Balsamic Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

This dressing doesn't look as nice on a bed of plain old lettuce as it did on the strawberry spinach salad for which I made it, but since I didn't take a picture of the strawberry spinach salad (because, you know, I was too busy scarfing it), here's the dressing, at least.

I really loved this dressing, and since none of the rest of my family cares for sweet vinaigrettes, I got it all to myself.  I ate it on lettuce with leftover almonds and feta for 2 days, then when the feta and almond supply ran out, I had it on plain lettuce.  I timed the lettuce shortage perfectly, because I ran out of dressing at the exact same time.  If I'd had leftover dressing, I would have slurped it from a spoon.

It's not overly sweet, but if you like your dressings wholly acidic, you'll probably skip this one. Otherwise, have at it! 

Balsamic Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup sugar (or less, to taste)

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used more, to taste)

• a pinch of dry mustard powder

• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

• 1 tablespoon chopped onion

• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Whisk all ingredients together until well-incorporated.  Drizzle as desired.

Carrot Cake Trifle-- a Non-Recipe

Take the best carrot cake recipe and halve it, baking it in a 13 X 9 pan, instead.

Fold whipped cream into vanilla pudding and spoon the cake pieces and pudding mixture in layers, topping the whole thing off with whipped cream and cake crumbs.

Mister Rabbit approves.

What a Trick! (How to Cut Corn Off the Cob)

I posted this to shotsnaps last year, but it's worth copying here.

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Confined to my room with a whopping spinal headache from the c-section after Piper's birth and unable to hold her yet because she was on oxygen in the nursery, I turned on the television.  A friendly chef then proceeded to share a corn-cutting method that changed my life.  In the past, when preparing corn to freeze for winter, I cut it on a cutting board. The kernels would fly east, west, north, and south.  No longer.  

In case you need a life-changing, corn-cutting method, here it is.  Place a small bowl upside-down inside a larger bowl.  The top of the smaller bowl should be about even with the lip of the larger bowl.  The larger bowl contains the falling kernels, and, if your large bowl is big enough, you can whip through 5 dozen ears without having to stop to bag any up.  

Life-changing.  

You're welcome.

Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Last summer, I only canned pickles when we had more than we could gobble fresh.  We prefer these fresh pickles to the canned ones, though it was still nice to store some to get us through the winter.  Cold and oh-so-crunchy fresh from the refrigerator, they're hard to beat.  They keep for weeks, but they never last that long around here.  They can be sliced in coins, too, if you're hankering for crunchy pickles on your burgers.

Crunchy Refrigerator Pickles

Prepare your favorite pickle brine (ours is below)

Kosher Dill Pickle Brine

For one quart jar:

2 or 3 garlic cloves, split 
1/8 cup (2 tbsp.) pickling salt 
1 and 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 and 1/2 cups water
1- 2 heads fresh dill (depending on the size of the head!)
4 black peppercorns 
1/4 tsp. mustard seed

Add sliced cucumbers, dill, peppercorns, and mustard seed to jar.  Bring remaining brine ingredients to a boil and stir to dissolve salt.  Pour over cucumbers into the quart jar, covering them.  Once brine cools, place in refrigerator for at least 8 hours for best flavor.  Reserve extra liquid, if there is any, to add to jar when brine weakens.  Add more cucumbers as needed through the weeks and strengthen or replace brine when necessary.  

*We've not tried this yet, but an alternate method is to salt the cukes first to draw out water for 30 minutes or so before rinsing them and proceeding as normal. This would prolong the strength of the brine.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Butter Mints

These are my preferred butter mints not only becuase they taste so rich and delicious, but they are so stinking easy to make.  (I like simple things, remember?)  It's possible to whip them up at the last minute for parties or gift-giving, or both.  I should know.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Butter Mints

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature

4 cups confectioners' sugar, plus additional for rolling

1/4 - 1 teaspoon peppermint extract, to taste

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 tablespoons milk

food coloring, if desired

Cream the butter with the paddle attachment of your mixture until light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and extracts until mixture is thick and smooth, then slowly add milk, a bit at a time, until mixture reaches good molding consistency.  I usually add milk and/or confectioners' sugar until the mixture is easy to mold, almost like play-dough. Add coloring, if desired, and mix until spread throughout.

