Indoor Gardening Week Four

Week Four is the first time to feed the AeroGarden. The seed kits come with nutrients to feed the plants. The nutrients are added to the water and at the same time you make sure the water reservoir is full. The AeroGarden has a red light that flashes when it is time to feed and water the garden. How easy is that?

As you can see from the photo the herbs are starting to grow. The chives are still slow in getting started. The chives didn't grow well last time. I hope this isn't a sign they aren't going to do well this time.

A few more weeks and even though it's cold outside, we'll have beautiful fresh herbs.

Culinary Boot Camp Week 4

Tonight we learned poaching and braising. I braise meats, especially ribs, so I was pretty familiar with this technique.

Tim asked me what we did in class tonight. I said we learned how to poach chicken. Now remember this is the guy that last week thought we were learning how to trust our chicken. He said "Poach chicken, did someone shoot the chicken on someone else's property"?

I've never poached anything before and I am not sure it's a technique I will use. I like my chicken or fish to have some color to it. While the fish and chicken we poached in class had wonderful sauces, they were very pale and just not as appealing as a nicely browned piece of meat.

We also learned about "mother sauces". Mother sauces are the five "grand sauces" as defined by Auguste Escoffier. Escoffier was one of the most famous chefs in the early 1900's. The sauces are Bechamel, Espagnole (the base for demiglace), Tomato Sauce (creamy, not marinara),Hollandaise and Veloute. We made Veloute. It was a wonderful, creamy sauce we used on the poached chicken. Veloute also makes an excellent base for creamed soups. I think my first veloute at home will be the base for Cream of Mushroom soup.

Next week is the final class in the series.

Devils Food Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting - SMS

I can't remember the last time I made a layer cake. I was digging in the cabinet where I keep the baking pans and pulled out the round pans. Apparently I've never baked a 9" layer cake...my round pans are 7". I had enough for the two 7" rounds and 6 cupcakes.

We went to see our friends Karen and Larry in Kansas City this weekend. We had this cake for dessert last night. This recipe called for strong black coffee. I was a little concerned because Larry doesn't like coffee at all. I tried one of the cupcakes and couldn't even tell, so I knew we were good!! I made the frosting as Karen from Karen's Cookies, Cakes and More suggested. It was sooooooooo good! I can't imagine following the frosting recipe in the cookbook, seriously 6 sticks of butter???!!! I am all about rich, decadant desserts but that would have been too much, even for me!!! The cake was fabulous! This was my favorite SMS so far and you can bet I will be making this cake again...SOON!

This weeks recipe was chosen by Holly of Phe/MOM/enon. Holly you rock! This recipe was the best! Visit the SMS site to see what finishing touches all of the creative SMS bakers put on this delicious cake!!

Culinary Boot Camp Week 3

Tonight was my favorite night so far! Of course, I forgot the camera! We roasted a chicken the chef had brined prior to class. We learned how to truss a chicken. I was telling my husband and he said "You learned how to trust the chicken?".

The techniques for tonight's class were dry heat methods, roasting and grilling. We grilled pork chops and served them with a delicious mustard sauce. These were the most tender pork chops I've ever eaten. They were marinated in a simple marinade of oil, worchestershire, garlic, and salt and pepper.

We made Spinach with Bacon and Pine Nuts. Bacon makes everything yummy! Our other side dish was glazed sweet potatoes. They were beautiful and delicious.

I am really enjoying these classes and it's only increasing my desire to go to cooking school. Next week poaching and braising. I've never poached anything, so I am looking forward to learning about this technique.

Roasted Delicata Squash

I've never tasted delicata squash. The nice thing about winter squash is they keep so well. I picked this one up several weeks ago at the farmer's market and it was perfectly fresh when I used it last night.

Squash is so easy to prepare. The biggest challenge is cutting it in half. The secret to making cutting it in half easier is to put in the microwave for 60 seconds prior to cutting. It softens it just enough to make it easier.

I cut the delicato squash in half and then cut the halves in half again. Drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and a little brown sugar. Topped them with some fresh thyme. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 -40 minutes until the squash is soft when tested with a fork.

I found the delicata squash to be a milder flavor than butternut or acorn but still earthy and delicious.

Pumpkin Cookie Cakes - SMS

What do you think of when you think of pumpkin? Everyone has their own special pumpkin memories. I love to remember October and pumpkins as a child, carving the jack o lantern, trick or treating. I also have a special memory of my mom's Pumpkin Bread. My mother passed away when I was 16 and her recipes are those special memories I still cherish today!

As a child, Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin Pie are the two things I can remember eating. Blogging has allowed me to create new recipes made with pumpkin. I like pumpkin but I can't say I love pumpkin! This week's Sweet Melissa Sunday's recipe is Pumpkin Cookie Cakes. For me, you need to love things made with pumpkin to love this recipe. My favorite part...the cream cheese frosting. I was using leftover frosting, so I didn't have as much as I would have liked.


Thanks to Debbie of Everyday Blessings of the Five Dees for choosing this recipe. Visit the SMS site to see all of the links to the group of talented and creative SMS bakers!

Indoor Gardening - Week Two

During the first few weeks the AeroGarden needs very little care. It requires very little watering, if any. The first feeding is at the end of the second week.

A few of my herbs are starting to show signs of life. The basil was the first to peek out of the pod. The sage is showing signs of life. Nothing happening in the mint, chives or parsley pods.

If I remember right the herbs really start to grow in week three. There's so little change from last week, I didn't take a photo.

Just Like White Castle...Only Better!

We have a wonderful bakery in town, Rotella's. They have the best bread, buns and rolls and even better, they have a bread store. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, I noticed slider buns in the freezer section. How perfect! I've been going to make sliders but hadn't found the right size bun.



