Kitchen Scents

This morning, my kitchen smells like basil from last nights dinner and ripening peaches. Lovely! My peaches from the farmers market were finally ready to be
blanched, peeled, sliced and frozen.


I love how these girls just slip out of their skins after having taken a hot bath!
Now they slices of gold, tucked away and ready to eat all winter long.

Abundance.

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!

Moments: Creating order

Creating sometimes seems to make only chaos.

(The same bed from yesterday's post on peace...12 hours later.)

Creating sometimes makes delicious order.

(When in doubt for dinner, hubby's omelets are a sure bet! With leftover squash? Yum!)

p.s. Does eating a banana with my ice cream pie make my breakfast healthy? Someone needs to buy cereal...and bread...and T.P. around here. Guess that's me! Bye for now.

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".

True Wealth

Every now and then, my dad calls to tell me how rich he is.

This is the same man who periodically reminds me that he's trying to figure out how to be born to wealthy parents so he'll be set for life, so you can rest assured he's not talking about an investment portfolio or bank balance. No, when my dad says he's rich, it usually means he has an abundance of some delicious food at home, often stockpiled in the freezer.

Maybe live crawfish mailed in from Louisiana, just for a crawfish boil with his daughters.


Or enough of the best Utah peaches (yes, he has copious notes from various taste tests to prove it) in his freezer to provide peaches on his oatmeal all winter long.

Or the first strawberries ripening on the variety he read has the best strawberry flavor ever, but can't be commercially grown because they deteriorate too quickly. (For best results, pop it straight in your mouth once picked.)

(His strawberry starters.)

Yes, when my dad says he's rich, it almost certainly means food, and lots of it.

So tonight, I feel rich to have lots of my favorite, favorite crackers (recipe here) warm out of the oven.

Note: Even with a double batch, I think they're going to disappear quickly. I may have possibly eaten half a baking sheet since starting this post.

Making me happy these days...

Harvest Corn on the table.


Quilting (free-motion quilting, mind you) on my new machine...and a Halloween table runner that is almost done. Subway commuting = finishing the binding today!


Yummy brownies.

I'm Home...

making tortillas...

airing out camping gear...

auditioning fabric for a quilt back...



laughing at my funny cleavage tan
(ummm..my swimsuit might have cut just a bit lower than my sunscreen coverage did)...

and missing my family.

M.F.E.O.

It is official. Mr. Kent and I are made for each other. Remember his idea of a perfect dinner?

Well, here is my deliciously balanced breakfast from this morning:

Yes, we love our veggies and fruits. We eat lentils and beans and greens. But deep down, deep down, we are united in honoring our family motto:

Eat Dessert!

And so we do.

Nothing is sacred...

I came in while hubby was setting the table....

Laughing, I fetched my camera.

"You going to put that on your blog?

(nod)

"Is nothing sacred?"

Nope. Sorry hon. Not even the intimate relationship between man and his cookie...

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.

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!

What's more American than....VOTING?

When I was a kid we learned a song in school that asked that question with a silly variety of different endings....corn flakes, the Fourth of July, Uncle Sam, ice cream, baseball, football, etc. (Aside, can anyone explain why the song includes pizza pie, but not apple pie in the list of "American" items?)

In any event, in honor of my friend May's naturalization party, I am asking YOU this question...What is the most American dish I can bring to help May celebrate? She'll already have hot dogs, Coca Cola and little apple pies. What do you think folks? What shall it be? Please exercise your rights as a reader of this blog and let your voice be heard!

I will report on Thursday what I take, just how badly I humiliate myself on her citizenship trivia games....and just how often we all (including May) shout, in answer to the question above, "I AM, I AM, I AM!"

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!

Breakfast...

The last piece of the pie I made with my sister. And the ice cream? Well a girl needs her dairy! The Halloween table runner I will be sewing tomorrow for myself (finally!) is in the background. It's going to be a great day. Hope yours is great too.

Busy Day...

Don't have time to write and post pictures (even of the ADORABLE quilt I received in the mail from Tina! hopefully tomorrow...), so I'm just passing on a few links that I am wanting to spend more time checking out....

For dinner....if you want soup, check out Turkey Cookies soup recipe swap. Oh they look yummy! Or if you want to explore some vegetarian options, how 'bout this site?


For fellow apartment dwellers, check this site out. I want one of these in my living room! And they speculate about the staying power of cupcakes. Vital life questions.

Have a lovely day!