Sassy Suppers

Daring Bakers Challenge: Scones

2012-01-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Did you know that biscuits are really scones? Well, thanks to January's Daring Bakers' host, Audax Artifex, we misguided Americans can start calling things by their proper names. In his primer on scones, we learned that scones are really biscuit-like creations while those hard, dry triangle-shaped things sold in cafes around the country are really properly labeled "rock cakes." Good to know.

So, Audax challenged us to make real scones. Real biscuit-like scones. Now I figured I'd be great at this since I make fabulous buttery flaky biscuits. Not that I'm bragging or anything.

But I actually had to try these two times to get them right. You see. Biscuit dough is a bit more buttery and drier than scone dough. It's a little easier to work with. Whereas the wet scone dough sticks to your hands tempting you to add more and more flour until you've overworked the dough and made it tough. Resist the urge. It's the difference between this.

And this.

My second batch turned out fluffier, more tender, and tastier all around. But I have to say, in the end, I still like my biscuits better. That's my recipe and I'm sticking to it!

Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter cut into chunks
2/3 cup milk (skim is fine)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Add milk all at once and stir until dough just comes together. You may have some dry bits left. Don't worry.
3. Dump mixture on a lightly floured surface, making sure the dry bits remain on top of the dough. Knead these bits into the dough gently. Only knead about 10 or 12 times. (Kneading should be done by patting dough flat a bit and then folding it in half. Turn a quarter of a turn and repeat.)
4. Roll or pat dough into a square about 1/2 inch thick. Cut using a sharp knife into about 12 squares. Transfer biscuits to a baking sheet. Bake in oven at 450 degrees until golden, about 10-12 minutes. Serves 4.

Print Recipe

P.S. If you want to check out the scone recipe and see some beautiful scone creations click on this link!

Martha Monday: Coconut Cream Sandwiches

2012-01-23T04:00:00.000-08:00

Yours truly got to pick this week's Martha Monday project. I had originally planned to go with this. But I figured everyone would be mad at me if I actually made them clean their stove top AND oven with the same precision Martha requires. So, instead I chose these. Coconut Cream Sandwiches.

Can you tell I've been on a coconut kick lately?

I was worried that this cookie would be a real flop. Really it's a shortbread. A coconut shortbread. But my cookie dough just wasn't coming together. It never did make a cohesive ball in the mixer. I had to sculpt it into a rectangular mass with my hands. I guess that's why Martha has you wrap the log in plastic and freeze it. Once frozen for a bit, it did actually stay together.

As for baking them, DO NOT follow Martha's directions. I did. And I burned the first batch. Twenty to twenty-five minutes is waaaaaaay too long for these babies to bake. Mine were done at 14 minutes.

Vanilla ice cream was sandwiched between two cookies and a creamy treat was born. I really liked them even though my ice cream smushed out the sides while I ate it. These would be great with all kinds of frozen concoctions . . . chocolate ice cream, mango sorbet.

Check out some of the other Martha Monday participants to see what their results were! And check out the recipe for these cookies.

Martha Monday: Chicken with Artichokes and Angel Hair

2012-01-17T17:38:00.001-08:00

Megan from Megan's Cookin' picked this week's recipe, Chicken with Artichokes and Angel Hair. I was not interested in making it in the slightest. Artichokes are not my favorite. And CANNED artichokes are even more ghastly. But, in true Martha Monday spirit, I added the ingredients to my grocery list and put it on the menu for Monday night.

The recipe looked bland though. Chicken cutlets were dusted in flour, cooked until golden, and then the pan was deglazed with plain old chicken broth with some capers and CANNED artichokes thrown in. Parsley was the only herb and, let's face it, parsley is usually a garnish not a main flavor. Since this chicken resembled a chicken piccata recipe I decided to substitute 1/3 of a cup of lemon juice for 1/3 of a cup of chicken broth, still using the remaining 2/3 cup of chicken broth. Plus I added a single minced garlic clove.

The verdict? I think the flavor of my version was a bit better than Martha's but I still think the CANNED artichokes with their slightly metallic aftertaste dominated the dish. My children wouldn't even consider eating them. But they did eat the chicken. Along with the pasta with a bit of butter and parmesan. So, don't make this recipe. Try this one instead and maybe serve FRESH artichokes on the side.

Martha Monday: Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Greens

2012-01-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

Sometimes there are benefits to procrastinating.

Like when you put off starting dinner so long that your husband just has to take the family out to dinner.

Or you delay buying tickets to the basketball game your kids wanted to go to so that by the time you go to buy them they are sold out and you don't have to sit through a basketball game juggling hot dogs and coats and foam fingers.

Or you put off buying the ingredients for this cauliflower soup so that you can't actually make it on Monday and everyone else makes it and complains about it so that when you do finally make it you change the recipe entirely.

See? Procrastinating can be a good thing. Sometimes.

But, back to the soup. Brette, and Pru, and Ana all made this soup and blogged about it. So, I took their comments and made my own soup. You see, Martha's recipe from January's Living magazine was rather lackluster. Onions, garlic, and cauliflower were to be boiled in water. Water? Really? So, I substituted chicken broth. Dill was the herb called for and, since I don't really care for dill, I used thyme. Kale or collards were supposed to make the soup a lovely shade of green. I used Swiss chard because I knew my kids would NOT eat it with the strong flavor of kale lurking about in there. And to make it just a bit more decadent I added a few glugs of cream. In the end, it was so tasty that my seven-year-old exclaimed, "It tastes better than I thought it would!" and slurped his up. The three-year-old was less convinced. Even with a straw for a utensil he could only stomach half of his bowl. I ate two bowls.

So, I feel pretty good about this procrastinating thing. Here's the soup recipe begotten by it.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Greens
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Living Magazine

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt
1 head of cauliflower, florets and stems chopped
4-5 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth
A few sprigs of thyme
5 large leaves of Swiss chard, kale, or collard greens, chopped
Pepper
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for another minute. Add cauliflower and enough of the broth so that the broth almost covers the top of the cauliflower. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the sprigs of thyme. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Add greens and simmer for another five minutes. Take off heat and let the soup sit for five minutes to cool a bit. Fish out the thyme stems and discard them. Puree the soup in batches in the blender until very smooth. Add more broth if it is too thick. Return to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the heavy cream. Serve.

Print Recipe

Coconut Tart with Chocolate Smear

2012-01-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

I know. I know. It's taken me a long time to get blogging in this new year. But I have a great excuse. Really I do. See, my husband left again. You remember that he went off last summer to work in a faraway country. Right? Well, he got to come home for TWO WHOLE WEEKS during the Christmas holidays. The boys and I soaked up his presence and basked in his nearness.

And then, boom, we had to say goodbye. On New Year's Eve of all days! So, I got kind of down in the dumps for a while. And what else would I do when I'm down in the dumps but bake? Chocolate? Right?

I had been eyeing this recipe for a while and it seemed the perfect thing to make. Coconut tart with chocolate smear. It hails from Mark Bittman's The Food Matters Cookbook. I've been trying a few dishes from this cookbook. Some are simple, yet absolutely tasty. Some are just okay. This tart, though, is my favorite thing so far. It's rather easy to make. The crust is like a big coconut macaroon. And then the chocolate smear is really more than a smear. It's like a pudding or a custard, cooked on the stovetop, and poured into the golden shell. That's it. Really easy.

I think I've eaten about four pieces of the tart. Four moments of pure bliss. Four steps closer to climbing out of the dumps and cooking, baking, blogging again.

Coconut Tart with Chocolate Smear
Slightly adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt plus a pinch
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used chips)
1 cup light coconut milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heavily butter a 9-inch tart pan or pie pan. Combine the shredded coconut, sugar, 2 egg whites, vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Press mixture into the bottom and sides of the tart pan. (If using a pie pan only press the mixture about 1/2 way up the sides.) Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until tart shell is firm and lightly toasted.

2. While the tart shell is baking, combine the chocolate, 2 egg yolks, coconut milk, and pinch of salt in a saucepan over medium low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is melting and steaming. Do NOT let the mixture boil or it will separate.

3. When the tart shell is fully baked, remove it from the oven and pour in the chocolate mixture. Let the tart cool completely. Then refrigerate for a few hours before cutting and serving. Serves 8.

Print Recipe

Daring Bakers Challenge: Sourdough Bread

2011-12-27T17:56:00.000-08:00

December's Daring Bakers Challenge was a wonderful choice for this holiday season. No sweet and crazy desserts. No expensive ingredients that take a bite out of the Christmas gift budget. Just flour and water. Flour and water.

That's right. We got to make our own sourdough starter from scratch! If I'd known how easy it was to make a starter I don't think I would've taken so long to make my own sourdough bread. It's really as simple as letting flour and water sit on the counter. Together. They do all the work for you. Really!

My sourdough starter really got going on day 2 of the four day process. It looked bubbly and smelled sour. By day four, though, it only had one bubble. Not to be deterred, I charged ahead and followed the directions for refreshing the leaven and making the dough. I kneaded it by hand. I let it rest. I shaped it. I let it rise. Nothing. NOTHING! No bubbles. No rising dough. Just a flat lump. Look. . . I baked it just to show you how brick-like it really was.

But I figured my starter just wasn't ready to make real bread yet. So I fed it some more flour and water and popped it in the refrigerator for a week. Then I tried again. And this time it worked just like it was supposed to. The bread rose beautifully. It had a great texture and a bit of tang. It was gobbled up before I could even think of making anything fancy out of it.

So, my starter is still in my refrigerator. Once a week I feed it a bit more flour and water. I've named it Elphaba. (Did you know people name their sourdough starters?)

Bread, anyone?

Martha Monday: Chicken and Dumplings

2011-12-15T13:35:00.000-08:00

My mom doesn't make chicken and dumplings. She's from Ohio. I don't think they have chicken and dumplings in Ohio.

My first experience eating them was at a restaurant called Mrs. Winner's. The chicken and dumplings were pretty good. But the cinnamon rolls were even better. I've seen chicken and dumplings at Cracker Barrel but I never order it.

I guess I just don't really like chicken and dumplings.

So, when Ana of Sweet Almond Tree picked this week's recipe, I wasn't inclined to make it. But I figured it's not that far off from chicken noodle soup so I gave it a go. Guess what? I still don't like chicken and dumplings. Or shall I say dumplings. I don't like drop dumplings. Even with all the herby goodness they were still weird. Like eating a sponge. My boys didn't like them either.

The soup part of the recipe, on the other hand was yummy. And easy. Add a few more vegetables and some noodles and you've got yourself a decent chicken noodle soup. Bake some biscuits. Dinner.

Applique Heart

2011-12-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

Look at my newest sewing project!

I've been learning how to sew. Remember?

Well, this t-shirt was actually pretty easy once I got all the right materials. The fabric and t-shirt were easily chosen. The iron-on webbing and the stabilizer required for this project were a little more difficult. Of course, if I had been willing to ask for help from the store clerk, I might have marched out with the right things the first time around. Instead, it took me three trips to the craft store and one night of sewing to create this simple shirt.

But I am sooooooooooooo proud of myself. I love wearing this shirt. Because I made it! I'm so very crafty!

(P.S. The book I'm using to create my projects and learn to use my sewing machine is called Stitch by Stitch by Deborah Moebes. I highly recommend it if you are a novice sewer like me.)

Martha Monday: Muffin Pan Potato Gratins

2011-11-28T16:33:00.001-08:00

Pru from Perfecting Pru chose today's recipe and it was a winner! These little Muffin Pan Potato Gratins are not only adorable but fantastic to eat as well. I admit to embellishing the recipe a bit. I added some garlic and a touch of cheese to liven up the gratins. I loved how the exterior had a bit of crunch and color while the interior was creamy and tender. These little potato cakes are definitely staying in my recipe box. Thanks Pru!

Individual Potato Gratins
Adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter, softened
1 clove garlic
9 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 lbs. golden potatoes (preferably skinny ones or baby ones)
Salt
1/4 cup grated cheese (such as Asiago, Gruyere, or Parmesan)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter 9 muffin cups.
Using a rasp, grate the garlic clove into the cream. Stir and let sit.
Meanwhile, slice potatoes as thinly as possible, using a mandolin if you have one. Place two slices in each buttered muffin cup and season with salt. Continue until all the muffin cups are full of seasoned potato slices. Pour one tablespoon of the garlicky cream over each. Sprinkle a bit of cheese atop each as well.
Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and tender. Run a thin knife around each gratin. Place a large baking sheet over muffin pan and invert. If some of the tops of the cakes stick, gently release them from the muffin tin and replace them atop the gratins. Serve. Makes 9 gratins.

Martha Monday: Sausage Stuffed Red Onions

2011-11-21T18:24:00.001-08:00

Yours truly got to pick today's Martha Monday project. I picked onions. Sausage stuffed onions to be exact. I've been enamored with onions lately. It must be because my onion-hating husband is far off in Bahrain. I've been eating raw onions, caramelized onions, sauteed onions, roasted onions. YUM! So, it was a given that I would pick these fabulous looking onions in the November issue of Living. They looked so gooey and flavorful and bright.

Martha directs you to hollow out the onions which is not a pretty or easy process. I used a spoon and an ice cream scoop to hollow mine out. I was crying the whole time! It's really hard to hollow out an onion with tears obstructing one's vision. Let me tell you. But, once that was accomplished I baked them in the oven for an hour.

Meanwhile, I made the stuffing which was pretty simple. Sausage, fennel, grated apple sauteed. Then mixed with Gruyere, parsley, sage, and bread crumbs. Once the onions had baked for an hour, I stuffed them, topped them with cheese and bake them for another 20 minutes. They came out looking bubbly and browned and yummy.

The verdict? The stuffing was fabulous! I'd use it again and in other dishes. The stuffing was really the best part though. I wanted the stuffing flavors to permeate the onion but they just didn't. Once the stuffing was gone, all that was left was a big hunk of onion that didn't really have any alluring caramelization or stinging bite. I'm wondering if cooking the onions longer would make them more meltingly tender and tasteful or perhaps cooking the stuffing in the onions longer . . . perhaps saving the cheese topping for the last few minutes of cooking. I haven't given up on these onions yet. They have so much potential Any ideas?

Martha Monday: Glittered Pumpkins

2011-11-19T18:04:00.001-08:00

Well, I finally got my act together and tackled last Monday's project, these shimmery, sparkly pumpkins. Just in time for Thanksgiving! Thanks to Megan over at Megan's Cookin' for picking this fun craft.

In preparation for this activity, I headed over to Michael's to purchase Martha Stewart's very own line of glitter. She really does offer some beautiful colors, not that multi-colored stuff of kindergarten days. I purchased two colors, orange sorbet and fire opal. Then I stopped in at the grocery store to buy some pumpkins as my Halloween ones had all rotted. Imagine my surprise to discover that pumpkins had disappeared along with the trick-or-treat candy. I did find a sugar pie pumpkin tucked away and some kind of squash that looked orange and passable so I snatched them up and headed home.

The rest was really easy. I painted some glue on the squashes and sprinkled the glitter. I was impressed at the transformation. They were certainly no longer humble pumpkins. They were clearly centerpieces! I felt kind of disappointed that I am not hosting a Thanksgiving feast at my home for these would certainly love to be the center of attention. But, as you can see, they did get some attention. From a little boy. Who keeps getting glitter on his hands . . .

Martha Monday: Chocolate Beet Cake

2011-11-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

Last Monday's project was to try the stunning Chocolate Beet Cake featured in the November issue of Living. If you remember, though, last Monday was Halloween. So, instead of baking this luscious cake . . . I cleaned my house, carved two pumpkins, took pictures of my seven-year-old at his Halloween parade,

attended a Halloween party, served leftovers for dinner, dressed my two goblins up for trick-or-treating, ran around after them as they each collected close to THREE POUNDS of candy, and fell asleep as soon they did.

So, later in the week I finally got around to making these cake, er, I mean cupcakes. I wanted to bring them to a small gathering so I figured rather than making the hostess serve pieces of cake, I'd just make them into single servings myself. These cakes were really cute and sophisticated at the same time. The icing and the sugared beet chips are absolute winners. The cake itself certainly doesn't taste beet-y but seemed more like a muffin to me than a cake. Probably due to the lack of butter. But these muffins, or cakes, or whatever you call them were moist and tasty. The ladies were all impressed with my culinary skills. And no one felt guilty eating a cupcake, since, after all, they were full of beets.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Povitica

2011-11-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

The Daring Baker’s October 2011 challenge was Povitica, hosted by Jenni of The Gingered Whisk. Povitica is a traditional Eastern European Dessert Bread that is as lovely to look at as it is to eat! (And by the way, it's pronounced poh-vi-tee-tsa.)

