April Showers

  It seems this time of year always makes me smile. Well at least those days where the sun comes out and it surprises you with beautiful 65 degree weather when you least expected it. Of course the following day (or days for us valley dwellers) ends up being a wet mess and makes us long even more for the sunshine. This time of year seems to always be shower season, not in the sense of the beloved Oregon rain, but in baby and bridal showers as well. My mom and I had the pleasure of putting on an event this past weekend for our very longtime family friends. They recently had become grandparents and wanted to have a baby welcoming, and have it be family friendly- dads and spouses included. Now I know most men try to avoid events like this due to the usual lack of other males present but seeing how this was more of a “come meet the baby” then an actual shower with games and prizes, we planned that some men would actually brave the weather so to speak! We knew we wanted small appetizers and hor dourves but how can you make them more appealing to the testosterone in the room?  I mean everyone knows a guy likes to eat. The more fanciful things we could make would not only leave them sniffing the food at the buffet line but eventually asking that beloved, non-adventurous question of

 “What’s in this?”  

Speaking for the males in my family, if it has meat, starch, cheese - OK, and lets not forget some sort of condiment I’m usually safe. So why not play off of the caveman appetite? And that was when I had an idea; a His and Hers Menu! This would allow the men to feel safe with their usual favorites but with a nicer spin on it, and then an adjacent ladies sort of upgraded version.

His Menu

Mini Meatloaf Cupcakes with Creamy Potato Frosting

Hot Wing Dip

Pulled Pork Sliders on Mini Pretzel Buns

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Popper Bites

Her Menu

French Fried Onion and Mushroom Canapés

Cool Cucumber Vegetable Dip

Tarragon Shrimp Sliders on Mini Pretzel Buns

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

So you don’t get EVERY recipe this time, but here are a few to wet your appetite;

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeño Popper Bites

• 20 whole Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 Inches In Size
• 2 cubes Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 pound Thin(regular) Bacon, Sliced Into Thirds

If you have them, slip on some latex gloves for the pepper prep... Cut jalapenos in half, length-wise. With a spoon, remove the seeds and white membrane. Cut each half into half again, making a perfect bite sized piece. Fill a Ziploc bag with cream cheese and snip of the end to pipe out into each jalapeno bite. Wrap jalapeno with bacon pieces (1/3 slice). Secure by sticking toothpick through the middle.

Bake on a pan with a rack in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to shrink too much so if, after 20 minutes, the bacon doesn’t look brown enough, just turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes to finish it off. Serve warm or at room temperature.

French Fried Onion and Mushroom Canapés

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 4-ounces canned mushroom pieces and stems, drained
• one 2.8-ounce can french-fried onions
• 1 loaf cheap white sandwich bread

Lay out slices of bread and using an inch and half size cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Reserve the crust and remaining bread for other use. ( it freezes really well, and the last time we used it for croutons). Generously spray a cookie sheet with spray oil and place the bread round on sheet. Sprinkle the tops with garlic and onion powder. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. In a bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Parmesan, mushrooms, and onions. Spread on lightly toasted party rye or pumpernickel. Top each baked round with mixture and broil until brown and bubbly

Mini Meatloaf Cupcakes with Creamy Potato Frosting

• 1 pound Ground Beef ( or in our case elk or venison)
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Bread diced into small pieces
• ½ a Medium Onion, Diced
• 1 whole Egg, Lightly Beaten
• ½ cup Ketchup
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper

• 1 ½  pounds Potatoes, Peeled And Cubed

• ½ sticks Butter

• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup Evaporated Milk
• ½ cup fresh Chopped Chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini tartlet tray with aluminum  mini foil baking cup liners. Mix ground beef, bread pieces, onion, eggs, salt, pepper and ketchup. Using a small scoop, fill each cup with meatloaf mixture. Filling will be slightly above the liners in a mounded shape simulating the finished cupcake shape since the mixture won’t rise. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Boil peeled and cubed potatoes for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander and return to pot. Add butter and salt. With a mixer, beat on medium until completely smooth. Add evaporated milk. When meatloaves are done, remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes. Remove the foil liners from the trays. Be careful because the edges may stick to the trays. Separate with a knife if this happens and lift out of the trays. The meat will have shrunk a little and some grease will be in the bottom of the liners so be careful. Place onto desired serving dish. Spoon potatoes into a large ziploc bag with the corner cut off and pipe potatoes on top of meatloaves in a swirling motion. Sprinkle the tops with chopped chives. Serve warm.

