Strawberry Picking

Last week our family went out of town a bit to Wold Strawberries to pick our own berries. There is usually only a week or two a year when you can do this so we were glad we didn't miss it while we were traveling. We picked one tray/basket which came to 11 pounds. Originally I had wanted to pick 2 baskets but it is a good thing I did not. Berries don't stay fresh very long so you have to preserve them right away. I chose to wash and dry and then freeze them. I also made some jam and a strawberry crisp. The crisp recipe was from the Crisco website. I am not a fan of Crisco but I just substituted butter for the Crisco. It was a good recipe and passed my husbands test. His mother makes a lot of crisps so he knows what he likes. The strawberries are so beautiful it was fun to photograph them.

Martha Stewart and Korean BBQ

I am a big admirer of Martha Stewart(criminal history aside). She is extremely talented and she has taught herself most of what she knows. However, she is really not a charismatic TV personality. A show featuring Martha is always a bit awkward although she is somehow still likable, perhaps because it makes her seem less than perfect. She can't be great at everything, right? Anyhow, not too long ago on her current show she had on a Korean woman who was a charismatic personality and was great on TV. In my opinion she really showed up Martha Stewart on her own show. She was there to show Martha her Korean BBQ recipe. The recipe is great and I use it frequently. It is marinated meat served wrapped in a lettuce leaf with white rice. This recipe is so good I am sure you will love it if you try it. The link to the recipe and the episode in which it appeared is here, Martha and Korean BBQ. I don't expect to see this woman on the show again. Women like Martha don't like to be overshadowed:)

Health Food People and Fudge

I come from health food people. My memory of peanut butter as a kid is going to the health food store and scooping out peanuts and then dumping them into the grinder(it looks kind of like the coffee grinders you now see in stores). Then you would catch the ground up nuts in a plastic tub. Voila, peanut butter! In fact, I now use Skippy All Natural Peanut Butter and it drives my mom nuts(pun intended). Every time she visits I hear the lecture about how it is not real peanut butter because it has sugar added and you don't have to stir it. I swear it makes her twitch just being in the same room with it(well, maybe I exaggerate a little). Anyway the point of this anecdote is that I am a born and raised health food person. As an adult I have chosen to be more moderate, hence, the Skippy but it is instilled deeply in me to eat naturally.

So recently I saw a cookbook at the thrift store called, Taming the Candy Monster by Vicki Lansky. It is a book of recipes of healthy treats for kids and recently we have been trying to cut down on sugar so I bought the book. In it was a recipe for Super Fridge Fudge(pictured above). I had to try it. I wont put the actual recipe up(because I am lazy) but I will describe it. It starts with warming up some peanut butter and honey. Then you add cocoa powder, lots of nuts and then coconut and raisins. You spread it in a pan and then chill it. It is nice and chewy and sweet. It will definitely appear again at our house soon.

My Mom is an amazing cook!

My Mom is visiting and is a very accomplished cook(and house cleaner - hooray!) It has been a pleasure to have her visit. She is especially good at Germanic and Italian food. This is a picture of a sausage and potato skillet meal. It is a very simple dish. It includes onion, potato, sausage, chicken broth and salt and pepper. The onions cook down until they give the dish a nice sweetness which works well with the salty sausage. We paired this with green salad and a loaf of crusty bread.

Mock Cassoulet

This is a picture of the Mock Cassoulet before it was baked and covered in breadcrumbs. My camera is I think at this point truly broken and so there is no picture of this dish after it was complete. Anyway, this recipe is adapted from a recipe in the cookbook, The Dinner Doctor. The premise of the book is to make nice food from simple and easy pre-prepared foods, i.e. canned, frozen and pre-cooked. There are several recipes in this book that are regulars at our house. This is my first time trying this one but I will definitely use it again. Serendipitously, I just acquired a jar of Herbes de Provence 2 days ago. I have always wanted to try cooking with it but I never have the right mix of spices. I have a lot of spices but the one I never have on hand that is typical of this mix is lavender. I ran across this spice mix while checking out a new eatery in town. I was absolutely thrilled to walk in this shop and see great herb mixes and pasta and best of all real Italian deli meats(for which I am constantly on the lookout). More on the new eatery later.

