Kitchen notes

I got the kitchen window opened for the first time this week - I woke up yesterday and it was 65F outside! It felt wonderful to have the misty morning breeze coming into the kitchen, though really I should keep it all shut up because of the humidity. Welcome to the tropics (not really, but really).

I have done a bit of real cooking this week. I am struggling to get a routine down to have dinner on the table at a reasonable time. I also failed at my menu plan this week. Think those two problems are connected?

I did get some "real" cooking done this week, but didn't take many photos. I fried our first okra from this garden and made BLTs on homebaked bread. Above you'll see the dirty rice {recipe} that was dinner one night and lunch two days. The blondies recipe is the best I've ever tried and the only one I will use. It is sinful, but I will share the diabetes love anyway. And pah-leese, don't go substituting applesauce instead of butter or leaving out the nuts, just bake it the way it says to.

Suzi's Blondies 

2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Combine these ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to incorporate.

2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs (room temp)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2/3 c. butter, melted

Combine these ingredients in ANOTHER mixing bowl. Stir, stir.

Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients, folding in until just moist throughout. Fold in 3/4 cup each chocolate chips and nuts of your choice. Pour batter into greased 9x13 pan, sprinkle top with another generous handful of nuts and chocolate chips. Toffee bits, coconut and other things do nicely here. THIS is the part where you can improvise. Bake in 350F oven for 25-30 minutes or until edges are crispy-chewy and center is done but not overbaked.

Grandma's House

Centerpoint Covered Bridge :: the creek :: a recipe from Myrna :: Buddy, the spoiled 

Ohio Star :: almost done :: pumpkin pie :: puzzling with Uncle Phil and Julian

We made a day trip to Grandma's house on Monday. It was nice. We were supposed to have bad weather overnight, but no snow came which made for much easier travel. The point of our trip was to follow up on a promise that I would help paint a barn quilt star for Grandma's barn. My aunt Coleen has always wanted one, and my uncle Phil painted Grandma's old barn (and repaired the door that his bulls tore off!) special for the occasion.

On the way across the state, we stopped and saw the Centerpoint covered bridge, one of only three remaining covered bridges in West Virginia that we have not seen. In other news, we came home with two hand-me-down cat puzzles (we are a puzzling' family, in case you can't tell), a box of Swiss Miss cocoa, a framed quilted star from my great grandmother's sewing basket, and a few yeast rolls. Not a bad haul for our labors.

About that recipe - this was a recipe Grandma and aunt Lois said was really great. It is a seven layer bar-type thing. As Grandma didn't feel the need to write down the instructions, I'll tell you it goes something like this:

Preheat your oven to 350F. In the bottom of a 9x13, melt the butter, press the graham crackers in the bottom, using the butter as glue (Lois says she has used GF rolled oats in place of the graham with good results). Dump all the other ingredients on top, presumably in five more layers. Bake for 25-28 minutes. Allow to cool completely (and/or chill) before cutting into 36 + pieces.

jamming update

I've added a few more jars to the pantry after a trip to the u-pick berry patch and Sam's. At the berry patch, I brought home six pounds of the biggest, yummiest blueberries. About half a gallon went straight into the freezer. One kilo is waiting to be bottled up in a sugar syrup with bay leaves for eating with yogurt and on pancakes. The remaining four cups went into a really wonderful blueberry-lime jam that I sort of made up along the way.

Blueberry-Lime Jam

4 1/2 cups blueberries, washed and picked clear of debris
6 tbsp powdered pectin, or one regular box pouch
1/2 cup lime juice
zest from two limes
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Combine all but the sugar in large heavy-bottomed, non-reactive sauce pot. Stir all well until pectin dissolves and bring to boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Boil one minute, stirring.

Add sugar all at once, attempting to avoid getting sugar on the sides of the pot. Mix sugar in well, stir over medium-high heat until all sugar is dissolved. Bring back to boil and boil hard one minute. Remove from heat.

Prepare jars, lids and rings in the usual way. I recommend using five half-pint or 11 quarter-pint jars. If not, you'll really know what small batch canning is... and have two pint jars (and one pint that didn't fill to the top) to show for your work. Process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

***

Half the Tuscan melon (about four pounds at the start) went into making a very bizarre ice cream/gelato. Neither of us quite know what to make of it. It certainly tastes very fresh and melon-y. It has enough fruit in it to be a bit like an icy sorbet and yet, enough cream in it to make you think you're just eating freezer-burned sherbet. Hmmm... the jury is still out. FYI, I used this recipe by half.

About half of the other half of the melon went into this jam. I would have never thought about preserving cantaloupe this way (or at all) unless it had been recommended to me {by Tracy, I think, but I cannot recall for sure}. It is called a jam, but it is more like "preserved melon in a heavy, honey-like sauce". I think I like it. We've only had the opportunity to try it on a slice of toasted brioche and let me tell you, there are worse things.

