The Laughing Matriarch

The Laughing Matriarch
ma·tri·arch/ˈ A woman who is the head of a family or tribe.

Monday, December 13, 2010

If the Donner’s Had Thrown a Dinner Party

The weather outside looked fine to me as I set out the wine glasses and checked on my Red Velvet Apple Cakes.






The snow from Thanksgiving had melted and I was actually disappointed to see the lawn from my kitchen window. The clouds had lifted and the lake was still. The smell of garlic bubbling up from my Italian Fish Soup was intoxicating and the onions caramelizing on the stove were the perfect color. The fireplace was set and I had even cleaned the bathroom. And then the calls came. “Can’t make it, it’s going to snow.” “Sorry, big snow storm on the way won’t be there," and so forth. Oh please, people, you have four-wheel drive, it’s not like you’re in a covered wagon slogging through the Sierra’s in a snowstorm. You know, like the Donner-Reed Party. (Yep, the Reed’s were there too!)



But here it was my first holiday party in snow country and people were dropping like, umm, the Donner Party. But, I had enough food for, well, the Donner Party and so when the first car pulled up and the snow started falling I vowed to hold the best damn dinner party I could!

And so it was written that my two guests were well fed, had their fill of wine and laughter and sent back home through the blizzard with large packages of food in case they became stranded in the cold. In the morning we had more than 10 inches of new snow on the ground and a lot of leftovers. Next year I’m throwing my Christmas party in July.

“At a formal dinner party, the person nearest death should always be seated closest to the bathroom.” George Carlin


 Sacre Blue Mac & Cheese- adapted from Epicurious.com


  • tablespoons butter plus more for baking dish
  • 3 cups sliced sweet onions (about 6)
  • 8 ounces small elbow macaroni (2 cups)
  • 1 1/4 cups half and half
  • 3teaspoons hot sauce (such as Cholula)
  • 2 cups (packed) coarsely grated extrasharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese- try a flavored goat cheese such as the one with red pepper in it!
  • 1/8 cup of blue cheese- only because I wanted to call the recipe Sacre Blue.

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered, until onions are deep brown, stirring often, about 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook macaroni in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally; drain well. Reserve pan. Bring half and half and hot sauce to simmer in same saucepan over medium heat. Toss cheddar and blue cheese and flour in medium bowl to coat; add to half and half mixture. Whisk until sauce is smooth and just returns to simmer, about 2 minutes. Mix in pasta. Season with salt and pepper.
Spread pasta mixture in prepared dish. Top with shallots, then goat cheese. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.

Friday, December 10, 2010

I Do Not Own A Christmas Sweater...

And I don't want one. Just wanted to clear that up. But I will take an apron. (Tracy made this one for me.)





 Anyway, this year we are traveling to California for the Christmas celebration. I am looking forward to stashing the parka and putting on a slutty red top- so much more festive. Last year the immediate family came here- and I cooked just a little. Check out the photos.


(I made Mexican food for Christmas Eve- like we always do...because..it seems like The Three Wise Men might have driven through Alberto's coming into Jerusalem that late at night. It could happen! For Christmas Day- my favorite Pagan Holiday- I made Pork Shoulder with Guinness, Dried Cherries and Sweet Potato, and it was Good! So I am passing on the recipe..my gift to you!)


But back to the craziness. 

Tomorrow I am having a friend or two over..or more might show up, because I think I invited everyone at the Safeway yesterday, so who knows?

So I am in the kitchen rocking out to whatever Pandora Radio thinks I should hear, and putting a small dinner party together. Here's what I am making: My Sacre Blue Mac and Cheese. I am covering a pork roast with sugar cookie dough and making pork-cranberry sliders, a fantastic shrimp and scallop soup and a yummy red velvet cake. I'm making a few other things, but I can't think what they are. I have them written down somewhere on a list...or maybe I mailed it out in someones Christmas card. Damn! (The Husband has accused me of being hysterical during the holidays. I have told him the lake is very deep...)

Anyway figure out which recipe you want and I'll post it in the morning. Or Sunday- depends on how much eggnog I drink.

Buffet; A French word that means "get up and get it yourself.

