Change of Season Demands Changes in the Menu

Here, spring dances flirtatiously with bursts of gorgeous warmth, followed by a stretch of cool or rainy weather. It's too lovely for hearty winter dishes, but not quite warm enough for nothing but salads. I've decided spring soups are in order!  My two recent favorites are this Potato Leek Soup, as nearly all of the ingredients were available at our local farmers market...

and this Lemon Greek Orzo Soup because it is delightfully creamy and lemony.

Good soup deserves good bread!  We paired the potato soup with our left-over traditional Easter bread and made a fresh loaf of my Mom's dill bread to accompany the lemon soup.  Yum all around!!!

What are you making this spring?

Easter and Creating

This past Easter Sunday found me in desperate need of some rest. The few days previous had been filled with worry and late nights working on logistics for a fundraising event which I'm excited to help plan. So instead of pursuing a few invitations to celebrate socially,
we stayed home.

I made my traditional "Easter" bread very late in the day. (We ate it warm from the oven at 10:30 pm...all gooey, melty deliciousness.)

I sewed a signature block for my friend Victoria.

I basked in the loveliness and fragrance of the lilies which the hubster bought me for our anniversary last week and which have been blooming like mad ever since then.

I rested.

I may have also giggled a time or two about the comment I heard at church about the Easter Bunny representing the religious side of Easter because, as prolific pro-creators, bunnies are symbolic of new life. Maybe so...but I don't know that I'd share that Easter morn to the whole congregation.

A little bit of rest, a touch of humor and some quiet creativity brought me new life this weekend. It may not be the New Life we typically talk about around Easter,
but I'm grateful all the same.

Double Mint Fun: 2 Chocolate Mint Cookie Recipes

Before I head off to my favorite snowy mountain states to celebrate Christmas with family, I'll leave you with the two cookie recipes I most enjoyed making this year.

Marin's Andes Mint Cookies

3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
2 T. water
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 1/4 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Melt butter, sugar and water over low heat.
3. When melted, stir in semi-sweet chocolate chips. Stir until melted. Cool 10 minutes.
4. Beat in eggs, soda, salt and flour. Cool 45 minutes.
5. Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 11 minutes.
7. Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, top each cookies with an Andes mint. Spread the mint across the top of the cookie when melted.
8. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and let cool.
(Note: I sprinkled crushed candy cane on these cookies, but Marin makes them year round sans candy cane. Yumm-o!)

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
12 candy canes, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
3. Add dry ingredients and mix again.
4. Sample as much of this truly divine cookie dough as desired. If there is ample dough left, proceed with recipe. Otherwise, begin again at step two.
5. Mix in crushed candy cane.
6. Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet.
7. Bake 8-10 minutes.
8. Cool only slightly, then transfer to rack to cool. (Note: Maybe they shouldn't cool at all on the sheet. I left my cookies on the sheet too long and the bits of melted candy cane cooled, hardened and stuck to the cookie sheet. As this is an improvised recipe, I'm still figuring this part out. If you have any insights, by all means share!)

What are you loving making this year?
Whatever it may be, I hope your Christmas is

peaceful, joyous and delicious!

Home and Family First

Today, attending to our home and family meant cooking (an easy) dinner* this morning as we were both coming home late and now, corresponding with an artist about a work I'm interested in buying for our home.

Yesterday, it meant having a family home evening with the hubster and then staying up (too) late to help him with a job cover letter.

Sunday, it meant staying home to write and reflect on what's being neglected.

These are some of the little things that said "family first" to me this week. What little things say it to you?

*I can't not share the easy dinner idea, right?

Mom's Taco Soup

In blender, liquify:
1 Qt stewed tomatoes (I used a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes)
1 Qt water
3 Tbs bouillon (or 3 cubes...or use part/all chicken broth in place of water)
1 tsp chili powder
Other spices to taste (cumin, paprika, garlic, cayenne pepper)

Heat soup until hot. (You want it hot enough to melt the cheese you'll add to your bowl...yum!)

Serve with:
Chopped tomato
Chopped green onion
Cubed cheddar cheese
Chopped avocado
Crushed tortilla chips

Enjoy! 'Night my lovely friends!

Intercambio de recetas (or recipe exchange)

(Cornbread, pepper chicken and beans, those lovely habichuelas!)

