I love to use hand-crafted items in cooking and around the house. I wanted to share a few websites of crafters whose wares I particularly like to use.
Stan & Sue Jennings, of Allegheny Treenware, produce wooden cooking implements that are just delicious to use. In addition to things like wooden spoons & spreaders, I have a wonderful cherry measuring spoon & cup set that is not only useful, but a great addition to kitchen decor, as well. Check out www.spooners.com for more info on how to get some for your own self!
The folks at Horton Brasses have a wide selection of simply gorgeous reproduction hardware for cabinets, doors and the like. The hand-forged ironwork is especially lovely. They can be found at www.horton-brasses.com for more info.
Some of my very favorite pottery has come from the kiln of Riffle Pottery. When I talk about drinking a mug of tea, it is likely from the green-glazed mugs I have picked up from them. See www.rifflepottery.com for your new favorite mug or serving piece.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Beef Burgundy American
This is my adaptation of Melia Himich's Beef Burgundy recipe in the Gooseberry Patch Blue Plate Specials cookbook. It's very easy to throw together & is a great meal for those times when you're at home, but don't have time to cook in any sort of active manner. It's probably health-friendliest served on brown rice, but I will be serving it on egg noodles tonight, with a salad and some peaches. Serves 6-8.
1 1/2 lb. extra-lean beef sirloin, cubed
2 pkgs. dry onion soup mix, 1.5 oz. size (I used Knorr)
2 cans 98% fat-free condensed cream of musroom soup
1/2 c. burgundy wine
1/2 c. water
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix everything together in Dutch oven. Cover and bake 2 and a half hours. Easy, isn't it?
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Of Morels and Pancetta, Anchovies and Lemons
Reading week is here, the last of the school year. It's the week when I should be finalizing papers, getting ahead on my reading for the next three weeks, pre-writing sermons. But, no. Not me. Well, I am certainly doing some of that. But, I am also indulging in cooking that is slightly more complicated than my fare of late. Sunday night, I made chicken with morel Madeira sauce, baked potatoes and lemony green beans. Tonight, I fixed tilapia with anchovy caper butter, roasted red potatoes with lemon and petits pois with pancetta. For me, the morel Madeira sauce was a little too sweet, but I am picky about sweet and meat together. It was inspired by one of the recipes of the great Ina Garten (if you do not have her cookbooks & do not watch her show, you must remedy that!) and J loved it. Otherwise, I was very happy with the meals.
Chicken with Morels
1/2 oz. dried morels, soaked for 30 minutes in 3 cups of very hot, salted water
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt & pepper
Flour for dredging
1/4 c. butter
1/4 of a Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. Madeira
1/2 c. sour cream (light is just fine)
1/2 c. half and half (subbed for heavy cream to make it a little lighter)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse morels well and pat dry. Season chicken, then dredge in flour. Melt half the butter in the skillet and brown chicken well. Place in casserole and set aside. Add the rest of the butter to the skillet, along with the morels, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook on high until reduced by half. Add the rest of the ingredients & bring to a boil. Allow to boil until it starts to thicken, 5-10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Pour oven chicken and bake until just heated through, about 10 minutes. Serves 3.
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt & pepper
Flour for dredging
1/4 c. butter
1/4 of a Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 c. Madeira
1/2 c. sour cream (light is just fine)
1/2 c. half and half (subbed for heavy cream to make it a little lighter)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse morels well and pat dry. Season chicken, then dredge in flour. Melt half the butter in the skillet and brown chicken well. Place in casserole and set aside. Add the rest of the butter to the skillet, along with the morels, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook on high until reduced by half. Add the rest of the ingredients & bring to a boil. Allow to boil until it starts to thicken, 5-10 minutes. Adjust seasonings. Pour oven chicken and bake until just heated through, about 10 minutes. Serves 3.
Lemony Green Beans
1 lb. green beans, stems & strings removed
1/4 stick butter
A few drops of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt & pepper
Cook green beans using your preferred method. I like mine steamed lightly & I use an electric steamer, but do whatever you like best & find easiest. Heat butter & oil together until butter is melted. Stir in lemon juice, salt & pepper. Add beans and toss to coat. Serves 4.
