Keeping it Fresh Friday: Perfect Pan-Sear Shrimp

I love shrimp as an easy dinner option.  It cooks up so super quick and everyone in my family loves it. I've cooked it so many ways but this week discovered the optimal way to prepare shrimp.  The shrimp were caramelized on the outside, so tender on the inside, and not at all mushy.  Thanks America's Test Kitchen for sharing this article in your publication, Cook's Illustrated!  I'll give you the recipe as they have written it, with the basic directions for pan-seared shrimp, followed by three glazes.  We picked the chipotle-lime glaze and it was amazing. 

How to Pan-Sear Shrimp:
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/8 t. sugar

1.  Heat 1 T. oil in 12" skillet over high heat until smoking.  Meanwhile, toss shrimp, salt, pepper and sugar in medium bowl. 

2.  Add half of the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and cook until spotty brown and edges turn pink, about 1 min.  Remove pan from heat; using tongs, flip each shrimp and let stand until all but very center is opaque, about 30 sec.  Transfer shrimp to large plate.  Repeat with remaining 1 T. of oil and shrimp.

3.  After second batch has stood off heat, return first batch to skillet and toss to combine.  Add glaze, if using, and toss.  Cover skillet and let stand until shrimp are cooked through, 1-2 min.  Serve immediately. 


How to Make Garlic-Lemon Butter:
Ingredients:
3 T. softened unsalted butter
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. chopped parsley
1/8 t. salt

Beat butter with fork until light and fluffy.  Stir in garlic, lemon juice, parsley and salt until combined.  Add to shrimp when returning first batch to skillet.

How to Make Ginger-Hoisin Glaze:
Ingredients:
2 T. hoisin sauce
1 T. rice vinegar
1 1/2 t. soy sauce
 2 t. fresh grated ginger
2 t. water
 2 scallions, sliced thin

Stir together all ingredients.  Add to shrimp when returning first batch to skillet.


How to Make Chipotle-Lime Glaze:
Ingredients:
1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced
2 t. adobo sauce from chipotle can
4 t. brown sugar
2 T. lime juice
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Stir together all ingredients.  Add to shrimp when returning first batch to skillet.


Suggested sides: Serve shrimp on a bed of rice, with Fresh Cilantro-Lime Corn (see Keeping It Fresh Friday: Summer at its Peak, July 2011)


Recipe courtesy of Cook's Illustrated magazine. 

Strawberry Cream Cake and Frank 'n Mac

My oldest son celebrated the anniversary of his baptism last week.  This is a tradition that my parents started, to make a special day out of the birthday in which we were born into Christ's Church.  N. got to pick whatever he wanted for dinner that night.

This is how we ended up with the menu we did.  In order of N.'s own priorities we had: stawberry cream cake, mac and cheese with hot dogs added, and tomato-cucumber salad.

So that brings me to a very important question, at least from the point of view of a mother of toddlers.  What is your favorite mac and cheese mix-ins?  I grew up thinking my dad was the king of mac and cheese with tuna, tomatoes and peas.  Usually we just throw in whatever is hanging around the fridge.  This is how I discovered that Candian bacon and roasted red peppers are a nice combo.  But what is your favorite, the add-ins you actually plan on adding in?


Oh, and the cake recipe.  I made it as a 4 layer, 6" round, halving the recipe.  Its a very tall cake so the full 9" round can serve 16-24 easily.  If you live in Colorado, Wyoming or New Mexico and want the altitude adjustments, please comment to let me know to include them. 

How to Make Strawberry Cream Cake:
For the Strawberry Cream Frosting:
Ingredients:
1 8-oz. packages of cream cheese, room temp.
1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temp.
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. strawberry jam
1/2 c. chilled heavy whipping cream

1. Using mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth, stopping to scrap down the sides of the bowl.  Beat in sugar, then jam.

2.  Beat cream in medium bowl until peaks form.  Fold whipping cream into frosting.  Cover and chill until firm enough to spread, about 2 hours.


For the cake:

Ingredients:
3 c. cake flour
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
3 c. sugar
1 c. unsalted butter, room temp.
7 large eggs
2 T. vanilla extract
1 c. sour cream
6 T. plus 1/3 c. strawberry jam

1. Butter bottom of two 9" cake pans with 2" high sides.  Line with parchment paper.  Butter and flour pans.  Sift flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into medium bowl.  Using mixer, beat sugar and butter until fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time.  Beat in vanilla.  Add sour cream, beating for 30 sec.  Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating to blend after each addition.  Divide batter between prepared pans.

2.  Bake cakes until tester comes out clean, about 50 min.  Cool in pan on rack 10 min.  Run small sharp knife around sides of pans and turn out onto cooling racks.  Cool completely. 

3.  Using large serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half.  Place 1 cake on cake plate.  Spread 2 T. strawberry jam over and top with another cake layer.  Repeat 2 more time with the next two layers.  Top with top layer.  Spread frosting over top and sides.  Spoon teaspoons of jam onto the top and sides and lightly spread over the frosting to give it a slightly glazed look.  Refrigerate cake if not served immediately.

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine May 2009, adapted from J. Morgan's Steakhouse in Montpelier, VT

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Early Orchard Harvest

I love the flavors of early fall and can't wait for it to come.  While its still early to go apple picking at the many local orchards in our area, late summer pears are hitting there peak now.  So here's another Italian classic and family favorite.  If you've never paired pears with blue cheese, you don't know what you're missing!

By the way, the recipe does really deserve the best quality blue cheese possible.  It originally calls for Gorgonzola, but if you can't find it or don't want to pay the extra cash, you can sub for still good quality but slightly cheaper Danish Blue or even for regular American blue cheese.

How to Make Linguine with Pears and Blue Cheese:
 Serves: 4

 1/4 c. butter
4 firm pears (about 2 pounds), peeled, cored, and cutinto 1/2" slices
1 T. chopped fresh rosemary
1 c. low-salt chicken broth
4 oz. (1 c.) Gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled
3/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
12 oz. linguine
1/3 c. chopped pecans

1. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pears; saute until tender and beginning to brown but not soft, about 8 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer pears to bowl.

2. Add rosemary to skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 min.  Add broth, Gorgonzola, 1/2 c. Parmesan, and cream.  Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon, whisking occasionally, about 6 min.  (Run your finger down the back of the spoon.  If it leaves a clear streak, the sauce is done.  I usually find it takes me longer than the 6 min, more like 8 min.)

3.  Meanwhile, cook linguine in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally.  Drain; return pasta to pot.  Add sauce and pecans to pasta; toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, about 3 min.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Transfer to large low.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 c. Parmesan.


Recipe curtsey Bon Appetit Fast, Easy Fresh Cookbook, 2008.

Keeping It Fresh Friday: A New Mexico Fair Classic

The Hampshire County Fair is this week.  We took the boys to the parade last night.  We will take in the tractor pulls, chain saw competitions, live stock, petting zoo and fair food tomorrow.  This is the first of the late summer/fall harvest festivals for us and now I have fair food on my mind.

The good news: not all fair food has to be fried!  New Mexico fairs showcase a great variety of relatively healthy options.  Well, you know, so long as they are eaten in moderation, which I think is the real trick.  Common to all New Mexico fairs, sporting events, and Five and Dimes is the humble but tasty Frito Pie.  Its something I can easily make at home, nowhere near New Mexico!  Since I needed a cheap and easy meal for a weeknight, it was a perfect choice.  Not a thirty minute meal but so low maintenance, its perfect for school nights.  If you're really busy, follow the slow cooker instructions. 


