she's in the kitchen

fresh cranberry rounds for breakfast

2012-02-01T12:26:00.000-08:00

Last night I made those tangy, delicious fresh (or fresh but frozen) cranberry muffins everyone loves so much, but especially ME. I mix the whole frozen cranberries into a fresh orange juice batter and bake them up in my cherished Texas-size muffin tins -8 muffins means some for me, some to share. Lately, though, I've been trying to tame the hungry monster by slicing the muffins horizontally, into three or four rounds, and only eating half. They toast up beautifully, and slicing them this way means I eat just a little less.

Beautiful day here, warm enough for just a light fleece jacket, and if you look up, there's a sunny blue sky!

Makes 8 Texas size muffins or 24 rounds ( tea party!).

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease two Texas size muffin tins with vegetable shortening. Set aside.

3 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 t. baking powder

5 T. canola oil

the zest from a large orange - about 2 1/2 t.

1/4 t. nutmeg

1 cup fresh orange juice

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

2 extra large eggs

In mixer bowl, place the flour, sugar, baking powder. Mix briefly.

Add the canola oil, the orange zest, the nutmeg, eggs, and fresh orange juice and mix well, then add the fresh or frozen cranberries and mix until well blended.

Using a regular size ice cream scoop, place two scoops of batter into each muffin opening . It should be about 3/4ths full of batter.

Bake for about 40 minutes, if using frozen berries - less if the berries are fresh.

Let cool in tins for ten minutes, then using a dull knife, loosen the sides of the muffin and remove to a cooling rack.

When completely cooled, slice horizontally into three or four rounds. These don't really need any butter, but you can gently toast and slather it on if you'd like. These freeze very well.

Happy February!

meringues for izzie

2012-01-30T16:57:00.001-08:00

My granddaughter, Izzie, is about to turn 6. Can you believe it? How can it already be 6 years since I first held her, not even a day old?

The first few years of her life, I indulged. I baked cookies and muffins, made pasta soups, and pasta salads, cakes with fresh flowers and creamy frosting, which she adored. We spent hours cooking together, and it was such a delight. But she wasn't feeling well at all, and it was only when my daughter took her to a specialist, did we find out she was gluten-intolerant, as well as (sometimes) , allergic to dairy.

As a baker, I should have embraced this new challenge, but instead I stopped baking. I arrived at her house with lots of fresh fruits, and little else. Slowly, oh, so slowly, I'm feeling my way to cooking and baking in a new way, and one that will be something she can share in, with her usual delight and passion for good food. Today, I experimented with meringues, sprinkling a pinch of (gluten-free) sparkles on the tiny swirls of airy egg whites.

Happy Birthday, Miss Isadora!

morning glory muffins and the January thaw

2012-01-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

What an odd few weeks. We have almost no snow on the ground - a surprise for this time of year, but, no, I'm not complaining! Standing on the bridge (photo just above) showed the brook running well, with snow barely covering the rocks. Unfortunately, there is plenty of ice on the driveway, and I see an awful lot of folks walking around with neon-green casts on their arms; walking can be difficult without cleats.

More freezing rain is expected tonight, and I thought I'd lay in a store of Morning Glory muffins to tide me through the hours of sanding tomorrow. Do you know about morning glories? Coconut shreds, grated fresh carrots and apple, applesauce and raisins tossed with canola oil and eggs and cinnamon, mix, bake, enjoy. I didn't realize I had run out of raisins, so this batch is sadly raisin free, but don't forget them!

Makes 10 Texas size muffins, or 20 regular size muffins.

To make:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease two Texas size muffin tins, or regular size muffin tins (enough for 20)

In your mixer bowl place:

2 cups grated fresh carrots

1 1/2 cups sweetened or unsweetened coconut

3/4 cup raisins, dark or golden

1 apple, peeled and grated

1/2 cup applesauce

zest of one lemon

2 t. vanilla

1/2 cup canola oil

4 eggs

2 t. cinnamon

Mix well, and then add:

1 t. baking powder

3 t. baking soda

3 1/2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

Mix well. Using an ice cream scoop, place two scoops of batter for each muffin into the muffin tins, or one scoop per muffin if you're making regular sized muffins.

Pop into the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins have risen and are firm to a gentle touch. Remove tins and cool for 5 minutes or so, then remove muffins carefully and set on a cooling rack.

Extras freeze beautifully - enjoy!

warm fish chowder on an icy day

2012-01-19T17:37:00.000-08:00

It has snowed and rained, then snowed again briefly, then the temperature dropped to frigid, leaving driveways shiny, slick and terrifying. Yesterday I passed three driveways with cars slid sideways, plunged into rock hard drifts. I am grateful my driveway is level, but getting up the hill into town can be a little hair-raising if you meet another car.

I did try to take my usual walk in the morning, but after punching my boots hard into the crackling ice, I gave up after thirty feet. And went home and made chowder.

This is such a comforting soup: tender flakes of cod ( or pollock, if you can find it), chunks of celery and half moons of potato, a few scallions, lots of home dried dill, fresh parsley, a tablespoon of melting sweet butter, and just before serving, a spoonful of cream is stirred into each bowl, making for one gentle, homestyle chowder. Add a slice of warm sourdough bread, and tuck in.

This makes two generous bowls of soup.

Place in a stainless steel or enamel skillet:

1/2 pound very fresh cod or pollock

pinch of salt

1/2 t. dried dill

1 T. unsalted butter

2 potatoes, (I used russets), peeled, halved and in 1/4" slices

water to almost cover the fish and potatoes.

Bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes.

Add:

1/2 cup sliced celery ( a few leaves are good, too)

2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

2 scallions, trimmed and sliced

1/4 t. kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

two drops hot sauce

Continue to cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and cover the pan for another 15 minutes.

Gently remove the fish, dividing between the bowls.

Add another 1/4 t. dried dill and salt and pepper to the broth and vegetables in the skillet, then divide the potatoes, broth and celery mixture between the bowls, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons heavy cream to each bowl, and stirring carefully.

Serve with warm bread.

Serve at once.

Enjoy!

fresh cod baked with tarragon, basil, white wine and rosemary

2012-01-16T16:21:00.000-08:00

I couldn't believe my luck today when I came across just-came-in, super fresh cod in the seafood department at Shaw's. On a Monday? At a supermarket? Yes, yes, yes, to all. While I usually poach most fishes, I had just rediscovered an old seafood cookbook called "Simply Seafood", now out of print, sadly, but some second hand copies are wandering the Internet, with an interesting recipe for cod.

The recipe called for baking a thick slab of cod with lots of herbs, a little wine, butter, and mushrooms. How could I resist? When it was done cooking, I ate it in all of five minutes, such a treat. But I was left with quite a lot of juices and melted butter, so I'm thinking I could halve the butter, and probably the mushrooms, since they didn't seem to add much to the final dish. A quick squirt of fresh lemon juice over the fish did it for me - delicious!

To make:

1 pound of super fresh cod

2 T. melted butter

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 T. white wine or herb vinegar

1/4 t. basil ( dried is fine)

1/2 t. fresh rosemary

1/4 t. dried tarragon

salt and pepper to your taste

4 or 5 very thinly sliced lemon slices

2 sliced mushrooms

2 T. sliced green onions (scallions)

1-2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

I made this in a toaster oven, as it was such a small amount of fish, though you can just as well bake it in an oven.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place fish on an ovenproof platter or dish. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the wine or vinegar, garlic, rosemary, tarragon, and basil, plus a little salt and pepper, and pour the sauce over the fish.

Bake uncovered for around 15 minutes, pull out, and cover with the mushrooms, scallions, and lemon slices.

Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish and return to oven, cooking for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve piping hot, along with some warm sourdough bread and a nice green salad.

Such a perfect dinner when it's 5 degrees outside, and ice and snow underfoot!

Enjoy!

You might also like my fish chowder, made with cod or pollock.

ground turkey with apricots and sage

2012-01-09T05:19:00.000-08:00

After several weeks on antibiotics for a sinus condition, my diet consisted mostly of toast and tea, juice and yogurt. Within a day of stopping the medication, my appetite came roaring back, and this was what I made. A juicy turkeyloaf studded with soft apricots, and lots of fresh sage and thyme.

I usually throw in a few tablespoons of bread crumbs when I make a meatloaf, but I'm trying to make a few gluten-free recipes with my 5 year old granddaughter in mind, so I chopped up fresh mushrooms instead. This is definitely going in my favorites file.

I I used 93% lean turkey, and split the mixture between two 3.5x5.5 inch ceramic loaf pans. As you can see, the mixture shrunk about an inch after cooking. There are quite a bit of juices when you first take them out of the oven, but they are reabsorbed as they cool.

Ground turkey with apricots and sage:

To make:

About 10 apricots, snipped with scissors into quarters

1 pound ground, 93% lean, no antibiotics, turkey

1 T. slivered fresh sage

1/2 t. thyme

salt and pepper to your taste

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1 small egg

6 medium white mushrooms, medium chop

1/2 cup medium chop parsley

Preheat oven to 350F

Oil two small ceramic loaf pans with olive oil.

Combine the ingredients in a large bowl, and mix until completely incorporated.

Divide the mixture and pat into pans, smoothing the tops.

Bake for about 35 minutes and remove to cool. (The cooking time may change depending on the loaf pan or pans you use).

Great for leftovers, and freezes well!

You might also like the fresh chicken meatloaf I made a while ago. Enjoy!

sick day soup

2012-01-04T18:56:00.001-08:00

I promise, I did eat my hoppin' john on New Year's Day, but I took it along with the antibiotics for a wicked sinus infection, so maybe it didn't count. The headache and half-my-face swelling is much better, but along with the antibiotics comes the total lack of appetite. Thus, toast, gingerale, and that warm green smoothie, now made into a 3 times a day soup that settles nicely.

Today I made it with beet greens, kale, parsley, and spinach, and it was just grand!

To make about 3 cups:

1 peeled onion, chopped

1 T. olive oil

2-3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock ( the vegetables should be just barely covered)

1/4 t. thyme

pinch of fresh nutmeg

a few drops of hot sauce

a pinch of ginger

a small sprig of de-stemmed rosemary
2 1/2 cups packed greens ( I used kale, parsley, spinach, and beet greens), chopped

salt and pepper as needed

Gently saute the onion in the olive oil in a medium saucepan for 5 minutes.

Add the broth, herbs, spices, and greens and cook until the greens wilt down and are softly cooked.

Remove from heat and let sit about fifteen minutes, then puree with an immersion blender or a regular blender. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve in cups or glasses with golden, buttery toast.

welcoming a new year with hoppin john

2012-01-01T06:14:00.001-08:00

Joyful New Year's Day! The beans for the hoppin john are simmering, and later in the day I'll be feasting and reflecting on the year behind, and the year ahead. My usual recipe for hoppin john is here, but I've already made changes ( more pork belly and herbs, a little hot sauce), so I'll update as the day progresses.

Wishing you all a glorious, sparkling day and lots of smiles!

sweet cabbage and spinach sandwich salad

2011-12-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

Downshifting from the holiday opulence and overload requires strong will power - I am halfway there, making my favorite veggie slaw, but now I'm about to run to the market for a little brie and crusty bread to make a nice little hot sandwich:)

This is a wonderful stuffing for pita sandwiches, with turkey or without, and I've even used it in boneless chicken rollups, but most of the time I eat it as is. Crunchy, fresh, and sweet with the flavor of fresh cabbage, it's a dandy lunch or light supper - or for breakfast, inside a fluffy omelet. What a terrific way to christen my new food processor!

This makes around 4 1/2 cups of salad.

To make:

2 cups shredded fresh cabbage

2 cups finely sliced fresh de-stemmed spinach

a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1/2 cup sliced scallion greens

2 T. minced parsley or celery

3 T. red wine vinegar

1 T. olive oil

1 t. oregano or basil, dried or fresh

1/2 t. kosher salt

lots of freshly ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and toss gently. Store in a tightly closed container in the fridge - it should keep fresh for four days.

Almost the end of 2012 - can you believe it?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas Eve! I usually publish Fra Giovanni's beautiful poem, Take Joy, which you can find here. But today I want to sing a farewell to my mother, who died in February of this year. She was not a religious person, but thrived in the joy of nature. I think this stanza from The Holly and the Ivy would please her very much.

The holly and the ivy,

When they are both full grown,

Of all the trees that are in the wood,

The holly bears the crown:

O, the rising of the sun,

And the running of the deer

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

Joyful Christmas to you all!

roasting chestnuts

2011-12-18T11:49:00.001-08:00

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" , that lovely Christmas song goes, though now I tend to roast them in my toaster oven, which is far less romantic.

At one time, I did have a chestnut skillet, which had large holes polka dotted across the bottom of the pan, but it must have gotten lost in one of my moves, so I now use one of those antique pie tins with little holes on the bottom in a 500' oven, or just the toaster oven tray.

If you've never had them, they are a treat ! Slightly sweet and starchy, you eat them fresh out of the shell, while they're still hot. While it's tedious to prepare them, it really is worth it, and it's a lovely Christmas tradition, too.

Here's my foolproof recipe - I had about two cups of chestnuts, but you can adjust the recipe to any amount.

Place the chestnuts in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, then drain.

While still warm, take a very, very sharp knife and cut an X at the pointy tip. You can lessen the threat of a cut by holding the chestnut in an oven mitt. Please be very careful.

Preheat oven to 500F. If you're using a toaster oven, no need to preheat.