Are you adding to your pantry this week?

In my kitchen - with summer recipes

 Summer, summer, summer! The thought of cooking dinner seems such a burden, of turning on the stove, of heating up the house. And yet, why does sitting in the blazing sun over open flame seem a better idea? I will never know the answer.

The fourth of July is my favorite holiday - odd for a Christian to say, I think - it lacks pretense, hoop-la, just a celebration of life without risk of disappointment. The past few days have been spent in preparation for a trip home for the holiday weekend.

cherry bounce (recipe below) :: hot chicken salad (recipe below) :: homemade iced coffee (recipe) :: summer breakfast :: rub no. 9 :: smoking pork on the porch :: family recipe scrapbook

Cherry Bounce
from River Cottage Handbook #12

300g fresh cherries, rinsed clean and dried
120g granulated sugar
600mL brandy

Put de-stemmed, unpitted cherries in large mason jar, pour sugar in over them, and brandy over that. Close tightly, shake and store in a dark place. Shake once a day until the sugar is all dissolved. After two months, pour brandy off cherries and bottle in very clean bottles. Cap and store for at least six months to mellow. Enjoy cherries in fruit cake or on ice cream.

Hot Chicken Salad

4 c. cooked, shredded chicken

1 c. grated cheddar cheese

3/4 c. mayonnaise

2/3 c. sliced, toasted almonds

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. chopped celery

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

3/4 c. cream of chicken soup

1 tsp. minced onion

1 large jar pimentos

1 1/2 c. potato chips, crushed

Combine all ingredients except cheese, potato chips and almonds. Mix well and spread in bottom of 9x13 pan, cover, let stand in refrigerator overnight. Top with remaining three ingredients, cover with foil, and bake in 400F oven. Remove foil and bake another five minutes. Serve with dinner rolls, toast, or on its own. 

What's cooking in your kitchen? 

Joining Heather @ Beauty That Moves

{Recipe} Very Berry

Ahh... one of my favorite things about sprimmer (this season we're in, you know): berries, berries, berries. Our blueberry bush gave us almost a full pint, our gooseberries are picked and waiting for a recipe, and our blackberries are giving us just enough for each of us to enjoy one or two, warm from the sun, each day.

It feels great to be so early in the season and already have jam put up for the winter months. This recipe made seven half pint jars. One was eaten within the week, one was taken to my mother-in-law, leaving me five trusty jars for January. This is a delicious jam so I definitely recommend making it now, while the fruit is in season.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam 
 From the Ball Blue Book

2 c. strawberries, very ripe, crushed
2 c. rhubarb, small diced
one package of commercial pectin
1/4 c. lemon juice
5 1/2 c. granulated sugar

1. Prepare jars, lids and canner in the usual way.
2. Put strawberries, rhubarb and lemon juice and pectin in a large saucepan, stirring well to combine.
3. Bring to boil over high heat. Depending on the liquid of your strawberries, you may be inclined to add a few tablespoons of water to help the process along.
4. Once boil has been achieved, add sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Bring back to a full boil.
5. Boil hard one minute, stirring constantly, in only one direction to lessen foaming.
6. Remove from heat and add a teaspoon of butter to help reduce the foam, stir, stir, stir.
7. Ladle jam in hot jars, wipe lids and affix screw rings.
8. Process in boiling water canner for ten minutes.

Use extreme caution when handling hot jars and hot jam. Attempt to resist the urge to eat it all immediately. It really will taste even better when snow is on the ground.

Options: If you wish, you can add a bit of grated ginger, some scented geranium or basil leaves to the pot while boiling, removing them before jarring the jam.

in my kitchen this week...

With lacrosse season over we're eating much better these days. Can you tell?! 

garden harvest of lettuce :: saved that tomato for such a time as this :: BLTs on everything bagels = heaven (I love anything on an everything bagel) :: steak salad, these have become quite regular around here lately :: Julian always says, "If you haven't had applesauce on cornbread, you haven't eaten!" :: making the BBQ rub :: pulled pork with two sauces, I like mustard, he likes honey :: tis the season for macaroni salad :: at long last, I've decided I like green tea :: we've grilled out every dinner this week :: tis the season for fresh berries :: banana cream cake to use up some old bananas :: the only cake mix I had/use is GF so that's how that went and it was delicious and perfect in every way

Joining Heather. 

{recipe} Blackberry Dumplings

Blackberry dumplings are Julian's perennial choice for birthday dessert. Part of the reason we postponed his birthday until Sunday was because his actual birthday allowed no time for making and/or enjoying this special birthday tradition. 

The recipe is fairly simple {it came to me in my family cookbook scrapbook made by my sister-in-law and gifted upon our engagement} but the procedure is what counts. It is the perfect combination between pie and cobbler, despite that it is called cobbler on the recipe. It's summer on a spoon, any time of the year. 