Sliders

2 pounds hamburger (not too lean or the sliders will be dry)
1/2 cup dried onion flakes
Salt & Pepper
Shredded Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese
Slider Buns

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Sprinkle the onion flakes in a 9 x 13 pan. Gently press the onion on top of the ground beef forming one large patty. Season with salt and pepper. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, drain and pat with paper towels to absorb the grease. Bake for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Cut into bun size squares and serve with your favorite burger toppings.

Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes - MSC

A quick note before we get to MSC, I am starting a new group around Francois Payard's book, Chocolate Ephipany. Looking for a few more members. We''ll create once a month and I want to keep the group small. Also, I am having a cookbook giveaway!! http://chocolatewithfrancois.blogspot.com/

When I think of Fall desserts, I think pumpkin. Pumpkin is one of those ingredients where I tend to make my favorite recipes, rather than try new ones. I created this blog to encourage me to try new recipes. This month's Martha Stewart Cupcake Club did just that. These cupcakes are delicious and a great addition to your Fall recipe collection.

I did not make any changes to the recipe. I used cream cheese frosting, yummy! The cookbook showed these topped with marzipan pumpkins. I've never made marzipan and although I would like to try it, not this particular day. I thought the candy corn made a nice addition.



This month's recipe was chosen by Kim from What the Wisk. Thanks Kim for choosing a good one!! You can find all of the other MSC bakers here! Be sure to check out their creativity with this recipe.

Culinary Boot Camp Week 2

Culinary Boot Camp Week 2 was non stop. There were 8 of us and we cooked in teams of 2. We made 3 main dishes and 3 soups. Our soups were made with the stocks we made last week. My partner and I made Potato Soup flavored with tarragon. The other soups were Shrimp Bisque and Cream of Mushroom. Our main dish was Chicken stuffed with Prosciutto and Mozarella. The other main dishes were Pork Schnitzel with Savory Tomato Sauce and Rainbow Beef. The techniques we worked on were breading, pan frying, sauces and soups.

My favorites were the mushroom soup and the chicken. The flavors in the mushroom soup were robust and earthy. The herb pan sauce for the chicken added wonderful aromatic flavors to an already delicious dish.

I had hoped to have a picture to show the dishes we made in class this week. I know I took the pictures but tonight when I went to download them...no pictures. Next week I will have pictures for sure!

Indoor Gardening - Week One

Last year for my birthday, Tim bought me an AeroGarden. I'd been wanting one for a while but held off because they are a little spendy. After several growing seasons with this garden, the expense is so worth it!!! You can have fresh lettuce, tomatoes or herbs all year long.




I planted my newest garden on October 8th. I am going to blog through the growing season of this garden. Here's what I planted and their germination time:

Lemon Basil - 4 to 7 days
Curly Parsley - 15 to 21 days
Genovese Basil - 3 to 7 days
Mint - 6 to 10 daysS
Sage - 7 to 10 days
Chives - 5 to 10 days

I've grown the chives, mint and genovese basil before. My chives have never done very well. The basil grows beautifully and the mint grew fairly well. I am anxious to see how these herbs grow. I hope you'll follow along with me!

Sticky Buns With Toasted Almonds - SMS

To bake or not to bake? That was my question for this weeks Sweet Melissa Sunday. I've never been very successful with yeast breads or kneaded doughs. However, the reason I starting blogging and joined Sweet Melissa Sundays was to try recipes that are a challenge for me. So I decided to bake and I am so glad I did. These sticky buns are so delicious.

I made a couple of changes. I used lemon zest instead of orange zest and honey instead of maple syrup. My dough came together nicely. I realized as I was rolling the dough, most of the doughs I made in the past were kneaded by hand before I owned a Kitchen Aid. With the assistance of the Kitchen Aid, I feel much more confident about my dough making skills.

I had a little trouble telling if these were done. I took them out after about 30 minutes. They did seem a little doughy on the bottom but were golden brown on the top. Maybe the honey was more liquid than the maple syrup would have been?

Thanks to Jen of Not Microwave Safe for choosing this wonderful recipe. You can find all of the creative and talented Sweet Melissa Sunday's bakers here.

Asian Sweet Potato Soup

I love to shop at Whole Foods. Unfortunately Whole Foods isn't in my neighborhood. I go there a few times a year, mainly when I am looking for a special ingredient that my local store doesn't carry. Today Whole Foods was having an in store soup contest. The Asian Sweet Potato was our favorite. Since we had our first snowfall of the season today, this soup was perfect.



Asian Sweet Potato Soup
Adapted from Whole Foods

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 inch of ginger, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
4 cups vegetable stock
Salt and Pepper to taste
Toasted bread croutons*

Saute onions in olive oil until transluscent, add sweet potato, garlic and ginger. Toss with onions and oil briefly, then add stock. Simmer until sweet potatoes are soft, about 30 minutes. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Garnish with toasted bread croutons.

*Whole Foods used a pumpkin pecan bread for the croutons.

What Season Is It??

Don't you often wish you were a meterologist? You can be wrong, a lot, and still keep your job. True to form, our meterologists were wrong last night. The forecast was for snow flurries.

I woke up about 6:30 this morning and noticed a little snow on the window. I looked outside and saw more than just a little snow. The ground was totally covered and so were the the trees. Amazingly some areas of town received as much as 6" of snow. Not the earliest snowfall on record but the earliest I have ever seen snow. It was a beautiful snow and as of the end of the day most of it was melted.

Chocolate With Francois

Do you love chocolate? Do you like to create new recipes? Join me in a creating the recipes in Francois Payard's book Chocolate Epiphany. We'll create one recipe a month. There's so many great recipes, some months we may create an extra recipe. I want to keep the group small, so we can all have time to read and comment on everyone's recipes!

Check out the new blogsite for details on the book giveaway and how to join!