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures of my povitica. This was an easy and impressive bread to make. The dough was rich, filled with butter and egg yolks. But it was also strong. I rolled it out on a floured sheet and, as thin as I got it, it didn't tear a single time. Spreading the filling on was another story though. The filling recipe made a really thick paste that didn't want to spread so I did end up tearing the dough as I tried to smear it evenly about. It didn't seem to matter though. The bread still looked beautiful and tasted great.

This is definitely a bread to make for a holiday breakfast or to give away as a present. People will absolutely always ooh and aah over it! To get the recipe follow this link to The Daring Kitchen!

Martha Monday: Orange Jack O'Lanterns

2011-10-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

Here's a cute and easy idea for a healthy Halloween treat. Cut the top off an orange. Scoop out the insides. Carve a face. Fill with sorbet. (I used Blood Orange sorbet. Sounds creepy. But wouldn't green sorbet be even creepier?) Serve.

My kids loved these little jack o'lanterns. They scooped the frozen treat right out and then wanted to display them in the window. They are still there waiting to attract bugs. But how can you get rid of something so very cute?

Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn

2011-10-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

Cracker Jack. Move over.

Boy scout popcorn. Get out of town.

There's a new kid in town. Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn.

I'm addicted to the stuff. I can't stop making it. I can't stop eating it.

If you like caramel corn, you've got to try this. The peanut butter is subtle. Subtle enough to make you take another bite and another and another just to figure out what makes this caramel corn sooooooo good!

Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup popcorn kernels
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup light-colored corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Line a roasting pan with parchment paper. Spray paper and pan with cooking spray.
3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add a few kernels of popcorn. When the kernels start to pop add the rest of the kernels. Cover. Cook, shaking frequently, until popping slows to one every 3-4 seconds. Remove from heat. Let it cool. Once cool separate the popped corn from the unpopped kernels so no one breaks their teeth eating your caramel corn.
4. Combine sugar, syrup, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
5. Drizzle peanut butter mixture over popcorn. Toss well. Spread mixture out onto prepared roasting pan. Bake at 250 for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely and break up with fingers into bite-sized pieces.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Croissants!

2011-10-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Late again.

I'm finally getting around to posting my September Daring Baker Challenge. And, yes, I made them late too. Let me just tell you. Croissants are NOT something you want to make when you are in a hurry. I know this because I rushed through the whole process and was rewarded with small, skinny, leaden croissants. They didn't taste too bad hot from the oven. As soon as they cooled, though, I just wanted to throw them away.

I don't think I started out too badly. I made the yeasted dough, let it rise twice, filled it with butter, and did multiple turns. The problem started when I wanted to form the croissants. It was 10:00 at night and I just wanted to get them done. So, when the dough started snapping back like a rubber band I started to manhandle it. Under the hot lights and with all that rolling and growling the butter melted. All those beautiful laminated layers of dough, butter, dough, butter became one big blob of greasy dough. Needless to say my croissants were less than perfect.

Oh well. On to the next challenge . . .

Martha Monday: Baked Apple Wedges

2011-10-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

Apple season is here! I wanted to make an apple recipe that celebrated the season but, honestly, I didn't want to make a cake or a pie. I've been overloading with baked goods and sweets lately so I wanted to make a healthy treat out of my apples. Therefore, for this Monday's Martha challenge I asked people to make these Baked Apple Wedges.

First of all, this is vintage Martha. It hails from the early 90's. Perhaps that's why it was just so-so. The gist of the recipe is that you grind up some oats, brown sugar, spices, and almonds. Then you dip peeled and cored apple wedges into an egg wash, roll them in the oat mixture and bake for 30 minutes. Strangely, Martha has you scatter brown sugar on your baking sheet to prepare it for the apples. This part seemed weird to me so I nixed it. Instead I put parchment paper on my baking sheet.

As for the final product, they were OK. My sons liked them but not in a gluttonous way. I expected more crunch from the coating. Perhaps if I'd sprayed them with cooking spray? My apples got really tender and creamy though. Martha has you use Macintosh apples which I've always hated because they are so soft and mealy. But that was to their advantage as they needed little cooking time to get tender. I served them with a scoop of Dulce de Leche Frozen Yogurt and, really, the yogurt was the star in this dessert.

So, all in all, an interesting recipe but not one I'd make again. Sorry guys.

Martha Monday: Chicken Enchiladas

2011-09-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

I fretted over whether to do this chicken enchilada recipe or not. I have already found THE enchilada recipe that I LOVE! And it is not this. When I looked at the ingredient list I was really skeptical. Would it have enough flavor?

The answer is NO.

There is nothing really wrong with the recipe. It's fine. It just doesn't blow you over and make you want to dance the Merengue.

Here's what I did. I poached the chicken in salted water. I shredded it. I made the sauce - oil, garlic, cumin, flour, chicken broth, water. When I whisked my chicken broth into the hot flour, I flubbed it. All I had were large lumps of cumin-scented flour in thin broth. I whizzed it in my blender quickly and got it to incorporate correctly. Problem solved. Once the sauce thickened, I mixed some with the chicken. Filled up the corn tortillas. Put them in a baking dish. Smothered them with rest of the sauce and cheese. Baked.

They were OK. Just OK.

What really blew me away were the Quick Cowboy Beans (thanks Rick Bayless) and the Sauteed Swiss Chard and Onions I served with the enchiladas. So follow the links to those recipes and leave the enchilada one alone.

I'll share my favorite one with you. Soon.

Martha Monday: Chicken Fried Rice

2011-09-19T17:56:00.000-07:00

My house smells like a Chinese restaurant right now.

Tonight I cooked up our Martha Monday project - Chicken Fried Rice. Thanks to Desi over at SteakNPotatoesKindaGurl for a yummy pick.

Now I admit that I changed the recipe a bit. First I used brown rice instead of the white stuff. I threw out the requisite sweet pepper. Yuck! And put in some carrots and peas. And some minced garlic. And in place of the vegetable oil I substituted toasted sesame oil just to bump up the flavor.

This was really good fried rice. It was hearty with all that chicken and brown rice. And crunchy with the veggies. And flavorful too. My seven-year-old gobbled it up as fried rice is his favorite meal. The three-year-old complained about "all the fruit" in his rice. Huh? But then he picked out the chicken and carrots to fill his belly.

Well, I think I might go open some windows . . . you know so my house doesn't smell like a Chinese restaurant tomorrow.

Chicken Fried Rice
Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
1 pound chicken breast, thinly sliced into bite size pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 cup snow peas, cut in half
1/2 cups frozen peas
2 eggs
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 50 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and rice is tender. (This is best done the day before you want to make the fried rice.)

2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Saute chicken for three minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Add 1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil to still-hot pan. Add carrots and snow peas. Saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside with chicken. At this time you can put your frozen peas in with the reserved chicken and veggies. The residual heat will defrost them.

4. Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to still-hot pan. Break eggs into pan and scramble with a spatula. Add scallions, ginger and garlic. Cook for 30 seconds. Add the brown rice that you cooked in step 1. Add the soy sauce and sugar. Stir well and continue to cook over medium-high heat. Now add the reserved chicken and veggie mixture. Stir well and cook until heated through.

5. Pour in the chicken broth. It will bubble and evaporate rather quickly. Give the rice one last stir. Take it off the heat and serve.

Martha Monday: Fruit Roll-Ups

2011-09-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

Brette, from Martha and Me, challenged us to try one of the recipes in the September issue of Living. It was a pretty easy recipe but I, of course, hit a few bumps along the way. Martha directed us to puree four cups of berries or stone fruit with 1/2 cup sugar and a tablespoon of lemon. We were then to cook it in a pot over medium heat until thick, about 30 minutes. Pour mixture through a sieve onto a baking sheet lined with a nonstick liner or parchment. Tilt pan until evenly distributed. Bake for about 3 hours at 170 degrees. Sounds easy right?

Well, I chose nectarines as my fruit. All I did was take the pits out. I pureed them, skin and all, with the sugar and lemon juice. Then I started to cook it in a pot on the stove top. It was fine until it started to bubble and splatter and spit molten hot nectarine glop all over my stove. And then all over me! I put up with this for only 15 minutes. After all, wasn't it going to bake in the oven? Did it really need more time on the stove? I ignored the idea of a sieve, as my blender had done a great job of pureeing, and just poured it onto the parchment lined pan. I tilted it and slid it into the oven. Three and a half hours later . . . it was still gooey in the middle. Hmmmm. Perhaps those 15 minutes were necessary. Finally, after a total of SIX HOURS in the oven at 170 degrees, my fruit leather was the proper consistency. Once cooled, I rolled it up right in the parchment it was baked on. A serrated knife easily cut it into eight servings.

And . . . my test subjects sat down to taste it . . . YUM! They both agreed that this stuff was sublime. Of course, never having had commercially produced fruit roll-ups, they have nothing to compare it to. I've already received a request to try blueberry roll-ups so I may actually be making these again sometime soon.

Sewing Sampler

2011-09-09T04:00:00.000-07:00

My grandmother died seven years ago. She wasn't always the easiest person to be around but, as a child, I didn't always know this. Here's what I did know about her:

She made the best darned chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten.

She rode her exercise bicycle every morning before the sun was even awake.

She had the neatest necklace that had beads in the shape of little pink hearts.

She taught me always to wear a hat so as not to get skin cancer.

Her dinner rolls were yet another of her culinary achievements.

When I visited her she let me stay up late watching TELEVISION!

She prominently displayed my school picture on top of said television.

She read her Bible over and over again.

There's lots more I could say about my grandmother. I cherish her presence in my life, yes, even those not-so-easy moments. After all, not everyone gets to have a grandmother. And not everyone gets to have a grandmother who passes on such vivid memories and important lessons.

One of my grandmother's legacies to me is her sewing machine. It's been tucked into a closet for five years. After all, she never did teach me to sew. I have the machine but not the knowledge to use it. So, I finally pulled it out, bought a book, purchased some supplies and started playing around.

Two broken needles and much wasted thread later, I made my first project from the book Stitch by Stitch by Deborah Moebes, a sewing sampler. It's a bit of cloth with every single stitch my sewing machine can do. I even practiced using the buttonhole foot! I know I still have a long way to go before I sew my first napkin but it's a start.

Thanks, Grandma!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Candylicious!

2011-09-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that I'm usually late posting for The Daring Bakers or Martha Monday. Usually I have no excuse but my own laziness. This time, though, I can blame it on Hurricane Irene.

Irene blew through here Saturday night, knocking out my power and, ugh, my cable. Power was restored bright and early Sunday morning but Comcast failed and failed and failed to give me my much-desired Internet and phone access until five days after Irene blew through here. FIVE DAYS! Five days without Facebook, without Wikipedia to answer all my son's questions, and without you dear blog readers. All two of you.

But here I am to tell you about my amazing wonderfully yummy candy! (Yes, this is what I ate for moral support during the storm.)

We were challenged to make two candies, one chocolate and one non-chocolate. I embarked on the non-chocolate one first. Since my boys had recently picked 20 pounds of peaches I decided to use some of them in a Fresh Peach Pate de Fruit. These are jelly-like candies. Kind of like Sunkist Fruit Gems. I pureed peaches, added sugar and liquid pectin. I boiled and boiled and boiled away until I reached the right temperature. Then I poured the hot mixture into a parchment-lined pan. The next day I encountered a big jelly-like square of peachy fruity yumminess. I sliced them and rolled them in sugar. They were a bit soft and squidgy so I let them sit out for a day or two. This dried them up a bit. They were really sweet! But also peachy and good. My neighbors had nothing but nice comments about them. It's a fun way to use up ripe fruit. Something different from jam and pies.

The next candy I tackled was the chocolate one. The challenge was really to temper chocolate and turn it into a candy. I decided to make peppermint truffles so I could practice in time for Christmas. I made a white chocolate peppermint ganache and rolled it into balls. Then came the chocolate tempering.

Tempered chocolate is chocolate that's been heated, cooled, and heated again to certain temperatures. It has a nice shine and snap to it and is worth doing if you are making candies for presents. I used the seeding method. I melted my chocolate. It was supposed to reach 120 degrees but I somehow got mine all the way up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Oops! The next step was to add a big hunk of chocolate to cool the chocolate to 80 degrees. My big hunk of chocolate was fully melted before the temperature got down to 110 degrees. Oops! So for the next 45 minutes I stirred and waited and waited and stirred. Once it FINALLY reached 80 degrees I put it back on the heat and got it up to 89 degrees. Done!

I dipped all my ganache balls into the tempered chocolate and let them harden on parchment paper. The final touch was some green pearlized powder mixed with vanilla extract and smeared on top. It added a little shine and a little glitz to the truffle. The truffles were beautiful and yummy. I will definitely be making more around Christmas. And, yes, I'll even temper my chocolate.

Thanks, Daring Bakers, for another great challenge! If you want to get the recipes and directions for all kinds of candies click on the Daring Kitchen link and get your sweet tooth ready.

First Day of School, an Earthquake, and Peach Cupcakes

2011-08-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

My seven-year-old-son, Jonathan, started second grade yesterday. At 7:50 he climbed aboard his brand new yellow school bus and was whisked off to school.

I was left to a relatively quiet day with this guy.

So, of course I made cupcakes. After all, it is a tradition in our house to celebrate the first day of school. I made these wonderful peach cupcakes with brown sugar cream cheese frosting. (Did I tell you we picked TWENTY pounds of peaches last week? Have you noticed the peach postings are multiplying here?)

And then, while the cupcakes were chilling out in the refrigerator, we had an earthquake. That's right. An earthquake. Did I tell you I live in Maryland? Not California. Maryland.Having lived in California, I did actually know what was happening. It was surreal. The buildings were waving back and forth and the trees were shaking their leaves. And then it was over.

Jonathan thought it was great. Kind of scary too. But so awesome. And because the earthquake caused delays in getting home, he got to have a popsicle at school!

I gave him a cupcake too.

Follow this link over to Smitten Kitchen where she'll give you all the information you need to know to make these fabulous cupcakes!

Roasted Peaches with Vanilla Bean Yogurt

2011-08-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Here's my new favorite dessert. I literally lick the bowl when I'm done eating the peaches. I want to get every last bit of vanilla infused creamy goodness and caramelized peach syrup.

Don't get me wrong. I love peach pies and cobblers and crumbles. I've made peach cake and peach shortbread already this year. But this dessert is so easy. And it just shouts SUMMER! You can easily break it down into a one-person dessert too. That's what I've been doing with my husband in Bahrain. Then every night, when I've finally wrestled the boys into their beds, I flick on the oven and get ready for delight.

Don't miss trying this recipe while peaches are still perfectly in season.

Roasted Peaches with Vanilla Bean Yogurt
Inspired by Cooking Light

Note: To make this dessert for only one person, go ahead and make the full amount of yogurt. Roast only one peach, though, with 1 tablespoon brown sugar, pinch of salt, and a splash of vanilla. Dollop with some of the yogurt. The remaining yogurt can be used for something else - breakfast granola, a quick snack - or for another roasted peach the next night.

For the Vanilla Bean Yogurt:
1 (2-inch) piece of vanilla bean split lengthwise
1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
pinch of salt

For the Roasted Peaches:
4 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon course salt

1. Scrape seeds from the vanilla bean into a medium bowl. Combine seeds, bean, yogurt, sugar, and salt. Stir. Refrigerate at least one hour. Discard vanilla bean when ready to serve.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a small bowl combine brown sugar, vanilla extract, and salt.
4. Place cut peaches either in individual baking dishes or altogether in a larger 8x8 pan. Divide the sugar mixture among the peach halves and gently spread it on the cut side.
5. Bake peaches for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Serve with yogurt and caramelized juices.

Pink and Yellow Pops

2011-08-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

What do you need on a HOT day in August? Something you can hold in your grubby fingers. Something cold and sweet and sour all at once. Yup! You need a Pink and Yellow Popsicle!

These popsicles are the easiest thing in the world to make. It's a great way to use of the last of that watermelon that you are so tired of eating. Why did you buy that big thing anyway?

Add some lemon juice, some sugar, and you've got yourself a perfect treat on a hot summer day. Better hurry because summer's almost over.

