Time to Cook

Dill Pickle Wraps

2011-11-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

1 jar dill pickles

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1-2 pkg. thin corned beef or ham slices

Method

Dry each pickle with a paper towel. Take about 1 tablespoon of softened cream cheese in your

hands and spread around the entire pickle. Then take 1-2 slices of corned beef and wrap them

around the pickle. Repeat for as many pickles as you want. Chill. Just before serving, slice the

wrapped pickles into 1/2 inch slices and arrange on a plate.

Cheesy Potatoes

2011-11-21T18:01:00.000-08:00

CHEESY POTATOES
Ingredients
2 lbs. hash browns, thaw slightly
2 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 pt. (12 oz.) sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 onion, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ c. melted butter
Crushed corn flakes
Method
Mix all ingredients, except butter. Put into buttered casserole. Let stand a few minutes before
baking. Sprinkle crushed corn flakes on top. Pour over 1/2 cup melted butter. Bake 1 hour at
350 degrees.
Note: Can prepare ahead and refrigerate, but put corn flakes on at last minute.

Taylor's Traditional Cranberry Sauce

2011-11-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

We found this recipe years ago in a book called Thanksgiving Fun: Great Things to Make and Do by Ronne Randall and Annabel Spenceley. My daughter Taylor has been making it for years, now, and has improved it with the addition of crushed pineapple and a pinch of cinnamon. The best part is watching all of the children gather around the pot to see the cranberries pop. Serve it with generous dollops of homemade whipped cream.

Source: Thanksgiving Fun: Great Things to Make and Do

Ingredients

2 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen

¼ cup orange juice

¼ cup water

1 cup sugar

1 can crushed pineapple, drained well

a pinch of cinnamon

Heat everything except the pineapple in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring gently, for about

7-10 minutes. Pretty soon, the cranberries will start popping open! That's the fun part! When

they've all popped, add the pineapple. Cool, refrigerate, and serve with whipped cream.

Curried Lentils

2011-03-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite recipes, My Favorite Lentil Soup, comes from Jane Brody's Good Food Book, a cookbook I bought when my eldest son was still in my tummy 20 years ago. I've enjoyed every recipe I've made from that book, but often overlook it when I'm in the mood to try something new. One afternoon, I had an overabundance of lentils and an underabundance of money, so I pulled Brody's book off the shelf, hoping for some more Brody magic. After I cooked up her Curried Lentils, I was hooked. Everyone in the house loved it over a dish of piping-hot basmati rice and a hunk of bread. We make it as a side dish to Chicken Paprikash and it's always a hit. The one difference between my version and Brody's is that I don't drain the lentils. The sauce oozes into rice perfectly!

The "time" involved in this dish is about a half-hour for the lentils to cook, but, other than that, it's an extremely simple dish and very inexpensive to make.

@@@@@*******........********@@@@@

1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked through for debris or stones
3 cups broth or water (use vegetable broth or water for a delicious vegan dish!)
2 large onions, chopped
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder

In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, water or broth, half of the onions and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender.
While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and cook until they begin to brown. Turn off heat and add minced garlic and curry powder.
When lentils are soft, add the curry powder mixture to the lentils and stir well. Heat through.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2010-02-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Even though it's mid-winter and the temperature outside was hovering around 7 degrees F., it was time to grill. I had purchased some boneless chicken breast and was having a hankering for some Chicken Bryan. We'd just purchased a new charcoal grill after ours had faithfully served us for many years and then fallen completely apart, and we had a nice pile of charcoal to go with it after the previous evening's boneless sirloin dinner, so I convinced my husband (it didn't take much) to fire up the grill and toss on the chicken part of the Chicken Bryan. While he was seasoning and grilling the chicken, 14-year-old Aleks and I put together the sauce and side dishes. One of our favorite Italian restaurants serves Chicken Bryan with garlic mashed potatoes, which is a simply delicious vehicle for the extra sun-dried tomato and basil sauce that slides off of the grilled chicken breasts. Whether you make this as a side for Chicken Bryan or for a simple grilled sirloin, you'll love the zip of these potatoes.

⁂*..*⁂*..*..*⁑*..*※*..*..⁂*..*⁂*..*..*⁑*..*※*..*..

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Serves 4-6

10 medium russett potatoes, peeled and diced
1 1/2 sticks butter (12 tablespoons butter), room temperature
3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
3 tablespoon heavy cream, room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remember to always start your potatoes in COLD water. Put just enough water in a medium saucepot to cover the potatoes. Salt the water, and then bring it to a boil. Once they start boiling, set timer for 5 minutes. Check potatoes occasionally for tenderness. They should be fork tender (a fork easily inserts into the piece of potato) but not so tender that they disintigrate in the water. Drain potatoes and return to the saucepan.

Add the butter, sour cream, heavy cream and garlic to the potatoes, mashing with a potato masher. Add more heavy cream if the potatoes aren't creamy enough. Season with additional salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with fresh chives and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Garlic Chicken with White Wine Sauce

2010-01-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

This delicious recipe comes from Simply Recipes with a couple of minor modifications, including this garlic technique learned from Cooks Illustrated; when using whole cloves of garlic in a recipe like this, save yourself some time by throwing the heads in your stand mixer with the paddle blade attached. The blade will batter the heads apart, leaving you with cloves that have been lightly crushed and ready to use. Toss out whatever loose paper remains, but throw the cloves with the bits of paper attached right in. As Elise says, they add flavor. When you're done with this fabulous dish, you'll be left with a pot of liquid gold, as it produces much more sauce than you'll need for your meal. Don't throw it out, for heaven's sake! Strain it through a fine-mesh strainer, chill, remove excess fat from the top, and use it in your favorite soup or stew. I used mine in Beef Vegetable Stew, substituting it for the bouillon and other seasonings, and the family was amazed by the increase in flavor over how the recipe is usually made. And as my friend D.J. says, don't cook with a wine you wouldn't drink. I used Sauvignon Blanc, just as Elise suggested, and it was fabulous. Serve with lightly mashed Yukon Gold potatoes seasoned with salt and black pepper. If you want to take the time, fish a handful of the cooked garlic pieces (skins off--the skins will have slipped right off or easily will when you pick them up; careful, they'll be hot!) from the wine sauce and add them before you mash the potatoes. A hunk of crusty bread, a green salad, and you're so well-fed, you won't believe it.

***ooo...ooo***ooo...ooo***ooo...ooo***ooo...ooo

Garlic Chicken with White Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

4 lbs chicken pieces--quarters, thighs, bone-in-breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 whole heads of garlic
Cooking oil
1 ¼ cup dry white wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc
2 teaspoons of dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
(definitely use sprigs of fresh herbs if you have them, but as it's winter in Ohio, I don't)

Directions:
1 Toss heads of garlic, one at a time, into the stand mixer with paddle attached. Turn on medium-low and let the mixer separate the cloves, bruise them a bit, and knock off the extra skin. Don't peel the garlic, but dispose of any paper that fell off during the mixing process.

2 Trim the chicken pieces of excess fat. Pat dry and sprinkle pieces generously with salt and pepper.

3 Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven or roasting pan on medium high. Working in batches, brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Lay the chicken pieces on the hot oil, do not move until browned, then turn over to other side using tongs (about 3 minutes per side). Remove to a platter when browned.

4 Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the garlic, skins on, and sauté until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Take a HUGE whiff, 'cause this smells doggone GOOD! Add the wine and the herbs. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken pieces. Reduce the heat to medium low.

5 Cover the pan and simmer on the stovetop until the chicken is cooked through. Move the chicken pieces from top to bottom every 5 minutes for about 20 minutes. Chicken is done when a meat thermometer inserted into thickest part reads 180°F for thighs and 170°F for breasts.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chicken pieces to a platter; spoon garlic sauce over the chicken.

Shortbread Cookies

2009-12-12T19:00:00.000-08:00

Can there be anything as delicious, delicate and delightful as a good shortbread cookie and a big cup of milk or hot cocoa? These cookies are one of our standards for Christmas. Sometimes we sprinkle them with a bit of sugar before baking, and sometimes we dip them in melted milk chocolate. However you choose to make them, be sure you start with good quality room temperature butter and real vanilla. Using a 1/2 cup of cornstarch makes these cookies melt in your mouth even faster!

+...+...+...+...+...+...+...+...+...+...+...+...+...+...+

Shortbread Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until smooth, 1 minute. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, another 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and mix. On the second lowest speed of your mixer, add the flour, cornstarch and salt until combined with the butter. Flatten the dough into a disk shape and place in a baggie, then chill for an hour, or more, if you want to make the cookies later.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Using a lightly floured cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Place cookies on the parchment-lined sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges of cookies are lightly brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Makes about 2 dozen small cookies.

Turkey Carcass Soup

2009-11-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions is to make Turkey Carcass Soup the day after the Big Feast. First of all, I just love the name. It sounds so...barbaric and medieval. Secondly, it's absolutely delicious and feels very resourceful to use all of the turkey this way. I discovered this recipe years ago in Jane Brody's Good Food Cookbook, one of my all-time favorite cookbooks.

Add a loaf of homemade bread, and you've got yourself an amazing meal.

******......******:::******......******::: ******......******

Turkey Carcass Soup

Ingredients:

Stock:
Turkey carcass, broken into pieces
Any defatted pan juices or leftover gravy
12 cups of water, or enough to cover the carcass completely
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 ribs of celery with leaves, coarsely chopped
½ cup diced carrots
½ cup diced well-washed leek (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt, if desired
Bouquet garni, made by tying in cheesecloth:
6 sprigs fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes)
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
Soup:
½ onion, finely copped
2 - 3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced carrots
½ cup diced celery
1 ½ tablespoons flour
6 - 7 cups turkey stock
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
⅓ cup raw barley or rice
1 cup diced turkey meat
Hot pepper sauce, to taste (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives

Directions:
For the stock, combine all the ingredients in a large stock pot, bring the stock to a boil and simmer it, partially covered for 2 to 3 hours. (It tastes better the longer it simmers, but be careful not to cook away the liquid.)

Strain the stock; cool, then skim off the fat.

Remove all of the meat from the bones and refrigerate for adding to the soup later. Discard other vegetables, bones, turkey skin, etc. Makes 10 - 12 cups.

To make the soup, in a large stockpot saute the onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add the carrots and celery and mushrooms and cook the vegetables for an additional 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add the flour and stir for one minute.

Add the stock, marjoram, salt and pepper, and barley or rice. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover the pot, and simmer the soup for about 1 hour. Add the turkey meat and hot pepper sauce. Adjust seasonings, and heat the soup to boiling. Sprinkle the soup with parsley just before serving.

Aunt Marilyn's Potato Soup

2009-11-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

The girls visited with their Aunt Marilyn over the summer. What a wonderful time they had! They talk and talk and talk and talk about the fun and the arguments and the adventures. And they also talk about the food! Specifically, they talk about the potato soup.

So I called Aunt Marilyn for her potato soup recipe, and she gave it to me over the phone. She has that gift of cooking without recipes, a gift that I just didn't get in my life. So her recipe was "some of this," and "add that." I did it...and it worked!

Here's my version of Aunt Marilyn's Potato Soup. Enjoy!

*ooOoo*...*ooOoo*...*ooOoo*...*ooOoo*...*ooOoo*...*ooOoo*

Aunt Marilyn's Potato Soup

Take a big soup pot and fill it with cold water.
Wash 5 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes and cut them into bite-sized cubes.
Put the potatoes in the water as you go.
When they are all cut, drain the water, rinse the potatoes in the pot, drain again, and then fill the pot to just above the potatoes.
Cut up two large onions into bite-sized pieces. Add to the potatoes. Add more cold water to cover, if necessary. Don't add to much water because you won't be removing any from the pot when the potatoes are done cooking.
Salt well.
Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a slow boil or fast simmer.
Cook until potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart.
While potatoes are cooking, crisp 1to 2 pounds of bacon (depending on how much you like bacon) and crumble when done.
When potatoes are finished, add 2 sticks of butter and a pint of heavy cream (or more, if you want it creamier).
Add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste.
OPTIONAL: If you want a thicker soup, remove three cups of potatoes and put them into a blender or food processor and puree, then add back to the soup.
Add 2 cups of grated high-quality sharp white cheddar cheese, stirring constantly so that cheese doesn't sink to the bottom unmelted.
Top with more shredded white cheddar and crisp bacon bits and a twist of fresh black pepper.
Serve with warm, crusty bread.

Classic Pesto, aka, "That Green Stuff"

2009-08-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

Woe unto me for neglecting my beloved food blog for so very long. As one reader wrote, "The guacamole song was great, but isn't it time for an update?"

Yes, it is. And since I'm taking care of neglected things, I'll share a recipe I've neglected to post.

My young friend Lemony happened to be visiting us during basil season last year, and she was grateful for her very first taste of pesto. This year, I direct-seeded a whole row of Profuma di Genova and Italian Pesto basil from seed purchased from Renee's Garden Seeds. I was worried that I had planted a bit too early, since basil doesn't care for cold, and then, when the tiny, fragrant leaves emerged from the ground, I was worried that I had planted them too closely at the front of the row and too sparsely at the back. But after transplanting a few and reseeding a few more, I have a full, beautiful crop of basil with enough to spare to anyone who asks (so feel free to ask!).

Last week, dear Lemony was here again. For the past year, she has been asking me to post the recipe for that "delicious green stuff," but I was certain I'd already posted it. Alas, I had not. But I did make two batches, one for immediate consumption and one for my two eldest, Lemony and their other friends to take to Lollapalooza. I just received a tweet from Lemony saying, "We're out of pesto. Send help."

As much as I'd like to take all of the credit for this delicious "green stuff," I have to admit that this pesto recipe comes from Renee's Garden's cookbook, Recipes from a Kitchen Garden. This book, along with More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden, are simply necessary for those who eat seasonally, whether it's from your own garden or from the local farmer's market. Uses for all of that delicious fresh produce and herbs pack each book. There is a generous sampling of the recipes on Renee's Garden's website as well. As you might be able to tell, I'm a big fan of Renee's Garden, seeds, cookbooks and all. If you read about Renee's Garden, I think you'll see why.

And now that I have searched my blog, I see that I've failed to share Renee's Garden's recipe for Orzo Casserole, too! Oh, my. Maybe tomorrow? Look for it!

*_-_-_-_*...o0o...*_-_-_-_*...o0o...*_-_-_-_*...o0o...*_-_-_-_*...o0o...

Classic Fresh Pesto Sauce
(slightly adapted)

Can be frozen for later use!

3 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 large cloves garlic (more if you love it!)
1/2 cup pine nuts or pecan meats
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (be sure to use freshly grated cheese from a block, not the pre-grated stuff in plastic containers)
1 tsp fresh oregano or marjoram
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 to 1/3 cup fruity olive oil
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients, except olive oil and salt, in a food processor or blender. Slowly add enough olive oil to make a thick, smooth sauce. Add salt to taste. Serve on fresh pasta or toasted rustic bread. Makes about 2 cups.

The Guacamole Song (with Recipe)

2009-01-28T16:03:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm breaking my own rule here because Guacamole really doesn't take long to make at all, but maybe if you count loading this video, writing down the ingredients, and *then* making the recipe, it will take long enough to qualify as something that takes "time to cook," even though there's no cooking involved. If you have dial-up, that's even better. Make sure you check out Rhett and Link's other videos, too.

Potted Chicken: An Update!

2009-01-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

We've really been enjoying potted chicken recently. Today, I'm making two chickens in my electric roaster and I've heaped it full of russet potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic. While teaching 17-year-old Zach to make it today, I decided that I needed to update it a bit with the variations I've made.

For one thing, I've taken to rubbing the chicken with a rosemary spice rub before putting it in the pot. Secondly, I've adapted the way I do the lemons--I don't take the peels off. I've found that it's not only a royal pain, but it also makes it hard to use that wonderful golden goo that's leftover because there's too much lemon pulp in the goo. Also, because it's not in season, I'm omitting the fresh rosemary, and because I'm using the spice rub, I'm omitting the pepper and salt. Also, since oranges are inexpensive right now, I'm substituting some of the lemons with oranges.

Here's the variation:

.o.>^'~'^<.o.>^'~'^<.o.>^'~'^<.o.>^'~'^<

Potted Chicken with Rosemary Spice Rub

Rub:

1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs. onion salt
1 Tbs. seasoned salt, such as Lawry's
1 Tbs. garlic salt
2 Tbs. paprika
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1-1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 Tbs. dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
1/4 tsp. cayenne

Combine all the ingredients and blend well.

1 locally-raised, free-range (preferably organic) roasting chicken
6-10 whole heads of garlic, rinsed, cut in half side-to-side (giving a cross-section look). Remove any loose papery skin, but leave heads as much intact as possible
2 large lemons
1 large orange
4 large onions, sliced
olive oil
heaps of baby carrots or cleaned carrots cut into small chunks
handfuls of chunked potatoes, either Yukon Gold or red-skinned potatoes

In a dutch oven, lay the sliced onions and 4 of the cut heads of garlic. Rub the spice rub all over the chicken, inside and out. Cut lemons and oranges in quarters (or eighths, depending on the size of the fruit). Stuff the chicken with the lemon and orange wedges, several more of the heads of garlic, more onion, and then sprinkle with spice rub.

Top the whole thing with as many heads of garlic and slices of onion as you like. Tuck as many carrots and potatoes as you would like or can fit around and on top of the chicken. Sprinkle with more a bit more spice rub. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake, covered, (I use the cast iron dutch over my mother-in-law got me last Christmas) in a 350 degree F oven for about 3 hours. The chicken will literally fall off of the bone. Dig the garlic heads out, scoop the buttery-soft garlic out of the skins and spread on the chicken or on pieces of crusty bread, like the No-Knead Rosemary Bread or Genovese Basil Bread. Serve the carrots and potatoes on the side. When you've finished the meal, separate the chicken from the bones and skin and use it later for delicious chicken salad. Transfer all of the garlic pulp, juices and soft onions to another container and use it for a stock base or a fabulous gravy for your next batch of redskin mashed potatoes.

How About You: What Are Your Favorite Pizza Toppings?

2009-01-10T07:04:00.001-08:00

Last night, we had another one of our pizza-making marathons. 13-year-old Aleks made the crusts, I made the sauce, and everyone pitched in making a pizza.

Having a pizza night is a lot like opening gifts on Christmas morning. I peek into the oven, see that the pie is done, grab the tongs and ease the creation off of the pizza stone, and transfer it to our butcher block island where it's cut and served right from there. Each new pie holds surprises. Last night, Aleks made a buffalo chicken-ranch pizza with fresh sliced garlic and basil, frozen from our summer's bounty. Mine was a white pizza with lots of mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano and minced garlic. There's always a combination of interesting flavors. We toss on marinaded artichokes, green olives and feta, or a simple garlic butter, basil, feta, kosher salt and red pepper flakes. Aleks loves to make a dipping sauce for the crust out of olive oil, salt, basil, italian seasonings and red pepper flakes.

What are your favorite pizza toppings? What's the most unconventional pizza you've ever made? If you've never made pizza from scratch, what's stopping you?

Can't wait to hear your responses!

My Current Obsession: MacGourmet

2009-01-07T04:36:00.000-08:00

Don't you love it when you're not even looking and a great tool falls right into your life? The other day I was searching for some killer writing software, and MacGourmet Deluxe politely waved to me from my Google Search window. Of course I had to go check it out. And since it was designed for Mac, I really had to check it out. And since there's a 20 session full-version free trial, I had to really, really check it out.

Downloading is easy. The learning curve is gentle. Within just a few minutes, with the help of Safari, I was importing recipes from Time to Cook as well as many of my other favorite food blogs.

This is a fabulous find for me because one of my life's goals is to collect all of my recipes in one place, create a cookbook, and give a copy to each of my five children. MacGourmet makes that very easy and even pretty fun.

From the Mariner website, creator of MacGourmet and MacGourment Deluxe, you can:

• Build, print, and share your own cookbook from your recipe collection.

• Use the Mealplan feature to plan and organize meals. Since this is a Mac program, you can Sync your plans with iCal.

• Easily calculate the nutritional content of your recipes.

• Publish your recipes to your .mac account or to your web site.

• Manage your wine collection by recording notes about your favorite wines.

• Import recipes from your favorite online source.

