The making of a Shrub. Drink Mixology on a whole new level. Blood Orange Shrub.

Let me take a sec and fall back on some classic Monty Python: “First you must find... another shrubbery! Then, when you have found the shrubbery, you must place it here, beside this shrubbery, only slightly higher so you get a two layer effect with a little path running down the middle. ("A path! A path!") Then, you must cut down the mightiest tree in the forrest... with... a herring!” 

Now seriously, who knew that a Shrub is a food item!? A shrub is " a combination of fruit, sugar and vinegar. When left to sit for a few days (or even longer), they develop a deep, sweet-tart flavor that is a wonderful addition to a glass of sparkling water, a batch of salad dressing, a fancy homemade cocktail, a marinade for meat or vegetables, or to a pan sauce. If you remember the essential ratio of one part sugar, one part vinegar, and a generous handful of fruit of some kind, you’ll be good." 

Today I made two shrubs. I first made a blood orange shrub because of its beauty and Vitamin C boost, much sought after when I have been plagued by illness after illness this winter. 

The beauty of the blood orange is the  other reason I chose this shrub! I used THIS recipe at Food in Jars.

I juiced four blood oranges and yielded about 1 cup of gorgeous red juice. I used a wire sieve to filter out the pulp.  I then added one cup sugar  and let it sit for about an hour, stirring when ever I had the chance.

At the end of the hour, when all the granulated sugar had dissolved, I added 3/4 cup of Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar. It is resting in the fridge until next weekend when I will break it out for some sparkling cocktails during our pasta party to try out the salt preserved eggs!

Walnut and Goat Cheese Souffles from The Joy of Cooking

These walnut and goat cheese soufflés are from pg 139 In the Joy of Cooking. We serve these with a lightly dressed green salad. We chose an orange balsamic dressing.

Yield: 8 servings (in ramekins)
Ingredients
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped (almost to dust)
1/4 cup corn meal
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup milk
10 ounces fresh unripened goat cheese
4 large egg yolks
2 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
5 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Process

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2.  Combine walnuts and cornmeal
3.  Butter 8 six ounce ramekins and coat with the nut cornmeal mixture. If there is any left over nut mixture, scatter in the bottom of the ramekins.
4.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. 
5. In the sauce pan, whisk in the flour and cook stirring for one minute. 
6. Add the milk and, stirring briskly, bring to a boil.  It will be very thick. 
7. Scrape mixture out into a bowl and add the cheese. Mash it until it is melted. 
8. Beat in egg yolks, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. 
9. In another bowl, beat the egg whites and tartar until stiff but not dry. 
10. Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter to loosen it up. The fold the rest of the whites into the batter. 
11. Pour mixture into the ramekins. Smooth the tops. 
12. Place them in a water bath, 1/2 to 3/4 up sides of ramekins.
13. Bake in oven until a skewer comes out clean (~30 minutes)
14. Let stand for 15 minutes in water bath. 
15. Invert and serve.

Chickpea and Spinach Stew from Food and Wine

This is a recipe for a tasty chickpea stew that was riffed off a Food and Wine recipe. I added a couple tablespoons tomato paste and a couple cups chicken stock. It was simmered uncovered for a while to let the flavors marry. We served it over rice cooked in chicken stock.

Chickpea and Spinach Stew from Food and Wine

 Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 10 ounces leaf spinach 
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• Kosher salt
• Pinch of saffron threads
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch of ground cloves
• Pinch of freshly ground pepper
• Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas with their liquid
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 large tomato—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup golden raisins 
• 2-3 tbl spoons tomato paste
• rice
• 1 cup (+ whatever is needed for rice) chicken stock

Process
1. Prepare the rice and cook, according to instructions, in chicken stock in place of water.
2. Pour the water into a large deep skillet and bring to a boil. 
3. Add the spinach leaves and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until wilted. (~2 minutes)
4. Drain the spinach in a colander and press to extract the liquid. 
5. Coarsely chop the spinach. 
6. Take the mashed garlic and mix it with the salt and saffron. Mix into a paste.  
7. Transfer paste to a small bowl. Add the paprika, cumin, cloves and black pepper and mash together until thoroughly combined. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid. 
8. Wipe out the skillet. Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering. 
9. Add the onion and tomato and cook over medium high heat. Stir occasionally until softened (~3 minutes). 
10. Add the garlic mash to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. 
11. Add the chickpeas to the skillet. 
12. Add the raisins and bring to a boil over medium high heat. 
13. Add 2-3 tomato paste to thicken.
14. Add the spinach and reduce heat to medium and SIMMER for 15 minutes. 
15. Add chicken stock to achieve desired saucy-ness.  
16. Lay out serving dishes and fill with the rice cooked in chicken stock. Add chickpea stew to bowls. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and serve.