For making mints, dust your work surface lightly with confectioners' sugar or layer with waxed paper and do one of the following:

1.  Roll dough into logs about 1/2" in diameter before cutting off 1/2" pieces for traditional-sized butter mints.  Place on waxed paper or parchment paper to dry, uncovered, for several hours or overnight.

or

2.  Roll chilled dough out between two pieces of waxed paper to 1/8-in. thickness (or on confectioners' sugar-dusted surface) and cut into desired shapes.  Place on waxed paper to dry, uncovered, for several hours or overnight, flipping at least once.

or

3.  Roll dough into balls, smush balls using the flat end of a drinking glass to desired thickness, and/or press down using the tines of a fork to make decorative marks.  Place on waxed paper to dry, uncovered, for several hours or overnight, flipping at least once.

Place mints in airtight container in between layers of waxed paper and store for up to 2 weeks.  If weather is hot, mints should be refrigerated because of the butter content.

Two-Thumbs-Up Yule Log Cake (Buche de Noel)

I love this decadent cake, and I've made it twice now, just to make sure.  I'm sending all you chocolate sponge cake/whipped cream/ganache lovers here, so you can make your own.  My changes: I preferred to skip the cocoa powder in the whipped cream, leaving it vanilla, I doubled the recipe and cooked it in two pans in order to make a longer log, and I topped it with chocolate ganache, which not only balances out the lighter cake with a crazy-rich topping, but also allows the "bark" texture for the log.  I was also too lazy/strapped for time to make the meringue mushrooms, so I used pipe cleaners and gumdrops for the toadstools.

The Easiest Cheese Ever, Or, Farmer's Cheese (Or Paneer)

Seasoned or plain, this cheese is hard to beat for ease of preparation and delicious flavor.







I don't exaggerate when I say this cheese takes under ten minutes to make. Then you just let the whey drain, and you're set!  Because it takes too much dinero to buy raw milk, we just buy regular store milk.  As long as it's not ultra-pasteurized, it turns out fine.

$2.05 for one gallon of regular, pasteurized milk + ten minutes = one pound of cheese and a giant bowl of whey to use for baking, to add to shakes, soups, or sauces, or for feeding your chickens.
Not too shabby, huh?

Here's what you need:

-one gallon whole milk
-1/2 cup white vinegar (to make traditional paneer for Indian cuisine, substitute lemon juice for the vinegar)
-salt and/or seasonings
-a large, heavy-bottomed pot
-a colander
-a double layer of cheesecloth

Not necessary but fun to have
-a cheese press, the Real Deal or a makeshift one (to see my makeshift press, see below)
-helper elves to squeeze out whey faster (ditto)

Pour milk into pot and bring milk to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Turn off heat and add the vinegar (or lemon juice) to pot while stirring constantly.  Within a short time, you should see the curds begin to solidify near the top of the pot, leaving the greenish-yellowish whey behind.  Once they've all separated, remove pot from the burner and carefully pour into a colander lined with your double layer of cheesecloth and resting over a large bowl to catch the whey.   At this point, you can add salt or seasonings, as desired-- for farmer's cheese, we add one tablespoon salt--, mixing them gently into the hot curds.  Note!  If you don't want your large bowl of whey to become flavored with seasonings or salt, then transfer the cheesecloth to another bowl before adding seasonings and squeezing out the rest of the whey.

Once your seasonings are mixed in, lift the cheesecloth and twist it around the ball of cheese, squeezing to remove excess whey.  Then tie it on something high (a kitchen beam, a wooden spoon you slide into your upper cupboard's handles, the sink faucet, etc.) to drain out additional whey for about five minutes.  If you stop here, you'll end with a delicious, mild, crumbly cheese for salads, munching, curries, etc.






