Appearances can be deceiving...

Ok, so the cake I want to share with you today may not win any beauty prizes, but it should not be overlooked just because of its humble appearance. I ran across this recipe on Baking Bites a few months ago, and even though the picture didn't dazzle me, I had a feeling that this simple little cake would be right up my alley! This recipe is so great, because it's easy and quick, but yields a moist and tender little cake with terrific flavor--like a Creamsicle in cake form! As a matter of fact, I whipped this up on a weeknight, and it took no more time than making something (full of chemicals) from a boxed mix. While my dear roomie was throwing something together for dinner, I focused on dessert, and both were ready in under an hour! This one is a keeper to be revisited again and again...

Orange Sour Cream (or Yogurt!) Cake
(Source: Baking Bites)
Serves 8 (um...or maybe 6! tee hee)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 large eggs
1/2 cup orange juice, preferably fresh
1/2 cup sour cream (I swapped out some thick, homemade yogurt)
*I also added a teaspoon of vanilla for more of that Creamsicle quality!

Topping
1/2 cup sugar (granulated, not confectioners’)
3 1/2 tbsp orange juice, preferably fresh
*I added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla to the glaze, too.

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and orange zest (and vanilla!) until light. Add in eggs one at a time, and beat mixture until smooth and well-combined. Mix in one third of the flour mixture, followed by the sour cream. Mix in another third of the flour mixture, followed by the orange juice. Stir in all remaining flour, mixing until no streaks of dry ingredients remain. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

When the cake has finished baking, whisk together glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze evenly over the cake (I poked holes all over mine with a skewer first). Allow glaze to soak in while cake cools. Allow cake to cool completely before slicing. (I added a big dollop of whipped cream!)

So late, I'm right on time!

I am SO tardy blogging about what to do with June strawberries, that it's time for the fall crop! See how, as my beloved mother used to say, things have a way of working out? Tee hee.

A few months ago, I was watching an episode of "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," and he was challenging NYC's Clinton Street Baking Company to a blueberry pancake throwdown. Now I have never made a superlative pancake at home, but after watching this show, I was inspired to try, try again. Even though it's a pain, I think the secret to ethereally light pancakes is to separate the eggs and whip the whites, as you do for waffles, and as is the Clinton Street Baking Company's method. Moreover, they top all of their pancakes with this decadent maple butter that is butter and real maple syrup melted and sort of whipped together to form a lusciously sweet emulsion. Man oh man, were these pancakes DIVINE! And as it was strawberry season and too early for fresh blueberries, I converted the copycat recipe that I found on a lovely British blog called Let Her Bake Cake to include a deliciously tangy strawberry-lemon compote. This is a MUST for your next brunch!

Buttermilk Pancakes with Strawberry-Lemon Compote and Maple Butter
(Source: Let Her Bake Cake, inspired by Clinton Street Baking Company)
Serves 3-4

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 eggs
1 scant cup buttermilk
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Separate the eggs so that the yolks go into a large bowl and the whites go into the bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl large enough to fit a hand held electric mixer.

Add the buttermilk and melted butter to the yolks in the bowl and beat together. In another bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

With a stand mixer or electric mixer, whip the egg whites to hold soft peaks.

Now pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and stir lightly until just combined. Some lumps are OK. Fold in the egg whites until just combined. It's okay if some of the whites aren't fully incorporated.

Rub a nonstick frying pan with a bit of butter and heat over medium-high heat. Add batter to pan to make whatever size pancake you want (I made four smallish ones at a time in my 10-inch skillet). Pancakes are ready to flip once a few bubbles appear on the surface and and the tops are starting to look dull. Flip and cook another minute or two.

If you wish, you can keep the pancakes warm in a very low oven while you cook the remaining batter.

Strawberry-Lemon Compote

1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
2 tablespoons sugar
strips of peel from one lemon (no pith!)
juice of one lemon
1 split vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*)
1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down heat and simmer until mixture is thickened, about 10-12 minutes. Stir occasionally during cooking time. Fish out the lemon peels and vanilla bean, and spoon compote over pancakes while still warm.

*If you are using vanilla extract, wait until the compote is done cooking, then add the vanilla at the very end.

Maple Butter

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup maple syrup

In a small saucepan, warm the maple syrup over low heat, then add the butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking in thoroughly before adding the next pat. Serve immediately over pancakes.

Day late and a berry short?

Jeez! I've been so out of touch with everything lately--including this blog--that I have quite a backlog of recipes that I still want to share. The problem is, some of them are from so long ago, that the foodstuffs on which the dishes are based are out of season! Oh well...still, I will forge ahead and try to get caught up on my summer (that wasn't) recipes.

Let me start with an excellent raspberry-rhubarb pie that I made earlier this summer. Maybe you stashed some fresh raspberries in the freezer to make a pie or jam in the off-season? This pie might be worth busting them out for! Or you could always use frozen raspberries instead. As for the rhubarb, it was such a mild summer, that it is still thriving around these parts, so you might be in luck there. The best thing about this recipe, though, is the crust. Ever since I made that coconut cream pie awhile back, this has been my new go-to standard. It's buttery and incredibly flaky and just DELICIOUS! Homemade pies are not the quickest or easiest things to throw together, but this is definitely a culinary project worth undertaking! Raspberry and rhubarb is an excellent flavor combination; if you like strawberry-rhubarb, you'll like this. However, you could also substitute blueberries or blackberries--it's all good!

Raspberry-Rhubarb Pie
(Source: the crust is from Bon Appétit, the filling was my own concoction)

Double Crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
6 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup (or more) ice water

Filling:
2 cups fresh (or frozen) raspberries
4 cups rhubarb, sliced
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup thickener (any combo of flour, corn starch or tapioca)
1 tablespoon butter, in small pieces

Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon cream or milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fit pie plate with bottom crust rolled out from half of the (chilled!) dough. Gently mix together the raspberries, rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and thickener(s). Pour into bottom crust and dot the filling with butter. Top with the other crust, cut vent holes or form a lattice. Brush with egg wash.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another hour, or until the middle of the pie bubbles. (Cover the top of the pie with tin foil if the crust starts to get too brown.) Cool for at least two hours to let the juices thicken before cutting and serving.

Sweet comfort...

I can't believe that I haven't blogged about this before, but it seems a little...mundane. Then again, I have gone through at least three extended, obsessive love affairs with this ordinary breakfast food since The Pioneer Woman posted about it back in April. I'm sure it dovetailed with the stresses of finals and the end of the year at school, and most recently, with my health drama. And it is so simple and comforting, it's certainly worth a mention on this here blog. Ladies and gentlemen,I give you: CINNAMON TOAST! Not just that cinnamon toast that everybody has made since childhood where you sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on buttered toast, but an ingenius new methodology from a desperate mother of four...BROILED cinnamon toast! When you mix the butter and cinnamon and sugar together and add a splash of vanilla then pop it under the broiler for a couple of minutes, you get a bubbly, caramelized, brûléed toast treat!