Culinary Boot Camp Week #1

Although I have no regrets about the path my career has taken me, if I could start over I would go to culinary school. My dreams are to own a small restaurant where I would serve breakfast and lunch or to own my own bed and breakfast. Who knows maybe someday these dreams will come true? In the meantime, I am aspiring to become a more knowledgeable and proficient cook.

This week I began a series of 5 cooking classes entitiled Culinary Boot Camp. The classes are based on the book of the same name by Martha Rose Shulman. The classes are held at The Classy Gourmet. Colleen Cleek, the owner, was a contestant on Season 5 of Hells Kitchen.

Our class is small, six total students. Last night's class focused on knife skills, stocks and pan sauteing. I just want to be like a giant sponge and soak up all of the knowledge and cooking hints passed on by our instructor. Next week, I am going to remember to bring my camera.

How Many Pieces of Luggage Were Lost????

I was listening to Martha Stewart Living Radio and was amazed at the statistics the guest was citing about how many pieces of luggage were lost in 2008, 32 million. And to think that is down from 2007 when a staggering 47 million pieces were lost.

If you travel, it's one of your worst fears, will my luggage make it? Standing there watching the luggage go around and hoping you will see your bag rounding that corner soon.

A few reminders for your luggage when traveling:

* Make sure to look at the tag placed on your luggage. Is it coded with your destination? Does it have a legible barcode?

* At home, before zipping up that suitcase, take a picture of the contents. If you need to file a claim, you won't have to try and remember what all was inside.

* Put your name, address, phone number and itinerary inside your bag.

Also, read the airlines baggage policy and make sure you aren't packing something inside your luggage that isn't covered by their policy.

Happy Travels!!!

Crock - It Cookbook

Have you noticed how cooking with slow cookers or crock pots seems to come and go? Just the other day, one of the food shows on Martha Stewart radio, had a segment on Slow Cookers. I have always loved my slow cooker regardless of whether they were in or out of cooking fashion. It's so nice to come home from work and have dinner almost finished.

This week's cookbook recipe, Refrigerator Stew, comes from the Crock-It Cookbook by Barbara M. Murray. I've had this cookbook for years and it contains several of my go to recipes for the crock pot. The winds are blowing and the weather is cooling off in the midwest. One of my favorite cold weather meals is stew. Refrigerator Stew is filled with flavor and all you need is fruit or a salad and you have a quick healthy meal.


Refrigerator Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat
1 package onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups water
1 onion
4 - 6 carrots
3 -4 potatoes
1 can green beans
1 can corn

Cut meat, onion, carrots and potatoes into bite size pieces. Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker. Stir well. Cook on low 8 - 10 hours.

My notes on this recipe: I like to brown the stew meat before I put in the slow cooker. Tonight the only potatoes in the pantry were fingerlings. I didn't cut them up and they worked great.

I was out of carrots and I do miss the color they add to the dish!

Apple Orchard Pecan Crumble - SMS

A quick note before we get to this weeks Sweet Melissa Sundays. I love chocolate and want to start a baking group around Chocolate Epiphany. I'd like to keep the group small and bake once a month. If you're interested, please leave me a comment.

When I saw this week's Sweet Melissa Sunday's recipe was Apple Orchard Pecan Crumble, the timing couldn't have been better. I have two buckets of apples from our tree and I needed a dessert to serve Saturday night. Recently I was listening to Martha Stewart Radio and the host was talking about how we tend to not use our dining rooms and our good china. As I was setting the table for last night's dinner, our friend Larry said I've never eaten in your dining room. Karen and Larry have been my best friends for more than 30 years, they're more like family. I tend to use my dining room for holiday dinners and large dinner parties but I've never used it when Karen and Larry come to visit. I immediately set the table with the good china and the candles. It was a lovely dinner and reminded me we should use the dining room more often.

Melissa Murphy suggested serving the Apple Orchard Pecan Crumble with Brown Sugar Vanilla Ice Cream or whipping cream. I decided to make the homemade ice cream and I am so glad I did. The ice cream was a wonderful compliment to the crumble.

Thanks to Christine of Cooking With Christine for choosing a recipe that was a delicious ending to our lovely evening. You can find all of the other Sweet Melissa Sunday's bakers here.

Sweet and Simple Bakes - St. Clements Cake

My father has an expression he often used when as a child I tried something and failed. He would say you get an E for effort. I guess in his eyes that was like an A. Well this months Sweet and Simple Bakes is one of those E for effort times.

First off the recipe is in grams and I don't have a scale. Yes, I am going to invest in one. I am actually waiting for this measuring cup to be available. I converted the recipe as best I could. Second, my butter was too soft. I was determined to make this cake, so I went ahead and made the batter. It looked and smelled great. I made the cakes in two small loaf pans. When I peeked in the oven, I noticed one was overflowing like a lava flow in the oven. Next we have the burning smell, on goes the fan and we open the doors. The good news, the smoke alarm didn't go off.

Once I had the smoke cleared from the kitchen, I needed to determine if my cake was done. The recipe said smaller pans 30 minutes and golden brown. It's been 30 minutes and it's golden brown. I used a tester and it APPEARED to come out clean. I pulled them out of the oven. I glazed them and then watched the middle sink and sink and continue to sink.

As I said it's a day where I get E for effort. The two pieces in my photograph are the two best pieces out of both cakes. This cake has a great texture and the wonderful flavor of citrus. I will make it again...after I get a scale.





The recipe can be found here. You will find the links to all of the talented and creative Sweet and Simple Bakers here.

On another note, I love all things chocolate and want to start a baking group around Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard. If you'd like to join me in this yummy baking adventure, please leave me a comment.