Place all the cut chestnuts on a baking sheet or pie plate ( for the oven), or simply on the toaster oven tray. Roast at 500F for 15 minutes or until the chestnut shell curls away from the yellow meat of the nut. You still have to peel them, but it's much easier when they've been par-boiled.

May your day be merry and bright!

Silent Saturday: Christmas lights

2011-12-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

What a chilly night! But, driving into town brought the lovely, welcome sight of sparkles. The bandstand has its usual colorful blanket of lights, and the Hancock Inn is sporting a very snazzy and calm twinkling of white lights. Sending good thoughts and affection to my two friends in the hospital today, and of course, to YOU!

the mad dash: russian tea cookies and biscotti paradiso

2011-12-15T17:18:00.000-08:00

Forgive the long silence, I hope - two friends are having medical challenges and I've been trying to help out as best I can. Tonight I am re-connecting with my pastry chef happy place: making Russian Tea cookies ( or, as a child, I simply called them snowballs), and the divine scent and taste of my Christmas biscotti, also known as biscotti paradiso. Tedious to make, but so delicious , I can't complain. I have been so busy I don't even have a tree up, but I'm loving the scent of orange peel and toasted almonds and milk chocolate for the biscotti, and the sweet snowfall of confectioner's sugar atop the roasted walnut crunch of those little tea cookies.

You can find the recipe for the Russian Tea cookies here, and the biscotti, here.

Today I sent off the first Christmas box to my son in California, but that was before I made these lovely treats, so a second one will be packed up tomorrow. It's a very odd feeling to have him so far away, but that is part of life, isn't it? I'm happy to have my daughter and granddaughter still close by, and hoping we get some time to celebrate, along with all the other grands.

I hope you are in the kitchen, loving this happy part of Christmas - making special treats for those folks so special to you. Blessed Christmas cheer to you all!

parsnip chowder with bacon and parsley

2011-12-09T08:23:00.000-08:00

The meeting house is bedecked with the most lovely wreaths and the cold temperatures are here to stay, though we've had a wonderful lingering Fall ( aside from those two freak snowstorms on Halloween and the day before Thanksgiving). Fall brings some very special seasonal vegetables from the garden, and when I saw a small bunch of parsnips at the winter farmers market, I snatched them up.

Parsnips look a little like hairy, white carrots, and they go very well with carrots, whether roasting or simmering. In New England, they are often mashed together as a wonderful side dish, both sweet-tasting, but the parsnip has an earthier, mellow flavor that is absolutely unique and delicious. Since parsnips are harvested after the frosts have arrived, they're probably not available to you if you live in a warmer climate.

One of my favorite chowders is this one - a handful of cubed potatoes, two handfuls of cubed parsnips, smoky bacon, and lots of Italian parsley. It cooks up quickly, so the flavor of the parsnip is preserved.

To make 2 or 3 servings:

1 cup diced, peeled parsnip

1/2 cup diced potato

1 T. chopped onion

pinch of thyme

1 1/2 cups water or thin broth

four or five strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup medium or heavy cream

1 t. unsalted butter

freshly cracked pepper and kosher salt to taste

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

Place the parsnip, onion, thyme and potato in a saucepan , along with the water or broth, and bring to a boil. Immediately turn heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the parsnips and potatoes are just soft.

Add the cream and butter, bacon, and parsley and bring barely to a simmer, taste, and add fresh pepper and kosher salt as you wish.

Happy December!

* what I'm reading:

Following Atticus

Unbroken

Christmas cookie countdown: Maida Heatter's dark, rich brownies and crackly spice cookies

2011-12-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

Maida Heatter's brownies are legendary, and with good reason - they are delicious. Because they're so rich, you can cut them smaller, I often do 2x2 inch squares. If I had some gold flakes, I think they would be even prettier.

And the crackly spice cookies are addictive, and sturdy, if you need to ship them.

You can find the recipes by clicking on the purple highlighted links - enjoy, and happy baking!

Christmas cookie countdown: christmas biscotti and chocolate chunk-pecan cookies

2011-12-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

The Christmas biscotti is sprinkled with fresh orange peel, toasted almonds, and milk chocolate chips, while the chocolate chunk cookies are chock full of toasted pecans and (what else?) - chocolate powder and hand-chopped bittersweet chocolate.

Just click on the highlighted links to get the recipes - and happy baking!

christmas cookie countdown: gingerbread stars and lemon candy cane cookies

2011-12-06T06:06:00.000-08:00

I'm stockpiling gold ribbons, cellophane bags, and hunting for those big gold foil stars in anticipation of the wild weeks just before Christmas, when the oven always seems to be on, and the stacks of cookies pile up, then dwindle as I pack up the bags.

Gingerbread Stars and Lemon Candy Cane cookies are some of the prettiest - just click on their highlighted names to get the recipes. Happy Baking!

little nutmeg doughnuts

2011-12-04T15:07:00.000-08:00

Are these not the cutest little doughnuts in the world? Scented with a wee bit of rum and fresh nutmeg, they are the cutest little breakfast doughnuts I've made in years.

I used to love doughnuts, swinging by our local Dunkin' Donuts sneakily as I drove back from food shopping and school drop offs and buying one Boston Creme doughnut to savor in the car. Somewhere along the line I stopped buying them, as I snipped the carbs from my daily diet. But when I recently came across a ripped out recipe from a magazine in my files, ( no doubt from a waiting room at my doctor's office), I steamed ahead with no regard whatsoever. Carbs, hurumpf. I make these little one inch doughnuts with a shower of confectioner's sugar or a bath of cinnamon sugar - both tasty and delicious. These would be perfect for a Christmas or New Year's brunch, or a little Christmas party, or simply to celebrate the weekend.

To make about 2 dozen tiny doughnuts:

1 T. unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 extra large egg

2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/8 t. nutmeg

pinch kosher salt

1/4 t. rum

1/4 cup milk plus 2 T. ( any kind of milk)

In mixer bowl, beat sugar and butter til crumbly. Add egg and mix. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and rum, and mix well. Add milk and mix again, then cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour or so at room temperature.

Turn dough onto heavily floured board or counter and cut out tiny circles - I used a pastry tube and a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter to cut out doughnuts. Flour cutters well as you use.

Bring canola oil to medium heat in a saucepan or skillet.

Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides.

Drain on brown paper or paper towels.

Sprinkle doughnuts with cinnamon sugar or confectioner's sugar and serve with a saucy smile:)

A year ago on she's in the kitchen:

goat cheese and rosemary knot appetizers

carrot and orange soup to ward away a cold

lemon candy cane cookies

Have a beautiful day!

wordless wednesday: here comes the sun

2011-11-30T05:21:00.001-08:00

A quick hike this morning to greet the sun - the snow has finally melted! And yesterday I made these muffins for snacking on my wanderings, nice to have a little chocolate for breakfast:)

Hope you have a beautiful day!

the annual Thanksgiving meltdown and a few last minute recipes

2011-11-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

Sigh. Here it comes, that holiday meltdown, when I begin with a brilliantly conceived menu, and slowly descend into the mania of menu anxiety. I start here, and end up THERE, I worry. I shop, but while I remember the turkey and the extra toilet paper, I forget the rapini, that was carefully written in as the extra veg, I am suddenly seized with worry that our gluten-free, dairy-free recipe plan this year will not be enough – that everyone will surely starve. I fiddle with vegetable dishes, desserts, and sides and soups, moving them around on paper until ( hopefully) they re-assemble into a calm, Martha Stewart-like celebration I'm hoping for. And just as I heave a sigh after the feast has been presented, the children and guests have dug in with enthusiasm, just as the last glass of seltzer, the last cup of coffee is emptied – everyone leaves. And I do the dishes.

I am delighted tonight to talk with a new guest arriving tomorrow with her toddler - she laughed when she heard me say we would be having homemade cranberry sauce - and Ocean Spray jellied cranberry sauce, which I have always loved. "You mean the cranberry sauce that looks like the can?" And of course, that IS what it looks like as you decant it.

Here are a few of the recipes that might come in handy during your last minute frenzy:

Apple cobbler

Gluten-free, dairy free chocolate coconut pudding pots

Fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate

Butternut Squash soup with Indian spices

Mushroom Soup

CREAMED ONIONS!

Fluffy Green Salad

Brussels Sprouts Chiffonnade

It may take some time to hook up the links, but you can also check the blog, if you're impatient.

Live, laugh, and love your Thanksgiving ! Have a wonderful day!

wordless wednesday: sweet potato lunch

2011-11-16T10:56:00.001-08:00

Glorious day for a little hike - overcast, gray, but still 60 degrees , for which I am endlessly grateful, and came back hungry as a bear. ( Nope, no bears lately - another thing I'm grateful for)

I had an enormous sweet potato, which I peeled, cut into chunks, and tossed with olive oil, thyme ( lots of thyme!) kosher salt and pepper, and half a sliced onion. Roasted at 425F for 40 minutes and swooned over every delicious forkful. ( oh, and pssst: they make a great Thanksgiving side, too!)

Hope your day is just as delightful, and take care of your sweet selves!

pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting

2011-11-11T16:01:00.001-08:00

The snow has finally melted from our freakish Halloween snowstorm that left us with 26 inches of way too early white stuff, so now I can breathe. I had visions of seeing snow on the ground from October to April, which was not a happy thought. Yesterday I took a lovely long walk, smiling at the still-bright leaves on the trees and the not-too-chilly temps. And then I headed straight to my stash of canned pumpkin.

Pumpkin is to me what chocolate is to my children - addictive, rich, the essence of Fall. I love it roasted, baked, sauteed - and in the most delicious cakes, cookies, and bars you can imagine. I did once try a pumpkin mousse, but didn't like the texture. Give me a lovely pumpkin bar, juicy with raisins and smooth with a handful of milk chocolate chips, then topped with my favorite cream cheese frosting. Heaven - and the heck with the diet today!

I recently found a recipe for pumpkin pie spice in bulk - something I would never buy, but it does come up in recipes, so I made up a few tablespoons of the mix. It called for:

4 T. cinnamon

1 t. nutmeg

1 t. ginger

1/2 t. cloves

Mix well and store in a bottle.

Pumpkin Bars with cream cheese frosting:

(recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod, adapted)

1 1/2 cups flour

pinch of kosher salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 t. baking soda

1 cup pumpkin puree, canned

1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg, extra large

1/4 cup buttermilk

2 t. pumpkin pie spice mixture

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease an 8"x8" square baking pan with Crisco. Cut to fit a strip of waxed paper that covers the bottom and ends of the baking pan, with a few inches to spare, so you can lift it out easily when it's done. Grease the waxed paper as well.

Mix together the pumpkin, canola oil, egg, and buttermilk. Add the sugars and stir, then add the pumpkin pie spice and stir.

Add the flour and baking soda to the mix and briefly mix. Add the raisins and chocolate chips and stir briefly until combined. Spread into pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the batter is firm to the touch. Remove and cool for ten minutes, then lift the cake out, firmly holding onto the wax paper ends. Set on a cooling rack.

Set a cooling rack on top of the pumpkin cake, then flip the cake. Peel off the waxed paper, and flip back to cool on the rack.

Making the cream cheese frosting:

1 8 oz. package of softened cream cheese

1 stick of room temp unsalted butter (4 oz)

juice of half a fresh lemon

3/4ths box confectioners sugar

Mix all well until creamy and set aside.

The finish:

Trim the edges off the cooled pumpkin cake.

Using a dull knife, swirl the cream cheese frosting all over the cake.

Cut the cake into 6 pieces ( more or less, as you wish)

Remove bars to a plate and tidy up the frosting.

Indulge!

More pumpkin recipes!

Pumpkin-cinnamon muffins

Big, soft, pumpkin cookies

Pumpkin cake with clementine frosting

Spicy pumpkin cake with sugared ginger nuggets

Enjoy every bite :)

warm green breakfast smoothies

2011-11-07T05:48:00.001-08:00

The last thing I want to start my day in the winter is a cold glass of green smoothie. Never mind that kelp, spirolina, soymilk, and protein powder are touted as a wonder breakfast, I long for something warm and soothing, but loaded, of course, with all those vitamins I'm supposed to drink for a happy, healthy life.

Wait a minute. What if I simmered up all those lovely veg I love: spinach, arugula, and my new discovery of turnip greens ( which turns out to be THE super green) and well, why not add a big handful of parsley? Yum, yum, yum! Add a spoonful or two of that leftover rice and some good-for-you herbs and a dash of hot sauce? That would do, wouldn't it?

Such a lovely way to start the day, don't you think?

Makes two big smoothies.

1/2 a peeled onion, cut up

1 T. olive oil

2 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable broth

1/4 t. thyme

pinch of nutmeg

a small sprig of rosemary, de-stemmed

two drops of hot sauce (optional)

2 1/2 cups packed greens ( I sliced up turnip greens, arugula, and spinach today)

1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley

1-2 T. leftover rice (optional)

freshly ground pepper to taste

Gently saute the onion in the olive oil in a medium saucepan for 5 minutes.

Add the broth, herbs and nutmeg, greens, and rice and cook until the greens wilt down completely. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes, then puree in a blender or use an immersion blender to puree completely.(Note: I'm not sure the rice is necessary to thicken the smoothie, so you can skip it if you want)

Serve in glasses or mugs.

Enjoy your beautiful day!

PS/ I didn't notice any bitterness with the turnip greens, perhaps because they were very fresh and barely cooked for this recipe ( as read in the Whole Foods comment section on turnip greens).

rosemary bread

2011-11-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

Happy November! I hope all your goblins, witches, and hobbits enjoyed their loot - I had not a one trick or treater, but then again, the roads are still icy and slippery after the snowstorm, so it didn't surprise me.