For a firmer, slicing cheese, squeeze out the whey as shown and then take the cheesecloth filled with still hot curds and place in a cheese press.  Don't have a cheese press?  No problem.  Just place it on a plate with the excess cheesecloth on the side to ensure a smooth top to your cheese.  Place a second plate on top of the cheese and weigh down the top plate with enough Heavy Stuff to press out the last of the whey and compress the cheese curds into a solid disc.  Refrigerate until firm and then gobble whenever you feel the urge.

Notes: If you make paneer using the lemon juice, you can gently rinse the curds with water after you drain them into the colander in order to remove some of the lemon flavor, if you want to take the extra step.

My current cheese press was given to me by Mrs. Terry and is showcased below.  A large coffee can with nail holes punched along the bottom edge works well.  Place the cheese inside, top it with a small saucer, and weigh down the saucer with Heavy Stuff.  Voila!  Slicing cheese!

Cream Puffs

...because buildabelly needs them.  Because YOU need them.

 I haven't made cream puffs since I was fourteen years old.  After each break, when my parents drove my older sister back to college, I'd make something elaborate from the cookbook to sustain my older and younger siblings and myself while they were gone.  The offerings were predictable: divinity (always a sickly-sweet winner), molasses taffy, cookies and cakes of all kinds, and...cream puffs.  The funny thing is that I only made the puffs and not the cream.  We were so hungry by the time the puffs emerged golden-brown from the oven that we just filled the shells with Christmas m&ms from the basement freezer.

These genuine cream puffs, folks, are even better.


You can thank Millie for them.  I'm not fasting from meals for Lent, but the girls and I have omitted desserts and sweeteners during the week, waiting until Sundays (which aren't part of the 40 days) to add honey to our tea.  Millie's been making one fancy dessert each Sunday, too, and this one hit the spot.  I helped her in parts, but she's the one to thank for the bulk of it.

For the cream puffs, we slightly adapted the classic Fannie Farmer recipe, which follows.

Cream Puffs
(makes 28-30)

1 cup water
8 tbsp. butter
1 cup flour
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine the water and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon.  Return to moderate heat and stir constantly until the dough leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from the heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating hard until the dough is smooth.  Place large, rounded tablespoons of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.  Bake for 30 minutes or until puffs are golden brown.  Prick the tops with a toothpick or skewer to let steam escape for a few minutes and, after cooling them for a bit on a rack, cut them in half.

Note: She added the vanilla to the dough, and we baked them on parchment paper-lined baking sheets instead of bare sheets.

Cream Filling (Crème Pâtissière)
Makes enough for 28-30 cream puffs.

Millie used Fannie Farmer's Basic Cream Filling recipe, and then she folded sweetened, fresh whipped cream into the chilled filling to make a lighter, fluffier filling.

2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
4 tsp. vanilla

Heat the milk in a heavy-bottomed pan until very hot but not boiling.  Mix the sugar, flour, and salt together in a bowl, stir in the hot milk, and beat until well blended.  Pour back into the pan and continue to stir vigorously over low heat for 4-5 minutes, until very thick and smooth.  Add the egg yolks and cook for a few more minutes.  Cool, stirring from time to time, then add the vanilla.

Cool completely in the refrigerator (or, if you're strapped for time like Millie was, in the freezer) before folding in freshly whipped cream.  Whip 3/4 pint of heavy cream (reserving the remaining 1/4 pint) until soft peaks form and gradually add sugar, to taste, until stiff peaks form.  Fold the whipped cream into the chilled crème pâtissière, and then place a hearty dollop of the filling onto each cooled cream puff before replacing the tops.

Chocolate Ganache Topping

Take the remaining 1/4 pint of heavy cream and heat it together with a cup or so of semisweet chocolate chips.  (We use the microwave for this.  Just heat it for 30 seconds and then in increments of 10 seconds to avoid scorching it.)  Stir together until melted and smooth.  Allow it to cool and thicken a bit until it's the right consistency for topping your cream puffs.  Melt in a few more chocolate chips if it seems too thin. Allow topping to cool and then dig in.

Note: They are best eaten fresh, as they tend to become soggy when stored in the refrigerator.

These are unbelievable, but don't give yourself a bellyache. 
(And if you do, don't say I didn't warn you.)

