I have been quite busy over the holidays and have lots to post in the coming weeks. Santa was good to me as you can see above. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a terrific 2008.
Happy Holidays
December 25, 2007 by 6 Comments
Dinner to Decorate By
December 19, 2007 by 1 Comment
Last evening we finally got around to decorating our holiday tree so dinner was pretty quick and easy. A simple burger made very flavorful was on the menu last evening. It was served with a butternut squash soup and an acidic red wine from Michigan. Sweet maple syrup was the theme. The meat was seasoned with some maple syrup as well as salt and pepper. This was topped with melted cheddar cheese served on a whole wheat bun with mayonnaise (Helman’s, please) and dijon mustard.
The soup started with an oven roasted butternut squash. The sweet flesh was added to a pot of sautéed onions and garlic. About 6 cups of chicken stock was added and it was flavored with some maple syrup.
After this had simmered for a little bit a splash of heavy cream was added and it was all whirled up together. Slightly sweet with just a dusting of fresh grated nutmeg to complement the maple.
Some of our decorations – ceramic doves placed over the lights glow nicely while perched on the branches. A crystal holly and angels also can be found along with many other eclectic pieces from our past.
Betty and Me
December 18, 2007 by 2 Comments
We have a very old relationship going back at least 30 years. This belonged to my mother. She became ill with MS when I was quite young so the holiday cookie baking fell upon my shoulders. With Mom’s guidance and Betty to tell what to do I was able to put together quite an array of holiday treats. Mom is gone but Betty remains in my kitchen to help me along.
I have had requests for Betty’s Cranberry Drop Cookies. They are so easy peasy to make that even a child can do it! Here’s the well worn page that still keeps me on track year after year. As I mentioned in the previous entry below, I don’t have my mother’s ‘Chef Moule’ hand cranked grater that I always used to perfectly chop the cranberries. The food processor worked but it just isn’t quite the same. If you can’t read the recipe just click on the picture for a larger version.
Cookie Baking Bonanza
December 17, 2007 by 3 Comments
I’ve finally got around to doing some holiday baking. I had a great weekend and the whole family pitched in. DW made snickerdoodles. I haven’t had these for years. They turned out crispy and delicious.
Of course a staple around the holiday season are peanut butter Hershey’s Kiss cookies. I made these quite large to enjoy the peanutiness in all its glory.
My favorite xmas cookie is this wonderful tangy and sweet cranberry walnut cookie. I got the recipe from my mothers old tattered and torn Betty Crocker Cookie Book. I remember making these by the truckload when I was a kid. So easy to do. A simple drop cookie. The only thing is I don’t have my mother’s old “Chef Moule” hand cranked grinder to chop the cranberries. It always did a terrific job. The food processor does not get them all even.
My Muhammara
December 8, 2007 by 1 Comment
This evening I’m heading out to a party and I was looking for something to bring as an appetizer. When Clotilde over at the Chocolate & Zucchini blog posted a Middle Eastern roasted red-pepper and walnut dip called muhammara I knew I found my dish. I followed Clotilde’s recipe and it came out delicious. I didn’t have any pomegranate molasses so I made my own version. I took the seeds of half a pomegranate and cooked them up with a couple tablespoons of sugar. I crushed them up well and strained it off. It had a nice flavor so I think it was ok. No smoked salt either but I added a wonderful smoked paprika that I have from Spain. The roasted red peppers were so sweet and the walnuts and cashews are so rich. The cumin adds a nice spice that mingles with the smoky paprika. I think people will like it.
Salmon Cakes
December 3, 2007 by 5 Comments
I was looking for something quick and easy to make on a Sunday evening with a fridge that desperately needs stocking. I started rummaging through my pantry and found a box of Japanese buckwheat noodles and a 15 oz can of salmon. So I threw this together in a jiffy. It came out pretty good. I wish I had something to garnish it with. No fresh herbs or scallions to speak of here.
For the crab cakes I used one large can of salmon, about 1.5 cups of crushed up Ritz crackers (love the buttery flavor), the zest of one whole lemon, two eggs, salt, pepper and about 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning. These were mixed up gently and shaped into patties. They were quickly fried in olive oil until brown and crispy.
I served them on a cold soba salad. I cooked the noodles just until tender and cooled them. I also finely shredded some romaine lettuce (that’s the only thing green I had in the house). This was flavored with a bit of sesame salad dressing and bit of spicy Korean red chili paste (gochujang).
Fargo Sourdough
November 30, 2007 by 6 Comments
Remember the pizza I made a while back? I made it from the discarded starter I was feeding and building up to make my first batch of home made bread using my own culture. No commercial yeasts here. I actually made the bread on Thanksgiving day but am just getting around to blogging about it. Bread is alive! That’s what I love about it. I am proud to have been able to leaven my own bread using yeasts from my local environment. It turned out with so much flavor from the long fermentation that I will definitely be doing this again. Here’s the story of my Fargo Sourdough.