It's been a long time since I made our favorite rosemary bread. The last time I made it there was something tough about the bread, so I decided to reduce the amount of milk in this traditional Italian bread - success. It came out beautifully! This is a soft white bread, which I think you could tinker with if you prefer a mix of grains, just don't forget the fresh rosemary! The extra virgin olive oil adds a nice flavor to the bread, so try not to substitute.

To make one 8 or 9 inch round:

1 1/2 t. rapid rise yeast (I use Fleischmann's)

1/2 cup lukewarm water

1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup warm water, mixed together

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 really heaping tablespoon of roughly chopped fresh rosemary

1 t. kosher salt

3 1/4 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

oats for sprinkling on the baking sheet

coarse sea salt for sprinkling on top of the bread - or you can use flaked salt if you have it.

Stir the yeast into the 1/2 cup lukewarm water in mixer bowl and let sit 15 minutes.

Stir in the half water/half milk, the salt, the rosemary, and the olive oil and mix.

Add the flour and mix until combined. It shouldn't be dry, but it shouldn't be too wet either.

Remove ball of dough and briefly knead, adding a little flour if it's too sticky.

Drizzle mixer bowl with olive oil, then roll the ball in the oil, covering all sides.

Turn your oven on briefly, then turn off, just so the oven is barely warm.

Make sure the oven is off!

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and place in oven until the dough has doubles - usually around 40 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the oven and knead bread, then form into a round.

Sprinkle a handful of oats on the baking sheet, then set the bread onto the baking sheet.

Place in a warm place ( or the still barely warm oven that is OFF) and let rise until almost doubled in size.

Remove dough, preheat oven to 400F.

Gently slash an X on top of the loaf, then spritz with water and scatter a few tablespoons of coarse salt on top.

Bake for about 30-34 minutes, or until top is golden and the bread feels light and hollow.

Let cool on a rack before cutting - if you can wait!

Enjoy the first day of November - can you believe it's already here?

snowoverload sunday

2011-10-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't get the door open.

At least two feet of snow fell Saturday into Sunday in the Monadnock region of New Hampshire, but , thankfully, we still have power.

I hope all of you are safe and warm!

snowy friday!

2011-10-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

What a wild way to end the week - several inches of snow and the car encased in ice. What was YOUR weather?

Hope you have a happy weekend!

4 homemade Halloween goodies for your little goblins

2011-10-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, I lived in the middle of a very small town. On Halloween, all the families that lived miles and miles from town brought their kids to trick or treat - in the center of town. I have never seen so many children in all my Halloween days. I learned to prepare for 120 children, though I often ran out even then. I gave out wrapped popcorn balls from Act II that I bought by the case from Walmart in September, because they were so perfectly Halloweeny without being a candy overload. The rest? I made a LOT of homemade goodies, which you can still get away with in a small town - and guess what? The kids loved them! I was so amazed that I didn't even mind making an extra fifty or so and buying another carton of plastic wrap. And while I still live in the same town, I'm a mile from all the action, so I've been able to enjoy walking out with my daughter and granddaughter on Halloween for the last two years without being glued to the front door. Hope your Halloween is awesome!

Oh - the recipes! Right here. Big , Soft Pumpkin cookies, Gingerbread Witch Hats, Chocolate-Chip Snack Muffins, and fresh Apple Gingerbread, which you can make in a rectangular pan, instead of the circular cake pan, for easier wrapping. Enjoy!

chicken soup with rice

2011-10-23T11:23:00.001-07:00

In October I'll be host

To witches, goblins and a ghost

I'll serve them chicken soup on toast

Whoopy once, whoopy twice

Whoopy chicken soup with rice

by M. Sendak

Some years ago, I published a recipe for chicken soup with rice that had several measuring mistakes, so it was high time I reviewed it and updated it - just in time for Chicken Soup Season!

You can use leftover roasted chicken ( and those lovely juices), or just use 2 bone-in skinless breasts that you've poached in the chicken stock , cooled, and cut up or shredded.

Chicken soup with rice for 3 or 4 people:

3 cups chicken stock

2 medium large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 T. finely minced onion

1 t. thyme

kosher salt to taste

freshly cracked pepper

pinch of hot pepper flakes

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1/3 cup Uncle Ben's rice

Heat the stock in a large pot and poach the chicken breasts gently until just tender. Remove to cool, then chop or shred.

Add the carrots and onion, thyme and hot pepper flakes, then the rice and cook until the carrots are just soft and the rice has cooked and expanded.

Add the chicken meat and cook an additional 10 minutes, then taste carefully before serving, adding salt and pepper as needed. A little parsley or rosemary is nice on top, too.

It was 29 degrees this morning here - definitely soup weather!

Wordless Wednesday: October

2011-10-19T16:22:00.001-07:00

The marsh on Link Road is quiet : the blue heron I saw just a few months ago has left for warmer places, and the birdsong is silent. The sheep in the fields on Peterborough Road will be trucked to their winter barn in the next few weeks, but the grass is still green in their pastures. One can hope, but a killing frost can't be too far away. Temperatures have hovered between 40 and 50 degrees - not bad for late October!

pumpkin cinnamon muffins

2011-10-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

October has been beautiful so far, with only one light frost. The Post Office has redecorated their window boxes with some pretty plumes of grasses and little pumpkins, and we are midway through leaf season. Mornings are cool enough to start making chunky oatmeal with fresh apples, and to once again reach for my stash of One Pie pumpkin puree for pumpkin muffins.

I usually make the dense, moist, and rich ( melted butter, lots of spices, and diced crystallized ginger) pumpkin muffins from Open House Cookbook, but yesterday I wanted something a little lighter. It took me two minutes to find a pumpkin muffin recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod that came out perfectly: a tender crumb, but lots of pumpkin and cinnamon flavor. And I didn't change a single thing in the recipe, except for leaving out the cinnamon chips, which I didn't have on hand. You'll love them! Many thanks, Maria!

To make 6 Texas size muffins or 12 regular size muffins:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease the muffin tin.

1 cup pumpkin puree ( NOT 1 can!)

1/2 cup canola oil

2 large eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 rounded t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. allspice or cloves

1 1/2 cup King Arthur flour

1/2 t. kosher salt

1 t. baking soda

1 cup cinnamon chips ( optional) You can order them from King Arthur Flour.

In mixer bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, canola, eggs, and buttermilk. Add in the sugars and stir, then add the spices and stir again.

Add the flour and baking soda, then the cinnamon chips, if using, and mix well.

Using an ice cream scoop, place two scoops of batter into the Texas -size pan per muffin, or for regular sized muffins, use one scoop per muffin.

Bake for around 34 minutes, or until tops of muffins are firm when gently touched. Remove to a cooling rack for ten minutes or more before removing from pan. Let cool completely on another cooling rack.

Enjoy the season!

What I'm reading:

Sheepish ( sheep, knitting, spinning, weaving, hilarious farm life)

wordless wednesday ( in the nick of time!)

2011-10-12T18:01:00.001-07:00

Blessed evening, friends! The leaves have changed so quickly I am astonished. It's a bittersweet time ( see above), not only to see the trees shed their leaves, but to say goodbye to our local farmstand greenhouse, now empty and silent. I hope you've gotten out for some lovely walks before winter arrives.....

crustless spinach and parsley quiche with four cheeses

2011-10-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how quickly our food tastes change with the weather. A few cold nights and I'm making quiches and soups and browsing through bread recipes . I love the scents of Autumn, including this fragrant crustless quiche loaded with my favorite vegetable ( spinach), a handful of parsley, and all my favorite cheeses, including a few tablespoons of an herby goat cheese I found recently. It's remarkable that that little bit of goat cheese can boost the flavor so much! Of course, if you can skip it if you don't care for goat cheese, maybe adding a little swiss or gruyere to the cheddar, parmesan, and mozzarella mix I use. I don't make a traditional quiche with a piecrust, mainly because I realized I never ate the crust, and neither did anyone else.

To make:

5 extra large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

a few scrapings of nutmeg, or a hefty pinch

lots of freshly ground black pepper

kosher salt to taste

3 white mushrooms, wiped and sliced

2 cups packed sliced spinach, with a little parsley tossed in

about 2 cups of shredded cheese:

I use half cheddar and a mix of grated parmesan, mozzarella, and the goat cheese.

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter a 9" glass pie plate.

Beat the eggs briefly with the nutmeg and pepper and salt, then add the cream and milk and mix well.

Add in the spinach and parsley and the raw mushrooms, then the shredded cheeses.

Scrape into a buttered glass pie pan and cook for 50 minutes. The quiche should be firm in the middle - not watery. Remember it will keep cooking after you remove it from the oven.

Let the quiche set and cool before slicing - about 20 minutes.

I like to pair this with chunky Tomato soup and a fluffy green salad.

Enjoy the colors of the season!

a walk in the woods and a dud

2011-10-08T12:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! My server is being difficult, so I'll make this short. I had hoped to have a glorious recipe for ginger scones, but they were dense and too heavy for me, even though I'd made my own homemade crystallized ginger chunks (yes!) and my mouth was watering at the thought of those scones. So be it, there are duds, sometimes, in this universe, and you learn to just look at the dud and carry on.

So I went for a walk instead. The day was beautiful and a very unlike-October warm. I visited these enormous cliffs of granite, which must be two or three stories tall, and a glorious place to walk. Our dog Lulu used to whizz off to snuffle around these boulders, once, coming back with a nose full of porcupine quills. Of course, she never learned to avoid those porcupine dens; the thrill of the hunt was just too much for her. And the vet bills? Astonishing.

Hope your weekend is beautiful, and sorry I couldn't fit in some more lovely woodland pictures - the uploading is now taking more than a half hour per photo . Enjoy your weekend!

biscotti di prato: biscotti dunking cookie

2011-10-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

It's raining buckets here, and it's a chilly, soggy day. Thanks to a late night biscotti baking session, I happily had the first cup of coffee with a dunkable, almond & orange scented biscuit ( actually, three). It puts a little sunshine into this gloomy morning.

Unlike some of the biscotti I make, this one has no butter, which is one reason it doesn't fall apart in a cup of espresso, but it's also a little plain. I added some fresh orange zest, and would've added anise seed, which is STILL missing. I've also made this with milk chocolate or chunks of crystallized ginger, but plain is just fine. I sprinkled a few slivered almonds on top of one of the logs and liked its spiky look, so I'll do that again next time.

It's important to toast the almonds, whether you use slivered, whole ( cut into pieces), or sliced, just until they're barely golden - it intensifies the delicious almond flavor.

Biscotti di Prato: biscotti dunking cookie

To make:

Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with foil or parchment.

1 cup sliced, cut, or slivered almonds, toasted in a toaster oven until golden, and cooled.

2 extra large eggs

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. almond extract

1 T. orange zest, or finely diced orange peel

2 to 2 1/2 cups flour ( I find it depends on the eggs and the weather)

1 cup sugar

1 t. baking soda

pinch of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300F.

In mixer bowl, mix the eggs, vanilla, and almond extracts, then add the orange zest.

Slowly add the flour, salt, and baking soda and sugar, then add the cooled almonds.

Mix gently until the batter is combined and fairly stiff.

Using 2 spoons, scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet, making two "logs" of dough, side by side. To smooth the logs, just flour or dampen your hands and smooth out, leaving at least 2 1/2 inches between the logs.

Place on the top shelf of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until slightly golden brown and firm. Turn off the heat in the oven, but keep the door closed.

Remove to cool, then use a sharp knife to cut the foil or paper down the middle, between the two logs. Gently lift each log onto a cutting board, tip over, and peel off the foil or parchment.

Tip rightside up and, using a serrated knife, cut into biscotti, transferring them to another cookie sheet as you go. I arrange them tops up, not on their sides, so one cookie sheet is enough to fit all the biscotti.

Return biscotti to the warm oven for about 20 minutes or so, then remove to cool.

Let cool completely before packaging or placing in an air-tight tin. Once cool, you can also drizzle with a little melted chocolate, or dip them halfway, if you like.

This makes a lot of biscotti, depending on how thickly you slice the biscotti.

Enjoy your day!

****

What I've been reading:

How to Bake a Perfect Life ( with recipes!)

Out of the Woods: Healing Lyme disease- Body, Mind & Spirit

wordless wednesday: mushroom season

2011-09-28T04:43:00.001-07:00

spinach and mushroom soup and a mushroom walk

2011-09-26T05:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took a long walk in the woods , on the hunt for mushrooms, not for eating, but the wonder of those astounding fungi. I still buy those plump white mushrooms at the store, saute them a bit in butter or olive oil, and eat on toast: heavenly. The sea sponge-like mushroom above is known as a "coral" mushroom, and I'm told they're not good eating 'shrooms, but I find Mother Nature amazing - who would have thought this was a mushroom?

When I came home, I made up a spinach and mushroom soup that was light, but filling, along with an open face sandwich with sauteed mushrooms. What a perfect September lunch!

Spinach and mushroom soup

1/2 cup diced potato

about 2 1/2 cups water , or half stock, half water

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, sliced

hefty pinch of thyme

a pinch of nutmeg

a pinch of hot pepper flakes

1 t. butter or olive oil

4 medium white mushrooms, quartered

4 cups loosely packed spinach, destemmed if needed

kosher salt to taste

Place potatoes, garlic, and onion in the water/stock and simmer until the potato is soft.