• Create shopping lists from the Weekly Meal Planner or from one or more recipes.

• Store and manage all your cooking notes.

• Organize your collection with SmartLists.

• Plan a meal using the Cupboard find or Potluck find features.

There are a few things about the software that I don't care for, like the inability to customize the layout before creating PDF files, or to customize the preparation, course or categories lists (I'd like to add courses, equipment and categories) and the limited "help" files, but it's definitely miles above my current system of throwing my recipes in a ring binder or in a drawer in the kitchen. Plus, the "Clippings" feature, which allows you to go to any website, select the recipe and import it into the recipe editor, is simply killer and in itself is worth the $44.95 purchase price (you can only do five clippings per session with the trial version). This feature only works with Safari, Camino and Opera web browsers.

When I've entered all of my favorite recipes, I'll print them on cardstock, laminate them, and put them together with a single binder ring. They can even be color-coded according to category, like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Kids' Recipes, etc. I have a few recipes like this from years ago and they've held up perfectly.

I also plan to create a cookbook which can then be sent to self-publishing services like Lulu, CreateSpace and CafePress and then given as gifts to friends and family.

If you have a Mac, you really must give MacGourmet Deluxe a try.

My Current Obsession: The Splendid Table

2008-09-08T07:13:00.000-07:00

When my new iPod Touch arrived in all of its glory, one of the first things I did was take the advice of my college-age daughter--I packed my pod with podcasts from every source I could think of. One of the great gifts that fell into my favor is The Splendid Table, an American Public Media program described as "the show for people who love to eat," and indeed it is. One listen to TST and I was hooked, making my way through the archives at lightning speed while folding laundry, driving in my car, or walking on the trail. TST features fascinating segments on all things food, whether it's the locavore movement, the food scene in Moscow, eating to increase your longevity, improvising dishes, or roadside diners along The Mother Road, Route 66, the potential for learning and bringing something new and lasting to your own table is practially bottomless. Even the philosophy that comes from TST is astounding, and I often find myself nodding my head in agreement when I hear guests spouting wisdom, such as this tidbit by Neal Rosenthal, wine merchant and author of the book Reflections of a Wine Merchant:

"We passed through a period of a decade or so where people gave up their right to choose. We became a bit slavishly entrapped in a media process which is to say that people would give over their choice of selecting to things that were praised in the press, but I sense there's a revival of all things artisan.We appreciate what values this brings to our life and our culture."

This bit of wisdom was in reference to consumers' wine choices, but it could be applied to all foods. We, as an American culture, are in danger of allowing mega-stores to make our food choices for us. One look at a natural foods distributor's catalog and we begin to see what foods we're missing, what we won't find at our local Everything*Mart chain. Things like Greek yogurt, heirloom tomatoes, truly artisan breads and cheeses, high-quality baking products, fair trade chocolates and beverages are not available in these places, and if they are, their quality will likely diminish, their power to choose their growing practices decrease, and the cost of transporting will continue to rise. And once they're the only guy on the block, what they choose will become what we choose, and our local farmers, dairy producers, bakeries, winemakers, and orchards will suffer and, eventually, disappear. We will shop ourselves right out of our choices, and right out of our unique communities.

And if you think this isn't important, think about this piece of information by Dan Buetter, author of The Blue Zones, Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who've Lived the Longest, also a guest on TST.

"Food plays about 25-30% of longevity. All of the longest-living people eat mostly plants. Gardening is an ideal longevity activity because it reduces stress, uses the range of motion, and you emerge with organic vegetables. Having a sense of purpose, to know why you wake up in the morning, you're going to eat better food, exercise, and be more engaged with the world."

What we choose to eat, how we grow it, how we harvest it, and how we feel about our purpose in life are three major contributors to living a long and healthy life. Do we feel a sense of purpose by buying our foods from a mega-store shelf? Do we contribute to the sense of purpose of others by purchasing items that are not fairly produced? Do we have a first-hand (literally) part in producing our own foods straight from our garden, which increases our physical health in multiple ways, from getting fresh air, gentle stretching, contact with the earth, and receiving the ultimate in fresh foods?

But there is more than food philosophy on TST. They bring practical tips to the table, too. Recipes and cooking tips abound. Just listening to charming host Lynne Rossetto Kasper's ideas on improvisation has inspired me to step outside of my cookbook-bound comfort zone to create dishes that rely on what I have in my garden and in my community. Here's a spin on Lynne's suggestion for a potted chicken, as given on the August 1st show in response to a call-in guest's request for suggestions for a braid of garlic.

Potted Chicken

1 locally-raised, free-range (preferably organic) roasting chicken
6-10 whole heads of garlic, rinsed, cut in half side-to-side (giving a cross-section look). Remove any loose papery skin, but leave heads as much intact as possible
4 large lemons
4 large onions, sliced
olive oil
kosher salt
fresh-ground pepper
fresh sprigs of rosemary
heaps of baby carrots or cleaned carrots cut into small chunks
handfuls of chunked potatoes, either Yukon Gold or red-skinned potatoes

In a dutch oven, lay the sliced onions and 4 of the cut heads of garlic. Salt and pepper the chicken very generously inside and out. Remove the rind from the lemons and cut them in half, or scoop out the lemon pulp. Stuff the chicken with the lemon pulp, several more of the heads of garlic, more onion, and then sprinkle in more salt and pepper and a few sprigs of rosemary.

Top the whole thing with as many heads of garlic, slices of onion and sprigs of rosemary as you like. Tuck as many carrots and potatoes as you would like or can fit around and on top of the chicken. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper and more rosemary sprigs. Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven for about 3 hours. The chicken will literally fall off of the bone. Dig the garlic heads out, scoop the buttery-soft garlic out of the skins and spread on the chicken or on pieces of crusty bread, like the No-Knead Rosemary Bread or Genovese Basil Bread. Serve the carrots and potatoes on the side. When you've finished the meal, separate the chicken from the bones and skin and use it later for delicious chicken salad. Transfer all of the garlic pulp, juices and soft onions to another container and use it for a stock base or a fabulous gravy for your next batch of mashed potatoes. If you're lucky enough to live on a farm, feed all of the bones and skin to your pig, which you'll eat later!

And be sure to check out The Splendid Table. You'll thank me.

Easy enough for a child to make...

2008-09-08T06:11:00.001-07:00

What's a great project for a child on a cool fall morning? No-knead rosemary bread, of course!

13 year old Monet, 9 year old Sweetheart and 5 year old Baby made their rosemary bread with verbal help from mama, from determining the right temperature of the water (warm, not hot or cold), to the measuring of the ingredients, to the harvesting of the rosemary, to the slathering on of the olive oil (what fun!) and finishing up with the eating of the final product. Monet even improvises a dipping oil which I will have him post for your enjoyment later this afternoon.

In the meantime, enjoy the photos of my previously posted No-Knead Rosemary Bread!

Mixing the yeast into the warm water.

Measuring the flour and salt.

Snipping in the fresh rosemary.

A pleasant goo.

After rising.

Place it in baguette pans, or...

...a cast-iron skillet (or other baking pan/dish), slather with olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt.

Snip some more rosemary on top.

Bake until golden brown!

It's not a tall loaf. Think of it as more of a thick foccacia.

Spread with real butter or dip in an olive oil mixture...

...and enjoy!

Another No-Knead Recipe: Rosemary Bread

2008-08-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

When we host houseconcerts, we ask people to bring along a healthy snack, whether that means a bowl of fruit, a tray of veggies, or their homemade Italian Eggplant Caponata. Often, people will bring their signature dishes, and it's not unusual to find the kitchen butcher-block buffet heavy with likes of a fabulous vegetable curry, espresso chocolate chip cookies, homemade cheeses, and delicious breads.

During one particular concert, the musician made a point of thanking the guests for loading him up with such exceptional foods, and he said that he didn't want to exclude anyone, but that the rosemary bread was just to die for. Indeed it was. It took me a while to ask for the recipe, but now that I have it, my rosemary plants are in danger of being stripped bare.

This is similar to Daniel Lahey's No-Knead Bread, but this one requires no kneading at all and only takes a little over two hours, start to finish, to make. I can imagine you could use other herbs, if you like, and I plan on trying it out with basil, tarragon or oregano.

This dough is extremely wet, so if you end up with a big, gooey mess after the mixing and the first rising period, you haven't done anything wrong. Just grease up your hands before you pull the mass from the rising bowl, and make sure you oil your baking pan well before slopping the dough onto it. Make two batches. You'll be glad you did.

#`~~`~`#3#3###----#`~~`~`#3#3####`~~`~`#3#3###`~`~~`#

No-Knead Rosemary Bread
Courtesy of Sonia S.
(makes 2 loaves)

2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 cups flour (I use bread flour, but you might be able to use all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons salt
Extra virgin olive oil
A handful of fresh rosemary, hard stem removed and chopped
Kosher salt

Mix yeast and water in large bowl. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt and a small handful of chopped rosemary. Add to yeast and water. Blend with a spoon until mixed and the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl (will be gooey). Cover and let rise for 1 hour, 20 minutes. Grease a cookie sheet or two-loaf baguette pan with olive oil. Grease your hands and dump the dough into two loaves, forming rough elongated loaf shapes with your hands. Pat with olive oil, sprinkle with chopped rosemary and a dusting of kosher salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and then at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with delicious pesto, butter, or olive oil mixed with fresh basil, crushed red pepper, crushed fresh garlic, a bit or oregano and kosher salt to taste.

Let me know what you think!

Cooking in Cast Iron.

2008-07-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

The post for Lahey's No-Knead Bread was linked on Cooking in Cast Iron. It's a very interesting site, so please go check them out!

Photo from Cooking in Cast Iron.

No-Knead Bread--The Trend Makes It to the Sticks

2008-07-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

After church this morning, I walked up to my friend Susan to ask if she'd be interested in splitting a case of bread flour through our church co-op, and she asked me if I'd tried the No-Knead bread recipe. My jaw dropped. How had she known? Just the day before, I'd finished serving the last bits of my first No-Knead Bread venture, and it was definitely a big hit. "It's making its rounds," she said. Well, yeah, but why did it take me so long to find out about it?

The No-Knead bread recipe was first published in the New York Times, and republished everywhere (many people feared they'd take away the link or start charging for it). There have been corrections, updates and adaptations everywhere, including the Almost No-Knead Bread Recipe put out by Cook's Illustrated, which includes many variations--The Olive, Rosemary, Parmesan looks the most appealing to me, but you have to have a subscription to see the recipe. It appears that the first printing of the NYT version had a misprint, that there should be only a cup and a half of water, not one and 5/8 (who has a 5/8 measuring cup, anyway?) and I wondered, too, if the water had to be warm, or room temp, or did it even matter? As if that's not enough, there seems to be some debate about the definition of "instant" yeast. I used what I normally use, SAF-instant yeast, which I buy at a local bulk food store or through our co-op.

So, even with my minimal knowledge of the recipe, and my moderate amount of bread-baking experience, the final product was a great success.

This definitely qualifies as a recipe that takes time, but time is really all it takes. Everything else is buttah, as easy as...well, as easy as no-knead bread. Mix this up right before dinner, and you'll be ready to make it the next day for lunch. The only special equipment needed is a dutch oven, though it can be any kind of dutch oven--cast iron, ceramic, Pyrex, enamel--and cotton cloths.

So take some time, and make some bread.

....oOo....****^^^^****....oOo....

No-Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1 1/2 hours plus 14 to 20 hours' rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1.5 cups warm water
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1.5 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for 18 hours (yes, 18...12 will work, but 18 is the best), at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.

Genovese Basil Bread

2008-07-04T10:55:00.000-07:00

On a cool, rainy holiday when Toby is out working on the cabin and the garden weeds will wait until the sun comes up, baking bread is at its best. And when there's an abundance of basil in the garden, that's the time to make Genovese Basil Bread.

This recipe is made in a similar fashion to french bread, so you'll roll out the dough with a rolling pin and then roll each piece up jelly-roll style.

The recipe makes four small baguette-type loaves, so if you've got a hungry clan, you'll want to make several batches!

_o_ooo-*-***_o_ooo-*-***_o_ooo-*-***_o_ooo-*-***

Genovese Basil Bread

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves, coarsely chopped and lightly packed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 package dry yeast
1 cup very warm water (105-115 degres F)
2.5 to 3 cups bread flour, plus a bit more for dusting
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in a heavy, large skillet (I love my cast iron skillets!) over low to medium heat. Add basil and garlic and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Dissolve the yeast in water in a small bowl. Let it stand for ten minutes.

Mound 2.5 cups of flour onto your work surface or in a large bowl (I use my stand mixer); make a well in the center. Add the dissolved yeast, basil mixture, salt and pepper to the well. Mix the ingredients that are in the well, and then incorporate the flour. Knead on a lightly floured surface until it's firm and elastic, adding a bit more flour if it's sticky, for several minutes (on 4 on your KitchenAid stand mixer for 10 minutes).

Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl, turning once to coat with oil, and then cover it to let it rise until it's doubled, about 45 minutes, depending on the warmth in the rising space.

Grease a baking sheet. Punch down the dough. Knead it on a lightly floured surface until it's smooth, about three minutes. Cut the dough into four pieces (or two pieces, for a longer loaf) and then roll one out on a lightly-floured surface to an 8 x 5 1/2" rectangle (longer if you're making two loaves instead of four).

Roll it up jelly-roll style, starting at one long end. Transfer to the greased baking sheet, seam side down, then do the rest of the pieces the same way. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes, until the pieces are doubled.

While they're rising, preheat your oven to 450 degrees farenheit.

When the rolls have risen, slash them from one end to the other with a serrated knife and a confident hand. Bake them for about 30 minutes, or until they're golden in color and sound hollow when you tap on the bottom of a roll.

Voila!

And a finished product! Yes! Delicious with REAL butter!

Growing!

2008-07-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

The season is flying by, and the garden is shooting up! And even though there are a few snow peas on the vines, and I made my first chocolate zucchini cake of the season, and there are a few blossoms on the nasturtiums, I don't really feel like the garden is "ready" until the tomatoes are ripe and plump and plentiful.

But that doesn't mean the garden isn't plentiful already! It's bursting forth with loads of hollyhocks, tarragon, mint, parsley, swiss chard, rosemary and just the beginnings of a large crop of basil. The lettuce season is just about over, as is the broccoli and cauliflower, but I have yet to see a brussels sprout or eat a green bean, so we still have a long way to go (though I do see the sprouts starting to form and there are little tiny beans on the bushes!).

What else is in the garden?

Red Raspberries and Yellow Squash...

Plums...

Peaches...

Container Swiss Chard...

Hollyhocks and Scarecrows...

Radish-flavored Nasturtiums...

Lots and lots of tomato blossoms, and a few little bugs...

Bees...

And more bees...

Enough basil to feed and army...

Mammoth Snow Peas...

Climbing Nasturiums (well, you can't see them *yet* but they'll be there before you know it!)...

Red beets, yellow beets, cantaloupe and watermelon...

Fennel and flowers...

More and more and more zucchini (Did you ever hear the defnition of a person without a friend? Someone who has to go to the store to buy a zucchini!)...

And there's also Asian pears, kittens, blueberries, okra, pigs, eggplant, chickens, some heirloom melons, puppies, lots and lots of flowers, herbs and, of course, children. :-)

Random thoughts on a Spring day

2008-05-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

With so much growing and changing in the garden, I thought now would be a good time to journal a bit about the garden goings-on.

Most of the garden is in, and I was even so bold as to put in my basil, tomatoes and peppers. I'll have to see if there's any good or harm in it. Normally, I plant my tomatoes so late that I'm the last one on the block to have any. Last year, I had some sort of a blight on my tomatoes so that I had none at all, with the exception of the cherry tomatoes, which seem to be indestructible.

Yesterday Zach and I sprayed the fruit trees with sulfur, copper and rotenone. It's the first time we've sprayed any of our trees; so far, we've had good fruiting but they're always riddled with curculio worms or other little beasties. Sometimes I can just cut the fruit away, but many times the fruit is no good because it has rotted from the center. I plan to keep up with the spraying until the fruit is ripe and see if this does any good. If not, we'll have to try some more aggressive organic methods. There are plenty of fruits on all of the trees, including the cherry, plum, peach and asian pear. After spraying the apple trees this year, I'll have to determine whether they're worth keeping. There are five of them, and they're about 20 years old, planted from the seeds of a single red delicious by the children who used to live on our hill. All of the trees are different--some worth eating, and some not--but I've not tried using them for sauce so far because they're so small and usually riddled with worms and fungus. One tree has decent eating apples, so that's the one we'll likely work on the most. One is a fabulous climbing tree, and that's the one the kids want to keep. This year should tell the tale a bit.

For the first year, I have an asparagus patch that can be picked from, but it seems to be slow coming. We've had a lot of wet, cool weather this year, so I don't know if that's why. The great news is that we also found a wild patch just down the hill in the fencerow last fall, and I've found the stalks again this Spring, so between all five spots, we should have some asparagus sometime soon!

We tilled under the cherry trees and I plan to plant watermelon and cantaloupe there as soon as the weather warms a bit. Tonight calls for a low of 47F, so we're creeping that way little by little.

We saw our first hummingbird of the season last week. As Toby and I stood on the porch, a sound like a small jet engine whizzed between us. The tiny bird made its way to my violas and took a few sips then landed on the fence for a moment, and then he was gone. It's time to add the hummingbird feeders to the others.

Toby has been busy putting an archway up leading into the herb garden. The original archway was given to me by my friend Joannie from her greenhouse, but it was in need of repair, so Toby bought some posts and is building a frame for the pieces. On top, he'll mount the farm bell we bought at auction a few years ago, and I'll add a few hooks for my hand tools.

I found this fabulous copper birdbath at my favorite thrift store and sat it on top of a stump. A few floating candles will make this a real treat this summer.

Zach has been working on making a stone patio and pathway, but it will come bit by bit. The stones were from Freecycle, so we'll have to wait until we find another good deal on them before we continue the project. Anyone with extra flagstones can send them my way!

Taylor has been working hard in her perennial garden and is pleased to find new things emerging every day.

Well, it's time to head back out and put in some beets, arugula and scallions.

Get out there and garden!

All-American Baked Beans

2008-05-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

For my eldest daughter's graduation party, I made Grandma Jane's Special Potato Salad, Barbecued Chicken and All-American Baked Beans from a cookbook I bought years ago--The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukens. On Saturday evening, I soaked the beans, and on Sunday morning, I cooked them, leaving them to drain while we were at church. When we returned on Sunday afternoon, I finished up the beans, adding the bacon and sauce and pouring them all into a big electric roaster. They were very well-received, especially by my mother-in-law Kathie who asked me several questions about the recipe throughout the afternoon. It wasn't until the next morning that she told me she'd never known that baked beans came from navy or Great Northern beans, and that she'd never seen baked beans made from scratch!

Because beans are so inexpensive, the addition of the more costly real maple syrup justifiable. These beans take a long while because you have to soak them the night before, cook them ahead of time, and then bake them for about three hours. Don't forget, like I did, to reserve the liquid in which you cooked the beans, but if you do, it's not a tragedy. If your beans are getting too dry, add a bit of water.

I multiplied this recipe by six for my party, and it half-filled my electric roaster.

*.***.*...*.***.*...*.***.*...*.***.*...*.***.*...*.***.*...*.***.*

All-American Baked Beans
Serves 10-12

1 pound dried navy or Great Northern beans
8 ounces slab or thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 cups ketchup
6 tablespoons maple syrup
6 tablespoons dark molasses
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Rinse and pick through the beans. Soak them overnight in a large pot of water.
Rinse the soaked beans well under cold water and place them in a heavy saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Place a 2-quart flameproof casserole or dutch oven over medium heat and saute bacon until slightly crisp and fat is rendered, about five minutes. Add the onions and garlic, cooking until it's wilted, about 5 minutes.
Add the brown sugar and stir over medium-low heat until it has dissolved, about five minutes. Stir in the ketchup, syrup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Add the drained beans and mix well.
Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 2 1/2 hours. Make sure you scrape the bottom when you stir.
Add 3/4 cup of the reserved bean liquid, cover, and bake another 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake, stirring once, until the sauce is thick and syrupy, another 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Bryan

2008-05-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

There's a fancy restaurant near us that serves a dish that I crave come summer grilling time. After doing a little searching and experimenting, I decided that this was about as close as I could get to the real thing.