Banana Pecan Cupcakes - MS Cupcake Club

When I saw the Banana Pecan Cupcakes were this months bonus bake in the MS Cupcake Club, I was thrilled. My husband has a banana almost every morning with his cereal and I always have bananas in the freezer. My go to recipe for bananas is Mrs. Flint's Bread but I am always looking for new and different banana recipes.

Sometimes a cupcake can be more like a muffin. For me, this is one of those cupcakes. You can find the other MS Cupcake Club members who participated in this bonus bake here.



On another note, I love chocolate and I would love to start a baking group based on Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard. If you like to join me in this yummy baking adventure, please leave a comment.

TWD - Chocolate Caramel Tart

My weekend baking turned into quite an adventure. One thing about getting older, I have mellowed and took it all in stride. Unlike 20 years or so ago when I couldn't get the Christmas tree in the stand and tossed it out the sliding glass door. My neighbor next door felt sorry for me and came over and helped us with the tree. Now that's a Christmas memory!

TWD didn't come without challenges. I don't own pie weights (they're on my Christmas list now), so I decided to use rice. Not such a great idea, some of the rice stuck to the dough. I was getting ready to start my caramel and realized I didn't have enough sugar. Was this a sign? I decided not to take a chance and waited to finish the tart until tonight.

I made a half recipe and used two mini tart pans. I used macadamia nuts instead of peanuts. My caramel came together nicely. However, I wasn't fast enough spreading it into the tart pans. It hardened and was very difficult to spread. I had a lot of ganache leftover. What should I do with the ganache? I am glad I made this recipe because it was a challenge for me and I tend to bake comfortable, easy recipes.

This week's Tuesday's With Dorie hostess was Carla of Chocolate Moosey . You can read about Carla and find links to the other TWD bakers here.

A Confirmed Make Up Junkies Favorites

I've been a "make up junkie" since I was a teenager. Always trying the latest foundation, mascara, lip gloss, blush, eye shadow, etc. etc. My make up drawer and bathroom cabinet contain hundreds of products. At 50 something, shouldn't it be time to settle down and pick my favorites? Well as it turns out, as I was cleaning out my make up drawer, I realized I have done just that. I so love my favorites, I had to share them with you.

I have also discovered EBay is a great source for purchasing make up. You can find some real bargains!!

Foundation - Bare Minerals by Bare Escentuals - Mineral Make Up is good for your skin and the best thing...for all those nights you just can't bring yourself to remove your make up...you can sleep in it!!

Concealer - Summer Bisque by Bare Escentuals - Nice coverage without looking like cover up.

Finishing Powder - Smash Box Halo Hydrating Powder - Creates a nice soft finish and helps foundation stay on all day.

Eye Brows - Smash Box Brow Tech - So easy to work with and natural looking.

Eye Shadow - Well Rested by Bare Escentuals (Base) - Just as it's name says, it gives your eyes a great "well rested" look and is an excellent base.

Eye Liner - Waterproof Shadow Liner - Smash Box - No more of the thin pencil like eyeliner, this creates a beautiful smoky eye liner.

Mascara - BLINC - By far my absolute favorite find. I've struggled for years with mascara melting below my eyes and creating those lovely racoon eyes. This mascara stays on your lashes. It's so interesting, it creates a tube over your lashes. The first couple of times you remove it, you'll think you removed an eye lash but it's the tube of the mascara coming off instead.

Perfume/Body Lotion/Shower Gel - Amazing Grace by Philosphy - Love, love , love this fragrance. It's so clean and so natural. While standing in a check out line or being waited on by a sales clerk, I am often told how nice I smell.

Clarisonic Mia - My newest purchase and it's proving to be everything that I had read and heard it would been the talk of radio and tv shows. It was one of Oprah's favorite things and is talked about on Eva Scrivo's Beauty Talk on Sirius. This is a smaller version of the original Clarisonic. I have wanted one for a while but held off because of the price. The original was around $200.00.
The Mia is about half the size of the original but has all of the same benefits.

I am not going cold turkey breaking this addiction. The one product I am still not 100% sure of is blush. I've never found one that I just LOVE. Do you have any suggestions for me??

Bobbing for Apples

Apples just make me think fall. When I was younger, middle school maybe?, my church group always had a fall party. We always bobbed for apples and of course, the boys always shoved the girls heads further into the metal tub of apples and water. I think that was the last time I bobbed for apples.

We stopped at the farm store on the way home from Tim's moms and found an apple picker. Tim was able to pick lots of apples from our tree. I wanted to make something that would let us enjoy the apples when the leaves are off the trees and there's snow on the ground.

Crockpot Chunky Applesauce

10 apples
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons brown sugar
dash of salt
1/2 cup water
lemon juice

Peel, core, slice and chop apples. To keep them from turning brown, place in a bowl with water and a little lemon juice. Combine all ingredients in the crock pot. Cook on low 8 - 10 hours or until soft.

My notes on this recipe: I decided I wanted a little thicker sauce, so I used my imersion blender to puree half of the sauce. I froze this freezer containers.



The applesauce is good to eat on its own. I used it for a topping for the SMS Pefect Pound Cake that was a little dry. It makes a wonderful topping for French Toast.

License To Grill Cookbook

This morning, dressed in a jacket and the wide brimmed gardening hat my son gave me for Christmas last year, I avoided the very large yellowjackets and successfully pruned the overgrown basil plant. The nights are going to start getting cooler next week and I know the days for fresh basil are numbered.

Little Bit of Everything's featured cookbook this week is License To Grill by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. I believe I purchased this book when we had our lake house. We were in a grilling rut and I was always looking for new grilling recipes.

Basil - Garlic Chicken Breasts

1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic

4 whole boneless chicken breasts

In a small bowl, combine the basil, garlic and olive oil and mix well. Rub the chicken breasts with this mixutre. Sprinkle with sale and pepper. Grill over a medium fire, skin side down, until the skin is crispy 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the breasts over and grill for another 6 minutes. Grill until the chicken registers an internal tempeature of 170.

