tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-232535462024-03-07T11:04:58.793-08:00Eat...Think...Blog...WomanFood musings from a gypsy foodie - St. Louis to San Franicso to Cuyahoga Falls to Chicago! Eating, shopping, cooking and exploring the gastronomy scene wherever I go.Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-47034361969739064392012-10-03T09:55:00.000-07:002012-10-03T09:55:01.196-07:00I have moved my blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QqVuWS3N-hNDv2omApUiTzFLuWMM_NZxLzNfIXiDKCKr4jb24dKnEn8O17qE-hHu-LaPRPJLbO9WGsLyJXRXcFSzJJ08w_sT5rPlxbqKZ4QUPgVHrszt_DVY922sOAHdoRtC/s1600/IMG_7508.CR2" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QqVuWS3N-hNDv2omApUiTzFLuWMM_NZxLzNfIXiDKCKr4jb24dKnEn8O17qE-hHu-LaPRPJLbO9WGsLyJXRXcFSzJJ08w_sT5rPlxbqKZ4QUPgVHrszt_DVY922sOAHdoRtC/s640/IMG_7508.CR2" width="640" /></a>First, I want to thank you for following me. It means a lot to me that my hard work and efforts are followed by someone. <br />
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I wanted to let everyone know that I have moved the Eat... Think... Blog... Woman blog to my personal chef website <a href="http://www.havewhiskwilltravel.com/">Have Whisk Will Travel</a> and it is no longer called Eat... Think... Blog... Woman. It is now a part of Have Whisk Will Travel.<br />
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Please subscribe to the new blog. By filling in the email form on the bottom left hand side of the main page and following the instructions you will be assured of not missing a post. I plan to start adding kitchen tips as well as recipes and I am working hard at improving my photography.<br />
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Thanks for following me! Let me know if you have any requests or concerns. Please share my blog with your friends and ask that they follow me too!Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-43903228490301956252012-08-07T14:10:00.001-07:002012-08-08T09:21:21.979-07:00Pork Pate with Dried Cherries and Pistachios<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KrDL2QABCWu5D3_bn88YSMwGq6SL0YD84tjyCKC2iuI3inBeN43lYzO7n1YJcPTMj9X7YNtiBJTRhkOoubxKUYNtZlFNFkW5Pa9UJuVQtshmTVG5OAbSb0ivlb1QtSaiaUra/s1600/pork+pate+with+dried+cherries+and+pistachios.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6KrDL2QABCWu5D3_bn88YSMwGq6SL0YD84tjyCKC2iuI3inBeN43lYzO7n1YJcPTMj9X7YNtiBJTRhkOoubxKUYNtZlFNFkW5Pa9UJuVQtshmTVG5OAbSb0ivlb1QtSaiaUra/s400/pork+pate+with+dried+cherries+and+pistachios.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rustic Pork Pate with Dried Cherries and Pistachios</td></tr>
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Pâté? What’s a pâté? A pâté is simply ground meat mixed with herbs cooked
slowly in the oven, chilled, sliced and served. The traditional French accompaniment
is cornichon, like tiny dill pickles and rustic mustard. I don’t think have
ever been served it in someone’s house but it is often a starter in restaurants
and cafes where they make their own. This recipe is based on a pâté from one of
my favorite Sonoma restaurants, <a href="http://www.thegirlandthefig.com/#!menus/c24jx" target="_blank">The Girl and The Fig</a>. <br />
<br />
When my friend Shireen invited us over for a cold plated supper I thought
this would be the perfect course to prepare. I could do all the work in
advance. The only tricky thing I did was grind the meat myself. I bought a meat
grinder on Craigslist so plan on hearing of more meat centric adventures. <br />
<br />
This pâté screams "Eat me!" The bright green toasted pistachios are
poking the dried tart cherries out of the way to take center stage. The
contrast of sweet soft cherry to toasted pistachio is complimented by the Asian
spice flavors molded into the pork. <br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pork Pâté with dried cherries,
pistachios and five spice powder<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<br />
1 teaspoon coriander seeds<br />
2 teaspoons red chili flakes<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
1 teaspoon 5-spice powder<br />
1 clove<br />
2 teaspoons dried thyme<br />
1 garlic clove<br />
<br />
2 ½ pounds ground pork butt (medium grind)<br />
1/4 pound pork fat (medium grind)<br />
2 tablespoons salt<br />
1 teaspoon pepper<br />
¼ cup sugar<br />
<br />
1 cup dried cherries<br />
1 cup pistachios, toasted (raw pistachios, on a sheet in a 350 oven for 8-10
min.)<br />
<br />
One or two days before:<br />
Toast the coriander seeds in a small pan on the stove until they start to
pop a little. Remove from the heat and add the 5-spice powder and let the heat
of the pan warm it up. Add these spices to the spice grinder, along with the
rest of the spices – the chili flakes, bay, clove and thyme. Grind them to a
fine powder.<br />
In a large bowl combine the ground pork, pork fat, all the ground spices,
and the salt, pepper and sugar. Mix well being careful not to overwork but
ensuring the spices get evenly mixed throughout. Place in a smaller container
and cover. Put in the fridge for 24 hours or more.
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<br /></div>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-78335944013298619802012-06-28T09:58:00.001-07:002012-06-28T09:59:43.349-07:00Summertime Grilled Kale Salad with Plums and Ricotta<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3QBb8uDe_lMVlu7dXZWDLX1shsoI6mSZZBr1mmYKLvvl_xjYhUKWO2fl1QjOab4eqGXWr-zsA6ZqL2ONbE01ccOtqHHCSugYVJixXcvQHHWMdMdu0iYthQRPLhI8-0Q33lqn/s1600/plum+ricotta+kale+salad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3QBb8uDe_lMVlu7dXZWDLX1shsoI6mSZZBr1mmYKLvvl_xjYhUKWO2fl1QjOab4eqGXWr-zsA6ZqL2ONbE01ccOtqHHCSugYVJixXcvQHHWMdMdu0iYthQRPLhI8-0Q33lqn/s400/plum+ricotta+kale+salad.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Okay before you say “ohh that sounds horrible,” hear me out.
This is my new favorite salad. When the grill is already hot and the meat has
been pulled off and is resting, you can prepare this salad in a matter of
minutes and it is wonderful. I based it on a recipe from Bon Appetit </span><a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2012/07/grilled-kale-salad-with-ricotta-and-plums"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2012/07/grilled-kale-salad-with-ricotta-and-plums</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
that caught my eye. The only extra touch I added for this salad is I made fresh
ricotta. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you have never had fresh ricotta before, it is a totally different
beast from the container you buy next to the sour cream once a year when you
make lasagna. It tastes like…it has the texture of… Hmm, it’s tiny white clumps.
You actually make it by adding lemon juice to whole milk and then you have
ricotta. It is that easy. You scoop out the little white bits that normally
would scare you if you peered into a container of milk. You would hand the
container to your spouse and say “taste this and let me know if it’s okay.” And
they would give you that “I wasn’t born yesterday” look and you would toss it.
But in this instance it is okay. You want these little white grains of dairy
lusciousness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You scoop them out and put
them in some paper towels to drain in a strainer and you are done. Fresh
Ricotta. You could go ahead and layer it between noodles and make some lasagna
but it’s worth so much more than that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I first tasted fresh ricotta at Zuni Café in San Francisco.
My husband is a gnocchi lover; if it is on the menu he always goes for it. At Zuni
their gnocchi, normally made with flour in our experience, is made from
ricotta. A few tablespoon sized pillows comes floating to your table. The
waitress has to keep the dish from floating away they are so light. They come
sauced with just butter and sage. Kill me now. I know what heaven tastes like.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Which of course led me to search out fresh ricotta at
Cowgirl Creamery in the Ferry Building in SF and make my own ricotta gnocchi. Became
my latest new best thing for awhile and introduced me to fresh ricotta.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I moved away. No longer easy access to fresh ricotta, but
when I saw this recipe I knew it would not be the same without it. Don’t do it
with store bought tubs. By it fresh, make it fresh or just don’t do it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But I digress. Back to the salad. Cut some plums into
slices, working around the pit. They usually don’t come out nice like a peach.
