Arrrgh!!!

Ya know, every cook worth her salt has a minestrone recipe she prefers. Minestrone is one of the most forgiving soups around, and I prefer it to vegetable soup because the seasoning is more interesting, and the floaters have more variety. One of the best Minestrones I've ever had is a baked version with an incredibly beefy broth and mozerella baked over the top.

I'll give you a basic recipe, and then I'll tell you how mine has morphed from it.

1 cup dried kidney beans or white beans
2 cups bouillon
6 cups water
1 large onion chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 large carrots, finely diced
3 stalks celery with leaves, diced
1 cup diced raw potatoes
1 cup cooked macaroni
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cooked tomatoes

Okay....this is how I made it this evening, when I was pressed for time:

1 can white beans (or kidney beans), drained and rinsed
5 cans of College Inn Beef broth (low fat, low sodium if desired)
1 large onion, sliced in half and then slivered vertically
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup julienned carrots crosscut into 1" lengths
1-2 stalks of celery with leaves, diced
1/2 a red pepper sliced into narrow strips and diced
1 large potato peeled and diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pkg. fresh pasta: 3 cheese ravioli in mini size
(or 1 cup cooked miniature pasta shells)
1 TEASPOON salt.....cut way back on the original
several twists of fresh ground pepper.
1 can recipe ready diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
fresh grated Parmesan (optional)

Put the rinsed beans, Bouillon and diced tomatoes into a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Heat the olive oil (I happen to like Colavita brand, but you can use whatever suits your taste) and saute the veggies until they have wilted, but not browned. Add the veggies, salt, pepper, and basil to the broth, return the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Add the macaroni and simmer for another 15 minutes. If you prefer a thinner soup, add more broth. Serve with Parmesan sprinkled over the top.

There are some considerations. First, if you are a purist, you can soak the beans overnight. Most of the beans have instructions for this, but generally you rinse the beans and pick out the rocks, and then cover the beans with a couple of inches of cold water. Cover the pot and let it sit all night, and then drain the beans when you are ready to start the soup. You can also follow the same steps in the morning, but boil the beans for 3-5 minutes and let them stand for an a hour. Again, drain the water off the beans before preceeding. I prefer Great Northern beans, but you can use any variety you like, or even mix several types together.

We choose to use the Buitoni mini ravioli as our pasta. It makes a slightly heartier soup, and must feel more Italian to the men in my family. Besides, the shell macaroni becomes rather shapeless when it's over cooked. If you choose to use dry pasta, be sure to cook it first, or it will absorb all the broth and dry out your soup.

Use fresh ground pepper, and grate your Parmesan fresh. Don't use pre-grated Parmesan; it's much more flavorful if you grate it just before using.

I also cut back on the salt in my soup. I figure that each person can salt to taste, and most of the older recipes call for way too much salt for today's palate.

Make this soup personal. You can vary the ingredients to suit your own taste, or change them to take advantage of summer's bounty. I have a summer and a winter version of this soup. Enjoy!

This is for Desiree.

White Wine Onion Soup

1/4 cup butter
6 cups sliced Bermuda onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
5 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup beef broth
2 cups dry white wine

Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan over low heat. Add onion and garlic and stir to coat. Cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with sugar, increase the heat to medium and cook uncovered until onion is a deep amber color, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, blend in flour, and stir 3 minutes. Add broths and wine. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, cover partially and simmer the soup for 20 minutes. Season with freshly ground black pepper.

Ladle into heated bowls and top with 2 slices of Gruyere Garlic Toast. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Gruyere Garlic Toast

10 ounce loaf French bread
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, halved
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound sliced Gruyere cheese
Preheat the oven 425 degrees. Arrange the bread, cut into 1/2 inch slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake, turning once, until crisp and golden, about five minutes per side. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead to this point. Cool completely and store in an airtight containter.)

About 15 minutes before the soup is ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheets with foil. Arrange toast on prepared baking sheets. Rub surface of toast with cut side of garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil. Top with Gruyere. Bake until the cheese is lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately.

For stronger flavor, use 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese instead of Gruyere. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over each slice of toast before second baking.

Notes: We prefer to reverse the amounts of beef and chicken broth, so that we use 5 3/4 cups of beef broth in our soup. If the soup is too strong to your taste, or you need to stretch it, you can add water. You can choose any white wine that you care to drink for this soup. Each type will give the soup a slightly different flavor. Personally, I don't care for chardonnay, so I don't put it in my soup.

Oven conversions for UK readers.

Thanks to my youngest sis for this recipe!

This is an absolutely perfect recipe for when the tomatoes are warm and ripe. Plant some tomatoes now, and surround them with some basil, and you can grow some of the ingredients in your own garden!

Farmer’s Tomato Pie

30 minutes preparation
32 minutes baking
10 minutes stand time

1 piecrust
1 1/3 cups shredded Italian blend cheese (5 ½ oz.)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Fine dry breadcrumbs
2 lbs. Ripe tomatoes cut into wedges
1 cup Cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
½ tsp salt
1/4-1/2 cup loosely packed small basil leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Pie crust

Roll out a prepared piecrust to a twelve-inch circle. Place in a 9” quiche pan or a 9” pie pan, and trim. If using a pie pan, crimp the edges. Line the unpricked pastry with TWO thicknesses of foil. Bake 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 4-5 minutes, until set and dry. Remove from the oven.

Reduce the temperature to 375 degrees.

Filling

Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese evenly over baked shell.
Sprinkle garlic over cheese.
Sprinkle 2 tsp. Breadcrumbs over garlic and cheese
Top with 1/3 of the tomato wedges and 1/3 of the cherry tomatoes

Sprinkle ½ cup cheese
Sprinkle 2 tsp of the dry breadcrumbs
Top with 3 of the tomato wedges and 1/3 of the cherry tomatoes

Repeat last set of instructions once more and then sprinkle with salt.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and tomatoes are just beginning to brown.

Remove to wire rack
Sprinkle with basil and let stand for 10 minutes

7 oz spaghetti, broken into 2” pieces and boiled
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
1 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. White pepper
¼ tsp. Nutmeg
2 cups chicken broth (or one can 14 ½ oz chicken broth)
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp. Sherry flavoring
2 cups cooked chicken, cut in small pieces
½ cup cooked ham
¼ cup chopped green pepper sautéed, or 4 oz. Jar pimiento, cut up
1cup ripe olives cut in large pieces or ½ lb. mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
in butter 5 minutes
1 egg yolk
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese or ½ cup slivered toasted almonds

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter over low heat in heavy saucepan. Blend flour and seasonings. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; boil one minute, stirring constantly. Blend in sherry flavoring. Add sauce to cooked spaghetti. Add turkey, ham, green pepper, olives and egg yolk to spaghetti. Pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese or almonds. Bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

My family likes the version with green pepper and mushrooms. Use whole milk to make the sauce or it will look gray! The sauce is VERY thin…so don’t worry when you make it….there’s nothing wrong. This is a great recipe for using up leftover chicken or ham, and if you have any left over, it’s good
reheated the next day.

I have an old family recipe to share with you. With tomato season coming up, you want to be prepared with great ways to use them. This is called "Chili Sauce," but the name belies it's use. This piquant sauce is best used with pork roast or other meats. It is thick and chunky, like a salsa, but that's where the similarities to salsa end.

Chili Sauce

12 to 14 pounds of ripe tomatoes
2 bunches celery, chopped
3 onions, chopped
3 green bell peppers, chopped
½ tablespoon cloves
1 tablespoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons cinnamon
¼ cup salt
2 cups brown sugar
1 quart cider vinegar

Remove skins from tomatoes, cut up and place in a large enameled pot with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. (Use your own judgment as to how thick you want the sauce.) BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN! Use a heat diffuser under the pan and stir periodically to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Canning instructions: Sterilize pint mason jars, covers and rings. Ladle chili sauce into jars, wipe the top edge of the jar clean, put on the lids and securely tighten the rings. Check the next day for any lids which have not sealed, by loosening the rings and testing the seal.

