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Showing posts from 2013

Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecan Crumble

What? I didn't share this recipe from Saveur which we tried out for Thanksgiving in 2011? Shame on me. It is simply delicious, just sweet enough to enhance the sweet potato flavor without obscuring it. Until Rose, far from home and providing the basis of Thanksgiving dinner for her friends, asked me about it yesterday I didn't realize I'd not put it on the blog. Note: I skipped the mini marshmallows, not being a marshmallow appreciator. Also, I feel positive that I make this to the point of adding the crumble and then refrigerate it until the next day, Thanksgiving, when I let it come to room temperature and bake it while the turkey is resting. That's my story and I'm sticking with it. Sweet Potato Casserole With Pecan Crumble Step 1: 3 pounds sweet potatoes Heat oven to 425°. Place sweet potatoes on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake until soft, about 1-1/2 hours; let cool for 30 minutes, and then remove skins. Pass potatoes through a food

Sichuan-Style Orange Beef with Sugar Snap Peas

This is from the latest Cook's Country magazine. They always have a center section of 30-minute recipes printed on card stock, perforated so you get the photo on one side, the recipe on the other, and it makes a nice recipe card that I punch holes in and put in my kitchen binder. These have been consistently good and simple whenever I've tried them. I think next time I'd use more sugar snap peas but since I also steamed some broccoli (dressed with a bit of sesame oil and soy sauce) we had plenty of vegetables. It was delicious with the beef tender, the snow peas crisp, and the flavor bright from the orange and red pepper flakes. Also, we had plenty left over for a second meal. In fact, I think the flavor was improved on the second night. The obvious pairing is to serve this with steamed rice, although I could see it being a good match with pasta or rice noodles. My only beef (ha!) with this recipe is that there weren't enough peas. A second time I made it with d

Quick Asian-Style Dumpling Soup

This came from Cook's Country magazine, which I actually prefer quite a bit to Cook's Illustrated, though both tend to go on and on about how they got to their eventual recipe. C'est la vie. One can easily skim or skip and see what the darned recipe looks like. An exception to this tendency is the eight recipes that are always on cardstock in the middle of the publication, perforated so one can easily detach them and have a ready made recipe card with picture on one side and recipe on the other. I'm a sucker for Asian soups of all sorts and this one looked tempting with dumplings, green onions, and mushrooms poised in the bowl of broth. My one fear was that it wasn't hearty enough for a main dish. This recipe delivered on both flavor and filling ability, especially when accompanied by a baguette and salad (dressed with Balsamic Vinaigrette ). I made a half recipe for the two of us which was a hearty meal. I think next time I'll make a full recipe up to the

A Continual Feast by Evelyn Birge Vitz

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A Continual Feast: A Cookbook to Celebrate the Joys of Family & Faith Throughout the Christian Year by Evelyn Birge Vitz My rating: 5 of 5 stars At Pentecost a few years ago the usefulness of food for teaching religious ideas really became apparent to me. I was trying to explain to my children what Pentecost was, and their eyes were getting that glassy look that mothers know so well. I was losing them fast. Then (providential inspiration?) I declared, "We are going to bake a cake to eat on the great feast of Pentecost. How shall we decorate it?" Now, as it happens, my children love to decorate cakes and cookies. Their eyes brightened and their ears pricked up. We made a pretty wild-looking bakery item, with flames and doves and rays of light, but we all had a wonderful time, and they certainly knew what Pentecost was by the time we were through. Evelyn Vitz goes on to give a recipe for making and decorating the Pentecost Cake, but as we can see, this is much more

Curried Cream of Chicken Soup

This is from The Silver Palate Cookbook. It is simple, delicious, and a touch out of the ordinary, both because of the curry flavor and the "cream" method which calls for half-and-half but is just as good with regular milk! Step 1: 6 tablespoons butter (I use 2 tablespoons) 2 cups minced onions 2 carrots, peeled and chopped Cook over low heat, covered, until tender. Step 2: 2 tablespoons curry powder 5 cups chicken stock 6 parsley sprigs 1 chicken, quartered ½ cup rice Salt and pepper to taste Add all. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer until chicken is done. Cool chicken in stock. Remove meat from bones and dice it. Step 3: 1 cup half and half (I use milk, either whole or 2%, depending on what I've got around) 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted Remove fat from broth. Strain soup through strainer. Put solids and 1 cup stock in food processor and puree. Return to pot and add milk. Stir in reserved stock until

