

This is Christmas Eve . . . Pozole and Tamales

When I was shopping at the local Asian/Latino grocery store before Christmas, my friend who works there asked, "So, are you making anything special for Christmas? Tamales?" Well, I hadn't been planning on it . . . but why not?! I had just seen tamal-making in operation at work and I was at the place where I could buy all the supplies. I went for it, and it was so much fun!

I made two different sauces--a mole ("mol-ay", which is a Mexican chili-chocolate sauce) and a tomatillo-jalapeno sauce. We used chicken and prunes with the mole and ground venison with the green sauce. I went ahead and cooked the meats so I wouldn't have to worry about them cooking inside the tamales. I found a masa recipe online that didn't call for lard, and bought banana leaves to wrap them in. Then we went to work! After wrapping them up, they were placed over water in a steamer basket (one of those fold-out kind) in my big stockpot and steamed for about an hour.

While the steaming was going on, I had plenty of time to make pozole--a chicken, hominy soup in a mildly tomato-y broth. While the soup itself is a little bland you get to have fun adding all the fresh toppings--cilantro, diced tomatoes, green onions, and lime juice!

My sister-in-law and her husband were coming down from Pennsylvania to have lunch with us, and I regret to say the tamales kept us waiting . . . I hadn't planned on the appropriate amount of time to let them steam. But, when all was "said and done" we had a mighty feast and enjoyed it to!

Later in the day, we went Asian with fresh spring rolls for a dinner with my family. I wasn't quite as happy with these results as with the tamales and pozole. I undercooked the rice noodles a tad, and I think we made the rolls a bit too fat. But with all those fresh herbs, flavor itself was salvaged! Better luck next time.

Cook's Word: Tamales and pozole: could definitely become a tradition. Spring rolls? The jury is out.

Simply Cheesecake Experimenting

2010-12-22T10:57:00.005-05:00

During the fall (it is now winter!) I enjoyed spending some time turning this . . .

. . . into this (okay, so I've only tried it twice).

The recipe for this chocolate pumpkin cheesecake is from a cookbook called "Simply in Season". I've had some problems with it. First off, I couldn't get the thick chocolate-y part to swirl very well.

So I thinned that part of the batter, with this result.

Hmmmm . . . still not getting the swirling part down. I may have to try layering it--pumpkin, chocolate-pumpkin--then swirling.

My second complaint with the recipe is that it isn't pumpkin-y enough for my taste. Too much chocolate, too little pumpkin. To remedy this (once the cake was already made) I came up with a pumpkin sauce to drizzle over it. Yummy! But not a permanent solution for the cheesecake itself. I've still got some work to do . . .

I was pretty pleased with the pumpkin sauce for its own sake though. Good on pancakes. French toast. In coffee. Over cheesecake. Over ice cream . . .

Once I nail either the cheesecake or the sauce to my liking, I'll post some recipes. Until then, happy experimenting! Let me know if you've got any tips!

Ginger Brew

2010-12-22T10:05:00.002-05:00

A few months ago I bought some ginger root and club soda with the idea that I wanted to try making my own ginger brew. A few weeks ago it finally happened. There are scads of recipes on the internet, and I'm not even sure where my original came from. Basically, you just make a ginger/sugar syrup and add club soda to it by the glass. Not authentic maybe, but simple and yummy!

Here's what I did:

1/2 cup minced ginger (I whizzed it in the food processor)
2 c. water
2/3 c. sugar
zest of one lemon

Mix everything but the lemon zest together in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, add lemon zest, strain and cool.

To mix soda:

Place 2-4 TBSP of ginger syrup in a glass with ice. Add mint sprigs and a squeeze of lemon if desired. Fill with club soda and stir to mix. Lots of pretty, frothy bubbles! Taste and add more ginger syrup as desired. I also added in some of the strained-off minced ginger for some extra bite!

Cook's Word: I definitely need to at least double the amount of minced ginger for the syrup. I had to keep adding syrup to my soda to make it pungent enough!

Long Beans

2010-12-22T09:44:00.002-05:00

Here's one from the "archives" (of pictures I hadn't sorted and made use of yet). Long beans which I found at our local farmers market back in November. And cooked shortly thereafter. They were too beautiful to resist (though they look a little snake-y in the pan)!

I didn't want to break them up, because that would make them look just like normal green beans. So, into the pan with a little oil, then pesto. If you remember my post a while back on pesto, I had forgotten to mention that one of my favorite ways to use it is on green beans.

Sprinkled with a bit of parmesan cheese and served up with some steaming "black bean-butternut-rice-etc. casserole" and mixed greens.

Cook's Word: A bit crunchier than your normal green bean--I kept cooking them but they never got truly soft. Which is okay, because I don't mind an "al dente" bean. The length definitely made them a bit of a choking hazard, though, so I would probably cut them into small pieces next time. The flavor combination of beans with pesto? Winner!

Salad in Season

2010-11-21T20:33:00.004-05:00

The plot. I am assigned to bring salad for a dinner with two friends.

I headed to the farmers' market on Saturday with pretty low hopes for finding salad greens. And my hopes were met. Only arugula and kale. Hmmmm . . . I tasted and was offered a deal for two bags. I picked up a bag of each plus some radishes and broccoli. A bit letdown, I was.

At the grocery store later, I found some beautiful red pears, green onions, a bit of bleu cheese, and pecans (for pie, but I thought I could steal some for salad).

Assembly time. The stems of the arugula and kale came off, and the leaves torn a little. I threw these into my shallow blue bowl with fancy rim. Next, a layer of thin radish slices and broccoli florets. Finally a swirl of pear slices and sprinkling of toasted pecans, chopped up a little. I waited to add bleu cheese until I was sure my friends would like it.

Dressing. This I got from my friend Barbara. Simple. Not the healthiest, but delicious and all-purpose. Two parts mayonnaise (I use "lite") to one part each of sugar and vinegar. Yum! I added a bit of freshly-ground black pepper too.

And don't you know. That salad was a hit. And I'm seriously thinking about re-creating it right now . . .

Pumpkin French Toast

2010-11-14T19:41:00.004-05:00

With a shift in my schedule at work, I've been enjoying a bit more morning time at home and have been happily breakfasting some of those mornings. Last week I tried this creation--adding pumpkin puree to a french toast batter. I layered some bread in a dish, poured over the stuff, let it soak a bit, then microwaved for six minutes. I finished it off under the oven broiler (a little longer than I should have!) for a toasty top. This was truly delicious with my pumpkin caramel sauce and whipped topping all over it! Mmmmm . . . Next time, I think I'll up the spices and put even more pumpkin in. Only problem is, I don't really know how much I added the first time. =)

Broccoli Soup

2010-11-11T23:21:00.004-05:00

Don't think I haven't been cooking just because I've been lax about posting here. I have so many little pieces of paper with scribbled notes and lots of photos floating around. Making time to grab hold of the right notes and the right pictures together just hasn't been at the top of my "To Do" list recently. My list from this morning--for example--included: calling a massage studio, cleaning my bathroom, putting canning jars away, and collecting money from a few people. But it said nothing about blogging (or laundry, which desperately needed putting away--see how that was past tense? I actually did that even though it hadn't made the list!).

Well, this isn't a blog about my life. It's about cooking. And I was able to find the scrap of paper that goes along with these pictures, so here you have it . . .

Creamy Curry Broccoli Soup

3 cloves garlic, smashed open
1/2 onion, chopped
glug of olive oil for sauteeing
1 TBSP butter (or just use more olive oil if you want vegan)
2 chicken and one vegetable bouillion cube (or all veg again)
4 cups water
5 cups broccoli pieces (I use stems too, since it will get pureed)
1/2 tsp. green curry paste

Method: Saute onions and garlic in olive oil/butter until soft. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until broccoli is tender. Process in blender or food processor until smooth. YUM!

Here's a picture of the curry paste I used. I suppose you could use red or yellow paste too with similar results. Sorry it's a bit blurry.

Cook's Word: I love pureed soups! So easy to throw everything in a pot and not worry about chopping just so since it'll all get whizzed to oblivion anyway--and I love the way the flavors meld when you blend a soup! I definitely like adding curry paste to this to make it a bit more interesting than a classic broccoli cream soup, and I'm thinking of doing this with pumpkin too. Beware, it gets hotter each day!

Special thanks to Mr. Froggy for helping to stir the soup!

Sarma

2010-10-29T23:33:00.005-04:00

Sarma is a Turkish word meaning "a wrapped thing". You might be more familiar with the Greek term "dolmathes". More often than not, I call them "dolma", but that is a much broader term for a variety of stuffed vegetables. What they are is grape leaves filled with rice, currants, and spices. No meat this time, though I've tried with venison before. I'm still playing with how I like them, so no recipe yet. Just some play-by-play for fun . . .

about a TBSP of prepared filling is placed on a leaf

each bottom wing gets folded up like so . . .

then the sides are folded in as you roll it all up

done. (expect for steaming!)

steam in pan about 1.5 to 2 hours . . . they're worth the wait

As you can see, not a fast food. Rather time-consuming and tedious, a food well-suited to a cooking party with lots of friends around. The up-side is that they're yummy and fun to eat (finger food!). AND since you've gone to all the trouble and made a HUGE pot, there are leftovers for snacking!

I think this is a love affair that will continue to be refined with time.

Fish and Mango Burritos

2010-10-29T23:10:00.006-04:00

I can never resist a just-ripe mango at a good price. Unfortunately, I often think they're too special to eat right away and end up waiting until a few over-ripe spots appear before taking the plunge. On this occasion, it was with fish. The mango was diced into a fresh salsa of onion, red pepper, lime juice and basil, spooned over cooked tilapia filets, topped with cheese . . .

. . . and rolled into a flour tortilla, drizzled with olive oil, and placed in the toaster oven at 350F for about 30 minutes.

I had some leftover mango salsa, so I stir fried it quick and we ate it over our rice at dinner.

Butternut Pie

2010-10-20T09:53:00.003-04:00

Nothing novel here. Just take your favorite pumpkin pie recipe and substitute an equal amount of butternut squash puree for the pumpkin! This is for those of you who are lucky enough to have an abundance of butternut in your garden. Or for those of you who don't want to mess with cooking a whole pumpkin.

I just cut my butternut into small pieces, peel, and cook them with minimal water. When soft, I mash them roughly with a fork and let them cool a bit. When you're ready to make pie filling, lob all the ingredients into a blender. This ensures that the squash will get smoothly pureed.

Happy autumn cooking!

"bitten"

Taste-tester reports that the pie is yummy but a little too spicy. Cook's note-to-self: hold some of the cloves next time!

Pumpkin Gnocchi

2010-10-18T18:00:00.003-04:00

While my husband re-heats leftovers, I have a few minutes to do a quick post before we enact "Computer-free Monday Evenings". (I'm getting reports that something bad might happen to me if I go around violating computer-free nights too freely). Yikes!

So, quick . . .

Pumpkin Gnocchi

I got this recipe from Martha Stewart. She e-mailed it to me. Just kidding! It's right here if you want to check it out. Since I pretty-much followed the recipe, I won't re-post it on this blog.

The gnocchi itself was fairly simple--flour, pumpkin, nutmeg, and cheese--while the sauce was a bit more involved.

Once this is mixed together, you roll it into ropes, cut into pieces and then boil them. It's a dumpling-pasta thing that is very soft and a little chewy. See a very poor picture below of the gnocchi emerging from the boiling pot.

First impressions: sorta flavorless with an overly-rich sauce. I think I would have preferred them with a tomato-y sauce, make it more like pasta.

Taste-tester says: "It's really gnocchi--like gummy bears with gravy." (to understand this comment better, you really should look up a pronunciation for "gnocchi")

Cook's Word: I think I'd make them again because it's a simple, fun, fast pasta thing to do. We liked them better lukewarm, and the texture kinda grew on me after a few days. I should try the more traditional potato variety too.

Now. Leftovers are hot, and "Computer-free Mondays" start in "one", "two" . . .

Southern Summer

2010-09-30T18:35:00.003-04:00

Now if fried green tomatoes and corn cakes don't make a grand southern summer-time meal! And the smell of frying! I've got kind of a love/hate relationship with that smell. I love it fresh when I'm snitching hot fried green tomatoes from the draining plate, but after an hour or so if I leave the kitchen and get a whiff of that burnt/fried smell in the air, it can about turn my stomach. Ugh.

The corn cakes are topped with some homemade yogurt and salsa, while the fried green tomatoes are accompanied by some of my tomato chutney from earlier in the summer. This meal, while somewhat deficient in color and variety, was chock-full of veggies (corn, tomatoes--red and green, onion, green pepper). I started off by just making the fried tomatoes, then used the leftover soaking mix (milk, egg, salt pepper) and dredging mix (cornmeal, flour, cayenne) as a base for some corn cakes. They were a bit too wet, but delicious none-the-less. Thanks, Tabitha, for the inspiration!