-<..>-..-<..>--<..>-..-<..>--<..>-..-<..>--<..>-..-<..>-

Chicken Bryan

Chicken:

6 large chicken breasts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
8 oz goat cheese or Gruyere, softened to room temperature

Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely-chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely-chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
10 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cup finely-sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground white pepper

Prepare the sun-dried tomato sauce. Place the butter, garlic and onion in a large skillet over medium heat and saute until the garlic and onion are tender and transparent. Add white wine and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer to reduce by half.

Reduce heat to low. Add cold butter one piece at a time. Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper. Stir to blend ingredients. Set aside.

Prepare the chicken: reduce charcoal briquettes to white-hot coals. Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill chicken over hot coals 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

Divide goat cheese evenly between chicken breasts, placing on the chicken breasts for the last two minutes of cooking.

Place cooked chicken on serving platter and spoon sun-dried tomato sauce over chicken.

Serve hot.

Galette de rhubarbe

2008-05-16T06:51:00.000-07:00

Spring means rhubarb, and rhubarb means Galette de rhubarbe, which is just a fancy name for a rustic tart. It's like a pie, but not nearly as fussy. The hardest part is cutting the rhubarb, and waiting for it to bake!

The amount of sugar I used just cut the tartness, so you might want to add just a bit more if you don't like really tart things. We like it to be a bit on the tart side and then we serve it with a good-quality vanilla ice cream, either homemade or Breyers. Serve it warm! It will serve about eight small pieces. The pate brise recipe makes two crusts, so you can either save one for later, or make two at once!

.../...\.../...\.../....\.../....\.../...\.../...\.../...\.../...\...

Galette de rhubarbe

1/2 a recipe of pate brise
2 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb (washed and leaves removed!)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of cinnamon

Preheat oven the 350F

Roll the pate brise into a 9" round. You can cut off the edges to make it look prettier, if you like, but I like mine with as much crust as I can get, so I leave it on! Place the round onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Mix the rhubarb, sugar (or a bit more, if you want it sweeter), flour and a pinch of cinnamon. Toss it all together to thoroughly coat it.

Heap the rhubarb mixture onto the round of pate brise, and gently fold the edges of the dough partially over the rhubarb mixture. Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft and the crust is golden brown and crisp.

Serve warm with ice cream.

Hot Sauce for Refried Beans

2008-05-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

This recipe goes along with the refried beans and comes from one of Mollie Katzen's books, I think. I can't remember which! It was given to me by a friend, and it far surpasses any of the store-bought hot sauces. Use it to make tostadas with deep-fried flour tortillas. Top with cheese, Greek yogurt, fresh chives. YUM!

"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!

Hot Sauce for Refried Beans

1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons dry red wine
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Saute the onions and garlic with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the olive oil until onion is clear. Add spices. Transfer to a saucepan and add tomatoes, water, tomato paste and wine. Add remaining salt.

Cover and simmer 1/2 hour or longer. The longer, the better, up to several hours

You can puree some or all of this, or leave it chunky. We like it chunky. :-)

Homemade Refried Beans

2008-05-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Canned refried beans from the store are often filled with fat and sodium. Once you've made refried beans yourself, you'll see that the difference is astounding.

Be sure to think ahead when you want to make these refried beans, because you'll need to start soaking the beans about 3-4 hours before you need to eat. After you've made them, spread them on tortillas, either homemade or store-bought, and sprinkle on some hot sauce, cheddar cheese, green onions, olives...whatever you like, and warm them up a bit. A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt and a bit of fresh cilantro, and you'll be hooked.

*^*..*^*..*^*^*..*^*..*^*^*..*^*..*^*^*..*^*..*^

Refritos

2 cups raw pinto beans, soaked for at least 1 1/2 hours
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup minced green pepper
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
olive oil

Once the pintos have been soaking for at least an hour and a half, cover them with more water and cook, partially covered, until they are soft. Be sure to keep the water level above the beans, as it cooks away. When they're done, drain them and use a potato masher to mash them very well.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the onions, garlic, cumin and salt. Cook over low heat until the onions are soft. Add the peppers, cover and simmer until the peppers are soft, about 8 minutes. Add the veggies to the beans and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve very warm.

Barbecued Chicken with Spice Rub and Memphis-Style Barbecue Sauce

2008-05-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

For Taylor's grad party, we'll be making oodles of barbecued chicken with sauce and keeping it warm in the electric roaster. The best recipe for barbecued chicken I've ever found comes from Fine Cooking magazine. It features a spice rub before cooking, a Memphis-style barbecue sauce to slather on towards the end and serve on the side, and a foolproof method for cooking chicken on the grill without burning it. Check out that website for full directions. This chicken, along with Grandma Jane's Special Potato Salad and a couple of Zach's Famous Cheesecakes and some fresh greens from the garden will make this a fabulous graduation meal.

Spice Rub

1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs. onion salt
1 Tbs. seasoned salt, such as Lawry's
1 Tbs. garlic salt
2 Tbs. paprika
1-1/2 tsp. chili powder
1-1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 Tbs. dried sage
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crumbled
1/4 tsp. cayenne

Combine all the ingredients and blend well. Store in an airtight container.

To prepare the chicken -- Rinse and pat dry the chicken pieces. Sprinkle on the rub generously.

To prepare the fire -- (If you are using a gas grill, see the directions here). Using a chimney starter, light 40 to 50 pieces of good-quality lump charcoal. When the coals are glowing, transfer them from the chimney to one side of the grill. (If you don't have a chimney starter, stack the charcoal around some crumpled newspaper in a pyramid in the grill and light the newspaper. The coals will be hot in 20 to 30 min.)

If you have some pieces of apple or oak hardwood, feel free to add a couple to the stack of coals. Put a small foil or metal pan full of water next to the coals. Position the grilling grate so that one of the holes is over the coals so you can add coals and wood chips as needed.

When the coals are about 90% white, position the pieces of chicken, skin side up, on the grill anywhere except directly over the coals. Cover the grill with the lid, making sure that the air vent is opposite the fire. Cook the chicken for about 30 min., maintaining a temperature of 230° to 250°F by adjusting the vents. (Opening the vents lets in more oxygen and raises the temperature.) Add more charcoal if the temperature drops below 230°F. You'll likely need to add 15 to 20 pieces about 30 min. after putting the chicken on.

After a half hour or so, baste the chicken with some of the apple juice. Continue to cook the chicken until it's cooked through -- this will take about 3 hours -- basting it and checking the temperature of the grill every 45 min. or so. As the chicken cooks, you can move the pieces around the grill if those closest to the fire seem in danger of overcooking. But keep the chicken skin side up for the duration.

Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer after 2-1/2 hours. Cooked chicken should read 165°F in the meatiest part of the thigh or breast. You'll also know the chicken is done when its juices run clear after being sliced into with a knife.

When the chicken is cooked, pour some of the barbecue sauce into a separate container (to avoid contaminating the whole batch) and brush it onto the chicken. Cook it an additional few minutes so that the sauce adheres to the chicken in a sticky glaze; watch the chicken carefully at this point and pull it off the grill if the sauce starts to burn.

Remove the chicken from the grill and serve with some of the barbecue sauce on the side, if you like.

Memphis-style barbecue sauce

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. finely ground black pepper
1 Tbs. onion powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional)
2 cups tomato ketchup
1/2 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
2 Tbs. canola oil

In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the oil. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. (You may want to have a lid handy to protect yourself and your kitchen from any sputtering.) Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. With a whisk, blend in the oil until incorporated.

My Current Obsession: Greek Yogurt!

2008-05-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

I recently started a food buying club at our church, and I've already found it to be worth it.

One of the ladies there ordered some Greek Yogurt, and I decided to give it a try. I wasn't sure if about it at first, because I'm a big fan of Stonyfield Farm's Whole Milk Yogurt, but I was willing to give it a shot after my friend's glowing review.

She had described it as almost like the kind of yogurt you get when you strain plain yogurt through a cheesecloth. She was right, but the taste of the plain Greek yogurt is more like tangy sour cream. As a matter of fact, that's how I've been using the plain--like sour cream. We've used it for dipping homemade potato chips, for a replacement for sour cream in cheesecakes, in muffin recipes, and every morning in our scrambled eggs.

For years, I've made scrambled eggs with a couple dollops of sour cream added during the beating process. Last week, I decided to give the Greek yogurt a shot, and the recipe got rave reviews. It adds just a hint of tang and creaminess to the eggs, but the most important thing is that it makes the eggs light and fluffy, and they retain the moisture and warmth much longer.

Here's how it's done...

Scrambled Eggs with Greek Yogurt

6 farm-fresh free-range eggs (if you can get them)
a handful of garden-fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (the brand I've been using is The Greek Gods)
A dash of salt
A dash of pepper

Beat the eggs, and then add the chives, yogurt, salt and pepper. You can also toss in just a smidgen (maybe 2 teaspoons) of fresh chopped tarragon.

Heat a cast-iron skillet (or other skillet) and melt a tablespoon of butter, swirling it around to cover the bottom of the pan.

Pour the eggs into the pan and cook over medium heat, scraping the bottom of the pan to make sure the eggs don't stick.

Cook until the eggs are all soft and fluffy.

Serve immediately with English muffins or toast.

You can add the greek yogurt to your other egg dishes, too, like fritattas or omelets.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Asparagus-Mint Frittata

2008-05-11T09:51:00.001-07:00

Andrea's Recipes is featuring a food blogging event that celebrates the foods we grow or raise ourselves and the dishes we make using our homegrown products called Grow Your Own. I'm submitting this recipe, the Asparagus-Mint Frittata, which comes from Cook's Illustrated's Best Recipes cookbook. The asparagus, parsley and mint came from my own garden, and the eggs came from my friends, the Stockdales, who raise much of their own foods, including the free-range eggs I used in my recipe.

*(-)==(-)*...*(-)==(-)*...*(-)==(-)*...*(-)==(-)*...*(-)==(-)*

Asparagus-Mint Frittata

Blanch the asparagus pieces in salted boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
1/3 pound fresh asparagus, tough ends snapped off, cut into 1 inch pieces
5 tablespoons freshly-grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten

Set oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a 10" skillet over medium heat, swirling to cover bottom and sides.
Add the shallot and saute until softened, 3-4 minutes.
Add the mint, parsley and asparagus and toss to coat.
Spread asparagus in a single layer.
Beat 3 tablespoons of the parmesan into the eggs, and add the salt and pepper.
Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir lightly with a fork until the eggs start to set.
Once the bottom is firm, use a think plastic spatula to lift the frittata edge closest to you, then tilt the pan towards you to let the uncoooked egg run underneath. Level the skillet and redistribute the egg. Cook for about 40 seconds, then repeat the lifting/redistributing procedure until there is no more runny egg.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of parmesan on top.
Pop the skillet in the oven and bake until the top is set and dry to the touch, 2-4 minutes.
Invert onto a serving plate and serve warm, at room temp, or chilled.

Awesome Marinated Chicken

2008-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

The time this takes is the overnight marinading, but there couldn't be anything simpler. Or tastier! The perfect grilled chicken for a sunny Spring day.

**..**=_=-=_=**..****..**=_=-=_=**..****..**=_=-=_=**..**
Awesome Marinated Chicken

Boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup white wine
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried, but, trust me, you'll like the fresh stuff better)
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram (same as above)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1-4 cloves of minced garlic (garlic to taste)
salt
pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a zip-type bag. Marinate overnight. Grill on medium-heat charcoal grill about six minutes per side. Serve with a delicious vegetable, like fresh asparagus!

Taylor's Favorite Banana Bread

2008-05-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

This was my daughter's first baking project. At age 8, she was very proud to be able to whip up a batch of her favorite banana bread for the family. Now, at 18, she can make a delicious meal from scratch, but she still comes back to this one when we have some very ripe bananas just screaming to be baked.

~.`.~.`.~.~.~.`.~.`.~.`.`.`.~.`.~.`.~.~.~.`.~.`.~.`.`.`

Taylor's Favorite Banana Bread

3/4 cups sugar
1 cup (about two) very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sour cream or greek yogurt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease a loaf pan with cooking spray.
Mix sugar, bananas, oil and eggs in a large bowl. For younger ones, use a wooden spoon. I use a stand mixer.
Stir in remaining ingredients, just until mixed.
Pour into pan.
Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool for ten minutes.
Remove from pan.
Let cool a bit before slicing.
Can also be made as muffins. Reduce time to 25-30 minutes.

Chicken Paprikash

2008-04-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

This is one of those dishes that wafts through the house, calling everyone to the kitchen to peek into the pot. "Paprikash! You're making Paprikash?!?" There's no hiding it, and once it's on the table, everyone is silent as they savor each bite.

I serve this over mashed potatoes or with basmati rice. If you haven't tried basmati, do yourself a favor and get some today. It fills the house with the most fabulous aroma, kind of like popcorn. I try to add a bit of chicken broth to the cooking water if I have any extra. Make more than you need to whip up a batch of fried rice for lunch!

*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-.-

Chicken Paprikash

2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons onion, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika (not the hot kind)
1/2 cup chicken broth (I especially like Kitchen Basics brand)
1 cup dry white wine

Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Brown chicken in skillet with butter. Remove chicken from pan. In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and saute onion. Add the flour and paprika and stir. Add chicken broth and stir well. Let simmer for one minute. Add the browned chicken pieces to the broth mixture.
Add the wine to the skillet you used to cook the chicken, stirring to loosen the drippings (this is when a cast-iron skillet comes in handy. You can scrape without fear of getting teflon in your food!)
Bring the wine to a boil.
Pour the boiling wine over the chicken pieces.
Cover and simmer on very low heat for one hour or more, until chicken is very tender and falling apart.
Separate chicken with two forks.
Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.
Can be frozen for later use.

Onion Rings

2008-04-10T09:00:00.001-07:00

This recipe comes from the fabulous Aunt Hazel (third from the left) who shared it via the family cookbook. Make these in a big cast-iron kettle either on the stove-top or over an open fire. Absolutely delicious!

*`~`*`~`*`~`*`~`*`~`*`~`*`~`*`~`*`~`*`~`

Aunt Hazel's Famous Onion Rings

3-4 large onions
2-3 cups buttermilk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon red pepper
2/3 cup milk
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and slice onions. Separate rings. Pour buttermilk into a large zip-type bag. Add onion rings and soak 30 minutes or more. Combine dry ingredients in a separate zip-lock bag. Add milk, egg, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix until smooth. Heat oil to 375 F. Remove onion rings from buttermilk, discard buttermilk (here's where a pig comes in handy!), and dip onion rings in the batter. Fry and drain. Serves six.

Grandma Jane's Special Potato Salad

2008-04-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Grandma Jane had a way with food. Everything she made was delicious--perfectly seasoned, just the right balance of everything, and always plenty for everyone. Her potato salad, for example, was a special treat. There are some things in life that you just *know,* and getting potato salad when you went to Grandma Jane's was one of them. My main goal when visiting her was to wake before everyone else in the house so that I could devour my special breakfast. Potato salad.

I've had this recipe for years. Grandma wrote it out especially for her daughter-in-law and me. Yet no matter how many times I make it, I just can't get it to taste like Grandma's. Still, it's a big hit in our house and everywhere else we take it.

I've altered the recipe a bit to use yukon gold and red potatoes, which just need to be scrubbed but not peeled. Be careful not to overcook the potatoes!

^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-^-

Potato Salad Special

Cube about four cups of Yukon Gold and red potatoes, and place them in a pot, covering with just enough cold water to cover them. Add a tablespoon of salt.
Place two eggs, whole, in the pot, too, to boil while the potatoes cook.
Bring the water to a slow boil and cook until you can *just* put a fork in them. You don't want them to fall apart, but you don't want them to be too firm. This usually takes about ten minutes from the time the water starts to boil.

While potatoes are cooking, get a large bowl and mix together:

1 1/2 cups REAL mayonnaise, either homemade or Hellman's
1 cup chopped red onion
1 cup finely diced celery
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 small sweet pickle, diced
salt to taste

When potatoes are done cooking, drain them. Remove the eggs and place them in a bowl of cold water to cool. Cool potatoes, gently turning them occasionally to keep them from further cooking in the bowl.

When eggs are cooled, peel them and chop them very fine. Add this to the mayonnaise mixture.

When potatoes are cool, add them to the mayonnaise mixture, stirring well, but being careful not to mash the potatoes. Sprinkle top with chopped parsley.

If it seems too dry, add more mayonnaise.

Chill all of this, preferably overnight, as the flavor is better the next day!

Gorgonzola Spread

2008-04-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

This one is breaking the mold just a bit, because it doesn't take a whole lot of time to prepare, with the exception of finding a source for Gorgonzola cheese if you don't live in an area with a good grocer.

Serve this with a good-quality cracker.

--..--..--(oOo)--..--..--(oOo)--..--..--(oOo)--..--..--(oOo)--..--..--

Gorgonzola Spread

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2/3 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 tablespoon of milk
1/2 cup chopped pimento-stuffed olives
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped.
1/2 clove minced, fresh garlic

Mix it all together and serve!

Chicken Noodles

2008-04-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

2 tablespoons butter
1 14 1/2 oz can chicken broth, plus water enough water to make 5 cups
1 tablespoon non-msg chicken base
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 8oz pkg fine noodles

Brown the butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Add the chicken broth/water, chicken base and salt.
Stir the noodles into the broth.
Bring to a boil.
Stir, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 20-25 minutes. Add chunk chicken, if you like.
Stir and serve.

Hungarian Pork Roast and Caraway Sauerkraut

2008-04-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

For our New Year's Even houseconcert, I wanted to try something different, something other than my standard Lentil Soup fare. And since I'm a very big fan of pork roast, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, I went searching for a recipe that would make my mouth water. This recipe was surely it, and ended up being a very big hit with the houseconcert guests. The comments were made mostly in regard to the thickened sauerkraut and the onion gravy. Cook the pork sl-o-o-o-o-w-ly for maximum tenderness and flavor!

(8^8)-*-.oOo.-*-(8^8)-*-.oOo.-*-(8^8)

Hungarian Pork Roast with Onion Gravy and Caraway Sauerkraut

1 large pork roast (6-7 pounds)
7 large onions, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons sugar to caramelize the onions
salt and pepper

Seer all sides of the roast in a hot roasting pan over high heat. Do not add any fat.
Put all the chopped onions and 2 tablespoons sugar into a roasting pan (I use my electric roaster when doubling this for a great big batch) and cover.
Cook at 325 degrees for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Check periodically to turn it over and push the onions around. The onions should caramelize, or take on a rich, brown color.

When roast is finished cooking, remove it from the roasting pan.
Mix 2 tablespoons of flour into 2 cups of water.
Stir the water/flour mixture into the onions, scraping the sides of the pan to get all of the onions/juices into the gravy. Season with salt and pepper.

Caraway Sauerkraut
2 pounds of Sauerkraut, preferably the bagged kind, rinsed and drained
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of caraway seeds
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of lard or butter, partially melted
2 tablespoons of flour

Put the sauerkraut in a pot. Add the caraway seeds, sugar and water.
Slowly cook until the kraut is soft, about a 1/2 hour.
In a small bowl, mix the lard or butter and the flour. Stir into the kraut. Stir until thickened.
Simmer for five minutes.

Serve this with mashed potatoes (be sure to make your mashed potatoes with plenty of butter, cream cheese, heavy cream and salt/pepper).

Original recipe found at June Meyer's Authentic Hungarian Recipes. It's packed with fabulous foods! This particular dish includes a recipe for Farina dumplings which I have not yet tried, but look fabulous and can be frozen for use in other recipes. Her recipe for mashed potatoes looks great, with the addition of egg and sour cream.

Breaded Chicken Fingers

2008-04-04T05:37:00.000-07:00

Some of the best meat dishes I have call for some type of brining or marinating before cooking. This recipe infuses the chicken breast with flavor by a 2-4 hour marinade in egg, buttermilk and garlic. Using a cast-iron dutch oven for the frying is the best way to get a beautiful, golden brown pile of chicken fingers. Serve with a heap of mashed potatoes and a scoop of fresh corn. You'll be smitten!