Daniel Boulud's Pork Shoulder with Guinness, Dried Cherries and Sweet Potatoes

5 cups Guinness stout
1 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable or extra-virgin olive oil
1 (5 1/2-pound) pork shoulder roast
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large red onions, peeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
5 whole allspice, crushed
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup molasses
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and roughly chopped

Serves 6-8

Pork shoulder is a classic for braising. The meat turns nearly spoonable but still slices nicely, and leftovers are great for sandwiches. In this recipe I've combined the pork with dried cherries and sweet potatoes, balancing their sweetness with the slightly bitter taste of Guinness stout and molasses.

1. Bring the stout, cherries, and vinegar to a simmer in a saucepan. Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let sit for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight.
2. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 300°F.
3. Warm the oil in a large cast-iron pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Season the pork shoulder with salt and ground black pepper and sear on all sides until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pork shoulder to a platter. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pot.
4. Add the onion and the crushed black pepper to the pot and sauté for 7 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add the pork shoulder, the marinated cherries and liquid, allspice, bay leaves, molasses, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 cups water. Bring the mixture to a simmer.
5. Cover the pot, transfer it to the oven, and braise for 1 hour, turning the pork once during cooking. Add the sweet potatoes and continue to braise for 2 more hours, turning two more times. If the sauce is too thin or is not flavored intensely enough, ladle most of it off into another pot and simmer it until it thickens and intensifies. Then add it back to the first pot.
6. Slice the pork and serve with the sauce on top.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Outsourcing My Blog

OK, so I didn't write this.

You've probably seen it a million times, but it's funny. And it's not like it wouldn't be a kick-in-the-ass to try. So let me get my hair cut and do a little Christmas shopping and later I will share my Pecan-Pumpkin Pie recipe. (It's two, two, two pies in one!) And yes, it has booze in it too.

Enjoy!


From My friend Lynette- the best joke-teller I know!




Once again this year, I've had requests for my
  Tequila Christmas Cake recipe so here goes:

1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 cup brown sugar
Lemon juice
4 large eggs
Nuts
1 bottle tequila
2 cups dried fruit


Sample the tequila to check quality
Take a large bowl;
check the tequila again to be sure it is of the highest quality.

Repeat.

Turn on the electric mixer.
Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Beat again.

At this point, it is best to make sure the tequila is still OK.
 Try another cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
Pick the fruit up off the floor. (now pick yourself up off the floor)

Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose
with a drewscriver.

Sample the tequila to test for tonsisticity.

Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or something.

Check the tequila. Now shift the flour and strain your nuts.

Add one table. . .  Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink.
Whatever you can find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner

Finally, throw the bowl through the window.
Finish the tequila and wipe the counter with the cat.

Merry MishMash  . . .  or Cherry Mistmas . . . or . . . oh, what the hell!! 
In my experience, clever food is not appreciated at Christmas. It makes the little ones cry and the old ones nervous.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

No One Can Resist My Schweddy Balls.

They're made from a secret Schweddy Family recipe....
Actually, I'll give you MY recipe, but I had mucho fun writing that line!

So this morning- after a day spent in the mountains- 20 degrees and snow everywhere- and watching The Husband climb and top a Christmas tree- I wondered what I might cook up today.




The Husband was doing the 'Word Jumble," - damn I hate the Word Jumble-and he must of had to un-jumble the word 'rum,' or 'cookie,' or hell, I don't know, maybe he just wanted a Pina Colada for breakfast. Anyhoo, he said, "Why don't you make some rum balls?" And I thought, well, he did drag his Social Security ass up a huge fir tree and drag the tree half a mile back to the car for me. The least I could do was mix some rum and some chocolate together for him and make it into little balls. You know, throw him a bone.
And so I did.
Unfortunately since we are headed to California for Christmas and will be putting on bathing suits at in various Jacuzzis of skinny friends- we are cutting back the calories.


First thing in the morning...after putting two balls in my mouth...I will be packing them up very carefully and mailing them out. Because... I do know that you all love yourselves... a Sack of Schweddy Balls.

Oh my that was fun!


"Wow! My mouth's watering just thinking about those Balls!"
Margeret Jo McCullen:


 So the recipe calls for Vanilla Wafers, but I didn't have any Vanilla Wafers and I wasn't going to drive 40 miles round trip for Vanilla Wafers. So I made them. Here is that recipe:

Vanilla Wafer Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  •  2tablespoon vanilla extract, plus if you have a vanilla bean toss some seeds in.
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt


    Directions

    1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 in onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.And BTW- The house will so smell yummy you can stash the bathroom spray!