Throw them in a bowl. Spray some really dry, curly kale with canola oil or
olive oil or rub it all over with oil, but it is easier with spray. Sprinkle it
with salt, put it on the grill and watch it. As soon as the leaves start to
blacken on the edge flip it over. Cook another minute, pull it off, throw it in
a bowl and continue until all the leaves are cooked. Make a dressing of olive
oil and balsamic with a drizzle of honey. BA has you add fresh thyme but not
using it is not a deal killer. Grab the cooked kale and cut out the big rib in
the middle. I just used my hands and pulled the leaves off the rib. Grilling
them makes them crispy and softer at the same time. Kale can be tough but just
these few minutes of heat on the grill softens the leaves and crisps the edges
like a kale chip. Toss the plums and kale with the dressing. Pile on a plate,
taking some of the plums that sunk to the bottom of the bowl and arrange on top
of the greens. Add a little dollop of ricotta, a few grinds of pepper and some
kosher salt. That is it. You are done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You have the perfect summer salad. The juicy plums and the
slightly sweet dressing pair with the crispy yet tender kale. The creamy
ricotta pulls it all together and you have a moment of awakening. You find out
you like kale. You find out making ricotta is easier than you think. Your teenage
daughter could make it with little instruction (thanks Grace). You haven’t
spent hours chopping and dicing. And you have the perfect summer salad. Takes
no time but wows the taste buds and surprises your dinner guests!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you need more instruction than I just gave you click here
</span><a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2012/07/grilled-kale-salad-with-ricotta-and-plums"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2012/07/grilled-kale-salad-with-ricotta-and-plums</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And I found these instructions helpful and took a little of
the fear out of making ricotta. But skip the first part and jump to the recipe
at the bottom. All that trial and error and science can scare you. </span><a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/02/how-to-make-fresh-ricotta-fast-easy-homemade-cheese-the-food-lab-recipe.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/02/how-to-make-fresh-ricotta-fast-easy-homemade-cheese-the-food-lab-recipe.html</span></a></div>
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</div>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-77012177484426977102012-06-25T11:19:00.003-07:002012-06-25T12:25:42.812-07:00Chicago Foodies Run Amok!<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>foodie (<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">ˈ</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">fu</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">ː</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">d</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">ɪ</span>) : A
person having an enthusiastic interest in the preparation and consumption of
good food.</em> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am not sure that is an apt description for the person so enthusiastic
about food and its preparation that while they eat, while they cook, while they
sleep, they think about the next meal, talk about the next meal, talk about
their greatest meal. There needs to be another name to describe the super foodie like mega-lo-mein-iac, giga-gourmet, foodophiliac, a phrase to describe the person who while driving 40 minutes to check out a Japanese market discusses
where the next food road trip will be and what to make for the next dinner party will be. A person who belongs to cookbook clubs, not book clubs.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And when you throw a dinner party and
let them bring whatever they want things get a little out of hand.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Shireen) Savory Cannele was the starter served with a glass of chilled white wine. Canneles are the next big thing in food. Move over macarons and pork belly. I had never heard of them 3 months ago. Now I have had them twice in my home and eaten them in two different restaurants in Chicago. I expect to see them showing up at Panera soon! The batter is made a day or two ahead and these little treats are baked for almost an hour until they are carmelized and crusty on the outside and inside hides a custardy silky interior. I have had sweet and savory. I like them all. You just wait. Coming soon to a plate near you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">(Lisa) Cold Pea Soup with crème fraîche - This second course was inspired by a dish I had at Tru, one of the top resturants in Chicago. It amazed me with its simplicity and depth of flavor with simple ingredients. Tru's menu item was "english pea soup, below 0° lavender crème fraîche.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">" </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">My version was a simple pea soup made with frozen peas, vidalia onions and some chicken stock. Pureed in the food processor and strained through a fine strainer, the pea soup became silky and bursting with spring flavors. I wanted a contrast in textures so I bought a handful of fresh peas from the farmer's market, shelled them, and blanched them. To recreate the 0 degree creme fraiche, I made crème fraîche (think french sour cream) from scratch (really easy and much cheaper) and made a crème fraîche sorbet the night before. Earleir in the day of the dinner I scooped out small spoonfulls and froze them individually on a cookie sheet so they would be as icy cold as my freezer could get them. I served the dish by pouring the chilled pea soup into chilled little terrines, sprinkling with the fresh peas and then dropping the dollop of cold crème fraîche sorbet in the middle. The sweetness of the pea soup contrasted with the tart iciness of the sorbet. The crunchy fresh peas were a nice contrast to the unctious creaminess of the sorbet and soup. A total success!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Shireen) Vegetable Terine - The third course was a vegetable terrine made with eggs and studded with fresh vegetables, served at room temp. Topped with a room temp garlicky tomato sauce. It should have been a beautiful slice but I manhandled it a little too much, thwacking on it to get it out. Sorry Shireen</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(next course - no pic - oops! forgot - too excited to eat! - </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">picture a small nest of wide hand cut pappardalle with a mound of shredded rabbit ragu on top studded with small bits of carrot, pancetta, celery and onion)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (Doris - I am out of pancetta - we need to make more!)</span></div>
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(Lisa) Lemon Sorbet with Rose Consumme. Another Tru inspired dish that came out just the way I wanted it to. I made a simple syrup that I infused with rosebuds and added some rhubarb too (thanks Doris) to get the beautiful color. The sorbet is lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and two kinds of basil. The floral fruity notes of the rose and the tart sweet consomee with hints of rhubarb contrasted perfect with to the oh so refreshing lemon lime sorbet! a perfect palate cleanser.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Doris) Smoked Chicken Thighs with Lemon Ginger BBQ Sauce. The recipe called for quarters which in a moment of sanity we decided might be too much after the previous courses so thighs were the substitute. The chicken thighs were rubbed with spices, then smoked on the grill, then mopped with a sauce and grilled directly then basted with a finishing sauce. The result was smoky, sweet, and tanby with citrus and spicy hits of ginger.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Pam) Arugula Salad with Roasted Grapes and Shaved Parmesan. Nice peppery bite to accompany the chicken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did we cry uncle? No more food please! Stop! - Nope - we went for a walk and came back for dessert.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Doris) Fresh Plum tart - buttery crust with tart plums poking out, glazed with a little jam and sprinkled sugar. Pretty as a piece of jewelry. (For the record, I skipped this but woke up thinkging about it so walked straight into the kitchen and had a piece - perfect breakfast!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Doris) Grand Finale - a beautiful Charlotte Russe - Light and airy, jewel like berries bedded in cream and nestled in a lady fingers coat drizzled with creme anglaise to gilt the lily!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We vowed next time to not make so many courses but don't believe us. We will set the menu and then someone will say "I have been wanting to make ...(insert here some exotic, crazy, super deilicious and scary for a mere foodie to make dish.)" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">But I wouldn't expect any less from a gourmandeer...a hedonistaterian...a gastro- You get the idea.</span></div>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-46309661903663228392012-06-19T10:23:00.000-07:002012-06-19T10:23:25.960-07:00Farmer's Market Lunch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeV5_VPGSYvr6kTfqHFr18Vmd-dqEDCjlmUokn8zw21rYMUa51Oqk1iR463PA35W3PNkdlW-puDZRHUwQ1GBv3_llGdKV6q0UnO8aRJCIqTzhL7Ho3ZbCWpyFnyy__u1Bnb1WI/s1600/farmersmarket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeV5_VPGSYvr6kTfqHFr18Vmd-dqEDCjlmUokn8zw21rYMUa51Oqk1iR463PA35W3PNkdlW-puDZRHUwQ1GBv3_llGdKV6q0UnO8aRJCIqTzhL7Ho3ZbCWpyFnyy__u1Bnb1WI/s400/farmersmarket.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We went to the Evanston Farmer's market on Saturday. After a winter of hot
house veggies and dark grocery store produce departments it's was like waking
up from a winter's nap in a dark room to find yourself in the Garden of Eden! I
wanted to buy everything I saw - the potted fig trees, the first cherries of
the season, armfuls of greens and herbs, artisanal breads, bouquets and more. I
restrained myself. <br />
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Okay, so maybe not totally restrained myself. I bought Grace the chilled
young coconut that the guy lopped the top off and stuck a straw into. It was a
amazing and brought quite a bit of attention from the other market goers -
"hey where did you get that?" I bought a chicken mole tamale - tasty!
I bought a huge bouquet of cheap dark purple gladiolas that are still making me
happy. I bought a 6 inch strawberry rhubarb pie. And I actually bought some
edible things to take home to make a killer lunch!<br />
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I made an open faced sandwich from a ten grain bread from an artisanal
baker. I then spread a good covering of soft chevre from Wisconsin. A layer of
thin slices of hoop house tomatoes, not quite summer tomates but pretty darn
tasty, went on top of the goat cheese. A green layer of locally grown organic English
cucumber thinly sliced added a nice crunch to the sandwich. Crisp red radishes
added a little sharp bite. To top it off a sprinkling of garlic salt and a
shower of baby arugula greens and radish greens to crown it. It made me happy
to make it and to eat it!<br />
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I promise I will try next time to behave except they have this great...<br />Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-42540359815246718372012-03-19T07:57:00.000-07:002012-03-19T07:58:31.202-07:00Around My French Table<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDTkyKnYOr7ZJj3ZTVEnmqw2GzA_wEaiWqNephEfwl_15Eihq4mEKNXdw95PEvSz806O1EUEq8_nVgYCkbsj7YUcvPl-hb6TvJ-1xmLDGDhTyfRrEhu8UgW9mtVfpudXIirImg/s400/spring.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring dinner with "The Friendly Women"</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Cookbook Supper Club with the Friendly Women of Evanston</strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Around My French Table</span></span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span></strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">by
Dorie Greenspan</span> </span></strong><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4qhQiszWFDeo8BeqrF5p82T58__5GcwzL8Q-B1e3ILv6KQs53swUfpglIviEcTb7iiO5PgvgexXCgvupgr6r2u5Rhi1nI_V7XPp3f5MRlwhBaZX_kAEK-Hof_TJc_KvgxrjM/s1600/fougasse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc4qhQiszWFDeo8BeqrF5p82T58__5GcwzL8Q-B1e3ILv6KQs53swUfpglIviEcTb7iiO5PgvgexXCgvupgr6r2u5Rhi1nI_V7XPp3f5MRlwhBaZX_kAEK-Hof_TJc_KvgxrjM/s320/fougasse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nicoise Olive Fougasse</td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First course</span></span></strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheesy
creme brulee <br />Goat Cheese and Strawberry Tartine </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slow Roasted Tomatoes </span></span></div>
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Fougasse</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QN6gOSTTcvubtyYKslPzxLiqUImGZDCIOsMw3A9NqYxygpAVu16eRtTe8IPn_bYlwcLKsIbAA0shgGPHd2pNdyAr1d64uoN4XKmTjopKMlutIdXwIeE124RKJyh_5MkawRn5/s1600/tomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QN6gOSTTcvubtyYKslPzxLiqUImGZDCIOsMw3A9NqYxygpAVu16eRtTe8IPn_bYlwcLKsIbAA0shgGPHd2pNdyAr1d64uoN4XKmTjopKMlutIdXwIeE124RKJyh_5MkawRn5/s320/tomatoes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow Roasted Tomatoes</td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Second
Course</span></span></strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Grate
Carrot Salad</span></span><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">White
salad</span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Entrees</span></span></strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Short
ribs in Port Wine<br />
Celery Root Puree<br />
Garlicky Broccoli</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQErNwkLS9qDrXFII69qCGbqoGjqQPGMJDKf5RCyv7Taos0k5vbI-z4DAoPLA_KObiSLD7SroS6ALEkp2tHq7i3t5sN4H_D9y4Qz4ZYimVHYiYrU51OtlolLbyXlml3WGvayVX/s1600/olive+oil+ice+cream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQErNwkLS9qDrXFII69qCGbqoGjqQPGMJDKf5RCyv7Taos0k5vbI-z4DAoPLA_KObiSLD7SroS6ALEkp2tHq7i3t5sN4H_D9y4Qz4ZYimVHYiYrU51OtlolLbyXlml3WGvayVX/s320/olive+oil+ice+cream.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slow roasted apples with a scoop of olive oil ice cream and a piece of salted butter break-ups.</td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dessert</span></span></strong><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: "Marquisette BTN Light","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Long
