Resolution

Hey there, kiddies, and welcome to 2011! So did you make a New Year's Resolution? I never, ever have. This year, however, I have started to diet. Yes, die with a T, as Garfield says. The truth is, I really am at an unhealthy weight and I've begun to feel it. Shortness of breath, borderline high blood pressure, all that badness. So the diet has begun.

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Actually, my husband and I struck up an agreement. He has used chewing tobacco since he was 13. He wants to quit but it's a difficult thing to quit nicotine. I know that I need to lose weight and it will make me feel better. So the agreement is that hubs quits the tobacco and I lose weight. We are accountable to each other and that makes it easier for both of us.

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Sooo, I'm on a diet. I actually started it New Year's Eve, but it was totally destroyed by the bottle of champagne that I drank (totally worth it!). Now the plan is healthier eating, counting the points, avoidance of simple carbohydrates and more meat, fruit, and veg. For three days, it's been going well; we had Swiss Steak tonight, pita chips are in the cupboard along with lots of healthy nuts and twigs, and the good thing is that I actually like everything that we are eating. I don't intend for this to become a diet blog, but I may keep you updated every once and a while as to how the agreement is going.

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Oh, and I'm also getting out of the holiday rut and back into life as we know it. Laundry is getting done, cooking is happening, and look, I wrote a blog post! I've been actively posting to my Tumblr blog, so if you need another thing to add to your web cruising, check it out!

So how about you? Resolutions or not? Getting back to the old ho hum? Please do share!

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Watch out, Paula Dean!

So I now have a header, and a beautiful one that I will be marrying this summer. It will be an outside wedding. K.

On to other news, my mom gave me an early Easter gift of a deep fryer. I've wanted a deep fryer for some time. We are trying to spend less money and I am cooking more and more. But we crave french fried, nuggets, fried fish, etc. So today what deep fryer madness day, and it was ALL GOOD.

Oster 2.5L Cool Touch Deep Fryer = Where have you Been All of My Life?

Tonight, I cut fries for french fries (didn't rinse them first, which I've learned makes crispier fries - they were still amazing). I bought some breaded perch, clams, and butterfly shrimp with a gift certificate I had from Barry's Perch and More here in Marysville and we has a Fisherman's Feast. It was SO SO good. I love fish. I am 3/4 Irish - doesn't fish course through Irish blood?

I was on recipezaar today looking at all of the fried food recipes. Deep fried Oreos, Mars bars, mushrooms, not to mention funnel cake, elephant ears, onion rings, I could go on. I just lost 15 pounds - I think my family might be 400# by the end of the year.

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Not really, but we will have to be careful. Paula Dean is right - everything is better deep fried. There's just no way around it. All of us children of the 60's through the 80's grew up on fried food, it's ingrained into us. It's part of our cellular memory. (I just made that up, but it does sound good.)

So that's the news today. Am going to have to think of something that isn't fried to eat tomorrow!

Mary Jane's Farm

Have you read the magazine "Mary Jane's Farm?" If not, you must! I think it is my new favorite magazine. I read somewhere (although I'm not sure who said it, so I can't quote) that Mary Jane's Farm is like Martha Stewart Living with dirt under its fingernails and a clean criminal record. This great magazine touts the benefits of organic living, growing your own food, cooking, making your own things, and finding the joy in every day living. It's fun to look at, and this issue made me wish that my neighbors wouldn't hate it if I put a chicken coop in my backyard (I live in a neighborhood where the neighbors are pretty close. Chickens would not be smiled at).

On the website, you get the opportunity to read various blogs (geared toward country, city, suburban, and rancher Farmer Girls), and most compellingly you can join the Mary Jane's Farmgirl Sisterhood, in which you can earn merit badges and meet other women of similar mentalities with great info, tidbits, and stories to tell.

Barnes and Noble carries "Mary Jane's Farm." Check it out. I can almost guarantee that you will be happy that you did!

Swiss Steak Deliciousness

According to my grandfather, Swiss Steak is one of those old-timey recipes that just aren't made correctly anymore. I have been surprised at the number of people who have never heard of it (except that I wasn't surprised when Swiss people didn't know about it, or Scandinavian people in general, as it is an American name for a dish that is actually more Italian in flavor). As I've said before, it's a tradition in my family; almost everyone requested it for their birthday dinner, which was why I was so thrilled to serve it on Will's birthday.