Pink and Yellow Pops (Makes 10 pops)

Watermelon Layer:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup hot water
2 cups cubed and seeded watermelon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Lemon Layer:
7 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup hot water
2/3 cup lemon juice

1. First make the watermelon layer. In a blender combine sugar and water until sugar is mostly dissolved. Add watermelon and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Divide among 10 popsicle molds. Watermelon layer should only fill half of mold.
2. Freeze for about 1 and 1/2 hours. When almost set, remove from freezer and push a wooden stick into the mixture. Return molds to freezer and freeze until hard, at least another hour.
3. Next make the lemon layer. Combine hot water and sugar in a bowl or large measuring glass. Stir until sugar is almost dissolved. Add the lemon juice. Refrigerate lemon mixture until chilled.
4. Remove popsicle molds from freezer. Divide lemon mixture among molds. Freeze until completely frozen, at least 2 more hours.

Thai Peanut Chicken Pitas

2011-08-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

I confess that lunchtime at my house is pretty boring. We have the usual rotation of sandwiches, mac and cheese, or canned soup. Once a week we get spunky and make hummus. But usually I am just itching to go out to eat where someone else will put more creativity into my meal than I will.

But then I found this sandwich.

And I thought . . . I can make a delicious, creative sandwich.

And what's even better this sandwich uses leftovers. Leftovers, I tell you!

Served with a few sweet potato chips and a fruit skewer, you'll be leaving yourself a tip!

Thai Peanut Chicken Pitas

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 cup shredded or chopped leftover chicken

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup thinly sliced bell pepper strips (I used orange pepper. Use whatever you have.)

1/4 cup julienned carrot

1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley

1/2 cup bean sprouts

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons peanut satay sauce

1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic

2 whole wheat pitas

1. Combine the chicken, onions, pepper, carrot, cilantro, sprouts and salt in a large bowl. Toss with hands to combine.

2. Spoon the peanut sauce and chile paste into the mixture. Stir well to combine, making sure the sauces are evenly distributed.

3. Cut pitas in half. Stuff the four pita halves with the chicken mixture. Serve.

Note: My pitas were not the freshest so they didn't want to separate into neat pockets without tearing. I microwaved them in a towel for 20 seconds. This softened them up just enough that I could coax them open without tearing them.

Martha Monday: Drink Umbrellas

2011-08-01T19:12:00.000-07:00

It was my turn to choose our Martha Monday project and I was a bit tired of cooking. I wanted to try my hand at something crafty so I chose these cute drink umbrellas from Martha Stewart's website.

This craft was so easy to do. Cut a circle out of pretty paper. Use a soup can for a guide. Or a tuna can. Or a small jar. I did a few different sizes to match my different sized glasses. Cut out a wedge from the circle, about 1/8 or 1/6 depending on how you like your umbrellas to look. Tape the edges together so a kind of a cone is formed. Pierce the center with a skewer or long toothpick. Use glue to secure the skewer. (I used hot glue so that if it got wet it wouldn't end up in my drink.) And that's it!

I used a thicker paper than I probably should have so you can see where my edges join on my umbrellas. That was my only complaint. These were super cute. My boys both loved having them in their lemonade.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Fresh Fruit Fraisier

2011-07-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

Look at this beauty!

I'm still impressed with myself each time I look at the picture of this cake. When my neighbor saw it she said, "You made that? I thought you bought it!"

Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes was our July Daring Bakers’ host and she challenges us to make Fresh Fraisiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

So, this cake was a bit of work but nothing that was too tricky really. Just lots of components. The first part is the sponge cake. My cake rose and dripped in the oven creating a bit of a mess. Then when it was all cooled it fell in the middle. I had to trim it up to make it look nice and polished but then I got to eat the trimmed bits. So yummy.

The pastry cream that went in the middle is a pretty usual pastry cream but it gets an extra bit of support from gelatin so that the cake doesn't take a tumble in the middle of serving it.

Jana, our host, encouraged us to use whatever fresh fruits we liked so I chose peaches, just ripening in our neck of the woods. The fruit and pastry cream in the middle is so pretty and yummy at the same time.

The whole thing gets topped off with a disc of almond paste. I didn't make my own. I just bought a tube at the store but I thought it added a nice flavor with the peaches.

Overall, a wonderful success! To check out the recipes and see a tantalizing slideshow of other great fraisiers follow the link to The Daring Kitchen.

Martha Monday: Summer Bread Salad

2011-07-25T05:15:00.000-07:00

Megan from Megan's Cookin' chose a fantastic summery salad for this week's Martha Monday project. Lots of fresh veggies. A tangy, mustard-y vinaigrette. And some sturdy bread to soak up all the flavor.

I couldn't get enough of this salad!

It's a great addition to bring to a potluck, a picnic, or party. I'm definitely putting this salad in my recipe box. Thanks Megan!

Click here to get the recipe for Summer Bread Salad.

Martha Monday: Chocolate Caramel Pecan Clusters

2011-07-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

Trust me to make something easy into a complicated mess.

SteaknPotatoKindaGurl chose Chocolate Caramel Pecan Clusters for this week's Martha Monday project that was easy easy easy. Toast some pecans. Line 'em up. Unwrap a caramel candy. Stick it on top. Bake in the oven for a few minutes. Repeat with chocolate. Top with some more toasted chopped pecans. Easy right?

Weeeeeeelllllll. When I went to the store to buy my ingredients I got pecans . . . and Scharffen Berger chocolate . . . and what? No fancy schmancy gourmet caramels? There was no way I was putting Brach's caramels on my candy. If I'm going to splurge on something so calorie rich I'm going to do it right! So instead of purchasing caramels, I got some cream.

That's right. I made caramels. Thanks to Ina Garten's beautiful recipe and a few caramel making tips from Ms. Humble, I made beautiful, soft, flavorful caramels that are tasty on their own and also in these candies.

Now, my fabulous caramels did melt a bit more than expected and pool all around my nuts but who cares? A little refrigeration took care of that. These were so yummy and gooey. I think I'll go eat another one!

Martha Monday: Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

2011-07-11T12:22:00.000-07:00

So, my husband is gone. Off in Bahrain basking in the sweltering 120 degree weather. Working. Working. Working.

And here I am. At home. Enjoying a cool balmy 90 degree day. My three-year-old is singing, "I poop in my pa-a-a-ants!" Let me take a minute to change that.

There. All done.

So, let me tell you about my diet today. Cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. After all, the Martha Monday project was to choose one of the chocolate chip cookie desserts in the July 2011 issue of Living. So, I made the dough last night. It seemed like a lot of butter and sugar went into the dough. But I faithfully followed the recipe. Then, when I got up this morning I flipped on the oven and baked up a batch.

I was right. There was a lot of butter and sugar in the dough. They were kind of greasy and very crisp. Not my favorite chocolate chip cookie but after being slathered in chocolate ganache and ice cream, who could tell what the cookie tasted like?

This was an incredibly rich and decadent dessert. I ate one for lunch and couldn't stomach anything else. Not even a salad.

Now I have to figure out what to do with the other seven ice cream sandwiches. Dinner? Maybe.

Psst! You may have noticed I didn't give you a recipe or a link to it. That's because it wasn't worth it. DON'T make this cookie recipe. But if you want to make a decadent dessert, make your favorite cookie recipe. Smear it with ganache and ice cream. Refreeze. Enjoy.

13 Days and Potato Leek Spinach Hash with Eggs

2011-06-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

13 days!!!! Only 13 days and my hubby sets sail over the sea to work in Bahrain for a year. Without me. Without our two boys. That's right. I'll be single mom to two wrestle-loving, sweet-toothed, snugly boys for a whole year. That means that you won't see a whole lot of this on this blog over the next year.

That's right. Little boys like to eat hot dogs and ice cream. Not smoky vegetables. Not baked eggs.

I will miss these kinds of meals.

I might sneak them in every once in a while. When the boys can eat leftover chicken nuggets.

But you. You can make this. And you should make this because it's just about the best breakfast/lunch/dinner I've ever eaten. You won't believe that you made something this delicious.

Go ahead. Put down that pack of hot dogs. Make this.

Potato Leek Spinach Hash with Eggs
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, thinly sliced
1 pound new potatoes cut in half or quartered if they are a bit large
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (This is a very important ingredient. You MUST use this.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 cups baby spinach
4 eggs
Parmesan

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet (preferably non-stick) over medium heat. Add leek. Cook 8 minutes stirring often.
2. Add potatoes. Cook about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Add minced garlic, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. Add spinach to pan and cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. If spinach begins to stick to the pan or cook to quickly add a bit of water to the pan, a tablespoon at a time, to cool it down and stop the sticking.
4. Push the vegetable mixture aside to make 4 egg-sized spaces. Crack one egg into each space. Sprinkle eggs with remaining 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook about 3 to 5 minutes or until the eggs have reached the desired doneness. Sprinkle parmesan on top to garnish. Serve.

Martha Monday: Strawberry Shortcake

2011-06-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

As a child I refused to eat strawberries. Anything RED was disgusting to me. I still have a hard time getting cherries down but strawberries have certainly found a place in my heart.

So, thanks to Pru for picking the perfect dessert as strawberry season is upon us here in Maryland. I have a freezer full of jam. I've made popsicles, pie, smoothies, and strawberry lemonade but I hadn't made shortcake.

Strawberry Shortcake is really easy for those of you who approach baking with fear and trepidation. And this recipe does most of the work in a food processor so it really can't get any easier. I made my shortcakes a bit patriotic by using the red, white, and blue sugar crystals my son had so lovingly selected at the store. The shortcakes are like a really tender, slightly sweet biscuit. Mound on the sweetened strawberries and a bit of vanilla whipped cream and you are ready to take on the world.

Or perhaps play the piano at your first recital.

Yup, that's my seven-year-old playing at his first recital. He did fabulously! Nary a mistake. Must've been the shortcake.

Martha Monday: Honeydew Popsicles

2011-06-09T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back on the Martha Monday wagon now that I've moved and unpacked. I selected this week's recipe - Honeydew-and-Cream Ice Pops with Pistachios. I actually DID make them on Monday but I couldn't find the cord that would get my photos off my camera and onto my computer. So much for unpacking in an organized manner!

Anyway, the cord has been found. The pictures downloaded. And here I am to tell you about these great popsicles.

When it's 96 degrees outside any popsicle will taste good. But these really are. Even when you are inside in the air conditioning.

The recipe is really simple. Honeydew melon and cream and honey. The pistachios were the only odd thing. Tasty but odd. I think I'd rather have something else in the pops, something with a zing, like whole raspberries or a cherry puree stripe running through the middle. Something loud and sour to offset the cool calm flavor of melon and cream.

Anyway, check out the recipe and come up with your own creative variations. Make sure you have a cutie pie to eat your popsicles with!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Marquise on Meringue

2011-05-31T17:18:00.000-07:00

Gosh! It's been almost a whole month since I've posted anything. Sorry I've been gone so long but I have a great excuse . . . I moved! You see my husband is in the Navy and six months ago we agreed to take a billet in Bahrain. How exciting and exotic it all sounded until, BAM, political turmoil and violence made us wonder what we'd gotten ourselves into. Sooooo, not to go into all details, my husband gets to go to Bahrain and we get to stay back here in plain old Maryland. But, we moved out of our big humongous rental house that required lots of mowing, maintenance, and manhandling into an apartment on base where people are on call 24 hours to change light bulbs and unplug toilets. Yay!

Enough about me, though. Let's get on to the chocolate!

The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.

This was an amazing dessert with lots of components. Impressive but not as hard as it looks when it's all put together. The first part was to make the marquise, which is like a cross between an ice cream and a mousse. The egg, chocolate, sugar, cream mixture gets frozen in a pan. Then cut into squares and rolled in cocoa powder. When the marquise defrosts it doesn't melt like ice cream. It stays in it's nice neat square as long as you don't try to pick it up. It's really cool!

The marquise was served on a torched or broiled meringue pillow, drizzled in homemade caramel sauce, and sprinkled with spiced almonds. Altogether a scrumptious and impressive dessert. Should you want to tackle this dessert for your next dinner party follow the link to The Daring Kitchen. Bon appetit!

Strawberry Rhubarb Tarts

2011-05-03T12:45:00.000-07:00

Spring is here! Rhubarb is for sale in the marketplace! Strawberry plants are in blossom! Herby plants are waking up and turning green again. And now our taste buds are hankering for all that yummy goodness coming out of the newly warmed earth. These Strawberry Rhubarb Tarts announce that spring is here!

My husband and I have a fondness in our hearts for rhubarb. We were married 12 years ago on a hot June day in South Carolina. That same day we found ourselves taking flight to our honeymoon destination - cool, springy Prince Edward Island - where rhubarb was making its debut. Our bed and breakfast served it every day with pancakes, waffles, biscuits. And so, every time rhubarb appears in the market, we snatch it up and try to hearken back to those days full of love, simplicity, possibility . . .

These tarts utilize a strawberry rhubarb compote which is really good spooned over pancakes or ice cream so don't feel you need to turn on the oven and bake to get all that pink and red goodness. Both of these recipes are adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce.

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

Ingredients:
4 cups of thinly sliced rhubarb
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
2 cups sliced strawberries

Directions:
In a large saucepan, combine rhubarb and brown sugar. Set pan, covered, over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Remove cover. Turn heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, for another 15 minutes. Rhubarb will completely break down and get quite thick. Remove pan from heat. Stir in strawberry slices. Allow to cool, stirring occasionally, at room temperature for an hour. Store compote in an airtight container for up to a week.

Strawberry Rhubarb Tarts

Ingredients:
1 cup corn flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick cold, unsalted butter cut into pieces
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1 batch Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

Directions:
1. Make the dough. In a bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together the corn flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. With the paddle attachment, turn the mixer onto low and add the cold butter. Mix to break up the butter. Increase speed to medium until the butter is coarsely combined. Add the cream and the egg yolks. Mix until dough forms into a ball. Shape dough right away without chilling.
2. To shape dough, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. On a floured work surface, flatten a piece out with your hand and then, using a rolling pin, roll it into a circle of 5 or 6 inches in diameter. Spoon 1/4 cup of compote into the center of the dough circle. Spread the compote around a bit but leave a good enough lip of dough so that you can fold the edges in towards the compote. Fold all the edges in so it make a rustic, ruffled tart. Gently transfer tarts to a parchment lined baking sheet (that will fit into your freezer) and freeze for at least an hour. You can freeze them up to two weeks if you wrap them in plastic.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake tarts on parchment lined baking sheet for 35 minutes or until the edges of the tarts are brown and the rhubarb is thick and bubbly. Makes 10 tarts.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Maple Mousse Served in an Edible Container

2011-04-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

This month the host of our challenge was Evelyn of Cheap Ethnic Eatz. She challenged us to try a maple mousse made with the real thing, NOT Aunt Jemima, and she encouraged us to put it in an edible container. She offered two suggestions . . . a bacon basket (huh?) or a nut crust.

Now I love maple syrup. Love it! The only time I'll even consider eating the fake stuff is if I'm stuck in a Waffle House. So I was very excited to try maple mousse but I couldn't, for the life of me, get excited about the edible container. So, I thought about doing these cute chocolate cups but that seemed too easy to qualify for a Daring Bakers thing. So, in the end, I settled for homemade puff pastry shaped into a vol-au-vent. I made these for my very first Daring Bakers challenge and I'd always wanted to make another batch. Plus, now I have some puff pastry in my freezer. Napoleons? Tarte tatin? Palmiers? Hmmmmmm.

Anyway, you can see how mine came out . . . I filled them heapingly with the mousse and sprinkled some bacon on top. Yum. I loved the maple mousse and the puff pastry was the perfect little cup for it.

Here's the recipe for the maple mousse. I'll let you figure out how you want to serve it!

Maple Mousse

Ingredients:
1 cup pure maple syrup
4 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon unflavoured gelatin
1 1/2 cups whipping cream

Directions:
1. Bring maple syrup to a boil. Remove from heat.
2. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks together. Pour a bit of the hot maple syrup into the yolks, whisking constantly. This will temper the egg so it doesn't scramble.
3. Add warmed egg yolks to hot maple syrup and whisk until well-combined.
4. Measure 1/4 cup of whipping cream in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top and let stand for five minutes. Place bowl in microwave for 40 seconds, stopping it every 10 seconds to check and whisk the mixture. This will ensure all the gelatin dissolves.
5. Whisk the gelatin mixture into the maple syrup mixture.
6. Set aside for an hour whisking occasionally or until mixture has the consistency of an unbeaten egg white.
7. Whip remaining whipping cream until soft peaks form. Stir 1/4 of the whipping cream into the maple mixture to lighten it. Then fold the remaining cream into the maple mixture.
8. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Lemony Dandelion Oat Cookies

2011-04-14T17:55:00.000-07:00

Got dandelions?