As is my way, I took a few liberties with PW's recipe. First of all, I only make half of her recipe at a time--one stick of butter is enough for eight large pieces of toast (or four breakfasts, which usually tides me over until my next attack!). Also, I prefer to toast my bread first for crispiness all the way through. Thirdly, I find 1/2 cup of sugar to one stick of butter a bit too sweet, so I take it down to 1/3 cup. And I also like to swap out half or even all of the white sugar for brown sugar, which gives you caramel cinnamon toast! NOM NOM NOM! You must try this, my people.

Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Toast "The Right Way"
(Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!)

16 slices bread (whole wheat is great!)
2 sticks salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I prefer 2/3 cup, and I prefer brown sugar)
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (use GOOD cinnamon, PLEASE! I like Vietnamese from King Arthur)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (again, life is too short to use cheap, crappy vanilla!)
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional--I don't prefer this flavor here)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (I turn mine on broil, and while it's preheating, I toast my bread in the toaster.)

Smush softened butter with a fork. Dump in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, if using. Stir to completely combine. Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.

Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes (I skip this step, as I toast mine first). Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won’t burn! (Note: this only takes 2-3 minutes.)

Remove from oven and cut slices into halves diagonally. (I don't see the need to slice the toast myself, but you do as you see fit!)

Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated...

...but once you hear my story, you could see how people might have been misled. This hardly seems the right forum for my tale, but as most of my posts are inflected with every little thing that's going on in my life, I don't see how to avoid the subject. So here goes...

Sorry to overshare, but I had been having some "female trouble" for some time, and I finally went to see a gynecologist about it. She found that I had a very thickened uterine lining, so she scheduled me for a D&C. I truly expected that she would then put me on some hormones after that, and send me on my way. But the test results of the tissue that she removed were very, very bad. :-(

Apparently, at the age of only 42, I had uterine cancer--an unusual and aggressive type at that. I saw an excellent oncologist right away, and he took very swift and radical measures to treat me. Just a week after I saw him for the first time, I was admitted to Fletcher Allen Hospital across the lake in Burlington, VT for three days to have a total abdominal hysterectomy (uterus, ovaries, tubes--all of it). I had a lot of friends praying for me and/or sending good thoughts out into the universe on my behalf, and I know that I am very blessed. Despite the aggressiveness of the type of cancer, it was only stage one, and had not yet spread to the lymph nodes or any surrounding tissues or organs! HALLELUJAH!! Nevertheless, it is the kind of pernicious cell that likes to return to the scene of the crime, so the doctor has prescribed six treatments of chemotherapy, mainly as a precautionary measure. I had my first session yesterday, and despite a bit of queasiness (nothing that a root beer Frosty float and an anti-nausea pill couldn't fix!), it pretty much went off without a hitch. Of course, they have me so pumped full of steroids, I don't think I'm capable of feeling much of anything right now! They say if you're going to have the fun side effects, they usually kick in 2-3 days after treatment. So I guess we'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, I am healing well, and I have a lot of support locally and across the miles. My beloved roommate used her two-week vacation to care for me right out of the hospital, I have had a small army of cooks bringing me casseroles and such for weeks, and my long-distance friends are sending cards and emails and Facebook messages and lovely gifts. So things are as good as to be expected, andI hope to be rarin' to go by the time school starts again at the end of the month.

By this point, you're probably thinking, hey, I just came here for a recipe, not all this medical drama! And I actually have one for you. Truth to tell, I have quite a few posts in the hopper (the ones I should have completed in July when all the, erm, crap went down), but I think I'll work in reverse chronological order today, just because it fits my theme. Now I don't know what the etiquette is when you're the new girl on the chemo block, but I figured bringing cupcakes wouldn't hurt to ingratiate myself with the other ladies and the staff! But I wanted to bring something somewhat healthful, and one of my friends had recently brought me some zucchini from her garden, so I made zucchini cupcakes from a recipe in Everyday Food. They turned out pretty well--anything with cream cheese frosting has to be good--but I made a few changes, as is my way, and you might want to make a few more if you try them yourself. Other than the frosting, these are actually fairly low-fat and quite healthy, especially if you use some whole grain flour and add in some extra veg, as I did. Recipe follows...sorry for the crappy cell phone pics, but they give you the idea.

Sweet Zucchini Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
(Source: Everyday Food, May 2007)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (I used half whole wheat pastry flour)
1 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I doubled this, and it still needed more spice, IMHO)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts (I increased this to 3/4 cups)
1 zucchini (10 ounces), coarsely grated, 1 1/2 cups (I added another 1/2 cup grated carrots for color, making 2 total cups of veggies)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I doubled this)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cups of a standard (12-cup) muffin tin with paper or foil liners. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Mix in nuts. In another bowl, combine zucchini, oil, eggs, and vanilla; add to flour mixture, and mix just until combined (do not overmix).
Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes; turn cupcakes out, right side up, and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make frosting. Using an offset spatula or butter knife, spread frosting on cupcakes. The frosted cupcakes are best eaten within one day.

Cream Cheese Frosting
(Makes more than enough for 12 cupcakes)

4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter (I used salted)
4 ounces room-temperature bar cream cheese (I swapped out neufchatel, worked perfectly)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract; beat until light and fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to use, up to one day.

In the Markets Now: New Potatoes

I love potatoes. And I especially love local, organic, newly-dug potatoes that are so tender and flavorful, that they need little to no adornment. We have been getting some amazing yellow-fleshed potatoes from a local farm since early spring, and last week, we made our first visit of the season up to St-Chrysostome, QC, to the Friday night farmer's market where we procured, among other things, several pounds of lovely new (white) potatoes.

We prepared some of them old-school style--drizzled in olive oil, wrapped in foil and baked in the oven. Yum! But I also wanted to make a potato salad with some of them, and I didn't want the sort that was so laden with various veggies and eggs and a heavy, mayo-based dressing that you couldn't taste the simple, wonderful sweetness of the potatoes themselves. So I went searching for a simple, but still very flavorful potato salad. What I found was an heirloom recipe from Ruth Reichl, former editor-in-chief of the much-missed Gourmet Magazine, her Aunt Birdie's famous potato salad. With only five ingredients (not counting salt and pepper, of course), it's downright spartan, but it's simply delicious. It has a sweetened, vinegar-based dressing in the Germanic tradition, and it's the type of dish that gets better the longer it sits--the next day for sure, and day three is best, if it lasts that long!