Tips and Tricks (that you would have picked up if your Granny showed you how to do this):

- Find the juiciest berries possible. Plumper berries make more gooey berry sauce. Julian maintains that this is the perfect way to use seedy, wild, roadside-foraged berries. Do that if it is what you have, but I am kind of fussy about seeds.

- This recipe makes eight dumplings and should fit perfectly into a 9x13 dish.

- When the recipe lists "two pie pastry recipes," it means two full DOUBLE-CRUST pie pastries. You can buy them from the shop but this means two boxes of pastry, not two pieces. I just double this recipe for mine. 

- Knowing the exact measurements depends on a great many things. The recipe is a good guide, but use your better judgement when it comes to how much to put in each dumpling. I generally only put three tablespoons of sugar in each dumpling and I generally put as many berries as will rest in my cupped hand. 

- Roll the pastry out between two pieces of wax paper. Peel off the top sheet of the wax paper, put the fillings on top of the pastry, then use the edge of a butter knife to help you peel the pastry off the bottom sheet of wax paper, up and over the berries, apple-dumplin'-style. I reuse the same two sheets of wax paper for the whole batch.

- My new rolling pin {Christmas gift from Julian} made this whole process much easier, almost enjoyable. I highly recommend it. I used the 1/6" ring. 

- It doesn't hurt to give the dumplings a little milk/egg wash prior to baking and shake on some sparkly sugar to top it off.

- Serve hot, room temp, or cold. Stores well just left on the counter, covered... they won't last long enough to worry about. 

Questions? Feeling inspired?

{recipe} Cranberry Chutney

I made this for a baby shower tea I hosted back in November. I pulled it out the other day for a picnic and was wowed by how the flavors had come together. It smelled, and tasted, delightful. I served it with soft cheese on seedy, oat-y brown bread.

~ 1 small bag fresh cranberries, whole and washed
~ 3/4 c. apple cider
~ 1/4 c. cider vinegar
~ 1 large tart apple, grated or chopped
~ 1/2 c. dark brown sugar, packed
~ 2 T. chopped onion
~ 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
~ a healthy pinch of ground cloves
~ as much ground ginger as you like in these sorts of things, optional

Put all in a medium saucepan and cook on medium-low, stirring occasionally to encourage the cranberries to burst and help thicken the sauce. Cook until desired consistency, noting that it will thicken a bit when chilled. Store in mason jar in fridge.

Thanksgiving debriefing and a recipe

Thanksgiving was like a slow motion dream. We were gone for eight days and we sort of planned that long of a trip but sort-of-not-really. Julian's grandfather has been in ill health for a while and passed away while we were gone, just before we planned to return home, so we stayed over. We had our first Thanksgiving dinner with my sister-in-law and her family -- our nephew made this delightfully bedazzled placemarker for me.While we were there, she made these pork chops and I thought they were quite tasty so I snapped a pic of her cookbook.

We came back to Rockbridge Co. for Thanksgiving with my family which was a very nice occasion, if I do say so myself. I didn't get to do any of the cooking, in part because of our travel and in part because we did not leave Julian's grandfather in the nursing home until about 11:30am on Thanksgiving day, so by the time we arrived, everything was ready. Unfortunately, Julian came down with a headcold that evening.

Friday, while we were still in Lexington, Julian's grandfather passed away, so Sunday evening, we went back across the mountain for the services Monday and Tuesday. I'm sitting in the office today, absolutely exhausted and wondering a.) how everything that has happened in the past 8 days really happened and b.) how it all happened and yet, on any given Wednesday in December, it seems like nothing has changed. 

{Recipe} Cherry Clafoutis

This is a French dessert but by all American standards, it should be used as breakfast or brunch because its a bit egg-y. It is equally delicious with raspberries or rhubarb, but the cherry is the traditional fruit for it. I had just about a pound of cherries languishing in the fridge after we'd eaten our fill of them fresh over the past several weeks. Today was the day to make something magical happen for them. It's a fairly standard recipe, but I took my inspiration from Mimi and my direction from Hugh.

Can you tell we're sitting around in the dark eating sweets and enjoying the cool breeze through the window? Well, we are.

Cherry Clafoutis
credit: River Cottage Everyday

1 lb sweet cherries (purists don't pit them, but I do - who wants rocks in their pudding?)
1/3 c sugar
1/2 c all purpose flour
pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 c whole milk
confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 10" cake pan and dump cherries in. Combine sugar, salt and flour in a bowl. Make a well, crack in eggs, stir with a whisk to make a smooth but thick batter. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking all the while, to make a sort of custard. Pour gently over cherries. Bake 35-40 minutes of until puffed up and brown around the outside. It will fall as soon as it is taken out of the oven, do not panic. (Hugh recommends serving warm with cream, Mimi recommends cool. We both prefer it chilled w/ whipped cream.)
 

Throw some powdered sugar on top and its good as gold.