One parting shot of the 'maters. . .

Now, doesn't that plate of fried food and bright yellow table look just like a true southern diner?

Fig Birds

2010-09-20T22:43:00.005-04:00

I came across this idea on the Martha Stewart website when I was hunting inspiration for the rest of my fresh figs. Of course, I could have just eaten all of them fresh and loved every bit of it. But hey, figs with soft cheese . . . sounded too good not to try. While Martha used blue cheese and pecans in her figs, I went for goat cheese because I love goat cheese and would rather have that left over than blue. What can I say?

Once the figs are washed and the hard bit of stem removed from the top, cut them open as seen in the picture above and stuff a little nugget of cheese inside--I have to admit, the pungency of blue cheese probably would have tasted fabulous with my mildly sweet figs, but no regrets!

After the cheese is in, wrap with a slice of prosciutto and secure with a toothpick. I drizzled mine with a teeny, teeny bit of both balsamic vinegar and olive oil, then dashed them with some fresh-ground black pepper.

I did this twice in the same week. The first time I baked the figs in my toaster oven, but I thought the prosciutto got a little tough that way, so the second time I broiled them just until they sizzled a bit and I could see some juices dripping.

Don't they look like darling, hungry little birds?!? I loved the sweetness/juiciness of the fig along with creamy goat cheese and subtly wine-flavored meat. Mmmmm . . . I'm a hungry little bird!

Fig and Sausage Borek

2010-09-14T23:34:00.005-04:00

"Borek" is a Turkish word meaning a stuffed phyllo pastry, usually in a triangle shape. But this is not a Turkish recipe. It is one of my own creation, born of the delight of finding fresh figs at one of my favorite quirky grocery stores.

The first time I tasted a fresh fig, I was nothing less than transported. I remember the grocery store I found them in, my curiosity and hesitancy. The first bite through the soft skin and into the succulent center burst onto my tongue and into my brain like stepping out of a dark house into a sweetly warm summer afternoon. The fresh fig does not blow you away with an intensity of flavor so much as it softly, surely seduces you. That first bite is forever branded into my physical memory, such that no other fig experience can some close to it.

The figs I bought this week were, predictably, shipped in from California. Bruised and battered from the long trip, they bore some resemblance to my "primal fig" but tasted watered down (though they did photograph beautifully, no?).

I decided it wouldn't be a travesty to cook them into something. Something worthy of that half-bottle of white wine waiting to be finished off. Quick check of available ingredients:
phyllo dough: check
figs: duh
sausage that also needs to be used very soon!: check
onions: check
olive oil: check
goat cheese: sorry (oh, so very sorry!)
old labaneh: check
egg: check
sage: check
salt and pepper: check, check
other cheese: check (mozzarella)

So! Sausage and Fresh Fig Borek with Sage and Mozzarella. Sounds like a title fit for any gourmet cookbook.

I got some onions sizzling in olive oil on the stove to which I added the sausage. Meanwhile, into about a cupful of old labaneh (a thick strained-yogurt cheese, if you're new to the blog) I whisked an egg along with some salt and pepper. I read the instructions on the phyllo dough box. Time sensitive stuff apparently, so I assembled (as suggested) all my ingredients in small bowls. Quartered fresh figs. Shredded mozzarella. My labaneh stuff and the sausage/onion mix, to which was added some fresh snipped sage.

Working as quickly as I could with my unskilled phyllo fingers, I dabbed a bit of this and some of that onto a sheet of phyllo dough folded in half and brushed with olive oil. It looked like this:

I then proceeded to clumsily fold them into triangles, along the length of the dough with the final little endpiece tucked under to (hopefully) hold it all together. They went onto a baking stone. When all were assembled, it was into the oven at 350F for about 30 minutes.

They came out looking like this:

Not bad for a novice, huh?

I loved the flavor, which improved as they cooled and you could actually taste the individual ingredients rather than just burning your tongue. I loved the sweetness and juiciness of the figs alongside the pungent sausage/onion/sage flavors. I might add more cheese another time and a bit more pepper, but for a first time these little pastries were delectable. They re-crisp rather nicely in the toaster oven the next day, too!

Zippy Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2010-09-13T22:33:00.000-04:00

While waiting for the pictures of my sweet potatoes to load, my spider solitaire win rate took a one percent dip. Grrrr . . .

But here I am in my cozy little house, the dishwasher humming in the kitchen from company dishes last night and a rapid-fire dinner put together this evening in honor of the half bottle of wine that was left over. But more about that another time.

For now, I want to talk about sweet potatoes. Peeled, cut, tossed with butter and spices and roasted for about 30 minutes. Delish! I served them up with some tomato and basil sauce-less pizza and a bowl of olives. No plates. No utensils. Just fingers and good food!

Pre-cooked

Cooked

Let me attempt a recipe:

2 cups peeled and cut sweet potatoes (mine were like thick home fries)
2 TBSP butter, melted
1/4 tsp powdered rosemary
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all that, add some fresh oregano or thyme sprigs, and throw it in a 350F oven. Check them periodically with a fork to see if they're soft enough. I think mine were in about 30 - 40 minutes. When they're cooked through, broil them a few minutes for some crunchiness. Let them cool a bit, then dump into a bowl and have at it! Forget the forks.

Beet the Heat

2010-08-31T17:12:00.006-04:00

We've been throwing these in a pot, cooking, peeling, and slicing them to put in the fridge and eat on over the course of a few days. Great alone or with a little salt. I love beets! Today I fancied them up a bit with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, black pepper, and fresh oregano. Mmmmmmm . . . perfect afternoon snack for a hot summer day.

Patio Picnic

2010-08-30T19:56:00.003-04:00

Sunday night, my husband conceived of a torch-lit back patio picnic in which we would have various friend over, cook al fresco, and talk late into the night. We got two takers, and David and one of them did indeed talk late(ish) into the night by flickering torch and candle light.

We spread quite an impromptu feast on our elegant folding table turned buffet: chicken, pepper, and onion stir-fry (which David cooked al fresco over the Coleman camp stove); fresh tomato-basil bruschetta (a cooperative effort between me and Tabitha); leftover fried rice; black olives; pesto potato salad (more about that later); delicious local watermelon (compliments of Tabitha); and party mix (leftover from a movie night I put on last week with some friends).

David dishes up

scary blurry pic of me

mood lighting

So, this is a post about pesto. See, I don't forget my promises. These past few weeks (before my friends re-claimed their generously long-term loaned food processor) I'd been having quite a time of it with the pesto, throwing a handful of basil, a glug of olive oil, some garlic and what-not into the processor and banging out a batch every few days. I added parmesan cheese once, but I like to keep things simple (and inexpensive), so it was mostly the short list of ingredients: basil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and nuts (usually walnuts).

The most recent batch I made, I took pains to actually write down amounts so that I could post it here. But each time is truly a new and unique manifestation. Cheese may be added. Your taste for garlic may not be as pungent as mine. Perhaps, the more traditional pine nuts appeal to you. Go for it! But for the record, here's one incarnation:

In no particular order, place in your food processor:

4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cups basil
4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 tsp fresh-ground black pepper

Whiz until smooth! You may have to scrape down the sides a time or two. If you prefer a wetter pesto, add more oil.

I've found lots of delicious ways to use pesto, and it doesn't last for more than a couple of days in our fridge. Spread on bread and toast. Add a tomato for a twist on the classic summer tomato sandwich. Stir into pasta for light summer fare. And my favorite so far this year: use as a "dressing" for potato salad. As in, cook diced potatoes, drain them, and add pesto. No more needed! Got any other great ideas for pesto uses?

*I added the label "CSA Dinner" to this post because the peppers, onions, and potatoes were all from our CSA box! This week we got a pumpkin that I'm looking forward to cutting into--I just have to decide whether to turn it into pie or curry!

Whoopie!

2010-08-19T22:54:00.002-04:00

Seeing as there are no more left in our fridge, I'd say I think they turned out pretty well! I LOVE the cookie part, but wasn't as pleased with the filling. It could very well have been my method of mixing. I made peanut butter (which was the best!) and maple-flavored filling. Anyone have a recipe for it which doesn't include beating egg whites or using marshmallow fluff?

Summer Love

2010-08-18T21:16:00.003-04:00

It's all about fresh, homegrown tomatoes and sweet, pungent herbs picked out of the garden.

Case #1: Buttery Sage and Tomato Omelet

In a few teaspoons of butter, saute some fresh chopped sage and diced tomato a few minutes. Not long enough for the sage to wilt and lose its color! Whip up your eggs (I used 2) with some salt, pepper, and a dash of milk and pour over the tomatoes. Next comes the hard part. Turn down the heat and resist the temptation to touch it until it is nearly dry-looking on top. Then get a spatula under that thing and flip it! Turn off the heat and let it sit in the pan a few moments to completely cook the eggs. Slide onto a plate, top with cheese, and give thanks to God for fresh tomatoes and herbs!

Of course, if you want to make it a real, full breakfast, you must have fried potatoes on the side. I cut up my potatoes, add some water and zap them in the microwave for about 4 minutes to cook them. Then I transfer to my iron skillet with some butter or oil and fry over low-med heat until they're browned. Salt, peppah, nothin' bettah! Here I ate them with some fresh tomato chutney.

Summer Love Case #2: Eggplant-Tomato Stackers with Pesto Pasta

Right off the bat, I have to say these stackers were less than ideal. Maybe they needed more salt, more oil, more pesto, or just needed to be totally re-done. I simply brushed eggplant slices with a little olive oil, spread on a bit of pesto, slapped a tomato on top and baked in the toaster oven at 350F for 20 minutes or so. Not particularly tasty. Salt helped. I think another time I would fry the eggplant first, salt the slices, top it with goat cheese--YUM!--and then add diced tomato and fresh basil with more salt and pepper. Or something like that.

As for the pesto pasta-yummy! Check back in for a pesto discussion later.

Case #3: Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Diced Tomato and Basil

Pretty, no? Especially on that blue and white plate! Scrambled eggs--make 'em like you like 'em. I like mine a little browned just so I KNOW they're done. Topped with fresh diced tomatoes, chopped basil, and parmesan. I loved how it looked, liked less how it tasted. Maybe too much basil in too big chunks. I think next time I will mix the tomatoes and finely chopped basil with a little olive oil and salt before topping the eggs.

Ah! Summer love! How quickly your beauty fades! How fast you all go to seed!

Squash Blossoms

2010-08-06T15:49:00.004-04:00

About a month ago when it seemed that all our volunteer vines were only going to produce ornamental gourds, I picked off a few handfuls of blossoms to cook and eat. Not really knowing how to prepare them, I looked to the internet for recipes. Most of them called for copious amounts of cheese and frying. Not really my style. I whipped up my own mixture for the filling: labane, an egg yolk, cooked and grated beets, raw grated zucchini, and salt & pepper.

Slitting the washed blossoms open down one side, I removed bugs (three bees! and a few little stripey guys) and reproductive parts then spooned in about a teaspoon of the mixture I'd made. I closed the blossoms and placed them into a small baking dish.

When it was full, I brushed the blossoms with the egg white, sprinkled them with bread crumbs I had on hand in the freezer, and chucked them in the toaster oven at 350F for about 12 minutes.

I was truly amazed when they came out at how firm they set up! I half expected the labane mix to ooze out and make a total mess of this dish, but the labane stayed inside the blossoms, and they were easy to pick up and eat as finger food! (I have some very game friends who helped eat all these).

Cook's Word: Would I make these again? Sure! I couldn't really taste the squash blossoms themselves, so I think I'd add a few more spices to the filling for better overall flavor. I loved the magenta color that the beets added!

Stovetop Cobbler

2010-07-26T20:19:00.005-04:00

Have I mentioned apricot cobbler? I still have a handful or two of fruit wrinkling and waiting in the fridge for me to make into one last cobbler. I tried various methods and really liked the stovetop one--nice not to have to turn on the oven, although cooking on the stove can make you pretty hot too!

I used my cast iron skillet for this creation, and a recipe found here as inspiration. Of course I tweaked it . . .

Stovetop Cobbler
(yield 4 - 6 servings)

4 cups apricots, washed and halved with pits removed
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar (depending on your sweet tooth--I liked it a bit tart)
1/4 cup water
1 cup flour, sifted
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup yogurt

Instructions: Combine first three ingredients in your skillet and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. In the meantime stir together flour, baking powder, and the 2 TBSP sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly then stir in yogurt. Drop by spoonfuls onto the fruit filling and cook over low heat another 10 minutes, uncovered. Cover and cook another 10 minutes. Brown under oven broiler prior to serving.

After browning, there's not much to do but scoop it out in to bowls, top with whipped topping or vanilla ice cream and DIG IN! As other seasonal fruit becomes available adapt the recipe to suit (mostly the water and sugar depending on the fruit's sweetness and water content).