Potato Puffs with leftover shredded chicken and gravy

The next time you have left overs from a roasted chicken (or turkey) and pan gravy, you need to make these melt in your mouth potato puffs!  With a recipe found on TheKitchn.com , SP transformed boring left overs into something amazing!

Ingredients
2 cups mashed potatoes
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup grated cheese such as Parmesan or Gruyere, divided
1/4 cup minced chives
1/4 cup diced cooked bacon or ham, optional
shredded chicken or turkey left overs
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Left over gravy (heated before serving)

Process
 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease the cups of a mini-muffin tin.
2. Whisk together the mashed potatoes, the eggs, 3/4 cup of cheese, the chives,  and meat.
3. Season as needed with salt and pepper. 
4. Mound a spoonful of the mixture in each muffin cup, creating a divot in the top as a reservoir for the gravy.
5. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the potato cups are set, browned on top, and hot through.
7. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then use a spoon or knife to gently release them from the pan.
8.  Reheat the gravy, ladle over the potato puff and serve.

Making Grape Jelly

Baba's Baby Mug - a treasure from Marcia Sewall (the first?)

I have this wonderful mug that has been passed down to me. One memory I have of it was that HiHo used to keep it in the refrigerator with fresh bunches of mint from the garden. This silver mug, we believe given as a present when she was a baby has classic workmanship seldom seen to this day. I decided that I would take a picture of it and post it now, thought it will take me some time to get back to Baba's recipes!

Acorn Bread

Finally, the final step(s) of a very long process. If you really want to know how I procured acorn flour, you need to go read my other blog! :)

Highland Ridge Preschool Apple Crisp

This recipe comes from Baby's preschool. It is uber yummy! it has become a daily book end - we have it for breakfast AND dessert!

Ingredients
4 (or more) peeled, cored and sliced apples
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (or more) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (or more) oats
1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup softened butter

Process

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. Spread the apples in an un-greased 8 x 10 baking pan
3. Mix remaining ingredients with a fork and spread over apples
4. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.
5. let cool for 5 minutes

Wedding Day Photos

Rob's "Wing it" Mac and Cheese

 

 

Note: Just reading the recipe will make you gain five pounds.

Stuff you need:

• 16 oz elbow macaroni
• 1/2 Cup (2 sticks) butter
• 8 oz supermarket "Cheddar" (that yellow shredded stuff)
• 8 oz or so freaking' Razor Sharp "wow, what is this feeling in my jaw hinges" cheddar - the kind of stuff that makes you think twice about what so-called "Cheddar Cheese" is - run this through the cheese grater. You want stuff that puts hair on your chest, not that wimpy yellow crap.
• 1x 5oz can of evaporated milk.
• 2 eggs. Beaten like they owe you money
• 1x 10.75oz can condensed Cheddar cheese soup - get the Campbells stuff - hell, why not…
• Some reasonable amount of bread crumbs. Use "Planko" or "Seasoned" or whatever is the trendy mix at the time. I use "Plain".

Process

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes or so. Drain and leave it in it's big-ass saucepan. Turn off the heat.
2. Add 2x sticks (1/2 cup) butter. Let melt, mixing occasionally - if you turned off the heat the butter will melt without burning anything.
3. Whisk evaporated milk and eggs together in a bowl until smooth while you are waiting for the butter to melt. Stir this mess into pasta mixture.
4. Dig out the soup into your pasta mess. It's thick stuff. Work it.
5. Mix the soup and all the cheese into the pasta/butter matrix. Mix it all up, mix it good, make it a gooey mixed up mixture.
6. Spread this gooey mess out in 2x 8x8" pans or however the math works out. Whatever. It's wing in mac and cheese. Figure it out.
7. Sprinkle some amount of your trendy bread crumbs on top. The ideal amount is enough to cover it completely without any loose bits. Shake it baby, make them well distributed.
8. Bake in conventional oven at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on taste, oven issues and such. you will know when it's right based on what you put it in and how it looks.

Cheese Souffle

This recipe reminds me of HiHo's Baked fondue.

