Just the Right Size

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

2011-11-10T06:14:00.001-08:00

MMmmmmm...I hadn't realized it, but I wrote about this recipe before. It's definitely a keeper! The one thing I did differently in this batch, which totally gilded the lily, was to add Spiced Candied Walnuts into the mix instead of plain, roasted walnuts or pecans. You should hear the moaning here at the office!

I used a different recipe to make the spiced candied walnuts, but this recipe from Simply Recipes will work just fine. To spice them up, add a teaspon of cinnamon to the sugar mixture while you're melting the sugar, or just simply dust the walnuts with cinnamon powder before the candy hardens.

Candied Walnuts
Recipe Source: Simply Recipes

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups raw walnut halves
1/8 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Use middle rack in oven. Lay walnuts out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 5 minutes. Test for doneness. If not quite toasted enough, toast for 1 or 2 more minutes. Be careful not to burn. Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a rack.

Pour sugar into a medium saucepan with a thick bottom. Have walnuts nearby, ready to quickly add to the pan at the right time. Cook sugar on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon as soon as the sugar begins to melt. Keep stirring until all the sugar has melted and the color is a medium amber. As soon as sugar is melted and the color is a medium amber, add the walnuts to the pan, quickly stirring and coating each piece with the sugar mixture.

As soon as the walnuts are coated with the sugar mixture, spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet, lined either with a Silpat non-stick mat, or parchment paper. Use two forks to separate the walnuts from each other, working very quickly. Sprinkle the nuts with the salt. Let cool completely.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Bustin a Rhinestone

2011-10-31T07:11:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween, mama!

Well, today is Halloween, BOO to you! I dressed up like Elvis for work because we were doing this whole 50’s – 60’s theme for costumes at work….wouldn’t you know it that all the people who nagged about dressing up didn’t???!!! So here I am with my white jumpsuit with the rhinestones, wig, sun glasses, and red scarves and no one else is dressed up. Hey, didn’t I have a nightmare like that once? Except I was also late for a calculus exam and in my underwear. FAIL!

Potato, Bacon, and Leek Soup with Horseradish

2011-10-25T06:35:00.001-07:00

This is the view we had for an impromptu picnic at Linden Vineyards this past weekend, isn’t it gorgeous?

We spent the afternoon drinking mulled wine, nibbling on some cheese, and pinching ourselves for the fact that we are actually able to experience fall in the Blue Ridge Mountains in person. Every day is like Christmas up here.

The weather is finally cooling off and what better way to celebrate than with a hearty bowl of soup? I found the New England Soup Factory Cookbook by Marjorie Druker and Clara Silverstein a few months ago and have been drooling over the recipes. This recipe for Potato, Bacon, and Leek Soup with Horseradish is a modification from their original recipe in the book simply because I had some gorgeous leeks that needed a home.

The soup is like an over-the-top baked potato soup and isn't as heavy as it looks. The horseradish really makes is something special. It is definitely a keeper recipe and would be transcendent with a roast beef and cheddar sandwich.

Potato, Bacon, and Leek Soup with Horseradish
Recipe Source and modified from: New England Soup Factory Cookbook

2 tablespoons butter
4 whole cloves garlic, peeled and minced
*2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, then sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
6 cups chicken stock
2 tsps onion powder
2 tsps garlic powder
1 cup sour cream
2 cups light cream (I used whole milk)
4 tablespoons bottled minced horseradish
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
4 dashes hot sauce
1 cup crumbled, cooked bacon
1 bunch fresh chives, minced or 2 green onions sliced small
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

*Note: Be sure to rinse sliced leeks well, as they tend to be very sandy

In a stockpot melt the butter over med-high heat. Add the garlic, leeks, and celery. Saute for 7 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to coat with the butter and vegetables. Add the chicken stock, onion and garlic powder and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are soft and tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the stove and puree the soup with a hand blender or working in batches with a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream, light cream, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Puree once again until everything is incorporated. Return the pot to the stove and simmer for 10 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve in soup bowls and garnish with the chives/green onions and bacon.

Testing...

2011-10-20T05:57:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from my phone...oh the possibilities!

Turkey With A Death Wish

2011-10-17T09:26:00.000-07:00

This turkey's days are numbered...37 to be exact.

A Sink Full of Apples

2011-09-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, this is my 200th post! In honor of the occasion, I bring you apples!

The onslaught of fall apples has begun. This sink full of Jonagold and Honey Crisp apples (1 peck) were turned into the first 7 quarts of applesauce of the season. Mmmmmmm…

Applesauce, applebutter, apple pie jam, apple pie filling, apple conserve, here I come!

Grilled Flatbread

2011-09-16T07:31:00.000-07:00

Oh my gosh you guys; fall is finally here! When I left my office building last night, it was cold and blustery outside and simply wonderful! I know there will probably be a few days of hot before we settle in for winter, but man does fall feel good!

Hubby and I had already planned to grill a London broil on the gas grill last night, so it was the perfect opportunity to try out this soft flatbread recipe that I found at Deanna's blog Marzipan last week. Let me tell you, it changed our lives.

I had a ball of the dough sitting in the refrigerator from the day before. I had made it and had originally planned to dry fry it on the stove, but grilling it sounded SO much better. The dough mixed up so easy; in fact, I don’t even think I’ll need the Kitchenaid for next time. I pinched off 4 balls and they rolled out like a dream; no shrinking, and very pliable. We casually tossed them on the grill; I didn’t know what to expect since this was a new recipe.

They puffed up beautifully, with perfect grill marks, in less than five minutes without any sticking. One flip over, 2 more minutes, and they were AMAZING. We couldn’t help but tear into one straight off the grill, with puffs of steam coming out of our mouths from the combination of hot food and cold weather. It was one of those HOW HAVE WE EVER LIVED WITHOUT THESE moments.

They were so amazingly delicious; we rolled out the remaining dough and grilled up the rest for future lunches. I plan to have a ball of this dough ready in my refrigerator at all times from now on.

Make these today; I mean it!

Soft Flatbread
Recipe from: Marzipan

3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup potato flour OR 1/2 cup potato buds or flakes
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast

1) Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir till smooth. Cover the bowl and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

2) In a separate bowl, using a fork, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and the remaining 1 cup of flour with the salt, oil and yeast until a crumbly mixture forms.

3) Add this to the cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes by hand to form a soft dough. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky. Add additional flour only if necessary and keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled to prevent sticking.

4) Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour.

5) Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. The dough may be wrapped or placed in a baggie and then refrigerated or frozen after dividing if desired. Bring to room temperature before starting the next step.

6) Roll each piece into a 7"- to 8"-circle (a rolling pin helps here), and dry-fry them (fry without oil) over medium heat for about 1 minute per side, until they're puffed and flecked with brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out.

7) Transfer the cooked breads to a rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately (recommended), or cool completely before storing in a plastic bag.

11 Months - The Power of Booze

2011-09-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Every year I make my annual besotted fruitcakes and every year I have some left over. It's not that they're bad, they're DELICIOUS! As a matter of fact, each year I have to make more to accomodate the demand.

Anyway, I always over estimate and we have some left over. Usually, the things sit wrapped-up in our spare refrigerator for a couple of months until we are over the holiday bingefest, then we'll break them out and share again with friends. The longest they've sat was until June or July AND THEY WERE STILL GOOD!

Last nite, we realized we had last year's cakes still wrapped up in the refrigerator. You guys, these were made in October LAST YEAR, and yep, they were still good! The yellow one was a little dry, but nothing that a little basting with cherry brandy didn't fix right away.

I think I'm going to take them into work tomorrow....sshhhh, don't tell my coworkers.

Chili Paste

2011-09-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

While I’m on a roll regarding the time limit for summer’s produce, I have yet another condiment to share that I cannot do without. You will think this too once you make this Chili Paste.

I love Asian food. I love spicy food. Even better, I love spicy Asian food! So much so that I go through a bottle of Sriracha sauce and its cousin, garlic chili sauce, every few months (sometimes weeks).

Neither one of them are expensive and they are fairly easy to find in the grocery, but as a rule, food tastes so much better when you make it yourself. When I first made this chili paste, I was like, “¡Ayi Chiuaua! ¡FUEGO! ¡FUEGO!”

It was hot! But after just 24 hours, it mellowed out into a wonderful sweet, garlicky chili paste with some nice heat. Plus, it literally took minutes to make.

Hubby and I have eaten it on stir fry, soups, stews, take-out-Chinese, burritos, chili, nachos, salsa, really anything where you want some extra heat. So, get your hands on some fresh chili peppers before they are no longer available at the farmer’s markets. This will definitely keep you warm over winter!

Chili Paste
Adapted from Andrea Nguyen

3 cups of chili peppers, any variety of your choice ( Jalapeno, Thai, Habanero, etc.) washed and stemmed
8-10 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tablespoon distilled vinegar (I used probably 3)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Note: This is a fresh chili paste that is meant to be stored in the refrigerator.

Roughly chop chillies if using large peppers. Add chillies, garlic, vinegar, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse until coarsely pureed. Adjust sugar, salt and vinegar to taste. Makes about 1, 12 oz. jar and will last several months in the refrigerator.

Tomato Basil Butter

2011-09-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

The kids are back in school and that means the days of fresh, summer produce are getting shorter and shorter. August and September are an avalanche of tomatoes and basil, so if you can, take a few minutes to whip up a big batch of Tomato Basil Butter. You’ll be SO glad you did.

This amazing compound butter is fantastic on fish, grilled vegetables, garlic bread, and heck even as a base for non-sauced pizzas. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg….stir it in to mashed potatoes, soups, sauces, rice, put a dollop on a searing, grilled steak, smear it on grilled corn, mix it with spinach and use it as a filling for chicken breasts or thighs, OH MY!

Heck, I've even just spread it on warm bread and dug in...mmmmmmmmmmm.

This freezes amazingly well, so you can dip into this lovliness until next summer!

TOMATO BASIL BUTTER

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/ 2 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes (about 1 lb.)
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/ 2 cup sweet butter softened
2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/ 2 tsp. salt
1/ 8 tsp. pepper
1/ 4 cup minced fresh basil

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the tomatoes and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes form a puree that will mound. Let cool.

Put the butter in a mixing bowl and beat in the tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated but best served at room temperature so that it will melt quickly. Freezes well, make a "log", wrap in waxed paper, then Ziploc bags.

Wise Guys

2011-08-26T05:45:00.000-07:00

See what my wise guy counterparts in California sent me?!! Hmph!

Happy Anniversary

2011-08-25T05:27:00.001-07:00

Although we’ve only been married 4 years and together for almost 10, I can’t imagine my life without him or what life was life before him.

Happy anniversary to my bread and my knife, my pigeon on the general’s head, my red-rover-send-Grover-right-over, my sweet guy.

Earthquake!

2011-08-24T05:27:00.000-07:00

Whoa! That was scary! I'm in Dumfries, VA, which is an hour north of the epicenter and about 25 miles south of Washington D.C.

I work on the 3rd and top floor of an office building and I had just gotten back from lunch. I was typing away in my cubicle and I felt this rumbling...at first I thought that maybe it was a sonic boom (memories from Florida) or some sort of explosives training going on at the base at Quantico (they do that at times), but then it kept going and getting stronger.

I looked to the man who works across the cubicle isle from me and we looked at each other like, "WTF is THIS???!! Holy crap this is an EARTHQUAKE!" Things were falling off the wall, potted plants were crashing down, the building was moving, and the windows were cracking.

I never ran down flights of stairs in heels as fast as I did today! Our whole building evacuated and our company closed for the rest of the day.

At home, I live 2 miles away from work, pictures had crashed off the walls, the kitties were freaked out, but nothing was lost that was valuable and everyone is o.k....shaken (pun intended), but o.k.

I've never been through an earthquake before and it is not something I want to experience again. Hey, I moved up here to get AWAY from natural disasters!

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

2011-08-18T05:54:00.000-07:00

I know I promised you pie, but these little cuties are sweet enough for now. Don't 'cha just want to gobble them up?

I might ask Santa to get me Just Dance 2 for Christmas this year....that and a 52", flatscreen t.v., oh, and a Wii as well. :-)

Summer 2011: Season of The Itch

2011-07-25T07:40:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I’ve committed a blog owner’s carnal sin; I left without even telling you what’s going on. I know it will take time for you to trust me again, and I can promise you it won’t happen again. Please accept my humble groveling.

So much to say…I’m working a real-honest-to-god job now. No more cleaning up shite, well at least dog shite. I’ve promised myself that I would not get myself into the same job situation where I was before, which was basically working for a company that treated me like shite. I’ve been here for a little over 2 months and I’m still trying to feel my way around, but it sure is nice to have a paycheck again.

Secondly, I found out what real-honest-to-god poison ivy can do to a person. We have it growing in a few patches within the ground cover in our front and back yard. FUN TIMES! I wrestled with a rash for over 8 weeks this summer, including a point where I had A BLISTER ON MY EYEBALL! That was swell.

Thirdly, I am in real-honest-to-god canning and preserving country up here. A place where I can say, “I put up 8 quarts of tomato sauce this weekend,” and people won’t look at me like I grew a second head. Now, they look at me and say, "What?!! Only 8 quarts?!!" Almost every weeknight has been dedicated to putting up all the wonderful, local goodies I nabbed over the weekend. I’m in heaven!

And lastly, it’s real-honest-to-god HOT ! C’mon winter!

That’s all the proselytizing I have for today. Stay tuned for the most awesomest Peach Pie recipe EVAR!

Oh, The Hills! Enough With The Hills!

2011-03-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

One of the beautiful things about living at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains is the hills. They are breathtaking in more ways than one.

To supplement some spending money and as a source to get out and explore, I’ve taken a part-time, mid-day dog walking position in my neighborhood. The job market is very good up here, except I’m adamant about not having to do the “D.C. Crawl” every day in a commute, so I’m being very picky about my job search options. Plus I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

Anyway, back to the hills. There is not a flat, level road in my entire neighborhood community. After 2 weeks of this dog-walking thing, every day for 2 hours, I’m SO OVER the hills! My knees are like, DUDE WTF? Advil, Osteo Bi-Flex, and Centrum are daily necessities and I feel old. This is nature’s Stairmaster at its best.

Dutch Baby, Baby!

2011-03-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

When hubby and I lived in Florida, we had a sort of superstitious tradition of going to a certain Chinese restaurant for take-out whenever a hurricane was coming to the area. It started as a tradition of necessity when the 2004 hurricane season left us without power and the Chinese place around the corner had a kick-butt generator. There was a customer line out the door, and we gladly waited an hour to eat something hot and cooked by someone else.

Now that we’re in Virginia, we make a Dutch Baby (a.k.a “Snowday Pancake”) every time we’re faced with something like this:

I know, it’s nothing, but it’s a fun excuse to start a new tradition. This yummy breakfast treat is a mix between a pancake and a cooked custard. The outside puffs up light and cakey like a pancake, while the center is a rich and dense custard. It’s a bit like magic, really, and the final presentation is gorgeous.

All it takes is one bowl, a whisk, and a glass baking dish. Or, if you want, you could dispense the batter into individual ramekins for more pizazz.

Dutch Baby
(a.k.a “Snowday Pancake”)
Recipe Source: I don’t remember

4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter
Confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix eggs, flour, milk, vanilla, salt, and spices in a bowl with a whisk. The batter may be slightly lumpy, but that’s o.k. Also, the batter may be made the night before and kept in the refrigerator.

Cut butter into pieces and place in a 9” x 13” Pyrex or casserole dish. Place the casserole dish in the oven and allow the butter to melt until it is slightly browned. Be careful, as the butter can go from slightly browned to burnt very quickly. This extra step gives the pancake wonderful flavor!

Once the butter is melted, take the casserole dish out of the oven and pour the batter over the melted butter. Place the casserole dish back in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown and very puffy. When finished baking, remove the casserole from the oven, cut the pancake into serving sizes, and dust each serving liberally with confectioner’s sugar. Serve with pancake syrup and jam.