Apricot Sausage Pizza

2010-07-26T20:11:00.003-04:00

Well, I'd better get crackin' on these apricot recipes if I'm going to post them in July! First up: Apricot Pizza!

Not really a recipe here. Just pizza dough, browned sausage, apricot quarters (with skins), caramelized onions, and goat cheese. Bake at 350F for about 12 minutes then remove and add mozzarella cheese, chopped sage, and lavender and bake another 5 minutes. YUM!

served up with fresh steamed green beans with salt

My taste-tester was skeptical about apricots on pizza but ate half the pie at one sitting! Cook's word: great combination of flavors, but a little dry. I might brush the crust with olive oil first another time.

Apricots!

2010-07-21T01:16:00.002-04:00

No recipes yet, just a late-night teaser (it's 1:16 here). After about two hours of sorting pictures from the beach, the last few weeks of cooking, and general summer activities, I only had energy to post one picture.

My sister and brother-in-law were gracious enough to let us go pick apricots in their garden a few weeks ago, and I've been thinking of ways to use them ever since. Most popular: apricot cobbler. Most fun: apricot/sausage pizza. There are some jars of apricot halves and apricot jam in the hall closet and some chutney waiting to be processed in the new-to-me boiling water canner I picked up recently.

We're down to a few handfuls of these fine fruit, and with company coming tomorrow, I think it'll be one last apricot cobbler (maybe with a handful of frozen blueberries thrown in?!). I'm not too sorry to say a final "good-bye" to them, especially when I'm pretty sure it'll be a tasty one!

GF Pancakes

2010-06-22T22:58:00.002-04:00

That means "Gluten Free" by the way. In honor of my GF SIL (Sister in Law), I found this scrumptious oatmeal pancake recipe that doesn't use any wheat flour (it's very similar to the other oatmeal pancakes I blogged about). I found out this afternoon that they are yummy cold from the fridge when you get home from work tired!

Be careful with these as with all other oatmeal pancakes that you cook them over medium LOW heat so as to allow them to set at the center without burning on the outside. A little long on the cooking time when I had four (plus mine) hungry mouths to feed. They were actually very sweet and non-demanding, of course.

Crust

2010-06-15T21:04:00.004-04:00

Can I tell you how absolutely thrilled I am to have found a pastry recipe that doesn't demand the utmost strictness concerning the temperature of the butter? And still turns out nice and flaky every time.

Well, I am thrilled.

No more ice cube water. No more over-watering and over-mixing my dough. No more cries of agony at the crumble-factor as I engage in a pastry vs. rolling pin war where the pastry only gives up when I throw it in the oven (even then it scores a smug victory by coming out thin and tough).

I found a recipe for a hot water pie crust here on allrecipes.com. It does mix up pretty soft, so I generally refrigerate it for about 10-15 minutes before rolling it out--don't over-chill it or it will be too hard to roll! I use all butter for the shortening too, so it has great buttah flavah! It's simple enough to whip up fairly quickly and makes a versatile pastry.

Last week we were putting these in it . . .

. . . and with that little-bit-that-comes-off-the-edges
I did a mini zucchini tart in a souffle cup! Sauteed zucchini,
some cottage cheese, pizza sauce, and mozzarella.

I also used this recipe when I made samosa's with Michelle. That time I used a bit of whole wheat. Just because. It gives all that butter a healthy edge.

Right.

If you've ever been frustrated with making pastry, try the hot water recipe. I find it keeps me from overworking the dough once I add flour at the end. And it's so easy! And it really does make a flaky crust!

*(not guaranteed to make all your wildest dreams come true, but pretty close if you're dreaming about pie)

Chop Salad

2010-06-10T17:36:00.005-04:00

Two bits of inspiration here:

1. A real foodie of a co-worker who's always saying "Alton Brown-this or that" reminded me of my favorite TV chef, Jamie Oliver (okay, so I don't watch TV so it's not a high honor, but I like his style).

2. Hordes of lettuce in the garden. No kidding.

So I went online to watch some Jamie Oliver cooking videos for some culinary inspiration (which, as you can see from the infrequent blogging, had been somewhat lacking around here). I watched a few, including a video for "chop salad". If you want to watch click here. So cute! I love his expressions, especially "It looks like a bit of a dog's dinner" about the salad because it's not very pretty!

If you don't watch the video, the idea is just to get all your salad ingredients together on a big cutting board and start chopping them together. I did this for my home group and had a few avid onlookers.

Once you've given everything a first, rough chop, you add the lettuce and do a fold-chop-fold-chop deal until you have the consistency you want. Dress it, toss it with your fingers, slap it in a bowl and eat! Not much to it, but delicious with all the fresh garden veggies coming in now and fun to make!

Scones, Again

2010-06-07T17:58:00.003-04:00

I really outdid myself on Saturday with all the baking/cooking projects I had going on. Read: "I made a HUGE mess of my kitchen!"

The upside of all the mess was a lot of good food and some material for my sadly-neglected-of-late cooking blog. I actually posted my basic scone recipe awhile back, but I was so enamored of the scones I made on Saturday that I have to write about them. anyway Actually, this post could also be called "Toaster Oven" because I was as pleased about using mine to bake the scones as I was about the scones themselves. Only the toaster oven doesn't hit your tongue with that soft, cake-like texture and velvety, melting chocolate-y goodness as a scone does, see?

But when you feel like baking something small-ish on a hot-ish day, there is much praise to be sung in honor of the humble counter-top oven. No heat waves pouring into the kitchen and onto your skin. No enormous waste of energy just to bake one small pat of scones. No half hour waiting for it to heat up. Yay! I love our toaster oven (many thanks go to my husband's late paternal grandmother for this inherited treasure).

So, scones in the toaster oven; a killer combination. In less than 30 minutes, you can go from raw ingredients to delectable breakfast (including coffee brewing time). Have I convinced you that you want to:

a. buy a toaster oven?
b. make scones?
c. bake scones in your toaster oven?
d. all of the above?

If so, read on. If not, read on.

Another one of the great things about scones (besides the close-to-immediate-gratification factor) is the ease and simplicity of forming them. You could spend some time and lots of flour patting them out and cutting them into cute shapes to bake them. But the truth is they taste just as good if you dump the dough on your greased baking sheet (in this case, the toaster oven tray insert), pat them into any odd shape, and score them into the approximate size you want to ingest them in. This past Saturday I made an flat ovally shape, scored them into rough squares, and slapped them on in the oven. No need for fussiness here.

When those babies came out I immediately drizzled them with some orange-chocolate icing I had on hand, and I thought they looked kinda pretty.

(Can I insert another ode in praise of scones? They are so deliciously versatile! Put in them whatever you have on hand in the way of dried fruits, nuts, spices, flavorings. Really, the basic recipe is that: basic. You get the fun of making them uniquely tasty each time you whip up a batch. These have cranberries, chocolate chunks, and vanilla in them.)

I waited awhile for my taste-tester to get back from a project he was working on, but I couldn't hold out for long against the alluring smell of these gems. Mug of coffee nearby, and camera in hand, I did some serious damage to a few.

"the last bite"

Now do you want scones?

Basic Scones

(makes two rounds, depending on how you form them--these pictures show a half recipe)

1 3/4 cup flour (may subs. other flours for texture, fiber, etc.)
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
5 TBSP butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup yogurt

Instructions: Sift flour, baking, powder, sugar, and salt into a bowl. Cut in butter until it is in pea-size chunks. Stir in any dried fruit/nuts. Add milk and yogurt, and stir minimally! Dump dough onto greased baking sheet, push into desired shape and score with a knife. You may brush them with milk/egg if you want a shiny finish. Bake at 400F for 15 minutes.

Boxed Goods

2010-06-02T21:55:00.004-04:00

I was literally dragging myself up from an afternoon snooze today, trying to disperse the brain fog and come up with a dinner plan, when I heard the sound of a vehicle stopping in front of the house and a door opening and shutting. Glancing out the window, my mental fog magically thinned as I was absolutely thrilled to see the harbinger of summer produce--Radell's truck.

We finally decided this year to put our money where our mouth is (in quite a literal way) by subscribing to our friend's CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Each Wednesday June-August we will be the very happy recipients of a crate of seasonal vegetables from Season's Bounty farm, half of which we are giving to some dear friends as a wedding present.

This week's box contained: two heads lettuce, green onions, potatoes, carrots, radishes, a small head of broccoli, and a bag of edible-pod peas, which I immediately dug into. Next to fresh garden tea, this tastes as much like summer as anything!

I called our friends to let them know that the box had arrived (just a day after they arrived home from their honeymoon!). In the end I invited us over to drop off vegetables and share in a potluck leftovers dinner which was accompanied by a bowl of edible-pod peas and a huge garden salad! Walking home a few hours later, I was a little giddy with the glow of shared food, shared resources, and the thought of a summerful of these inspiring produce crates which will force me to eat with the season and get a little extra creative in the kitchen (since I don't know what will be in the box from week to week)!

Oatmeal Pancakes

2010-05-25T22:37:00.002-04:00

So, I've been obsessed with breakfast foods recently (as I write--for instance--the smells of cooling granola ("let cool undisturbed"!) are wafting in enticingly from the kitchen). This obsession is a little ironic, because we rarely get up early enough to actually enjoy a nice, leisurely morning meal without being on-the-cusp-of-late to work. Maybe that's the thing--I'm subconsciously searching for that perfect, satisfying, quick breakfast food that will make mornings as smooth as cream (and let me get to work on time).

I tried making granola a few weeks ago. I even put in some fancy ingredients--dried cherries, cranberries, and slivered almonds. It was so-so in flavor and texture (I probably disturbed it too much while cooling) but did make a quick, satisfying breakfast paired with some plain yogurt and honey.

Of course, I've also done scrambled eggs for breakfast, which seems pretty quick except that I want them with warmed tortillas, salsa (which may take a while to hunt down) and coffee (read: "takes five minutes to grind the beans, dump the old grounds, find a new filter, measure out coffee, and then locate the carafe, which must be filled with fresh, cold water and dumped into the reservoir just to start the coffee!").

Of course, there's always the quickie grab-a-muffin breakfast, which is wonderful when you don't leave all your muffins at your parents-in-laws' house three hours north of here, and of course no bananas in the freezer to make them again.

I almost bought a bag of bagels at the grocery store today.

So, about those pancakes. The thing I like about them, besides the fact that they're mostly oats, is that you're supposed to soak the oats in buttermilk the night before. This dedicates you to finishing them in the morning, like it or not.

I didn't do much to alter the recipe for myself other than substitute about 1/2 plain yogurt and 1/2 milk for buttermilk (which I never have) and add a 1/2 tsp. salt. Also, cook them over medium-low heat as they will not cook in the middle before burning on the outside otherwise. You can guess how I know that.

Enjoy!

Finally, a gratuitous display of one of the bridesmaid's bouquets I did for an out-of-state wedding two weeks ago (one of my excuses for not posting more during May) . . .

Orange Coconut Cake

2010-05-05T19:13:00.004-04:00

This is a result of poor planning. Or not thinking ahead. Fortunately, it turned out really, really yummy--a perfect summery cake!

I called the grocery store bakery at 4:00pm on Tuesday, wondering if they would be able to do a cake for me by 6:00pm. Of the same day. No they do not--you must call 24 hours ahead. Okay, then. Making a mental list of the ingredients I had on hand at home, I skipped the store altogether and hoped for the best. One yellow cake recipe with some modification, a quick trip out just for confectioners sugar, and an hour later the cake pictured above was party-ready.

It began with this recipe and morphed from there. I'll have to give just the cake recipe since I didn't really write down ingredients for the cream cheese filling and glaze. Just do your own thing. A generous sprinkling of toasted coconut and some orange zest accompanied the filling.

Anita's Orange Cake
(2 9-inch layers)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
zest of one orange
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup milk

Instructions: Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat butter and sugar. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating after each to incorporate. Add vanilla and zest and beat in. Mix orange juice with milk and add to batter alternately with flour mixture. Batter will be light and fluffy. Spread into 2 greased and floured 9-inch pans and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes. They will look very light in color when they are done, so test with a toothpick if you are unsure!

I filled the layers with a cream cheese/butter/o.j./confectioners sugar frosting and a generous sprinkling of coconut and more orange zest. I would recommend mixing the coconut into it, so that the two layers will hold together when cut. I thinned the filling and drizzled it as a glaze over the top layer, adding more orange zest and "YAY" in toasted coconut (the cake was for a graduation celebration party).

on the way to the party . . .

moist, light, summery-tasting!

and this is what we left behind . . . *sigh*

Some Samosas

2010-04-30T20:39:00.004-04:00

I came across this idea to make quick samosas in some magazine where they tell you to use pre-made pie crust, box mashed potatoes, frozen peas, and curry powder. Well. Hmmmmm . . . I could at least make my own pie crust.