Add the nutmeg, thyme, hot pepper flakes, butter or oil, and mushrooms. Cook briefly.

Add more water if needed, then add the spinach. With the back of a spoon, pack down the spinach as it cooks down. After the spinach has wilted and cooked, turn off the heat and cover. Wait ten minutes, then uncover and stir.

Puree with an immersion blender or regular blender and taste for seasonings.

What I'm reading:

Cold Mountain ( also watching the movie again)

Hope you're enjoying September!

eggplant stackers with basil and mozzarella

2011-09-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

I came across this recipe in the Boston Globe a week or so ago and, being an eggplant lover, had to try it almost ASAP. The original recipe had panko bread crumbs, but since I almost always think bread crumbs add nothing to a recipe, I skipped them. I made a fresh tomato sauce by pureeing three huge tomatoes and simmering it for a bit; nicely perky and tasting of summer. A few fresh basil leaves, a little olive oil and salt and pepper, and, of course, that oozing mozzarella cheese make this a keeper for my files.

For four "stacks"

one large eggplant, at least 8 good slices for the stacks

1/2 cup olive oil

kosher salt and fresh pepper

3 large tomatoes, cut into quarters, seeds squeezed out, pureed

1/2 cup parmesan, grated

several basil leaves, sliced

8 thin slices mozzarella cheese

~
Turn on the broiler.
Brush 8 eggplant slices on both sides with olive oil.
Broil eggplant until browned, then flip and do the other sides.
Remove eggplant to cool.
Place the pureed tomatoes in a small saucepan and simmer until it's
a little less watery. Add a little olive oil and salt and pepper, set aside.
~
Spread a layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
Using the largest slices of eggplant first, place on top of the tomato sauce.
Using a spoon, smear a little tomato sauce on each eggplant slice, then sprinkle on a tablespoon of parmesan, enough mozzarella to cover the slice, and some sliced basil leaf.
~
Top the eggplant stacks with the second slices of eggplant, again placing a good spoonful of tomato sauce on top. Add more basil leaf, and a little salt and pepper.
~
Preheat oven to 400F.
Slide the baking dish of stackers into the oven, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the mozzarella is melting.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

old fashioned peach cake

2011-09-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

The glorious peach season continues, I'm happy to say. And, while I'd thought of making some peach and ginger jam for winter, I just couldn't put the idea of a fluffy cake topped with juicy peach slices and sprinkled with sugar out of my mind. And, because I knew I'd have to "taste" it, I put the diet aside - maybe until turnip season. There would be no chance at all I would be tempted to make a turnip cake, or turnip anything.

I adapted this from a southern cookbook and The Silver Palate cookbook. I baked it in an 8" x 2" cake pan; part of a wedding cake set I have that I love because of that two inch lip. And it's heavy , so cakes don't burn.

To make:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease an 8"x2" round cake pan.

For the cake:

4 T. softened unsalted butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup King Arthur all purpose flour

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 t. baking powder

large pinch of salt

2 T. topping mix( see below) plus more for the top

four or five peeled and sliced peaches

Cream the butter and sugar in mixer bowl. Beat in the egg and 2 tablespoons of the topping mixture, then add the flour, salt, and baking powder and milk.
Scrape into the cake pan.
Arrange the peach slices in a circular pattern, then sprinkle with sugar and the topping mix.
Bake for 35 minutes, until the cake is firm in the center when gently touched.
Let cool very well before cutting into slices.

The topping mixture:
4 T. soft unsalted butter
1/4 t. nutmeg
pinch of salt
1/3 t. grated lemon peel
1/3 cup sugar
Mix until combined.
I use this both in the batter, and on top of the cake.

Enjoy the season!

overnight pizza dough and a peachy breakfast pizza

2011-09-06T11:08:00.001-07:00

A glorious, quiet , and rainy Labor Day here, ending with a late night splurge watching several Cooking Channel shows I'd never seen, including one called Pizza Outside the Box. Oh my goodness, was that heaven - except by 10:30 pm I wanted pizza, badly. I had everything from peaches to three kinds of tomatoes, a few cheeses, veggies, onion jam, but no pizza dough. So inbetween watching the next show, Unique Sweets, I tossed together my traditional pizza dough , let it rise for an hour, punched it down, and stuck it in the fridge. I figured if I still wanted pizza in the morning, it would be quick to make.

An amazing thing happened overnight. When I rolled out a little of the dough in the morning and made an impromptu breakfast pizza of peaches, thyme, olive oil, tomatoes, cheese and onion jam, then briefly baked it , the dough was light as a feather, beautifully thin - and delicious. Now I have 10 little balls of dough in the freezer, just waiting for another pizza attack.

Overnight Pizza Dough

1 packet dry yeast ( about 2 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water
4 cups all purpose King Arthur flour
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, then add the flour, salt and oil in mixer bowl and mix until dough comes together. Remove and knead, place back in the mixer bowl, and drizzle with a tablespoon of oil, turning the dough so oil glazes the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for an hour at room temperature, then punch the dough down , cover with plastic wrap again, and place in fridge.
The next morning, knead dough again and cut into 10 pieces. Use one piece for the morning pizza, then freeze the rest for later in a freezer zip bag.

~
Peach, Tomato, and Onion Jam Pizza with fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 450F or higher ( my stove smokes if I go higher, and sets the smoke detecters off).
Roll out pizza dough very, very thinly.
Brush both sides with olive oil and place pizza circle on a cooling rack or upside down cookie sheet and dot with peaches, onion jam, fresh baby tomatoes, fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper, and shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
Bake for about ten minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil carefully until cheeses melt and parts of the pizza are golden. Remove and let cool.

perfect tomato salad

2011-09-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

Ripe, juicy, perfect tomatoes for breakfast, and then again for lunch. I usually add a handful or two of arugula, but it was looking awfully wilted after our three day power outage. Simplicity itself.

Simple Fresh Tomato salad:

2 large, perfectly ripe red tomatoes, cut into chunks
a handful of yellow pear tomatoes, halved
garlic
1 T.olive oil
1 T.red wine vinegar
lots of freshly ground pepper
kosher salt
chopped parsley and basil

Rub a clove of peeled garlic around the serving bowl several times. Add the vinegar and olive oil , salt and pepper, and whisk briefly. Toss in the tomatoes and the parsley and basil, and arugula if you have it. Serve at room temperature .

I wait all year for this - enjoy!

freezing fresh basil

2011-08-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

On a chilly day last September, I was struck by a display at the farmers' market - wild and vibrant stalks of fresh basil. I was curious, so I struck up a conversation with the lady behind the extravagant display. She passed on the amazing revelation that fresh basil could be frozen, without it turning black, as had so often happened in the past with my experiments with that delicious herb. The secret?

Pinch off the leaves while they are bone-dry, and toss into a plastic container, then freeze. She insisted that they would stay green as the day you picked them. You know what? She was right.

I froze some basil leaves, then roughly tore them on a pasta dish. 20 minutes later, they were still aromatic and green. Thirty minutes later, a little blackening, but still green, and that heavenly scent was still there. So there you have it - fresh basil from the depths of your freezer!

The top photo shows the frozen, dry, basil, and the bottom, the torn frozen basil gracing a pasta dish.

Isn't it amazing?

fresh zucchini provencal

2011-08-22T09:50:00.001-07:00

Fresh Zucchini Provencal

If you think this dish looks familiar, perhaps you remember my Not-Julia's-Ratatouille . Same wonderful summer flavors, but without the eggplant ( which I'm sure makes many people very happy).

Fragrant with fresh basil and oregano, chunks of onions, peppers, and zucchini, plum tomatoes ( canned – since I only have a few cherry tomatoes here), and fresh hard neck garlic from the farmers' market, it's a great side or delicious on its own. Cook it up in a half an hour and enjoy some of the last bounty of summer.

To make:

3 cloves fresh peeled garlic, minced or sliced

3 T. olive oil

1 medium-large fresh zucchini

1 medium yellow onion

1 cup of canned plum tomatoes, cut up ( I only buy whole canned tomatoes, then run a knife through them while they're still in the can)

1 medium green pepper, cut into chunky strips

1 T. fresh oregano, or 1 t. dried

1 T. fresh basil, slivered, or 1 t. + dried

pinch of thyme

kosher salt and pepper

Pour the olive oil into the saucepan, then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes. Add all the other ingredients, and cook on medium low, stirring every once in a while, until the vegetables are tender, but not overcooked. Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed.

This can be spooned over pasta, or served on a platter, or in individual ramekins or dishes. It can be served warm, chilled, or at room temperature - a very forgiving recipe!

Enjoy!

Not-Julia's ratatouille recipe is here.

peanut butter icebox cookies and the poetry of loss

2011-08-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

After seeing my mother a week before she died in February, I came home and lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. I did that for a few weeks, then I began to read. I was always a reader, but this was different. I'd stay up sometimes until 3am, then get up at 6:30 and get on with my day, stopping by the library for another armful of books. And when both my children suddenly announced they were both moving away ( which, by the way, I think is wonderful), I kept reading. Now I also go on long walks, and am less faithful to posting on the blog on time. It's a process, and I think it's a healthy one.

But this summer there's been a flurry of sudden, sad deaths: a friend also lost her mother last week, a baby bird in my lilac bush lay broken-winged and still , a foodblogger lost her young husband to a sudden heart attack. When a call went out to make his favorite peanut butter pie, I could only manage to make this lovely peanut butter shortbread cookie from Maida Heatter. Here it is, in memory of Mikey, and blessings to his little girls and his lovely wife. May God hold them tenderly.

Maida Heatter's Peanut Butter Icebox cookies:

First you make the dough and let it sit in the freezer, before slicing and baking.

2 cups King Arthur flour

1/4 t. baking soda

1/4 t. cinnamon

1 stick ( 4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter

1 t. vanilla

1/8 t. almond extract

1/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 large egg

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon and set aside.

Cream the butter and peanut butter until smooth, then add the vanilla and almond extracts and both sugars and mix well. Add the egg and mix again. Then slowly add the flour mixture and mix until it forms a ball of dough in the mixer bowl.

Remove the dough, squeezing and rolling it into a sausage shape, about 12 inches long, and 2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap, place on a cutting board, and place in freezer for at least 40 minutes. ( you can also use half the dough now, and the rest later - just place in a freezer bag if you do that)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment.

Take out the log of dough and cut 1/4 inch slices off the log, transferring them to the baking sheet, about an inch apart.

Bake for 18 minutes and remove to cool.

To make sandwich cookies, just spread with more peanut butter, or leftover frosting, then top with another cookie.

Some favorite books this week:

Evidence, poems by Mary Oliver

Grace (eventually) by Anne Lamott

Mind of the Raven by Bernd Heinrich

The Poems of Stanley Kunitz

The red Garden by Alice Hoffman

zesty lime cookies on a hot summer day

2011-08-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

Two fresh limes winked at me every time I opened the fridge, which was often in this sticky, hot, and humid weather we've been having. I thought about making a Mexican lime soup (sopa de lima) but the thought of simmering hot soup on the stove made me feel even hotter. Instead, I made lovely soft lime cookies, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar or sparkling sugar and lime zest. Perfect!

I made them small, I made them huge - they both tasted the same, and oddly, both baked for the same amount of time - 22 minutes. The big cookies look perfect for a nice vanilla bean ice cream sandwich, don't they? But I had them with a juicy watermelon and blueberry fruit salad, also perfectly complementing that puckery lime flavor.

I've been walking to our nearby pond daily, and yesterday the reflections of the bright blue sky and puffy white clouds in the water among the lily pads caught my eye. Astonishing, isn't it?

To make:

3 t. fresh lime juice

1/3 cup milk

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

1 large egg

1 3/4 cup King Arthur all-purpose flour

1/4 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

4 t. lime zest plus another teaspoon zest for decorating

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 cookie sheets with foil or parchment.

Combine the milk with the lime juice and let sit a few minutes.

In mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in the egg, then the lime juice and milk mixture.

Add the flour, baking powder and soda, and the lime zest.

Using a large ( or small) spring-loaded ice cream scoop, scoop balls of dough onto cookie sheets, leaving about two or three inches between cookies.

Mix a tablespoon of sparkling sugar with a tablespoon of sparkling sugar and sprinkle tops of cookies before baking. Just a pinch per cookie is plenty.

Bake in upper third of oven, one sheet at a time, for 22 minutes.

Remove and cool, then bake the second sheet.

Use a sifter to sprinkle confectioners sugar on top of the cookies before serving - and a sprig of mint or lemon verbena is pretty, too!

Enjoy the summer - August's going fast!

fresh corncob and codfish chowder with dill and sriracha

2011-07-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

I hope you're having a beautiful day, wherever you are! Today was sunny and hot, but mornings are still lovely and cool - a perfect blend of weather.

I had been hoping to add some tiny yellow zucchini to this chowder, but my midnight thief struck again, neatly removing the 3 little zukes - and four raspberries I'd been hoping to have on my French toast this morning. I'm guessing a chipmunk, as I see them popping in and out of several holes in both the back and front yards.

The chowder I ended up making has the most delicious rounds of corn-on-the-cob that are wonderful to nibble on - and a special favorite of children. The fish is very fresh, and very mild, and I've skipped the cream you often see in chowders in New England. If you find very fresh fish but don't plan to use it right away, you can double wrap it in plastic and freeze it, and proceed as usual with the poaching even while it's still frozen another day. I had wanted to use fennel seeds in this, but they were nowhere to be found, so I opted for dill, oregano, and thyme - and a spark of hot sauce!

This makes four servings.