Slow Apples with Olive Oil ice cream<br />
Salted Butter Breakups<br />Croquant cookies<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Croquants with Hazelnuts</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Best of show:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Parmesan Creme brulee (not pictured)<br />Fougasse with the roasted tomatoes<br />Short Ribs over Celery Root puree (not pictured)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Olive Oil Ice Cream with Salted butter breakups</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-48551153943522686772012-03-15T07:09:00.000-07:002012-03-15T07:09:24.045-07:00St. Paddy's favorites!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FkFuyYd32RB9nkOT6c5rwnC64WZw0l3cL_J33ujA-kL4YhWBuW3sIxs0T4b1MG0p3cgX4hU-Paj_RPqSeahZooR1W9MTaSf-ghXp-vkMt5i4vkTQW8zwE_dwqWUE7RByU7og/s1600/irishsoda+cooked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FkFuyYd32RB9nkOT6c5rwnC64WZw0l3cL_J33ujA-kL4YhWBuW3sIxs0T4b1MG0p3cgX4hU-Paj_RPqSeahZooR1W9MTaSf-ghXp-vkMt5i4vkTQW8zwE_dwqWUE7RByU7og/s400/irishsoda+cooked.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bless my lucky charms - St. Paddy's day is this weekend! I wanted to share some perfect recipes for St. Patrick's day with enough time for you to make them!</span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Irish Soda Bread</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love the mix of sharp caraway seeds with all their herbaceous goodness, blended with soft golden raisins in a vehicle for good butter! This bread has been a tradition in our house since I was a little girl. As a child, irish soda bread wwas often formed into a snake shape with raisin eyes, sometimes tinted green. I make the loaves now but if you had little ones they might enjoy the snake shape. FYI St. Patrick chased the snakes out of Ireland </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick</span></a><br />
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<a href="http://eatthinkblogwoman.blogspot.com/2010/03/irish-soda-bread.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://eatthinkblogwoman.blogspot.com/2010/03/irish-soda-bread.html</span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZ6T0y36n2Zq7mAMfYamwV-XvBX5zSUmJzD5TbwjesIL2U73WcVYGGzGCxkjzz9QPF8e0JCBkCkjis1HvJJaVcCP-FEW_nv-G9S-fGxbq75gho_PvP29xTAyUSlKQ2yCJ8IRc/s1600/pudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNZ6T0y36n2Zq7mAMfYamwV-XvBX5zSUmJzD5TbwjesIL2U73WcVYGGzGCxkjzz9QPF8e0JCBkCkjis1HvJJaVcCP-FEW_nv-G9S-fGxbq75gho_PvP29xTAyUSlKQ2yCJ8IRc/s400/pudding.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Guiness Stout Pudding</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This pudding is creamy and smooth - everything you want in a pudding with a hint of earthy goodness of Guiness. A layer of whipped cream on top makes it look like a pint glass of stout! Perfect served in a traditional pint glass - if you can eat a pint of pudding! I just put it into a pretty glass.</span><br />
<a href="http://eatthinkblogwoman.blogspot.com/2011/03/waiter-theres-beer-in-my-pudding.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://eatthinkblogwoman.blogspot.com/2011/03/waiter-theres-beer-in-my-pudding.html</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Best Corned Beef Ever!</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you never cared for corned beef before this may change you mind - my mother-in-law's corned beef glaze. My family loves this so much that I double this every year. It transforms boiled meat into something magical. I can't wait to make mine this weekend. I don't have a picture because I haven't made it yet this year but I wanted you to have the recipe in advance. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's what I do:. I boil my corned beef the day before St. Pat's. I do mine in a pressure cooker but you could just follow the package directions. On the day I want to serve I take the beef out of the fridge. I trim any nasty bits off the corned beef, place it in an oven safe pan and bath it in the sauce. I place the dish in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes until the meat is hot. Halfway through if I notice some of the glaze is coming off I slather some more on. When hot, I remove the beef from the oven and place on a cutting board. I slice it in thin slices and platter it. I serve the remaining sauce on the side. And for some reason there is never any left over for sandwiches no matter how big a corned beef I do!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Ann's Corned beef with Glaze</strong></span><br />
<span style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
Glaze:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10 tablespoons ketchup<br />
6 tablespoons brown sugar<br />
4 tablespoons vinegar<br />
1 teaspoon dry mustard<br />
2 tablespoons butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
5 pounds corned beef brisket<br />
2 pounds potatoes<br />
1 cabbage head<br /><br />
Melt butter. Add other glaze ingredients. Cook for 5 minutes on stove.<span> </span><br /><br />
Place 4 cups water and corned beef in pressure cooker. Add seasoning packet. Cook on high pressure for 65 minutes. Remove corn beef. Reserve liquid. Cook cabbage and potatoes in liquid on high for 6-7 minutes.<br /><br />
Let corned beef come to room temp. Pour glaze on cooked corn beef. Reserve some for table side. Bake for 40 minutes. Slice and serve.<br />
NOTE: I am not a big fan of the cabbage and potatoes but my husband makes me do this. I think it is part of the Irish tradition to serve something boiled beyond recognition.</span></span><br />
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</span>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-88927875782642603892012-02-02T08:35:00.000-08:002012-02-02T08:37:11.344-08:00Super Bowl Party ideas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGap2EinSjzIbRDt7c1jPjlR-5WLbU5BEwcoHJDgOMRWZ8903qi-orJ_970L20z2YgCz6nLJGMbkK9hawZkvn6kiTe-mBjBZOtPw78xRFccoIWi4Y0yzXwHzi7IkHY5pIUB5W4/s1600/football2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGap2EinSjzIbRDt7c1jPjlR-5WLbU5BEwcoHJDgOMRWZ8903qi-orJ_970L20z2YgCz6nLJGMbkK9hawZkvn6kiTe-mBjBZOtPw78xRFccoIWi4Y0yzXwHzi7IkHY5pIUB5W4/s320/football2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Years ago when I worked in an office, the Super Bowl party
was a major annual event. I never knew who was playing but always knew the half
time star. A TV could be found in every room of the host’s home, including the
kitchen. Coolers of beer were on the back porch and stuffed under tables. Kids
hung out in the bedrooms and played with other kids they only met once a year. My
husband found the room with the least amount of people so he could actually
watch the game. Everyone brought a dish. I ate things at this annual fest that
I would not eat (or see) at any other time of year – little smokies in BBQ
sauce, Rotel Velveeta cheese dip, one or two kinds of chicken wings, potato
chips and dip, wilted celery and carrot sticks with dip, 3 kinds of boxed brownies,
a bowl of Chex mix and a few things in plastic containers you had to pry the
lid off to get to. These dishes seem appropriate and necessary when you are
drinking a beer and watching, in my case, the commercials and the half time
show of the Big Game. None are gourmet and some a little embarassing but hey - it's part of the Game.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our party this year will be pretty small. But
that doesn’t mean we have to skimp on the delicously nasty Super Bowl food. So I have been
trolling my recipes and the Internet for this year’s dishes. Some are a little healthy,
some are not but all are worthy of The Game.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have a guilty secret – I love Buffalos wings
– especially when they are crisp and fresh out of the fryer. And I only like
the wing part and not the drummete. When I saw this recipe I thought this is a
winner. They take a little time to prepare (some of it spent in the fridge) so
plan in advance</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Alton Brown’s Baked
Buffalo Wings<br />
</span></b><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/alton-browns-buffalo-wings-recipe/index.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/alton-browns-buffalo-wings-recipe/index.html</span></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Who doesn’t love to
see the trapeze wire of cheese stretching from mouth to hand from that first
bite of a fried mozzarella stick? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Skinny
Taste</b> freezes them so they don’t melt in the oven. I would use your
favorite jar of Marinara sauce to save time for other recipes. </span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Skinny Taste’s
Mozzarella Sticks<br />
</span></b><a href="http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/skinny-baked-mozzarella-sticks.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/skinny-baked-mozzarella-sticks.html</span></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Guilty secret #2 –
Velveeta cheese dip. This could not be easier. You can bring all the
ingredients to the party and make it there. I usually use the microwave and put
it in a removable crockpot bowl to zap it. Is Velveeta a cheese? I don’t think
so but it makes a Super Bowl worthy dip. Perfect with Tortilla Scoops.</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Famous Ro-Tel Cheese
Dip<br />
</span></b><a href="http://www.texmex.net/Rotel/cheesdip.htm"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.texmex.net/Rotel/cheesdip.htm</span></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some other possibilities:</span></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I made this at
Thanksgiving – it is really good. I left the topping off. It was really good.
Bacon Horseradish is one of my favorite sour cream dips so wouldn’t a warm dip
be even better?</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Baked Bacon Horseradish
dip<br />
</span></b><a href="http://www.snackpicks.com/en_US/recipes/details/warm-bacon-horseradish-dip.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.snackpicks.com/en_US/recipes/details/warm-bacon-horseradish-dip.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Another easy peasy but
always popular Game Day food. I made this over the holidays and people go nuts for it!</span></i></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Crab Cream Cheese
Pizza<br />
</span></b><a href="http://www.thecookingmom.com/mimis-crab-dip/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://www.thecookingmom.com/mimis-crab-dip/</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let me know what’s on your list. Enjoy the game! </span></div>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-24195120196692081492012-01-03T14:43:00.000-08:002012-01-03T18:48:43.479-08:00The Perfect Pair<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRW6t37epMOrHU_irQ_8h6PW_wcclgIX85qkG32LYV1B8dKSeQMQYLzSk1zo0rAy7bfHVBGNl7bPZvKyzQzUfwogVYwW5tIwpXnG5u9K48Z8s6vKKIqoKidi_GPYbBMIUGP0oH/s1600/pear+gingerbread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRW6t37epMOrHU_irQ_8h6PW_wcclgIX85qkG32LYV1B8dKSeQMQYLzSk1zo0rAy7bfHVBGNl7bPZvKyzQzUfwogVYwW5tIwpXnG5u9K48Z8s6vKKIqoKidi_GPYbBMIUGP0oH/s320/pear+gingerbread.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was given a box of Harry and David pears for Christmas.
I wanted to make a dessert that would do them justice but that didn’t require a
lot of time spent in the kitchen and no trips to the grocery store. I stumbled
upon a recipe for gingerbread that had pears mixed in. I really liked that
idea. I love the spiciness of gingerbread with that great dark color and old
fashioned flavor. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I had some
molasses in the pantry. But just adding my lovely pears seemed like a waste of a beautiful pear so I
decided to showcase them by turning the gingerbread into an upside down cake.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
I have a well
seasoned cast iron skillet and it was perfect for this recipe. This pan has
been used so often and for so long it acts like a non stick skillet. If you don’t
have a cast iron skillet, you should get one. Look for a well loved one at a garage sale or thrift
store. It was probably already broken in for you. If you need to buy one new,
just make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions on seasoning it. Make
sure you dry it on a low burner on the stove, never with towel. Perfect for upside
down cakes, the cast iron skillet is also great for getting a really nice sear
on a steak. You can get the pan really hot and not worry about warping. And it
is great for anything that needs to go from stove to oven. But I digress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I added a lot more spice to the recipe I found. Feel free to
increase or reduce to your taste. Bosc pears would work nice for this and any
other firm pear that is almost ripe but not too soft. You don’t want the pears
to disappear when cooking.</span></div>
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Gingerbread Pear </strong><strong><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font: major-fareast;">Upside Down </span>Cake</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour<br />
1 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1 teaspoon cinnamon<br />
½ teaspoon ginger<br />
½ teaspoon cloves<br />
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1 stick unsalted butter<br />
1/4 cup water<br />
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar<br />
1/2 cup molasses</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3 large eggs<br />
2 pears</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 tablespoons butter</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
¼ cup brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350°F. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whisk together
flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a microwave safe container melt 1 stick of butter then add ¼ cup water.