Valentine's Day: What a Crock!

2011-02-15T07:12:00.000-08:00

So, Valentine’s Day came and went at our house. Hubs got me a gift card and I got him a neat tool-thingamajig, which turned out to be something he couldn’t use.

Romance, we haz it.

As I was returning and exchanging the tool, I spotted a kickass collection of brand new pickling crocks sitting on a dusty shelf in the back of the hardware store. I promptly whipped out my gift card and grabbed a 5 gallon crock right up. Well, more like lugged it right up…that thing is heavy!

Sauerkraut heaven, here I come!

See? Romance can be found where you least expect it. Love you sweetie!

Kitty Bling: Save Your Furniture With Kitty Caps

2011-02-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

I have forgotten what it's like to have a rambunctious kitten running around the house. A kitten with needle-honed claws, waiting to pounce on a naked, passing ankle or brand-new pair of panty hose.

I'm opposed to declawing. After having it done to my sweet, late kitty Wayne, I swore I would never put another cat of mine through that kind of trauma again. But what do you do when the little darling decides your brand-new couch is much more tempting to claw than that designer scratching post you just lugged home?

Kitty Caps (aka Soft Claws) to the rescue!

I was hesitant to do this for obvious reasons. You see, I'm very attached to the skin on my forearms and my fingers. The thought of pinning down one of my cats and basically gluing a version of Lee Press-On Nails to its claws left me cold, so I asked one of the staff members at my vet's office if they would do it. Uh, yeah...for about $50!

Fortunately, there is a hold maneuver you can use on your cat that will make this easier (note I did not say EASY). The staff member showed me how to hold my kitty down, which by the way, does require 2 people to put on the caps: one to hold kitty down, and one to apply.

Our kitten, Lucy, didn't mind them at all and I'm tickled pink about the outcome! They are the most adorable things I've seen and actually WORK! She licked her paws for exactly 10 minutes and then was off to terrorize our other kitty Chaz.

Now, where are those panty hose?

An-tici-pation!

2011-02-08T08:33:00.000-08:00

The weather was nice enough to open a window or two last week. That lasted for about 6 hours before the icy weather showed up again like an unwelcomed houseguest.

I was surprised to find that if I put a little bit of bird food on the deck, the squirrels will come right up to the screen. They earned their keep, it's the only thing that will keep these little stinkers occupied for more than 5 minutes.

You could have carved the kitty tension with a knife. Lots of chitter-chattering, meowing, and tail-swishing. But the squirrel was Joe Cool and didn't seem phased at all. At one point, they were even sniffing each other through the screen!

Brave squirrel.

New Digs

2011-02-02T06:01:00.001-08:00

I once figured the entire amount of counter-space I had in our old house measured out to the length of our coffee table. Really! It still amazes me that I managed to cook so much, can and preserve, make wine, and bake wedding cakes in that kitchen.

To say I love my new kitchen is an understatement. I have OODLES of counter-space, granite, AND TWO OVENS! It’s the kitchen that sold me on the place, although we are renting for now until we learn the area. The bathrooms are still stuck in the 1970’s, but hey…I spend more time in the kitchen anyway.

The parties we’re going to have here are gonna’ be fierce!

You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby

2011-01-28T13:41:00.000-08:00

Oh, hey guys. What’s going on? So, we moved to the semi-great-white north and things have been getting on fine. I’ve put my Florida feet away.

We’re loving it up here. I love that I can blow-dry my hair and not end up in a giant ball of sweat afterwards. If I get hot, I just open a window. What a concept!

We now have these two little fur-balls to keep me busy during the long, cold wintry days. They both came from the ASPCA and a rescue group. Meet Chaz and Lucy! Lucy is the kitten and I forgot what a handful kittens can be, but she’s sweet too, so that helps. I know...they look exactly alike...I'm anal that way.

I’m on a new job hunt. Basically, I’ve been out of work by choice for one year. My last job completely burned me out to where I woke up one day and said, “¡NO MAS!” That job literally made me sick and I had to make a choice between my sanity and a pay check.

Since the age of 14, I’ve never not had a job…or two…or even three at a time. This past year has been completely new and alien to me, but a well-needed recharging. Plus a good portion was used to help sell our house and relocate up here. I also did a bit of volunteer work and watched wayyyy too much of the Military History Channel. I slept a lot, and spent days where I didn’t even shower, and it was all deliciously wonderful. I couldn’t have done it without my hunny bunny husband, who is a doll and supported me every step of the way.

Happy New Year!

Spicy Cranberry Chutney

2010-12-09T12:28:00.000-08:00

Can Jam Challenge #12

Has it already been a month since the last Can Jam topic? Has it already been a WHOLE YEAR doing this challenge every month? Man, I can’t believe how fast the time went by!

I’m always surprised when I make a new recipe and claim it to be my new favorite, especially since many canning and preserving recipes have the same flavor profile/ingredients, but BOY OH BOY is this good!

I wanted to kick-up the heat factor in this chutney (plus I just don’t like garlic in chutneys) by substituting the original garlic for horseradish (this is allowed as long as you don’t increase the total amount of non-acid ingredients). The spicy combination of the gingerroot, horseradish, and cayenne really brought this chutney to a whole new level. The tartness of the cranberries, with the sweetness of the pineapple, orange juice, and raisins balance out the spiciness and make this chutney fan-friggin-fabulous! I can’t wait to try this on a ham, turkey, or deli-chicken sandwich!

So be sure to get your hands on some cranberries while they are still available and stick them in your freezer. Then, you’ll be able to make this amazing recipe at any time during the year. This chutney is going to make some friends of mine very happy this Christmas.

Happy canning everyone!

Spicy Cranberry Chutney
Recipe source: “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving”
Makes 6 half-pints

3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 ¼ cups finely chopped onion
1 ¼ cups chopped, candied pineapple
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (Note: original recipe called for 3 cloves garlic, minced)
2 tablespoons fresh gingerroot, minced
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice (use zested orange)
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves (Note: I think this could be reduced to ½ teaspoon…my preference)
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a large, stainless steel saucepan, combine cranberries, onion, pineapple, horseradish (or garlic), gingerroot, orange zest, orange juice, and red wine vinegar. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to a gentle boil and cook till cranberries become soft and burst, about 15 minutes. If you choose to have a less “chunky” chutney, mash about 2/3 of the cranberry mixture with a potato masher.

Add sugar, raisins, water, mustard, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne pepper. Boil gently, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes. Mixture should be slightly runny and will thicken when cooling.

Ladle cranberry mixture into prepared canning jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Process in a BWB for 10 minutes.

Apple Pie Jam

2010-11-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

Can Jam Challenge #11

Apples and fall go hand-in-hand, don't you agree? I'm so happy that this month's canning topic is apples! This chunky jam is one of my most all-time favorite apple recipes next to my Caramel Apple Butter. I've mentioned it before in the past and it's worth being in the spotlight once more.

This jam tastes JUST like fresh apple pie filling and is truly sinful when it's warmed up and spooned over vanilla ice cream. If you really want to gild the lily, top that with some crumbled graham crackers or ginger snaps. Spoon it over some hot oatmeal, eat it with an achingly sharp gorgonzola cheese, or simply spread it on a toasted bagel with cream cheese, you'll love every bite!

Linda Lou's Apple Pie Jam
Makes 5-6, half pints

4 cups tart apples, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
4 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 box pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter

Add water to chopped apples to measure 4 cups total. Measure sugars and set aside. Place apples and water into large, heavy saucepan. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and allspice. Stir pectin into fruit. Add butter. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in both sugars. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon. Ladle quickly into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands on finger tight. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Fresh Blood

2010-11-02T06:19:00.000-07:00

The great thing about moving to a new place is “what’s old is new again”. We set the standard low this year as, number one: we are still scrambling to find things, and number two: there’s no place to go from here but up! Halloween was everything I had ever imagined it could have been when we were living in Florida. It was dark (no streetlights), chilly, lots of leaves, pumpkins, lots of giggling kids, and thankful parents.

Still, I’m sure there were over a 100 disappointed kids at our old neighborhood on Sunday night. We had established a pretty solid reputation as being the “It House” for Halloween. Bittersweet.

Habanero Gold Jelly

2010-10-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

Can Jam Challenge #10

You guys, it’s been crazy around here. You KNOW I must be committed to this Can Jam challenge when I can barely find my shoes and definitely not my iron, but will not let you down without a recipe! We moved to this house a little less than a week ago and I did manage to keep a sharp eye out for my canners, jars, and canning paraphernalia. It was all rounded up somewhere between the garage, basement, and kitchen. Pictures will have to come later because I am just too darn exhausted to photograph any jam/jelly food porn for you today.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed in this month’s canning feature. Chili peppers? Really? I wanted apples, darn it! What is fall without apples! Apple Jelly, Apple Butter, Apple Pie Jam, Apple Chutney, Apple Sauce. APPLES, APPLES, APPLES! Wahhh!

Someone needs a nap, ya’ think?

But in the scope of things chili peppers do work. I’m now living somewhere that is actually cold during the month of October, so maybe a little capsaicin to heat things up is a good thing.

For this month’s challenge, there’s gold in them thar hills! Habanero Gold Jelly. I have literally sold cases of this jelly to friends, family, and admirers near and far. I’m pretty sure it’s a Ball recipe, and it’s a definite star on the Harvest Forum for sure. A few years ago, a few of my canning Jedi Masters put their beautiful heads together and scaled this recipe up to make more half pints. I think the original recipe only made 2 or 4 half pints, but this makes 6.

Big Batch Habanero Gold Jelly
Makes 6 half pints

1 cup minced dried apricots (1/8" dice)
Note: Could use dried peaches or pears instead.
1 1/4 total cups minced red sweet pepper and minced red onion (1/8" dice), approximately half-and-half.
1/4 cup Habanero peppers
Note: For extra-hot, increase Habaneros to 1/2 cup and reduce red sweet pepper/red onion combination to 1 cup total.
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 3-oz. pouch liquid pectin (I used Ball, which I've decided I like better than Certo.)

Prep apricots, peppers and onion. Place in a large, stainless or other non-reactive pot. Add sugar and vinegar. Bring to the boil and cook 5 minutes. Pull off the burner; allow to cool, cover and let sit overnight. Stir occasionally if convenient.

Note: 4-6 hours would be plenty, so the time doesn't need to be any greater than the soaking time for apricots in the original recipe.

Next day, bring the mixture back to the boil. Stir in liquid pectin. Boil hard 1 minute. Pull off the heat. If necessary, skim foam. (I did need to skim a bit.) Let cool 2 minutes, stirring to distribute solids. Pour into jars. Stir to distribute and remove air bubbles. Process in a BWB 10 minutes.

When jars are sealed, "agitate" to distribute solids throughout the jelly.

Leaf Peeping

2010-10-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

This is my first time experiencing fall. I mean really living it instead of visiting it from far away. And I am loving every drizzly, frosty, fallen amber-leafed moment of it. I can’t get enough. No more acting like it’s fall in the middle of July.

This past weekend, hubby and I took a self-indulgent, entire day away from unpacking boxes, climbing stairs, and wondering where the drinking glasses are to drive out to the Shenandoah National Park. It wasn’t quite the peak for leaf-peeping opportunities, but entirely breathless and beautiful all the same.

Several years ago, I wrote a Ray Bradbury inspired poem about fall. I hope it inspires you to enjoy this wonderful season, wherever you are.

October
The month of burning leaves.
People bustled into dim houses carrying pumpkins and corn stalks.
Skeletons dancing, bats flying, candles flamed,
Apples swinging in empty doorways.
The acme of Horror.
The month of shadows and ghosts.
Triangle-eyed faces peer into empty October nights.
Masks leering in black attics and damp cellars.
Children giggling and vanishing off among a street of moaning trees.
I can almost see it, even in the scorch of July.

How To Lose 10 Pounds In 10 Days While Eating Anything You Want!

2010-10-17T06:18:00.000-07:00

It’s so simple! You’ll see the pounds melt away right before your eyes! All you have to do is follow these simple rules:

Rule 1: For the first 6 days of the diet, find a house 4 states away from your current residence, paint 3 rooms, and sealcoat the garage floor. Return home via a 14 hour train ride.

Rule 2: For the remaining 4 days of the diet, pack-up your entire household for relocation in 4 days or less. Return to new residence via a 14 hour train ride.

Rule 3: During this 10 day period, you may eat anything you want, as much as you want; however, limit yourself to eating once a day, preferably at a time in the evening when you are too exhausted to care.

Rule 4: Climb and descend the 2nd story and basement stairs no less than 1,492 times.

Rule 5: Limit yourself to no more than 5 hours of sleep per night.

Rule 6: Arrange for emergency carpet cleaning, air conditioning repair, and backup moving companies at a moment’s notice. Burn extra calories by keeping your adrenaline revved!

Disclaimer: Due to higher-than-average weather temperatures, residents of Southern California, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama will experience the best results from this diet.

The State of Things

2010-09-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

How many girls can say their husband gave them the state of Virginia for their 40th birthday? Not many; I know. I’m lucky and very grateful.

Internets, friends, lovers, Maytag repairmen, I’ve been holding out on you. I am moving to Virginia! The big day is only weeks away, which seems like only days, hours, minutes. There are so many things to do!

Also, another secret…I haven’t worked since January of this year! Big reasons for that as well, but I will keep you on the edge of your seat until the time is right.

You see, this has been in the works for months, but I didn’t want to announce it until the line was drawn in the sand. Hubby got a promotion with his company that is requiring us to relocate. Unfortunately, we are having to short-sale our house, which is a very big sore spot for us. We’ve had a contract on our house since April, with a buyer who is willing to pay $20k MORE than what the houses are going for in our neighborhood. We’ve already signed 3 extensions for a closing date, but still the banks drag on.

We can’t afford to pay 2 mortgages, and I don’t even want to entertain renting our house out of state. Every single house that has rented in our neighborhood has been trashed, causing the owners to invest even more money into their house to fix it up. If we lose our buyer due to the bank’s negligence, we are prepared to do what we need to do to move on with our lives to better jobs, communities, and opportunities.

It’s come down to a business decision, plain and simple.

Zesty Peach Barbeque Sauce

2010-09-13T08:24:00.000-07:00

Can Jam Challenge #9

I remember the first time I made this sauce and spooned it over a home-roasted, pulled pork sandwich with a dollop of homemade cole slaw. I think I exclaimed, “Holy crap, this is GOOD!" although I may have used more colorful adjectives.

I’m a sweet BBQ sauce southern girl, and this Zesty Peach Barbecue Sauce is just the ticket! It’s good over chicken, ribs, and would even serve as a wonderful dipping sauce for chicken fingers. It’s sweet, fruity, and has a tiny bit of heat, but I like it that way.

One thing I’ve noticed about many canning and preserving recipes is they all seem to have the same flavor profile in one form or another (cinnamon, allspice, mace, dill, peppercorns, etc.). I try to find different flavor combinations so it doesn’t feel like I have a gazillion jars of the same thing.

Now I know that BBQ season is almost over, but peaches are at the end of their slurpy best right now, so don't miss out!

Zesty Peach Barbecue Sauce
Recipe Source: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Yield: 8 half pints

6 cups finely chopped, pitted, peeled peaches
1 cup finely chopped, seeded red bell pepper
3 cup finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 ¼ cups liquid honey
¾ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons canning salt

In a large, stainless steel saucepan, combine peaches, red bell pepper, onion, garlic, honey, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper flakes, mustard, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a light boil/simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is thickened to the consistency of a thin commercial barbecue sauce, about 25 minutes.

Ladle hot sauce into prepared canning jars, leaving ½ headspace. Process jars in a BWB for 15 minutes.

Green Is Beautiful

2010-09-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

I am in love, love, luuurve with this Basil Vinaigrette recipe I found on Simply Recipes the other day. Like most of you, I have TONS of basil growing in my garden right now, which require frequent harvesting before they get leggy.