If you want to go really Fiesta traditional, buy the lunch-sized bags of Fritos.  Pour the beans, cheese, chile, meat and onions inside and eat it right out of the bag.  Just be careful.  It is an aluminum bag and can get hot.

Oh, and soaking the beans.  I don't do it.  Why?  First and most importantly, my grandma didn't.  But if that doesn't work for you, here's the argument and counter-argument.  The claim is that soaking beans makes them softer and helps remove some of the enzyme that makes humans gassy after eating beans.  However, while removing the gas, soaking also removes a lot of the other minerals and nutrients that make beans so healthy in the first place.  The boil-before-you-cook method makes them softer and just use gas-relief products to take care of the rest.

How to Make Frito Pies:
Serves: 4-6

For the beans:
1 1/2 c. Pinto beans
1 T. lard, optional
1 t. garlic salt, optional

1.  Sort the beans.  Rinse and pick out any pebbles, dirt clumps, and beans that are broken, malformed, or just kind of ugly looking.

2.  Place in a pan and add water, covering just 1" above beans.  Boil for 10 minutes, adding more boiling water if necessary.

3.  Add lard and garlic salt, if you using.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 hours or until beans are almost tender.  Add more water as they cook, but not more than 1" above the beans, as necessary.  Mash some of the beans with the back of a spoon and continue cooking for 30 minutes longer or until completely tender.  (This will make the bean juice creamier.)

4.  Alternatively, place boiled beans in a slow cooker and simmer on low for 7 1/2 hours.  Mash slightly and cook remaining 30 minutes.  

For the Frito Pies:
1 lb. ground beef
2-3 T. New Mexico red chile powder
1-2 t. flour
1 1/2 c. water
1 bag of Fritos, or small lunch bags for individual servings
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 onion, diced

1.  Brown the beef over medium-high heat until fully cooked.  Drain off the fat. I set aside a little meat for the kids in case the chile is too hot.  Mix chile, flour and water together in a bowl, or place in a jar, cover and shake well.  Add chile mixture to meat and bring to a simmer.  Cook until thickened into a gravy-like consistency.

2.  Serve: spoon beans into a bowl.  Top with chile, cheese, onion and crushed Fritos. 

Cinnamon Rolls, or How I Met My Husband

They say that smell has a direct link to memory.  I know that this has scientific bearing but more importantly, I know this through experience. 

Case in point, cinnamon rolls.   I've used this recipe twice now and they make the moistest cinnamon rolls ever.  And they bring me right back to 2006.  I used to work in a mall book store right out of college.  (What else does one do with an English degree?)  The coffee shop across from the store sold spicy Mexican mochas and gooey cinnamon rolls.  They were baked in-house and the aroma was intoxicating.  Great days were the ones in which the owner of this coffee shop would bring us gifts of the last rolls of the day, which either had to be eaten or tossed.  They might have been hours old at that point, but the recipe was so good that they were still soft and moist.

I didn't always love working at this bookstore but I can love cinnamon rolls and the memories they evoke for one reason.  It was there at this bookstore that I met a man.  A man with expressive hazel eyes, who would buy any book I put in his hands just so he could talk to me.  The man I now sit across from, drinking coffee while we watch our sons rub sugary glaze through their hair.  Yeast and cinnamon and brown sugar are what I connect with the beginning of our lives together.  Not the cologne he wore, not the smell of new print, but the smell of cinnamon rolls.

I've decided that these rolls are going to become a special smell for our whole family.  Breakfast treats for birthdays, first days of school, Easter and Christmas mornings, "Proud of You" celebrations.  My boys might not grow up thinking of cinnamon rolls as "Mom met Dad" smells but I want them to connect something special with them, like I do. 

By the way, the secret to incredibly moist and gooey cinnamon rolls is Yukon Gold potatoes.  That's right.  Potatoes. 

How to Make Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls:
Makes 12 large rolls or 24 medium (seen here)

 Ingredients:
Dough:
1 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 2" pieces
1 T. coarse kosher salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter
3 large eggs
4 1/2 c. (or more) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 c. warm water
3 1/4-oz. envelopes dry active yeast
2 T. sugar


Filling:
1 1/3 c. (packed) golden brown sugar
2 1/2 T. ground cinnamon
3 T. unbleached all purpose flour
9 T. unsalted butter, room temp.


Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
2 T. (or more) whole milk
1 t. vanilla extract
1/8 t. coarse kosher salt

1.  Combine potatoes, 2 cups water, and 1 tablespoon coarse salt in large saucepan. Boil until potatoes are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Mash potatoes with water in pan (do not drain water). Add butter and mash until butter is melted. Whisk in eggs, then 1 cup flour; mash until very smooth. Let potatoes stand until barely lukewarm, about 10 minutes. 

2.  Meanwhile, pour 1/2 cup warm water into large bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; stir in yeast and sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add potato mixture to yeast mixture; mix on low speed until well blended, 2 minutes. Mix in 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, beating well. Beat until sticky dough forms. 

3.  Spread 1/2 cup flour on work surface. Scrape dough out onto floured work surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 8 minutes.   May take a LOT more flour.  (I add about 1-2 cups extra.)

4.  Coat large bowl with butter. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

5.  Meanwhile, make filling: mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in medium bowl. Using fork, mix in butter. 

6.  Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Turn dough out onto well-floured work surface. Roll out dough to 24x16-inch rectangle. Or to make medium rolls, divide dough in quarters.  Roll each piece into 12x6 inch rectangle.  Sprinkle filling evenly over dough. Starting at 1 long side, roll up dough jelly-roll style, enclosing filling. Using large knife dipped in flour, cut roll crosswise into 12 pieces, or 6 pieces for medium rolls.  Transfer rolls to baking sheet, spacing rolls about 3/4 inch apart. Cover baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 20 minutes (rolls will be very puffy).  Or if making the night before, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.  

7.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Bake cinnamon rolls until golden, about 20 minutes. Cool rolls 10 minutes on baking sheet.

8.  Meanwhile, make glaze: whisk powdered sugar, melted butter, 2 tablespoons milk, vanilla, and coarse salt in small bowl. If glaze is too thick to spread, add more milk by 1/2 teaspoonfuls as needed. Spread glaze over warm rolls.

 
Recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine, March 2009.

Toddler Time: Kool Blue Playdough

This old classic recipe was first taught to me by my mom.  She used to make this all the time for her kindergarten class.  Its cheaper than constantly replacing Play-doh and she liked to change the colors to go with the seasons.  We have plenty of store-bought dough but I need something to pass the afternoon with my boys.  This gave us something to make and something to play with.  A double bonus!  Plus, I love working recipes with 3-year-old N. right now.  He's learning to recognize his numbers and recipes help us out a lot.  Now if only I can get 1-year-old P. to stop eating the yummy smelling play dough... .  (It is non-toxic, by the way.)

Some tips.  The grape smell becomes a little strong.  Citrus ones, like orange and lime, smell good and make for pretty colors.  Because its saltier than Play-doh, make sure to wipe everything down when done.   Beware dough dropped on the floor and clothing as it can be hard to remove if rubbed into fabric. 

How to Make Kool-Aid Play Dough:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. salt
2 pkgs. unsweetened Kool-Aid powdered drink mix
2 c. boiling water
1 T. oil

1.  Mix flour, salt and Kool-Aid

2.  Add oil and water.  Mix well with a spoon.  Cool until ready to touch.  (For faster cooling, chill in freezer.)

3.  Knead until color is uniform and dough is smooth.

4.  Store in air tight bag or container.  Keeps for about a month. 

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Shrimp and Vegetable Orzo

Oh my goodness, is it already Friday afternoon? Good thing I had this one in my back pocket from earlier this week!