In reading about Swiss Steak on the good old Internet, I found this vintage advertisement eschewing the virtues of meat with this to say about said dish:

"Swiss Steak . . . put it in the pan . . . turn on the heat and sniff its steaming fragrance as it simmers, bubbles, and browns . . . smothered in its own gravy . . . That's hearty flavor for you."

So here's to an old-fashioned dish that's high in flavor, full of good-for-you ingredients, and that the kids will actually eat. It does take a bit of prep work and more time that your average weeknight meal, but the efforts are well worth it. Enjoy!

Swiss Steak

Prep time: 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes for pressure cooker, 5 - 6 hours for crock pot or slow cooker

You will need:

At least two pounds of higher quality beef steak or roast, at least 1 inch thick, cut into thick strips

vegetable oil*
1 tbsp salt
approximately 1 cup flour
4 carrots
2 green peppers
1 onion
3 or 4 ribs celery
4 small (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
a lot of oregano
1 tsp pepper
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp Steak Sauce

* Note: This recipe cooks up best in a pressure cooker. If you don't have one, though, you can use a slow cooker or crock pot (I'll give directions for both).

1. As noted above, cut beef into thick strips. Place into a bowl, and add 1 TBSP salt, coating beef thoroughly.

2. Flour beef lightly and brown on all sides.

3. To the pan containing the beef and the drippings, add all vegetables, peeled and coarsely chopped. Mix well.

4. Add all sauces, pepper, and a very liberal sprinkling of oregano.

5. Place all ingredients in the pressure cooker. Bring cooker up to cooking stage and let cook for 45 minutes. (If using a slow cooker or crock pot, you will need to cook on High for at least 5 - 6 hours. When the meat easily falls apart, the dish is done.)

6. This dinner is traditionally served over mashed potatoes, although my mom says that it's also good over a baked potatoe.

*The vegetable oil is for browning the meat. Add it to your already hot pressure cooker and this will keep the swiss steak from sticking to the pan at clean-up.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Easy Peasy Pizza

I've always been intimidated by pizza crust. Anything with yeast in it just always seemed like much more work than I was prepared for. I don't know what I was thinking! This week, I decided to tackle my fear of pizza crust and found that pizza is deliciously easy!

I grew up eating at a mom and pop pizza shop called Minelli's. Do you find that the pizza you grew up on is the best pizza in the world? Well, I feel that way about Minelli's. The most pleasing thing about this recipe is that it has the crust that I grew up on. The toppings are totally up to you.

Pizza Crust

1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2-1/2 to 3 cups of white flour (if you want whole wheat crust, substitute 1 cup wheat flour for 1 cup of the white four)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used garlic infused oil)
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons garlic powder
cornmeal for sprinkling

1. Add sugar to the warm water, then the yeast. Put aside for about 10 minutes, or until the water mixture becomes foamy.

2. In the meantime, combine 2-1/2 cups flour, salt, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder in a large bowl.

3. Put olive oil into the water/yeast mixture, then pour into dough.

4. Flour your hands, then combine all ingredients with your hands. Knead dough for 6 to 8 minutes, until it forms a nice dough ball. If this mixture is too wet, add more flour until the dough ball is no longer sticky.

5. Place dough ball into a bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes (until dough has doubled in size.

6. When the dough has risen, divide in half.

7. Place half of dough on a liberally f1oured surface and work with your hands or with a floured rolling pin until it is the size of a 12 inch pie (or the size of your baking sheet). Sprinkle cornmeal onto baking pan, then place the dough on the pan.

8. Place dough on the top rack of your oven at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes.

9. Remove dough, then top with whatever topping you want.

10. Put back into the oven for about 10 minutes more, or until cheese is golden brown and fully melted. Let rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

Eat your yummy homemade pizzas!

I made a pepperoni and cheese pizza and a traditional tomato, basil, and mozzarella cheese pizza. I used marinara spaghetti sauce for the pizza sauce, but I used only about 2 - 3 tablespoons of sauce for each pizza. Of course, the beauty of pizza is that you can load it with whatever toppings you like. Want a whole wheat broccoli, garlic, and cheese pizza? Make it! I like onions, tomatoes, and basil, but I have to warn you that it smells like an old shoe! Soon, you too will be a pizza baking fool!

