tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85942574462359494182024-03-27T15:12:32.744-04:00Notes from Val's Kitchenflavors and tales from Val's Cape Cod kitchenUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger192125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-39139014466946820662024-01-19T16:55:00.009-05:002024-01-20T08:10:12.308-05:00Team Dinner: Clipper Pride 🎉💪❤️<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVL7AJCxSE1fvH6I07ZpEpdZyH2tkxO-GMa8tT3RF_xNm5SsXetnWUp-dVPXdLQ8z6UracWr7I7u9uYsWoz4Hi654e5SSslKHz_Iq8iAweTTzPeQucBRW-VqmMlgVrJUCVWRyXBiHFWE2DxxWsTKEqwn98G-2q4F1NQe_1-_lXTHGx60IOzX98oiymWlZ5/s1010/IMG_0719.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="951" height="465" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVL7AJCxSE1fvH6I07ZpEpdZyH2tkxO-GMa8tT3RF_xNm5SsXetnWUp-dVPXdLQ8z6UracWr7I7u9uYsWoz4Hi654e5SSslKHz_Iq8iAweTTzPeQucBRW-VqmMlgVrJUCVWRyXBiHFWE2DxxWsTKEqwn98G-2q4F1NQe_1-_lXTHGx60IOzX98oiymWlZ5/w438-h465/IMG_0719.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Post practice, large teenage appetites. Loud voices, laughter, teasing, "please" and "thank you" to the parents. Pushing the underclassmen to the end of the line, only taking a small helping until prompted to put more on the plate. They awkwardly enter the house and leave feeling as comfortable as an old friend. <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Make so much food that you think you will be eating it for days after these lanky, goofy kids leave your house. Don't be fooled. There will barely be a morsel left. You will get to eat only if you put some aside before they arrive. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>Team Dinner. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I never realized that one day I wouldn't be waiting at practice, driving a carpool, setting up play times being totally involved in my child's and his friends' lives. But becoming a high school student and getting his license changed all that. I am no longer around the laughter, the silliness, the stinky, dirty and totally great kids they way I used to be. So, when there is a request for me to host Team Dinner, I jump at the chance. Although while I am shopping, preparing and fretting about "Where the hell am I going to fit all these kids on my tiny house?" I sometimes question my lofty plans to make almost everything from scratch. I just can't help myself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am sad that this is the last year for team dinners. (Declan is a senior in high school.) I hold out for the times that hopefully, the kids will bring their friends home for a snack or a dinner. Stay for a few minutes, tell me about their lives while I listen to their laughter. I promise I will look forward to making just about anything they request but no way will I attempt to make homemade tortillas- Don't even ask!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p><b>Team Dinner Taco Buffet</b></p><div>lime wedges</div><div>cilantro</div><div>shredded lettuce</div><div>chopped avocado </div><div><b>Pico de Gallo</b> (see recipe)</div><div>shredded cheese</div><div>sour cream</div><div>pickled jalapenos</div><div><b>Pickled Red Onion </b>(see recipe)</div><div>taco sauce</div><div>hot sauce</div><div>bbq sauce</div><div><b>Jalapeno Ranch</b> (see recipe)</div><div>corn or flour tortillas (2-3 per person) 60 for 16 high school basketball players</div><div><b>Spicy Black Beans</b> (see recipe)</div><div><b>Pork Carnitas </b>(see recipe)</div><div><b>Mexican Shredded Beef</b> (see recipe)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Additional:</div><div><b>2 Bite Corn Muffins</b> (see recipe)</div><div><b>Clipper Pride Cupcakes</b> (see recipe)</div><div>candy bowls</div><div>salsa/tortilla chips</div><div>beverages : water, Gatorade, flavored seltzer waters</div><div><br /></div><p><br /></p><p><b>Pico De Gallo</b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Ingredients:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">16 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, diced</div><div style="text-align: left;">6 green onions, diced</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tablespoon red wine vinegar</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons olive oil</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon dried oregano</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Combine all ingredients and serve immediately. If prepping in advance, combine tomatoes, green onions and cilantro or parsley. Just before serving, mix with vinegar- Kosher salt and serve.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Pickled Red Onion</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Ingredients:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 small-medium sized red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup white vinegar or cider vinegar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 bay leaf</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 wedge of an orange</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tablespoon sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon salt</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to boil and immediately turn off heat. Pour mixture into a non reactive bowl (glass or porcelain). Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve on taco buffet, in salads or sandwiches.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Jalapeno Ranch </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">(Jalapeno Buttermilk Dressing from The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Ingredients:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2 large fresh jalapenos, stems and seeds removed, chopped</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 clove garlic ( I used 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup fresh cilantro</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup fresh parsley</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon ground cumin</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon paprika</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon lime zest (I substitute 1 tablespoon lime juice)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup buttermilk (add more for a thinner dressing)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup sour cream</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup mayonnaise</div><div style="text-align: left;">Kosher salt and black pepper to taste</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Puree in a blender: jalapenos-buttermilk. Pour mixture into a serving bowl. Slowly mix in sour cream and mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Spicy Black Beans</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Ingredients:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: left;">2 (24 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tablespoon olive oil</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tablespoon red wine vinegar</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 teaspoons chili powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon paprika</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon ground cumin</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon ground coriander</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon garlic powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon onion powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon Kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Place all ingredients in a large pot. Gently mix to combine. Heat on low for 30 minutes (or longer for softer beans that can be spread onto the tacos). Serve warm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas <br /></b>(adapted from Food Network Kitchen)</div><p><u>Ingredients:</u></p><div style="text-align: left;">3 cups chicken broth<br />3 whole oranges </div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup lime juice</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tablespoons ground cumin</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 teaspoons chili powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 teaspoons dried oregano</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons garlic powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons onion powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon red pepper flakes</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon ground cloves</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 teaspoons Kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 medium onions, quartered</div><div style="text-align: left;">8 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 bay leaves</div><div style="text-align: left;">9 pounds boneless pork shoulder, fat trimmed, cut into approximately 2-3 inch size pieces</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup vegetable oil</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For serving:</div><div style="text-align: left;">See Team Dinner Taco Buffet</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Divide all ingredients through pork shoulder into 2 slow cookers. Cover and cook on high for approximately 5 hours until the pork is tender. Remove pork from liquid, shred meat. </div><div style="text-align: left;">Heat a large pan, add 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Working in batches, spread pork in an even layer in pan and allow to crisp (5-10 minutes). Stir to crisp the other the edges. Remove pork to serving tray and cover with foil. Continue with remainder of oil and pork. If pork on serving tray becomes dry, moisten it with cooking liquid. If serving the pork at a later time or the next day, refrigerate. When ready to serve, heat pork and some liquid to 135 degrees. Serve warm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If using a crock pot to reheat and serve, allow 2-2 1/2 hours on high to bring pork to temperature.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Mexican Shredded Beef</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">(adapted from foxandbriar.com: Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef by Meghan McMorrow)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Ingredients:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>2 tablespoons chili powder</div><div>3 teaspoons cumin</div><div>3 teaspoons paprika</div><div>3 teaspoons dried oregano</div><div>2-3 teaspoons Kosher salt</div><div>1 teaspoon red chili flakes</div><div><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6-7 pounds beef chuck roast</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 onions, diced</div><div style="text-align: left;">8 garlic cloves, minced</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 small can tomato paste</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 tablespoons lime juice (juice from approx. 2 limes)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If using the oven, preheat to 275 degrees. The meat will take 5-7 hours to cook.</div><div style="text-align: left;">You can also cook this recipe using a slow cooker on low for about 7 hours.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In a small bowl, mix together chili powder - red chili flakes and set aside.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Add the chopped onion, garlic, tomato paste, lime juice and 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture to a deep sided roasting pan (oven) or slow cooker. Sprinkle the rest of the spice mixture over the chuck roast and rub into all surfaces of the meat. Place meat on top of the onion mixture. If using the oven, tightly cover the roasting pan with foil and place pan in oven for 5-7 hours. If using slow cooker, place meat on top of onion mixture, cover and cook for approximately 7 hours on low.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After meat is cooked, remove from oven/ uncover slow cooker. Shred meat removing any large pieces of fat and gristle as you find them. (If the meat is too tough to shred, it will need to be cooked longer. Cover meat again and place in oven/ continue with slow cooker for another 30-60 minutes and attempt to shred again. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once meat is shredded, mix with the cooking juices/sauce. Season with salt to taste. Serve warm with taco fixings.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2 Bite Corn Muffins</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">(1 batch = 12 small muffins. I make 36 muffins to serve 16-20)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Ingredients:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/4 cups all purpose flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup ground cornmeal</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons baking powder</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt plus more for sprinkling on tops of muffins</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 cup buttermilk</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup vegetable oil</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 egg, beaten</div><div style="text-align: left;">ground black pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12 muffin tin.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Combine all dry ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir together buttermilk, oil and egg. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir together until just moistened. Scoop 1/4 cupfuls of batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and ground black pepper.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes until a pick inserted comes out clean. Remove muffins from tin and serve warm or at room temperature. Best on the same day as baked.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Clipper Pride Cupcakes</b></div><div style="text-align: left;">(1 batch = 15 cupcakes. I make 45 cupcakes for 20 people plus leftovers.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Ingredients:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 cups all purpose flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 cup sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tablespoon instant coffee granules</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon baking soda</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon vanilla</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon white vinegar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/3 cup canola oil</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup cold water</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 beaten egg</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake pans with 15 cupcake liners.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix flour- baking soda. In a small mixing bowl, combine vanilla-beaten egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Fill 15 cupcake liners in the pan 1/2 full with batter. bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and dry looking on top and pick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes and remove cupcakes to rack to cool completely before frosting. (See recipe.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Frosting for Cupcakes</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Ingredients:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 stick unsalted butter, softened</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup Crisco</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 1/2 cups powdered sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/8-1/4 cup milk at room temperature</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon vanilla</div><div style="text-align: left;">Team color sprinkles: Maroon, white and silver for Falmouth High School Clippers!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In stand mixer, beat the butter and Crisco together, add salt and combine. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl. Slowly add milk in between sugar additions. Add vanilla. Mix to achieve spreadable but not too stiff consistency. If needed, add a little more sugar or a tiny drop of milk to reach desired consistency.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Place 2-3 tablespoons of frosting on top of each cupcake. Smooth out with an offset spatula or butter knife and immediately top with sprinkles. Store in an airtight container. Cupcakes will keep for 3-4 days. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9auebtpp7wf5goXBMjA-o-ZJRwu5y-9DcVthmP05JBbwv6jVQaQ-YgnsBKUAMT8ZPDOQsyfEa0K7SgoEqenXZRnnNe5oApGOf4IidlXlJZImapjHNyrXUs9A9hL7RpJdUafq1Wsh6_McXNNpsx6L4ERthbPlnk8mpwbDtydtnExt8rM5JpSL7iKeukAZ/s4032/IMG_1143.HEIC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9auebtpp7wf5goXBMjA-o-ZJRwu5y-9DcVthmP05JBbwv6jVQaQ-YgnsBKUAMT8ZPDOQsyfEa0K7SgoEqenXZRnnNe5oApGOf4IidlXlJZImapjHNyrXUs9A9hL7RpJdUafq1Wsh6_McXNNpsx6L4ERthbPlnk8mpwbDtydtnExt8rM5JpSL7iKeukAZ/s320/IMG_1143.HEIC" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4TGK22oaOgEII1SlumQEC3DPVLm8BiII-_p8nGev6SNMqtdJz5yPvnG4k5BG2gJwo2ucFlc-rUtM0bpqctyxajxn2MPjlqg05HATgpdp_08o-bT8rg-TTyQghoCSMNJezV3c9wAYTSvnIQQBIHvJe1fELeogc9cgH55y8fv7HLU9VCHt74cdiKveIu6_/s4032/IMG_7845.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4TGK22oaOgEII1SlumQEC3DPVLm8BiII-_p8nGev6SNMqtdJz5yPvnG4k5BG2gJwo2ucFlc-rUtM0bpqctyxajxn2MPjlqg05HATgpdp_08o-bT8rg-TTyQghoCSMNJezV3c9wAYTSvnIQQBIHvJe1fELeogc9cgH55y8fv7HLU9VCHt74cdiKveIu6_/s320/IMG_7845.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><b><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span><span> </span></span></b><b style="text-align: center;">2 Bite Corn Muffins<span> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></b><b> <span> </span>Clipper Pride Cupcakes</b><b style="text-align: center;"> <span> </span></b><b><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></b></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ9auebtpp7wf5goXBMjA-o-ZJRwu5y-9DcVthmP05JBbwv6jVQaQ-YgnsBKUAMT8ZPDOQsyfEa0K7SgoEqenXZRnnNe5oApGOf4IidlXlJZImapjHNyrXUs9A9hL7RpJdUafq1Wsh6_McXNNpsx6L4ERthbPlnk8mpwbDtydtnExt8rM5JpSL7iKeukAZ/s4032/IMG_1143.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /> <span> </span><b><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></b></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3jsIiJMc15ZstbMQDK9yNVopqenAlsa8AzZCMqi9qic_lyijAz9sR-b0azvBtZjo5EhzOckPO7X5GnZRNl0caCumBjXb9GTQthHbaFkUDqJDnY9ajD2dAiiDjLpRUm_GBOojUYGSnNOT2pHViZSlJDhQfyATTBR5-iKURgnmREAElGDKlSKW_EsVq-KY/s3111/IMG_1198.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2932" data-original-width="3111" height="605" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3jsIiJMc15ZstbMQDK9yNVopqenAlsa8AzZCMqi9qic_lyijAz9sR-b0azvBtZjo5EhzOckPO7X5GnZRNl0caCumBjXb9GTQthHbaFkUDqJDnY9ajD2dAiiDjLpRUm_GBOojUYGSnNOT2pHViZSlJDhQfyATTBR5-iKURgnmREAElGDKlSKW_EsVq-KY/w640-h605/IMG_1198.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-2357071681618048932023-11-12T13:48:00.001-05:002023-11-12T13:48:19.734-05:00Thanksgiving Adjacent<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAUKjxVmlxF0w2H_roEGIFZRaH8R1UYqAWlLqQmcfN9eSD96agqDzZNaL-Rr6PVNGy89ybNAbI-tCxPNakXKRZQo0O7NZ0xj1wuMuCP8Xyz5h0wf8TurWjtlFCD3_HqTJqZNK5FNg37w5tWPttCqCFCsLoGHxZwbHPJ_nhVitCZfNan6_3EWJORHZ_bjm/s1800/A1D28C6D-8F0F-4039-9E5E-EF4C33E69716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAUKjxVmlxF0w2H_roEGIFZRaH8R1UYqAWlLqQmcfN9eSD96agqDzZNaL-Rr6PVNGy89ybNAbI-tCxPNakXKRZQo0O7NZ0xj1wuMuCP8Xyz5h0wf8TurWjtlFCD3_HqTJqZNK5FNg37w5tWPttCqCFCsLoGHxZwbHPJ_nhVitCZfNan6_3EWJORHZ_bjm/s320/A1D28C6D-8F0F-4039-9E5E-EF4C33E69716.jpg" width="256" /></a></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: left;">People are surprised when I tell them that I don't roast the turkey on Thanksgiving. Even more so when I admit that I never have and don't really know how to do it. I mean, I suppose that I could learn but Val always cooks the bird and now multiple birds so that there is enough leftover for everyone to take some home for the next day. As I have mentioned before, the<a href="https://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/2015/11/post-thanksgiving-sandwich-confession.html" target="_blank"> Sandwich </a>is the best part of this autumn celebration.</p><p style="text-align: left;">I prefer to prepare, tweak and recreate Thanksgiving adjacent food. Members of the supporting cast that can tolerate a makeover without offending anyone's precious memories or introducing a new player that fits in nicely with the old standbys and holiday favorites. New cocktails are welcomed by most and easily get incorporated without much fanfare especially if they feature classic Thanksgiving flavors like, apple, sage and cranberry. Updated appetizers can come to the party, too as long as they don't upstage or overtake a classic that everyone is expecting to nibble on before the big spread is offered. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Let's face it, I would be very angry and disappointed if someone other than Val took over baking the turkey and classic stuffing that I crave every November. In fact, I cried my freshman year of college when Val told me that we were going to eat the big meal at my grandmother's house. I love my grandmother, a wonderful hostess but a terrible cook. All I could think about was dry as sawdust turkey, overcooked green bean casserole and store bought pies. The dining hall did a number on me that first semester. All I ate was the salad bar. The daily smells from the entree line turned my stomach. I had no idea what "Chicken Tettrazini" was and I did not want to find out. I lay in bed every night those first few months of school dreaming of Val's homemade cranberry sauce, perfectly roasted bird and flaky pie crust. I know first hand not to mess with anyone's holiday meal expectations.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMwoXpAdKVoab0_687siV87urxEb8zLwX0vFxe3vNUksl6XE5_bOVy9bDfNux9lPBSqUUoK-hzzdUGzfd4X6AqhInoptXmvdGGqmsmEVhGEWoLyv5fNIaAEXReGhnNtRd6WTYpJX17Gslv3dGSSsEHU-X6EZIXPRSFLTUM988QgfixaCLk7W7iOGaf83x/s4032/IMG_1680.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqMwoXpAdKVoab0_687siV87urxEb8zLwX0vFxe3vNUksl6XE5_bOVy9bDfNux9lPBSqUUoK-hzzdUGzfd4X6AqhInoptXmvdGGqmsmEVhGEWoLyv5fNIaAEXReGhnNtRd6WTYpJX17Gslv3dGSSsEHU-X6EZIXPRSFLTUM988QgfixaCLk7W7iOGaf83x/s320/IMG_1680.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">So, if you want to add some pizzazz and perhaps, dare I say, make an update to the traditional fare, start small and don't make too much of a big deal out of what you are about to do. Just hand someone a glass of this and a bite of that. I promise you they will ask for these again next year claiming them as new annual favorites .</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvD2Msz1sPyq5tdXDxpc9kNxuobBB9xapyccM9A4GDV0LwW_uOwttz5SbAzbnC44m-BvsYChWxFzl5k4gm5jZ98GZpdGES0g280PkUEm6yErj5Bu1rFoARzBVG7UVfwK8yVapyq2v8iysycpZC6PukLI0P2tGh2pnB86lIMRPn8yNXS8TOs6MbGn7O6hoW/s4032/IMG_6537.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvD2Msz1sPyq5tdXDxpc9kNxuobBB9xapyccM9A4GDV0LwW_uOwttz5SbAzbnC44m-BvsYChWxFzl5k4gm5jZ98GZpdGES0g280PkUEm6yErj5Bu1rFoARzBVG7UVfwK8yVapyq2v8iysycpZC6PukLI0P2tGh2pnB86lIMRPn8yNXS8TOs6MbGn7O6hoW/s320/IMG_6537.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Cranberry Spicetini </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(makes one)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2.5 oz. vodka</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 oz. Spiced Cranberry Syrup (see recipe below)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 oz. Canton Ginger</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 oz. lemon juice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Shake ingredients over ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with fresh cranberries, rosemary and candied ginger on a toothpick along with a lemon twist.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Spiced Cranberry Syrup:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 bottle cranberry juice cocktail (32 oz.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5-6 whole cloves</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 cinnamon sticks</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5-6 star anise</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bring all ingredients for syrup to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Cool, strain and refrigerate until ready to use. Also great served with soda and a squeeze of lemon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DAdjSE7KlwDMnS4FIl9JQbiDvWutrU04odT8ipk46HfMXny7ey4tFYkK2d5-1xS28Pq0BtwzYXxN57gyemPj-SgsmStAnjfXjtpSaDMeRRtl2EHzZD7DtYCEtvIA5_V7kFDLkJ0RiAY-2ip25Yg4o9orGMaBL1vy64XF8SwAGGtTTd9j_ZSfGu9yIRTJ/s1959/4th%20Thursday%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1673" data-original-width="1959" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DAdjSE7KlwDMnS4FIl9JQbiDvWutrU04odT8ipk46HfMXny7ey4tFYkK2d5-1xS28Pq0BtwzYXxN57gyemPj-SgsmStAnjfXjtpSaDMeRRtl2EHzZD7DtYCEtvIA5_V7kFDLkJ0RiAY-2ip25Yg4o9orGMaBL1vy64XF8SwAGGtTTd9j_ZSfGu9yIRTJ/w428-h365/4th%20Thursday%20.