Here are the tastingspoons players. I’m in the middle (Carolyn). Daughter Sara on the right, and daughter-in-law Karen on the left. I started the blog in 2007, as a way to share recipes with my family. I’m still doing 99% of the blogging and holding out hope that these two lovely and excellent cooks will participate. They both lead very busy lives, so we’ll see.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
BOOK READING (from Carolyn):
Music of Bees, Eileen Garvin. Absolutely charming book about a woman in midlife, lonely, who raises bees, also makes unlikely friends. Heart-warming and very interesting about beekeeping.
A Postcard from Paris, Alex Brown. Really cute story. Dual time line, 1940s and present day about renovating an old apartment in Paris, things discovered.
Time of the Child, Niall Williams. Oh such a good book. Very small village in Ireland, 1960s. A baby is left on the doorstep. The town all whispers and helps. I listened to an interview of the author, which made me like him and his books even more.
Sipsworth, Simon Van Booy. If you like animals you’ll swoon. An old woman who really wants to die finds a tiny mouse in her house and befriends it and finds a reason to live. Utterly charming book.
The Forger’s Spell, Edward Dolnick. True story. For seven years a no-account painter named Han van Meegeren managed to pass off his paintings as those of Johannes Vermeer.
If You Lived Here, You’d be Home by Now, Christopher Ingraham. Could hardly put it down – about a journalist who takes on a challenge to move to small town in Minnesota and write about it. He expects to hate it and the people and place, but he doesn’t. Absolutely wonderful true story.
The River We Remember, William Kent Kreuger. 1950s, Minnesota. A murder and the aftermath. Could hardly put it down. Kreuger has such a vivid imagination and writing style.
How the Lights Gets In, Joyce Maynard. An older woman returns to New Hampshire to help care for her brain-injured son. Siblings and family, lots of angst and resentments.
The Filling Station, Vanessa Miller. Every American should read this book. A novelized retelling of the Tulsa massacre in 1921. Absolutely riveting.
The Story She Left Behind, Patti Callahan Henry. Love this author. Based on a true story. A famous author simply vanishes, leaving her husband and daughter behind. She had invented a mystical language no one could translate. Present day, someone thinks he’s solved the riddle, contacts the family. Really interesting read.
The Girl from Berlin, Ronald Balson. Love anything about Tuscany. An elderly woman is being evicted from a villa there, with odd deed provenance. Two young folks go there to help unravel the mystery. Loved it.
The Island of the Colorblind, Oliver Sacks, M.D. Nonfiction. The dr is intrigued by a remote Pacific island where most of the inhabitants are colorblind. He also unravels a mystery on Guam of people born with a strange neurological problem. Medical mysteries unveiled. Very interesting.
The Bookbinder, Pip Williams. Post 1914 London. Two sisters work at a bookbindery. They’re told to not read the books. One does and one doesn’t. One has visions beyond her narrow world; the other does not. Eventually the one gets into Oxford. Lovely story.
The Paris Express, Emma Donoghue. 1895 on a train to Paris, a disaster happens. You’ll delve into the lives of many people who survived and died in the crash.
A Race to the Bottom of Crazy, Richard Grant. This is about Arizona. Author, wife and child move back to Arizona where they once lived. Part memoir, research, and reporting in a quest to understand what makes Arizona such a confounding and irresistible place.
The Scarlet Thread, Francine Rivers. A woman’s life turned upside down when she discovers the handcrafted quilt and journal of her ancestor Mary Kathryn McMurray, a young woman who was uprooted from her home only to endure harsh frontier conditions on the Oregon Trail.
A Place to Hide, Ronald Balson. 1939 Amsterdam, an ambassador has the ability to save the lives of many Jewish children. Heartwarming.
Homeseeking, Karissa Chen. Two young Chinese teens are deeply in love, but in China. Then their families are separated. Jump to current day and the two meet again in Los Angeles.
North River, Pete Hammill. He always writes such a good story. A doctor works diligently healing people from all walks of life. His wife and daughter left him years before. One day his 3-yr old grandson arrives on his doorstep.
A Very Typical Family, Sierra Godfrey. A very messed-up family. Three adult children are given a home in Santa Cruz, Calif, but only if the siblings meet up and live in the house together. A very untypical scenario but makes for lots of messes.