1 lb. fresh or frozen cod

3 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut into rounds

1 small onion, peeled and sliced

3 medium white potatoes ( or you can use tiny whole ones) halved, then sliced

(I used California Longs)

1 T. fresh dill, de-stemmed

1 T. fresh oregano, rosemary, or thyme or tarragon

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 cup diced red pepper

kosher salt

dash of hot sauce ( I used Sriracha)

1 T. olive oil or unsalted butter

Place the fish in a non-aluminum skillet, then add water to about halfway up the fish . Bring to a simmer, add a little salt, and cover. Keep checking the fish until it separates into large flakes, then remove from heat and uncover. Set aside.

Place the sliced potatoes and onion, and the dill or rosemary or oregano in a saucepan, and add water until it just covers the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook til just tender.

Add the cup of chicken or vegetable stock to the potato mixture, then strain the fish stock into the soup pot as well.

Add the rounds of corn, the olive oil or butter, more salt and the hot sauce, and the red pepper and cook for just a few minutes. Turn the heat off and gently lower the fish into the pot, breaking it up gently with a fork. Taste for seasoning, and add more fresh dill before serving.

Ladle into bowls and serve.

Enjoy !

dillyicious: home drying fresh dill in the microwave in 4 minutes

2011-07-23T20:50:00.000-07:00

All too often, I reach into the vegetable drawer for that lovely bunch of fresh dill, pull out the plastic bag, and find a mushy, blackened slime fit for only the compost heap. Finally, finally, my timing was right, and I was able to stash several tablespoons full of freshly dried dill in my herb tin. And it took perhaps a half an hour, start to finish.

Here's how:

Remove your bunch of dill, and pinch off only the brightly colored, clean stems.

From the stems, pinch off only the wavy, delicate fronds, leaving the stems behind.

Place a paper towel on a large plate, and arrange the dill on top of the paper towel. Place another paper towel on top of the dill fronds.

As I have a ten year old microwave, you'll have to experiment with timing. The dill fronds took four minutes to dry in my ancient microwave.

Remove the top paper towel, and let sit for a few minutes.

Crumble the dill between your fingers - if it isn't totally dry, try another minute or two.

Let the dill completely dry, and crumble until fine, discarding the little twigs.

Place in an air-tight tin or bottle. As you see above, the dill I got from the health food store is quite faded, while the home dried is bright green.

Use for any number of recipes, from french potato salad, to leek and potato soup, to one pot chicken and vegetables, or simply stirred into creme fraiche with salt and pepper for a dip.

fresh blueberry muffins with lemon zest and buttermilk

2011-07-19T17:28:00.001-07:00

For the next month, I will be revelling in blueberry season - freshly picked blueberries with milk for breakfast, blueberry muffins for tea, blueberries and Greek yogurt and honey for dessert after dinner. Some I pick myself, wild beside the ponds and lakes around here, but mostly bought fresh from the farmers markets and farmstands. Only after a month or so, will I start freezing some for winter - I love the seedy freshness of just picked berries so much I can hold off a while before stuffing freezer bags into the freezer.

My favorite recipe? Probably this one, with the perkiness of lemon zest and buttermilk. I lately have been using paper nutcups for wee little muffins - no need to grease, and a perfect little few bites of warm, oozy fresh blueberries spilling down the sides . I found them at Michael's crafts store, in the wedding department.

Enjoy the season!

To make about 10 little muffins, or 6 Texas size muffins:

Grease a Texas size muffin tin, or place paper nutcups in a regular sized muffin tin - no greasing needed.

Preheat oven to 350F.

2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour, plus 1 T. for toss the blueberries in

3/4 cup sugar

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

pinch of kosher salt

grated rind of one fresh lemon

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup buttermilk, low fat or no fat

1/4 cup canola oil

1 large egg

1 t. vanilla

Toss the blueberries in a bowl with the one T. flour and set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients ( the flour, sugar, baking powder and soda and salt) in mixer bowl.

Mix in the wet ingredients: the egg, lemon zest, canola oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Toss in the blueberries and mix briefly.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop 1 scoop into nutcups, or two scoops into Texas size muffin tin.

Place in preheated oven for 30 minutes, remove to a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then remove to another cooling rack.

Eat as soon as possible, savoring blueberry season, or freeze for a sweet surprise in January!

Enjoy the season!

crispy sugar snap peas with an herby boursin dip

2011-07-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day! The sun is out, the air isn't too humid, and the daylilies are blooming. I'm packing up my camera for a visit to Davis Brook Farm, an amazing local daylily farm: the scope of color, size, and shapes of their plants are truly stunning. After that, a walk on the beach at MacDowell Lake. My sugar snap peas are still putting out masses of fat peapods, so I'm packing my new favorite snack: crisp peapods with a creamy boursin dip. Oh, heaven!

The boursin I make is garlicky, with smooth undertones of parsley and tarragon, chives and a little dijon. It's delicious on sandwiches, or a little cold chicken or fish, too. Fat slices of warm tomatoes topped with boursin sounds like heaven to me, but I'll have to wait, as my tomatoes are still small and green. I've even made a dairy-free version, by substituting a little olive oil and tofu, instead of cream cheese and sweet butter. It needs to be kept in the fridge, so if you're serving it as a dip, let it soften a little, and add a dollop of olive oil or buttermilk to make it a little thinner.

I serve the dip in shotglasses, or small glass cups, with a few peapods ( and more in a bowl on the side for hungry guests) so people can carry it around - and everyone can double-dip as much as they want.

To make the boursin:

Adapted from Picnic

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 stick ( 8 T. ) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 t. kosher salt

freshly cracked pepper

1 t. dijon mustard

1 T. minced fresh Italian parsley

1 T. minced fresh chives

1 t. dried tarragon

1/2 t. worcestershire sauce

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and pressed

1 T. olive oil

Place all your ingredients in a mixer bowl and mix until creamy and incorporated.

Serve with assorted raw vegetables, as a sandwich spread, stirred into hot pasta, atop cold meats, fish, or chicken, or - straight from a spoon:)

If you're making the dairy-free version, using olive oil and tofu, use the food processor.

Store in fridge until needed.

strawberry scone dud & the pleasure of ferns

2011-07-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

My humble greetings to all! It has been an exasperating day, when once again I wasted those beautiful local strawberries on a scone recipe that refused to work. After thinking it over, I believe the moisture of those local berries skewed the recipes - leaving me with strawberry cookies that were quite stuck to the cookie sheet. Ah, well, so it goes sometimes. And with that thought, I took a lovely cool walk on a very hot day among the trees and ferns. I hope your day has been cheerful and comfortable!

chilled parsley and romaine soup

2011-07-07T03:59:00.000-07:00

It's a true summer day - sweltering heat and humid, and the urge to spend most of your time in the closest available body of water. Happily for me, after dipping my toes in the pond in between errands and appointments, I had this soup ready and chilled in the fridge for a late lunch. Perfectly light, but full of flavor, it was all I needed on this very hot day.

The recipe came to be because I was determined to use all that beautiful produce from the farmers market and the farmstand before it wilted, and the dark, leafy greens of the Italian parsley were especially gorgeous. In the vegetable drawer next to the parsley, sat the head of romaine, so, voila! - a soup was born. Parsley is so often used as a garnish, while it is a very tasty and healthy herb that should be used more as a vegetable. For more flavor in any of your summer salads ( pasta and potato come to mind) just add in a cup of chopped parsley to perk up the taste.

The recipe: ( makes 3 servings)

1 T. olive oil

half of a large white onion, peeled and sliced

2 large cloves peeled garlic

pinch of thyme

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups roughly chopped parsley

2 cups romaine lettuce, roughly chopped

1 t. dried dill, or 1 T. fresh, finely minced

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the onion and cook until soft. Add the garlic, thyme, and stock and bring to a low boil, then add the parsley and romaine. Cook for 5 minutes and remove to cool for a few minutes.

In two batches, puree the soup in a blender ( it's HOT - be careful!). The immersion blender didn't work well, because the parsley and lettuce were undercooked, and too rough for the immersion stick.

Stir in the dill, a little salt ( you can add more just before serving, if needed), and pepper, and chill for at least an hour.

Garnish with violas, mint, or, if your sugar snaps are blooming - a little pea blossom.

Hope you're enjoying your summer!

strawberry saturday

2011-07-02T09:25:00.001-07:00

Warm fresh strawberries, crackly meringue cups, and softly whipped cream for before the fireworks tonight!

poached fresh apricots and mango with lemon verbena

2011-06-27T08:39:00.001-07:00

Back from my mother's memorial service on Saturday, a little sad, but so happy to meet up with our extended family: it was grand to see you all!

Cooking always cheers me up, so when I noticed the juicy little apricots in the fruit bowl, I whipped out to the garden and snipped some of the lemon balm and lemon verbena (which is flowering!) to make the poaching liquid I use for so many fresh fruits. The lemon verbena is the spiky leafed sprig with little tiny white flowers. Reaching into the fridge I noticed half a mango and thought that would go well with the mild flavored apricot, so I grabbed that as well.

I simmered the herbs in water then let them steep to get the fullest flavor of the herbs ( and a few green cardomom pods), then poached the fruits very briefly, removed, and chilled both the herb infusion and the fruits. Serve with either some Greek yogurt or softly whipped cream, and you have a lovely dessert , perfect for brunch, breakfast, or dinner. Pears are also delicious prepared this way.

To make:

This makes enough liquid for approximately 6 apricots and 1 mango, with some to spare.

2 cups water ( you can add a little sweet white wine or a squeeze of lemon if you like)

several sprigs of fresh lemon balm

several sprigs of fresh lemon verbena

3 or 4 green cardomom pods

1/3 cup sugar

Simmer the herbs, cardomom, and sugar in the water briefly, then let cool for 30 minutes.

Cut the apricots in half and de-stone them.

Peel the mango and cut into spears.

Bring the herb/water mixture to a simmer again, and poach the fruits for around 4 minutes, then use a slotted spoon to gently remove to a bowl. Pour a little liquid into the bowl with the fruits, then simmer the liquid until it is reduced to a little under a cup.

Chill the poaching liquid and the fruits separately in the fridge until ready to serve.

In shallow bowls, scoop out the mango spears and apricots, add a little liquid, then top with Greek yogurt or whipped cream and a few fresh mint or lemon balm leaves.

sweet strawberry clafouti with black pepper and nutmeg

2011-06-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day it is! The sun is shining, the queen anne's lace is blooming, and it isn't so hot that I can't use the oven. I wandered the garden, picking pineapple sage here, and the last lemon lily there, and some sweet twiggy branches with tiny cherry colored blossoms - the first summer bouquet .

The strawberries were coming to room temperature on the counter, and instead of making meringues with whipped cream and strawberries, I pulled out my recipe for Julia's wonderful strawberry clafouti custard. 40 minutes later I was spooning it up with a happy hum, inhaling the scent of strawberries and nutmeg - and a last minute grind of fresh black pepper. The nutmeg and pepper are my own traditional additions to her classic dessert.

Makes four or five individual clafoutis, depending on ramekin size, or use one large shallow casserole dish.

To make:

1 1/2 cups light cream ( or use half cream, half milk)

1 T. good vanilla

1/3 cup sugar

3 medium or large eggs

pinch of kosher salt

1/8 t. nutmeg

1/2 cup all purpose flour (I use King Arthur)

about 2 cups trimmed and quartered strawberries

a few grinds of pepper

Butter the ovenproof dish or dishes you are using.

Preheat oven to 325F

In a blender, combine the milk/cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt,nutmeg, and flour. Whiz in the blender until well mixed.

Evenly divide the strawberries between the dish or dishes, then pour no more than 2 inches of batter over the berries.

Grind a little pepper on top of the mixture, and slip into the oven.

Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until custard is set and top is a very light golden brown.

Let cool, then serve as soon as the custard has cooled.

If not using right away, you can place in fridge, but sometimes there can be staining from the fruit, so it's best to make just before you plan to eat it.

Enjoy your day!

perfect burgers and zucchini ribbons among the flowers

2011-06-16T13:01:00.001-07:00

The sun is out! After a month of rain, tornado watches, storms, and chilly temperatures, the sun is out and my beautiful "Red Fox" speedwell (veronica) is blooming very prettily beside the front steps. Time for le picnic!

I rustled up some herby hamburgers, and quick blanched zucchini ribbons, sat in the shade, and dug in.

For the burgers:

2 pounds 80/20 chuck hamburger ( this will make at least 6 burgers)

2 slices fresh bread (I used semolina 3 cheese, but you can use plain bread and add a little cheese)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 small farm fresh egg

1/2 t. thyme

1/2 t. herbes de provence

1 t. or more to taste kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

2 t. worcestershire sauce

Wash your hands well. Place the bread and roughly chopped parsley in food processor and process until bread is well crumbed. Place in a large bowl.

Add the egg, thyme, hamburger, herbes de provence, salt and pepper, and worcestershire sauce and mix very well by hand. Form into burgers and cook. Serve with slices of tomato and spinach leaves.

For the zucchini ribbons:

Each medium zucchini should serve two, so multiply as needed.

Wash the zucchini, trim the ends, and using a vegetable peeler and holding the zuke firmly, shave ribbons of zucchini. If using large zucchini, shave around the seedy core, and discard the core.

Bring a few inches of water in a saucepan to a boil, throw in the ribbons, and cook for one minute.

Drain and run cold water over the ribbons, then drain again.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of oregano, salt, and pepper.

Happy picnic!