1/4 stick butter
A few drops of olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt & pepper
Cook green beans using your preferred method. I like mine steamed lightly & I use an electric steamer, but do whatever you like best & find easiest. Heat butter & oil together until butter is melted. Stir in lemon juice, salt & pepper. Add beans and toss to coat. Serves 4.
Tilapia with Anchovy Caper Butter
1 lb. tilapia filets
1 clove garlic
1/8 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 tsp. minced capers
2 anchovy filets, minced & mashed to paste
2 tsp. lemon juice
Pepper to taste
Make the anchovy butter first, starting by mashing garlic and salt into a paste. Add the rest, mashing with a fork until thoroughly combined. Roll into 6" long log and wrap in wax paper. Chill an hour before serving. If, like me, you are inclined to forget that you need to start things far in advance, though, you can pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes or so and it will be tolerably solid. You may even prefer it less hard so that it melts faster...my wife does! Bake fish, drizzled with a little olive oil, in a 350 degree oven until tender and flaky and utterly lacking translucence. Serve with anchovy caper butter. This served the three of us, but J & Pie ended up growling at each other over the last piece of fish and we all wanted more. There will be plenty of butter, so make as much fish as your crew will eat! I should think it would be delicious on any kind of fish. J wants to try it on steak next.
1 clove garlic
1/8 tsp. salt
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 tsp. minced capers
2 anchovy filets, minced & mashed to paste
2 tsp. lemon juice
Pepper to taste
Make the anchovy butter first, starting by mashing garlic and salt into a paste. Add the rest, mashing with a fork until thoroughly combined. Roll into 6" long log and wrap in wax paper. Chill an hour before serving. If, like me, you are inclined to forget that you need to start things far in advance, though, you can pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes or so and it will be tolerably solid. You may even prefer it less hard so that it melts faster...my wife does! Bake fish, drizzled with a little olive oil, in a 350 degree oven until tender and flaky and utterly lacking translucence. Serve with anchovy caper butter. This served the three of us, but J & Pie ended up growling at each other over the last piece of fish and we all wanted more. There will be plenty of butter, so make as much fish as your crew will eat! I should think it would be delicious on any kind of fish. J wants to try it on steak next.
Roasted Red Potatoes with Lemon
6 small red potatoes, quartered
A tablespoon or two of olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
2-3 tsp. lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss potatoes with oil, salt & pepper. Put on baking sheet and roast for about an hour, stirring every so often. Sprinkle with lemon juice & stir. Roast another minute or two. Serves 3.
A tablespoon or two of olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
2-3 tsp. lemon juice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss potatoes with oil, salt & pepper. Put on baking sheet and roast for about an hour, stirring every so often. Sprinkle with lemon juice & stir. Roast another minute or two. Serves 3.
Petits Pois with Pancetta
1 oz. pancetta, chopped
1/2 c. chopped Vidalia (any onion will do, I just like Vidalias & had them on hand)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 c. frozen petite peas
1 c. chicken broth (I use canned, the low fat, low sodium kind)
Scant 2 tsp. sugar
Salt to taste
Sauté pancetta in pre-heated skillet on medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from pan. Sauté onion & garlic in grease until tender. Add the rest, setting aside the pancetta. Simmer 5 minutes, or until peas are tender. Toss in pancetta and serve hot. Serves 6. J is a big fans of peas & says these are the best.
1/2 c. chopped Vidalia (any onion will do, I just like Vidalias & had them on hand)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 c. frozen petite peas
1 c. chicken broth (I use canned, the low fat, low sodium kind)
Scant 2 tsp. sugar
Salt to taste
Sauté pancetta in pre-heated skillet on medium-high heat until crispy. Remove from pan. Sauté onion & garlic in grease until tender. Add the rest, setting aside the pancetta. Simmer 5 minutes, or until peas are tender. Toss in pancetta and serve hot. Serves 6. J is a big fans of peas & says these are the best.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Cooking for John & Nola
My cousins came down to my grandies' house for dinner last Wednesday, bringing their sweet baby boy with them. Since I had a mid-term Thursday & knew I wouldn't have a ton of cooking time, I got out a slow cooker recipe for boeuf bourguignon, adapted from "Barbarians at the Plate". As soon as I returned from class Tuesday night, I prepped the ingredients & tossed the whole shebang in the fridge before going to bed. In the morning, all I had to do was take it out & let it come to room temp while I got dressed, then start it before I hit the door.