The original recipe called for grilling everything.  However, the day I went to make it, we ran out of propane.  I discovered its actually easier to multitask this great, filling summer pasta salad when its broiled.  You can boil the pasta while the veggies and shrimp cook.  Plus, you wouldn't be distracted by little ones pressing their faces against the screen door while you try to grill before Daddy gets home. Another instance of a recipe we've been meaning to make for years really paying off!

How to Make Orzo with Shrimp, Summer Vegetables and Pesto Vinagrette:
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
8 oz. orzo (about 1 1/3 c.)
6 1/2 T. olive oil, divided
4 T. red wine vinegar, divided
1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
1 medium yellow squash, cut in half lengthwise
1 red, yellow or orange pepper, cut in half lengthwise
3 T. prepared pesto (either purchased or homemade)
2 T. lime juice
1 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 heirloom or hothouse tomato, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 c. thinly sliced fresh basil (I used our purple basil for color)
1 8 oz. ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2" cubes


1.  Cook orzo in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.  Drain.  Rinse with cold water; drain well.  Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 T. oil.


2.  Meanwhile, preheat broiler (or grill to medium-high heat).  Whisk 2. T. oil and 2 T. red wine vinegar in small bowl.  Brush both sides of zucchini, squash and pepper with vinegar mixture.

3.  Whisk pesto, lime juice, 3 1/2 T. oil, and 2 T. vinegar in small bowl for pesto vinaigrette.  Place shrimp in medium bowl.  Add 2 T. pesto vinaigrette; toss to coat.

4.  Broil (or grill) zucchini, squash and pepper until crisp-tender, about 3-5 min. per side.  Transfer to work surface.  Broil shrimp (or grill) shrimp until charred and cooked through, about 2-3 min. per side.  Add to bowl with orzo.  Chop vegetables; add to bowl with orzo.  Add remaining vinaigrette, tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.  Toss to combine  Season with salt and pepper.

5.  Serve at room temp or chilled. 

Recipe curtsey Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2008.

Even a Diva Needs a Break

Today, August 11th, is DQ Miracle Treat Day.  $1 or more of every blizzard sold will go to the Children's Miracle Network.  So, for tonight, its hot dogs and ice cream for me and my men. 

This goes to the cause that is closest to our hearts, Children's Health.  We are so grateful for the excellent care we have received at all the children's hospitals we have been to, especially the amazing Children's Hospital of Colorado.  So I invite you to also take the evening off and treat yourself while making a difference in a child's life. 

DQ Miracle Treat Day

Toddler Time Activities: Nature Explorers

It's been incredibly hot lately but my boys still need outside time regularly.  For the past few weeks, this has meant we have this little window of time before 9:00 AM to get outside.  Its still hot and muggy when we leave the house, but at least its not yet over 90 degrees.  Then I have to hope that will last us the entire remaining 11 hours of the day.  You might have guessed this usually only burns enough energy to get us to 10:30. 

Its especially hard to be inside when we now live in a place that has so much wildlife.  In the past few weeks we've been watching a mama doe and her twin fawns hiding in the pines by our house.  We have regular bunnies, woodchucks and turtles in our yard.  P. insists on picking at least one wildflower every time we take a walk.  In that little window of morning outside time, we've become nature explorers.  Equipped with safari hats and toilet paper-tube binoculars, we now take morning walks with a mission.  (When back from our walks, the boys have time for outside play.  I know they need unstructured play, too.) 

I've made clip art checklists of things for us to be looking for on our walks.  We have three lists to choose from before we leave the house.  Some of the items are things I know we'll see, like trees and flowers.  Some are things we usually see, bees and spiders.  Some are things we might see, such as those baby deer and the woodchuck.  Of course, you can recreate this activity no matter where you live, just use things that you know to be in your own neighborhood.  We may even do a winter version of this for Nature Window-Gazing on snowy days in the winter.  Whatever it takes to pass the time while encouraging good observations of the woods that we know find ourselves surrounded by.

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Capellini a la Greco

Yeah, I'm posting this early, as we have Mark's family visiting us for an extended weekend.  So keep it fresh, Thursday!

Capellini Pomodoro was a staple in my family growing up.  However, we didn't call it that.  In my household, we had always called it "Fergie's Thing", after a cookbook accredited to Sarah Ferguson.  In fact, it wasn't until I was in college that I discovered that the dish was not invented by the Duchess.  I learned that this dish is in fact very traditionally Italian.  And that it went by Pomodoro, meaning "with tomatoes".   Its so incredibly simple and I've made it so many times that I don't follow a written recipe.  In fact, I had to look up measurements for writing down this version for you.  Exactly how much oil was I eyeballing?  What is a standard-size cheese tub?

But here you will find not the traditional tomato-basil dish I grew up with.  Like I said, I've made it many times and want to give it a little new life for my family.  So this is my own variation, a dish I am calling Capellini a la Greco.  Spinach, dill, feta and olives are added to the dish, but the star still remains fresh and fabulous tomatoes.  Is it really what an Italian would think of as Greek-style?  Probably not.  But after all, I'm Hispanic and German.  So here's my American interpretation of a Greek take on an Italian dish.  Buon Appetito, Buen Provecho, Kali Orexi.

Enjoy.

How to Make Capellini a la Greco:
Serves: 4
Time: 20 min.

Ingredients:
12 oz. capellini pasta (any thin, long noodle can substitute) 
2 T. olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
4 vine ripened tomatoes or 6 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 T. red wine vinegar
8 oz. baby spinach leaves
1 T. fresh dill, roughly chopped
8 oz. crumbled feta
1/3 c. kalamata olives
1/2 lemon


1.  Cook pasta in boiling salted water, in large stock pot,  according to package directions.


2.  Meanwhile, heat 1 T. olive oil in large nonstick skillet.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes and red wine vinegar.  Saute for 6 min.  Or until the pasta is ready.  I don't usually time this step.

3.  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Add 1 T. olive oil and toss to coat.

4.  Add spinach and dill to tomatoes.  Toss until spinach wilts, about 2 min.

5.  Add sauce to pasta.  Add half of the cheese and the olives.  Squeeze lemon over pasta.  Toss to coat.

6.  Serve immediately, sprinkling remaining cheese on top of each serving. 






Want the more traditional version?   
To Make Capellini Pomodoro:
Omit the spinach.  Substitute 2-3 T. chopped basil for the dill.  Substitute Parmesan cheese for the feta.  And omit the olives and lemon.  Switch the red wine vinegar for balsamic.  If you're my mom, add a lot more balsamic vinegar (she's crazy about the stuff). 


Note: I acknowledge that there are no olives in the photo.  We realized the error after dinner was served and added it much later in the meal.
 

Pizza Conquered! (Sort of)

I'm not sure grilled pizza counts towards true pizza success.  It is more pizza-like flat bread.  But this has at least kept me from giving up on the en devour all together.  (If it had failed, you would be reading a post title "Wife Announces She's Retiring from Pizza.")  So I'll take that as a success.  And it was so so easy to grill.  The first time I felt the effort of making pizza dough actually paid off.  I don't recommend topping grilled pizza with large fresh tomatoes as we did here, however.  As it sat, the dough got soggy from the tomato seeds.  And next time I will be using a shredded cheese.  But a definite start to good eats to come!

I also love the side dish we made to complete this summer meal.  Just cut a cantaloupe in half and slice into wedges.  Wrap each wedge with prosciutto (about 1/2 a slice).  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with mint.