I do.

My boys love to pick them and hand them to me by the fistful.

But what's a girl supposed to do with all those dandelions? Make cookies, of course.

Years back I'd heard a segment on The Splendid Table detailing the nutritious benefits of common weeds. The speaker then offered a recipe for dandelion flower cookies. Great! Right? Until I started searching for them online and discovered that most people thought the recipe resulted in a rather bland cookie.

Yup. You've got it! I made my own recipe. So, here's something to make out of all those dandelions that are popping up in your yard. Eat a little sunshine!

Lemony Dandelion Oat Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 heaping tablespoon lemon zest
2/3 cup dandelion flowers, washed and dried
Juice from one lemon
1 1/2 cup rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment or a silpat.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, prepare your dandelion flowers. Do this by pinching the green stem end of the flower. This releases the yellow petals. Gently pull the yellow petals out and away and put them in the bowl. Repeat with all the flowers. Discard the green parts. You should be left with a bunch of yellow and white fluff.
4. To the dandelion petals, add the zest and sugar. Mix with the paddle attachment for a minute on low speed. Add the butter. Cream mixture until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice. Beat to combine. Then add the flour mixture and beat until just incorporated. Add the oats and, again, beat on low speed until just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and give it a final stir with a spatula to make sure all the ingredients are mixed together.

5. Place a tablespoon of cookie dough on baking sheets about 2 inches apart (these cookies really spread in the oven.) If you want large cookies (like I did) use 2 tablespoons of dough and space them even farther apart. I only got six cookies per sheet. Flatten cookies slightly with your hand. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes for small cookies, 14 minutes for large cookies.
6. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Martha Monday: Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

2011-04-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

Pru from Perfecting Pru selected Monday's project in honor of the new cookbook featuring pies and tarts released by Martha Stewart. She chose this classic apple pie. The crust was a decadent buttery affair. But it was easy because the food processor did all the work. The filling was a typical filling - apples, sugar, spices, lemon juice - but strangely it called for lemon zest along with a whopping TWELVE Granny Smith apples. I knew there was no way 12 apples would fit in my pie pan so I pared the number down to 9.

And . . .

It was a fine pie, beautiful, buttery, but oddly sour and one-dimensional, I thought. I usually use a few kinds of apples in my pie and this only called for Granny Smiths. It was strange to add so much lemon zest and juice to an already sour apple. And, in the end, I missed my crumb crust. While the double pastry was lovely, I love the crunch and contrast of a crumb crust on my apple pie.

The best part . . . was this little guy, who helped me put my pie together. Isn't he sweet?

Daring Bakers Challenge: Yeasted Meringue Coffee Cake

2011-04-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

Late. Late. Late. Yup. I'm late again posting another month's Daring Bakers' Challenge. Better late than never, though, I suppose.

March's challenge was a fabulous one. Ria of Ria’s Collection and Jamie of Life’s a Feast asked us to try their recipe for a unique coffee cake. It is a scrumptious, soft, sweet dough slathered with fluffy meringue, filled with nuts or chocolate or whatever and rolled up into a gorgeous wreath. Once baked and cooled, it is irresistable.

I chose to make mine for breakfast while my parents visited. Since chocolate is a bit too much for me in the morning I chose to fill mine with caramelized apples, toasted pecans, and brown sugar. Once it came out of the oven, we all kept orbiting the kitchen to smell it and admire it and, ultimately, to devour it. It was really good. Not too sweet. Perfect for breakfast or tea.

Check out the Daring Kitchen to find the detailed recipe and to look at pictures of other Daring Baker creations.

Martha Monday: Lemon Pudding

2011-03-29T13:06:00.000-07:00

This week's Martha Monday pick was mine, all mine. My first notion was to have everyone make their own soap as directed in the current issue of Living but Brette, the overseer of Martha Mondays, wisely encouraged me to pick something less work intensive. Hence, lemon pudding! I love love love pudding. It is such an amazing thing to watch milk, sugar, and eggs thicken into something magical and creamy. This pudding was no exception. It was really easy too. A perfectly tart way to wake up your taste buds this spring. So give it a try and follow this link to the recipe.

Barbecue Pork

2011-03-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I made a dish that required only one pound of a pork shoulder. I stuck the other three and a half pounds in the freezer and waited for a day when I would be home ALL DAY to make this recipe. The recipe boasts that you can cook this pork shoulder with very low heat, 225 degrees to be exact, for a very long time, 8 hours, to get the pork to a meltingly tender shreddable yumminess. I dutifully rubbed my pork with the spices, basted it at the proper moments, and wrapped it in foil when necessary. Unfortunately, my pork didn't even reach the 190 degrees at which it magically becomes shreddable. After NINE hours, I decided to pull it out. It had reached a safe 175 degrees and we were HUNGRY!!!!! Since it wouldn't shred, I cut it into thin slices and served it on toasted buns. And it was fabulous! In fact, I liked it better than shredded pork because it reminded me of the sandwiches I used to eat as a kid at BBQ joints in Florida.

Doused in barbecue sauce or ketchup, this recipe is sure to please. Of course, if you can get it to the proper temperature and get it to shred up, let me know how you like it . . .

Barbecue Pork

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 boneless pork shoulder (4-5 lbs)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 cups water, divided
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup cider vinegar

1. Combine brown sugar, paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and mustard in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over pork and let sit at room temperature for an hour. Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
2. Place pork on a rack in a roasting pan. Pour one cup of water in the bottom of the roasting pan. Bake at 225 degrees for one hour.
3. Mix together ketchup and cider vinegar. Baste pork with 1/3 of ketchup mixture. Bake for another hour. Baste pork with another 1/3 of mixture. Bake for an hour. Baste one more time and bake for an hour. (Basically baste and bake for three hours total.)
4. Pour one cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Cover pork and pan tightly with foil. Bake in the oven for four more hours. Temperature should reach 190. (Again mine only got to 175 and it was great.) Remove pork from oven and let rest for 45 minutes. Slice or shred pork, depending on your preference. Serve on toasted buns with your favorite barbecue sauce or ketchup.

Martha Monday: Asparagus with Creamy Mustard Sauce

2011-03-09T18:01:00.000-08:00

See those cute little fingers on the side of the picture? Those fingers belong to my almost-three-year-old, Adam. And that's pretty much what happened to this plate of mustard sauced asparagus. He ate it. He devoured it. The asparagus disappeared bite by bite. The mustard sauce was so delightful that he grabbed the bowl of extra sauce and started spooning it into his mouth. Ha ha!

Well, thanks to Steak and Potatoes Kinda Gurl for choosing this easy and yummy way to serve asparagus! The tang of the mustard and vinegar really complemented the strong flavors of the asparagus. I definitely think we'll be making this one again especially if it gets my Adam-boy to eat his veggies.

Click here to link to the recipe.

My Little Chef II

2011-03-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

So, I've told you before about my son Jonathan and his penchant for cooking. Well, things have been progressing. No longer does he simply concoct decorations for our table. Now he actually wants us to eat his creations. "Cooking" for him usually means assembling ingredients because he's not really allowed to use the stove or oven by himself.

Anyway, my little chef "cooked" breakfast for us this weekend. As you can see he did a great job of plating! Each plate consisted of clementine segments surrounding chocolate krisp cereal and topped with something of our choice - blueberries for some, nuts for one, and carrots for another. It wasn't really what I had wanted to eat for breakfast, but how can I squash such inventiveness and enthusiasm?

Daring Bakers Challenge: Panna Cotta and Florentine Cookies

2011-02-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

I looooooooooooved this month's Daring Bakers Challenge. First, it was easy. Second, it was tasty. Third, I keep dreaming about eating it again.

The main component of the challenge was to make a Panna Cotta, which is a pudding-like dessert, but easier than pudding because instead of using eggs to thicken the milk it uses gelatin. You might notice that I've made Panna Cotta here before . . . a Martha Stewart recipe. But this recipe was so much better. I'm not sure why but it seemed to have more flavor and richness. I made a simple vanilla Panna Cotta and garnished it with Blood Orange slices and Blood Orange syrup. So pretty! It tasted exactly like a Creamsicle! A sophisticated one, of course.

The other component of this month's challenge was to make these Florentine cookies. A simple cookie dough is made out of oatmeal, butter, sugar, and some other ingredients. Then it is baked and is supposed to get very thin and lacy. I'm not sure what went wrong but mine stayed kind of thick and crunchy. I sandwiched them together with dark chocolate. They were really rich and tasty but I wish they had gotten thinner and crispier. Guess I have an excuse to try them again, huh?

Thanks to Mallory from A Sofa in the Kitchen for a fun and tasty challenge. This is one Daring Bakers challenge that I won't mind duplicating again and again.

Vanilla Panna Cotta
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon powdered unflavored gelatin
3 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Pour the milk into a medium saucepan. Sprinkle with gelatin and allow to sit for five minutes to soften.
2. Heat milk and gelatin over medium heat until hot but not boiling (usually I think of it as hot when I start to see steam rising from the milk). Make sure to whisk a few times while heating.
3. Add the cream, honey, sugar, and salt. Heat until honey and sugar is fully dissolved, about five minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Stir in vanilla.
4. Pour into a large measuring glass or bowl through a fine-meshed sieve to separate any skin or gelatin specks. Divide among eight ramekins or glasses.
5. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve with desired garnishes.

Blood Orange Syrup

1 cup blood orange juice
1/2 cup sugar

In a small saucepan combine the juice and sugar. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer until reduced by half. Cool to room temperature and serve.

Martha Monday: Sauteed Flounder with Lemon

2011-02-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

Lyndsey from the Tiny Skillet picked this week's recipe, Sauteed Sole with Lemon. (You should check out her blog. She's got GREAT recipes!) I didn't do the grocery shopping for this week's meals - my husband did. And he came home with flounder which is also a white, flaky fish so it made a great substitute.

This was a really quick recipe. Once all the ingredients are chopped and prepped, the cooking time is only about 7 minutes. It seems like a lot of butter and oil goes into this dish but I found much of it stayed on the serving platter rather than ending up in my belly. You might even cut the amount of butter and oil by half if you want a healthier dish or if you don't want to waste it.

The verdict? We liked this a lot. My seven-year-old gobbled it up and only complained about it after he found out it was fish he'd just eaten. My fish-hating husband enjoyed it. I especially liked the tang of the lemon in the sauce. Very good! Thanks, Lyndsey, for a great pick!

Martha Monday: Beef Bourguignon

2011-02-14T10:34:00.000-08:00

This post is a week late.

Let me explain . . . I planned on making this dish Monday night but ran out of time. Then Tuesday my husband had shoulder surgery. No time to make this that day. Plus no one to really eat it. Then Wednesday I finally did make it but both my kids developed fevers. Thursday was a sick, sick, sick day for all of them and then I started to get sick. Friday, the boys were better but I was dragging. Plus there were doctors' appointments following up on the surgery. Saturday and Sunday seemed to fly by. Maybe it was the windy weather we've been having. So, here it is. A whole week later. And I'm finally blogging about Beef Bourguignon.

Well, let me say two things. This had great flavor BUT the meat was really dry! Dry. Dry. Dry. I compared this recipe with my Julia Child one and they are very similar. Julia has you cook your mushrooms and onions separately but the ingredients were the same, the amounts were the same.

The only difference was in the cut of meat called for. Julia calls for a chuck roast. Martha's calls for a rump roast. Well, instinct told me to stick with the chuck roast but I figured I'd try something different and asked for rump roast at the meat counter. I could tell as I cut it that it was going to be dry. There was very little fat marbled through the meat. And even though the meat got very tender, it was like eating sawdust. A terrible waste, if you ask me.

We ate it and had it for leftovers but I think, next time, I'll stick to my chuck roast version, thank you very much!

Here's a question for you, though . . . how would you cook a rump roast to keep it from drying out? Any ideas? Leave them in the comment section.

Tuscan Potato Soup

2011-02-05T16:43:00.000-08:00

Normally I make a Baked Potato Soup stuffed with sour cream, cheese, and bacon but sometimes a girl wants a different kind of potato soup. This is it! Tuscan Potato Soup is creamy, cheesy, and meaty but in a totally different way.

I first made this soup in August. I'm not sure why. August isn't really a soup kind of time. But I loved it. So, I put it in my "Retry" folder because sometimes a recipe is really good the first time but not so great the second.

Yesterday I served this soup for a second time. It was a perfect day for soup. Cold. Rainy. Windy. With a little bread or a salad it will really fill you up. Warm you up. Make you happy.

Tuscan Potato Soup

Slightly adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

Two heads of garlic

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 cups peeled, cubed yellow-fleshed potatoes

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup half-and-half

2 ounces grated Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the top third of each head of garlic. Place each head in the center of a square of foil. Drizzle each head with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Wrap the foil around the garlic. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Let cool. Squeeze garlic pulp out of heads into a small bowl.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Saute onions for 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and potatoes. Saute for one minute. Add chicken broth. Simmer until potatoes are very tender, about 20 minutes. Add garlic pulp.

3. Turn off the burner. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. Once pureed return the creamy soup to the soup pot over low heat. Stir in Romano cheese and half-and-half.

4. Serve garnished with Sausage Topping (see below), some pesto ( I have used store-bought and homemade), and more grated Romano cheese. Serves 4 very hungry people.

Sausage Topping

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 link hot Italian sausage, casing removed

1 ounce finely chopped pancetta

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions until tender, about 6 minutes.

2. Add sausage, pancetta, and salt. Saute until well-browned, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up sausage.

Martha Monday: Chocolate Cups

2011-02-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

Mmmmmmm. Chocolate!

Monday's challenge should have been easy but it seems that I have the knack for messing things up lately. The idea hales from the February issue of Living. Melt semisweet chocolate. Brush it onto cupcake paper liners. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Brush another layer on. Refrigerate. Remove paper. Fill with desired filling.

So, here we have some chocolate brushed onto cupcake papers.

And here we have broken chocolate.

Yup. That's right. My chocolate would not come away from the paper. I tried sticking them in the freezer. This didn't help. In the end, I salvaged what I could from these failures and started anew. This time I used my silicon cupcake liners. And . . . they worked!

I filled my chocolate cups with a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream, a handful of raspberries, a dollop of whipped cream, and a fancy chocolate doohickey that I made out of the leftover melted chocolate. These were really yummy. And easy. If you use silicon cups. Did you hear that? SILICON CUPS!!!!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Biscuit Joconde Imprime/ Entremets

2011-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

OK. OK. I know you are saying, "What the heck is that title?" Well, me too. First of all, I don't even know HOW to pronounce it. Second of all, it took me a loooooooooooong to time to actually make it. And third of all, I'm considering resigning my Daring Bakers membership all because of this one dessert! No really. I wouldn't do that. But it did cross my mind when my second attempt at a Biscuit Joconde failed, failed, failed.

Anyway, let me start at the beginning. Our host for this month, Astheroshe, from the blog, accro, challenged us to make a Biscuit Joconde which is a fancy name for a decorated sponge cake. See, you make a colored paste and doodle on your Silpat lined baking pan. While this fancy doodled pan sits in the freezer, you whip up an almond sponge cake. You smear this batter on top of your frozen doodle. Bake it. Cool it. Turn it upside and down and tah-dah!

Yup. That's what happened to my first try. Broken cake.

So, I tried again. I baked it on parchment paper instead of a Silpat. This time it didn't stick buuuuut when I cut it and tried to line my mold with it . . . Yup. Broken cake.

At this point I screamed and cursed a bit. My 7-year-old witnessed my rage and my vow not to try it again. But he got down on his knees, literally, got down on his knees and prayed to God that if I did it again it would be successful. How can you say no to that?

Dutifully (and half-heartedly) I doodled on my parchment-lined pan AGAIN. Froze it. Smeared it with sponge batter. And stuck it in the oven (using my convection option this time). Meanwhile, prayers continued to ascend to God from my 7-year-old.

Let me tell you. Prayer works. Along with the convection feature. Because it baked into a cake strong enough to NOT stick and to NOT break. I lined my mold with it. Wah-lah!

I filled it and topped it and took a picture of it.

Isn't it beautiful? Well, it was tasty too.