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>4th Thursday</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(makes one)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3-4 fresh sage leaves</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 oz. maple syrup</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">large format ice cube or a few regular sized ice cubes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/4 oz. apple cider vinegar</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 oz. apple cider</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 oz. cognac or brandy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Muddle 2-3 sage leaves with maple syrup in a rocks glass. Add ice, apple cider vinegar, apple cider and cognac or brandy. Stir to combine. Garnish with a fresh sage leaf.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you prefer to strain out the muddle sage, strain after muddling then add to ice, vinegar, cider and brandy. Garnish with a fresh sage leaf.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Blue Cheese Puffs with Fresh Sage</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">(makes about 24)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese*</div><div style="text-align: left;">2/3 cup all purpose flour**</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 teaspoon salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 large egg</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Combine the butter and blue cheese in a large bowl. Add the flour, ricotta, salt, pepper, sage and egg. Stir until well combined. Drop rounded tablespoons of mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet. (No need to space apart as you can bake these on a separate baking sheet, as needed.) Transfer baking sheet to freezer and chill until rounds are frozen solid, at least 30 minutes. Once frozen solid, the rounds can be stored in a plastic bag in the freezer until ready to bake.</div><div style="text-align: left;">To bake: preheat oven to 450 degrees.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Transfer frozen rounds to parchment lined baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake from frozen until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Transfer puffs to a serving platter, season lightly with salt, cool slightly and serve warm.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">*Can substitute grated cheddar.</div><div style="text-align: left;">** Can substitute GF all purpose flour such as King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Baking time may take a few extra minutes for browning.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-24318027346900062052023-09-20T05:32:00.000-04:002023-09-20T05:32:23.944-04:00September is for Tomatoes<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwu0mBPMepoGbsUKZqrdvE3wFMvHTwqL3P3zk1W-07o2NCUGB_5aFlLEP5-RvbxogBpu6lAcF8VTkxz6dNNz0VledDRkMpdI07Xul3B3HWIIu4jC8S6hIBKfAU5loHYZUew9Fj9wQxhe4oYrugygG-bmhfQi7BR1bl0cQwtevhcSkWS6mWs6cmI5wQ_t7/s4032/IMG_9859.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtwu0mBPMepoGbsUKZqrdvE3wFMvHTwqL3P3zk1W-07o2NCUGB_5aFlLEP5-RvbxogBpu6lAcF8VTkxz6dNNz0VledDRkMpdI07Xul3B3HWIIu4jC8S6hIBKfAU5loHYZUew9Fj9wQxhe4oYrugygG-bmhfQi7BR1bl0cQwtevhcSkWS6mWs6cmI5wQ_t7/s320/IMG_9859.HEIC" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /> </b><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Shame on you. I am deeply offended. The weather is hot and humid. Yes, there have been a few days of cool air and a whiff of things to come but according to the calendar, summer isn't over yet. In fact, I don't care that we are slowly moving toward fall. I won't concede pumpkin flavors and spices and all of that until at least October 1st. September is NOT for pumpkin spice. </p><p style="text-align: left;">September is for locals. The beaches, the roads, the supermarkets and restaurants are a little less crowded. Sure they are still busy but now they are filled with more year round residents who opted to stay home in the middle of the summer rather than deal with throngs of impatient visitors with their annoying demands and crying children. Of course, not everyone acts like that but by the end of August, it certainly seems that way. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Most tourists have gone home and kids are back at school while the perfect beach weather is here. I can easily park on a Friday evening just before sunset at a popular beach in town. Swinging into the lot, I am relieved that I don't need to battle it out by waiting in line for others to pack up and head out. To my surprise, there is plenty of space between groups on the beach, no need to cram on top of each other, unlike those hot days in the middle of the summer. </p><p style="text-align: left;">I don't go many places outside of work, home and the occasional beach day after 3:00pm during the height of the madness. I launch my paddle board Monday- Friday by 7:00am to avoid any recreational boaters who cause too much wake as they pass by tossing my board about as if I had gone surfing in Hawaii. I may go out for dinner...early as soon as the bar is open, so that I don't have to wait too long or fight my way to get the last seat. </p><p style="text-align: left;">September is for tomatoes. The tomatoes are ripening fast and furiously- I can barely consume all that Val picks from her abundant vines. I love tomatoes in so many kinds of ways: tomato sandwiches with mayo, salt and pepper on soft white Portuguese bread, BLT's on toasted pain de mie with lemon basil aioli, chopped tomatoes in a layered "Mexican"' dip, roasted cherry tomatoes with balsamic vinegar and rosemary, sliced tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt, tomato pie baked with cheddar cheese and fresh thyme, the list can go as long as there are tomatoes and tomato recipes to be made. </p><p style="text-align: left;">So while there are fresh, ripe, local tomatoes to be eaten before the weather turns chilly and the vines don't produce any more, I will not condone any type of menu that features classic Autumn flavors, pumpkin spice, falling leaves motifs, etc. until October 1st. Please don't mention the lattes, hot soups and ravioli's highlighting various forms of squash and sage. It's not time yet. I need to squeeze out every last drop of summer and tomato season while I still can. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3SLwCvVszgo-zKiWvJwriCxf740o4CMqKWllqzSic3y--rbBQ8WX9I_eX1hJo8SBpgqv9ZWvjS8Koxo2xPPVgQ_qwj61rrnboaND1VTkJL0Sd3gN8DccxBszshsGyklcArfMNCuFGQScZmrBc5XmQByVirDyMS9bJZtFiBStKTdkjBPDVcKlLKPVTF2Q/s4032/IMG_9903.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq3SLwCvVszgo-zKiWvJwriCxf740o4CMqKWllqzSic3y--rbBQ8WX9I_eX1hJo8SBpgqv9ZWvjS8Koxo2xPPVgQ_qwj61rrnboaND1VTkJL0Sd3gN8DccxBszshsGyklcArfMNCuFGQScZmrBc5XmQByVirDyMS9bJZtFiBStKTdkjBPDVcKlLKPVTF2Q/s320/IMG_9903.HEIC" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XzJ7XFk67Qb7Y0mEBTM5jVongpSmDU9VT9AQEgJpvh_cc4or_G3Et6eg3b0Ox0Os4cZNAGKQqze5gfXIQvLPTW1QyBb7GvfBJpwnHEOPsl23we3CAVuUObxx5vMhIhaMy2FTFSHdWLB4VYn4xQKl68rmj8HwaqZdM1zLEl7_HEuFeFwLqUQVpOtitxVx/s4032/IMG_9908.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XzJ7XFk67Qb7Y0mEBTM5jVongpSmDU9VT9AQEgJpvh_cc4or_G3Et6eg3b0Ox0Os4cZNAGKQqze5gfXIQvLPTW1QyBb7GvfBJpwnHEOPsl23we3CAVuUObxx5vMhIhaMy2FTFSHdWLB4VYn4xQKl68rmj8HwaqZdM1zLEl7_HEuFeFwLqUQVpOtitxVx/s320/IMG_9908.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Tomato Pie with Herb Crust</b></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"> Ingredients: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Crust:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup cornmeal</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup AP flour, whole wheat flour or gluten free flour</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/8 teaspoon salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 1/2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cold water</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Filling:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">6 medium sized ripe tomatoes, sliced</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon pepper</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon salt</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tablespoon olive oil</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Topping:</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs: parsley, thyme, etc.</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tablespoons olive oil</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 375 degrees.</div><div style="text-align: left;">Pulse cornmeal, flour, thyme, pepper, salt and butter in a food processor until pea size chunks of butter form. Slowly add water to form a loose dough. Remove dough and press onto bottom and up the sides of a pie plate. Prick dough all over with fork. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">While dough bakes for 20 minutes, slice tomatoes and lay slices in a single layer on paper towel to absorb juices. Shred cheddar cheese.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Spread shredded cheese over bottom of partially baked crust. Arrange tomatoes in overlapping circular pattern on top of cheese. Sprinkle black pepper and salt over the top of the tomatoes and drizzle olive oil over the top of the tomatoes. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any overflowing juices then back in oven for 40 minutes until tomatoes begin to cook down and juices are bubbling up.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. Remove pie from oven after 40 minutes, sprinkle topping evenly over tomatoes then place pie back in the oven for 10 more minutes to bake the topping.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Remove from the oven and allow pie to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. The pie can also be served at room temperature. The crust is best the same day the pie is baked.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">More amazing tomato recipes:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">-<a href="https://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/search?q=B.L.T." target="_blank">B. L. T. </a>(Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich)</div><div style="text-align: left;">-<a href="https://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/search?q=tomatoes+provencal" target="_blank">Tomato Cheese Pie</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">-<a href="https://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/search?q=tomatoes+provencal" target="_blank">Tomatoes Provencal</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">-<a href="https://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/search?q=tomato+tarte" target="_blank">Tomato and Cheddar Tarte </a>(made with puff pastry)</div><div style="text-align: left;">-<a href="https://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/search?q=mexican+dip" target="_blank">"Mexican" Dip</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">-<a href="https://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/2016/02/doppler.html" target="_blank">Simple Tomato Soup</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p> </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-20505795062063260912023-06-19T15:03:00.001-04:002023-06-19T15:06:17.698-04:00Ladies (Only) Night<div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="960" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqxmo2XRFBSi0iw_OMaepTLVUXtNhzV57D2ZV5EMb3pWAhdzNNQXNg47YC0gKz5SdPBgqzub9_FhyEoj4blJghdmKGFJY8tiKF9CPpX2uKLW78PxL3anOGrBfG63Ev0PBODsq7Z1miumg0HVdKNuAsJGPQ3aZN7ntTX1uGoAgvVpHf9eT0fkMwQCyXw/w177-h270/IMG_8337.PNG" width="177" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiXyEAOD8Qk_hkZ4bOdHaBC5cVu6HsH_6LVdsT3gwPD6iTaTy7jrdS_Gx5-TTz8suZi_4YHGpsgr8_OUHiN3ByeXlC001NE2eu3JVvvnPdFn5bE_kmEkaTJ36fRgIRoiRZI6UoNZ9xPslfsarM503XIz8TQUVaubehy27V47CDWxAySMbfjWkcpLWFg/s1337/IMG_8336.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1337" data-original-width="960" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyiXyEAOD8Qk_hkZ4bOdHaBC5cVu6HsH_6LVdsT3gwPD6iTaTy7jrdS_Gx5-TTz8suZi_4YHGpsgr8_OUHiN3ByeXlC001NE2eu3JVvvnPdFn5bE_kmEkaTJ36fRgIRoiRZI6UoNZ9xPslfsarM503XIz8TQUVaubehy27V47CDWxAySMbfjWkcpLWFg/w193-h269/IMG_8336.PNG" width="193" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My friends have full-time jobs, they are raising teenage children, are busy creating side hustles and managing households. They are masters at juggling their lives- making it all look easy but will admit that it is actually quite hard, on some days nearly impossible. There is a collective sense of humor and realness about it. Everyone is down to share it all: celebrate a win no matter how small (you paid off that credit card, managed to vacuum the basement?) and aggressively hug during the low points (the loss of family, jobs). They come to play and they know how to party.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">By Friday night, we are completely burnt out from looking at computer screens, waking up tired teenagers to get them to school before the bell and all manner of workplace foolishness. The dog had diarrhea all over the house in the middle of night and your boss is a nincompoop. Doesn't matter anymore. It's Friday, we are off duty: none of us is cooking dinner-husbands, children and pets are all left to fend for themselves. It's only ladies-just us and our stuff, the way we like it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Cocktails and Hors D'oeuvres" is a phrase borrowed from my grandmother who turned stale crackers, processed cheese squirted out of a can, Fresca and vodka into an event. I am rocking that vibe for my ladies with a spread including port wine cheddar cheese from a tub, Triscuits, Cheetos and "Spinach Brownies", a recipe from "Simply the Best Course": the Woods Hole Golf Club Centennial Cookbook. Full disclosure: a gift from my grandmother.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The ladies who compiled this tome knew how to gather and party. They made hors d'oeuvres that were somewhat high end for their day, the kind of bites that guests talked about the next morning for better or for worse. The recipes for the most tasty snacks, were requested and passed around if the owner was willing to part with the secret to her hostessing success or better yet, they were kept secret and unveiled when a classic like this is published.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Spinach Brownies are likely not what you may think: a savory bite of sharp cheddar cheese baked with spinach. Cut into tiny, bite size pieces and served at room temperature. So easy to just pop into your mouth, no biting needed, no lipstick ruining moment and no need to cradle both a cocktail and a plate. I hope that Kathy Gillis, wherever she is today is proud that everyone at my ladies gathering truly enjoyed her contribution to the book.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I like to channel the feeling that I get when I read through this book. Just friends and fun, gossip and laughter. Keep the drinks flowing and the snack spread full. There is not really much else to tell: the outfits were fabulous (denim, heels, jewelry), the cocktails were divine (lime gimlets, vodka & Fresca) and I already mentioned the snacks. Suffice it to say, we had a great time, secrets were shared, confidences kept and no one needs to know who dropped her phone in the toilet.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNkTn5J-YFMLyGhRg9ZfqG2FJmcnQtlc2-zYl12e_CXcYEfyb30i0hk4l5Ix3scRP8-PV5EsLh4v7i8QAozY18sxFVfD-uUlkeY9SeUnIMnxr-mcmtGkNtZn6UxDWNBbizCGX0uXVkhlZf7Aw1rQJgVGA5ka-HalklRExkPLelDknS__ntNG5lqLDVw/s3833/IMG_8212.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2924" data-original-width="3833" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNkTn5J-YFMLyGhRg9ZfqG2FJmcnQtlc2-zYl12e_CXcYEfyb30i0hk4l5Ix3scRP8-PV5EsLh4v7i8QAozY18sxFVfD-uUlkeY9SeUnIMnxr-mcmtGkNtZn6UxDWNBbizCGX0uXVkhlZf7Aw1rQJgVGA5ka-HalklRExkPLelDknS__ntNG5lqLDVw/s320/IMG_8212.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Vodka Gimlet</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>For one:</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 oz. vodka</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3/4 oz. lime juice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2-3 teaspoons simple syrup</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">ice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">lime wheel or wedge for garnish</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Chill a martini glass. Fill a shaker full of ice. Add vodka, lime juice, simple syrup. Shake until well chilled. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with lime wheel or wedge.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>For a crowd (makes 10):</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 1/4 cups vodka, (10 oz.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup lime juice, (8 oz.) if you want to be super accurate, measure out 7.5 oz.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup simple syrup (add more to taste)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">ice</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">10 lime wheels</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Mix vodka, lime juice, simple syrup in a large pitcher or container. Taste and adjust flavors, if necessary. Chill until ready to serve.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Chill 10 martini glasses (or as many for serving). Fill a shaker with ice. Fill shaker 2/3 full with mix. Shake until well chilled. Fill glasses. Continue with remaining mix. Garnish all drinks with lime wheels.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0LFY3A4a2aO4U1fH-UA_zDK0Gfa1vWnbcqM7NC-HkMlsTqr4l3aqdIc97owNohMH6LrWE0jtXd-FkiMf3uQvnhr6dg5BU80ZhF1aDZeVXkPhyEU-PbMySzQkRRnxcSgnwIqOa4_1BLSzajWthSvFyUuv4u3cBvB9NouhTw6nZQwPtGpaDRhiH7Lekw/s3879/IMG_8202.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3879" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh0LFY3A4a2aO4U1fH-UA_zDK0Gfa1vWnbcqM7NC-HkMlsTqr4l3aqdIc97owNohMH6LrWE0jtXd-FkiMf3uQvnhr6dg5BU80ZhF1aDZeVXkPhyEU-PbMySzQkRRnxcSgnwIqOa4_1BLSzajWthSvFyUuv4u3cBvB9NouhTw6nZQwPtGpaDRhiH7Lekw/s320/IMG_8202.HEIC" width="249" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Spinach Brownies</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Simply the Best Course", 1998 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Original recipe submitted by Kathy Gillis</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup all purpose flour*</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 teaspoon salt**</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 teaspoon baking powder</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 eggs, slightly beaten</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 cup milk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1 (10 oz.) package frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and drained well)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1/2 cup minced onions***</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4 cups (1 lb.) extra sharpe cheddar cheese, shredded****</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Combine flour, salt and baking powder. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add eggs and milk to flour mixture. Set aside. Combine spinach, onions and cheese. Add spinach mixture to flour mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased 13" x 9" pan. Bake for 45 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cool to room temperature. Cut into bite-sized pieces to serve. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*I substituted King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour to make these gluten free.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">**I use Kosher salt</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">***I omitted the onions</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">***It is a ton of cheese! I only used 3 1/2 cups...they came out great!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-10609157405897777282023-04-01T11:25:00.002-04:002023-06-19T15:07:10.660-04:00I just want to say: Avocado Toast<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtdXJ0niEReBk81f2EBBXB4FSLAeOpwPK8lxwjxVckwplSfK6ajcTM3VTcUy-L-1YpB6FG7cy7kvzz-myeMrnSmD-yHXN7Hdk9LhIffZ29lUvkVkRxUtiv1qgzN7hhIYKv6lw0HE_zoGBGju1Ri1A8VjpjW8euIXhrKJsn3ntQqghNmWlGpuQO_d7PQ/s4026/IMG_7522.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4026" data-original-width="3019" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtdXJ0niEReBk81f2EBBXB4FSLAeOpwPK8lxwjxVckwplSfK6ajcTM3VTcUy-L-1YpB6FG7cy7kvzz-myeMrnSmD-yHXN7Hdk9LhIffZ29lUvkVkRxUtiv1qgzN7hhIYKv6lw0HE_zoGBGju1Ri1A8VjpjW8euIXhrKJsn3ntQqghNmWlGpuQO_d7PQ/s320/IMG_7522.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br />" I just want to say: [insert thought here]" -Nora Ephron<p></p><div>The late, incredibly great writer and film director, Nora Ephron wrote a number of essays beginning with this phrase. It's a brilliant tool to talk/write about any random thing that is on your mind. Avocado toast has been occupying my thoughts lately. So,</div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i> "I just want to say: Avocado Toast"</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>If it appears on the menu, I am always curious to see how it will be prepared. It's one of those things that can go incredibly well or be completely lackluster. So often, it disappoints. But that doesn't stop me from trying. I am an eager believer at least before my meal arrives at the table. </div><div><br /></div><div>Don't present me with a small bit of mashed avocado that is likely just guacamole slapped on a toasted piece of bread. Let's be creative here. After all, just because it is called, "Avocado Toast" it does not have to be just avocado smeared on a crispy vehicle. Does it?</div><div><br /></div><div>One local breakfast restaurant serves their version with a drizzle of balsamic syrup. A nice touch. I still feel the need to add a poached egg on top to liven things up a little more. Some may say that adding embellishments to the fruit and carb combo is not true "avo" toast. I don't care. I need more excitement in my life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Where did the idea for smearing avocado onto bread come from? Some say it was the Aztecs thousands of years ago others claim it was an Aussie restaurant entrepreneur who made this brunch staple famous. Either way, I just want to be inspired, excited to dig in to something new and different. Is that too much to ask? </div><div><br /></div><div>I will keep searching until I find the place that serves the ultimate Avocado Toast. Until then, like so many other things that I find to be less than stellar, I will have to create it myself. Alone in the kitchen with my own version of a fancy avocado toast.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Avocado Toast</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ingredients:</span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2/12 cups water </span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tablespoon white vinegar</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 egg </span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 piece bread of choice</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">olive oil</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 ripe avocado</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">sea salt</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 wedge lemon</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">balsamic syrup</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 small tomato, diced (one Campari tomato is the perfect amount)</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">microgreen sprouts, pea shoots, etc.</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">black pepper</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">hot sauce of choice (optional)</span></span></p></span></div></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div></blockquote><p><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>Set a small pot of water (approximately 2 1/2 cups) on to boil. Add 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Once the pot of water comes to a boil, decrease the heat so that the water remains at a steady simmer.