I boiled up some chopped, golden potatoes and drizzled this green jewel of scrumptiousness over them while they were still warm. Total HEAVEN!

Basil Vinaigrette Recipe
Recipe Source: Simply Recipes

Ingredients
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 shallot, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup roughly chopped basil leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil

Method
Place the salt, sugar, mustard, shallot and basil in a blender or food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Scrape the sides of the blender down with a spatula. Add the vinegar and pulse again.

Turn the blender on low and take off the cap in the center of the blender’s lid. Slowly pour in the olive oil. It may sputter a little out of the open cap, so hold you hand over it to minimize splashing.

When the olive oil is incorporated, turn off the blender and scrape the sides down one more time. Cover and purée everything for 1-2 minutes.

Store covered in the fridge for up to a week.

Makes a little more than one cup.

Give Me A Hand

2010-08-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

So, what’s the difference between a bunch and a hand of bananas?

See, this is why I’ve (mostly) stopped drinking coffee. I end up Googling obscure, useless information that will be permanently burned into my brain forever. But on the brighter side, this gives me awesome mingling skills at parties!

But mostly people think I’m some kind of nerd. Anyway…

My next door neighbor brought me this GORGEOUS piece of edible art yesterday and I almost don’t want to touch it. Almost. I had two of the ripened ones yesterday for a snack as I was doing yard work and I was surprised to find that they didn’t really taste like bananas at all. They had more of a neutral, fruity flavor, with maybe just a hint of “banana-ness” and their texture was meatier than the marshmallowy bananas you find at the store. In my opinion, they were exactly what a banana should be.

I don’t know what kind they are, but I know my husband and I will eat every single one!

Chunky Basil Pasta Sauce

2010-08-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

Can Jam Challenge #8

The thing about canning and preserving is when you first start out, you put up almost anything you can get your hands on. After a while, you finally realize and say to yourself, “What am I gonna do with 20 jars of hot-dog relish?” That’s where friends come in, right?

Eventually, even your friends are like, “What am I gonna do with all this hot-dog relish?” So, over time you learn to make the recipes you REALLY like and use regularly, and just as importantly, the ones your friends REALLY like too.

There are a gazillion recipes out there for home-canned tomato sauce, but I really like this one from "The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving"; I’ve talked about it before. I’ve used this sauce on pasta, in soups, pizza, even pot-roasts.

It’s a very versatile and delicious sauce, and only the most tasty and cherished home-grown tomatoes get the honor of being used to make it. I don't even bother making other tomato sauces because this is so good!

It's so hard to come by a really good, honest-to-god homegrown tomato down here unless you grow it yourself, which is what I do, twice a year. One of these days, when I have tomatoes to spare (is that even possible?), I'm gonna have to be a little more adventurous!

Chunky Basil Pasta Sauce
Recipe Source: The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving
Yield: 8 cups

8 cups (2 L) coarsely chopped, peeled tomatoes (about 9-12 tomatoes)
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
2/3 cup red wine
1/3 cup red wine vinegar (5 % strength)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon pickling salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 6-oz/156 mL) can tomato paste

Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, wine, vinegar, basil, parsley, salt, sugar and tomato paste in a very large non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency, stirring frequently.

Remove hot jars from canner and ladle sauce into jars to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of rim (head space). Process 35 minutes for pint (500 mL) jars and 40 minutes for quart (1 L) jars in a BWB.

Roasted Corn and Zucchini Salsa

2010-07-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

Can Jam Challenge #7

Well, I figured there was going to be a whole lotta’ pickling going on for this month’s Can Jam Challenge, so here’s a little something different.

Since I’m in Florida, our pickling season was month’s ago and local cukes are long gone. I’ve mentioned my pickling trials and tribulations here, here, and here. Good pickle-making is a gift and every year it’s a new challenge. We’re already up to our armpits in pickles, so this month is salsa.

I’ve made this salsa before and it’s pretty good. It's not as good as Annie’s Salsa, but it’s a different spin. The original recipe results came out tasting more like a relish, so I’ve added a few things I thought would give it more of a flavor profile without jeopardizing safety. It can also be served on top of grilled chicken breasts or fish, plus it uses some the hot-to-trot produce that’s in season right now: sweet corn and zucchini.

Roasted Corn and Zucchini Salsa
Recipe Modified from: "Preserving the Harvest"
Makes 8 pints

6 medium zucchini, cleaned, trimmed and diced
4 teaspoons canning salt
*4 ears of yellow or sweet corn, husked, silks removed (2 cups of kernels)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cups fresh lime juice (or bottled)
1 cup cider vinegar
4 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
½ cup minced red onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon canning salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin

*Note: Good, quality frozen corn kernels work fine.

Toss the zucchini with the salt and “sweat” for about 30 minutes in a non-reactive colander. Rinse and drain well.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Coat the corn with olive oil and roast on a cookie sheet for 30-40 minutes. Cool. Cut off the kernels and scrape the cobs. If using frozen, defrost corn in the microwave, drain, spread on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and roast. Be careful not to burn the corn, you just want it to lightly brown. If over-cooked, the corn will turn out tough and chewy.

Combine the zucchini, corn, tomatoes, lime juice, vinegar, jalapenos, onion, garlic, and remaining spices in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened.

Ladle into hot, prepared canning jars with ½ inch headspace. Process in a BWB for 15 minutes.

Panic at The Disco

2010-07-11T06:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't been around here these past two weeks because I've had my hands full with these two little stinkers.

Meet Chuck and Dave:

I'm fostering them until they can get adopted. I told my friend, "Sure, I'd LOVE to foster a kitten or two," thinking I have cute little kitten cuddles, and play time, and purring.

NOT!

I ended up with two feral kittens who where trapped who knows where in the wild. When I got them 2 weeks ago, they had pretty much every parasite that could be tested for on a cat: coccidia, giardia, toxoplasmosis, and a whole host of other "swimmers." Plus they had conjuctivitis, and a highly contagious type of mite to HUMANS! Oh, and one of them also has cerebral hypoplasia.

They were very sick kitties!

So, the past two weeks have been full of god-awful, death-smelling diarrhea, sanitizing, administering 4 meds daily, and mite baths. On top of all that, these babies are wild, so they are pretty much FCUK YOU LADY!

The good news, is they are getting healthier every day. I've never been so obsessed about the consistency of cat shit in my whole life. They are warming up to the thought of treats, and chin scratches, and lap time. I know somewhere, I am banking karma points.

Bruised Ego Jam

2010-06-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Can Jam Challenge #6

This month's Can Jam Challenge brings you a fairy tale full of promise and disappointment. Enjoy.

nce upon at time, there was a bee-yoooo-tiful princess who decided one day to collect fresh berries from the forest (okay, a swampy area next to an office building in a business park). The princess knew there was a very rare and secret patch of blackberry bushes that had given her delicious berries in the past, but the harvest was always too small. But a very cold winter and a warm spring had made this year’s blackberry bushes heavy with fruit, and the princess was off to gather the bounty.

After she had collected the luscious, wild blackberries, the beautiful princess wondered what she would do with them. Surely since these were no ordinary berries, they deserved something special and magical. “I know,” she thought “I will ask the fairy Godmother Christine Ferber for guidance!” So, the princess summoned the fairy Godmother and was lead to a recipe of fresh blackberry and blueberry jam. “Oh, how delicious!” exclaimed the princess, “I will make it at once.”

The princess followed the fairy Godmother’s recipe directions exactly. “This is going to be the most scrumptious jam the kingdom has ever tasted,” thought the princess. She envisioned dark, jeweled jars filled with the delicious jam, and how the very taste of it would make the prince fall in love with her over, and over again (okay, my awesome husband).

Suddenly, at the very last moment, two evil sock serpents appeared and whispered in the princess’ ear, “Cook the jam to 240° versus 220°….trussssst ussssss.” The princess was confused and in haste, she cooked the jam at the higher temperature. Immediately, the princess knew there was something wrong. The beautiful jam had become sticky and tough. The once beautiful blackberries were sort of crunchy!

The princess wept and cursed a streak of obscenities that would make a sailor blush. “All that work! All that time! Those beautiful berries are ruined!” she cried. The jam was so terrible, that the princess didn’t even bother processing it in the jars. She left the jars on the kitchen counter as a sad reminder of how important it is to double-check jam processing instructions, even if you have done it a million times.

The End.

Loafing Around

2010-06-22T06:32:00.000-07:00

I made this bread the night before last and it was all I could do to keep myself from tearing into it right out of the oven.

I lasted 20 minutes.

I know you're "supposed" to wait until a fresh-baked loaf of bread cools before slicing (as escaping steam will cause the loaf to dry out), but sometimes YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF.

I loves me some Ina!

Honey White Bread
Recipe source: Barefoot Contessa At Home

1/2 cup warm water
2 packages dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm whole milk (110 degrees)
6 tablespoons butter (3/4 stick)
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 extra large or large egss, separated
5 to 6 cups AP flour
1 tablespoon salt

Place water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. If the bowl is cold, be sure the water temp does not drop below 110 degrees. Add the yeast and sugar; stir and allow them to dissolve for 5 minutes.

Add the milk, butter, and honey. Mix on med-speed until blended. Add the egg yolks, 3 cups of the flour, and the salt. Mix on low speed for about 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low speed, add 2 more cups of flour. Raise the speed to med and slowly add just enough of the remaining flour so the dough doesn't stick to the bowl. Knead on med speed for about 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary.

Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for a minute, until the dough is smooth and elastic (I didn't need to do this...I just let the mixer do the work). Grease a bowl with butter, put the dough in the bowl, then turn it over so the top is slightly buttered. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow to rise for 1 hour, until doubled in volume.

Grease two 9 X 5-inch loaf pans with butter. Divide the dough into half, roll each half into a loaf shape and place each in a prepared pan. Cover again with the damp towel, and allow to rise again for an hour, until doubled in volume.

Preheat the oven at 350°. When the dough is ready, brush the tops with the egg white and bake the breads for 40-45 min, until they sound hollow when tapped. Turn them out of the pans and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Kool-Aid Pickles: Oh, Yeah!

2010-06-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Can you handle one more pickle post? I think so!

So, I was wandering around the internets last week looking for information on calcium chloride, when I came across a recipe for Kool-Aid Pickles.

Abomination? Food science geekery? Pure genius?

Apparently, they are a deep, deep, I mean DEEP Southern delicacy. I'm talking Mississippi Delta here people! They're a bit like the concept for fried green tomatoes or boiled peanuts: you either love them or are disgusted immediately.

From what I've read, kids looooove them, and I must admit they are addicting. They're messy (think red Kool-Aid on white carpet) and taste a lot like cherry flavored bread-and-butter pickles. Wouldn't these be great to serve at a Halloween party?

Behold: One of the rare times I will actually purchase a jar of pickles from the store (just in case this was a flop...can't waste good, homemade pickles!)...

Kool-Aid Pickles

1, 46-oz. jar of Kosher pickles (whole)
*2 small packs of Kool-Aid powder
2 cups warm water
1 cup sugar

Open the pickle jar and dump the brine. Remove pickles and slice each pickle in half lengthwise. Pack pickles back in jar. Mix warm water, Kool-Aid, and sugar together; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour Kool-Aid mixture over pickles. Cap the pickle jar and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours. For more flavor, leave pickles in brine for several days.

*Note: I used Cherry flavored Kool-Aid, as that seemed to be the most highly rated flavor, but feel free to experiment with other flavors. I've heard lemon-lime is also good, but grape is yuck!

The Perfect Pickle

2010-06-15T06:12:00.000-07:00

Friends, lovers, Maytag Repairmen, I present to you The Perfect Pickle!

Cue the singing angels now…

It has taken me 4 years to get to this point. Great pickles, even simply good pickles require a delicate balance of three elements: brine, salt, and crunch. Technically, you could say it’s just two elements because salt is an element of the brine, but I digress.

If any one of those elements are not just right, then it’s all for naught. The frustrating part is you never know if you have a good pickle or a lousy pickle until they age a little bit. By that time, pickling cuke season is over and you have to wait till next year to try again. In the meantime, you’re stuck with a gazillion jars of meh.

These pickles are ready to eat in about a week. Trust me...you won't be able to stop once you start!

Kathy’s Perfect Bread and Butter Pickles
Recipe modified from: The Joy of Pickling
Makes 6 quarts

5-6 pounds pickling cukes
8 cups cider vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 tsp celery seeds
*1/3 to ½ cup pickling salt
10-12 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
¼ cup whole allspice berries
1 tablespoon whole cloves
7-9 teaspoons calcium chloride (aka Pickle Crisp), optional

*Note: Start with 1/3 cup and add salt to taste. I ended up using ½ cup.

Wash cukes and remove the blossom ends. Cut cukes into large slices/chunks. Set aside.

In a large pot, combine vinegar, sugar, celery seeds, and salt to taste. Combine spices and tie up in a cheesecloth sachet or large, metal teaball. Add spice sachet to brine and bring brine to a boil. Lower temperature and simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove spice sachet and set aside. Add sliced cucumbers to the brine and slowly bring back to a boil.

Once reaching a boil, remove brine with cucumbers from stove and add calcium chloride; stir well. Using a slotted spoon, pack cucumber into prepared jars, adding 1 allspice berry and 2 cloves to each jar from the spice sachet. Ladle hot brine in jars, leaving ½ inch headspace.

Process jars in a BWB for 10 minutes.

Tomato Harvest

2010-06-10T06:35:00.000-07:00

While the rest of the country is just getting warmed up for summer produce, Florida has already finished its tomato, cucumber, and corn season for the spring. June brings us fresh blueberries, and the rest of the summer is pretty much survival of the fittest. The good news is we get to do this all over again in about 4 months.

I often compare our summers to winter up north. Locals get smart and huddle inside away from the heat of the day and scorching sun. We know better. We save our “inside projects” for the summer when the weather outside is unbearable. During cooler months, it’s hard to keep a Floridian inside for 10 minutes.

See, just like Northerners. We’re just flip-flopped!

My tomato harvest this spring was very successful. I only grow about 8-10 plants and that’s plenty for the two of us. I’ve played around for the past couple of seasons by not keeping track of what I was growing, but last fall and this spring I kept notes. This season I planted Better Boy and was very happy. I grow only in containers as I have found the plants do much better this way. I have more control over their water content, fertilizer, and pest control. I also found I’ve had no incidents (knock-on-wood) with four-legged critters when growing maters in pots.

Anyway, the best thing to do with a tomato is eat it fresh! My preference is sliced with fresh basil, mozzarella, good olive oil, and a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper. But I also adore a simple little dish I call Tomato Zucchini Gratin, which is basically layers of fresh sliced zucchini and tomatoes with fresh, minced garlic, olive oil, and herbs sprinkled in between the layers. Top with a basic cracker crumb and butter topping and bake for an hour at 350°. Yum!

Hot Turtle Love

2010-05-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

Last year, I suspected that Barry the Boxturtle might be a Barbara when I spotted him laying eggs. Yah think???

But there was a part of me that said, "Wait a minute, could it be that we have TWO resident turtles?" And this past weekend pretty much confirmed there is indeed a Barry and a Barbara.

Get a room you two!

Pickled Asparagus (Again)

2010-05-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

Can Jam Challenge #5

I don’t know what the heck happened to the asparagus this season. Usually, asparagus is $3.99 a pound or HIGHER in Florida, comes from Peru, and tastes like shoelaces. But there’s a small window of opportunity every spring where I can buy it for around $1.49 a pound and I could even drive to where it was grown. It would be a long drive, but I digress.

But this year, NADA. Nature’s french-fries never dropped below $2.50 this year and I was lucky if they came from California. Mostly, it stayed around $3 and up per pound in all my groceries. And there’s no such thing as a “farmers market” that sells organic or local asparagus in Florida.