I used Julia Child's almond filling from her Charlotte Malakoff for it. Whole strawberries were surrounded by the filling and then, on top, I used a strawberry gelee. Yum! I can't imagine that anyone reading this would want to make it after my distastrous experience. But should you want to give it a go check out the Daring Kitchen to get the recipes. You can experiment with your own fillings and flavors.

Oh, and don't forget to pray!

Martha Monday: Artichoke Parmesan Crostini

2011-01-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

This Monday's challenge was easy and delicious. I threw it together in a matter of minutes and was impressed with these Artichoke Parmesan Crostini. Martha tells you to rinse and drain some marinated artichoke hearts but I hardly saw the point of dirtying more dishes. If you have superbly marinated artichokes just leave the marinade on them! Chop them up finely and stir in some parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve on toasted bread. Yum! Thanks to Megan's Cookin' for a great pick.

Hummus

2011-01-14T10:49:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I haven't shared my hummus recipe with you!

I make hummus once a week until I get tired of it. It usually takes a long time for me to get tired of it. It's really great with anything. Cut up veggies. Crackers. Pita. But my favorite thing to put it on is naan. This naan, to be exact. But often I'm lazy and just use something pre-made.

Don't, however, use pre-made hummus. This is such an easy recipe and it is soooooooooo much better than those plastic tubs for sale in the produce aisle.

The secret is the food processor. And the amount of tahini you should put in it. So, follow this recipe exactly and you'll be able to snack on something delectable all week long!

Hummus
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 very small clove of garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
pinch of cayenne
6 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley

1. In a glass measuring cup combine lemon juice and water.

2. Put chickpeas, garlic, salt, cumin, and cayenne in the food processor. Process until well ground, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. With machine running, add lemon juice mixture slowly through the feed tube. Scrape down bowl. Process again for at least a minute or two.

3. Combine tahini and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the glass measuring cup (there is no need to clean it out). Now, slowly pour tahini mixture into food processor through the feed tube. This is when you'll see magic happen. The hummus becomes lighter in color and creamy in texture. Scrape down bowl. Process one more time for about 30 seconds.

4. Pour hummus into a bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and drizzle with extra olive oil. Enjoy.

Martha Monday: Hearty Onion Soup Gratin

2011-01-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

My husband HATES onions. HATES them. He has a story that he likes to tell about our first days of wedded bliss. I was making a stew and, while I chopped the requisite three cups of onions, he questioned me. "Are you going to put all THAT in the stew?" I told him to trust me. Hours later, when we finally sat at the table, we slurped our soup and he began giggling. Never being one to keep secrets for long, he confessed that he had scooped up and flushed half my onions down the toilet without my knowing it! Needless to say, that night was not one of bliss on my part. I was so mad at him for not trusting me.

Well, he says he's never done it again but, were I to have fed him THIS particular soup, it might have ended up flushed down the toilet.

I, on the other hand, liked it.

Martha requires a slew of pots and pans to cook a simple, hearty onion soup but I simplified the process. It really is a filling soup and very tasty too. Check out some other opinions by following the link to Martha Mondays with Brette Sember. She organizes this whole thing. You can play along too, whether you blog or not.

Oh, and here's the recipe.

Hearty Onion Soup Gratin

Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart Living

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

4 cups beef broth

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks

2 turnips, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large bay leaf

4 sliced stale bread

Cheese (I used shredded mozzarella and Parmesan but you can use whatever you like.)

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions until softened, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add thyme and cook for 35 more minutes until onions are a deep golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Add beef broth to onions along with carrots and turnips. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes until vegetables are tender.

3. Arrange slices of bread on a baking sheet and top with cheese. Broil in the oven until bubbly. Remove from oven.

4. Ladle soup into bowls and top with bread and cheese. Serves 4.

Maple Nut Popcorn

2011-01-05T17:54:00.000-08:00

It's always snack time in our house especially with a six-year-old coming home from school all the time. Popcorn is a thing we make a lot. The old-fashioned way, of course. In fact, my son's friends request my popcorn because it tastes so much better than their mom's. (She uses the microwave stuff.) But I certainly understand that popping popcorn in a big pot on a the stove is not everyone's thing.

Regardless of how you pop your corn, here's a great way to jazz it up. It's fantastic! Better than caramel corn! Better than Cracker Jack! Better than Kettle Corn! And so easy to make. Just follow these directions.

Maple Nut Popcorn

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

6 cups popped popcorn

1/4 cup of your favorite nut, dry-roasted (I used cashews but might try almonds next time)

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup real maple syrup (preferably grade B because it has more maple-y goodness)

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Line a jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the six cups popcorn and the nuts.

2. In a small saucepan combine the sugar, maple syrup, butter, and salt. Cook over medium heat. Once it boils, cook for one minute. Remove from heat and let stand for one minute.

3. Pour syrup mixture over popcorn and nuts. Toss to coat. Immediately spread popcorn mixture on lined jelly-roll pan. Bake in preheated oven for ten minutes, stirring the popcorn twice during baking. Cool on the pan for ten minutes. Transfer popcorn to a bowl and enjoy.

Martha Monday: Iced Thumbprint Cookies

2010-12-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Here's a great cookie recipe to add to your holiday baking repertoire. Thanks to Pru at Perfecting Pru for this week's Martha Monday pick! These were really yummy little cookies.

The cookie hails from the same family as a pecan sandy or a Russian tea cake. Whatever you care to call it, it's a shortbread with toasted pecans added. Instead of rolling the just baked cookies in powdered sugar (Which just ends up dusting your clothes doesn't it?) you make a thumbprint in each cookie before it is baked. Once they are cooled you fill the thumbprint with a simple powdered sugar glaze tinted whatever color suits your fancy. Mine were red and green. But wouldn't they look great with red and white for Valentine's Day? Or yellow, purple, and green for Mardi Gras? These little cookies were a hit in my family.

We ate the whole batch while we decorated our Christmas tree. Yum!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Crostata

2010-12-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

Last month's Daring Bakers Challenge was to make a Crostata, which is basically a tart with an Italian name. We were given the recipe for the dough but we could fill it any way we liked. I chose a seasonal fruit, the cranberry. Actually, I just used this filling along with the required crust recipe given to us. I think mine came out beautifully but there are lots of other gorgeous concoctions on the Daring Kitchen website. You can also read about the challenge and get the recipes. Enjoy.

Martha Monday: Leftover Turkey Recipes

2010-11-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

This Monday's project was to use up all that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving by choosing one of these Recipes from Martha Stewart's Whole Living series. Just so you know, I have lots of turkey left over. I roasted a TWENTY POUND bird!!! And served it to a measly 5 people, two of which were children under the age of 7. Ha! I have lots of turkey left over. We are turkey-d out! We've eaten it plain, in sandwiches, in soup, and tonight in a tetrazzini. But back to the issue at hand.

I chose to make the turkey salad wrap since it uses one of my favorites - honey mustard - plus I happened to have all the ingredients on hand and didn't have to make a special trip to the grocery. I made two of these last night, wrapped them in wax paper. They were really easy. Just fill a 12-inch tortilla with some greens (spinach, watercress, whatever), half a shredded carrot, two ounces of turkey meat chopped, and a mixture of honey-mustard, mayo, and vinegar. One was sent to work with my husband who has yet to comment on it. I ate mine at lunchtime and really liked it. While not exotic, it was a departure from the usual turkey sandwich.

So . . . give it a go if you still have some turkey to swallow down. Or try one of the other recipes and let me know what you think.

Martha Mondays: Cheese Straws

2010-11-22T12:34:00.001-08:00

Tah-dah! I'm on time. For once. Today's Martha Monday project was to make these Cheese Straws. It's an incredibly easy recipe. I'll post it below so you can make them too. And you will want to make them because they are really yummy and addictive. Perfect for all those family members who are coming to your house in search of munchies.

Cheese Straws

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice cheese into 8 or so slices. Place in food processor with rotating cutting blade. Process until well chopped. Pieces should be about the size of small peas.

2. Add remaining ingredients. Process until dough forms a ball. This took me about a minute of processing. Do not fear. It WILL come together.

4. Divide dough into 8 portions. Roll portions into a log about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut each log into pieces. Each piece should be about 3 inches long. Place on a baking sheet.

5. Bake for 12-13 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Remove from oven. Cool. Serve.

Interested in joining Martha Mondays? Check out the website and sign up!

Martha Mondays: Thanksgiving Table Setting

2010-11-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

Monday's project was to select one of these beautiful ideas Martha Stewart has for decorating your Thanksgiving table. I chose the first idea, Pear Place Cards, and tailored it to my own liking. I chose to use little Pink Lady apples that were available at Whole Foods.I made a leaf shape out of white card stock, but I'm thinking gold might have been a better choice if I'd had it. With a fine-tipped Sharpie I wrote names on each leaf.After punching a hole in the leaves, I attached them with some fine gold wire that my husband uses for tying flies (much to his chagrin.) This was a really easy place card idea and very cute. My kids will love to sit down with a little apple all their own in front of them. Now . . . if I can just decide on a menu for the big day!

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2010-11-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

I know. I know. "This is not gourmet food!" you want to say. "Tuna Noodle Casserole!?!?! That's so out-of-style." But, let me tell you, there is nothing like being able to feed your family something delicious, cheap, and quick, so I give you my favorite recipe for this retro-dish. It is so creamy and tasty you will find yourself sneaking spoonfuls out of the serving dish. Serve with a nice green salad with a tart, vinegar dressing and your tummy will thank you.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

8 ounces egg noodles

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1/2 cup peeled and chopped carrot

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 3/4 cups skim milk

4 ounces low fat cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup (2 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 6-ounce cans tuna packed in water, drained

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Boil noodles in a large pot of unsalted water according to package directions. Drain.

3. Meanwhile, heat a very large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. Saute onions and carrots for six minutes. Add flour. Stir to coat veggies and cook for a minute. Slowly pour in milk while stirring constantly so that no lumps form. Cook mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until slightly thick. Turn off the heat but leave pan on burner. Add cream cheese, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly for two minutes. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and stir into creamy mixture until fully melted and incorporated. Add the tuna. You may need to mash at the tuna to break it up especially if you use solid-packed tuna. Finally add the peas, parsley, and cooked noodles. Stir well.

4. Grease a 2-quart baking dish or spray with cooking spray. Dump tuna noodle mixture into dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden. Let stand five minutes before serving. Serves 4-6 depending on appetites.

Note: If you do not have a very large saute pan (Mine is 14-inches and even the kitchen sink fits into it), stop adding ingredients to your pan once you've incorporated the tuna. Return the noodles to the pot you boiled them in. Then add the peas, parsley, and creamy mixture from the saute pan. Stir and dump into the casserole dish.

Martha Mondays: Guacamole and Tortilla chips

2010-11-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge was in honor of Halloween, Guacamoldy with Creature Chips. The idea is to make a simple guacamole. Then cut Halloween shapes out of tortillas using cookie cutters. Place on a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Spray the tortilla shapes generously. And bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Well, I, of course, didn't get to mine until after Halloween AND I have absolutely no Halloween cookie cutters. So, I used my husband's favorite shape - a trout. I cut out hearts and trout to celebrate his love of fishing. Then, while they baked in the oven, I made my own version of guacamole. I don't really have a recipe. Just avocado, sour cream, salsa, lime juice, salt and pepper. I add everything to taste until my mouth is happy.

This was really cute. And I thought the "chips" were tasty. You could even sprinkle them with some chili powder and salt to give them a little kick. A fun idea for any holiday, really, or just to celebrate the end of fishing season!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Time to Make the Donuts

2010-10-26T18:06:00.001-07:00

This month's Daring Bakers challenge was simply put . . . make donuts. Any kind of donuts. Cake. Yeast. Filled. Plain. So . . . here's my recipe for making donuts.

1. Pick a recipe. One from a really famous pastry chef is sure to get you great results. The one from Sherry Yard's "The Secrets of Baking" entitled Brioche Donuts will get you superb results.

2. Procrastinate.

3. Make the dough. Let it rise. Oh wait. Let it rise again.

4. Pat out the dough. Let your six-year-old and two-year-old cut out doughnuts. All that play-doh practice comes in handy.

5. Let them rest and puff up while you heat the oil. Mix a glaze with powdered sugar and milk and vanilla.

6. When the temperature of the oil reaches EXACTLY 360 degrees put in some donuts. Frantically turn down the temperature when all of a sudden the thermometer registers 400 degrees.

7. Fry donuts for a minute on each side. Continue to frantically turn the heat dial from low to medium to medium-high and even off in search of a steady temperature.

8. Remove donuts with tongs and let cool on a wire rack set over a pan.

9. Repeat steps 6 through 8 until all donuts are fried.

10. Dip tops in glaze and sprinkle with decorations. Eat. Enjoy. Eat some more. Enjoy some more. Don't forget to eat those donut holes too.

11. Apologize to husband who comes home and curses you for making donuts while he eats and eats and eats some more.

Really, this was a fun and easy challenge. And delicious, of course. Certainly, though, I'd be happy to let Krispy Kreme make the majority of my donuts in the future. Let them worry about steady temperatures and angry husbands!

Meringue Ghosts

2010-10-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

So, I made a dessert this weekend with the enticing name, Double Ginger Pumpkin Flans, which turned out to have great flavor but a kind of pasty texture. Needless to say, I won't give you the recipe here since I don't really recommend it. Perhaps some tweaking in the future and you'll get a glimpse. But what I did do with all the egg whites I had left over IS something to talk about.

Inspired by an idea I'd seen on the Internet I whipped up a batch of meringue. It's very easy to do. I'll give the recipe below. I filled a big pastry bag with the stuff and snipped the end. Then I piped some blobs into a parchment-lined baking sheet. So that they kind of looked like upside-down little ice-cream cones. I slid the pan into the oven at 300 degrees and baked them for an hour. Some of them started to droop in the heat but that didn't detract from the charm. After an hour, I turned off the oven but left them to dry in the oven for another 3 hours. Then I pulled them out, melted a tablespoon of chocolate, and using the blunt end of a skewer blopped some ghost-like eyes onto these cuties.

I served them on top of the Double Ginger Pumpkin Flans and, trust me, these little guys got ALL the oohs and ahs.

Meringue Ghosts

Ingredients:

3 large egg whites, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl whip egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt with a beater or whisk attachment on medium until soft peaks form.

2. Turn beater to medium high and continue to whip egg whites while adding sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. This can take 6 to 7 minutes.

3. Using a pastry bag, pipe ghost shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for an hour. Turn off oven but do not remove pan. Dry in oven for another 2-3 hours.

4. Melt one tablespoon of chocolate in a tiny bowl in the microwave. This will only take a minute at the most. Do not let your chocolate burn. Check it every 15 seconds or so. Dab onto ghosts to make eyes.

Martha Mondays: Pumpkin Muffins

2010-10-05T05:38:00.001-07:00

One of the fabulous things about all the cooking and baking I've done lately is that I'm getting more confident. Granted, I have my share of kitchen mishaps, but usually I can look at a recipe and decide whether it's going to turn out well or poorly. This pumpkin muffin of Martha's did not bode well. With a whopping 3/4 cup of oil in the recipe along with no salt at all this recipe is doomed to make heavy, tasteless muffins. So I tweaked. I tweaked. Yes, and I tweaked some more. And I came up with a new recipe for pumpkin muffins which, in my opinion, are even healthier than Martha's recipe. So here's my version of this week's Martha Monday challenge.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Adapted from Body+Soul

In a medium bowl whisk together 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

In a large bowl whisk together 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup low-fat Greek -style yogurt, 2 small eggs, 1/4 cup of canola oil, and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar. Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Do not stir too much or your muffins will be tough. Divide among 12 wells of a regular muffin tin. Feel free to line them with paper so you have less clean up! Sprinkle each bit of muffin batter with some more chopped walnuts as well as a bit of turbinado sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Note: The original recipe made double the amount and called for three large eggs. I halved the recipe so I call for 2 small eggs. In reality I used 1 and 1/2 large eggs. Use whatever you have on hand. Also, I used pecans in my muffins because that's what I had. These muffins taste best the day they are made so make sure you have an appetite or a few hungry friends.

Tahini Pilaf

2010-10-01T10:21:00.001-07:00

I debated whether or not to share this recipe because I'm the only one in my household who likes it. My six-year-old used to like it. My husband is weirded out by the fact that this pilaf isn't a RICE pilaf. And my two-year-old, well, he's the only one who really has a right to be so picky.