Toulouse-Lautrec: The Art of Cuisine

So I thought I'd share some of my treasures with you. This cookbook by Toulouse-Lautrec and Maurice Joyant is one of my absolute favorite books. It is filled with art by the artist and is, most definitely, a serious cookbook. Toulouse-Lautrec was apparently well known for hosting lavish dinner parties and this book was a result of his gourmet prowess.



The book is supposedly filled with Toulouse-Lautrec's most requested recipes. A delightful thing about the book is that most pages also are illustrated by the great artist. Here, a recipe for Roast Turkey for a Shooting Lunch:



Dindon Roti Pour Dejeuner de Chasse
"For a 14 lb. turkey use 1 lb. each ground beef, veal, and sausage meat and 1/2 lb. chestnuts. If no boudin (blood sausage), chop turkey liver and 3 chicken livers, sauteed, plus 1/2 lb. extra sausage meat."

Each section (game meats, desserts, vegetables) is introducted with a full color painting:



And then there is my favorite section, Ultima Ratio Finis, which includes recipes for Grasshoppers Grilled in the Fashion of Saint John the Baptist, Saint on the Grill, and Ancient Recipe.



Saint sur la Gril
"With the help of the Vatican try to procure for yourself a real(!) saint.

Treat him as St. Lawrence was treated on August tenth, A.D. 258. When you have whipped him, lay him on the grill over a big bed of charcoal. Like his predecessor, if he is a real saint, he himself will ask to be turned over in order to be grilled to a turn on both sides"

This is one of my favorite books and believe it of not, Amazon has a few copies of it. The new copy is $75.00, but the collectible copies sell for much less. Here's a link of you are interested. I promise that if you are an art lover and/or a cook, you will get hours of enjoyment from this amazing book!

Delectable Danish Wedding Cookies

Do you remember those delectable Danish Wedding Cookies that Pillsbury (I think) used to make? They came in a pink bag and my mom used to buy a bag of them for me every time I got really sick. They quit making them and I have been mourning their loss every since.

THEN . . . I looked up the recipe on Recipezaar, and lo and behold KittyKitty, one of the great recipezaar contributors, posted "I Love Danish Wedding Cookies" and my life became a little more complete.

The only thing that I did differently with the recipe was that I toasted the pecans. I will even admit that a few of them got burnt, but I used them anyway, and they tasted AMAZING! Oh, and I always add about 3 times the amount of vanilla. I love the vanilla.



This is my little antique nut chopper that I found when I was a kid at an antique store. I always use it instead of my food processor because it works so much better and it's just so darn cute.



The dough is then shaped into balls (that are supposed to be littler than these; as usual, I ended up with less than 1/3 of the cookies that I was supposed to get from the batch). Do you see the pastry tool in the background? That was my great grandmother's. When I got it after my grandparents died, I really wasn't sure what it was. But I use it all the time now - it helps me make pie crusts that are to die for! I think it's all those years of German pastry love that have infused into it.



The cookies are then cooled a little and then rolled in powdered sugar. I love that if the cookies are a little too hot, the powdered sugar melts all over the cookies and my fingers (Yum!). Adds that extra little bit of sugary amazingness.

So now I can delight in Danish Wedding Cookies again. I also made a tiny batch of chocolate chip and a bigger batch of peanut butter cookies. I'd also like to make some thumb print cookies and we have some gingerbread mix, too. We'll see if I can get to all of this. I might be in sugar shock from the Danish Wedding cookies, so I'm not making any promises!

We Love Cake!

This post is dedicated to cake. Originally I was going to post one cake recipe then do my this-is-what's-happening-in-my-life deal, but I found all of these amazing pictures of cakes on Photobucket that I had to share. Also, you get two recipes for the price of one in this post. Both are my late grandmother's well-loved, often requested recipes. I hope you love them, too.

Watergate Cake

I must admit, when I was a kid, I wouldn't go near this cake. Pistachios? And the dang thing is green! But this is by far my favorite cake and has been since the first moment I got brave enough to try it. It reminds me of spring (probably because it was my grandmother's traditional Easter cake) and is light with a yummy, creamy frosting.