The only thing I would add to Aunt Birdie's fine recipe is something fresh and herby. I have used parsley and also dill, which are readily available at this time of year, and both are lovely additions to the salad (chives would be good, too). And this is another fine picnic/potluck/BBQ recipe, as it's wonderful hot, room temperature or cold, and you don't have to worry about mayonnaise spoiling in the hot summer sun (if YOU have any of that phenomenon--we haven't seen much of it yet this year, and in point of fact, as I write this post, we have a fire burning in the wood stove, at the end of June!).

Aunt Birdie's Potato Salad
(Source: adapted from Mmmmm: A Feastiary, by Ruth Reichl)

3 pounds small potatoes
1 or 2 onions, chopped (2 onions?? half of one onion was enough for me!)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sugar (I doubled this=2 T)
1/2 cup white vinegar (I think apple cider vinegar would be good, too)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
*Optional: add 1/4 cup or so of chopped fresh herbs of your choice

Boil potatoes in jackets. When cool enough to handle, peel and slice. (Slice rather thickly, and don't cut the slices further. They will break up too much as you mix the salad...as you can see in my pictures.)

Cut onions and mix into the potatoes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar. Over this, add oil and mix.

Dilute vinegar with a little water (I didn't dilute--I think this is a holdover from "the old days" when vinegar was a lot stronger), bring to a boil and add this while hot over the potatoes. Add herbs, if using, and mix well. You may serve immediately, but it is much better if you let it sit overnight!

A very sexy story of PBGV love...and pie.

I don't think I ever taxed you poor readers with the somewhat salacious tale of trying to breed my dog, Grady. But today is your lucky day! Ha ha. My story starts last November, the week I was to leave for my 20th college reunion, the week I was ultimately struck down by the swine flu. This was also right before I moved into the new house, and in the midst of all of this, I was driving back and forth to a little village near Ormstown, Quebec, trying to make some PBGV babies! But that was easier said than done. Lord knows they were both willing, but they just weren't connecting, if you know what I mean. Finally, we took them to the vet, and she detected some physical strictures in the female that made it impossible for them to do the deed the old-fashioned way.

So the vet did two artificial inseminations, and amazingly enough, even though we were at the tail end (har, har) of her season, it worked! Three weeks later, they did an xray, and they saw at least four viable embryos. However, at some point after that, she must have spontaneously aborted, because she didn't carry the litter to term. It was mysterious and disappointing, but the breeder told us that it was quite common in her lines for the bitch to lose her first litter, but then go on to have healthy puppies the next time around.

So at the beginning of June, the breeder contacted me to let me know that Bianca was in season, and that she's like to try again to breed her to my Grady. But this time, she wanted to take the happy couple back to her house near Ottawa and do the A.I.'s herself. So one Sunday, we all met at the approximate halfway point, which is Cornwall, Ontario, for the doggie swap. She kept Grady and Bianca for the week, and I will spare you the gory details, but we are hopeful that all the lurid activities that occurred behind the velvet curtain will finally yield a litter of little PBGVs come August! Keep your fingers and paws crossed for us!

But what does this have to do with FOOD, you may rightly ask? Well, the route to Cornwall, ON takes you right through the Akwesasne Reservation, and on the res, there is a fine little diner called the Bear's Den. I always stop when I'm passing through, because they make a chocolate cream pie there that I'm overly-find of. But my roommate's favorite is their coconut cream pie. In fact, we weren't more than a few miles down the road before she had finished her slice-to-go, and demanded that I turn around so that she could go buy a whole pie to bring home! I was eager to get back home (it was a school/work night), so I didn't want to backtrack, but I promised that I would soon make her a homemade coconut cream pie. I found a recipe that looked excellent on Epicurious, and I read through all the reader comments, and chose to make some key changes that yielded a pie that Cyd declared the best coconut cream pie she'd ever had!

First of all, I made 1 1/2 times the original amount of filling, as other reviewers recommended, and as they also reported, it perfectly filled a deep-dish pie plate. When I increased the filling, I did not increase the sugar, and I used four whole eggs and five tablespoons of flour. Then I substituted a can of coconut milk (=1 2/3 C), and the rest whole milk to make a total of 2 1/4 cups. I also added a pinch of salt, and omitted the coconut extract. When the custard had finished cooking, I removed it from the heat and added the vanilla and also a tablespoon of butter. I chilled the filling over an ice bath until it was cold to the touch before putting it into the cooled crust and getting it into the fridge. That REALLY cut down on the time it took to set. I think we cut into it about four hours after I made it, and it was PERFECT. For the whipped cream topping, I used powdered sugar instead of granulated, omitted the coconut extract, and swapped out 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. WHEW! I think that's it. Ok, I realize now that my pie barely resembles the original recipe--tee hee--but it turned out GREAT! I hope you agree. My version of the recipe follows...


Coconut Cream Pie
(Source: adapted from Bon Appétit, September 2002)
Yield: Makes 8 servings (I would say 6...ha!)

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 can (1 2/3 cups) coconut milk
1/3 plus 1/4 cup whole milk
2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter

Topping:
2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 1/4 cups chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For crust:
(Ok, I confess--this time, I cheated and used a refrigerator crust, pricked all over with a fork and blind-baked for 12-15 minutes at 400 degrees, then set aside to cool completely.)

Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle four tablespoons ice water over mixture. Process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill one hour.

Roll out dough to a 14-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. Pierce bottom of crust all over with fork. Freeze crust 15 minutes. (Can be made one day ahead. Keep frozen.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with aluminum foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 20 minutes. Remove weights and foil. Bake until golden and set, about 10 minutes. Cool. (Crust can be made one day ahead. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature.)

For filling:
Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, eggs, flour, and salt in a medium bowl. Bring milks and flaked coconut to simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to same saucepan; cook until pastry cream thickens and boils, stirring constantly, about four minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in vanilla extract and pat of butter. Transfer pastry cream to medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface to prevent formation of skin. Chill until cold, at least two hours and up to one day (or chill it quickly over an ice bath, as I did). Transfer filling to crust. Cover; chill overnight (if you get it cold in the ice bath, you can chill it for just four hours before serving).

For topping:
Toast coconut in heavy small skillet over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about three minutes. Cool completely.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in medium bowl until peaks form. Spread whipped cream all over top of filling. Sprinkle evenly with toasted coconut. (Can be prepared four hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Serve cold.