Cool Cucumber Vegetable Dip

·         2 whole cucumbers, peeled and seeded

·         1 bell pepper cored and seeded

·         3 stalks celery, ends removed

·         1 onion, peeled and ends removed, cut in half

·         3 lbs. cream cheese, softened

·         ¼ c. mayonnaise

Take cream cheese and pulse in food processor. Add vegetables one at a time. Finish with mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper to taste. This batch makes a ton, so you can cut in half if needed.

Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus

• 7 oz. prosciutto, sliced
• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 or 2 bundles of  fresh asparagus, trimmed well and ends removed

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread prosciutto slices with cream cheese. Cut each of them into 4 strips lengthwise.  Twist and Wrap slices around each asparagus spear. Arrange wrapped spears in a single layer on a medium baking sheet. Bake 10- 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until asparagus is tender or their green color turns very vibrant.  Serve warm, cold or at room temperature

We had no casualties as a result of a couples shower. It was a pretty nice day. Lots of baby cooing and cuddling and so far no complaints about the food. Even during the clean up part, we noticed most of the plates were completely clean. Events like these are always fun because not only are you doing them for people you care about but the small intricate bites give a smorgasbord to your guest. I always have trouble at a restaurant deciding what to get becuase I wat to try it all, and a menu like this gives you exactly that option.  

We have another event coming up next month and a family dinner this weekend so look for yet another blog very soon!

Being recognized for something is always fulfilling. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and worth. In motherhood it can be a little less rewarding- like when your child thanks you for holding their hair when they are throwing up, or your husband tells you that “dinner was great”. Even though you thought it was awful. My life centers on my children and our business so the recognition I hope to gain is generally not for myself,  but in the accomplishments of my husband as an artist and my kids in school, manners and making it to the potty in time.  But since I have started my food adventures I find my blog and the comments I receive personally fulfilling that this is something I was meant to do. Even if I only have 4 followers..

Just last week I was working on contest stuff for our County Fair (for those who do not know, my mom and I are the superintendents of the baked goods department). I was sending emails and setting up conference calls all while doing laundry, scouring the house after a 2 week flu stint and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I took a minute to check my emails- and I had one subjected “Food Blog. It reads like this;

LaurelLynne,

We were given some information about your cooking ideas and I was wondering if you would feel comfortable about being featured on our food page. It would include an interview with me and a photographer while cooking something.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Amanda Robbins

Albany Democrat-Herald

I was floored.

Sure I write a blog and talk to any moving body about my cooking but was I worthy of being on the food page? I mean I know it’s not the New York Times but still, it’s a notable accomplishment and recognition for someone as detached from the REAL food industry as me.

I then spent the last week planning, cleaning preparing, shopping and tweaking my recipes. I had trouble sleeping, and was probably nervous for the first time I can remember in a long time. I even recruited Payton to be my little assistant.

Then- Today was the day-

They would be here at 10 am and I needed to turn into Ina Garten or Paula Deen and make it look flawless, flavorful and fabulous. In My mass preparation and alterations I picked this menu because I have always been a fan of cooking with the seasons. We are coming into spring- ok, we are supposed to be, but this is when those light dishes and fresh salads start showing up in restaurants and food websites. Farmers markets will be starting up soon and with the hope of SOME nice weather we will even be barbequing before we know it.  Each one of them is a table please- nice to look at and full of flavor.

Shrimp, Avocado and Tarragon Sandwich

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons drained capers, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons diced red onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

2 dashes pepper sauce

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, room temperature

2/3 loaf of focaccia cut into 6 sandwiches

1 pound peeled deveined large shrimp

2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper

1 ripe avocado chopped and mashed- seasoned with salt and pepper

Green leaf or butter leaf lettuce

1.         Get a large pot of salted water boiling. Add the shrimp and reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cool water. Drain shrimp and chop coarsely. Mix the shrimp, first 5 ingredients and bell pepper in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and more hot sauce, if desired. Lightly butter cut sides of focaccia bread and place on cookie sheet, butter side up. Heat broiler and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Spread avocado over bottom of each bun. Top with shrimp mixture and lettuce, if desired. Cover with top buns. Transfer to plate or wrap for later use.