The recipe I had for Mock Cassoulet was intended to cook on the stove top but I wanted to cook it in oven so I altered the recipe a bit. Also I wanted to add a bit more veggies and wine. So here is my version:

Mock Cassoulet (or Bean and Sausage Casserole)

1 lb kielbasa sausage cut on the diagonal into one inch slices
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cans Great Northern Beans with their liquid
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 of a green pepper, diced
1 rib of celery, diced
Aprox. 1/4 cup wine(white or red), enough to deglaze the pan
1 rounded teaspoon Herbs de Provence or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 tblsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup coarse breadcrumbs

Brown sausage in a pan. Then add onion, pepper and celery and saute a couple of minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and then add herbs, beans, tomatoes, and garlic. Bring to a simmer and let simmer a few minutes. Mix together the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the breadcrumbs and season with salt. Pour mixture into a casserole dish and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with breadcrumbs and put back in the oven for 15-20 minutes to brown crumbs. Serve with a green salad and french bread.

Broccoli Rabe with Mom's Garlic Sauce

At the Asian Store I picked up a vegetable which I think is broccoli rabe. I checked some recipes and came up with the idea for this. This vegetable is kind of a cross between broccoli and greens. To prep it I cut an inch off the stalks and then peeled the top layer off the next inch of stalk with a veggie peeler. Then I chopped all of it and boiled it in a big pot of water until tender. After that I dressed it in the garlic sauce and served it with a slice of lemon. This is definitely a vegetable for vegetable lovers. The leaves have a strong and slightly bitter "greens" flavor. However, the stalks are sweeter and more delicate.

The garlic sauce consists of 3-5 cloves of garlic, aprox. 1/4 cup of olive oil, salt and crushed red pepper. You start by chopping the garlic, then you sprinkle it liberally with salt. Then continue to chop and smash the garlic and salt until it forms a paste. Let it sit for a couple minutes then add to olive oil and adjust salt. Add as much crushed red pepper as desired or you can leave it out or add it at the table. This will provide more sauce the needed for the broccoli rabe. This sauce goes well on practically anything: bread, meat, pasta and veggies.

This is a strongly flavored dish which would pair well with sausage or other meats. I served it with bratwurst and brown rice. We enjoyed it and would make it again.

My Friend Vyd's Italian Ex-Boyfriend's Mother's Tiramisu - Part 3

So I completed the Tiramisu several days ago but have not had the time to put up the photos and the recipe. But finally here it is. And as I made this I came to realize that Tiramisu is not an exact science. The recipe is really a guide. As the title suggests the recipe is from my friends ex-boyfriend's mother. It got rave reviews from my husband. He kept saying "This is really good." So here is the recipe.

My Friend Vyd's Italian Ex-Boyfriend's Mother's Tiramisu

Yield is one 13 by 9 inch pan or plastic container:

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2+ cups Mascarpone(or ricotta)
1 tsp vanilla
Lady fingers or Biscotti
1+ cup strong coffee or espresso(if using a Mocha espresso maker do 3 Mochas worth)
1/2+ cup Liquor(Rum, Khalua or Amaretto)
Unsweetened Cocoa powder(to generously dust on top)

The first step is to separate the eggs. Mix the yolks with the sugar, mascarpone and vanilla. Then beat the whites until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold whites into egg/cheese mixture.

In a separate dish mix the espresso and liquor together.

Spread a small bit of egg/cheese mixture on bottom of pan. Put biscotti in espresso to soak aprox. 15-30 seconds(turn to let it soak into both sides). Then layer biscotti in pan. Then top with egg mixture. You can do 1 or 2 layers of biscotti depending on how amounts are working(with this recipe I suggest 1 layer). If you do 2 layers, lay biscotti the opposite way the second time. End with egg mixture.

