Easter 2013

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The Annual Easter Egg Coloring and Pizza Party just happened to fall on our niece Elizabeth's birthday this year... and what's an Easter Egg Coloring and Pizza Party without Peeps?!?

I thought Peeps atop cupcakes would be fun with "Happy Birthday Elizabeth" spelled out on top. I went downstairs to fetch the cupcake tins - and they weren't there! I searched high and low to no avail. I think I must have left them at work. But no problem - the mini pans were down there. Cupcake recipe makes 24, mini-cupcake pans make 48. Set.

I make the batter, fill the 48 pans - and haven't made a dent in the batter. They come out of the oven, I make another 48 - and still have batter. I stopped at 96 cupcakes. Really. That was enough.

Yellow Cupcakes

  • 4 cups cake flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°. Line twenty-four muffin cups with paper liners.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in buttermilk until just combined. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating until just combined after each addition.

Divide batter among muffin cup sand bake about 22 minutes, or until golden and a tester comes out clean.

I had so many cupcakes, I added the other two March birthday-babies and still had several dozen left over. Everyone got cupcakes.

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And there was cake. And pizza that I didn't take pictures of.

And then the coloring began...

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You will note there are not a lot of children at the table.

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This is one of several trays of eggs. We did 4 dozen altogether. The perfect amount for stuffed eggs and a bit of egg salad.

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The eggs were simply done: mayonnaise, salt, pepper, a bit of garlic powder, and a bit of dill. Paprika on top.

Victor found a recipe for a ricotta pastry in La Cucina Italiana magazine he had to make for today. They also call for a full-sized cupcake tin, but, the tins were still MIA - so he went with a mini, as well. I think the minis worked really well...

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First, 24 little squares of pastry dough had to be made, cut, and placed in the tins...

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Then they had to be filled...

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Baked...

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And then plated on a lovely pink Easter tray...

Soffioni di Ricotta

Dough

  • 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

 Filling

  • 1/2 pound whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • Unsalted butter for greasing muffin tin
  • Confectioners sugar for dusting

Instructions

For Dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and pinch salt. Mound flour mixture, then form a well in center. Add eggs and oil to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from the inside rim of the well until liquid is absorbed (about half of the flour will be incorporated), then knead in bowl until dough forms a mostly complete mass.

Transfer dough and any flour in bowl to a clean work surface to knead together until smooth, about 5 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make filling.

For Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together cheese, egg yolks, granulated sugar and zest until smooth. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. In two additions, fold whites into cheese mixture.

Heat oven to 375º with rack in the middle. Grease 8 muffin cups with butter.

Roll out dough to a 14-inch square, 2 millimeters thick. Using a fluted pastry 
wheel, cut out 8 (4-inch) squares from dough; discard excess dough. Fit squares into prepared muffin cups, pressing centers into cups and letting corners of pastry overlap edges of pan. Divide filling among dough-lined cups, then fold dough corners over filling.

Bake, rotating once, until pastries are puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack, 10 minutes. Gently twist pastries to release from cups. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusting with confectioners sugar just before serving.

They were really good - like a lemony-ricotta-cheesecake. I had more than two.

We loaded up the car and headed over to Steve & Marie's... I really can't believe I didn't take a single picture of the actual dinner. I got all the desserts, of course, and even a few appetizers. Nothing about the dinner. It was really, really good, too!

We had:

  • Ham with an apricot sauce
  • Grilled rack of lamb
  • Roasted asparagus
  • Pineapple bread pudding
  • A really fabulous Lentil salad
  • Pasta salad with smoked salmon
  • Red potato salad
  • Spinach salad with strawberries and balsamic
  • Kalamata olive bread

It was just stellar. The salads were all fantastic. My favorite was the lentil, but I had double helpings of all of them. The potato salad was simply dressed with olive oil and green onions... Everything was great. Really great.

Back to the appetizers...

Besides the stuffed eggs, I made the Polenta Bites I made last year. The recipe also comes from La Cucina Italiana.

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I started off this year by baking them in the oven instead of trying to fry them. It worked perfectly.

“Canederli” di Polenta allo Speck

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Fine sea salt
  • 1 1/4 cups coarse polenta
  • 1/4 pound speck, finely chopped
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
  • 1 tablespoon roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

 Instructions

In a large saucepan, combine water, milk, 3 tablespoons butter and ¾ teaspoons salt; bring to a boil over high heat. Slowly add polenta in a thin stream, whisking; reduce heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until polenta is thickened and tender, 40 to 45 minutes. (Because it uses less liquid, this polenta is thicker than usual.)