* What I'm reading:

A History of Europe by J.M. Roberts

Simple Sunday: Spinach soup with mustard vinaigrette

2011-06-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Rain, rain, rain. It's been so cold, and so rainy, that I'm back to hot soups - in this case, my Popeye soup: green, green spinach and arugula soup with lots of hot pepper flakes and a swirl of mustard vinaigrette, leftover from lunch. A swirl of heavy cream would do just as well.

Hope YOUR day is filled with sunshine and warmth!

composed salads: salade parisienne

2011-06-07T10:54:00.000-07:00

Today is beautiful - warm and summery with a slight breeze, so what better way to announce lunch on the terrace than this composed salad?

Composed salads ( or plated salads) are usually served chilled, or at room temperature, with small amounts of varied , swiftly blanched vegetables, a hard boiled egg, some fish, chicken, or meats, a few olives, and a few slices of tomatoes or new radishes. A vinaigrette ( in this case, dijon mustard) is drizzled on the chicken or fish or beef, and the vegetables are gently tossed in a tiny amount of the vinaigrette before serving. It's a perfect way to use up your odds and ends in the fridge, and it's a delight to those of us who are grazers - lots of choices, not too many carbs, and an unhurried meal.

Sauce Moutarde: Dijon mustard vinaigrette

2 T. dijon mustard

boiling water

1/3 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 t. fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. minced fresh herbs ( I used tarragon)

Spoon the mustard into a small bowl and add the hot water in droplets slowly, whisking all the while .

Whisk in the olive oil the same way - by droplets, whisking well after each addition until it thickens and emulsifies. In the photo above, I've just added the olive oil and am about to whisk it in.

Whisk in the salt and pepper, the lemon juice, and the minced herbs.

Use a tiny amount to just barely coat cooked vegetables , or dribble a little on top of cold meats or fish.

Cover the leftover sauce and keep in the fridge.

Plate suggestions:

baby potatoes, cooked until just tender and sliced

fresh radishes

cornichon pickles

just tender green beans, cooked and quickly dipped in cold water

hard boiled eggs

olives

diced or sliced tomatoes, whole, if using cherry tomatoes

leftover salmon or chicken

tuna chunks

brocolli sprigs, cooked til barely tender, then dipped into cold water

zucchini spears or rounds, barely cooked, or zucchini ribbons, uncooked

After cooking or blanching, place a small amount of the vinaigrette in a bowl and lightly coat the vegetables you're using before plating.

Arrange the vegetables in a pleasing way around the plate and serve with a little bowl of the sauce.

Enjoy your day!

simply sunday

2011-06-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

What better way to enjoy a lazy Sunday than with a plateful of apricot jam stuffed crepes, and a heap of fresh strawberries? You can find the recipe here.

Hope you're having a beautiful day!

butter-braised spinach: epinards etuves au beurre

2011-05-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Good beautiful day! I hope you're enjoying this lovely holiday weekend. Here, our lilacs are still blooming after two weeks, thanks to chilly weather and misty rains - heaven! Is anything better than a bouquet in every room during lilac season? That chilly weather makes the trasition to humid, summer heat a little easier - I've been enjoying hearty soups and roasted chicken, along with this lovely side, before the quick jump into summer foods.

I adore spinach: I make a quick spinach soup that instantly recharges me, and a quick blanch and toss for my bento box lunches, lovely with olive oil and hot pepper flakes. But I'd always been curious about Julia Child's recipe for braising spinach in butter. It's a bit long winded, but finally I tried it, and it's a winner. The French have a very unique way of cooking vegetables ( see braised celery and cucumbers) that brings out a deep richness unlike any other recipe for these veggies.

I made it with the mature spinach, as the baby spinach simply doesn't have the heft that the larger leaves of the older spinach have - simply my choice. I de-stemmed the spinach, then did a quick blanch, then braised in nutmeg, butter, and salt and pepper, and oh ,my! - it tingles you right down to your toes. Soothing, warming, and smooth, it's a wonderful side with everything from roasts to chicken to fish and seafood. I could see this working beautifully in an omelet or frittata, as well. There are three very quick steps to this recipe - but make sure you do them all.

Epinards Etuves au Beurre:

(eh-peen-ard ay-too-vey )

Makes 2 servings.

1 large bag spinach ( about 10 ozs),destemmed

4 T. unsalted butter

kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

2 pinches of nutmeg, or several scrapings of whole nutmeg

Wash the spinach very well in a bowl of cold water and drain briefly.

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil, and drop in the washed spinach. Cook for 5 minutes and drain in a colander, running cold water over the spinach quickly to retain the green color. Squeeze out an excess water.

Melt 2 T. unsalted butter in a skillet or saucepan. When the butter is bubbling, add the spinach, salt and pepper, and two pinches of nutmeg - or about 10 scrapings on a nutmeg grater. Stir until all the moisture in the spinach is gone. Take off heat for a moment
~

In the same pan, melt 2 T. unsalted butter with the spinach, turn the heat to low, and cook another 10 minutes , stirring often, until the spinach has absorbed the butter and is very, very silky and tender. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt, pepper, or nutmeg as needed.

Enjoy!

double chocolate cookies with chile

2011-05-22T09:59:00.000-07:00

Rain, cold, rain, pollen, mist , scattered showers. Is it any wonder I woke up with a fierce hankering for chocolate? Forget the toasted pecans - let's chop up this nice bittersweet chocolate bar and throw the whole thing in, so the cookies have those melted chunks of chocolate when you break it in half. Maybe if I toss in some chiles I won't need to put on another sweater.

Ah......that's better:)

Makes about 10 medium large cookies, using a 2" ice cream scoop.

From The Cookie Book by Peggy Cullen

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or foil.

To make:

1 stick ( 8 T.) soft unsalted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 t. kosher salt

1 t. vanilla

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli)

1 extra large egg

1 cup King Arthur flour all purpose

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. cayenne pepper ( optional)

1 4 oz. bar of Ghirardelli 60% cacao chocolate, chopped

Beat the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla well in mixer bowl. Beat in the cocoa, and then the egg. Add the flour, cayenne, and baking soda and mix well. Add the chopped chocolate and mix again.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop up batter and place on cookie sheet. They don't spread a lot, so 2 or 3 inches apart is fine.

Bake for 11 minutes, let cool for five minutes before removing cookies to cooling rack.

You might also enjoy:

Chocolate chunk cookies with toasted pecans

Dark and chewy brownies

wordless wednesday: grape hyacinths

2011-05-18T11:11:00.000-07:00

Three delightful pots of bulbs arrived for Mother's Day : one is blooming, one is almost blooming, and the daffodils are sulking about all this dark, dreary, rainy weather and refuse to bloom until the sun comes out.....

rerun recipe time - and a crazy spring

2011-05-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

Forgive, please, the long silences lately - it has been a crazy-busy Spring, and I've often found myself making many, many recipes that I've published here before. I've been making ( and loving all over again : asparagus frittata, that apple cobbler, and so many chilly mornings, the oatmeal with chunks of sweet apples and dustings of cinnamon sugar. I made my Christmas biscotti for a friend who loves them. and several batches of crunchy oatmeal cookies, some for friends, but mostly for myself. Chocolate-chip cranberry cookies for my son, and one pot chicken for me ( again) as well as a magazine article. Rapini pasta soup warms the end of the day for me, as does spinach quiche and roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon.

Most difficult this month was approaching Mother's Day, with my mother so recently gone. We all get through these milestones, but it's never easy, is it?

For a few weeks the weather was beautiful - no cold, no snow, no rain, no BUGS! I took advantage of the moment and made several stops at our local farmstand/greenhouse, gathering up lemon balm and thyme, pineapple mint and several violas, sage and lots of flat leaf parsley. The arugula came up ( YAY!) and I'm covering the zucchini and green beans nights, as there's still a threat of frost. The chard is up. The lupine didn't make it through the winter, but the spearmint is showing up in some very odd places :) So are the lady's mantle plants, which are insisting on crawling out on the lawn, where they will be mowed every week unless I find a new home for them.

Happy gardening to you all - and I hope you're enjoying the busy-ness in the garden - and the kitchen!

for love of olives

2011-05-15T05:36:00.001-07:00

Puttering around in the kitchen on a rainy morning, making focaccia and pizza dough and setting out little dishes of toppings, and remembering when I first had a REAL olive, instead of black olives-from-a-can. Oh my, what a revelation. Rouen, France, my first French meal - a salade nicoise with tiny nicoise olives.

potage parmentier: leek and potato soup with fresh chives

2011-05-10T11:05:00.001-07:00

Hurray for Spring! When a friend offered me some fresh chives from her garden, I showed up the next morning with scissors in hand. My own pitiful chive plants were still too small to cut, so I was delighted to see her exhuberant plants nearly ready to bloom.

A peek in the fridge showed the last of the leeks and those lovely baby potatoes, so on we go to the traditional leek and potato soup ( or potage parmentier) with the first fresh shower of chives sprinkled on top. My soup is not pure white, as is usual, since I don't bother peeling the baby potatoes - there wouldn't be much potato left if I did. And I do use a little of the pale green leek when making the soup, so if you want a very white soup, stick to just using the white parts. Sometimes I even add several teaspoons of minced chives when I puree the soup, which makes it even more green ( see above), but the chive/oniony flavor is more pronounced done that way. So I stick to a little sprinkle of chives on top, and pass the little dish of minced chives for those who want a more intense chive flavor. And to celebrate the huge spread of violets over the lawn, I added those pretty little flowers to each plate.

To make 4 servings:

2 cups washed and sliced leeks

Trim each leek, then cut into 4 inch pieces. Cut the pieces lengthwise, and rinse under running water to get the sand and dirt out. When clean, cut the leeks into 1 1/2 inch pieces and continue with recipe.

2 cups sliced baby potatoes

4 cups light chicken or vegetable stock

1 t. thyme

1 t. unsalted butter

1/2 t. kosher salt

Place the leeks and potatoes in a pot, and add the stock, thyme, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil, turn down to low, and cover with a lid slightly askew, so some of the steam escapes. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Let the soup cool a little, then use an immersion blender or a regular blender. If you use a regular blender, fill the blender only halfway and puree carefully, then do the next batch. When it's hot, you're liable to get a little messy explosion of soup.

To finish:

3 T. or so of finely minced chives for sprinkling

1/2 cup medium cream

kosher salt to taste

a pinch more of thyme if desired

Potage Parmentier is meant to be served warm - if you serve it at room temperature or chilled, it is then called Vichyssoise.

Serve with a nice fresh arugula & violet flower salad . Just make sure the violets aren't growing on a chemically treated lawn, and no cute little puppies have been watering the lawn:)

Enjoy!

crunchy oats, coconut and cornmeal cookies

2011-05-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last week, a friend handed me an undistinguished cookie - it's the sort of cookie one would have made on a commune in the old days: very healthy and hard to chew. After a few bites it grew on me, a hint of coconut, oats and a nugget of chocolate that seemed to be out of place with the coconut. Finally last night I had a chance to fiddle with recipes and bake up a few batches.

Normally, I like a fat, soft cookie, but this one will grow on you, I promise! I tried it with raisins (so-so) and plain, and clearly the plain was best. I made both large and small cookies, and both were good, though the small ones were a little crunchier. They're sturdy and a delightful snack cookie, perhaps alongside bananas and cream or sliced strawberries.

This recipe made 9 large cookies or 25 small cookies.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Fit two baking sheets with foil.

Toast 1/2 cup flaked coconut in a toaster oven until just slightly brown.

Cool and set aside

1 stick softened unsalted butter ( 8 T.)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 extra large egg

1/2 t. vanilla

1 cup King Arthur all purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 cup rolled oats

The 1/2 cup toasted coconut

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

Cream the butter and sugars well. Add the egg and vanilla and mix briefly.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients ( along with the coconut) together, then mix into the butter/sugar mixture slowly.

Using a small or large ice cream scoop, scoop cookie batter onto baking sheets.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, baking the large cookies for 26 minutes or until golden , and the smaller ones for 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove cookies to a cooling rack, and bake the next batch . They will firm even more as they cool.

~

Out to the garden ( with a cookie) to admire all my new herb plants - I hope your day is fabulous!

mad dash to the farmstand

2011-04-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

There is nothing quite like the first Saturday at Tenney's farmstand in the Spring. You can hear the cars going by screeching to a halt and turning on their blinkers as soon as they see the plant-laden tables stretched out in front. You bump into neighbors you haven't seen since Halloween, and all of us are giddy with the promise of heading into the garden. A few more weeks before the frost-free date, but for impatient gardeners, grabbing pots of lemon balm and lavender, lemon thyme and Jacob's ladder, as well as pansies and violas, now is the time.

And lording over us all is Sammy the Scottie , toting his rock from person to person, ever hopeful for a quick toss and fetch. Happy Spring!

easter day coca cola ham and creamy carrot cake

2011-04-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

~
On Easter Day eve, I had resigned myself to spending the next day noodling around in the garden, and missing my very busy darlings, when I got a call from my sweet friend, asking if she and her son could come visit. Thomas had asked if he could visit his “Tanta Katrina”, as usual, on Easter Day, no doubt with that carrot cake in mind – and that gorgeous Easter ham with the Southern-style Coca Cola glaze.
And let's not forget the egg-hunt!
What a blessed day it turned out to be, with the sun shining and the air soft and mild, lots of good eats, and a fairly polite egg hunt, with three boys aged 4, 7, and 12, all somewhat, sort of, allowing the youngest one first dibs on the eggs. And, as usual, the boys heaved a few eggs at the boulders, just because.
~

To make the ham, I baked a 12 pound ham for 3 hours at 325F, then made the glaze:

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup pineapple juice

2 T. red currant jelly

1 1/2 cups cranberry juice

1 20 oz. bottle of Coca Cola ( not diet)

8 whole cloves

Simmer all the ingredients until the sauce forms a sheet on a wooden spoon. Serve hot, alongside the Easter Ham, in a pitcher, along with roasted asparagus and smashed potatoes and fluffy green salad. I adapted the recipe from Steamy Kitchen's recipe, which was just too sweet.