How to Make Grilled Pizza:

Makes: 2 14-16" pizzas, serves 4

For dough:
2 T. sugar
1 T. kosher salt
1 T. olive oil
3/4 c. warm water
2 c. bread flour
1 t. instant yeast
2 t. olive oil
more oil and flour for dusting and brushing

1.  Place sugar, salt, olive oil, water, 1 c. flour, yeast, and remaining cup of flour in bowl of stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment.  Starting on low, mix until the dough just comes together, forming a ball.  Lube the hook attachment with cooking spray.  Attach the hook and knead for 15 minutes on medium speed.

2.  Tear off a small piece of dough and flatten into a disc.  Stretch the dough thin.  Hold it up to the light and look to see if the baker's windowpane, or taut membrane, has formed.  If the dough tears before it forms, knead for an additional 5-10 minutes. 

3.  Roll the dough into a smooth ball on countertop.  Place in stainless steel or glass bowl.  Add 2 t. of olive oil to the bowl and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18-24 hours.

4.  Preheat grill to high and make sure the grill grates are clean and clear of all debris.

5.  Split the dough into 2 equal parts using a knife or dough scraper.  Flatten into a disk onto the countertop and then fold the dough into a ball. 

6.  Wet hands barely with water and rub them onto the countertop to dampen the surface.  Roll the dough on the surface until it tightens.  Cover dough with tea towel and rest for 30 minutes.

7.  Generously flour pizza peel and place dough onto peel.  Using your hands, form a lip around the edges of the pizza.  Stretch the dough into a round disc, rotating after each stretch.  Shake the peel to make sure it will slide off.  Set dough on plate or cutting board and repeat with second dough ball.

8.  Oil the grill grates and reduce heat  to medium.  Brush the dough with olive oil and flip onto hot grill.  Close the lid and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until bottom is golden brown.  Brush the top side with oil.  Then, slide the peel under the dough and flip dough over.  Top as desired, working as quickly as possible.  Close lid and cook until bottom of crust is golden brown, about 2-4 minutes.  Using peel, remove pizza to cooling board and rest for 3 minutes before slicing.

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown, "Pizza Pizza Pizza" and "Flat is Beautiful V" from Good Eats.

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Glazed and Grilled

So this meal doesn't follow many of my Friday rules.  It has pre-made elements and involves grilling, which I've been trying to avoid.  But you certainly can use it for roasting pork or chicken inside.  It's just delicious and while it was the last element of Mark's birthday meal, which fell on a Sunday, its certainly the kind of dish that you can use on a weeknight.  Its really that easy.  Obviously, you may want to adjust for a smaller family meal instead of the more party-sized proportion used here.

How to Make Orange-Cumin Glaze for Chicken or Pork:

Makes: about 3 1/2 cups of glaze, enough for a whole chicken or 10 pork chops

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. ketchup 

1 1/2 c. orange juice

3 T. Sriracha sauce

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. cumin

whole chicken, cut into parts, or 10 pork chops

1. Puree first 5 ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth.  Set aside 1 cup to be served on the side.  

2.  Grill chicken or pork, brushing with glaze.  

3.  Bring remaining glaze to a simmer over medium heat.  Serve alongside chicken or pork.

Recipe curtsey Cook's Illustrated magazine, June 2011.

"There's No Place Like Blueberries"

This is what my three-year-old had to say about my husband's birthday cake.  No, he hasn't seen Wizard of Oz and I have no idea where he heard this phrase.  He also said, "This is the awesome cake you make EVER!"

Originally called "Blueberry Hill  Cupcakes" by Bon Appetit, to me it is "Mark's New England Cake".  First of all, it was for my Connecticut-born husband's birthday.  More importantly, it combined those quitessential New England classic flavors: blueberry and maple.  However, once I was taking the hot cakes out of the oven, it occurred to me that I perhaps should be calling it "IHOP Meets Ace of Cakes".  It smelled exactly like blueberry pancakes.  So I was honestly quite relieved that no matter what it smelled like, it didn't taste like a breakfast course at all.  It was definitely cake.  That lovely summer kind of cake with a sweet frosting that hinted of maple.  I don't know if I would call it "the awesome cake I've made EVER" but it was pretty darn good. 

How to Make New England Summer Layer Cake:
Makes a 3-layer 9" cake

For Blueberry Cake
Ingredients:
 1 1/4 c. fresh blueberries
3 1/4 c. cake flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. coarse kosher salt
1/4 t. baking soda
6 T. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. grated lemon zest
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. whole milk 


Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
1 c. fresh bluberries, for garnish
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish


1. Wash blueberries, drain and lay out on paper towels to dry.  Freeze for between 1-4 hours.  (This keeps them from bleeding into the cake too much.  Store-bought frozen WILL bleed and sink.  Do not attempt it.)

2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut out 3-9" circles of parchment paper for 3-9" cake rounds.  Grease pan bottoms with butter and lay down parchment.  Grease over the parchment and the sides of the pans.  Dust with flour inside the pans, taping out excess. 

3.  Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl.  Place butter and sugar inside bowl of mixer and, using whisk attachment, whisk together.  Add eggs one at a time, whisking to blend.  Whisk in vanilla and lemon zest.  Combine buttermilk and milk together in a bowl.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, whisking to combine.  Add 1/2 of the milk mixture.  Add 1/3 of the flour and then the remainder of the milk.  Finish by adding the rest of the flour mixture. 

4.  Divide batter evenly between 3 pans.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until tester comes out clean.  Remove from oven.  Let cool for 5 minutes in pans.  Then invert cakes onto cooling racks.  Cool completely before frosting.

5.  Frost cake, using maple frosting and blueberries in between layers as filling.  Finish with maple frosting and blueberries and mint for top.  (I would use more mint than shown here, actually.  It gave a nice bright balance to the sweetness.)  Keep cake refrigerated once frosted.

For the Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Note: It is imperative that your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature.  To do otherwise results in uneven lumps.


Ingredients:
16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 T. pure maple syrup
4 c. powdered sugar, sifted to remove any lumps

Place cream cheese and butter in bowl of mixer and whisk until smooth.  Add maple syrup.  Add powdered sugar gradually, whisking to fully incorporate after each addition.   Adjust the sugar until you get the right consistency for your taste.  I usually chill my cream cheese frosting for about 30 minutes so they aren't too soft to work with. 



Some notes on taking cupcake to layer cake and vice-versa:
This is not the first time I've come across a fantastic cupcake concept and really wanted to change it into a layer cake.  I just prefer a layer cake if I'm not traveling with it or trying to feed a large crowd.  They look classier and I love fillings. 

If you want to make cupcakes out of your cake recipes or cakes out of your cupcake recipes, here's some tips to keep in mind.  Cupcakes should be firmer than layer cakes.  Layer cakes can be much more moist and tender.  This quality in a cupcake will make it fall apart in your hand.  And you don't want a layer cake that's dry.  So...

When making cake out of a cupcake recipe, substitute the all-purpose flour for cake flour.  It will make for a more tender cake and softer crumb.  Vice-versa, if a cake recipe calls for cake flour, switch it out for all-purpose when making cupcakes. 

Some cake recipes just don't work well as cupcakes.  If you know one to be extremely moist, like my fantastic carrot cake recipe, then just don't try to make it into cupcakes.  Butter-based recipes are your best bets for cupcakes.  Oil-based are much moister, hence messier.

One 8" or 9" round equals a 8-10 cupcakes.  Give or take.  This is not a solid rule but often changes from recipe to recipe.  Most of my cake recipes are for 2-9" rounds so I can count on 18-20 cupcakes.  Yes, that means that if you must hit a certain number, make extra batter.