Hot Cheese Olives

I'm not really sure what I think about the hot olive concept, but the rest of it sounds good to me.

Creamy Curried Cauliflower Puree

Curry Dip

This is a recipe after my own heart - the only mayonnaise is Hellman's!

Squash and Onion Gratin

Chicken Divan from Beth

Beth made Chicken Divan last night and I loved it! I had never heard of it before even though it seems to be fairly wide spread and well acclaimed. As a lover of curry it really hit the spot, but I love that she was inspired to do it from green beans from her grandparents garden. She told me that there are many variations out there but she combines elements to taste, therefore several ingredients listed don't have specific amounts. 

Ingredients

3 Chicken cooked breasts (shredded or cubed)

A couple handfuls green beans, steamed

Cooked Rice (for serving)

For the topping:

3 TBS melted butter 

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 to 2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Parmesan cheese

For the sauce:

2 cans "Cream of" condensed soup

1 cup mayonaisse

1 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded white cheddar

1 cup white wine

3 Tbs lemon juice

3 to 4 TBS curry

salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Cook the chicken. Shred or cube it.

2. Steam the beans. 

* preheat oven to 350 degrees *

3. In a skilled melt the butter. 

4. Saute the minced garlic in the butter. 

5. Add the Panko, stir to combine, and toast until golden brown. 

6. Remove from the heat and add Parmesan cheese to taste.  Set aside. 

7. Start the rice.

8. Prepare the sauce from the ingredients above. 

9. Combine the meat and the veggies on a bowl with the sauce and mix well. 

10. Add to a baking dish and spread evenly. 

11. Top with the Panko mixture from skillet. 

12. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

Serve over the rice.

 

Hormel Chili Dip

I thought I had this recipe on the blog already but when I went to look for it in a "cooking with a microwave" search for our eldest, who is leaving for college, it wasn't there. So here it is now!

From Hormel.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) canhormel chili 
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 (16 ounce) packageshredded mild cheddar cheese or 1 (16 ounce) package sharp cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips or Frito Scoops, to serve

Directions

1. Microwave cream cheese for 1 minute in 12" x 12" pyrex dish or glass pie dish.
2. Remove and spread cream cheese to cover bottom of dish.
3. Next pour the hormel chili on top of the cream cheese.
4. Lastly, layer with the shredded cheddar cheese.
5. Microwave for 3 minutes or until cheese has melted.
6. Serve with nacho chips or scoop frito's.

Monsoon Spice | Unveil the Magic of Spices...: Restaurant style Mughalai Methi Paneer Kurma Recip...

Monsoon Spice | Unveil the Magic of Spices...: Restaurant style Mughalai Methi Paneer Kurma Recip...: Learn how to make Restaurant style Mughalai Methi Paneer Kurma ~ Fresh fenugreek leaves and Indian cottage cheese cooked in lightly spic...

Easy Coconut Chicken Curry

From Oh Sweet Basil...
 Easy Coconut Chicken Curry

Warm Lentil and Carrot Salad with Feta dressing from Food and Wine

This recipe from Food and Wine is fantastic and I am so happy to have found it as it will be a frequent flyer at our dinner table. With only six ingredients, it is quick to prep, cook, and assemble.

Ingredients

1 pound carrots—peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup  green  lentils
1 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup chopped dill
Kosher salt
Pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 

Process

1. Preheat the oven to 450°. 
2. On a baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Scrape into a large serving bowl.
3. While the carrots are roasting, in a small saucepan of boiling water, cook the lentils until al dente, about 15 minutes. Drain well.
4. Add the lentils to the carrots along with the cucumber, dill and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. In a blender, puree the feta with 2 tablespoons of water (or perhaps a little yogurt)  and the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil until smooth. Season with salt. 
6. Spoon the dressing over the lentil salad and serve.

 

Indian Dinner Mashup from Inspirallized and Monsoon Spice

On a recent maple syrup Saturday I planned a vegetarian Indian feast. There were three recipes I made so it was quite a bit of a mash up. I absolutely failed at one recipe so I turned it into a soup, or  maybe it was more of a mash, either way it really tasted wonderful!

Unfortunately, you can't see that absolutely amazing spiralized carrots with Tandoori chickpeas from Inspiralized. I switched the recipe up a bit by serving it all cold. It was the first dish I made that day so it rested in the fridge for quite some time. I really liked the Tahini sauce as well. Please click the Inspiralized link to follow the recipe. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to dear Abbeth who made my paneer, I gladly made this Mattar Paneer Kurma from Monsoon spice. It is in the pot to the right and is far tastier than it looked in my picture. The funniest thing is I am only now realizing that I forgot to add the peas. DUH!