(#..%..^..%..^..%..#)oOo(#..%..^..%..^..%..#)oOo(#..%..^..%..^..%..#)

Breaded Chicken Fingers

6 partially frozen chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
oil for frying (about 4 cups)

Cut the partially-frozen chicken into 1/2 inch strips using a sharp knife. In a zip-lock-type bag, combine beaten egg, buttermilk, garlic and chicken strips. Refrigerate in the sealed bag for 2-4 hours or more. In another bag, combine the flour, bread crumbs, salt, baking powder. Drain the chicken and discard the liquid. Place the chicken in baggie, seal, and shake to coat. Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet to 375 degrees F. Carefully place coated chicken in hot oil. Fry until golden brown and juices run clear, about 4 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. It takes about 4-5 batches to cook them all.

Ohio Buckeyes

2008-04-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

When a group of young choristers from Germany came to visit my area recently, I thought long and hard about what I would give them as a welcoming gift. It finally occurred to me that I should offer what I love most--food! So I contacted local businesses and gathered together our rural county's best tastes--cheese, fresh-pressed cider, and chocolate buckeyes.

I remember buckeyes from my childhood, how my neighbor mixed the big bowl of peanut butter stuff which her daughter and I rolled into little balls. I thought it was magical, how she dipped the peanut butter balls into melted chocolate and they looked just like buckeyes.

Now we make these treats at Christmastime to share with friends and neighbors. They do seem to be time-intensive, but I have a lot of hands to help with the work, so it goes quickly. But as good as these little treasures are, they go quickly, too!

I like this particular recipe because it doesn't call for paraffin.

(8-=_-*-_=-*)..o..(8-=_-*-_=-*)..o..(8-=_-*-_=-*)

Buckeye Candies

3 cups creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 sticks softened butter
2 lbs confectioner's sugar

Mix together. Form into small balls.

For coating: melt 16 oz of melted dipping chocolate. Using a toothpick, dip the balls into the chocolate, leaving some of the peanut butter exposed on top to look like a buckeye nut. Refrigerate until firm.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-03-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Sure, chocolate chip cookies are ubiquitous. But there's a good reason for that! When it's a cold night in the bleak midwinter, a warm batch of gooey chocolate chip cookies are just what a body needs to begin to look on the bright side of things. Send the kids to their baths, make your dough, eat a few bites before it pops into the oven, and when the kids come down all squeaky clean and jammied, they'll love you more than ever. As a matter of fact, seems to me they should call 'em "chocolate chip cookie points."

Make sure your butter is softened before you start, and begin with room temp ingredients. I also like to use parchment paper on my cookie sheets for a nice, even baking. At 375F, I find that 11 minutes and 30 seconds is just right for a soft, golden brown cookie.

Don't forget that delicious raw milk!

*.!.*...*.!.*oOo*!*...*.!.*.!.*...*.!.*oOo*!*...*.!.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup light sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375F. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until smooth, add brown and white sugars, then beat until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, on at a time, mixing on low speed. Add vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture little by little, mixing just until all of the flour is absorbed. Add the chocolate chips and the nuts, and mix. Drop tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 11.5 minutes at 375F, or until golden brown.

Macaroni and Cheese--the Original Comfort food!

2008-03-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

Recently my daughter's choral ensemble was hosting a lunch for the singers, and someone had requested a macaroni bar--a sort of buffet featuring different types of macaroni dishes. My contribution was homemade macaroni and cheese, a favorite around here that is much creamier and tastier than that blue box stuff. Experiment with the combinations of cheeses for your own unique dish!

#*...*#.-.~`~`~`~.-.#*...*#*...*#.-.~`~`~`~.-.#*...*

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Serves a large family or a small family with guests

4 cups elbow macaroni
8 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
2 cups grated Vermont sharp cheddar (white cheese)
8 ounces cubed flavorful melting cheese, cut into small cubes
(optional) 1 cup crumbled Ritz crackers and 2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Butter a 13x9x2 baking dish (I use my stone cookware and then I don't butter it)
Cook the macaroni according to the al dente package directions. Drain and spread into your baking dish.
Melt the butter slowly, then whisk in the flour, mixing completely. Add milk.
Stir until it's smooth and thick.
Add the grated cheddar; stir until melted.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the sauce to the macaroni in the baking dish, stirring until the sauce is evenly distributed over the macaroni.
Evenly distribute the chunks of cheese throughout the macaroni. It won't be melted just yet, but will melt as you bake the dish.
At this point, you can cover the top of the macaroni with the crushed crackers and dot with 2 tablespoons of butter, if you like. I don't care for it, so I leave it off, but you could do it half and half the first time to see which one you like best.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until it's lightly browned and very bubbly.
Serve with hunks of buttered bread and a fresh salad. Yum!

Adapted from The Tasha Tudor Cookbook.

Sour Cream Biscuits Supreme

2007-12-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

The one recipe where I use shortening. If anyone has a good substitute that yields the same result, please let me know!

These biscuits are flaking and delicious. We use them for everything from creamed chicken, to sausage gravy, to a final act slathered with real butter and local honey.

+--++--++--++--++-)oOo(-++--++--++--++--++

Sour Cream Biscuits Supreme

2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk

Stir together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening with two knives until the mixture is crumbly. Add the milk and the sour cream. Stir just until all of the dough clings together and the flour is mixed in. Grab by handfuls and loosely shape into biscuits. Place on a very well-greased (with shortening) baking pan. I like to put these in my stoneware baking dish, placing them just so they barely touch each other. Bake at 450 F fro 10-12 minutes or until golden on the top. Serve warm.

Taylor's Traditional Cranberry Sauce

2007-11-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

We found this recipe in a book called Thanksgiving Fun: Great Things to Make and Do by Ronne Randall and Annabel Spenceley. Daughter Taylor has been making it for years, now, and has improved it with the addition of crushed pineapple and a pinch of cinnamon. The best part is watching all of the children gather around the pot to see the cranberries pop. Serve it with generous dollops of homemade whipped cream.

&=&=&&=&=&&=&=&&=&=&&=&=&&=&=&&=&=&

Taylor's Traditional Cranberry Sauce

2 cups fresh cranberries (can be frozen)
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 can crushed pineapple, drained well
a pinch of cinnamon

Heat everything except the pineapple in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring gently, for about 7-10 minutes. Pretty soon, the cranberries will start popping open! That's the fun part! When they've all popped, add the pineapple. Cool, refrigerate, and serve with whipped cream.

My Current Obsession: Concord Grapes

2007-09-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

In my endeavor to eat as locally as possible this year, I've been searching out local growers of foods that can be processed and preserved for eating throughout the winter. Finding local tomatoes was a cinch. Finding local peaches was a bit more of a challenge, but it could be done. Finding local apples isn't a problem at all. And then I started thinking about grapes. I remember as a child seeing grape vines in all of the neighbor's yards, but I haven't seen grapes offered at the farmers' markets. Grapes! A staple! A standard! Whose grandmother didn't make grape jelly thirty years ago?!?

So I started inquiring of my friends who all said that they just buy their grape juices, jams and jellies and don't bother with the mess. While I do have access to a local manufacturer of jellies and jams that don't contain high fructose corn syrup, I don't know where the fruit comes from. I kind of doubt that it's exclusively locally-grown. It's not that we wouldn't eat things that weren't local, but I felt pretty sure I could find someone who could point me to some locally-grown grapes.

After thinking about it for a while, I remembered a former co-worker who'd mentioned that she and her husband had a vineyard of Concord grapes. I stopped by her office and she took me to the kitchen where she had some vine-ripened grapes just waiting to be tasted. We set a time for me to do some picking.

What a fabulous way to start the Labor Day weekend. A beautiful day and a beautiful drive through the countryside, Natalie Merchant on the tape player (thrift store find--25 cents), my husband by my side and the three youngest children tagging along--who could ask for more?

But we were given more.

Have you ever seen 2,000 grape vines up close? When Kathy lead us to the vineyard, I was overwhelmed by the abundance! Grapes hung in pregnant clusters under twining vines and protective leaves. Armed with half-bushel boxes and clippers, Kathy, Bo, eight-year-old Sweetheart and I started harvesting. After about an hour of picking, we'd filled eight half-bushel boxes. And we'd only moved about ten feet down the first row. Kathy told us that the big Concord harvest will take place on Saturday, and they'll have less than a dozen people doing all the work.

A sun-warmed grape is a beautiful thing, and these grapes were breathtaking. I was tempted to crawl under the vines and stretch out on my back, just staring up at the full and perfect light-bathed fruit. But even a beautiful thing has its limits. One can only eat so many fresh Concord grapes (and I did eat so may fresh Concord grapes), and I wasn't about to down four bushels. The plan was to make juice and maybe a couple of jars of jam or jelly. With my new toy and a special grape seed spiral for my new toy, I planned to turn out quart after quart of delicious grape juice concentrate.

And then, a serendipitous moment arose. Just after our grape-picking venture, we headed for our friend Sara's house for a hot-dog roast. When I told her what we'd done with our day, she said, "Then you have to see what I have!" She led me to the basement, to rows of purple liquid in quart Ball jars, beside which stood a gleaming, stainless steel Norpro Krona Steamer. Sara beamed, "Just put water in the bottom, grapes in the basket, and the juice comes out the tube, straight into your scalded canning jars! Wanna borrow it?"

Did I ever!

Watching the steamer at work was a lesson in appreciating the simple things. Basically, the steamer works like a double-boiler with a steamer basket on the top and a clear lid over that. You wash the grapes, drop them into the basket (the instructions say that you don't even have to remove the stems, but we did), and boil the water until the steam extracts the juice from the grapes. Within about forty minutes, light-purple juice appears in a clear tube that's held closed by a clamp at the end. When the juice is ready, about an hour after you begin steaming, the grapes look pale and slightly empty. Open the clamp, empty the juice into a prepared, sterile, hot quart-sized jar leaving 1/4 inch headspace, wipe the rim, top with a two-part lid, hand-tighten and then process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Set the jars in a draft-free place and listen for that satisfying "POP!" that means the lids have sealed properly.

We saved a bit of the juice out, of course, and found that we could use about one part juice to two parts water, a bit of sugar to taste, to have a very delicious drink.

The pulp that was left in the top of the steamer looked like it still had some use, so we put it through the Roma strainer and ended up with a very substantial puree. I added some sugar, froze a bit of it and then brought the rest to a boil, poured it into prepared quart jars and boiling-water bathed them for 15 minutes. That grape puree will be used to flavor vanilla yogurt, will be poured on pancakes, and might even find its way into a batch of ice cream.

I was thankful for my husband's help and companionship in the kitchen as the grapes were being processed. I asked him what he thought he'd be doing with his Labor day weekend if he weren't married (certainly not canning grape juice, I thought), and he wasn't really sure. A camping trip, maybe. Something outdoorsy. "What would you be doing?" he asked me. I thought about it for a moment, and then realized with a giggle that I probably WOULD be canning grape juice. It's just part of who I am, what I love to do, what inspires me. It's a beautiful thing to see those multi-colored jewels marching along the fruit-cellar shelves, promising sustenance long into the winter. When a child complains because he's come to the bottom of the jar of home-made applesauce (when he'd never TOUCH the commercial version) or proclaims the grape juice better than store-bought, it's just icing on the cake.

Tomorrow, a bit about butter--apple butter, that is.

Tomato-Basil Biscuits

2007-09-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

The basil keeps coming, even while I'm working in the kitchen freezing corn with my new toy (I'll post on that soon) and making apple butter with my other new toy (that post is also in the works), but as soon as I'm done with all of this other bounty, I'll bake a batch of tomato-basil biscuits, maybe even freeze a few, though I haven't tried that yet. For sure we'll eat a batch warm with real butter.

*+-...__===___...-+*+-...__===___...-+*+-...__===___...-+

Tomato-Basil Biscuits

1 cup unbleached flour
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons cold butter, in small pieces
1/4 cup half and half
2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, salt, baking powder together. Cut butter in with two knives until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk and the tomatoes and stir. Work in basil and mix thoroughly.

Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured surface and knead lightly for about 30 seconds. Pat out the dough to about an inch thick and cut into rounds or squares, about 2 inches around. Arrange one inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Cool and serve with real butter.

Tomato-Basil Tart

2007-08-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

When summer heaps its blessings of real garden-fresh tomatoes and pungeant basil upon me, I find as many opportunities to use them in the kitchen as I can. This recipe, using a pate brise crust and your choice of cheeses, is easy to make and delicious to consume. Plus, its beautiful, simple presentation inspires hungry awe in your family and guests. I made two of these tarts for a local houseconcert a couple of weeks ago and they were very well received.

--++-===-._.-._.-._.-._.-===-++--

Delicious Summer Duo Tart

1 pate brise crust, pressed into a tart pan and baked in a 450 degree F. oven until crust is lightly browned and thoroughly dry.

1 1/2 cup shredded baking or melting cheese, like gruyere, swiss, mozzarella, queso fresco or feta (reduce the amount if you use feta)

4 garden-fresh roma tomatoes, cut into thin wedges and drained on paper towels

1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves

4-5 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup mayonaisse

1/4 cup grated aged cheese, like parmigiano reggiano, pecorino romano or cotija cheese

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the baking cheese into warm tart crust. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degres F. Arrange tomatoes on crust. Process basil and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Combine garlic, basil, mayonaisse, aged cheese and remaining cup of baking cheese in a bowl and spread over tomato wedges.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden on top.

Let rest for five minutes before cutting and serving.

Golden Crescent Rolls

2007-08-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

This recipe was also given to me by an Amish neighbor. These crescent rolls melt in your mouth! The first time I had them, I was a guest at an Amish quilting and the smell wafted through the house and mingled among the Pennsylvania-Dutch gossip that drifted from corner to corner of the quilt frame. While I think our host must have done something magical with her crescents to make them taste so fabulous and come out so fluffy, mine were good enough to be gobbled up immediately by my family.

Make sure you have plenty of real butter on hand!

oOo(:.:)oOo(:.:)oOo(:.:)oOo(:.:)oOo(:.:)oOo

Edna's Golden Crescent Rolls

2 packages of yeast
3/4 cup warm water (around 105-110 degrees F)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
2 additional tablespoons butter

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, butter, eggs, salt and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

Place in a greased bowl, turn once to grease the top, and cover. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled.

Punch down, divide in half and then roll each portion into a 12-inch circle. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and brush over the dough.

Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll each wedge up crescent-roll style.

Place on a greased baking sheet 2 inches apart with the point-end on the bottom.

Cover and let rise until doubled.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with the additional butter.

No-Cook Cucumber Relish

2007-08-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

This recipe was originally given to me by an Amish friend whose family uses it as a sandwich spread. For me, it reminds me of the bread-and-butter pickles my mom used to make around this time every year. While this doesn't take as long as those pickles did, the basic ingredients are the same. I make a couple of batches and freeze it. Some I eat on sandwiches and hot dogs and some I eat straight out of the jar. ;-) If you want to use it like bread-and-butters, just slice instead of grating or chopping the cukes.

~:::~...~:::~...~:::~...~:::~...~:::~...~:::~

No-Cook Cucumber Relish

7 cups unpeeled grated, chopped or sliced cucumbers
1 cup diced green peppers
1 cup diced onions

Make a brine using:

1 cup vinegar
2 cups sugar

Stir to dissolve the sugar, but do not heat! When sugar is dissolved, add:

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon celery seed

Pour over cucumber mixture and refrigerate in a covered container. Let it stand for 24 hours in the fridge before using. Freeze some for later.

Vanilla Ice Cream

2007-08-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

We've tried a lot of vanilla ice cream recipes and certainly none of them have ever been rejected, but once we'd tasted this recipe, we realized we'd never need another. This recipe comes from The New Best Recipe book from the people from Cook's Illustrated, and it's a custard-style ice cream, which means it's made with lots of egg yolks. So if you're in the country and have access to fresh, free-range eggs (and there is a difference, believe me) and raw milk, this recipe is the way to go. We use a hand-crank ice cream freezer because we like for everyone to earn their ice cream, but the same outcome can be had with an electric ice-cream freezer.

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half and scraped out, or 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks

Fill a sink or large bowl with ice-water and have a strainer ready over another large bowl that will fit inside the sink or large bowl. Heat the milk, cream, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the vanilla seeds and pod (if you're not using a vanilla bean, wait until later to add the extract) in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to bread up the vanilla seeds, until steam appears and the milk is warm, about 175 degrees, which takes around five minutes. Do not boil the milk.

Meanwhile, whisk the yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl until combined and pale yellow. Whisk half the warm milk mixture into the beaten yolks, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined. Whisk the milk-yolk mixture into the warm milk in the saucepan over medium heat amd cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until steam appears, foam subsides and the mixture is slightly thickened or measure 180-180 degrees. Do not boil or eggs will curdle. Immediate strain the mixture into the bowl you have ready and set it in the ice-water bath. Cool and stir until it comes to room temperature. Cover, refrigerate, and chill until it gets down to 40 degrees, 3-24 hours.

Remove and discard vanilla pod. If you're not using a vanilla bean, add the vanilla extract now and stir well. Pour the custard into the ice-cream freezer and churn following the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid, at least a few hours, depending on the freezer. We usually wait until the next day to serve it. It will keep up to two days.

Black Raspberry Cobbler

2007-08-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

The previous owners of our little cabin in the woods christened the acreage by which it's surrounded "The Thicket" because of the thick growth of brush and cane fruits throughout the woods. All around the cabin grows berries of all kinds, mostly red raspberries, blackberries and black raspberries. Our first year in The Thicket, I was pleased to find that I could fill many baskets with blackberries and black raspberries, and we seized the opportunity to eat as many fresh berries as we could. But we also made Black Raspberry Cobbler, a fabulously delicious treat that we topped with homemade vanilla ice cream.

You'll notice that there are several steps in between which you do not stir your ingredients. Folow these directions and you'll end up with a moist cobbler with a delicately crispy top crust.

++:-~...~oOo~...~-:++:-~...~oOo~...~-:++:-~...~oOo~...~-:++

Black Raspberry Cobbler

1/2 cup melted butter
3/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups black raspberries
1/2 cup sugar

Pour the melted butter into the bottom of a 7"x11" baking dish. In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, 1 cup sugar, flour and baking powder. pour this mixture over the butter but DO NOT STIR.

Pour the berries over the batter and butter but DO NOT STIR.

Pour the remaining sugar over the berries but DO NOT STIR.

Bake the cobbler at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until the crust is browned and set. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

Banana Split Muffins

2007-08-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Years ago, Tina, one of my best friends, made these muffins for our family and we were immediately smitten. This recipe is just slightly different from the one she made for us--hers had Miracle Whip and this one has real mayonnaise. Before you shun the recipe because of the mayo factor, notice that the batter doesn't include eggs. The mayo replaces the eggs and makes the muffins deliciously moist. It's a perfect recipe for when you have some of those near-liquid bananas to use. Sixteen-year-old Bard and four-year-old Baby made six batches of these today, giving us enough to eat and enough to freeze for quick breakfasts.

>^..^< === >^..^< ===>^..^< === >^..^< ===

Banana Split Muffins

1 1/3 cup mashed bananas (about 6 medium)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup real mayonnaise, not light or fat-free
1/3 cup drained, chopped maraschino cherries
12 maraschino cherries, cut in half

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine bananas and mayo. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped cherries. Fill greased or paper-lines muffin cups about 3/4 full. Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Press a cherry half, cut-side-down, into the top of each muffin. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing to a wire cooling rack. Makes one dozen muffins.

Alfredo Sauce

2007-08-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple sauce that offers a whole lot of flavor. Be sure to use freshly-grated parmesan cheese, not the Kraft kind, because that has stabilizers and anti-caking agents that keep it from melting, and it ends up a globby mess. Grating your own cheese is so easy with a MicroPlane Grater and a hunk of Parmagiano Reggiano. By the way, I just read in Cook's Illustrated that this raw cow's milk cheese manufactured in the North of Italy really is superior to any U.S. parmesans for a variety of reasons, including animal care and feeding/grazing, hand-processing as opposed to mechanized processing, and aging time. Apparently the U.S. manufacturers of parmesan take quite a few shortcuts, and it shows when put to the taste test. So if you're ever tempted to replace your more expensive Reggiano with a Wisconsin parmesan, remember that. Creates quite a dilemma for locavores. Unless, of course, you live in Northern Italy.