Top with a generous layer of cocoa powder and any other decorative food item i.e. chocolate shavings or chips(or coconut like I did). You can also stencil designs with cocoa powder and powdered sugar.
Refrigerate 4 hours to one day. Enjoy!

A few notes about this recipe:

I put too thick of a layer of egg/cheese mixture on the bottom of the pan and I ran out of topping before my second layer of biscotti was completely covered so I had to make more egg/cheese topping to make up for it. So the first layer(of egg/cheese) needs to be thin or you should do only one layer of biscotti.

I used Amaretto because I happen to have some. I really liked how the flavor turned out(I do love Amaretto flavor, though). Also you could just use extra coffee if you wanted to skip the liquor.

I used biscotti because I couldn't find ladyfingers but I think that ladyfingers might work better.

If you are timid about raw eggs you could use some pasteurized egg substitute in the egg/cheese mixture(or leave egg out altogether) and then use whipped cream instead of whipped egg whites.

Also, in case you are wondering the sugar I used was called Demerara and it is an almost brown color. I tend to use this type of sugar rather than just white. Theoretically, it has a bit more nutrition and really great flavor.

I think that is all. Thanks, Vyd!

Here is a little poem about Italy to finish off this entry:

Italy

We had no idea
that the Duomo stood
resolutely behind us.
We would have talked of much
grander things, I am sure.
I suppose if we had been listening
we could have heard the Bell strike in its tower.

But we were children
listening to the crackle of leaves
as we kicked them out of the gutters into the air.
We had no idea of such elevated things
as High Renaissance Art and Ghiberti.
We were too busy rolling lemon gelati around in our mouths
and drinking out of fountains.

Pineapple, Peach and Cream Cheese Salad

"The fruit salad gives the hostess a wonderful chance to be decorative. That is why it makes such a fine choice for party refreshment." So says Marye Dahnke in her Salad Book circa 1954. This is just a ring of pineapple topped with a peach half and filled with whipped cream cheese. I had it for breakfast this morning and it was quite good. I am always looking for ways to increase our fruit and veggie consumption. And because it is April in Iowa, there is not a whole lot of good fresh fruit. This makes a nice winter(or spring) fruit salad. I really enjoyed the salty cream cheese with the sweet fruit. I did drizzle a tiny bit of honey over the top but I don't think it needed it. The author of the cookbook suggests a vinaigrette as the topping for this but it did not appeal to me. My mom says they used to top fruit with mayonnaise and that it was good but I don't know how I feel about that. I guess someday I will have to give it a try.

Recently I have been trying to sit down and have a substantial breakfast rather than just picking at food all morning. I have liked it and this salad made a nice addition to my eggs and toast and coffee.

Hummus

I have been feeling uninspired the last few days in terms of the culinary arts. However, even when I feel uninspired we all still get hungry. So one of my main fall backs is Hummus. Here it is pictured with some spices: paprika, cumin and turmeric. To go with it I made Greek Stuffing for Pita out of La Leche League's Whole Foods for the Whole Family, which has also become a staple recipe for us. It has tons of oregano and mint. Yum!

So one of my secrets for Hummus is to cook my own garbanzo beans but I don't love cooking beans on the stove. So I make them in the Crockpot. This is so easy. Just put beans and water (usually around a 1-3 ratio or 1-4) then cook on high for 3 1/2 - 4 hours. I have heard some say that beans are creamier if you cook them via the stove but really this is about 10 times easier and if there is a difference it is minimal. Also I never pre-soak beans. No matter what my mother says I really don't think they need it:) Though I disagree with my mom on pre-soaking, I learned a very valuable trick from her in regards to garlic. I like garlic but raw it has too much bite for me. So what my mother does is macerates the garlic with salt. In others words chop/smash it up with salt and then let it sit for a couple minutes. It takes away the harshness. When you do this you will notice that the garlic changes consistency a little bit it gets kind of(I hesitate to use this word but..) gelatinous.