David was going to play soccer. I invited Michelle. She brought peas. She looked up a recipe for baked samosas. She made the filling. Apparently, this post should be on a blog SHE writes.

I did help put them together. I supplied other ingredients and the oven. I made green tofu curry. Okay, that sounds really gross. The tofu was NOT green. The curry paste was.

It was a delicious meal (thanks to Michelle!). I'm sorry you're going away--it would be fun to cook together again.

To the rest of you: invite a friend over and make these samosas. SO GOOD! I made a garlicky, minty yogurt sauce to go with them. Mmmmmmm . . . just thinking about them makes me want to make more.

Mol-ay

2010-04-22T10:50:00.003-04:00

It's actually spelled "mole", but I didn't want you to think I was cooking a small backyard varmit. No, this is the Mexican "mole" (pronounced "mole-ay"), a delicious chili-chocolate sauce served over chicken and rice.

Making mole had been on my want-to-do list for over a year by the time all the conditions were right to do it. I had been afraid of mole from the time (many, many moons ago) my older sister had ordered it at a restaurant and hated it. But my tolerance for many foods has changed as an adult--I like hardboiled eggs and brussels sprouts now, for instance--so a year ago, I braved the old mole memory and ordered it for my birthday dinner.

And I liked it.

And I wanted to make it.

I thought about it for a while. A few months later I looked up recipes. And balked. With a list of about 20 ingredients, I was seriously dissuaded. I tried a search for "simple mole". But the list of five ingredients (consisting of chili powder and cocoa powder) was even less appealing. I put it off. I fell back on my old excuses that I just never got down to that store that had the things I needed. My desire waned.

But one day, I was at that store. And I had just looked up a recipe again to see what kind of chili's I needed. And I bought two packages of chili's. When I got home, I stashed them in an upper cupboard. I still didn't have chicken or Mexican chocolate, or a slice of stale bread. Desire waned.

I bought baker's chocolate.

Desire waned.

I looked at recipes again. I chose one and copied it into my notes.

Desire waned.

Then one auspicious day, my sister-in-law planned a potluck. I offered to host. Another sister-in-law called to ask about what I was planning to make. I hesitated. I wavered. And then I plunged. "I think I'll make mole" I casually replied.

Now I was locked in. I even had a sign of confirmation that this was meant to be--a loaf of bread came my way and never got re-claimed by its rightful owners. There was my slice. I went to the local grocer and picked up chicken pieces.

Unfortunately--the day of--I only had about an hour to make the sauce. "Unfortunate" because the method calls for toasting most of the ingredients separately before dumping everything together to simmer and bubble into the delicious sauce. I wished I had two more hands, but I flew around the kitchen with determination. Never mind that I was missing two ingredients. I would simply have to do without.

An hour later, I left my husband with instructions to check the chicken after an hour and turn the heat off under the sauce, give it a stir, and cover it when the timer went off.

And that was that. I had made mole.

And it was good.

And now I want to make it again. But better.

The End.

Fish No. 3: Curry

2010-04-13T20:07:00.004-04:00

Mmmmm . . . there's just something so satisfying about rustic mashed potatoes and fish! Especially if you put butter and cream cheese in those potatoes! Don't bother peeling them--I love the extra texture and ease. Last night I did the fish curry-style. I don't really have a curry recipe, I just get out the spices I want and start throwing them in like my friend from Bangladesh showed me. Curry powder? What's that? If I had to write it down, though . . .

Anita's Fish Curry
(4 servings)

2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 onion
few cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. (more or less) of:
cumin
coriander
turmeric
ginger
mustard

a smidgen (more or less) of:
cayenne pepper
cardamom
cinnamon
2 cups canned or fresh diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
4 fish fillets
cilantro

Instructions: Heat olive oil. Dice onion and add to oil, sauteing a few minutes. Crush garlic cloves and add to oil. Start throwing on spices. Stir and saute a few more minutes. Dump in tomatoes, crushing if they are whole. Simmer 5 minutes or so and add salt and pepper to taste. Place fish fillets in simmering mixture. Cover and cook until fish are white through and flake easily (I added mine frozen so it took about 15 minutes).

Buckwheat Pasta

2010-04-07T20:51:00.002-04:00

Remember that other day when I bombed out on blueberry muffins and promised to go redeem myself by making some fresh pasta? Well I did. I was going to just follow the recipe found here on my blog but realized I didn't have whole wheat flour. Instead of making plain old white pasta, I added some buckwheat. It was a little strange, but still fresh and yummy with a homemade sauce.

The sauce was modified from a recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen. The original calls for stewing a hunk of butter, an onion, and your canned tomatoes for an hour before removing the onion and serving the sauce. It's actually a lot tastier than it sounds. All that buttah!

I added some basil cubes from the freezer, fresh-ground black pepper, and left the onion chunks in it. So good! The great thing about making this pasta--if you roll it out by hand--is that once you get the hang of it you can whip it out like nobody's business! Sure the pasta is thicker than you'd get with a machine, but who's complaining when you're making it fresh?!? With friends on the way to pick me up, I found out I could go from ingredients in the cupboards and fridge to steaming, cooked pasta in my bowl in about 20 minutes.

roll it out with a generous dusting of flour so you
can fold it on itself to cut--I like using a pizza cutter

all that flour does make the water foam when it's
cooking--so keep an eye on it! only takes about 3 minutes

mmmmmm . . .

Saturday Morning Breakfast

2010-03-27T11:32:00.003-04:00

Maybe this post belongs in the "Confessions Archives" because I'm really just putting it here for the pictures. I like them. =) The muffins weren't that spectacular--I'm not a fan of the cornmeal I put in them. But along with the coffee brewing, they made the house smell like a warm, cozy bakery--a nice antidote to the plunging temperature we're experiencing now.

Maybe I'll go redeem my day--culinary-wise--by making a batch of fresh pasta . . .

Happy St. Pat's

2010-03-17T20:25:00.003-04:00

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I started off this morning with some Irish breakfast tea and steel-cut oat scones. Unfortunately, I didn't read the recipe ahead of time and had to rush through the steps to make them in time for my taste-tester before he headed off to work. Let's say they were less than stellar. But still yummy (what baked good isn't, fresh from the oven?).

I scored much better with the shamrock-shaped, green-sugar-sprinkled shortbread cookies I made to take into work. Light, flaky, delish! And pretty. And just the thing to put you in a St. Pat's mood. So get these babies in the oven, put the tea kettle on, and settle in for a fabulous "tea and biscuit" as they say in the Emerald Isle.

Shamrock Shortbread Cookies
(yield about 2 doz.)

12 TBSP butter, softened
1/4 cup superfine sugar (I used 10x sugar)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch

Pre-heat oven to 300F. Whip butter, sugar, and lemon juice together until light and airy. Sift flour and cornstarch into butter mixture, and stir in with a wooden spoon. Roll to 1/8-in. thickness, using powdered sugar to keep from sticking to the table and rolling pin. Cut shapes and place on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheet. If you want to add colored sugar, brush cookies with milk or egg-white and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Foodie Blogger

2010-03-16T15:58:00.002-04:00

Welcome to all the new friends who've found The Uncensored Kitchen by way of the Foodie Blogroll (see sidebar)!

I make milk . . .

2010-03-15T23:08:00.006-04:00

. . . what's your super-power?

So says a t-shirt my sister-in-law has. When I told her I might need to borrow it, I got one of those looks. If you've been married a year or so and haven't had any babies yet, you know the look I'm talking about. Yes, I'm getting some sweet mileage out of it.

But it was really an honest request concerning the t-shirt. Because I do make milk. Soy milk.

I read about it over at "kiss my spatula" and simply had to try it. The pictures were just lovely, and her description of the fresh soy milk--"creamy, nutty, with a hint of sweetness"--made my mouth water. The taste in reality was--well--less than expected, but it was a fun experiment and may very well be repeated. The hardest part? Finding the soybeans.

1/2 cup dry soybeans--cover with water and soak overnight

drain, rinse, and blend with 2 cups water

pour into large stock-pot (it will foam!) with another 3 cups water

bring to a boil over high heat, stirring and skimming foam--
reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes, stirring occasionally

strain out "okara" (the bean solids) by pouring
through cheese-cloth-lined sieve

add 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 TBSP sugar, and vanilla (if you like)

drink! (we preferred it hot)

store in the fridge and use within a couple of days
(made about a quart)

Famous Casserole

2010-03-05T11:25:00.003-05:00

I don't make casseroles very often. I'm more of a stove-top cook. Maybe it's the time involved; maybe it's the fact that I have to use so much energy to heat the oven. But when you're having a potluck at your home, the appeal of a casserole grows. I wanted to keep things simple for home group potlucks, so I was doing the soup thing. Soup is simple, right? Well, when you don't have a table that more than six people can sit around comfortably, and guests are trying to juggle bowl, plate, and cup on their knees as they sit on a couch . . . well, the simplicity factor warps a bit. Not to mention the extra clean-up (from potential spills as well as the extra dishes).

So for my second hosting attempt, I did the casserole thing. It's still a one-pot dish. One plate. No hot liquids. You see the appeal.

I took my original soup idea, made it less liquid-y, added some rice, popped it into the oven for 30 minutes, and . . .

Anita's Famous Butternut-Bean Chipotle Casserole* is born!
(yield: one 9 X 13)

olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 butternut squash (or pumpkin or sweet potato), cubed (4 cups)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
29 oz.-can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
15.5 oz.-can beans (I only had kidney on hand, but would have preferred black)
1-2 TBSP chipotle sauce (optional, but then you might have to change the name of the casserole)
3-4 cups cooked rice
cheese (I didn't have any, but this would be a good addition

Instructions: In a large stock-pot saute the onion and garlic in about 2 TBSP of olive oil over medium heat. When onions are translucent, add cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne and saute a few more minutes, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients--except the rice and cheese--and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until the squash (or pumpkin, or sweet potato) is tender, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. When squash is tender add rice and cheese if using, pour into a greased 9 X 13 baking dish, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle more cheese (I think a sharp cheddar would be delish!) on top to melt before serving.

*(that pretentious title is a joke, by the way, but it was tasty and it got cleaned up pretty fast)

Sweethearts Meal

2010-02-20T19:18:00.004-05:00

First of all, thanks for visiting the blog!! Since its inception last May, you've been coming and checking in on the idiosyncrasies of my kitchen life--hopefully finding some inspiration and camaraderie along the way. This evening I noticed that you've tipped the scales to over a thousand site visits! Keep coming back--it feels good to know that I'm not posting to an empty void. =)

So, "Sweethearts Meal". In lieu of Valentine's Day, since we were celebrating sister-in-law's wedding in PA that weekend. I did give my love a bar of chili chocolate on the day of, and he gave me a great back massage, but I didn't get to cook anything for him. And that's one of my primary love languages (if you couldn't tell). When we came home and I heard about some of your great Valentine's celebrations, I was inspired to do something more for my sweet.

Now think of the most romantic food you can imagine . . .

C'mon, try harder.

Got it in mind?

I'd be willing to bet money what you're thinking of isn't this:

Turnip soup.

Yeah.

Maybe not what most foodies would fix for their Valentine, but it was good. A little sweet, a little spicy, just like any good romance. See? You know you want to make it for your sweetheart next year. So, I'm adding this link to the recipe. Just because I'm that kind of person. I probably didn't follow the recipe exactly (I added frozen basil cubes, cayenne pepper, and freshly ground black pepper, for instance), but it was pretty close. And I wasn't kidding when I said it was good. We had it for a first and a last course!

When he came home, the table was set, love songs were playing, and the house was lit with candles. I served dinner course by course, all dolled up in my Hanover Beans apron (turned inside out--it's red) and silver flip-flops.

Creamy Turnip Soup

Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese and Almonds
& Baked Mushrooms

Baked Potato
& Lemon-Rosemary Baked Fish

Creamy Turnip Soup

He had to go to choir practice at 7:30, so we had our grand finale dessert when he got home:

Awwwwww. My own "Perfect" Carrot Cake (a half recipe with 2 cups mashed, cooked carrots) with cream cheese frosting and cinnamon-dust heart stencil. Just because I love him.

Learning Sushi

2010-02-18T13:31:00.008-05:00

My taste-tester doesn't want to go out for sushi because it's too expensive and he's not all that crazy about it. But I like sushi, and I want to eat it sometimes (sure, it would be great if I didn't have to pay an arm and a leg!). I had some friends in Israel who made sushi at home. I looked online. Only about a thousand articles on making sushi at home. Okay, it definitely seems doable.