Remove polenta from heat; stir in speck, egg yolks, cheese and parsley. Let stand until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes.

Line a large platter with parchment paper. With damp hands, form 1-tablespoon portions polenta into 40 (1-inch) balls and place on prepared platter.

In a small saucepan, heat 8 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat until butter becomes lightly browned, about 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet, melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. In two batches, cook dumplings until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.

Divide dumplings among 4 bowls, spoon brown butter over the top. Serve immediately.

These really are flavorful - and so easy to make.

Victor also made Uncle Rudy's Easter Pie. This is the second time he's made it in a tart pan instead of pie plate.  It is awesomely-good.

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Uncle Rudy’s Easter Pie

Makes 2 pies

  • 3 Lb Ricotta
  • 8 eggs
  • 1/2 cup  grated cheese
  • 1/2 lb ham, diced
  • 1/4 lb prosciutto, diced
  • 1/4 lb pepperoni, diced
  • To Taste;
  • Garlic Powder
  • Pepper
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Parsley

Blend eggs and ricotta.  Add diced meats and seasonings.  Pour mixture into prepared pie crust and top with second crust.  Crimp edges.

Bake at 375° for 45 minutes to 1 hour – the crust should be nice and golden brown.

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I thought this would be a good place to throw in a picture of Uncle Beep and Miles. What a cutie. And the baby ain't bad, either...

A couple of years ago, Victor's buddy Jenni sent him a recipe for a Lemon Tart. It is fabulously-tasty and really easy to make.

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Creamy Lemon Pie

  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1 (8- or 9-inch) baked pie crust or graham cracker crumb crust
  • whipped cream. for added flavor, fold some lemon curd into the whipped cream just before serving
  • Lemon zest (optional)

Preheat oven to  325°.   Beat egg yolks, gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice.  Pour into crust.

Bake:  30-35 minutes, until set.  Cool for about 1 hour and then chill at least 3 hours before serving.

This year, I made the crust with the Coconut Cookies I made a few days ago. I made the whipped cream with just a pinch of sugar and lemon extract, and then added a dollop of lemon curd to each of the cream dollops. It was pretty stellar.

And there was more...

Joanna made her famous Wedding Rings...

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Joanna's Wedding Rings

Cookie Dough

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 5 cups flour
  • 3 tbsp vanilla
  • 5 tsp baking powder

Glaze

  • Powdered Sugar
  • Water
  • Vanilla

Beat together shortening, sugar, and eggs. Add flour about 2 cups at a time.  Roll pieces of dough into 4″ ropes, form into rings.  Bake at 450° for 10 minutes.  Cool and brush with glaze.

They are such a simple cookie but oh, so good!

And there were more...

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Carrot Cake - half with almonds, because sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't...

And even more cookies...

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And then... just because... Fresh fruit!

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It was a great two days. We ate, laughed, played with the baby, ate, laughed, and played some more.

Just the way it's supposed to be.

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Coconut Cookies and the Gay Agenda

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Today is a rather auspicious day for us - The Supreme Court heard the California Prop 8 case.

Prop 8 is very personal for us, because we had planned on getting married at home in San Francisco in November of 2008. We had the venue booked, the marriage license secured, invitations sent - and then Prop 8 pulled the plug on us. We flew home, anyway, had a fun family party, and took the train back to PA. A fun trip - it wasn't our honeymoon.

Two years later, we did get married in New Hampshire - by a dear friend.

We're legally married today, but for all intents and purposes, our marriage certificate is worthless outside of a handful of states. And meaningless to the Federal Government.

That, of course, is the issue.

Forget about the fact that Victor and I couldn't use my VA benefits to buy a home together. Forget about the fact that the surviving partner would have to inherit and pay inheritance tax on half of our home. Forget about the fact that, legally, his mother is his next of kin - not me.

We just moved his mom in with us because she can no longer thrive on her own. It was a decision we made gladly. She will be taken care of no matter what it takes. But if I needed to take time off to help care for her, I do not qualify for FEMLA - the Family Emergency Medical Leave Act.  According to the United States Government, my mother-in-law is not my family.