Personal additions to this recipe:

My mother and I make one batch of this each year. I do it just for the scent that fills the house. We use the quilted pint sized jelly jars so that you only have a small amount open at one time. We give jars of this to family members who don't preserve, as Christmas gifts.

We have learned, by trial and error, to begin the preparations around 5 or 6 in the morning. My job is to peel and chop the tomatoes. The easiest way to do this is to bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, and dip four to six tomatoes into the water for 10-15 seconds. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon or a sieve, and plunge them into cold water. Then, you can pierce the skin and peel it off. Discard the skin or add it to your compost pile.

I cut the tomatoes in half and cut the core out. Then I cut the halves crosswise. Each chunk gets cut into thirds, so that each tomato is now in twelve chunks. This is not critical, but you ultimately want bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, my Mother is chopping the celery, green pepper and onion. We have discovered that this recipe takes ALL DAY to cook if you only use one large stockpot. Since we have more than one enamel stockpot, we have taken to dividing the ingredients into two of them so that we can cook and can this all in one day.

If you have never canned before, I recommend the Ball Blue Book, from the makers of the Ball canning jars, or a wonderful book called "Stocking Up," by Carol Hupping. You can get excellent basic instructions for canning from either. My mother chooses not to give this sauce a boiling water bath. She feels it is so acidic, with the quart of vinegar, that it won't support bacterial growth. Since we give the sauce as gifts, I prefer to be safe, so I immerse the closed jars in a boiling water bath for at least 15 minutes.

If you have a dishwasher, and the water in your hot water heater is set high enough, you can sterilize the jars in the washer just before you fill them. The jars should be clean, dry and hot.

Mother uses this on roast pork, and occasionally uses left over pork mixed with chili sauce as a spread for lunch.

I hope you try this, and enjoy it!

Summer Salad is one of our old family favorites. I could eat it every day while produce is fresh. A visitor named it, saying that it tasted like Summer to him.

Each of us has our own variation, but this is the basic salad:

Fresh, ripe tomatoes
Cucumber, preferably the small "pickle" size
Green onions
Oil and vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh dill, minced.....a lot of it

Now, I'm basically lazy, so I use Italian salad dressing on mine. I like the "Robusto" varieties with lots of seasoning and garlic, or Paul Newman's Italian Dressing. We cut the veggies into bite sized pieces. My salad tends to have more tomato and cucumber and less onion, but you can vary the proportions to suit yourself. Add the pepper and the dill and then cover it with salad dressing. I tend to have a heavy hand with the dressing, and a lot of it gets thrown out. Actually, you could use it as a merinade the next day if you saved it.

It's possible to use broccoli flowerettes, or even raw cauliflower in this salad. I occasionally omit the onion and substitute the broccoli. NEVER leave out the dill. It's the magic ingredient.

Chill the salad for a bit before serving. Enjoy!

6 large green bell peppers
1 pound ground beef
¼ cup finely chopped onion
1 cup cooked rice
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon basil leaves, crushed
½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Slice the tops off the peppers. Discard the seeds and membranes. Mince the pepper tops to make ½ cups and set aside.

In a kettle, over high heat, bring an inch of water to a boil. Add the peppers cut side down. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain peppers on paper towels. Empty the skillet and dry it.

Return the pan to medium high heat, and cook the beef, onion, and chopped green pepper until the meat is browned and the vegetables are tender. Drain off the fat. Stir in the rice, 1 cup tomato sauce, Worcestershire, salt and basil. Bring to a boil; remove from heat.

Spoon the meat mixture into the pepper shells. In a 10 x 6 baking dish, place the stuffed shells upright. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over the peppers and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 minutes more.

My household makes a few changes to this recipe. We add a little more onion to the mix, using an entire small onion rather than limiting it to a quarter cup. We also use a little more tomato sauce. Another 8 ounce can of sauce is more than enough. Occasionally I add a little cheese to the beef and rice mixture as well as sprinkling it on the top.

This is a great meal to serve when the peppers ripen, and those of you who don’t care for green pepper can substitute red peppers for the shell.

I know that we are in the middle of summer, and I should be posting recipes for fresh produce and grillable meals, but I'm getting over a cold and I'm still in comfort food mode. With that in mind, here's my favorite recipe for a cheddar chowder. If you have a Panera Bread store near you, serve this in their bread bowls.

This makes four hearty servings. You can double it without harming the output.

1 1/2 cups water
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup each sliced celery and carrots
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 to 1 tsp. dry mustard
2 cups milk
8 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

If you are short on time you can chop the carrots, celery and onion in a food processor, a Little Oscar, or a food chopper. Don't be tempted to substitute cream for the milk. This makes a thick soup with milk. To make the cheese sauce, I highly recommend that you invest in a good wooden spoon. It will be kind to the soup, the pot and your hand.

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil, and add the veggies, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are soft when you press a fork into them.

While the veggies are cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan and blend in the flour and dry mustard. Let the mixture heat, stirring to prevent scorching. Add the milk, and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for one minute. Add the cheese and stir until it has all melted. Blend the two mixtures together in the large saucepan. Heat thoroughly, but do not boil.

For a heartier version of this soup, add 1 cup diced ham when you blend the veggies and cheese sauce together.

We serve this with French bread and a green salad. Tonight we added fresh strawberries.

Actually, this is my husband's version of Cobb Salad. I used to make Cobb salad, and found that several of the items were being left behind. My solution was to put items in a separate serving bowl, and let each person make their own salad.

The base of the salad is Romaine. Rinse it in cold water, and then tear it by hand into bite sized pieces. If you have a salad spinnner, spin the romain dry. Otherwise, dry it with paper towel, and then chill it until you are ready to serve dinner.

Boil a couple of eggs, and then chill them.

You could use diced chicken from the deli, but we marinate chicken and then sautee it until the merinade cooks off and the chicken is cooked through. About an hour before you wish to cook the chicken, cube it into roughly one inch cubes, and put it in a bowl. Mix 3/4 cup rice wine, 1/4 cup soy sauce, a teaspoon or more of minced garlic, and several twists of fresh black pepper, and pour it over the chicken. You can also add some Dijon mustard to this mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.

Fry six or eight slices of bacon. Drain and crumble.

Then cut any of the following into bite sized pieces:

Red cabbage
Tomatoes
Red pepper
pickle cucumbers
julienned carrots
Feta cheese

Peel and slice the hard boiled egg, or dice it if you prefer.

Put some finely shredded Cheddar cheese in a bowl.

Set everything out on the counter, and let your family create their own salads.

We served it tonight with garlic bread and slices of watermelon.

Enjly the produce that's available now. Use any combination of veggies that your family enjoys, and create your own "Everything but the kitchen sink" salad.

Not just any blue cheese, but MAYTAG blue cheese. For sixty two years, this cheese has been made by hand on the same dairy farm in Newton, Iowa.

My mother raves about this cheese, and she recalls my grandfather (who lived in Iowa) serving it.

I think I've found an unusual Christmas gift for my mother. A two pound wheel of this cheese is available for $23 plus $5.00 in shipping and handling. That doesn't seem like too much to pay for what is considered the "definitive" American blue cheese. Besides, each bite will bring back memories for her.

If you're interested in trying this cheese, you can call 800/247-2458 to order.

Have you ever been to New Orleans?

One of the famous places to visit is Cafe du Monde. There are several of them scattered around the city, but I managed to get to the one in the Market in the French Quarter. Cafe Du Monde is famous for coffee with chicory, and beignets, which are made as you watch.

Hot, puffy little pillows of dough dusted with confectioner's sugar. They are best eaten when they have cooled enough so that you don't burn your fingers or your tongue. Yum!