My notes on this recipe: I used both chicken breasts and thighs.

Outdoor Wednesdays - Garden Flowers

Backyard Beauty!

First Day of Fall - Squash Soup

Squash soup is one of those dishes that just makes me think of Fall! It's the beginning of the time of year when there is nothing better than a warm, creamy soup.

When I mentioned to my husband, I wanted to make squash soup from one of our remaining acorn squash. SQUASH SOUP, he said? Remember this is the guy who really prefers all meals to involve some sort of MEAT.

Squash Soup
Recipe Courtesy of Alton Brown

6 cups (about 2 large squash), halved
Melted butter, for brushing
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon minced ginger
4 ounces heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Brush the flesh of the squash with a little butter and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper. Roast for about 30 to 35 minutes or until the flesh is and soft.

Scoop the flesh from the skin into a pot and add the stock, honey, and ginger. Bring to a simmer and puree using a stick blender. Stir in the heavy cream and return to a low simmer. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.






My notes on this recipe: The original recipe called for Butternut Squash. From what I have read the butternut and acorn squash can be used interchangeably. Acorn squash can be challenging to cut in half. I have found if you microwave for about 60 seconds on high, it is a little easier to cut.

Orange Scented Scones - SMS

Due to a family emergency, we made a quick day to trip to Kansas City. Today I am trying to get the things I wanted to do this weekend done in one day. My baking for the weekend was going to be TWD Cottage Cheese Pufflets and SMS Orange Scented Scones. After reading some of the comments on the dough for the TWD recipe and considering my dough skills, I decided just to bake the SMS recipe.

Since I felt like I was in race mode today, I measured and arranged all of the ingredients in advance so as to not make mistakes. I read the recipe well or so I thought. I pulsed the dough and when I went to fold it into the wet mixture, I realized a lot of the butter had settled on the bottom. Too late to correct, half the dough is in the wet mixture. The dough seemed to have a good texture when I rolled it out, so I am hoping they are still good. As I put them in the oven, I realized the glaze was supposed to go on them BEFORE I baked them. I decided to go ahead and bake them and make an icing style glaze to drizzle over them.



The reason I decided to join the SMS and TWD baking groups, is to improve my baking skills and bake recipes outside of my normal comfort zone. It's a great learning experience and next time, I will check the food processor before I fold into the wet mixture.

This weeks recipe was chosen by Robin of Lady Craddock's Bakery. You can find the other SMS bakers here. There are some very talented and creative bakers in this group.

Susie's Salsa

A few years ago we stopped to see our friends in Sioux City, Russ and Susie. Don't you love it when people call and say they are in the area and want to stop by? Susie shared some of her homemade salsa with us. The salsa was excellent and one you remember. Last summer, I wanted to make salsa and called Susie for her recipe. Best laid plans...I never got around to making it.

Last Saturday I went to the Farmer's Market. It was a beautiful fall like morning. I spent more time than ususal walking around. Everything I needed to make salsa was available. As soon as I got home from the market, I went to the recipe file and pulled out Susie's recipe. I had everything to make the salsa except the beef bouillion. I'd planned to go to the store but decided to try a substitution, beef gravy mix. Hopefully it's close to as good as Susie's.



Susie's Salsa

5 green tomatoes (I used 10 tomatillos), chopped
10 red tomatoes (I used romas), peeled and chopped
4 jalapeno peppers, chopped and seeds removed
2 cubes of beef boullion (I used 2 tablespoons of beef gravy mix)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 medium sweet onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
12 oz. tomato paste

Mix everything, except the tomato paste in a large saucepan. Cook 1/2 hour over medium heat. Remove from the stove and stir in the tomato paste.

Makes 5 - 6 pints.

I froze this in freezer containers so we can enjoy the fresh taste of salsa when it's snowy and cold outside.

What Happened to Respect & Manners?

I certainly didn't start Little Bit of Everything to rant about what may be on my mind, so this is a rare post. Also, I am some what old fashioned and have "rules" about discussing sex, politics and religion, so you won't see those topics discussed on here either. However, I can't help but ask the question, "What Happened to Respect & Manners?".

Seriously...first during President Obama's speech last week? Come on, he is the President. While you may or may not have agreed with the call during Serena Williams match, was her outburst necessary? Lastly, Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech Sunday night?

It's all become too much for me to keep quiet about!! What happened to Respect & Manners?

Zuchini Cupcakes - MS Cupcake Club

I was thrilled a few weeks ago when surfing the blogsphere, I found the MS Cupcake Club. This baking group is baking the recipes in Martha Stewart's Cupcake book. The book has so many great recipes. I look forward to baking along with the MS Cupcake Club.

This month's recipe was chosen by Tracey from Tracey's Culinary Adventures. You can find the blogroll of the MS Cupcake Club members here.

The recipe calls for a Cream Cheese frosting. I decided for the healthier version, just a dusting of powdered sugar.



My notes on this recipe: If you have leftover lemon zest, place in a freezer container or a ziplock baggie and freeze for next time.

Perfect Pound Cake - Sweet Melissa Sundays

I am excited to announce my first official Sweet Melissa Sundays (SMS) post. This weeks recipe was chosen by Michele of Veggie Num Nums. You will find the recipe on her blog. Check out some of the other wonderful SMS bakers here.

I wanted to do something besides just a plain pound cake. I am trying to get a little more adventurous with my baking. After some deliberation as to whether or not the recipe would work in a bundt pan, I decided to go for it. I adjusted the baking time to 40 minutes.

In addition, I thought it would be yummy to give the pound cake a touch of lemon. I added 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the batter. As well, I made a lemon syrup to go on top of the cake.

Lemon Syrup
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
Combine over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.