The Ingredient Round-up was the most challenging part. Not because I don't have easy access to everything I need--just, well, I didn't make the time to go to the Oriental grocery and get it. It's, like, two miles away, you know? I'm not by there every day. Honestly, the biggest set-back was the sushi rice. I didn't want to pay out for five pounds of sushi rice that I might or might not use. So when a friend offered me some of his sushi rice, I jumped at it. We amiably swapped brown rice (we get it in a 25-lb. bag) for sushi rice. Yes! And then it was (finally) off to the Oriental grocery for the rest of the stuff: seaweed sheets (called "nori"), wasabi paste, rice vinegar, a bamboo sushi-rolling mat, and a few vegetables for fillings. I also got some noodles, cilantro, and lime to make a soup to go along with our sushi meal.

Things we already had on hand: chopsticks, fish (we cooked it for our sushi), tons of soy sauce, and a few other fillings (sesame seed, cream cheese, green onion).

Now that everything was assembled, I had no excuse. So, we made sushi! And it was good! Not the best sushi I'd ever had, but a lot cheaper and more fun to make it ourselves. We ran out of rice at three rolls, which was good because I could have made a LOT more and would have overeaten, I'm sure.

A few things: the nori were kinda chewy rather than soft or crunchy. Not sure what the deal was there. And we weren't sure if we were rolling them correctly. I had to do more research. I found out that there is a shiny and a rough side, and you're supposed to roll it with one specific side in. Hmmmm . . . totally missed that! I also discovered that most of the rolls were made with 1/2 a sheet of nori. This is great because with the same amount of rice we could experiment more and our rolls wouldn't curve around themselves as much. I read, too, that one make-your-own-sushi-at-home-er suggested wetting the roll when it was finished so that the nori wouldn't be chewy. This sounded like a good idea to me, but some commenters derided him for it, so I'm not sure.

Sushi is one of those intimidating foods because it has this whole set of rules and customs surrounding its making and eating. But I guess since we're not experts and not eating it in public (another advantage to making it at home) we can DO WHAT WE PLEASE! When we've figured out how we like it best, I'll post a how-to. In the meantime, scour the web and let me know what hints you might have for us.

Coffee

2010-02-16T15:31:00.003-05:00

A new project around our house these days. We haven't had much luck with the popcorn popper we got at the thrift store, and I charred these using a borrowed coffee roaster. Unless you've roasted coffee before, you would not believe the stench/aroma that roasting produces! I was doing some roasting on the back stoop in the falling snow last week before we had to return the roaster. Looking for a better long-term solution . . . =) All advice accepted and considered.

Rosemary Potato Bread

2010-02-10T13:43:00.009-05:00

Yay! It turned out this time, and I'm ready to give you the recipe! I added some garlic powder this time and really liked the final flavor. The recipe I started from is found here.

Rosemary Potato Bread
(yield (3) 8 1/2 inch loaves
or (2) 9-inch loaves and (1) small round loaf
or (3) equally-sized round loaves)

1 cup warm water*
2 TBSP active dry yeast
4 TBSP honey or sugar
6 - 8 cups flour**
1 cup warm milk
4 TBSP melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 TBSP ground rosemary
1 tsp fresh-ground black pepper

Instructions: Dissolve yeast and 2 TBSP sweetener in the warm water. Stir in 1 cup flour and let rise 15 - 30 minutes. In another bowl combine milk, butter, other 2 TBSP of sweetener, mashed potatoes, eggs, salt, and spices. Stir in risen batter. Add flour until your bread holds together and is still soft and slightly sticky. Coat with a few TBSP oil, and let rise until doubled (this dough rises faster than others I've worked with!). Shape into loaves (I have done 2 9-inch loaves and one smaller round loaf--I really like the texture of the bread baked on a pizza stone). Let rise until double again. Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes. Cool on wire racks. I dare you to resist cutting into a loaf while it's still warm!

Cook's Word: this bread has a lovely flavor, made interesting by the occasional bite of black pepper. It makes excellent buttered toast, even five days out from baking. Experimental possibilities with other herbs/spices abound, so be creative!

* Note on water: if you mash the potatoes just for this bread the original recipe suggests saving the cooking water for dissolving the yeast in. I have been using potato flakes, so never had this chance.

** Note on flour: sorry for the inaccurate measurement. I hardly ever measure flour for bread anymore, just adding it in by cup until I get the consistency I want. The original recipe calls for 6 1/2 cups regular flour and 2 cups bread flour. I think my flour supply is bread flour. Also, I have used some whole wheat and some white flour which changes the quantities a little.

Currently eating for lunch:

pumpkin-shaped pasta with broccoli and a creamy white cheese sauce (leftover from last night's soft pretzels). It's actually surprisingly tasty--maybe because of the fresh-ground black pepper I added. Can you tell I've been obsessed with fresh-ground black pepper recently? Getting a pepper grinder really added a new dimension to my cooking. =)

Flop, sorta . . .

2010-02-04T09:01:00.003-05:00

Okay, all you Uncensored Kitchen peeps. Are you ready for a flop? Actually, it was kinda the opposite of a flop . . .

I made bread. Delicious potato bread with rosemary and black pepper. The dough was soft; it rose beautifully. The scent of it baking was simply heavenly. I cut into it when it was still hot, and slathered a slice with butter. Wow. Tender crumb, crisp, flaky crust. Double wowow. We ate that loaf all up.

And here's the one I was going to take for sister-in-law's wedding feast.

Uh, maybe not.

The texture and flavor were still there, but this was a flop (or an over-rise). Not sure if I just formed these sloppy or if I let them rise too long, but these loaves weren't quite wedding caliber (wording there supplied by my taste-tester). And that other loaf? Why the major difference? It happened to be a well-formed round loaf baked on stoneware. I'm not sure you can preserve the flakiness of a bread crust once you've cooled, sliced, frozen, and thawed a loaf, so I guess it's good we ate that one right away anyhow.

I'm going to try this again, tweak the seasonings and flour a little, and get back to you with a recipe. Before the wedding. Because I better have perfected it by then.

Milkgurt Shake

2010-02-01T20:54:00.004-05:00

Okay. Not really that much different from my smoothie, but the addition of some berry-flavored Italian ice did make it a bit more shake-like. And I love that creamy, yogurt flavor.

In order of appearance:

1/2 cup Italian ice
few frozen strawberries
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp honey or sugar
1/4 cup milk

Blend. Insert Straw. Enjoy! Taste-tester's shake is long gone, and mine is half-way there.

Fish No. 2: Tangerine

2010-01-25T20:11:00.005-05:00

I'm really enjoying experimenting with fish. It's amazing how quick they cook! I'd like to plan ahead sometime and marinate them to get more flavor in the meat. But this time I was cooking on the fly. A basket of slowly-disappearing tangerines was the inspiration.

Step one: Saute some garlic and onions in olive oil.

Next: add some tangerine slices and the juice from another
tangerine. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Add rosemary.
Shake on some salt and grind pepper into the pot. Add fish.

Step Three: Simmer, covered, until fish are cooked through.

I served mine over a bed of rice with soy sauce and
spinach greens with more balsamic vinegar. Don't waste
the tangerine sauce, but spoon it over the top.
Eat the onions if you like!

Taste-tester says: This is good, but I liked the other one (Fish No. 1: Tomato) better.

Cook's Word: Delicious light sauced fish. Could this be called "Asian fusion"--citrus soy, balsamic vinegar . . . ? I think oranges might give a brighter flavor than tangerines.

Eggplant Bake

2010-01-21T17:12:00.005-05:00

It started at the grocery store with a sideways glance at their reduced produce racks. Are any of you impulse grocery shoppers like me? Nah. Probably not. You all budget and menu plan and ONLY buy what you need for this week's meals. So you won't understand. I do make a list, mind you, it's just that whenever I get to the store, I find that my list was incomplete. Yes, last week I had forgotten to write on my list "one slightly-marred eggplant". But I found I needed it. Once I got to the store.

Next time, I won't forget. Because I found a great, easy, tasty way to cook up that forty-nine cents of slightly-damaged goodness. Searching the internet (I wonder how many times that phrase appears on this blog) I came across this. Eggplant cut into rounds, fried in a little olive oil, stacked in ramekins with tomato sauce, and baked.

Of course, I don't have ramekins. And I didn't exactly follow Tasty Palettes' way of making sauce, but it was pretty close, and we were pretty thrilled with the results.

(Just FYI: the smell of pumpkin cake is filling the house, and I'm about to remove some french bread from the oven too. I'm in cold & sleety-evening heaven!)

Improvised Eggplant Bake

Sauce:
olive oil for sauteing
about 1/3 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red wine
1 cup crushed tomatoes
herbs (I put in a frozen basil cube I made in my ice-cube trays this summer)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat and saute onions and garlic. Add wine and cook a few minutes. Stir in tomatoes and herbs. Salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat on low and simmer while you fry the eggplant.

Eggplant:
1 - 2 large eggplant, sliced thin (1/4-1/2 inch)
olive oil for frying
lemon juice

Instructions: Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add enough eggplant to cover the bottom of the skillet, turning quickly as they will soak up as much oil on one side as you've put in the skillet. Fry on both sides until beginning to turn brown. Remove and hit eggplants with a spritz of lemon (I used a pastry brush to swab lemon on them since I didn't have any fruit on hand. Heat more oil and repeat until all slices are fried.

Putting it all together: Tasty Palettes suggests doing this in ramekins or a casserole. Basically, you want to spoon some of your sauce into the bottom of your baking dish, and then arrange layers of eggplant slices with the rest of the sauce, ending with more sauce on top. I baked mine in two small clay dishes at 350F for about 15 minutes because of a time constraint. It would probably be better to leave them in up to 30 minutes for more flavor-melding. If you like, add some parmesan cheese to the top close to the end of cooking time. Remove from oven and cool for a few minutes before serving. We ate ours with extra-virgin olive oil toasts and a spinach side salad. If you want to do it "right" just go to the other website and follow her instructions!

Fish No. 1: Antepli

2010-01-20T21:55:00.005-05:00

I'm calling this "Fish No. 1" because I intend to start cooking with fish more often, and I can't imagine cooking it the same way every time. Hence, Uncensored Kitchen material. =)

The sauce I put together for this fish was inspired by my time in Turkey. It seemed to me that most of Antepli* ("from Antep" or "Antep-style") cuisine centered around the same five basic ingredients: tomato, hot pepper, lemon, olive oil, and parsley. Any dish I make with these five I consider to be "Antepli" (which is why this entry has a "Turkish Food" label). Okay, enough quotation marks.

Here's the basic recipe for the sauce, which was pronounced "very good" (whoops! there are the quotation marks again!) by the Uncensored Kitchen's taste-tester.

Anita's Antepli Fish (for two pieces of fish)
(all measurements are approximate. sorry!)

1/4 med. onion, diced
A LOT of garlic powder (by mistake) maybe 1 TBSP?!?
2 TBSP tomato paste
2 TBSP hot pepper paste (or 2 more TBSP tomato paste & dried hot pepper)
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
TBSP or so of minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Instructions: combine ingredients in bowl and stir until mixed well. Spoon over fish in baking/cooking dish. Bake/cook until fish is done (3-5 minutes). Well, that was easy!

Cook's Word: While my taste-tester and I both enjoyed the sauce as-is, the onions could be sauteed in the olive oil first if you really don't like slightly crunchy onions. And I think I would add more parsley the next time, too. I wrote "bake/cook" because it really depends on how you want to cook your fish. I couldn't justify heating the oven for two pieces of fish, so I did mine in a clay dish on the stove top. Delicious served with rustic hand-mashed potatoes (with some ground rosemary, butter, and milk added in!), and a simple spinach salad with vinaigrette and goat cheese. Yum!

just because: dinner by candlelight

* "Antep" is a shortened version of Gaziantep, the city in southeastern Turkey where I lived. The suffix "-li" means "with" or "from".

French Toast, Revisited

2010-01-13T22:42:00.007-05:00

Mixing up the ingredients: I used 2 eggs, 2/3 cup milk,
a splash of vanilla, some salt, and 2 TBSP brown sugar

Slicing the bread

For those of you who may complain that there's
too much censoring on the Uncensored Kitchen

Yes, the whole messy thing, complete with clothes-drying rack!

and a violet on the plant bench beneath the window

back to the toast, sizzling away . . .

I tried several topping options for my little toasts:
plain syrup, vanilla yogurt and syrup, and whipped
topping with pecans. Winner pictured below.

I didn't really follow a recipe, but was comparing it to the Doughnut French Toast I made a few months back. I missed the vanilla-y, egg-y quality of that toast, which, looking back had a much larger ratio of eggs to milk as what I made this week. I did appreciate having the salt and sugar added into the mix, though. My bread was white and wasn't very stale to start with this time, so it seemed a bit soggy to me and improved in texture the following day. If I ever perfect this, I'll post a recipe. Promise.

Little Women

2010-01-13T22:17:00.003-05:00

It's a Christmas/winter tradition. Watching "Little Women" with Mom and whichever sisters are around. Since we were having dinner first, I thought we should eat "period" foods. Mom supplied a lentil/ham soup and salad. Bek brought bread. And I brought dessert.

only a few cookies made the cut
for the women-only party

I left some at home for my taste-tester. He so tirelessly and unselfishly puts up with all this.