Three Days in June, Anne Tyler. The usual Anne Tyler grit. Family angst. This wasn’t one of my favorites, but it was entertaining and very short.
Saved, Benjamin Hall. Author is a veteran war reporter. Ukraine, 2022, he nearly loses his life to a Russian strike. Riveting story – he survives, barely.
Grey Wolf, Louise Penny. Another Inspector Gamache mystery in Quebec. She is such an incredible mystery writer.
All the Colors of the Dark, Chris Whitaker. A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each. Could hardly put it down.
Orbital, Samantha Harvey. Winner of 2024 Booker Prize. I don’t usually like those, but I heard the author interviewed and she hooked me. This is not a normal book with a beginning, a story and an end. It’s several chapters of the day in the life of various astronauts at the ISS (Int’l Space Station). All fictional. She’s been praised by several real astronauts for “getting it” about space station everyday life.
The Blue Hour, Paula Hawkins. An island off Scotland. Inaccessible except when the tide is out. Weird goings on. An artist. A present day mystery too.
Iron Lake, William Kent Krueger. A judge is murdered and a boy is missing. Riveting mystery.
Tell the Wolves I’m Home, Carol Ricks Brunt. 1980s. A 14-yr old girl loses her beloved uncle. Yet a new friendship arises, someone she never knew about.
Four Treasures of the Sky, Jenny Zhang. 1880s, a young girl is kidnapped in China and brought to the United States. She survives with many hurdles in the path.
The Boy Who Fell out of the Sky, Ken Dornstein. Memoir, 1988. The author’s brother died in the PanAm flight that went down in Lockerbie, Scotland. A decade later he tries to solve “the riddle of his older brother’s life.”
Worse Care Scenario, T.J. Newman. Oh my. Interesting analysis of what could/might happen if a jet crashed into a nuclear plant. Un-put-downable.
Song of the Lark, Willa Cather. Complicated weave of a story about a young woman in about 1900, who has a gifted voice (singing) and about her journey to success, not without its ups and downs.
Crow Talk, Eileen Garvin. Charming story which takes place at a remote lake in Washington State, about a few people who inhabit it, the friendships made, but also revolving around the rescue of a baby crow.
The Story Collector, Evie Woods. Sweet story about some dark secrets from an area in Ireland, a bit magical, faerie life, but solving a mystery too.
A Sea of Unspoken Things, Adrienne Young. A woman investigates her twin brother’s mysterious death. She goes to a small town in California to figure it out, to figure HIM out.
The King’s Messenger, Susanna Kearsley. 1600s England, King James. About one of his trusted “messengers,” and his relationship with a young woman also of “the court.” Lots of intrigue.
In the Shadow of the Greenbrier, Emily Matchar. Interesting mystery in/around the area of the famous resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
Isola, Allegra Goodman. Hard to describe, survival story on an island in the 1600s.
Save the Date, Allison Raskin. Rom-com, witty, LOL funny. Clever.
The Sirens, Emilia Hart. Numerous time-lines, Australia. Mysteries abound, nightmares, abandoned baby, weird allergies.
Red Clay, Charles Fancher. LOVED this book. Mostly post-Civil War story about the lives of slaves in Alabama during Reconstruction.
Stars in an Italian Sky, Jill Santopolo. Dual time line, 1946 and recent time. Love stories and a mystery.
Battle Mountain, C.J. Box. Another one of Box’s riveting mysteries. Love his descriptions of the land.
Something Beautiful Happened, Yvette Corporon. A memoir of sorts in Greece, tiny island of Erikousa, where the locals hid Jews during WWII. All elusive stories told by the author’s grandmother.
The Jackal’s Mistress, Chris Bohjalian. 1860s Virginia, about a woman who saves the life of a Union soldier. Really good story.
Song of the Magpie, Louise Mayberry. Really interesting story about Australia back in the days when it was mostly a penal colony. Gritty strength of a woman trying to thrive with her farm.
The Boomerang, Robert Bailey. A thriller that will have you gripping the book. About a lot of secrets surrounding the president (fictional novel, remember) and his chief of staff and about cancer. A cure. Such a good story.
Care and Feeding, Laurie Woolever. Really interesting memoir of a woman driven to succeed in the restaurant business. She worked for Mario Batali and then Anthony Bourdain. Gritty stories.
Everything is Tuberculosis, John Green. Maybe not a book for everyone. A real deep dive into the deadly tuberculosis infection, its history. I heard the author interviewed and found the book very interesting.