Ahem.

What the heck happened? Was it the hard winter? Are farmers not growing the stuff? Was there a disease or insect problem? Is there a cycle on production?

And I don’t even want to GO THERE on rhubarb. There was ‘nar a stalk to be found in any of the groceries, and the one rare glimpse I did see, wrapped in styrofoam and cellophane, cost around $7.00 for 5 STALKS!!!

Plus, I don’t like the stuff, so that’s no big loss for me (hee-hee).

So, in keeping with the sprit of local and available ingredients, I’m afraid this month’s Can Jam Challenge will contain a visit from the ghost of post’s past. Besides, I can’t think of anything I would rather do when preserving asparagus than pickle it. It’s my favorite.

Until next year, I guess I’ll have to pickle more cukes!

Pickled Asparagus
Recipe source: The Joy of Pickling
Makes 5, 12 oz. jars

3 lbs of fresh asparagus (sometimes I need more or less, depending on spear thickness)
5 garlic cloves, peeled
15 allspice berries
50 black peppercorn berries
20 coriander seeds
Red pepper flakes
Nutmeg
2 ½ cups white wine vinegar
2 ½ cups water
2 ½ tsp canning salt
2 T sugar

Trim asparagus to fit inside canning jars, giving ½ inch of space from the tip of the spears to the top of the jar. Prepare jars for hot water bath canning. In a saucepot, mix vinegar, water, salt, and sugar; bring to a boil. When brine has boiled, fill each hot jar with 1 garlic clove, 3 allspice berries, 10 black peppercorns, 4 coriander seeds, a dash or two of the red pepper flakes, and a pinch of nutmeg. Fill jars with asparagus spears, tips up, till comfortably full without packing. Ladle brine into jars, giving ½ inch headspace; top jars with prepared lids, then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Wait 4-6 weeks before eating.

**Note: If you don't want to process for canning, just pour the hot brine over the asparagus and keep in the refridgerator.

Garden Snacks!

2010-05-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

The garden is back to its beautiful prime, including these adorable, little tomatoes I call my "garden snacks." I don't plant these; they grow willy-nilly every year, but mostly concentrate in one area of the garden. I snack on them as I go about pulling weeds, trimming this or that. They're smaller than typical grape tomatoes and they're delicious!

I received the mother plants as a gift in a plant swap years ago at Seminole Springs Nursery. I wish I remembered the name of who gave them to me. All I remember was his name was Tom and something about "friends-don't-let-friends-plant-Tom's-Tomatoes," and here we are.

Every year they sprout up on their own and I laugh. For the longest time, I couldn't grow tomatoes and these babies popped up without any help. They're a welcome, cheerful, and tasty gift that keeps on giving!

Apple Cider and Rosemary Ice Pops

2010-05-11T05:48:00.000-07:00

I cannot begin to explain how much I LOVE these popsicles! They are so refreshing and tasty I have to really try hard to only eat just one per day.

Remember that little comment I made about summer being just around the corner? Well it’s here and these popsicles will definitely keep you cool. These would be perfect as a dessert for a grown-up barbeque or summer dinner.

Apple Cider and Rosemary Ice Pops
Recipe Source: Bon Appetit

4 cups apple juice or cider
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
2 whole cloves
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine apple juice, water, sugar, rosemary, and spices in a saucepan and heat medium-high, till mixture reaches a boil. Reduce temperature to a light simmer and reduce mixture to 3 ½ cups, 20 to 25 minutes. Strain into a 4-cup measuring cup and cool to room temperature. Stir in vinegar and extract. Pour into popsicle molds and freeze overnight or till set.

The Good and The Bad - Part II

2010-05-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

I’m not sure you can tell in the picture, but that is a bathtub FULL OF CUCUMBERS.

A couple of years ago, I learned the hard way that pickling season in Florida does not equal the same pickling season for the rest of the country. At the time, I experimented with a fermented pickle recipe, which required several days of open air fermenting, adding new brine, and skimming scum.

All my pickle peeps were claiming these pickles were the bee’s knees, so I promptly went out and picked up 3 bushels of fresh cukes. I was anxious to have quarts and quarts of delicious, home-fermented dill pickles, so I gave it a shot.

Now, by the time early-season cukes are ready in Florida (May), the weather is already on the verge of hot-as-balls. As of this past weekend, the temps were already in the mid-to-upper 90’s, so you can imagine what temperatures like this can do to fermenting cucumbers. After the third day of my “pickle experiment,” my husband and I walked into the house to a smell that resembled fresh road kill and rotting vegetables. The fruit flies were having a party, and we weren’t invited.

It took many trips to the compost pile and many hours of cleaning, scrubbing, and disinfecting to clean up the mess. Now, several years later, I know that fermenting vegetables require very COOL temps, and we have a very short, if any, window of opportunity in the Sunshine State. I did; however, successfully make some awesome sauerkraut this past winter!

Pickle season is upon us again, and I am looking forward to another stab at making the perfect pickle. I’m almost there!

Thai Basil Pepper Jelly

2010-04-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

Tigress Can Jam Challenge #4

A couple of years ago, I had found an intriguing recipe for a Thai Basil Jelly through my beloved Harvest Forum. But as I imagined the end result while reading the instructions, something didn’t seem quite right, like it initially started as one recipe but ended with something else. There were steps missing, ingredients left out, and it was just plain wonky, so I decided to make my own recipe.

After consulting a few Canning Jedi Masters on the Harvest Forum and jazzing up a current Ball recipe for Basil Banana Pepper jelly, I created something that will knock your socks off! My Thai Basil plants are planted and I’m just waiting to get started on another batch. If you can't find Thai Basil, Sweet Basil, or any other fresh basil will work just fine for making the infused vinegar.

But if you can swing it, do try the Thai Basil. It's so exotic that it brings the flavor profile for this jelly to another level.

I’m a big believer of layered flavors, infused ingredients, and all things macerated. I’ve actually had friends argue over who got the last jar of this wonderful jelly! The preparation for this recipe takes some time, but its well worth it. Besides the amazing taste, this recipe makes a beautiful, jeweled jelly.

Thai Basil Pepper Jelly
Adapted from Ball “Basil Banana Pepper Jelly”

1 cup sweet bell peppers (green), uniformly minced
½ cup hot peppers (red), uniformly minced
½ cup red onion, uniformly minced
½ tsp dried basil
1 ½ cups Thai Basil infused vinegar
6 cups sugar
2 pouches liquid pectin

To make Thai Basil Infused Vinegar: Roughly chop about 2 cups of rinsed, fresh Thai Basil and place it in a quart canning jar. Fill jar with white vinegar, place lid on jar, and let vinegar mixture sit at room temperature (in a cool, shaded spot) for 2 weeks. After two weeks, strain vinegar and discard basil*.

To make jelly: Combine the minced vegetables, dried basil, infused vinegar, and sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to a full boil, add the pectin, and boil hard (stirring constantly) for 1 full minute. Ladle hot jelly into prepared, half-pint canning jars and process in a BWB for 10 minutes.

*Note: any remaining infused vinegar can be stored in a salad vinegar bottle and used for viniagrette dressing, marinades, you name it!

For All You Salty-Tooths Out There

2010-03-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Many, many, MANY moons ago, I used to have a part-time job as one of those convention-show cookware chefs. You know the ones who gather groups of people around and demonstrate how wonderful, awesome, and HEALTHY their cookware can put together a 12-course meal in under 30 minutes. Yeah, that was me.

We sold a version of stackable, stainless-steel cookware. For real. One could literally stack a 4-foot high tower of pots on top of the other and cook at the same time.

Ohhhh, the memories…I haz them!

Anyway, my point is, and I do have one, that while I was learning the lucrative trade of being a cookware salesperson, I learned that people either have a propensity for sweet or salty cravings. For me, it’s definitely salt, while my husband has the sweet tooth in the family. If there is a pint of ice-cream in the freezer, meh, but a bag of Doritos? NO SUDDEN MOVEMENTS!

So, when I discovered this amazingly simple, and flavorful snack this past week, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It’s an oldie-but-goodie that I somehow managed to bypass over the years.

They’re perfect, very flavorful, bite-sized snacks that will satisfy any salty-tooth. Double the recipe amount; you’ll thank me for it.

Homeroom Ranch Oyster Crackers

1, 1 oz. package of Ranch Dressing mix/powder
1/2 teaspoon of dried dill
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon of lemon pepper (optional)
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
5 cups oyster crackers (1 package)

Preheat oven to 250°. Mix the Ranch dressing mix and dry seasonings with the oil. Pour oil mixture over oyster crackers in a bowl and mix well. Spread crackers evenly on a cookie sheet and bake 15-20 minutes, or until evenly brown. Gently stir about half way through baking.

Caramelized Red Onion Relish

2010-03-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

Tigress Can Jam Challenge #3

I’m kind of on the hind end on submitting this month’s Can Jam Challenge.

Onions? Really? Alliums?

I wasn’t really enthused about this month’s canning choice, actually. I know most alliums are low-acid root vegetables, so my options were pretty much limited for a boiling water bath. I knew I could either make a relish, pickle, or some sort of savory jelly/jam, so I decided to go with what I know instead of trying something new.

I know; I’m such a party-pooper!

I’ve been making this relish for years and I guard it as much as I do with my Pickled Asparagus. It makes a small amount and requires A LOT of onions, but when it is piled on a grilled hot dog with ketchup, mustard, and homemade sauerkraut, it’s almost a holy experience. I have also found that it’s great as an appetizer with cheese, crackers, and other yummy nibblers like olives or salami.

My notes from past batches mention to watch the original sugar amount because I found ¼ cup of brown sugar was too sweet (I like it a bit more savory-tangy). I’ve also found that doubling the original recipe yields 4 ½ pints, which makes it much more worth the effort.

Caramelized Onion Relish
Recipe Source: “Small Batch Preserving” by Ellie Topp
Makes 2 cups

2 large, red onions, peeled and sliced very thin (I use a mandolin)
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine onions and sugar in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Cook, uncovered on med-high heat for about 25 minutes, or until onions turn golden and start to caramelize, stirring frequently.

Stir in wine and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Curried Popcorn!

2010-03-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

So, did anyone watch "The Pacific" miniseries premier last night on HBO? Anyone?

When I was in high school, history was mostly white noise for me. As an adult, I find myself fascinated by Civil War and World War II history. I'm not very good at remembering specific battles, or what event happened before another started, but I'm pretty good at remembering personal stories.

I thought "The Pacific" got off to a good start, but it's hard not to compare it to "Band of Brothers". When "Band of Brothers" started, there was a lot of emphasis on personal stories and backgrounds told up front, but I feel the producers for "The Pacific" tried too hard to wow their watchers with boom and gore from the get-go. I dunno...we'll see how the rest goes.

Anyway, I love rediscovering cookbooks I didn't know I had! A few weeks ago, I found "Perfect Recipes for Having People Over" by Pam Anderson (no, not THAT Pam Anderson) hidden from plain view. On page 116 was this very delicious treasure...perfect for t.v.!

Curried Popcorn
Recipe by: Pam Anderson "Perfect Recipes for Having People Over"

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt (I omited this)
2/3 cup plain popcorn kernels

Place all ingredients in a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot. Turn heat to med-high and cook, stirring occaisionally, until corn starts to sizzle. Cover and cook, shaking pot frequently at the beginning, then constantly at the end, until corn is completely popped, 4-5 minutes. Salt to taste.

Beware of Strange Bags of Leaves

2010-03-12T06:43:00.000-08:00

So, on the way to Leu Gardens to get our membership the other day, I take one of the back roads through one of the urban neighborhoods. Along the way, I spot the BIGGEST bag of oak leaves at the end of someone's driveway, waiting for trash pick-up. I think to myself, "Hmmmm...if that is still there when I come back, I'm going to totally grab it!"

Once I am all set up at Leu, I take the same route home. Sure enough, the huge-ass bag of leaves is still there. So, I pull into the driveway, pop the hatch on my PT Cruiser, put the seats down, and heave this 55 gal bag of the most beautiful, mulched leaves into the back of the car. It barely fit! And to make it more interesting, the people who bagged it used the most flimsiest bag material ever created. Grocery store bags are tougher than this bag was. Wet wonton noodles are tougher than this bag was! So, it tore a little, but AHA! I put a blanket down before lugging this thing in there....GO ME!

So, I'm just proud as a peach at this point. I hop back in the car and cruised on down to 17-92 to go home. It's traffic light after traffic light, and I knew I had a good 30-45 min to get home. At about the 3rd light, my throat starts feeling gritty, and my sinuses start turning on the water-works, I cough a few times and it hits me....WAIT A MINUTE, AREN'T I ALLERGIC TO OAK????!!!!

I panic like a caged animal. What do I do? Do I pull over and redump? How am I gonna drive 45 minutes with the equivalent of a biological bomb in my backseat??!! My frugal mind says, "Tough it out. Roll the windows down. Take the expressway." So, I do, knowing I'd probably be home in half the time.

So, maybe in my urgency to avoid drowning in my own snot, I might have been going a little fast. Maybe the blasting sound of going down the expressway with all four windows open distracted me. I don't know. But, somewhere between 65-75 mph, a tornado of leaves and dirt erupts from the back of my car. LEAVES EVERYWHERE!

Leaves in the console,
Leaves in the dashboard,
Leaves at supper time!

AND DIRT! Holy shitmotherfuckersonofabitch!!!! I pull over, but the damage is done. The inside of my car looks like a compost pile and I curse a blue streak any sailor would be proud of. Thank GOD I didn't get pulled over by the cops!

So, I get back in the car, roll the windows up to a manageable choking level and s-l-o-w-l-y drive home. It took me over 2 hours to clean out all those fucking leaves with our shop vac and the car will still need serious detailing.

Did I mention my husband gets home tonight from a business trip??? I've got some 'splaining to do!

Oh well, at least this wasn't as bad as the time a package of cheese rolled out from a grocery bag and got stuck under the driver's seat....for a WEEK!

Sigh.

Let Them Eat Cake!

2010-03-10T06:56:00.000-08:00

I’ve been up to my armpits baking these past two days. Did I say my friend is getting married next month? I meant THIS month! On the 20th even! Ack!

More coffee please!

Whenever I have a big cake event coming up, I bake the cakes ahead of time, wrap them very, very well in parchment and Saran wrap, and then freeze. When it’s time to frost, I take the cakes out, let them defrost (wrapped) at room temp, and away we go. Not only does this save a HUGE amount of time, it makes the cakes more moist! Just be sure to leave them wrapped when they are defrosting. Unwrapping while they defrost will actually dry them out.

The process has been tedious because I only have one set of square pans, so that means I can only bake one cake in that particular pan at a time. The cake is going to be 4 tiers, square, starting at 12”, and graduating up to 6”. So, why just one set of pans, you ask?

Well, number one, unless I go into the wedding cake making business, the chances of me needing two of each pan is slim-to-none, plus I have the time. Number two, you might be screaming, “Torte, torte, torte!!” But alas, this is where I get all soapbox on your ass.

I have a very simple approach to cake, and well, I want the emphasis to be on the cake. I don’t know where or when it became vogue to have 7 layers of “vanilla-bean-English-lemon-curd-chiffon,” alternating with “pineapple-white-chocolate-mousse,” and enveloped in a “hazelnut-rum-framboise-buttercream.”

Where’s the cake? Show me the cake!!

When I eat cake, I want the frosting or filling to compliment the cake, not overwhelm it. It’s wedding CAKE, right? Not wedding FROSTING or wedding FILLING…although I used to work with a lady who would ask everyone to give her their buttercream from the monthly birthday cakes. She’d eat the buttercream, big, goopy spoonfuls of it, and ditch the cake.

Yech!

I make one filling and two layers, maybe 3 layers max for each cake. The cakes are made 100% from scratch, with tested recipes, and don’t need a lot of “buttercream bling” to make it better, or hide what it’s lacking. They’re not particularly artsy, although pretty. I’d rather spend most of my time on substance, not structure.