I have discovered my dad's cornbread recipe has bartering power. Wahoo! This week, it was worth one lesson on Dominican-style beans. Oh my, did I get the better end of this deal! Admittedly, this is more on the "concept" end of things than a hard and fast recipe, but Marisol said you're supposed to season it to your taste. So please do!

Habichuelas Dominicanas por Marisol

Ingredients:

Large pot of beans of your choice, cooked until soft, undrained
garlic, lots of it & chopped fine
oil
vinegar
8 oz. tomato sauce
small red onion, with ends and skin removed, cut in two pieces
1 sopita cube, which appears to be Domincan flavor bullion, cut in half

small red pepper, green pepper (and/or other peppers of your choice), seeded and sectioned
tomato (such as grape tomatoes), only a few
adobo
Dominican oregano
cilantro, regular and wide leaf

1. Heat oil. Add garlic and saute. Add 1-2 TBS of vinegar before it starts to brown. Add the onion cut in two. Add tomato sauce. Add 1/2 sopita cube. Let simmer for 5 minutes, mas o menos.

2. Add the hot garlic/tomato/onion sauce to the beans. Also add peppers, tomatoes, dash of adobo, oregano (crushed in your palm before it's added), and other half of sopita cube. Bring beans to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes or more, until the water has cooked down but the beans are still soupy. Add both cilantros, whole. Let simmer an additional 10 minutes. Take out large onion and pepper chunks and cilantro if you desire. Season to taste with salt, pepper and adobo. Serve over rice and enjoy!

Contentment in a Pie Plate

When hubster was first called to serve in the Spanish-speaking congregation 2 years ago, we had an open house the weekend after Thanksgiving to get to know people. This year, we decided to do a repeat to socialize with the same people, who are now our friends.

I started making pie baking plans. Easy ones, like cream cheese and ice cream pies. Standards, like apple and pumpkin. Cream pies and fruit pies. Pies with meringue topping and those with whipped cream topping. Perhaps a tart or two. Old family recipes and new experiments. 20 pies was my goal.


Two years ago, my busy, anxious baking dervish had gone crazy making all kinds of cakes, breads and cookies. It was productive, fun even (in a challenging, adrenaline rush way) but flavored throughout by the ongoing theme song of anxiety. Would we have enough? Would they like any of my American desserts, breads and cookies? Would they be offended by the lack of "real" food (no meat or rice or beans), or by my horrible Spanish, or by our home, or by a gringo serving the congregation? Would they see the places I hadn't scrubbed? Would we have enough chairs? All these things keeping me in an mild (to not so mild) state of distress while I prepare to supposedly open my heart and home to new people.

As I started rolling out my first pie crusts this year, I felt those familiar feelings creeping in. This needed to be cleaned, that needed to be baked, this needed to be bought, that needed to be prepared, etc. etc. etc. And the what if's. Then I stopped.

I like making pies. I reminded myself again. I like this. When do I get to spend two whole days making pies??? And so I decided to enjoy it.

I started humming Patty Griffin. I thought of all the memories I have of making pies with my dad and my sister. I thought of how many pies we used to make together at Thanksgiving. I let myself try new recipes. I stopped to play a rocking drum solo or two with my honey on his new toy. I enjoyed eating out on Friday night at a favorite greasy spoon burger place, rather than rushing home to bake some more. I let myself go to bed when it was time.

I didn't make 20 pies.

And all of it? It was lovely. The pies. Time baking. New recipes. The feeling between me and my husband. Time with friends. Doing something I love. Holding cute babies. Laughing at the boy who hid out under the table, emerging only for another slice of apple pie. Meeting a couple recently baptized. Being invited to a guest's house for dinner this week. Listening to a five-year old's reading of "Where the Wild Things Are".

It felt good to truly open my heart, relax and just enjoy.

How do you find contentment?