Set aside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beat together brown sugar and molasses with an electric mixer until
combined. Add, beating well. Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until just
combined. Add butter mixture and crystallized ginger, beating just until
smooth. </span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a cast iron skillet, add 2 tablespoons of butter and ¼ cup brown sugar.
Cook until the butter is melted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peel the pears and cut each pear into 6-8 wedges. Place in cast iron pan on
top of brown sugar and butter. Pour cake batter over the pears. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bake until a wooden pick inserted into center
comes out clean, about 28-32 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge and carefully invert onto a platter. I used a pizza pan covered in foil to flip it on and then the cake was cooled I picked it up by the foil put it on a cake plate and tore the foil away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
If you don’t have a cast iron skilled this will work fine
in a round cake pan. Make sure you butter and flour the sides. You could melt
the butter and sugar in a separate pan and pour into the cake pan.</span><br />
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</span>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-74907610625113535102011-09-08T08:07:00.000-07:002011-09-08T08:13:34.393-07:00School Morning Muffin<div siber__q92dpb7seovvtbh5__vptr="1ed0180" sourceindex="14">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVE-YicKfyOH8pDIFZM9InB4s7-JjkRyuQ83Zo7P5nwAU3u4Mm_99V-ocuilpQQKrTvtHbQjz7OIcjPxiNfYPnuvCEe69ekw-B4SoZ9JL-D_0KqLFxGtqOHn4G9W2L9V5AaayC/s1600/muffin+pan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVE-YicKfyOH8pDIFZM9InB4s7-JjkRyuQ83Zo7P5nwAU3u4Mm_99V-ocuilpQQKrTvtHbQjz7OIcjPxiNfYPnuvCEe69ekw-B4SoZ9JL-D_0KqLFxGtqOHn4G9W2L9V5AaayC/s320/muffin+pan2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Always on the look out for an easy, delicious breakfast on school mornings, I resurrected this recipe for Raisin Bran Muffins. The recipe is a classic. I didn't develop it but I wanted to remind everyone of a great school morning breakfast idea.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Make the batter the night before and stick in the fridge (after making a test batch of 3-4 muffins just to make sure the batter is good.) The batter can sit in the fridge for a week. Wake up in the morning. Turn on the oven before you get in the shower. Before you start your makeup or making kids lunches scoop some batter into a muffin pan. Twenty minutes later the kids have warm muffins for breakfast, using whole grains and dried fruit! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your kids will walk out the door with a smile after eating these warm, tender muffins, hot from the oven with butter melting into the nooks ad crannies. Don't underestimate the power of a warm muffin to jump start the day.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I used Joy The Baker's recipe, except I used no name Bran flakes <a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2010/04/raisin-bran-muffins/" siber__q92dpb7seovvtbh5__vptr="645bf20" sourceindex="11">http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2010/04/raisin-bran-muffins/</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kellogg's version (does not mention batter will keep <a href="http://www2.kelloggs.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?id=329" siber__q92dpb7seovvtbh5__vptr="63e0820" sourceindex="11">http://www2.kelloggs.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?id=329</a></span></div>
Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-10571200470654292382011-08-18T08:37:00.000-07:002011-08-18T08:48:57.530-07:00No Assembly Required - Summer Bread Salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnh0QOG80ZHelA8977t6N8jVPsub5PbopXGySP1sC_ZLrDDvp-xlvnSfxHKqSd7u1hFcLkzpq8TSavqV5fVMqDy4fc5yb2sWwKNKVqP-GR22B4YRfkEq53AULfYFI8ZwlnqzA/s1600/bread+salad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" qaa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLnh0QOG80ZHelA8977t6N8jVPsub5PbopXGySP1sC_ZLrDDvp-xlvnSfxHKqSd7u1hFcLkzpq8TSavqV5fVMqDy4fc5yb2sWwKNKVqP-GR22B4YRfkEq53AULfYFI8ZwlnqzA/s320/bread+salad.JPG" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been assembling a lot of Ikea furniture for the new apartment. There is only the “right” way to do this. If you have any pieces left at the end you are in trouble. Bread salad has no right or wrong way and no real recipe necessary. It goes together easily, uses up stale bread and bursts with the great tastes of August tomatoes and basil. Home grown tomatoes are key to this salad but if you want to make it in the winter plum tomatoes or cherry tomatoes will do.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cut a loaf of day old good bread into bite sized cubes. Toss into a bowl. Cut up homegrown tomatoes or the best ones from the farmer’s market into similar sized cubes. Toss in. Cut one ball of fresh mozzarella into cubes. Toss in bowl. Chop or chiffonade some fresh basil. <a href="http://www.havewhiskwilltravel.com/recipes/chiffonade.htm">(here is how to chiffonade)</a> Toss in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At this point you declare it ready or add some cucumber, red onion, or any fresh ingredients you love in a salad. To dress just splash with red wine vinegar, drizzle with a little good quality olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve immediately if you like your bread a little chewy or wait an hour for it to soak up all the tomato juices. I like it both ways. I have also used fresh bread but I make sure it is a chewy dense bread like a ciabatta, a bread too pillowy and soft will dissolve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No worries with this salad. The only real requirements are good tomatoes and good bread and basil. No serious instructions required. But whatever you do don't do this:</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-57101394449052031542011-08-10T09:46:00.000-07:002012-01-04T07:50:10.151-08:00The Beet Goes On<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought a couple of bunches of beets at the farmer’s market last weekend. I love the vibrant red color, the earthy taste and the smoothness of the beet texture. I usually slice them in a salad of field greens and walnuts or drizzle with balsamic but I wanted to do a recipe using the whole beet, including the greens. I decided on beet risotto.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I cooked the beets in the pressure cooker after slicing off the tops and setting them aside. I put a cup of water and the beets into the pressure cooker, slicing the larger ones in half and cooked for 15 minutes at pressure then released immediately. They came out perfect. I normally roast them drizzled in olive oil and wrapped in foil but I did not want to heat up the kitchen. I peeled them under running water and sliced into small cubes and set them aside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the beets were cooking I soaked the greens in several changes of water in the sink to get rid of all the dirt and grit. I then shook them dry and sliced the stem off each leaf, putting the stems in their own pile. When I had all the stems separated from the beets I chopped the stems into small pieces and then sliced the leaves into narrow slices, still keeping the piles separate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I finished working on the greens, I heated a large non-stick pan spraying it with olive oil spray and added the stems only. I sautéed the stems for a few minutes until they were tender. I then added the sliced leaves and some raw garlic and just cooked until the leaves were wilted, stirring occasionally. I finished off with a splash of balsamic and let the balsamic cook off till no longer visible. I set the pan aside.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cooking the beets and the greens can be done earlier in the day. If you refrigerated them let them come to room temp so they aren’t too cold when added to the risotto.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To make the risotto I set a pan of 4-6 cups of chicken broth to simmer on a back burner. I heated up my medium stockpot on the front burner and dropped in a tablespoon or so of butter and a little olive oil to keep the butter from burning. I cooked half a chopped yellow onion in the stockpot until it was tender, stirring occasionally. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I poured in one cup of Arborio rice and stirring watched until the rice kernels became translucent with a bright white inner core and a toasty aroma arose from the pan. I splashed in some white wine, enough to get every grain a little wet and cooked that off, stirring the whole time, until no liquid remained. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now is was time for continually adding broth. I add a ½ cup or so of broth to the rice from the back burner, stirring continually, scraping the bottom. There should be enough liquid after each addition so that the rice look a little soupy but not drowning in liquid. I kept stirring until the broth was absorbed. I repeated this adding broth and stirring for about 20 minutes. Every now and then I would stop to rinse some lettuce for a salad or slice a carrot, keeping a vigilant eye on the risotto. You don’t really have to stir it non-stop. Just don’t take a bathroom break or walk out to the mailbox.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I continued adding broth until the kernels of rice just start to get tender but still have a little chew in them. I added the beet greens and beets then removed the pot from the heat so the residual heat would warm them. I stirred in a heaping tablespoon of mascarpone and a generous handful of parmesan. Normally I would add a ton of butter and cheese but I was trying to make a healthier version. I heaped it in my risotto bowIs and sprinkled with toasted walnuts before serving. It added a great crunch to the creamy risotto. The beautiful color did not disappoint and I felt like I was eating something pretty healthy and pretty tasty!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-28813421148368161552011-07-28T09:51:00.000-07:002011-07-28T09:55:13.032-07:00The Queen of Beans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMTmq0ZH0ApvcS6VqZQHgl234iGF20jQduUaxqY8mZHfOBWO79q0j5WErEl66_im_JtkD0yOHG-gowcWzFT58QkDk3vzFLER-AdL7m0OJAjifSIvS-Kte2oQcaOqjMpi2S_dh/s1600/mussels1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMTmq0ZH0ApvcS6VqZQHgl234iGF20jQduUaxqY8mZHfOBWO79q0j5WErEl66_im_JtkD0yOHG-gowcWzFT58QkDk3vzFLER-AdL7m0OJAjifSIvS-Kte2oQcaOqjMpi2S_dh/s400/mussels1.jpg" t$="true" width="400px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On my last visit to the San Francisco farmer’s market at the Ferry Building I made sure to buy one thing. Okay I actually made sure to buy several things – <a href="http://www.recchiuti.com/index.html?gclid=CPqn67C-pKoCFQ7MKgodcyBhWw">Recchuiti Chocolates</a>, <a href="http://mcevoyranch.com/">McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil</a> and hand lotion, whatever fruit pastry is in season at <a href="http://www.froghollow.com/">Frog Hollow</a> and finally, beans. I don’t mean the amazing collection of heirloom beans from <a href="http://www.ranchogordo.com/">Rancho Gordo</a> (although I guess they are on my must have list too) but the big white gigante beans from Iacopi farms. These beans are sold dried in ziplock bags. The beans are huge to begin with but when cooked they balloon into these enormous, creamy pockets of delight unlike any other bean I have eaten. I would love to serve a bowl to all my friends who are bean haters (this means you Melinda!) I can’t help myself from eating these right out of the pot when they are done. These are the queen of beans.