Cupcakes bake in 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of time cakes do.  Generally.  Use that as a rule of thumb, but rely on toothpicks or testers for done-ness.  However, don't open your oven to much before that target time.  That draft of cold air can cause the cupcake tops to falls. 

If you've got any other helpful cake-cupcake tips, please share!  I'm always looking to learn and improve.

New England Summer Layer Cake adapted from Blueberry Hill Cupcakes, Bon Appetit, June 2005
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting taken from www.joyofbaking.com

One can legally change a name. Can I legally change my birthday?

Mark had a birthday yesterday.  He always tells me that he hated having a July birthday as a kid.  All his friends were on vacation and he didn't have that classroom cupcake experience.  But I've decided that I would gladly take that as child in order to have the birthday dinners he has as an adult.  His birthday falls at the perfect moment when the best of summer produce is just hitting its peak.

I'll break down his birthday dinner this week into its three elements to do justice to each recipe.  The first one, Summer Vegetable Paella, is a great vegetarian dish that can certainly stand alone as a side.  And it makes a lot of food, as you might guess from the size of the paella pan.  We had enough for large side servings for all, leftovers for lunches for the week, and a large Tupperware to freeze for dinner later in the year.  (Again, a rice dish that freezes well.) Its not the speediest dish to make, what with chopping all those veggies.  Also, like all risotto or paella recipes, you must be watchful so it doesn't stick and burn.  But the end result is worth it.

This lovely, huge paella pan was a Christmas gift from my parents.  A case of getting exactly what I asked for, my mom bought it off my Amazon wishlist.  I didn't realize just how big it would be when I added it to my list (its 18 1/2").  It's too large for our stove top; it wouldn't get even heat from the three burners needed to hold it.  But it works on the new grill.  Paella is after all meant to be placed on a grill in the most traditional Spanish fashion.  But this lovely large pan allowed us to cooked the dish faster that we ever have in the past.  But I'm going to assume you don't have a large paella pan and will give the instructions for a stove.  Just use the largest pan you have; we used to use our wok for this one. 

How to Make Summer Vegetable Paella:
Serves: 8-10
Prep Time: 15-20 min.
Total Time: 1 hr.

Ingredients: 
good pinch of saffron strands
6 T. olive oil
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 yellow bell pepper, halved and sliced
1 red bell pepper, halved and sliced
2 t. paprika
1 1/4 c. arborio (short-grain) rice
2 1/2 c. stock, either chicken or vegetable
1 lb. plum tomatoes, chopped
6 oz. mushrooms, sliced
14-oz. can of chickpeas, in juices
salt and pepper


1.  Steep the saffron in 3 T. of boiling water.  In large pan, heat the oil and saute the zucchini, onion, garlic, and peppers for 5 min., stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle in the paprika and saute 30 sec. longer.

2.  Mix in the rice and saute for about 1 min., just to slightly toast the rice.  Pour in the stock, tomatoes, and saffron.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 min., uncovered, shaking the pan frequently and stirring occasionally.

3.  Stir in the mushrooms, green beans, and chickpeas with their juices.  Continue cooking for 10 min., then serve hot from the pan.

Adapted from Chunky Vegetable Paella, Mediterranean: Food of the Sun, 2005

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Not Your Boring Ol' Arroz Con Pollo

Another standby in our house is this Brazilian Orange Chicken with Rice.  I know it breaks a basic rule in our family, always eat fresh, by using boxed rice mix.  But its so good that I'm willing to make this concession.  Plus, its cheaper than trying to mix my own saffron rice mix, as you might know if you've ever bought real Spanish saffron.  It also freezes decently well, if you're looking to stock up a freezer for up coming busy times.  Just hold off on the cilantro until serving, so it doesn't wilt and brown in the reheating process. 

How to Make Brazilian Orange Chicken with Rice:
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 min.
Total Time: 40 min.

Ingredients:
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/4 c. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 t. grated orange peel
1 c. water
1/2 c. fresh orange juice
1 c. yellow rice mix with seasoning packet (from 8-oz. box)
1/2 c. (packed) sliced pimento-stuffed Spanish green olives
1 c. chopped fresh cilantro
orange wedges


1.  Sprinkle chicken with ground black pepper. (Skip the salt this time; there is plenty in the seasoning mix).  Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, garlic, and orange peel; saute until chicken is lightly browned, about 3 min.


2.  Add 1 c. water and orange juice; bring to a boil.  Mix in rice, contents of seasoning packet, and olives; return to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 min.  Remove from heat; let stand covered for 10 min.


3.  Stir in cilantro.  Transfer to platter.  Serve with orange wedges, to be squeezed over dish as desired.

 Recipe from The Bon Appetit Cookbook, 2006

Toddler Time Activities: Dinosaurs

I'm not entirely sure that this fits my domestic theme, but my mom encouraged me to share some of the little things I've been doing to keep my three year old busy lately.  Hoping you find them entertaining or useful. 

We've put off preschool so far for N. because of our recent move.  He's ready and will start soon.  But until that day comes, I've been trying to work in some little activities for us to do.  With help from my mom, a retired early educator, we do monthly or weekly themes and work in little busy activities around them.  Our theme of late has been Dinosaurs!  Its a little early for the dino-stage, but that's what N. has really gotten into lately. 

So here's two easy-to-create activities for young children.  You can of course use the stuffed dino activity with any theme. 

How to Create a Paleontologist Dig:

Supplies:
Large tub
Cornmeal or play sand
Plastic dinosaur shapes (Michael's has dinosaur skulls and the foam hats)
Brush


Fill tub with cornmeal.  Hide dinosaurs in cornmeal.  Let your kid dig them out and brush them off as he finds them. 



How to Make Stuffed Dinos:
Supplies:
Craft felt 
Cookie cutters in dino shapes
Pen
Scissors
Stapler and staples
Cotton balls 


1.  Trace dino shapes into felt.  Create out two shapes for every one finished dinosaur.  Cut out shapes.  (Since N. is still too young to do this step, or to have the patience to watch me do it, I did it the night before.)

2.  Place two cut pieces together and staple around most of the shape, leaving a hole for stuffing.  You can have them help push down on the stapler with you.  (Yes, you can use hot glue, but this was a more hands-on way for N. to be involved.)

3.  Stuff shape with cotton balls to desired fullness.  Staple hole shut. 

4.  We made a Dinosaur Hunt game with our shapes.  One person hides them in a given area and the rest have to find them. 

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Summer At Its Peak

I don't have a complete meal for you today.  See, its summer, we live near a fantastic meat market, and Mark recently got a new grill.  So we're doing a lot basic grilled meat, paired with "its too hot to cook" sides that take advantage of the summer produce starting to become avaliable.  Its still a tiny bit early for peaches, tomatoes and corn, but here's some delicious and incredibly easy sides we've tried recently that let the best of summer really stand out.   So pair these with a favorite steak, chicken, fish or other main dish and enjoy.

On that note, I am new to the grill.  Yes, sad but true.  Until we had a gas grill, I really just wasn't interested in lighting a charcoal grill for a weeknight meal.  So in the meantime, I have learned some great advice for how to get around grilling meat, on a stove and in the oven.  I'll talk another day about how to best enjoy steaks year round, even without a grill.

How to Make Minted Peach and Tomato Salad:
Serves: 4-6
 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 large peaches
4 lbs. various tomatoes 
2 stalks celery
2 T. fresh mint leaves


1. Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, half the salt and half the pepper in a small bowl.  Set aside.