(Sour Cream Apple Crumb & Dad's Famous Apple Pie)

If you'd like to enjoy my new favorite pie (an experiment that worked, yeah!), here's the recipe:

Sour Cream Apple Crumb Pie

For crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold
Ice-cold water

For filling:
6-8 apples (preferably Mutsu/Crispin, Ida Reds or Granny Smith)
1 cup sugar (or less if you like a bit of tartness in your pie!)
2 Tbls flour
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
1 cup sour cream

Crumb topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3 Tbls butter

Prepare crust: Mix flour and salt. Cut in butter to make course crumbs. Gradually add just enough water to form larger clumps of dough, while stirring with a fork. You want the dough to stick together when clumped by hand, but not be overly wet. The drier the dough, the flakier your crust. Form into large disk with your hands and then roll out on a well floured cutting board, making repairs to the edges as you go. Transfer to pie plate, flute edges as desired and trim off excess dough.

Prepare filling: Peel, core and slice apples. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir 'til evenly coated. Add sourcream. Stir thoroughly. Pour apples into crust.

Prepare topping: Mix flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter to make course crumbs. Stir in pecans. Pour evenly on top of apples.

Cover edges of crust with foil. (Next time I think I'll try covering the entire crumb topping with foil for part of the baking time or chop my pecans smaller. The exposed edges of my pecans burned!)

Bake at 400 for 40-50 minutes. Let cool before serving for the filling to set. Enjoy, preferably with ice cream!

Creating Abundance and Grandma's Rolls

Last month at my grandmother's funeral, the most frequently used word by the speakers was almost certainly "frugal". Grandma was known for saving all kinds of things for re-use: twisty-ties, bread bags, disposable plastic cups, styrofoam trays used to package meat, wrapping paper. She was teased about it from time to time, yet all of us recognized she lived through a time when you didn't take throwing something away lightly. If it was useful, it got used.

As we talked together in the following days, Grandpa wanted us to really understand her Depression experiences that laid the foundation for frugality. Grandma's family was extremely poor. With no job and a large family, her father struggled constantly to make sure they were all fed. During high school, Grandma had just one dress that she washed and hung every night to dry for the next day of school, putting up with occasionally snide comments from other girls in new new matching sweater sets. She always knew college wouldn't be possible, due to lack of financial resources not academic ability. She learned to make do with what she had and to make other plans when necessary. She learned how to care of things and make them last. She learned the importance of high quality and always worked to create things of excellence. Frugality was part of survival.

A life like this, of altered dreams and doing without, could make one miserly and bitter, but that's not what happened. She chose something different. As the stories others shared and my own memories flood my mind, it is her generosity that stands out to me. She took her impoverished background and created abundance for the people in her life.

• One son shared a memory of watching her willingly prepare and pack a full lunch for a local beggar, simply because he knocked and asked.
  
• Neighbors told of times she brought over food when they were in need.
  
• While home, we slept under a faux fur throw, a remnant of the many "softs" she made her children and grandchildren.
  
• After the funeral, we flipped through photo albums she put together of reunion after reunion where her love for her grandchildren was shown through creating: sewing personalized aprons, leading rock painting activities, or running a family Olympics complete with opening ceremony parades.
  
• I remembered one of her letters from when she was serving alongside my grandfather over a mission in Michigan. She told of the dozens upon dozens of Christmas care packages she made for each of the many missionaries serving with them, packages I knew from the many years she sent them to us.
  
• Her daughter reminisced about her talents as a seamstress. She couldn't remember a single dress, blouse or skirt she owned as a child that wasn't made by her mother.
  
• I shared the story of her careful work assisting on my junior prom dress when we were behind schedule. She sewed meticulously even when I wanted to rush because, um, my date was waiting while it was finished.

Amidst all of these stories and memories, one of Grandpa's comments said it all: her background made her empathetic to the suffering of others. When she saw some one lacking, she sought ways to share with them. When they were down, she sought ways to reach out a lifting hand. Within her family, she made consistent efforts to provide us the best of comfort, nourishment, creativity, beauty and enjoyment. While her life was not one of dramatic public accomplishments, the work of caring for the people around her will always be remarkable to me. I am honored to have known her and to have seen the ways she created abundance.

Today, it felt appropriate to attempt her family-famous rolls for the first time. Her Thanksgiving dinners were always delicious and these rolls were divine. I really struggled through this first attempt, not sure how to work with such unwieldy dough, and yet, I loved every minute of it. It felt like an honor to her legacy of creating bounty for the people you care about.

Hope you feel blessed with abundance this Thanksgiving, including good food.