Focaccia Bread

2 ½ cups AP Flour

¼ c. Bobs Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 ½ teaspoons herbes de provence

1 pinch ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1.                      In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic, herb and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.

2.                      When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

3.                      Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Using fingers poke divots into dough. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm or allow to cool for use in sandwiches.

Asparagus Salad

1 pound asparagus, ends removed, cut into thirds

2 red bell peppers cored and seeded

4 scallions sliced

3/4 c. canola oil

¼ c. apple cider vinegar

¼ c. soy sauce

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1.         Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, then drain and plunge into ice cold water. Drain again. Cut peppers into thin strips, the same length as the asparagus. Combine the pepper, sliced scallions and asparagus in a bowl. Meanwhile whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over vegetables. Season to taste. Serve either at room temperature or chilled.

My reasons for picking the menu I did were because I have always been a fan of cooking with the seasons. We are coming into spring- ok, we are supposed to be, but this is when those light dishes and fresh salads start showing up in restaurants and food websites. Farmers markets will be starting up soon and with the hope of SOME nice weather we will even be barbequing before we know it.  Each one of these is a table please- nice to look at and full of flavor.

As I went through each recipe and was chopping, slicing, blanching and rinsing, I found myself messing up on my steps out of sheer nervousness. But why?? You would have thought I was cooking for Gordon Ramsey!! The reporter asked me a vast array of questions, including how I started cooking, what I like to cook the most, and what is my favorite part about cooking. The one question that stumped me the most was “what would you tell someone wanting to learn how to cook?” I sort of stood there and had to think- and generally for me the words easily come flying out of my mouth. But then I said the one thing I should have said to myself through the whole process-

Don’t be afraid.

Just like anything, all I had to do was be myself, and the rest would fall into place as it was meant to be. Who knows if anything will come from the article, but someday I can look back and say- you know what- I did that.

Start From Scratch

Any stay at home mom would tell you, stress in inevitable. Anyone who owns their own business would tell you the same thing. Low and behold, I happen to fall under all accounts, and since I come naturally with a slightly shorter fuse then most, my snappy responses tend to flourish. Not to mention I come form a long lineage of smartasses. It seems to compound the closer we get to the end of the month when the bills are coming in and the cupboards starts to look- well- inventive, all on top of the normal household and business chores.

$275.00

That is the food budget for our household each month. For a family of five it is a challenge each and every month to stay in that range. Following a trend of fellow young mothers, I have become an avid couponer and watch the weekly ads vigorously. But the things that really ad up each month, like produce, dairy, and meats generally do not come in the Sunday SmartSource. Growing up I came from a family that has a majority of it’s income from a “cowboy” way of life, so steak and lobster were never on the menu. This lifestyle for me is not unmanageable, but the foodie in me gets very tempted by the beautiful cuts of wild salmon and the bags of organic fresh basil.

So here we are, once again at the end of the month and there aren’t a lot of very inspirational items in my cupboard that lean towards that fabulous meal you want to remember next week. The Food budget was gone 3 days ago, the dogs peed on the carpet, you just added up the bills for the month and your over your usually budget by three hundred bucks….

Woohoo….

The release of stress for some is a long hard workout, for other a tub of ice cream while vegging on the couch. Maybe for you it’s a long soak in a bath with the radio drowning out the sound of your kids in the other room. All of those sounds pretty tempting, but for me it’s a recipe, made from scratch and completely uninterrupted. So the end of the month, with only the basic ingredients, I needed a mommy time out, giving me the inspiration today to go gung-ho! Here is what I made:

Home Made Pasta

Serves 6-8

4 eggs

Pinch of salt

10 oz. flour

In your kitchen aid add eggs and salt first and then flour. Mix until dough comes together and is well blended. With lots of extra flour, knead dough by hand for 10 minutes.