Foodie Art Friday

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Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Woman Cleaning Turnips, ca. 1738 via Wikipedia

The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson

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The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson My rating: 5 of 5 stars I've had this book for some time and have had a lot of fun randomly dipping into it now and than. Being the sort of family that we are, we have also spent a lot of time looking up answers to food-related questions in it. In search of breakfast reading (and possibly inspired by the fellow who read the OED in a year), I recently began flipping through the alphabet. Reading whatever caught my eye on the next letter's page has been amusing, educational and surprisingly literary given the sometimes wide-ranging references. I have no time limit but am going to see how long it takes me at this leisurely pace to read the whole thing. I'll update when I've finished a letter of the alphabet (Q or U will surely be one of the first, won't they?).

Cuisine Approximate: Asian BBQ Chicken

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June 4 Arriving home tired and ravenous, I mix half a cup of hoisin sauce with a tablespoon each of Vietnamese chilli sauce, grated ginger, light soy sauce and lime juice, plus a teaspoon of five-spice powder and a crushed clove of garlic. I toss four chicken thighs in it, then tip the lot into a roasting tin and bake for half an hour. What emerges is 'cuisine approximate'--a rough copy of something I remember eating long ago, sticky and dark, not quite Chinese, not quite Vietnamese, but nevertheless utterly delicious. I haven't the energy to cook rice, so I wipe my plate with bread. Nigel Slater, Kitchen Diaries II Versatile, simple, easy, quick. Utterly fantastic! This hit my taste buds where they live and I have made it several times. Sometimes I had fresh ginger. Sometimes I didn't. Sometimes I had garlic. Once, to my eternal shame, I didn't. (I know. A house without garlic is an abomination before the Lord. Let us never speak of this again.) An

Cable Car Cocktail

Again from our trusty Old Mr. Boston book. I first tasted this at my daughter's home and then had to go buy some spiced rum so I could make it for myself. Cable Car 2 ounces spiced rum 3/4 ounce triple sec (I use Cointreau) 3/4 ounce lemon juice 1/2 ounce simple syrup Combine all in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake. Pour into a cocktail glass. (You are supposed to run a lemon wedge round the rim of your glass and dip it in cinnamon sugar before pouring the cocktail in ... but that's not how I roll ... too sweet.)

100 Grilling Recipes You Can't Live Without by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison

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100 Grilling Recipes You Can't Live Without: A Lifelong Companion by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison My rating: 1 of 5 stars I have several of the Jamison's cookbooks and have always enjoyed using them. This one, however, is disappointing in several ways. Many of the recipes are repeated from other cookbooks. Although I suppose the fine print in the book description says "best of" somehow that isn't what I expected. However, let's say it is fair for a "lifelong companion" to have the Jamison's favorite recipes in it. What makes this a "lifelong companion?" Who knows? Because their own commentary is extremely brief. Extremely. Brief. My other main problem is that there are a lot of very exotic recipes for being a basic "100 you can't live without" or "a lifelong companion." Somehow Elk Backstrap Medallions with Purple Onions and Plum Sauce seems an odd choice to make the cut, as do Grilled Duck B

No More Brown Cut Fruit!

I read about this in Cook's Illustrated a while ago. If you don't want cut fruit to brown, toss the pieces into honey water. It works better than acidulated water (water with lemon juice in it). They used 2 tablespoons of honey to one cup of water, dunked the fruit for 30 seconds, and it didn't brown for 8 hours. I have been using a more casual approach since I'm not a cooking magazine. I just squeeze some honey into a bowlful of water (no measuring) and toss in the apples while I'm cutting. I drained them later and put the extra slices into a plastic bag in the fridge. They were perfectly good for lunch the next day. I also used this on potatoes I was cutting up for a gratin. And I never noticed any extra sweetness, probably because there is relatively little honey to water with my method.