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3bKTAUNtHXg4d1gvbgMr36S4z8nKFauRVP0W6Za6VLzezigTB97lhQAZFpsgK12VQ9ziwHuLrfCO5mL45ei4I9VIw0HfzWiDQLmzZsOIg5HmbtDhHHSb2ExfdmHawfAlS581/s1600/beans.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3bKTAUNtHXg4d1gvbgMr36S4z8nKFauRVP0W6Za6VLzezigTB97lhQAZFpsgK12VQ9ziwHuLrfCO5mL45ei4I9VIw0HfzWiDQLmzZsOIg5HmbtDhHHSb2ExfdmHawfAlS581/s320/beans.JPG" t$="true" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I have been eyeing my bag of beans I purchased in May. What dish would be worthy? I pulled out a recipe I have been saving from Food and Wine <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fragrant-gigante-beans-with-garlic-confit-and-mussels">Fragrant Gigante Beans with Garlic Confit and Mussels</a>" and</span> finally decided to make it. Not only does it call for gigante or giant limas but it also calls for garlic confit, which is another of my favorite things, and mussels, an unusual combination. I made it last night to rave reviews.</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I cooked the beans in the pressure cooker so that eliminated soaking. Pressure cookers are great for all sorts of things but wonderful for cooking beans. Since these were big and unsoaked I cooked them for 50 minutes. I have an electric pressure cooker so I can just set it and walk away. You can also soak them overnight and cook on the stove covered with fresh water until tender.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdH-46_e0AWmbhyphenhyphenu7RA2ghMqATupOe-tXDHGPWxF2NoqY7Csgo8KIWtt09VTQdCXdqHRLGZ9_M6-Rthuyg81UGM4hxr1X5Qdmcpo2B2mzg1xIb8kAi9aedinD2KNSMfzNQAiif/s1600/confit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdH-46_e0AWmbhyphenhyphenu7RA2ghMqATupOe-tXDHGPWxF2NoqY7Csgo8KIWtt09VTQdCXdqHRLGZ9_M6-Rthuyg81UGM4hxr1X5Qdmcpo2B2mzg1xIb8kAi9aedinD2KNSMfzNQAiif/s320/confit.JPG" t$="true" width="320px" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9OC0TOqUxVhiQyGvLddvW8VzV6nQPVsM0COkJyfwd5e59N6DUJEYEAWe-FmYiW5jpitFu4lMHIv1WszF85Eur9JqzlsMtLKvAa3ttN6rzlON_vqHTbELAV-12Dk_Iqc6n9Jc/s1600/garlic_bread.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9OC0TOqUxVhiQyGvLddvW8VzV6nQPVsM0COkJyfwd5e59N6DUJEYEAWe-FmYiW5jpitFu4lMHIv1WszF85Eur9JqzlsMtLKvAa3ttN6rzlON_vqHTbELAV-12Dk_Iqc6n9Jc/s320/garlic_bread.JPG" t$="true" width="320px" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Garlic confit is easily made. Find every spare clove you have and throw it in a small pan and cover with your cheapest olive oil. I usually leave on the final skin of the clove and just trim off the root end. Simmer for 20 minutes or so until the cloves are so tender they yield like butter when pierced with a fork or knife tip. You want just the essence of a simmer when you cook these – an occasional bubble leaks out from under a clove. Feel free to only partially place the pan on the burner if you can’t get the heat low enough. The recipe makes as many or as few as you like but I always want to make extra to spread on bread or add to a cheese or antipasti plate. After cooking store the oil and garlic separately or throw out the oil if you are not going to use it in a couple days.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I followed the recipe for the most part. I substituted fresh parsley for the dill and chives called for at the end because that is what I had on hand. I served the feta table side and I was the only one who added it. The dish worked well both ways I thought so if you don’t have or like feta leave it out. Crusty bread is a must to accompany this dish, both for sopping up juices and eating the extra garlic confit.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dish went together quickly once the beans were cooked. It could be served as a first course or an appetizer.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-65783004263234917892011-05-09T18:07:00.000-07:002012-01-04T07:51:16.225-08:00Springtime Supper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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8 ounces angel hair pasta</div>
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1 pound asparagus</div>
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4 ounces pancetta</div>
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8 eggs</div>
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a chunk of good Parmesan cheese</div>
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Zest of half a lemon</div>
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Put a large pot of water on to boil. Also, put a skillet of water on to boil. Set out 4 plates.</div>
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Cut a pound of asparagus into 1/2 inch sections. Cube or buy prepared 4 ounces of pancetta. Throw the pancetta in a pan and cook briefly till crisp. If it starts to stick add a little olive oil. Drain on a paper towel. </div>
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Shred some parmesan on the box grater or use a vegetable peeler for large shards.</div>
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When the large pot of water boils, add the asparagus and cook for about 3 minutes or until the desired tenderness. I like mine a little crunchy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Run cold water over the asparagus or shock it with some ice to stop the cooking. Drain and put in a large bowl.</div>
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Add 8 ounces of angel hair pasta to the pot the asparagus was cooked in (see - saves a little time and a pot.) Follow package directions being careful not to overcook the pasta. Drain and toss with the asparagus, drizzling with a little olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking.</div>
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Poach 1-2 eggs per person in the skillet of boiling water. </div>
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While the eggs are cooking prepare the plates. Put a pile of asparagus and pasta on each plate. </div>
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Remove the eggs when they are cooked the way you like them. Pile on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with the pancetta. Sprinkle with the parmesan. If you have a lemon lying around, zest a little lemon over the top.</div>
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Eat and enjoy!</div>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-89192630328280756992011-03-18T06:56:00.000-07:002011-03-21T10:58:18.908-07:00Waiter, there's a beer in my pudding!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8wrsHkW21F-J5JK8qqjlDg0AyJsNWD_RpduQnhBIdIcRf9p6XJ6m-a7Ow0fz0x2nDsO5hwCiptNOpWvrnDlHzOueKEIr-Lq2m43fvwUL3pncDYNffsjA6qfRNoNWsGvAXn0p/s1600/puddingsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim8wrsHkW21F-J5JK8qqjlDg0AyJsNWD_RpduQnhBIdIcRf9p6XJ6m-a7Ow0fz0x2nDsO5hwCiptNOpWvrnDlHzOueKEIr-Lq2m43fvwUL3pncDYNffsjA6qfRNoNWsGvAXn0p/s320/puddingsm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I was looking for a dessert to go with the traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner on St. Pat's and stumbled upon this recipe for <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Guinness-Goodness-234304">Chocolate Guinness Goodness</a>. I happened to have some Great Lakes Brewery Edmund Fitzgerald Porter in the fridge and it sounded simple and delicious.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It didn't even dawn on me until recently that there was such a thing as homemade pudding until I saw a post on my friend Megan's blog A Sweet Spoonful on <a href="http://asweetspoonful.com/2010/10/pudding-and-playlists.html">Butterscotch Pudding.</a> I was reminded of this blog when I was looking for ideas for a personal chef client that loved old fashioned desserts. So I made some scratch chocolate pudding and my eyes were opened to how easy and delicious homemade pudding can be.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This recipe is a grown up pudding, perfect for a dinner party dessert when the menu focus is beer or just for a rich treat. The porter did not scream out from the recipe but gave an added richness. Guinness might leave a more obvious taste. I did not reduce the porter and add to the whipped cream, like the recipe said. I had some non-drinkers to serve and thought that might be offputting so I just sweetened the whipped cream. For adults I would take this extra step. I used Ghardelli Bittersweet chocolate chips for the chocolae. If you have pint glasses, the final dessert comes off looking like a glass of Guinness.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Should you finish off the extra beer even though it is 11 in the morning. You can't waste beer right? Just be careful it doesn't distract you and the cream boils over. Not saying this happened but it could, right?Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-29989083449308439032011-03-04T06:37:00.000-08:002012-01-04T07:52:04.251-08:00Box of CaliforniaOpening shot: Woman bundled in warm clothes opens front door of house. Snow is piled up everywhere. She picks up a package left on the doorstep and carries it inside. Using a pairing knife, she slits the tape. She carefully folds back the flaps of the box. A golden glow eminates from the inside, bathing her in a mystical, warm, yellow light. (Think Pulp Fiction here.) She reaches in and pulls out a ...<br />
Meyer lemon. This is California. Memories rush by. Our first rental house on the Bay had a Meyer Lemon tree laden with fruit year round, the sweet citrus scent so different than a regular lemon. And the life so short once picked.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CzDmg29ILbYoHgArJysYSvXCuAiIiwIzrLTNM5I_7xy76fw55DBe_GjOkZe0OOchemexGpy36QdFCPTb8kONbXVeP83vvxtI4KxbJanfxawxeHAHRuayXbz8rNGiqrOrmOhu/s1600/lemons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CzDmg29ILbYoHgArJysYSvXCuAiIiwIzrLTNM5I_7xy76fw55DBe_GjOkZe0OOchemexGpy36QdFCPTb8kONbXVeP83vvxtI4KxbJanfxawxeHAHRuayXbz8rNGiqrOrmOhu/s320/lemons.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
So here I was with my box of California gold. The clock is ticking. What do I make? I have a whole file of Meyer Lemon recipes. Which one would do these beauties justice? Meyer Lemon marmalade with vanilla bean,? Mm that would be good but you have to do that whole sterilized jar thing. Meyer Lemon curd? Yes, delicious, a worthy option. I googled for a few more ideas and found it. The Shaker lemon pie. The pie uses the whole lemon, not a thing wasted but the pips. What better winter dessert to make than a sunny lemon pie!<br />
I found a version I like (there are plenty) on my friend Megan's website <a href="http://asweetspoonful.com/2010/12/new-years-day2011.html">Shaker Lemon Pie</a>. I trust Megan who is also <a href="http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2011/01/24/meet-marge-bay-area-welcomes-new-baking-business/">Marge</a>, a classic American bakery and forged ahead.<br />
I sliced the lemons by hand with a very sharp knife. I should have used my mandoline but I didn't want to dig it out from the back of the cabinet. Then I poured sugar over them and let the lemon and sugar mixture sit on the counter for 24 hours. I would wander by every now and then and gaze longingly at them and give them a stir. And sigh.<br />