And then there was the mess up, I mean the mash up. I don't know if I can blame operator error, dyslexia, or a confusing recipe. The way the ingredients were broken down at the beginning, didn't seem to match the directions and I wanted to rewrite it but I don't have the time right now. It was a Monsoon Spice recipe for Vegan Beetroot Kofta Curry. I will revisit this recipe, I promise, but it will be done with care and maybe another set of eyes without other dishes being spun around.

With that said I did find another beetroot Kofta Curry recipe that I will try first. It is from Cook with Manali and I would like to compare the two.

Breakfast Baby aka Dutch Baby aka Vermont Baby

It's maple syrup season so you better make one of these yummy breakfast treats! This FABULOUS breakfast recipe feeds 4 to 6 people, so is perfect for a family of 5. If you have a large amount to feed, make 2! It's  easy and takes little prep time. If you need to make 2, don't double the recipe, just make two different babies. I bake mine into a deep casserole pan or a 9x12 baking pan. 

Ingredients
1 stick butter
6 eggs separated
1.5 cups flour
1.5 cups milk
lots of grated nutmeg
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
pinch of salt
2 cups blueberries (or raspberries)
maple syrup

Process:

1. Preheat OVEN 425 degrees.
2. Put butter in large pan (9 x 12 or a deep casserole pan or baking dish, and melt in oven.
3. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (mix-master users - if you end up meranging them it will still work).
4. Mix egg yolks, milk, flour, nutmeg, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. GENTLY fold in egg whites.
5. Pour batter in pan of melted butter. Arrange fruit on top.
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes - when brown on top and center is not liquid.
7. It is VERY hot - give a few minutes to cool
8. You may dust with powdered sugar if you wish.
9. Cut into squares and remove from pan with a spatula. Serve with real maple syrup.

Apple Peel Twigs

This is another recipe I have had a photo of forever and keep forgetting to put it up. Not sure where I got it to start with which is unfortunate, but at least I salvaged it.

Sap Eggs

There is nothing better than hardboiled eggs that were boiled in sap.

Seriously. You must try it.

Easter Dinner with recipe for Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

It's nothing much but here are some pictures of our Easter dinner. Something about Easter makes me want to make it colorful. Maybe it is inspired by all the hues of the plastic Easter eggs and yummy jellybeans but I always breakout Mima's purple china plates and choose colorful foods to eat.

As an appetizer I spread Endive leaves with Boursin and topped witha locally made salsa.

Mashed purple potatoes and a Cheesy Cauliflower casserole. (From Giverecipe.com but see below). I made the cauliflower extra cheesy but I did use an orange Cauliflower.

Lamb with mint jelly and a nice wine.

Cheese Cauliflower Casserole

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 5 cups small cauliflower florets
• ½ lemon to avoid the bad smell when cooking cauliflower
• 1 and ¼ cups milk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 and ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 cup parmesan

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 390F 
2. Steam the cauliflower florets in a steam basket for 10 minutes.  Place ½ lemon in the steam basket or in the pot to avoid the bad smell. 
3. Drain and transfer the florets into very cold water. Drain and put aside.
4. Whisk milk, olive oil and egg. Add in flour, salt and black pepper and whisk until smooth. Fold in ¾ of parmesan. Toss in the steamed cauliflower florets and coat them well with this sauce. 
5. Transfer it into a casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes. 
6. Remove the casserole from the oven, throw the remaining Parmesan over it and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and gets golden.

Czechoslovakian Rye Bread

A couple of years ago, our college friend Klaudia came over to bake a traditional Czechoslovakian Rye bread bake. She knew my love of cooking and hands on learning and I had asked her for this for my blog the summer before. Sadly, I never got this post done and only discovered the pictures the other day

She even brought a cookbook from Wisconsin! Who knew there were a lot of Czech's in Wisconsin?
I hope recipe shows up well enough to read

The one detail I forgot - we cooked it on May Day!
yum!

Paneer Kulcha by Sizzling Tastebuds

I'm always looking for recipes for Indian breads and last night I stumbled upon many of them!
Here is one from Sizzling Tastebuds which I also shared to Pinterest.
Paneer Kulcha