You can order a gift package of the coffee, a box of beignet mix and a cup for $11.50 plus shipping. While I'd MUCH rather take a trip to N'awlins and have the real thing, this might tide me over. And it seems like a great gift for a snowbound friend.

To order, call 800/772-2927.

Each year at this time the women of my family have had a tradition of baking together for the holidays. We have had as many as six of us in the kitchen at a time, making dough, washing dishes, taking hot cookies out of the oven. We share what we have made and everyone goes home with more variety than they might have made on their own in one day.

This year schedules are so tight that we are foregoing the larger get together. One of my nieces joined me today, and another will cook with me next Sunday.

It seems that my household is going to be embracing the diabetic diet. I'm starting to do some research on the guidelines, but I have a favor to ask. If you have a good low-fat way to prepare vegetables, would you please share it with me? I'd like to be able to offer variety in our diet and not go overboard on the fat.

Thanks for your help!

This is for Bogie, in return for her wonderful recipe for Taco Lasagna. I've used this as a main meal and as a side dish for a large gathering. Bogie, I have no idea where this recipe comes from, but my family has enjoyed it for some time. I hope you and WS will too.

Tostada Casserole
6 to 8 servings

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 envelope (1 1/4 ounces) taco seasoning mix
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1 can (4 ounces) whole green chilies, drained, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
1 cup baking mix
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup dairy sour cream
1 egg
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a rectangular baking dish 12 x 7 1/2 x 2 inches. Cook and stir the ground beef and onion in a 10 inch skillet until the beef is brown; drain. Stir in seasoning mix, tomato sauce, beans, chilies and olives. Mix the baking mix (I use Bisquick), cornmeal, beaten egg and oil until moistened. Beat the mixture vigorously for 30 seconds. Spread the cornmeal mixture in the greased dish. spoon the beef mixture over the dough. Mix the remaining ingredients and spoon over the beef mixture.. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

I never include the olives when I make this, and I purchase the chilies already seeded and chopped. This really fills the pan, so there isn't much room to add more cheese.

We have been trying to eat meals that are lower in carbs. I found a tasty recipe for beef brisket that I've adjusted a bit, that has been a real hit.

Buy a small beef brisket (two pounds or less) and cut off all the fat. Spray a 13 x 9 metal cooking pan with Pam and set the brisket in the pan. Sprinkle the brisket with a 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, and grind fresh black pepper over it, to taste. Put two to three teaspoons of minced garlic into the pan, along with two bay leaves. Slice two large onions into rings and cover the brisket with the onions. Then, pour 3/4 cup of red wine over the onions and beef. Cover the pan with foil and bake for five to six hours or until very tender, at 300 degrees F.

When you are ready to serve, remove the brisket to a plate and keep it warm. Lift all the onions out of the pan, and puree them in a blender. Return the onions to the wine and juice in the pan and blend them for a wonderful sauce. Cut the brisket into slices across the grain. We served roasted potatoes and baked apples, although garlic mashed potatoes would be wonderful (if higher carb) addition to it.

Unfortunately, EVERYONE in my household would be "ooot" in no time.

It's no secret that I enjoy cooking. And, you all know that we are embracing the diabetic diet in this house. To that end, we are cutting carbs and fats and trying to increase the fiber. Unfortunately, our bodies are having a field day with the extra fiber. I'm happy to say that my mother has us all whipped into shape, and no one is allowed to entertain following dinner.

I tried something new today. My family all went in different directions. DH went sailing, my mother was working on paperwork, our son slept in, and I got started on the weeding. No one wanted to make a decision about what we were having for dinner, so I made the choice, and pulled a package of America's cut pork chops from the freezer this morning, to start the thawing process.

We made it to the Farmer's Market! YEAH!!!!

It was wonderful to be back. I really missed the crowds and the great veggies and fruits for sale. The one thing I mind is that they have banned dogs from the area. It used to be a lot of fun to see all the dogs parading through the people.

Usually I go early in the morning. I'd rather get there before the crowd is quite so large, and have first pick of the veggies. It's also easier to get a place to part at 7:30 in the morning, and then you can go on to breakfast, or to the rest of your day. This time, we had to make a stop at the pharmacy, and it doesn't open until 9:30, so we compromised and went about 9:00. MAN, was it busy!

Mother had her sewing scissors sharpened. I bought bi-color sweet corn for dinner tonight. Big, red, ripe tomatoes, green beans, a red pepper and a green pepper, pickle size cucumbers, four HUGE garlic bulbs (roasted garlic with feta on toasted French bread, anyone??), two egg plants, four bunches of flowers (asters, creamy yellow lilies and blue salvia), peaches, crimini mushrooms, wild Alaskan salmon and a cedar plank!

Yummmmmmmm.......gonna have some GOOD MEALS this week!

Oh myyyyyyyyyyyy!!! We have just had a meal fit for a king, and it came out of our own kitchen!

If reading about incredible food makes you hungry, then do NOT read on! The rest of you....be prepared to drool! *G*

I was shopping for veggies the other day, and noticed a rack of magazines in the veggie department. What caught my eye was a new magazine from Better Homes and Gardens called "Diabetic Living." Apparently this was the premier issue.

It's wonderful! The first section held lifestyle tips, and information about managing diabetes. The second section was an incredible range of recipes, made over to fit a diabetic's needs.

We've found a LOT of recipes, on-line and in cookbooks, that work for Dear Husband, but I've never seen so many recipies in one place that I would be willing to try.

We picked up an eggplant at the Farmer's Market, and I have two recipes for chunky spagetti sauce that would accept cubed eggplant nicely. And better yet, half of each recipe could be frozen, so that on the days when I don't have the time to do an entire meal from scratch, I have most of a meal ready to go. That's a major issue...needing to be careful about what we eat, even when there isn't preparation time. I also like the idea of cooking once for two meals, just as a time saving device. One of those recipes was done in a crockpot, so that would save me even more time.

Where to I sign up to subscribe? Congratulations, BHG on your new mag!

I rarely bake any longer.

In my twenties, I made bread from scratch. This was before the invention of bread machines. I baked an occasional cake, and made pies and cobblers. We have a refrigerated dough crescent roll that is served at every Thanksgiving dinner, and a pastry called "Sugar Crisp" that's made each Christmas. For a number of years, the women of my family have been invited to a day of baking cookies in December, to get ready for Christmas.

When my doctor suggested that I stop baking, I thought he was crazy. I kept on baking, but shared the fruits of my labors. Then....gradually, I started to cut back on my baking.

There are times, though, when I get a taste for a certain dessert, and carve out the time to make it from scratch. Last night, I cleaned the kitchen, put everything away, and then checked to see if I had the ingredients for carrot cake. I needed more oil. I decided to make a quick stop at the grocery store today, and pick up what I needed. I'd still have time to make the cake and cool it before dinner.

With the exception of needing two cups of grated carrots, the recipe is extreemely simple. Some time ago, I discovered that I could use my blender to chop the carrots, so that's what I did today. I think I must have dirtied every bowl in the kitchen, and several spoons and measuring cups. Why is that? I think there must be an axiom somewhere establishing a relationship between the number of dirtied dishes and how good something tastes.

By noon, I had the cake in the oven, and worked on dinner preparations while it baked. The house smelled wonderful with the scent of cinnamon filling the air.

When my timer went off, I did the cake test (piercing the cake with a toothpick to determine if the batter has been cooked thoroughly), and set the pan on a rack to cool. When it was cool, I used a knife to release the cake from the edges of the pan, turned the pan over and tapped the bottom to release the cake.

Two thirds......maybe three quarters.....of the cake came out of the pan.

I have one lightweight, metal, easy release bundt pan that will be in the recycling bin this evening.

It was incredibly frustrating to have put all that time and effort into making a special dessert and have it look like something that came through an urban war.

It tasted fine. We had carrot cake after dinner. BUT....I knew it wasn't what it should be, and it bothered me.