2. Halve and pit peaches.  Cut into slices.  Slice tomatoes in 1/2" rounds.  Cut celery into 1/4" pieces.  Coarsley chop mint.


3.  Arrange peaches, tomatoes and celery on a serving plate.  Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.  Add mint to vinaigrette.  Pour over salad and serve.




How to Make Lime-Cilantro Corn:
Serves: 4

Ingredients: 
4 ears of corn
2 limes
1/2 bunch of cilantro
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

1.  Shuck corn.  Cut kernels off the cob.  Juice the limes and add to the corn.  Chop the cilantro and add.  Drizzle with olive oil, adjusting to taste.  Season with salt and pepper.  Either refrigerate until serving or serve immidiately.



How to Make Muddled Ginger Lemonade:
Serves: 1, multiply recipe by guest

Ingredients:
1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
1/2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
4 sprigs fresh mint
1 1/2 t. honey
1-2 oz. water, still or bubbly (I used San   
     Pelligrino)
Ice

1.  Muddle lemon, ginger, mint and honey in a glass with a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon.  Stir in water.  Top with ice.


Yes, you can make this a cocktail by adding alcohol of your choice.  We used bourbon. 


Minted Peach and Tomato Salad adapted from Martha Stewart Living, 2011
Fresh Corn adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, June 2011
Muddled Ginger-Mint Lemonade adapted from Martha Stewart Living, 2011

Quickly Change a Room with Pillows

You know those little things that bug you but still take years for you to get around to doing something about it?  Ah, yes, this was the story of our couch throw pillows.  I love our red couch set but have always hated the mod style pillows that came with it.  They just weren't us.  But they were free (well, for the low price of a couch set) and replacing throw pillows isn't cheap.  So they stayed that way for over two years.  That is until now. 

New house and I had finally had enough of the old pillows.  But instead of replacing them outright, I decided to re-cover them, a decision I'm now glad I made.  The cost of fabric to cover all four pillows came out to about what a single new pillow would have cost me.  I ordered my fabric from Buy Fabrics, http://www.buyfabrics.com/, a discount sight that specializes in upholstery and drapery fabrics.  $6/yard is a steal for upholstery fabric.  So hurray for bargain DIY!

Truthfully, I was hesitant to start on the project.  The material had me totally intimidated.  I had never worked with upholstery before and even though I had everything I needed, it took me weeks to start.  Two weeks, it just lay there, as it had when it first arrived in the mail.  I got around to cutting the fabric and it stayed like that in the craft closet for another week.  Finally, I had an early start to a morning, company coming soon, and the nerve to get the project finished.  Irony is that once I started actually sewing, I was done in under 2 hours.  And that includes slip stitching all four pillows, while stopping frequently to referee two small boys.  The pillows look great and it was so easy that I started looking around the house for where else I could add more throw pillows. 

So here's some very basic instructions for sewing throw pillows.  You'll be amazed at how pillows can completely change the look and feel of a room.  The directions I give are for a cover that is not removable.  If that is something you wish, it is a little more complicated to add a zipper seam or an envelope closure but still in the beginners realm.  But if like me, your fabric is dry clean only, I recommend this method.  You'll need to clean the whole pillow anyway, so why not take the easy route?

How to Sew Throw Pillows:

Supplies:
Pillow insert or throw pillow to be covered
Two pieces of fabric, cut to 1-3" larger than pillow, based on desired "fullness", 
       the smaller the extra allowance, the fuller the pillow will look
Heavy weight thread in matching color
Heavy duty sewing needle

1. Place fabric squares, right sides facing each other, and pin along edge.  Sew along three sides, about 1/4" from edge, or using the footer as your guide.

2.  Turn inside out.  Insert pillow gently, tugging into all corners. 

3.  Slip stitch open seam.

Personal Touch on a Trend in DIY Home Decor

We recently moved and have a house with lots and lots of white walls, that I can't paint, as we rent.  So I've been searching for ways to bring life to our walls without spending serious cash.  Particularly on rooms like a bathroom.  The current trend in affordable decorating is to simply frame fabric squares for an instant collection, bringing color to lifeless walls.  Sign me up for that!  But of course, I  had to go complicating that just a little.  All for the sake of the personal touch.  It did also give me something to do while watching TV in the evening. 

Sashiko is a traditional style of embroidery from Japan.  It started as a way for fishermen wives to add strength to clothing.  They would sew simple running stitches in repeated symmetrical patterns.  Its simpler than most embroidery and also has that geometrically balanced quality that I love.  And being Japanese in origin, I felt justified in including it to our Asian themed master decor.

I purchased pre-printed samplers from this cool site, TaDaa Studio.  This site offers more than just sashiko samplers.  I will definitely be ordering their chalkboard cloth sometime in the near future.  Shop their site at: http://www.tadaastudio.com/.  And why buy patterns instead of drawing my own?  After trying to draw my own pattern for the cover of Mark's notebook, I learned that its okay to let someone else do it for me.  It was just too complicated trying to get them perfectly straight and symmetrical on my own.  I don't include instructions here, but if you are seriously interested, I recommend ordering sampler kits, which will include instructions.

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Umami-ful Portobello Sandwich

I know I did sandwiches last week, but my parents are visiting this week and I'm posting this in honor of my dad.  My dad loves mushrooms and so do I.  Portobellos, in particular, offer a great vegetarian option that still satisfies the way meat does.  This is one of the rare family favorites that we make about once a month.  Repeats don't happen a lot in our house.  New recipes are how I combat kitchen tedium but this is one meal that we regularly make.  Its just that good. 

I think its all the Umami-ness going on in this sandwich.  Umami is the Japanese term for the 5th flavor, which we translate to savory.  In the West, we have only four: salty, sweet, bitter and sour.  We don't have a word for the fifth flavor like the Japanese do, but we instinctively know Umami. If you like seafood, rare meat, mushrooms, truffles, ripe tomatoes, spinach, green tea, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, olives, wine or Parmesan than you know what umami is, or at least your taste buds do.  Obviously, since we love this meal, we love umami. 

The reason this meal takes 45 or so minutes is the inactive time in which you roast the garlic.  However, the mayo can be made up to a day in advance, just chilled until used.  If you're short on time, you can saute some garlic instead of roasting it.  But if you have the chance, I really recommend the roasted.  It really takes this sandwich to a different level. 

How to Make Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches with Roasted Garlic and Basil Mayonnaise:

Serves: 6
Time: 45 min.

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Olive oil for drizzling
1 c. mayonnaise
1/3 c. minced fresh basil
1 t. plus 3 T. balsamic vinegar
6 T. butter, divided
1 lb. portobello mushrooms (about 5), stems trimmed, cut into 1/4" slices
1 lb. loaf of ciabatta, pain rustique, or focaccia, halved horizontally
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 large tomato, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place garlic in small ovenproof dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cover tightly with foil and roast until tender, about 30 minutes.  Cool; peel and mash. 

2.  Mix mayo, basil, 1 t. balsamic vinegar, and mashed garlic in small bowl.  Set aside.

3.  Melt 4 T. butter in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms and toss to coat.  Drizzle with remaining 3 T. balsamic vinegar.  Cook until tender, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  (This can be made up to 2 hours in advance.  Let stand at room temp. and rewarm over low heat before continuing).

4.  Preheat broiler.  Spread remaining 2 T. butter over cut sides of bread.  Broil bread, buttered side up, until golden brown, about 2 minutes, watching closely!  Spread desired amount of mayo over toasted sides of bread.  Arrange mushrooms in an even layer over bottom half of bread.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Arrange tomato slices in single layer on top.  Cover with top half of bread.  Cut into 6 slices and serve.

Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, 2008

Pepperoni Rolls: It's a West Virginia Thing

Pepperoni rolls are the unofficial state food of West Virginia.  I say this like I've lived here long enough to really know.  But it is true.  I have three sources on this one.  Source #1- my neighbor told me.  Perhaps that makes me sound gullible.  But the guy grew up here and I believe anything he tells me about the region.  Ok, that does make me sound gullible.  Good thing I've got source #2- they sell them at the gas station.  And experience has taught me that some of the best food comes from gas stations.  The most satisfying breakfast burritos are from Allsup's and world renowned cinnamon rolls are found at Johnson's Corner.  And then there's #3- the internet told me so.  So there you have it.

The story is that pepperoni rolls started in Fairmont, West Virginia.  An Italian baker started selling these babies back in the 20's to miners, who loved the portable but filling snack.  Of course, the miners just ate them plain.  I like to serve them with a little tomato sauce, seasoned with fresh basil and garlic.   The rolls sometimes contain pickled peppers and sometimes cheese, largely based on the taste of the baker.  The recipe I include omits the peppers but includes mozzarella.


And just be prepared.  They are addictive.  If you find yourself promising your family that "these would make good occasional lunches/dinners/snacks", they may hold you to that.  On that note, make a double batch and freeze the second batch.  Homemade hot pockets.  If making a double batch, after teh first rise, divide the dough in half.  Place one half back in the bowl, cover again, and store in the fridge to delay its rising further until you are ready for it.

Note for the Gluten-Free: the most basic modern homemade pepperoni roll recipes use frozen Italian bread dough.  If you have a source for G.F. bread dough or a dough recipe and can find G.F. pepperoni, try it out and let me know the results.  I would love to post your findings.

                                                                    How to make Pepperoni Rolls:

Makes: 16
Total Time: 2 1/2 hours
Active Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients;
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 t. dry active yeast
1/2 t. salt
2 T. sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg
1/3 c. vegetable oil plus 1 T. for bowl
4 c. flour, approx.
1 8 oz. package pepperoni slices
2 c. shredded mozzarella
olive oil for brushing

1. In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, and sugar.  Let sit for 5 minutes, until yeast is foamy.  Add salt, minced garlic, egg and oil.  Stir in the 1 1/2 cups of flour, using a sturdy spoon.  Work in as much remaining flour, a little at a time as needed, until dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring with ease.  Turn out onto floured surface.  Continue adding flour while you knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

2.  Add oil to bowl and turn to coat completely.  Place dough in bowl and cover with  a damp kitchen towel or plastic wrap, loosely covered.  Let dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour. 

3.  Re-flour surface and very lightly flour dough surface to make it easier to work with.  Cut in half and roll into two balls. 

4.  Working with one half at a time, continuously divide in half until you have eight pieces.  Repeat with second ball of dough. 

5. Divide your pepperoni into 16 sections.  This should come to around 6 slices per roll.  Stretch a piece of dough by pulling gently in your hands, rotating as you pull, until you have about a 4" circle.  Lay down on surface.  Layer pepperoni in a circle in the center, leaving space around the edges.  Add a good pinch of cheese.  Fold the sides up around the pepperonis and pinch all seams shut.  Place on greased baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining dough.  Brush rolls with olive oil.

6.  Let rolls rise 30 minutes.  During this time, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

7.  Let cool and enjoy.  Or let sit overnight for best results.   (It lets the pepperoni grease soak into the dough.)

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Loaded Baked Potato Salad and Quick Pickles

Sorry I don't have my own photographs for this week.  Its been a crazy week and while I've kept my family fed, I fell behind on actually photographing what we were about to eat.  I guess the hungry whiny kids won this round.  The photos come from http://www.marthastewart.com/, as do the recipes.

We do a lot of different takes on grilled cheese in my house.  I love grilled cheese but I also love variety.  Some delicious combinations we've come across include: fresh mozzarella with basil and tomato, peanut butter with cheddar and sliced apple, and ham and cheese with apple butter.  It makes for satisfying dinners when paired with soup or salad and they are always quick meals.

For this week's variation, I made sandwiches with quick pickles.  I love pickles and was interested in trying my own.  The great thing about making your own pickles is that you can control the salt, making a lower-sodium pickle into a much healthier snack for your family.  Any leftover pickles will save for about 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge, if you haven't eaten them all before then, that is.  You can, of course, substitute for store-bought pickles if you're really crunched for time.  (Get it?  Crunched?)

The potato salad is certainly inspired by baked potatoes loaded with blue cheese, bacon and chives.  Yum!
 
How to make Loaded Baked Potato Salad
Serves: 4-6
Time: 20 min. plus chilling time, if desired

Ingredients:
24 oz. Small red potatoes
3 T. coarse salt
1 1/2 oz. crumbled blue cheese, plus more 
       for garnish
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 t. red wine vinegar
1 t. dijon mustard
1 T. fresh chopped chives, plus more for 
       garnish
8 slices of bacon

1. Place scrubbed potatoes in saucepan with salt.  Add just enough water to cover and bring to a simmer.  Cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 12 minutes.  Drain and let cool.  Halve the potatoes.  (Quarter larger ones, just so that all are roughly the same size.)

2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in 400 degree oven, set on a rack over a deep baking pan or dish, for about 15 minutes, or until crispy.  Drain well on paper towels and crumble.  Alternatively, you can pan fry the bacon.

3.  In small bowl, mix together blue cheese, buttermilk, red wine vinegar and mustard.

4.  Combine potatoes, dressing, most of the bacon, and chives.  Either chill salad or serve at room temperature.  Garnish with remaining blue cheese, chives and bacon before serving. 

How to make Cheddar Sandwiches with Quick Pickles and Honey-Mustard
Serves: 4
Time: 15 min. plus chilling time, if desired 

Ingredients:
1 large Vidalia onion, thinly sliced
1 medium English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 c. cider vinegar
4 T. honey, divided
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 t. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 1/4 t. mustard seeds
1/2 t. coarse salt
2 t. grainy mustard
8 slices of multigrain loaf
4 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, thinly
       sliced
2 T. butter

1. Put onion and cucumber in non-reactive heat-proof bowl.  Bring vinegar, 2 T. honey, bay leaves, ginger, mustard seeds, salt and 1/2 c. water in saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Remove bay leaves and pour over cucumbers and onions.  Stir and press down on vegetables to submerge.  Cover and let cool completely.  Either use or remove to the fridge.  


2. Stir together remaining 2 T. honey and mustard.  Set aside.  Spread bread with softened butter on outside of slices for grilling.  Spread with honey-mustard.  Divide cheese among the sandwiches.  Top with some of the pickled vegetables.  Top with bread.  Grill on hot griddle over medium heat, turning once, until both sides are golden. 

Recipes and pictures adapted from www.marthastewart.com, 2011

Homemade Journals

I love love love new journals.  I'm not always so good at keeping up a journal but I really enjoy picking out a new blank book, imagining all the intelligent and insightful things I will write in it, and then eventually throwing it in a drawer to be forgotten.  So finding a more affordable way to fuel this habit is a good thing for me.  Or perhaps an enabling thing for me.  I'm still on the fence on this one.

Hence, fabric-covering composition books.  The blue one pictured is actually not for me, but was a Father's Day gift for my husband to work on the recipes that he's constantly revising.  No more pieces of paper stuffed in a binder, but a place to gather all those notes together.  Mark's a really good cook, the kind that can cook on the fly.  He's been working on a few signature dishes for a while now and every time he makes them, its never the same experiences, as he's always fine-tuning his recipes.  I hand stitched the cover fabric in a simplified version of Japanese sashiko, a technique I will talk more about soon.