</p><p>Place bread in toaster and toast to desired doneness. While bread is toasting, slowly drop the egg into the simmering water. Move it gently around with a slotted spoon so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Set a timer for 4 minutes. Place a folded piece of paper towel onto a small plate for when the egg has completed cooking, set aside.</p><p>Remove bread from toaster, place on serving plate and drizzle with olive oil. Slice the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh of one half. Discard the skin. Slice the avocado and fan out the slices on the toasted bread. Sprinkle with sea salt and squeeze the lemon wedge over the slices. Reserve the other half, leaving the pit intact and smear it with olive oil to help to prevent browning. Place in a covered container in the refrigerator for another use. </p><p>After 4 minutes, check the egg for desired doneness. Remove the egg from the simmering water with a slotted spoon and place the egg on paper towel lined plate.</p><p>Drizzle the balsamic syrup over the avocado slices. Place the now dry egg onto the avocado slices. Sprinkle with sea salt and add the diced tomato over the toast. Garnish the toast with sprouts. Season with black pepper. Serve with hot sauce. Enjoy your masterpiece!</p><div><br /></div><div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-1612233730493053912023-03-06T07:13:00.005-05:002023-06-19T15:07:22.401-04:00Don't Even Dream of It<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUH4SYIQxcYnzX3rnT6ZXJQ3jXCOXd0nJJFYvJfbqfCfQivXo-ph8SPq6r_w3rwZbjG2Vp4mu_3WltPF5_jqrV7mXL5MhUv2HbGUtwcWpS5nw0JaA_Yy53whJidUHTuK1xLDFGPZDbVHNZYouPuaEp1kSlaXCiR6WweH8rzir-Eu4-zXICCVCWkUoKjg/s4032/IMG_7412.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUH4SYIQxcYnzX3rnT6ZXJQ3jXCOXd0nJJFYvJfbqfCfQivXo-ph8SPq6r_w3rwZbjG2Vp4mu_3WltPF5_jqrV7mXL5MhUv2HbGUtwcWpS5nw0JaA_Yy53whJidUHTuK1xLDFGPZDbVHNZYouPuaEp1kSlaXCiR6WweH8rzir-Eu4-zXICCVCWkUoKjg/s320/IMG_7412.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p>Rob asks, "Can I have the last piece?" </p><p>Audacious. Rude. Not allowed. </p><p>It does not matter if it's the last cookie in the bottom of the container, broken edges, slightly burnt. It does not matter if the slice of cake has been sitting there, crumbling, neglected a for a few days. </p><p>It's mine.</p><p>If I made it, it's mine.</p><p>That's the rule in this house. The same rule that was passed down by Val. There is no deviating. It is hard and fast. The only person who can lift it is the person who baked/made/created/toiled at 10pm while half asleep on a Sunday night before an early Monday morning of a long week filled with school lunches to be packed. The only person who can give the o.k. for another to eat the last morsel is the person who produced the confection in question.</p><p>"The last piece is always reserved for the cook."</p><p>Back when we were kids, my sister Karyn would try and work around this law of the land. Val would remove the last square brownie from its pan and place it in a small bowl: up in the cabinet where the clean bowls and plates were housed, as if to hide it in plain sight. This only tempted and taunted Karyn. And we all knew where the "hiding" spot was anyway.</p><p>Karyn arrived home from school in the early afternoon, teenage stomach growling. Val was likely out grocery shopping for more food to feed three always ravenous children. Home alone and feeling bold, Karyn wielded a sharp paring knife and every so deftly shaved the edges of the brownie revealing a slightly smaller version of the same sweet. The phrase, "She will never notice." floated in a thought bubble above her head as she did her dirty work then devoured the slivered morsels.</p><p>And let's just say, "Val may never have noticed." (I truly doubt it. That woman always seemed to know what was going on even when she wasn't physically present.) But Karyn could not stop there. It just wasn't enough. She continued to shave a little more and then a little more until the new brownie was so noticeably smaller than how Val had left the original, that there was going to be no way out of this egregious trespass. I can imagine it now, Val was likely thinking about savoring that brownie for a late lunch with a tall glass of cold milk once she finally got home with her multiple bags of groceries only to find that the hidden last brownie had been reduced to a miniature version so small it would not have satisfied and ant.</p><p>(Before we move on, I will need to address the elephant in the room: Yes, my mother often ate sweets in the place of actual meals claiming such illnesses as "low blood sugar" and "headaches". These medical diagnosis were never to be questioned and are still referenced today.)</p><p>I probably don't need to reveal the outcome of the clandestine brownie surgery. I mean it was obvious to all involved. And while it did not technically break the house rule, it clearly did infringe upon it. I am not sure what would have been more effective: to actually hide the last remaining sweet in a better place or to inflict a steep punishment for those who break the law. In my house, I just instill the fear of God in my loved ones which I think is appropriate for any potential transgression. You may think this to be a bit harsh. I don't. Nothing is out of bounds when it comes to protecting my chocolate, butter and sugar.</p><p><br /></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Declan will claim that even though whenever I bake a batch of these brownies, that he as the inventor and winner of a blue ribbon and Best in Show ribbon at the Barnstable County Fair in the summer of 2022, should actually be the recipient of the last piece every damn time. I politely and firmly disagree.</span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Reese's Dream Brownies</b></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 108pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 72pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ingredients:</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 108pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 72pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1 package brownie mix</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 108pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 72pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (full size)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 108pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 72pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">¼ cup creamy peanut butter</span></span></p><p><b id="docs-internal-guid-ced386c5-7fff-2516-3ebb-129b9a91a6e5" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 108pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Preheat oven according to brownie mix package directions. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 108pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 108pt 0pt 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mix brownies according to package directions. Pour half of the batter into a greased (8 x8) pan. Place Reese’s Peanut Butter cups evenly over batter. Top with remaining batter and spread out to cover the peanut butter cups. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 108pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 108pt 0pt 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Heat peanut butter in a microwave for 10 seconds. Stir to achieve an even consistency. Drop in dollops over the brownie batter. Using a knife, swirl by dragging it one way, then the opposite way across the batter. Bake brownies according to package directions. (May need to add a few minutes to baking time.)</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 108pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 108pt 0pt 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.</span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 108pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 108pt 0pt 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Cut into 9 even pieces. Keep in an airtight container.</span></span></p><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-15637276881571090922022-12-29T07:02:00.001-05:002023-03-07T11:29:31.528-05:00Wanderlust<p><br /></p><p>The charm bracelets are gold. Real gold, not gold plated. They are heavy and awkward to wear. They call attention to themselves. My grandmother wore both of them at the same time. That's just the kind of lady she was.</p><p>My sister, Karyn has one and I have the other. I wear mine on special occasions mostly because it's fancy but also because it is impractical for everyday. The dangling charms constantly hook on sweater loops and get snagged on loose fabric. I love it. The charm bracelet I acquired is filled with memories of my grandmother's life as a jet-setter. The soldered tokens representing exotic cities, countries, continents she visited: Rome, Australia, Africa, Sweden....</p><p>She and her husband, Dr. Edwin P. Tripp, Jr. went on long trips around the globe and spent many of their winters in Englewood, Florida (on the west coast of the state). Upon their return, they hosted endless, drawn out slide shows in their finished basement. I don't remember much of those events except for the musty smelling carpet and that I was always bored by the scenery photos. When the projector, whirring loudly and threatening to overheat, clicked to an image showing familiar faces, I perked up but there were hardly any of those. I was a little kid after all and when I saw a blurry shot of the African plains or the Australian desert, it all seemed to blend together in my mind.</p><p>She brought collectable dolls to me and my sister from the places she went. A man and a woman in traditional African clothing (from which country, I do not know), two wooden horses from Sweden, mine is orange, a navy one for Karyn. Those are the ones that stick out in my mind, most of all for the colorful clothing and because I still have my wooden horse housed safely on a shelf above my collection of cookbooks. There is one other standout: a very small doll, dressed in a light blue gown in the style of late 18th century European royalty: tight corset, full, billowing skirt, her white doll hair fashioned into a high pouf. I was enamored of this tiny delicate figurine. Too young to understand the adults' jokes poking fun and asking why she still had a head, I thought to myself, "Of course, she had a head! Why would my grandmother ever think to bring us a broken doll with out one?"</p><p>The Marie Antionette doll must serve as evidence that my grandmother visited France and likely Paris to be exact. But there is no proof in gold. Considering that one of the most iconic and recognizable charms to ever grace a bracelet of collected memories is one shaped as the Eiffel Tower, I wonder why there is not such a token on either bracelet?</p><p>Whenever I wear my bracelet, I rotate through the charms, examining one at a time, imagining her travels: the African lion, the Australian kangaroo, the bagpipes, the Viking ship, the statue of the she-wolf with Romulus and Remus. So many places, so far around the world, so many memories. Such an exciting life, wanderlust fulfilled! It makes me long to book a fight to... anywhere.</p><p>There is one charm that is constantly getting caught on everything due to its natural shape: a hook. If you don't recognize it right away, you may think it looks like an arm flexing a bicep muscle. Nope. It's a place. While it is not her birthplace or where she grew up, she called it home for most of her life. I find it interesting that this charm has a home on the bracelet nestled among all of the symbols representing far away foreign places. Perhaps it served as a reminder: No matter where you go, the people who love you will always be waiting for you to return home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPZK8qOwPt6jyEwY_sG9E1jQXPBtlSfo2Ft1YD7caS60-h_IoAQoppeyR-2ySOeinNkMtrq1CmdUWunSURfewByIr0Uh41TZfTu1vjoyFpUKeKe-n5TzZKFGHTYqKAJgSw2TlU-Kx3VBO7HPT3HlB3x76dRsQf1mkZN5WgzkPxsNijCAvhcTAHppmqw/s3484/IMG_6933.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3484" data-original-width="2363" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRPZK8qOwPt6jyEwY_sG9E1jQXPBtlSfo2Ft1YD7caS60-h_IoAQoppeyR-2ySOeinNkMtrq1CmdUWunSURfewByIr0Uh41TZfTu1vjoyFpUKeKe-n5TzZKFGHTYqKAJgSw2TlU-Kx3VBO7HPT3HlB3x76dRsQf1mkZN5WgzkPxsNijCAvhcTAHppmqw/w271-h400/IMG_6933.HEIC" width="271" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-85773502898095566152021-10-30T16:05:00.000-04:002021-10-30T16:05:02.956-04:00Jack - o' - lanterns<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgdNP_khcyN6TKs-B22kdK5Yl8n5KlRSs44vcd61pyvK0ERRY2eX3bgJSG5LPGQTm1Nd85iE_-grL2as81agyRUK2gcLJRtisWN3diAjGBcDJy-oNF2zqgp_tJdsdNrWW8gvrSlk822T-/s4032/IMG_1216.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgdNP_khcyN6TKs-B22kdK5Yl8n5KlRSs44vcd61pyvK0ERRY2eX3bgJSG5LPGQTm1Nd85iE_-grL2as81agyRUK2gcLJRtisWN3diAjGBcDJy-oNF2zqgp_tJdsdNrWW8gvrSlk822T-/s320/IMG_1216.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The annual Halloween pumpkin carving has been going on long before I would have ever given my kids a sharp blade to create their masterpieces. Val used to ask us what design we wanted to add to the one large pumpkin she brought home from the store just a few days before the scariest night of the year. Once agreed upon, she deftly wielded a sharpened carving knife to reveal a ghastly smile and sinister eyes that would greet the one or two trick - or - treaters who darkened our doorstep on October 31st.</p><p>Years later, Karyn got into a carving frenzy to make at least a 1/2 dozen ghoulish decorations lined up on the steps to her mudroom. They could be seen from the street but hardly any children dressed in costume appeared at her door. Her mother -in - law hid in her adjacent apartment and turned out all the lights signaling to everyone that no one was home while Karyn and her her kids ransacked another neighborhood for candy just a few streets away.</p><p>Seacoast Shores has always been alive with homes ornately decorated with tacky flair and multitudes of kids running from house to closely built house raking in loads of candy. While the evening is fun for the kids, I find it a bit exhausting having to answer the door every few minutes instead of relaxing with my feet up and savoring a glass of wine. And while the exact night may not be my favorite, I do love some tastefully chosen decorations: a few carved pumpkins, a witch's hat and some lights but never those horrible blow - up things that are deflated across every lawn when the sun comes up the next morning. That's why I still love and will always want to host a pumpkin carving party. It's low key, we can enjoy good snacks, wine, sharp blades and creativity. What could be better?</p><p>The kids have not only embraced the knives and gourds tradition, they have essentially taken it over, inviting friends to participate, too. All I need to do is supply pumpkins and carving tools, some newspaper for the mess and Sharpies for the pre-planning designing stage. But don't forget the snacks. Creativity, laughter and focus requires fuel especially now that they are teenagers. Their skillfully finished products reflect how much they have grown. Their adolescent appetites remind me that they will be eventually leaving the nest way too soon. But until that finally happens, there are snacks to be eaten and s'mores to make over the fire on one of the best days of the year when laughter fills the house as we light up the jack - o' - lanterns.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TWg5H0tuju-ULYOHIQXnbZdJRKuNGUzW6TA4K5j60gn9SCQ7IFyYh2Qeh-hYFx5RqvXKlrxltI0VdgMMu0Zp3zQik1-RL4RS6fARtANY8DDUhQf6LT5ZjEd_9B7zLkAf7tg7EldA-u-M/s1600/IMG_1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TWg5H0tuju-ULYOHIQXnbZdJRKuNGUzW6TA4K5j60gn9SCQ7IFyYh2Qeh-hYFx5RqvXKlrxltI0VdgMMu0Zp3zQik1-RL4RS6fARtANY8DDUhQf6LT5ZjEd_9B7zLkAf7tg7EldA-u-M/s320/IMG_1042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_zDnIAb-5GETTKx9lffsm2p8p7nRi0G5hWciW-_5NNkqdAUal7tjX7GbYIYZ8SpNfH-yRU7wm3i_ULm77TlhXXYdB_kVGoXEMM2HrO27uVNg6fAnOJZTuH2EDpSATkrp1elbKREi_c21/s2048/20161029_101607.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM_zDnIAb-5GETTKx9lffsm2p8p7nRi0G5hWciW-_5NNkqdAUal7tjX7GbYIYZ8SpNfH-yRU7wm3i_ULm77TlhXXYdB_kVGoXEMM2HrO27uVNg6fAnOJZTuH2EDpSATkrp1elbKREi_c21/s320/20161029_101607.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28IimLcrIRLhXoeTdynyNValdlEG8DjjzOv6lrA7wu9xvK6EYyxFtyA1G3Cz83EMdzxuR0R38H_pbmHh_A7hcGLz5MjjeQ8lD3A8ABDZxIIjXVIbpK2lJ9HtrzaRPwR-dxQcLk7L2nNJS/s2048/IMG_3254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28IimLcrIRLhXoeTdynyNValdlEG8DjjzOv6lrA7wu9xvK6EYyxFtyA1G3Cz83EMdzxuR0R38H_pbmHh_A7hcGLz5MjjeQ8lD3A8ABDZxIIjXVIbpK2lJ9HtrzaRPwR-dxQcLk7L2nNJS/s320/IMG_3254.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0tb9gW8q_3fobfKVnGAL0oJtvZ3TaH_RX8XH2wKnANYWoYcNMZL-EKLdVJg001LRpd5TeVVzwIRgiRgEGiDOssj_BCI6Ht-vGNYYDFfGUkrk5igm796XUecYj0PtvCAW6IiI9Rcr3NtI/s4032/IMG_1201.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0tb9gW8q_3fobfKVnGAL0oJtvZ3TaH_RX8XH2wKnANYWoYcNMZL-EKLdVJg001LRpd5TeVVzwIRgiRgEGiDOssj_BCI6Ht-vGNYYDFfGUkrk5igm796XUecYj0PtvCAW6IiI9Rcr3NtI/s320/IMG_1201.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_pzS0nGlrGON71j7VRQtP2jcFIGLpBy4_eDPOv9R6GnVEc1zNQpScTZrUeCYj74BRQclEyVBdmg0Y93Mr52dICkHYBO0rJLfLtjEh2x-fCIWPPTXPWvEpF9nAHaMUv_9Tm93GyxGN8Ut/s4032/IMG_1206.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8_pzS0nGlrGON71j7VRQtP2jcFIGLpBy4_eDPOv9R6GnVEc1zNQpScTZrUeCYj74BRQclEyVBdmg0Y93Mr52dICkHYBO0rJLfLtjEh2x-fCIWPPTXPWvEpF9nAHaMUv_9Tm93GyxGN8Ut/s320/IMG_1206.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Libby's Pumpkin Roll</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Those of you of a certain age will likely remember seeing a photo and recipe of this nostalgic treat on the side of cans of Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin. I hadn't been able to get it out of my mind until I made not one but two of these recently. The recipe is ridiculously easy and the "fancy" look of the cake makes it festive. I created some "monsters" this year by serving it on pumpkin carving night. Perhaps offering to make it a tradition will be enough to entice my favorite ghouls to come back every year to carve jack - o'- lanterns.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukiiQM64BfmRYfIwnbrPMZU_-iGynE8kdiIkbSAnCBfJUrwpYupFZG_Hs1WsYMyoXNLNSKNLD5G7XZ8acl6FQxZVAQJ1-p4141OhxAS80Fb27mwQurgzFBMU1ft3tm23LWYL9NX4j8hYQ/s4032/IMG_1196.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukiiQM64BfmRYfIwnbrPMZU_-iGynE8kdiIkbSAnCBfJUrwpYupFZG_Hs1WsYMyoXNLNSKNLD5G7XZ8acl6FQxZVAQJ1-p4141OhxAS80Fb27mwQurgzFBMU1ft3tm23LWYL9NX4j8hYQ/s320/IMG_1196.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>1/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted over a sheet of wax paper the size of a jelly roll pan)</p><p>3/4 cup all-purpose flour</p><p>1/2 teaspoon baking powder</p><p>1/2 teaspoon baking soda</p><p>1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon</p><p>1/2 teaspoon ground cloves</p><p>1/4 teaspoon salt</p><p>3 large eggs</p><p>1 cup granulated sugar</p><p>2/3 cup canned pumpkin</p><p>12 oz. cream cheese, softened (1 1/2 packages)</p><p>1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)</p><p>9 tablespoons butter, softened</p><p>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</p><p>Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper (trim to fit). Sprinkle a sheet of wax paper with sifted powdered sugar and set aside.</p><p>Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan all the way to the edges. </p><p>Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. (Darker colored cake pans will make the cake bake faster.) Remove from oven and immediately loosen around the edges using a table knife. Turn cake onto wax paper dusted with powdered sugar. Gently peel off wax paper that was used for baking and discard. Roll up cake and wax paper with dusted powdered sugar together starting at the narrow end. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes to an hour.</p><p>Beat cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, butter and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cake (all the way to the edges). Reroll cake (without the wax paper). Wrap cake in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour and up to 24 hours before serving. To serve: trim off each end and place on a platter with decorations and/or dusted with powdered sugar. Slice into rounds and enjoy.</p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-84972102559335601592021-08-30T06:43:00.002-04:002021-08-30T06:43:44.124-04:00Fresh Corn Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce and Crunchy Corn Crumble<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLqk0kpb_CJBPaUkvoxvLy8tRUymNjQperEoA70SwDmPjNVXmLVTKr1owoKqM8INjGl2WeBd7IZ1OoLik0y7diKxEib0Vv2iyujJOj3Q5XOfda_YKHnUSQuWRDbGh8JoAGO3SAkDBITCE/s4032/IMG_0493.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLqk0kpb_CJBPaUkvoxvLy8tRUymNjQperEoA70SwDmPjNVXmLVTKr1owoKqM8INjGl2WeBd7IZ1OoLik0y7diKxEib0Vv2iyujJOj3Q5XOfda_YKHnUSQuWRDbGh8JoAGO3SAkDBITCE/s320/IMG_0493.HEIC" width="240" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>The perfect accompaniment to BBQ chicken grilled on a summer evening? Potato salad? Coleslaw? Those are both solid choices. But I prefer the sweet and slightly savory taste of a corn muffin studded with juicy blueberries. Weird choice? You can't deny it once you try it.<p></p><p>Val has been baking blueberry corn muffins to go alongside grilled chicken slathered in her homemade barbeque sauce since as long as I can remember. Using freshly ground corn from the gristmill in neighboring Sandwich, MA and tiny Maine blueberries. For parties and celebrations, she offers her famously delicious potato salad and vinegary coleslaw. Sometimes baked beans, too but those are not my favorite.</p><p>We have been eating a lot of corn on the cob lately. Tis the season for Silver Queen and Butter and Sugar. Purchased from Tony Andrews Farm, a stone's throw from Val's and shucked on the picnic table the same afternoon before a quick dip in a steaming pot of scalding water. A cold stick of butter and a salt shaker are set on the table alongside placemats and napkins. It is just as easy to shuck and cook a dozen as it is to prepare eight ears (there are four of us, so that means two each). Throw the leftovers in the fridge and cut the cooked kernels off the cob for a delectable corn and tomato salad with some chopped jalapeno thrown in for color and heat. Save the cobs for what I am about to tell you next.</p><p>Just about everyone loves ice cream and cold treats in the summertime. Ice box cakes and popsicles, Mississippi Mud Pie and frozen margaritas, too. But all of those take time to assemble, set-up and freeze. If you don't have the foresight to get going on one of these recipes at least 24 hours in advance you are out of luck. Summer moves fast around here and I just don't have the time or the patience for this kind of waiting. </p><p>Lack of self-restraint and a craving for that cornmeal and blueberry combination led me down another path. Sure, I could have heated up the oven to make the muffins, but who wants to think about that on an 85 degree day? I want something frosty, cold, corny, creamy and sweet. The soft sweet, give of a gently cooked blueberry and the sensation of the crispy crust from a muffin baked in a cast iron pan. </p><p>I began by scalding milk, cream and sugar, then added the bare cobs I had leftover from a few nights earlier, squirreled away in the back of the refrigerator. I let it all steep for about two hours while I cleaned up the breakfast dishes and hopped in the shower. Then I got to work. A half hour was all it took, start to finish. Once the process was complete, we only had to wait until after dinner to assemble our own individual odes to those perfect blueberry corn muffins.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Fresh Corn Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce and Crunchy Corn Crumble</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">(serves 8)</p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>For the Corn Panna Cotta:</u></p><p style="text-align: left;">3 1/2 cups heavy cream</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 cup milk</p><p style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup sugar</p><p style="text-align: left;">4 corn cobs (kernels cut off and reserved for another use)</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 tablespoon gelatin (one packet from the box)</p><p style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup water</p><p style="text-align: left;">Heat the cream, milk and sugar to scalding (just shy of a boil.) Turn off heat and add corn cobs. Allow to steep for 1-2 hours. </p><p style="text-align: left;">After 1-2 hours, sprinkle gelatin over water in a thin, even layer to bloom. Set aside.