    Now you can move on and make the Schweddy Balls. (Adapted from Emeril, not Pete Schweddy. His balls are a secret!)


    Schweddy Rum and/or Irish Cream Balls 

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups-plus confectioners' sugar
    • 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
    • 1/2 cup dark rum and 1/2 cup Baileys Irish Cream
    • 4 tablespoons light corn syrup
    • 31/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers- you can use a food processor to do this, but I like to smash things. To bits. I mean, really smash it to pieces.
    • 2 cups finely chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans- nuts is nuts.

      Directions

       

      Into a large bowl, sift together 2 cup of the confectioners' sugar, the cocoa powder and allspice. place half of the mix in another bowl. Stir in the rum and corn syrup in one bowl and the Baileys and corn syrup in another bowl. Stir in the vanilla wafers and nuts, and mix well. Place in the refrigerator to firm up slightly, about 30 minutes. (The mixture may appear crumbly and dry; this is O.K.)
      Place the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl or dish.


      Using a tablespoon, scoop out portions of the chocolate mixture and press into 1-inch balls. Using your hands, roll the balls in the confectioners' sugar, coating evenly. 



      Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, placing waxed paper between the layers to prevent sticking.Or you can just mail your balls to your friends in San Diego.(This is NOT the photo of my balls. My computer would not download the photo I took of my balls...kind of like Wal-Mart.)

      Monday, November 29, 2010

      Working Backwards or Hardly Working?

      So I haven't posted in a while which is not to say I have not been cooking. Because I have. Just ask my jeans. But I took on a new work project and I was caught up in the snow-of-the-century and I went to an island and, blah, blah, blah. Excuses.


      But I was actually creating like crazy! I baked and I canned and I cooked and I poached and I invented and I borrowed recipes. And then I wrapped and I mailed a bunch of it to family and friends. I filled my Jeep with goodies, drove through a snow storm, jumped on a ferry and I ate and I ate all Thanksgiving weekend.


      And now I must stop eating for a few weeks to gear up for the Christmas Holiday. But I won't stop creating. Maybe I'll feed the bears. I don't know, but here's a great recipe for Cashew Brittle that I cooked up last week and mailed to my friends in San Diego and gave to my friend Tracy here in Chelan. Me? I want to keep my teeth, so I only tasted a tiny bit. They said it was great so I believe them You should too!
      More recipes from the past few weeks to come later. That way I don't have to eat.


      Chelan Cashew Brittle

      Ingredients:

      • 2 cups granulated sugar
      • 1 cup light corn syrup
      • 1/2 cup water
      • 1 cup butter
      • 3 cups cashews
      • 1 teaspoon baking soda

      Preparation:

      In a large saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil; blend in butter. Begin to stir frequently when syrup reaches the thread stage, about 230°. When temperature is 280°, or soft-crack stage, add cashews. Stir constantly until hard-crack stage, 300°, is reached. Remove from heat and quickly stir in baking soda. Mix well. Pour onto two buttered baking sheets or jelly roll-size baking pans. As the candy cools, stretch it out thinner by lifting and pulling at edges with forks. Loosen from the pans as soon as possible and turn over. Break hardened candy up and store in an airtight container.
      Makes about 2 pounds of cashew brittle.

      Sunday, November 14, 2010

      Fancy Meet Football

      Lord knows I love my fancy Frenchie sit-down dinners. 

      Nothing makes me happier than slow-roasting a leg of lamb and filling the house with the scent of Herb de Provence. My heart skips a beat when I torch the tops of little pots of creme brulee and welcome my guests at two in the afternoon and bid them farewell at noon the next day.
      And then there are Sunday football get-to-gethers. Sigh.
      I will admit to hardly ever paying attention to the game, I still can't remember what The Husband's position in high school football was (but he WAS the captain) and hosting a houseful of yelling and screaming fans was once a challenge. But when I realized these sports-nuts had to eat, I was instantly a fan.


      Last week we were invited to the next  big town over, (I love writing that!) Wenatchee- to some friends house to watch the San Diego Charger game. The Friends are originally from San Diego and one played football with The Husband. Small world, right?


      I wondered what I should make. I could have made an entire meal- because I get a little excited- but I calmed down and made these tasty little football sliders. They were a tad cold, but no one seemed to mind. We brought a few leftovers home, heated them up and had them again...while watching Monday Night Football of course.