Grandma's Parker House Rolls

Dissolve in a small bowl:
2 pkgs. yeast (4 1/2 tsp)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Dissolve:
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp. salt
1 cup scalded milk

When cool, combine mixtures. Add:
4 cups flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup veg. oil

Stir well, then add:
3 3/4 cups sifted flour

Mix well with large spoon, not a mixer. Let rise covered, until double (about 2 hours).

Melt several tablespoons of butter and set aside. Punch down dough with a spoon. Pour (yes, pour) about half of the dough onto very well floured bread board. Sprinkle generously with flour to prevent sticking. Roll to about 1/3 inch thick. Cut rolls with biscuit cutter, score gently with a knife and brush with butter along the crease. Fold in half, pressing the round edge together and transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Lightly brush with melted butter. Let raise until doubled again (about 1 hour). Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Brush tops with unmelted butter.

The secret to these light rolls is not using too much flour and not handling the dough too much.

Her final, somewhat deceptive notes? "They are so easy to make - just stir them up - raise - roll out and bake. SO SIMPLE!" I think it should say "So STICKY! but worth it!" Mine need a bit of work to find the right balance, but I think I have a few years before I have to have them "Grandma perfect".

Our favorite chocolate chip cookies....

I decided to make these the other night to celebrate a successful performance by my students and the completion of another dance residency. Thought you might enjoy them too....

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter (or 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup butter)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour (I do 1 cup white, 1 cup whole wheat)
2 1/2 cups quick oats
chocolate chips (3/4 - 1 12 oz. bag)

Cream butter (barely softened) and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and choc. chips. Drop in golf ball sized clumps on cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for 8 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are slightly brown. (Do not over bake.) Let cool for a bit on the cookie sheet.

Eat warm.

For more chocolate chip cookie tips (like the impact of creaming butter properly, why cookie dough is better the next day, etc.), check out this article.

Try these yummy flax seed crackers!

Finally, here is the updated link to the recipe for the flax seed crackers I have obsessed about here and here. I love them. Adore them! Think you should definitely try them. Crunch them. Munch them. Snack and dip and devour them.

Now I'm going to have to make myself a batch soon....yummmmeeeee!

Cornmeal Lemon Bars (sans powdered sugar)

I've had lemon meringue pie on the brain for weeks, but when I finally pulled out the recipe book at 7:30 pm Sunday before last, I discovered that it would be at least 5 hours from that moment until a lemon meringue pie would be ready to eat. After-midnight pie wasn't much of an option, but my lemon-y hankering was growing by the minute. Something had to be done.

How about lemon bars? Prep time only 45 minutes? Sold, but a quick ingredients check revealed there was no powdered sugar in my kitchen. None. I checked twice. I even used the stool.

As a side note, I ALWAYS have powdered sugar in my kitchen because I NEVER use it. If I want to make frosting or lemon bars or . . . (what else do you use p. sugar for?), I'll stand in the baking supply aisle straining (and failing) to remember the last time I bought it and how much is left. In exasperation, I buy another box...and then add it to the stockpile when I get home. So imagine my surprise when I actually didn't have any powdered sugar. Do not fear. I am a creative girl and was not about to be stopped from satisfying my craving for lemony desserts due to a lack of time and/or powdered sugar. The result?

Cornmeal Lemon Bars (sans powdered sugar):

Crust:
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
zest from one lemon

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Press into pan and bake for 13x9x2. Bake for 15-20 min. at 350. Don't overbake.

Filling:
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tsp flour
1 tsp zest
3/4 cup lemon juice (about 6-8 lemons worth)
1/4 cup half-and-half, light cream or milk

Mix filling and pour onto hot crust. Bake 15-20 minutes more, until center is set. Cool. If you don't eat them all promptly, store them in the refrigerator.

My vote? Yummy. Tweakable? Sure, but definitely yummy.

Now, if your helpful hubby, after listening to your tale of despair at the woeful lack of powder sugar in the house and your explanation of how ingenious and creative your dessert solution is, opens the cupboard and pulls out this...

...you have every right to eat all of the lemon bars yourself.

Soup Swap: Sweet Potato Soup

This recipe was given to me by the mother of a boy back home. I had a nice little on again/off again crush on this boy all growing up. Before he left for two years, he paid me a visit at college (midnight hiking included) that fanned that crush into a flame. At his farewell party, his mother made this soup. It was the beginning of a transfer of my affections from son to soup. When he returned the sparks just weren't there, but I was still passionately in love with this...