::...8oOo8...::...8oOo8...::...8oOo8...::...8oOo8...::

Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream (try to find some that isn't Ultra-Pasteurized because it thickens better)
1 clove of crushed garlic
1 1/2 cups freshly-grated Parmagiano Reggiano or other high-quality grating cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt butter over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the cream and heat very slowly for about five minutes, then add garlic and cheese and whisk. Heat through and cook on low until thickened. Stir in parsley. Serve this over fresh fettucine noodles!

Bruschetta

2007-08-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

My daughter requests this as soon as tomatoes begin to ripen. When we start to tire of Pico de Gallo, we bring this to the table. This would be delicious with Genovese Basil Bread!

oOo_*...==...*_oOo_*...==...*_oOo_*...==...*_

Bruschetta

Ingredients for sauce:
12-14 ripe plum tomatoes, fresh from the garden, diced into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine these ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Prepare the bread:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, slivered
thickly-sliced rustic bread

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Saute the garlic until golden, 2-3 minutes. Throw away the garlic and keep the oil. Toast the bread in the garlic oil then cut each slice in half. Top with room-temperature sauce.

You can also sprinkle this with a bit of parmesan and pop it in the oven for a couple of minutes until it's hot and toasty.

Enjoy!

Nettie's Pico de Gallo

2007-08-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Summer isn't officially here until the first heaping bowl of Nettie's Pico de Gallo hits the table. Garden fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers and cilantro, a shake or two of salt and a squeeze of fresh lime, and you've got it. I keep a gallon jug of this stuff in the fridge for as long as the seasonal ingredients can be had locally, and then we settle for second-best in the dead of winter; with each huge batch I make, I freeze half for later.

This recipe is totally improvisable, though the original was written out for me by my sister-in-law's mother, Nerita, who grew up in Mexico. She, too, improvises, but gave me some idea of proportions. When it comes down to it, it's all about taste, so do what you like. Add more lime, less lime, cut back on the onions, add more peppers. If it's good for you, you've done it right!

Nettie's Pico de Gallo (or "Garden Fresh Salsa")
(This will make a small batch. If you're smart, you'll make a big batch.)

Garden Fresh Tomatoes--about four large ones (I use a combination of romas and heritage types. This will NOT taste as good if you use store-bought tomatoes, unless you use grape tomatoes, which taste most like real tomatoes and not like water balloons)--cut into bite-sized pieces either by hand or with a food processor
One large onion--sweet or storing--diced
One or two jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (be careful when doing this not to get seeds on hands or put hands in eyes!). Add more jalapenos or a stronger pepper if you like it hot.
A small bundle of cilantro, chopped finely (tip: if you have a food processor, add the cilantro to half of the onion, quartered, and chop them together in the processor. Do the same with the jalapenos and the other half of the onions)
One lime, juiced
Kosher salt to taste

Mix all of these together, adding a bit of olive oil if it seems too dry, and serve with good chips!

Red Beans and Rice

2007-08-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last year, when finances were really tight, I had to come up with creative ways to feed a large crew. One very excellent blessing was that I learned to cook dried beans. What's even better...we actually liked them!

This is the best red beans and rice recipe I've found. It certainly takes time, but it's quite delicious!

*...*...*...*-:::-*...*...*...*-:::-*...*...*...*

Red Beans and Rice

1 pound red kidney beans, dry
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
As much garlic as you like, minced (I like lots, 5 or 6 cloves)
1 large smoked ham hock, 3/4 pound of Creole-style pickle meat (pickled pork), or 3/4 lb. smoked ham, diced, for seasoning
1 to 1-1/2 pounds mild or hot smoked sausage or andouille, sliced on the bias
1/2 to 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 or 2 bay leaves
Tabasco to taste
A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
Creole seasoning blend, to taste; OR,
red pepper and black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Fresh Creole hot sausage or chaurice, links or patties, grilled or pan-fried, one link or patty per person (optional)
Pickled onions (optional)

Soak the beans overnight, drain and put fresh water in the pot. Bring the beans to a rolling boil, making sure the beans remain covered by water. Boil for 45 - 60 minutes, until the beans are tender but not falling apart. Drain.

While the beans are boiling, sauté the onions, celery, and bell pepper until onions turn translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the beans are boiled and drained, add the sautéed vegetables to the beans, then add the ham hock (or ham or pickle meat), smoked sausage, seasonings, and just enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 2 hours at least, preferably 3, until the whole thing gets nice and creamy. Adjust seasonings as you go along. Stir occasionally, making sure that it doesn't burn and/or stick to the bottom of the pot.

If possible, cool the beans, refrigerate, reheat and serve for dinner the next day. They'll taste a LOT better. Add water to get them to the right consistency.

Serve over basmati rice.

YIELD: 8 servings

Genovese Basil Bread

2007-08-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

One thing that I have in abundance this time of year is basil. It's something I absolutely must plant, along with tomatoes, onions, swiss chard and my other herbs. For years, I've had this recipe for Genovese Basil Bread that I found on the King Arthur Flour website, but I just never got around to making it.

When I finally made it, it was declared absolutely yummy, so it's an instant favorite in our house.

This recipe is made in a similar fashion to french bread, so you'll roll out the dough with a rolling pin and then roll each piece up jelly-roll style.

The recipe makes four individual-sized loaves, so if you've got a hungry clan, you'll want to make several batches!

_o_ooo-*-***_o_ooo-*-***_o_ooo-*-***_o_ooo-*-***

Genovese Basil Bread

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves, coarsely chopped and lightly packed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 package dry yeast
1 cup very warm water (105-115 degres F)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a bit more for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Heat oil in a heavy, large skillet (I love my cast iron skillets!) over low to medium heat. Add basil and garlic and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Dissolve the yeast in water in a small bowl. Let it stand for ten minutes.

Mound 3 1/2 cups of flour onto your work surface or in a large bowl; make a well in the center. Add the dissolved yeast, basil mixture, salt and pepper to the well. Mix the ingredients that are in the well, and then incorporate the flour. Knead on a lightly floured surface until it's firm and elastic, adding a bit more flour if it's sticky, for several minutes.

Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl, turning once to coat with oil, and then cover it to let it rise until it's doubled, about 45 minutes, depending on the warmth in the rising space.

Grease a baking sheet. Punch down the dough. Knead it on a lightly floured surface until it's smooth, about three minutes. Cut the dough into four pieces and then roll one out on a lightly-floured surface to an 8 x 5 1/2" rectangle. Roll it up jelly-roll style, starting at one long end. Transfer to the greased baking sheet, seam side down, then do the rest of the pieces the same way. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes, until the pieces are doubled.

While they're rising, preheat your oven to 450 degrees farenheit. When the rolls have risen, bake them for about 30 minutes, or until they're golden in color and sound hollow when you tap on the bottom of a roll.

Serve warm with REAL butter!

Now, that'll stick to your ribs!

2007-04-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

There's only one breakfast that I like almost as much as yogurt and homemade granola, and that's a warm earthenware bowl full of Irish oatmeal with a pool of real maple syrup and a hefty dallop of real butter melting deliciously over the mound. I haven't treated myself to Irish oatmeal lately, so when I saw some at the store this evening, it called to me from the shelf. Not only does the foodie in me love the stuff, but the aesthete in me also gets a kick from the old-fashioned style tin.

So, what is Irish oatmeal, anyway?

Irish Oatmeal, also known as Steel Cut Oats, are whole-grain groats that have been cut into pieces with steel blades. They're substantial, chewy, and full of good stuff for your body, like fiber, protein and B-vitamins (just the stuff you need to keep your body happy and your emotions calm). Plus, the grains are all grown by local Irish farmers and are not genetically modified.

After bringing my Irish Oatmeal home from the store, I showed it off to my husband and then I slipped away to write this post. Before long, I could smell it. That familiar scent of steel-cut oats simmering on the stove. Lucky for me, my husband's generous; I was able to score a couple of bites of his oatmeal, topped with butter and brown sugar. He offered me more, but I'll wait. My bowl will be filled in the morning.

For more information on Irish Oatmeal, visit the McCann's website.

The New Best Recipe Book and The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookbook

2007-04-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

I didn't discover Cook's Illustrated until about a year ago and when I did, I fell head over heels in love. All of those basics I'd never cared to learn as a teen in my mom's kitchen popped out of those beautifully illustrated, ad-free pages. It was as if they knew the very decisions I was trying to make--they knew that I was shopping for the perfect set of knives, and that I had just butchered sixteen chickens and needed to know the best ways to grill them, and that the knew that I had a scad of hot peppers in my garden that were crying out for new recipes. Every page taught me something new, either basic or more advanced, that I'd never tried before.

Now, even in my earnest search to find each issue, I have a difficult time laying my hands on one and really should just subscribe to the thing.

A few months ago, I borrowed several of the Cook's Illustrated cookbooks from the library. I enjoyed Cover and Bake, Baking Illustrated and devoured The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles. I didn't want to return them.

And now, I have one of my very own. Over the weekend, I visited a sweet little bookstore in Mt. Vernon, Ohio called Paragraphs. The wonderful ladies there read book after book to my children while I perused the shelves for goodies of my own. I came away with The New Best Recipe Book which has the heft of a college textbook but at a much more reasonable price. They don't call Cook's Illustrated America's Test Kitchen for nothing. It's fascinating to me to read recipes where someone else has done all of the guesswork for you.

I also bagged The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookbook by Joey Reynolds and Myra Chanin. I hope to turn my cheesecake-baking fifteen-year-old son loose on this one. Read one reviewer here, who says:

With the "Bonus" Magic Formula Which Will Allow You to Experiment and Concoct
Your Own Personally Flavored Baked Cheesecake, you can add any of the flavors
they haven't already, and you'll never have to make the same flavor twice.

This, my food-loving friends, is right up my son's alley.

I look forward to delving into these books which will, I'm sure, inspire me to collect a few more of Cook's Illustrated's editions. I have my eye on Steaks, Chops, Roasts and Ribs next.

Easter Dinner

2007-04-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

No recipes to post today. Just a photo of our Easter dinner--English roast with red onions and baby carrots, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and steamed asparagus with lemon butter. Delicious!

I hope your Easter was a very blessed one!

An Easter Lunch: Gruyere Fondue Salad

2007-04-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

I was a bit dubious about this salad as I was preparing it. It wasn't that I haven't experienced and enjoyed warm-dressing salads before; it was just that the combination of ingredients sounded a bit contrary. Cold endive and warm roasted yukon gold potatoes? Vinaigrette with a gruyere fondue-type sauce? Yet it sounded irresistably appealing.

So the family gathered in the kitchen to make a unique Easter Sunday salad lunch to tide us over until evening when the roast beef, mashed potatoes, asparagus, corn and fresh bread would be ready. One person sliced potatoes, one browned the bacon, one rinsed and spun the greens, one mixed the vinaigrette and the white wine sauce and, before long, we were eating a fabulous lunch that everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

The white wine sauce would be wonderful alone with a fresh pasta.

Roasting the potatoes takes time, as well as making the different sauces, but I think you'll really enjoy my variation of a recipe that I found published in a 2004 issue of Country Home magazine, created by Red Cat chef Jimmy Bradley.

Be sure the potatoes aren't too thick and that they lay in a single layer, or they won't cook evenly.

Enjoy!

**sLoW**SlOw**sLoW**SlOw**sLoW**

Gruyere Fondue Salad

8 oz gruyere cheese, finely grated and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup sherry vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 lb yukon gold potatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
6 oz fresh shitake mushrooms, rinsed and de-stemmed
1 cup dry white wine
2 shallots, chopped, or two cloves or garlic, minced
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups arugula
2 cups belgian endive, chopped, or romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cups arugula, torn

Mix vinaigrette: In a screw-top jar, combine vinegar, 2/3 cup olive oil and sugar. Shake to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Place potatoes in a bowl and drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a greased baking sheet in a single layer on one end of the baking pan. Roast, uncovered, in a 400 degree oven for ten minutes.

Toss mushrooms with remaining one tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms to other end of the baking pan after potatoes have roasted for ten minutes, then bake ten minutes longer or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine wine and shallots or garlic. Bring to a boil. Boil for about 4 minutes or until wine is reduced to 3/4 cup. Stir together the softened butter and the flour, then add it to the wine mixture, stirring well. Add whipping cream. Cook over medium heat until bubbly. Reduce heat to medium-low; gradually add the grated cheese, little by little, stirring after each addition until all the cheese has been added and melted.

Combine the potatoes, mushrooms, greens and vinaigrette.

Divide the warm cheese among six bowls and top each with the potatoes and greens mixture. Top with crumbled bacon. Serve while still warm.

My Favorite Lentil Soup

2007-03-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

Fifteen years ago, I was a young mother with a toddler and an infant, trying to figure out how to run a household, make decent meals and stay healthy. It was at a mall in Ohio that I first found Jane Brody's Good Food Book.

The Good Food Book was like an amazing textbook to me, packed full of information about whole grains, complete proteins, from-scratch dishes and delicious, healthy recipes. That book became one of the foundational components of my cooking.

At the forensics tournament today, "My Favorite Lentil Soup" was served. The children who were once toddler and infant are now 17 and 15, and they were debating their peers about issues that I'd never thought would even be a part of their world fifteen years ago. The ladies in the hospitality room really enjoyed the lentil soup, and I pointed them here.

So, Hospitality Ladies, this soup's for you.

*sLoOow*~**sLoOow*~**sLoOow*~**sLoOow*~*

My Favorite Lentil Soup

2 T olive oil
2 large / 3 medium onions, chopped
3 carrots, grated
3/4 t marjoram
3/4 t thyme
1 28-oz can tomatoes with juice
7 C broth
1.5 C dried lentils--rinsed and picked
1/2 t salt
1/4-1/2 t pepper
6 oz dry white wine
1/3 C fresh parsley or 2 T dried parsley flakes

Heat the oil in a soup pot with a heavy bottom. Sauté the onions, carrots, marjoram, and thyme for about 5 minutes.

Coarsely chop the tomatoes, then add them to the veggies. Add the broth and lentils. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about a half hour to 45 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Add the wine after the lentils are tender, then season to taste. You can add cheddar cheese to the top when you're done for a delicious complete protein!

Morning Glory Muffins

2007-03-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

Years ago when we lived in a bigger city, my dad used to stop by a grocery store that carried delicious bakery items and lots of specialty foods. Every once in a while, he'd bring home a couple of HUGE muffins that were chock-full of delicious things--dates, pecans, carrots, apple, coconut--and I would absolutely dive into their moist goodness.

Now we live out in the country, quite far from any gourmet, whole food or specialty grocery stores. Our local grocer just recently began carrying imported cheeses. Up until then, there were only a couple of cheesehouses nearby that carried gruyere or gorgonzola, even though we live in the heart of cheese country. The days of my dad's gifts of gigantic muffins are gone.

The good news is that it forced me to find a recipe and make my own gargantuan muffins at home.

This recipe is very much like the one my dad used to bless me with, though it wouldn't hurt to add a half-cup of raisins, a mixture of dark and golden. Take the time to chop up these ingredients and enjoy a very substantial muffin you'll be proud of.

OoO...s-l-o*o*O.O.o*o*-w...OoO...s-l-o*o*O.O.o*o*-w...OoO

Morning Glory Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 1/2 cups peeled and grated apple
3/4 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly oil 18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a second bowl, combine carrots, apples, coconut, dates and pecans. Stir in eggs, oil and vanilla. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients; stir until smooth.
Spoon or scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

OoO...s-l-o*o*O.O.o*o*-w...OoO...s-l-o*o*O.O.o*o*-w...OoO

You can find more Morning Glory Muffins at allrecipes.com.

Hot Buttered Pretzels!

2007-02-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

On a cold, winter day, what could be better than hot, buttery bread? Hot Buttered Pretzels, of course! Follow the recipe to a T and you'll have pretzels to die for! If you have unsalted butter, it really does make the difference. We used salted, and with the gourmet/coarse salt, it was too salty.

This recipe comes from the King Arthur Flour website. Better than Aunt Annies by a MILE!

INTRO
Pretzels are available crisp and hard from your grocery or, if you're lucky and in the right place, soft and chewy from street vendors. Our recipe is for the soft, chewy kind.
INGREDIENTS
Dough
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons regular instant yeast
7/8 to 1 cup warm water*

Topping
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
coarse, kosher or pretzel salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS
*Use the greater amount in the winter, the lesser amount in the summer, and somewhere in between in the spring and fall. Your goal is a soft dough.

Food Processor Method: Place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast in the work bowl of a food processor equipped with the steel blade. Process for 5 seconds. Add the water, and process for 7 to 10 seconds, until the dough starts to clear the sides of the bowl. Process a further 45 seconds. Place a handful of flour in a bowl, scoop the slack dough into the bowl, and shape the dough into a ball, coating it with the flour. Transfer the dough to a plastic bag, close the bag loosely, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your bread machine, program the machine for Dough or Manual, and press Start. Allow the dough to proceed through its two kneading cycles, then cancel the machine, flour the dough, and give it a rest in a plastic bag, as instructed above.

Manual/Mixer Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into a bowl, and beat till well-combined. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, till it's soft, smooth, and quite slack. Flour the dough and place it in a bag, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 500°F. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray, or lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into eight equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes. While the dough is resting, combine the 1/2 cup warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn't, it'll make your pretzels splotchy.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28 to 30 inches long), and twist each rope into a pretzel, as illustrated. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they're golden brown, reversing the baking sheets halfway through.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave. Yield: 8 pretzels.

Chicken Potpie

2007-02-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

It's a Level Three out there, which means that the heavy snow and cold weather has forced me to stay inside my midwestern home, spend time with my family and make some delicious comfort foods.

Fortunately for me, yesterday was shopping day, so I was blessed to have a reasonably full pantry and well-stocked refrigerator, including several pounds of fresh chicken breasts. After thinking it over for a while, I decided that today was most definitely a chicken potpie day. A quick check of the recipe confirmed that I had all that I needed to make the meal, and I had, of course, plenty of time, so by dinnertime, the potpie was served, steaming hot and gratefully received.

Whether you find yourself blessed with a snow day or not, I think you'll enjoy this delicious all-in-one meal, featuring an herbed variation of Pate Brise, adapted from the Martha Stewart Living Cookbook.

*^...*^...oOooOo*^...*^...*^...oOooOo*^...*^...*^...oOooOo*^...

Chicken Potpie

Chicken and Broth:

Three chicken breasts or one 4 lb chicken
1 quart of homemade broth or low-sodium broth
1 large yellow onion, cut in half
2 dried bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 small bunch of fresh time, or a teaspoon of dried
1 celery stalk, cut into thirds

Combine in a stock pot and add enough water just to cover the chicken. Cover and bring the stock to a boil, rudce heat and simmer, uncovered for an hour.

Pate Brise for Chicken Potpie

1 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
10 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons ice water
1 large egg yolk

Combine the flour, salt and thyme in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to mix.

Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, not longer than about fifteen seconds.

With the processor running, add the ice water and the egg yolk, processing until the dough holds together.

Turn the dough onto a flat surface, pat into a disc, wrap well and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Filling:

5 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups red or russett potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
12 pearl onions or two small cooking onions, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces (if pearl onions are large)
1 medium leek, white and pale-green parts, sliced int 1/4 inch-thick rounds, well-washed (I omitted this in this batch because leeks are out-of-season and expensive right now)
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into thick rounds
6 ounces white button mushrooms, if you like them, cut into quarters, if large
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of flour
1 cup of milk
2 tablespoons fresh or two teaspoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Drain the chicken and reserve the stock. Remove the skin from the chicken, if using a whole chicken, and remove all chicken from the carcass. Shred the meat into bite-sized pieces (good job for little fingers) and set aside.

Strain the stock, keeping two cups of liquid aside. Save the rest for another use, like rice or potatoes or a noodle soup.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees farenheit. Melt five tablespoons of butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and onions and cook,stirring occasionally, for about five minutes, until potatoes begin to turn golden.

Add leek, carrots, and mushrooms; cook five minutes more.

Add flour and cook, stirring, for one minute. Stir in the reserved chicken broth and the milk, bringing to a simmer. Cook until thick and bubbly, 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken pieces, parsley, 2 teaspoons of salt, thyme, lemon zest, and pepper. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole. Set aside.

