Cook Eat Dance Love

Hoosier Corn Fritters

2010-08-23T14:29:00.002-04:00

It's getting towards the end of the season but local corn may be available a few more weeks. Although not everyone has a love affair with fresh corn on the cob, my father, who farmed in the Midwest growing up, passed just such a love on to at least some of his children. Add to that the fact that I grew my own corn for over 20 years, and you've got a real corn snob on your hands. But even someone who truly loves fresh corn on the cob, to the point that no off-season corn in any form is worth eating, appreciates eating fresh corn other ways than just on the cob. These fritters are a great way to capture the corn flavor of summer with a bit of zing.

Corn fritter recipes are all over the Internet; many are exact copies of each other. My recipe has been tweaked it over the years; it's not drastically different than what you'll find elsewhere, but to me it's a bit better than most. It's not yet perfect but it is oh-so-delicious. Go out and pick a few ears from your garden and give this a try.

HOOSIER CORN FRITTERS

Ingredients

2 ears fresh local corn, shucked, and kernels cut off cob
1/4 c. diced onion
2 eggs
1/4 c. 2% milk (other milk may be used, or even water)
3 T. yellow corn meal
3 T. whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 T. baking powder
dash salt
pepper to taste
a dash of cayenne pepper, or cumin

Method

Whisk eggs with milk in large bowl, then add corn and onion. Stir together corn meal, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and spice. Add to corn batter and let sit 15 minutes.

Heat a thin sheet of olive oil in a non-stick skillet (medium heat). Drop batter by small spoonfuls -- about 2 T. each -- into oil; fry until browned on each side, and drain on paper towels.

Serve while warm with plain yogurt, sour cream, and/or a little homemade salsa.

Notes

Frozen corn will also work well for this, especially if it's corn you've cut off the ears and frozen yourself. Don't bother with canned corn -- it simply isn't as good (I'm a corn snob, remember? Or as I prefer to say, I have a highly educated palette). The whole wheat flour adds just a bit of earthy flavor and the onion plays well with the corn. They can be a bit crumbly (one of the things I'm trying to perfect) so make them small, not large, unless you don't care if you get lots of corn fritter chunks instead of fritters. These fritters make a great side for a Thanksgiving dinner; substitute rosemary for the cayenne pepper or cumin.

And cook, eat, dance, love!

Blueberry Pudding Cake

2010-08-14T17:31:00.004-04:00

Blueberry Pudding Cake is a recipe from epicurious.com. I made it with only small modifications and wanted to be sure to credit the source. If you're interested in the original recipe, check out the link; I'm posting as I made it. Very moist, flavorful, and a good way to highlight summer blueberries.

BLUEBERRY PUDDING CAKE

Ingredients

1/4 c. plus 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 c. water
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 T. cornstarch
10 oz blueberries (2 cups)
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 3/4 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 large egg
1/2 c. lowfat milk
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 t. vanilla

Method

Mix 1/4 c. sugar, water, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan; add blueberries. Bring to simmer and maintain, stirring as needed, for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/3 c. sugar. Separately, mix egg, milk, butter, and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Pour batter into greased 8x8 pan, then pour blueberry mixture evenly over batter. The sauce partially sinks and makes a fun, spider-web-like design.

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature, ideally with a vanilla topping like ice cream, whipped cream, or vanilla yogurt (my favorite, lighter than ice cream, but still adds the creamy, vanilla-y goodness).

Notes

I liked this but did find it pretty rich because of all the butter so if you try it, be forewarned and consider smaller servings than you might dish out. I used less sugar than the recipe called for and was pleased with the not-sickening-sweet result, especially because of the richness. It was very moist, more like a sponge cake, and the blueberry sauce also offset the richness and was a nice foil to the buttery cake.

Next time I'm going to add 1/2 c. more blueberries, a heaping T. or more of lemon zest, and perhaps sub lemon extract for the vanilla.

And when I do, I'll cook, eat, dance, love!

Whole Wheat Bread

2010-07-16T16:49:00.006-04:00

I've been baking bread for nearly 40 years now (yikes!) and the very first loaf I made was whole wheat, and very successful -- which is probably what launched me into years of bread-baking. Over the years I've tried a lot of whole wheat recipes: liked most, didn't like a few, and have had various favorites. This is my current favorite, a basic recipe that, like many bread recipes, can be treated a variety of ways. It's easy and yields two medium loaves. You can make one with additions, as I did here, or just enjoy the simple, tender goodness as is!

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Ingredients

1 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. honey
2 t. salt
1/3 c. butter
1 c. warm water
2 T. yeast
1/2 t. soda
about 6 cups flour (I use all whole wheat)

Method

Heat the buttermilk and butter gently until butter is melted; add sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in water and add to lukewarm buttermilk mixture. Combine 3 c. flour and soda; mix. Add liquid ingredients to flour, mix well, then stir in rest of flour and knead until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turn, cover (I used a damp, wrung-out towel), place somewhere warm, and let rise until double -- about 45 minutes. Punch down, divide in half, knead lightly, shape into loaves, and place in greased loaf pans. Cover again and let rise again.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Bottoms will sound hollow when done. Brush tops with butter, milk, or water to keep crust soft. Cool on rack, if you can stand to wait, then slice and savor!

Variations

I mixed 1 c. of golden raisins and 1 c. of walnuts with a generous amount of cinnamon; rolled one loaf out fairly thin (about 1/3" or so), covered with nut mixture, and rolled loaf tightly before placing in pan. Yum!

Another filling, on the savory side: rosemary, butter, green onions, chopped.

You can also make this into rolls. It makes good sandwich buns, too -- especially if you add a generous amount of sauteed onions with a little celery seed, sage optional.

No matter how you vary it, this is a tender loaf with a fine grain that slices well. It has a slight tang from the buttermilk and is perfect with just about anything.

Bake, cook, eat, dance, love!

As American as...

2010-07-04T08:10:00.001-04:00

... apple pie!

I was thinking about the 4th and foods that seem part of the 4th: anything barbecue, fried chicken (just not KFC, thank you very much!), potato salad, coleslaw, lemonade, deviled eggs; the list could go on and on, and of course the list will vary for everyone. Me, I couldn't help thinking of apple pie. It's a cliché, yes, and maybe it's not a summer pie, but still, for me it fits. Then I looked at the fresh local blueberries in my 'fridge... and voila! A combination of summer and as-American-as, for your eating pleasure.