The Book Lovers Library, Madeline Martin. Fascinating read about Boots’ drug stores’ lending library. And the people who worked in them.
The Arrivals, Meg Mitchell Moore. LOL funny, about a middle-aged couple whose children (and their various family members) return to the family home and the chaos that ensues.
My Life as a Silent Movie, Jesse Lee Kercheval. About grief. A big move to Paris, finding herself a new life with a new set of real blood family.
Escape, Carolyn Jessop. Another memoir about a woman really in bondage in Utah, Mormon plural marriage.
My blog's namesake - small, old and some very dented engraved silver plated tea spoons that belonged to my mother-in-law, and I use them to taste my food as I'm cooking.
Scroll down to the bottom to view my Blogroll
Posted in Breads, Restaurants, on July 13th, 2010.
It’s amazing what photo software can do to a picture taken in almost complete darkness! I couldn’t even see the biscuits in my viewfinder, hardly. And yet, even though the photo was taken without flash, hand-held for at least 2 seconds, it came out! So I brightened it up, decreased the yellow saturation, and voila!
Sandwiches? Well, I use that term loosely. They were gorgeous, thick double baby lamb chops, seasoned with a Moroccan rub, grilled, served on/in sangak bread (it could be pita also) with two side relishes – one a tomato and the other shallots. We did end up cutting the meat off the bone and cutting the little fillets into slices and laying them in the bread you can see there underneath them, with the delish relishes. The wraps were a little unwieldy and drippy, but oh—so very good. Then after our plates were nearly slicked clean we picked up the lamb rib bones and gnawed away to get the last of that grilled protein.
Posted in Salads, Veggies/sides, on July 10th, 2010.
When I started out to make this, I’d intended to make Susan’s Garbanzo Bean Salad with Cilantro, Parsley and Feta. But I got sidetracked at the market with Henry’s special, 6 ears of fresh corn for $1.00. Such a deal . . . so I made some substitutions to the other salad and oh yes, it was very good. Good enough to make again. Especially if you’ve got good deals on corn at your corner farm stand or market.
It was a cinch to put together. I enlisted my DH to help me shuck the corn while I chopped up the red onion, orange bell pepper (those were 2 for $1.00), green onions, cilantro, Italian parsley, Feta cheese and mint. He squeezed the lemon and limes while I finished up chopping. Throw it all together and add just enough salt and pepper to suit your taste. If I’d had tarragon I’d have added some, but tarragon is being very elusive lately at my local markets. That’s why I added mint which is growing abundantly in our kitchen garden.
This salad is very forgiving – I’m certain you could add any number of ingredients and it would be delightful. But this combo was really, really good.
Recipe By: my concoction
Serving Size: 8
NOTES: Goes particularly well with a grilled barbecue dinner. You can use frozen corn, BUT, it certainly won’t be the same as fresh!
1 whole red onion — chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic — finely chopped
6 ears fresh corn — freshly shucked
1/2 cup fresh cilantro — (packed) chopped
1/2 cup Italian parsley — (packed) chopped fresh flat leaf
3 tablespoons fresh mint — minced (optional)
5 whole chopped green onions
1 whole red bell pepper — or orange, or yellow (not green)
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil — plus more if desired
1 whole lemon — juiced
2 whole limes — juiced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1. In a large bowl, stir together the corn, cilantro, parsley, mint, green onions. Add the onion. Mix in the crumbled feta cheese. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (remember that the feta will add a salty taste). Add lemon and lime juice and olive oil, adding more olive oil if desired.
2. Allow to sit for 30 minutes, but it’s not really necessary. Nothing much in the salad will absorb juice or oil. Serve at room temperature.
Per Serving: 146 Calories; 7g Fat (38.7% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 11mg Cholesterol; 156mg Sodium.
A year ago: A photo from the Inland Passage, Alaska
Two years ago: A post about my Fagor pressure cooker
Three years ago: Mojitos
Posted in Desserts, on July 9th, 2010.
It all started because I had a craving for something chocolate. I do my best to suppress it, but it gets the better of me now and then and there’s nothing much for it except to bake something. Something chocolate.