So, I say, “Let them eat cake!” and save the frosting for that lady I used to work with.

Wafflely

2010-03-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

A good friend of mine is getting married next month and I am going to make her wedding cake! I'm nervous because I've never made a cake for someone that really had to count. It's a pretty simple cake, but still....ACK!

I love weddings!

Banana-Cranberry Spice Muffins

2010-02-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, our local supermarket had Fiber One on sale for buy-one-get-one-free. Well, since one serving of this stuff provides enough fiber to last you for something like, 5 days, I thought, "This might be a good thing."

So we bought one box of the Raisin Bran Roughage, and one box of the original Fiber One cereal. You know, the kind that looks like cat chow or rabbit pellets. I've never liked this stuff, but had heard that you could hide it in baked goods. So, I went to the Fiber One website and found a recipe for Banana-Cranberry Spice Muffins.

These muffins rock, and not just your colon! They actually taste really good! They stay moist for days, they're incredibly healthy, and they're a cinch to make. They're even better than my Hippy Muffins.

So, eat up you hippies!

Banana-Cranberry Spice Muffins
Recipe Source: Fiber One website

1 cup Fiber One® original bran cereal
1 egg
3/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Heat oven to 350°F (the original recipe stated 400°, but I found that to be too hot and would burn the muffins). Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups with shortening or cooking spray, or use paper baking cups. Place cereal in resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor).

In medium bowl, beat egg, milk and oil with fork or wire whisk until well mixed; beat in bananas. Stir in cereal; let stand 5 minutes.

Stir in remaining ingredients except cranberries until blended. Stir in cranberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from pan to cooling rack.

Before and After

2010-02-20T08:56:00.000-08:00

Florida really got hit hard with freezes this winter. Even my "Bedsheet Boogie" attempts at saving a few precious plants did no good. After a certain amount of time, even the temperatures under the cloth/blankets thrown over the plants drop below freezing.

Sigh, this is what my garden looked like last May:

This is what it looks like now:

I know about half of this will come back, but I want to yell, "Hurry up and grow dammit! Look pretty before the weather gets too friggin hot!"

I have lots of seeds planted and plan the scout the PTA sections (Plant Torture Area) of Home Despot and Lowes for their discounted, pitiful misfits.

The garden shall rise again!

Carrot Cake Jam!

2010-02-18T06:56:00.000-08:00

Tigress Can Jam Challenge #2

When hubs and I were married, we had carrot cake as our wedding cake. It’s his ultimate favorite cake in the whole-wide-world, and I happen to love it too. I had taken the Wilton cake decorating classes for a whole year before our wedding because I wanted to make our wedding cake. I couldn’t fathom spending hundreds of dollars on a cake and somehow, it seemed like the perfect wedding gift for the both of us. Homemade, made with love, imperfect, and beautiful.

So when this month’s Can Jam Challenge ventured into the world of the carrot, I mentioned out loud, “Hey, I think I’ll make that Carrot Cake Jam I’ve had my eye on.” I didn’t think there would be any objections.

This beautiful jam tastes very much like apple butter, but there’s something else. The flecks of carrot accent every bite with a subtle earthiness. My jam set up to more of a soft-spread, which I prefer to harder set jams and jellies. Definitely a keeper recipe and this jam would make a gorgeous gift for anyone.

Carrot Cake Jam
Recipe Source: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Makes 7 - 8 half pints

1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped cored peeled pears
1 3/4 cups crushed, canned pineapple, including juice
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 package powdered fruit pectin
6 1/2 cups sugar

Combine carrots, pears, pineapple and juice, lemon juice, and spices in a large saucepan and bring to boil. Lower temperature to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add powdered pecting, incorporating well, and bring carrot mixture back to a boil. Add sugar all at once and return back to a full boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 full minute.

Ladle hot jam into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Central Florida Birds of Prey Center

2010-02-09T04:47:00.000-08:00

Last week, me and a very good friend, Mary, decided to go visit our two "adopted" children who were living at the Central Florida Birds of Prey Center. For Christmas, Mary bought me a year-long "parenthood" gift for an injured, and wonderfully sweet Barred owl named Merlin.

Merlin's story is a little sad. He was brought to the center in 1987 as a juevenile. He had spent several weeks (illegally) with humans, who took him from his nest, which resulted in Merlin becoming imprinted on human beings. Imprinting means a bird will relate to humans, not their own species, which leaves them with no hunting or other survival skills.

There is a small window of opportunity where birds imprint on their caregivers, whether it is human, animal, or another bird. From that point on, the bird will try to learn the behaviors of their caregiver for survival, and if it is a human versus another bird (in my case, an owl), well it leaves little room for the bird to learn how to live as a bird.

After arriving imprinted on humans, Merlin was place in a large aviary with other owls. Sensing that Merlin was "different" from them, the owls attacked him, leading to the loss of his left eye. So, now Merlin cannot be housed with other owls, but is now an Ambassador of the center and helps teach children and adults about owls.I have to say that he has one of the most espressive, soulful faces I've ever seen on an animal.

My friend Mary adopted a Red Shouldered Hawk named Picasso who also lost an eye. I don't remember Picasso's story, but he sure was beautiful.

We also got to see some of the center's absolutely gorgeous bald eagles. Up close, they are very LARGE and so very stoic. All in all, it was a beautiful day!

The Good and The Bad - Part 1

2010-02-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

As a foodie, I’m constantly experimenting with new recipes and cooking techniques. Sometimes, recipes turn out better than I had ever expected, and sometimes the results are just plain ugly. I think it’s the challenge that attracts me. The more complicated or unusual a recipe appears the better. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I will reattempt complicated recipes; I know my limits and my talents. But sometimes, even accidents are worth keeping around.

Let me present Exhibit A:

The Awesome Cornbread That Should Have Been Biscuits

Several years ago, I underwent a personal challenge to learn how to make biscuits. Not just any old biscuits, but big, flaky, tender biscuits. The kind you see on television commercials. I must have spent a year experimented with different techniques, flours, and ingredients. Finally, I found an amazing recipe that yielded THE PERFECT BISCUIT.

One morning, as I was mixing up the umpteenth batch, I accidentally added a cup more milk than was called for in the recipe. Now what was I to do? I had this soupy mess that wouldn’t amount to anything decent. So, shrugging my shoulders, I added a cup of yellow cornmeal flour to the batter, poured it into a round cake pan, and hoped for the best.

This is what resulted:

This “accident” turned out the most amazing, tender, sweet, and delicious cornbread I have ever made! It's now a staple in my recipe binder. Now I have something to spread all those jars of fruit "sauces" that were supposed to be jams or jellies. It's all good!

Accidental Cornbread

2 cups of AP flour
4 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup shortening, or butter (I use butter)
1 2/3 cups of milk
1 large egg
1 cup yellow cornmeal

Preheat oven to 350°

Mix flour with baking powder and sugar. Cut in shortening or butter until it resembles course meal. Mix egg with milk and stir into flour mixture. Add cornmeal and briefly stir until mixture resembles cake batter. Pour batter into a greased, 9" round cake pan and bake until golden brown on top (about 35-45 min). Cool 5 minutes on cake rack, turn cornbread out of cake pan. Enjoy while still warm!

Winter Manatees!

2010-01-27T05:06:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago, hubby and I went to Blue Springs State Park to see the annual cavorting of the winter manatees.

Can manatees cavort? Either way it was flipper-to-flipper action!

Each year, when the weather gets cold, these gentle giants make their way to wamer water for the winter. Manatees are warm blooded mammals that cannot survive when the water temperatures reach 60° or cooler. Fortunately, the water temperature at Blue Springs stays a toasty 72° all year long.

On this particular day, there were 155 manatees counted in this spring alone. It was a very popular place that day for local and out-of-state visitors; it was a little crowded. But the manatees did not disappoint their biggest fans.

The weather was a little blustery and overcast, but the water is always crystal clear. It almost looks like someone's swimming pool, no?

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

2010-01-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

Tigress Can Jam Challenge #1

As hard as it may seem to imagine right now, summer is just around the corner. Really, it is! I promise.

And why not take advantage of all the yummy citrus that’s available now and make some of this AWESOME strawberry lemonade concentrate? Can’t you just picture it? A hot summer day with a big ol’ glass of sunshine!

There’s really not much to it: strawberries, fresh lemon juice, and sugar, but I cannot even put into words how delicious this tastes with sparkling mineral water! My Meyer Lemon tree still has about a dozen or two lemons on it, and I’ve already squeezed at least 4 quarts of juice out of the fruit I’ve picked so far. The freezing weather has really done a number on our citrus crops.

For drink mixture: Mix equal parts concentrate with water, sparkling mineral water, or club soda. My husband says this would be amazing with a splash of vodka!

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate
Makes 6-8 pints
Recipe Source: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

6 cups fresh or frozen strawberries
4 cups fresh lemon juice
6 cups sugar

Note: If you’re using Meyer Lemons, feel free to add some bottled lemon juice to the mix to bring up the tartness. That’s what I did.

If you do not want to process this concentrate in canning jars, freeze the concentrate in 1 to 2 cup portions.

Directions:
Puree strawberries in a food processor or blender until very smooth. Mix pureed berries, lemon juice, and sugar in a large pot and bring up to about 190°. Do not bring to boil.

Prepare canning jars and lids for processing. Ladle concentrate mixture into pint jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T10:26:00.001-08:00

I know I haven’t been around here very much lately, but it’s all been good. Lately, it seems that all the things I normally obsess about have been put on the backburner.

More medication, please!

No really, things are going for the better. Last year, I promised to do a few new things with this blog, but quite honestly, I haven’t had the time or energy. I’ve wanted to transition to another blog platform, or even have the site redesigned, but again that takes time and energy. I DID; however, learn how to take better pictures, so that’s a step in the right direction. I’m hoping to make some positive changes very soon that will allow me to pick up the rest of the slack.

In regards to The Great Weight Loss of 2009….wellllllllll…the GOOD news is I entered the New Year weighing less than I did the year before. Go me! Even if it’s only 10 pounds, it’s still less than the year before. At this rate, I should hit my weight-loss goal by age 50!

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

2009-12-02T16:41:00.000-08:00

Remember that dreamy picture I posted of my lemon tree in bloom last March?

Well, baby got back and she's loaded with big, juicy Meyer Lemons! This past week I've made Vanilla Bean Marmalade, Lemon Ginger Marmalade, and last night, I mixed up a few quarts of preserved lemons, which should be ready before New Years!

I'm following my basic orange marmalade recipe, which can be mixed up fruit-wise to whatever crawls up your skirt and turns you on!

Orange Marmalade
(makes 7-8 half pints)

*4 med oranges
*2 large lemons
8 cups water
8 cups sugar

*Note: For Meyer Lemon Marmalade, I used about 5 large lemons total. Follow the same directions for processing as listed below.

Cut each orange and lemon in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut the oranges and lemons into very thin slices. You could probably use a mandoline, but I’ve never had much success with mine using citrus. Place the citrus slices and any reserved juices into a large stockpot.

Add the water and bring to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat and add the sugar; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Place a lid on your pot and let the orange mixture sit at room temperature for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, bring orange mixture back to a boil, then lower temperature to a steady simmer. Simmer orange mixture for 2 hours, stirring often. After 2 hours, bring heat back up to medium-high and boil for 30 minutes to gel stage (220 degrees). The orange mixture should have a dark golden orange color. Ladle hot orange mixture into prepared canning jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

For the Love of Schmaltz

2009-11-29T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here’s a condensed report from this past week. Thanksgiving took a different turn this year, but it’s all good. I hope you had a wonderful holiday!

- Hubs and I went to visit my father who is in a nursing home 3 hours from where we live. He wanted a cheeseburger for Thanksgiving and I was more
than happy to bring him one.

- We actually had our Thanksgiving yesterday and it was wonderful.

- I made, I think, four…yes FOUR batches of stuffing in the past 6 days. One for a potluck at my work, one for hubs’ potluck at work, uhhhh…and I think two more batches since then; it all is just a blur.

- I almost had a huge FAIL for the stuffing I made for a Stuffed Turkey Breast Roulade recipe by accidentally adding cumin seed instead of rosemary. It turned out pretty good, but different.

- Sarah Palin came to my town last week and signed autographs for her new book… this video makes me want to move to Canada.

LOOKIT’ DEM LAZY MEXICANS, GRANDMAAA IMA OUTTA MY HOTPOCKETS!

- SJ is making Bacon Fat Infused Bourbon. I’ve always wanted to try this, so I am living vicariously through her bravery.

Sigh.

Oh, and I made the most amazing, perfect, silky-smooth, wonderfully rich turkey gravy and I owe it all to chicken schmaltz! About a month or so ago, I finally rendered some chicken fat I had slowly squirreled away in the freezer over the past year. When I thought there was enough, I melted it down, refrigerated it, and patiently waited. So, on the day-of-all-days (for us), I made a roux with about 3 tablespoon’s worth of the schmaltz and flour, added homemade chicken stock, roasted turkey drippings, and TA-DAAA, magic! I AM the Gravy Queen!

It was a beauty to behold indeed. Hubs and I are savoring every delicious drop of that gravy all week! Tomorrow, it’s back to the slow, painful death that is my day-to-day job BUT our lemon tree is finally ready for harvesting and I am making marmalade till I drop!

Have a good week!

Green Onions

2009-11-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I was going to start this week’s post with a voyeuristic peek into my life-long obsession with salsa, but then I made Elise’s (Simply Recipes) Apple Walnut Gorgonzola Turnovers, and was sure I had found Nirvana.

But what’s better than Nirvana you might ask? Could there be anything better than hot, applely pockets filled with melted gorgonzola, thyme, honey, and toasted walnuts?

Why, yes. Yes there is.

Last night, hubs and I went to a “Jazz in the Gardens” festival that is held every fall at a local botanical gardens. We’ve been going to this concert for about 5 years now, and it’s more of an adult, evening picnic sort-of-thing than a festival. Concert goers bring their own food and drinks (alcohol is allowed) and get to spread out on the beautiful grass with blankets and candles. It’s very romantic and lots of fun.

So, every year we look forward to choosing the right food and wine for that particular evening. Well, this year I happened to make sort of an antipasta spread with cheeses and olives and fruit. I tried a new recipe and the warning that came with said recipe claimed the following:

“WARNING: These are very addictive and you will find yourself unable to eat just one!”

And I must say, if there ever was a warning to put on a recipe, this is the most spot-on that I’ve ever seen. I TRIPLED this recipe and we couldn’t keep our hands off it!

My friends, I give you Nirvana:

Antipasta Marinated Mushrooms
Recipe Source: The Cooking Forum

1 pound of brown or white mushrooms, or a mix of both
4 tablespoons of good extra virgin olive oil, or more if needed
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup of red onions or shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds (optional)

Wash mushrooms well and remove stems. Boil mushrooms in salted water for about 10 minutes, drain and let cool. While mushrooms cool, combine all other ingredients in a jar, close the lid and shake until it's all combined. Add mushrooms, close lid and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge at least 10 minutes before planning on serving it.

Note: The olive oil may get hard on the fridge, you can void that by adding some vegetable oil to the marinade , or just shaking the jar every once in a while.

How to Use a Pressure Cooker: Lima Bean Soup

2009-11-08T16:15:00.000-08:00

Now that the weather has cooled off.

MUUU-WWAhh-HAA-HAA-haaaaaaa….

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I’m in Florida, remember? It might have slipped down into the 70’s today, but that’s because there is a hurricane out in the Gulf of Mexico. This IS cool for us!

Ahem, as I was saying…now that the weather has cooled off, it’s time for some stick-to-your-ribs soups and stews. One of my most favorite kitchen gadgets to use when making heartier meals is my pressure cooker.