APPLE BLUEBERRY PIE

crust ingredients

3 c. unbleached flour*
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 c. shortening
1/4 pound (1 stick) frozen butter, cut into 6-8 pieces
1/2 c. ice cold water. Measure precisely in a liquid measure cup.

method

Place all ingredients into food processor except water. Pulse until crumbs form. Add water all at once and process for 15-30 seconds, or until it begins to form a ball. Do not over-process or crust will be tough.

Remove from processor; wrap and refrigerate until filling is ready and oven is preheated.

*I used 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour in place of the same amount of unbleached. I really only like whole wheat crusts for savory pies, as they tend to be a bit heavier and chewier and not nearly as flaky, but this amount of whole wheat flour was too small to weigh the crust down, and I was determined to add a little bit of health. Not enough to counterbalance all the fat and unbleached flour, I know! but a little bit is better than none.

filling ingredients

4-5 c. thinly sliced, peeled apples (whatever fills your pie pan)
1 generous c. blueberries
3 T. cornstarch
2/3 c. sugar
cinnamon
1+ T. crystallized ginger
3 T. butter, cut into pieces

method

Combine all ingredients except butter. I like to allow pie filling ingredients to sit awhile to blend and get some of the fruit juices running but this isn't necessary.

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Roll out and fit bottom crust to fit your pie pan. Roll top crust to have ready as soon as filling goes in.

When oven is hot, pour filling into crust, top with butter, top with the top crust, seal edges, make a pretty design in the crust with a knife to let the steam out, and pop into the hot oven.

Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30-45 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack.

(The initial hot oven helps keep the bottom crust from getting too soggy, as does cooling on a rack with air circulation under the bottom of the pie.)

The blueberries bleed as they cook and turn the whole pie... blue! Very 4th of July, no?

Slice and enjoy.

(A scoop of vanilla ice cream doesn't hurt.)

Happy 4th! and while you're lighting fireworks, don't forget to cook, eat, dance, love!

Bonnie Shortbread

2010-06-13T16:21:00.006-04:00

There are many, many recipes for shortbread, but this one -- a Scottish shortbread recipe -- is one of the simplest and, as is often the case with simple recipes, one of the best. Give it a try for melt-in-your-mouth buttery goodness.

SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD

Ingredients

1 c. (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
1/2 c. sugar
6 T. cornstarch
2 1/2 c. unbleached flour

Method

Drop everything into the food processor, give it some short pulses until the ingredients start to blend, then let it whir until the dough begins to gather up a bit.

Press onto a non-stick cookie sheet: you can do 2 circles (8-9" each), or about an 8x10" rectangle. (You can also use a regular baking sheet with parchment paper). I ran the rolling pin lightly over the top to smooth it but that's not necessary. Prick all over with a fork.

Bake at 300 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until top is firm when pressed and edges are very light golden. Remove from oven. If desired, sprinkle top lightly with a little more sugar. Carefully cut into wedges or squares by pressing down with a knife or spatula edge (do not draw knife across cookie, simply press down to cut), then let cookies cool on baking sheet.

Grab a bowl of fresh summer fruit and a piece of shortbread, and sink into buttery heaven!

Notes

Warning: these are very rich -- a little goes a long way!

Although the recipe doesn't call for flavoring, this might be really good with a little lemon zest and some lemon extract... or almond...

Whatever you might try, always cook, eat, dance, love!

The Perfect Pancake

2010-03-11T16:17:00.005-05:00

I know a title like that is just itchin' for a fight, but the title isn't mine -- it's the title of the magazine article where I first found the recipe -- and anyway, while this recipe may not be your idea of perfection, it's been my favorite pancake recipe for over 20 years, so I'll stand by the title. It's certainly perfect to me.

I found the recipe back when I subscribed to Country Journal magazine, tried it almost immediately, and made it for overnight company many times, with frequent requests for the recipe. Quite simply, I love it, and others seemed to like it as well.

So of course I was very unhappy when I was looking for it one day about 5 years ago and couldn't find it.

I no longer had the magazine because I'd written the recipe on a card. I immediately searched through my entire card file and then began leafing through my cookbooks, thinking I might have stuck it in one as a bookmark.

No luck.

I tried to remember exactly who might have the recipe from my sharing it.

No luck.

I searched the Internet.

No luck.

Finally, I began looking at pancake recipes with a similar ingredient list, mainly looking at recipes that had cornmeal, oats, and whole wheat flour. I remembered that much so I figured I could come up with something close, either with another recipe, or by experimenting a little.

But it's bothered me that I didn't have the recipe, I was never quite satisfied with "substitutes," and today, thinking of pancakes, I decided to try another Internet search. Things get posted all the time, so it was certainly possible that it had been posted since I last looked. Hope springs eternal, and all that.

Googled "Country Journal pancake recipe."

And there it was.

Someone else had been looking for it and submitted a request to the Hartford Courant's recipe request column. And someone else saw the request and replied.

Thank you, reader who requested it. Thank you, reader who saw the request and replied (others replied with the same recipe, so I'm obviously not the only one who thought this was a keeper!). Thank you, Hartford Courant, for publishing all of it. Thank you, Country Journal, for printing the original recipe in January 1987. And thank you, woman who shared the recipe with Country Journal and started all this. I wish I could remember her name to give her credit. Maybe someone will see this and share it with me.

I know what I'm having for dinner tonight. But before I head to the kitchen...

OATMEAL-WALNUT GRIDDLE CAKES

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 large eggs
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup melted unsalted butter (cooled) or oil

Method

Combine dry ingredients, including walnuts, in a large bowl and mix. In separate bowl, beat eggs, lightly, then blend in remaining liquids.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and add liquids all at once. Blend with a few deft strokes. Let sit 10 minutes, then cook on a hot griddle. Makes about 15, 5-inch cakes.

Notes

Letting the batter sit 10 minutes or so really is important. The flour absorbs some liquid and makes the batter thicker.

Adjust the liquids or flour to your liking for thinner or thicker pancakes.

This recipe is perfect as is, but over time I tried different versions... the biggest change being that I omitted the walnuts. Really great with them, but if you don't have them, substitute other nuts (toasted pecans... yum!) or leave them out. Since they don't absorb liquid, the omission never affected the batter.

One of the reasons I like this recipe is that it calls for milk rather than buttermilk. I rarely have buttermilk on hand and appreciate not having to sour milk. And, for those who can't have milk at all, I found the recipe worked just as well with soy milk or even water, with no noticeable change in flavor or texture.