The next day I tackled the pie crust. I am not a baker. Pet Ritz makes a fine pie crust. But again I trusted Megan and followed her recipe. I made it in the food processor and pulled it out when it was just starting to come together. I had my doubts. This would never stay together to roll out. I chilled it. Later I took it out of the fridge and began the scary task of rolling it out. Somebody share with me how you get that perfect circle when you roll it out! I get a raggedy edge misshapen thing. I kept rolling, swearing that it would never be large enough for my pie dish. My family steered clear of me while I muttered things about Megan and pies and making angry phone calls.<br />
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I added some eggs, flour and butter to the filling and poured it into the shell. To my suprise I was able to crimp the edges and hide a few things and make a pretty darn good looking pie.<br />
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It was delicious. We ate while it was still warm. I closed my eyes and imagined myself on my deck in California, with the breeze carrying the scent of salt water and Meyer lemon blossoms. Thanks Dan and Liz for the box of California!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KEbgEO90ViuqCSl-dLenssRa3PYXxUs8esljRscQED_08gSTyE7utYS_OgDzlIdh6gFhqTUFFpSyDImgpyBASwYHmBsOs1LaA8AbLSFguZL3X-WFkgf4WB_bX0RCikwVpumR/s1600/eat_pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KEbgEO90ViuqCSl-dLenssRa3PYXxUs8esljRscQED_08gSTyE7utYS_OgDzlIdh6gFhqTUFFpSyDImgpyBASwYHmBsOs1LaA8AbLSFguZL3X-WFkgf4WB_bX0RCikwVpumR/s320/eat_pie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-47602265333514155542011-03-02T07:55:00.000-08:002012-01-04T07:53:23.114-08:00Melt - I apologize<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><img id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/mmps/RECIPIENT/021_094e7bc86e9ccdd6_1/3?inviteToken=hES44E2omz5jNzuhhhCQ&limitsize=125,125&outquality=90&squareoutput=255,255,255&ext=.jpg&iconifyVideo=true&wm=1" /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><img id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/mmps/RECIPIENT/021_094e7bc86e9ccdd6_1/2?inviteToken=hES44E2omz5jNzuhhhCQ&limitsize=125,125&outquality=90&squareoutput=255,255,255&ext=.jpg&iconifyVideo=true&wm=1" /><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><img id="_x0000_i1025" src="http://pictures.sprintpcs.com/mmps/RECIPIENT/021_094e7bc86e9ccdd6_1/4?inviteToken=hES44E2omz5jNzuhhhCQ&limitsize=125,125&outquality=90&squareoutput=255,255,255&ext=.jpg&iconifyVideo=true&wm=1" /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I blame myself. I went in thinking Melt was a place that excelled in grilled cheese. Maybe it was all the postings on Facebook that showed patrons get 20% off for life for having a grilled cheese tattoo. Or the name. Or the menu heading "gourmet grilled cheese." I was so excited too. I had tried to get in previously and was told there was a 45 minute wait for a table and then a 45 minute wait for your food. All this for a grilled cheese? Okay if it is a really good grilled cheese it might be worth it. I have had some really good grilled cheese (Hog Island grilled cheese in SF.) So I persevered and went on a Sunday morning to insure a table.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">I will say that is the time to go. The place was empty and we had a great waitress and a big disappointment. She made some recommendations and we ordered the February special which was Meatballs, cheese sticks, marinara sauce and mozzarella, the Big Popper - fresh jalapeno peppers, cheddar & herbed cream cheese, beer battered, mixed berry preserves and a BBQ chicken with grilled onions, sharp cheddar and a sweet BBQ sauce. Wait a minute - those aren't grilled cheese! Yes, they were grilled (except for the Big Popper which was fried) and yes, they had cheese on them. But that is where the relationship ends! I could have forgiven them the artistic license of calling all their sandwiches grilled cheeses if they had been any good.. Sad to say, all three of us came away disappointed. The thick bread overwhelmed the filling. There was none of that ooey gooey grilled cheese - no strings of cheese after each bite. And the fries were so dark brown I thought they were sweet potato fries. They came piping hot and soggy. No crispness.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">So I apologize to Melt. I should have ordered the Kindergarten - the only straight up grilled cheese on the menu. Then I could judge their grilled cheese.</span></span></span>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-14397617488020061712011-02-25T06:29:00.000-08:002012-01-04T07:54:03.917-08:00Duck Fat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ByKPHvd8LD6uTSF9g_r_yclEmyqJ6McR9lxLOjoFZrbIOyg1Oa2x6IauSIXp7l57AXz5Fy-V2qli9K6Mz0yY88ch9ooiwmzusUugFgYG6KytwhgrSgIgtCySd92Kcr6fLlD9/s1600/Duck_fat_before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ByKPHvd8LD6uTSF9g_r_yclEmyqJ6McR9lxLOjoFZrbIOyg1Oa2x6IauSIXp7l57AXz5Fy-V2qli9K6Mz0yY88ch9ooiwmzusUugFgYG6KytwhgrSgIgtCySd92Kcr6fLlD9/s320/Duck_fat_before.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yep - that is a big old blob of duck fat. A friend offered it to me. I think I thought I was getting a nice little carton of duck fat like I used to buy at the San Rafael Farmer's market. Nope just a 5 pound bag of fat. A little daunting. Thanks to a recommendation of a friend I rendered it by putting it in a slow cooker on low, melted it slowly and strained it twice and ended up with 2 quarts of the most beautiful, pristine duck fat.</div>
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One of my favorites things to do with duck fat. Fingerling potatoes boiled until tender, cut in half then cooked in duck fat until they are a beautiful brown. Mmmmm.<br />
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Complete the meal with baby lamb chops rubbed with fresh rosemary, thyme, olive oil, garlic and salt; roasted Brussels sprouts drizzled with walnut oil and roasted walnuts and of course fingerling potatoes cooked in duck fat. </div>
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I keep thinking about confit. But I don't want to waste the rest on one dish. Duck fat french fries? duck fat chicken wings? fried eggs in duck fat? I am open to suggestions...</div>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-69467956064515271922010-11-08T07:57:00.000-08:002012-01-04T07:54:34.407-08:00Here's Looking at You, Pig!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Roasted Pig Head is not on many menus. So when we went to dine at <a href="http://thegreenhousetavern.com/">The Greenhouse Tavern</a> I encouraged my husband to try it. Notice how I didn’t order it. I only wanted to see it and then have a nibble. I wanted to order the Duck N’ Pumpkin Pasta. My husband likes to order things he can’t get at other places or at home. And pig’s head is not on the menu at home any time soon, so after a little encouragement he ordered it. </div>
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Sure enough, glazed with a shrimp paste BBQ sauce, a half of a pig’s head, along with a pile of lettuce cups and a pile of slaw arrived at the table. We were in pig shock. It is rare that any meat in the U.S. comes to the table blatantly reminding us what it looked like before the dinner bell rang. And as a cook and a follower of food trends I knew that staring your dinner in the face, literally, is a current trend. Go see the turkeys running around the pen that will grace your Thanksgiving table. Oogle the cute piglets. But when the time comes to prepare it the head has been removed by and the face is gone.</div>
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John gamely picked up his fork and ate away. It was a little unsettling when he removed the jaw bone (with teeth) to get to another juicy bite. I have to say it was a pretty tasty. It would have been even better eaten the way it was supposed to be eaten. We forgot and ignored the lettuce cups and slaw. Apparently the diner was supposed to make little lettuce cup tacos, piled with pig meat and julienne raw veggies in light vinagrette. We came close to just tearing at it with our hands and biting it right off the bone. Me eat meat not little lettuce cups. I guess we forgot. I would love to go back and give it another try the way the chef intended. And if I got the chance to meet Porky, trotting around, before dinner and would bravely do so and thank him for the upcoming meal.<br />
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(Side note: If you ever go - order the Confit Chicken Wings and the Foie Gras Steamed Clams. Both would make a great entrée and were amazingly good.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHYl8PeRIGHXCAwC2nVqKzoF68W89knLT3qoUa0izv4WI2L7XPET_FpmqAMoudLU1SeG6mkOeRxlHKq_O0tzq51QcXU42p8H2vI5YPH5pqfFBKx0mwjm6ne7UFa3Y1KlNTQhL/s1600/chili_on_fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHYl8PeRIGHXCAwC2nVqKzoF68W89knLT3qoUa0izv4WI2L7XPET_FpmqAMoudLU1SeG6mkOeRxlHKq_O0tzq51QcXU42p8H2vI5YPH5pqfFBKx0mwjm6ne7UFa3Y1KlNTQhL/s400/chili_on_fire.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My husband's extended family holds a picnic at Babler State Park in St. Louis every October. Aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, grandmas and great-grandmas everywhere, hugging hello then claiming a picnic table for their branch of the Waldschmidt family tree. Each family brings a pot of chili. There’s no contest or judging. That’s just always been the main food. After twenty years plus of attending I can just peek into the pots, stir, and tell which family brought which chili. The recipes don’t change much over the years. </div>
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Except ours. One year John decided to make chili. But he wanted it to stand out from all the other chili. So he made a Chicken White Bean Chili. You would have thought it was Thanksgiving and we had brought Osterich. Everyone ooh-ed and ahh-ed. It created quite a stir. So henceforth John would spend one day a year making a non-traditional chili for the Babler gathering. (Oh my God! Such a production – but that’s another story.) </div>
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This year we drove nine hours to St. Louis to attend Babler. I did not want to relinquish my kitchen and my sanity so for the first time ever I made the chili. Cooked and froze it in Ohio and threw it in the car. I was inspired by the flavors of fall that just itch to be used. </div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Fall Harvest Chili</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><em><span style="font-size: small;">Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you. It's mostly spices. This goes together in a few minutes and then simmers on the stove. Perfect for a day of watching football or the World Series.</span></em></span>1 pound of round steak, trimmed and cut into small cubes<br />
1 medium onion, chopped<br />
1 bottle of pumpkin ale<br />
4 cups of Butternut Squash, cubed and cooked<br />
½ can pumpkin<br />
1 14 ounce can of zesty tomatoes<br />
1 can of Rotel<br />
1 14 oz. tomato sauce<br />
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Spices: <br />
(I kept these separate because you would be afraid to make this chili when you saw how long the list of ingredients is. Feel free to eliminate, substitute, and add.)<br />
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1 T. ground Aleppo pepper<br />
2 T. chili powder<br />
1 T. cumin<br />
1 T. salt<br />
2 bay leaves<br />
½ teaspoon cinnamon<br />