That's a really bitter pill to swallow.

And trying to do the basics - like cancelling her cable TV and phone service... The roadblocks and hoops I had to jump through have been crazy. Fortunately, both pharmacists know me, so the transferring her prescriptions from one pharmacy to another has been relatively painless.

But even if the government and the utility companies fail to believe she's my kin, I most certainly do. And she of me.

So what does a good son-in-law do for his live-in mother-in-law after dealing with utilities and pharmacies?!? Bake her cookies, of course!

Nonna loves coconut in all its various forms. When she lived on her own, I did her grocery shopping every week for her and whenever I could find a Cadbury Coconut Egg, I'd sneak one into her grocery bag. She's diabetic and not supposed to eat them, but she's always been really good about keeping her blood sugar in line.

I made her a ridiculous coconut cake a few years ago for a combo birthday/Mother's Day bash - she had the smallest slice imaginable and loved every forbidden bite.

So today I made her cookies - coconut cookies.

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Coconut Cookies

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups shredded coconut, chopped in processor
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp coconut extract
  • 2 cups minced shredded coconut for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350°.

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

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and coconut extract. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Using a 1 tbsp scoop, form into balls and roll in coconut.

Place on cookie sheets and bake for 14 minutes, rotating pans halfway through.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

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They came out really good. Nice and chewy - a bit macaroon-like, but with more substance and less sweetness.

She ate one.

So there's the real Gay Agenda. Just trying to get by....


Chicken Pot Pie

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It's March 25th. It's been snowing all day. It's definitely a chicken pot pie kinda day. I tell ya, the weather has been pretty ridiculous around here. I'm really ready for lighter fare but the weather is still saying soups and stews.

Maybe one of these days...

In the meantime, a pot pie ain't too bad. Especially since I make a damned good pie crust. No brag, just fact. I admit I have bought store-bought in the past, but I've had some sort of problem with every one of them. The ones folded in quarters always cracked no matter how long they sat out, and the ones that are rolled would do the same. The amount of time I spent putting the others back together could have been spent making a real one.

Besides. I make a damned good pie crust.

Pie Crust

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 4 oz butter, frozen
  • 4 oz lard, frozen (or - 8 oz butter, but lard is better)
  • pinch salt
  • 6-8 tbsp ice water

Using a food processor, add flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse to mix.

Chop up frozen butter and lard and add. Pulse until they are incorporated and mixture looks grainy.

Slowly add ice water and pulse until mixed.

Turn out onto counter. Press and form mixture into 2 disks - one slightly larger than than the other . Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about an hour to allow the flour to properly absorb the water and to relax the gluten.

Roll out crust and place in pie plate. Crimp edges and fill.

The secrets start with using the food processor. It cuts the fat quickly and neatly into the flour so it doesn't get overworked. Same with the water.

The other is wrapping the dough and letting it rest for an hour. It really does make a difference.

Lard has such a bad rap, but it's infinitely better than shortening, and if you're going to make something from scratch - make it right. I try to keep a couple of packs of lard in the freezer, but if and when I don't have it, I'll use all butter. I don't have shortening in the house. It's not like I'm making these daily...

The above is for a savory pie like the pot pie I made tonight. For a fruit or sweet pie, I add about a quarter-cup of sugar to the flour before adding the butter and lard.

The chicken filling was a throw-together from things in the 'fridge. I cooked a couple of chicken breasts, added celery and carrots, potatoes, frozen mixed vegetables, chicken broth, a bit of leftover chicken gravy, the last of the béchamel sauce Victor made on Friday, and thickened it a tad more with some cornstarch.

I put it into a pastry-lined casserole and then topped it with a second crust. Into a 425° oven for about 40 minutes.

It was good. But I'm ready for some barbecue!


Stuffed Peppers

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It's supposed to start snowing in a few hours. Oh joy. Oh rapture.

This really has been the winter that keeps on giving. It feels like January outside. I can smell the approaching snow. I'm totally over it.

But it doesn't do a damned bit of good complaining about the weather - so into the kitchen I went.

Just as this is the winter that keeps on giving, we're using up the last of the pasta sauce that keeps on giving. I used it for ravioli, Victor used it for his double-sauced pasta, and we've had a couple of lunches along the way. A minimal amount of time in the kitchen - once - has resulted in a lot of time-saving meals. And no sugar-laden jarred sauces to deal with.