I also got to where I left the honey out. After all, you're probably putting maple syrup on them anyway, so they really don't need the sweetener. And the whole grain flour makes them slightly sweet. But you can use the honey, or molasses, or even brown or some other sugar. You may have to make slight (very slight) adjustments to the fluid content of the recipe but pancake batter is fairly forgiving.

I generally used 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (regular or pastry, both work) and left out the unbleached flour.

You can also add whatever fruit you like to the batter. A good fall apple, peeled, chopped, and tossed in, is perfect with what is already perfection.

Don't forget the 100% pure, warm maple syrup.

And don't forget to cook, eat, dance, love!

Sweet Potato Salad with Maple Dressing

2010-02-17T16:30:00.005-05:00

Simple, easy, and a nice complex of sweet and tart flavors...

SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH MAPLE DRESSING

Ingredients:

Dressing

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 T. pure maple syrup
2 T. orange juice concentrate (not diluted)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 t. minced peeled fresh ginger
dash ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg

Salad

3 pounds sweet potatoes
1/4 c. diced red onion
1/4 c. pecans, toasted, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. golden raisins

Method:

Cut sweet potatoes into large chunks and cook in boiling water just until tender. This step is important -- don't overcook the potatoes. They should be barely tender when you pierce them with a knife.

While potatoes are cooking, whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.

When done, drain potatoes in colander and cool under cold running water until you can handle chunks to peel. Slip skins off. Cut potatoes into bite-size pieces.

Place potatoes in bowl; add remaining salad ingredients, then toss all lightly with the dressing.

Serve immediately or later -- either way, a nice twist on sweet potatoes!

Notes:

Excellent served as a salad alone or on lettuce leaves; as a light meal on top of cold cooked brown rice; or as a side dish with a grain-based dish such as rice balls with mushroom gravy*.

And always, cook, eat, dance, love!

*recipe to follow soon...

Mangia Italiano!

2010-01-29T15:59:00.006-05:00

A dear and close friend of mine is of Italian heritage. While on a trip to her family's home area in Italy last fall, she had the warm, comfort-food pleasure of a hearty dish of kale, potatoes, and white beans. This is her recreation of that dish.

IL TEMPLARI BOWL... MONT SANT'ANGELO

Ingredients:

1 qt good flavored vegetable broth
4-6 redskin potatoes, cubed
1 can cannellini beans
2-3 c chopped lacinato kale
red pepper flakes
salt, pepper to taste
1/2 t. sage
1 t. rosemary
olive oil
½ c. chopped onion
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. parsley
2-4 T. basil
hard crusted bread, toasted, buttered and cubed

Method:

In oil, saute onion, garlic, parsley, and basil. Add broth, bring to a simmer, and add potato cubes. Cook until almost tender. Add beans, kale and remaining ingredients. Cook approximately 8-10 minutes to finish potatoes and kale. Mixture should be thicker than a soup.

Place toasted, cubed bread in bottom of bowls, ladle soup over bread, and serve.

Mangia Italiano!

Notes:

I didn't have all the ingredients, so I made a few very small changes...

I used curly kale rather than lacinato because that's what I had.
I didn't have parsley so I left it out.
I used Yukon Gold potatoes, because, again, it's what I had. I know, redskins hold up better with this kind of cooking, but I was using what I had.
I cubed some challah bread and used it without toasting and buttering. I would love good crusty Italian bread with this but it's not to be had where I live at the moment.

I'm sure you could use other white beans but the cannellini beans are readily available so I used them. It was my first time trying them and all I can say is, yum! They're really tasty, slightly nutty in flavor, and are now very high on my comfort-food list.

The soup is excellent reheated.

The soft bread (and I'm sure the toasted, buttered bread) was a small extravagance but was less bread than I'd eat if I had a slice on the side (I used about 1/2 slice in the bowl) and definitely added to the comfort-food appeal of the dish. The flavorful broth soaked up in the bread and was delicious. The bread could be omitted, or you could brush the toasted bread with olive oil instead of butter if you like.

Also, this dish reminded me a bit of my mother's Southern roots, and I think it would be good served with hot cornbread instead of over bread cubes.

No matter how you serve it, it's a delicious, hearty cold-weather dish that satisfies and comforts.

As they say in Italy (unless my free on-line translator is wrong!), il cuoco, mangia, balla, ama!

Eggplant Lasagna

2009-10-02T06:22:00.001-04:00

Ah. Here I am again! I'm having camera difficulties so there won't always be photos, but I decided to at least post recipes. Because good food is good food, photo or not!

Here's one that will be familiar to many...

Probably anyone who likes eggplant has tried some version of eggplant lasagna, and truthfully, it's hard to imagine a bad one. I made this one and although it wasn't perfect it was quite good, so I'm posting it along with my notes about what I think would make it even better.

EGGPLANT LASAGNA

Ingredients:

1 large eggplant
1 c. ricotta
apx. 8 oz. smoked Fontina cheese
1 T. rosemary, fresh, chopped
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano Reggiano
1-1 1/2 c. pomodoro sauce

Method:

Peel eggplant (optional) and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Place the rounds on a greased baking sheet and brush very lightly with oil. Bake at 400 for about 5 minutes, turn, and bake about 5 minutes more. Set aside to cool.

In bottom of greased 9" square baking dish, put a thin layer of sauce, half the eggplant, some rosemary, half the ricotta, one third of the fontina, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, then spread a thin layer of sauce across the top, followed by a bit of grated fontina and some parmesan.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until bubbly and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes:

As I said, the flavor was quite good. However, the dish was a bit soupy, even after letting it sit for 10 minutes, and it had no substance -- the eggplant softened up quite a bit so the whole thing was more like a sauce than a lasgana. If made this way again, I'd definitely serve it over pasta (angel hair pasta would be good). Or maybe thickening the sauce would help, or using less sauce. Clearly room for experimentation!

However, next time I'll most likely make it with lasagna noodles, two or three layers, in between the sauce and the eggplant. For purchased pasta, I like Barilla's uncooked lasagna noodles because they're thin and flat (not thick and starchy like some commercial brands) but my favorite will always be homemade.

When I try it again, I'll post any comments here. And if you try it before I do, please let me know how it turns out.

And don't forget to cook, eat, dance, love!