You will need:

2 boxes of pistachio instant pudding
1 box white cake mix
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup of a carbonated lemon-lime beverage
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 envelopes of Dream Whip
1-1/4 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine 1 package pudding, cake mix, oil, eggs, and lemon-lime drink and beat according to cake box directions.

Fold in Walnuts.

Bake in a greased 9x13 pan for 35 - 40 minutes.

Let cool thoroughly.

Beat together 2nd package pudding, Dream Whip, and milk until of spreading consistancy. Frost cake.

Enjoy!

My grandmother was all about the sheet cake. I'm sure that if you wanted to, you could make this as a layer cake; refer to the cake package directions and adjust baking times accordingly.

Feast for the Eyes

Now, let's admire some beautiful cakes. All pictures are from Photobucket, the names below the pictures are the photographers.

I love robins. I love the fuzzy, huge hatchlings, the way they hop around looking for insects, their orange breasts, and their beautiful call. That is why I love this cake!


photo by katmin_album

I also love butterflies. I have plants all over my garden to attract them and am always adding more (perhaps I should write a blog about this - hmmmm . . .). These cupcakes make me happy.


photo by lovelyandfierce

Don't you admire bakers who can make beautiful sugar flowers? This cake is amazing and incredibly beautiful.


photo by Misha_Wolf

Wedding cakes. Us girls dream about them. We want ours to be beautiful and the best tasting cake that we ever had. I don't know what these taste like, but they sure are beautiful.


photo by mchper21

I love this cake. I really, really love it. Love it. Really.


photo by katmu_album (who must be an awesome baker)

This is so pretty. It makes me feel like a total girl.



This is our wedding cake. It's not the greatest picture (taken by a disposable left on one of the tables) but it was (really) the best tasting, most beautiful cake ever. Some advice: if you know anyone that is good at cake, have them bake it for you. We spent $100 on this cake baked by a lady who lives the next street over and used to cater. We bought the flowers and greenery at Kroger for $65. It was a Christmas wedding, thus the evergreens, and I had always wanted red roses on my wedding cake, so I bought 2 dozen and let Karen do her thing with them. I couldn't have been happier with this wonderful cake.



Pina Colada Cake

Who doesn't love a pina colada? O.K., I'm sure there are plenty of people, but I'm not one of them. Been drinking virgin coladas since I was a wee one. This cake that my grandmother often made always draws rave reviews. My family eats it up like there will never be another cake baked in the world again. And it is super easy. What more could you want from a cake?



You will need:

1 yellow cake mix
1 can Eagle Brand milk
Pina Colada mix (the same amount as the Eagle Brand milk)
8 oz. of Kool Whip
Coconut (enough to cover the cake

Bake cake in a 9x13 pan according to cake directions.

While still hot, punch full of holes with a fork.

Mix Eagle Brand milk and pina colada mix together and pour over the cake, making sure to cover the entire cake.

Let cool.

Frost with Kool Whip and sprinkle with coconut.

Keep refridgerated.

Eat a delicious piece keeping in mind that this cake is very rich; warn your friends before they take a monster piece.

The Bliss of Beignets

The Bliss of Beignets

If you are in New Orleans and you are looking at this view of Jackson square...



...you may notice a heavenly, sugary smell in the air. Simply turn to the right, walk a few steps and you will come upon this institution:



Cafe du Monde originally opened as a coffee stand in 1862. Eventually, beignets were added to the menu. Today, the menu consists of chickory coffee, iced coffee, blended coffee, hot chocolate, milk, and beignets. The coffee is great, but everyone comes for the beignets, as close to heaven on earth as you are bound to get.

About a month ago, my mom showed up at our house with a sack of gourmet goodies from World Market. In addition to some tagliatelli and garlic olive oil were a can of Cafe Du Monde Chickory Coffee and Beignet mix. Immediately, Collin, who constantly watches the Food Channel and had heard of beignets kept bugging me about making them. At first, I had no powdered sugar. Then the time was never right to have a pot of 375 F cooking oil on the stove and a mountain of flour to clean up afterwards. The time finally came, and this morning, Collin helped me create heaven on earth.