Perfect Picnic Pasta Salad

So, as is my way, I was watching the Food Network recently, and I caught an episode of Giada at Home, starring everyone's favorite Italian bobblehead doll. (I kid, Giada, I kid!) And on this particular episode, she made an intriguing pasta salad that really looked more like an entrée, but that's probably because we don't expect pasta salads to have tomato-based sauces/dressings. What I can tell you is that this dish is excellent served hot for dinner, just as good at room temperature for a snack later on (when cleaning the kitchen and putting food away...tee hee), and awesome cold the next day for lunch, once the flavors really had a chance to mingle.

Hence, I think this would be the PERFECT thing to take to a picnic, potluck, or BBQ, because it can make use of fresh, seasonal tomatoes and herbs, it's yummy at any temperature, and you don't have the safety concerns of mayonnaise-based dressings baking in the hot summer sun. Plus, it's a great make-ahead dish to give the flavors time to develop further. Now, I know the combination of tuna and tomatoes may sound a little weird to some of you, but TRUST ME, PEOPLE, it is DEE-licious! And, my apologies to lovely Giada, but I think my twists on her recipe made it even more delectable. ;-)


Tuna and Campanelle Salad (Gina's Way!)
(Source: adapted from Giada De Laurentiis and Food Network's Giada at Home)

1 pound campanelle pasta (I used some huge imported radiatore)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small or 1/2 medium red onion, chopped (I used a whole medium onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced (um, or SIX!)
1 (6-ounce) can Italian tuna in oil (I used 2 cans)
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved (I used one can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes)
8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered (I used a 14.5 oz. can, drained and coarsely chopped)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained (I omitted these and used about a half cup of sliced burgundy olives)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used fresh basil)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

*In addition to the above, I also added perhaps a half teaspoon of red pepper flakes, the juice of half a lemon, and about 3/4 cup shredded parmesan.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about one cup of the pasta water.

In a 14-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the tuna to the skillet and, using a fork, break into chunks. Add the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olives, thyme, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the pasta and the parsley or basil, and toss until all the ingredients are coated, adding a little pasta water, if needed, to thin out the sauce.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and sprinkle on the shredded parmesan. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and serve warm or at room temperature (or cold!).

Hippie Skillz: Making Homemade Yogurt

It must be admitted that my roommate and I are, well, "of an age" where a little probiotic help to maintain good digestive health would not be unwelcome. The problem is that we have been spending a small fortune on pre-made smoothie drinks (Cyd) and the thicker, Greek-style yogurts like Fage, Chobani, and Oikos (me). So I decided to try making my own yogurt at home. I already make my own granola and garden organically...might as well fully embrace my inner hippie! (All that's left is to start growing sprouts in the fridge! Tee hee.)

It seems odd that I had never made homemade yogurt before, but I didn't want to risk it not turning out due to inconsistent or unreliable heat sources during fermentation. I know there are all sorts of methods and devices that can work. An acquaintance of mine from when I worked at the farmer's market a few years ago told me that she fermented her yogurt during the summer months in a thermos wrapped in a blanket, tucked in a backpack, stored in a closet! But I decided to go a safer route for my first attempt and buy an inexpensive little yogurt maker that is comprised of a heated base, a dome cover, and seven little glass jars with plastic lids. The one I chose was called Total Chef and was only $18.88 from walmart.com. This little machine makes it EASY and pretty much foolproof, as far as I can tell. I've only made one batch, but it was a snap and turned out perfectly! Here's what I did:



My goal was to make a very thick, Greek-style yogurt like Fage (which can cost up to $2 a cup!) WITHOUT having to strain it. First, I sterilized the glass jars in boiling water. To a heavy-bottomed, stainless steel pot, I added a quart of whole milk, and because I didn't have any powdered milk on hand (often used as a thickener), I whisked in two tablespoons of dried buttermilk powder, and also a teaspoon of sugar. I heated this mixture to 180 degrees and held it there for about ten minutes. Then I stuck the whole pan into the sink with cold water halfway up the side until the temp came down to 110 (or lower).

Next, I gently stirred in the starter. I used five grams of Yogourmet dried starter, but you can use 1/4 cup of plain yogurt that either you have purchased or saved from your last homemade batch. Once the starter was blended into the milk, I filled the cups, put them in the machine, covered them with the lid, turned it on, and by morning (about nine hours), it was perfectly thick and deliciously tangy and flavorful, though not TOO tart (the buttermilk powder turned out to be an inspired substitution!). It's perfect for adding fresh fruit or a swirl of jam, or as a lower-fat alternative to mayonnaise or sour cream...or my favorite combination, paired with homemade granola! YUM!

*Follow-up (3/8/11): I finally got around to trying this recipe/method with goat's milk (just from the grocery store). I used regular powdered milk and increased the sugar to one tablespoon. It turned out GREAT with a wonderful tang, although I did have to incubate it much longer before it set up all the way. (I let it go 14 hours in the yogurt maker.) FYI...

"The Best Thing I Ever Ate" Inspires Strange Hobby in Home Cook

I can't decide if I love or hate the Food Network program, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." It is certainly very interesting to learn about what foods that famous chefs crave when they go out to eat, but it's ultimately very frustrating, because you end up wanting to try the dishes yourself, and they are, invariably, far, far away. Of course, I do keep a running list of restaurants and bakeries that I wish to visit in NYC (where many of the places featured on TBTIEA are located), but I can't afford to visit that fabulous but wallet-draining city more than once or twice a year.

Thus, I have developed a strange passion for cloning and/or adapting recipes for foods that I have never even tried! So I don't know if the things I create are close to the original versions or not, but I guess if they are good eats in and of themselves, who really cares? The funny thing is, I have had the experience of trying a clone first, and finding that I actually prefer it to the original item once I finally get to try the "real thing" (refer to the infamous Levain chocolate chip cookie)! However, please know before I share some recent experiments that I have never actually tried the foods referenced on TBTIEA, so I'm not sure how they compare. But I welcome readers who have had the originals to try my versions and let me know how they stack up!

The first item I attempted to clone was a favorite southern pie of Cat Cora's from The Crystal Grill in Greenwood, Mississippi. I seriously doubt that I'll ever get to try this confection in person, but I reviewed the episode a few times, and watched the baker at The Crystal Grill make it, and I think this recipe captures the general spirit of the pie. It seems very similar to a key lime pie, but with lemon instead of key lime juice. Of course, you can make this with a traditional graham cracker crust as they do at The Crystal Grill, but my twist was to use ginger cookies, because I LOVE the combination of lemon and ginger. In any case, this is one pie with serious PUCKER POWER!