Ravioli with Brown Butter-Basil Sauce

2008-07-20T12:28:00.004-04:00

Here's an easy recipe, although it's better (and considerably more work) if you make your own ravioli. Good alternatives to homemade are fresh pasta from a local pasta maker, or some of the fresh or frozen pastas from a good grocery. In spite of the butter, it's not an overly rich sauce (although it can be if you do more than drizzle it over the pasta). Serve with a fresh green salad and a chewy Italian bread for an easy, light meal!

RAVIOLI WITH BROWN BUTTER-BASIL SAUCE

Ingredients

1 T. butter per serving
1 T. olive oil per serving
fresh basil to taste (I used about 1/4 c. per serving)
1-2 T. walnut pieces per serving

cheese ravioli, amount to your liking/appetite per serving

parmesan cheese

Method

Have water boiling for pasta when you start the sauce.

In sauce pan, heat butter over medium high heat and cook until browned. Add olive oil and reduce heat. Toss ravioli in boiling water; toss walnuts into butter to brown lightly. Fresh pasta only takes a few minutes to cook so watch carefully.

As you're draining the ravioli, throw the basil in the sauce just to wilt. Plate ravioli and pour sauce over. Pass parmesan separately.

Other ideas: if you like more sauce on your pasta, try adding some chicken or vegetable broth to the sauce just long enough to heat -- a few tablespoons per serving. Try different herbs -- rosemary or sage are both excellent. Try different ravioli -- sweet potato or winter squash are good with sage.

And of course, cook, eat, dance, love!

Hearth Bread

2008-02-17T14:12:00.003-05:00

This is one of the first yeast breads I ever made, over 30 years ago. I fell madly in love with it and it's still my favorite bread. The recipe has French origins -- to the best of my memory, it's also called la fouace aux noix ("the fouace" -- couldn't find a translation for that word so maybe I have it wrong -- "with nuts") -- and is excellent as a picnic bread with a good cheese and fresh fruit. It's also incredibly easy to make and I've never had a loaf not turn out well, so if yeast breads intimidate you, this is a good one to start with!

HEARTH BREAD

Ingredients:

4 c. unbleached white flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 T. salt
1 T. yeast
1/3 c. lukewarm water
1 c. lukewarm milk
3/4 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Method:

Dissolve yeast in the warm water; let start for 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix the flours with the salt, then make a well in the center and add the softened yeast. Add milk and stir well to make a spongy dough. Mix in nuts and butter with a hard rubber spatula or your hands. The dough will be fairly stiff.

Place dough in a well-oiled bowl, turning the dough so that the entire surface is oiled. Cover with a damp towel; set in a warm, draft free area to rise 1-2 hours or until double. I often use the inside of my oven (unheated, of course) for rising bread, especially in winter.

Punch down dough and knead for a few minutes. Form into a ball. Sprinkle a cookie sheet or pie pan with cornmeal, place the loaf on it and let rise 30 minutes, then turn the oven on to 425° F. When the oven is hot, slash a cross in the top with a very sharp knife. Put a pan of hot water on the lowest shelf of the oven, and the bread on the middle shelf.

Bake for 30 minutes; remove the water and turn the oven down to 300° F; bake for 30 minutes more.

Slice (or, if you're on a picnic, go ahead and just tear off chunks!) and enjoy!

And always remember to cook, eat, dance, love!

Yum Yum Lentil Pie

2008-01-08T20:30:00.001-05:00

At last -- the lentil pie I promised a month ago. Hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

YUM YUM LENTIL PIE

Ingredients:

1 c. dried lentils (I like French lentils best but any will work)
2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t. herbs: mixture of thyme, basil, rosemary
1 15 oz. can tomato puree
2 T. soy sauce
crust for 2-crust pie

Method:

Cook lentils in saucepan with enough water to cover; simmer until done, about 45 minutes. Drain.

Saute onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender, 5-10 minutes. Add tomato puree, soy sauce, herbs, and lentils; simmer while completing next steps. (Or, you can prepare ahead up to this point; keep mixture in refrigerator until ready to use).

Preheat oven to 400. Line pie pan with crust. When oven is hot, pour lentil mixture into pie crust and cover quickly with top crust. Crimp edges and slash crust with knife.

Bake, 45-50 minutes, or until crust is golden.

Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Notes:

This is great with cooked carrots (gingered carrots, perfect!) or sweet potatoes, and a leafy salad.

It's a very hearty and savory dish with a tender texture and nice blending of flavors.

The pie can also be made in a casserole without the crust, and with mashed potatoes as a topping (like a shepherd's pie).

Life is great when you cook, eat, dance, love!!

teaser

2007-12-11T16:08:00.000-05:00

I know, I know: I've been gone awhile. I've done plenty of cooking and even some baking but I haven't been posting anything here. Well, there's a new post coming in another day or so, and the photo above is a hint. A pie? yes, but what kind of pie... I'll tell you this much: it's a savory one. Stay tuned!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2007-10-31T14:28:00.001-04:00

I got some nice acorn squash at the last farmer's market of the season, along with some other beautiful fall vegetables. Preparing it to bake, I decided to add a bit of stuffing and began looking in the refrigerator. The resulting dish is light and flavorful and not overly sweet like some baked squash recipes. The sage gives the otherwise fruity dish a savory touch. Give it a try.

STUFFED ACORN SQUASH

Ingredients:

acorn squash (I used two for two people because they were small; you may only need one for every two people if they're larger)
butter (about 2 t. per squash)
brown sugar (about 1 T. per squash)
maple syrup (about 2 t. per squash)
leftover cooked apples or applesauce (at least 1/2 c. per squash)
golden raisins (about 2 T. per squash)
toasted pecans (at least 1 T. per squash)
dusting of finely ground sage

Method:

Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Score the flesh with a sharp knife. Rub each half lightly with butter -- about 1 t. per half. Place on baking sheet or in shallow pan.

For the filling, mix together the remaining ingredients and divide among squash halves.

Bake at 375 for about an hour.

Serve and enjoy!

And... cook, eat, dance, love!

Harvest Apple Bread Pudding

2007-10-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

I keep buying apples from the orchard down the road. I love just about anything when it's in season and the variety -- and varieties -- of apples available now aren't matched by anything found the rest of the year. I've made a lot of different apple dishes lately, including several apple desserts. Here's the latest.

HARVEST APPLE BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients

4 leftover corn muffins
1 2/3 c. whole milk
3 eggs
1/4 c. molasses
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into chunks
1/2 c. dates, chopped
1/2 t. ground ginger

Method

Crumble the corn muffins into large chunks. Mix with apples and dates, sprinkle with ginger, then pour molasses over all and stir gently to coat bread pieces.