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Remove the corn cobs and discard. Heat the cream mixture to scalding. Turn off heat and dissolve the gelatin mixture into scalded cream mixture. Stir to combine. Pour through a strainer into a bowl set over an ice bath and stir until it begins to thicken. Using and immersion blender, blend for a few turns or use a whisk and whip for about 30 seconds. Portion out into 8 servings. (I used 8 oz. mason jars for this one.) Chill for 6 hours or overnight.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>For the Crunchy Corn Crumble:</u></p><p style="text-align: left;">1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, slightly softened but straight from the refrigerator is fine, too</p><p style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup cornmeal</p><p style="text-align: left;">1/3 cup brown sugar, packed</p><p style="text-align: left;">1/4 teaspoon salt</p><p style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup old fashioned oats (or whatever you have on hand.)</p><p style="text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Mix all ingredients except oats by working the butter into the dry ingredients with your hands until the mixture is like soft sand then add the oats and mix well. Spread mixture onto an ungreased or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes until edges begin to brown and the the entire thing looks like one big cookie. Remove from oven, allow to cool and break into chunks.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>For the Blueberry Sauce:</u></p><p style="text-align: left;">12 oz. blueberries (about 2 cups)</p><p style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup water</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 tablespoon cornstarch</p><p style="text-align: left;">3 tablespoons sugar</p><p style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons lemon juice</p><p style="text-align: left;">Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Stir to dissolve the cornstarch and sugar. Cook on medium high until sauce thickens and becomes a deep, dark purply blue, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><u>Assembly:</u></p><p style="text-align: left;">I prefer to bring all the components to the table and have everyone assemble their own. If you would rather have more control, I suggest topping the panna cotta with a dollop of blueberry sauce on the side and some crispy crumble to finish it off for texture. Whatever you do, assemble at the last minute so that the crumble stays crispy and the blueberry sauce does not seep into the panna cotta.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-17313143346830954542021-05-14T07:36:00.005-04:002021-05-14T07:36:42.130-04:00I would die 4 Magic Cookie Bars<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINsvsgL3VF4JZs04m4cExxMtQNQBsNhv483ScJD1lte5lbIFQoopCRWSbfUj0CzEhRPTw3e7kVPxY2_PjMzx4OM07jOd6k13r629iV0lNKhKtipA94rAQ1WmjcJ_89-rSpTL7DEN0LGOz/s5312/20210503_071330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhINsvsgL3VF4JZs04m4cExxMtQNQBsNhv483ScJD1lte5lbIFQoopCRWSbfUj0CzEhRPTw3e7kVPxY2_PjMzx4OM07jOd6k13r629iV0lNKhKtipA94rAQ1WmjcJ_89-rSpTL7DEN0LGOz/s320/20210503_071330.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <p></p><p><br /></p><p>We played the boombox as loud as we dared from the back seat of the bus. Prince and Chaka Khan blared through the speakers. We hoped the coach wouldn't yell for us to turn it off as long as we didn't sing too obnoxiously over the music (is there any other way?). Usually it was the same song played over an over again by rewinding the cassette tape until it finally wore out that made the bus driver and the coach pull the cord on our fun.</p><p>Two paper shopping bags wedged between our feet on the floor covered, hastily hidden with our <i>Falmouth Athletics</i> gray warm-up hoodies were filled with oranges cut into quarters then stashed into plastic twist-tie bags -enough for both home and away teams. At the beginning of the season, our mothers signed up to "bring" oranges to games on the schedule. Today was Val's turn. In her usual fashion, instead of me having to lug the half-time snack to school, she dropped them off at the main office. I was promptly summoned by the school secretary over the intercom during last period, sophomore English. But of course, Miss Mormon, that crotchety old lady would not let me leave even for just a few minutes before the last bell. </p><p>Jenny and I crouched down behind the seat in front of us, quietly pulled a tinfoil wrapped package from the bag of oranges and slowly opened it. We had to cradle it gently as not to spill the contents. We found layers of still slightly warm chocolate chips, chewy coconut and buttery graham crackers cut into perfect 2-bite sized squares signaling Val's intention for us to offer them to all. </p><p>Our attempts at keeping the treats a secret didn't last long in a bus jammed with teammates who are use to sharing everything from lockers, gossip and the occasional pair of socks. Jill, sitting in the seat in front of us, immediately knew something was up when our heads disappeared mid- conversation. She leaned over her seat and became part of the secret snacking. That was all it took. The clandestine information rippled and spread from a small cluster of seats throughout the rest of the bus until everyone had a piece of sticky goodness in hand. It's a good thing Val had carefully portioned and packaged what appeared to be at least two batches of Magic Cookie Bars. They were devoured in an instant, just in time for us to belt out our version of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkNl3pq1twE" target="_blank">I Would Die 4 U</a>" before pulling up to the field, ready to play.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Magic Cookie Bars</p><p style="text-align: center;">(Makes one 9"x13" pan)</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter</p><p style="text-align: left;">1/3 package (9 full cracker sheets) Graham Crackers, smashed to crumbs</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 bag (7 oz.) sweetened, shredded coconut</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 bag (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 325 degrees.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Place butter in 9"x13" baking pan and place pan in oven until butter is melted. Remove pan from oven. Add Graham Cracker crumbs, stir to coat. Spread mixture evenly to cover the bottom of the pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the bottom of the Graham Cracker/butter mixture. Sprinkle shredded coconut evenly over the sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over coconut. Using a wooden spoon, spatula or your hands, press down on layers to compress so that they will stay together better when portioning.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Bake bars for 25-30 minutes until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven, run a knife around the edges so the bars won't stick and allow to cool for at least an hour before cutting into squares. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Share with your friends.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-33407770730813116902021-04-12T06:34:00.003-04:002021-04-12T06:34:45.735-04:001980's Homemade Pizza<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnE5y1mFpRVTmZA6oQws25_W3PBTB9pv4vll44-06-6OwaBu91BM36bb0GJ4BLbfxrKD3MVwWv3WLXoEMWJQqQTSjqSL9_cnLnLiiNHyb0-QGqJiZnN5D_DwDJUW8bUea0kWFnlOE7D2C/s5312/20210401_181505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmnE5y1mFpRVTmZA6oQws25_W3PBTB9pv4vll44-06-6OwaBu91BM36bb0GJ4BLbfxrKD3MVwWv3WLXoEMWJQqQTSjqSL9_cnLnLiiNHyb0-QGqJiZnN5D_DwDJUW8bUea0kWFnlOE7D2C/w400-h225/20210401_181505.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p>I am after the recipe for the homemade pizza I remember so vividly from my teenage years. A pillowy crust made from Val's homemade white bread recipe, red sauce (from a can?, doctored?), sliced green pepper (red was too exotic and would never have been found at the Stop & Shop back in 1980 something), sliced white onion and thick slabs of mozzarella (the basic kind you can still find with the store brand name on it near the individually wrapped slices of American cheese). No time to shred it on the box grater, Val needed to get dinner in the oven. Pre- shredded cheese had just come out but if you are going to be a purist and make your own dough, why would you put cheese mixed with "anti-caking agent" on it?</p><p>Val made pizza often but especially on the night before Thanksgiving, after the parade down Main Street and the pep rally on Fuller Field. We rolled into our driveway and before the rest of us were out of the four door brown Nova with the tan fake leather seats, she was in the kitchen stretching the dough onto coarsely ground cornmeal scattered on a cookie sheet. She still had her coat on. We were hungry and likely driving her crazy. I am sure she was stressed thinking about the huge meal she was going to begin making as soon as she woke up the next day at 4:00am. While my sister was upstairs fixing her hair before one of her friends picked her up to go out for the evening, I whined and slouched my shoulders when Val asked me to set the table and my younger brother ran around, harassed the dog and begged to drink some of the Cott Cream Soda she allowed us only in such moments of weakness. </p><p>But when that pizza came out of the oven, even my sister, who was now running out the door, grabbed a square that was destined to ruin her lipgloss with her first bite. I don't know why my 13 year old self would ever have thought that the addition of sliced green peppers, mushrooms and slivers of white onion would taste good enough to try or maybe that was all that was left after my brother devoured the "plain" slices. It was a smart move on Val's part to throw these vegetables onto the pizza hoping to get some sort of nutrients into her kids. Of course, if my brother ended up with a piece that had vegetables hidden under melted mozzarella, he left the evidence on his plate. </p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">The Best 1980's Homemade Pizza</p><p><br /></p><p>Pizza Dough:</p><p>At dinner time the night before you want to make pizza, mix the dough. Cover with a plastic bag and place in the refrigerator. Pull it out the next day 2 hours before you plan to cook your pizza.</p><p><br /></p><p>2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (1 package) OR 1 teaspoon yeast and 1/4 cup starter that was fed 8-10 hrs before.</p><p>1 3/4 cup warm water</p><p>2 tablespoons olive oil plus more to oil the bowl</p><p>2 teaspoons sea salt</p><p>4 cups AP flour, more if needed</p><p><br /></p><p>Pizza:</p><p>3 tablespoons coarsely ground cornmeal</p><p>1-2 tablespoons olive oil</p><p>4 oz. can tomato sauce</p><p>2 teaspoons dried oregano</p><p>mozzarella cheese, grated</p><p>1/2 green pepper, sliced thin</p><p>1/2 small onion, sliced thin</p><p>2 oz. mushrooms sliced thin</p><p>sliced pepperoni</p><p>parmesan cheese</p><p><br /></p><p>To serve:</p><p>sea salt</p><p>freshly ground black pepper</p><p>crushed red pepper flakes</p><p><br /></p><p>Proof the yeast by placing it in a measuring cup with the warm water. Allow to rest for 10 minutes until it becomes foamy. </p><p>If using starter with the yeast, scoop out 1/4 cup and place in water and yeast mixture. Add olive oil to the water/yeast/starter mixture.</p><p>In a stand mixer with a dough hook, place salt 2 cups flour and salt. Mix wet mixture into the flour and salt with a spoon or rubber spatula. Use the dough hook on medium to continue the process. As the dough becomes sticky, slowly add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time until all 4 cups of flour are incorporated. Add up to 1/4 cup more flour if needed while keeping dough slightly sticky. Continue to mix with the dough hook for a few more minutes. Turn dough out into a bowl greased with olive oil. Turn to coat dough. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and refrigerate dough for up to 24 hours.</p><p>2 hours before baking, remove dough from refrigerator. 1 hour before baking, preheat oven to 500 degrees. Grease a half sheet pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cornmeal. 30 minutes before baking, remove dough from bowl and place on prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with olive oil. Gently push the dough from the center into the sides and corners of the pan. If the dough springs back, allow to rest for a few minutes and gently work it again until it reaches all edges of the pan. Cover with plastic and keep in warm place (on top of the stove) until ready add toppings.</p><p>Meanwhile, shred the cheese and slice the vegetables. Top dough with tomato sauce. Sprinkle dried oregano over sauce, top entire pizza with shredded mozzarella. Place vegetables together in one section, place pepperoni in another section, leaving the third section with just cheese. Top the entire pizza with parmesan cheese. Place in oven and bake for up to 20 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling and the bottom of the pizza is lightly browned.</p><p>Loosen edges of pizza and immediately remove from baking pan onto a cutting board. Allow pizza to cool for 5 minutes, for the cheese to set. Cut pizza into squares and serve from cutting board.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVByiZ-5A_-CPV9OjhScIcoCzHZtuwTunRxPsgdyWzbUZK9w7_zJfm9sGBUZyD8BZfu4psmNfW9BJ6CfAi7DvNfDb0hd78BRMYNgeu1JTtsyr-G6IQF2NVL6cZL8mcImdSgP9vjoywL_0/s5312/20210401_174826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVByiZ-5A_-CPV9OjhScIcoCzHZtuwTunRxPsgdyWzbUZK9w7_zJfm9sGBUZyD8BZfu4psmNfW9BJ6CfAi7DvNfDb0hd78BRMYNgeu1JTtsyr-G6IQF2NVL6cZL8mcImdSgP9vjoywL_0/w400-h225/20210401_174826.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-65859708165073166592021-02-06T07:48:00.001-05:002021-02-06T07:48:46.311-05:00Self Care<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhOPXi5LRQWeuAFnFCkQG12Bnpn6QpNqAZPUiy9jXBCScvBwiCXKwHEy4GHI3XFKhpJbC1pBo35-Mr9l7W63eeU9j-lt5Pg339wJYsbJUYjcUxfahAwl2pLwcAZByvZvdPaFwOgEAFb9O/s5312/20210123_161345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhOPXi5LRQWeuAFnFCkQG12Bnpn6QpNqAZPUiy9jXBCScvBwiCXKwHEy4GHI3XFKhpJbC1pBo35-Mr9l7W63eeU9j-lt5Pg339wJYsbJUYjcUxfahAwl2pLwcAZByvZvdPaFwOgEAFb9O/s320/20210123_161345.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p>It's so God damned cold today I can barely make it through my morning workout. I pushed it from the usual 7am to 3 hours later allowing for the outside temperature to rise from 12 degrees to a tolerable 20 degrees. But 20 degrees has proven to be less than bearable, and I dragged myself through the neighborhood all in the name of getting some fresh air.</p><p>I've been popping vitamin D pills and trying to remember to take fish oils after each meal to lower my cholesterol. Going to bed at a decent hour, avoiding stress, eating pretty well and exercising. All of the things that one is "supposed" to do in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle. But honestly, I don't know how well all this is working. The only thing that truly feels like self-care is my daily dose of vitamin C shaken with vodka and ice and served in a chilled martini glass. </p><p>You may think I am joking, but I am not. I come by this healthy advice honestly. My grandmother, a retired nurse who lived into her nineties, notoriously hated salad and I never once saw her eat a piece of fresh fruit. But she enjoyed good health throughout her years which must be somehow attributed to her daily ritual of a cocktail before dinner. Vodka and Fresca (a carbonated soft drink made with grapefruit juice) later gave way to vodka and lemonade which she enjoyed served in a tall glass with ice, gently stirred. </p><p>My grandmother began her evening this way whether at home, dining out on the town or attending a family gathering, of which there have been many hosted by Val. My mother taught us our manners well. Upon our guests' arrival, we took their coats and offered a beverage. Of course, we knew Grammy's choice and had the ingredients ready. She didn't mind a heavy pour but always admonished us when we attempted to stir her drink with a table knife, for lack of proper bar ware, "Don't stir with a knife, you will stir strife!", she warned which left the junior bartender charged with making her drink to stir it with a fork or her finger when Grammy wasn't looking.</p><p>While I was growing up, my grandmother escaped the harsh New England winter months to her condo in Florida. We went sledding, made snowmen and shoveled driveways while she golfed and swam in the pool. Then, eventually, she pointed her Cadillac north and made her way home. I anticipated her arrival with excitement. She always brought gifts for each of us along with bags of fragrant smelling Florida oranges and juicy grapefruits. I didn't like the grapefruit, but my sister devoured them for breakfast sliced in half and caked in granulated sugar. I preferred the oranges, quartered and served in a small bowl, juices running down my forearms as I sat on the floor after school and watched re-run episodes of Gilligan's Island until my mother made me shut off the t.v. and go outside to play.</p><p>My taste in assorted citrus fruit has expanded along with the offerings in local supermarkets. Blood oranges, Cara Cara, Ruby Red grapefruit and more can be found on any day during the frosty winter months. I look forward to their arrival in the produce department and grab bags of them for various recipes: <a href="http://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/search?q=sweet+orange+marmalade" target="_blank">Sweet Orange Marmalade</a>, a favorite fancy citrus salad and of course, cocktail experimentation. My new favorite: Blood Orange Margarita. Not only is it beautiful to behold, bright and welcoming while the snow is falling outside but it is also tart, not too sweet. Mixing one puts a smile on my face. The same feeling, I get when I see the sun shining bright in a clear blue February sky. I know that the arrival of springtime isn't far behind. And I pat myself on the back for taking pretty damn good care of myself at the end of a cold, harsh winter day.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn6WL1lBueTY7WiQizavG1VsYsClf5YS8U4uMJ2sEejbKlgy2nKHyMFrbRaiF8TEkD4fAhgzvay2u59M8g_KfeGnEyyd8HaxMPPV5mNvCUUsU04vewaRRIA0FosKRmKRPDQwj-D6X9fJL/s5312/20210123_162712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5312" data-original-width="2988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqn6WL1lBueTY7WiQizavG1VsYsClf5YS8U4uMJ2sEejbKlgy2nKHyMFrbRaiF8TEkD4fAhgzvay2u59M8g_KfeGnEyyd8HaxMPPV5mNvCUUsU04vewaRRIA0FosKRmKRPDQwj-D6X9fJL/s320/20210123_162712.jpg" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Blood Orange Margarita</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">(makes one)</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 oz. fresh squeezed juice f(rom one medium sized blood orange)</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 oz. lime juice (from 1/2 medium sized lime)</p><p style="text-align: left;">2 teaspoons agave </p><p style="text-align: left;">1/4 oz. triple sec</p><p style="text-align: left;">2 oz. tequila</p><p style="text-align: left;">lime wheel or 1/2 orange wheel for garnish (optional)</p><p style="text-align: left;"> Fill a martini or margarita glass with ice and water. Set aside to chill.</p><p style="text-align: left;"> Add all ingredients except garnish to a shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 15-30 seconds. Empty ice water from chilled glass. Strain cocktail from shaker into chilled glass, garnish and serve.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Blood Orange Martini</b></p><p style="text-align: center;">(makes one)</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 oz. freshly squeezed blood orange juice (from one blood orange)</p><p style="text-align: left;">1/2 oz. lime juice (from one 1/4 lime)</p><p style="text-align: left;">3/4 oz. St Germaine elderflower liquor</p><p style="text-align: left;">1/2 teaspoon agave </p><p style="text-align: left;">2 oz. vodka</p><p style="text-align: left;">lime wedge or wheel for garnish</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Fill a martini glass with ice and water. Set aside to chill.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Add all ingredients except garnish into shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously for 15-30 seconds. Empty ice water from chilled glass. Strain cocktail from shaker into chilled glass, garnish and serve.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-88728504253431555212020-12-20T10:03:00.032-05:002020-12-20T10:30:10.907-05:00Gingerbread Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgotMDUct7CsBIcWLnpq0uQbIeaMAH2DbKuaEYOokyFQ31vDw304MjC_GKCQgG40Slo1jtclVmOPudptQEQZHE-Dg7ReFrY0ud1KG77x6XGHHjMc_Glj0P57cg6gWnRysXNeo6w_VaCpw/s5312/20201213_085059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgotMDUct7CsBIcWLnpq0uQbIeaMAH2DbKuaEYOokyFQ31vDw304MjC_GKCQgG40Slo1jtclVmOPudptQEQZHE-Dg7ReFrY0ud1KG77x6XGHHjMc_Glj0P57cg6gWnRysXNeo6w_VaCpw/s320/20201213_085059.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I know I am not the only one who is missing gathering with friends this year. Getting together for a spur of the moment meal on a Saturday or out for a drink to celebrate in a cozy restaurant on Main Street that has been decorated and lit up for the holidays.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> As the calendar moves closer to Christmas, I miss the festivities: the multiple school events, the hustle and bustle of shopping on the last weekend before Christmas: shopkeepers thanking customers with a "Happy Holidays!", even the obligatory work parties in a crowded bar where someone inevitably drinks too much and becomes the subject of gossip the next day around the water cooler. And I never thought I would ever say that I miss the annual Falmouth Christmas Parade. The long wait for Santa to finally arrive, stomping my cold feet in an effort to fend off frostbite, avoiding drinking hot chocolate to keep myself warm lest I need to use the bathroom and take off my multiple layers and the crowds pushing me off the edge of the sidewalk, into the street. I have to admit, I miss grumbling about that, too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> But of all the events leading up to Christmas Day, I probably miss Sheila's gingerbread house party the most. My friend Sheila bakes homemade gingerbread dough into walls and roof pieces for an entire week, every night after working all day and puts together an individual structure for each of her guests. The spicy, sweet houses are put on Christmas paper wrapped cardboard with a name card designating where each person will sit once placed on extra tables brought into Sheila's mom's kitchen. Not only is this process obviously laborious but the placement is as thoughtful as setting the table for an impressive dinner party so that the guests will all have lively conversation and ensure a fun time will be had by all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> A huge spread of candy, rivaling that of Willy Wonka's magical kingdom is spread out in the side room where partygoers choose and fill bowls full of candy canes, red and green M &M's, gumdrops and so many other confections they will use to decorate their soon to be masterpieces. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> The frosting bags are my domain. I'm the type of guest who loves to have an "important" job. I station myself by the savory appetizers, the ones brought by the adults to offset the sugar high and absorb all the wine that the mom's need to drink during this wild (kids eating ridiculous amounts of candy!) afternoon. I fill and refill disposable pastry bags with canned frosting, that is stacked in a huge pyramid by the stove. A can of frosting and a bag of candy is the price of admission for a coveted seat at this event and most of us bring more than just one. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I fill multiple bags as a backup for when decorators begin to ask for more. Then I make my rounds, taking photos of the emerging works of art and demanding that my own children, "Look at me and SMILE!" as they lick frosting off their fingers and nibble from their bowls of candy. I am called back to my post as the artists begin to demand more "glue" to continue work on their elegant sugar mansions. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I am happy to spend much of the party in that space: facilitating the fun. And, I get to sample all the savory pot-luck delights. My favorite: Sheila's hot spinach and artichoke dip that she serves with Triscuit crackers every year. The crusty, gooey edges from it baking in the oven are what really get me. Sheila's recipe is perfect for a crowd- a piping hot centerpiece in the middle of an array of offerings from salsa and chips, carrot and celery crudite, basic cheese and crackers, etc. In my opinion, this hot appetizer is always the star of the show. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I devour a few crackers smothered with the spinach, artichoke and parmesan combination and wash it down with the rest of my glass of wine and then it's back to work. More requests for filled frosting bags! At this point, the demands for additional frosting are from the die-hard adults who are looking to finish their houses and drive home before dark. The kids have abandoned their work to run around the yard, sugar coursing through their veins. I can hear them yelling as they kick around the soccer ball, the sun setting off on the horizon. The table where they were sitting is now a war zone of candy and wrappers but their work is pretty impressive. Some houses are a bit more refined and some a little haphazard but all of the kids are proud of their gingerbread art and so happy to be together, shouting, laughing and eating way too much candy just a few days before Christmas. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Of course, this December, I am missing this party oh so much. I look back on the photos I have taken year after year. It's amazing how much the kids have grown up, how lucky we are to have these close friends. The other day, Declan emerged from his room, dragged himself away from his xbox game which he would much rather do than hang out with mom and her friends now that he is fourteen. So, I was surprised when he asked for a gingerbread house this year. "Because we can't go to Sheila's", he stated sadly. This is the kid who would eat a bowl full of M&M's, attach about three pieces of candy to the side of the house, then call it quits before he went outside for the rest of the party leaving me to finish decorating his gingerbread house so that he would have something to bring home. I was never quite sure how he felt about participating especially as he became a teenager, always acting awkward when we arrived and seemingly just going through the motions unlike Ava who couldn't wait to create a magical candy abode and giggle and hang out with her friends. But he must have a warm place in his heart for this annual occasion, even hanging out with his older sister and her pals, the little kids running around and the older ladies hunched over their creations. It is truly a party that celebrates creativity, camaraderie and CANDY. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I don't want to talk about "pivots" and "new normals" because I'm truly hoping that this year is a one-off, not to be repeated in any shape or form. I'm looking forward to gathering in a tight space, elbow to elbow, kids and adults laughing and munching candy (and adults drinking plenty of wine!). Sticky fingers and frosting all over the front of my favorite green sweater. We will build colossal gingerbread dwellings and I will devour an enormous amount of warm spinach and artichoke dip. Until then we continue to stay safe and warm while we dream of next year. We do our best to celebrate this holiday season minus some of our favorite traditions. The kids will decorate gingerbread at home and I will bake my own version of my dear friend's spinach and artichoke dip.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJmMlIQefrT_-bqNzFrJHgcAVkeKKEDyxT1IH8cRbhJcicbkhOTGxOmBDnagXltkogrC1pkaGcMO3VDcvUKLLlm_Vs0rrvyj7J8GM8eID480q04UdPvl_wWEdN64gWjJquCdphW-4kYCR/s5312/20201217_084749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5312" data-original-width="2988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJmMlIQefrT_-bqNzFrJHgcAVkeKKEDyxT1IH8cRbhJcicbkhOTGxOmBDnagXltkogrC1pkaGcMO3VDcvUKLLlm_Vs0rrvyj7J8GM8eID480q04UdPvl_wWEdN64gWjJquCdphW-4kYCR/s320/20201217_084749.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwml1QK11d9iu0poaPp7BH_ca-Rjot5yhjgKHwq94_oRXsJqXSWPrsViGIAcUn-90wR9TO_E6U50mz0u_BlB1vMvj10nn3dHI895UpZGFwcmhsskaPwX1koDtHPTqMceBNKf7PL16xiSkc/s4730/20201205_120003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2660" data-original-width="4730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwml1QK11d9iu0poaPp7BH_ca-Rjot5yhjgKHwq94_oRXsJqXSWPrsViGIAcUn-90wR9TO_E6U50mz0u_BlB1vMvj10nn3dHI895UpZGFwcmhsskaPwX1koDtHPTqMceBNKf7PL16xiSkc/s320/20201205_120003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Warm Spinach and Artichoke Dip</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>(Serves 6-8)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>2 tablespoons butter</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>3 garlic cloves, minced</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>1 small jalapeno, diced fine</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>5 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>1 teaspoon salt</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>1/2 teaspoon pepper</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>6 oz. cream cheese</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>2 tablespoons Hellman's Mayonnaise</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>1/2 cup (divided) grated parmesan cheese</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Chips, Triscuits, for serving</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Melt butter in an oven proof skillet on medium heat. Cook garlic cloves until softened. Add jalapeno, artichoke hearts, spinach, salt, pepper and cream cheese. Stir while cream cheese softens. Once all ingredients are incorporated and cream cheese has melted, add Hellman's Mayonnaise and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Mix to incorporate. Top mixture with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Broil until dip is browned on top. Remove from oven and serve warm with chips, crackers, etc.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-12652337792981952912020-10-13T09:37:00.001-04:002020-10-13T13:54:00.913-04:00Sunshine Cake <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfBlieEPfIzhTPEdMYYiD4xEWgPdu4X9-40ywsXK8P6WwxnkhOjU5FhWrMedKf8WnEcCt0oyCafmasgdPkvBjHBaMDBZniDSp6Bif4irfBUUonRTNlNiS8l5KGV96jEA8LtbQFYWQMG1Z/s5312/20201003_162926.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2988" data-original-width="5312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfBlieEPfIzhTPEdMYYiD4xEWgPdu4X9-40ywsXK8P6WwxnkhOjU5FhWrMedKf8WnEcCt0oyCafmasgdPkvBjHBaMDBZniDSp6Bif4irfBUUonRTNlNiS8l5KGV96jEA8LtbQFYWQMG1Z/s320/20201003_162926.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p> There was a period of time, at least a few months and maybe even an entire year during the four years I spent at Falmouth High School, when I ate a peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread and drank a carton of chocolate milk every day at lunch. I wanted nothing to do with the daily offerings from the public-school lunch menu. In the 1980's, items such as the greasy Steak-umm with melted orange American cheese on a sesame seeded sub roll, made ahead and wrapped in foil and saucy/soggy meatball subs were teenage favorites. And let's not forget the square slice of pizza served every Friday that never delivered on taste although out of the three items, I thought it looked half way decent enough until the day one of my table mates placed a stack of flimsy paper napkins on top of his slice to absorb all the oil before he shoveled it down and got up to buy another. No, there would not be any school lunch purchases made by me for the entire four years of my high school "career". <div> However, there were some sugary sweet items that caught my attention while I was purchasing my daily dairy. I have an enormous sweet tooth. How could I resist those impossibly huge sheet cakes topped with inches of frosting and decorated with sprinkles? My friends may have gravitated toward the Peanut Butter Crunchie bars and the assorted shakes: chocolate, vanilla or coffee, depending on the day, but I didn't have time for such nonsense. Of course, if I happened to have packed some of Val's chocolate chip cookies, toffee bars or any other baked item from her arsenal, my eyes did not wander. No one, nowhere could ever compete with her homemade sweets. But, believe it or not, there were times when the cupboard at home was bare, her children having devoured every last sugary crumb. Instead, she sent me to school with a few dollars and told me to, "Buy dessert."</div><div> The chocolate sheet cake never did it for me. The chocolate wasn't chocolaty enough and the frosting tasted like whipped sugar air as I am sure that making a pure buttercream would have wrecked the public-school cafeteria budget. After sampling that cake once, I gave up on it and instead often chose a Peggy Lawton Brownie: super fudgy goodness packed into a dense 3"x3" pre-wrapped square.</div><div> Anything with chocolate has always been my go-to. I must have been convinced by my bestie, Jenny that the yellow cake layered with white frosting, adorned with yellow and orange sanding sugar was even worth a bite. That square slice perched on the flimsy white cardboard just big enough for an individual serving almost toppling over from its own weight? I don't know. And the name? Sunshine Cake. Seriously? Jenny ate a lot of junk food, but I trusted her judgement when it came to sweets. After all, she spent so much time at my house that she knew of the high standards established by Val in the baking department.</div><div> So, on one of the days when I did not have a home baked dessert and Sunshine Cake adorned the menu, I purchased a slice. And I can tell you that it was awesome. Two moist layers of soft yellow cake, fluffy white frosting, the top encrusted with bright yellow and orange sprinkles. I never looked at yellow cake with white frosting the same way, again.</div><div> Years later, in my quest to find a yellow scratch cake recipe that is moist and light, I have baked quite a few clunkers. Most them have been dense and dry. Not at all like my memories of the legendary, elusive 1980's Sunshine Cake. Whenever I come across a recipe that looks promising, I try it out but have been sorely disappointed. My family still eats the cake and enjoys it enough but to me, it's never been quite right. Not until now. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>FOOD52 has excellent recipes, especially the nostalgic type. This one for "<a href="https://food52.com/recipes/77392-yellowest-yellow-cake-with-fudgy-chocolate-frosting" target="_blank">Yellowest Yellow Cake with Fudgy Chocolate Frosting</a>" already looked promising to me considering the amount of fat and eggs listed in the ingredients. Don't freak out! Cake is supposed to be decadent and this one is so moist and delicious, you won't care about the indulgence.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Sunshine Cake</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>(makes a 6"x 8.5" layer cake)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>cooking spray</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2 cups granulated sugar</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1 tablespoon baking powder</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (for yellow color)</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>3/4 cups canola oil</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2 large eggs</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2 large egg yolks</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>2 cups buttermilk, room temperature</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12"x 17" half sheet pan (jelly roll pan) with cooking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper. Sprinkle with flour and tap around to cover entire inside of pan. Toss any extra flour and set aside.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and turmeric in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and set to medium-low. Let that go until the butter is completely incorporated and the mixture is pale yellow. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well with a fork or whisk. </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the wet ingredients. Stop after a few minutes to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula and make sure the dry ingredients are not clumping. Mix until the batter is cohesive and smooth.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out to edges. Bake for 20-22 minutes until the edges are golden and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Cool in the pan on a wire rack. </b><b>Allow cake to cool completely (at least a few hours) before frosting.</b><b>Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife and gently flip the cake onto a cutting board. Remove the parchment. </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Measure 8.5" on the long side of the cake and cut a horizontal straight line to create 2 layers. Place one layer on cake plate and frost the top with half of the frosting (recipe below). Top with second layer and the rest of the frosting. Generously sprinkle cake with yellow and orange sanding sugar or yellow and orange sprinkles or all of the above to create a glorious Sunshine Cake! Keep covered and enjoy for up to 5 days, if it lasts that long.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>White Frosting</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1 1/2 cups butter, softened</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1/2 cup Crisco</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4 cups powdered sugar</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1/8 teaspoon kosher salt</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1 teaspoon vanilla extract</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>approx. 3 tablespoons milk, room temperature</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> Combine butter and Crisco until smooth in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Slowly, add 3 cups sugar, a cup at a time. Add salt and vanilla. Add 1-2 tablespoons milk. Slowly add the last cup of sugar. Combine until smooth. If the frosting is too thick to spread, add approximately 1 tablespoon more milk until desired consistency is reached. Use immediately.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>*Wilton Sanding Sugar was used on the cake in the photograph</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div> <br /><div> <p></p></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-50113303777710488422020-09-10T07:13:00.002-04:002020-09-10T07:18:41.929-04:00September's Favorite Sandwich<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSVKRpTCSQ1GG_Ha7gusvR68mFvl_AewhV1p80rt_sgLrdFkqYjtbnZ_x65Nv-JeUN8ApmA4T8NhvRVVppT7oiCYiafxDQznxo4xqJSHsQd0f5KMDKIk_9FhOs5KBoyF1ixzTq8-QbfJY/s2048/20200905_091809.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSVKRpTCSQ1GG_Ha7gusvR68mFvl_AewhV1p80rt_sgLrdFkqYjtbnZ_x65Nv-JeUN8ApmA4T8NhvRVVppT7oiCYiafxDQznxo4xqJSHsQd0f5KMDKIk_9FhOs5KBoyF1ixzTq8-QbfJY/s320/20200905_091809.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>At the beginning of August, I am dying for some garden tomatoes. They seem to come in at a snail's pace, one maybe two, here and there. Slowly ripening, so slow. As the first fruits ripen in Val's garden, I covet them. Then when she begins to give me a few at a time, I hoard them and hide them from the rest of my family. Eating them when no one else is home to ask me what I am having for lunch.</p><p>September sneaks up on us just before Labor Day and tomatoes are everywhere. Val drops them off at my house bags at a time, when I am not home. So, I can't object by protesting that I already have way too many to eat.They soften so fast in the big bowl on my kitchen table. Displayed as the centerpiece instead of a vase full of flowers. </p><p>Getting creative is the only way to trudge through the abundance of tomato season. I roast them with olive oil, a pinch each of salt and sugar, maybe some balsamic vinegar, rosemary or thyme. There is always the easy side dish, Caprese Salad: slices of tomatoes and mozzarella with basil leaves layered in between. But neither of these options make up a rounded out meal requiring extra thought in these last lazy days of summer leading into the school year. </p><p>If September was a sandwich, it would most definitely be a B.L.T. Piled ridiculously high with sliced red, ripe Beefsteak tomatoes rendering it nearly impossible to eat and making the tomato it's star. It should be called, T.B.L. (Tomato, bacon and lettuce sandwich). Sturdy white bread is a must. I prefer thinly sliced sourdough or pain de mie from the local French bakery. A smear of Hellman's mayonnaise is a lovely addition in most cases and necessary as this sandwich needs something to bring the crunchy green lettuce and salty bacon together with the show stopping acidity of the tomatoes. But I prefer a sandwich spread with a little more personality. It's actually Hellman's, lemon juice and another summer favorite: basil. So simple, it can be thrown together in a flash in a food processor. Make a larger batch than what you need and you can use it for a vegetable dip or put it on any sandwich to add character and zip.</p><p>If you aren't totally sick of tomatoes by the end of September, then you haven't had your fill. I suggest you take a trip to your local farm stand or farmers' market, STAT. Fill a bag with all the colors of the heirlooms: yellow, orange, red and pink. Pick up a loaf of freshly baked bread. Eat this for B.L.D. (breakfast, lunch and dinner) for the rest of the week. Only then will you be ready for fall to arrive and finally become tired of tomato season.</p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">B.L.T. (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich)</p><p style="text-align: center;">(Serves about 4)</p><p style="text-align: left;">1-2 large Beefsteak or or other locally grown tomatoes, sliced</p><p style="text-align: left;">6 leaves of Green Leaf or other locally grown lettuce</p><p style="text-align: left;">sliced sourdough or other favorite white sandwich style bread</p><p style="text-align: left;">cooked bacon slices </p><p style="text-align: left;">Lemon Basil Mayonnaise (see recipe)</p><p style="text-align: left;">salt </p><p style="text-align: left;">pepper</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil, long enough to reach over each edge. Spread out bacon in an even layer over the tinfoil. Place bacon in oven.</p><p style="text-align: left;">While the bacon is cooking, slice the tomatoes. Wash and thoroughly dry the lettuce. Place bread slices in a dish (up to eight for four sandwiches). Make the Lemon Basil Mayonnaise. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Frequently check the bacon. After about 10 minutes, move bacon around sheet with tongs if some pieces are baking faster than others. Flip slices if undersides need browning. The bacon should only take about 15 minutes to cook and can go from slightly browned to burned in a matter of minutes. Once desired browning is achieved, gently remove from oven as not to splatter bacon grease. Remove each bacon slice to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess grease.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Once the bacon has cooled to room temperature, place slices on a clean plate. Serve all components of sandwich: tomatoes, lettuce, bread, bacon, Lemon Basil Mayonnaise, salt and pepper so that everyone can make their own.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">Lemon Basil Mayonnaise</p><p style="text-align: center;">(makes about 1 cup)</p><p style="text-align: left;">3/4 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise</p><p style="text-align: left;">1/4 cup sour cream</p><p style="text-align: left;">juice from 1/2 lemon</p><p style="text-align: left;">1 handful of fresh basil leaves</p><p style="text-align: left;">2 shakes hot sauce (I use Tabasco)</p><p style="text-align: left;">salt</p><p style="text-align: left;">pepper</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">Place mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice in a food processor. Roughly chop the basil leaves and add to mayonnaise, etc. Add the Tabasco and blend until the basil turns into tiny specks. Taste and add salt and pepper. Blend again. Refrigerate Lemon Basil Mayonnaise until ready to use and up to one week.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-61894003614370486822020-08-16T06:17:00.000-04:002020-08-16T06:17:08.614-04:00Falmouth Road Race 2020<p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwi9L8Ig-2r_wdaTD5uXD2CEbSzJgu-zmH-h48b_jzFnTTspgqFJljVH-UkwP-7Ki6I5AkKA1TPwI_uH4kwrfoubWLLCeMyEzG9qxEZJP83cFD7G-SeMaNrgaIUKYrHoEG_DBNhTOtVyu/s2660/20200814_065536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="black t-shirt, racing number" border="0" data-original-height="2660" data-original-width="2630" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwi9L8Ig-2r_wdaTD5uXD2CEbSzJgu-zmH-h48b_jzFnTTspgqFJljVH-UkwP-7Ki6I5AkKA1TPwI_uH4kwrfoubWLLCeMyEzG9qxEZJP83cFD7G-SeMaNrgaIUKYrHoEG_DBNhTOtVyu/w317-h320/20200814_065536.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">This August, instead of moving cones, directing runners,
folding t-shirts, greeting VIP’s and generally running around putting out
fires, I will be a participant in the Falmouth Road Race. This is not at all
what I expected the end of the summer 2020 to look like for me. I am sure that
most people are saying the same thing, our lives having been upended by
COVID-19 and all the changes that we have been forced to make. In fact, back in February, I was
asked before being offered my new job if I ran the Falmouth
Road Race? To which I replied, “I have but I am<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> never</i> running that race again!” I immediately regretted blurting
out my true feelings until I was told that my answer was pretty much what they
were looking for as race organizers have no time to even think about
participating in the Falmouth Road Race during the madness of race weekend. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I pride myself in handling crazy, busy situations from
working in retail during the height of Christmas season and at a more recent job, corralling customers
at the Street Fair held on Main Street in July so, I was actually
looking forward to an insane week of working the Expo, the race and the
aftermath and of course, lots of t-shirt folding. When Falmouth Road Race made the decision to move to a virtual event that would invite runners to participate “At-Home” instead
of organizing the logistics of getting 12,800 runners to the starting line in Woods Hole on the second Sunday
in August, everyone on the team decided that we could "run" this year and wouldn’t it
be fun to actually be a part of it? Yes, that idea was “fun” in April. Training
or should I say, dragging my body through barely four miles, hoping I will eventually be able to do the required seven in the August heat is
a special type of torture. Now, I remember why I said to my future boss, “I am
never running that race, again!” I should have known those words would come
back to haunt me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>The first time I ran, I truly did not know much about the
race other than the crowds clogging the streets along the shore and having to
leave for work earlier than any other summer morning to ensure that I would arrive in time for my shift at a busy restaurant in Woods Hole located right on the starting line. I am sure my friends and I all thought it
would be a great idea to run the Falmouth Road Race when we mailed our
applications in February of 1986. It is likely that we planned to run it
together not thinking about how we would coordinate our hectic summer work
schedules and convince our bosses to give us that Sunday morning off during one
of the most insane weekends of the season. The restaurants and resorts needed all
hands on deck to accommodate the crowds that invaded the town for race weekend.