...in spite of its occasional resemblance to baby food. And my true love? He loves it!

Oh how I love a happy ending!

Admittedly, it is a stretch to say that what I am about to share for Jessica's Soup Swap is a recipe. It's more of a soup "concept", but it is so simple, I think a concept will do. As such, realize that all measurements are estimates (guesses) and can (and probably should!) be tweaked. I always wing it with this recipe. Just know, with good dairy and cardamom you can't go wrong!

Without further ado....

Claudia's Sweet Potato Soup

4 sweet potatoes
reserved liquid from boiling sweet potatoes

2 Tbs. butter (or ghee if, like Claudia, you roll like that)
1/2 cup cream (or skip this and use 1/2 and 1/2 or milk)
1/2 - 1 cup milk
ground cardamom
salt and pepper

1. Boil the sweet potatoes 'til soft.
2. Drain, reserving some of the liquid.
3. Transfer to a blender.
4. Add 1/2 cup reserved liquid.
5. Add 1 Tbs. butter.
6. Add part of the dairy product of your choice.
7. Blend away. (Technical term, see Joy of Cooking)

8. Add additional liquids (reserved liquid, milk, cream, etc.) and butter to achieve your desired level of richness, creaminess and thickness.

9. Add cardamom, (maybe 1/2 -3/4 tsp?) salt and pepper to taste.

If you really want to be happy, enjoy with these crackers.

(Aack! I just discovered the blog with this recipe has been deleted. Oh they are divine! Can I share this recipe with you? What are the blog ethics for something published by someone else that I can no longer just link to because it's been deleted? They are one of my main inspirations for starting a blog! You must try them! Well, if you are in to that making your own crackers kind of thing... This happy ending is slightly marred. Somebody help! Is there a copyright lawyer in the house?)

Adding pumkin to the pantheon

Ladies and Gentlemen, last week was national Pie Week.

Yes, week.

Pie is practically religion in my family (which is a subject for another post altogether), and yet, I did not know this. How did I not know this?

I did not know this when I set out to make an apple pie for an inauguration celebration.

Nor, when I followed that with a LONG overdue pecan pie for hubby.

And when I had enough time Sunday afternoon to make the pumpkin pie I've been wanting to try since Thanksgiving, odd national food holidays were far from my thoughts. But nevertheless, by the end of National Pie Week, I had made 3 pies. I haven't cooked that many pies since our Thanksgiving open-house last year! Coincidence?

Before I go on, I should share word about pumpkin pie.

I don't like it.

Admittedly, I've been able to get a few polite bites down with a smile at this or that Thanksgiving dinner, but rarely more than that.

Then I made this beauty....


...and I am converted. Converted!

Why would I make a pumpkin pie for myself if I really don't like it, you ask? Well, you see, I was curious. I love pumpkin in other things, e.g. cookies, cakes, breads, soup, etc. So why not pie, the crowning expression of baking? When I saw an article about using fresh pumpkin in pie...I had to see if that would make all the difference.

Oh glory it has! And now to the Pantheon of Pies in my family's little collection, I will add this glorious pumpkin pie. So you can enjoy it too, here's my variation on this recipe:

Pentecostal Pumpkin Pie
(It'll make you a believer)

1 sugar pumpkin, to yield 2 cups puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cardamom
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
4 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup cream

1. Seed and cook pumpkin. Remove flesh. Put through a food mill to make it extra smooth, if you'd like.
2. Mix sugars, salt & spices. Add eggs and cream cheese. Mix well.
3. Add cream and pumpkin puree. Mix well, until smooth.
4. Pour into prepared, unbaked pie crust. (This will have to be the subject of yet another post.)
5. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
6. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.
7. Remove, cool and serve with cinnamon whipped cream.
8. Swear your devotion.

Hmmmmmmm.....If anyone can suggest a sacred text to accompany pumpkin pie, perhaps I could take it to rehearsal. Ideas?

Mom's Dill Bread

Mom used to make this after church on Sunday afternoons. I made some yesterday and remembered lazy those afternoons lying in a patch of sun on our shag carpet, reading the funny papers, with the aroma of dill bread drifting through the house. Mmmmmm.....where are my funnies?