Turn corn muffin mixture into a greased 2-quart dish. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, then stir in milk, and pour over corn muffin mixture.

Cover and let sit for at least 1/2 hour so the bread absorbs some of the liquid. Bake, 350F, 45-60 minutes. Top should be golden and a knife inserted into the pudding should come out clean.

Notes

I would substitute about a tablespoon of grated fresh ginger for the ground ginger -- the ground ginger didn't give it the zing I would have liked. Otherwise it turned out well; moist, dense, with rich corn flavor, and just the right amount of sweetness. It's perfect with a little whipped cream.

Enjoy -- and cook, eat, dance, love!

Apple Ginger Pie

2007-10-12T15:40:00.000-04:00

It's autumn -- and finally feels like it after a heat wave that ended Monday with record highs in the 80's and 90's. Trees show reds, oranges, golds; birds migrate; the air is crisp and cool; and apples fall from trees. What better time of year to enjoy an apple pie?

This is a fairly traditional apple pie, with the slightest twist -- a bit of fresh ginger. The ginger is an ideal compliment to the tart-sweet fruit, adding just a bit of zing to a familiar treat.

APPLE GINGER PIE

Ingredients

filling:

unbaked 9" pie shell
tart apples to fill pie shell, peeled, cored, and sliced, about 5 c.
1/3 c. sugar (part brown sugar)
1/2 c. golden raisins
1 T. grated fresh ginger
dash nutmeg
3 T. flour

topping:

3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
dash cinnamon
dash salt
5 T. butter

Method

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine all filling ingredients and set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Add butter and work into mixture until it's well combined and crumbly.

Pour apples into pie shell; sprinkle topping to cover the apples right up to the crust.

Place in oven and immediately turn heat down to 375F. Bake about 1 hour.

Don't hesitate to enjoy it with a slice of good cheddar cheese or top it with a little vanilla ice cream.

And don't hesitate to cook, eat, dance, love!

Fair Food

2007-09-30T14:26:00.002-04:00

I went to the Great Geauga County Fair -- and if you know anything about fairs, you probably know it's all about the food. Or at least partly about the food. Fried food, primarily, but if it isn't fried it's probably sweet. And sometimes it's both.

And, it's about food competitions.

First, food to eat... and no shortage of it fried.

Battered-dipped Oreos and the now-traditional fried Twinkies, all in one spot. Yetch. But you gotta get a kick out of the concept.

And yes, I indulged in some fair food. You have to. It's part of going to the fair. (More about fairs, fair geeks, the Great Geauga County Fair, and fair rules here. Oh, and fair needlework here).

Next, on to the competitions.

Preserves.

Baking.

Baking-related: a new twist on the gingerbread house... a pretzel and graham cracker house.

Not to be missed, all the veggies:

And finally, the veggie critters. I've never seen them at a fair before but they're the epitome of county fair. And they made me laugh.

I love fairs. I love the food at fairs in all its forms. And I love to cook, eat, dance, love!

Apple Blueberry Crisp

2007-09-14T08:27:00.000-04:00

This recipe just happened -- I brought home a peck of apples from the orchard down the road, looked in the fridge at the blueberries leftover from our last visit to a local grower, and decided dessert was in order. Pie? not enough time to make a crust (and too lazy). Crisp? Yes -- easy to throw together, quick to bake. So throw and bake I did.

For a change I thought to write down measurements in case it turned out well. And I'm glad I did! This dessert turned out great -- the blueberries and apples played off each other well, neither drowning out the other; the cardamom is a delicate touch that brings out the flavors of the fruit; it's just the right amount of sweetness, enough to tone down the tartness of the fruit without having sweetness dominate; the touch of maple lends a bit of complexity; and the topping is the perfect amount of crunch, with neither too much sugar nor butter, and not so much topping that it seems cloying. So, not to break my arm patting myself on the back or anything, but this is a true keeper!

APPLE BLUEBERRY CRISP

Ingredients:

fruit:

3 c. peeled, sliced tart apples (I used MacIntosh but any tart apple would work)
1 1/2 c. blueberries
1/4 c. sugar
3 T. maple syrup
2 T. flour
4 cardamom pods worth of seeds, seeds removed and lightly crushed
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt

topping:

1 c. oats
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. softened butter
1/4 t. cinnamon

Method:

For the fruit mixture, combine apples, sugar, maple syrup, cardamom seeds, flour, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of salt; mix well. Add blueberries and mix gently. Pour into greased 9" square baking dish.

For the topping, mix the oats, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fingers. Crumble topping over fruit.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling and the topping is brown.

Enjoy!

And part of that enjoyment is to cook, eat, dance, love!

Heirloom Tomato

2007-09-07T17:15:00.001-04:00

An heirloom tomato purchased at a local farmer's market, variety unidentified. Sweet and tender and delicious!

Balsamic Berries

2007-08-31T10:55:00.000-04:00

This is a simple but delicious dessert -- a nice blend of sweet fresh fruit with a slight tang from the vinegar. Good on its own or as a topping for ice cream or other desserts.

BALSAMIC BERRIES

Ingredients:

blueberries, about 1 c.
sliced fresh peaches, 1/2-1 c.
balsamic vinegar, 3 T.
sugar or honey, 2-3 T.*
pinch of salt and pepper (yes, pepper!)

Preparation:

Put berries, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a heavy pot; bring to simmer and cook just a few short minutes. Remove from heat, mix with peaches in bowl. Serve chilled or at room temperature, alone, over ice cream, with yogurt, or as a topping for other desserts.

Note:

This can be made with a variety of berries and fresh fruit. You may want to add spices: cinnamon or cardamom, for example. Experiment, and have fun!

*Sugar will simply add sweetness; honey will add a slightly milder sweetness with an overlay of honey flavor.

Cook, eat, dance, love!

Lemon-Spice Bread Pudding

2007-08-24T09:00:00.001-04:00

This one's a 5-star keeper. I'll get right to it.

LEMON-SPICE BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients:

6 cups 1-inch bread cubes from day-old rustic bread with crusts (about 11 ounces)
1 t. vanilla
2 c. whole milk
1 c. whipping cream
4 cardamom pods, crushed
1 t. anise seed
1 1/2 t. grated lemon peel
3 large eggs
1 c. sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast bread on large rimmed baking sheet until golden, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes. Cool.

In heavy saucepan, heat milk, cream, cardamom, anise, and lemon peel to a simmer. Remove from heat, add vanilla, cover, and let steep at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. Strain.