This mix is fairly easy to find (I know that they carry it at Giant Eagle), but if you can't find it in your area, you can order it here. Anyhow, they were quite easy to make. 2 cups of mix, 7 ounces of water, mix it together, roll out onto a WELL floured surface (we needed to use LOTS of flour), then cut into 24 squares. Deep fry, cover with mounds of powdered sugar (a must), et voila, beignets.


Obviously beignets at Cafe du Monde. Mine weren't quite so square. But they were just as delicious!

As I said, Collin helped me make them, so I could say that they are so easy to make, a 10-year-old can do it. He did the mixing, I did the rolling, he did the cutting, he put the beignets in the oil, I did the turning and removing of the completed beignets, and he covered them with powdered sugar.


My sous chef. Notice the flour all over the hoodie.

The beignets were enjoyed by all with my husband making the "heaven on earth" face while eating them, my toddler giving a grand "Mmmmmm" with each bite, and the kids making sure that there was more mix so further beignets could be had in the future.

Afterwards came the clean up. There was flour all over the kitchen, and it sort of looked like someone had exploded a bag of powdered sugar in the living room, where Collin, the messiest eater ever, had his beignets.


A particularly sugary area.

Despite the sugar madness, I will be making these again. Did I mention that they are delicious? Which makes the clean up definately worth it.

My Photographic Genius

As I was going through my camera looking at pictures, I came across a series of photos taken when Will got his hands on the camera. They are pretty cool, so I thought I'd share.





I'm not sure how he took them or whose leg that is, but they are quite modern artsy, no? Now concludes the section where I brag about my baby.

The Yummiest Mexican Casserole, More Websites to Visit

The Yummiest Mexican Casserole

I love Mexican food but I get tired of making tacos every time I have a craving or my family wants them. So I was quite pleased to find a recipe on the internet that I modified and made my own (you have to improvise when you don't have all of the ingredients, you know). My 10-year-old was impressed and my husband declared this recipe "a keeper." So here's how you do it!

You will need:
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 (16 ounce) bag of shredded cheese (I mixed Colby, Monterey Jack, and Mozzerella)
1 can whole kernel corn
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 jar of the salsa of your choice
1 (6 1/2 ounce) package of corn bread mix
1 egg
2/3 cup milk

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.


2. Brown the meat in a large skillet.


3. While the meat is cooking prepare the corn bread: add one egg and 2/3 cup milk to the cornmeal mix and stir well.


4. When the meat is fully browned, add the corn (don't drain it), taco seasoning, and the entire jar of salsa and mix well.


5. Pour half of the corn bread mixture into a greased 9x 13 casserole. Layer half of the cheese on top. Then add your meat mixture. Cover the meat mixture entirely with the remaining corn bread mix. Top with the rest of the cheese.


6. Bake for about 25 minutes or until nicely browned.


7. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.


8. Sigh with delight at the tasting of above casserole.


I don't take nice pictures of food; this one is courtesy of paltysma on photobucket.

More Websites to Visit

So what else? I have found a few new knitting sites that I think you may enjoy. See Eunny Knit is Eunny Jang's gorgeous blog about her amazing knitting. Check out this amazing Twisted Stitch Sweater. You will want to knit everything on her blog. Really.

I think I've mentioned Vogue Knitting here before. If I haven't, I have been remiss. A fellow Ravelry member left a post about this page of stitch patterns on Vogue Knitting's website. I love cables and am always happy to have a few more cable patterns to play around with.

I just found this great new e-zine Knotions. It seems to be competing with Knitty, but the thing I like about this site is that I came across quite a few plus-sized patterns that were actually cute! I'd like to knit the Oak Leaf Socks when I want a break from my current sweater project (which is going swimmingly, by the way). Anyhow, enjoy!

Coq Au Vin; New Baby in the House

Coq Au Vin

Could it be that coq au vin is the most delicious meal in the world? Perhaps. What I do know is that the French person that threw together the first coq au vin was a gastronomic genius. The recipe that I use is from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook (yes, a shocker), is not really that difficult to make, and is a family pleaser.


Here's a pretty picture of coq au vin that I didn't take.