Well so anyway, I was reading a blog about a loaf chocolate cake. One thing led to another and I was researching an article in the New York Times about a chocolate cake and by golly, I have the cookbook from which this cake originates. Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts
It seems like I’ve cooked/baked a lot recently with bourbon. I really don’t drink it much, but it must be that flavor interests me at the moment. So many desserts of the South incorporate bourbon. And then there was the Kentucky Derby recently, and we attended a party where mint juleps were served. I drank two. TWO! Oh my goodness, but they were good. Must be the little bit of simple syrup in them plus the shaved ice (not cubes, mind you, but shaved pieces) and the fresh mint. So, yes, I guess I do drink bourbon every now and again. It was the first hard liquor drink I tasted when I was 21 (yeah, I didn’t drink until then – not because I was abiding by law – but because I wasn’t around people who did drink – beer was the drink of choice with a few of my college pals but I didn’t like beer). Anyway, my former father-in-law was a bourbon-and-7-up imbiber and he would make me really mild ones on rare occasions when we’d visit him. Always mwade with Jim Beam.
Back to cake . . . reading a few other websites and blogs indicated this was a five-star recipe, so since I had all the ingredients (yea!) I went for it. It can be made in either a Bundt cake or a tube pan. I opted for the Bundt just because it’s prettier. Maida includes this in a chapter of Old-Fashioned Cakes Without Icing. The cake batter is different in only one aspect – you alternate the dry ingredients with the coffee/bourbon liquid, and it makes a very liquid batter. No matter how low/slow I turned my stand mixer, and how slowly I dribbled in the coffee mixture, it spewed thin batter all over everywhere – the mixer, the counter, the cabinets, my apron and even my shoe, dad gum it! And there are dribbles on my hardwood floor that I haven’t yet mopped up. I didn’t notice those and now they’re dried. I should have used the plastic cover I have for my stand mixer. I never use it, but it would have worked well if I had! So, you’re warned, okay?
The cake is baked in a slow oven (325) for over an hour (70-75 minutes recommended). It makes a deliciously light cake, and nicely rich with chocolate. I used 70% chocolate for this to get that super dark chocolate flavor. I melted the chocolate in a little pan I have and placed it on top of a flame tamer. That’s one of those things that allows for a slower heat to a pan (top right photo in collage above) – you place it over the range burner and put your cooking pan on top. I used my smallest/lowest gas burner and turned it down to the lowest flame. It took about 10 minutes to melt, and it didn’t burn at all. One of those great little items for your kitchen that pays for itself when you need it.
My only advice about making this cake – do use very finely crushed dry bread crumbs for the cake pan. All I had in my pantry was panko. And now you know, even panko crumbs stay crisp after being in contact with a cake batter! It didn’t really detract from the cake – at first I thought it was just the outer edge of cake that had become crispy. Uhm. No. Panko. Light colored little flecks of panko. So, be warned about that!
Once the cake is baked, you let it rest for 15 minutes, then turn it out (over) onto a rack to cool completely. You can poke a few holes and drizzle more bourbon on it, if you like (I didn’t). And once totally cool, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar. According to Maida’s recipe, you can also substitute rum, Cognac, Scotch or Amaretto for the bourbon. The recipe was a favorite of hers to demonstrate at cooking classes, and the feedback she got was that everyone couldn’t wait to go home and make it. That’s surely good reason to make this cake! Do serve it with whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. Or maybe a glass of iced-cold milk. Well – the taste – oh my goodness – was it good. The lightest crumb. Just the lightest I’ve ever had in a cake. Worth making? Absolutely. Will I make it again. A resounding YES.
Recipe By: Adapted from “Maida Heatter’s Book of Great Chocolate Desserts”
Serving Size: 12
NOTES: With smaller portions this would easily serve 16. Use very light, fine bread crumbs for this. You can also use real espresso (very strong) for the espresso powder (mixed with water). I used part decaf espresso, part decaf coffee granules and added cold water for the required liquid amount. I used a 10-inch bundt, which worked fine, but the cake was not as tall.
butter for greasing cake pan (use ample)
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs — (approximately), very fine
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate — (5 squares)
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup espresso powder — (or substitute prepared espresso for the water)
boiling water cold water
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
Additional bourbon (optional)
Confectioner’s sugar (optional)
1. Adjust rack one-third up from bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter well the inside of a 9-inch bundt pan (called a mini-bundt pan), or any other fancy tube pan with a 10-cup capacity, and dust with fine dry breadcrumbs. Invert the pan over a piece of paper and tap lightly to shake out excess crumbs. Set aside.
2. Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on low heat. Cover and cook only until melted; then remove the top of the double boiler and set it aside, uncovered, to cool slightly.
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
4. In a two-cup measuring cup dissolve the coffee in a little boiling water. Add cold water to the 1 1/2 cup line. Add the bourbon. Set aside.
5. Cream the butter in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Add the vanilla and sugar and beat to mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. Add the chocolate and beat until smooth.
6. Then, on low speed, alternately add the sifted dry ingredients in three additions with the liquids in two additions, adding the liquids VERY gradually to avoid splashing. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Be sure to beat until smooth after each addition, especially after the last. It will be a thin mixture.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Rotate the pan a bit briskly, first in one direction, then in the other, to level the top. In a minibundt pan the batter will almost reach the top of the pan, but it will not run over and you will have a beautifully high cake.
8. Bake for one hour and 10 to 15 minutes. Test by inserting a cake tester in the middle of the cake and bake only until the tester comes out clean and dry.
9. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Then cover with a rack and invert. Remove the pan, sprinkle the cake with a little optional bourbon, and leave the cake upside down on a rack to cool. Before serving, if you wish, sprinkle the top with confectioners’ sugar through a fine strainer. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Per Serving: 455 Calories; 23g Fat (46.8% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 54g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 94mg Cholesterol; 198mg Sodium.
A year ago: Scenery in Glacier Bay (Alaska)
Two years ago: Potato Salad
Aren’t you always looking for a new recipe for chicken breasts? I certainly am. I buy those vacuum packed boneless, skinless ones from Costco and when I need them for dinner I submerge one package (2 breasts) in cold tap water for about an hour, and they’re defrosted just like that. Then what? Got to find some interesting way to cook them.
It so happened I’d bought some fresh apricots at the farm stand the day before, and we hadn’t eaten any of them yet. For two chicken breasts (half of the below recipe) I used three apricots. I glanced through some of my to-try recipes and there was one calling for dried apricots. What the heck – I could alter it some! I did. And it was delicious.
First you dry off the chicken breasts and pound them to an even thickness. I seasoned them with salt and pepper. Into a hot skillet with some olive oil they went, to brown on both sides. They weren’t cooked through yet, but I removed them to the side while I made the pan sauce. I chopped up an onion, a clove of garlic and sautéed them a bit. Then added some vermouth and some rich, flavorful chicken broth (my Penzey’s soup base) plus a little bit of apricot jam. And a bit of dried thyme (I put fresh thyme on top of the finished dish). I simmered the sauce for about 10 minutes (to reduce down the amount of liquid) then added the sliced apricots. Now apricots don’t need much cooking or they fall apart, so it only took a couple of minutes before I added the chicken breasts back in, covered the skillet and cooked it for just a few more minutes.
The chicken breasts were removed and I added a little bit of butter to the sauce, then the sauce was spooned over the chicken. The recipe makes a goodly amount of sauce, so ideally serve it with some rice on the side. You’ll be very glad to have something to soak up some of that sauce. The whole thing took about 30 minutes to make including all the chopping. So, it’s easy.
The original recipe, from Food & Wine, called for dried apricots (refreshed in water before being added to the pan sauce). If you wanted to, you could also add the dried apricots to this (about 1 1/2 ounces chopped up), which would make the sauce even better, I’d bet. Meanwhile, if you want a really quick and easy chicken dish, try this with some of the delicious fresh apricots available right now.
Recipe By: Adapted from Melissa Rubel Jacobson, Food & Wine, 11/08
Serving Size: 4
Notes: Be sure to serve this with rice on the side to soak up the good sauce.
4 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast halves salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white onion — diced
1 clove garlic — minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine — [I used vermouth]
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
6 whole apricots — seeded, sliced
2 tablespoons apricot preserves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme — minced, for garnish
1. Dry the chicken with paper towels and pound to an even thickness of about 1/3 inch. Season with salt and pepper. In a stainless steel skillet [I used a Teflon, but the stainless will give you more flavor], heat the oil. Add the chicken and cook over moderately high heat until golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook about 3 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
3. Add the onion to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes, scraping up any brown bits in the pan. Add garlic and saute for about one minute only, then add the wine and boil until reduced by half. Add the chicken broth and simmer until the mixture has reduced by about a third. Then add the apricots and apricot preserves and bring to a boil. Cook over low heat for one minute, then add the chicken breasts in the pan and cover. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to serving plates, then off heat, swirl in the butter to the sauce, until melted. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce on top of chicken and serve. Garnish with some minced fresh thyme.