Lemon Icebox Pie with Gingersnap Crust

1 package of Anna's Ginger Thins (32), crushed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine the crushed cookies, sugar, salt, and butter, and press evenly into a pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes. Set aside while you prepare the filling.

2 cans sweetened condensed milk
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of two lemons
1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (about 6 lemons)

Whisk together the milk, egg yolks, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice. Spoon into the prepared pie shell, and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until just set. Let cool to room temperature, then chill at least two hours, preferably four, or ideally, overnight. Serve with whipped cream.

The second recipe came from the same episode of TBTIEA where they profiled "Fluent in French Toast," a maple-flavored rice pudding from a shop in NYC called Rice to Riches that is reported to have the best rice pudding in the known world. They have many original flavors that change daily, and also inspired toppings with lyrical names like Mischief, Burst, Cloud 9, Flourish, Blessings, and Heart Throb. Now I couldn't find a copycat recipe for the maple rice pudding, but I found one for a variety called Chocolate Chip Flirt that I adapted a bit to suit my own preferences. The resulting dessert tastes very like the love child of rice pudding and a chocolate chip cookie! If this flavor doesn't suit you, I still think this is a boilerplate methodology that can be used for any kind of rice pudding that you favor. I know that this is how I will be making all rice puddings in my future! Oh, and if you want to try the real thing, you'll be pleased to know that Rice to Riches offers rice pudding by mail order, and there's still time to get some for Dad for Father's Day!

"Rice to Riches" Chocolate Chip Flirt Rice Pudding
(Source: adapted from Group Recipes)

1 quart (4 cups) whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
zest of half an orange (I omitted this--I personally do not enjoy the orange/chocolate combo)
3/4 cup brown sugar (next time I might cut this back just a bit, to maybe 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup Italian risotto rice (I doubled this to one cup, because I wanted more rice and less custard)
1 to 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped dark chocolate (I used mini chocolate chips)

Put everything except the chocolate into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to boil, stirring frequently. Simmer 30 minutes until rice is tender and mixture is thick and creamy. (This took more like 45 minutes for me, and perhaps as much as an hour.)

Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir a couple of times to give a ripple effect. Serve warm or cold.

*Gina's Note: I might actually prefer this pudding without the chocolate, if you can imagine--it tastes like decadent dulce de leche! So I did not mix the chocolate into the whole batch of pudding, but when chocolate was called for, I simply threw a small handful of chocolate chips into the warmed pudding and swirled it together.

"Lost" Post?

SHEESH! Something happened to my follow-up post to the "Lost" finale. Someone must have turned the big frozen wheel, creating a fracture in time, and now that post is at the bottom of the ocean. Oh well. I will at least post a few pictures of my "Lost" menu. How did y'all like the finale, by the bye? It seems that the reactions were strongly divided, mythology vs. mystery. I fall into the former camp, as I found the ending very satisfying emotionally, though all the loose ends were certainly NOT tied up into a neat little package. Still, it was cathartic and redemptive, all the important character arcs were completed, and it was, overall, a very worthy ending to a great series, IMHO. (Haters, bring on the debate!)

Whatever you thought of the finale, I assure you that my "Lost" menu would have left you fully satisfied. The links to the recipes were embedded in my last post, but here are some pictures of how it all actually turned out:

We started off during the summary pre-show with Mr. Cluck's Fried Chicken Bites and Hurley's Favorite Ranch Dipping Sauce.
















Our second course was a green salad with "one perfect tomato" and homemade green goddess dressing (veggies and herbs from Sun's garden, of course!).
















Our "Lost" finale entree' was Black Grouper with Mango-Jicama Relish and Coconut Jasmine Rice.
















And finally, our amazing "Lost"-themed dessert (that we were too full to eat the night of the finale--tee hee!): Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Brownies with Chocolate Ganache. SO GOOD! These are definitely going in my regular baking repertoire. And they are pretty easy to make, too!

















GOODBYE Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sawyer, Sayid, Sun, Jin, Locke, Desmond, Ben, Juliet, Claire (and the rest, here on Gilligan's Isle!). We'll miss you!

Paradise "Lost"

Well, friends, it has been six exhilarating and often bewildering seasons, but one of my favorite shows of all-time, "Lost," is coming to an end tomorrow night. And with three hours of prime time programming, that's a huge send-off worthy of some special fanfare from fans like me. Thus, for the foodies among us, the big question is: What will be on YOUR "Lost" finale menu?

I have been giving this a ridiculous amount of consideration, and have done my due diligence in researching the foods depicted over the course of the entire series, and here are my thoughts on the occasion and how it might be celebrated.

For appetizers, there could be cheeseburger sliders or mini grilled cheese sandwiches ("Others" food that Juliet feeds Jack in captivity). Or how about smoked (monster) feral chicken satays with peanut sauce (made with Dharma peanut butter like Charlie brings to Claire when she's pregnant)? And of course, sushi (esp. sea urchin) would be highly appropriate! But I think I'll pay homage to Hurley by preparing some Mr. Cluck's Fried Chicken Bites with Ranch Dipping Sauce (remember when he was hoarding all the Dharma ranch dressing?). Also, we will have a green salad with tomatoes and some kind of herby dressing, courtesy of Sun's garden, of course!

Then for the entrée, one might wish a pork roast or pulled pork (to simulate "wild boar") braised in Dharma beer, naturally. You could also have rabbit if you don't have Bambi and Thumper issues like I do. But I think I'm going to go with a grilled tropical fish like mahi mahi topped with mango salsa. And my side dish will be coconut basmati rice. Yum!

I am still grappling with dessert. Of course, the Losties ate a LOT of fruit salad--mangoes, passion fruit, guava, papayas, bananas, and oranges would all be welcome, tossed with some shredded coconut and maybe a rum-laced dressing or spiked cream? But I am leaning toward a more decadent option, probably some kind of peanut butter brownies (made with Claire's peanut butter and Apollo chocolate bars?). Although black and white cookies would be very fitting--especially this season, as we try to distinguish the good people from the bad. If I could find a big fish cookie cutter, fish biscuits would be ideal and highly amusing as well! Tee hee.

Finally, for drinks, one should serve wine (Merlot or Cabernet, or generic red or white from a box), beer--lots of Dharma beer--and perhaps other liquors in tiny airplane bottles? But I'll probably just have a Dharma cola. The funniest idea I read about (by one witty poster on Chowhound) was to serve root beer floats with little labels on the glasses: "NOT PENNY'S FLOAT!" LOL!