Creamy Italian Dressing

I've never cared one way or the other about Italian Dressing which probably only goes to show that we didn't have it when I was growing up. My husband, however, did and when I tried out this Cook's Country recipe he was delighted. I, too, was delighted despite lack of previous experience. It is a delicious salad dressing. I pass it along to you in case you are similarly delighted. Note: I didn't care about a smooth texture and did care about not having to wash my food processor (have I mentioned lately how long it's been since my dishwasher has worked?). So I skipped that part and just whisked instead. Whatever you choose will be just fine. Also, don't worry if you've let the dressing sit more than 4 days. Magazines have to put those warnings. Be realistic. Take a sniff, stir it up ... if it looks ok, it most probably is. Creamy Italian Dressing 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 1 shallot, minced 1 garlic clove

Now That's Tasty ...

A quick heads-up for two products that we've been enjoying a lot. Blue Plate Mayonnaise I never heard of Blue Plate before until Cook's Illustrated did a tasting that placed Hellman's, our household standard, in third place. Frankly, I'd been unhappy lately about the change in Hellman's texture which has become less like real homemade mayonnaise (yes, I used to make it all myself, folks) and more goopy. I'd seen their #2 pick, Duke's, praised and tried it out some time ago but was unimpressed. There was some odd aftertaste, or was it an odor, that bothered me. I kept an eye out for Blue Plate and was both surprised and gratified to find it at Krogers of all places. I was also very gratified to find it was more like the homemade mayonnaise I'd always loved, with a faint tang of lemon underlying the main flavor. HEB Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream Like Matt , I feel like a mega-jerk for reviewing an ice cream that is not available everywhere, but

Linguine with Broccoli

I originally posted this in 2010. However, it deserves another look, especially for those looking for meat-free meals during Lent. This originally came from one of Craig Claiborne's series of cookbooks which were compilations of his NY Times columns. It was Ed Giobbi's creation. Somehow I misplaced the recipe and was pleased to find it again in the library's copy of  Eat Right, Eat Well, The Italian Way . The recipe is brilliantly and simply conceived. In brief, one cooks the pasta and the broccoli at the same time ... without having to use a big pot of water. Linguine with Broccoli STEP 1    1    bunch fresh broccoli Cut off flowerets and peel stems. Cut flowerets into 2-inch lengths, slicing large ones in halves or quarters. Wash and set aside. STEP 2 4    tablespoons olive oil 2    tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic       Hot pepper flakes to taste (optional) Put oils, garlic, and hot pepper in a large pot. Turn up heat and add broccoli. STEP 3 2-1/2  

Lent and Fasting from Meat on Fridays

From American Catholic : Abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, milk products or condiments made of animal fat. Abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, meat gravies or sauces, as well as seasonings or condiments made from animal fat are not forbidden. So it is permissible to use margarine and lard. Even bacon drippings which contain little bits of meat may be poured over lettuce as seasoning. I was looking for this for another reason, actually, but it applied to the question our retreat group was asking about providing a Friday lunch including Tomato Basil Soup made with chicken broth. I think the main reason, though I now have lost the place I originally read this, is that the original intent of fasting from meat is that we are fasting from ... flesh . It is because Christ put on flesh to become man that we fast from it in penance for what He went thr

The Julianne

Here's how it works, guys. Your wife has gotten creative, combining a few standard cocktail ingredients in a new way ... and she asks you what would be a good name for her creation. Name it after her. It's hard to go wrong after that. And now you know how our Sunday afternoon worked out. Just fine, thank you. I present my creation, which is not that original but is surely delicious. The Julianne 2 ounces brandy 1 ounce lemon juice 1/2 ounce Cointreau (or other orange liqueur) 1/4 ounce Orgeat Syrup (use simple syrup if you don't have any) Combine all in a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake. Pour into a cocktail glass.

Cafe Maria Theresia

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This was in Saveur's January/February edition. When the girls were home for Christmas and we were having regular afternoon coffee ... one day I tried this. It truly deserves the praise they gave it. I must admit that I didn't go to the trouble of whipping cream, especially since I already felt that the drink was rather lavish for an afternoon cuppa joe (though I did show you how it should look, although my Thinkstock photo has no zest). Half-and-half smoothed it out nicely anyway, believe me. Cafe Maria Theresia 3 tbsp. orange liqueur (I used Cointreau) 1 tbsp. sugar 8 oz. brewed coffee Whipped cream, for serving Grated orange zest, for garnish Fill a coffee cup with boiling water. Set aside for 3 minutes; pour out water. Pour liqueur and sugar into cup; stir to dissolve sugar. Stir in the coffee. Top with whipped cream, and garnish with zest.