Whisk eggs, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Gradually whisk milk mixture into egg mixture. Add bread and toss gently to combine. Cover and let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Position rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9x5 bread pan. Transfer bread mixture to prepared dish. Bake until just set, 60-75 minutes. Cool pudding at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes:

The original recipe is from Bon Appétit, September 2006, and can be found here. I made some minor changes, already written into the recipe above, as follows.

I didn't toss the bread with the suggested 5 T. of butter because I thought there was enough fat in the recipe already.
I used anise instead of star anise because I couldn't track the latter down.
I reduced the amount of sugar by 1/4 c.
I used vanilla instead of vanilla bean.
I baked it in a 9x5 loaf pan because that's what I had; it took a little longer to bake but serves up very nicely.

This is an excellent bread pudding. The lemon, anise, and cardamom give it unusual and light flavors; the texture is firm and moist without being soggy. Serve alone, or with fresh fruit.

I want to try this bread pudding with a non-dairy base -- I'm thinking rice milk would be good -- so I can serve it to my dairy-allergic friends.

This bread pudding is so good, it'll make you want to cook, eat, dance, love!

romaine

2007-08-09T14:17:00.001-04:00

I found this organic romaine lettuce at our local Heinen's market. Beautiful. I'm going to buy more for grilling.

bbq tempeh and tofu

2007-08-01T15:28:00.000-04:00

This is a great dish -- flavorful and filling but not too heavy. Perfect for summer with corn on the cob, or as a winter sandwich with baked beans. And it's really easy. If you don't like tofu, try tempeh -- it's got a denser texture and some people think it's more satisfying.

BBQ TEMPEH AND TOFU

Ingredients:

1 package tempeh
1 block of extra firm (not silken) tofu, preferably frozen and thawed, drained, and patted dry
bbq sauce -- your favorite recipe or store bought
onions, sliced (about 1/2-1 onion per baking pan)
bell peppers (optional) (amount and prep same as onion)

Preparation:

Cut the tempeh and tofu into slices about 1/3-1/2" thick and as long as you like -- 3" or so is s good size. If you like, brown the tempeh and tofu in a small amount of oil in a non-stick pan.

Put a layer of sauce in the bottom of an oiled baking dish big enough to hold the slices of tempeh and tofu. Add tempeh and tofu in a single layer, then cover with sliced onions and peppers.

Pour more sauce over the top so it comes most of the way up the sides of the tempeh and tofu.

Cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil and bake at 325 F for 45 minutes to an hour. Check periodically to make sure it isn't getting too dry; add a bit of water if it is. The slow bake allows the sauce to go into the tempeh and tofu better.

Remove from oven -- serve as is, or on a bun or other bread with condiments of your choice. This is also good cold and makes a great picnic dish. Enjoy!

And cook, eat, dance, love!

almond cornmeal cake with fresh fruit compote

2007-07-17T13:25:00.000-04:00

Here's how I used some of the peaches I talked about in my last post -- in a very easy dessert with many textures and layers of flavor. This may be my favorite cake; if I change allegiances, it will bump out a life-long favorite of German Chocolate Cake. Real German Chocolate Cake, not the dark-chocolate-cake-with-coconut-pecan-icing they try to pass of as German Chocolate in various misinformed stores, restaurants, and bakeries. But that's for another post. Today, the feature is:

ALMOND CORNMEAL CAKE WITH FRESH FRUIT COMPOTE

Original recipe from Gourmet, August, 2000, here.

I made the cake recipe with one small change: I used almond, instead of vanilla, extract. It's also very helpful to line the bottom (only) of the loaf pan with parchment paper. The loaf will fall right out.

Ingredients

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup whole blanched almonds
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 sticks (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Accompaniment: peach and berry compote*

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F; grease an 8 1/2- by 4 1/2- by 3-inch loaf pan. Put a piece of parchment paper to cover only the bottom of the pan.

Whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Finely grind almonds with 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor and stir into cornmeal mixture.

Beat butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined well. Beat in eggs 1 at a time until just blended, then beat in vanilla. (Mixture will look curdled.) Add cornmeal mixture and stir and fold until just combined.

Transfer batter to loaf pan, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes. Loosen edges with a knife, then turn pan over carefully with hand supporting the top of the cake. Cake should fall easily into hand. Place on rack to cool.

Serve with fruit compote or mango sorbet.
Gourmet, August 2000

*Compote: There are many recipes for compote. I didn't have one in front of me and was running short on time so I just threw things in a pot; it turned out well, full of fruit flavor and not too sweet. I used a total of about 1 1/2 c. blueberries, raspberries, and peaches (other fruits can be used depending on what you have and the season); a tablespoon or two of sugar, the same of white wine, and a dash of vanilla. Bring liquid ingredients to simmer; add fruit and cook a few minutes. (The raspberries fell apart but added a nice depth to the other fruits). Remove from heat and cool. Serve over cake.

Cook, eat, dance, love!

peaches and summer

2007-07-16T09:45:00.000-04:00

I’m not sure there’s one fruit that says “summer” more than another for me, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be peaches. If you've ever scrolled to the bottom of this page, you've seen a photo with lots of jars of peach preserves. Plain peach preserves, blackberry-peach preserves, raspberry-peach preserves, and whatever other recipes I cooked up to use a bushel of peaches; I can't even remember all the variations I tried. I do know that, when I opened a jar, the fruity taste evoked fireflies, warm summer nights, gardens, and time in the kitchen. And a bit more.

When I was growing up in the Midwest we often went back to mom's home state, South Carolina, and spent many summer vacations on Edisto Island. As they got older, Edisto became an annual pilgrimage for my parents. Certain rituals were part of the trip back to Indiana: Find Duke's Mayonnaise and bring back a case. Bring home a cooler full of island shrimp.

And before getting far from the island, stop at a roadside stand and get freshly picked, tree-ripened peaches and bring back several half-bushel baskets. They were very ripe and had to be eaten soon after arriving back in Indiana; neighbors and friends looked forward to getting a few each year. Because I lived nearby, for several years I was the happy recipient of many of those peaches. I ate them, froze them, baked with them, cooked with them -- and yes, preserved with them.

The last few years there haven't been any peaches -- now that dad is gone (still miss you, dad!) the annual trip has been off. It's hard to find peaches as good as tree-ripened ones. They have them in the Northwest but last year I left there before the peach season started, and I arrived in Texas after the season in that part of the country was over. I didn't get a single peach all summer.