You will need:

6 tablespoons butter (omit if you want to be healthier)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 - 5 pounds of bone in chicken, chopped into parts
1/2 cup chopped bacon (my substitution, the recipe calls for ham)
3 medium yellow onions
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon thyme
3 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
8 oz. mushrooms
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cup dry red wine

Preheat your oven to 275 F. Melt the butter and oil in a large Dutch oven and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Remove to a plate. Add bacon, chopped onions, garlic, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, mushrooms, salt, and pepper to the Dutch oven and saute until the bacon begins to crisp. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan and put the chicken back into the Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 2 hours. Prepare to momentarily die from the deliciousness.

New Baby In the House

Yes, for the night, we have another baby in our house. Meet Michelle, Kendall's Consumer Sciences baby.



Since we've been home, baby Michelle has had 2 bouts of crying which lasted about 2 minutes each. We've been here about an hour. Tim and I are hoping that Michelle is realistic and cries every 2 to 3 hours all night long. I was a little concerned about Will's reaction to the crying fake baby, but after one episode of crying Uncle Will got his priorities in order and went back about his business.

We are in the midst of a full on Yo Gabba Gabba takeover in this house. Can you find 3 Brobees in this picture? There are more in this house. Along with Plex, Toodie, Muno's guitar, The Dancy Dance dvd - need I go on? It's all good, though, because I think the show is amazing. It deals extremely well with manners, race relations, friendship, and the music is totally rockin'! Only 3 more days until the Jack Black premier episode!

Nummy Chicken Tacos, Family Pictures

I haven't posted any recipes lately and this one is so easy that I'm almost embarrassed at the total uncomplicatedness of it. But it is really, really good and required almost no effort at all. Do you like chicken tacos? You'll love this.

Chicken for Tacos

1 lb of chicken

1 package of taco seasoning

Wake up in the morning and put the two ingredients in a crock pot or slow cooker on low. Put just a titch of water on it so that it doesn't dry out. Let it cook all day. Eat some delicious chicken for dinner.

This recipe is my husband's friend Tony's. It is much better than roasting or baking the chicken and then adding the seasoning later. The chicken falls apart and is easy to shread. The one downside to this recipe is that the chicken is really juicy to the point of runniness. If you don't like this sort of thing, I'd suggest straining the chicken before serving.

Random Family Stuff

Kendall is progressing along well with her figure skating. She recently placed 3rd in her division (Freeskate One; she's since passed Freeskate Two) at a regional skating competition. Here she is practicing her scratch spin before the competition.

She's fast, so it's blurry.

I was running errands in the car the other day and I looked back at Will asleep in his car seat. I realized that his sweet face was changing daily and if I didn't start taking pictures, it would be lost forever in the sands of time. So here's the picture that I took of my sweet baby asleep.

I really am a lucky mommy. He is as sweet as he looks.

Ohio Luau / Super Delicious Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Today was the celebration for the 10th anniversary of The Wings Enrichment Center. I have been volunteering at Wings since November of 2007 and have met wonderful, amazing people. At Wings "Union County residents facing mental health issues make plans, achieve goals, and have productive, happy lives. Wings provides a place to turn for groups, activities, and support." Volunteering there really has been one of the best experiences of my life. So anyhow, to celebrate, we had a luau. A luau in Ohio is an interesting affair; for starters, it was held in a Baptist church that was a former steak house/bar, and still houses a beer distillary (yes, I am aware of the irony of a distillary being in the same building as a Baptist church - I grew up Baptist). The food was great, your typical Midwestern church potluck with shredded pork and chicken sandwiches, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, and endless salads of various mayonnaise variations. There was Beach Boys music and leis and beach balls and various beach accoutrements and much hilarity and a good time had by all.


If you guessed that this isn't Ohio, you were right

I volunteered to take a pineapple upside down cake, which I had never made, but, as you may have gathered by now, I'm up for trying anything at least once (click the link for the recipe). This cake is superb. If I hadn't have been expected to share, I could have possibly eaten the whole thing myself. And it really is easy to make, once you get past the whole making caramel step (which really is simple). The only variation that I made to the recipe was that instead of using water as instructed on the cake mix box, I used the drained pineapple juice. Can you say "Yummy!?" And one other great thing; my son (who I have mentioned had a thing for cookbooks) has finally decided he wants to learn to cook and bake. So he made the large portion of the cake. My husband and I have told Collin that if he truly learns to cook, the girls will be amazingly impressed; Collin has duly noted this (he is already a ladies man).