Place cake on cooling rack. Poke holes in the bottom of the cake with a toothpick. Brush 1/2 of the lemon syrup over the cake. Let the cake cool about 20 minutes. Remove from the pan. Poke holes in the top of the cake and brush with remaining syrup.



Although the cake isn't as tall as I would like, I think it turned out beautifully. The lemon is a nice addition to the already buttery pound cake.

The Victorian Sampler Tea Room Cookbook

Remember the time when the only way to find a recipe was to go to your recipe box or flip through cookbooks?? I miss those times! It's faster and easier to google for a recipe than flipping through cookbooks. I have over 100 cookbooks and most of them are collecting dust. In an effort to force me to flip through those cookbooks, going forward each week, Little Bit of Everything will feature a recipe from one of those cookbooks.

This week's recipe is from The Victorian Sampler Tea Room cookbook. The book is a collection of recipes from a wonderful little tea room that used to be in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.






Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking power
2 cups grated zucchini
3 cups sifted flour
1 cup nuts (optional)

Beat eggs until foamy. Add sugar, oil and vanilla, beat well. Sift dry ingredients together. Fold zucchini and nuts into dry ingredients. Pour into greased pans (1 tube pan or 2 loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean. Frost with cream cheese frosting if desired.

Green Tomato Cake

We have lots of green tomatoes remaining on the plant in the backyard. Since our weather has become unseasonably cool, I don't think these are going to turn to ripe red tomatoes. It seems a shame to throw the green tomatoes away. Of course, there's fried green tomatoes or green tomato relish but what else can I make with these? I did some searching and found a recipe for this Green Tomato Cake. I shared the idea with Tim. His response was "YUCK". I am up for the adventure!



Green Tomato Cake
Adapted from Diana Rattray, About.com

2 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup craisins
2 1/2 cups diced green tomatoes

Preheat oven to 350°. In mixing bowl, beat sugar, vegetable oil or shortening, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; slowly beat into egg mixture. Blend well. Stir in raisins, craisins and tomatoes.Pour into greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake for one hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. .Serves 12.

My notes on this recipe: I wish there was a way to grate the tomatoes. To me when you take a bite of the cake, the chopped tomatoes are distracting. Also, I would use more cinnamon and less nutmeg next time, the nutmeg seems to overpower the cinnamon. The cake is dense and very moist.

No Meat?

If you follow my blog, you know my husband doesn't think it's a meal unless it includes meat. This morning I told him we were having Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas for dinner tonight. He of course, said "No meat?". These are a quick and filling summertime dinner.

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Serves 6 - 8

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup salsa

Kosher salt and black pepper

3/4 cup grated Monterey jack cheese

Salsa for serving

Light Sour Cream for serving

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a medium sized saute pan over medium heat. Add corn, and black beans. Season with salsa, salt and pepper, cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heat 1 teaspoon of olive in oil a skillet. Lay one tortilla in a hot skillet. Add 1/4 cup filling and then top with 2 tablespoon grated cheese. Top with another tortilla and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly browned on the bottom tortilla. Flip and cook on the other side until slightly browned and the cheese has melted.

Cut each quesadilla into six triangles and serve warm with Salsa and light sour cream.

Backroads or Interstate?-Outdoor Wednesdays

While browsing blogs this morning, I came across A Southern Daydreamer and Susan's event Outdoor Wednesdays. What a perfect opporunity to spotlight our recent backroads adventure. Thank you Susan!

No matter if they are scenic or not, my husband loves to drive the backroads. I prefer the fastest route, how do we get from point A to point B the quickest? Usually that means the interstate. When we left Tim's moms , we weren't in a hurry and there was a lot of road construction on the interestate so we agreed to drive the scenic route home.

Our first stop was a backroad outside of Okoboji, Iowa. Tim found this road several years ago. We affectionatly named this road, "Rock Road". The farmers dump rocks in the fields on the sides of this road. Where do these rocks come from? Thousands of years ago the glaciers left these rocks in the soil and every spring the frost pushes these rocks to the surface. They make great landscaping rocks in our gardens. Today was an especially productive day, we collected four totes of rocks.

The next stop was Arnold's Park. We treated ourselves to an Arnold's Park mainstay, a nutty bar.

Back on the road, we drove through Sac County. I didn't really notice them but Tim pointed out all of the barns with quilts painted on them. Thank goodness for google and the IPhone. I googled and found what we were seeing was Barn Quilts of Sac County. I am looking foward to driving this way again and checking out more of the barns.

Our last stop was Small's Fruit Farm. We decided to buy Honey Crisp and McIntosh apples. Have you ever eaten a Honey Crisp? If not, you should. They are the best eating apple, so sweet and crisp. One of the orchard's weekend specials was Acorn Squash, so we purchased three. I also found ornamental gourds and small pumpkins for my outdoor fall display.

Thanks Tim! Your backroads adventure made for a wonderful, memorable day!

Signs of Fall

Fall has been in the air in Nebraska for several weeks. It's made for a wonderful August and early September. Unlike years past when this time of year is hot and humid. I noticed the trees up north at Tim's moms were starting to get a glimmer of the fall colors. Fall is my favorite season. I love the trees and their changing colors. Pumpkins, Halloween, Acorn Squash, Apple Orchards...what else reminds you of fall?




Acorn Squash
1 acorn squash, cut in half
(Microwave for 60 seconds and it will be a little easier to cut in half)
3 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and Pepper

Place the squash in a casserole dish. Use a casserole dish that is a size so they will stand up while baking. Place 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Mix together butter, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. After 30 minutes, remove squash from the oven and brush with the butter mixutre. Cover with foil and return to the oven for 30 minutes.