I was still unsure if I was actually going to run the race at all coming into
the month of August. I worked a lot of hours as part of the kitchen staff and I
was often so tired when I wasn’t at work on my feet all day that I didn’t run
at all that summer. Not that I especially liked to run, anyway.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When one of the cooks who worked with me started spouting
off about running the race, I casually mentioned that I had a number and was thinking
about doing it, as well. He was so glib and cocky that I ended up being swept
up into the kitchen banter that night and somehow agreed to a bet to see who
would run the race faster. What was I thinking? Since I had never run the route
before or even ran seven miles together at one time, I really don’t know what possessed
me to say anything about it.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My boss pulled me aside between orders and yelled into my
ear to be heard over the hood fan sucking all the smoke and hot air out of
the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“You better kick his ass” she hissed in my ear. "And you have to wear one of our t-shirts."<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There would be no backing out now.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I was nervous that morning, afraid I wouldn’t make it to the
finish line, forget beating that arrogant cook in the race. But I had a few
aces in my pocket: I was only seventeen, just home from a week of field hockey camp
where we sprinted and ran miles every day, all day from 8:00 am-8:00 pm and I didn’t
drink lots of beer after working a fifteen hour shift like the older, college age
cooks in the kitchen.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We ran slowly at the start, jockeying between bodies
trying to find some space to open up a longer stride. Then, once we neared the
lighthouse, he turned to me and said, “Don’t try and keep up with me!” and
sprinted ahead into the crowd of runners. I was stunned. I guess I thought he
would run with me for a while, the bet only a joke, a way to pass the time at
work.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, I ran and took in the scenery, trying to figure out how
far and long I had to go. I was a little scared but comforted myself with the
idea that there were so many people running and cheering on the sidelines that
it would all work out. Then, into about the second mile, I saw him up ahead. I began
to feel good, even strong. I knew in that moment I could take him and beat him
to the finish line. Especially since he chose to wear work boots to run seven
miles. As I came up behind him, I yelled, “Don’t try to keep up with ME!” and
sprinted ahead so that I was no longer near him. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The story of my first race ends with a crazy busy summer night
in the kitchen back at work that evening. (No, we could not get the entire day
off.) And me collecting on the bet I didn’t think I could possibly win. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For my prize, he bought me a handle of vodka
and the biggest bottle of Peach Schnapps they had on the shelves at the Woods Hole Liquor
store. Fuzzy Navels and Sex on the Beach drinks were all the rage but I had
never had one back then. Just as well, my best friend’s older sister and her
friends commandeered the booze for an after work party before I was forced to
figure out what to do with it. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The weather was typical for a Sunday in mid-August that year:
hot, humid and sunny. But on occasion there have been some tough conditions. Fortunately, I didn't personally have to deal with them. My friends and I became huge fans of
the party scene on Road Race Sunday and it certainly helped that one of my
closest pals lived just behind the ball field at the finish line. That was my
experience of Road Race until the year that I agreed to run with my then fiancé
and soon to be husband. In 1999 it rained like crazy on Saturday night into
Sunday morning. But the race was still on in spite of the deluge. My father’s
truck tires splashed water over the windshield from the enormous puddles that had formed all night as he drove us to our impending doom at the crack of dawn on race day. When we arrived at the starting line and we hopped out of the truck to join the thousands of already drenched runners, I stupidly declined the black trash bag he offered to keep me dry.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of course I did it, I’m not one to give up but I really
didn’t want to run. I knew within minutes waiting in the coral at the start
that I would soon be soaking wet and miserable. I don’t even like to run through
a hose held from a ladder, showering runners as they go by on the sunniest and
hottest race day. About 3.5 miles in, half the race through, along Surf Drive
Beach, I just wanted to stop. The water had flooded this stretch of road so it
felt like trudging through knee deep water in the ocean located just
feet away. But if you’ve ever run Falmouth before, you know if you made it that
far, you might as well keep going. There was no sense in throwing it away at that
point regardless of the horrible circumstances.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The rest of the 7 miles was as cold and miserable as
anyone can imagine. Rivers of water pooled in the streets. Soaking wet
spectators cheered us on as it continued to rain throughout the morning. When I
heard my father in his orange rain gear and my mother under her yellow striped
umbrella yelling our names as we rounded the bend at Scranton Ave. and Robbins Rd. (behind the 7-11), I knew I didn’t have
far to go and all I could think about was a hot shower and dry clothes. Finally
we climbed the last hill and crossed the finish line. I don’t even think we
tried to wait under the tent on the ball field to grab a hot dog before we made a
beeline for our car parked conveniently at our faithful friend’s house on North
Grand Ave. where the party had already begun before the starting gun went off
in Woods Hole. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I got my shower and warm clothes then cruised on back to the
party which I should have left early but I know I didn’t. (I always took the
following Monday off from work ;)) But I vowed, and I have kept it until this
year, to never ever run that race again!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQkgclWZ4W971VHiH7XyVHNNe1T4RzsOU0I6DaWxrEKjzGPLOvyszTvRKYpvAmTFqr3xEFm2Cui52SB9LcY2OhZjyXRhunXVuOZye_33AoTB603XmPjPa6McHUq4wggyXRCIJmL8rQEmg/s4730/20200814_070430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="racing bibs" border="0" data-original-height="2660" data-original-width="4730" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHQkgclWZ4W971VHiH7XyVHNNe1T4RzsOU0I6DaWxrEKjzGPLOvyszTvRKYpvAmTFqr3xEFm2Cui52SB9LcY2OhZjyXRhunXVuOZye_33AoTB603XmPjPa6McHUq4wggyXRCIJmL8rQEmg/w320-h180/20200814_070430.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When DeKuyper Peach Schnapps became all the rage in the 1980's, Fuzzy Navel, Sex on the Beach and the Woo-Woo were popular drinks served at the huge post race parties held at the Wharf overlooking the Heights beach at the Falmouth Road Race finish line. These cocktails are various combinations of vodka, peach schnapps and fruit juice (orange or cranberry) and way too sweet for me. They will also give you a killer hangover! Here is an updated version of the Woo-Woo which was served as a shot. The addition of lime juice makes it less sweet and creates the perfect post race celebration cocktail! </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E3Ut82GEHeNFuvvB16pdrxLvxlx-dys7ezl5DTtx-ezGhyphenhyphen2cuguntQ3byboYua8D_fgxCGEYhcPceB61UX-xBmCbamKwEhpK5i0YVK2O14Szv6DTt4R1MCSpTnNbSpAqoin3jIyu49sc/s5312/20200801_173538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="woo-woo martini in a short cocktail glass" border="0" data-original-height="5312" data-original-width="2988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3E3Ut82GEHeNFuvvB16pdrxLvxlx-dys7ezl5DTtx-ezGhyphenhyphen2cuguntQ3byboYua8D_fgxCGEYhcPceB61UX-xBmCbamKwEhpK5i0YVK2O14Szv6DTt4R1MCSpTnNbSpAqoin3jIyu49sc/w180-h320/20200801_173538.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">Woo-Woo Martini<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">(Makes one)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">2 oz. vodka<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">½ oz. peach
schnapps<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">2 oz.
cranberry juice<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">¼ oz. lime
juice<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">lime wedge
(for garnish)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Fill a
shaker with ice. Add vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry juice and lime juice.
Shake well, until chilled. Pour into chilled martini glass and garnish with
lime. Sip and enjoy!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-48759038478123369872020-08-02T10:56:00.000-04:002020-08-02T10:56:40.548-04:00Where's the Zucchini?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4PBLS6oJ4v0CkuwG9LJEgAWQGOnXmjWVppeoAqUlQaha2QRpzRib2mqIePNicwdj_N0DvUSVnQqj59eA6fQ2A7eFU1ryijbN_pynmJIPGvKajSuErCG8PbrD46toh_cbWtcHJcw74Wy7/s5312/20200726_064806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="green zucchini held in front of garden patch" border="0" data-original-height="5312" data-original-width="2988" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4PBLS6oJ4v0CkuwG9LJEgAWQGOnXmjWVppeoAqUlQaha2QRpzRib2mqIePNicwdj_N0DvUSVnQqj59eA6fQ2A7eFU1ryijbN_pynmJIPGvKajSuErCG8PbrD46toh_cbWtcHJcw74Wy7/w180-h320/20200726_064806.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; line-height: 17.12px;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">A contest is held every year at the Barnstable County Fair to see who can grow the largest zucchini. A first prize ribbon is bestowed upon the grandest of the green fruit. There are no other awards, no second place. You are either the biggest and the best or you are out of luck.<o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">There are a lot of people on facebook showing off their zucchini harvest. The squash piled high, photographed on a kitchen counter, bad lighting and poor composition. The text imploring fb friends to send along their favorite recipes. I have a few recipes. But I don't have any zucchini.<o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">I planted seeds early, in April. They did well in their flats and I transferred them to my small garden plot on the back side of my house where the sun shines all day. The plants seem to be thriving, covered in bright orange blossoms sheltered by massive green, fan shaped leaves. Where is the zucchini? I have yet to reap the benefits of babying these plants. Maybe not babying them, but watering them and shooing the dog away. That and keeping a vigilant eye for any pests who may invade. I once had a battle with a zucchini worm. I don't like to talk about it. Not only was it devastating but it was so gross, it makes me want to gag just thinking about it. So, I look under those big leaves everyday, searching for signs of hope but I haven't seen anything promising, yet.<o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">Val has a good crop of zucchini this year but it's not yielding an overabundance. She gave me a pretty big zucchini which I promptly used in one of my favorite summertime recipes: <a href="https://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/2016/07/bottle-cap-game-of-jumping-off-raft-to.html" target="_blank">Chocolate Zucchini Cake</a>. Served warm and topped with vanilla ice cream or cut into small squares for my beach cooler, it really is one of the best chocolate cakes, ever. And it's one way to get my fourteen year old carnivore to eat some vegetables.<o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">A tart made with a crisp biscuit dough filled with ricotta and Parmesan cheeses and topped with a layer or zucchini and/or yellow summer squash seems to please everyone and looks pretty impressive, especially if you are bringing it to a party. I've made other versions of this <a href="https://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/2017/08/farm-to-table-at-highfield-hall-and.html" target="_blank">zucchini tart </a>idea based on a classic one from Ina Garten. Crust, cheese and just a little vegetable, how can you go wrong?<o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">Of course, there are methods of cooking zucchini that can go terribly wrong, in my opinion. Zucchini was a tough sell back in the 1980's when every restaurant on the Cape offered it as the classic summer vegetable side to accompany dinnertime entrees. Cooked ahead of time in large hotel pans, steamed with summer squash, carrots and sliced onions. "Summer Vegetable Medley" was scooped and served in white monkey dishes alongside expensive grilled swordfish steaks and filet mignon. Soggy and lackluster, I'll pass, thanks.<o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">But by far the best recipe and one that is not often considered because of the work involved is Zucchini Relish. The recipe comes to us by way of Norma, my grandfather's second wife and her cousin Elmira from Lubec, ME. These women knew how to put up vegetables and in spite of the heat from the canning pot and the amount of chopping and salting, they managed to preserve just about anything that came out of a summer garden. I must admit that I didn't really like this relish until recent years. I was not a fan of the sweeter pickled taste. Maybe it's the bright yellow/green color or the appreciation of the effort, there is truly nothing better than smothering a grilled hot dog with this magical concoction of zucchini and spices.<o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit">I'm impatiently waiting and inspecting every morning with my coffee in hand. Hoping for enough zucchini for a batch of Zucchini Relish. There are a lot of buds that have yet to open hiding under those big leaves. Who knows, maybe I'll get enough from my harvest, when it finally comes, for two batches of relish this year.<o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><font face="inherit"> </font></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMg3knsZGCrLkeWp-QA6kIR-ckAvC9u-pgxnVv02qwqbzFQGFpmIg4DtbrbHu7Uu4T3R8_kW4NdmTmr0NV1rGexnYsUSenEGm6ronXDoH0sDupuoTyL5PcbIRWQkZH_Pg2o5agOEBlLt1b/s2048/20170822_102707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><font face="inherit"><img alt="jars of zucchini relish and cucumber pickles" border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMg3knsZGCrLkeWp-QA6kIR-ckAvC9u-pgxnVv02qwqbzFQGFpmIg4DtbrbHu7Uu4T3R8_kW4NdmTmr0NV1rGexnYsUSenEGm6ronXDoH0sDupuoTyL5PcbIRWQkZH_Pg2o5agOEBlLt1b/w320-h180/20170822_102707.jpg" width="320" /></font></a></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><font face="inherit"><b>Zucchini Relish</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><font face="inherit"><b>(makes about eight 8 oz. jars)</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><font face="inherit"> </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>10 cups cubed zucchini (smaller than 1/8" cubes)*</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>4 cups finely chopped onion</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>5 tablespoons salt</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>1 tablespoon cornstarch</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>2 teaspoons celery seed</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>1 red pepper, diced (smaller than 1/8" cubes)</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>1 green pepper, diced (smaller than 1/8" cubes)</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>5 cups sugar</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>1 teaspoon black pepper**</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>1 tablespoon turmeric</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>2 1/4 cups vinegar</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"> </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>Combine zucchini, onion and salt in a large bowl. Set aside for 3 hours. </b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>Drain thoroughly in a strainer by pushing water out with hands. Combine drained zucchini and onions with all other ingredients: cornstarch-vinegar in a large stockpot. Bring mixture to a boil then turn down heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Ladle zucchini mixture into prepared sterilized jars. Wipe rims and threads with a clean, damp towel. Place sterilized lids and rings on jars. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove processed relish jars to rest on clean towels on counter top overnight. The next day, test seals. If seals are tight, store in a cool dry place for up to one year.</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"> </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>*The original recipe notes suggest a choice of cubed or shredded zucchini</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>**1 teaspoon black pepper "2 if you like!" noted on original recipe card</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"> </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>Val usually doubles this recipe as it is a lot of work and everyone likes to receive a jar for Christmas!</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"> </font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b><u>Canning Basics:</u></b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>-Use new canning jars and lids. Re-using rings is fine.</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>-Sterilize all by running through a dishwasher cycle or placing washed jars, lids and rings in</b><b> boiling water for 10 minutes. </b></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>-After placing filled jars in canning pot, bring water to a full boil, then time for 10 minutes. Be sure the water covers all jars with at least 1 inch of water during the process. </b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>-Gently remove processed jars after water has stopped boiling (wait 5 minutes) then place on clean, dry towels on counter top. </b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><font face="inherit"><b>-Do not disturb jars for at least 8 hours.</b><o:p></o:p></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><font face="inherit">-To check seals, remove ring, lift up gently on edges of lid. If lid stays secure, it is sealed properly and can be stored in a cool, dry place for up to one year. If lid pops off, refrigerate jar and use within one week.</font></b></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-9117714881618610112020-06-21T11:31:00.000-04:002020-06-21T11:31:07.563-04:00Frozen Treats and Sweet Friendship<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvY3j4zZAZc_As4HfFtZJ39JmQUB06dfTXImo5Fh3tXTdTGjTg8BOZiHO7mQwqf9QuAcgBBd40wglz7xgozwycHUPEBQCantvTNstervrjmZ9fRc9_1AwxXhLLpff2iOnjopfvliRXdED5/s1600/20200610_113011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="chocolate and vanilla ice cream sandwiches on a white plate" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvY3j4zZAZc_As4HfFtZJ39JmQUB06dfTXImo5Fh3tXTdTGjTg8BOZiHO7mQwqf9QuAcgBBd40wglz7xgozwycHUPEBQCantvTNstervrjmZ9fRc9_1AwxXhLLpff2iOnjopfvliRXdED5/s320/20200610_113011.jpg" title="Homemade Ice Cream Sandwiches" width="180" /></a></div>
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"The most underrated ice cream treat is the ice cream sandwich. They are soooo good!" -Ava Norris<br />
<br />
I agree. I love a soft chocolate wafer cookie with creamy, melty ice cream. I love that as I smoosh the two cookie layers together, the ice cream, if melted to the right consistency, pushes itself out along the edges so that I can lick it off until finally, there is no ice cream left between the two cookies. At that point, the cookie layers have become soft, they are thin enough to be pliable and as they are sticking to my fingers, I try to slowly savor the chocolaty goodness before the cookies completely disintegrate in my hands.<br />
<br />
It just so happens Food and Wine magazine this month has a feature recipe recreating this favorite frozen treat. This version includes the recipe for a cookie that is both crisp enough and has the ability to become perfectly softened as the ice cream melts between the layers. And to top it off, it does not require that I churn my own gourmet ice cream. In fact, the ice cream component listed in the ingredients is none other than one of my absolute favorites, Cherry Garcia.<br />
<br />
Way back during my first two years in the early fall weeks at the University of New Hampshire, my friend Holly and I would abandon the institutional food at the dining hall for two heaping scoops of Ben & Jerry's ice cream doled out from a single freezer case by some upper class man who knew Holly's older sister. Perhaps he had a crush on Holly or was trying to impress her sister, those small plastic cups could barely hold the portions he jammed into them. This ice cream paradise was a hidden gem, located in a small convenience store on the outskirts of campus. But Holly could always find the ice cream as if she had an internal GPS tracking for the icy sweet goodness.<br />
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My choice of Cherry Garcia and Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Holly's: Cherry Garcia and Peanut Butter Cup was a splurge for us. We had to scrounge loose dollar bills and change. I think the portions cost $4.00 each which back then equaled four loads of laundry, running at four quarters a load. Wearing old t-shirts and not wearing socks for a week was a small price to pay. I loved escaping the structure of classes, studying and schedules for a few hours of freedom. Our friendship growing through our appreciation of really good ice cream.<br />
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We pulled our ratty sweatshirt sleeves over our hands to protect our fingers that were becoming red with cold and walked faster as we gossiped and ate, making a big loop around campus taking us past Frat Row, up by the clock tower of Thompson Hall, the dorms farthest out, (I don't recall the names) and finally back to our rooms at Hitchcock Hall. Our hall mates asking why we missed dinner and where we had been until it became a normal occurrence for me and Holly to disappear for a couple of hours every week. Ice cream hasn't tasted so rebellious, secret and special for a long, long time.<br />
<br />
My new partner in crime is nearing the age I was during those clandestine ice cream adventures. Ava knows really good ice cream, small batch, made in gourmet shops and scooped to order. But she won't turn up her nose at a treat from the ice cream man. Even if it is artificially died cream substitute wrapped in paper and served on a stick. Nothing goes better with salt, sand and sea with the sun beating down, melting it all over your hands and arms. In the summertime, Ava scoops ice cream in a small shop down the street. At the end of her shift, she gets to choose some for herself. I admire her flavor experiments: Red Razz Truffle and Cookie Dough, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Black Raspberry. Fruity and creamy with candy and crunch. I couldn't have chosen better myself.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Ice Cream Sandwiches</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(Adapted only slightly from "Black Cherry-Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches"-Food & Wine Magazine, June 2020)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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1 1/4 cups flour, plus more for rolling<br />
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa<br />
1 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
3/4 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 cup butter, softened<br />
3/4 cup sugar<br />
1 teaspoon instant coffee<br />
1 large egg<br />
2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br />
1 quart of your favorite ice cream<br />
<br />
Stir together flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl; set aside. Beat butter, sugar, instant coffee in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. With mixer running, add egg, beating until well combined, about 30 seconds. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.<br />
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out sandwiched between two large pieces of parchment paper. Use a small amount of flour, if needed to prevent sticking. Trim to a 13"x 10" rectangle (bake scraps on another cookie sheet and devour later). Slide trimmed rectangle with parchment underneath onto a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.<br />