I've been running for days; I am tired. I am going to find some mind numbing entertainment on TV (Hollywood's Most Expensive Real Estate, anyone?) and veg. Have a great weekend!

Risotto as Meditation, Daisies

Risotto as Meditation

In an exciting development, I located arborrio rice at our local Kroger. I have never made risotto, but I really wanted to give it a try, and I have been dreaming about a wild mushroom risotto that I had at San Francisco's Puccini & Penitti. It was rich, creamy, and the most wildly delicious risotto I have ever tasted. The kids were at a water park with their grandfather for the day, so the stage was set for mommy and daddy actually being able to have an adult dinner.

I found a recipe for the risotto on Recipezaar (I sound like a broken record with the Recipezaar, but it is my go-to recipe site), but I ended up modifying it so much that I'm just going to record what I did here.

I took a few pictures of the cooking, but my photos are nowhere near the photographic genius of those on Taste Spotting, et al. In fact, they aren't great at all, but I took them, so you have to look at them.

You'll need
1 cup dry white wine (yeah, wine!)
around 8 cups of chicken broth (I used 2 cans low sodium and 2 regular)
2 yellow onions
10 - 12 ounces of wild mushrooms (shitake, baby portabella, crimini, etc)
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 cups arborrio rice
3/4 cups good grated parmesean cheese (plus some extra for a garnish)
butter to taste
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chopped parsley for garnish

I found making risotto to be a very meditative experience. I loved it. When I first saw a chef make it on TV I thought "Stand and stir rice non-stop for 30-45 minutes? You gotta be nuts!" But it was the fastest 45 minutes I've experienced in a long time. It was wierd, it was like I became one with the process and my mind was cleared and all I though about was the stirring and adding broth and perfecting the dish.

So to make the recipe, here's what you do:

1. Pour all of the broth in a stock pot and bring it to a simmer.
2. While the chicken broth is warming, finely dice the onion, slice the mushrooms, and chop the garlic (if you do that and don't use the prechopped stuff in the bottle).
3. Heat a little olive oil in a deep skillet, then add your onions, saute until they start to appear clear, add the mushrooms and garlic and saute for around 8 minutes.


Good enough to eat now, but restrain yourself!

4. Add the rice, stir it around in the pan for about 2 minutes to lightly toast it.
5. Add the wine (yeah, wine!) and stir until the wine has been absorbed into the rice.
6. Now start adding your chicken broth about a cup to a cup and a half at a time and stir constantly until the broth is absorbed. Continue in this fashion until you have used all of the chicken broth. Rest assured, all of the broth will be absorbed.


You don't think this will absorb, do you? Well, it did!

7. Stir in the 3/4 cup parmesean cheese and a little butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve immediately. Garnish each serving with freshly grated parmesean cheese and chopped parsley.
9. Die from the deliciousness.

A couple of notes. I believe that the risotto that I had in San Fran may have been made with red wine, perhaps a merlot. There is a possibility that beef broth was involved as well. It was so rich and the end product was actually a dark brown dish. This one is a little grey when completed.


I didn't take this picture. Gobitapi on photobucket did. But mine tasted better.

Daisies

I have a 70 ft border that is a combo of roses, catmint, veronica, thyme, and daisies. The daisies were so pretty this year. I have hundreds of them, but I have such a difficult time cutting them because when they are all in bloom, they look like this:



Now I have purple and golden coneflowers in bloom, but the purple coneflowers seem to be afflicted with some sort of mystery virus, so, unfortunately, I'm going to have to dig them out and dispose of them with the lawn clippings. Fortunately, it's not difficult to come across clippings of purple coneflowers, so all is not lost. The golden coneflowers look exactly like black-eyed Susan's but flower for much longer and get that great tall cone that all coneflowers produce. I'd recommend them for any sunny garden spot.

I'm still struggling with late summer, fall flowerers. Everything seems to quit blooming around the middle of August. I'd like to try some Boltonia, but I can't find it anywhere. I'd also like to plant some of my empty spots with goldenrod - it is so showy and does not produce allergenic pollen (a vicious myth). Next year I'd like to plant some cosmos and cloeme as well - I generally stay away from annuals, but they are so cottagey, no?