Mom's Dill Bread

Total Prep Time: approx. 2-2 1/2 hours (unless you get distracted blogging while it rises. Then it takes a weeeeee bit longer.)
Yield: 1 loaf

1 pkg dry yeast (2 tsp)
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup cream cottage cheese
1 Tbs butter
1 egg
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs instance minced onion
1 Tbs dried dill weed
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cup flour (I use 1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat)


1. Sprinkle yeast over water.
2. Heat cottage cheese to lukewarm.
3. Combine sugar, onion, dill, salt & soda.
4. Add butter to warm cottage cheese. Then add egg and yeast.
5. Combine mixtures and beat.
6. Add flour to form stiff dough.
7. Cover and let raise double.
8. Turn into 1 1/2 quart casserole dish or bread pan.
9. Let raise in warm place 30-40 minutes
10. Bake at 350 fro 40-50 minutes
11. (The best part...) While still hot, brush top crust with butter and sprinkle with salt.

I love the slightly crunchy crust on a slice smeared with butter. And it smells delish! Enjoy!

Soup Swap: Mom's Chunky Style Chili

I made this yummy chili and Dad's cornbread last night. It is one of my sister's favorite mom-made dishes. I decided to contribute the recipe to the Soup Swap over at Turkeycookies.

Mom's Chunky Style Chili

1. In a large pot, combine and soak overnight:

• 3 cups dry beans
• 6 cups water

2. The next day, cook beans for 1 1/2 hours, adding more water as needed to cover beans.

3. Drain beans

4. Add:

• 1 16 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 16 oz. can of stewed tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbs. chili powder
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard
• 2Tbs. Wocestershire sauce

5. Brown 2 lbs hamburger, drain and add to chili.

6. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

I vary this recipe sometimes (e.g., canned beans - 3 15 oz cans of kidney beans for 1/2 recipe made it pretty bean-y; less meat, ground turkey - cook it up first with onions, peppers and celery; and pureed tomatoes instead of stewed tomatoes for a soupier recipe), but I really like it in it's original form too. You can serve it with chips, sour cream, cheese & avocado. Enjoy!

Please join the soup swap if you have a favorite soup recipe to share or click the link above to see what other recipes wonderful bloggers have contributed. I love going there for ideas! I'll be trying out a Potato Corn Chowder recipe from there later this week. Stay warm and satisfied!

Banana Bread & Sharing

I'm grateful to have banana bread in the oven! I wanted something a bit healthier (and caramel-ier) than the usual banana bread. Are those two things mutually exclusive???

Anyway, I found an epicurious recipe to tweak. It's in the oven now and it smells so yummy! Optimistic that it will taste yummy, so I'll post my variation recipe here. (Just checked on it and it looks GOOD!!!) (Update: Yep. It's good!)

End-Our-Dependence-on-Oil Banana Bread

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar (half brown sugar, half white)
3 bananas
1/3 cup yogurt
1 T oil
1 tsp vanilla
3/4-1 cup white flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Toasted nuts (optional)
Honey (optional)

Beat eggs and sugar for 5 min (til light and thick is what their recipe said...not EXACTLY sure what that means. Light and think? But I beat it for 5 minutes). Add bananas, yogurt, oil, vanilla. Mix. Add dry ingredients and mix. Pour into greased and floured pan. Sprinkle toasted nuts on top. Drizzle with honey if you'd like. Bake at 325 for about an hour, until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Also enjoy these giveaways on some blogs I check from time to time....

Dragonfrye News is having her monthly giveaway of a baby blanket/comforter/quilt. Tina is very nice and I love the quilt I won from her. Take a look...maybe you'll be lucky too!

Apron Thrift Girl is giving away a beautiful necklace. Wait, maybe don't enter...I want to increase my odds!

Lollychops is giving away a pendant to be made into a bracelet or necklace...winner's choice. She's also compiling a massive list of favorite craft blogs as part of the giveaway, so check back if you want new inspiration! (And maybe drool over the yummy looking chocolate cobbler in her more recent posts!)

'Bye folks! Have a yummy day!

Soup Swap: Mom's Stew & Kathy's French Bread

This is my contribution to Jessica's Soup Swap. If you want more yummy soup recipes, just click on the icon above.