Thanks, Esther, for the recipe (page 179 in "Mennonite Country-Style Recipes")! My only complaint this time is the sexist recipe title. I did wonder about heating the molasses. I skipped that and thought my cookies tasted just fine. Anyone know why heating the molasses would make a difference?

Venison Steaks

2010-01-03T22:50:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I had got "Babette's Feast" from the library with the intention of introducing my husband to this amazing film about art, passion, and food. On the night we'd set to watch it, I wanted to make a meal befitting the mood (and satisfying enough that we wouldn't drool while we watched Babette cook). My idea was to cook something French or at least French-inspired. I settled on a menu of Cabbage and Bacon Salad, Pureed Sweet Potatoes, and Venison Steaks in Wine with Carrots and Mushrooms (sounds gourmet, right?). We both enjoyed the venison so much that I wrote down my recipe right away. David also commented that the lingering aroma from dinner created extra ambiance for our movie.

It's hard to make a slab of meat look appetizing in a picture, but press on past the image for what I thought was a pretty great recipe for the venison tenderloin steaks.

Venison Steaks in Wine with Carrots and Mushrooms
(that doesn't sound a bit pretentious, now, does it?)

Venison steaks (we had 6)
3 TBSP Olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup medium sherry*
Sprig of fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 or 2 carrots, thinly sliced into ovals

Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pan. Add garlic and saute over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, rinse and dry the venison steaks. Place steaks in hot oil and sear a few minutes on both sides. Add wine, sherry, rosemary, sage, and black pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn steaks over and simmer another 30 minutes. Add onions, mushrooms, and carrots, and cook until carrots are tender (about 5 minutes depending on the thickness). Some of the liquid may be drained off and used to make a gravy if desired. Bon Apetit!

*I used a mixture of wine and sherry because that's what I had on hand. It seems like using all wine or cooking wine would do just as well. Alternatively, you could experiment with apple juice or beef bullion.

Birthday Pie

2009-12-28T21:55:00.002-05:00

Whenever I solicit a special dessert request, my husband usually asks for pie. His favorites? Shoo-fly and pecan. For his 30th birthday this year, he was in a pecan mood.

I like pecan pie too, but I'm not a huge fan of pecan pie which is basically a custard with some pecans floating on top. I want a dense, not-too-too-sweet pie chock-full of pecans. This one fit the bill (and I think he liked it too!). Now let me go find that splattered piece of paper I wrote everything down on so I can pass the goodness to you . . .

Birthday Pecan Pie

1 c. pecans, chopped and toasted
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 TBSP flour
1 TBSP milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. maple flavoring

Place pecans in un-baked pie shell (I pre-baked mine a few minutes so it wouldn't get soggy). Beat together eggs and sugars. Stir in butter. Add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth. Pour filling over pecans. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 300F and bake another 40-50 minutes. Let pie cool to room temperature before eating. No need to garnish!

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

2009-12-14T22:31:00.002-05:00

See that pie on the right? After testing and re-testing my pumpkin pie recipe for Thanksgiving, I ended up liking this sweet potato pecan pie even better.

I found the recipe here at allrecipes.com. I made a few changes because we were running low on brown sugar (and something else I can't remember anymore), but it was so simple. I just threw my cooked, diced sweet potatoes in the blender with all the ingredients except the pecans, and whizzed until smooth! Pour into the pie crust, sprinkle pecans on top, and that's it! The filling did make more than would fit in my standard 9-inch pie pan (try a deep dish pan), so I ended up making a mini one for the in-laws too. Try it for yourself!

Recipe Exchange

2009-12-11T22:00:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes has to be Nutmeg Logs from the "Pantry Gems II" cookbook. The recipe is attributed to Dorothy Cross--thanks for sharing Dorothy!

While the instructions say to roll the dough out and cut into strips, I go ahead and use cookie cutters to make more festive shapes. One trick I learned while scouring the internet for rolled cookie recipes was to dust the table and rolling pin with powdered sugar rather than flour to keep the cookies from getting too floury. Worked pretty well! I also like to bake these cookies until they are brown on the edges--yummy crunchy, buttery flavor.

Nutmeg Logs (or shaped cookies)

3 cups flour
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp rum flavoring
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg

Instructions: Mix ingredients together for a dough that resembles pie crust. Roll 1/2-inch thick and cut into shapes as desired. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes.

Frosting

3 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp rum flavoring
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 TBSP cream

Beat until spreading consistency and frost cookies when cool.

Got any favorite Christmas cookie recipes to share?

Fresh-Ginger Cookies

2009-11-25T21:48:00.006-05:00

My mother-in-law and I actually made these last year after Thanksgiving (during the first day of hunting season while our men were out in the wilds). We started with a gingersnap recipe from Cooking Light that a friend had sent me, changing it to suit our needs and ingredients we had on hand. I recently made them again with my nieces (see picture below), stashing a small bag of them in the freezer to take along with a meal for a new mother and family. I forgot about them, but my husband found them a few days later and took them to work for my brother's birthday. Are you still with me? Another one of his co-workers liked them so much that he asked for the recipe which I sent along with David to work this morning. All that to say that if they're good enough for someone to be asking for the recipe, then I should post it here!

Fresh-Ginger Cookies
Yield: 2 dozen

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup King Syrup (or other corn syrup)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3 TBSP freshly grated ginger root (or less, depending on your taste for ginger)
2 cups flour
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions: Beat sugars and butter together in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add egg, syrup, vanilla, and fresh ginger, and beat until smooth. Sift remaining ingredients into the bowl and stir until incorporated. At this point, if your dough is sticky, refrigerate it. Mine never has been, so I move right on to the next stage. Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and roll in sugar or cinnamon-sugar mixture as desired. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes, depending on how soft you like them. I prefer mine a little chewy, but some people like a firm, dry gingersnap. Eat away!

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

2009-11-13T22:16:00.004-05:00

I made a pan of pumpkin fudge this morning, and this is all I have left by bedtime . . .

So it must've been good. I did have lots of people to share it with and, well, I did eat some too . . .

I tweaked the recipe from this one at allrecipes.com.

Pumpkin Pie Fudge

2 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup pumpkin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each of ginger, nutmeg, and cloves
1/8 tsp allspice
1 package mini-marshmallows (or 7 oz. marshmallow cream)
2 TBSP butter
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions: Grease a 9 x 13 pan with butter or other solid shortening and set aside. Stir together sugar and evaporated milk in a medium-sized saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add pumpkin and spices, and bring to a boil again. Stir in marshmallows and butter, bring to a hard boil, and cook--stirring occasionally--for 18 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in white chocolate chips and vanilla until all the chips are melted. Pour into prepared pan and let cool.

Cook's Word: Fabulous pumpkin pie flavor! This might have to become a fall favorite. If only I could get my taste-tester to like fudge! Well, enough other people asked for the recipe, so I think I'll call it a success.

Doughnut French Toast

2009-11-11T20:37:00.003-05:00

It was somewhere between asleep and awake--a weird mix of dreams, the breaking dawn, and NPR's Morning Edition program. I was asleep one moment and the next I was catching a snippet of conversation between Steve Inskeep and Nigella Lawson concerning Lawson's "Doughnut French Toast". (I think this must have caught my one awake ear because a few months back one of my sisters had posted about this particular french toast, and I had watched a video clip of Nigella making it.) And in the next moment, I was dreaming about being a chef in a nice country hotel . . .

Later on, I wondered if I had really heard a Morning Edition clip, or whether I had just dreamed it all. I went to NPR's website and found proof that I hadn't been totally in la-la land. And did I have stale-ish bread on hand at that particular moment? Why, yes! And was I having a morning at home with time to make french toast? Absolutely!

Mmmmm . . . this french toast was really good. I think it had a bit much vanilla, and not enough (none at all, in fact) salt. But I loved the egginess and the instructions to soak it as long as it said. My bread could have used even more of the wet stuff, but I had used whole grain bread when the recipe called for white. I also noticed later that there are two recipes (at the NPR site and here)for this toast online in which one calls for double the amount of milk. Now that would make a difference!

Cook's Word: A good, solid french toast. I think I would add a dash of salt to the egg mixture as well as a little sugar. I didn't care for all the sweetness being on the outside. I think I'd also cut the vanilla a bit if I make it again.

Carroty Cake

2009-11-03T15:49:00.004-05:00

In a minute you'll understand why my kitchen counter looked like this last Saturday morning . . . (And, yes, this is a close-up, so there were lots more)

I must say the joy of baking far outweighs the "joy" of doing the dishes afterward. And when I get into it, I really get into it. And the dishes pile up. Up. Up.

I really didn't bake all that much, it was just that I had to use so many bowls per recipe. First off: carrot cake. For Dad's birthday cake, it couldn't be any other. I had found the perfect recipe that didn't call for any pineapple (and then freaked out a little bit when he said he likes the kind with pineapple). I wasn't about to go back on it, though. I had already tested the recipe with some friends and got good reviews. With the applesauce I added to the recipe, I thought the cake had enough moisture to warrant forgetting the pineapple. I actually had the foresight to also take my carrots to work with me and quickly, easily grate all four cups in the food processor there. =)

While the carrot cake layers cooled, I did a batch of pumpkin cupcakes. I used this recipe from Smitten Kitchen pretty much spot on, so I won't copy it here. Delish! Especially with cream cheese frosting on top!

Once the carrot cake layers cooled, I put on a crumb coat (a thin layer to keep crumbs from peeking through the final layer), swathed it in plastic wrap, and stashed it in the fridge 'til evening. The cake and cupcakes were transported to Mom and Dad's house later in the afternoon for the final party frosting. I couldn't think of any other crowning decoration, so we cheesily slapped some candy corns on top. Not my best gourmet moment.

After a splendid dinner, the pinata, and apple-bobbing, it was time for the grand moment of truth. Was this birthday cake good enough for a 60th-year celebration.? After we'd all eaten, I coolly asked my dad, "So, how was the cake?"

Taste-tester's response: "Perfect!"

It can only go downhill from here, folks. Cook's word. (Oh, and: P.S. I thought the cake was good, but I got a little happy with all that frosting. See it literally dripping down in the middle? Yikes! I mean, cream cheese is yummy, but . . . )

And since it was that good:

"Perfect" Carrot Cake
(tweaked from here)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce (I used Ginger-Granny, of course!)
4 cups grated carrots

Instructions: Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon into a small bowl. Beat eggs and sugar together. Add vanilla, oil, and applesauce, and blend well. Stir in dry ingredients. Fold in carrots. Bake at 350F in a greased, floured 9x13 or two 9-inch round pans for about 40 minutes. Frost with your favorite cream cheese frosting.

p.s. Thanks for the pans, Rachel!

Ginger-Granny Sauce

2009-10-29T23:00:00.003-04:00

I'm taking you back about a month ago, to a Thursday afternoon and making applesauce in my sister-in-law's kitchen. I won't bore you with the whole saga of getting the "wrong" apples (Granny Smith) and then getting the "right" ones (Ginger Gold). Though we had anticipated making our batch of applesauce from just the Ginger Golds, we decided to experiment with what we had on hand. And I'm rather glad we did!

We ended up using all the apples, carefully controlling the ratio of Granny's to Gold's we put in for consistency; it amounted to three parts Ginger Gold to every one part Granny Smith. I thought the Granny's would be terrible for making applesauce because of their tart nature, but they added a much-needed apple-y depth of flavor to the milder/sweeter Golds. We did add some sugar to taste (a scant 1/2-cup for about eight quarts), and I became the proud owner of 19 (now 16) quarts of green-gold applesauce. Many thanks to my mom for the canning jars!

apples in waiting

cookin'

final product

Tired Woman Soup

2009-10-27T16:02:00.003-04:00

Ever worked an eight-hour day on your feet and not been too eager to cook up dinner when you got home?

Yep. Me.

Result:

The recipe for this soup is more like a treasure hunt, really. Between my fridge, freezer, and cupboards I scrounged up these items: oil, onion (saute together); cooked broccoli stems in their cooking water, carrots (chop), half-bag of frozen green beans, small container of frozen ham cubes (dump all this in and bring to a simmer); Oh! and add a quart of home-canned roma tomatoes and a handful or so of lentils. Cook until everything is tender. Salt and pepper.

Cook's Word: the soup turned out much tastier than I expected. I decided not to use any other seasonings besides what already existed in the ingredients and salt & pepper. I ended up making a huge pot of soup which yielded about four meals, plus a quart still in the freezer. For another one of those evenings I come home too tired to cook. =)

Pizza Flop

2009-10-18T21:23:00.002-04:00

I guess I'm kinda glad my camera is loaned away at the moment, so that I have an excuse for not posting any pictures of the pizza I made this evening. While my husband insisted that it was good, I think I'm gonna have to call it a flop.