1 teaspoon smoked paprika<br />
2 cups of cooked beans<br />
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Season the round steak with salt and pepper and brown in a little oil in a large pot. Remove from the pot and add the onions. Cook until translucent and starting to brown. Add the beef back to the pot and add all the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for as long as you have time for. You could simmer it for a half hour or three hours. The flavors will meld and change the longer you cook it. If you don’t want to eat it right away, cool and store in the fridge.<br />
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You could top it with sour cream, cheddar cheese and pepitas if you want to jazz it up. A perfect dish for a cold fall day.Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-29460518335046009962010-08-24T06:17:00.000-07:002010-08-24T06:19:43.582-07:00Baking Tips - Chocolate Chip Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs4meSkUMuq2Werd7sBDHT9u6r4QXzfr43UYXLgOTe_1QzUnPQRs7K9NrmBoVXjQHu44qLDRaJzzNkfHKOCaR87Tt4UGIHzb5EbQSAoei7orT8h2DuEsqxYck3yhOVymVZVBl/s1600/cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEs4meSkUMuq2Werd7sBDHT9u6r4QXzfr43UYXLgOTe_1QzUnPQRs7K9NrmBoVXjQHu44qLDRaJzzNkfHKOCaR87Tt4UGIHzb5EbQSAoei7orT8h2DuEsqxYck3yhOVymVZVBl/s400/cookie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I was dating my husband, one million years ago, every single time we went to his mother’s house there were homemade chocolate chip cookies. I don’t recall anyone ever making homemade cookies at my house (okay - maybe it happened once but I must have been outside at the time.) So a fresh batch seemed like a miraculous thing. And to have them just lying around like it was no big thing! Homemade cookies! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have known my mother-in-law 32 plus years. She has never failed to have Toll House in the house. We would walk in for a family dinner or dropping off our daughters for an evening out and even though we were heading out for dinner my husband and I would begin scouring the pantry and freezer for the cookies. She never failed us. We would munch them on our way out the door to dinner. And when we recently visited St. Louis we left with two large bags of cookies. Most never made it to Ohio, it is a long drive after all.</span><br />
It seems like a silly thing to blog about – homemade chocolate chip cookies. I am sure everyone has made a batch but since I have had chocolate chip cookies made by an expert and I have to make 60 extra large cookies for a catering event I thought it might be a good way to share some baking tips I have picked up along the way. These tips are not for the accomplished bakers who I am sre know more but for the occassional cookie maker.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPJ3LQQebKZcbbOdOz2esys_XpFmYCoDmSK26MWxPJjhZ5WZTBjNga0XvNcVL_brRDL8Igu-xzwu19XtDjiQqpnqrOpZiPuk0efewwJo8jj9PMuMhtcyQSnOI4vUZDZCL9Av0/s1600/flour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPJ3LQQebKZcbbOdOz2esys_XpFmYCoDmSK26MWxPJjhZ5WZTBjNga0XvNcVL_brRDL8Igu-xzwu19XtDjiQqpnqrOpZiPuk0efewwJo8jj9PMuMhtcyQSnOI4vUZDZCL9Av0/s400/flour.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tip #1 - Lay out the ingredients before starting. 4 batches ready to go</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I was making 4 batches of cookies I decided to get my ducks in a row and lay out all the ingredients by the batch. Baking is precise and not really my strong point. I tend to get distracted by bright shiny objects and then realize I was baking and wonder if the baking soda made it in. Which then requires starring closely at the flour to see if you can see the slight shift in color and texture of baking soda somewhere in the mound…you get my drift. Getting everything ready before you bake helps.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tip #1 - I tore off 8 sheets of foil and laid out 4 batches of cookie ingredients, putting the eggs and butter with each batch, keeping the baking soda and salt in their own distinct little piles with flour, putting the sugars on their own piece of foil, so I could stand back and see that I had all the ingredients laid out before I began. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tip #2 - before I measure out the flour, I stick my whisk in the canister and give the flour a good stir. This does the work of a sifter with a lot less time, breaking up all the lumps and settling that happens to flour in a canister. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtHV_CIKfQp57g4fdaQztz0BoCtinNk3U9kwbFAIqQvvrxTVpUuSXKvGX4N5dD98X_kn4NiOUApzh77jTHgYfLj9jqGhnhG75StnO7TPb4i2GHegdlK4oV_kU5MsmcmeqL_oK/s1600/egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtHV_CIKfQp57g4fdaQztz0BoCtinNk3U9kwbFAIqQvvrxTVpUuSXKvGX4N5dD98X_kn4NiOUApzh77jTHgYfLj9jqGhnhG75StnO7TPb4i2GHegdlK4oV_kU5MsmcmeqL_oK/s400/egg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crack the egg on a flat surface then break into a ramekin to check for shells before adding to the batter</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tip 3 & 4 - I crack the egg on a flat surface instead of a sharp corner. The egg breaks into larger pieces. I crack it open into a ramekin. I can check for shell fragments before I add the egg to the batter. Chasing that one piece of shell around a mixing bowl is like trying to grab a toddler you just put sun screen on. I cream the sugars, vanilla and eggs in my stand mixer, scraping down the sides at least once. Tip #5 since the flour, baking soda and salt were already laid out on their own piece of foil it is easy to add them to a stand mixer by folding the foil and making it a chute for the ingredients to slide down. There is nothing more obnoxious than trying to add flour from a bowl into a stand bowl. Everything seems to get in the way – the mixer, the bowl, your hands. The foil chute makes it easy and one less bowl to wash. I add it in three batches and mix until the color comes back to the batter before adding the next batch of dry ingredients. Finally I add the chips, in this case Ghirardeli Double Chocolate Chips. They are larger than Toll House and have the great taste of bittersweet which I prefer to semi-sweet.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoal5QHxIX68stoy0_WeFFM8a9c2AkeiNXUtfgUWP8NYtPdxrOSTG7cVa0iM3P5s7XzkbVyzOQ-0Wo0x2QR5-XKIU_ZFnIfBdatNpS3a2_8if8Jo1jHHAXsh0S3o-t_4LEZgSk/s1600/dough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoal5QHxIX68stoy0_WeFFM8a9c2AkeiNXUtfgUWP8NYtPdxrOSTG7cVa0iM3P5s7XzkbVyzOQ-0Wo0x2QR5-XKIU_ZFnIfBdatNpS3a2_8if8Jo1jHHAXsh0S3o-t_4LEZgSk/s400/dough.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tip #6 - Dump the dough onto a clean countertop or cookie sheet to make scooping more effecient</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So now the batter is mixed and ready to go. I love Silpat mats and have used them for baking for years. Sheets of parchment paper work great too. Since I had a large batch of batter Tip #6 - I mounded it onto a empty baking sheet. Using a large ice cream scoop, I scooped out the dough, scraping it on the baking sheet so the scoops were consistent in size. I was making large cookies so I only put 8 on a sheet but then put two sheets in the oven at a time. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAkwNmkEN5CHgmF7yWNWg5KQ545-TMTeudOqqf1unf9XalKOKXsi84zgTtWheoQABM6QNYYhG6pTCOe4g9tMj3NW2NmmUH5snwFr3KGzp0ozvLJulsCvckZWwCQey2kc5B0j-/s1600/oven.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUAkwNmkEN5CHgmF7yWNWg5KQ545-TMTeudOqqf1unf9XalKOKXsi84zgTtWheoQABM6QNYYhG6pTCOe4g9tMj3NW2NmmUH5snwFr3KGzp0ozvLJulsCvckZWwCQey2kc5B0j-/s400/oven.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tip #7 When baking more than one batch, rotate the trays halfway through to promote even cooking.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tip #7 - After 7 minutes, I rotated top shelf to bottom shelf, giving each sheet a 180 turn as well. It keeps the cookies away from hot spots and they bake a little more evenly. If I only had one sheet pan at a time, I might still rotate 180 half way through, depending on the oven and the consistency of the heat.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tip # 8 cool two minutes on the cookie sheet before you put them on a wire rack to finish cooling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks Ann for all the cookies through the years. They always taste better when you make them.</span><br />
<a name="fb_share" type="button_count" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php">Share</a><script src="http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/connect.php/js/FB.Share" type="text/javascript"></script>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-34153946993076678632010-07-19T08:19:00.000-07:002010-07-19T08:30:55.204-07:00Blueberry Chicken<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZl-7u4zujf3WE-w5BWRkgsomvure1ssdS94KUb9WnrfhM1Se2hgqWPUndJwmAkHnh_RkToL2EzUjNxDZEunXRT7GO4xKnSF3IdoLAgQmHu3ydq57vRUznLmbTCIAzM-fx6asY/s1600/blueberry4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZl-7u4zujf3WE-w5BWRkgsomvure1ssdS94KUb9WnrfhM1Se2hgqWPUndJwmAkHnh_RkToL2EzUjNxDZEunXRT7GO4xKnSF3IdoLAgQmHu3ydq57vRUznLmbTCIAzM-fx6asY/s400/blueberry4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am a very discriminating berry picker. Not any berry will do. The color has to be dark purple, almost black and dusty looking. No pea sized blueberries for me. Dime sized if possible and the few elusive ones as big as a nickel go straight into my mouth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t stand at a single bush and glean every last berry. I squint and peer and search and then reach into the back of the bush for that big, fat one that everyone else missed. Needless to say when everyone else had full buckets the bottom of my bucket was barely covered. But by the end of the day, between Grace and I, we had enough to keep a large bowl in the fridge and freeze a few bags.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When everyone else is thinking buckles, crisps, cobblers and coffee cake I am thinking chicken. Meat with a fruit sauce is one of my favorite dinners. For company, I like to do a duck breast with cherries. Another favorite is pork chops with a port and blackberry sauce. Why not chicken with blueberries?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I want to share with you how do it without giving you step by step directions. It is nice to have those “goto” dishes in your head where you can stand at the stove and toss in and mix and taste and tweak without being tied to a recipe. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZbSBf6no3xxHj0XtVXvkC2YmjYtSc7j6Rf0cHAm8zvHgCTxKPYtQ3FWPtTQXq51Ks4dcE4eNmYXE0fpPLHEaM8Du5Qr7RY8XTgXErLqCs2TXei0WLewupceVhdVXVRZQ4nJ4/s1600/blueberry6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZbSBf6no3xxHj0XtVXvkC2YmjYtSc7j6Rf0cHAm8zvHgCTxKPYtQ3FWPtTQXq51Ks4dcE4eNmYXE0fpPLHEaM8Du5Qr7RY8XTgXErLqCs2TXei0WLewupceVhdVXVRZQ4nJ4/s400/blueberry6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chicken with Blueberry Sauce</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started with 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts. I am cutting back on fat so no skin for me. If you like, this would be great with a boneless skin-on breast. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drizzle a little oil in a skillet over medium high heat and place 4 seasoned chicken breasts in it. I sprinkled the breasts liberally with a chicken rub I had on hand but just salt and pepper will do. Place in a skillet and cook without disturbing for a few minutes until the bottom is a lovely golden brown. Turn the breasts over and cook for a few more minutes on the other side, then place in a 425 degree oven and cook for about 12-15 minutes or until firm when prodded. Searing and roasting is the best way to get a juicy chicken breast with the caramel outside that adds so much flavor and a juicy interior.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the chicken is cooking, start the sauce. Throw 2 cups of berries into a small saucepan with about a cup of red wine (you could use chicken broth if you had no wine). Cook for about ten minutes until the liquid is a little reduced and the berries are all mushy. Add a little dijon mustard, a splash of balsamic vinegar and a couple tablespoons of jam. Any jam will do, use blueberry jam if you have. The jam will help thicken and sweeten the sauce. The vinegar and the mustard can be added to taste. They will help balance the sauce – a little sweet, a little tangy and a little tart. Start with a small spoonful and taste and keep tasting and tweaking. If you like it sweeter you can add a little brown sugar or some more jam, adding more mustard or vinegar for a savory sauce.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the chicken is done remove it from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes while you finish the sauce.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just before serving, if you have any berries left, throw a few into the sauce to just warm. I love the combination of the cooked berries with the fresh whole ones. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Slice the chicken on the diagonal and pour a nice heaping of sauce on each one and serve the leftover sauce tableside. Everything comes together pretty easily. The dish is perfect for company but easy enough for any night.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaipKWAGC4qtSkTh3nuhfeFzajsz591AmQkF932ITTqlA-TvfYRTK9G7COs40GGvRUhUjWxIkJv-pWuT_A7TTAXW_rgTsl2tpTSVAt3zeytQWJRyb42mzwvX4ynJt_Yc4kPR4n/s1600/happy4th_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaipKWAGC4qtSkTh3nuhfeFzajsz591AmQkF932ITTqlA-TvfYRTK9G7COs40GGvRUhUjWxIkJv-pWuT_A7TTAXW_rgTsl2tpTSVAt3zeytQWJRyb42mzwvX4ynJt_Yc4kPR4n/s400/happy4th_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Although it won't fit in my toolbox I love my little waffle maker. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few years ago during the Christmas season I was working at Williams Sonoma. I had a great discount and a small paycheck. Most of that paycheck went to tools. This mini waffle maker is one of them. It makes three mini waffles at a time. Three of you can start eating your own waffle while the next batch is being made, instead of dividing up one big one. A chirp lets you know when to peek. A teflon surface makes for easy clean-up. Cook up the extra batter and freeze. Who doesn't like a bag of little waffles in their freezer? Ready for ice cream or a quick breakfast.</span>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-26897351897986011712010-06-23T17:35:00.000-07:002010-06-23T17:43:12.513-07:00Corn Pancakes with Black Beans for Maggie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSut3rU266O61i0h9qoKLH-7LeW-kmfaC5tChbGmMXJ7XuMWtmmV9u1jxMRmCKMB5pn9D-T1YZy__P4ZME6PnZ8Y9hyhPywjmF5MujbFUKFFYbKNncOGJnxzOSZtqHTW41NNNN/s1600/cornpancakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSut3rU266O61i0h9qoKLH-7LeW-kmfaC5tChbGmMXJ7XuMWtmmV9u1jxMRmCKMB5pn9D-T1YZy__P4ZME6PnZ8Y9hyhPywjmF5MujbFUKFFYbKNncOGJnxzOSZtqHTW41NNNN/s400/cornpancakes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I just came back from a long weekend in Oregon with my four sisters. We went on long hikes and long car rides together. Discussions ran the gamut of topics. Somehow it came up that my niece Maggie is cooking. My sister bemoaned that my niece was spending too much on groceries to make complicated dishes. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We cooks know that to make interesting and delicious food sometimes you need some ingredients that may not reside in the pantry. The dish that follows is by no means exotic. You can find everything in a normal grocery store. In fact I created this a million years ago when the kids were little and I wanted something that was both kid and parent friendly. The kids ate the pancakes with syrup and we ate them with the beans, sour cream and cilantro. This recipe is easy but still pretty tasty. Don't let the pancakes made with Jiffy corn muffin mix fool you. They have a gritty corn meal texture that compliments the smoothness of the beans and the heat from the salsa. And if you want to you can finish off supper with a pancake slathered in butter and syrup!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><strong>Corn Pancakes with Black Bean Salsa for Maggie</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Salsa:</div>Oil<br />
1 red pepper, cut into 1" squares<br />
1/2 vidalia onion, cut into 1" squares<br />
2 cans black beans, canned, rinsed<br />
1 jar Pace Picantre Sauce, medium<br />
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Pancakes:<br />
2 boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix<br />
2 egg<br />
4 tablespoons shortening, melted<br />
2/3 cups milk<br />
Chopped cilantro<br />
Sour cream<br />
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To make the warm salsa:<br />
Drizzle some oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Add onion and saute the onion starts to soften. Add the peppers and cook until the peppers start to soften. Add the black beans and Picante sauce. Cook for a few minutes, stirring. When the beans and salsa are hot, reduce the heat to low. Make the pankcakes.<br />
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Pancakes:<br />
Blend all the pancake ingredients in a medium bowl with a fork. Batter will be lumpy. Let batter sit a few minutes. Using a quarter cup measure or an ice cream scoop drop batter onto a lightly oiled non stick pan or griddle. Keep them fairly fair apart because the thick batter will spread as the pancakes start to cook. Flip when the edges appear dry, peeking every now and then at the bottom so they don't burn. Also these pancakes are pretty thick so don't cook on too high of a heat or they will be raw inside.<br />
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Put two pancakes on a plate. Pile with the warm salsa. Add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle liberally with salsa.<br />
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Let me know if you make it Maggie. And don't let your mom gives you grief about the leftover cilantro!<br />
Serve with Cilantro and sour cream<br />
<a name="fb_share" type="button_count" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php">Share</a><script src="http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/connect.php/js/FB.Share" type="text/javascript"></script>Lisa Waldschmidthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02191130166918666535noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23253546.post-50888502776962540512010-06-12T09:24:00.000-07:002010-06-13T06:53:01.903-07:00Food trucks the Ohio way.<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQncka3-eVcsTrtdafUsTGr8pq3AwiYyyuSSOLKpEimkis7UZdD_dzbPJgPsbooxRqdzkGylQkrfMF36PQ5EC3JdF_JkItpLNEbsSaYC5PNFDHCAmfDtYpJIZwKWYhcYqfcbT/s1600/goats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a little strange that after 4 months of living here with nary a food truck in site, I would stumble upon two in one week and eat at both of them.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttwUvRiLFRksgqawbwXb_AoZ9VdWQFtyCbCFhCQ5f73RDVjU1OR-aZ63_oE7SOinbP_hUnW5t2RczZllzXVxaYlAbgeBQ1RyT3QW5vI_95Gz1kMJWlwHonlTapC9-WpM36IhT/s1600/tacotruck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttwUvRiLFRksgqawbwXb_AoZ9VdWQFtyCbCFhCQ5f73RDVjU1OR-aZ63_oE7SOinbP_hUnW5t2RczZllzXVxaYlAbgeBQ1RyT3QW5vI_95Gz1kMJWlwHonlTapC9-WpM36IhT/s400/tacotruck.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Taco Truck</strong></span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am sad to say I never got to experience a taco truck in San Francisco. John ate at one frequently in the ad ghetto. I always wanted to go and get a tongue taco but it never happened.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Back in Ohio, We were dropping off Grace somewhere and saw this truck in the parking lot near a Popeye's Fried Chicken. It was a rainy grim day but we braved the elements (okay John braved the elements, I sat in the car) to go order at the window, hurry back to the car in the rain, run back out and get our styrofoam containers and then eat pork tacos in the car. We found out we were lucky to catch them because they keep short hours. Was it a taste of California? Not exactly but we were glad we tried it.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUKcFvqgZh1futlAGgUSaOTwHZJ2tokgHXUZGBMgOJh-xVdE2p3V4ktHD1igd95d2BlvcXfWoszif5PWXJBw40q5Rn3PZjjff9lePZ-UFPsJJtVb1121z4YULuk1Pqi5Tp14m/s1600/dimanddemsum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIUKcFvqgZh1futlAGgUSaOTwHZJ2tokgHXUZGBMgOJh-xVdE2p3V4ktHD1igd95d2BlvcXfWoszif5PWXJBw40q5Rn3PZjjff9lePZ-UFPsJJtVb1121z4YULuk1Pqi5Tp14m/s400/dimanddemsum.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dimanddemsum truck</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Dim and dem sum truck</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I heard about this truck from a friend. We were going to Facebook track it down and go for lunch one day but there was no sign of them anywhere. Turns out they were waiting for a piece of equipment and unable to cook. Why do I know? They magically showed up at a Slow Food/Humane treatment for animals event that I attended, along with a couple of goats and Grace, my daughter, (different story, another blog.) Grace was excited because she thought there might be actual dim sum. She was disappointed in that respect but not in the tater tots and cheese curds she had (boy does that scream Midwest!) They had a house made hot sauce and a house made ketchup to jazz them up. Apparently they were going to serve goat tacos but when they heard that Carolina and Odie were coming (aforementioned goats) they wisely chose beef (no cows were present). Was it crazy good? No but there was thought and creativity and a little passion thrown in. I will definitely track them down again. Also kudos for the "live strong" style bracelet business card.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQncka3-eVcsTrtdafUsTGr8pq3AwiYyyuSSOLKpEimkis7UZdD_dzbPJgPsbooxRqdzkGylQkrfMF36PQ5EC3JdF_JkItpLNEbsSaYC5PNFDHCAmfDtYpJIZwKWYhcYqfcbT/s1600/goats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="267" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQncka3-eVcsTrtdafUsTGr8pq3AwiYyyuSSOLKpEimkis7UZdD_dzbPJgPsbooxRqdzkGylQkrfMF36PQ5EC3JdF_JkItpLNEbsSaYC5PNFDHCAmfDtYpJIZwKWYhcYqfcbT/s400/goats.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Odie and Carolina</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think a lot about the Porchetta and fresh herb sandwich at the Roti truck at the Ferry Building. I just like to think about that sandwich sometimes. The pork roast fresh off the rotisserie, all juicy and tender, piping hot, piled on a bun with a pile of fresh herbs. Hot, juicy, drippy, melting pork with crunchy herbs…Stop. Don’t go there. Step away from the porchetta day dream. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there might be hope for the food truck scene here after all. Maybe I could get a Roti franchise to come?</span><br />
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