But here's the basics on how to add some personal style to your own notebooks.

How to Fabric Cover a Notebook:
Supplies:
1 Composition book or non-spiral-bound notebook
1 piece of fabric of desired pattern for outside
1 piece of coordinating fabric for binding and inside
iron-on adhesive, such as Heat n' Bond
Scissors
Pencil
Tailor's chalk or washable fabric pen
Ruler


1. Cut outer fabric into two pieces.  The measurements should be the width by height of the notebook cover plus 1".  Ex. for a 7"x9" notebook, you want two 7"x10" pieces.

2.  Cut binding fabric.  The measurements should be 3" by the height of the notebook plus 1".  Ex. for 7"x9" notebook, you need 3"x10". 

3.  Cut inside cover fabric into two pieces.  The measurement should be the width and height of the notebook.  Ex. 7"x9".

4.  Cut adhesive to the size of all fabric pieces.

5.  Iron on adhesive to the back of all fabric pieces, webbing facing the fabric. Remove paper from fabric pieces.

6. Center cover piece on front cover with 1/2" overhanging top, bottom and the side that opens the book.  Leave space for the binding, using the already existing binding as a guide.  Iron onto cover, careful not to heat the overhang.  Open notebook.  Fold top and bottom of overhang onto inside cover.  Iron.  As if you were folding a package, angle edges of the side overhang, fold over the remaining, and iron to adhere.  Repeat with back cover.

7.  For binding, slightly fold over the long edges to create a faux-hem, about 1/4".  Iron carefully, making sure not to set the rest of the fabric.  Open the notebook and center on the binding with 1/2" overhanging top and bottom.  Iron.  Cut slits at the mid point of the overhang.  Open to the inside cover, fold the flaps over, and iron.  Repeat on back inside cover.

8.  Center inside cover pieces and iron to adhere.  If the inside fabric is a lot lighter than the outside fabric, you can first glue thin poster board, cut to the cover size, to the inside of the notebook so that the extra overhang won't show through.  Then attach the fabric over the poster board.

Keeping It Fresh Friday: Cajun Shrimp Boil

I love the idea of spending a few weeks in a beach house somewhere on the Atlantic coast.  So while I'm not yet on that beach, we can still enjoy a little summer beach house dining. 

This recipe comes from Martha Stewart.  Not surprising, as her summer recipes tend to favor New England coastal favorites.  I loved this recipe in particular because of the Cajun twist given what is more a Mid-Atlantic dish.  Just a tiny hint of heat.  If you're more of a traditional kind of girl or guy, you can substitute Old Bay for the creole seasoning.

This meal is super simple but would make a fun dish for summertime entertaining.  Especially in an enamel cast-iron pot, it looks showy and peel-and-eat shrimp has that fun, summer vibe to it.  And this recipe could easily be made in larger quantities.  I had tons of extra room in my stock pot.  

Cajun-style Shrimp Boil on Rice
Serves: 4
Time: 30 min.
       Prep Time: 15 min.
       Cook Time: 15 min.

Ingredients:
salt
1 1/2 c. long-grain white rice
2 T. unsalted butter
1 large celery stalk, diced small (about 3/4 c.)
1 small bunch green onions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 t. Creole seasoning
1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
1 large lemon, sliced into 1/4" thick rounds
1 3/4 lbs. shell-on, deveined large shrimp

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/4 c. salted water to a boil.  Stir in rice and return to a boil.  Cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook until rice is tender, about 15 min.  Remove pot from heat and let stand, covered, 5 min.  Fluff with a fork.

2.  Meanwhile, in a large heavy pot, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add celery, green onion whites, and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3 min.  Add creole seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 1 min.

3.  Add Worcestershire, lemon, and shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are pink and coated with sauce, about 4 min.  Sprinkle green onion tops over shrimp.  Serve shrimp over rice.

I Don't Always Have to be a Martha (not Stewart)

"As they continued on their journey [Jesus] entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.  She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.  Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?  Tell her to help me.'  The Lord said to her in reply, 'Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her"  (Luke 10:38-42).

Beginning a blog about my busy home life and I was reminded of a book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, which reflects on that passage.  Wow.  Am I becoming too much of a Martha and not enough of a Mary?

Let me illustrate.  About a month ago, we invited our neighbors over for a Saturday night dinner.  They've been great neighbors and we wanted to thank them for being so welcoming in our first few weeks in our new house.  Simple but extremely fresh meal, we promised.  I made focaccia bread, threw together a simple tomato sauce, and had a bottle of Italian wine breathing.  Then I took out the pasta maker.  Since our previous experiments with it had turned out well, I figured I could entertain guests with fresh homemade pasta.  I didn't use enough flour between rollings.  As a result, it tore and clumped and made a general mess.  Mark stepped in and tried to make sense of the chaos I had created.  I'm sure our neighbors heard me yelling at my wonderful husband minutes before they knocked on the door.  I should have realized that our neighbors are so Southern in their generous habits that I could have served them shoelaces covered in tomato sauce and they would have not only eaten it, but praised it.  I should have realized that Mark was trying to help me rather than hinder me.  I should have realized that in the end, the meal wasn't about the actual food as much as the fellowship.  But I failed to hear God whispering in my heart, "Carrie, Carrie, you are anxious and worried about many things."  I was certainly behaving like a Martha.

The more I've read this passage in recent years, the more I sympathize with Martha.  In her two simple sentences, so much is going on behind her words.  Especially if you're a woman, don't you hear what she isn't saying?  "Lord, the first loaf of bread came out a little lop-side, so that had to be started again.  And the linens had to be pressed three times before they were as crisp as you deserve.  The lamb wasn't roasted right, the wine was only common wine, and don't even get me started on the cheese.  That useless Mary doesn't even seem to notice that I have so much to do.  Don't you all know that I could use some help? Why should I have to ask for it?"  Martha is perhaps the precursor to Martha Stewart.  Perfection expected of everyone and everything.  Martha's problem is not so much what she is doing, but why she is doing it. By contrast, Mary recognizes the moment for what it really is.  Martha not only is missing her chance but is begrudging her sister for not following in her lead and do all that "is essential". 

Am I becoming more like Martha or like Mary?  Ten years ago, I would have found that question laughable.  Surely, my mother and my sister never thought I would be writing a blog about domesticity.  I was definitely the youngest sister, letting everyone else pick up my slack for me.  Unlike Mary, I wasn't nobly doing this to spend time with God.  No, no.  If you have a younger sibling you suspect that's not what they are doing.  If you are a younger sibling, you know.   Fast forward a few years.  I was in ministry.  Sitting quietly with the Lord wasn't just something I enjoyed, it was practically a job requirement.  My life was a nice balance between being in action and service and having time for reflection and prayer. 

So what happened?  Well, I had a family.  As the neediness of young children pushed aside my own wants, I've let it become my excuse for not always following my own needs.  Finding quiet time with God has been replaced by other chores I believe ought to be done.  I do believe that what I do for my family is important.  And what I do can be expressions of service and love.  But still I struggle to find the balance.  To choose the better part, in each situation. 

I need to continually question my attitudes: is what I do an act of love and grace or are my motives more selfish?  Are they instead ones of self-seeking praise, of guilt, or pride?  Do I begrudge others, especially those closest to me, their own better parts, nagging about what ought to be done?  Do I recognize Christ calling me to silence or am I letting my mind be filled by the noise of my dailiness? 

How do you keep your life in balance, between action and contemplation?  Between serving and listening?