On Tuesday evening I took a cup of the active sourdough sarter and mixed it with 3 cups of flour and two cups of water. I mixed it well, covered it, and left it to ferment. After 22 hours, this is what I got. A wet dough sponge that was frothy and bubbly.
To the bubbly sponge, I added 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of salt, 1 and 1/2 cups of water and about 7 cups of flour. This was mixed together and allowed to rest for about 30 minutes.
Once the dough had a chance for the moisture to permeate the newly added flour I tipped it out onto the counter and kneaded it by hand for about 10 minutes until it was smooth and elastic. This was shaped into a ball and placed in a well oiled large bowl. definitely be doing this again. It was covered with a plastic bag and placed in my cool basement to rise overnight. The next morning, after about 10 hours, the result was a well risen dough that reached to the top of the bowl.
The dough was gently tipped out onto the counter being careful not to deflate it too much. It was divided into four and shaped into loaves. They were covered and allowed to rise for about 2 and a half hours. The dough was placed on a peel, slashed, and baked on a stone in a 450 °F oven two loaves at a time.
In order to provide the right texture to the crust and get maximum oven spring you need to have a humid oven at the beginning of baking. This is difficult to control in a home oven. I have good luck by first throwing a half cup of water onto the hot oven floor just before adding the bread. I then load the dough onto the baking stones and add another cup of water thrown onto the floor. After a few minutes I add another cup of water and then let it bake until the crust is nicely browned – about 20-30 minutes depending on the size of the loaf.
The result was wonderful if I do say so myself. The crumb was not too big but certainly big enough. The crust was chewy and flavorful. The interior was still moist and soft. The bread was not sour like San Francisco sourdough. I guess Fargo flora are less acidic than that from the west coast. I like to think that my Fargo sourdough is more akin to traditional French sourdoughs. At least the bread was spot on what I hoped for.
TD6 – Curried Turkey Salad
November 29, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Yes it is day six of turkey leftovers. Let’s see. On day 1 I had just turkey leftovers. Day 2 featured turkey soup. Day 3 had more of the turkey soup. Day 4 was when I made those turkey carnitas. Day 5 was a grilled turkey melt sandwich. Today we feature a turkey salad. Not any ordinary turkey salad, but one flavored with curry powder. This is my favorite way to enjoy turkey salad. I mixed it up with some carrots, green apples, walnuts, dried cranberries and mayonnaise. This was flavored with a good dose of Madras curry powder, salt and pepper. Plopped onto a bed of romaine lettuce.
I don’t usually cook desserts but I was inspired by Giada who made a simple elegant cookie. She spread out a sugar cookie dough in a pan and baked it just until lightly golden brown. She topped it with some orange marmalade, chopped hazelnuts and almonds, and then drizzled it with chocolate. I set out to copy this but all I had on hand was some citron marmalade. It filled in nicely for the orange. I also added pecans to the nut mix. Mine didn’t come out nearly as pretty as Giada’s. My chocolate simply refused to drizzle so I just slathered it on top with a spoon.
What else is there to do with it?
November 27, 2007 by Leave a Comment
Since I had to cancel Thanksgiving and I still had to roast my 18 pound bird, we’ve been feasting on turkey for a few days now. What can you do with leftover turkey? There’s tetrazzini, turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, turkey chili, turkey stirfry, turkey pasta, turkey pot pie, turkey salad. Yes, the list is endless. I’ve had plenty of the soup and sandwiches. Tonight I had a hankerin for mexican flavors. And I wanted to make something quick. So I threw this together.
What to call it? Hmm . . how about Cheezy Turkey Carnitas on Sweet Potatoes. Yeah, that sounds good.
I slivered an onion and chopped 4 cloves of garlic and cooked them until good and done. I added some finely sliced celery (it’s what I had in the fridge). I also threw in some freshly ground cumin and corriander along with some red chili powder and a nice smokey hungarian paprika. Toasted the spices for 30 seconds and threw in the shredded turkey. Once heated through I deglazed the pan by adding about 1/3 a bottle of Corona beer. Salt and pepper to season and a half cup of tomato sauce. I let that simmer just for a bit. Spooned it over halved already baked sweet potatoes. Topped it with some cheddar cheese and popped it into a 375 oven for about 15 minutes. It was pretty tasty. Would have been better if I had some sour cream and fresh salsa to go with it. I desperately need to get to the grocery store.
It’s just French Toast
November 24, 2007 by 1 Comment
But French toast can be so good. I’ve been quite sick for the last couple days. So sick I had to cancel my Thanksgiving dinner and tell all my guests not to come. I have hardly eaten anything in the last two days and woke up this morning HUNGRY! Well, on Thanksgiving day I did bake four loaves of the best bread I’ve ever made. From my own sourdough starter. I’ll post about that later. But I have all this bread that never got eaten. I decided to make a simple French toast this morning. An egg, some milk, some cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg and this is what you get. I topped it simply with some frozen strawberries that had been heated in the microwave. Nothing fancy, not too sweet, but oh so satisfying.
