Grandma Sadie's Pie for Clyde

My granddaddy Clyde would have been 90 this January 4th and so to honor him, I wanted to make the beefsteak pie that he so often requested for his birthday dinner. My grandmom Janet had given me the recipe, having gotten it from Clyde's mother, my great-grandma Sadie. I remember Grandma Sadie from when I was very small (she died when I was only two or three years old). She was in a wheelchair, which she let my uncle Jazzbo take me for rides in, and wore a pink satin bedjacket and gave me candy corn out of the glass pear on her nightstand. That candy dish belongs to me now. Anyway, since both my grands have died now, I have decided to make that beefsteak pie every year on his birthday and have either Vietnamese or Chinese food for hers. The beefsteak pie is very easy and goes well with mashed potatoes (I had some left over from my annual New Year's White Dinner-pork chops seared, then covered in well-drained sauerkraut & simmered in a covered skillet for about an hour, mashed potatoes on the side) and corn.

Grandma Sadie's Beefsteak Pie

Double crust for a 9" pie

2 lb. boneless round steak with fat trimmed

Flour

Salt & Pepper

Water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cube the steak and dredge it in flour (I use a gallon Ziploc). Shake off excess flour & brown, in two batches, in large skillet. Season generously. Put pie crust in pie plate. Put steak in crust. Sprinkle with 1/8-1/4 c. water. Seal crusts and vent. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then lower heat to 350 and bake another 45 minutes.

Fabulous Fish!

J made tilapia tonight that was absolutely delicious. She rubbed the fish with olive oil, then seasoned it with citrus sea salt & 5-peppercorn blend. Then, she sauteed each side for 3 minutes. While it was cooking, she squeezed half a lemon over it (be careful to pick out the seeds!). Then, she kept it warm in the oven. In the same skillet, with all the stuff left after cooking the fish, she added a cup of Chardonnay, half a small jar of capers, 14 oz. quartered artichoke hearts, 2 tomatoes (seeded & chopped). She brought it to a boil & let it simmer about 10 minutes. She then returned the fish to the pan with some broccoli florets and let it simmer 3-5 more minutes. Then, she removed the fish and cooked the broccoli a smidge longer while keeping the fish warm. Then, she put the veggies on the fish & kept it warm in the oven. Then, she added a couple tablespoons of butter to the sauce and cooked it until the butter melted. Then, she added about a tablespoon of flour, gradually, the thicken it up so it was gravy consistency. Then, she drizzled the sauce over the fish & veggies. I made Jasmine rice to go with it and we ended up drizzling that with the sauce, as well. Mmm, yum.

Autumn Breakfast For Dinner

Last night, I made a simple but delicious dinner of pumpkin pancakes, peppered bacon and fresh apple slices. It's a good thing it was simple, too, because my church meeting ran over and I was late getting started. This got us fed before 10 and gave us the chance to use some of the locally-produced maple syrup we bought while we were visiting my auntie over the weekend. The pancake recipe is my adaptation of the one served at A Cambridge House Inn in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Pumpkin Sour Cream Pancakes

1 c. flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
A dusting of cinnamon
A dusting of cloves
A dusting of allspice
1 egg
1 c. milk (you could also use buttermilk)
1/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. canned pumpkin puree (I toyed with the idea of using pumpkin pie filling, which I may try at some future juncture)
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients together. Mix the rest together. Slowly whisk the liquid mixture into the dry mixture. Coat a skillet with cooking spray and heat it. Ladle about 1/3 c. batter per pancake onto the skillet. Cook on medium heat until little bubbles form on the surface. Flip and cook a few more minutes. Keep warm in a low oven, repeating until all the batter is used. Serves 2-3 (it made 8 pancakes for us).

Ice Cream for My Baby

For my sweetie girl's half-birthday gift in August, I had her list 12 ice cream flavors she would like to eat. Voila, instant ice cream club! The plan was to make her one a month until her next half-birthday, but I had a hard time finding a good recipe for chocolate peanut butter ice cream. I did succeed, though, and boy oh man was it good and creamy! Here's the link:
http://www.recipesource.com/desserts/frozen-desserts/chocolate-pb-ic1.html

Wood You Like A Salad?