No matter what you make for your "Lost" finale event, enjoy the show! And let's hope it wasn't all just a very lengthy dream sequence that we realize once we see Bobby Ewing in the shower or Bob Newhart in bed, or that the main characters don't get left in jail indefinitely while Green Day's "Time of Your Life" plays them off. ;-)

Springtime...and the Chickens are Layin'!

When I went to pick up my last CSA order, I grabbed a dozen jumbo (organic, free-range) eggs from the fridge on the farmer's porch on impulse. They were a bit of a splurge at four bucks a pop, but well worth it, as they were so flavorful and had the most gorgeous orange yolks. So I had to try to find some ways to really showcase these beauties. Then I stumbled upon a package of diced pancetta at the grocery store, and that's when it hit me: CARBONARA!

Spaghetti alla carbonara became popular in America after World War II when soldiers who had discovered the dish while stationed in Italy returned home. Of course, in Italy, no heavy cream is used in the sauce, but it is often included in less authentic American adaptations. Guanciale is also the traditional meat in Italian carbonara, though pancetta is also common, and in the U.S., we often swap out regular bacon. There are several theories about the origin of the name, but the one I buy into is that the generous amount of pepper sprinkled onto the golden, eggy sauce looks like little flecks of charcoal ("carbone" is "charcoal" in Italian).

Regardless of its origins, I think pasta carbonara is a perfect dish to highlight spring's bounty by including both the lovely, fresh eggs and inviting some peas to the party as well (another inauthentic but delicious and seasonal addition). It's a supple and luscious one-dish meal that, while anything but low-cal, is the ultimate quick fix. Once the pasta has cooked, you're basically done. The heat from the hot pasta will cook the eggs, but you should make this recipe with the freshest, preferably local eggs, and anyone with a vulnerable immune system (children, the elderly, those with HIV/AIDS) may want to opt out, just to be on the safe side. In any case, here's my version of pasta carbonara for those who dare to try it. (Your risk will be rewarded tenfold!)

Pasta Carbonara with Pancetta and Peas

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, small dice (or 8 slices of bacon cut into thin strips)
4 shallots (or one small onion), chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups peas (fresh or frozen)
1 pound pasta (I used tagliatelle, though spaghetti is traditional)
4 large eggs (very fresh!)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan (or romano or asiago) cheese, finely shredded
1 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
salt to taste
additional parmesan
fresh parsley, optional

Get a large pot of water boiling to cook the pasta to al dente. In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, pancetta (or bacon) and shallots (or onion). Cook until bacon is crisp and shallots are tender and beginning to caramelize (7 or 8 minutes?). Add the peas and minced garlic, stir, cook for another minute or two, then remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, parmesan, and pepper. Add the bacon mixture in fourths, whisking as you go. When the pasta is done, drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Whisk the water into the bacon and eggs. Add the hot drained pasta, and toss everything together. Put a plate or plastic wrap over the bowl, and let the pasta set for a few minutes. Taste, add salt if needed, and serve garnished with more parmesan and/or chopped fresh parsley.

Finals have you frazzled? There's a cookie for that!

We're in the thick of it now, folks! FINALS TIME! There is just WAY too much to do, and far too little time to do it. As of this writing, I have completed four of six finals, and by some miracle, have actually computed grades for two of the classes that have finished. I have faith that, eventually, it will all end, but the amount of grading that I still have to do is oppressive, to say the least. Plus, there are all of the end-of-the-semester and end-of-the-year tasks and events to participate in and contribute to...AND all of the last-minute meetings (faculty, committee, and student) that everyone is trying to squeeze in before we all scattered to the four corners of the earth. In short, it's GO-GO-GO without a moment to take a breath...or a nap!

I was chatting with my officemate today, who has it worse than I do as department chair AND caretaker of two young daughters, a husband who works around-the-clock, and also her elderly mother. She confessed to me that she woke up at 2am last night/this morning, and decided to just stay up and grade a big stack of term projects, as it was the only uninterrupted time that she could find to do it! Poor thing! In a similar vein, I have been trying to find time to de-stress a bit by making a simple cookie recipe that I ran across recently, and I ended up starting the project after midnight on a school night during finals, because I am a crazy, nocturnal baker, and that's how I roll. Actually, it's a drop cookie with no rolling required--perfect for hectic days like these. Thus, I give you the third installment in my Springtime Lemon Series, a tender and tangy sweet treat that may be just the incentive you need to help you complete any end-of-the-school-year obligations that you might have before summer finally arrives.

Buttermilk-Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
(Source: adapted from My Kitchen Cafe')
*Makes about 2 1/2 - 3 dozen cookies (I got 28 cookies with a cookie scoop)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (I doubled this=2 T)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I doubled this, too=1 t)
zest of one lemon (plus I added 1/2 teaspoon lemon oil)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and poppy seeds. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add the egg, vanilla and lemon zest and mix well. Add the dry ingredients and buttermilk. Mix well.

Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto a greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set. The cookies should be puffy and fairly light in color when they are finished baking. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

After tasting the cookies the next morning, they had developed a great lemon flavor, but they still needed something. So I whisked together a quick buttermilk glaze consisting of one cup of powdered sugar, one tablespoon of softened butter, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and enough buttermilk to get it to the right consistency (a scant tablespoon?). I then warmed the glaze on defrost in the microwave for 15 seconds or so to make it very smooth, then I dipped the top of each cookie, let the excess run off, and then set them on a rack to drip and dry. Not only did the glaze add some needed sweetness, but it made the rather plain-Jane cookies look prettier, and it helps keep them soft and tender.

Bring on the springtime salads!

With lettuce being recalled in 23 states due to E. coli contamination, the timing was perfect for my local CSA to announce that some of their beautiful, organic head lettuces were ready to harvest. I didn't miss a beat in ordering two Boston Bibb-type called Sylvesta, one tender, "teenage" Romaine, and one called Winter Density which is a Romaine/butter lettuce cross. So with four lettuces to contend with, it was time to eat some SALADS!

We made quick work of the soft, sweet Boston lettuces simply by dressing them with an awesome garlic dressing that's a homemade clone of the dressing that they serve at our favorite creperie in Montreal. These were side salads, though, and I wanted to try something new for an entree. As is often the case, it was Smitten Kitchen to the rescue, by way of Gwyneth Paltrow. Now I'm not sure if Gwyneth is recasting herself as the Martha Stewart in Britain or what, but she does have a lifestyle website and weekly newsletter called GOOP where she encourages everyone to "nourish the inner aspect." Much of it is a too new-agey and radically health-conscious/vegan for my tastes, but sometimes she does have some recipes that genuinely appeal to me. One of these is called Avocado Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing, and that title was all I needed to hear. I LLLLUUURRRRVE avocados beyond all reason, and the salad was made up of just greens, avocado and red onion, but topped with this amazingly flavorful and colorful (and healthful!) Asian-style dressing.