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Remove dough rectangle from refrigerator. Using the blunt end of a wooden skewer, prick holes all over dough about 1/4 inch apart. Bake in preheated oven until set but still soft, about 9-11 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack and let cookie cool completely, about 30 minutes.<br />
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Cut cookie crosswise into 2 rectangles. Invert one cookie half onto a large sheet of tinfoil. Top with ice cream, spreading evenly to edges. Place remaining cookie half (do not invert) on top of ice cream. Wrap the whole thing in foil and freeze for 8 hours.<br />
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Remove frozen sandwich from foil. Cut into 12 bars. Serve immediately or wrap individual bars in wax paper and store in freezer for as long as you can keep them a secret or up to one month.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-78452401467027717122020-05-10T06:20:00.001-04:002020-05-10T06:21:03.545-04:00Salad Days<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8d70sWKmxVVw6xoMgFEqGGS3CpHLfkVV4c6t92YcgHv8YQj6aQ_GYwUnjFt1RECReKKuEdlRTYeRZhMK105jz6-xfOIbzg7-iJG8AanKpnfQwcJDMm5u9xrcxXedARY3iP2LmgSVF1zWq/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="garden salad in a while bowl on a brown table" border="0" data-original-height="2660" data-original-width="4730" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8d70sWKmxVVw6xoMgFEqGGS3CpHLfkVV4c6t92YcgHv8YQj6aQ_GYwUnjFt1RECReKKuEdlRTYeRZhMK105jz6-xfOIbzg7-iJG8AanKpnfQwcJDMm5u9xrcxXedARY3iP2LmgSVF1zWq/w400-h225/20200508_055502.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div></blockquote><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">It was my first job. I was 15 years old. My boss yelled at me everyday. She yelled at everyone. All Day Long. The restaurant was insanely busy in the summertime with tourists trying to make the ferry over to Martha's Vineyard and loud with the excitement and stressed out energy of families on vacation. I barely had time to use the bathroom during a 12 hour long shift. I</span> <span style="text-align: left;">drank Diet Coke and ate oyster crackers that I kept in my apron pocket to keep my stomach from growling. There were no breaks. Ever. Until you punched out. </span><span style="text-align: left;">I went back day after day because my parents would have killed me if I didn't. Plus, my mother drove me to work.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">When I was finally told that my shift was over and I could leave, I ran out the door, down the street to the payphone on the corner to call my mother to pick me up. </span><span style="text-align: left;">I was so glad to be out of that building, away from the yelling, the noise, the smell of french fries, coffee and bleach. </span><span style="text-align: left;">It took at least 30 minutes after I called for her to arrive in Woods Hole, driving</span><span style="text-align: left;"> down the hill and turning the corner in front of the drug store</span><span style="text-align: left;">. I sat on the big rock next to the phone booth, watching, waiting for the yellow station wagon with the faux wood paneling and the ceiling my mother fixed herself by stapling it back into place. Each silver staple perfectly spaced so that it looked intentional, like it was part of the original design. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I worked really hard at that job. Bussing tables as fast as I possibly could. Clearing the sticky dishes covered in maple syrup, refilling the sugar packets, making another pot of coffee, wiping down the glass tops, pushing in the chairs. Competing with myself, getting faster and faster, more efficient: anticipating, checking the bathrooms before being reminded, trying to think of everything so I wouldn't get screamed at. Somehow, I began to like the sense of accomplishment. But the intensity of the day always came out in a flood of tears as soon as I climbed into the car and closed the door.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The cooks started calling me, "Speed Queen", then, "Speedo" and sometimes just shortened the nick-name to, "Speed" because I did my job so fast powered by adrenaline from fear and teenage energy. I didn't react to anything they said, just brought them Cokes with lemon and pint glasses of ice water when they asked. I was a little scared of them, too. They were older than me, in college. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">One Friday afternoon in the middle of the summer, my boss' husband, quiet but still imposing, told me to come into the kitchen. We were winding down in the dining room, cleaning and setting up before the dinner rush. I was sure he was going to tell me that I was doing something wrong, maybe fire me. When his wife was really, really angry, she stopped screaming and yelling and sent him to convey her angry message. Not only was I about to be humiliated, my mother would definitely kill me when she picked me up, having to drive all the way to Woods Hole to get her daughter who got canned for doing a terrible job.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I made my way through the swinging doors and into the lion's den. The kitchen was small, bright, bustling with energy that urged, "Get the prep done now or we are screwed!" He told me I was going to make the garden salads. You know the ones that come in a bamboo bowl: iceberg, shredded purple cabbage, 2 cherry tomatoes, 2 slices cucumber, a ring of red onion, a ring of green pepper and maybe a canned black olive, if you are lucky? That was it. He needed my help. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">He calmly showed me how he wanted the salads to look and asked me to make 60 of them: 5 sheet pans of 12 salads, each. Then, bring each one through the swinging doors, up the stairs, down the hallway and store it in the walk-in. Make them look good. Dinner starts in an hour.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I was terrified that I would mess it all up. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I worked the salad and dessert station on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights for the rest of the summer. Bussing tables during breakfast and lunch wearing a blue apron in the front of house, then changing into a red apron to work in the kitchen through the evening service. Baptized by fire on a hot summer day, pulled onto the "Red Team" out of necessity, allowed to stay because I kept my mouth shut and my hands moving. I worked in that restaurant for seven summers, through high school and part of college. I got tougher and grew a thick skin, no longer crying everyday on the ride home from work. My boss stopped yelling and screaming at me. I must have passed her test. She moved on to new members of the dining room staff, who often quit because they didn't have parents who told them, "This is how it is in a restaurant. It's stressful, people yell. Let it roll off your back." This may seem like harsh parenting. But through the years, my first "professional" kitchen experience has made me realize that ranting bosses are usually their own worst enemies and being able to focus on crafting something as simple as a garden salad in the middle of the frenzy on an insanely busy Saturday in July are lessons that I have been using all my adult life.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Simple Garden Salad</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>(makes one)</b></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1 1/2 cups chopped iceberg lettuce</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1/4 cup shredded red cabbage</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4 cherry tomatoes or 2 wedges from a medium sized tomato</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4 slices cucumber </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1 ring cut from the center of a whole green or red pepper</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1-2 rings sliced red onion</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>4 black olives</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>1 pepperoncini</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>salad dressing of choice: Italian, Ranch, Peppercorn Parmesan, Balsamic Vinaigrette, Blue Cheese*</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Place lettuce and red cabbage in a small bowl. Toss gently. Strategically place tomato around edges of lettuce mixture. Place cucumbers in the same manner. Place pepper and onion rings on the center of the lettuce mixture. Place black olives in between tomatoes and cucumbers. Place pepperoncini in the center of the red onion rings, as the crowning center of the salad. Enjoy with dressing.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>*May cost extra</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-65674096521624395112020-03-22T10:59:00.001-04:002020-03-22T10:59:52.968-04:00Rainy Day Beef Stew<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i>While digging around in my blog vault, I came across this unpublished post. Although it's from seven years ago (February 2013), and I now have an exciting and fulfilling job, during these uncertain days, it's a reminder that things can always get better and comfort food always helps.</i></div>
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<img alt="beef stew in a white bowl with a slice of bread and butter" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1k7U6-SxuJxzOTpz9ex9NMYBmFnPfSx01HW5M1PVgmSSTNV_z6SH-mgleY4kPiMJTslgEBx2STpR7bs-T_x0LZ1GIj5u6Wy390XmPIzfprHfls9ZbX5J6qnuKhyphenhyphenn3FYO3gu_hBZtRqCgF/s320/IMG_3827.JPG" title="Rainy Day Beef Stew" /></div>
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I've been having a pity party lately. Actually, it's been going on for about 3 months now. I spend my days wracking my brain, trying to find a job that suits me, my schedule (kids), that is fun and brings in a decent amount of money for my time. Working on my resume, psyching myself up, trolling the internet, reconnecting with former colleagues...it's an exhausting roller coaster ride of emotion. Then it's time to cook dinner.<br />
Although there are times when I don't feel like coming up with something to make, once I get myself into the kitchen and begin working, I suddenly feel that I have regained some sense of control over my life again. Even when I feel like there is no hope of finding a job, of making things work, at least I have the confidence that I can produce a good meal, that is enjoyable not only to me but to the people I'm cooking it for as well.<br />
That's exactly how I felt last Friday after a long week of trying to figure out my life. The kids were home on school vacation so between refereeing their fights and getting them out the door to the library, public skating, to a friend's house to play, and finishing Ava's science project, it wasn't really an ideal time to come up with a new fabulous career idea. I was frustrated with myself and at the end of my rope with the kids. I took a break and watched some mindless t.v. before getting out of my pajamas and getting on the with day.<br />
"Slow Cooker" week on Rachael Ray....whoo-hoo! as I lay on my bed, half looking out the window at the dreary weather, half watching the show, the creative wheels in my head began to creak into motion. I came up with the brilliant idea to use the Crock-Pot to make a hearty stew. At least this was a mission I could motivate myself to get behind. Some good basic ingredients plus heat almost always yield the results I want, something delicious to eat and share with others.<br />
It's funny I never realized that the kitchen has been my place of comfort for so many years. In college, after my dearest friend died, I cooked chili and bread from scratch every week and ate all of the meals that I prepared for myself at the tiny kitchen table by the window in our basement apartment that I shared with two other girls. Later, while living in Boston on a (frayed) shoe string budget, most nights I made it home from working in the mall after 8:00pm but I always managed to whip up some eggs with salsa and cheddar cheese, my own version of comfort food in a neat little omelet. Now especially when I feel I have no control over what life has to offer, I turn to the stove. Baking chocolate chip cookies, kneading bread, chopping vegetables, these are things that restore my sense of stability and help me to relax. When nothing appears to be going my way, at least the oven still works, the sugar tastes sweet and a hot meal reminds me that tomorrow is another day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWwWEgVlqZMkg_wIQ9wtp3VLn93en8-SRuUwOTqRQcajyT1UjcY0tHQocEhacblb-JWAN-EOyGyTzmMDyc8oo-m29QSQPYteZpaeWibNRSSXKx7shLL2siqFyAe9POd8nPWUIUJ7W-JpD/s1600/IMG_3788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="kitchen window covered in snow" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWwWEgVlqZMkg_wIQ9wtp3VLn93en8-SRuUwOTqRQcajyT1UjcY0tHQocEhacblb-JWAN-EOyGyTzmMDyc8oo-m29QSQPYteZpaeWibNRSSXKx7shLL2siqFyAe9POd8nPWUIUJ7W-JpD/s320/IMG_3788.JPG" title="Snowy kitchen window in February" /></a></div>
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<b>Rainy Day Beef Stew</b></div>
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<b>(Serves 6)</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
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<b>2 lbs. stew beef, cut into 1 inch pieces</b></div>
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<b>salt and pepper</b></div>
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<b>3-4 tablespoons canola oil</b></div>
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<b>3 tablespoons flour</b></div>
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<b>6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces</b></div>
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<b>2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced</b></div>
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<b>2 medium onions, diced</b></div>
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<b>8 oz. mushrooms, sliced</b></div>
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<b>1 cup beef stock</b></div>
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<b>1 cup red wine</b></div>
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<b>3 oz. tomato paste (1/2 of a small can)</b></div>
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<b>1 teaspoon dried thyme</b></div>
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<b>1 teaspoon dried mustard</b></div>
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<b>1 tablespoon cornstarch</b></div>
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<b>1 tablespoon water</b></div>
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<b>1 tablespoon red wine vinegar</b></div>
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<b> Dry meat with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Divide meat into 3 batches. Toss one batch of meat into skillet and sear on all sides. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of flour. Pour beef and juices into Crock-Pot. Repeat with remaining two batches. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet and cook carrots for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place carrots in Crock-Pot. Cook celery and onions until softened, season with salt and pepper and add to Crock-Pot. Add 1-2 teaspoons oil to skillet and cook mushrooms for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place mushrooms in Crock-Pot. Place pan back on heat and add beef broth and wine, stirring and scraping the pan to loosen any cooked bits from the bottom. Clean pan with this process and pour entire contents into Crock-Pot. Add tomato paste, thyme and mustard and stir entire contest of Crock-Pot to distribute ingredients. Cook stew on high for 3 hours, then on low for one hour until meat is tender. Alternately, cook stew on low for 8 hours. Once cooking is complete, to thicken juices, mix one tablespoon cornstarch with one tablespoon cool water and add to stew. Stir to incorporate. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add vinegar, stir and cook for 5 more minutes before serving over mashed potatoes or with a slice of bread.</b></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-91766836744540771352020-03-14T06:51:00.000-04:002020-03-22T12:03:56.239-04:00Never Too Old For Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZIhPxGlnkfZ3yNwRgXhz6Ddq23cXq_C196os4z-cOcr4_Qv5pdrFiFbDZY1ti-CC4Y6f7cJQfCOZ8MkI6uDHUmO-rbYaNHp4TkUHKVHY9TweKF1z2ijNX_nVrK48ELmI8sPygmRya5Xm/s1600/20200307_115945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a plate of chocolate cupcakes with white frosting and orange sprinkles" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZIhPxGlnkfZ3yNwRgXhz6Ddq23cXq_C196os4z-cOcr4_Qv5pdrFiFbDZY1ti-CC4Y6f7cJQfCOZ8MkI6uDHUmO-rbYaNHp4TkUHKVHY9TweKF1z2ijNX_nVrK48ELmI8sPygmRya5Xm/s400/20200307_115945.jpg" title="Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting" width="400" /></a></div>
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How old is too old to have a birthday party? Is it o.k.to want your mom to make cupcakes and to have your friends over for a bowling party when you are a 14 year old boy? Personally, I don't think anyone should ever grow out of the Birthday Party phase. Not ever. I hope my kids never do.</div>
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Declan and I have a ritual. If we are both home in the evening, meaning if he doesn't have basketball practice, a baseball game or some other activity after dinner, we watch a show on t.v. together. But not just any random show that may be broadcast that given night or something that is popular to binge watch on Prime or Netflix. Our show is carefully selected and must adhere to a strict criteria. It must be light yet sprinkled with dramatic moments. It must have run for at least three seasons to be worth our time investment and capture our attention. It must have a serial element to it so that a cliff hanger is presented at the end of each episode compelling us to watch a second one in the same sitting. And it must star a recognizable but not super famous female lead. </div>
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This is our not so secret shared guilty pleasure. And Declan isn't shy about it. He has actually had discussions with his friends about his healthy addiction to "Heart of Dixie" and "Gilmore Girls". Maybe it's cool to be into these dramedies set in small towns inhabited by quirky characters with their themes of relationships and farce. But I don't think so. Perhaps it's just ironically funny to him. But I know the real secret, the one he doesn't say out loud in public and it's my favorite part of our t.v. watching time together. While I am sitting on the couch, glass of wine in hand, ready for some small town drama; he is not too old to lean against me for the entire 40 minutes, or so, at least at this moment in time. It's not a full on snuggle like a little boy might want from his mom, it's the early teenage version. We are on the cusp of him growing up and leaving his childhood behind. While I will never be ready for this to finally happen, he will be someday, likely sooner than later.<br />
Most of the time, our relationship takes the shape of a typical mother-son dynamic. I am aware that I shouldn't go in for a hug in public. When I am driving him and a friend home from school, he talks with a sarcastic edge: just cool and distant enough to show the outside world that he is tough and grown-up. But when he puts on those fleece pj bottoms with the Celtics logos printed all over the fabric, the ones that have suddenly become three inches too short, along with his fuzzy socks and says in his recently deepened voice, "Mom, Gilmore Girls?", I know he is still my little boy.<br />
Even though next year he may say he doesn't want me to make cupcakes, I am still going to bake them and frost them and decorate them with orange sprinkles (his favorite color). I will not stop baking cupcakes on his birthday and I hope he never wants to stop watching bad t.v. in his pajamas on the couch with me.</div>
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<i>This chocolate cake and frosting recipe is a combination of a few found on the internet and the cake on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa can. It makes one large cake or 24 cupcakes. (Fill lined cups 2/3 full with batter.)</i><br />
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<b>Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting</b></div>
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<b>(makes one 8 inch layer cake)</b></div>
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<b>Cake:</b></div>
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<b>1 3/4 cups sugar</b></div>
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<b>1 3/4 cups flour</b></div>
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<b>1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder such as Hershey's Cocoa</b></div>
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<b>1 1/2 teaspoons salt</b></div>
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<b>1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder</b></div>
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<b>1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda</b></div>
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<b>1 tablespoon instant coffee</b></div>
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<b>2 large eggs</b></div>
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<b>1 cup buttermilk</b></div>
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<b>1 tablespoon vanilla</b></div>
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<b>1/2 cup oil (canola, etc.)</b></div>
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<b>3/4 cup boiling water</b></div>
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<b> Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line the bottoms of two 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper (cut to fit). </b></div>
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<b> In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, baking soda and instant coffee. In a smaller bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Gently stir in the boiling water. Pour batter into cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Begin checking cake at 28-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans onto wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting and decorating.</b></div>
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<b>Frosting:</b></div>
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<b>1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)</b></div>
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<b>1/2 cup Crisco</b></div>
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<b>3 cups powdered sugar </b></div>
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<b>1/8 teaspoon salt</b></div>
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<b>1 tsp vanilla</b></div>
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<b>1-3 tablespoons milk</b></div>
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<b>Place butter and Crisco in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine. Add sugar in three parts, combining between each addition. Add salt and vanilla. Combine. Slowly add milk by the tablespoon and combine well until a spreadable consistency is achieved.</b></div>
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<b>To frost and decorate:</b></div>
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<b>Sprinkles, sugar decorations, candy</b></div>
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<b> Level each cake with a knife. (Save scraps for snacking!) Spread frosting on top of one layer, place the second on top. Top cake with a large amount of frosting. Smooth it over the top and down the sides. Add sprinkles and other decorations before frosting dries.</b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-19382349758341553292019-12-21T08:51:00.003-05:002019-12-21T08:51:15.324-05:00Oh Glittery, Felt Christmas Tree!<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When I was in the first grade, I made the best Christmas gift of all time. At least, I thought so. I was so proud of it for many years until it slowly became a bit of nostalgia, as I grew up. </div>
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We cut the palm sized green felt trees out with dull safety scissors. The metal kind that dug into soft, fleshy child hands. I followed the black marker outline as closely as humanly possible with those dull scissors, concentrating and trying my best to get into the corners so the tree would have triangular edges instead of resembling an oddly shaped oval. I am sure the cutting out process took an entire afternoon as my fellow classmates likely did not have the privilege of practicing at home with their mothers' very sharp sewing scissors and odd scraps of fabric. Whereas I spent long hours after school making doll clothes and outfits for the cat using Val's special scissors.</div>