I hope you had a wonderful Easter Day!

carrotcake cupcakes - and a four legged surprise

2011-04-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I thought I'd see how my Easter Carrot Cake would look as cupcakes, sooooo, I pulled out my sunny yellow baking bins, where I stash all my pretty papers and doilies and found this mess you see above. A stylish Mrs. Mouse, no doubt, making a cozy new nest for her gazillion babies. This of course led to pulling out everything from under the sink and the neighboring cupboards, where I saw an inch wide gap; obviously, that was how she got in. I duct-taped it, and squirted some of that expandable glop, that looked exactly like whipped cream, and let it dry. Tidying the under-counter boxes: SHRIEK. A large, very fat mouse lept out of one of the boxes. I screamed for my cat, who sashayed in, took a look, and left. Tonight I plan to shut her in the kitchen, and that, I hope, will be that.

Deep breath. The cupcakes came out very nicely, just as moist and tasty as the cake, and I swirled on some of that butter and cream cheese frosting everyone loves. So if cupcakes work better for a gathering this Eastertime, do give them a try.

This makes 9 cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Arrange cupcake liners in a regularly sized muffin tin.

I shred the carrots using my KitchenAid grater attachment.

2 extra large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil or light olive oil

1 1/3 cups King Arthur flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1 t. cinnamon

1 cup packed finely grated carrots

1/2 cup sweetened coconut

Beat eggs, add the sugar, oil, and dry ingredients and mix well. Add the carrots and coconut and stir, then , using an ice cream scoop, scoop one scoop into each liner.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until tops are firm when gently pressed.

Remove to cooling rack for a few minutes, then remove from muffin tins to cool further.

Let cool completely before frosting!

Cream Cheese frosting with fresh lemon juice:

1 large package cream cheese

1 stick (8 T) unsalted, softened butter

about 2 T. fresh lemon juice

one box of confectioner's sugar

Beat in mixer bowl until creamy, then spoon into a pastry bag and swirl away.

You'll have some left over, which you can freeze for midnight snack attacks.

Happy Easter to all!

lunch-to-go: chocolate-chip muffins

2011-04-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

I'm a lunch on the go, brownbagger from way back, and when I saw Maria's chocolate chip muffins, I got a little gleeful. How perfect are these for a little after lunch treat? They're highly portable, without sticky frosting – and each batch makes a dozen muffins, so you have, oh, maybe enough for 6 days. Make that 3 days, with enough to share. Semi-sweet chips in a vanilla buttermilk batter make for a very tender and tasty muffin – my humble thanks, Maria! To round out my lunch, I slid in a slice of frittata, and a watercress, tomato, and romaine salad with some of the leftover golden beet and brussels sprouts dish I made two days ago mixed in. And on my way out the door, I put my new rosemary plant out on the step – it's finally 50 degrees!

~ To make: Recipe from Two Peas and their Pod

2 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 t. baking powder

½ t. salt

1 stick melted unsalted butter ( 8 T)

2 extra large eggs

2/3 cup buttermilk

2 t. vanilla

1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F. Line a 12 muffin tin with paper liners. Place the flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt in mixer bowl. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla, then add to the flour mixture. Add the chocolate chips and mix briefly. Using a regular sized ice cream scoop , scoop one scoop into each muffin cup. If you don't have an ice cream scoop, just fill with two tablespoons to about 3/4ths. Bake for about 18-20 minutes, remove and cool on rack. This makes 12 regular sized muffins.

golden beets and mother hen

2011-04-10T17:20:00.000-07:00

When my children were small, they could often be picky about what they would or wouldn't eat. Thinking I was being clever, I offered them a smorgasbord for breakfast, packed lunch, or dinner. Of course, I ended up making three different dinners most of the time – not something I would repeat these these days . No Tiger Mother moi! I was more like my very favorite hen in our various flocks of chickens – Old Black Hen, who adored being a mother so much she stole the other hens eggs. When she was very old, on a cold night, she died sitting on those stolen eggs. I digress.

Getting back to the point of this story, I often found a little this, a little that, presented in a pretty and tasty fashion encouraged my children to try new foods – especially if I renamed it. Broccoli was “little trees”. Brussels sprouts morphed into” little cabbages” , especially when french fries and mac and cheese seemed to be the favorite choices year round. When the kids got sick, I made chicken soup and toast fingers, smoothies and cinnamon toast, along with Sleepytime tea. But they did get to try a lot of new herbs and veggies as time went along, and I'm happy to say they both enjoy new foods as young adults.

~ I noticed these gorgeous beets one day at the supermarket, tucked away in a corner, simply glowing, and I had to buy a few to taste. I usually try new vegetables first uncooked, so I can get an image and taste set in my mind. Then, I might saute or steam, or throw into a soup, experimenting. These clearly tasted the best when they were raw and golden – the flavor and color diminished when steamed or sauteed. I tried shredding them into a simple salad with balsamic vinegar ( the real deal, from Modena), a little pepper, and some shards of parmesan cheese ( as with the bok choy salad I made last year, salt and olive oil just made it taste odd, so I skipped it.) This would be such a pretty little addition to any dinner ( or smorgasbord) – the taste is fresh and similar to a parsnip/celery root. Paired with arugula, a few smashed baby potatoes and steak, fish, or chicken, it really is a sparkling salad.

~ The recipe: Well, there isn't really a recipe:) I used one smallish golden beet, washed and peeled or not, trimmed, then shredded on a grater, per person. A handful of arugula per person. About 1 teaspoon Modena balsamic vinegar per serving. Freshly grated pepper Several shards of parmesan cheese, per serving And that's it! What I liked about these beets was not only the taste, but the lack of beet-red hands and bleeding into the arugula – always a problem.

This just in! Inspired by a recipe from Simply Recipes, I made this marvelous brussels sprouts dish that couldn't be simpler.

1 cup peeled, diced golden beets ( large dice)

1 cup trimmed brussels sprouts, cut in half

Simmer the beets and sprouts in a little water until tender.

Drain and add a little chopped fresh rosemary, a tiny bit of butter, and salt and pepper.

That's it!

homemade macaroons - Revised!

2011-04-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

Dear friends - tonight I made a batch of these and they were not the cookies I made before. They stuck to the baking sheet, and were not half as pretty, thanks to the nudging of the spatula! I'm so sorry if you had the same problem. - baking is such an inexact science! Taking a tip from my friend Winnie, who mentioned she never, ever, made these without greasing with Crisco and dusting with flour, my next batch came out just fine. I also reduced the sugar a little. Humble apologies! here is the revised version:

1 package coconut ( about 2 cups) flakes, sweetened

1/2 cup extra coconut flakes

2 large egg whites

3 T. hot water

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of kosher salt

1 T. light corn syrup

1 t. vanilla

Prehat oven to 400F.

Grease two baking sheets with Crisco , then dust with flour.

Place egg whites in mixer bowl and beat until they form soft peaks. Add the coconut flakes to the egg whites and stir briefly.

In a saucepan, stir together the hot water, sugar, salt, and corn syrup, washing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Bring to a boil, then remove and add to the egg whites and coconut. Stir briefly, then add the vanilla. Stir in the 1/2 cup extra coconut flakes.

Using a small (1 1/2 inch) ice cream scoop, scoop little balls of the mixture onto the baking sheets.

One sheet at a time, bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then remove to cool. When cool, use a spatula to remove cookies to cooling rack. Enjoy !

Who knew it was so easy to make macaroons? In a half an hour you can mix up a batch , stick them in the oven for 12 minutes, and sit down to the chewy sweetness of these tiny coconut cookies. No butter, no flour, no milk. I think this makes them gluten-free, too - so now I know what to make little Izzie for a snack.

In spite of yesterdays crazy snow squall, the front garden beside the house is finally bare and look! My daffodils are up!

I got this wonderful recipe from Peggy Cullen's "got milk? the cookie book" and it's definitely a winner.

two quick frittatas - and one blue egg

2011-03-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

For the first several years of my life, I lived on a saltwater farm a sand dune or two away from Cape Cod Bay. Remarkably , I remember my father putting me in an empty sheep stall for safety, while he did the chores. I can't have been older than 15 months, but the scent of hay and the soft sounds of the sheep, and chickens, and cow are remembered with a profound sense of total contentment.

As I got to the older toddler stage, my father said he never worried about where I was - because all I did was patiently walk behind the chickens, arms outstretched, for hours. It didn't seem to be a desire to hold them as much as be a part of the flock.

I not only adore chickens, but their eggs to me are the most perfect food in the world - and beautiful, as well. I never jumped on the "one egg a week" bandwagon, because I figured you couldn't get anything so perfect, so simple, so organic and have it be bad for you.

For years I've had an omelet or two a week, maybe two gently fried eggs, or the soft boiled egg with buttery toast fingers, but lately I've swung over again to the frittata. The Italian method of cooking frittatas on low heat seem to keep the eggy batter very tender, as opposed to the quick high heat used with omelets. And it's versatile : a few strips of cooked bacon and a handful of fresh rapini are just as lovely as a cup of fresh asparagus and a sprinkle of fresh dill. Frittatas are cooked in olive oil, not butter, with a spoonful of grated parmesan stirred into the eggs, so they feel quite substantial. As soon as the first summer tomatoes arrive, I can imagine a basil-and-tomato frittata with a fair amount of excitement. Anyway, here's the recipes - enjoy!

This recipe serves two, made in an omelet pan, and cut, traditionally, into quarters, two per person.

Asparagus Frittata with fresh dill

1 T. olive oil

1 cup sliced fresh asparagus

4 large eggs

1 T. finely grated parmesan cheese

1 t. minced fresh dill

kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

Heat omelet pan and olive oil on medium low. Add the asparagus and cook until tender. While the asparagus is cooking, beat the eggs, dill, and parmesan together well, then pour over the cooked asparagus. As it cooks, use the spatula to lift the edges of the frittata, so the uncooked egg flows to the hotter bottom part of the pan. While the top is still a little uncooked, place under a preheated broiler and cook very briefly, just until the egg is set.

Take off heat, let sit for a minute, then slide onto a plate and cut into quarters.

Rapini and Bacon frittata

a few strips of thick cut bacon, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces and cooked, then set aside.

1 cup rapini, cut into strips

1 T. olive oil

4 large eggs, beaten well

1 T. grated parmesan

salt and pepper as needed

Heat the olive oil, then add the cooked bacon and the rapini and cook for two minutes.

Add the parmesan to the eggs, beat again, and pour over the bacon and rapini. Again, lift the edges of the frittata and let the uncooked egg mixture flow to the bottom of the pan. While the top is not quite set, slide under a preheated broiler and cook just until set. (about a minute).

Slide onto a plate, let cool a minute, then cut into the traditional quarters, then dig in.

On the blog a year ago:

Dark Chocolate and Coconut pudding - dairy free!

Strawberry Shortcake for the Women's Club

2011-03-25T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have lived in this tiny (population around 1700) village since 1982, which used to have a robust farming community, but now seems to be more and more a sidebar to our more integrated ( i.e. less affluent) communities north and south. Because I had children that needed to be driven to outlying schools, and had a farm, I didn't really have time to connect with the community. As my children grew, I focussed more on my herb, baking, and catering businesses, so I wasn't as involved in the village as I might have been. I did start one of the first farmers markets in the state, but my focus was more on the family and my interests. I used to hear about the Women's Club, but, since I thought one needed to be invited, any announcements in the local paper tended to slide away. Was I ever wrong, sorry to say. The meetings are open to all, and they have some fabulous speakers! I hope in the future to try to remember to swing by and check out some of their Wednesday offerings.

~ But in the meantime, I was asked by a member to help out with their free Thursday Community Dinners with a dessert. I was thinking chocolate for days, and then a supermarket sale on strawberries changed my mind. While strawberries may not be seasonal eating just yet, I couldn't resist the sale, and so strawberry shortcakes came to mind - and here they are, tender, slightly sweet buttermilk biscuits topped with juicy strawberries and homemade whipped cream. As I walked in with the platters, my neighbor shrieked " You brought strawberry shortcakes?" I nodded and had a moment of panic - was I supposed to bring something else?

Glancing around, I saw beautiful plated salads, and at least a dozen stews with delicious sounding names (scrawled on a piece of masking tape), and lots of brownies. I should've stayed to investigate, but it was the end of a long day, so I dropped off these gorgeous shortcakes and retreated to a lovely hot bath and early bedtime.

This makes a baker's dozen (13 servings)

The strawberries:

2 plastic boxes of strawberries, sliced and sprinkled with sugar and a few squeezes of lemon juice, allowed to sit at room temperature for at least two hours.

The shortcakes:

Set oven to 425F, and line two baking sheets with fresh foil or parchment.