      "The best way to die is to sit under a tree, eats lots of bologna and salami, drink a case of beer and blow up." — Art Donovan, former defensive tackle, Baltimore Colts

      San Diego Recharger Sliders

      Adapted from Ree Drumond

      • 4 Tablespoons Butter
      • 1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
      • 8 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped Finely
      • ½ cups White Or Red Wine (optional)
      • 4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
      • Kosher Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
      • 3 pounds Ground Beef
      • 4 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
      • 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
      • Freshly Ground Black Pepper
      • 4 slices Swiss Cheese, Cut Into Four Squares
      • 8 whole Dinner (or Slider) Rolls, Split

      Preparation Instructions


      Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and toss around, then add wine (if using), Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes over medium heat, or until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to a separate bowl, scraping all contents from the skillet.

      Mix ground beef, heavy cream, Worcestershire, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix ingredients. Form 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making an indentation with your thumb to keep the patties from plumping too much when they cook. In the same skillet as the one used to cook the mushrooms, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add four patties at a time, indented side face up. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Spoon generous portion of mushroom mixture on each patty, then top with one or two squares of Swiss, depending on your preference. Place lid on skillet and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted. Remove to a place and keep warm while you repeat with the rest of the meat mixture.


      Toast halved buns under the oven broiler. Spread generously with a mayo-ketchup type sauce such as  Kraft Chipolte Mayo and cheer on the Chargers!

      Thursday, November 11, 2010

      Mmmmmm, Beerganoff!

      For the past three days I have been home.


      I have not gone shopping, or to the bank or even been in the car. The only other person I have spoken to is The Husband. I feel very Amish. Or slightly stir-crazy. Not sure which is worse.
      I should be working on the novel, but the cloud over the lake seems to be inside my head as well and the words get all jumbled. Kind of like I am drunk. But I'm not. At least...I don't think I am.

      Trying to figure out dinner last night I remembered a cooking segment The Husband was watching on the Today Show. Or Regis or the View. I can't keep his shows straight.

      Anyhoo, I remember bits and pieces of the recipe, but the one thing I remember was beer. Beer, which is the one thing I won't drink. Seriously, it's the only item from the alcohol family that I turn my nose up at. But not the husband. Or the Children, for that matter. So I started tossing stuff out of the fridge and into the Dutch oven, mixed it with beer and came up with....Beerganoff! Have a cold one and serve this over noodles and think of me...drinking wine.

       "I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel." Homer Simpson

      Beerganoff
      Adapted from Nigella Lawson

       
      Ingredients
      • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
      • 8 ounces (1/2 cup) pepper bacon, cut up- or turkey bacon if you must.
      • 2 onions, chopped
      • 2 teaspoons dried allspice
      • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
      • 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef shank, in approx. 2 inch cubes
      • 1 cup all-purpose flour
      • 1 cups beef broth (canned, carton or cube is fine)
      • 4 teaspoons grainy mustard
      • 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
      • 2 cups English dark ale or if you only have PBR like I did, go for it.
      • 4 bay leaves
      • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
      • Good grinding pepper

      Preparation
      Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
      Get out a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven and, on the stove over a medium to high heat, melt 1 tablespoon fat, or warm 1 tablespoon oil. Add the bacon pieces and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until they are crispy.


      Add the chopped onion, stirring well so that they're mixed into the bits of bacon, and turn down the heat to low and cook — stirring every now and again — for 10 minutes, by which time the onions will have softened.
      Stir in the allspice and thyme and then tumble in the cubed beef shank and, for ease, with a pair of spatulas or suchlike, toss and turn the meat in the pan.
      Shake in the flour and stir to mix as best you can.
      Pour the broth into a large pitcher and stir in the mustard and sugar and then add the beer before pouring this over the stew in the pan.

      Stir to mix, then let come to a boil, add the bay leaves and salt and a good grinding of pepper, then clamp on the lid and stagger to the oven with the heavy pan.
      Cook gently for 3 hours. The house will smell delicious and you will wonder why the hell you never thought of making Beerganoff before. Serve over noodles to experience the whole Beerganoff effect. If you want, let cool, uncovered, before covering and refrigerating, then heat and serve the next day to bring happiness to your kitchen and stomach.

      Sunday, November 7, 2010

      Wanted: Comfort Food, Desperately Needed.