This year, I did't want to let that happen again, so I've been looking and waiting. Some peaches from who-knows-where appeared at the grocery about a month ago but they were hard and had no aroma. Forget them. Georgia peaches came in, and they looked good, but they also were hard and had no scent. No sale.

Then last week I stopped in a local produce market to get berries. My eye landed on quarts and pecks of gold and rosy peaches. They looked good, but I know how deceiving looks are. Even when I saw the sign I was skeptical: "S. Carolina Peaches." I picked one up; firm but not rock-hard. Good start.

And then I caught a whiff, and brought the peach closer to my face and inhaled. The aroma was there: not powerful, but sweet and fruity and full.

I'm now the proud owner of a peck of South Carolina peaches. They may not be tree-ripened, but they weren’t picked green, and the sweet, juicy fruits are packed with peach flavor. Just a bite brings back memories of past summers, long trips in the car, warm breezes on bare shoulders, the fragrance of peaches simmering on the stove while I wash jars. Not sure what will happen to all of this peck but some will go in a pie or cobbler. Some will go into a compote to have on almond cornmeal cake.

And I'll slice some and have them with vanilla ice cream for you, dad.

Cook, eat, dance, love!

figs!

2007-07-13T09:13:00.001-04:00

Growing up in the Midwest I'd never had a fresh fig so I didn't miss them. Then I lived in the Pacific Northwest for two years, where figs were common and plentiful and easy to grow -- and now that I'm back in the Midwest, I'm missing those plump, soft, tender little fruits. The good news is they're starting to appear at stores. I took the plunge and spent a little money to bring home a pint container with about 12 Black Mission figs. Worth every penny! I've had them in a broiled raspberry-fig dessert and as appetizers. Tonight is the last night -- I have 4 left -- and I'll be savoring every morsel.

Here's what I had last night:

FIG AND GOAT CHEESE APPETIZER

Ingredients:

good crusty bread
spreadable goat cheese
figs
fresh mint leaves

Preparation:

Slice bread into appetizer-size pieces. Mine were about 1" x 2". Spread with goat cheese; top with fig wedge (my figs were small so I quartered them). Tuck mint leaf in. Enjoy!

I think these would make a nice light dessert dish with a few toasted chopped almonds sprinkled on the goat cheese and just a touch of honey drizzled over the fig and cheese.

As always... cook, eat, dance, love!

sweet potato-black bean burritos

2007-07-06T12:42:00.001-04:00

I needed some light food after indulging big time over July 4th. Here's a good summer burrito -- light with a slightly sweet-savory blend of flavors that go well with hot weather, but would be great in winter, too. There are recipes all over the internet for this dish so mine is nothing terribly unique, just my version after reading several others. I deemed it a hit! And look how pretty the ingredients are -- almost too good to eat!

Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burritos

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. cooked black beans, or one can, drained
1 large or two small sweet potatoes, cooked, peeled, cut into 1/2" cubes, and lightly mashed
1/2 onion, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced or put through garlic press
1-2 t. cumin
1/2 c. corn (optional)
juice from 1/2 lime, about 2 T.
1/3 c. chopped cilantro
goat or other cheese, crumbled or grated (optional)
10+ tortillas

Preparation

Cook onion and garlic in a teaspoon or two of oil, just until onion is soft. Put all ingredients except cheese into bowl and mix lightly but well.

Spoon 3-4 T. of filling down center of each burrito, add a little cheese, roll up, and place into pan. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Serve with chopped tomato, lettuce, and sour cream or plain yogurt.

Variations & Comments

The corn is optional, as is the cheese -- the burritos would be perfectly good without either one but I had some things I needed to use up so they got included for this experiment. The cheese added a nice creaminess but the mix of good flavors stand well on their own without needing cheese. A chopped up jalapeno would be a nice addition, too (or other pepper of your choice). The cilantro is also optional but gives it a really nice fresh flavor that Ienjoy . I thought the dish might be dry without a sauce but they were moist and tender from the sweet potatoes and beans. Also, instead of baking, the filling and tortillas could be heated up separately and served like tacos. It made a full package of burritos with leftovers.

Cook, eat, dance, love!

bok choy-noodle chop salad

2007-06-05T11:10:00.001-04:00

You've all seen 'em -- heck, you've probably eaten 'em -- salads with crunchy ramen noodles, that is. At least according to what I was reading they're popular and well known. Well, I'm one of the uninitiated, or was until recently. I've been looking for summer dinner salad recipes and found several, all similar, that called for ramen noodles. I was curious and after looking at recipes I came up with my own version. It's hardly authentic Asian, but it does have more Asian flavors than the recipes I was coming across. I decided it was a keeper -- light, crisp, refreshing, but substantial enough to leave us satisfied -- and a nice variety of flavors. I called it a chop salad because I made a point of cutting the ingredients fairly small and about the same size, as you would in a traditional chop salad.

Here you go -- enjoy!

Bok Choy-Noodle Chop Salad

salad ingredients:

bok choy
romaine lettuce
green onions
peas (English or snap; I used English because it's what I had but pea pods would be good in this)
carrots
cilantro (optional, but oh boy, does it add a nice flavor!)

Chop all ingredients so they're about the same size -- mine were roughly 1/2-1" by about 1/4". Toss well, cover, and chill.

dressing ingredients:

2-4 T. soy sauce (tamari)
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/4. c. apple cider vinegar
1/3 c. sugar
1-2 t. toasted sesame oil
1-2 t. fresh ginger, finely chopped

Bring all ingredients to a simmer, stir well to dissolve sugar, then remove from heat and cool. Chill until time to serve salad.

tofu:

12-16 oz. frozen tofu
3-4 T. soy sauce (tamari)
1/4 c. water
2 t. dark sesame oil

Stir together soy sauce, water, oil. I use frozen tofu because it absorbs marinades better... so, cut into desired size pieces (again, I made it consistent with the sizes of veggies), pour soy sauce mix over, marinate awhile, toss with cornstarch, fry in two batches. In the photo, the tofu has already absorbed most of the marinade -- so you can see why I like to freeze it first!

noodle-nut topping:

2 packages ramen noodles. I discarded the flavoring packets because MSG does strange things to me but you can use them in the dressing or save them for another use if you like
about 1/2 cup peanuts. Wouldn't work for those with peanut allergies, of course, but I love peanuts in some Asian food. Almonds would be good, too, or sunflower seeds, or nuts of your choice, or none.
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter

Melt butter in pan. Crush noodles (I used a hammer while they were still in the sealed package -- if you have a better way, let me know!). Add noodles to pan and stir lightly over medium heat until they begin to brown slightly; add peanuts and finish browning noodles. Remove from heat and cool to room temp.