I think I have one more carrot cake in me, maybe more than one, but I won't be using that crappy pan, that's for darn sure. Sur la Table.....Crate and Barrel......Kitchen shops across Illinois....here I come, looking for the definitive Bundt pan.

Carrot Cake

2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups cooking oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Sift the flour once, add baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and sift the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add sugar, oil, eggs, and beat until blended. Add carrots and pecans. Pour into a greased, floured 10" tube or bundt pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 70 minutes. Cake test. Remove from oven, let stand ten minutes. REmove from pan and cool on a rack. Dust with 10X sugar. Serve with ice cream.

Thirty years later......
A number of years ago, a friend told me that I could substitute applesauce for part or all of the oil, and now, I do. And, should I never find the definitive Bundt pan, I will consider making this cake in a 13 x 9 cake pan. It will take some adjustment of cooking time, but it would be worth it.

If I could remember how this recipe came to me, I would give the creator credit for it. It seems that it has been in my family forever, and my personal copy was typed more than a quarter of a century ago. I equate this cake with comfort. My head, which is trained to read labels and think "Low-carb," simply has to give way now and then, so that my heart, and taste buds, can enjoy the comfort of food from my youth. Thank God that doesn't happen often! *G*

This is for Blue Witch, who enjoyed the carrot cake recipe. This time of year we have an overabundance of zucchini. Even one plant can provide enough zucchini for an entire neighborhood, so we're constantly trying to find ways to use them up, or share them.

This recipe for a zucchini tea bread is older than most of our children, and I make it at least once a year. I hope you enjoy it.

Zucchini Bread

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup salad oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Mix thoroughly. With a spoon, add the zucchini and walnuts, and spread the batter in the pan.

Bake 70 miunutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack, and then remove the loaf from the pan. Let cool completely. Wrap to store.

This year, because we are making an effort to cut calories and fat from our diet, I may try replacing the oil with applesauce. I'll let you know what happens

I've been talking about meal planning lately. I've always planned a week at a time, until recently. Now I plan half a week at a time, and shop more often, because we're eating more vegetables. I thought I woud post what this week's meals have been, and seeing it in print is scary! I've been struggling with my weight, and I can see why!

Sunday, we had visitors at our table, so we probably went a little out of our way to prepare a large meal, and Tuesday nights my niece and her sons come to us for dinner. Otherwise, there were four of us at dinner, each night, covering three generations.

Sunday:
Roast Pork, Browned Potatoes and Gravy, Carrots, Acorn Squash, Salad, Garlic Cheddar Biscuits, and Gingerbread with Ice Cream.

Monday:
Broiled Flank Steak, Yellow Wax Beans with Onions, Cauliflower with Bread Crumb topping, Sauteed Mushrooms, Salad

Tuesday:
Antipasto: Turkey, Ham, Chicken, Tuna, Hard Boiled Eggs, Swiss, Cheddar, Colby Jack, Feta, Olives, Sweet Pickles, Cherry Peppers, Pepperoncini, Dill Pickles, Cucumber, Plum tomatoes, Cauliflower, Green Onions, Romaine, cheesy garlic bread, Canteloupe, Applesauce, Lemon Meringue Pie and Peach Crisp

Wednesday:
Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu, Asparagus, Broccoli, Salad

Thursday:
Beef Chop Suey, Cashew Beef, Egg Foo Yung, Rice

Friday:
Pizza

Saturday:
(Dear Husband will be on the boat) Tomato Soup, Oyster Crackers, Salad

Sunday:
Pot Roast, Browned Potatoes and Carrots, Green Beans, Salad

You can see that the meals got simpler as the week went on. We normally don't do things that require so many ingredients as the Antipasto, but were were trying to cover the tastes of four generations with that meal.

We have made the shift away from fried foods. We grill, broil, roast or bake, and when something needs to be sauteed, we use broth, Worchestershire sauce, or juice in place of butter. We offer bread and desserts when we have guests, otherwise, we have cut those carbs and sugars out of our diet. Our veggies are generally steamed and served without butter, but the topping on the cauliflower was a combination of bread crumbs browned in butter, and green onions, so you can see that I have places I can still refine the diet.

My plan is to cut back a bit, still having two veggies and a salad, but I want to get to simpler preparations, and less time consuming meals. Still....you won't see any frozen dinners at our house.

Did I get it right? The title? I think that's Italian for "Soup."

At any rate, it seems that soup is on my mind. It could be that our chilly Fall days have something to do with that. Too bad it's supposed to be almost 70 by Friday, because I'm doing soup this week, anyway.

When I went to do the meal plans for this week, I decided that we needed to do a crock pot of "Pasta e fagioli." I have one of the recipes that strives to imitate the Pasta and Bean soup that Olive Garden serves. It's a great soup, but it makes enough soup for about forty people. I plan on palming some off on family. I could probably freeze half of it, but this is one soup I like served fresh.

Then, I was surfing for more recipes that are diabetic friendly, and came across "Spicy Seafood and Chicken Gumbo with Rice." This recipe is supposedly for just six servings, but it has a pound of shrimp, 4 oz of crab meat, 1 cup of cooked chicken and a pound of okra, among other things. I think there will be six very big servings, but I'm going to follow the recipe exactly, the first time. We'll have it for dinner (checking my watch)...today.

And, I've been meaning to make butternut squash soup for several weeks. The recipe I saved from a newspaper, years ago, has a roasted red pepper coulis that is swirled through the finished soup. I'm looking forward to trying this one, and I hope it becomes one of the staple soups in my repertoire.

My oldest sister and I were having lunch together for the first time in ages. They had "Navy Bean Soup" on the menu, and she ordered it, thinking it would be like my version. Unfortunately, it was a tomato-veggie soup with white beans. She was not impressed. I promised her that I would make a pot of it for her. I need a ham bone, or ham hocks, a pound of navy beans, onion, celery, a potato, bay leaf, thyme, a quart or two of water..... Maybe I better get started.

I have one more soup recipe to find. It seems to me that it would be a good idea to have a hot vegetable beef soup on hand on really cold days when Dear Husband gets home from battling the weather and work. It would tide him over until I can get dinner on the table, and it would give him one more serving of veggies. I want to find one that has a great beef broth, and a LOT of veggies in it. The heat alone should help to revive him, but I want him to enjoy the taste, too. If you have a great veggie soup recipe, let me know, won't you?

Thank God for leftovers! Tonight, I don't have to cook. Instead, we are cleaning out the refrigerator.

There's Chili, Minestrone Soup, Country Rigatoni, and Broiled Shrimp that were marinated in olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. We have Green Salad, Waldorf Salad, Coleslaw, Salsa and Guacamole. There are Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, Asiago bread, Pumpkin Pecan Dessert Squares and an incredible Chocolate Layer Cake.

We're a little short on veggies tonight, but I'm willing to eat an extra apple just so that I don't have to cook.

Tomorrow, we have family to dinner.....Pork Chops and Rice, Green Beans, Broccoli with Cheese Sauce, and salad.

I know, it sounds like my mind is on food again, but actually, it's focused on the freedom to get other things done, rather than cooking. Everyone needs a day off now and then!

We have just about 40 hours to get everything ready, and then the celebration begins. I've been fine tuning my shopping list for Thursday, the last time I expect to get to the store before we cook.

I had originally planned to have a breakfast casserole on Christmas morning, to make preparation easier, but I've been thinking about having Quiche Lorraine instead. The ingredients are roughly the same, with the exception of swapping bacon for sausage, and pie crust for hash browns. The quiche might look more festive and elegante....but with all the excitement of present opening, will anyone care?

I plan to offer English muffins and whole wheat toast, jam and butter on one tray, and an assortment of fruit on another.

What do you think? The quiche or the casserole?

Decisions! Sometimes I wish I wasn't a Libra!