When I got home about 4, the whole house smelled wonderful and dinner was almost ready. I turned the beef down to the "Keep Warm" setting and studied for awhile. About 6:15, I made a batch of mashed potatoes and prepped the salad. Everything was ready just when they arrived at 7. I served the beef on top of the potatoes (Nola is not eating wheat until she's done nursing) and the salad, adapted from an August 2003 Bon Appetit recipe, alongside. Easy and delicious!
When I got home about 4, the whole house smelled wonderful and dinner was almost ready. I turned the beef down to the "Keep Warm" setting and studied for awhile. About 6:15, I made a batch of mashed potatoes and prepped the salad. Everything was ready just when they arrived at 7. I served the beef on top of the potatoes (Nola is not eating wheat until she's done nursing) and the salad, adapted from an August 2003 Bon Appetit recipe, alongside. Easy and delicious!
Slow Cooker Bourguignon
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 lb. boneless lean beef, cut in bite-size pieces (I saved time by buying pre-cut beef for stewing)
8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 c. dry red wine
1 onion, chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (bought these pre-sliced)
1 tsp. herbes de Provence
Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Toss flour with seasonings to coat. Cook bacon on medium about 10 minutes and drain on paper towels. Put in crockpot. Cook beef in bacon grease until well-browned. Put in crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. Good over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles. Serves 6.
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 lb. boneless lean beef, cut in bite-size pieces (I saved time by buying pre-cut beef for stewing)
8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 c. dry red wine
1 onion, chopped
8 oz. sliced mushrooms (bought these pre-sliced)
1 tsp. herbes de Provence
Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Toss flour with seasonings to coat. Cook bacon on medium about 10 minutes and drain on paper towels. Put in crockpot. Cook beef in bacon grease until well-browned. Put in crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours. Good over mashed potatoes, rice, noodles. Serves 6.
Spinach, Apple and Cheddar Salad
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
6 oz. baby spinach (I used Fresh Express' bagged, although I prefer Earthbound Farms)
2 Granny Smith apples, cut in bite-size pieces & sprinkled with lemon juice
8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar, cut in small cubes (Cabot's or Tillamook, if possible)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
Whisk the first three together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Chill. Mix the rest together and either toss with enough dressing to coat or serve with dressing on the side. I like to serve the dressing on the side so that a. the salad won't get soggy if we have some left over and b. people who are picky about dressing aren't distressed.
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
6 oz. baby spinach (I used Fresh Express' bagged, although I prefer Earthbound Farms)
2 Granny Smith apples, cut in bite-size pieces & sprinkled with lemon juice
8 oz. extra-sharp cheddar, cut in small cubes (Cabot's or Tillamook, if possible)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
Whisk the first three together, adding salt and pepper to taste. Chill. Mix the rest together and either toss with enough dressing to coat or serve with dressing on the side. I like to serve the dressing on the side so that a. the salad won't get soggy if we have some left over and b. people who are picky about dressing aren't distressed.
What I'm Eating in May
1: Grab & Growl
2: El Meson with seminary buddies
3: J's choice
4: Chicken with morels, baked potatoes, lemony green beans, crème brûlée
5: Cinco de Mayo dinner out
6: Amish cabbage soup, beer biscuits, fruit
7: Fish with anchovy butter, roasted red potatoes with lemon, spring peas with pancetta
8: J's Choice
9: Pie's Choice
10: J's Choice
11: Chancho a la Chilena, rice, salad
12: J's Choice
13: Tuscan pasta, salad with blue cheese dressing, garlic bread
14: Costillas de puerco, machuquillo, salad with lemon dill vinaigrette
15: Grab & Growl
16: Basil beef stew, rolls, fruit
17: J's Choice
18: Soy flank steak, rice, green beans
19: J's Choice
20: Spinach & cheddar scramble, fry bread, fruit
21: Tuna noodle casserole, peas, salad, brown sugar bananas
22: Grab & Growl
23: Ham, peas & noodles casserole, salad, fruit
24: J's Choice
25: J's Choice
26: Chicken & tofu curry, rice, salad, pineapple
27: Dinner with my mom
28: Anniversary dinner out
29: Grab & growl
30: Pork chop casserole, salad, fruit
2: El Meson with seminary buddies
3: J's choice
4: Chicken with morels, baked potatoes, lemony green beans, crème brûlée
5: Cinco de Mayo dinner out
6: Amish cabbage soup, beer biscuits, fruit
7: Fish with anchovy butter, roasted red potatoes with lemon, spring peas with pancetta