Per Serving: 282 Calories; 9g Fat (29.4% calories from fat); 30g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 76mg Cholesterol; 370mg Sodium.
A year ago: a photo from the Mendenhall glacier, Alaska
Two years ago: Ina Garten’s box mix, Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting (incredible)
Posted in Uncategorized, on July 7th, 2010.
As I was writing up yesterday’s post where I used some chicken broth, and I included a little photo of these soup bases, I decided I really needed to write up an entire blog post about these little plastic jars of flavor treasure.
Just because they’re called a soup base, don’t think you only use them for soup. Far from it. In the chicken dish I was making last night, it called for 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth. I just dipped my clean spoon into the jar and took about 1/2 teaspoon and put it into the sauce and added the required water measure. You don’t have to mix it up. Easy.
Can I just tell you, please, go online (or visit a Penzey’s store if you’re lucky enough to have one near you) and order the chicken and beef soup bases?
I’ve been using these for several years now. I like them because:
1. the flavor is incredibly rich tasting – the first ingredient in the chicken soup base is chicken meat! What does that tell you? There are other advantages, but this is the strongest one that will speak volumes if you try it.
2. the jar takes up very little space – although they recommend you refrigerate it once opened. You don’t have to – but since most home cooks won’t use it up all that fast, I think you should.
3. it’s lower sodium than some (it does contain 610 milligrams per 3/4 tsp.)
4. no more of the boxes, cans, cubes or granules – you won’t have to buy any of this again. Whatever you currently use, use them up and they’ll never have to clutter up your pantry shelves. You’ll use these.
5. They have lots of different types – chicken, beef, seafood, pork, ham, vegetable and turkey. The pork, ham and turkey don’t get used much in my kitchen. I use the chicken, beef and seafood the most. I never did buy the vegetable one.
Each of the bottles is about 3” x 3”. I use the chicken a lot (I buy 2 chicken to any other type). The unopened jar can sit in your pantry until you’re ready to use it. They do recommend using it up in some reasonable time period, but I’ll tell you, I’ve had some of these in my refrigerator for at least 18 months, and they seem to be just fine.
According to the diluting recipe on the jar, you use 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon per cup of water. Sometimes I’ll use a bit more, but then I’m never making a dish that serves one person. And I credit many of my favorite dishes with the flavor that comes in these little bottles. Particularly soups where the flavor from the broth is so important. So, if you’ve learned to trust me, may I highly suggest you go to Penzey’s soup base page and order some of this for your pantry? As I write this, their price is $8.39 per 8-ounce jar. Each jar, it says, contains 45 servings (probably using 1/2 tsp. per cup of water). Even at that price it’s a real bargain.
Fine print: no, I don’t work for Penzey’s, nor do I market for them. I just think they make a superb product and I’m happy to broadcast it!
Two years ago: Beef Sliders with Onion Pepper Marmalade
Posted in easy, Vegetarian, Veggies/sides, on July 6th, 2010.
That photo doesn’t tell you a whole lot about how good this was. Brown food is kind of hard to photograph, period. And brown food doesn’t always look that appetizing. That’s a Portobello mushroom with the stem and gills scraped out, filled with arugula butter then topped with ample grated Parmesan cheese. And grilled.
Posted in Salads, Veggies/sides, on July 5th, 2010.
Oh my goodness gracious is this salad ever good. I can take absolutely NO credit for creating it. But I urge you, if you enjoy pasta (the Israeli couscous) and a few grains (baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa), along with asparagus, almonds and goat cheese, to read on. Well, this recipe will make you sing! And, it’s going onto my carefully crafted “Carolyn’s Favs,” my separate page listing all of my favorites of everything I’ve ever posted.
We were at a family gathering a couple of weeks ago where someone brought this dish. After tasting it, and taking a small spoonful of seconds to try to deconstruct it, I found out our daughter-in-law’s cousin’s husband Chris brought it. I made a beeline to him, and began asking questions. After listing off the ingredients, he told me he’d found the recipe over at thekitchn.com blog (it’s part of the Apartment Therapy website). When I did a search for some of the ingredients there, this recipe popped right up. Oh, happy day! It was uploaded to their site in 2008 by Faith Durand.