But I like it. So I decided to share it with all you more adventurous culinary types. I think this is a great side dish but, if you are a vegetarian, you might just gobble it up as the main course. I like to serve it in a large shallow bowl with the tahini sauce on the side so that people can drizzle their own servings with as much or as little of the sauce as they like. Anyway, here's the recipe!

Tahini Pilaf

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 red or orange pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced

1/2 cup medium or course bulgar

1 cup chicken broth

salt, to taste

1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 recipe tahini sauce (recipe follows)

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute carrots and peppers for about 7 minutes. Add garlic. Saute for another 30 seconds.

2. Add bulgar and saute for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in chickpeas and recover. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. Add salt, if necessary. Fluff with a fork.

4. Serve pilaf on a platter or in a bowl. Sprinkle with parsley as a garnish. Serve Tahini Sauce on the side.

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, grated using a zester

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more if you like)

1/4 cup tahini

1/3 cup chicken broth

1. Combine garlic, salt, lemon juice, and tahini in a bowl. Gradually whisk in broth. The sauce should resemble the consistency of heavy cream.

2. Serve with pilaf.

Martha Mondays: Roasted Fall Vegetable Soup

2010-09-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

I am still nursing wounds from this week's recipe. That's right. I cut myself and burned myself twice while making this soup and, yet, it is really an easy delicious soup so don't let my clumsiness deter you from trying this recipe. Pru from Perfecting Pru chose this delightful soup as this week's project. I was a bit bummed at first because I had just made a butternut squash soup and thought this might taste the same. I was wrong. This is sooooooooooo much better.

The recipe is very simple. Basically chop some fall vegetables. In this case, onions, garlic, carrots, butternut squash, and potatoes. Don't cut yourself. Toss with olive oil and salt. Roast. Don't burn yourself. Puree with a bit of water. Serve. Martha tells you to put it through a sieve first. I didn't bother. I figure I can use the extra fiber!

This soup was really so good. Roasting the vegetables gives them a richness that is almost meaty. And it is so filling. One bowl with a slice of whole wheat bread was enough to fill me up. This recipe is definitely going into my recipe box!

Martha Mondays: Latin Steak

2010-09-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

I am in love. You know how it is, girls, you go out on a date and you just know. You know whether the guy is a dud or whether he is a keeper. Well, recipes can be kind of like that. And, let me tell you, Martha Stewart has a lot of duds. But, like a good single girl who keeps on dating just in case, I keep on trying the recipes in her magazines because every once in a while I come across a keeper. This is it, folks. This is a keeper.

I am the lucky gal who got to choose this recipe for all the Martha Monday folks to try. In the September issue of Living, Martha's food editor Lucinda Scala Quinn introduces us to an easy way to flavor and grill steak. Cheap steak, that is. We could choose a Mediterranean marinade full of garlic, rosemary, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Or we could choose the Latin one made from garlic, fresh oregano, lime juice, and olive oil. I chose the Latin one. I marinated my beautiful $8 skirt steak for 7 hours and then slapped it on the grill. Five minutes each side. High heat. Let it rest for five minutes. Slice across the grain.

I served it up with tortillas, chopped cherry tomatoes, sliced lettuce, homemade refried beans, avocado in lime juice, and sour cream. We inhaled it. And guess what? I did it again the next night. Know what? I'm tempted to cook it again tomorrow night. See what I mean? This is love.

Martha Mondays: Panna Cotta

2010-09-10T09:16:00.000-07:00

It's a good thing I'm not in school anymore. I would most certainly fail. I can't seem to get a single Martha Monday entry posted on a Monday. I remember taking a philosophy class my first year of college. A paper was due in lieu of a final exam. I was busy working on it when the phone rang. It was my professor wondering why I hadn't turned my paper in. Ooops! Somehow I'd gotten the deadline wrong. Imagine how fast I churned that thing out! And, amazingly I got a B in his class. Needless to say, I did NOT end up majoring in philosophy.

But back to the panna cotta. I did actually make this dessert on Monday but planned to serve it on Tuesday to friends. As I assembled my ingredients I realized that I was missing half a teaspoon of gelatin. The recipe called for two but I only had one and a half. Did I really want to run to the store for half a teaspoon of gelatin? Nah! So I made the dessert with what I had.

It was really easy to make. Heat cream and sugar. Soften gelatin. Stir together and pour into ramekins. Oh, I did add a teaspoon of vanilla too. But, I learned that following directions is very important, because my panna cotta would not come out of its mold. I placed it in hot water. I ran a knife around the edge. I whacked it and whacked it. It wouldn't come out. I finally tried to free it with a spoon and it splopped out, falling into three separate pieces. I guess that 1/2 teaspoon of gelatin WAS important, after all. I served myself the ruined one and served the others in their cups with a spoonful of the yummiest Maple Blueberry Spoonfruit in place of the vanilla syrup originally called for.

Final Grade: B!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Baked Alaska

2010-09-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

In our house we firmly believe global warming is affecting our environment. We try to do our part, though. We use cloth diapers. We bring our own cloth bags to the grocery store. We keep the thermostat warmer than we'd like during the summer months and end up sleeping naked . . . oops. Did I just share that? And we make Baked Alaska! Well, actually, this is the first time I made Baked Alaska but certainly not the last.

If this had NOT been a Daring Bakers challenge it would have been REALLY easy. But, of course, in true Daring fashion everything was made from scratch. A brown butter poundcake encircled the bottom. A generous, generous, generous portion of homemade butter pecan ice cream hunched atop the cake. And the whole thing was swathed in cool, creamy, Swiss (or should I say Alaskan) meringue whereupon it was torched with a borrowed blowtorch until it resembled a perfectly toasted marshmallow. It took us two whole days to finish our servings but the verdict was, "Will you make Baked Alaska again, Mom? Without the nuts?"

It was really good and impressive. My advice, though, if you plan on making this homage to global warming in your home is to make a chocolate cake bottom, something strong and bitter, because the flavor gets really muted in the freezer. Definitely take the time to make a homemade ice cream or use something really decadent and creamy like Ben and Jerry's or Haagen Daz. And, finally, if you aren't scared of raw egg whites make a simple meringue because you'll get a stiffer meringue and can make pretty designs out of it. My Swiss meringue was a bit gloopy. Tasty but gloopy. I'm adding a link to the Daring Bakers' website if you want to look up recipes or join. But I'm also posting a recipe below for the Swiss meringue in case you feel the need to make some for your Baked Alaska! Happy Global Warming folks!

Swiss Meringue

Ingredients:

4 eggs whites

1 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until mixture reaches 150 degrees. Remove from simmering water and place on stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high for 10 minutes or until glossy and stiff. You can tell it is done when you pull the whisk out of the meringue and it looks kind of like a bird's beak. Here's a picture to give you an idea. Use immediately.

A Summer Supper

2010-08-13T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last week I bought the newest Cooks Illustrated magazine. Immediately I knew I was going to try their recipe for Rosemary Focaccia. It required quite a few steps, from making a biga to folding it several times over three hours but it promised a beautiful, tasty artisanal bread. And, boy, did it deliver! The crust shattered as we bit into it and the inside was soft but well-structured. Just perfect! I am so making this bread again.
I served the bread with a homemade Minestrone soup that I did in the slow cooker. It was really good too and perfect for all those summer vegetables coming out of your garden right now. The recipe is below.

The final course was fresh mint ice cream made with real mint from the garden. Don't expect your typical flavor here. This stuff is slightly vegetal but oh so good and refreshing. A remarkable ending to a summer supper.

Slow-Cooker Minestrone

Adapted from Cook's Country

Ingredients:

1 cup dried white beans (I used flageolets.)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 onions, chopped fine

4 carrots, chopped

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes

6 cups chicken broth

2 cups basil leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup fresh green beans cut into 2 inch pieces

1 bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped

1/2 cup dried macaroni

Salt and pepper

1. Soak beans overnight. Drain and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain. Put in slow cooker.

2. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Saute onions and carrots over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic. Saute for another minute. Add tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes. Transfer mixture to slow cooker.

3. Chop 1/2 cup of the basil. Add it to the slow cooker along with the broth, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.

4. During the last hour of cooking, add the green beans, Swiss chard, and dried macaroni to soup.

5. Before serving chop remaining 1 1/2 cup basil. Stir basil into soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with plenty of parmesan cheese.

Martha Mondays: Zucchini Lasagna

2010-08-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

So . . . I am finally getting around to posting last Monday's challenge . . . zucchini lasagna. Our neighbors have been generously sharing their bounty of zucchini so this seemed like a good recipe to me until I noticed that it had no tomato sauce. What? No tomato sauce inlasagna? There's no way I was going to get my family to even taste it without tomato sauce. So I decided to make the lasagna exactly as directed but I was going to add a layer of our favorite meat sauce. It seemed a pretty straightforward recipe. A bit different than my own but somewhat similar. The filling was made from ricotta and cream cheese. And the zucchini was not precooked because the no-boil noodles needed the extra liquid. I prepared it. I baked it. It came out looking like this. And it smelled so yummy!

BUT it did not taste so yummy. It wasn't horrible or inedible or anything.

It was just . . . well, it was weird. The cream cheese was all wrong for lasagna. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Great for a bagel but wrong for lasagna. And the zucchini didn't seem cooked to me. It was warm but it was still crunchy, too crunchy. My family ate it but the only one who loved it was the two-year-old. I'll stick with my mom's recipe. Thank you very much!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake

2010-07-27T01:00:00.000-07:00

This month's challenge was a perfect summer dessert - ice cream cake - but as usual it was far from easy . . . In fact, it took me three days to complete it. Three days! Well, OK, I admit that most of that time occurred while I was sitting around waiting for the thing to freeze in the freezer. But still. This is no last minute, throw-together kind of thing.

First we had to make the Swiss Swirl cake. It was a homemade version of Little Debbie's Swiss Roll. The cake was easy enough to mix together. It was sort of like an angel food cake. Whipped egg whites with flour, sugar, and cocoa powder folded in. I baked two small pans of the cake. As soon as they came out of the oven I plopped it into a sugared towel and rolled it up. I let these rolls rest for about an hour. Then I whipped some sugar, vanilla, and whipped cream for the filling. When I wanted to fill the cakes I tried to unroll them but they seemed to have memorized their shape too well. They didn't want to budge from their swirly position and ended up cracking. Urgh! I smeared the cream in the best I could and tried to patch them back together. I probably should have refrigerated or frozen them at this point to make them keep their shape better but I didn't. I was too excited to move onto the next step. I sliced them up and layered them into a bowl lined with plastic wrap. I put this in the freezer and let it harden.

Then I got to work on my chocolate ice cream. I used a Cooks Illustrated recipe. It's a cooked custard that gets chilled and then frozen in an ice cream maker. Once it was frozen I smeared this onto my frozen cake slices. Then I put it in the freezer.

Next was the fudge layer. I followed the recipe given in the Daring Bakers challenge. It made a lot! More than I could fit in my bowl plus it never really thickened properly. Oh well. It was going to be frozen anyway. I poured half of this in and froze it.

Finally I worked on my vanilla ice cream. Again I used a Cooks Illustrated recipe. Once the custard was frozen in the ice cream maker I poured it into the remaining space in my bowl and, you guessed it, PUT IT IN THE FREEZER!

When it came time to serve it I had to coax it out of the bowl with a warm towel. It didn't look so spectacular thanks to the broken swirl cake but, once I sliced it, it looked a lot better. It tasted great, though. My husband declared it the best Daring Bakers recipe yet. And it got high marks from all the Naval Academy grads who ate it with us.

To check out the recipes or to find out about becoming a Daring Baker yourself check out their website at The Daring Kitchen.

Beef Rendang

2010-07-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm no expert on Malaysian food but this recipe for Beef Rendang was downright delicious. It appeared in a Cooking Light issue this spring and I had my eye on it. Once it got a few reviews on MyRecipes I knew I would make it but I would need to tweak it.

First, instead of purchasing 2 pounds of chuck roast, I purchased 3 lbs. This way, when I cut away all the fat, I still had plenty of meat left to eat. Then, instead of simmering it on the stove once all the ingredients were together, I popped it in the oven with the lid on. At 325 degrees, I braised it for 2 hours. The meat was perfectly tender and the flavor more roasted than boiled. Plus, I didn't have to babysit it on the stove.

This is a really yummy dish. Check it out!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Chocolate Pavlova with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

2010-07-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard

This was a pretty easy Daring Bakers challenge . . . only because I've gotten lots of practice whipping egg whites over the past six months that I've been a Daring Baker. First, though, I made the creme anglaise which was an important component of the sauce, yeah, that white stuff on top of all that chocolate. Creme anglaise is a custard, but a runny one, so it is a bit forgiving. It consists of egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and lots of cream. In fact, it's really like a vanilla ice cream base. I made this first because it was supposed to chill, or so I thought. After the creme anglaise was chilling in the refrigerator I made the meringue. This was pretty straightforward, as well. I chose to make one large meringue so I had to bake mine longer to dry it out but otherwise all was going well. Finally I made the chocolate mascarpone mousse. Mascarpone and whipping cream is combined with melted chocolate, orange zest, and orange juice. Yum!

Finally, I pulled out the creme anglaise and tried to combine it with some mascarpone. It was not working! All I was getting was lumpy creme anglaise. As I looked at the recipe I noticed that it seemed to say I should have combined the custard with the mascarpone while it was still warm. Hmmmm. Confusing directions. But I got out my trusty beater and whipped that stuff into submission. There were very few lumps left when I was done with it. After folding in some whipped cream the sauce was ready to go too.

Now, I was supposed to bring this dessert to a party and I was going to assemble it when I got there BUT my son got sick so I had to send the dessert with my husband. Not wanting to burden him with the assembly I smeared the mousse onto the meringue and sprinkled it with berries at home. The only thing he had to do was dribble the sauce on . . . which I think he did pretty well. I did get a taste of it brought home to me and it was very yummy. Definitely impressive. Something I may actually make again. Someday.

Martha Monday: Herbed Flatbread

2010-06-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Monday's pick for the Martha Monday project was the Herbed Flatbread featured in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living. The dough was similar to a pizza dough. It contained flour, yeast, salt, water, olive oil, and sugar. The directions told us to knead it only for two minutes and then let it rise for an hour. Once risen we were to divide it into 16 pieces and thinly roll it out onto parchment paper. Everything went well until this point. I had a hard time getting mine really thin because it kept springing back like a rubber band. I know that it needed to rest on the pan a bit so it could relax and stop springing back but I was in a hurry for dinner. So I egg washed it, sprinkled herbs and salt, and baked. They didn't turn out as crisp as crackers, more like little pizzas, somewhat soft with a few crackly places. My husband raved about them. I thought they were tasty enough but might try to be in less of a hurry next time to the cracker effect.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Piece Montee

2010-06-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

So, I'm really really really late posting my latest Daring Bakers challenge. That's because this last week was devoted to our very last week of homeschooling! Woohoo! Summer is here. School is out. Let the baking begin!

Anyway, I did accomplish last month's challenge which was to create a piece montee (French for "mounted piece") or sometimes better known as a croquembouche. We were to make pate a choux puffs, fill them with our choice of filling and assemble them into a piece that had some height. I decided to go with a lemon curd filling and assemble with the traditional caramelized sugar.

The pate a choux recipe was wonderful. The puffs came out perfectly puffed. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I made them the day before I was going to fill them and stored them in an airtight container as recommended. But the next day they were no longer crispy. A bit disappointing if you ask me. So, in making them again, I would whip up a batch right before filling since they really were easy to make.

The lemon curd filling I chose was one I use in my favorite lemon tart. It seemed to set up well but once I gooped it into a pastry bag it got a little runny. Plus my hand warmed it and made it even runnier making for a very messy process of filling the little puffs. I filled about half and gave up. I had the caramelized sugar ready to go right before I filled them. I built it as I filled them. It stuck together pretty quickly. There was no need for toothpicks or any propping up. Then I tried making some caramelized sugar threads around it but my sugar was cooling and was a little too thick to get great threads. It turned out pretty well, though, I think. And it was tasty. I liked the lemon curd as it contrasted with the almost-burnt sugar taste. The only hard part was separating the dessert. The caramelized sugar was a great "glue," almost too great. Many of the puffs broke apart as we wrestled them off the desert. All in all, though, it was a successful challenge and a tasty thing to eat!