Back in your grandmother’s or even your mother’s time, a pressure cooker was the modern kitchen convenience gadget du jour. It was the original microwave oven. It cooked fast, used little energy, and didn’t require a lot of cooking know-how to turn out a good meal.

Unfortunately, pressure cookers have a bad rap for being unpredictable and dangerous. My husband often remarks about when his mother used to yell at him and his siblings to stay out of the kitchen when her pressure cooker was hissing away on the stovetop. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt in case the thing exploded, incapacitating a helpless bystander with molten beef stew.

Yes, pressure cookers did explode back in the day, but thanks to many years of ingenuity and manufacturing, today’s pressure cookers couldn’t be safer. Most pressure cookers have 2, 3, even up to 4 overpressure valves, o-rings, and seals that prevent even the most careless accidents from happening.

So, with that, let’s makes some soup! I use a 6 + quart Fagor Rapida pressure cooker, which is perfect for today’s dish, Lima Bean Soup. I have mentioned this soup in the past, and it’s one of my favorites.

All right, let’s have some introductions. Most pressure cookers have two pieces, a lid and a pot. My Fagor lid has an operating valve (the black knob), a pressure safety lock (the green switch), and a pressure indicator (the yellow pop-up button). So, let's get our ingredients and get cooking!

Pressure Cooker Lima Bean Soup

2-3 cups chopped, precooked ham
1 chopped onion
2-4 chopped celery stalks
3 cloves of garlic
16 oz bag of dried, large lima beans
4 cups of chicken broth
4 cups of water
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
Seasoning of choice

First, I sauté the ham till it releases a little fat, and then throw in the onions, celery, and garlic. Saute till vegetables are soft, add the beans, water, chicken broth, seasonings and most importantly, the olive oil.

Dried beans have a tendency to foam when they are cooking and the oil helps prevent that. Foaming beans are BAD and could potentially clog one of those overpressure safety valves, which at the most would make a huge amount of noise when the thing blew. No one would get hurt, but it would scare the living daylights out of you.

Once all the ingredients are in the pot, I line up the lid and close it. My Fagor has indicator lines that guide me to seal the cooker. If a seal is not made, I would know by the amount of steam escaping from below the lid. Switch the operating valve to "close".

After sealing, I lock the lid by switching the pressure safety lock from “unlock” to “lock”. Notice how the little yellow indicator button is depressed?

Turn the stovetop burner to med-high and wait for the contents of the pressure cooker to heat up. When the cooker is sufficiently heated and pressurized, the indicator button will pop up like this.

At this point, lower the heat to low and start timing. For my Lima Bean Soup, I looked for guidance in Lorna Sass’ book titled “Pressure Perfect” and set the cooking time for 30 minutes. If you are serious about trying this pressure cooker thing, get this book! It’s basically the pressure cooking bible.

Once the soup has cooked for 30 minutes on low heat, move the pressure cooker to a cool burner and let it depressurize naturally. Don’t try to rush it, don’t switch the operating valve to “open” and do what’s often called a “quick release”. Some recipes do require a “quick release” to allow for steam to escape, which makes the cooker depressurize much faster, but that’s for another recipe and time.

When sufficiently cooled, the indicator valve will pop back down again. Unlock the lid and open it AWAY from you as there will still be a lot of steam inside the cooker. You don’t want an instant Lima Bean Soup facial!

Now, it’s soup! Taste the soup and season accordingly (salt, pepper, etc.). If, for whatever reason, the beans aren’t cooked through, bring the pressure cooker back up to pressure and cook an additional 5 minutes and depressurize naturally.

See, wasn’t that easy? If I were to cook this dish “traditionally” in a pot on the stovetop, it would have taken a good hour or two (or more) in order for the beans to cook to the desired tenderness.

How Merlot Can You Go?

2009-10-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

Life has been busy lately and I am guessing it’s the same with you. Halloween is just around the corner and I HAVE HALLOWEEN SPRINKLES THAT HAVEN’T EVEN BEEN USED! What’s worse is that these are last year’s sprinkles! I’d better get busy.

The Squash Chronicles have been adventurous this year. I’ve managed to attack two unusual squashes that I’ve never even considered before and they were delish! Too bad the recipes I used were either meh or FAIL due to operator error. I must talk to you about risotto.

Hubs and I racked off a true wine kit Merlot yesterday that we ordered from Cellar Craft. Now, according to many die-hard wine makers, you are not a wine maker unless you make wine with grapes. I’ve only been playing wine maker with my imaginary friends for the past two years, see. Whatev!

This Merlot was amazing! I have to say, this is one of the few rare wines that I’ve made that was yummy even at a young age. We started it ohhh, in September (?) and I had my doubts about it for sure, but it’s a winnah. It’s so good that I might not even give any away!

The Canning and Preserving class is still in the works, but we are having a hard time finding kitchen space to use for classes. You’d be surprised at how many food businesses don’t own a range-top stove and use hot plates. Le sigh.

Sunrise Slowdown

2009-10-19T16:35:00.001-07:00

Is it me or does it seem like the holidays are barreling in on us like an angry bull smacked on the behind? I just don’t know where all the time goes or how to slow things down. I’m not ready for Thanksgiving or Christmas! Stop the music!

A few weeks ago, a friend and I took some amazing photos of a field of swamp daisies at sunrise. Every morning as I went to work, I would pass 5 or 6 eager photographers poised on the side of the expressway trying to take shots like this:

The daisy bloom only happens once a year in this location, and it didn’t even do so for the past 2 years because the field was flooded. It’s right on the edge of Lake Jessup in Sanford, Florida.

Lake Jessup has the 2nd highest population of gators per shoreline mile next to Lake Okeechobee. I also find it funny that a bunch of genius businessmen wanted to start a water-ski instruction school on this lake a few years ago, but got turned down by the city. I wonder why?!! That would be like chumming for gators!

Anyway, for the past couple of years, I promised myself that I would get my butt up and get a few good shots as the flowers are only there for about a week. Then they're gone.

Here’s to slowing things down…at least for a little while.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

2009-10-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

Friends, lovers, Amway salesmen, I have the most amazing news! I'm going to teach a Canning and Preserving class!

Let me repeat...I'm going to teach a Canning and Preserving class!

You don't know how excited I am to be able to do this! This is even more exciting than the one time where I almost had a CHIPPENDALE'S DANCER as a roomate! Back then I thought, "PLEASE GOD, LET ME JUST ONCE LIVE WITH A CHIPPENDALE'S DANCER!"

But I was fresh out of a divorce and knew the dark, horny path I was about to go down was a bad, bad move. So, I asked for my deposit back from the CHIPPENDALE'S DANCER and weeped into the sunset. The end.

Sigh.

Ahem, where was I? Oh, yes, classes will tentatively start on November 14th (a Saturday) for a 4 week, 4 class course. I plan to go next week to see if the classroom facility is legit and there will be more information to come. Be patient, darlings!

Oh, and Heather McPherson, from the Orlando Sentinel is going to write an article about me and the course! Squeeee!

More to come...

Happy Fall Y'all!

2009-09-21T17:23:00.000-07:00

First off, Mr. Burns the black racer is getting his wardrobe ready for the impending "cold" weather here in Florida.

I found this snake skin, almost 5 ft. long, in the garden the other day. It looks like we have a naked snake slithering around here at JTRS.

No comments from the peanut gallery. Ahem.

Secondly, I have been researching and poking around about initiating, maybe even teaching (gulp), canning and preserving classes here in Central Florida! I bet you didn't know it, but there is a Canvolution going on. Yes, right at this very moment!

You see, I've been talking with the folks at local Cooperative Extension offices about offering a Master Preserving course here in Orlando. It's a no go. Not enough money, interest, politics, yadda-yadda-yadda. So, I let it sit in the back of my mind, but not forgotten. In the meantime, I've been taking the online courses at the NCHFP.

Then, a few weeks ago, a good friend of mine said, "Well, shoot Kathy, you don't need no stinkin' certification to teach people how to can." And you know something? She's right!

I believe in synchronicity, that we are all connected through the-right-time-at-the-right-place, and that our friends, lovers, aquaintences aren't coincidences. I've been reading Shauna's blog at Gluten Free Girl for years, who also happens to sponsor the Canning Across America website, which advocates local, slow food, which by the way, I BUY raw milk from the VP of Farmer Relations at our local Slow Food chapter!

Whew! All of these people have been nudging me ever so gently in their own special way over the years.

So, fall is a time to rest for many. A time to gather resources and hunker down (I hate that phrase!). But really, I hope it is a time to start anew and take on new adventures! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Rosemary Port Fig Jam

2009-09-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this sound intriguing? I spied this recipe somewhere...dunno where, and tweaked it via Christine Ferber of Mes Confitures. I started it last night and it smelled very interesting, so I'm curious to see what it turns out to be. I bet this would be great with some goast cheese. Heck, ANYTHING would be good with goat cheese!

So, now what do I do with a whole-bottle-minus-one-cup of white Port wine?

Rosemary and Port Fig Jam

- recipe adapted from Food and Wine Magazine
- Method adapted from Christine Ferber

4 pounds green or purple figs, stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 cup white port wine
1 4-inch sprig of rosemary

Place chopped figs, sugar, lemon juice, port, and rosemary in a nonreactive jam pot and let ingredients marinate for 30 min (till sugar is mostly dissolved and figs are juicy). Bring ingredients to a simmer over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, and then set aside off heat. Cool and cover jam pot; place in the refrigerator over night to macerate.

The next day, simmer the fig jam over moderate/high heat, stirring occasionally, until reaching gel stage. Remove rosemary and discard.

Spoon the jam into 6, 1/2-pint prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch of space at the top. Process in a BWB for 10 minutes.

Deep-Dish Apple Pie

2009-09-15T15:54:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Ina Garten? I have? Are you sure? Well...maybe just a little. Well then, let me get right to the point about her deep dish apple pie!

My wonderful, awesome husband gave me a food processor for my birthday last week. A 16-CUP-OMGBBQAPOCALYPSE-CUISINART!!!! This baby smokes my little, 5-cup Kitchen Aid FP into the dust. Still, there were some good memories there over the past 10 years.

Anyway, I went cah-razy and made pie crust this past weekend, cause OH, I CAN. Making pie crust in my old FB was a pain. And so, since I was making crust and all, why not make pie?

The crust was amazing; probably the best I've made. Oh, and the pie was good too!

Deep-Dish Apple Pie
Recipe Source: Ina Garten Barefoot Contessa Family Style

Pie Crust Ingredients(for 2, 10 inch crusts):

1 1/2 sticks of butter, cut into 1" cubes
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
3 cups APP flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 T of sugar
6-8 T of ice water (about 1/4 cup)

Place flour, salt, and sugar into FP and pulse a few times to mix. Add butter and shortening and pulse 8-10 times till butter/shortening is the size of peas. With the machine running, add water in a steady stream until dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Pie Ingredients:

5-6 Granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and quartered
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
2 T of lemon juice
1 T of orange juice
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 T to sprinkle on top of crust
1/4 cup APP flour
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1 egg beaten with 1 T of water for egg wash

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine apple, zests, juice, sugar, flour, salt and spices in a large bowl. Divide pie crust into halves and roll out one half for the bottom pie crust. Don't stretch out dough. If it's too small, re-roll until it drapes into pie dish with a little hanging over the side.

Fill bottom pie crust with apple filling. Brush edges of pie crust so top crust will adhere. Roll out second half of pie dough for the top pie crust. Top the pie with the pie dough and trim to about 1 inch over the pie dish rim. Tuck top crust edge under bottom pie crust edge and crimp together with fingers or a fork. Brush entire top crush with egg wash and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Cut 5 slits into top crust for venting.

Place pie on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out. If necessary, cover pie crust edges with tin foil if they brown too quickly.

Sign of the Times

2009-09-01T04:32:00.000-07:00

Do you know what today is? Do you? Why today, dear friends, is the day that Fourbucks starts selling their Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

Meh, you might think, but I will have you know this landmark means a non-stop, unrelenting fallhalloweenthanksgivingchristmas free-for-all till the end of the year! PREPARE FOR THE BESOTTED FRUITCAKE!!

I actually like Fourbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte and they're not bad calorie wise if you get the tall (small). It's only around 260 calories with non-fat milk and whipped cream. If you ditch the whipped cream, then it's around 200 calories. Not bad for a seasonal treat and they fill me up with all sorts of warm fuzzies and excitement for the frigid Florida winters. BAH!

Happy Anniversary

2009-08-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

It all goes by so darn fast, but that’s a good thing!

Here’s to many, many more years with my husband that include laughter, kindness, hard work, curiosity, patience, persistence, Sunday mornings, good coffee, good wine, good cheese, health, stability, ambition, dumb jokes, funny faces, baked goods, sweat equity, gentle kisses, passion, trust, stinky shoes, weird neighbors, beautiful gardens, great adventures, frequent flyer miles, steady income, good friends, tolerance, intelligence, wit and cynicism, bravery, great cooking, sloppy mistakes, tender moments, and lot’s of LOVE.

McFarmlovin'

2009-08-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, hubs and I bought about 100 lbs. of organic, pasture-raised, grass-eating, hormone-free, and generally all-over-happy-to-be-here beef from a local farmer. As I mentioned before, Community Sustainable Agriculture (CSAs) programs are pretty darn hard to come by in Central Florida. That makes me sad.

I have to really, REALLY look hard and go a bit out of my way to find people who care about how our food is raised, prepared, and sold around here. We drove through the valleys and over the (muddy) hills, managed to get lost, but eventually found our way to Misty Meadow Farm in Barberville/Pierson Florida.

They don’t have a website, but they are truly legit. Their phone number is (386) 749-9007; ask for Anne.

Anne and Frank were some of the nicest, down-to-earth couples my husband and I have met in a long time. You know they really care about what they are doing, and Anne couldn’t dream of being anywhere else than right there on that farm. Besides organic beef, they sell organic pork, duck meat, duck eggs, goat’s milk fudge, and some of the best goat cheese I have ever had. It’s all organic. It’s all unpasteurized. It’s all wonderful!

So, we pulled out 2 T-bone steaks and fired those babies up on the grill on Sunday. Like buttah!

Now if we can keep the ‘canes away from us this season, we’ll be happy campers in the meat department for some time!

Asian Plum Sauce

2009-08-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's plum season, so be sure to get your hands on enough plums to make this Asian Plum Sauce! I've had my eye on this recipe for a while, but like asparagus, plums can be mighty expensive if acquired out of season.

This is a sweet-and-sour sauce that is TO DIE FOR! I'm ashamed (almost) to admit that I ate half a jar of this sauce spooned over take-out Chinese last night.

Again, this recipe was acquired from my beloved Harvest Forum. I'm not sure if this is a recipe from a book, but it's plum yummy!

Asian Plum Sauce

4lbs plums
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 T mustard seed (I only used 1)
2 T chopped green chili peppers (I used jalapeno)
1, 1/4x1 piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 T salt
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup cider vinegar

Pit & chop plums (don't peel). Combine plums with remaining ingredients in a large pot, bring to boil, reduce heat. Cook until thick and syrupy, about 1 1/2 hrs. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust caps and process 20 minutes in a BWB.

Yeild: about 4 pints.

Red Rubies

2009-08-08T14:25:00.000-07:00

Last week, hubs and I bottled up this year's batch of Strawberry wine. Look how beautiful the bottles were when the morning sun shined on them the next morning!

If you can follow a recipe, you can make wine! This wine really turned out to be a Strawberry Raspberry blend, as I didn't have all the ingredients the original recipe called for. So I mixed in some raspberry juice concentrate in with the strawberries and waited. It turned out very tasty indeed.

I'm getting better with every batch.

Laughing Hysterically

2009-07-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

I never really understood the term “laughing hysterically” until now. Anyone who knows me well knows I like to bake cakes, well any kind of baked goods really, but there’s nothing like a really pretty, (and tasty!) homemade cake.