The basis of the salad is a mix produced by Trader Joe’s (called Harvest Grains Blend). But, if you don’t live in Trader Joe’s country, then you can easily substitute Israeli couscous and farro (spelt) and call it even. The two types would need to be cooked separately (the farro will take a lot longer than the couscous), but you’ll still get all the greatness of this salad using those instead.
The recipe online calls for using half farro/spelt and half of the Trader Joe’s grains mix. But I didn’t have any farro, and Chris’ salad I’d tasted didn’t have it, either. So, I’ve altered the recipe to use just this mixture.
But what MAKES the salad is the overtones of fresh lemon juice. It really doesn’t have all that much other stuff in it (fresh asparagus, toasted almonds, olive oil, walnut oil, salt and pepper plus the zest and juice of a couple of lemons. I happen to have Meyer lemons, but you can substitute any kind of fresh lemons. Remember, though, that Meyers are a bit sweeter, so regular lemons might require less juice. Taste it and see what you think.
This salad is a shoe-in for a summer dinner/barbecue/picnic. It can be made ahead – it also keeps well. I can attest to that – as I write this, it’s 5 days now since I made it and it’s every bit as good today as it was the first. Soooo, if you’ve learned to trust my judgment, and my recipes, please do print out this one and make it right away quick. OKAY? Okay! And my thanks to Chris for sharing the recipe origin.
printer-friendly PDF or MasterCook file (click link to open recipe)
Recipe By: Adapted from Faith Durand at thekitchn.com blog 4/2008
Serving Size: 8
NOTES: You can use a combination of farro (spelt) and Israeli couscous, if you’d prefer. Use 8 ounces of each, cook separately, then combine when they’ve cooled.
3 1/2 cups water
16 ounces Trader Joe’s Harvest Grains Blend — or see Notes
1 pound asparagus
Olive oil to cook asparagus
1 cup sliced almonds — toasted
4 ounces soft goat cheese — chilled and crumbled
2 whole Meyer lemons — zested and juiced (or regular lemons)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon walnut oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Cook the Harvest Grains blend according to package directions (3 1/2 cups water to 16 ounces of the grain mixture) in a medium saucepan. Simmer 10 minutes until just barely cooked through, remove the lid and cook, stirring, until any remaining moisture evaporates.
2. Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus and cut each spear into a 2-inch piece. Rinse out the large sauté pan and dry. Heat a little olive oil over medium heat, and cook the asparagus until just barely crisp-tender – about 1-2 minutes. Add to the grains and toss.
4. Also toss in the sliced toasted almonds, goat cheese and lemon zest.
5. Mix the Meyer lemon juice with the oils, taste, and adjust. Pour over grain salad and toss, along with salt and pepper to taste.
6. This salad lasts very well in the fridge; the herbal flavors of the Meyer lemons bloom nicely when it sits. If you want it to look particularly attractive, save some of the asparagus, almonds and goat cheese to sprinkle on top when it’s served.
Per Serving: 443 Calories; 22g Fat (44.0% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 7mg Cholesterol; 60mg Sodium.
Posted in Salads, on July 3rd, 2010.
According to the write-up, on the photocopied recipe I had of this salad, at Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a chef there concocted this salad one day and it’s been wildly popular ever since. I can understand why. It’s just loaded with flavors – the chile spiced pecans, the pears, the blue cheese, the mint and basil, and the grapefruit (my addition, not in the original recipe).
It made a delicious and very pretty entree salad the other night. Before our guests arrived I made the salad dressing. I used light sour cream, low-fat buttermilk and fat-free half and half in the dressing because that’s what I had on hand. The dressing not only contains blue cheese (Maytag if you can find it – I couldn’t, so used Stilton instead), but also the juice of an orange and some goat cheese too. It could be whizzed up in a blender, but I did it in a small bowl instead with a whisk.
The pecans I did ahead of time too. They’re tossed with some vegetable oil, then rolled in some chile powder (Chimayo if you have it) and sugar and baked. Then just before serving, you drizzle them with a little bit of Kahlúa. I used up all of my Chimayo chile powder, so went online to order more. Didn’t realize it’s such a rare commodity – I guess very few farmers are still raising the particular type of chile that is unique to the Santa Fe area. I did find it at several sites, and ordered mine from Chimayo To Go, a home-based mail order business located near Santa Fe.