Avocado Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing
(Sources: GOOP and Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 4 side salads or two entrees, with dressing to spare

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sweet white miso (I swapped out low-sodium soy sauce)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup grapeseed or another neutral oil (I used canola)
2 tablespoons water

1 small/medium head of lettuce or mixed greens of your choice
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 avocado, quartered

Whiz the carrots, shallot and ginger in a blender or food processor until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, then add the miso (or soy sauce), vinegar and sesame oil. While the machine running, slowly drizzle in the oil and the water.

Divide the lettuce among four bowls (or two plates), add some of the onion and a quarter of the avocado*. Drizzle with plenty of dressing and serve.

*To make this a more filling entree, I threw in a handful of pea pods as well, and I think some cold shrimp would be another welcome addition.

**The next day, I still had some dressing left over, and I wondered what a creamy version of this dressing would be like. So I added about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise to the remaining carrot-ginger mixture, and it was delicious! So that's another option for those who may prefer a creamier dressing.

GREENlighting Some Easy Weeknight Enchiladas

Each semester at school, we hold an intramural public speaking competition to give our COM 101 students a chance to showcase their best speeches and to put a little "public" back in public speaking. It's always interesting to see what topics the contestants will present, and this time around, one of the finalists did a fun speech about green salsa (salsa verde). The speaker was very enthusiastic and personable, which is, no doubt, why he won third place. And when he was done with his speech, the whole room smelled of garlic and onion and cilantro and lime...on a day when I didn't have time for lunch, damn him! ;-)

Thus, the craving for salsa verde grabbed ahold of me and wouldn't let go! My plan was to buy the fresh ingredients and make something delicious over the weekend, when I had the time. But when I stopped by Hannaford (local grocery chain) to pick up a couple of quick things on a weeknight, I spied this stuff in the Latin food aisle.

It's a two-step green chile stew mix made by Cookwell & Company, a small operation out of Austin, TX, and the label boasted "all natural" ingredients and authentic fire-roasted Hatch chiles. It seemed a bit pricey at six-something a jar, but then I realized that it was the equivalent of two large cans of El Paso or the like, and each of those cans was $2.79, so it was comparable. (I found out later that this stuff can command between $9-12 a jar on the internet!) And I know it's supposed to be used to make stew by adding a favorite meat (I vote for pork posole!), but I wondered if it couldn't be pressed into service for making some quickie chicken enchiladas? As it turns out, it can, and there was even a recipe on the back of the jar. And--quel surprise--this jarred sauce yielded a simply SCRUMPTIOUS batch of enchiladas with great flavor and just a trace of heat!

Now I know this is a semi-homemade cheater recipe, but I had a rough week, okay? First, I bought a big deli roaster from Sam's Club and removed and shredded the meat. I added a cup of the green chile sauce, about 3/4 cup sour cream, a cup of shredded Mexi-cheese, a teaspoon of granulated garlic, salt and pepper.

Then I used these great low-fat/whole grain tortillas that I also get from Sam's and rolled about three tablespoons of the filling into each of ten tortillas, and placed them into a 9x13 baking dish with enough sauce to cover the bottom. Ten enchiladas fit perfectly (8 in a row, 2 along the side).

I poured the rest of the sauce over them, and baked the enchiladas uncovered for 30 minutes at 350. Then I topped them with a couple of cups of the Mexi-cheese, and returned the pan to the oven for 10 more minutes until the cheese melted and just started to brown at the edges. YUM!

Next time, I'm going to do the same thing, but try pork in the filling. Pork and green chiles are a match made in Latin heaven! But these green chile chicken enchiladas were just the thing for a zesty weeknight quick fix

A Savory Harbinger of Summer: Southwest Rice and Corn Salad

This is the second post in what is shaping up to be my Springtime Lemon Series. So....I was thumbing through the latest issue of Bon Appétit when I came across a recipe that sounded delicious, though decidedly out of season. I mean, come on! It calls for fresh corn, summer squash, and different kinds of peppers! Shouldn't this have been in the August issue? Nevertheless, I made it with corn on the cob from Mexico and other hothouse-grown veggies no doubt, but I must tell you, it was the MOST AMAZING salad!

Truly, this shall be my go-to salad of the summer. Not only will it showcase all the good eats from my garden and local farmstands, it would be perfect for all of those picnics and barbecues, because it's not mayo-based, and it's yummy when served cold or at room temperature. Moreover, it is like two side dishes in one--starch and veg--that would be wonderful alongside any grilled meat or fish.

File this one away, folks. You'll need it in a few more months! :-D

Southwest Rice and Corn Salad with Lemon Dressing
(Source: Bon Appétit, May 2010)
Yield: 8 side-dish servings

1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (I used half lemon and half lime)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 2 ears) or frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup chopped fresh poblano chiles
1 cup diced seeded yellow bell pepper (or orange or red!)
1 cup 1/2-inch cubes yellow zucchini (I used both green and yellow)
1 avocado, halved, peeled, diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
*I also added a couple of cloves of minced garlic

Cook rice until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drain again. (Hmm...just noticed this direction. I did not rinse my rice, and the salad came out just fine.) Meanwhile, whisk lemon (and lime!) juice and 3 tablespoons oil in small bowl. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat one tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.* Add corn, poblanos, yellow bell pepper, and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are just tender, 6 to 7 minutes; scrape into large bowl. Add rice, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and dressing; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

*On the advice of a poster at epicurious.com, I decided to roast my veggies in the oven rather than saute' them, to give them more flavor. On a half sheet pan, I tossed the corn kernels, diced peppers and squashes with the tablespoon of olive oil plus salt and pepper, then roasted them at 450 for about 20 minutes, or until they just started to take on some good color around the edges. (Later this summer, I might even cook the veggies on the grill!) Also, I sprinkled on a bit of red pepper flakes when roasting the veggies, but next time, I will throw in a couple of serranos and/or jalapenos along with everything else for a little more heat than the poblanos give by themselves.

Failed cheese, tasty pasta!

I taught a cheesemaking class a couple of weekends ago, and though I had some fun (and tolerant) students, the experience was a NIGHTMARE! I can't figure out what's going on, but suddenly, I have lost the ability to make milk form curd, which is the whole basis of cheesemaking! A few days before the class, I made a batch of Neufchatel, and it looked like the curd had set up, but when I tried to ladle it out to drain, it just dissolved into a puddle of yogurty-looking goo. I went ahead and hung it to drip, but it was still very runny the next day. So I tried to rescue it by placing the bundle in a colander, putting a plate on top of the cheese, and pressing it down with a gallon of water. And the texture was perfect when I checked it the next day. Thus, I thought all was well...