My family would tell you that I am the QUEEN OF CONDIMENTS! Actually, that isn't so. I do happen to have a refrigerator overstuffed with bottles and jars of practically every condiment known to man, but it's not my fault.

I live in one of those very rare households which have three generations. Everyone who lives here is over 35, including the cat. Each of us have our own quirks when it comes to eating, but my mother and my stepson tie when it comes to who can buy the oddest condiment, take one taste of it, and leave it in the refrigerator for six years.

Last week, I had the pleasure of going to lunch with my youngest sister and one of my nieces. This niece has the most inquiring mind, and she mentioned that she had recently taken a class in kitchen sanitation. She works on the supply side of the food industry, so this is not such an odd class for her to be taking. She suggested that we needed to pitch 90% of the contents of my fridge, and I nodded.

She was supposed to visit today. My mother didn't raise any slow puppies, so I ran for the fridge and started reading the "sell by" dates on every bottle. I was truly horrified when I discovered the bottle of caramel topping for ice cream passed it's expiration date in 1999. There was something else with a 2002 date, but most of the rest had expired within the past few months. If it isn't growing something bleu-green it usually gets to stay for a while.

I found several bottles of salsa, six tubs of various brands of imitation, low fat butter, three boxes of real butter, three cans of black olives and two bottles of green olives that looked really nasty, assorted pickles and spreadable cream cheese. I am proud to say that only one bottle of salad dressing needed to be thrown out!

My stepson is the king of sauces. He will blend eight odd things together to make a sauce to pour over a perfectly good steak. I threw out his Teriyaki marinade. Next to go are Bead Molasses, Brown Gravy Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Szechuan Sauce, Chinese Style Mustard, and Thai Chili Garlic Paste. I think we need to replace the sesame oil, too.

I cleaned out the veggie drawer, and the lunch meat drawer, but I might need to get tough with the drawer that has blocks of cheese. We have feta, Brie, Irish Gold, smoked Gouda, white cheddar, mozzarella, asiago, Parmesan and cheddar.

I threw out half a garbage bag of left overs. Of course, we've had a LOT of people here for the holidays, and as each wave came and went, we had more left overs. Then we came down with colds and nobody had a taste for anything, so all that food sat. Incredible waste. I feel as though we need to make a huge donation to disaster relief as penance for having wasted so much food.

The only ray of light here is that we have single handedly raised the number of people employed in the food industry, trying to keep us in condiments!

Every now and then it's a good idea to look through your freezer and refrigerator and plan meals that will let you use up food that you've been storing. I've been good about this all week. We've had home cooked dinners, complete with entrée, salad and two veggies, and occasionally I've added a starch or soup to the mix.

All that cooking got to me. Tonight we went out to dinner.

I was surfing through blogs tonight. I've been tied up with the organization of our taxes this week and haven't had the chance to visit. Jim, at Parkway Rest Stop, was talking about his aversion to seafood. He dislikes it all, but the part that caught my attention was the raw stuff.

EEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

In just a month, or so, we expect to have two rather large groups of people visit our home. My mother has joined the Red Hat Society, and we've invited them to brunch on Saturday, May 20. Once the date was established the ladies all insisted they would bring something, making it into a pot luck. They felt it would be the easiest thing to do, since one can't have cheese, and one can't have pasta. Who knows what other dietary restrictions may lurk in the group.

The other group that will be visiting is our friends from exercise. Rather than go out to breakfast to celebrate the May birthdays, they will all bring a dish to pass and we will celebrate here. It's been my pleasure to have them come to us in May so that I can show off the iris. This group has dietary problems, as well, so I've been searching my books for something to offer.

One of my mother's friends sent a recipe to me for an Italian style spread that's really yummy.

It's a layered spread that starts with a layer of cream cheese mixed with goat cheese, spread and pressed into a bowl lined with plastic wrap.

The next layer is a blend of spinach, fresh basil, Parmesan and olive oil and garlic. It makes a dry pesto. This would work best in a food processor, but I was able to chop it finely in a blender.

On top of that you spread roasted pine nuts and finely diced sun-dried tomatoes.

Those layers are repeated and then the final layer is the last of the cream cheese/goat cheese mix.

The spread is chilled to blend the flavors, and then served with crackers. I've made this twice for my family, and I plan to make it for the two brunches coming up. It may become a staple at family gatherings. The pesto layer blended with the cheese is wonderful!

This weekend I am gaining an apprentice!

We have an old family recipe for something called "Chili Sauce." I've posted the recipe on the June 30, 2003 blog entry. Hopefully, the link will take you there.

Except for last year, Elegante Mother and I have been making this sauce once a year for the past sixteen years we have lived together. I'm not sure why we didn't get to it, but I must have decided that we could coast on all the reserves we had stored up.

Peaches
Blueberries
20 pounds of tomatoes
6 plum tomatoes
miniature patty pan squash
green onions
tiny red new potatoes
6 pickle cucumbers
4 green bell peppers
3 red peppers
1 pound crimini mushrooms (baby portabello)
1 portabello mushroom
6 ears bi-color corn
green beans
yellow wax beans

Hm....well, maybe not gas.....but with a lot of fun in the kitchen.

My niece will be here to join us for dinner tonight. It's just the ladies, as Dear Husband is off boating tonight. I've found several recipies that I'd like to try on her, so this is what I'm planning:

Italian pork tenderloin
Roasted veggies
Farmer's tomato pie (May 16, 2003 in the archives)
Corn Cakes with Fresh Corn and Chives
Peach Blueberry Cake

Wow......now that I have it down on paper I can see that I'm going to have to cut something out. Maybe I can talk her into the Farmer's Tomato Pie for lunch tomorrow. I can slip in a small side salad that would be much lighter.

And so is the chili sauce!

I've been making chili sauce with Elegante Mother for the last 15 years, and it usually took us all day to cook it down to the point where it could be canned. Today we were done at 2:20!

I spent the morning cutting up 2.2 pounds of tiny Italian plums. We're making jam today. The fruit is so tiny that it took me easily two hours to complete the job. Part of that time was devoted to occasional diversions to give my hands a chance to relax.

I happened to find Orangette's blog entry on preserving, and decided to follow her instructions for making jam. To the chopped up plums, I've added a pound of sugar and the juice from half a lemon. The mixture is to sit for two hours at room temperature to "macerate."

We've finished canning the plum jam. It's amazing how you can take a dark blue fruit with green pulp and end up with a beautiful plum colored jam!

The chopped plums, sugar and lemon juice sat for two hours while the juice flowed from the pulp. We put it on the stove top and brought it to a rolling boil. Elegante Mother skimmed the foam from the top, and I worked on getting the jars ready for the canning.

Hey, Cop Car! I think I may have found the perfect blog for you!

I was surfing this morning and found "Cooking for Engineers"!

What to fix, what to fix? I'm caught in a no-man's land between the heat of summer and the cold of winter, and my meals reflect our confusion.

Last night I made stuffed green peppers. Tonight I made pasta e fagiole soup. Tomorrow we're grilling salmon.

I made the green peppers because it was chilly, and we have an abundance of green peppers available now. I cut the core out of the peppers and then cut them in half lengthwise. After blanching them for five minutes, I laid them on their sides and mounded the filling over them. It seems easier to do it this way, and you get a little more of the stuffing with each bite of pepper, always a good thing.

Today was warm and clear. I should have been out weeding, but I wanted to be available to the repairman, so I worked in the kitchen, making soup. Our evening has been chilly, so the warm soup wasn't so inappropriate.

Apples are coming into the Farmer's Market. I want to do apple butter, and apple crisp and apple pie. And then there's zucchini bread, carrot cake, and pumpkin bread. I found a jar of pumpkin butter in my cabinet, today. I think I'll have it with toast in the morning.

I Love Fall!

Last month Dear Husband and I purchased a half bushel of apples at the Farmer's Market. I've used them in a variety of ways: chunky applesauce, apple pie, apple crisp, pork and apples. I have some left, and I still hope to get to the apple butter.