Baked Pumpkin Spice French Toast

Since we omit sweet scones, muffins, and pancakes during Lent, also, I've made sweet breakfasts the last couple of Sunday mornings. Usually, on Sundays, we're scrambling around like mad and eat oatmeal or something equally fast and easy, so this thrills the girls.  This breakfast is perfect because it's assembled the night before.  In the morning, you can pop it in the oven for about 45 minutes for an easy breakfast.

I winged this, because baked French toast dishes, like savory stratas, are hard to ruin as long as you add enough eggs and liquid to soak the bread.  Here's the recipe, to the best of my memory.  Don't fret.  Remember, baked French toast is hard to ruin!

Also, I used a high ratio of pureed pumpkin to milk simply because I have so much in my freezer to use up, but if you're using canned pumpkin, you can substitute milk (or heavy cream, if you're so lucky!) for some of the pumpkin if you need to.

Baked Pumpkin Spice French Toast

-About 1 and 1/4 loaf rustic Vienna bread, cut or torn into one inch cubes (you can use French or Italian bread, too.  Just tear enough to fill a 13X9 baking dish.)
- 1 and 1/2 cups milk
- 3 to 4 cups pureed pumpkin
- 6 large eggs, slightly beaten
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1-2 tbsp. vanilla extract.  (My homemade stuff is in a quart jar, and I just dumped in a large glug.)
- 2-3 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- a pinch of ground ginger

Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
pinch of cloves
1 stick cold butter (8 tbsp.)

For the French toast, arrange the bread cubes in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish.  Combine the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth, then pour over the bread cubes, making sure they're all saturated.  Cover and place in refrigerator overnight.  Meanwhile, assemble the crumble topping by mixing together the dry ingredients and then cutting in the cold butter until the mixture is formed in crumbles about the size of small peas.  In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, top the French toast with the crumble topping, and bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Couscous Salad with Balsamic and Basil

...because you asked.

 

John usually makes this quick salad, but since he doesn't measure anything, here's my best attempt to duplicate his delicious version. 

-2 cups dry couscous, prepared according to package directions

-1 large white onion, chopped

- about 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

- 2 tomatoes, diced in small pieces

-at least 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped or cut chiffonade, more to taste

-olive oil

-balsamic vinegar (2+ tablespoons?)

-salt (1/2 - 1 tsp.?) and freshly ground pepper (1/4- 1/2 tsp.?)

Saute onion in a tablespoon or so of olive oil until translucent and fairly soft and then add the minced or pressed garlic.  Cook over medium-low heat for a couple of minutes to cook and sweeten garlic.  Fluff cooked couscous and stir in the onion, garlic, tomatoes, and basil.  Whisk a bit of olive oil and a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in a small bowl and then stir into the couscous, mixing thoroughly.  Add salt, pepper, and more vinegar, to taste.

Best eaten at any temperature.  :)

Lemony Blueberry Bread

 

The first time I made this, I revamped a standard recipe but carelessly burned the loaf.  The second time I made it, I revamped the revamped recipe and achieved perfection, which is not a boastful statement because anyone can achieve perfection when lemon and blueberries pair up.  Give it a try.  I dare you!

 I like my lemon-blueberry bread heavy on the lemon, so be aware that the lemon flavor of this bread is not at all subtle.  (Please don't use this bread in making any analogies about my personality, either.)


Lemony Blueberry Bread 
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons lemon juice
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 - 1 and 1/2 cups blueberries

Glaze
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup confectioner's sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, lemon juice, and eggs.  In a second bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir into egg mixture alternately with milk.  Fold in blueberries.  Pour into a greased 8x4x2 inch loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until bread tests done.  *I tent the loaf with aluminum foil after about 45 minutes to the top won't brown over-much.  Let rest in pan for 10 minutes before removing onto plate or cooling rack.   For glaze, mix lemon juice and confectioner's sugar until smooth and drizzle over slightly cooled loaf.

p.s.  If you have fresh lemons available, by all means stir a tablespoon or so of zest into the batter along with the blueberries.


Watch out.







 It disappears quickly...