Tarte au Fraises

2010-05-26T16:45:00.000-07:00

With six pounds of strawberries in my refrigerator I decided to make a few strawberry tarts a la Julia Child. I planned on making one for my neighbor who had just had a baby and one for a gathering we were attending. So last night I gathered my ingredients to make the crust. I chose the sweet cookie-like crust Child recommends for fruit tarts because it is more tender. But she cautions that it can be more likely to crumble. Hmmmm. I wasn't afraid. "I've made so many tarts I'm a pro!" I thought to myself. I ignored her directions for using my hands to combine the ingredients and went right to the food processor. This worked well. Then, instead, of rolling it out it seemed to work well as a press in crust, saving me the hassle of cleaning up a rolling pin and surface. I baked it as recommended. It seemed pale as I brought it out of the oven but fully cooked. Julia recommends that you remove it from the tart pan right away so I carefully got the rim removed without burning myself. When I tried to remove the bottom, though, it seemed as if the crust had been glue onto the bottom. The only way to remove it was to hack at it. One tart crust down the drain.

So, I tried again, this time using a parchment round to cover the bottom. Plus I cooked it a bit longer to make it a little less crumbly or so I thought. This time the bottom came off perfectly but the sides stuck to the rim leaving me with a rimless crust. Aaargh! At least I can make creme patisserie, right? Wrong. That too was a failure because I scorched the bottom. Some of the burned bits made it into my pastry cream but by that time I didn't care. I covered it, refrigerated it and went to bed.

This morning I pulled out my tried and true tart recipe from Martha Stewart, made it, cooled it and removed it PERFECTLY! I blopped in the pastry cream and then topped it with my beautiful, showy, red strawberries. Finally I painted them with apple jelly to make them glow. Beautiful. It was a hit at the party. I even was asked for the recipe. Now if I can just find that tart crust recipe again . . .

Martha Monday: Potato Zucchini Hash

2010-05-17T07:37:00.001-07:00

This Monday's task was to make Potato Zucchini Hash from Martha Stewart's May issue of Everyday Food. It was very easy to do, although, since I didn't have a picture of it, I wasn't quite sure how to cut the ingredients. I halved the recipe since I was serving this to myself and two small boys. One peeled, cut, and rinsed potato was sauteed in olive oil along with half an onion. As you can tell in the picture my onion got burned. I think I sliced them too thinly for the medium-high heat. Once the potatoes were cooked through I added the zucchini slices and some salt and pepper. Five more minutes of cooking produced a rather yummy mess of vegetables. The recipe told us to serve this with an egg on top but I served mine as a side dish for hamburgers. It was a great way to sneak zucchini into a potato dish but my son didn't fall for it and only ate the potatoes. Oh well.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Steak Pudding

2010-04-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

With two birthdays and Easter last month, I just never got around to making March's Daring Bakers Challenge which was a yummy-looking Orange Tian. So, I knew I would have to buck up and do April's challenge, whatever it was . . . and then I read it. With horror. A British Pudding. Blech. Something steamed for hours in a bowl just has never appealed to me. And to make it worse, we were challenged to do it the old-fashioned way, with suet. Yes, you read that right. Suet.

Naturally, I put it off as long as possible but, in the end, I began calling around looking for suet. Suet, in case you don't know, is fat. But not just any fat. It's the fat from around the kidneys of a cow or sheep. This fat has a waxiness that makes things really tasty. It's the same fat McDonald's used to use to fry their french fries. And, in case you don't know, it's REALLY hard to find. Strangely. Because it isn't as if there aren't plenty of cows providing all those neatly wrapped packages of pink flesh. But, since people don't really use suet much anymore, it just gets thrown away. But you don't need to hear all of this. After a week's worth of phone calls and wrangling with a local butcher, I got my suet. My butcher even shredded it for me. So nice! Once I got the suet home I melted it in a pot over low heat. Then I poured it through some cheesecloth to catch all the yucky kidney bits into a bowl and refrigerated it. The next day it had hardened into a snowy white mass.Now I had decided to make a traditional filled pudding, not a sponge pudding. In fact I was making a Steak (and no Kidney) Pudding. I found a recipe for the filling in a Nigella Lawson cookbook and precooked the filling. I fiddled with her recipe a bit, adding cornstarch to thicken the gravy and fresh thyme to brighten the flavors. I cooled the filling in the refrigerator so it wouldn't melt my suet crust when I assembled the pudding.

Once the filling was cooled, I pulled out my suet and weighed out six ounces. I cut this into a mixture of flour, baking powder, salt and pepper, just like a pie dough. Then I added about 1/3 cup cold water slowly by spoonfuls until it just came together. It made a very soft and weak dough so I had to be very careful as I rolled it out and draped it in a buttered bowl. I scooped the cool filling into the pastry-lined bowl and topped it with a small round of the dough, rolling and pinching the edges together to seal it. Then I buttered and pleated a piece of foil, wrapped the top of the bowl and tied a string around it. I lowered the bowl into a pot about half full of boiling water, using a crumpled piece of foil at the bottom to prop it up off the heat. Oops! My pot of water was a little too full! I searched around for my turkey baster to suck out some of the water but couldn't find it. Oh well. Too late. I figured, if the water was going to get in, it already had. Two hours later (and a few additions of hot water) I pulled the pudding out. Tah-dah!

Here's the surprise. It was really good!!!! We had guests for dinner and all devoured it. Even my six-year-old ate some! I'm not sure I'd ever do this again but it was a great learning experience and I'm really proud that I pulled it off. Thanks for another great challenge, Daring Bakers. To find out more about the challenge, get recipes or to sign up to be a Daring Baker yourself check out the website . . . at the Daring Kitchen.

Yellow Lemon Pucker Ice Cream

2010-04-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

Twice a week Jonathan gets to play on the computer. He's recently taken to tending my farm on Facebook but he also likes to play on Playhouse Disney. One of the games, apparently, has you scoop ice cream for some bunnies. Jonathan's favorite ice cream to scoop is called Yellow Lemon Pucker so, of course, he requested that I make it. Strangely, I have had most of my ice-cream success with recipes from William-Sonoma. They have a fabulous pumpkin ice cream and a great fresh strawberry one. So I went there and found a Lemon Gelato recipe that I tinkered with to give it a little more pucker. Here it is!

Yellow Lemon Pucker Ice Cream

Adapted from William-Sonama

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup half-and-half

pinch salt

zest and juice from two lemons

3/4 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

1 cup creme fraiche

Directions:

Combine cream and half-and-half and pinch of salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a large bowl combine sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingers, knead it together until the zest and sugar are combined and resemble wet sand. Whisk in egg yolks into lemon sugar, whisking until mixture becomes pale and smooth. Whisk in juice of two lemons. Whisk in hot milk mixture to the egg yolk mixture. I add about a half a cup at a time and whisk quickly so the eggs don't scramble. Once all the hot milk is added, return the mixture to the saucepan and heat over medium-low until mixture thickens a bit and coats a spoon. This took me about 5 minutes. Off heat. Stir for a minute while off heat. Then let it cool in saucepan for 15 minutes. Whisk in cold creme fraiche. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until cold. Freeze in an ice cream maker as directed.

Martha Monday: Jewelry Storage

2010-03-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

Two Monday's ago I had chosen the Martha Monday project for everyone to do and then everyone went and did it but me. The idea was to use a watercolor paint palette to organize jewelry, especially earrings. I had actually bought the palette in plenty of time. My problem was that I couldn't find my earrings! That is why I'd chosen the project in the first place. By the time I'd found enough earrings to put in the palette the next Martha Monday had already rolled around. Anyway, I'm finally posting my picture. I liked this idea. It's not really the most attractive storage but, tucked into a drawer, it's perfect. The other problem is that it doesn't really hold a lot of earrings, if you are a real jewelry addict, but for someone like me who doesn't wear lots of jewelry it's just the thing.

Martha Monday: Chocolate Marble Bread with Ganache

2010-03-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I actually accomplished this Monday's assignment on Monday and even took pictures. Finally, on Wednesday I'm getting around to posting about it. The task was to make this Chocolate Marble Bread slathered in ganache. Yum! How could anything so full of butter and chocolate be bad? The quick bread was fairly easy. The only thing I did differently was to melt my chocolate in the microwave rather than in a double boiler. Less dishes. I baked the bread for a little over an hour, turned it out and cooled it. Then I nuked the cream and poured it over the remaining chocolate chips to make ganache. Once I spread it on I couldn't wait to try a piece so I cut a slice, took a photo, and chomped away. It was quite tasty, moist, and fine textured. I had used bittersweet chocolate rather than the semi-sweet and really liked the chocolate flavor it had. I don't know that I'd add it to my repertoire of quick breads, though. It was impressive enough. Now, this recipe for Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze is a keeper and a fresh new way to use up those bananas you keep forgetting to eat. Try it!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Tiramisu

2010-03-01T11:57:00.000-08:00

I'm a few days late getting my Daring Bakers Challenge posted because, of course, I procrastinated and finally got it put together on the very LAST day of February. This challenge, in my opinion, was not difficult but had many steps on the way to the final product. The challenge was to make homemade mascarpone cheese, ladyfinger biscuits, zabaglione, and pastry cream. Once assembled with a bit of whipped cream, espresso, and cocoa powder all these element became Tiramisu.

The first thing I tackled was the mascarpone cheese. Having made ricotta, I was a bit over-confident in my ability to make this. All I had to do was heat cream to 190 degrees, add a bit of lemon juice, heat a little more, cool, and strain. BUT, even though I followed the directions, the mixture didn't thicken like I expected. I strained it but almost all of it just ran through into my bowl. Sooooo, I put it in the refrigerator just like that. The next day I took it out and restrained it. Tah-dah! Mascarpone cheese! It had thickened up and the watery whey came away. It was very creamy, smooth, and yummy.

Then I made the lady finger biscuits, or savoiardi. These, too, were really simple. Just eggs, sugar, and flour. They really didn't taste like much but I knew they would hold a lot of flavor when dipped into espresso.

Finally I whipped up the zabaglione which is a custard made of egg, Marsala wine, sugar, and lemon rind. And a pastry cream, also a custard made from egg, milk, sugar, vanilla, and lemon rind.

Once everything was chilled properly, I whipped up a cup of cream with some sugar and folded this into the pastry cream, zabaglione, and mascarpone to make a delightful creamy mixture. I dipped my savoiardi into sweetened espresso and layered them with the cream. This was chilled for about 7 hours. After a sprinkling of cocoa powder I sliced into it and served. The verdict? Pretty good. Three of us sampled it and all agree it was tasty. I personally didn't care for the Marsala wine flavor and might make the zabaglione with coffee instead of wine were I to make this again. Or, honestly, I might just stop in at Olive Garden and order their version.

To find the recipes, learn about the hosts of this month's challenge, or to become a Daring Baker yourself go to the Daring Bakers website.

Great American Postcard Swap

2010-02-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

So, this has absolutely nothing to do with food but I was so excited that I had to share it. We are signed up for the Great American Postcard Swap. Fifty families take turns sending out 49 postcards on a weekly basis. This means that by the end of the swap you'll have received postcards from all the states in the US except for the one you live in. I thought this sounded like pretty easy fun and great for kids who look forward to getting something in the mail. Plus, as an homeschooling family it will give us an opportunity to look up and learn about the other states in our country. Click on the picture above to go the host site and sign up!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Nanaimo!

2010-01-27T05:53:00.000-08:00

This month's challenge was hosted by Lauren of Celiac Teen. She challenged us to go gluten-free this month by making gluten-free graham crackers and then she instructed us to make the most divine bar cookie ever - Nanaimo Bars! First, to the crackers.

The instructions were fairly easy on this one. The hardest part was locating the flours, but since I live near a brand spanking new Whole Foods this was not too hard. All the ingredients were blitzed in the food processor and refrigerated. Here's were things got a little, er, shall we say, softer? My dough never really firmed up. But I rolled it out anyway. On a sheet of parchment paper liberally sprinkled with rice flour. Each time I used the rolling pin I sprinkled the top of the dough again with rice flour to avoid any sticking. Once the dough was thin enough I scored and pricked the dough. Then I just slid it onto a baking sheet and popped them into the oven. The graham crackers smelled so yummy and vanilla-y as they baked. When I pulled them out they were crisp and dark and rich looking. But I must say I didn't care for the way they tasted. Despite all the butter and sugar in them they still had a "healthy" taste. I guess I should be happy I don't have to deal with Celiac disease! My husband thought they were rather tasty, though, and he kept nibbling at them for a few days.

All was not lost, though, because these crackers became one of many ingredients in the next concoction . . . Nanaimo Bars! I cannot say enough about these decadent creations. They hail from Canada and are just one more reason I'm thinking of defecting there. The graham crackers got mixed with coconut, almonds, and chocolate to make a base for the bar. The middle layer was basically a butter cream frosting. Yum! And the top was a simple mixture of chocolate and butter. I made these twice! The first time I shared them with my husband's colleagues. He said the room went silent as they ate them. The second time I carried them to dinner at a friend's house. Again, they were received with enthusiasm. I really must stop making these but I can't help myself. They are so very good!

If you are interested knowing more about Lauren, this month's host, or getting the recipes check out The Daring Kitchen.

Martha Monday: Maple Granola

2010-01-26T05:40:00.000-08:00

Mary Ann from Stirring It Up With Meg chose this week's project - maple granola from the February issue of Living. I often make my own granola and really like Alton Brown's version. This is very similar (oats, nuts, coconut, brown sugar, maple syrup, salt, raisins) with a few changes like adding sesame seeds and extra-virgin olive oil. Also this recipe calls for extra-virgin olive oil. I was wary of using this oil because it has such a strong flavor, a flavor I don't usually associate with breakfast. But, in true Martha Monday spirit, I followed the recipe. The only change I made was to use dried cranberries in place of the raisins. I absolutely abhor raisins! This was really easy to make. Just stir the ingredients together and bake for 50 minutes, adding the dried fruit at the end for another 10 minutes of baking. My granola stuck to the pan a bit but I pried it off with a metal spatula.

My husband commented that the granola was a bit salty. But I ate this granola with vanilla yogurt and was really impressed. The extra-virgin olive oil was not overpowering and the ingredients all seemed to complement each other. I was glad I'd used unsweetened coconut because otherwise it would have been too sweet. And I really liked the sesame and seeds and cranberries too. Thanks, Mary Ann, for a great pick!

Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast

2010-01-22T07:22:00.000-08:00

For a few years now I've been tempted to make this pork roast from Giada de Laurentiis' cookbook but always set it aside as either not traditional enough for a holiday meal or too much to serve a family of four. Finally, this Christmas I set about making it. It was really easy to chop the herbs and garlic with salt, pepper and olive oil. This was smeared all over the roast. Then the pancetta was draped on. I tied it in place because I wasn't sure the pancetta would stay on the roast while it was cooking. After roasting it in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour it was perfectly done and looked festive enough for a Christmas dinner. Taste? It was good. The meat was tender and juicy. The flavor of the herbs and pancetta were great with the pork. I only wished there were more of it. Because the flavors were only smeared on the outside there was a large portion of the meat that wasn't flavored at all and just tasted of pork.

Rosemary and Butternut Squash Pizza

2010-01-08T13:37:00.000-08:00

The other night I had the BEST pizza and, guess what, I made it! I used my favorite pizza dough recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I made a big "normal" pizza for the rest of my family with all the usual toppings - sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers. Then I made a personal-sized pizza for myself.

Earlier I had roasted the toppings in the oven at 400 degrees. 1/4 of a butternut squash thinly sliced. One onion sliced. Two sprigs of rosemary minced. All drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and tossed to coat. I roasted these for about 20 minutes until everything was tender. There were lovely spotted brown bits on the onion and squash. I could've just eaten the topping alone. But instead I dumped it on the dough and sprinkled some freshly grated asiago and mozzarella cheeses on top. This went in the oven on the pizza stone for about 10 minutes.

It was sooooooo good. I couldn't stop eating and I wish I'd made more. It was creamy, spicy, herby, sweet all at once. The only thing I'd do different next time is roast some garlic cloves next time along with the rest of the veggies. You must try it!