The apple butter is done. I had some on toast this morning. Have I told you I'm addicted to cinnamon?? This was sweet and thick and full of cinnamon.

I have a few more thoughts to share with you about apple butter before we move on to other subjects. When my links are up, you'll find "Simply Recipes" listed among them. Elise has a recipe that is almost identical to the one I gave for apple butter, with one exception. Her recipe calls for apple cider vinegar. I thought that maybe it was an error, but according to Elise it's just a variant on the recipe. I prefer my apple butter sweet and spicy, so I use apple cider instead.

I did a quick search to see if I'd given this recipe in the past, but I don't find anything. I love the smell of cinnamon when the house is closed up. I associate it with Thanksgiving and Christmas. When I can't bake using cinnamon, I have candles scented with vanilla and cinnamon or pumpkin and cinnamon.

A number of years ago a friend shared the recipe for a simple dough made of applesauce and cinnamon for Christmas ornaments. I made several batches and we cut out angels, and gingerbread men, and rocking horses. Let me share it with you.

Saturday was Cookie Day! It's just one of the reasons my blog has been blank for a bit.

We've been in this house 16 years, and shortly after we moved in, I invited my sisters and their grown daughters to come for a day to bake cookies for Christmas. We've held a Cookie Day every year for the past 15 years. With organization, we might be able to have six women making cookies. This year there were just three of us, my oldest sister, my brother's daughter and me.

I found two new recipes for Christmas treats this year. One is ridiculous and the other is sublime. *S*

The sublime cookie is a shortbread based treat. You make shortbread from scratch. The recipe makes 48 triangles of shortbread. We discussed it, and feel that we could actually get more cookies from the recipe because it makes such a big cookie.

When the shortbread has cooled, you finely chop pecans, melt 24 caramels, and in a separate bowl melt half a cup chocolate chips with two teaspoons shortening. For each cookie, you dip one side in the caramel, and then in the nuts. When you've finished that step, you drizzle the chocolate over the cookies, and chill to set the chocolate. It's a lot of work, but it makes a lot of cookies. They look and taste wonderful. The hardest part is melting the caramel.

My family says they've heard the other recipe called "Haystacks." You melt chocolate chips and mix them with chow mien noodles and peanuts. It sounds odd, but tastes great!

Chocolate and nuts, how can you go wrong??

Have you ever noticed that laughter has a way of bubbling up when you are supposed to be at your most solemn?

I don't belive that you must go to a wake or a funeral with a grief-stricken face. I personally feel that we go to celebrate our friend who has passed on, and for many people, that celebration has to include funny memories.

The man who did the eulogy for my step-son was his childhood friend. We laughed a lot at the stories he had to tell. We could easily imagine the youthful hi-jinks that went on from the tales he shared.

I'd rather have a speaker dwell on the good, and the funny memories, than feel it's inappropriate to lighten the somber air of the day. I think that it's natural to feel the laughter, and that it shouldn't be suppressed but rather, encouraged.

Yes, we feel grief at our loss. Yes, at times we express it in a solemn way, but I'd rather be remembered in a positive or a funny way, if you give me a choice. And that's how I choose to remember my step-son.

So, the next time you're at a funeral, and a bubble of laughter is threatening to well up within you, please grin, and say a prayer for my kid.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Chilled Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce
Pesto/Goat Cheese Spread, with assorted crackers
Salmon Pate and Chevre with Sesame crackers

Spiral Sliced Ham
Baked Ziti with Parmesan Cheese

Cheesy Potatoes
Steamed French Green Beans
Pickled Eggs and Beets

Cold Corn Salad
Caesar Salad

Vernice Kastman Rolls
Cornbread Squares

Olives, Sweet Gehrkins and Dill Pickles

Easter Cookies, Brownies and other assorted Desserts

Coffee, Iced and Hot tea, Soda Pop, and Wine

Easter dinner will be held here for about half of my family. At the moment we're expecting 24 people, but that number will change back and forth until we have eaten. There are always unexpected changes, and we just go with the flow. Those who can make it will be fed, and those who can't will get take home meals.

The menu is listed below. I think in honor of Dear Husband there will be Mozart playing quietly in the background during dinner. I hope to steal all the young adults and have them to myself at one table, if they'll let me. They are of an age when they might prefer to mingle with the adults.....a rite of passage in our family.

Saturday and Sunday will seem odd because Dear Husband, the person I so depend on to pull off our gatherings, will be in Florida. Our son was a part of the largest group of Bears fans to gather outside of Chicago, in the Orlando area. They are holding a golf tournament on Saturday, and it's been named in his memory. So, DH is going to fly down to play in the tournament, and will fly home Sunday morning. Luckily, my youngest sis and her family will come late Saturday evening, and my oldest sis will come early on Sunday to be sure we have things under control. *G*

Elegante Mother and I found tablecloths in pastels to cover two of the tables. I'll use antique crocheted mats on the third table, and each table will be set with a different pattern of china. I'm going to do a bouquet of tulips for one table centerpiece, and two small arrangements of spring flowers for the others.

I think I have the schedule in place to get everything done, but we'll see how it turns out. Truth be told.....I'm the only one who will notice if not everything is done to my expectations. My family tells me to relax, and I have...a little. I'm NOT going to use paper plates, though!

I know that I've rambled on about preparations, when actually, the gathering of my siblings and their families are really what's most important to me. I love having family around me, and working with them to prepare a meal. I wish it was possible to do it more often, but as the family grows, each person is pulled in two or more ways. I choose not to make the kids feel bad if they can't attend a gathering here, but that doesn't mean I don't miss them when they are away.

So, this Sunday, we will celebrate life, and family and I will tuck the memories away to savor in the future. I'm blessed, I know.

I tried something new to me, but old to almost everyone else, today.

I am a tea drinker. I drink hot tea and iced tea. If I'm drinking iced tea, I prefer Lipton's Black, mixed with Tazo "Awake" black tea. If I'm drinking hot tea, it's Lipton's Black, or a variety of other teas, such as Earl Gray, English Breakfast Tea, Darjeeling, or occasionally black tea flavored with a hint of orange. I don't usually care for fruit teas, except for one apricot tea that's lovely on a cold evening. I don't care for herbal tea, either. I just want plain black tea that is brewed strong.

I probably have twenty kinds of tea in the cabinet. My family must think I'm difficult to buy for, because I frequently get gifts of tea. I don't mind. It's the perfect gift. One of my nieces has also created a collection for me of one and two-cup tea pots and cups. The most recent one has a Japanese look. It's cast iron and sits on a small round cup meant for a warming candle or Sterno can.

So...back to today. I have heard it suggested that rather than water your drink down with ice cubes, you can freeze what you plan to drink in ice cube trays. When you add the ice cubes to your drink, it doesn't get diluted!

I tried it today. What a simple idea! I can't believe that I haven't done it long before this. I have iced tea, with iced tea cubes, and my tea is still as strong as when I brewed it.

Go try it. Iced coffee, Iced lemonade....hmmmmmmm I don't think alcohol will freeze....

Last week, when our exercise group met for our annual pot luck brunch, one of the ladies brought chicken salad to share. Normally chicken salad doesn't do anything for me. I'll eat it, but it's usually not at the top of my wish list.

This salad was incredible. It's probably a good thing I didn't know what was it it, or I might not have tried it. I thought it was so good, that I asked her if she would mind if I made it for the Red Hat Ladies luncheon tomorrow. I also asked her if I could share the recipe with you. She gave me her blessing on both counts.

J's Chicken Salad

Simmer 4 half or 2 whole chicken breasts in a small amount of water, seasoned with garlic. (J said that usually she uses cloves of garlic, but when she doesn't have cloves at hand, she'll use a little powdered garlic or garlic salt.)
When cooked through, cool and cut into small pieces.