Dinner time!

Bring out the chilled salad and dressing, toss in the tofu. At this point you can either add the noodle topping to the salad and toss along with the dressing, or you can serve the salad and topping and dressing separately and let everyone fix their own. I did the latter because it looked like there would be lots of leftovers and didn't want the noodles to lose their crunch. This would be great to take to a picnic, etc.

Variations:

Variations are as endless as your imagination. Use packaged slaw (cabbage or broccoli) or make your own. Add other veggies. Skip the tofu. Add chicken, beef, or pork. Use chow mien noodles instead of toasting ramen noodles. The dressing doesn't have to be heated -- just whisk the ingredients together. You get the picture.

And don't lose sight of the big picture -- cook, eat, dance, love!

Mazurki!

2007-05-10T12:46:00.000-04:00

No, it's not a folk dance, although it sounds like one -- it's a chewy, moist fruit bar from an old Russian recipe. There's another Mazurki, a Polish pastry, but this recipe is different. As nearly as I can tell, the original recipe probably had candied fruit instead of jam, but otherwise it seems to have changed little.

Let's waltz into the kitchen and begin!

Mazurki

Ingredients:

1 c. each: dried currants, raisins, chopped blanched almonds, chopped walnuts and dried apricots -- or any combination of dried fruit and nuts, as long as the proportions stay the same

1 c. thick jam (such as strawberry or other small fruit)*

2 eggs, unbeaten

1 t. vanilla

2 c. flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)

Chop apricots. Chop nuts to desired texture -- I chop them fairly fine.

Mix all ingredients, except flour, until well blended. Add flour and stir in.

Spread in an oiled 11" x 15" shallow pan to depth of 1/2 inch. Bake at 300 degrees about 35 minutes.
Remove from oven; cut into diamond shapes (or squares or rectangles or go wild!) and return pan to oven for 5 minutes to dry cut edges. Remove to a wire cake rack to cool, and enjoy!

So... do the foxtrot, waltz, polka, boogie down, jitterbug, watusi, disco on into your kitchen, and give this recipe a spin! And while you're in there, remember, cook, eat, dance, dance, dance... and most important of all, love!

*for this particular batch, I used maple-apple preserves, because it was what I had the most of... you can see the chunks of apple, especially in the photo of the Mazurki still in the pan.

best laid plans...

2007-04-26T13:54:00.000-04:00

With the best of intentions I started this blog -- and look how well I'm doing! Ha! It hasn't been lack of interest but more a lack of time... and forgetfulness... but I'm going to make the effort to post once a week. That shouldn't be so hard. Really, no big deal. I write all the time, so why I can't remember to write in my blog... dunno, but I'm going to do better.

For today, a few pictures of my current kitchen are all I have. But it's worth seeing, because you're going to be doubly impressed at all the cooking and baking and jamming and jellying and stuff that I do when you see how small my workspace is. I've had a smaller kitchen, in my very first apartment, where the kitchen was in an old closet, but this one is a close second. Anyway, without further ado...

Chez CookEatDanceLove!

Or at least part of it... I'll add more photos as I have them but this gives you a glimpse.

Le Stove: just your basic gas stove, tucked in one corner. Works fine.

Next, we have Le Counter, or to be precise, about 1/2 of Le Counter. A total of 49 linear inches of counter space, not including the sink in the middle; that amounts to about 2 feet on each side. Yep, that's all, folks! When the two of us getting cooking, it can be cozy, but it works just fine, and is a good time to put the ol' motto into play: clean as you go!

And, for the moment, last but not least, Le Kitchen Chat. Adorable, isn't she? and only 15 years young! Still a great mouser, too...

Banana Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce

2007-03-04T13:51:00.000-05:00

All week I've been bemoaning the fact that I haven't had the time to do much cooking/baking and take photos. I wanted to get my blog up and running! I wanted to cook! I wanted to shoot photos! I wanted to eat something yummy!

So Friday afternoon I'm in the kitchen, cooking up things for dinner. Faced with a pile of ripe bananas, I remembered this great banana bread pudding recipe I originally got from Assaggio, an Italian restaurant in the Sellwood district of Portland, Oregon, and then later found on Epicurious.com. And no, it's not what you might be thinking: it's not bread pudding made with banana bread. It's bread pudding made with bananas. In my perhaps not all that humble opinion, a way better use for ripe bananas than banana bread, any day. I grabbed the recipe and was into the initial prep when I remembered my blog. Egads! My chance! So I grabbed my camera and started cooking and shooting.

I was in a hurry so I didn't do the usual kind of setting up and presentation that I might normally do. Not that I get all elaborate but given more time and more thought I would have done things a little differently. But at least I'm getting started.

Here's where you'll find the recipe.

And now, without further ado, here's Banana Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce!

So here it is: bananas are cooked and the first stage of layers is complete.

Second photo, layers are all assembled, custard is poured over. The only change I made from the recipe was to add a light sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Third photo: Ah, the rum sauce -- pure decadence! Ingredients in the pan: butter, heavy cream, dark brown sugar...

Fourth photo: rum sauce, cooked, about to be removed from the heat for the addition of dark rum. Can you smell the rich caramel? Too yummy, and I'm not even a big caramel fan!

Photo five: the bread pudding after soaking about 20 minutes and just before going in the oven...

Photo six, just out of the oven. The smell is heavenly and so is the sight. Can you say, "Yum!"?

And photo seven, the final delight just before digging in. The rum sauce makes the whole dessert sing. Not a great presentation of the finished dessert, but trust me, it was delicious!

Cook, eat, dance, love!

stay tuned...

2007-02-26T10:34:00.000-05:00

So, I got this rather wild idea yesterday to start a cooking blog. I cook like crazy and for years have been taking photos of my food-in-process, for absolutely no reason except it seemed like fun and I've been a photographer longer than I've been cooking. Unless you count frosting cookies when I was maybe 6. I got my first camera when I was 8. But I digress. With this background, it suddenly occurred to me I might as well blog!

It's going to take a few days for me to get things up and running. Like i said, spur of the moment start and I wasn't prepared. But if you're so inclined, come on back.

Meanwhile... cook, eat, dance, love!