Martha Monday: Pear Pancakes

2010-01-06T05:31:00.000-08:00

This Monday's recipe, Silver Dollar Pear Pancakes, was chosen by Pru of Perfecting Pru. Thanks Pru! The recipe was really simple, so simple in fact that I didn't actually follow it. First, I didn't have any buttermilk so I just whipped up a batch of regular plain old pancakes. Second, I knew my kids would eschew any pancakes with fruit cooked into them AND my husband had already gone to work. So I cored one pear, cut off three thin slices, marinated them in a teaspoon of maple syrup and a sprinkling of cinnamon, and served the rest of the RAW pear to my children. Once the plain pancakes were served to the kids, I plopped my three pear rings into my pan and let them cook for about two minutes. Then I carefully ladled the pancake batter on top. Once the pancaked seemed cooked on the bottom, I flipped and cooked the other side. They came out beautifully! I drizzled the cinnamon syrup that was left in the marinating bowl on top and dug in. They were very yummy. I loved the pear. It was pretty and tasty. The only complaint was that they were a bit sweet. I think if I had used buttermilk in the pancakes the tang would have countered the sweetness a bit. So, if you are planning on making these make sure to pick up a jug of buttermilk!

Martha Monday: Vinegar Glossed Chicken

2009-12-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

This Monday it was my turn to pick the project so I chose the Vinegar Glossed Chicken from the December issue of Martha Stewart's Living Magazine. The name just sounded so rich and yummy. It looked great in the picture too. The recipe called for 5 lbs. of bone-in and skin-on chicken pieces. I did about 3 lbs. of bone-in and skin-on chicken breasts. The idea was to brown the chicken in the skillet, then steam it in broth, and finish it off with a mixture of vinegar, garlic, and rosemary. The chicken browned well but then it took me twice as long to cook it as the recipe said. Once it was FINALLY cooked through I poured the vinegar mixture into the pan. I thought it smelled wonderful. It cooked down and got all shiny. I turned the chicken pieces so they'd be coated in the glaze. Then I plated each piece with a baked potato and salad. We were so excited to eat this but were very disappointed in the results. First, the flavor does not penetrate the chicken so the only flavor you get is on the skin. The skin, because the broth steamed it was not crispy. Instead it was flabby. So even though this great sauce was on it no one wanted to eat it. My kids ate the chicken dipped in ranch dressing. Oh well.However. The meal did not end on a bad note because I also tried the Pumpkin Flan touted in the same article. This was fabulous and so easy! The sugar syrup is made simply by cooking the sugar in a pie plate in the oven. No stove top disasters here. Of course, it took 40 minutes for the sugar to cook down into a syrup rather than the 10-12 minutes prescribed. Once the sugar syrup was done, the custard ingredients are mixed and poured into the pan. This was cooked for about an hour in a water bath in the oven. Out it came and into the refrigerator. After our disastrous chicken, I upended the flan and we all dug in. So good! Just like pumpkin pie without the crust and bathed in a delicious golden syrup. Yum!

Sugared Cranberries

2009-12-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

These sweet and tart treats are easy to make and so tasty! I like to call them "natural" Sour Patch Kids. The recipe I use comes directly from Cooking Light and you can follow the link, Sugared Cranberries, to get the recipe for yourself. The only adjustment I make is that I do more cranberries at a time than they call for. They call for 2 cups of cranberries to be soaked in a sugar syrup overnight. I double the amount of cranberries. It all still fits in the sugar syrup so don't double that. In the morning drain the cranberries and roll them in plain old sugar. If you want really pretty cranberries use sanding sugar since it is more brilliant. Don't get rushed and put too many cranberries in the sugar at once because then you'll get clumpy cranberries. Let them dry for an hour or more on a large baking sheet. Serve! Or put them in pretty containers for gift-giving! Enjoy!

Martha Monday: Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bars

2009-12-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

This week’s Martha Mondays pick – Chocolate-Caramel Cookie Bars – was chosen by Megan at Megan’s Cookin. I had seen this cookie in the November issue of Living and had salivated over it, but as I am not a huge fan of making cookies in general, I'd dismissed it. So, I was excited that Megan was encouraging us all to try it.

The recipe called for milk chocolate. I was tempted to substitute dark chocolate as that is my favorite but I was afraid to ruin a new recipe so I dutifully purchased three bars of Ghirardelli milk chocolate.

The directions for the crust were easy. Cream butter with brown sugar. Add salt and flour. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch square pan and bake for 30 minutes. On to the caramel. The sugar was mixed with a bit of water and boiled until it was amber in color. These directions are not so helpful but since I'd made candy before I followed my instincts. First, I put the heat on high and NEVER stepped away from the pan because sugar burns in seconds!!!! The directions told us to brush the rim of the saucepan with water so sugar crystals don't stick to the sides. I have found this is a worthless pursuit. It doesn't work and the water just spits back onto me and burns me. Instead I gave the pan a swirl every once in a while and this seems to do the trick. Once I got a lovely amber color, the color of apple juice, I took it off the heat and added the butter and cream. Once this mixture boiled again I poured it over my milk chocolate. I let it sit for a few minutes and then stirred it all together. I poured this on top of the crust and refrigerated it over night.

The last task was to sprinkle with salt. I used kosher salt since I didn't have any course sea salt. Then I cut them into bars. The recipe said it made 16 bars but I cut them smaller. I got 30 out of my batch and I think they were pretty generous cookies. I can't imagine serving someone 1/16 of that pan!

How did they taste? Not bad. Very sweet but I like sweet things. And the salt balanced it a bit. I liked them better after they'd sat out of the refrigerator a bit. It was a pretty easy cookie to make and different from the usual. Were I to make them again I think I'd try some really dark chocolate.

Martha Monday: Iced Applesauce Oatmeal Cookies

2009-12-08T11:06:00.001-08:00

This week's Martha Monday project was selected by Robyn of Robyn's Nest and she picked this fabulous cookie recipe for all of us to try. I was so excited when I saw her choice I got right to work without waiting until it was Monday. I too made a few changes to this recipe, using regular applesauce rather than chunky simply because that's all I had. Also, I used pecans in place of the raisins being a professed raisin hater. Yuck!

I thought the dough was rather goopy when mixed up so I refrigerated it for a few hours. Then, using my trusty cookie dough scooper, I scooped it onto baking trays and baked them for the allotted time. Fifteen minutes later these wonderful golden cookies emerged. They were tasty right out of the oven but I let them cool and dutifully glazed them with the maple icing. I found this recipe made more cookies than the recipe said but I usually do make my cookies smaller. Then I don't feel so guilty eating three or four! This was a great recipe. Just a little bit different than the usual oatmeal cookies. I'd definitely make these again!

Advent Calendar

2009-12-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last month I saw a great idea for an Advent calendar in my Family Fun magazine. I used their basic idea but modified it to suit my own personality. First I went through all my Martha Stewart magazines and cut out windows and doors. Once I'd cut 25 I pasted them on a large, almost poster sized, piece of card stock that was navy blue - blue being the liturgical color of Advent. Once these dried I used a craft knife to cut each window or door on three sides to create a flap. Then I glued the whole thing (making sure not to glue the flaps) to an aqua blue piece of card stock of the same size. Then I used a white pen to write activities in each opening and then I numbered the openings 1-25. 25 says "Merry Christmas!" of course. I fastened each opening down with a tiny spot of glue and let the whole thing dry pressed under some heavy books. Now each day my five-year-old opens a door or window and finds out his task for the day. Here are the ones we've done up to now.

Put out the Advent wreath.

Wear blue today.

Go out for ice cream tonight.

Make a Christmas wish list.

Buy a toy for the Toys-for-Tots program.

Learn about St. Nicholas today.

Martha Monday: Christmas Ornament

2009-12-01T09:21:00.000-08:00

This Monday we were invited by MaryAnn at Stirring It Up with Meg to try making these cute photo ornaments. The Martha Stewart website posted directions, four templates and a video. I chose template 1, printed it up, and got to work.

My first complaint is that the directions on the website were not detailed enough, at least for this template. The template I chose has a small ornament hanging inside a larger one and there were no directions for how to accomplish this. Thankfully I'm crafty enough that I figured it out.

My other complaint was in my materials. I tried to make do with what I had and was not impressed with the glitter. Perhaps if I had purchased Martha Stewart's line of glitter I would have been more impressed. Oh well!

All in all it was a pretty simple craft. After tracing the template onto card stock, I cut it out. It was helpful to have a craft knife to cut out the inside and the space for the photo. I glittered them and let them dry. Then I glued the two sides together with the picture in between. As you can see I used different glitter for each side of the ornament. I used a crushed glass snow glitter for one side. This turned out to be my favorite. Then for the other side I used plain old multi-colored glitter. My five-year-old thought this side was the prettiest. Of course, I used pictures of him in the ornament. I know. I know. I should also have used one of my 20-month-old but I don't have any printed up!!!! So, now I'll have to make one for him once I get some prints from Shutterfly. Ooh! And I'll try some Martha glitter too!

By the way, these are not photographed on a Christmas tree because we are not buying a Christmas tree yet. We always leave our tree up for the full TWELVE days of Christmas and if we were to get it now it would be dead by then. So, we will go Christmas tree chopping later in the Advent season.

Daring Bakers Challenge: Cannoli

2009-11-27T18:02:00.000-08:00

Ten things I learned about cannoli . . .

Cannoli dough is very easy to make.
Cannoli dough feels like play-doh and doesn't stick to your fingers.
Cannoli dough is VERY VERY VERY hard to roll out.
Cannoli dough needs LOTS of time to rest before it is cut otherwise it shrinks like wool in the dryer.
Cannoli dough doesn't fry beautifully unless it is VERY VERY VERY thinly rolled. See points 3 and 4.
Don't try frying cannoli without a thermometer.
The more cannoli forms you have the faster you'll finish frying them BUT you may never use them again in which case they make great baby toys.
The traditional cannoli filling is even better if you make your own ricotta cheese.
The traditional cannoli filling is even better if you substitute mascarpone cheese for some of the ricotta. You should probably try making this yourself too but don't ask me how since I haven't ever done it.
Homemade cannoli is divine!

Thanks for another great Daring Bakers Challenge. If you are interested in viewing photos, recipes, or rules about becoming a Daring Baker check out the Daring Kitchen.

Soup and Donuts

2009-11-12T16:33:00.000-08:00

One of the meals that I loved growing up was soup and donuts. My mother would heat up a few cans of soup and open a box of fresh donuts from the donut shop and dinner was served! So, sometimes I serve the same thing. Tonight I took it up a notch. I made an Autumn Bisque from Victoria Magazine. It's a savory pumpkin soup that's chock full of veggies - pumpkin, of course, onions, carrots, celery, leeks, mushrooms. Added to that some thyme and coconut milk and you've got yourself a tasty autumnal meal.

Then, inspired by memories of trips to Atkins Farm during college, I fried up a batch of cider donuts. I used the recipe provided here. The dough was very gooey and somewhat difficult to work with. It didn't help that I had run out of parchment paper so I couldn't follow the directions of rolling it out on parchment. Plus I was supposed to freeze the dough for 20 minutes before cutting but my pan was too big for my freezer. Oops. So, there were a few gloppy tries and a few expletives before I finally got my donuts cut and fried. I dipped them in a cider glaze and served them up. They were fabulous! Crisp, cider-scented, so yummy. I will say this, though. I heard Michael Pollan speaking on NPR about healthful eating. His philosophy was that one could eat junk food if one makes it at home. The idea is that if you have to cut, fry, and clean up after yourself you are far less likely to eat lots of junk food. After tonight's dinner, I quite agree with him. I probably won't do this again for a loooooooooong time!

Martha Monday: Nut Wreath

2009-11-03T09:17:00.001-08:00

Yesterday's project, a nut wreath from the Good Things section of the November Martha Stewart Living, was selected by me so first I have to apologize to all my fellow Monday Martha participants for the price of this project. I had no idea that nuts in the shell would cost a pretty penny! I purchased four pounds of walnuts and assorted nuts for $12! And I still had to buy a wooden wreath frame, $4, and ribbon which I thankfully found on sale for about fifty cents. The idea is rather simple. Hot glue nuts to a wreath frame. Tie a ribbon around it. Hang it on your door. Besides the expense of the nuts, the other problem I encountered was that my craft store did not have a 24-inch wooden wreath frame. The largest size was 18 inches. This helped me actually because I only needed four pounds of nuts not five. I hot glued the walnuts onto the frame first. This was easy. Then I was supposed to fill in the spaces and sides with other nuts. Thank goodness for Brazil nuts!!!! They were big so it didn't take as long as it could have. I used lots of Brazil nuts on the inner and outer ring. Pecans and almonds were saved for the center since they provided variety of texture and color. My bag of nuts claimed to also contain hazelnuts but I only found three! With only one major burn to my finger I got all the nuts glued on. I fashioned a hook out of a plastic wrapped wire and attached it through a hole in the wreath, hot gluing it into place. Then I tied the ribbon and hung it from the nail on my door. It looks great!

The only problem now is that I have an old ugly storm door that prevents people from seeing it hanging on my door. I might have to go buy a wreath hanger so I can hang it on the storm door. After all that work I want people to ooh and ah! Oh, and, if you think about it, professional wreaths can cost anywhere from $30 to $100 so this wreath was a bargain. Really!

Daring Bakers Challenge: Macaron Disaster

2009-10-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

This month's Daring Bakers Challenge was macarons. Not American coconut macaroons. Real French macarons made from almond flour and perfectly whipped egg whites. I had visions of flavors and fillings in my head. Honestly, I didn't sleep for two nights thinking about how I was going to make these. My first thought was to make Maple Macarons with Maple Buttercream filling. So, in a burst of enthusiasm I went at it.

Now, one of the things that people recommend is to age your egg whites. I guess this helps some of the water evaporate out of them that way your macarons rise well and aren't sticky. So, I cracked some egg whites and put them in a bowl in the refrigerator for two days. A day before I was going to make them I set the egg whites out on the counter. Unfortunately, my husband bumped the bowl and knocked out some egg white so I had to start all over again.

Anxious to get started, I didn't age the egg whites as long the second time. Maybe just a day. Then I got all my ingredients ready and started beating the egg whites. The problem, this time, was that I had a kitchen full of two kids and a husband so my egg whites quickly went from stiff peaks to over beaten. Plus, I used granulated maple sugar instead of regular white sugar and it just didn't incorporate into the egg whites properly. I should have just pitched the egg whites but I folded my almond flour and powdered sugar into the egg whites. I piped them in perfect circles but the batter was very stiff and did not flow together. When I put them in the oven they didn't puff up, they didn't develop any "feet", and they looked more like flat, colorless communion wafers.

Determined, I tried again. This time I didn't age my egg whites at all. I just let them get to room temperature and started in. I was very careful to not over beat my egg whites and I used granulated white sugar instead of the maple stuff. The batter looked so much more promising. It flowed better and had a sheen to it.

I put them in the oven and watched. No "feet." I tried cooking them with two baking pans stacked together. No "feet." I tried baking them at a higher temperature. No "feet." By this time I was out of macaron batter. This batch wasn't much better than the last but I whipped up a quick ganache and filled them anyway. They were yummy. Kind of like almond cookies filled with chocolate, a homemade Pepperidge Farm Milan cookie.

The good news is that there are a few recipes for macarons out there so I'm not giving up yet. I'm going to try some of the recipes that other Daring Bakers tried and used successfully. Keep an eye out. You may see a post sometime soon labeled "Macaron Success!"

P.S. To see a slide show of some really good macarons check out the Daring Kitchen website.

Martha Monday: Pork and Chive Pot Stickers

2009-10-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

I know. I know. It's Wednesday not Monday. But, even though I made these for dinner on Monday, I haven't gotten around to posting it. So, the task for this week was chosen by Martha and Me herself. She gave us a choice. We could make Halloween luminaries from the October issue of Living. Or we could make pot stickers. I was tempted to make the luminaries but I noticed that part of it required using a printer. Well, my printer needs new ink and I knew I wouldn't be able to get around to getting a new ink cartridge. So, pot stickers it was!

This recipe was very easy. I ground my own pork by chopping it in my food processor. I find that the ground pork in the grocery is very fatty so I get the lean stuff and grind it myself. The meat gets spruced up with some chives, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, sherry, and cornstarch. Then I mounded a teaspoonful onto each wonton wrapper and sealed them shut using a bit of water. I didn't make any fancy pleats. Now, I didn't follow the directions that said to boil them first then pan fry them. I thought that was too much work. I put them in a hot pan, added a bit of water, covered them, turned the heat down, and steamed them for 5 minutes. That's how I usually do pot stickers and it worked for me again. These were served with a soy-ginger dipping sauce. I thought they were very tasty. My kids loved them and my husband too. I meant to make extra and freeze them but they all disappeared!

I served these with white rice and another Martha Stewart Everyday Food recipe, Orange and Beef Stir-fry, which is also good and easy to make.