TWD Chocolate Souffle

I am excited to be participating in a wonderful baking group, Tuesday's With Dorie (TWD). Each week TWD features a recipe from the book, Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. This weeks recipe was chosen by Susan of She's Becoming Doughmesstic.

It is only fitting that my first TWD post would be a recipe with chocolate as the main ingredient. Chocolate is one of my major weaknesses! Chocolate Souffle is a dessert that, to me, says special occasion. The last time I remember ordering one was on the cruise we took to celebrate my 50th Birthday! Now that was truly a special occasion.

Since it's just the two us and a souffle needs to be eaten immediately, a recipe reduction was in order. Several members of TWD posted cutting the recipe in half or even one quarter. I decided to cut the recipe in half. I never have whole milk in the house, I took a chance and used skim milk. I was surprised the souffles didn't fall as quickly as I had anticipated, giving us plenty of time to take photos! Even though the souffle didn't raise as much as I would have liked, it was delicious!

Apple Claufouti

We've lived in this house three summers and every summer we talk about baking something using the apples from the tree in the backyard. They are a smaller, green apple. This year's crop is particularly plentiful. We don't own an apple picker but there are quite a few within arms reach.

My first exposure to a clafouti (kla-foo-TEE) was watching Ina Garten make a cherry one on Barefoot Contessa. A clafouti is a french batter cake. I just love the name, it's such a romantic sounding dessert. How fitting for my first clafouti to be the first dessert made with apples from our tree.



Apple Clafouti
Recipe from Saveur.com

FOR THE BATTER:
3 eggs
1 cup milk or heavy cream
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2⁄3 cup all-purpose flour
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 tsp. salt
FOR THE APPLES:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1⁄2 cup plus 2 tsp. sugar
2–3 tbsp. brandy
Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine milk, eggs, 6 tbsp. of the butter, vanilla, flour, sugar, and salt into a blender, blend until smooth, and set aside. Grease a 10" pie plate with remaining butter, then set in oven to heat.

For the apples: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and brandy and cook until apples are glazed and warm, about 5 minutes.

Remove pie plate from oven and immediately pour in half the batter. Arrange warm apple slices over batter, reserving juices, then pour remaining batter over apples. Sprinkle remaining sugar and a little cinnamon over batter.

Bake until clafouti is golden and set in the center, 25–30 minutes.

Drizzle with warmed reserved apple juices.

Eating With Your Eyes

So much of the pleasure of eating is also visual. How many times do we say "Oh that looks so good"? or "Just looking at that makes my mouth water"? The plating either adds or detracts from the overall dining experience.

Friday night on our way to Tim's moms house, we stopped at Olive Garden in Sioux City, IA. We don't eat at Olive Garden a lot but when we do, the experience has always been a good one. Tim ordered Short Ribs. I was concerned about the choice because Short Ribs didn't seem to me to be a very Italian dish. As they say, "When in Rome". Maybe he should have ordered pasta?

When our server brought our meals, I took one look at Tim's short ribs and said "That is the most unappealing meal I have ever seen". Tim was trying to make the most of it. He's not as particular as I am but in the end even he admitted it was really bad. To Olive Garden's credit, we told our server the meal was bad and they took the meal off the bill.

Baba Ghanoush

The eggplants were plentiful and very reasonable at the Farmer's Market. Wouldn't it be great to have a Farmer's Market year round? Reasonable prices and locally ground produce instead of expensive, commerically grown produce.

I roasted the eggplant, whole. Poke holes in the eggplant with a fork, coat the outside lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place on a parchment covered cookie sheet and roast in a 450 degree oven until you can easily pierce with a fork, about 30 - 40 minutes.




Baba Ghanoush

1 large eggplant
1/8 cup tahini
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 pinch ground cumin
dash or two of hot sauce
salt

Allow the eggplant to cool, slightly. Split and scrape the flesh from the inside. Using a food processor mix all ingredients until smooth. Before serving drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve with pita bread or tortilla chips.

My notes on this recipe: I don't like a strong tahini taste, so I use less tahini. The tahini and lemon juice should be increased or decreased depending on your taste.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

A couple of weeks ago, I was searching for what to do with too many cherry tomatoes. I'd given bags to my friend Linda and was eating as many as I could. Sun-Dried Cherry Tomatoes, what a great idea!!! The best of both worlds basil and sun-dried tomatoes, Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto.


Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

1 cup fresh basil, firmly packed
3/4 cup sun-dried cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon balsalmic vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil

Process all ingredients in a food processor until mixed well. Slowly pour in basil and process until incorporated.

Serve with your favorite pasta. I used linguini and mixed a small amount of the pasta water with the sauce.

Peach Crumble

My husband enjoyed the Fresh Peach Muffins but commented I thought you were going to make a cobbler or crisp. The old standby's are his favorites. I had a few peaches remaining from our trip to the orchard, so Tim this crumble is for you!!!

I checked the refrigerator and realized I didn't have any lemons. I do have the bottled lemon juice but don't like to use it in baked goods. I see this bottle of limoncello we purchased after enjoying limoncello on a cruise. Why is it the limoncello we had on the cruise was much tastier than the bottled variety. Maybe it was the ocean air or maybe the bottle of wine we had with dinner?? Anyway, I decided to try limoncello in this recipe as a substution for lemon juice.

Peach Crumble

4 ripe peaches, pitted and sliced
3 tablespoons of Limoncello
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into thin pieces
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Arrange the peach slices in a buttered shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with the limoncello, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a small bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar. With your fingers, blend the butter into the flour-sugar mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the oats and sprinkle the mixture on top of the sliced peaches. Bake until the peaches are soft and the topping is brown, about 25 minutes.

Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream!

My First Sweet & Simple Bakes

I have been searching the blogsphere for some baking groups to join. The first one to catch my eye was Sweet & Simple Bakes.