Roll out the dough until it's 1/4 inch thick and transfer to a baking sheet. Transfer to the refrigerator and allow the dough to chill for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and cream. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and, working quickly, place the dough over the chicken mixture, tucking the extras under arond the edges. Cut slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Brush with the egg wash, place on a baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Beef Vegetable Soup

2007-01-30T20:01:00.000-08:00

"Mom, when I go to class tomorrow, I'd like to take a pot of Beef Vegetable Soup."

That, I can gladly oblige.

There's nothing like a hot, savory soup to warm the bones on a winter day. When my daughter requested this recipe to share at her homeschool co-op, I could practically taste it.

This one is a slo-o-o-w recipe because it's cooked in a crock pot. Normally, I don't care a whole lot for crock-pot cooking because it tends to be bland, turns things mushy, and most recipes rely on highly-processed foods like Velveeta and canned soups. But this recipe doesn't. As a matter of fact, this recipe is very flexible. I make it differently almost every time I throw it together. But I'll share with you the general idea of Beef Vegetable Soup. Do with it what you like.

*..SoSSoo--.O.--ooSSoS..*..SoSSoo--.O.--ooSSoS..*

Beef Vegetable Soup

Brown two pounds of meat. This can be stew beef, ground beef, ground turkey, venison...whatever.

Into your crockpot, place:

A medium-sized bag of mixed veggies, or you can throw in a small bag of peas, 1/2 cup or more of sliced carrots, and a small bag of corn. Whatever veggies you like will work.

Add to this:

Four or five medium-sized potatoes, cubed
Two medium onions, chopped
A large jar of spagetti sauce (I used leftover pizza sauce)
A couple of teaspoons each of your favorite herbs, like thyme, oregano and basil.
A bay leaf or two, if you have them.
Salt and pepper to taste
A few dashes of hot pepper sauce, if you like

When the meat has been browned, add it to the mix.
Add water or broth to cover (beef broth is especially good).

Now, here comes the slo-o-o-w part. Cook it in the crock pot for about eight hours on low or six hours on high.

*..SoSSoo--.O.--ooSSoS..*..SoSSoo--.O.--ooSSoS..*

My family devours this with cheddar on top, with a handful of crackers or just like it is.

After all, soup is Good Food!

Heavy Pizza Sauce

2007-01-30T12:39:00.000-08:00

This pizza sauce comes from Diane Morgan's book Pizza. She calls it a robust sauce that won't make the crust soggy. This recipe makes 3 1/2 cups of sauce--enough for several pizzas or a couple of pizzas, with extra to freeze.

2 12 ounce cans of tomato paste
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons table salt or 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 chopped basil leaves or three additional teaspoons dried basil

In a large bowl, combine the paste, water and olive oil.

Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk well.

Can be stored in the fridge for five days or in the freezer for two months.

A Perfect Pizza Party and Pizza Sauce? Forget the Jar!

2007-01-29T14:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon, the Time to Cook kitchen was all aflutter. Crusts were mixing and rising. Food processors were chopping. Pots were bubbling on the stove. All of the Time to Cook family was at work in some way preparing for a pizza extravaganza; in just a few hours, we would be welcoming nineteen children and six adults to make pizzas from scratch. Fifteen-year-old Z was my right-hand-man, crumbling the feta, slicing the garlic, making his first-ever batches of pizza dough and mixing up this no-cook sauce in no-time.

The recipe Z threw together is not only delicious, but it's quick! Taking time to cook doesn't always mean cooking, and it doesn't always mean hours of labor. Sometimes it just means doing more than twisting off the top of a jar of store-bought pizza sauce.

This sauce meets the criterion. It doesn't need cooking, only takes a few minutes to assemble and--BONUS--it goes quite well with this crust.

If you don't make your own paste or have your own home-canned tomatoes, you can substitute by using store-bought.

This recipe comes from Diane Morgan's book Pizza. I very highly recommend it if you're a pizza lover, like I am.

88-^.o.^-::-^.o.^-88-^.o.^-::-^.o.^-88-^.o.^-::-^.o.^-88

New York-Style Pizza Sauce

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice OR whole tomatoes put through the food processor briefly
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
One clove of minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt.

Mix all of this together, then adjust seasonings to taste. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator up to five days or in the freezer up to two months.

88-^.o.^-::-^.o.^-88-^.o.^-::-^.o.^-88-^.o.^-::-^.o.^-88

This was one of three sauces we made for the evening, including this slow-simmered sauce, and this other heavy, no-cook sauce, in addition to an alfredo for white pizza.

About an hour before the guest were to arrive, we turned on both ovens and I assembled a Deep Dish Onion and Spinach Pizza Pie so there would be something to munch on while the guests' crunchy creations were cooking. I pulled out the pizza screens I'd ordered from A Best Kitchen Supplies (great prices! quick shipping!) and we began laying out the toppings.

What a variety! We had:

Chopped spinach
Sun-dried tomatoes
Feta cheese
Sliced garlic
Mozzarella
Pepperoni
Banana peppers
Sliced roma tomatoes
Chunk roma tomatoes
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Sliced red onions
Sliced mushrooms
Olive oil
Basil
Oregano
Crushed Red Pepper

Kids and adults alike had fun taking turns around the big butcher-block island and arranging toppings, coming up with some wonderful creations. Some were tried and true. Some tested the boundaries. A square personal pizza? Why not? Nothing but tomatoes, garlic and olive oil along with a sprinkling of basil and oregano? What the heck? Never eaten Feta on a pizza before? Give it a shot!

The Onion and Spinach Deep Dish was a big hit, even among the young ones and those who claimed an aversion to garlic. I think my personal favorite pizza combination was the alfredo sauce with sliced garlic, feta cheese, chopped spinach, parmigiano reggiano, then drizzled with olive oil. And not just because I made it myself.

Clean-up was a snap, since the mamas of the families dove in to do and dry dishes.

And there were leftovers. I froze the extra dough and sauce. And the leftover pizza?

Breakfast, of course!

Another fascinating food blog:David Lebovitz

2007-01-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

When you've mastered your yogurt making, surf on over to David Lebovitz's food blog and check out the recipe for Strawberry Frozen Yogurt. This recipe may even push me over the edge and force me to buy vodka or kirsch, something I've never done.

Photo from David's page.

Fettucine with Carmelized Onions and White Wine Sauce and A New Kitchen Tool

2007-01-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

There are times when chaos rules all around me and I just don't care. Today was one of those days.

We'd just returned from morning service at church and I'd decided to experiment with a new pasta and a couple of sauces. The kitchen was still in a state of limited functionality after my previous day's venture into cleaning the spice drawer and reorganizing the pantry and cupboards. Everything hadn't been put back into place yet, but I didn't care. A clean washcloth to make a clear surface on my butcher block, my food processor and a couple of pots and pans were all I needed. Everything else could tumble down around me.

And it practically did.

Kids were tracking snow through the house. Other kids were scattering toys. Other kids were playing board games on the floor of the piano room. There was delightful chaos everywhere, and I was embracing it.

After sixteen-year-old Bard finished the Simple Hot Cocoa, I enlisted her help to make the two sauces I'd be tossing the fresh egg noodles in. She did all of it but chop the onions. The food processor did that.

She even used the best cheese grater in the world to turn a block of Pecorino into a bowl of light, fluffy flakes. If you regularly grate hard cheeses, the Microplane Classic Zester/Grater is the only way to go. It runs about $13.00 at the MegaKitchenType store and is totally worth it. Microplane originally began as a woodworking tool until the wife of a hardware salesman picked up a rasp to zest an orange for a cake after her other zesters just didn't cut it. She was pleasantly surprised by the results and made the Microplane Grater a regular kitchen tool. After trying rotary cheese graters and not being impressed, I'm thrilled to have added the Microplane to my list of favorite kitchen tools. I hope to soon add the Medium Ribbon Grater for soft cheeses, butters, chocolates and apples. It may even give my Cuisinart a run for its money!

Both of the sauces were good, but the one that follows was delicious and proved the favorite of my seven testers. I'm not sure it was quite enough sauce for one pound of fresh egg noodles, and I did have to add some cream during the last stage, but it was still quite tasty. It even stopped the chaos long enough for the masses to be fed.

It takes a good bit of time to make fresh egg pasta, so be sure to set aside an hour for a pound and another twenty minutes or more for the sauce, depending on how quickly your onions brown.

For a bit of variation, try browning a 1/2 pound of bacon, removing the bacon and leaving 1/4 cup of grease, omitting the olive oil and browning the onions in the bacon grease instead. Continue with the recipe from there.

For best results, serve the pasta in warmed bowls. It loses heat fairly quickly.

Enjoy!

xXx--=..oOo*oOo..=--xXx--=..oOo*oOo..=--xXx--=..oOo*oOo..=--xXx

After making your egg pasta into one pound of fettucine, bring four quarts of water to a boil.

Grate 1/2 cup of Pecorino Romano very fine, maybe a bit more if you like to sprinkle the cheese on top of your pasta. Maybe even more, because you must sample it after you've grated it. It's just too light and fluffy to resist. Don't use pre-grated. It doesn't melt as nicely. It's better to just invest in a good grater and buy fresh wedges of cheese. Often, the pregrated cheeses are of lower quality and have anti-caking agents and other preservatives added to them. If you can't find the Pecorino Romano, you can substitute a good-quality parmesan, like Parmigiano Reggiano but you still need to fresh-grate it.

While the water is boiling and the egg pasta is resting, chop four onions very fine.

Heat 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan that will be big enough to accomodate the noodles and the sauce. Saute the onions in the oil (or use the bacon variation suggested above) until well browned but not black.

When the onions are just about done, add two cloves of minced garlic and saute until onions are finished and garlic is lightly sauted.

Turn the heat up to medium and add 1/2 cup of white wine. Bring this to a simmer and make sure all of the onion bits are scraped off the bottom of the pan. Simmer it for about three minutes.

Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the pan and heat just until warm. Taste it and add salt to taste.

When your water comes to a boil, add one tablespoon of salt, then add your egg noodles. Cook them just until al dente, then quickly drain them and add them to the sauce, along with the 1/2 cup grated cheese.

Serve it warm with some more cheese on the side. A nice dish of steamed broccoli would go really well with this.

It will be worth the chaos, I assure you. Dishes, after all, can wait until tomorrow.

The First Snow and Steaming Cocoa

2007-01-21T12:59:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas morning, my darling little ones gasped when they first caught a glimpse of the pile of loot. Sleds! Because they're so huge--and so Christmassey in and of themselves--we didn't bother to wrap them. I just leaned them picturesquely against the tree and let them take center stage, giving the first impression on the most magical morning of the year.

You know what happens when I give my kids sleds for Christmas?

It doesn't snow.

And so it was, the winter of 2005/2006 held no snow for my sweeties to try out their treasures. Every week, I would say, "It's still winter. There's still time. It'll snow. Just wait and see!"

They waited through January, and February, and March, and even April.

But they never did see.

This year, we feared the same fate would befall the sleds as did last year. Would they be destined to hang around in the barn loft, amidst the old farm sink and schoolhouse lights, both of which are waiting for our next building project? It seemed to be so. We passed through November, December and the better part of January with little more than a few fickle flurries, but nary an accumulation. The little noodles had all but lost hope.

And then, this morning as we sat through our church service, the Creator was crafting a world of white. After I'd done my morning gabbing post-service, I stepped toward the front door to find Sweetheart, my seven-year-old, lying flat out in the yard of the church, her arms sweeping wildly, here hair soaked with snow, flakes drifting onto her rosy little cheeks. She was absolutely delighted.

My eldest son brought a friend home from church, and the neighbor boy made his way over the hill. Soon, they were all digging through the piles of gloves, then dragging the long-neglected snow equipment out of the barn. There were snowbikes and snowboards and sleds, oh my, and the bundled boys made short work of turning these Amish hillsides into their own personal snow resort. Even The Baby, age three, bundled up in her brand-new (read: thrifted) hat, gloves and buttonhole scarf, and her hand-me-down snow coat--the same one that had fit her older sister four years ago, and her older brother four years before that. I took in every moment as I watched through the window, the sill decorated with a fluffy dusting of snow that looked so much like the soft pile of Pecorino Romano my eldest daughter Bard had freshly grated for today's lunch.

While I began preparing a Sunday afternoon pasta feast (more on that later), I called Bard into the kitchen to whip up a pot of scratch-made hot chocolate. She was almost caught in the act by her siblings twice, who came in to change their soaking-wet gloves or take a potty break. But she made a quick recovery.

"Are you making hot chocolate?" Asked the inquiring sibling.
"No," answered the misleading older sister.
"What is it?" The sibling persisted.
"Melon soup," she lied.

Disappointedly, they trudged back out into the crisp air.

Hot chocolate is so much better if it's a surprise.

Normally, we top off our cocoa with a dallop of homemade whipped cream, but the heavy cream was reserved for today's pasta meal, so the cocoa had to go naked. For you, however, I'll provide the recipe. You'll have to make it yourself, though.

*^..^*..*^..^..*^..^*..*^..^..*^..^*..*^..^..*

Simple Hot Chocolate

1/2 cup sugar or honey (more or less to taste)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
dash salt
1/3 cup water

Mix all of this together in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, then stir and boil for two minutes.

Add:

4 cups milk (I use raw, whole milk, of course :-) )
3/4 teapoon vanilla, or, if you want minty-flavored cocoa, some mint oil

Heat it, but don't boil it. Ladle into mugs and dallop with whipped cream. Serves two big mugs or four small mugs. Double it for best results.

You can make the sauce part ahead of time, put it in a jar and keep it for when-you-need-it use. Just pour a bit of your syrup into a saucepot and add milk to your likeness, heat it up and serve.

*^..^*..*^..^..*^..^*..*^..^..*^..^*..*^..^..*

Once inside, the children and their visitors were pleased to find not cold melon soup, but steaming mugs of rich, real hot cocoa. The didn't even mind that it was naked.

Ah, yes. Sustenance for more outdoor adventures in the long-awaited snow.

Real Whipped Cream

2007-01-21T12:50:00.000-08:00

Use this whipped cream to top the delicious Simple Hot Cocoa or your favorite hot beverage. Mixing with the whisk attachment of a stand mixer makes the task go much quicker than whisking by hand, but either way, you'll want stiff peaks of cream.

1 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Beat with a whisk until fluffy and firm.

There are OTHERS? Butter Pecan Ice Cream from Simply Recipes

2007-01-17T19:31:00.000-08:00

I'm not completely naive. I did realize that other people probably blogged about food. I just didn't realize how many others! And how amazing they all are!

Elise Bauer is one of them, with her food blog Simply Recipes . I am completely floored by the sheer number of recipes she has on her beautiful, mouth-watering blog.

Now, I don't want to chase you away, but you really have to go see this post which shares a recipe for butter pecan ice cream.

I can't believe that:

a) We just had our first very cold day after a long, grey, rainy winter, and;
b) I just started reading French Women Don't Get Fat, and;
c) I'll have to run an extra interval...

and I'm still going to pull out the ol' hand-crank ice cream maker and whip up a batch of this. Even though I just stocked up on ice cream when Breyers went on sale at the local market for $2.98 a half-gallon.

I've had my eye on a butter pecan recipe in a little booklet that stares at me from the racks by the check-out line every time I go to the grocery. I will not, I say to myself, pay that much for a little booklet wrapped in plastic so that I can't read the ingredients. I mean, I read labels for everything, so I'm not going to plunk down my cold, hard cash for a recipe whose potentially mediocre ingredients I can't read first!

Now I don't have to.

Thank you, Elise. I'm really looking forward to trying this amazing-looking recipe with our next batch of fresh, real, raw milk.

*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(*)(*)*(*)*

Butter Pecan Ice Cream
from Elise Bauer on Simply Recipes

An ice cream loving friend was in town this weekend, giving me the perfect excuse to make a new batch of ice cream. This time the flavor is one of my all time favorites, butter pecan. In this recipe the butter flavor comes in the custard base, achieved by browning the butter first before adding the other ingredients.

Ingredients
6 large egg yolks
6 Tbsp butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans

Special equipment needed
An ice cream maker, or a KitchenAid mixer with an ice cream attachment

Method

1 In a medium sized heat-safe bowl (metal, ceramic, or glass), whisk together the egg yolks until well blended. Set aside.

2 Pour the cream into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and set a medium-mesh sieve on top. Set aside.

3 In a medium thick-bottomed saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter cook it, stirring constantly, until it just begins to brown. Add the brown sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar completely melts.

4 Slowly add the milk, stirring to incorporate. It will foam up initially, so make sure you are using a pan with high enough sides. Heat until all of the sugar is completely dissolved. Do not let boil or the mixture may curdle.

5 Whisk in hand, slowly pour half of the milk and sugar mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to incorporate. Then add the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk sugar mixture.

6 Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden or heatproof rubber spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, about 5-7 minutes.

7 Pour the custard through the sieve and stir it into the cream. Add vanilla and stir until cool over the ice bath. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.

8 While the mixture is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay out the pecans on a roasting pan in a single layer. Bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted. Let cool. Once cool, roughly chop the pecans and set aside. Note, if you want an extra punch to this ice cream, brush the pecans with melted butter and sprinkle with salt before roasting.

9 Once the ice cream mixture is thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

10 Once the ice cream has been formed in the ice cream maker, it will be fairly soft. Fold in the chopped pecans. Put in an airtight plastic container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours. If it has been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften it before serving.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

Ode to My Redi-Check

2007-01-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

It's the classic situation. I have a basic need. I have a few dollars. I see a killer application. I must have it. Budget? What budget?

That's about the story behind my acquisition of the bestest gadget I have in my kitchen. Yes, I love my KitchenAid mixer, and my Cuisinart is always at hand, but they are only shadows of themselves without my RediCheck remote kitchen thermometer.

It's true. I didn't have the money to spend on the RediCheck, since it was going for about $40 and I had, roughly...uh, nothing. But I was preparing to make something fabulous and yummy on the grill, and when I saw this beauty, I knew it had to be mine.

Now, it wasn't an impulse buy. Oh, no. I stood in the aisle of the Kitchen, Bath and Bedroom Superstore and really, truly considered whether or not I needed such an extravagance when I could have spent a measly couple of dollars on yet another cheap meat thermometer that would go through the dishwasher after I've said five million times that food thermometers and dishwashers are not friends. My husband, waiting for me in the car, would likely not understand how amazing this little device was, how often I would use it, or how I could justify spending $40 on it. But I knew it would be worth it. And I knew that, eventually, the love of my life would see the wisdom of my ways and thank me for it.

Because, see, I'm very terrible about knowing when meat is done, or when candy has reached the soft ball or the hard ball stage, or when the yogurt is precisesly 110 degrees farenheit. A tool like this could improve my cooking 150%. Who could put a price on that?

So I bought it. And then I started explaining. Fast. My spiel probably went a little something like this:

The RediCheck has so many great features, I almost don't know where to start. I guess I'll begin with the fact that you can stick the probe into your food and then walk away. Literally. There's a cool remote unit that you can clip to your belt and then you're off. Go do some laundry, make potato salad, take a nap, and the signal will beep when your food has reached the appropriate temperature, either using the mode for meat doneness, or the temperature you set manually.

The next great feature is that it's very accurate. I've been using it for everything from grilled thanksgiving turkey to homemade vanilla caramels and have had very good success with it.

Finally--and this might be my favorite feature--the temperature probe is attached to the main unit by a heatproof cord, allowing the probe to be placed into the cooking item--in the grill, or in the oven, or on the stovetop--and left there while the unit itself sits on the countertop or near the grill, safely and happily displaying the temperature of the roasting bird or bubbling candy.

Yes, it stretched my budget to buy this gadget, and yes, it does have its problems, like the fact that you have to turn on both the send unit and the remote unit at just the right time to allow them to synchronize, but, all in all, this is one gadget I don't think I could live without.

My husband does see the wisdom of my ways, and now even he uses the RediCheck to do his grilling.

RediCheck. The kitchen gadget even a husband could love.

Homemade Yogurt: Using your Oven and Making it Plain

2007-01-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

I decided to do an experiment with making yogurt in my gas oven for those of you who have a gas oven and don't want to buy a yogurt maker, or who would like to make the five-quart version. I'm happy to say that the experiment went well, though it took a bit of babysitting and a little tweaking.

Also, I made this one plain so that I could make it into yogurt dip for this coming Sunday's carry-in.