      Yesterday I was wandering around the house avoiding the 47 football games that were blasting from the TV when the Husband stopped me and asked me to come and watch the horse race. Sure, the girl horse who had never lost was racing her very last race- cool. I'll watch. But she lost. Oh well. Now what shall I do? But then I look over at the Husband and see that he has tears in his eyes. Actual tears because the horse lost. A race. Oh Brother. (Note: he has also been known to cry at Yankee Stadium and all Meg Ryan movies.)

      That's when I knew I needed to make him something extra delicious for dinner. Some comfort food to, you know, comfort him. To get over a horse race. That he didn't even have money on.

      So I whipped up some crunchy-juicy, oven-baked fried chicken and the bestest smooshed potatoes in the world. No really, they are THE BEST. Try them and tell me they're not.

      So- first I fried up some bacon and zapped 4 red potatoes for 8 minutes in the microwave. You can boil them too if you have all the time in the world to spend. Then I chopped up green onions and dug out some of those fried onion ring-things in a can.






      Then I smooshed the potatoes with a masher- but I did NOT mash, just smooshed, and added half a cube of soft butter and enough sour cream to make them, well, as MOIST as you want them. Add lots and lots of salt and pepper, toss in the onion ring things and zap it all until it's nice and hot and top with more onion things. So delicious...so...comforting.
      Happy to say the Husband got over the horse race. Until he reads the sports page this morning.
      OH GET OVER IT!

      Saturday, November 6, 2010

      Here I am!

      Before you post a really cute photo of me on a telephone pole offering a huge reward for finding me- I thought I would finally write another post. I have tons of excuses; World Series, election B.S., work..I thought I would just move on and quickly post something I made last week. "Chicken Little Pot Pie" I have no idea why I call it that...better than...orgasmic pie. Because it was that good! So here are some photos of said dinner pie. I will post the recipe later today because if I don't get in the car and got to town I will not have anything to eat tonight.* As if. I just want to go shopping!

      Chicken Little Pot Pie (no actual pot was used to make this pie.)

      AND



      AND....YUM!


      Chicken Little Pot Pie


      1 (2 1/2 to 3 lb.) broiler-fryer OR 4 chicken breasts- your call
      1 onion, quartered
      1 stalk celery, cut into pieces 1 tsp. dried whole basil
      1 tsp. dried whole thyme
      1 tsp. dried whole rosemary leaves, crushed (if you don't have any of these, just toss in the herbs you DO have.)
      1 tsp. salt
      1 bay leaf
      1 c. finely chopped celery-
      1 c. finely chopped onion
      1 c. finely chopped carrots
      1 or 2 chopped potatoes
      1/3 c. butter, melted
      1/2 cup or so of white wine OR, if you are pregnant or don't drink, use chicken broth:)
      1/2 c. all-purpose flour
      1 1/2 c. half and half
      1 cube of cream cheese
      1/2 tsp. salt
      1/4 tsp. pepper


      Combine first 8 ingredients in a Dutch oven. Cover with water or white wine and bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until tender. Remove chicken from broth; strain broth, reserving 1 1/2 cups. Cool chicken, remove from bone, chop.
      Saute celery, onion, carrot and potato in butter until crisp-tender. Add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add reserved broth, cream cheese, wine and half and half. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt, pepper and the chopped chicken.
      Line greased pie-plate with bottom crust. Pour chicken mixture into crust and place second crust atop. Pinch edges of crusts together to seal and cut a few slits into top crust.
      Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until top crust in golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

      Saturday, October 30, 2010

      National Chocolate Day! ...is Not Today.

      You missed it. I almost missed it, but then I forgot to tell you about it. Whatever, I'm sure you're already into the bag of Snickers that are supposed to go to the kids. Up here on the Lake we will have no Trick-or-Treaters-you can bank on it. Back in San Diego we only had kids a few times, but that meant we could pile our own kids in the car and head to popular tract-house neighborhoods and let them run wild.



      But back to National Chocolate Day. It was Thursday. No one sent me a card, so I had a mini-celebration all by myself. I made chocolate covered cranberries to see if they would be a nice addition to the holidays- oh, and they are! Tart and chocolate- my tongue went a little crazy when I tossed them in my mouth.