This month's recipe was Jammy Donut Muffins. You can find the recipe here. For the filling, I decided to use some of the delightful strawberry/rhubarb jam , my mother in law made.

My notes on the recipe:

I had a little trouble deciding just how much batter to put in the muffin tins before putting in the jam. I think I used too much for the first few muffins. I didn't need all of the melted butter for dipping but no problem, it will be great for tomorrow morning's French Toast. I don't own a kitchen scale, so the measurements for this recipe were a bit challenging. I did a search and found what I think was the closest conversion possible. I think I need to invest in a scale.

These muffins are melt in your mouth delicious. Next time I want to try them with a cream filling. The muffins are best eaten on the first day, so share with some friends and enjoy!!!

Thanks Rosie and Maria for taking the time to create this group! I look forward to next month's recipe!!!

Fresh Peach Muffins

On our way home from our weekend trip to Kansas City, we stopped at Kimmel Orchards. We enjoyed a wine tasting of their fruit and white wines, tasted their yummy apple cider donuts and purchased some beautiful white peaches. I can't wait to go back during apple season.

A juicy, fresh peach is such a sign of summer and I love eating them. My husband, however, prefers them in desserts. What dessert do you think of when you think of peaches? For me, it's cobblers or crisps. I wanted to try something besides a cobbler, crisp or pie.

I found the baking blog, Sweet Melissa Sunday's, their recipe for this week is Fresh Peach Muffins. They have the maximum number of bakers for their group. Darn! I thought the recipe looked so yummy and since I had fresh peaches, I decided to bake it anyway.

My notes for this recipe:

I blanched the peaches in boiling water for one minute and then transferred them to cold water to stop the cooking. The skin peeled off easily.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of diced peaches, a large peach yielded one cup. I didn't have orange zest, so I substituted lime zest.

These muffins are WONDERFUL. They have a very subtle peach flavor. I do think the cinnamon topping makes the muffins extra tasty.

Mis en Place?

For some reason I've never watched Top Chef. I happened across Padma Lakshmi promoting the new season on tv recently. This season is in Las Vegas, which makes it all the more appealing since Vegas is such a foodie town. I dvr'd the first two episodes and watched the first one today. The show reminds me of Next Food Network Star, only a little more ruthless. I love it!!

The first challenge envolved a mis en place. Although this concept is designed for restaurant kitchens, it has application to the home chef as well. Measuring and assembling ingredients before starting a recipe cuts down on time and possible mistakes.

How Organized are You?

I consider myself an organized person. My e-mail in box only contains mail that is unanswered or needs action. All other e-mails are filed or in the trash bin. My desk contains folders for everything and the stack of filing is small. The clothes in my closet are arranged by type and color. My recipes...not so much. I would like to think the reason is, there are so many pieces of paper to organize. I add a clipping or two to the pile every day. I do have accordian file folders with tabs for the type of recipes. I try to keep up on the filing and do an adequate job but it's more than just filing. If you want to find a recipe for a salad for a dinner, you have to go through the pieces of paper one by one to determine which one to use. Or if you want to find a recipe based on the ingredients in the pantry or refrigerator, there's no way to do that with these accordian files of recipes.

Earlier this week, my husband sent me this article. How great would it be if these accordian files could be turned into a virtual recipe box? With just a couple of days left in my medical leave, I am scrambling to finish all the projects on my "TO DO LIST". With many of them crossed off the list, I think I can find the time to explore these software options. Big Oven is a great option for bloggers with Facebook pages.

The downside to any of these programs is the recipes can't be scanned in, you have to enter them individuall into the program. Once you've taken the time to do that, what a great resource you will have at your fingertips. I will share my research and hopefully my eventual purchase as I delve into this over the next few weeks.

Do you know of other options for recipe organization?

Caramel Glazed Sea Scallops

I like scallops but never make them at home. I watched Paula Deen make this recipe a few months ago and decide it looked like a good first attempt for scallops. I know the key to good scallops is to not over cook them. I was a little concerned because this recipe didn't give a cooking time. These were wonderful! The caramel glaze is a perfect compliment for the scallops.

Caramel Glazed Sea Scallops
Recipe courtesy of Paula Dean

1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons butter
12 large sea scallops
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine oil and butter to saute pan over medium heat. Salt and pepper the scallops and add to the pan. Coat the scallops with the sugar. Allow scallops to brown and caramelize on both sides.

Spoon the glaze over the scallops and serve.




My notes on this recipe: The original recipe called for making a glaze with sugar, water and corn syrup but didn't really state what to do with it. It also said to make in advance and set aside. Mine ended up getting too hard. You don't need it, the glaze they cook in makes plenty.

Beautiful Gardens

We took a trip to Kansas City this past weekend to visit our good friends, Karen and Larry. The midwest has been experiencing perfect weather. Our weather has been more characteristic of fall than August. Saturday was a beautiful day, sunny and in the 70's. We knew we wanted to spend the day outside taking advantage of the weather.

Powell Gardens is a botanical garden just east of Kansas City. As we were driving there, I tried to remember my last trip to the gardens, Mother's Day, 15 years ago? It made me realize, once again, just how fast time flies. My son, Justin, who was in his early teens on my last visit, will turn 30 this year.

Perfect Summer Salad

Our tomato plant has produced the best slicing tomatoes. A fresh, juicy sliced tomato is a great summer salad. To make the salad even more perfect, fresh basil and mozarella. I miss these wonderful flavors during our cold winters.

Insalata caprese (the salad from Capri) The salad was created in the 1950s at the Trattoria da Vincenzo for regulars out for a light lunch.

Caprese Salad

Large tomato, sliced
Fresh Basil Leaves
Fresh Mozarella
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper

Slice the tomato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place basil leaves on top of tomatoes, slice mozarella and place on top of basil. Drizzle olive oil over all. Chill until serving time.