At this point I used my pasta rollers, which if you have a kitchen aid, and like to cook, I highly recommend getting them. They make a great gift idea for those times when someone asked you what you want for Christmas/ birthday and you have absolutely no idea what you want. I for one got them for my birthday7 years ago. Pasta can be extremely finicky. If you over work the dough, it can be tough. If underworked it can become mushy and not hold together. It truly takes years to master but the pasta rollers really help, and with a little time in the kitchen you can get a feel for what you are looking for.

After feeding it through the pasta roller enough times to get to the thickness wanted, I then laid out the pasta and cut it into long lasagna style noodles. Then lay them out on your cookie wire racks to dry out. The longest I would suggest is several hours before putting in an air tight container for later use (3-5 days) or you can freeze in an airtight container for use in later weeks.  I used mine later in the evening to make lasagna from scratch.

 

Home Made French Bread

5 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 Bobs red Mill Gluten Flour

2 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1 egg white

1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.

Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.

With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

Home Made Marinara/ Spaghetti sauce

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 green bell pepper, diced small

2 cloves garlic minced

½ of a medium onion, diced small  

3-14.5 oz. cans fire roasted tomatoes, juice included

½ tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Additional water

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pot over med. heat. Once heated, add the peppers, garlic and onion and sauté until softened and aromatic. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Cover and let cook for 2 hours over medium low heat. Taste sauce and add desired seasoning. Cook an additional 2 hours uncovered on low heat. If  the sauce reduces too much, add a small amount of water until desired thickness, tasting along the way to make sure you are not deluding the flavors.

Home Made Lasagna

1 large cottage cheese carton (small curd, whole milk)

3 eggs

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage, cooked

1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated

Homemade pasta

Homemade marinara

 In a large bowl, mix the cottage cheese, eggs and basil until well blended. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside, meanwhile cook your ground beef or sausage and begin to boil a large pot of salted water for your pasta. Drain meet from drippings and set aside. Once water is boiling, add fresh pasta to water and cook for 2-5 minutes, just bringing the noodles to a desired texture- al dente. Remove from water and place in a ice cold water bath to shock them. Remove once cool enough to touch, and lay on tea towels until ready to use. Preheat the oven to 375°. Using a 9x13” pan spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom. Place one layer of noodles side by side, even ripping to fit if necessary. Add a layer of the cottage cheese mixture, followed by meat, more marinara and shredded mozzarella. Continue this pattern until coming to the last layer; once placing the pasta, top with marinara, mozzarella and 1/3 c. grated parmesan. Place in oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

There is no better feeling, then putting your heart soul and time into a homemade recipe, that took literally all day to cook, and finding your families plates completely clean. Then to top it all off your husband turns to you and says “honey, this is the best lasagna I have ever tasted”

Now if that isn’t a stress reducer, I don’t’ know what is

Food For Therapy

Oh my good Gravy!! It has been too long since I took a moment to enjoy the fruits of my labor via blogging. Since the eons it has been since my last post last October….( Again I say LAST October)….(sighing and rolling  my eyes)… I have had the joy of really getting to cook for my fellow family members on at least a monthly basis. Although I love my children and husband, having a wider audience to taste my epicurean curiosities makes for a much more constructively critical audience. 

Just before thanksgiving last year, it became very apparent that my Papa’s time was coming to a close- in an effort to be as supportive as possible (and to selfishly take advantage of our remaining time together) I made the decision to spend the next few weeks in Milwaukie with my Mother, Aunt and Grandma while caring for Papa. I was struggling- and had not faced the reality that he was going to go soon. So as any normal person, I went straight for the kitchen. Any meal was no longer simplified- I bought flashy ingredients and made things I would never fix for my kids or husband. Rich, flavorful foods with hours invested. I’m sure we all gained a few pounds those weeks together.

Papa was a simple eater though. I knew he would be happy with anything, but I knew he was on a strict diet the few weeks prior per his doctors and grandma would follow those notes like a drill sergeant, but now with the inevitable coming, he had freedom to eat what he wanted. When running around in the  produce department with Grandma- trying to get a few things before heading back to the house- for some reason I grabbed a bag of pears. Granted I have never been a huge pear fan but these looked picture-perfect. They were golden, firm and unbruised. I could tell they were perfectly ripe and even without a clue as to what I would do with them- they were in the cart regardless.  