      After I cleaned up the chocolate pan-with my fingers- I was reading my hoity-toity, New York Magazine and read about a drink from Italy called- il bicerin- which I did not taste when I was there...but that's another story. I did find a recipe on The Google, which I then tweaked just a little. It has chocolate and espresso mixed together with my secret ingredient added and, oh my- its Multi bene!



      So if you don't want anymore Snickers or Smarty’s and you want to be a grown-up tomorrow night, toss some cranberries into some melted chocolate and fire up the espresso machine. And don’t answer the door.


      Bicerin- Adapted from David Lebovitz
      Two servings
      It’s important to use a clear glass; you need to be able to see all three or four layers.
      To make a bicerin, warm one cup whole milk in a medium-sized saucepan with 3 ounces (90 gr) of chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate. Whisk the mixture until it begins to boil, then let it boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly
      Afterward, remove it from the heat and set aside. Make a shot of  espresso.
      Fill the bottom third of a clear, heat-proof glass with the warm chocolate mixture. Pour in some coffee or espresso. (If you want to help it create a definite layer, pour it over the back of a spoon, into the glass.) Add a small dash or so of Baileys Irish Cream. (Tweak!)
      Top with a nice swirl of sweetened, freshly-whipped cream.

      Thursday, October 28, 2010

      Cooking with ADD

      It might be the new moon this month, or the fact that I scored a new writing gig, or perhaps because I have adult ADD and don't enjoy Ritalin milkshakes- but this week I have  been going in a million different directions.
      Which, if you have ADD, you know it's what we live for- woo-hoo!

      But let's get to the food- (Hint- if you cook and you have ADD, it's helpful to carry around a timer so you don't burn the kitchen down.)


      The view outside my kitchen window is of the north Cascade Mountains here in Washington, and the snow has started to cover the peaks. It's G-D inspiring, and comfort food is on the mind. Along with a bunch of other stuff...


      Anyway, I was going to post the recipe of my Autumn Chicken Pot Pie*, but then, ADD came-a-calling- and I read my friend's blog- J & C's blog- http://candjdinearounddc.blogspot.com/2010/10/teds-bulletinread-all-bout-it.html that they were given yummy, apple butter Pop Tarts to make up for a so-so dinner, and I thought, "You know, I need to clean my car, and write that chapter and wash...oh hey, I want to make Apple Butter Pop Tarts!"


      And so I did. Because I have about 10 quarts of apple butter I made over the weekend, and because I didn't want to clean out the car.



      Apple Butter Pop Tarts
      makes 9 tarts

      For the Crust:
      2 cups all-purpose flour
      1 tablespoon granulated sugar
      1 teaspoon salt
      1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
      1 large egg
      2 tablespoons milk
      1 large egg (for brushing the dough)

      For the Filling:
      1 cup of quality apple butter- preferable home made.

      Glaze
      1 cup powdered sugar
      2 teaspoons maple syrup
      2 tablespoons milk

      To prepare the Crust:
      In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.  Add the cold butter and break it up in the flour mixture using your fingers, a pastry cutter or a food processor.  There may seem like there’s a ton of butter in your flour.  There is.   Work it in until only pea sized lumps remain in your mixture.  The mixture should also hold together when squeezed into a ball.
      In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk.  Add the mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and stir to make sure that moisture is introduced to all of the flour mixture.  Lightly dust a clean counter with flour and knead the dough on the floured counter for a few turns until it really starts to come together.  Divide the dough in two, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

      On a well floured work surface, press dough into a 3×5-inch rectangle, roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness.  The dough should be slightly larger than 9×12-inches.  Trim dough with a pizza cutter, creating a rectangle that is 9-inches tall and 12-inches long.  Using the pizza cutter, cut each side into thirds, creating 9 squares.  Place dough squares in the fridge while you roll out the second piece of dough in the same way.
      Brush one set of 9 squares with beaten egg.  This will act as the glue for the top layer of dough.  Spoon about one tablespoon of apple butter into the center of each brushed dough square.  Top with a piece of dough and use a floured fork to crimp the sides closed.  Use the tines of the fork to create vent holes in each tart.
      Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.  Let tarts rest in the fridge for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
      Remove tarts from the fridge and place in the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.
      While the tarts bake, whisk together ingredients for the glaze and set aside.
      Let baked tarts rest on a cooling rack to cool completely before glazing.
      *Chick Pot Pie recipe next. If I remember.