Last night, we were supposed to go to dinner at Vintage House Café, where I'd already planned to have chicken paprikash and a slice of pie. Sadly, J had to work late and by the time she got off, the hour was late. So I just drove until I found a place that looked promising and open. I was hoping for some fresh, light food and I picked the wrong place. I'd forgotten that last time we'd been to Behind the Woods, the menu was largely heavy Italian dishes and burgers. Sigh. J was very happy with the menu, ordering (after much debating and some die-rolling) the Sicilian Trio, a plate of cheese and tomato-sauced smothered goop. Okay, so she loved it. Not me. Every bite I tasted was just like the last, regardless of the fact that one bite was lasagna, one was manicotti and the third was veal parm. Not only did it all taste the same, it all tasted boring. Ah, well, perhaps it was just my mood. J was delighted with her dinner. Mine was actually pretty good, too. I ate the French onion soup that came with J's dinner. It was fine, but with no depth and sort of blah. They need some sherry or some herbs or something to liven it up. My buffalo chicken salad, on the other hand, was good. The lettuces were fresh and crisp, the chicken actually had some good heat to it (although it was different from the usual buffalo sauce) and the blue cheese dressing was well-made if not stand-out.

The service was quite good and the atmosphere is pleasant. We sat again at a booth with a framed picture from Dean Morrissey's delightful children's book, Ship of Dreams, about a little boy who gets to spend one night on the Sandman's ship, making his rounds with him. The booths are made from old church pews, wood is everywhere and there is a lovely pressed tin ceiling above. There are also a number of stained glass lampshades hanging down, their light muted by the pink bulbs used.

Fall Soup Supper

I have decided to start a new tradition. I read in a magazine about a woman who makes a batch of gingerbread cookies on the first rainy day of Fall every year. When I read it, I instantly decided I liked the idea. However, I put a twist on it and decided that I would start making a pot of soup on the first rainy autumnal day each year. Yesterday was it and I already had grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on the menu. Perfect! Since I already had most of the ingredients and could have J pick up a can of corn and some beef broth on the way home, I decided to make alphabet soup. I also served the kettle chips I'd bought specifically to go with the sandwiches (which, by the way, are just grilled cheese with some ham thrown in-peppered ham, this time) and some Pink Lady apple slices drizzled with lavender honey in honor of Rosh Hashanah. I haven't yet figured out how to keep the soup from becoming casserole upon standing, but it makes a tasty casserole, too. I'd thought maybe pre-cooking the alphabets would help, but no. So, I guess I'll keep tinkering away on that. In the meantime, give this a try.

Alphabet Soup

6 c. beef broth (you could also use water, but the flavor won't be as rich & I might add another cup or two of broth next time)
1 big handful fresh green beans, broken into small pieces (canned or frozen could be subbed)
A couple/few peeled & diced carrots
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 diced onions
A couple/few diced stalks celery
1 tsp. basil
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 can corn (or a heaping cup of frozen-or you could cut it off ears, too)
An overflowing cup of frozen lima beans (I like Fordhooks, but if you like the baby ones, use 'em)
1 can diced tomatoes, not drained
2 c. water
3/4 c. alphabet noodles (I might take it down to half a cup next time to avoid the casserole effect)
Salt & pepper, to taste
(Keep in mind that you really can use whatever veggies you have on hand. I'd've thrown in a diced potato if I'd had one around. You can change up spices, too. I would not omit the tomato or the onion, though)

Bring the broth to a boil in a soup pot. Add green beans, carrots & bay leaves. Cover & cook on medium until carrots are just tender, then cover & lower to a simmer. Heat oil in a skillet, then add onion, celery & basil. After 2 minutes, add green pepper & sauté until tender, taking care not to overcook. Add to soup along with corn, limas & tomatoes. Bring the water to a boil. Add noodles and cook 5 minutes. Drain & add noodles to soup. Cook another 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings before serving.

Salad and Muffins for Dinner

Last night, I made avocado chicken & rice salad, steamed broccoli and onion walnut muffins for dinner. The salad is my adaptation of a Paula Deen recipe and the muffin recipe came from my Russian friend, Kira.

Avocado Chicken & Rice Salad

1 c. cooked, diced chicken
1 & 1/2 c. cooked jasmine rice
1 diced avocado, tossed with a little lime juice
Half a medium red onion, chopped
1/2 c. mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo, to good effect)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Mix everything together & serve. Serves about 4.

Walnut Onion Muffins

4 onions, quartered
1 c. butter, melted & cooled
3/4 c. sugar
4 lightly beaten eggs
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. baking powder
3 c. flour
3 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 425. Coat the cups of 2 12-cup muffin tins with cooking spray. Pulse the onions in a food processor or blender until puréed. Mix 2 cups of the onion purée (reserve any excess) for another use) with butter, sugar and eggs. Add salt. Add baking powder. Add flour. Add walnuts. Put in prepared tins and bake 20 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from tins.