Fussing and fidgeting and milling around are the many ways our family copes. No time to sit and cry- there are things to do. Well for me the “to-do” has always been food. Even as a kids I would get lost in the possibilities of dinner and knew when I was 14 I wanted to be a chef. That was when Papa made me my first recipe binder. He would always joke about how he would happily be my “tester” anytime. The support of my grandparents has always weight upon me like  a parents would because of the close relationship I had with them in my childhood, so late one evening after settling papa in and telling everyone goodnight, I had trouble getting to sleep so I picked up my laptop and tried to start typing my thoughts for Papas eulogy. I knew as we talked and spent time together each day I would remember things and in the chaos of it all did not what to forget them. But with the laptop set,

and my fingers on the keys,

I sat there.

I was stuck-…….

and then, I lost it. Just then my never-failing mother walks by the door and sees me,

in pieces.  

We cried together for a moment without really saying much, and ending with “I Love you”, as we always do. I then decided to go back to my serenity of recipes and scoured the web for a sublime pear recipe.

The next day I scurried and stirred, mix and sautéed and ended with a Spiced Pear Tartlet with Vanilla Bean and Star Anise.  It was beautiful; spicy yet subtle, with a crispy puff pastry crust that flaked like clouds and melted like butter on the tongue. It tasted like fall on a plate. Papa enjoyed a healthy slice, ala’ mode of course and for me it was good therapy for moving forward.  We lost papa on December 6^th, 2010 . We all enjoyed a wonderful few weeks at home with him, and he managed to finish and entire mince meat pie before he left us.  

It was then we decided to have a monthly family dinner at my parents’ home each month- with no requirements, no guilt in attending or hidden agenda, just good food and time with family. We had all had quite a year between the 28+ of us. We have had multiple deaths, divorces, major injuries, lack of work and as most in this economy, times are tight, and finding ways to whined down, relax and remember the simpler things is becoming harder and harder to do when the money isn’t rolling in like it used to.

 So each month we have a theme- make a dish, play games, drink some wine (and sometimes a little more wine…and more..). I cannot speak for other folks but our family is pretty much an open book- we don’t keep secrets we talk about everything, and hold no grudges as a result. We harass each other; drive each one crazy in some ways- we even aren’t all in the same political party for that matter. But, the one constant is that we love each other- and never knowing what time we have, we know that come hell or high water we can rely on one another.  And the small stuff, the little differences in each one of us, makes for a much more interesting party every month.

So this time around, I dedicate my food- and endless love to Papa. Thank you for always believing in me and being part of my family and my life.

 I love you

Rolling up my sleeves and getting back to it!

So after a 7 month hiatus, I am now back to my cookbook challenge. I may not be able to finish by my 1 year mark, but I will darn sure give it my best shot. After having our newest addition and finally quitting my job to be the mom I know I'm meant top be, I can make a little more time in my life for myself and my children, including my love of food.
My mom and I recently had the opportunity to help with the food for my Sister-in-laws 30Th birthday party. The plan was to have a menu that was Italian based appetizer bar. Appetizers have always been my favorite form of food because it is a meal in a bite, giving you the opportunity to taste lots of different things. when I first started my cookbook collection, appetizers, hors d'oeuvre's, starters etc., were the ones I wanted the most, so once the menu theme was set in place, I had LOTS of books to choose from.
The first book was simply titled "hors d'oeuvres". This book has always been a favorite of mine because there is a picture with every recipe, making it easy to decide if the food is what you envisioned, as well as prepping ahead and storage suggestions.

Because of the Italian theme we went with a recipe that had a Mediterranean influence.