I have my reasons why:

1. I ran out of white flour at 1/2 cup. Ooops! I was already too dedicated to the idea of pizza (on the new-to-us pizza stone we scored at a local thrift store for $5).

2. I didn't increase the pizza dough like I normally do. Thin, dense, brown crust.

3. I forgot to add any seasonings to the sauce-less pizza. Just a little salt would have improved it immensely.

4. Bagged, pre-shredded cheese. I have finally decided it's tasteless. And I want to taste the ooey-gooey stuff on my pizza.

Well, there you have it. Uncensored pizza flop. We can only go up-hill from here. By the way, does anyone have a "fool-proof" pizza crust recipe they'd like to share? I seem to get 50-50 results with mine (probably due in part to the inconsistency in what kind of flour I use). =)

The Green Tomato Strikes Again!

2009-10-04T20:37:00.003-04:00

If it's nearing the first frost in your hometown like it is here, you might be trying to think of a way to salvage all those not-quite-ripe tomatoes. Well, here's another idea if drying them doesn't appeal to you . . .

Green Tomato Tart*

2 cups sliced green tomatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 pie crust, unbaked
Instructions: Place sliced tomatoes in a bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Soak 10 minutes. Drain the tomatoes and add sugar, flour, and spices, stirring to coat. Roll crust into a rough circle, place on a baking tray (or in a pie plate) and pile tomato mixture in the center. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, leaving the center open. Bake at 375F until crust looks done (20-30 minutes). Best eaten warm!

Cook's Word: This tart reminds me a little of apple pie because of the cinnamon flavor. Eaten cold is has more of a tomato-y taste than it does right out of the oven. I think I actually prefer dried or fried green tomatoes to this, but then you don't get to eat any pie crust!

*The idea for this tart is a "Green Tomato Pie" recipe from the Mennonite Community Cookbook (c. 1950). Since I didn't have enough tomatoes for the 3 cups called for, I simply scaled down, did away with the molasses and water, and made it into a tart instead. =)

Pepper Paste

2009-09-22T22:00:00.005-04:00

Thanks to a generous gift of hot red peppers from my mother-in-law I was able to embark on a first-time journey of making Turkish red pepper paste, or "biber salcasi". In the southeast of Turkey where I sojourned for a year, no kitchen is complete without a bucket of pepper paste handy. Yes, a bucket. In Gaziantep cuisine, food prepared without at least a spoonful of this rich, zesty red goo is pretty rare.

In high summer, when the spicy red bell peppers are peaking, Antepli housewives hunker down with their buckets and knives and pare loads and loads of peppers for grinding. Once ground, the peppers morph into an orangey "soup" that is poured into pans and set out in the hot sun to thicken over a period of days. Each day the pepper soup is worried over and stirred. It's color begins to brighten as water evaporates off. Finally, it is paste. Olive oil and salt are added as preservatives and the paste is stashed under the kitchen sink or another convenient location to be dipped into daily for soups, meat dishes, kofte, to spread on bread, you name it.

I was not so fortunate as to have a reliable stretch of hot, sunny days, so had to resort to using the oven, set at 200F, to make my pepper paste over a period of several hours (I did it along with my dried tomatoes). I was also not so fortunate as to end up with a whole bucket of it the lovely goo. Rather, from 12 hot peppers and two large sweet red bell peppers my labors yielded about two cups of this delightful stuff. It is so precious to me, that I even had a dream last night about one of my sisters shamelessly using up all but a few spoonfuls of it in a single day! I was happy to wake and discover my jar of pepper paste silently, calmly holding out on my fridge shelf, just where I'd left it.

The Peppers (and how they shrunk) . . .

orangey soup stage

Finally, biber salcasi!

Dried Green Tomatoes

2009-09-13T21:45:00.006-04:00

You've heard of fried green tomatoes, right? Slices of green tomato dipped in a milk/egg mixture, dredged in flour, and fried in oil . . . At least once a summer I sneak past the garden guards and heist a pre-ripe tomato or two for this treat. Oddly enough, I think they're good dipped in ketchup. A bit gruesome for the tomato perhaps.

But--as per post title--I'm not talking about fried green tomatoes, but DRIED green tomatoes. Yes, it was NOT a typo (though given the proximity of "f" and "d" on the keyboard and my sometimes-atrocious typing skills that could have been a definite possibility).

Thanks again to the in-laws for inspiration. I gathered the meager remaining ripe red tomatoes from our plants in anticipation of making some oven dried tomatoes. This process requires turning your oven on to a low heat and drying the fruit for 6 - 8 hours. I couldn't just do one tray! I had to put that energy to good use by drying something else. How about green tomatoes? It was worth a shot.

So, here's how it went down. I quartered and de-seeded the red tomatoes, placing them cut side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. I sprinkled them with coarse sea salt, some dried basil, oregano, and a little lavender, and gave everything a good glug of extra virgin olive oil (which I had to run to the grocer's for). I did the same for the green tomatoes, skipping the de-seeding since they weren't as juicy inside.

After slowly roasting for about 6 hours, the smallest pieces were done, a little leathery, but still succulent inside. Another hour or two and I pulled them all out. Delicious! Some of the red ones went right onto a pizza, and the rest were placed in a small baggie to be frozen. I've now been gifted with a bucket of cherry and roma tomatoes that will get dried in the same fashion. Yay!

Late Summer Salsa

2009-09-10T18:51:00.006-04:00

There is a tree just around the corner from my house whose leaves have turned yellow-brown and are falling at the slightest provocation. I've gotten out the sweater socks and swapped the summer quilt for a thicker one. Yep. All signs point towards fall. I've almost committed to this being my favorite season. I love the air nipping at me and getting cozy with warm blankets, hot tea, and hoodies. And scarves. I simply relish the smell of decaying leaves and the way cooler air seems to sharpen that sense of smell.

By winter, coziness has lost its charm, and I pine for spring. The thrill of crocuses and daffodils! The glory of budding dogwoods and redbuds! The delight at tossing off winter coats and daring to go barefoot again! And so I just can't quite commit completely to fall.

But it is one of my top seasonal loves. In Number One spot for the time being. For better or for worse, fall is about here and there's no chance to preserve any more of summer (unless I do some sun-dried tomatoes yet). Our four plants (yes, all tomatoes) are slowing production, and in a few short weeks a good frost is going to nip any remaining buds. This evening I was seized by a nostalgic urge to make the most of the time I had left with my backyard produce. Inspired by some in-laws, I decided to make salsa (sans cilantro), using just what I had in my own backyard.

Colander in hand, I headed out to the tomato patch for the main ingredient--green and red roma's and golden nugget tomatoes yielded to a slight tug. I added two small bell peppers (we did plant some peppers, they just got--literally--overshadowed by the tomato plants). Next stop: herb patch. Basil, chives, rosemary, lavender, and marigold. And in the front flower bed, a tiny jalepeno that survived a slug-crunching early in the growing season. A quick rinse, a shake, some dicing and chopping, and viola! Salsa. It doesn't get much more local than this, folks! Below is a rendering of what I came up with.

Anita's Late Summer Salsa

2 cups diced assorted tomatoes
1 small bell pepper, diced (about 1/3 cup)
2 tsp minced fresh chives
2 tsp minced fresh basil
1/4 tsp minced fresh rosemary (I don't like a strong rosemary flavor)
1/4 tsp lavender flowers (careful not to add too many of these!)
1 pathetically small jalepeno, minced
Petals of one marigold
not from the garden:
1 tsp olive oil
juice from 1/2 a lemon
salt/pepper to taste

Instructions: are any needed? Stir ingredients together. Eat.

Served up with some fried plantains
(also not from our garden!)

Happy Last Week of Summer!

Mini Cini's

2009-09-10T09:33:00.003-04:00

Here's a fun, easy way to do cinnamon rolls. I made a batch of bread dough, then used one loaf's worth for cinnamon rolls. I wanted to make them small for camping, so I rolled them to about 3-in thickness, sliced, and placed them in well-greased muffin tins. So cute! They got a little glumpy after sitting in a container for three days, so I'd recommend eating them right away!

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

2009-08-31T20:56:00.005-04:00

A long time ago, I promised a recipe for these cupcakes. For those of you who have been holding your breath, well, sorry . . . I guess you've had to let it out a few times by now. But without further ado . . .

Vanilla Chai Cupcakes
(makes 15 - 17)

1/2 cup milk
1 bag chai tea*
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (because I can't resist)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg
6 TBSP butter, softened
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla

Heat milk and add chai tea; let steep while you assemble other ingredients. Sift flours (or all white flour, if you prefer), sugars, baking powder, and spices into a medium mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until incorporated. Fill muffin cups (or papers in cups!) 2/3 full of batter. Bake at 325F for 18 - 20 minutes or until done. These cupcakes still look white when they are completely baked, so check with a toothpick if you're unsure. I like to top these cupcakes with a cocoa frosting my sister-in-law gave me the recipe for (see below). A half-recipe made enough frosting for the cupcakes with some left over.

Fisher Family Cocoa Butter Frosting

1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBSP milk (or more as needed for the consistency you like)

With a whisk or fork mix ingredients in a small bowl, drizzling in milk until you have the consistency you like.

*If you don't have spiced tea make your own mix. For this batch I used a heaping teaspoon of black tea with 4 cardamom pods, 4 cloves, 5 peppercorns, and a bay leaf. Use any or all chai spices you like/have on hand. Ginger would have been a good addition.

Basic Bread

2009-08-28T23:26:00.003-04:00

Last year I went on a "basic bread quest". Not limiting myself to cookbooks I owned, I also borrowed from the library and found recipes on the internet that seemed to my liking. I was looking for a basic whole-wheat bread (but not ALL whole wheat) that wasn't too complicated and would give consistent results. Each time I made bread I used a new recipe, trying some a second time if they seemed promising. But for all my searching, it came back to the beginning for me. Esther Shank.

For some of you the name "Esther Shank" is totally meaningless. For others, it is roughly synonymous with a warm, busy kitchen where economy and good-sense reign; nothing is wasted, least of all pounds off the cook's middle. The back of her cookbook (titled, "Mennonite Country-Style Recipes & Kitchen Secrets") effuses with some charming rhyme: "Mennonite homemaker Esther H. Shank . . . has collected and perfected good recipes and food tips for 25 years. In this remarkable collection of more than 1,000 recipes and hundreds of hints for success, she shares her legacy of kitchen know-how". Indeed.

While there are some wonderful standard recipes (most of them marked by tell-tale oil or cocoa stains) that I can personally vouch for--Basic Pancakes, Delicious Chocolate Cake, and Buttermilk Biscuits for example--many of the recipes and ideas in the book seem outdated and unusable. The "Party Foods Recipes" section in particular takes my "Whoa-There!" cake. Besides "Surprise Hamburger Muffin Cups" and "Hot Dog Treats" (okay, so I admitted to liking hot dogs, but they either have to be from the diner downtown or sizzled to perfection over a campfire), there is the inscrutable "Elegant Party Loaf". The idea behind this is to take a loaf of bread, cut it into four horizontal slices, and slather each layer with a highly-mayonnaisized salad, chicken, egg, and ham. The loaf then gets cut so that each slice has layers of bread and salads. Elegant, no? From the first time I laid eyes on this page, I have been puzzled and repulsed.

But despite these occasional culinary ditches, I keep going back to Esther Shank for invaluable advice (on such varied topics as mattress-rotation and egg-poaching) and some of those standard recipes that will never go out of style. My basic bread recipe happens to be one of those. I have actually paper-clipped page 60 so that I can easily find it when the bread-baking urge hits.

My only changes to the recipe have been to use a 1-1 ratio of white to whole wheat flour rather than 2-1, respectively. I also have found that baking my loaves for the recommended 40 minutes results in a dry, crumbly texture rather than soft and moist how I like my bread.

Between the two of us, here's what I end up making (a half-recipe that yields two loaves):

Basic Whole Wheat Bread

1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 TBSP yeast
1 TBSP sugar
3/4 cup hot milk
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP molasses
2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups water
3 cups white flour (plus enough to gain the proper texture)
3 cups whole wheat flour (I often substitute one cup of another whole grain flour, such as rye tonight)

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and let sit. In a large-ish bowl dump oil, brown sugar, molasses and salt. Pour milk over all to dissolve. Add 1 1/4 cups cold water. Stir in yeast mixture. Add flours and knead until dough is sticky-smooth. I leave it a little sticky, not kneading too long. I then remove the dough from the pan and dump in about 2 TBSP of oil, returning the dough to the bowl and turning to coat. Cover and let rise until double. Shape loaves (2 9X5) and let rise again until double. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Once the bread comes out I use my mom's old trick to keep the crust soft: cover with towel, then a layer of plastic (a grocery bag usually covers both loaves), then another towel. Let cool. Before it's completely cool, I generally can't resist slicing into one of the loaves to "test" it. With butter and honey. YUM. I think my taste-tester said something like: "That's good, honey".