(-*-)..+o_^::_*_::^_o+..(-*-)

Quart Version of Plain Yogurt
(If you want sweetened vanilla yogurt, see this post):

1 quart of milk (I use whole raw cow's milk--Jersey milk has the highest butterfat content and makes a very creamy yogurt)
3 oz evaporated milk (which, I think, is a little less than 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup yogurt which has live active cultures. PL says it doesn't matter if it's plain or vanilla. I've used both with the same results. Once you make your first batch, you can use yogurt from your own batches to keep it going until the cultures weaken, then you have to buy more.

Partially fill a sink with cold water and get all of your ingredients ready and measured. It goes quickly, so you want to be ready. Temperatures are very important for good yogurt.

For raw milk, heat the milk to 180-190 degrees F. It creates a creamier yogurt.

Turn of the heat.

Add the evaporated milk. Stir well.

Place your pan in the cold water and stir. Your goal is to quickly cool the milk to between 110 and 115 degrees--temperature is important This happens more quickly than you'd think.

When the milk has cooled, add the yogurt using a very clean whisk. Bad bacteria can take over and make your yogurt clumpy and yucky. Very thoroughly mix in the yogurt.

Pour the mix into a quart container or yogurt maker.

The yogurt must incubate for between 4 and 10 hours at around 100 degrees. Too hot, and you'll cook the yogurt. Too cool and it won't incubate properly. Some people fill a cooler with hot water, place their jars or containers in it and leave it alone until it sets.

For my experiment, I warmed my gas oven to 110 degrees by turning it on and then turning it off after just a minute or so. I use the RediChek remote thermometer for everything like this. I LOVE it. It's one of the best investments I've ever made.

I placed the container in the oven, closed the door, and checked the thermometer occasionally. If the temp seemed to be dipping down too far, I'd turn the oven on for a few seconds (DON'T walk away or you'll cook your yogurt).

Don't touch it. Don't open it. Wait for about four hours, then very carefully check it. If it seems thickened and creamy, you can taste it to see if it's tart enough. If it is, put it in the fridge until it's cool, then you're done! If it's not, you can incubate it more. It will thicken up a bit more in the fridge, but it should be nice and thick when you're finished incubating it.

That's it!

Fresh Egg Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

2007-01-15T14:57:00.000-08:00

Just as with the egg pasta, the alfredo sauce is beautiful because of the few ingredients it requires. Heavy cream, unsalted butter, salt, Parmesan cheese, pepper and nutmeg. The result of combining these ingredients with fresh egg pasta is divine. Serve this as an appetizer, because it's so rich, and you'll have enough for 4-6 people. If you want to make a full meal of it, better double it.

The real keys to richness and thickness are to use cream that has not been ultra-pasteurized, to use really good, fresh-grated parmesan cheese (the pre-grated stuff has stuff added that makes it lumpy and isn't fresh enough to melt properly), and to cook the pasta to al dente before adding it to the sauce and then completing the sauce and the cooking of the noodles. These tips come from The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles by Cook's Illustrated, a fabulous source for pasta and sauce recipes, hints, tips and step-by-step instructions.

::.[(.oOo.)]-*-::.[(.oOo.)]-*- ::.[(.oOo.)]-*- .::

Fresh Egg Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

1 2/3 cups heavy cream, preferably not ultra-pasteurized
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt
1 Pound fresh Egg Pasta cut into tagliatelle
1 cup high-quality Parmesan cheese (I used Parmigiano Reggiano)
Ground white pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg

Bring four quarts of water to a boil.

Combine 1 1/3 cups cream and the butter in a pan big enough to hold both the sauce and the pasta. Heat over low until the butter is melted and the cream just begins to come to a simmer. Turn off the heat and set aside.

When the water comes to a boil, add one tablespoon of salt and add the pasta. Cook until almost al dente, drain it, and then add it to the sauce.

Add your last 1/3 cup of cream, the grated cheese, salt to taste, white pepper to taste (you can use black pepper, but the white pepper leaves the sauce white), and a pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg (which isn't necessary, but my tasters really love it).

Cook over very low heat, toss to combine ingredients, and watch carefully until the sauce is slightly thickened, a couple of minutes.

Divide among 6 warmed bowls and serve hot!

::.[(.oOo.)]-*-::.[(.oOo.)]-*- ::.[(.oOo.)]-*- .::

The Pasta Experience

2007-01-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

As part of my current obsession of making my own pasta dishes, I recently acquired an Imperia pasta machine which arrived on Saturday. Sunday, I promised, would be the day to make our first home-made pasta.

The beauty of pasta is that it requires only two ingredient: flour and eggs. How much more basic can you get than that? The time element to making your own pasta is in the actual rolling and cutting of the dough into noodles. Having a pasta machine is very helpful for this process. While you can make noodles without a machine, using a rolling pin and knives or rolling cutters, the pasta machine makes it much easier. The dough is rolled very, very thin, to the point where you can see the silhouette of your hand through the rolled dough.

You can get more fancy with the ingredients than just the flour and eggs, but it's not necessary. Still, I hope to experiment with some other recipes and techniques, and I'll pass those outcomes on to you as I find them.

The first experiment in The Pasta Experience was to make tagliatelle with alfredo sauce. It took us a long time to make the whole dish, from start to finish. I think the total time was about two hours, and some of that time was spent figuring out how to work the machine and exactly what the dough should feel like. Actually rolling the dough through the machine was not hard at all. My best cooks, which are my two sons, jumped right in to help, and my older son, who is 15, ended up finishing the noodles while I started the sauce. Having an extra hand helps. Even the three year old got into the act, turning the handle to produce long tendrils of fresh noodles. This is a very fun family activity. Make a few appetizers to stave off hunger, whip up your dough, and start rolling! Better than television any day.

So turn off that one-eyed monster. It's time to cook!

Are you ready? Here we go!

))*^*...*^*...*^*(())*^*...*^*...*^*(())*^*...*^*...*^*((

We'll begin with an easy-way-out method, and that's using a food processor to make the dough. If you don't have a food processor, keep your eyes peeled because we'll experiment with hand-mixing the dough.

2 cups of all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten

Ingredients should be at room-temperature before you start, so if you keep your flour in the freezer, like I do, be sure to let it warm up before starting. Start with very fresh eggs, too.

Put your flour in the work-bowl of the food processor, fitted with the steel blade. Pulse it a few times to get the flour all nice and fluffy.

Add the eggs and process the eggs and flour together for about thirty seconds. After thirty seconds, you should see the dough form a rough ball. If it really sticks to the sides of the work bowl, add a bit more flour, little by little, until you get a moist, cohesive dough. On the other hand, if it's too dry and looks like crumbles, add water 1/2 teaspoon at a time until you get the right consistency.

Put the whole mass, including any crumbs or chunks or un-mixed egg, onto a clean work surface and start kneading. It'll be a little tough, not like bread dough, so you're basically just going to keep folding and turning and folding and turning until you get a nice, smooth dough.

Put the dough into a zip-type bag and let it rest anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours at room temperature.

Divide the dough into about six or eight pieces, take one out, and put the others back in the baggie. Flatten your piece a bit and lightly coat it with flour on both sides.

If you haven't used your pasta machine before, you'll want to throw this piece out after you run it through. I had to throw out two pieces before the pasta machine ran the dough clean. This is a good chance to experiment with the dough and the pasta machine, so have fun with it.

When it's time to run your first real piece of dough through the machine, start it on the lowest number, which is the widest setting. Fold the dough ends so that the meet in the middle, and then put the piece through the machine again on the widest setting, feeding the open end of the dough through first (not the folded end, but the other end). Run it through the widest setting again, getting a nice, smooth dough. Remember to use flour when the dough gets sticky, but not too much so that you make a tough dough.

Now, each time you run the dough through, narrow the setting until you've run the pasta through the narrowest setting and your dough is very, very thin.

At this point, if the dough is stable enough, you can run the pasta through the cutter attachment. If you want to make all of your dough sheets first and then cut them, stack your sheets of dough between layers of moist, clean kitchen towels. If the dough seems too sticky to cut, let it rest a few minutes before you cut it.

After the dough has been cut, hang it on a rack to dry for about fifteen minutes to cure before boiling it. You can leave the noodles out for up to two hours before cooking, if you need to.

Then, you're ready to make your pasta and sauce!

For excellent instructions with photos and illustrations, see The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles by Cook's Illustrated and The Pasta Bible by Jeni Wright. Check your local library for other books on pasta, pasta-making and sauce.

Up next, Fresh Egg Noodles with Alfredo Sauce.

More on Yogurt

2007-01-14T22:06:00.000-08:00

Reader Jill would really like to make yogurt, but she's afraid to try. Jill, I'm encouraging you to go for it! As a matter of fact, I'm so much encouraging you to go for it that I spent a portion of time this afternoon experimenting with making yogurt without a yogurt maker, and I'm pleased to say that I had fabulous results.

Check back here tomorrow for details on how I did it and a modification of the yogurt recipe published here.

Pasta Success!

2007-01-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

Today, we christened the pasta machine and turned out two pounds of eggs-ellent egg pasta, tagliatelle-style. We cooked it up with a nice, creamy alfredo and all of my testers devoured it gladly. It was thumbs up from them! One tester rated it above the local authentic Italian restaurant.

Sound delicious? You can do it, too!

Stay tuned here tomorrow for details and recipes for today's dish, and join me for the next couple of weeks as I experiment with different pasta recipes, techniques and sauces!

It's here!

2007-01-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Finally, my pasta maker has arrived! Believe it or not, after all of this waiting, I'm now feeling intimidated by this hunk of metal sitting on my kitchen table.

But I shall not be deterred. Fresh pasta tomorrow, I tell you.

In Today's Bookbag: Pasta Books

2007-01-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

Now, let's veer back to my current obsession--pasta--just long enough to drool over these two books I brought home in today's library bookbag. I can't go into depth with them, because my pasta maker has still not arrived (this is now Day Five of my wait. Sigh), so I only tortured myself with the stacks and stacks of Italian cookbooks long enough to determine that I must own these two books:

This one truly is a bible of pasta knowledge. It covers all of the different types of pastas-- fresh, dried, designer pastas, shaped pastas--as well as instructions on how to make, cook and serve pasta, what wines to serve with your pasta, creating striped and silhouette pasta, sections on herbs and seasonings to have on hand, oils and vinegars, tomatoes and cheeses. And, of course, there are tons of recipes--over 150--for soups, salads, sauces and baked dishes. Be sure to look for The Pasta Bible by Jeni Wright if you've found pasta to be your current obsession, too.

The Williams-Sonoma book, Mastering Pasta, Noodles & Dumplings includes, as expected, lots of gorgeous pictures, recipes for basic and flavored pastas, and step-by-step instructions on pasta making, accompanied by plenty of photographs. While I haven't made any of the recipes in the book yet, it sure is delicious eye-candy!

Enough torture. As soon as that pasta maker arrives, we'll be revisiting these books for recipes and inspiration.

Homemade Yogurt

2007-01-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

Let's take a little bit to veer off the main road--which has been pasta and pizza--and let's talk about dairy. I posted my recipe for granola here, so now you need something to go with it.

I'm thinking about this for two reasons: First, my pasta maker hasn't arrived yet. Argh. Secondly, I've made this yogurt several times since I received my yogurt maker but today was the first time I used my yogurt to make smoothies. Can I just say Oh. My. Goodness?!? Let me tell you, folks--this ain't no Dannon yogurt. It almost feels WRONG to eat something this good.

And once you make it, it's like a whole 'nother culinary world has been opened up to you. Once you know how to make yogurt, you can make your own mock sour cream (delicious), yogurt cheese (very delicious), yogurt pancakes (quite delicious), and smoothies (absolutely delicious). Entire books have been written about how to make and cook with yogurt. Here are just a few of the ones that I've read:

101 Things to do with Yogurt by Geneva Stringham
The Book Of Yogurt by Sonia Uvezian
The Stonyfield Farm yogurt cookbook by Meg Cadoux Hirshberg
Making Cheese, Butter & Yogurt by Storey Books

We'll explore a few recipes using yogurt later, but first, let's make the yogurt, then we'll go from there.

I use raw milk, so if you have access to that, do definitely use it. It's absolutely delicious.

...ooo--)(--ooo...ooo--)(--ooo...ooo--)(--ooo...

Quart Version:

1 quart of milk (I use whole raw cow's milk)
3 oz evaporated milk (which, I think, is a little less than 1/2 cup)
1/4-1/3 cup sweetener (I used 1/4 honey in one and 1/2 cup honey in one, and neither were super sweet. Today I used 1/3 cup sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup yogurt which has live active cultures. PL says it doesn't matter if it's plain or vanilla. I've used both with the same results. Once you make your first batch, you can use yogurt from your own batches to keep it going until the cultures weaken, then you have to buy more.
(PL adds gelatin to hers, but I couldn't figure out the right ratio, so I left it out. Because we use whole jersey milk, it thickened just fine without the gelatin.)

Partially fill a sink with cold water and get all of your ingredients ready and measured. It goes quickly, so you want to be ready. Temperatures are very important for good yogurt.

For raw milk, heat the milk to 180 degrees F. I was hesitant to do this because I wanted the good health properties of the raw milk, but my first batch didn't come out so well. When I called PL, she said that heating it creates a creamier yogurt. I tried it, heating it to about 186, and she was right. Very creamy.

Turn of the heat.

Add the evaporated milk, sweetener and vanilla. Stir well.

Place your pan in the cold water and stir. Your goal is to quickly cool the milk to between 110 and 115 degrees. This happens more quickly than you'd think.

When the milk has cooled, add the yogurt using a very clean whisk. Bad bacteria can take over and make your yogurt clumpy and yucky. Very thoroughly mix in the yogurt.

Pour the mix into a quart jar or yogurt maker.

This is the tricky part, and this is why I asked for the yogurt maker. The yogurt must incubate for between 4 and 10 hours at around 100 degrees. Too hot, and you'll cook the yogurt. Too cool and it won't incubate properly. Some people fill a cooler with hot water, place their jars or containers in it and leave it alone until it sets.

Don't touch it. Don't open it. Wait for about four hours, then very carefully check it. If it seems thickened and creamy, you can taste it to see if it's tart enough. If it is, put it in the fridge until it's cool, then you're done!

Add fruit and stuff after it's done.

One Gallon version (makes five quarts):

One gallon of milk
2 T gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
12 oz can evaporated milk
1 1/4 cup sugar or 1 cup honey
2 t vanilla
1 cup yogurt with active cultures

Follow instructions above, except that you should dissolve the gelatin in the water before you start, if you plan to use it. Add the gelatin when you add the milk, sweetener and vanilla. Follow the rest of the directions, pouring your mixture into five quart jars or containers (doesn't matter if it's glass or plastic, just as long as their really, really clean).

90-120 degrees makes yogurt, so keep your temp within the range. I think around 90-95 is optimal.

...ooo--)(--ooo...ooo--)(--ooo...ooo--)(--ooo...

Enjoy!

Deep-Dish Spinach and Onion Pizza Pie

2007-01-10T12:27:00.000-08:00

When you make this pizza, keep in mind that it's going to be small in diameter but big in flavor...and tall! Since it's a pizza pie, it will also be stuffed with cheese, onions and spinach, a combination that has so much substanance that you won't even notice it's meatless. In addition, the thick sauce you add during the last minutes of baking really adds substantially to the dish. Two slices and not only is the pizza stuffed--so are you!

The time elements in this recipe are the sauce and the dough. This recipe is a bit more labor-intensive because of the several steps in assembling and baking the pizza, so there is more than just waiting involved. This one actually takes some hands-on work.

But it's worth it! Take the time and enjoy the process!

*.*.*=--+--....--+--=*.*```*.*=--+--....--+--=*.*.*

Spinach and Onion Pizza Pie

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. and put your pizza stone or rack on the second to the bottom space of the oven.

Coat a 9-inch round springform pan with olive oil. From your ball of dough, remove a small ball (about 1/4 of the ball) to reserve for the top crust.

Using the rest of the dough and starting in the middle of the dough, press the dough into the springform pan, starting in the center, cover the bottom and about 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Cover the pan and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

While it's resting, get your ingredients ready:

8 ounces of baby spinach, chopped coarsely
2 cups of coarsely shredded low-moisture mozzarella cheese
3 ounces of thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
1 large onion, chopped into large hunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
Red pepper flakes, to taste
2 cups sauce
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan

Saute the onion in the olive oil until slightly limp. Combine the onion, red pepper flakes, spinach and mozzarella in a bowl and set aside.

Now, get your pan back out and readjust the dough if it has slid down the sides of the pan. Lay the mozzarella slices on the bottom of the pan, completely covering the bottom of the crust. Pour the spinach mixture in the pan.

Remember that little piece of dough you saved back? Stretch that out with your hand to form a 9" round circle, and then prick it all over with a fork. Top the spinach mixture with this crust and then fold the two edges of dough down to make a crust around the edge of the pizza. Try not to make it too thick, or you'll end up with a too much crust on the edges.

Now, working very quickly, put the pizza in the oven so you don't lose heat. Bake about twelve minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Take the pizza out of the oven, ladle the sauce over the top but not around the edges, sprinkle the parmesan on, then put the pizza back in the oven.

This time, once the pizza's in the oven, release the clamp on the side of your springform pan, but don't take it off. Bake the pizza until it's all nice and browned, about ten more minutes or so. Before you take the pizza out, carefully re-latch the pan using oven mitts. Take the pizza out of the oven and set it on a cooling rack. Now you can take off the springform rim completely. Let it cool for about five minutes. Slice into wedges and serve.

*.*.*=--+--....--+--=*.*```*.*=--+--....--+--=*.*.*

Delicious!

It took some time, but it was worth it!

Be sure to check the original version of this pizza and other recipes from Diane Morgan's book, Pizza. The recipes are fabulous!

Deep-Dish Pizza--Starting with the Crust

2007-01-09T06:19:00.000-08:00

Making deep-dish pizza takes a little extra effort, but not much. If you've never eaten deep-dish pizza--and I don't mean what they serve at fast-food pizza places but true, Chicago-style deep-dish pizza--think pizza pie, because that's what this is. It's a big, stuffed pie and one or two pieces can stuff a person.

This pizza is a variation of the stuffed spinach pizza found in Diane Morgan's book, Pizza, a delightful exploration of many different pizzas from Neapolitan to dessert pizza, explaining all the basics of pizza making, including ingredients and equipment. Lots of delicious photos in this one. If you check out here website, you'll find other pizza recipes there.

For this deep-dish pizza, you're going to need a new crust, and the one I made was in Diane's book, as well.

Before you begin the crust, you'll need a batch of the the sauce posted earlier. Get that started, then come back to begin your crust. Diane gives instructions for mixing the dough by hand and in a mixer. I'm giving you the mixer method. Pick up Diane's book for the hand-mixed method.

Chicago-Style Butter-and-Garlic Deep-Dish Pizza Dough from Pizza by Diane Morgan

1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (90-100 degrees farenheit)
1 teaspoon sugar
3 1/4 cups unbleached bread flour (I use King Arthur bread flour), plus more for dusting
1/2 cup medium-grind cornmeal
1 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 or more cloves or garlic, minced to a paste
vegetable oil for oiling the bowl and the pan

In the mixer-bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast with 1/4 cup of the warm water, then add the sugar and 1/4 cup of the flour.

Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until combined.

Place a clean, damp kitchen towel over the bowl and let this rest for 20 minutes. This is called a "sponge."

After twenty minutes, add the remaining 1 cup warm water and three cups of flour, the cornmeal and the salt. Combine the butter and the garlic, and add those.

Mix on low speed until all the flour is incorporated and the dough forms a coarse ball, about four minutes.

Let the whole thing rest for about 2 minutes.

Mix on medium speed until it's all smooth and sticky, about three minutes.

Turn the dough, even if it's sticky, onto a well-floured work surface and knead for a minute or two until it's smooth, adding up to 1/4 cup of flour, if necessary.

Lightly oil a large bowl (I use a rubbermaid-type container and lid), add the dough, turn to coat, and set it somewhere warm, but not hot, to rest and rise.

You can either let this rise for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours in a warm spot, or you can slow-rise it in the refrigerator for 10-12 hours. Bring it to room temp before the final rise.