I don't use a recipe for Hummus but when I make it these are the ingredients:

Garbanzo beans (canned or home cooked)
Tahini (or sometimes I use toasted sesame seeds)
Olive Oil and lots of it (you can even drizzle some on at the end)
Garlic
Lemon Juice
Salt
Spices: Cumin, Cayenne or Paprika or whatever strikes your fancy

Hummus is so versatile. I made some Chipotle Hummus this time. My friend Molly brought me over some her husband made with Kalamata Olives. You can use sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro, basil... the possibilities are endless.

Later this week I will post a blog featuring my friend Vyd's Italian Ex-Boyfriend's Mother's Tiramisu. Maybe I better get her permission in the meantime :)

Chocolate is an important health food!

I was reading yesterday on mercola.com that Chocolate is showing promise of lowering the risks of cancer, heart failure, diabetes and stroke. Some said it might rival penicillin in its societal importance and maybe its health component (epicatechin) should be considered a vitamin. You gotta love that! The best part of this article was a quote from a reader "That does it! No more penicillin-chip cookies for me!"

This means that I am now on the hunt for chocolate recipes. But I don't want to overdue the sugar so I am looking for savory chocolate recipes. Mole, anyone? I will keep you posted.

A Pea Salad and a Do-Si-Do.

Here are some of the veggies for the all American Pea Salad and the finished product. I have been starting a collection of old cookbooks. I frequent the thrift store and pick up ones that seem interesting. I love to see how people used to eat and cook. One of the ones I picked up recently was Marye Dahnke's Salad Book. It was published in 1954.

Our church did a folk dance and Potluck tonight. I decided this would be a perfect dish for such an occasion. According to the alphabet designation half of us were supposed to bring salads and half dessert but as usual almost everyone just brought dessert. Midwest priorities, I tell ya!

Dinner with friends and some Black Tea Ice Cream.

After a very busy day I rushed home and spent 3 solid hours making Veggie Chow Mein(correctly called Lo Mein), Buddhas Delight and Chicken with Black Bean Sauce. But truly the highlight was the Black Tea Ice Cream with Chocolate Hazelnut Rolled Wafers. A recipe will follow. I wanted to try this because while traveling in Japan I tried green tea ice cream as well as black. While the green was interesting and fun to try, I thought the black more suitable for Western tastes. So I gathered some recipes online an then played with them to come up with this:

Black Tea Ice Cream

2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup pasteurized egg product
3 plain black tea bags
3 Vanilla Nut Creme flavored Black Tea
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
Pirouette Chocolate Hazelnut Rolled wafers to garnish

Step 1 is to heat 1/2 cup of the milk with the tea bags to a simmer. Then take off heat and steep 10 minutes. Then add eggs and rest of ingredients. Process in an ice cream maker(depending on capacity you might not be able to process the full amount in your machine) and place it in a container and freeze for a couple hours.

This produced a really perfect ice cream consistency and feel. I used my Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker that my mother gave me for Christmas a couple years ago. And the wafers were a perfect complement with their Nutella-like taste.

The only problem was that one of the guest at dinner doesn't like ice cream. Who knew there was anyone in the world who didn't like ice cream? Sacrilege in our family:)

And now that we are thinking tea, here is a poem I wrote in Granada, Spain about a teahouse (Teteria). The Tuareg are a nomadic middle eastern ethnic group.

La Teteria Tuareg
11-15-97

We throw shadows on the wall
And speak of martyrdom and Perpetua
Candle tilts and melts
Tea is down to dregs
And its cinnamon scent mixes with smoky air
St. Theresa comes to mind
And flees upon appearing
I am not she
I am not even Dorothea, an impassioned fool
God, give me patience to endure and strength for final cry.