I haven’t been sleeping well, well since LAST YEAR! I don’t know what it is, maybe its anxiety, thyroid, hormones, but somehow my body forgot how to fall asleep. So, mix that loverly, unrelenting condition with this website and well, I laughed until I choked. Maniacally. No control. I mean leave-your-desk-cuz-people-are-looking type of laughing.

Please, by all means, give yourself a good laugh today and check out Cake Wrecks. Flashbacks of The Seasonal Non-Sequitur, Santapillar cakes and The Holland Belly Cake will have people giving me strange looks all day.

Baked Ziti Representin'

2009-07-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Baked ziti is the Rodney Dangerfield of the pasta family. It gets no respect.

Thrown together with a jar of store-bought pasta sauce, some grainy ricotta, sprinkled with bagged, shredded cheese, and baked till dry as leather, baked ziti is often sadly used as a cheap, main dish for feeding a lot of people without much effort. Now, don’t get me wrong, those church potlucks can be expensive and your group of picky pre-teens may turn their noses up to anything else, so cheap and easy have their place in the kitchen. It’s just that, well, it can be so much different than that. Oh yes, it can be VERY different!

In the past, baked ziti was too saucy, too dry, too cheesy, too mushy from overcooked pasta, too bland. Too many extremes. Sometimes a ground meat of some sort is thrown in the mix, but really, most baked ziti simply poses as spaghetti in a different shape and acts as a vehicle for all that melted cheese.

Upon eating this last night, hubs proclaimed, “This is probably the best baked ziti I’ve ever eaten in my life!” That’s quite a compliment, huh? Trust me. Step away from the jarred pasta sauce and preshredded cheese. It’s time we got a little respect around here!

Baked Ziti
Recipe source: Cooks Illustrated, April 2009

1 lb. whole milk or 1% cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 oz. grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 1/2 cups), divided
Salt
1 lb. ziti
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 (28 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves, divided (or 1 tablespoon dried)
1 tsp. sugar
Ground black pepper
3/4 tsp. cornstarch
1 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)
8 oz. low-moisture mozzarella, shredded (not preshredded!)

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350° F. Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup Parmesan together in a medium bowl; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; cook until pasta begins to soften but is not yet cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Drain the pasta and leave in colander.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee for 1 to 2 minutes, do not brown. Stir in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup basil and the sugar, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl stir together the cornstarch and heavy cream. Transfer the mixture to the now-empty stockpot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and add the cottage cheese mixture, 1 1/2 cups of the tomato sauce and 3/4 cup mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the pasta and toss to coat thoroughly with the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to a 9×13″ baking dish and spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the top. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil from the pan and continue to cook until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes longer. Cool for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons basil and serve.

Photo from: http://www.castellofoodcompany.com/

Chicken Pot Pie

2009-07-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

Oh, July.

I’d say that I dislike you almost as much as August, but at least August has back-to-school sales, which means the fall merchandise will be making an appearance soon. But, July has that extra holiday thrown in there, so it’s a toss up. Sigh.

You know how I feel about pretending it’s fall in the middle of the summer. Some people start putting up their indoor Christmas decorations in October, so why can’t I start wishing for fall in July? That means I'll usually make fall-type foods on a regular basis, even though it’s too bloody hot outside to even go check the mail. I guess it’ll do until the real thing gets here.

This is an EASY pot pie to make. And everyone loves chicken pot pie, right? You don’t even have to make the crust, and who doesn’t love that? This recipe is adapted from the book Kitchen Sense, and is perfect for those days when you wish it were cooler outside, even when it’s not.

Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from Kichen Sense

3-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken (a generous pound by weight – Precooked rotisserie chickens work great for this)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
6 oz small mushrooms, quartered
1 tsp thyme leaves (stripped from the stem or ½ tsp dried)
Salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sherry or dry white wine
5 T all-purpose flour
2 cups poultry stock
1 bay leaf
1 T chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
Your favorite pie crust dough (enough for 9-inch pie pan)
1 small egg, beaten with 1 T cold water

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion until soft, then add the carrot and celery and continue cooking for another 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the mushrooms give up their liquid. Add salt, and pepper to taste; stir and cook for a couple of minutes. Deglaze the pan with half of the sherry; remove the cooked vegetables and their juices to a bowl and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter in the skillet, then whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the paste takes on a blonde color, Whisk in the stock and the remaining sherry, then add the bay leaf, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer until thickened.

Add the cooked chicken and sauteed vegetables, and peas to the sauce. Transfer the mixture to a 1-1/2 quart baking dish (such as a deep-dish pie pan) and set aside in a warm spot near the oven.

Roll out the pie dough about 1 inch larger than the diameter of the baking dish and about 1/4-inch thick (or like me, I made a bit more of the filling and put it all in a large casserole dish and used 2 pieces of prepared pie dough (Pilsbury) pinched together in the middle). Place the dough atop the pie filling, and press the overlap to the outside of the dish. Place the filled and covered pie on top of a rimmed baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg, then make a few slits to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 20 minutes (depending on size of pot pie) at 425°F until the crust has risen and begun to take on color. Reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the crust is a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve.

Monkey on My Back

2009-06-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

Hey, where the heck did June go? Last time I was here, I was just settling in from a wonderful vacay and now it's 6 weeks later! Let's me summarize the past 6 weeks:

Barry is a Barbara and laid eggs!
I worked something like 5 weeks in a row without a day off
My sweet, dear MIL passed away - We miss you Jean!
Hubs and I rebuilt all the shelving in our office closet - Thank You Sir, May I Have Another?
Our house is worth less than we paid for it 5 years ago before the economy went into the crapper
Raw milk has saved me

A couple of months ago Jojo at Goodness Gracious Acres posted a wonderful article/link about the benefits and legality of raw milk. I've been a supporter of the raw milk moo-vement (sorry...couldn't help it) because I believe that it is OUR right to decide what kind of food we want available to us, not the government's decision. If I want to eat or drink unpasteurized milk or cheese, that should be my choice and not the law. Unfortunately, it is considered illegal to sell raw milk in many states, including Florida, which forces many people to seek out underground "mooshine" dealers for their fix.

However, some have found a loophole in Florida's law and it is legal to sell raw milk if it is labeled for "pet consumption only". Anyone who is keen on what is going on knows what this is really about and will gladly nod their head, buy their milk, and feel like they just won the lottery.

I am one of those people. About 6 weeks ago (coincidence?) I started having terrible, unrelenting heartbearn. On some days, nothing would wipe it out and it didn't matter what I ate or didn't eat. I figured, oh I'm just getting old...work is a bitch...stress, stress, stress...blah, blah, blah. But then I had remembered something about raw milk healing people with digestive issues. I did some research, found a "dealer" in the Winter Park Dairy Company, and I HAVE NOT HAD A HEARTBURN INCIDENT SINCE!

Also, hubs has issues with IBS and he is getting better every day from drinking raw milk. And let me tell you, it tastes just like regular ol' milk you buy in the store...only A GAZILLION TIMES BETTER! It's not cheap though. It's $15 dollars for a gallon! So now I have a $60 a month milk habit.

There could be worse things to be addicted to.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

Last night, hubs and I watched a commentary by Andy Rooney on his thoughts regarding Memorial Day. Like him, I feel that Memorial Day has become, for the most part, just another day on the calendar, or just another day off. It is a day that we have traditionally set aside to remember the young men and women who "gave their lives" for freedom and honor of our country.

But like Andy, I believe the purpose of remembering isn't really for the dead, but for the living. Rememberance does the dead no good. I feel that instead, we should be honoring those young men and women who are GOING to die for our country, and that maybe we can find a better way to resolve our problems and differences than through war.

Riesling Bound

2009-05-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

Where have I been lately?

Well, dear friends, hubs and I just got back from a badly needed vacation up to the Niagra/Finger Lakes area, and I couldn’t very well have posted HEY, THERE’S NO ONE AT OUR HOUSE RIGHT NOW! I suppose I could have posted some sort of silliness in the past week or so, but we completely unplugged.

No computers, no phones, no internets. Sweeeeeeet!

I have lots of pics…some awesome, but a lot that really sucked. Insert sad clown face here. I thought I would be better with my camera by now, but I obviously need a lot of work. If it’s any consolation, I made up for it in sheer number. Folks, I’m talking many, many gigs of memory!

Let me just say this: we have to be the only dorks from Florida who go to Canada when it is cold AND GET SUNBURNED!

An ohhhh, the wine! Did you know that Wayne Gretzky had a winery? Neither did we. So does Dan Akroyd. We had raw milk cheese, Cuban cigars, and even a touch of poison ivy. Awesome! We saw signs for Fries Poutine, more water falls that we could shake a stick at, and THE FLOWERS! Oh, the flowers!

Le sigh.

I’ll follow-up in the next couple of posts with pics and lots of adventurous stories.

Barry's Back and A Humble Harvest

2009-05-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

Remember Barry the Box Turtle? Well last year, I saw him scurrying around the yard, I got a rare photo of him, then he disappeared. I figured my handling him the one or two times for photo-ops made him say "Screw this...I'm outta' here!" And then he was gone.

Well last weekend he showed back up! My local earthworm population must be shivering in their...um...slime? Poop? Dirt? Hopefully, he'll keep the local Cuban treefrogs in check too.

On other good things from the garden, we were able to harvest a small handful of yummy produce! I LOVE homegrown tomatoes, so hopefully, this is a sign of things to come. Small, I know, but here's hoping.

Everything is in full bloom and taking advantage of the small window between "Warm" and "Hot-As-Balls". That's an official temperature in Florida, dontcha' know!

Dried Herbed Tomatoes

2009-04-26T15:18:00.001-07:00

Ah, so you’ve planted a ton of tomatoes this spring and now you wait. Well, if you happen to have too many tomatoes and you don’t know what to do with them, here’s a great idea: dry them! Dried tomatoes are so versatile that you can literally add them to hundreds of recipes. From pizza, to pasta sauces, dried tomatoes add a concentrated touch of tomatoey goodness that instantly perks up any dish.

And have you seen the prices for commercially dried tomatoes in the store?! The best thing about this recipe is you don’t need any fancy schmancy dehydrating equipment, just an oven and patience will do. Once dried, you can store these delicious little morsels in a ziplock bag in the freezer for 6-9 months. That is if you don’t eat them all first! They're won-der-ful!

Dried Herbed Tomatoes

In large bowl combine:
1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tsp. Lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh chopped (or dried) Parsley
1 Tbl. chopped Rosemary
Dried Pepper flakes to your taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Amount of tomatoes is up to you (Note: I use Roma tomatoes, as there is less liquid - I use enough tomatoes to cover 3 full cookie sheets...about 3 lbs. worth)

Leave skin on and cut tomatoes into thin slices. Place tomatoes in the oil mixture and refridgerate for at least 2 hours to overnite. Set oven on 200 degrees. Take tomatoes out of mixture and spread on cookie sheet. It's OK if they touch. They will need to oven dry for about 14 to 16 hours (depending on amount of tomaotes). Size of pieces will determine time. For example, put them in the oven about 7pm and get them out the next morning around 10:30am.

The tomatoes are done when they have a leathery feel to them. There usually is some oil left in the cookie sheet, which I blot off with a paper towel. Cool and lay dried tomatoes on paper towels to absorb any remaining oil. Store in ziplock baggie in the freezer for 6-9 months.

On The Hoof

2009-04-14T04:48:00.000-07:00

What do they say about the best laid plans?

This past Sunday, hubs and I went to visit my good friend Mary that lives in Deland. Her and her husband own a cattle farm with lots of animals, beautiful landscape, and lovely gardens.

I had some ideas for a few good pictures I needed for my photography class, but mix 4 rambunctious farm dogs with a couple of sticks of cheese, some used red high heel shoes, fishing string, a big red ball, and well...let's just say the cows were more cooperative!

Still it was all good fun. Thanks Mary!

Pickled Asparagus: Tis' the Season!

2009-04-06T04:49:00.000-07:00

I wait all year for this to happen, and then I move in for the kill. I’m talking about asparagus season! For Florida, fresh asparagus is obscenely expensive most of the year. It usually runs close to $4 a pound! But for a brief window of time, it’s in season and affordable. I buy as much as I can, gorge, and then make pickled asparagus.

I make this every year and I’m very protective of every little jar. Pickled asparagus is wonderful with any antipasta tray, chopped up in salads, served as a condiment, or my favorite, inside a sandwich wrap. Basically, anything you can do with a pickle, you can do with pickled asparagus. I also like that the spears never lose their crunch, and afterwards, the leftover brine makes a fan-friggin-tastic dirty martini!

Pickled Asparagus
Recipe source: The Joy of Pickling
Makes 5, 12 oz. jars

3 lbs of fresh asparagus (sometimes I need more or less, depending on spear thickness)
5 garlic cloves, peeled
15 allspice berries
50 black peppercorn berries
20 coriander seeds
Red pepper flakes
Nutmeg
2 ½ cups white wine vinegar
2 ½ cups water
2 ½ tsp canning salt
2 T sugar

Trim asparagus to fit inside canning jars, giving ½ inch of space from the tip of the spears to the top of the jar. Prepare jars for hot water bath canning. In a saucepot, mix vinegar, water, salt, and sugar; bring to a boil. When brine has boiled, fill each hot jar with 1 garlic clove, 3 allspice berries, 10 black peppercorns, 4 coriander seeds, a dash or two of the red pepper flakes, and a pinch of nutmeg. Fill jars with asparagus spears, tips up, till comfortably full without packing. Ladle brine into jars, giving ½ inch headspace; top jars with prepared lids, then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Wait 4-6 weeks before eating.

**Note: If you don't want to process for canning, just pour the hot brine over the asparagus and keep in the refridgerator.

Golabkis! - Polish Comfort Food

2009-03-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

There's really no pretty way to photograph a golabki.

What's a golabki you ask? Well, golabkis, pronounced as: GO-wump-kees, or GO-lump-kees, GO-wonk-kees, or my favorite, GO-boink-kees are a Polish dish of meat-stuffed cabbage leaves with either a sweet/sour tomato sauce or even sauerkraut. They're exactly like stuffed green bell peppers except, well, you use cabbage leaves!

I can't remember if my mother made them, but I've had them before I met my husband, who is only two generations off the boat! His family is Polish and they used to eat these back in the day, so I was happy to make them for him. They're really good, especially with mashed taters!

This is another loverly recipe I snagged from The Cooking Forum. Thanks Diane!

Diane’s GOLABKI

a 3 # head of cabbage
½ # ground beef
¼ # ground pork
¼ # ground veal
1 ½ C cooked long grain rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
salt & and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ground horseradish
1 C condensed tomato soup
2 T brown sugar
1 T vinegar
1 C beef broth

Remove the core from the cabbage, place cored end down in large pot with an inch or two of water & steam for 15-20 min. Or what I do is freeze the whole head the night before I make these, defrost in the sink for a couple of hours--then cabbage leaves are just as pliable as steamed. When ready, CAREFULLY peel down leaves by placing the cored end up and doing one leaf at a time (if steaming).

Mix ground meats, egg, onion, rice, salt, pepper, garlic and horseradish. Scoop out about 1/2 C of mixture and GENTLY pat into an oval. Place the oval on thickest part of cabbage leaf and roll once. Then tuck edges over the rolled part & continue to roll. Place all rolls into heavy pan that is lined with a few cabbage leaves, layering rolls as needed.

Mix undiluted soup, beef broth, brown sugar & vinegar and pour over rolls. Cover and bake in 350° oven for 2 -2 1/2 hrs.

Also can be made in casserole form. Just layer steamed cabbage leaves with a layer of meat and rice mixture, another layer of cabbage leaves. Pour sauce over all and bake.

Note: I made double the sauce because I found I needed (wanted) more gravy!

Spring Has Sprung

2009-03-22T16:02:00.001-07:00

Our Meyer's Lemon tree is chock-o'-block full of lemon blossoms, more than it ever has had before. Wish you could smell these!