This stew is so yummy! It definitely gives me growing up comfort memories! As I made it again for the Soup Swap, I was reminded of the uniqueness of the flavor too. It's not a typical stew taste. The paprika and worcestershire and clove....just right!

I also decided to make French bread from a recipe given to me at my bridal shower back home with family and the women from my neighborhood. These women were constants in my growing up years. Claudia (who happened to live next door to my aunt) gave me this recipe, but clearly labeled it as "Kathy's" who lived across the street from her. Talk about neighborhood sharing! I love thinking of the women I grew up around when I make this bread. Without further ado....

Mom's Stew

2 Tbsp shortening or butter
1 lb stew meat
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of ground cloves
4 potatoes cubed
2-4 carrots
1 16 oz. can corn, drained (I used corn from 3 ears of corn, cut of the cob raw)
(I also added 2 small parsnips, but didn't notice them for good or bad.)
6 Tbsp flour

Brown the meat in the shortening/butter, turning often.

(Oh my goodness, looking at this now I think I may have added twice the butter. No wonder it tasted extra rich!) Add 2 quarts of water (I used beef broth for part of this because I had it in the fridge) and all of the seasoning/spices including onion and garlic. Once the soup is boiling, add the carrots and potatoes.

Cook until soft. Add the corn. Combine the flour in cold water, mixing thoroughly until there are no lumps. Add to stew and heat 'til bubbly (and if you add extra butter like me you have a yummy layer of "flavor" swirling on top!)

Kathy's French Bread

(This is the half version I make for only one loaf.)

1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp dry yeast
1 cup HOT water
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp salt (I probably do a little less than this)
1/6 cup of oil (eye-balled in my 1/3 cup measuring cup)
3 cups flour (I used 100% whole wheat.)

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water. In another bowl combine hoe water, sugar, salt, oil and 1/2 flour. Stir. Add yeast and stire. Add rest of flour. I usually cover the bowl and place it on my stove top or some other warm place. Stir down dough every 10 minutes five times. Roll out on large cutting board.

Roll up jelly-roll fashion , tucking the ends under. Sprinkle baking pan with cornmeal or grease. (Looking at my pan, see I clearly forgot that one, but it didn't stick this time. Go figure!) Slash the top.


Let raise double (30 - 60 minutes). Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Serve warm with butter, of course!

Dad's Cornbread

Isn't my cook-book beat???

Growing up it was my dad who was passionate about cooking. Don't get me wrong, my mom can cook, but my dad obsesses about it...pies, chili verde, pizza, sour dough bread, salmon with mango salsa, cornish game hens, dutch oven eclairs....

It was with him that I took a dutch oven cooking class the year I was twelve. When he gave me this recipe over the phone years ago, he of course included the dutch oven details, which are at the end of the recipe. I love this recipe, probably because it is sweet enough to be more of a corn "cake". I've never served it without someone else loving it too. May it accompany a yummy soup or stew in your house this fall or chili verde on a mountain river next summer!

Dad's Cornbread

Mix:
1/2 cup melted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or lemon juice/vinegar soured milk)

Add and mix:
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
(I use whole wheat flour. Do you think that balances out the sugar and butter???)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Grease bottom of an 8x8 baking dish. Pour batter into dish. Bake at 350 F for 30+ minute, until edges are browned. You can double the recipe and bake in a 13x9 baking dish.

Serve with butter and honey, of course!

(Dutch oven details: for a single batch use a 10" dutch oven. Bake with 9 briquets on top and 6 briquets under the d.o. Bake for approx. 30 minutes, rotating both the d.o. and the lid periodically.)

p.s. If you are looking for yummy soup recipes, check out the soup swap at Turkeycookies. Where do you think her blog name came from??? I'm so curious....

Farmer's Market Bliss...and a Recipe!

I love the farmer's market! I love buying local, organic milk...in the reused bottles, just like my mom had when the milk man actually delivered! I love the fresh veggies. I love everybody stocking up on their greens...and reds and yellows and purples and peaches! I love how beautiful and busy it all is and that it is all grown close to home.

And I love that it brings this to my table....

"Hail-kissed" very juicy peaches

and this.....

Fresh Tomato Sandwiches on homemade bread with corn on the cob

And this...one of my recent favorites ways to use fresh corn....