Confessions of a Foodie #2

2009-08-23T18:59:00.000-04:00

Alright. Tomato sandwiches are great, but their consistency as a menu item around here has left me with very little blogging material. Plus I'm just not up to the picture-uploading thing right now. Plus it's Sunday. Time for a confession.

I like hot dogs. I'm a little ashamed of publishing this. Especially being a person who calls herself a "foodie". My table should only be graced with the most wholesome of foods prepared with fresh, local ingredients and presented in the finest taste. Right? I'm supposed to shun so-called "foods" that contain a long list of obscure and un-pronouncable ingredients such as (hang on, let me find a highly processed food that's lurking about . . .) "thiamin mononitrate" and "sodium aluminosilicate"*.

But the fact is I don't have such a pristine criteria for what I consider "food" or even "good food" for that matter. I suppose I can chalk some of this up to sentimentalism. The family gathered around a crackling campfire. Forest sounds reverberating beyond our circle's cheery glow. A piece of unappetizing processed "meat" sizzles and spits as it cooks over the flames . . . Substitute "A lump of processed sugar substance puffs and goldens over the flames . . ." and I've explained away my craving for a nice toasted marshmallow too. It could be the association with good, family times that sends me into a downward hot-dog-craving spiral.

Or, I'll admit, it could just be plain "poor taste." (har, har). Pass the relish and mustard please.

*Ingredients culled from a (now-empty) "Cheez-It" box and container of "French Vanilla Coffee-mate"

Salsa, Salsa!

2009-08-19T21:43:00.004-04:00

I had a day off this week, so what did I do? Spent the whole day on my feet turning our garden roma tomatoes into salsa. I wished I'd planted some green peppers and onions to go into it. Maybe next year . . .

I started with my mom's salsa recipe and another one I found online, making up my own version as I went. Several hours and loads of sweat later, I ended up with about 16 pints. Yay!!!

Anita's Salsa Picante

Yield: about 16 pints

26 c. chopped roma tomatoes (skins, seeds, and all!)
4 1/2 c. chopped onion
4 c. chopped bell pepper
6 jalepenos, chopped (seeds and all!), plus two dried cayenne peppers, minced
2 TBSP sugar
4 1/2 TBSP salt
2 TBSP cumin
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 (10.75 oz.) can of tomato sauce
1 (6 oz.) can of tomato paste
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 bunch cilantro, chopped fine

I basically put everything in a pan and simmered until it was the right consistency and taste. I think I overcooked it, though, because everything got mushy. I added the vinegar, lime juice, and cilantro right at the end, did a quick taste check, and it was ready! Another time, I think I'll cook the "sauce" ingredients (tomato paste and sauce, spices, vinegar) and add to the tomato/onion/peppers mix without further cooking. Once you process them for 25 minutes in a boiling water bath, they'll probably get thoroughly cooked!

It's spicy!!!

Open Face

2009-08-13T23:54:00.003-04:00

Summertime is sandwich-time around here. With big, juicy tomatoes hanging off the vines, what more do you need? A slice of bread, some light mayo and horseradish . . . that's that!

Today for lunch I did a variation on my classic tomato sandwich. Remember the walnut pesto I made two days ago? After all the work that went into it, I felt the individual ingredients got a little lost on the pasta. So I tried spreading some on a slice of toast and throwing it in the toaster oven for a few seconds. Y.U.M. You can see where this is going . . . add a slice or two of tomato . . .

And another open-faced sandwich from this week. Venison sloppy joes with another round of Sweet Zingy Slaw.

Got any great summertime sandwich ideas to share?

Sweet Zingy Slaw

2009-08-11T21:24:00.002-04:00

Quite a supper tonight. After a weekend away (and very little cooking on my part) I was ready to get creative in my kitchen again. Before we'd left for our trip, I preemptively whacked the basil way back to prevent it from flowering while we were gone. They look a little sad. BUT, I've got this mound of basil all bagged up in the fridge, so pesto-something was in order.

We were also gifted recently with some lovely summer squash, and I'd bought a bag of shiitake mushrooms from Mom and Dad. Now how to get all these foods to the table . . .

The pesto was pretty straight forward. I used this recipe (1 cup basil leaves, 1/4 cup walnuts, 2 garlic cloves, olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon), whirring each ingredient separately in my mini-chopper and then stirring them all together with the oil and lemon juice. I added the Parmesan cheese right to the spaghetti when I stirred the pesto into it.

Next, mushrooms. I had some Stilton cheese leftover from a splurge purchase, so I combined that with some oatmeal, ground flax seed, and the mushroom stems (chopped fine) as a stuffing for the caps. Nice flavor, but a little dry.

And finally, the squash. This turned out to be my favorite dish of the meal, so I'm including the recipe (I actually measured all the ingredients this time!). Each bite was initially sweet, followed by the delicious burn of cayenne pepper.

Sweet Zingy Slaw

1 medium-sized summer squash
1 carrot
2 TBSP virgin olive oil
2 TBSP white vinegar
1 TBSP brown sugar
I tsp minced fresh dill
1 cayenne pepper, minced*
salt to taste (a few dashes for me)

Shred the summer squash and carrot into a bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the veggies. That's all! The "*" is because this was quite spicy. I threw in the whole pepper, seeds and all. I suggest starting with maybe a 1/2 pepper or discarding the seeds if you don't like that much bite. Alternatively, you could probably leave the pepper out altogether and cut the brown sugar in half for a sweet/tangy vibe.

Pan-bagnat

2009-08-02T18:57:00.003-04:00

A fabulous summer evening meal! Pronounced "pahn banYAHT" (apparently) this sandwich originally comes from the region of Nice, France. You can find all this information on the web (I first encountered it here). Far from its origins, what I made probably should not be called pan-bagnat. Maybe just "Squashed Loaf Sandwich".

Basically, you take a loaf of bread, stuff it with fresh veggies, and then squash it so that the juices soak into the bread. Some instructions say to hollow out the loaf; I left mine intact.

After cutting the loaf, I drizzled both sides with olive oil, then layered on the following veggies: slices of tomato (thanks, Bek!), mushroom slices, green peppers, purple onion, and torn basil leaves. I gave the pile of veggies a good dash of salt and pepper then closed the loaf, wrapped it in saran wrap, and squashed it under an upside-down chair and a planter (see black and white picture below). After about two and a half hours, I unwrapped the deflated sandwich sliced it, and served it up with a bowl of olives and glasses of lemonade. Bon apetit!

Anniversary Fare

2009-07-29T21:22:00.004-04:00

The Uncensored Chef is back from a 1st Anniversary getaway! It was nice to take a little break from the computer. =)

Since we didn't leave for our trip until a few days after our actual anniversary, I made my husband a nice dinner at home. My mom said that we should go out since it was a celebration for both of us, but I love to cook and had such a fun afternoon cooking up this meal (see the menu below)!

Appetizer
Bagel with Cream Cheese, Basil, and Golden Nugget Tomatoes

Salads
Green Salad with Cranberry Stilton Cheese
Basil and Bacon Potato Salad

Entree
Teriyaki Venison Oven Kebab over Brown Rice

Dessert
Rustic Shoofly Tart
Chocolate-dipped Strawberries

I really did spend the whole afternoon cooking! We were both hungry before dinner was ready, so I made the quick little bagel appetizers between chopping and baking . . . toasted bagel spread with cream cheese, topped with fresh, torn basil leaves and sliced golden nugget tomatoes. I added a dash of salt and pepper to complete it.

The venison "oven kebabs" (we don't have a grill) were great fun to do. I found a teriyaki marinade over at allrecipes.com that was meant for beef kebabs. I marinated the venison chunks in the fridge overnight. Prior to baking I added halved mushrooms, thick onion slices, and halved golden nugget tomatoes (our one plant is very productive right now!). I baked it all at 425F for about 20 minutes. Delicious served over brown rice!

For dessert, I wanted to make pie, because we had homemade pies at our wedding instead of cake. One of our favorites: shoofly. I also wanted to do chocolate-dipped strawberries since I'd just found some nice-looking strawberries for a good price. My dilemma: too much dessert. To solve the problem, I made a shoofly tart, using just half a recipe for the filling (we joked that it was a half-calorie pie!). I rolled the crust into a rough circle, big enough to fill a 9-inch pie plate to the rim. I put some of the crumbs onto the crust, ladled in the "wet" filling, dumped the rest of the crumbs on top, and gently folded the pie crust over the edge. I was nervous that the filling would bubble up over the crust, but it baked beautifully at 350F for about 20 minutes. It had a nice, moist bottom that night and turned cakier the next day, which made it perfect for an alfresco dessert downtown! The strawberries were yummy too!

Taste-tester spouts off effusively when asked for a comment. I think he's glad he married me.

A New Kitchen

2009-07-22T13:05:00.003-04:00

No, we're not renovating our small kitchen. I want to write about the kitchen I joined for today. Now that I'm only working three days a week, I've got some free time that I can do various things with. One of my goals was to go down to the OCP to hang out with my sister-in-law who is the kitchen manager there. Every day she sorts through an array of donated food items and turns them into warm, filling and delicious meals for anyone in town who wants to stop by for lunch.

When I got there at about 10:00 today, a group of women were already snapping yellow beans for lunch. My job assignment was to attack the mounds of squash and make squash cake. I didn't do a whole lot of attacking; the recipe only needed three medium-sized squash. This first assignment progressed slowly as I stopped every few moments to ask where such-and-such was located. My second cake--plum--went a lot faster. While the cakes baked a few of us decided to try making plum jam. We should have asked Sadie before cutting back on the sugar, because we actually ended up with plum syrup. We also drank plum smoothies while we worked and considered what a squash smoothie might taste like. Desperate ideas for desperate mounds of squash.

Before serving lunch, the community circled up and each person shared what he/she was thankful for. When it came my turn, I had to say I was thankful for my sister-in-law and all the hard work she does every day. And although I didn't add it, I was also thankful to get out of my little two-person kitchen for a morning and become part of a team, cooking for a whole community of people.

Apple-Wineberry Jam

2009-07-18T11:07:00.005-04:00

It's high berry season in our neck of the woods. We went wineberry picking again (remember the tarts?). This time I was determined to do something with more of a future. Jam.

I scoured the internet for good jam recipes, searching for raspberry jam since wineberry is a little less common. I found this recipe for raspberry apple jam which looked good to me since I had apples on hand, it didn't take pectin, and the apples would add some volume as the berries cooked down.

Anita's Apple-Wineberry Jam

4 cups wineberries
2 cups peeled, chopped apples (basically two apples)
2 cups sugar

Pretty simple. Just put everything into a pan over medium heat and cook until it's thick! I ended up using my stick blender towards the end to smooth out the apple chunks. I think I cooked it for about 50 minutes.

Of course, we had to try some right away!

The rest was ladled into jars and sealed. I processed them in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Meet the Jam Family below (I was seriously hoping they'd have more children!).

Beans & Rice 1

2009-07-16T21:05:00.005-04:00

I call this Beans & Rice 1 because I have so many variations on this theme! Tonight I just needed something fast and easy. It's too hot to cook for long. My beans and rice always include the following: oil, onions, garlic, canned chili's or hot pepper, cumin, salt, and cooked/canned beans. That's the basic, and it goes from there depending on how creative I'm feeling or what else I have on hand. Tonight I added tomato sauce for something different.

Beans & Rice 1

2 TBSP vegetable oil
1/2 med. onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
few pieces canned chili's
1 tsp. cumin
1 (15 oz.) can red beans
1/2 (15 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 chicken bullion cube
dash of brown sugar (maybe 1/2 tsp?)
salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the chili's and crush with stirring utensil. Add cumin, stir, and let cook a minute or so. Add beans,crushed tomatoes, chicken bullion, and about a 1/4 cup water and simmer until heated through. Eat over rice.

Tonight I topped my beans and rice with some raw shredded cabbage, diced golden nugget tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lime juice. Fresh mango slices sprinkled with cayenne pepper on the side. Cook's Word? Mmmmmmm . . . add some fresh cilantro and take it to another level of delish.

Quick Fix

2009-07-15T23:12:00.002-04:00

One of our favorite quick lunches or dinner (besides "root, hog, or die" or fast food) is a simple tuna melt. Nothing spectacular, just your favorite tuna salad (tuna, mayo, onions, celery, beans, pickles, shredded carrots, horseradish, whatever!) on a slice of bread or bagel. Top with a slice of tomato and shredded cheese--we like cheddar--and pop in the toaster oven for a minute or so until the cheese melts. When it comes out we often add a leaf of lettuce and sometimes hot sauce. Not what I'd call "pretty food" but simple and (usually) delicious!