I really don't care how good the sauce is, whether it's organic or all-natural, or what. I don't buy jarred sauce. I often say that an organic pop tart is still a nutritionally-unsound pop tart. I feel the same way about sauce out of a jar.

So... off the soap-box and back in the kitchen...

Tonight was stuffed peppers. I made a filling of a bit of ground beef, Italian sausages that had been cooked in the aforementioned sauce, cooked whole-grain brown rice, salt, pepper, garlic, Greek oregano, and an egg to bind. They went into the oven - covered - for about 35 minutes at 350° and then I topped them with breadcrumbs mixed with granna padano, garlic, and a pinch of S&P, and then back in for another 10 minutes.

Victor made a tomato salad with green beans and a simple vinaigrette.

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I noticed that Nonna was attacking the filling but leaving the pepper. It seems she likes green peppers over red peppers. That's an easy fix for next time.

Cheesecake in the 'fridge for dessert.

Bring on the snow.


And Nonna Makes Three

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It's official. Nonna is all moved in.

Getting the room ready, furniture moved, change-of-address cards, starting to cancel newspapers, utilities... that was the easy stuff. The pain-in-the-arse stuff was figuring out the medications and times. I'd love to know the stats on elderly and medication problems. And what maroon decided an 87-year old should be taking half a pill 3 times a day?!? I went out and bought a pill cutter. I mean, really... And she's lucky, she's only on 8 meds - one of which goes away in a week. One of our neighbors was on 20+ at one point.

But it's great having her here - and Cybil is thrilled. Nonna is sharing everything she eats with her. The two have definitely bonded. We have to be careful or we'll end up with a 400 pound dog in no time.

One thing I noticed right away is I don't have to cook more for another person in the house. My normal cooking was too much for just the two of us - and it always made for at least one big lunch leftover. I make the same amount and just have a little less left over, now. Not bad.

So tonight was shrimp risotto. Quick and simple, it's creamy comfort food!

Shrimp Risotto

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 1 btl clam broth
  • 4 cups hot chicken broth
  • 1 pound shrimp
  • 1 cup peas
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil and butter.  Add rice and cook until translucent, stirring continually.  Add clam broth and cook until almost fully absorbed.

Begin to add broth by the ladle, stirring continually.  Add diced carrots. Continue adding ladles of broth as the last one is absorbed, until rice is just tender.

At this point, stir in shrimp.  Add peas, parsley, and cheese, stirring well.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.

And then - just because Nonna likes cheesecake, I made a cheesecake.

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Actually, I made it a couple of days ago because cheesecake needs to sit for 2-3 days to come together. Really.

Perfect Cheesecake

The Crust:

  • 3/4 cups walnuts, coarsely ground
  • 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

The Filling:

  • 4 pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream

The Topping:

  • 16 oz sour cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Putting it together: Preheat oven to 325º.  Mix crust ingredients and press evenly into bottom of 10″ springform pan.  Set aside.

Cream the cheese until light.  Add sugar, then cream and vanilla, mixing well. Mix in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Don't over-mix or incorporate too much air. Pour into pan and bake 60 – 70 minutes. Remove from oven and cool about 15 minutes.  Keep oven on.

Mix topping ingredients and spread onto top of cheesecake to within about 1/2 inch from edge.  Return to oven and bake about 7 more minutes.  Cool completely, cover, and refrigerate at least 24 hours (as I said, 2-3 days is best.)

Nonna loved it - and she shared her last bite with the dog.


Double-Sauced Pasta

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I hate working late, but I love when dinner is awaiting me when I get home after working late.

Like last night.

With the weather more January than March, a pasta dish was just what Mother Nature ordered. And what a pasta dish it was! Noodles tossed in a béchamel sauce and then topped with a beefy ragù. Pure gastronomic heaven.

It was one of those dishes where each part was perfect on its own but when they were mixed together... fantastico

He started out with a simple marinara we had in the freezer and added ground beef, carrots, and celery and cooked it down until it was very thick.

He then made a thin béchamel sauce - 5 tbsp butter, 5 tbsp flour, 1 qt milk, and a pinch of nutmeg - and then added some freshly-grated parmesan cheese for the Italian influence. When the egg noodles were cooked, he tossed them with the béchamel and plated them in a ring. The ragù went into the center.

It was one of those dishes that everything worked. Perfectly.