"Tiny Parmesan and black olive shortbread's with Parsley pesto and Feta"
-Hors Doeuvres by Eric Treuille & Victoria Blashford-Snell

Being the anti-baker that I am, my mom volunteered to do the shortbread's. After getting several calls from her about the dough, I know the recipe left us sort of hanging out to dry-literally. She was so perplexed because the dough was not dough at all but a powdery mix resembling something similar to Bisquick. After reading through the ingredients and mumbling to ourselves over the phone we went with the wing it approach of, when all else fails add more butter. I'm sure that is a life quote of Julia Child's and Paula Deens. Once she added more butter the recipe came out fine, The olive flavor was not really present for being called a black olive shortbread, but the Parmesan came through beautifully. As for the pesto, that was assigned to me. Pesto in my opinion is about as important as ranch dressing ( yes I said ranch dressing) I know for a epicurean of sorts i shouldn't have a love of condiments such as ranch but I do, so sue me. Anyway, Pesto can enhance the flavor of practically any dish, is simple to make, and easy to store, yet for some unknown reason i had not made it since culinary school. I wasn't a big fan of the parsley pesto idea so I went ahead and made a traditional pesto and also utilized another cookbook of mine with the recipe. This came from;

The Pasta Bible by Jeni Wright

This book also has my highly sought after photo with each recipe, but also has instructional photos for the more advanced techniques required. The recipe was simple straight forward and turned out really well. I also liked the fact the the ingredients were listed in measurement as well as weight.

Once both of these components were done all that was needed was to plate them up-making these pretty simple and straight forward. The flavors were pretty powerful so if you don't care for garlic and Parmesan, these were not for you. We were pleasantly surprised to find that even with the pungent flavors, they were quite a crowd pleaser.


The next app. we wanted to make was some sort of bruschetta. In my book-The Essential Appetizers Cookbook , we again have photos and helpful hints with each recipe, even provided sections based on regions of the world to ensure that your menu flowed well. The section on Bruschetta provided different recipe variations on this common Italian dish. I chose the:

"Pastrami and Herb Creme Fraiche with Tomato and Basil Bruschetta"

Creme Fraiche in layman's terms is a french variation of sour cream. The flavor tends to be richer and the consistency thinner but the biggest difference is the price-if purchased. After doing some digging my mom managed to make a restaurant quality creme fraiche in a matter of days and a lot cheaper then what you'd pay in the grocery store. We then just finished it off with some fresh chopped chives and it was ready to go. the fortunate thing about this time of year are the great garden tomatoes.the tomato basil mixture was very straight forward and a simple mixture of tomato, finely shredded basil, some garlic, top shelf olive oil, along with salt and pepper to taste, with the garden tomatoes really standing out with such great flavor. The pastrami was an easy find for me since we have found ourselves constantly shopping a local discount grocery store that also has Amish deli cuts-that are truly to die for.
Once the elements were ready we allowed the guests at the party to build as they ate because we were afraid of the bread getting soggy, which we were glad we did since the tomatoes began to get a little soupy. This dish was probably my favorite- it was filling and left your pallet wanting more. The contrast in flavors were fresh, creamy and well seasoned. Definitely one that will go into our regular repertoire.

Well folks, it's good to be back! more recipes and books to come.