It Ain't Easy Being Green

2009-03-17T10:32:00.000-07:00

But it sure can be yummy sometimes! I bring you Key Lime Cupcakes with Key Lime Cream Cheese icing for you lucky Irish folk out there today. Or really, anyone who loves all things limey.

Key Lime Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
Recipe source: Bon Appetit

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 T of *lime zest
2 1/2 T of lime juice
Green food coloring (I used paste)
3/4 cup of butter milk

Mix flours and salt together, set aside. Beat butter till light a fluffy, add sugar and continue to beat until incorporated and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down butter mixture in between each egg. Add lime zest and lime juice (batter will look curdled) and mix well. Add food coloring to reach a color you like. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, starting and ending with flour mixture. Mix till incorporated.

Preheat oven at 350°. Pour batter in paper lined muffin tins 1/2 full. Bake 20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in muffin tin 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes to cool on a cake rack. Ice with Key Lime Cream Cheese icing.

*I used regular, store-bought limes as Key Limes aren't in season right now and are hard to come by.

Key Lime Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick butter
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 T lime zest
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Add lime zest, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

I'm Going to Make Millions!

2009-02-26T05:28:00.000-08:00

“Smell my finger.”
“WHAT?!”
“Smell my finger! Smell it!!”

I shoved my right hand under his nose and he took a cautious sniff. He stopped in mid-smell, looked up at me, and I swore I saw his pupils dilate. He then buried his face into my palm and inhaled long and deep.

“Oh my God, that smells SOOOO good! I am going to EAT YOU UP!”

Ahem.

Ladies, listen closely. If at any time you find yourself making beef jerky, be sure to dab a drop of Liquid Smoke in a few strategic locations on your body. You will be ravaged!

Now, if I could only figure out a way to bottle it with some beer and give it some foo-foo French name, I’ll make MILLIONS!

Wednesday's Slowcooker Lasagne

2009-02-25T08:51:00.001-08:00

I seem to notice a trend lately. Hmmm...what could it be? Oh, I know! I've been pretty lame with my posting of late, and it seems I've been neglecting my darling readers! Fear not, o' dedicated ones! I will forsooth, and umm thou, and umm merrily, and ummm. Aw, hells bells, I've been blazy (half busy-half lazy)!

I've finished my first photography class and I've really learned some neat things, but mostly my pictures still suck ass (hey, that rhymes). I just need to follow that golden rule when trying to get to Carnegie Hall...practice, practice, practice. Here's hoping.

Anyhoo, I put this very yummy slowcooker recipe on to cook while Hubs and I tried to reclaim our poorly frost-bitten yard on Sunday. We got hit pretty bad, even though we did The Bedsheet Boogie. Oh well, just leaves more room for new plants!

Even better, this is a Weight Watcher's recipe that I got from The Weight Watcher Chick! I had extra sauce (I used my home canned Chunky Basil Pasta Sauce) so I just doubled the cheese mixture and made more layers. Lots-o-leftovers, plus the house smelled SOOOOOO good!

Slow Cooker Lasagna
WW Points: 8 Servings: 6

1 lb uncooked lean ground beef (7% fat)
1 small onion, chopped
1 med garlic clove, minced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried basil
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 ½ cup part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup parm cheese, shredded
6 pieces dry lasagna noodles (not cooked)

Sautee beef, onions & garlic. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil, and red pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. In medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella. Set aside.

Spoon 1/3 meat mixture into a greased (spray with Pam) 5 quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture. Top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with 1/3 beef mixture.

Cover slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 – 6 hours. Combine remaining ½ cup mozzarella with the parmesan cheese and sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside till cheese melts and lasagna firms up.

How Do You Get Your Bottles So Pretty?

2009-02-18T08:31:00.000-08:00

Meh...it's Wednesday again. It's not that I haven't had a lot to talk about lately, I've just been busy and uninspired. I've been taking photography classes and still training with my running team. Good news is Hubs is down 11 lbs. and I'm down 8 lbs. since the beginning of January.

Woot!

So, today I am going to show you just how we go about bottling our wine and making the bottles look "pretty". I often get a lot of questions on how I make the bottles look like they were bottled professionally, so I thought I'd let you have a look. It may look like a lot of work, but Hubs and I have a sort of assembly line system down, plus it's fun to taste while we're working! The last time we bottled was around the holidays, but don't worry...there's always another batch-a-brewing, just waiting for the right time.

First I clean the bottles with a cleaning solution called BeBrite, which is basically an oxidizing solution like Oxyclean. It's safe and helps remove any seen and unseen debris, which can ruin wine. Like my sophisticated "Poison Control" label? Don't worry, we don't have kids.

After rinsing very well, I spray the inside of the bottles with potassium metabisulfite (kmeta), which is basically a sterilant used to help sterilize the bottles. Any bateria, residual yeast, or wild microorganisms that weren't removed with the BeBrite will be taken care of with this.

Next we add the wine and cork. We use a corking contraption that basically squeezes the corks into a size that can be pushed into the bottle neck. A lifesaver for sure!

After being corked, the bottles get a good wipe down with a damp rag, are dried, then labled. I do this by hand and "eyeball" the correct height and placement. I know there are little contraptions I can build with scrap wood that will help make this easier, but I haven't found the need for it for such small batches of wine.

Lastly, the bottles get their sleeves. The bottle sleeves are slid on the neck then shrink wrapped to the bottle using a heat gun. See? No fancy schmancy equipment here!

See how pretty they are? These babies are ready for some lovin'!

Bread!

2009-02-11T08:47:00.001-08:00

Is it Wednesday already? These past two weeks have kept me as busy as a one-armed paper hanger on a windy day! I don't know where all the time goes, but homemade bread always has a way of slowing things down.

A few weeks ago, I visited another loverly blogger's website at Lindsey's Luscious and spied a tasty looking bread recipe. It looked good enough for me to brave snail-mail spam and order a bag of Harvest Grains Blend from King Aurthur Flour company.

Why is it that when you order something from one company, a thousand other companies send you junk mail for their junk? Anyway, the bread was worth the risk! Thanks Gina!

BTW, this makes the best damn toast you ever wrapped your lips around!

Ahem.

Honey Oatmeal Harvest Grains Bread
Recipe Source: Lindsey's Luscious

Makes 2 large loaves

1 cup prepared steel-cut Irish oatmeal (cooled)
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup whole milk
1 egg
1/2 cup honey
4 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup mixed nuts and seeds (I used KA's Harvest Grains Blend)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup water (more or less/as needed)
egg wash (one egg beaten with a tablespoon of half-and-half)
rolled oats

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all ingredients except the egg wash and rolled oats. Mix until fully combined, cover the mixer with a tea towel, and let sit for about 20 minutes to fully hydrate the dough before kneading.

After the dough rests, remove the towel, turn the mixer up to medium speed (about 4 on my Kitchen Aid) and knead with the dough hook for five minutes (it will seem a little soft and sticky, but that's okay).Turn the dough into a large, greased bowl (I spray mine), cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled.

Punch down the dough, divide in half, and on a well-floured work surface, shape into two rectangular loaves. Press each loaf into a well-greased pan. Cover the loaves loosely with sprayed plastic wrap, and let proof in a warm place for about a half hour, until about an inch over the top of the pans. While the loaves are proofing, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.When loaves have fully proofed, carefully remove the plastic wrap, brush the tops with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with rolled oats.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the loaves are golden brown on the bottom. (You may need to cover the tops of the loaves with foil after 30 minutes to prevent over-browning.) Remove from the oven, and cool loaves in the pans on a rack for fifteen minutes or so. Then turn the loaves out of the pans and cool completely on the rack. Store in an airtight container, bag, or wrap.

Photo from Lindsey's Luscious

Clam Chowder!

2009-02-05T05:14:00.000-08:00

Feeling a little chilly today? Well, I have the perfect thing for you! How 'bout a nice hot bowl of clam chowder with some crusty bread, or even some oyster crackers? A glass of white wine, a big ol' blanket to wrap around you, a good book or movie on the couch and I'm set. Baby, it's cold outside today!

Many people I know don't make clam chowder that often because it seems like a lot of work. I'm one of them. My typical recipe involves makeing a roux, and let's not even talk about whether to use real or canned clams. I'm already tired!

Well anyway, I had a hankering for clam chowder but didn't have the time to make it the way I usually do. I found this recipe on Recipezaar and it seemed easy enough to send to Hubs and let him take the lead.

Let me tell you, I've had A LOT of clam chowder in my time and this stuff ROCKED!! I was impressively surprised and it is so, so, so easy! Don't be a hater because of the Cream of Celery soup, trust me!

Clam Chowder
Recipe Source: Recipezaar

6-7 pieces bacon, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 (5 ounce) cans baby clams, with juice reserved (drain juice into a bowl or cup)
1 bottle clam juice
5 potatoes, peeled and cubed into 2” chunks
2 (10 1/2 ounce) cans cream of celery soup
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 ½ tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon dried dill weed (if you don’t have dill weed, use thyme)
1 tsp pepper
Salt to taste

Add bacon to dutch oven and cook on medium heat until crispy. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add clam juice from both cans plus bottle of clam juice. Add potatoes, bring to a simmer, and cover until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally so potatoes won't stick. Add clams, soup, cream, milk, dill weed, and stir together. Add butter and let melt into the chowder, then add pepper. Simmer for about 30-45 minutes or until thickened. Stir occasionally and add salt to taste.

NOTE: This can be lightened by using 2 cups of milk instead of cream.

Image source: http://www.treehugger.com/

Superbowl Sangria

2009-02-02T05:23:00.000-08:00

My head hurts a little today. Maybe it's because I drank too much of this last night:

Spanish Sangria
Recipe source: Barbara Hansen's Mexican Cookery (1981)

1 bottle, dry full bodied red wine
2 tablespoon orange liqueur (Grand Marnier)
1/3 cup of simple syrup
1 lime thinly sliced
1 orange thinly sliced
1 lemon thinly sliced
Juice of one orange
1 cup club soda

Combine wine, syrup, brandy and orange juice and stir. Add sliced fruit and just before serving add the soda water. Do not let the fruit slices sit in the Sangria for more than one hour before serving as the peels can cause the drink to be bitter.

Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Bring water and sugar to a boil and simmer until liquid is clear and the sugar has dissolved. Pour in to jar and refrigerate. Keep for 3 weeks.

Servings: 4

Warm Chicken Sandwiches with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Fontina

2009-01-29T05:26:00.000-08:00

There's something to be said about a really good sandwich. The first time I saw the recipe for this sandwich in Bon Appetit, I just knew I had to make it. Something about it said, "You know I'm that good!"

Hubs and I have determined that really, all one needs to make any version of this sandwich are 4 things: a protein, some sort of sauteed or grilled veggie, a soft, meltable cheese, and a condiment.

I can't remember if the name for this sandwich is called Warm Chicken Sandwiches with Spinach, Mushroom, and Fontina, but I do remember that it had the word warm in it. That's all it took.

Warm Chicken Sandwiches with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Fontina
Recipe Source: Bon Appetit

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T of olive oil
1 container fresh, sliced mushrooms (the ones found in the produce section)
1 bag fresh spinach
Spicey mustard (we used Zatarain's Creole)
2 cups shredded Fontina cheese
4 medium sized hoagie rolls

Take chicken breasts and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick. We put ours in a gallon sized ziplock, one at a time, and flatten/pound with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer. Season chicken breasts and sautee with olive oil in a medium/high skillet till cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate.

Add mushrooms to skillet and sautee till they release their juices, add spinach and sautee till wilted and cooked through. Preheat oven to 325°, slice hoagie rolls down the center without cutting through, and the toast rolls in oven.

When rolls are toasted, remove from oven and slather a tablespoon of spicey mustard in each roll. Cut chicken into pieces, add to rolls, top with mushroom spinach mixture, and top that with shredded cheese. Wrap each sandwich in tin foil and place in oven for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven, add salt and pepper if desired and dig in! These reheat in the oven very nicely.

Hey Ya'll, Back from Savannah

2009-01-27T05:42:00.000-08:00

Before I got sick last week, hubs and I used the MLK holiday weekend to drive up to Savannah for some R&R. Of course we HAD to check out Paula Deen's The Lady & Sons restaurant. I would have to say the dinining experience there was more of a novelty than really good. The food was...meh. Okay. It came across as more Cracker Barrel than anything else, but it was one of those "try it once" experiences.

We checked out her gift store and I bought her memoire. That woman sure has worked hard for where she is today! She suffered from agoraphobia for almost 20 years. We also went to her brother's restaurant Uncle Bubba's Oyster House and it was FABULOUS!! It was so good, we went there twice! I highly recommend it, especially the chargrilled oysters!

We did a lot of touristy stuff, sight seeing and such. It was COLD for us Floridians, let me tell you! I had to buy a scarf and we layered up. Hey y'all up north, don't laugh!

I even got a picture of a ghost, I think. We were doing one of those ghost tours inside the Sorrel-Weed house, which is supposedly an actual proven and documented haunted house. The Sci-Fi channel did a story on this house or something. Anyway, we were in the basement and it was pitch black...there were no lights except the ones coming in from the patio. I took this picture in the dark with my flash and I think there is an "orb" right about where the door handle is (a little above to the left).

Either that or it's dust. :-)

Irony?

2009-01-22T05:50:00.000-08:00

Was it irony, divine intervention, karma, or intuition that kept me home "sick" on Tuesday? I really wanted to stay home and watch the inauguration, so I called my boss and told him I wasn't feeling well. Cough. Party on!

Two hours later, I had my head in the toilet and my butt cheeks clenched tight. Something got a hold of me and I really WAS sick with some sort of intestinal bug. I felt perfectly fine that morning, thinking I'd be able to enjoy the day watching history being made. Three days later and I'm still unable to keep solids down. Bleh!

How does the universe know these things?

Wrapping Things Up

2009-01-13T05:54:00.000-08:00

Like most red-blooded, patriotic Americans, I made a string of resolutions for the coming year, one of which I will be starting tonight. I signed up for a local walk/run training program that will meet twice a week and teach us how to go from 0 – 3 miles in 10 weeks! I did great on the Couch to 5K program, but got stuck on week 6. That whole, run-for-twenty-minutes-straight thing hung me up. Almost half fail.

Secondly, I signed up for a community education class in digital photography! I start that on the 26th and it’s 6 weeks of introducing myself to my new camera. I can’t help it; the thing scares me with its ISO settings, aperture, and what-nots. I really want to learn how to take good pictures, and I think I will. I need a mentor.

Thirdly, hubs and I have come to terms with our blubber and have started a NEW! IMPROVED! diet regimen. All the good cooking and drinking that’s been going on at our house has paid its toll. I think we’re off to a good start and he’s down 4 lbs. and I’m down 3.1 lbs. so far.

Forthly, I would like to turn JTRS into a real, honest-to-God website this year and free myself from the Blogspot oppression. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been great, it’s just I want more. We can be friends, o.k.? But I just need more and it’s not working for me. You’ll find something better Blogspot and I’ll never forget you. It's not you, it's me.

Fifthly, It’s time for me to rethink the path my life is going down. I know that sounds waaaay too heavy for a morning post and I appologize, but it has occurred to me that you, my dear readers, have no clue as to what I do for a living. I will talk all about that soon. Stay tuned!

It Gets Better!

2009-01-07T15:59:00.000-08:00

I bet the principal came to work on Monday and was like "WTHOMFGBBQapocalypse! CHANGE IT NAOWWWW!!!"

"Hmmm...holli...holla...holly...Aw hell, NO SCHOOL"

"Fo' shizzal my dismisal"

Do they have Sonny Tannen filling out the announcement boards or something? This happens all the time. I weep for the future.

Also, is it me or does it seem like kids get waaaaaay more time off from school these days? We never got inauguration day off!

Why Some Florida Schools = Fail

2009-01-06T05:13:00.001-08:00

What's wrong with this picture? I took it over the past weekend. For realz.