The other nice thing was that it made enough for dinner and lunch. The new normal around here is making sure there are plenty of easy lunch options available every day.

Success on every level.

 


A Reuben and a Corned Beef Special

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A Reuben and a Corned Beef Special. Just like I made last year, except last year I actually made them on St Patrick's Day.

I was much more eloquent last year, with a bit of history about the sandwiches and the like. In fact, since I was about to say pretty much the same thing, again, I'll just copy last year's post and be done with it!

Ah…  St Paddy’s Day…  A truly Irish-American holiday.  And my grandfather’s birthday!  He was born March 17, 1896.  Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

The Irish never celebrated St Paddy’s Day as we do here – and they most certainly didn’t eat Corned Beef and Cabbage!  They still don’t.  You’ll now find it in tourist restaurants, but it has never been an Irish staple.  Corned beef has been produced in Ireland for hundreds of years – but it wasn’t for the Irish.  it was all owned and exported by the British.  The cattle industry actually played a huge role in the potato famine.  The best land was owned by the English and used for grazing.  The people were forced onto marginal lands where not much would or could grow.  The potato became the sole crop and food – and when it failed…  well… we know the history…

Big parades and celebrations for St Patrick are a relatively new thing in Ireland, as well.  So many people would come to Ireland expecting a huge celebration that they finally gave in and started having one.

And that brings us back to Corned Beef and Cabbage.

The closest Irish dish would be bacon and cabbage – not the same bacon we have with our eggs in the morning – but in America, corned beef was a lot less expensive.  It was more than likely introduced by Jewish butchers, since the Irish and the Jews shared a lot of ghettos in those early years.  We have a long history of not being very nice to immigrants.

But fast-forward many years and the concept of Corned Beef and Cabbage on St Patrick’s Day is firmly entrenched in our culture.  It’s everywhere.

Except our house.

Victor really doesn’t like cooked cabbage.  I’ve made it and he’s eaten it, but it really was more back in those early days of the relationship when people will just do anything for the other.  Closing in on 18 years later, we’re a little more open and direct.

So what does one do on St Patrick’s Day?!?  Make Reuben’s and Corned Beef Specials!

Victor won’t touch a  Reuben, either.  Sauerkraut?!?  He’d rather put pins in his eyes.  And a Corned Beef Special is lost on me.  Cole slaw on a corned beef sandwich sandwich?!?  Meh.

So we ended up with vastly different sandwiches that were both comprised of the same four main ingredients: rye bread, Russian dressing, cabbage, and corned beef.  To his I added the aforementioned cole slaw.  Raw cabbage is not an issue.  For mine, I added swiss cheese and sauerkraut – and then grilled it to a crusty-crunchy golden-brown.

The Corned Beef Special has its roots in Philadelphia.  It’s an east coast  thing.  The reuben, on the other hand, probably traces its roots to the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha.  A defunct deli in New York also claimed ownership, but my father was from Omaha.  I’m going with the family connection.

Dinner was fun.  Both of us were in gastronomic heaven with our favorites.

A great – if slightly non-traditional – St Paddy’s Day, indeed!

 


Strawberry Blintzes

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I had ricotta and I had strawberries. I had dessert.

It's been a while since I made blintzes. It's been a while since I made crepes. They're not even very time-consuming. Totally easy, no-brainer - and delicious.

So... faced with some strawberries that needed using immediately, I thought they would make a good sauce. But a good sauce needs something to be a good sauce for... Enter The Blintz.

Blintzes really are easy to make - and while a good crepe pan is always nice to have, you can make them in a small non-stick skillet, too. And just about everyone has one of those...

Cheese Blintzes with Strawberry Sauce

crepe:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 6 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside.

filling:

  • 8 oz ricotta cheese
  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

Mix all ingredients until smooth.

sauce:

  • 1 lb strawberries
  • 2 oz Cointreau

Mash strawberries and stir in Cointreau. Taste and add sugar, as needed or desired.

to make crepes:

Melt butter in small non-stick pan. Add about 2 tbsp batter to pan and swirl to thinly coat. Cook over moderate heat until edges are  lightly browned and crepe is dry. Stack on plate until all are completed.

to assemble:

Place crepe on table. Add about 2 tbsp filling to lower section. Fold up bottom, fold over sides, and then fold up, enclosing filling completely. Place seam-side down on plate and continue.

to cook:

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add crepe - seam-side down - and cook about 4-5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Flip over and cook another 4-5 minutes.