I was very fortunate to have married a man who definitely brings home the bacon….. or should I say elk, deer, antelope and all other four legged animals with antlers. Our freezers are never scant to say the least, and he is always encouraging me to make something new and different with them. To help you understand my husband he is, and is not a picky eater. The best way to describe what he likes is this; if he had meat, potatoes, and corn the rest of his life he would be completely happy, but in the same breathe, he does not like to venture too far from his comfort zone of foods. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love to cook. I try different things, challenge myself in the kitchen and if that limits me to a starch, some sore of game meat and a can or corn…ugh…you get the point. Even with this bit of knowledge in my head I try to go forth and make food that could possibly change his mind. 7 out of 10 I can but occasionally I find him picking his way around the dish, but like the great husband he is, never complains, that or as my mother would say “he knows better then to get hit with the frying pan!”. All in all he has gotten better about trying things in our 7 years together, and now encourages me to use up what we have in different ways.
This Christmas I received a cookbook from my parents in honor of the Pendleton Round-up called “Beyond the Bull”. This book is full of recipes, pictures, and history about one of Oregon’s cherished events. From cover to cover, this book is full of down home hearty cooking that can stick to the ribs of any cowboy or cowgirl, green horn or saddle tramp.
After having some time to go through the book, I selected a Beer pot roast recipe to try out. I should start by saying I have traditionally hated pot roast because in my opinion thus far, it has been bland, boring and dry. Whenever I have had it, it normally gets drowned in ketchup or some other condiment just to make up for the “mistake in a pot” flavor. I knew this going in but was convinced I would find a way to give it a better flavor, the recipe looked promising and that chuck roast in the freezer could be used for little else. It started off with a onions caramelized in butter, and I mean lots of onion. I know that onion can be a really over powering flavor, but once they are caramelized they are so sweet and mild in flavor that even the most anti-onion eater will find it suitable. Once the onion were nice and brown and had a sweet smell steaming from the pot I added the flour, salt, garlic, and one can of beer. While this was brewing away, I seared off my roast. One tip I will give anyone either doing a dry oven roast or a pot roast, ALWAYS sear your meat. This means you have your pan so hot, when you add your oil to the pan it starts to smoke. Then you season your meat (salt, pepper etc.) and then put it in your pan. This will create a really loud sizzle and it will only take maybe 20 seconds to get a good dark color, and you’ll want to rotate to do the same on all sides. When you finish, if you were just looking at it you’d think it was done. This is a trick I learned in culinary school that keeps your juices in when cooking for long periods of time. That also means, no cutting and checking it while cooking. The best way to tell if a roast is done is to check periodically with your instant read thermometer. You can find a done-ness guide online or in your typical Betty Crocker cook book. Once I had the meat seared and the base done I placed the meat in the dutch oven with the sauce and baked it, covered for about 3 hours. I wanted to be sure and have a vegetable, so about ½ before being done, I added some carrots. I also made some roasted red potatoes to help sap up some of the sauce. This recipe was so easy, and so good, heath went back for 3rds! There are so many different ways to cook a pot roast and I really feel like it comes down to the meat and how it is handled, and thanks to my husband; we have plenty to fill our table. He may be picky sometimes, but boy he sure comes in handy!

Love you honey.

Now on to book #8

Start at the top and work your way down...

This was my first thought as I looked up an down my bookcase. I realized in a second that my "one a week" plan may not work, after I counted 167 cookbooks. Like my cooking blogger before me, I plan on taking no more then a year. Once this epiphany hit me, I took a deep breath and grabbed the first book and in the most juvenile way possible, flipped through the pages with my eyes closed and pointed at my first recipe.

"Deceptively delicious"
by Jessica Seinfeld

-Aloha chicken kabobs-

I was so happy to get this book off the shelf since I felt it would be an easy place to start-sort of. The whole concept behind this book is to trick your picky eaters into consuming good-for-you food. My mother purchased this book for me since I have a daughter who is obnoxiously selective in her food choices(unless it resembles dessert). I spent about an hour last night looking through all the other recipes and found some of them great yet others to be disappointing. All of them are great family recipes for anyone with kids 8 and under but as for the healthy factor some of the recipes only had 1/4 cup of good-for-you food for a recipe that fed 8-10 people. One great thing though is everything is pureed to hide the most noticeable foods in some pretty strange but yummy places and even thought it i allot of work for the bigger recipes I spoke of, it totally works with ones that have enough to really get the kids (or husbands for that matter) the nutrition they need. The one recipes I selected seemed to be a good way to incorporate the more healthful items. The recipes came together pretty well but my environment to say the least was not what I had hoped for. Two screaming kids, a totally destroyed kitchen and not getting home from work until after 6:30...ugh! The recipe was your typical home breaded chicken recipe but with a twist. with the egg wash, you added pureed pineapple and sweet potato and a small amount of soy sauce. With the breadcrumbs was 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut that definitely gave it a totally different flavor that went over well. The chicken was delicious and my overly picky daughter actually decided she liked pineapple.....MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! I'm not sure if this will be the cookbook I rely on day in and day out but It was definitely good inspiration for getting my picky eaters to consume good food. I also know that to be able to really get into my recipe, I need to do it in a....shall we say...more relaxing enviroment.....


Coming soon....book #2!