8: J's Choice
9: Pie's Choice
10: J's Choice
11: Chancho a la Chilena, rice, salad
12: J's Choice
13: Tuscan pasta, salad with blue cheese dressing, garlic bread
14: Costillas de puerco, machuquillo, salad with lemon dill vinaigrette
15: Grab & Growl
16: Basil beef stew, rolls, fruit
17: J's Choice
18: Soy flank steak, rice, green beans
19: J's Choice
20: Spinach & cheddar scramble, fry bread, fruit
21: Tuna noodle casserole, peas, salad, brown sugar bananas
22: Grab & Growl
23: Ham, peas & noodles casserole, salad, fruit
24: J's Choice
25: J's Choice
26: Chicken & tofu curry, rice, salad, pineapple
27: Dinner with my mom
28: Anniversary dinner out
29: Grab & growl
30: Pork chop casserole, salad, fruit
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Easter Dinner
We went quite traditional, although we missed the potatoes au gratin because the casserole J was going to cook them in shattered, full of potatoes, after the burner it was sitting on was accidentally turned on. That was a little too much excitement for me! We did a spiral ham, steamed asparagus, broccoli cheese casserole, reheated mashed potatoes from the other night and biscuits. I also made a lovely 3-layer citrus cake. I jotted the recipe down from some magazine or book and forgot to write down which one. How frustrating! But, it turned out delicious!
Broccoli Cheese Casserole
6 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. flour
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 & 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets & steamed
3 eggs, beaten
Topping:
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. dry breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter. Add flour and mix until smooth. Add soup. Cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add cheese & stir to melt. Remove from heat. Add broccoli & eggs. Put into greased casserole or 13x9 baking dish. In small pan, melt 1 tbsp. butter. Add breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake 30 minutes.
2 tbsp. flour
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 & 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar
2 heads broccoli, cut into florets & steamed
3 eggs, beaten
Topping:
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. dry breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter. Add flour and mix until smooth. Add soup. Cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add cheese & stir to melt. Remove from heat. Add broccoli & eggs. Put into greased casserole or 13x9 baking dish. In small pan, melt 1 tbsp. butter. Add breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake 30 minutes.
3-Layer Citrus Cake
1 c. butter, room temp
1/4 c. Crisco
2 c. sugar
5 eggs
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and Crisco with sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix the flour, baking soda and powder and salt together. Add to butter mixture, alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry mixture. Add extracts. Pour into 3 greased & floured 9" round cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Frosting (I actually had to double this recipe to cover the whole cake, which gave me extra for the kids to eat between graham crackers):
1/2 c. butter, room temp
3 tbsp. orange juice (freshly-squeezed)
3 tbsp. lemon juice (you can sub some key lime juice for part of this)
1-2 tbsp. fine orange zest
1-2 tbsp. fine lemon zest
1 tsp. lemon extract
5-6 c. powdered sugar
Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add juices, zests and extract. Gradually add powdered sugar until you have a good spreading consistency. I actually also added just enough red and yellow food color to make a beautiful pale orange color. It was a beautiful Easter cake, seeing as I didn't have my lamb pan out of storage.
1/4 c. Crisco
2 c. sugar
5 eggs
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and Crisco with sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Mix the flour, baking soda and powder and salt together. Add to butter mixture, alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry mixture. Add extracts. Pour into 3 greased & floured 9" round cake pans. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Frosting (I actually had to double this recipe to cover the whole cake, which gave me extra for the kids to eat between graham crackers):
1/2 c. butter, room temp
3 tbsp. orange juice (freshly-squeezed)
3 tbsp. lemon juice (you can sub some key lime juice for part of this)
1-2 tbsp. fine orange zest
1-2 tbsp. fine lemon zest
1 tsp. lemon extract
5-6 c. powdered sugar
Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add juices, zests and extract. Gradually add powdered sugar until you have a good spreading consistency. I actually also added just enough red and yellow food color to make a beautiful pale orange color. It was a beautiful Easter cake, seeing as I didn't have my lamb pan out of storage.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Viva La Comida Latina!