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After what seemed like days later, the cutting out finally completed, we were instructed to place a tiny dot of Elmer's Glue on the back of the tree. Once this glue drop was placed in the correct location, our teacher stopped at each of our desks, to place a small safety pin horizontally over the glue. We were told not to touch the trees again until tomorrow and to take care when putting up our chairs as the final bell rang. "The glue will dry overnight, " she said. I knew this to be true having used loads of Elmer's on the fore mentioned doll and cat clothes. However, some of my lesser experienced classmates where skeptical.</div>
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The next morning, the best day of the project arrived, when I could unleash all of my creativity. As our teacher walked slowly around the classroom placing bottles of glue and containers of multi colored glitter to be shared in groups, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them before they might be squandered by less restrained students. I was ready to show the world my design style that would mirror the artistry of our teacher's demo glittery felt tree. Hers was decorated with perfect swags of glitter with a dot at the top signalling a star. It was expertly crafted, but I was confident that I could copy it. </div>
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I squeezed the glue bottle upside down, in both my hands, willing the wet goo into the exact places to emphasize the look of garland. I almost had to wait too long for the glitter to be finally passed to me, fearing the glue would dry too quickly and the right amount of glitter would not adhere. I was nervous, this was a masterpiece to be presented to my mother. I wanted it to be the best gift under the tree. As our teacher raised her cheery voice and said, "Not to worry about too much glue, it will dry clear!" for those who got a little messy, I felt elated as I looked down on my creation, in my mind having made a beautiful gem that my mother would be sure to praise and cherish as she opened it up on Christmas morning along with all of the other less significant gifts.</div>
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It seemed like forever to wait for a day or so for the glue and glitter to be ready to be packaged up and carefully sent home on the last day of school before the holiday break. I am not sure if I had help boxing and wrapping my tiny treasure, perhaps my older sister had a hand in that. But looking at the felt tree pin, so many, many years later, the glitter having worn off, the felt softened with wear, I am still reminded of the excitement of giving this handmade gift to my mother and the pride and happiness every time she took the pin out of the safe keeping of her jewelry box to wear it again, year after year on Christmas day.</div>
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<i>These cookies are an homage to the glittery, felt tree pin. I used a classic recipe that Val has been making for years.</i></div>
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Cut Out Sugar Cookies with Frosting</div>
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(makes about 3 dozen according to the size of the cookie cutter)</div>
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For the cookies:<br />
3/4 cup softened butter<br />
1 cup sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
2 3/4 cups flour (plus extra for rolling out)<br />
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In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add baking powder and salt, mix to combine. Slowly add the flour until well incorporated. Separate dough into two pieces, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic and place in refrigerator for at least an hour.<br />
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured board, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out small pieces of chilled dough and cut out using floured cookie cutters. Place on lined cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies look dry and edges just begin to turn golden. Remove cookies to cooling racks and allow to cool completely before frosting.<br />
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For the frosting:<br />
1/4 cup softened butter<br />
3 cups powdered sugar<br />
4-6 tablespoons milk (plus a little more to make this version a bit runny)<br />
1 teaspoon vanilla<br />
green food coloring<br />
edible glitter<br />
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In a mixing bowl, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and milk alternately until desired creaminess is reached. Add vanilla and mix well. (This frosting should be a little runny to make the soft edges of the tree and allow enough time to adhere glitter decoration.) Add green food coloring a few drops at a time until desired color is established. Spread frosting on cookie and immediately sprinkle with edible glitter. (I use a brush to scoop up the glitter, then tap it gently onto the frosting.) Repeat frosting and adding glitter to cookies, one at a time. Allow cookies to dry uncovered, overnight until frosting hardens. Store in an airtight container up to one week.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-49129651295694286582019-11-17T17:36:00.002-05:002019-11-17T17:36:44.516-05:00Over the River and Along the Winding Coast of Maine<div style="text-align: center;">
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It takes just about five hours to get to Camden, ME from here and another four hours to get to our final destination in Lubec, ME, but it always seemed so much longer a trip than that. In fact, I always thought it was a twelve hour drive, and it could have been with all of the stops that we made and possibly a few wrong turns due to some navigation arguments. We made the trip from Cape Cod to northern Maine to the eastern most town in the U.S. from pre-dawn to dusk on the day before Thanksgiving to visit my grandfather.<br />
I'm sure the goal was to leave by 4:30am, to get most of the driving done during the short amount of daylight in late November. My father was always the one behind this grand idea. But by the time everyone got settled into the car with our heavy winter coats locked in the trunk to make more room in the backseat for all three of us kids, it was probably closer to 5:30am. As we made our way north, through the still sleeping city of Boston, I imagined what life was like in those tall buildings lit up like Christmas trees, and tried to read all of the billboards as we sped through the city. Not long later, as the glamorous city life faded out of site, we eventually made our way to the big rest stop at the New Hampshire/Maine border and knew that we still had many miles and hours to go. <br />
Camden was our lunch destination. A tiny town on the coast with it's quaint harbor and main street of local shops. It was at the harbor where my father parked the car and my mother took the red and white Playmate cooler out of the trunk so we could enjoy our homemade sandwiches as early as 10:30am, before any restaurant would possibly be ready to serve lunch. We unwrapped chicken salad sandwiches on homemade white bread and got to drink a can of Coke or Ginger ale. Wise Potato Chips were an extra treat, something we did not have regularly at home. This was a special, once a year trip, after all. To finish it all up, Val's chocolate chip cookies or brownies studded with semi sweet morsels, but these were an everyday affair as Val always made sure there were sweets in the house for us to snack on. We probably walked around the harbor, checking out the fishing boats that were still in the water, ready to go out and get their catch. It always seemed chilly after sitting in the hot car for so long, fighting for space with my brother and sister, trying to read a book to get through the long ride. I'm sure my father could have stayed for hours, inspecting the skiffs, talking to fisherman, looking at ropes and nets and who knows what else, but my mother was eager to see her father whom she only got to visit maybe twice a year.<br />
Finally arriving in Lubec, after what seemed like many, many hours later, at the home my grandfather made with his wife, Norma was an event in itself. The weather brisk, the sun beginning to set and Norma was hard at work putting the finishing touches on her ladies' hair in the shop that my grandfather built for her attached to their home where you could enter through a door in the living room. We kids had to go in and meet the customers sitting in the chairs, vinyl black capes draped over them, hair in curlers. They all seemed to know our names and ages and so much about us even though we had never met. They said things like, "This must be Karyn!" when talking to my sister and asked me about second grade and my Brownie troop. It was a small town hair salon, where everyone shared everyone else's business, good, bad, happy and sad. <br />
Hungry from our trip and itching to stretch our legs, we helped to bring the bags from the car to the upstairs bedrooms with the dark paneling where we would sleep under the eaves. Then, we got to check out the drawer of sweets and homemade bread filled with Great Grammie's recipe for Date Filled Cookies, brownies, pumpkin bread and so many treats made by Elmira, Norma's cousin and other ladies from church groups and town clubs. There were not too many people who came from as far away as Massachusetts to visit Lubec very often and my grandfather made sure that pretty much everyone in town knew when we would be arriving. <br />
The next day, on Thanksgiving, there was turkey and pies and all of the things that make the holiday special. On Saturday night, we had hot dogs and beans because that's what Grampie and Norma ate every Saturday night. And early Sunday morning, we got ready to head back to Cape Cod. Except for the long trip in the car, the arrival and the departure, the fine details of those Thanksgiving weekends are little fuzzy. I mostly remember the taste of chicken salad on my favorite bread of all time, the salty crunch of the potato chips at our picnic on the harbor, the sweet softness of the date filling in the cookies, my grandfather's silliness, the fun and laughter from one of his endless pranks and Norma saying, "Oh Donald!" in exasperation. Now, the farthest I travel with my own children to celebrate Thanksgiving is four miles down the road to Val's house. There is so much in our culture about travelling on Thanksgiving: "over the river and through the woods" and as much as those trips to Maine are a special part of my childhood memories, I am so very glad that I don't have to go far to celebrate with family and friends. I will just have to make my own picnic lunch on Wednesday, the day before, at Falmouth Harbor, instead.<br />
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Chicken Salad</div>
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(Makes enough for 4 sandwiches)</div>
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2 ribs celery</div>
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salt</div>
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2 split chicken breasts (bone in, skin on)</div>
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celery salt</div>
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Hellman's mayonnaise (about 1/3 cup)</div>
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<a href="http://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/2009/11/attention-deficit-bread-baking-disorder.html" target="_blank">Val's Farmhouse White Bread</a></div>
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Heat one inch water in a large sauce pan with a tight fitting lid. Add 1 rib celery, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to the water. Once the water boils, reduce to a simmer and add chicken breasts. Cover tightly and cook for 10-15 minutes until meat is cooked through. Remove from heat and keep chicken in pan with lid on for 5-10 minutes. </div>
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While chicken is resting, finely dice remaining rib of celery. Add to a mixing bowl with 1 teaspoon celery salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Remover meat from chicken bones, discard skin. Finely chop chicken meat and add to the bowl. Mix in just enough mayonnaise to hold chicken salad together. Taste and adjust seasonings by adding more celery salt and/or black pepper.</div>
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To make sandwiches, spread 1/4 chicken salad on one slice of bread and top with a second slice. Cut in half and wrap in wax paper. </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-69026679992512206062019-11-01T05:01:00.004-04:002019-11-01T05:01:54.461-04:00Scalloping Season<div style="text-align: center;">
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It's this time of year, usually while I am driving and I can allow my thoughts to drift for a moment. I catch a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of cranberries in a flooded bog, ready to be harvested and the electric yellow, orange and red of the surrounding trees against a crystal clear blue sky and I recall late fall days at school, going to football games with friends and eating scallops, lots of scallops for dinner on what seemed like every night for weeks on end.<br />
Back in the late 1980's when I was still in high school, I remember my mother wearing my father's old jacket from his skating rink days, only taking it off to drive us to practice, pick us up from school or make dinner. During these weeks of October, her days were spent opening scallops and the jacket kept her warm and protected from the gooey, snot like scallop guts that ended up in the trash bucket along with the shells. Her task was to finish opening bushels and bushels of scallops, as many as a commercial license was allowed to procure before my father arrived home with more. This was a time when bay scallops were ridiculously plentiful and my father called it "a bonanza". Each day, he left before dawn, in the crisp early fall air, took off in his boat, then returned in the late afternoon. He unloaded his catch, the scallops heaped high in their baskets, shells clapping open and shut, making clicking noises and forcing the scallops on the top of the piles to tumble onto the concrete floor and continue there, clapping, slowly: open, shut, open, shut.<br />
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My field hockey teammates and I were working on costume ideas for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day Parade. Each high school class and fall sport made a float in the back of a pickup truck or on an old trailer used for hauling leaves and branches. We decorated these vehicles with our school colors: maroon and white using crepe paper streamers, and poster boards designed with magic marker slogans meant to inspire our football team, the Falmouth Clippers to glory on Thanksgiving Day. "Go Clippers!" "Beat Barnstable!" was about as creative as we got and we tired easily of the task, turning instead to a silly game of make shift field hockey in my dirt driveway, devouring the rest of Val's homemade chocolate chip cookie and goofing around.<br />
I'm still not sure if she was glad to take a break from all that scallop opening, her hands chapped and raw, tiny cuts along her fingers from the sharp shells and shucking knife, to help us make costumes for the float that year. Her talent, along with cooking and gardening, has always involved the sewing machine for which I have many fantastic Halloween costumes and my sister has her wedding dress to show for it. We had hatched an idea to make angel and devil costumes featuring angels with maroon "F"'s on their costumes for Falmouth and red devils to represent our evil rival, Barnstable. Val mustered up what little patience she had left from her long day and helped us produce brilliant costumes amidst our teenage giggling and foolishness. I'm sure there are photographs somewhere documenting her hard work and all the fun we had as dressed as devils, we pretended to drag the float carrying the Falmouth Angels along main street the day before Thanksgiving to the pep rally at Fuller Field.<br />
Sadly, there is no longer a pre-Thanksgiving Day parade made up of Falmouth High School students, no longer a pep rally on that Wednesday. The kids all have the day off from school and lots of families use the time to travel out of town. There are not as many scallops in the bays, either. Those "bonanza" days have passed, as the cycles of nature determine. But every October 1st, without fail, my father still gears up his boat and launches it in the early pre-dawn morning hoping for a mess of scallops to bring home for dinner. I get excited when I see the local fish market marquee lit up with the words, "Bay Scallops". It proves there still are some out there, hiding in the muck and sea grass they call home. It's as if all is right in the world for a moment: the cranberries, the football games and the friendships just like they always were.<br />
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<i>If you can find them or you know a shell fisherman willing to give up some of their catch, this is the easiest and just about the most perfect way to prepare bay scallops.</i><br />
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<i> </i><b>Broiled Scallops</b></div>
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<b>shucked scallops, about 1/2 cup per person</b></div>
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<b> Preheat broiler. Lay the scallops in one even layer in a square, metal 8"x 8" pan. Dot scallops with small pats of butter. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes until scallops just begin to turn white and some of them begin to split on the edges. Remove from oven and serve immediately.</b></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8594257446235949418.post-80059024248068108992019-09-29T17:58:00.001-04:002019-09-29T17:58:35.485-04:00The Easiest Way to Grow Tomatoes<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVp-5aFhspxhvmxAp4UBNg2_GltRI2r8cLHAHrmheWMdfOwN3WhjpFgvuuIoeW5icTypjsgnc_o3fySJRidP2ZZ4whpiZpHmanO03nUZU_33Rg3k_sCXlOywAuWZ86NUMJCa177eChjG9/s1600/20190919_170206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Red and yellow tomatoes on a flowered tray." border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVp-5aFhspxhvmxAp4UBNg2_GltRI2r8cLHAHrmheWMdfOwN3WhjpFgvuuIoeW5icTypjsgnc_o3fySJRidP2ZZ4whpiZpHmanO03nUZU_33Rg3k_sCXlOywAuWZ86NUMJCa177eChjG9/s320/20190919_170206.jpg" title="Ripe tomatoes" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfectly ripe tomatoes.</td></tr>
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My garden, if you want to call it that, is overridden with weeds and flowers. Tall green leafy things suddenly sprout over night. The Black eyed Susans which actually grow as if they are weeds, take over everything else that I attempt to deliberately grow in that small patch along the side of my house. I like the flowers since it looks somewhat intentional. So, I let them do what they want along with the nasturtium and zinnia. The flowers seem to be the most successful of my plantings. The kale is growing pretty well, too. But these are plants that don't need any special care aside from watering when they are seedlings, so I can't really take much credit there.<br />
Tomatoes are another story. I do not grow these from seed. I take care to tie them up when the plants get tall enough. I watch them closely. But somehow, they just don't ever yield that much for me. This year, I thought it would be different. I purchased a few plants from Tina, a woman who sells starter plants at the Falmouth Farmers' Market every spring. I figured I couldn't go wrong. It all began so well, the plants were hardy. They grew tall. I tied them up. They flowered and then the tiny green fruit came. The fruit grew. I checked every morning in anticipation. Then one day, I found that something had eaten half of one of the tomatoes. GRRRR. Definitely not a rabbit, it was too high up. Val suggested a raccoon. No, my set up is so flimsy that a fat thief like that would likely pull it all down with its weight. I tied tin pie plates and pinwheels to the stakes, hoping to deter squirrels. But whatever that tomato eating varmint was, it was brave and wily enough to eat around my attempts to thwart it.<br />
Never mind. I can and do always go to Val's for the best tomatoes, anyway. Her rows of plants are neatly tied to strong metal netting and stakes. Not a weed in sight along the well mulched paths between plants. No, instead she has bright yellow, red and multi-colored Dahlias marking the rows of tomato plants. It's ridiculously gorgeous and instagram worthy. Maybe this is why I gave up the annoying task of weeding sometime back in July. Because I know just down the street there is a garden paradise that I can access whenever I want? The place where I pick juicy, red, ripe tomatoes that are not half eaten by raccoons or squirrels or whatever. And if I don't have any time to pick them myself? Well, somehow a small pile of them may magically appear on my kitchen counter while I am at work accompanied by a clipping from the local paper that she thought may interest me and my empty container that held the cookies I made for her last week. That is definitely the easiest way that I know to grow tomatoes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAPrTTaZgpeDjdoVDVO1ehrdsPbOCRgbmiFqoZoq2hGa62Uyd1jaBhZtPP0gCttc2QfQe8sHinA27WPyBDt5XAURVIdM3tdfUq7MD823d9Vc1OU5po20Zf0aWgHsCRTH4-zsaETK2XP04/s1600/20190921_101757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sunlight on garden rows in late September" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNAPrTTaZgpeDjdoVDVO1ehrdsPbOCRgbmiFqoZoq2hGa62Uyd1jaBhZtPP0gCttc2QfQe8sHinA27WPyBDt5XAURVIdM3tdfUq7MD823d9Vc1OU5po20Zf0aWgHsCRTH4-zsaETK2XP04/s320/20190921_101757.jpg" title="Sunlight on the garden" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The heavens shining light on perfect rows of tomato plants</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNQG55PaaMZCUHKp0jfWA7OWhrvOenJVmAthknGf7p1F6U8NQXtHo2lzkKsZwH_eW4VJk3v5jjUKqdqA_J90gbsbNV6K4gJIJ2fsV0rWek3-a62i2gjxOp9qN2SDQ2H5CxkkhiWq1VnlV/s1600/20190921_101935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Flowers and plants growing in a country garden on Cape Cod" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNQG55PaaMZCUHKp0jfWA7OWhrvOenJVmAthknGf7p1F6U8NQXtHo2lzkKsZwH_eW4VJk3v5jjUKqdqA_J90gbsbNV6K4gJIJ2fsV0rWek3-a62i2gjxOp9qN2SDQ2H5CxkkhiWq1VnlV/s320/20190921_101935.jpg" title="Val's garden flowers and plants" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strong metal stakes and wire netting keeping everything in check.</td></tr>
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<b>Garden Fresh Salsa</b></div>
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<b>(makes a small bowl)</b></div>
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<b>3 medium size ripe tomatoes</b></div>
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<b>1 small jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed</b></div>
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<b>1 small handful fresh cilantro or parsley leaves chopped to make about 1/4 cup</b></div>
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<b>3 teaspoons olive oil</b></div>
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<b>2 teaspoons lemon juice</b></div>
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<b>1 teaspoon cider vinegar</b></div>
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<b>1/2 teaspoon sugar</b></div>
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<b>1/2 teaspoon salt</b></div>
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<b>tortilla chips </b></div>
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<a href="http://www.notesfromvalskitchen.com/2008/06/summer-fun-from-moths-to-margaritas.html" target="_blank"><b>margaritas</b></a></div>
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<b> Cut the tomatoes in quarters and gently squeeze out any excess juice and seeds. Chop the seeded tomatoes into tiny pieces. Finely chop the jalapeno, leaving out the membrane and seeds, unless you like a lot of heat. Add the chopped cilantro or parsley. Mix in the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and salt. Allow flavors to meld for about 20 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and margaritas.</b></div>
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