Serve with sauce.

These really did rock. I know they were a hit because - between bites - Victor couldn't stop talking about them.

Yum.


Ravioli and Other Italian Dishes

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It's been a while since I sat down and wrote a blog post. It's not that we stopped eating - perish the thought! It's just that life has a way of catching up once in a while.

Right after my last post, we decided it was time to ask Victor's mom to move in with us. She's pushing 87, and just not as quick on her feet as she used to be.

We brought her over for a few days to get used to the idea and see how she liked being pampered and waited on hand-and-foot.

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We cooked her 'ronies and meat sauce, and chicken cutlets with a nice salad...

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I started cooking and made several things that were portioned and frozen for quick lunches... Onion soup, breaded chicken strips, pasta sauce...  A big fruit salad. Things that Victor could quickly prepare even with his phone headset on.

She had her quarterly Dr appointment coming up, so she said she'd make a decision after seeing him. We went in to see  her primary care Dr, he decided she wasn't doing as well as she should, and he sent us over to the hospital for tests. That was a 4-day stay that pretty much determined she should come live with us. They released her to a rehab facility for some physical therapy to get her legs working better, and we went to work.

Our normally boring, quiet lives got really busy, really fast. Moving mom in with us entailed more than just putting her in the guest room. The guest room needed to be transformed into her room. We had to empty out our furniture to fit in hers. The basement I cleaned so well got really full, really fast. I'm going to have to get down there and organize, again. One of these days.

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And closet space. Thank goodness we had just done a closet clean-out! We're still a little cramped, but we'll sort it all out.

There's a million-and-one details that need attending when you undertake something like this - and more things become apparent halfway through others. Fortunately, we have plenty of family support with Victor's brother and sister, and our neighbor is a geriatric social worker with one of the better services in town. We're getting the in-home visits set up as soon as we learn just what she's going to need. The paperwork has already been started.

So this past week, more meals have been taken standing up in the kitchen, than at any time since we moved here. Saturday - the day we were supposed to have dear friends arriving for a 4-day birthday bash - saw us with the first meal I had cooked in a week - Beef Braised in Guinness. I added potatoes to it this time to make it a one-pot meal.

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And then it was early to bed and early to rise to move more furniture.

So meals are going to be changing a bit. I know mom's likes and dislikes pretty well, and will be catering towards some simpler menu items. The foods will be fresh, flavorful, and plentiful.

She deserves only the best.


Chicken Soup

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I roasted a chicken the other night and roasted chicken always means soup a day or so later.

I have to admit that I don't quite get the concept of canned soup. Soup is the most basic food a person can make. And it's the perfect way to use up leftovers and those little bits and pieces of things that end up in little tupperware containers in the 'fridge - that end up becoming science projects and thrown away. Healthy, nutritious, and always good.

Soup can be simple or elaborate - ingredients chosen for a specific outcome - or a whole bunch of things tossed in a pot and simmered to a delicious end. While I do make both, my favorite soup is toss it in a pot. I love the variations. It takes no effort and the outcome always rocks.

Besides, it keeps the science experiments at bay.

Tonight's soup started with the chicken carcass and some chicken broth in the freezer. And some wine.  The carcass came out and the goodies started going in, starting with the leftover gravy from the roasted chicken.

Celery, carrots, garlic, onions, butter beans, cannelini beans, brown rice, black lentils, French lentils, egg noodles, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables... chunks of chicken...

The only seasonings were a pinch of French herbs and some S&P. It just didn't need a lot.

Naturally, I made a vat, so several containers went into the newly-emptied freezer.

Better than canned.

Much better.

 


Ham Chicken Mac & Cheese

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The cleaning out of the freezer has come to an end. The Last Supper is a Ham and Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. One ham steak, one chicken breast, a half-bag of peas, and three different cheeses with bread crumbs made from a stale baguette. It's the ultimate leftover meal.

I opened the freezer this morning and was marveling at the spaciousness when the light bulb burned out. The poor thing was ashamed to be so empty. I put in a new bulb and promised it wouldn't be empty long - I was heading out to go shopping.

