Friday, July 10, 2009
A Confession
Not Ding Dongs or Cheetos or Fudge Rounds.
I hide healthy food.
Specifically Quaker Mini Rice Cakes. Ranch flavor.
I love the things as a replacement for the handful of potato chips that I used to have with my sandwich at lunch everyday. The bags aren't big but I can make them last about a week and a half if I eat 10 (the recommended serving size) per day.
The problem is Brian loves them too. And he doesn't necessarily follow the servings suggestions.
If he knows we have them the bag might last two days.....tops.
And it's not like Fiber One Bars where all I have to do is buy the peanut butter flavor to be sure that he won't eat them all. He actually likes ranch flavored stuff.
And it's not like I don't want him to eat healthily. I do. But I won't get any of it if he chows it all. And if the kids find out about it then I'll be lucky to get a single solitary rice cake. Selfish, I know. But that stuff is expensive!!
So. I hide them. I've found various places that work pretty well.
I put them in the highest cabinet behind all of boxes of cereal and the glass pitchers I never use. But when the cereal runs out he can see that teal colored bag through the glass pitchers.
I put them in the back of the knee high shelf in the pantry behind a bunch of boxes of Tuna Helper and Rice Pilaf. I don't think he ever spotted them there, but they were hard to get to and I had to keep clearing off the shelf everyday just to make my lunch.
Then I hit upon the perfect place. Down in my craft cabinet. I have more cabinets in my kitchen than I need so a few of them are dedicated to seasonal decor and craft supplies. Brian never gets in any of those. So I snuggled my bag of contraband right in next to the Easter eggs and the empty hermit crab cage.
But then I forgot about it. I didn't remember it until I opened the drawer of phonebooks and found a single rice cake laying there. I knew immediately what had happened. Sure enough I opened the craft cabinet and found that a mouse had eaten a hole in the bottom of the bag and devoured a good portion of my secret stash!
Serves me right for being so sneaky, I guess.
But here is the poetic justice portion of the story.
I threw the bag on the counter and sat down to eat my lunch. Next thing I know Brian is in the kitchen munching on rice cakes.....mouse droppings and all. (Apparently he didn't notice the big jagged hole in the bottom of the bag.) I tried yelling out a warning but my mouth was full. All I could do was wave my arms wildly. He finally got the message and spit out the mouthful he was crunching.
What did we learn?
A) I need to find a new hiding place.
B) We have mice.
C) Look before you eat.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
I"ve Been Reading....
Check it out.


Now I'm in the midst of Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Brother's Karamazov", and my next book club selection to read is "Mississippi Solo" by Eddy Harris. Look for updates soon.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Wedding

We haven't had a wedding in our family for 7 years. My brother was the last of our generation to get married.....that is until last weekend.
On July 4th my cousin Christina (known to all of us, and referred to in the rest of this post as, Pudd) got married. It was a big deal and a lot of fun for all of us.
All the "girls" worked all day on Friday to decorate the reception area and make all of the food. It was fun to spend an entire day together....even if it was a lot of work. It was also fun to spend a few days at Mom and Dad's house with my brother and his family, who we haven't seen since December.
Saturday started out with torrential (or at least pretty steady) downpours, but ended a beautiful day. I met some of the girls early on Saturday to do their hair. (Including the bride....talk about pressure!) Fortunately all of the "do's" held up despite the weather.
We went to the church early for pictures, then enjoyed the wedding (no problems) and then I rushed to the reception to start cutting the cheesecakes I had made the day before. I don't know how many people were actually at the reception but they ate EVERY piece of cake and 5 1/2 Chocolate Truffle Cheesecakes not to mention lots of fresh fruit and I don't know how many quarts of chocolate from the chocolate fountain.
I think everybody went away full! We went away with enough marshmallows to make us all 10 s'mores each every night of our upcoming camping trip, a gallon of Blue Hawaiian Punch for Cainan's birthday party, some pie filling, a giant can of baking cocoa and a can of pineapple juice. A pretty good haul, I'd say.
Here are some pics of the big day.




Jacob and the girls. (Everybody in this picture is my cousin (or niece) except the girl on each end...and Jacob,of course.)

Jacob and Pudd running the gauntlet of rice and "poppers" (fireworks).

Blue punch. White dress. Bad idea. Amazingly my niece, Kira's dress came through with just a touch of chocolate from the fountain.

Pudd visiting with Grandma.

Cainan feeling very important after completing his job as "Rice Hander Outer".

Brian snacking on a blueberry.
A disclaimer: Anyone who has ever read this blog before has probably already realized that these pictures were not taken by me. You've likely never seen photos this good on here. These pics were all taken by Travis, my cousin in law. I envy his skill.....and his camera. Thanks for sharing the pics.
AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!

Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Hushpuppy Help
I made hushpuppies to go with the fish. I used the recipe straight from one of my favorite cookbooks, The Complete Guide to Country Cooking by Taste of Home. They turned out beautifully.
They were perfectly golden brown on the outside and nice and moist on the inside. (I had a pic but had to delete it when my memory card was full. Christmas pics take priority over deep-fried bread.) They even had that kinda round, typical hushpuppy shape.....but they were a little bland.
They basically tasted like hunks of plain cornbread....and not even the good kind with lots of sugar. They need something. Some kind of spice. Some kind of kick. A little flavah.
Here is the recipe I used. Any suggestions on what I should add to improve the taste?
Hush Puppies
2 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
In a bowl combine dry ingredients. Add egg, milk and sour cream; stir just until moistened. In a deep fat fryer heat oil to 375. Drop batter by spoonfuls into oil. Fry until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly. Yield: 12-15 servings
Monday, July 6, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake
Well, today, 8 months later, you get the recipe.
I'm posting this today because as you read this I am likely in the midst of baking one of these beauties.
You see, back at that birthday party in November my cousin's fiance tried a piece of the cheesecake and declared that he had to have it for his groom's cake at their wedding on July 4th of this year.
So today I am making six Chocolate Truffle Cheesecakes for the wedding tomorrow. Join my and try one for yourself.
Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake
Crust:
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
2 T. sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling:
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream
3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
Topping:
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 t. vanilla
In a small bowl, combine cookie crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a greased 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325.
In a saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; add cream and mix well. Set aside.
Ina mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add coca and beat well. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture just until blended. Pour over crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set.
For topping, melt chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat. Stir in cream and vanilla; mix well. Spread over filling. Refrigerate overnight. Carefully run knife around edge of pan to loosen. Remove sides of pan.
Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream and miniature chocolate kisses if desired.
Yield: 12 Servings
Goin' on a Berry Hunt
I also made some warm and yummy blueberry pancakes.
This recipe originally came from Williams and Sonoma, but I found it at Annie's Eats. It was a real hit. The only problem I had was that my blueberries were so big that they literally held the pancake up off of the griddle so that it took them a long time to cook after I flipped them.
Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 to 2 Tbs. vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Preheat an oven to 200ºF.
In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium speed until frothy. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Stir just until the batter is smooth and no lumps of flour remain; do not overmix.
Heat an electric griddle to medium-high heat until a few drops of water flicked onto the surface skitter across it. Lightly grease the griddle with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Using a batter dispenser set on the large setting, dispense the batter onto the griddle. Alternatively, ladle about 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Scatter 1 Tbs. blueberries evenly over each pancake. Cook until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the pancakes and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining pancakes. (*This really works...don't skip this step, it makes all the difference. Stick your bacon in there too.)
Dust the pancakes with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm with butter and maple syrup.
Makes about 16 pancakes; serves 4.
I've got company coming over tonight too, so I'm looking for yet another blueberry dessert recipe. I'll let you know what I try.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Bakewell Tart....er, Pudding
Bakewell tarts…er…puddings combine a number of dessert elements but still let you show off your area’s seasonal fruits.
Like many regional dishes there’s no “one way” to make a Bakewell Tart…er…Pudding, but most of today’s versions fall within one of two types. The first is the “pudding” where a layer of jam is covered by an almond pastry cream and baked in puff pastry. The second is the “tart” where a rich shortcrust pastry holds jam and an almond sponge cake-like filling. "
The version I made is a combination of the two: a sweet almond-flavoured shortcrust pastry, frangipane and jam and this is how it turned out:
June 2
-Read the challenge and was totally overwhelmed. What is a frangipane anyway?
June 8
-Checked the forums and found that someone has already completed the challenge...the day after it was posted! His tarts looked pretty and somewhat easy. I'm feeling better about this.
-Realized I will have to invest in a fluted tart pan for this recipe. I've been wanting one for a few years anyway so.......YIPPEEE!
June 10
-Looked up the pronunciation of "frangipane" at dictionary.com. It's [fran-juh-peyn].
June 24
June 27
Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.
An Announcement and a Cheesecake
Isn't it beautiful? It really turned out exactly like the picture in the magazine. I can't wait to try it tonight.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Faux Sourdough French Bread
We were having spaghetti and I really wanted some garlic bread to go along with it. I had plenty of time and all of the ingredients, so I decided to whip up some french bread.
I checked one of my favorite recipe sources (http://www.recipezaar.com/) and found that most of the french bread recipes were made with a sourdough starter. I did NOT want to do that. #1 it takes a few days to get the starter going and #2 starters are a pain to feed and keep and divide, etc. So....I thought I was up a creek without a paddle.
And then I spotted this recipe for Faux Sourdough French Bread. It has the flavor of sourdough with out the starter. The vinegar, sour cream and ginger give it that little zing that you expect from a sourdough bread, and it incorporates wheat germ...something I'm always trying to work in to our diets, so I decided to go for it. Here it is:
Ingredients:
4-5 cups bread flour
2 T. wheat germ
1 T. sugar
1/2 t. ground ginger
2 pkg. instant yeast
1 cup water
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
2 T. vinegar
1 egg white
1 T. water
In a large bowl combine 1 1/2 cups flour and remaining dry ingredients. Add water, sour cream and vinegar and beat well. Stir in additional 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
On a floured surface, knead in 1 to 1 1/2 cups flours until dough is smooth and elastic. About 5 minutes. Placed dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 23-25 minutes.
Punch dough down and let rest for 15 minutes under an overturned bowl. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 14 x 8 rectangle. Starting with long side roll up dough pinching seam to seal well. Taper ends slightly to look like traditional french bread. Place seam side down on greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 15 minutes.
Bake bread for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.
Beat egg white and water and brush over bread. Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when thumped.
That's my loaf of french bread in the picture above. Pretty nice, huh? I skipped the egg wash step so the crust isn't shiny but it tasted great!
I also found a recipe for garlic spread to put on the bread. I always try to mix softened butter and garlic powder or garlic salt but it never tastes like garlic bread. This time I discovered a better way.
Make a paste out of olive oil, minced garlic and grated parmesan cheese. Spread it on the warm bread and voila! Garlic Bread.
If you really want to go all out, put some mozarella cheese on top of that and slip it back in to the oven to melt. We did that on 1/4 of one loaf and it was EXCELLENT! I couldn't make more because we would have pigged out on it and been sorry later.
Give this simple sourdough french bread recipe a try the next time you are having pasta. You won't be disappointed.