To the chicken, add:
1 cup celery, cut fine
1 cup red grapes, cut in half
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup fresh dill, cut fine
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix 1 cup of sour cream and 1 cup of mayonnaise together and add to the chicken mixture. Refrigerate overnight.

J said that the measurements are not written in stone. Some days she adds more of one ingredient and a little less of another, and it still turns out fine.

Dear Husband helped me make this tonight, and his burning question was...."Do I cut the grapes in half vertically or horizontally?"

While I was getting my hair cut, my sister and Elegante Mother went to the Farmer's Market. It's still early in the season, but they came back with some treasures. Cherries, Red Raspberries, Strawberries, Sugar Snap peas, some Green Beans, Crimini Mushrooms, and Rhubarb were just some of the things they picked up for me.

Sis found exceptionally nice baskets on sale, half price. Had I been there, I would gave snatched up all their stock! I LOVE baskets!

I have SUCH a taste for Strawberry-Rhubarb pie. EM used to make it for my Dad when I was a kid. To make it easy on myself, I think I'll use ready-made pie crust, but everything else will be fresh. I may visit the Simply Recipes blog to see if there's a good recipe in the archives.

Dear Husband called it. My sis bought a kohlrabi. She loves them! She eats them raw, rather like a funky apple.

Two of my friends have posted comments to a recent entry, and I find that my response is so long that I might as well make a couple of entries on the subjects.

The first was a continuation of the subject of strawberry-rhubarb pie. My mother used to make it, and I suppose that was where I learned to eat rhubarb. Now, we're just as likely to stew the rhubarb with sugar, and eat it for breakfast. You have to understand that as Elegante Mother has aged, her sweet tooth has taken over her life.

It seems to me that Americans use sugar differently than Europeans. I don't have a terrible sweet tooth; I tend to prefer salty, crunchy things if I'm going to ruin my diet. But, when I've tasted pastries from German bake shops, or other European confections, it seems as though they are not as sweet as American desserts.

Last night I served sliced strawberries with our dinner. My mother prefers them sugared, so I sprinkled a little sugar over them. (Adele, I doubt you would do that. Actually, I like mine plain, or dipped in dark chocolate!)) My 11-year-old nephew was gobbling them up, and paused to ask if they had sugar on them. I nodded, and he said, "THAT'S why they taste so good! So, our younger generation has been trained to like sweeter tasting things.

Adele, I would NEVER have thought to mix orange with rhubarb. I'll have to share that concept with EM. I think it would be too tart for most Americans. I like black tea with a touch of orange added to it, or dark chocolate with orange, but rhubarb with orange seems a stretch for my tastebuds.

I surfed for a strawberry rhubarb pie recipe and found a compendium of rhubarb-something pies that I want to share with you. Adele, you'll be pleased to note that there are TWO pies that have orange in them! Of course, there's also a Zucchini-rhubarb pie. Ahem.

I was famished at 6:00 with no dinner prepared. It was time to clean out the fridge! I had the most incredible salad....

Diced red and yellow bell pepper
Sliced new pickle cucumbers, the first of the season, astringent and crunchy
Carrots sliced into very thin julienne strips
Broccoli stems done the same way
A tiny bit of red cabbage
Crumbles of feta cheese
Julienned strips of turkey
Marzetti's Asian Crunch salad topping
A bed of mixed romaine, iceberg and spinach,
topped with Green Goddess dressing

Until I got to the dressing, it was an incredibly healthy meal, and did it pack a CRUNCH! Perfect for a heat wave day.

While Cop Car was visiting, she and I made a trek through the Farmer's Market. We purchased the usual vegetable suspects, but at the last stall I picked up two quarts of peaches from a vendor who grows all sorts of fruit in the southwest corner of Michigan. Man, do they taste WONDERFUL!

Unfortunately, peaches don't have a long shelf life, so this afternoon I plan to make Peach Crisp. Usually when we make a crisp, it's apple crisp, and it's a harbinger of the season. I'm modifying the recipe and using about eight medium peaches, skinned and sliced. I'm going to use an 8x8 glass baking pan, fill it with sliced peaches and then mound the topping over it.

I browsed on-line for recipes, and discovered that everyone publishes the one they remember from their childhood. Well, in MY childhood, the topping was made from rolled oats, flour, brown sugar and butter. You use a pastry cutter to blend it together, and then you sprinkle it over the fruit and bake it.

Can you imagine it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream?? Heck....my mouth is watering just thinking of it. There goes my weight loss for the week.

Cop Car, we're finally going to get to the Parmesan Crusted Tilapia tonight. I'll have to send you the recipe. I'm so sorry that we didn't get that meal on the table while you were here. We'll roast the rest of the asparagus, and steam yellow wax beans. If that's not enough, Dear Husband can have some green salad. That's the meal for the day at Buffy's Best Inn!

Cowtown Pattie is baking! She's hot on the trail of pumpkin pie recipes. I've donated my mother's recipe, and I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Pumpkin is not my all time favorite pie flavor, but Elegante Mother's recipe is sumptuous! I love all the spices, and the house smells wonderful as it's cooking!

I'm assuming that this is a 9" pie. The instructions simply begin with the words PIE CRUST. As I recall, you prepare the crust and put it in the pan, but don't bake it ahead of time. Also, prepare a narrow band of foil to cover the edge of the crust for part of the baking time.

1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
3/4 cup sugar
3 whole eggs
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients well. Add to pie shell. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Use foil to cover the rim of the pie to prevent overbaking.

One large can of pumpkin will make two pies. (214 calories per slice, serves 8)

Isn't this a wonderful way to usher in Fall?!

In August, Cop Car came for a visit, and helped us can the 2006 chili sauce. Elegante Mother's chili sauce is a condiment that is used with pork roast, and can be used with leftover roast pork to make a sandwich spread. It's made of tomatoes, peppers, celery, onions, and LOTS of spices and vinegar. We've made a batch every year for at least ten years, probably longer. If you're interested in the recipe, I've posted it here.

I had to move some things in the mud room, and I needed to store this year's batch of chili sauce. Somehow FOUR BOXES of half-pint jars ended up on the counter, waiting for my attention. Meanwhile, my sisters are saying to me that they want the annual distribution of chili sauce!

I went to the mudroom closet this afternoon, and started checking out the stack of boxes filled with canning jars that I had stored there. Box after box came out of that black hole. In all there were easily ten boxes filled with home canned goods. As I looked through the boxes, I discovered that many of them don't have a date or label. Some of the jars have a little masking tape tab with the year, and some of the boxes have a date on the side, but there are 82 half-pint jars of chili sauce, and 39 of them are unmarked.

I have 16 jars of 2006 sauce, 17 jars of 2005, and 10 jars of 2003. I suspect one box of twelve jars is the 2004 vintage. I also have 11 full pints of chili sauce from 1996! AND....a dozen jars of mustard pickles from the same year, which will be thrown out. I didn't like the results of that batch and shouldn't have bothered to keep them.

I'm going to get Elegante Mother and Dear Husband to assist me, and we are going to create "gift boxes" of chili sauce for my sisters. We're going to clean the mudroom closet. YES! I think 27 little jars of chili sauce will be going down the tubes unless I can find a way to make potpourri of them. I have one of those itty bitty crock-pots that you use for simmering potpourri. I bet I could heat the chili sauce with a little water in one of those and the house would smell WONDERFUL! The clove and cinnamon scent would be perfect for the season.

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. Waste not, want not. Doesn't chili sauce potpourri sound like a virtuous thing?? *G*

For my friend, Cop Car, who recommended chamomile tea:

Do you believe in serendipity? The day you suggested that I try a cup of chamomile tea for my aches, I read a recipe for it at my herb group.

Pour two cups of hot water over one tablespoon of chamomile flower heads, and 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger and let steep for five minutes.

Strain the herbs from the liquid. Use Stevia or another sweetener if needed. Serve hot, or chill.