It's actually fun to figure out meals based on what's in the kitchen. It definitely makes for some one-of-a-kind creations. It's also good that neither of us are fussy eaters. We were both raised back in the day when you ate what was put in front of you. I'm still the same way - if you're cooking, I'm eating. There are foods I will not buy and there are plenty of things I avoid, but I'm an easy guest.

So... I made a meaty mac & cheese. The one food I have never - ever - purchased and have really only tasted a few times in my life is boxed mac & cheese. I would probably have to make an exception and feign illness if you were serving it to me for dinner. I don't think I could do it. But homemade mac and cheese?!? I'm there! It's just so easy to make! And dayum, is it good!

Tonight's batch started out with one ham steak and one chicken breast. I cut both into small pieces and tossed them into a skillet. I let the ham brown and the chicken cook and then added about 2 cups of chicken broth - also left over.

I brought it to a boil and let it reduce a bit. I then added about 2 cups of whole milk. I bought the whole milk for the rice cake, so it was also a leftover.

When it came to a boil, I added about a half-bag of frozen peas. I lowered the heat and added muenster cheese, Irish cheddar with porter, and some jack cheese - all shredded. Stirred it all in and then added a bit of cornstarch to thicken. The only seasoning was salt and pepper.

I stirred in the cooked elbow macaroni and topped it with bread crumbs mixed with butter, garlic, paprika, salt & pepper.

Into a 350° oven for 45 minutes.

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It was creamy, crunchy, and rich with lots of flavors and textures going on. The cheeses all worked great together and the garlicky breadcrumbs  were the perfect touch. Major comfort-food with a twist.

So I guess meals will be a bit more planned for a while, but give me a couple of months... I went shopping today and already started filling the shelves...


Saffron Cake

Saffron Rice Cake

I seriously think the best cooking magazine on the market is La Cucina Italiana. There is always something I just can't wait to make and everything I have made from the magazine has been stellar. Tonight's cake is a perfect example of stellar with a side of unexpected thrown in...

The March/April issue has a section on saffron... the world's most expensive spice. Fortunately, while saffron is ridiculously expensive, a little goes a long way. It is measured and used in pinches and quarter-teaspoons. I can spring for a quarter-teaspoon now and again - and there are several recipes in the magazine I shall be making - but the first one to really whet my appetite was a saffron rice cake.

I started drooling while reading.

Rice desserts - especially rice pudding - definitely are childhood memories. Mom made a wicked-good Baked Rice Pudding as well as stove-top variations. I remember many hot-from-the-oven bowls because none of us ever had the patience to let it properly cool. And mom was probably the worst offender. She taught us well.

So fast-forward many years and I come across a recipe for a rice cake - with saffron, Sambuca, and almonds - and there's no way I'm not making it! This had Mom written all over it.

Torta di Risoallo Zafferano

adapted from La Cucina Italiana magazine

  • 5 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarsely crumbled saffron threads
  • Fine sea salt
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
  • 1/3 cup blanched almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter plus more for greasing cake pan
  • 1 tablespoon Sambuca or other anise-flavored liqueur
  • Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 5 large eggs, separated

n a medium saucepan, combine milk, saffron and pinch salt; bring just to a boil, then stir in rice. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until milk is fully absorbed and rice is tender and creamy, about 45 minutes.
Transfer rice to a large bowl; stir in 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and confectioners sugar, almonds, butter, Sambuca and zest. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400º with rack in middle. Grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with butter and line with parchment paper.

In a bowl, vigorously whisk together remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar and egg yolks until thick and pale, about 2 minutes; stir into rice mixture. In a clean bowl, using a clean, dry whisk, beat egg whites to soft peaks, then gently fold into rice mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly with a spatula. Bake, rotating once halfway through, until dark golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pan on wire rack.

Release cake from pan and dust and with powdered sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I am glad the recipe stated dark golden and the picture in the magazine showed a fairly dark crust. I was a bit nervous baking it at 400° for 45 minutes and towards the end it was looking pretty dark, indeed. But I let it go and was rewarded with a really unique cake.

Saffron CakeIn the grand scheme of things, it was really more like a slice of rice pudding than a cake - but oh, what a slice! All of the flavors were there - the lemon, the saffron, the anisette - I didn't have Sambuca - but nothing overpowered and they blended perfectly.

The texture was like a firm pudding. Rich and creamy, but with hints of surprise from the chopped almonds.

Seriously good. And Mom, you would have loved it.