When the dough has doubled, knead it for 2-3 minutes and press it into your pan.

For our recipe, it's going to go into a springform pan, so we'll continue with the dough in the Deep Dish Spinach and Onion recipe in my next post.

Pizza from Scratch--starting with the sauce

2007-01-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

::whistling patiently::

While we're waiting for the pasta maker to arrive, let's talk Italian. Pizza, to be more specific. Pizza crust and pizza sauce, to be very, very specific.

When I go to the store and see the Boboli shells and other pre-made pizza crusts, I can only think of one thing to say. Why?

I mean, I know why. It was a rhetorical question, actually.

But making your own crust is SO easy! And, while it is slow, it's not as slow as driving to the store and spending too much money on mediocre pre-made crusts!

Pizza crust is basic. And if you make an easy one, it's very basic. Remember, just because something takes time doesn't mean it's complicated.

So, for the next couple of days, we're going to make very uncomplicated but delicious pizzas. Beginning, of course, with the sauce.

The sauce, you say? Doesn't the pizza start with the crust? Why, sure it does. But the sauce takes longer to cook down, and it's essential that it's fully cooked down and cooled before you begin, so, we'll begin with that.

Now, if we were going to start from scratch, we'd begin with our own tomatoes and fresh basil, but since not everyone has access to their own tomatoes, we'll begin with regular, whole canned tomatoes and make accomodations for the fresh basil. Then we'll go from there.

This batch of sauce will make four 14" pizzas or 2 deep dish pizzas. You can use it right away, refrigerate it for a couple of days, or even freeze it. This is a variation of a recipe from Pizza by Diane Morgan.

*...-o-...*-+-*...-o-...*-+-*...-o-...*-+-*...-o-...*-+-

Delicious Pizza Sauce

4 cans whole tomatoes or home-canned tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons dried oregano
lots and lots of fresh garlic
1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves, chopped, or three teaspoons dried basil

In a big saucepan, dump all four cans of tomatoes, the onion, the kosher salt and the oregano. Here's the fun part: take a potato masher and squish each of the tomatoes, releasing all of their juice into the pan. Turn the pan on medium-low heat and bring it to a simmer. Simmer it like this, uncovered, until all of the liquid is gone. This can take up to an hour-and-a-half, so start this early and be patient. Stir the sauce every once in a while to make sure it's not burning on the bottom.

After all of the liquid has cooked off, take the sauce from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

When it has cooled off, add lots and lots of fresh, crushed garlic (six cloves or so, more or less depending on your preferences) and your basil.

*...-o-...*-+-*...-o-...*-+-*...-o-...*-+-*...-o-...*-+-

While the sauce is cooking, start your pizza crust.

Super Easy Pizza Crust

2007-01-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

Super easy pizza crust

Originally found on Fine Cooking. This makes two 14" pizzas.

1 package of active-dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/2 cup very warm water (110 degrees)
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the water and set aside.

Put a little less than 4 cups of the flour and all of the salt in a food processor with the steel blade and process it for a bit to mix it up.

Turn on the machine and add the yeast water through the food tube in a steady stream.

Turn off the machine; add the oil; pulse for a few seconds to mix the oil.

When you take the dough out of the food processor, it should be slightly sticky. It's okay if it's not fully mixed.

Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times until it's nice and smooth.

Divide it in two, form each half into a smooth ball, lightly coat a container with oil (I like to use a rubbermaid-like container with a lid, one with plenty of room for the dough to double) and roll the dough in the oil. Cover it and set it in a warm--not hot--place to rise until doubled.

*...-o-...*-+-*...-o-...*-+-*...-o-...*-+-*...-o-...*-+-

Now go check on your sauce.

Pizza from Scratch

2007-01-08T15:18:00.000-08:00

Homemade pizza fills the house with such a fabulous blend of aromas and inspires such creativity that, before you know it, everyone will be in the kitchen suggesting toppings or jumping in to make their own. My fifteen-year-old son said to me today as we were assembling pizzas, "I love it when we make pizza. We always end up in the kitchen together." See? You're making more than pizza, here.

After you've made your sauce and your dough has doubled in size, it's time to form the crust and assemble the pizza.

The very best way to form the crust is by stretching it with your hands. Some people try to use a rolling pin, but that just traps the air bubbles and stretches things in the wrong places, leaving you with a cattywampas, holey crust.

You can see a video of someone forming crust using the hand-stretched method here.

After you've shaped your crust, put it either on a pizza peel or a pizza pan sprinkled with cornmeal or a bit of flour. Then it's time to top the pizza.

My personal favorites are the simplest ones. For me, I prefer leaving the sauce off of the crust, sprinkling the crust with generous amounts of sliced garlic, adding a bit of kosher salt, generously sprinkling the whole thing with chopped fresh basil, then drizzling melted butter over the whole thing. Sometimes, if I have fresh tomatoes, I'll add slices of them, too. Top it with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese and pop it in the oven. I have a pizza stone (five bucks at the thrift store!), so I heat the oven to about 500 degrees while mixing the dough so that the stone is thoroughly heated, and I place the whole pizza pan on the stone on the bottom rack of the oven and bake it until the toppings are bubbly and the crust is golden brown and crisp. If you have a pizza peel, use a quick jerking motion to transfer the pizza to the pizza stone and bake until it's done, about fifteen minutes.

Take the pizza out, slide it off the pan or peel onto a cutting surface and let it rest about five mintues. Then use a sharp spatula or knife, using a rocking motion, to cut the pie. Rotary pizza cutters generally just drag your toppings across the pizza, so I don't use one.

Using your deliciuos sauce, top the pizza or serve it on the side.

Of course, you can do things the traditional way, too, by smearing the sauce on the crust, topping with mozzarella, and adding your favorite toppings.

You can find more ideas for pizza toppings here.

We'll explore some more pizza options tomorrow, including deep dish pizzas! Yum!

An Heirloom Recipe: Tutti-Frutti

2007-01-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

The other night while I was making yogurt, my dad happened to remember a recipe that his mother and father used to make, something that involved "some type of whisky" and a lot of different fruits.

"You could put it on ice cream," he said, "and Ma would make cakes out of it. "

It took him a while to remember what it was called, but he eventually remembered that the stuff was Tutti-Frutti.

After a search, I located one recipe, and Dad confirmed that, yes, this is the one.

For the sake of slow foods, I'm publishing the recipe here. It's a really, really slow one...like all growing season long! Dad remembered the recipe while I was making yogurt because he said that when the Tutti-Frutti jar ran low, they'd have to use the remaining sauce as a starter for the next batch.

I'm kicking around the idea of making a batch of this for my dad this summer, if I can figure out what a "sweet" jar is.

Keep in mind if you try this that I have not tested it in my kitchen.

o_-.*.-_o_-.*.-_o_-.*.-_o_-.*.-_o

Tutti-Frutti

Put a pint of brandy into a thoroughly sweet three-gallon stone jar.

Beginning with strawberries, the first fruit of the season, add in succession the various fruits as they appear in market, taking care to choose only those which are choice, firm and fresh.

Add a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit until the jar is almost half full, then use three- quarters of a pound of sugar to each pound of fruit.

Stir the mixture thoroughly for several mornings after each addition of fruit and sugar to dissolve the sugar, using for this purpose a wooden or granite-ware spoon and taking care not to mash the fruit.

Cover the jar securely and keep in the cellar or in a cool, dry place.

Use the following proportion of fruit: Two quarts strawberries, one large pineapple, one quart red cherries, one quart yellow cherries, one quart red raspberries, one pint large currants, one quart apricots and prunes, plums and peaches to fill the jar.

Leave the berries whole, cut the pineapple into suitable pieces for eating, seed the cherries, pare the apricots and peaches and cut into halves or quarters, and stone the plums and leave whole.

From lovetoknow recipes.

I'm the proud owner of an Imperia 150!

2007-01-07T17:55:00.000-08:00

It was a close one, but I won the bid in the last six seconds.

My husband and I danced around the room when I won.

I'll be watching the ol' lane for the delivery man to bring my new pasta maker straight to my door, and for $20 less than the one at the specialty shop.

And then? Pasta time!

Pasta Maker Quest

2007-01-07T04:36:00.000-08:00

After reading several books on pasta and doing some searching on the web, I determined that there are generally two hand-crank pasta makers that are the best, the Atlas and the Imperia. So this week, as an anniversary gift from my husband, we went on a quest for a pasta maker.

Now, that might sound grammatically incorrect, like the quest was the anniversary gift. But there is no error in grammar here. Truly, the quest was all we ended up with. So far.

Together with my long-suffering husband, I searched EIGHT kitchen supply stores or stores that featured very large kitchen departments, including one home/kitchen/bath supply mega store, one department store, one kitchen appliance store, one specialty imports store, two high-end discount stores, and two small kitchen specialty shops.

Ironically, it was at the second small kitchen specialty shop, just fifteen minutes from my very rural country home, that I found not one, but three brands of pasta makers in several different package choices. Unfortunately, they were all about twenty dollars higher than I had found them to be suggested during my online searches.

I really struggled with this, standing in the aisle debating about whether to buy one immediately for the higher price and have pasta steaming on the table by dinnertime, or go home and do some online shopping where shipping might negate the savings and I'd have to wait a week.

While staring googly-eyed at the choices and trying to make a decision, another more seasoned couple entered the pasta-maker zone. They hadn't done much research, they said, but the did have an electric pasta maker, and it wasn't worth a darn, they said, so they wanted a hand-crank (this confirmed what I'd read about the bread-machine-like pasta machines). They did know, however, that the Imperia brand, the one I was leaning very heavily towards, was the one they'd heard was the best.

My husband and I determined to buy the model I thought I wanted--the Imperia with just one cutter for $59.99--try it, and return it if it didn't work the way I had hoped. Unfortunately, the store had a no-return policy on items that had been used, which is perfectly understandable but didn't help my decision too much.

Then again, I suppose it did.

I decided that, since these pasta makers were just minutes from my home, I would go home and do some more research and return if I found that I couldn't purchase these more reasonably online. Part of me feels badly about doing this; I should support local businesses--especially ones that carry otherwise hard-to-find items. Part of me feels badly about the idea of spending an extra $20 on something when that money could be better spent.

Eventually, my husband found a variety of both makes of pasta makers on eBay and we're currently watching several of them. The prices for them this way were decidedly cheaper--along the lines of thirty dollars cheaper, including shipping.

So I guess I have to wait.

After all, this cooking blog is about slowing down, isn't it?

My Current Obsession: Pasta

2007-01-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

My current obsession is fresh pasta.

About six months ago, my sons made fresh egg pasta as a science project, and I was completely blown away by the difference. I've had what was called "fresh" pasta at finer restaurants, but there was simply no comparison between those and the ribbons of thick, delicious, flavorful pasta my sons turned out that day. We topped it with a simple alfredo, and it was fabulous.

So, I have been reading extensively about fresh pastas and homemade sauces, different types of cheeses and cheese graters, and searching both local stores and online sources for a hand-crank pasta cutter.

The two top recommended types of pasta cutters are the Atlas and the Imperia. Reviewers say that the Atlas is the best, most stable and easiest pasta cutter they've ever used. Cook's Illustrated says that either can be difficult to find in kitchen or retail stores, so to buy whichever one you find; they both cost around $40 each and don't seem to have any distiguishable differences that would set them apart from each other. If you have a different opinion, be sure to let me know.

The one thing I really like about the idea of a pasta cutter is that you never need to clean it. Okay, maybe that's a bit of a hyperbole. You do need to clean it, but only with a soft cloth and a little dry brushing. It's not to touch soap and water.

To journey along with me on my quest for s-l-o-o-w-w pasta, check out The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles from the Cook's Illustrated folks. I have recently fallen in love with Cook's Illustrated, and if you are just getting into real cooking and want to learn more, you should, too.

In the days and weeks to come, I'll be experimenting with fresh pasta, different recipes, different ways of cutting it and different shapes, different ways of preparing it and different sauces to combine with it.

If you have experience with fresh pasta, pasta cutters or makers, sauces or other pasta-related information, share 'em in the comments.

Big, Chunky Granola

2007-01-05T11:38:00.000-08:00

For years, I looked for the granola of my dreams. I wanted something crunchy that featured big, substantial chunks of goodness. I'd tried many granola recipes and none were quite what I wanted. Until...

About a year ago, I spoke at a ladies' brunch and one of the buffet items was a delicious granola that perfectly fit the bill. After I found out who the creator was, I nagged her for months until I finally got the recipe out of her.

I've modified it some, and I encourage you to modify it some more. Remember that granola is a perishable food, especially since this one is filled with so much wholesome yumminess, so it must be consumed within a week of making it. To always be ready for another batch, I fill baggies full of the dry mix and pop them in the freezer (to keep the mealy bugs away). Then I just have to mix the wet ingredients and bake.

The time-consuming part of this recipe is the baking. It takes 25 minutes at a higher temperature, 25 at a lower, and then an hour with the oven off.

About the ingredients:

Nuts: generally I add whole sliced or slivered, raw almonds, which can be purchased at large warehouse stores, like Sam's Club or through your local food cooperative. You can also add pecans, walnuts, peanuts, or no nuts at all. Experiment! Have fun!

Sweetener: You can reduce the amount of brown sugar and add real maple syrup in its place. You can also use sugar instead of honey, if that's what floats your boat. You can reduce or increase the sweetener to your taste as well.

Oil: I use canola or peanut oil which gives you a chunkier granola. You can also use melted butter. The butter tends to make the granola crumbly, not chunky.

Add-ins: My friend Linda, who partially inspired this blog, is also crazy about this granola, but she has her own variations. Linda suggests replacing the oil with peanut butter and adding 1/4 to a 1/2 cup of chocolate syrup.

One key to making it chunkier is to add a bit more liquid (milk or water) and let the mix set for about 15 minutes before baking it. Not necessary at all, but if you're making several batches, you can do this as you're waiting for the previous batch to come out of the oven.

The Best Granola Ever

7 cups rolled oats (half old-fashioned and half quick, though it probably doesn't matter much)
2 cups of coconut, large unsweetened flakes
1 1/2 to 2 cups nuts, either whole, chopped or slivered (optional)
1/2 cup of ground flax seed (optional)
1 cup of wheat germ (optional)

Mix all of the above in a very large bowl.

Then, in a large microwavable bowl or in a saucepan, mix:

1 cup of canola oil or (2 sticks) melted butter
*1/3 to 1/2 cup honey (I usually eliminate this or use the lesser amount. All of it makes it too sweet for me)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup real maple syrup
*Optional: add a 1/4 cup raw wheat germ and a 1/4 cup ground golden flax seed

Heat second mixture in microwave for about 40 seconds or heat on stovetop until smooth and warmed-through, and stir.
Pour liquid mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a big spoon until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and wet.
Bake in 2 9 x 13" pans or one very large cookie sheet, ungreased.
Bake for 25 minutes at 325
Stir and switch pan positions.
Bake another 15 minutes at 225.
At this time, you could add a cup of dried fruit, such as cherries, craisins, raisins, or whatever.
Stir and switch pan positions.
Bake another 10 minutes at 225.
Turn off oven and leave granola in for one hour.
Take it out, cool, break into desired sized chunks, and store in an airtight container. Because it contains no preservatives, it won't keep for long, but then again, you probably won't let it!

Salted versus Unsalted Butter?

2007-01-05T04:12:00.000-08:00

Jill asked if it mattered whether you use salted or unsalted butter in the Pate Brise recipe, and I told her that I don't think it matters all that much. I've used salted butter when unsalted butter was suggested in a recipe without any disasterous results.

I've never really known why unsalted butter is most called for in recipes, when most people keep the salted version in their fridge, so I decided to do some sleuthing to find out the answer.

Basically, it's this: salted butter can vary in its amount of salt, depending on the manufacturer, so if you really want to control the amount of salt in your recipe, it's best to use the unsalted variety.

Salt can also mask odors, so if you have butter in your fridge that smells fine, but has been exposed to tuna noodle casserole for two weeks, it might not taste too great in your lemon tart.

Salt extends the shelf-life of butter, so if you buy unsalted butter, it won't keep as long, so either use it up or make sure you wrap it well, place it in a plastic bag, and freeze it. Just be sure to get it out in time to use it so that it will be thawed properly.

Salt also inhibits yeast growth, so if you're making bread, that can be a factor.

Many professional cooks say that they can tell the difference between salted and unsalted butter in recipes, especially delicate ones like puff pastries, so several sites suggested that you test things for yourself. Make the same recipe twice and decide if you can tell the difference.

The important thing to remember is that if a recipe calls for butter, don't replace it with margarine. Why would you do that, anyway? ;-)

So there you have it. I hope that answers your questions!

Bacon-Onion Quiche

2007-01-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

Now that you've made the Pate Brise, it's time to put something in it! For a rich, delicious, flavorful filling, we're going to make a Bacon-Onion Quiche. This is not a low-fat recipe! The time-consuming part of this recipe is the browning of the onions. After the bacon has cooked, the onions must be sauteed for about 30 minutes, until they're a deep, golden brown. Baking the quiche takes about 30 to 35 minutes, depending on the heat of your oven.

About the cheese: Gruyere is a hard, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese named after a town in Switzerland. It's a great melting cheese that adds a wonderful flavor but doesn't overpower the other stuff in the quiche. But it's expensive. I've tried swiss as a substitute for the Gruyere. It just doesn't work. You end up with a greasy quiche, especially with all of the fat from the bacon (yes, it actually stays in the quiche. Told you it wasn't low-fat). So, even though Gruyere is an expensive cheese, it's worth it.

This recipe originated from Martha Stewart but is an age-old combination.

Bacon-Onion Quiche

1/2 recipe Pâte Brisée

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 strips bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 medium onions, cut into small dice

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)

Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough less than 1/8 inch thick. Use a 5-inch fluted cookie cutter to cut into rounds. Fit into five 4-inch nonstick tart pans. Transfer to refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until fat renders and bacon is crisp and brown, about 8 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper towels to drain. Add onions to the same skillet, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are dark golden brown, 30 to 45 minutes. Combine onions and bacon in a small bowl; set aside.

3. Divide half of the cheese evenly among the pans. Sprinkle with bacon and onion mixture, then top with remaining cheese. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, cream, eggs, and egg yolk. Season with, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Divide evenly among pans, pouring over cheese. Transfer to oven, and bake until just set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before serving.

Pate Brise

2007-01-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

Pate Brise is just a fancy name for "short pastry." We're starting with this, because it's basic, basic, basic and can be used to make savory pies, tarts and quiches. Its sister crust, Pate Sucre, is the sweeter version which can be used to make pies and sweet tarts. We'll get to that one later.

Pate Brise has a fancy name, but it's not at all difficult to make. The reason it's a slow food is because it doesn't shortcut with shortening (yuck!) but features butter instead. The butter is a little finicky, so it has to be kept cold, cold, cold. Thus, we start with very cold butter and then, after mixing it with the other stuff, we add very cold water. After it's mixed, we flatten it (because that helps it chill faster) and then we put it in the fridge to get it very cold again. After we take it out and shape it--you guessed it--it goes back into the fridge to get very cold some more. All of this takes extra time, but it's worth it, because you end up with a delicious flaky crust that's not heavy with shortening.

2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 c cold butter (unsalted, if you have it), cut into small pieces
1/2 c ice water

Put your flour, salt and sugar in a food processor.

Add butter pieces and process for just a bit, about 10 seconds or so, or just until mixture resembles a coarse meal.

With machine running, add ice water a little at a time through the food-processor tube. When the dough just sticks together but before it gets sticky or soggy,
you've added enough. Don't process the mix for longer than 30 seconds. Test
dough by squeezing a little bit of it together. If it is still crumbly,
add water just a little bit at a time until the dough just clings together. If you use too much water, you'll end up with a tough crust. Not enough, and you'll end up with a powdery crust.

Divide dough in half and turn out onto two large pieces of plastic wrap. Press dough into flat circles, which makes it chill faster and makes it easier to roll out after it's chilled. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

Take the dough out, one disc at a time, and roll it on a lightly floured surface. You might have to knead it just a bit to get it to a rollable consistency, but don't overwork it or you'll have a tough crust.

Quickly work it into your tart pan, pie pan or whatever you'll be making, then chill it for 15 minutes before you fill it and bake it.

After filling, bake just until golden brown.

Now, wasn't that worth the time?