Composing the salad did take a little bit of time. My friend Donna came in the house to help me (we’d been relaxing on the patio for at least an hour, with wine and appetizers). I cut up the grapefruit, peeled the pears and Donna did the artistic part – dressing the salad, arranging the pear slices and grapefruit supremes just so. Sprinkling the nuts decoratively too. The salad takes a lot more dressing than you might think – you will want to use it all (but realize that the dressing contains buttermilk, half and half and orange juice, which thin it down). Donna spooned ample dressing onto each salad before the garnishes went onto them. Then the last thing you do is squeeze the juice from a big, fat lemon over the salads (the original recipe indicated one lemon per serving – I thought that was way too much). I used one really big lemon for four servings, so with more ordinary sized lemons, you might need two. Then we sprinkled on more fresh mint and basil.
Yes, I’d make this again. Definitely a different salad. I’ll try to seek out Maytag blue next time. And I think I’d like to use some kind of croutons maybe. Like cornbread if I felt like making them. The recipe indicated you could use Granny Smith apples in lieu of the pears. I liked the pears – especially with the spicy pecans. But sometimes you can’t find ripe pears, so the apples make a good option. The grapefruit sections came from our grapefruit tree, which is why I added them. They’re certainly not a necessity. They tasted lovely and looked very pretty on the plate too.
Recipe By: Adapted slightly from a Katherine Kagel recipe from Cafe Pasqual’s in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Serving Size: 4
NOTES: The grapefruit supremes weren’t in the original recipe, but it went well with the dish. I used light sour cream, low-fat buttermilk and fat-free half and half. You will want to use all of the salad dressing.
2 heads romaine lettuce
2 whole pears — cored and sliced lengthwise
freshly coarse-ground black pepper
1 large lemon — halved and seeded
1 large grapefruit — cut into supremes (optional)
fresh minced basil and mint for garnish
BLUE CHEESE DRESSING:
1/4 cup blue cheese — Maytag, or other good quality creamy blue
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup half and half
2 ounces goat cheese — soft – ¼ cup crumbled
1 whole orange — juice only
1 tablespoon mint leaves — fresh, stemmed, minced
2 teaspoons basil leaves — fresh, stemmed, minced
1/2 small shallot — minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
freshly ground black pepper
TOASTED CHILE PECANS:
1 cup pecan halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Chimayó chile powder
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Kahlúa
1. To prepare the dressing, in a mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the mint and basil leaves. Mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 –4 days. On the day of serving, add the mint and basil.
2. Preheat the oven to 300º F. Place the pecans in a bowl, toss the nuts with oil until evenly coated. Add the chile powder and sugar and toss again. Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until toasted. Do not allow them to burn! Set aside to cool. Can be done ahead of time. Before serving sprinkle Kahlúa over nuts.
3. To prepare the romaine hearts, wash, dry, then wrap in a cloth or paper towel and chill for at least one hour before serving. Slice each romaine heart vertically in half. On each of four large dinner plates, place hearts cut side up and drizzle dressing over until fairly well covered. Sprinkle the pecans (drizzled with the Kahlúa) over the leaves. Decorate with pear slices (and grapefruit, if using) on top and to the sides of the hearts. Grind black pepper over all, then squeeze the juice of one large lemon over the salads. Garnish with additional mint and basil if desired. Serve immediately.
Per Serving: 560 Calories; 38g Fat (57.4% calories from fat); 18g Protein; 46g Carbohydrate; 13g Dietary Fiber; 40mg Cholesterol; 387mg Sodium.
A year ago: A photo from our Alaskan cruise last year (at sea, near Vancouver)
Two years ago: Chicken Tikka Masala
Three years ago: French (chocolate) Silk Pie
This recipe is in all kinds of places on the internet, and I made no notes about where I found it first. It’s SO easy. And fun. You combine ingredients in a coffee mug, put it in a microwave and three minutes later you have a mug full of moist chocolate cake. Bingo. Done. I put on a little dollop of leftover whipped cream I had, just to give it some color. Next time I’d probably use vanilla ice cream. The mug cake is quite rich, and I think it needs something to cut that sweet and rich part. Even some half and half would be fine too.
Leave a Comment!