Something Good Abigail Cookies, Or, Gluten-free Chocolate Dreams

  

Elizabeth graciously responded to my request for the lost cookie recipe with this comment:

"I named them "Something Good Abigail Cookies". How do you like that?"

I like it.  The only problem is that if I don't make up a recipe by my lonesome, I like to give credit for it in the post.  I didn't make this recipe up, as much as I wish I had, so somewhere out there in the culinary ether of the internet is a clever, happy baker who created this cookie.

Thank you, Unknown Baker.  Your Cookie is most marvelous.

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Something Good Unknown Baker Cookies-- Gluten Free!

Grease a baking sheet and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips, separated

3 egg whites

2 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, separated

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Melt one cup chocolate chips and set aside until they cool to lukewarm.

2. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks and gradually beat in 1 cup powdered sugar.  Keep beating until they reach a marshmallow consistency.

 3.  In a mixing bowl, whisk 1 cup powdered sugar, the baking cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. 

4.  Fold/mix the egg white mixture into the dry ingredients and then fold in the lukewarm chocolate.  Gently stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will be stiff) and then roll balls thickly in the remaining powdered sugar.  

5.  Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets and bake until puffed and tops crack.  Eat and eat and eat and eat.

(And Elizabeth even documented me taking the above pictures of these cookies during their visit 2 summers ago.  I was taking pictures of cookies when I should have been making us supper from those garden vegetables.  What a dork I am.)

Asian Slaw with Noodles-- A Non-recipe

I remember really liking this one.  From what I can recall, I sort-of did the following:

-chop some cabbage

-julienne some carrots

-slice some crisp sugar-snap peas in diagonal chunks

-cook some pasta (yep, pasta.  If you have fancy Asian noodles, use those instead!)

- Now, chill the pasta.

In a small bowl, whisk together the following, plus whatever else I'm forgetting:

-soy sauce

-rice wine vinegar

-brown sugar

-fresh, minced garlic (or garlic powder, for a milder flavor)

-cayenne powder or red pepper flakes

-salt and freshly ground black pepper

-a glug or two of dark sesame oil
*Edit: I forgot to type fresh ginger, grated or pressed!
Just saute the ginger and fresh garlic in a bit of oil before tossing with the rest.

All to taste, of course.  

Toss the vegetables, chilled pasta, and dressing together.  Munch away!  It's the perfect meal to make once the peas ripen.

Rustic Summer Mixed-Fruit Tart (Galette)

 

I make this a couple of times each summer with bruised five-dollars-a-bushel fruit from the farmstand.  Sometimes peaches, sometimes plums, sometimes pluots, sometimes all three.  I've added frozen blueberries to the mix, too, with delectable results.

  

Galettes are simple desserts made with free-form pie crust and your choice of fruit filling.  You can take the basic idea and go with it as far as you'd like!

This version below is from Martha, but feel free to use your favorite pie crust recipe if you've got one, as long as it's heavy on the butter.

• 1 cup all purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for work surface
• 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

For the Filling

• 1 1/2 pounds red plums, quartered, pitted, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (OR 1 and 1/2 pounds of ANY FRUIT)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg yolk, mixed with 1 teaspoon water (egg wash)

Directions

1. Step 1

   Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt several times to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces remaining. Add 2 tablespoons ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. (If needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Do not overmix.

2. Step 2

   Turn dough out onto a floured work surface; knead once or twice. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Step 3

   Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Flour a large (about 16 inches long) piece of parchment paper. Place dough on paper. Using your knuckles, press edges of dough so it doesn't crack during rolling. Lightly flour top of dough to prevent sticking; roll out to a 14-inch round. Transfer dough (still on parchment) to prepared baking sheet.

4. Step 4

   Make the filling and bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together plums, sugar, and flour. Mound plum mixture in center of prepared crust, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Fold border over fruit in a pleated pattern. Brush dough with egg wash.

5. Step 5

   Bake tart until crust is brown and filling is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a rack; let cool 20 minutes. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.
   
   
   Note: Filling often bubbles out through small openings in the edge of the crust during baking, so don't worry if a little juice ends up on the baking sheet; line it with foil for easy cleanup.