But then, the night before the class, I was attempting to make mozzarella, and I went through another two gallons of Wal-Mart brand milk without success. So I went to the store at 2am to buy another kind (Price Chopper's brand). By the hardest, I managed to make one batch, but it took roughly forever to come together, and the resulting cheese had a weird texture. Before the class on Saturday, I stopped at Sam's and bought some Byrne Dairy milk to use to make the cheese again in class. And to my ultimate horror, it didn't work either, which was SO embarrassing. After all, I was there to teach people to make cheese! I guess I need to start a new search for milk that's not (secretly) ultra-pasteurized and try, try again. :-(

In the meantime, I took my failed mozzarella from class home and just for kicks, I let it drain overnight, and then the next day, I heated it a few times to see what I would get. It wasn't exactly mozzarella--it was more along the lines of ricotta salata. What was I going to do with that, you may ask? As it turns out, I ran across a simple pasta recipe from Everyday Food that I wanted to try, and I thought that my weird, Franken-cheese would work perfectly.


This recipe is so easy, has very few ingredients, and comes together in a snap! And it just seems delightfully springy to me, what with the lemon and the fresh chives and all. I served this with some Greek-style chicken thighs that I roasted in the oven with olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Then when they came out of the oven, I hit them with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Delish!

Spaghettini with Lemon Zest and Chives
(Source: Everyday Food)
Serves 4

1 pound spaghettini, or thin spaghetti
zest and juice of one lemon
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup ricotta salata cheese, or Parmesan, coarsely grated
2 tablespoons fresh chives, or scallion greens, thinly chopped (I used both!)
salt and pepper

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook one pound of spaghettini, or thin spaghetti, until al dente according to package instructions.

Grate the zest of one lemon into a large pasta bowl. Juice the lemon, and add juice to the bowl. Stir in one stick butter, cut into small pieces, and one cup coarsely grated ricotta salata cheese or Parmesan. (I used a cup of my strange mozzarella/ricotta hybrid cut into small cubes PLUS an additional 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan.)

Add drained pasta to lemon sauce, and sprinkle in two tablespoons thinly chopped fresh chives or scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well, and serve.

And now, a word from our sponsors...

I don't really have any sponsors, but I'd like to take a quick break from my regular blogging format to make mention of some products on the market that I've recently tried and loved. First of all, you know my weakness for ice cream, as I have written about many, many times. Well, I came across a fabulous new Ben and Jerry's flavor recently that is TO. DIE. FOR. And interestingly, it's a limited batch can only be found at (gasp!) Wal-Mart. But it might be worth betraying your principles for. Ladies and gentlmen, I give you: FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE!

(Photo Credit: Brad Thomas Parsons)

This stuff is amazing, especially for those who LOVE chocolate. The base is deep, dark chocolate, and the flourless chocolate cake pieces are dense and rich--a chocolate EXPLOSION, if you will! Highly recommend! I also loved Hannah Teter's Maple Blondie, the first ice cream Ben and Jerry's has named for an athlete, in honor of the Vermont native and champion snowboarder. It is maple ice cream with blonde brownie pieces and a maple caramel swirl, and it is DEE-licious! The only new flavor I've tried recently that I haven't enjoyed is Boston Cream Pie. It tastes like cannoli filling, which is okay, but there was hardly any chocolate flavor at all (=like the frosting on a Boston Cream Pie...duh!). Thumbs down on that one.

Ok, enough with the ice cream talk! Let's move on to a beverage recommendation, shall we? Now I have been drinking Maine Root's delicious microbrew root beer for quite some time (available locally at Hannaford, for my Plattsburghers), but when we were staying in Secaucus over spring break, I found a four-pack of their blueberry soda at, of all places, Marshall's/Home Goods. It took me awhile to get around to drinking it, but now it's my new favorite libation! To quote Imbibe Magazine, "...this purple soda is the perfect substitute for those roadside blueberry stands we’re missing right now. The smell of fresh blueberry jam and freesias abound, while flavors of blueberry syrup intermingle with a spike of bright acidity and a pure, fresh-picked blueberry finish." If you can find it, you have to try it!


Finally, I have one very fragrant, but non-edible product recommendation. I am in love with Suave's new rosemary and mint shampoo and conditioner! First of all, it works great--the shampoo lathers nicely using only a small amount and cleans thoroughly without stripping, and the conditioner is sufficiently thick and moisturizes my hair (which is prone to breakage lately) very well. But it's ALL about the delicious fragrance! It's SO fresh and invigorating, like aromatherapy for a fraction of the typical price for such products. I think a ginormous, economy-size bottle (with salon pump) was $3.50 maybe? What a bargain for a bit of luxury and a lot of stress relief!

Trying out a new carrot cake for Easter...

Yesterday's post became so unwieldy, that I had to bring it to closure before I blogged about our most excellent Easter dessert, a delicious carrot sheet cake. Now, I do believe I have the best recipe in the whole world for carrot cake (a Junior League recipe with the charming moniker, Fourteen Karat Cake), but I went another way this time just for fun. I sort of combined a cake recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman's site (Sigrid's Carrot Cake) and used a frosting recipe from another blog that I recently discovered called Mel's Kitchen Café. And the results were terrific!

It was certainly easier, as layer cakes are more of a pain to make. Plus, I truly preferred the ratio of cake to frosting in the single-layer, square servings. And speaking of the frosting, I especially enjoyed the lighter, softer version of cream cheese icing, which would be good with so many other desserts. I urge you to try this cake, but whatever you do, keep it refrigerated and eat it COLD! MMMMM!!

Carrot Sheet Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
(Sources: adapted from The Pioneer Woman and Mel's Kitchen Café)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 stick butter, softened
4 whole eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup pecans, chopped

2/3 cup heavy cream
1 stick butter, softened
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3 3/4 cups (1 lb.) powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt

Mix together the sugar, oil, butter and eggs in a large bowl until smooth. In another bowl sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add to first mixture and just combine. Then add carrots and pecans and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured half sheet pan (I used a piece of parchment on the bottom of the pan and sprayed it a bit with flour-added cooking spray for good measure) and bake until done, about 25 minutes (you may wish to rotate the pan halfway through). Let cool completely in the pan.

Meanwhile, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and set aside. Then cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt and blend until creamy. Fold in the whipped cream. Spread on cooled carrot cake. Refrigerate, preferably overnight for frosting to set up and cake flavors to develop. Yum!

Serves 32--perfect for a big Easter gathering!