We've had two meals this week that were of Latin origin, the first at Viva Barcelona in Westlake and the second at home. Viva Barcelona (www.vivabarcelona.com) advertises its fare as being Spanish & Mediterranean. It's definitely a more upscale sort of place, very dark and staffed by tuxedoed waiters. The atmosphere was pleasant, but was marred by the basketball game on in the bar area adjacent to the dining room. I am on a mission to find a Cleveland area restaurant that will be an acceptable replacement for my beloved El Meson. Viva Barcelona is not that restaurant. The food was perfectly acceptable, but I will probably not return because it's just not what I am looking for and if I want to spend the kind of money one spends there, I'd just as soon head elsewhere. The kind of Latin cooking I am interested in comes better from my kitchen than theirs.
I had intended to go in for a few tapas, hoping to find things like tortilla espanola and choripan. I didn't see anything like that, so had decided that we could get the camarones al ajillo and the chorizo. J suggested, at that point, getting an appetizer and an entree. I would have been happier not to, but agreed. She ended up liking the food much more than I did, I am afraid. The camarones were fine, and certainly plentiful, but I like mine with a pure olive oil and garlic sauce, no tomato added. The bread and salad were both boring. I wanted to order the pork chops in garlic sauce, but the waited informed me that they were tough that night. I don't know if that was fair consumer warning or an attempt to get us to spend more money. If it was the latter, it worked. We ended up ordering the filet with Cabrales sauce. It was kind of a weird combination for me, the strong and very salty cheese sauce overwhelming the filet. J was very happy with it, however, so all was well. The dessert was the best part of the meal, a creamy flan with an impeccable sauce.
Tonight's meal made me happier, good home cooking. I made fideos with chorizo and zucchini, accompanied by corn, romaine salad and spiced peaches. I had no idea I was getting spiced peaches, but they were good. I meant to get plain old canned peaches. I can't find the wonderful raggedy O'Sage ones I usually get and love, so I had settled for Del Monte. The spiced ones were a nice change of pace.
I had intended to go in for a few tapas, hoping to find things like tortilla espanola and choripan. I didn't see anything like that, so had decided that we could get the camarones al ajillo and the chorizo. J suggested, at that point, getting an appetizer and an entree. I would have been happier not to, but agreed. She ended up liking the food much more than I did, I am afraid. The camarones were fine, and certainly plentiful, but I like mine with a pure olive oil and garlic sauce, no tomato added. The bread and salad were both boring. I wanted to order the pork chops in garlic sauce, but the waited informed me that they were tough that night. I don't know if that was fair consumer warning or an attempt to get us to spend more money. If it was the latter, it worked. We ended up ordering the filet with Cabrales sauce. It was kind of a weird combination for me, the strong and very salty cheese sauce overwhelming the filet. J was very happy with it, however, so all was well. The dessert was the best part of the meal, a creamy flan with an impeccable sauce.
Tonight's meal made me happier, good home cooking. I made fideos with chorizo and zucchini, accompanied by corn, romaine salad and spiced peaches. I had no idea I was getting spiced peaches, but they were good. I meant to get plain old canned peaches. I can't find the wonderful raggedy O'Sage ones I usually get and love, so I had settled for Del Monte. The spiced ones were a nice change of pace.
Fideos with Chorizo and Zucchini
1 lb. chorizo, removed from casing
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cans chicken broth
16 oz. salsa
1 chipotle chile, finely-chopped (from small can of chipotles in adobo)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
10 oz. bag fideos (or 10 oz. regular vermicelli)
1 zucchini, chopped
8 oz. queso blanco, grated
1/4 c. minced parsley
In stock pot, brown chorizo with garlic. Drain fat. Add next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover & simmer 15 minutes. Add pasta & zucchini. Cook 5 minutes more. Add 1/3 c. queso blanco and parsley. Serve topped with remaining cheese.
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cans chicken broth
16 oz. salsa
1 chipotle chile, finely-chopped (from small can of chipotles in adobo)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
10 oz. bag fideos (or 10 oz. regular vermicelli)
1 zucchini, chopped
8 oz. queso blanco, grated
1/4 c. minced parsley
In stock pot, brown chorizo with garlic. Drain fat. Add next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil. Cover & simmer 15 minutes. Add pasta & zucchini. Cook 5 minutes more. Add 1/3 c. queso blanco and parsley. Serve topped with remaining cheese.
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