Corn and Black Bean Salsa/Salad

This recipe is from Heather, and I LOVE it!!! The lime, the cilantro, the peppers....YUM!!! Make it while the corn is good, just don't flaunt it on Heather's blog as there is apparently not a great bean selection in Kazakhstan!

Here's the recipe:

Corn and Black Bean Salsa/Salad

2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (3-4 ears)
2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1/3 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1 large jalapeno, finely chopped
3 T vegetable oil
2 T fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
salt
few drops of Tabasco (optional).

In a large bowl, combine the corn, black beans, red onion, bell pepper and jalapeno. Stir in oil and lime juice. Add cilantro, 1 tsp of salt and Tabasco and toss well.

Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. Season with more lime juice, salt or Tabasco, if necessary, and served chilled or at room temperature.

My variations: I used one 15 oz. can black beans, one of black-eyed peas. I vary the peppers (red, yellow, green, purple). I wing the proportions a bit, depending on what I have on hand....and the fact that I think lime and cilantro should always be quadrupled! I rarely put in that much oil, and usually use olive oil. I often add tomato and cucumber. I use the green Tabasco.

Can be served it as a main dish with bread or tortillas, side dish with chips or any other way that strikes your fancy. It is just plain YUMMY!

Bon appetit!

p.s. I just noticed the use of all of the following "diced, minced, and chopped" in the recipe above....wonder if I ever chop the onion and mince the jalapeno? Tastes good anyway!

p.p.s. Any end of summer favorites and recipes you can recommend?

Shortcake anyone???

When I was a kid, if you were going to have strawberries for dessert, it was either strawberries and cream or with whipped cream on little angel food cake cups. Oh I thought that was divine! (Aside, I still love angel food cake. When I go home and they have the angel food cakes in the local bakery, I ALWAYS want to buy one and if I do, I never want to share it. But I do. I'm nice like that. I give at least one slice to my step dad before devouring the rest.)

Enter Hubby's mom's short cake, which is really a sweet variation on her baking powder biscuits. She served them a few summer's ago with strawberries.



Sure, they looked nice in a boring biscuit kind of way. I thought nothing could replace my angel food cake cups. Especially biscuits! Silly me....

I love them! So when I bought strawberries this week, I had to make them. Here's the recipe:

Momma Mac's Biscuit Shortcakes

3 cups flour (I used all whole wheat)
3 Tbls sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbls shortening
2 Tbls butter (I used all butter, 1/2 cup, and no shortening)
1 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening and butter. Stir in the milk. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead lightly. Roll out and cut into biscuits, or just plop them on the cookie sheet if you like 'em like that. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. (Mine needed a bit more time).

Oh they were so good with our berries and a few days later with peaches.

Final note: These are not baking SODA biscuits....wasn't paying attention the first time and got these dark and NASTY tasting biscuits....oops!


Favorite summer or berry recipe anyone?

Brought to you by the color orange....

To combat the sticky, hot, muggy, miserable New York summer, I decided to make Orange Juliuses this week! Remember those???


It was one of the things I learned to make in 7th grade Home Ec (you know, so I would be prepared to healthily feed a family of four on sugary, frothy drinks) and for a whole year I really thought I was the cat's meow because I could make an Orange Julius at home. And make them I did.....week after week after week. Then forgot ALL about them until this summer.

Luckily, the recipe (which I thought I would NEVER forget I made them so much that year), was in the very middle-America American Fork Relief Society cook-book my aunt gave me when I got married. Here it is in case you want some of this frozen delight and have forgotten the recipe (along with exactly how to rat your bangs to soaring heights like you did in 7th grade):

1 6 oz. can of frozen OJ concentrate
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
Ice cubes to make 4 cups

Blend the heck out of it. Oh my they are good!

Speaking of fabulous orange foods.......


Squeaky cheese. Yes, squeaky! So delightfully squeaky! I had forgotten just how squeaky it is until last weekend when Hermanacita and I went to the cheese factory in the little town where we both went to college .

Oh so yummy! Oh so delightfully squeaky... chew, squeak! chew, squeak! It kept making me giggle.

Anyone else eat cheese curds? Something else you loved to eat or make as a kid? Do you love it now?

Chew, squeak, slurp! Stay cool!