4 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

8 T. sugar

2 t. grated lemon peel

1/2 t. or so freshly grated nutmeg

1 t. kosher salt

2 T. baking powder

1 stick ( 8 T.) cold unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

2 large eggs

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

Combine the flour, sugar, nutmeg, lemon zest, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to mix, then add the butter and process until the butter is well incorporated. Mix the eggs and buttermilk in a small bowl, then add to the flour mix until it forms a ball. It should be sticky, so if it isn't, add a tablespoon or so more of buttermilk until it looks right. Using an ice cream scoop of normal size, scoop out balls of dough, six to a baking sheet, with seven on the second baking sheet - just space the balls of dough a little to make room.

Sprinkle the dough balls with sugar and bake , one sheet at a time, about 15 minutes. The shortcakes should be golden on top.

Remove to cool, then move the shortcakes to a cooling rack. When cool, slice in half with a serrated bread knife.

The whipped cream:

One 16 fl. oz container whipping cream

1 T. cornstarch

4 T. confectioner's sugar

Place a clean mixer bowl in the fridge for 15 or more minutes. Remove and add the cream, cornstarch, and confectioner's sugar and whip until the cream forms soft peaks. Serve on top of the fresh berries. ( the cornstarch acts as a stabilizer, so the cream will not get watery). Serve at once.

toasted walnut biscuits with fig jam

2011-03-22T08:07:00.001-07:00

One day I found an interesting email from King Arthur flour in my inbox: Whole Wheat-Walnut biscuits with Grape Seed Flour. I printed it out, intrigued - never mind that whole wheat flour and I don't really get along, and I didn't have any grape seed flour, and with the unpredictable Spring weather ( sleet, snow, ice, sliding, crashing cars) I wasn't driving 25 miles for it. But I DID have the most beautiful fig jam, a birthday present from my blessed daughter.

This morning the walnuts tumbled out of the freezer shelf onto the floor, and I took that as an omen I should fiddle around with this recipe, so here it is.

Makes about 15 biscuits, using a 2 1/2" round cutter

2 1/4 cups King Arthur all purpose flour

1/2 cup wheat germ, toasted in the toaster oven

1 1/4 cups chopped walnut pieces, toasted in a toaster oven

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1 t. kosher salt

1 stick ( 1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

Preheat oven to 400F ( my oven runs hot, so I set it a little lower than the 425F they called for)

Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and toasted wheat germ in mixer bowl.

Grab a handful of the walnut pieces and set aside, then pulse the walnuts in a food processor until fairly fine. Add it to the flour mixture in the mixer bowl.

Add the butter pieces to the flour and mix until incorporated.

Whisk the egg and buttermilk together and add to the flour/walnuts, then mix quickly until the dough forms a loose ball.

Gently turn out onto a floured counter, and roll out to one inch thick.

Cut into biscuits, very gently molding the leftover scraps into one or two "extra" biscuits.

Brush with a little milk and sprinkle the set aside walnut pieces on top of the biscuits.

Bake for 16 minutes, or until toasty brown on top .

I think these would be much heavier if you use the whole wheat flour and the grape seed flour - but these biscuits came out very light and tender.

Serve warm with fig jam and enjoy! These would also be wonderful with a nice soft cheese like brie - a nice change from plain old crackers.

What I'm reading:

The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass, which I LOVED

smashed potatoes with fresh dill and curry Flor de Sal

2011-03-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

With St. Patrick's Day the day after tomorrow, how could I not blog about my fondness for potatoes ? Baked, boiled, smashed, sauteed, pureed, chipped and sometimes added to a fry up, potatoes are my one carb weakness that assures I will not ever be able to stay on the South Beach diet. At least I've discovered those small bags of baby potatoes, which helps with the portion control. But any day, I'd choose potatoes over pasta or rice. And my favorite herb with potatoes is always fresh dill. I make French Potato salad with dill, Corn Chowder with dill, and my latest, One Pot Chicken with tiny potato balls carved out of big white potatoes with a melon baller. They're extremely cute.

Smashed potatoes have been out and about on blogs and in magazines lately, so I finally decided to make them. I made them plain, with just dill and salt and pepper, with browned butter and with olive oil, sprinkled with dill just before serving - then my favorite, which was with both browned butter and olive oil. Just to make sure I wouldn't starve, I also boiled up some wee potatoes, rolled them in olive oil, and sprinkled those with fresh dill, too. My blessed daughter had just surprised me with a lovely bag of food goodies for my birthday, including curry Flor de Sal, so I tried that as well. Is it any surprise I loved them all?

To make any of these dishes, you start with about a pound (half a 2 lb bag) of tiny potatoes. Sometimes they're labeled "creamers". I picked up some baby Idaho potatoes for these recipes, all about the size of Bantam eggs.

Smashed Potatoes for two:

1 pound baby potatoes

1 T. fresh dill, snipped

kosher salt and/or Flor de Sal

fresh pepper

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. butter

or both the butter AND the olive oil.

Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil.

At a slow boil, cook potatoes for 20 minutes, or until tender, then drain.

Using the same hot saucepan, melt the butter and oil together, set aside.

Using the bottom of a glass, gently press down on each potato until it is slightly

flattened.

Using a spatula, place potatoes on a toaster oven pan, then spoon a little of the olive oil and butter on each smashed potato.

Cook at 400F for 20 minutes, remove, sprinkle with salt , pepper, and dill and serve while still hot.

For the Flor de Sal smashed potatoes:

Smash potatoes, drizzle with olive oil/butter, then sprinkle about 1'4 t. Flor de Sal on each little potato. Bake as above, at 400F for 20 minutes, then remove and serve. I skipped the dill on these.

For the plain baby potatoes:

Boil as above, drain, and melt the olive oil and butter in the still warm saucepan you used for the potatoes. Add the potatoes to the oil and butter, and roll them around until coated well. Turn the heat up a little and do a quick saute, then scoop onto plates and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the freshly snipped dill. Serve instantly.

Enjoy!

one pot chicken with dill and vegetables on a foggy day

2011-03-07T06:27:00.000-08:00

We still have several feet of snowpack, and yesterday as the air got warmer, it made for a very foggy day and lots of gentle rain. This morning I woke up to welcome sound of racing water in the brook below the house. When the ice has finally melted on the brook, you know Spring is on the way. And is there anything more perfect than tender chicken simmered with herbs and vegetables as you watch the winter departing? Better yet, it's cooked in a skillet, so you only have one pot to clean.

This is also a good way to use up all those halves of peppers and 3 leaves of kale left in the vegetable drawer, so feel free to adapt the recipe to what you have on hand.

Serves at least 4 people.

To make:

6 chicken tenders, or just cut up two breasts

1/2 cup red peppers, cut into large strips

1/2 cup yellow peppers, cut into 1" pieces

2 handfuls of baby carrots, cut in half

1 cup kale leaves, torn from stem

1/2 large shallot or yellow onion, peeled and sliced

heaping cup of celery, cut into pieces

baby red or white potatoes ( I actually used a melon baller since I had only large white potatoes!)

a few leaves fresh green cabbage, cut into large strips

a few scallions, cut up

1/2 t. dried thyme

several sprigs of fresh dill ( or dried is fine, too)

( fresh rosemary branches work well, too)

1 clove garlic

1 very thin slice of fresh ginger

2 T.olive oil or unsalted butter

water or chicken or vegetable stock

Place the chicken tenders in the bottom of a large skillet. Scatter the vegetables and herbs over the chicken, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add stock or water - just enough to barely cover the chicken and vegetables.

Drizzle on the olive oil ( or butter, if you're using that)

Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

If you want more broth, just add a cup of stock toward the end of cooking.

Serve with a little hot sauce , if you like.

Enjoy!

Featured on Tastespotting!

A year ago on she's in the kitchen:

Wordless Wednesday: olives marinated with rosemary and green cardomom pods

beluga for the Oscars - beluga lentils, that is!

2011-02-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

I'm getting a little punchy with this everlasting snow - which is now up to the kitchen window sill. So, when my neighbor gave me some of these lentils the other day and I discovered they were known as "Beluga" lentils, well - I had to have a little fun, didn't I?

Given that today is Oscar day ( which I only watch to see the dresses), a lot of people are hosting parties, and this would be a fun surprise: trimmed hard boiled eggs ( using only the white) filled to the brim with tiny black lentils. Save a little of the hard boiled yolk to make it resemble caviar even more - or top with scallions, parsley, or little bits of tomatoes. Not using the yolks also makes it less aromatically eggy and there's no mayonnaise, so it's dairy free.

To make about 3/4ths of a cup of cooked lentils:

Hard boil six eggs, drain, and leave to soak in cool water.

1/2 cup tiny black "Beluga" lentils

a bay leaf

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

water to cover the lentils plus a few inches

Bring the water, lentils, garlic, and bay leaf to a boil, turn down to a medium simmer/boil and cook for about 12 minutes, or until lentils are cooked.

Drain the lentils and remove the garlic and bay leaf, then place the lentils in a bowl.

Add to the lentils:

2T. olive oil

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. ( or to taste) kosher salt

fresh pepper

a few squeezes of Sriracha hot sauce

1 T. fresh lemon or lime juice

Toss gently.

Peel the hard boiled eggs. Trim a tiny bit of the ends off so they'll sit upright.

Cut the trimmed eggs in half vertically.

Gently squeeze the eggs until the yolk pops out.

Fill the eggs with the lentil mixture, garnish with parsley, scallions, egg yolk, or your choice of garnish.

Keep chilled until about to serve.

If you have any leftovers, these would be a great brown-bag lunch!

Enjoy!

watercress and mushroom soup - a hint of Spring

2011-02-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hallelujah - the watercress has arrived! This spicy, hollow stemmed green signals the start of Spring, just as asparagus does. Related to the Brassicaeae (cabbage) family, it's an aquatic perennial that grows clear, cold, clean streams and ditches - and according to this website, it's in every state in the United States. Check out directions for growing your own watercress while you're on the site - wouldn't that be heaven?

Watercress salads, watercress sandwiches, and watercress soup are dandy ways to utilize this vegetable, and today I tried something new - combining the flavors of sauteed mushrooms with watercress. It was a lovely, soothing soup that was a little less overpowering, as straight watercress soups can be. I held out some leaves to top off the little tomato open faced sandwich which made for the prettiest lunch I've had in a long time - and one of the quickest, too. The soup takes only around 15 minutes to make.

Enjoy!

This recipe makes two bowls of soup.

To make:

1 T. olive oil
1 T. unsalted butter
2 cups sliced white mushrooms, stems included
1 t. dried thyme
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup chopped watercress
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
*
Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet until bubbling, then add the mushrooms and saute until lightly brown and nutty.
Add the thyme and stock to the mushrooms and stir.
Cook for five minutes, then add the watercress and salt and pepper.
Pour into a bowl and puree with an immersion blender, then taste before serving.

Spring is coming!

juicy apple cobbler with a fluffy crust

2011-02-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

What a week. My mother has been fading after a year of ups and downs, and I find myself puttering around in the kitchen a lot, eyeing the phone, looking at the ceiling, staring into space and sending her mental love notes. My daughter and I visited her last Friday, for which I am very grateful.

(Update: Friday: My Mom died today, and we are all hopeful she is in a better, happier place. She will be missed.)

So. Here I am, wishing I could share this delicious apple cobbler with her - with chunks of juicy MacIntosh apples dusted with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with a soft dough that bakes into a perfect fluffy crust. I make these in small ceramic dishes - just enough for two people. Scoop into the hot cobbler and spoon out onto a plate with the crust down and there it is. Top with ice cream or drizzle with cream, as you wish. I like it plain.

Enough for two 4-5 inch dishes, each serving two people. Or you can make this in a pie tin or a shallow ovenproof tart dish.

To make:

Preheat oven to 400F.

Butter a pie dish or two smallish (4" or 5") ceramic dishes

For the apples:

2 T. sugar

1 T. lemon juice

4-5 cups peeled apples, cut into large dice

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

Place the diced apples in a small bowl and toss with the sugar, lemon juice, and spices.

For the dough:

1 cup King Arthur all purpose flour

1 T. sugar

1 t. baking powder

pinch of salt

3 T. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup plus a tablespoon of milk

In mixer bowl, place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the cold butter until it is incorporated well.

Add the milk and mix until the dough forms a soft ball.

On a floured board, knead the dough a minute or two, then roll out dough and cut to fit the pans or dishes you're using. The dough should be fairly thick, so don't roll it out too thinly!

Place cobblers on a baking sheet and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Remove to cool, then serve.

slow roasted peppers with basil, capers and anchovies

2011-02-15T06:48:00.001-08:00

If you're looking for a colorful and different vegetable to go with that beautiful bowl of soup or roasted chicken ( or that lovely cheese panini) , these peppers are fabulous!

Charmingly trimmed quartered red peppers are drizzled with olive oil, filled with slivered garlic, basil or parsley, and anchovies and slow roasted for an hour until very, very tender. If you don't like anchovies, I think pesto would be delicious instead. Or actually, in addition to! If I'd had any pesto, a little dollop would've been inspired.

Look for peppers that have an inch or two of stem for this dish.

To make 4 servings:

2 large stemmed red peppers

about 1/3 cup olive oil

8 canned anchovies

4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers

salt and freshly ground pepper

2 t. dried basil, or 2 T. chopped fresh basil

2 T. capers, drained

2 T. fresh, chopped parsley

Optional: pesto

Preheat oven to 350F.

Quarter the peppers, being careful to neatly slice through the stems. Remove the seeds and membranes .

Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil in an ovenproof dish, then arrange the peppers. Add a dollop of pesto ( if using), an anchovy per quartered pepper, the basil, salt and pepper, and the slivers of garlic and capers on each pepper quarter. Drizzle with a little oil , cover with foil, and slow roast for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and roast another 30 minutes, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.