I think I'll stick with Lipton's.

Cookie Day for 2006 has been officially canceled.

(sigh)

One of my nieces has been transfered this week, and has to work on Sunday, and another slipped and broke a toe. She can't stand through a day of cooking. Several other ladies have just too much to do to give up a day to bake.

So...I need to look over the list of cookies and plan a strategy for baking a few a day until we have enough to fill our gift boxes.

I have some old favorites, and a few new recipes to try. The favorites include:
Russian Tea Cakes (Mexican Wedding Cakes), Sugar Crisp, Turtle shortbread, Peanut Butter Blossoms, and Raspberry Ribbons.

Here are the new ones I'd like to try:
Choco-Coco Pecan Crisps
Fudge Tarts
Pastry Pillows
Frosted Sour Cream and Chocolate Drops
Apricot Nut Diamonds
Chocolate Mint Thumbprints
Old World Raspberry Bars and
Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies

Since there's some duplication (but who can have too much chocolate?), I'll weed a couple out after I read the instructions again.

I also found an old recipe that my mother made when I was a child, for Kolache. She used to fill them with raspberry or apricot preserves, and sprinkle confectioner's sugar over them. hey were light, and sweet, and a favorite of the entire family.

I had to make a stop at Sur le Table to find the coarse sugar I needed for the Pastry Pillows. That doesn't seem to be a common ingredient in most grocery stores.

And, I may give in and do a recipe of Sugar Cookies that can be iced. We don't tend to do the traditional decorative cookies, so this might be a tip of the hat toward tradition.

I tried a new Christmas "cookie" this afternoon. I wanted to see if a short-cut cookie might be something to add to our list of favorites.

The recipe used ready-made peanut butter cookie dough. You divide an 18 ounce tube of dough into 24 pieces and bake them in tart-sized muffin tins. During the last two minutes of cooking you press a rounded measuring spoon into the dough to create a well, then continue baking until the dough is golden.

The peanut butter dough makes a tart base that holds a fudge filling.

It seems to me that the tart is a bit thick. It makes quite a substantial cookie, perhaps one that men would like more than women. I know....that's sexist. Don't bother to point it out.

I'm going to freeze the tarts and then add the fudge the day before the cookies are given as gifts. I'll have to see if the combination of the peanut butter base and the fudgy center will draw anyone back for seconds.

We've reached the winter doldrums in the kitchen a little early this year. Elegante Mother, Dear Husband, Second Son and I eat a fairly wide range of foods but it seems that we get to the middle of the winter and we eat the same dozen things or so again and again. To make matters worse, no one wants to help me plan the meals they will be eating. Personally, if it weren't so darned expensive and so bad for a diet, I'd just as soon go out to eat.

I decided that I would try a new recipe this week, and opted for Tortilla Soup. I pulled six or so recipes from the Internet and read through them. When we were in Hawaii two years ago, we had an incredible soup at the Hula Grill that was basically a tortilla soup with chunks of fish. I picked the recipe that I thought came closest to that soup.

I pulsed cilantro, onion, garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, and a jalapeño pepper in the blender. I added that to chicken stock, salt and cumin, and let the soup stock simmer for an hour. This recipe calls for chicken rather than fish. I decided to bake the chicken breasts with a very light breadcrumb coating, so that left over chicken could be used for another meal. I diced three of the chicken breasts, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, quartered an avocado, and set out sour cream and salsa. At the end of the cooking time I thickend the stock with cornstarch, and then fried strips of corn tortillas for a topping.

Each of us assembled the soup to suit ourselves. EM was the only one to have avocado. I passed on the avocado and the salsa. Dear Husband had everything but the avocado. We each had the soup that we wanted, and it seemed to be fine, no matter how you assembled it.

I may use one more jalapeño pepper next time. This was mild, but very tasty, and it was a pleasure to try something new. I think the next new meal will be shrimp, with linguine, broccoli and carrots, and the next will be a Creole style meal with crawfish and andouille.

Any suggestions? Variety is the spice of life!

Lesson #1

Don't put onion, celery, and carrots in the container and chop all at once. Chop each type of veggie separately.

Lesson #2

Pulse, don't puree the onion, celery and carrots for the minestrone soup.

Actually, it's an embarrassment of veggies. We're having flank steak for dinner tonight. Dear Husband broils a great flank steak. The three of us (including Elegante Mother) enjoy our beef medium rare. DH sprinkles it with garlic salt, lemon pepper and broiled steak seasoning before he broils it, and it's a perennial favorite.

Usually when we have flank steak, we also have baked potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and a big salad. This evening I decided I wanted to try my hand at a coleslaw made with purple and green cabbage, and bits of julienned carrots. I discovered right away that my mandolin was not going to do a good job with the cabbage, so I shifted over to a Wusthoff wide-bladed knife, and things went better. I washed baking potatoes, gave them a light coating of Crisco and sprinkled them with kosher salt. I use aluminum baking stakes to make sure the potatoes are cooked all the way through.

Dear Husband prepared asparagus for roasting. I started 'shrooms sautéing, and then I reached for a head of cauliflower. I steamed half a head of cauliflower, and then made a cup of cheese sauce for those who might want it.

Whew......it's made my fingers tired to write all this. Dear Husband has broiled the steak and it's time for dinner. By the way....there's also slices of three cheese semolina bread.....

Just WHO did I think I was cooking for!!!??? I have enough food here for an army. I'm not sure what made me think we needed all this. I'm going to try a taste of everything, and try very hard not to overdo.

I guess it's a sign of the season that veggies were calling to me. Maybe tonight I'll spend a little time with the seed catalogs! *S*

When I was a kid, my mother occasionally made what she affectionately called "Boozy Beef." It is basically a beef stew made with red wine, and is more famously known as "Beef Bourguignon."

The recipe is simple. I had it in mind as I went to the grocery store, but, alas, it's been easily 20 years since I made it last, and I forgot that I would need pearl onions. It's not really a problem. My family will adjust to yellow onions, if necessary.

I tried to find a bottle of Burgundy. My grocery store has a pretty amazing wine section, and I browsed through it, looking for a Burgundy. Unfortunately, it seems that Burgundy has lost its cache. Not a bottle was to be found.

I came home to look at Elegante Mother's recipe, and it actually says "red wine."

I surfed on-line to see what other kind of wine might be used, and found chianti, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux, zinfandel, or Pinot Noir were all suggested. I have a Cabernet Sauvigon that I hope will work.

So, it's French peasant food, elevated to French cuisine, for dinner tomorrow.

If you're interested in a simple, elegant, hearty beef stew, here's a link to what looks to be a great recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_25938,00.html

It was good, I tell you! The Boozey Beef turned out just fine. Cop Car, I was right to use that bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. It made a wonderful sauce.

I skipped one step that would have made a more complex tasting sauce. I was supposed to add half a cup of cognac, and then torch it to burn off the alcohol. I passed on it this time, but I'll try it another, just to see what happens to that wonderful sauce!

I used the "steak cut" mushrooms, the ones you can get at the store that are thick cut, and they held up well to the heat of the stew. I think visually they balance better with the other ingredients than the thinner sliced mushrooms. Their texture is firmer, where the thin-sliced mushroom become too soft.

I think next time I might add the chunks of carrot later. This time around they were VERY soft. I'd like just a bit more "tooth" to their texture.

I learned one fun technique for thickening the sauce. The instructions called for three tablespoons of flour and two tablespoons of soft butter. You mix the two together to make a wet paste, and add it to the liquid in the pot. It almost instantly thickened the sauce without any stray bits of flour floating on the top. It's the same concept as making a kettle gravy with water and flour, but by coating the flour with butter, it's absorbed more evenly, and the butter adds a sheen to the sauce.

In all, it was well worth my time to play in the kitchen with this recipe. I added egg noodles, bread, coleslaw and strawberries to round out the meal. As I said.....Yummmmmm!!