Was this what you might have expected Tasmania to look like? Honestly,  I don’t know what I thought it would be like, but the above picture wasn’t it. The above  was about 30 or more miles from Hobart (the largest city, the furthest south city) near Port Arthur.

That shot was taken in central Tasmania, and is very representative of the scenery.

We’ve had almost no access to the internet, so I haven’t been able to blog or send email. We also haven’t had hardly a moment’s time to do so, either. The tour we’re on is VERY active, with almost no down time. As I write this it’s just a bit past 5 am and after sleeping 8 hours, I’m ready to be up. So I’m typing this in mostly darkness except for the lit computer screen. My DH is still asleep. We’re presently in Launceston (pronounced lawn-cess-ton) in northern Tasmania. A typical small city. We’re staying at a very nice hotel in the downtown area, with easy access to shopping and walking. We’ve walked our little fannies off so far (and Dave, with his artificial legs, has done just fine!)  I’m hoping to sign up for a day’s worth of internet access today, so I’ll be able to post this and maybe send some email as well. We have a free afternoon here. The food has been fantastic (oodles of fish everywhere) – also an unexpected surprise. Last night I ordered chicken to the tune of $28.50 for my dinner. Obviously chicken is not common. Dave ordered lamb and it was cheaper! We’ve seen tens of thousands of sheep everywhere we’ve been so that’s not a surprise.

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Since we’re about to leave on an extended trip, I won’t be able to do any cooking or baking at all. (I’m setting this up to post while we’re en route.) New crop fall apples are available now and when I saw the recipe for an apple cake, it just spoke to me. With four Granny Smith apples on hand, I whipped it together. The recipe is from the 10/2010 issue of Southern Living and the dozens of people who had already made it had written good reports. I’m learning – that when I make something from a magazine article (published within the last few years anyway) I should go online and see if other people have blogged about it, and if the magazine has an interactive site, to see if readers have left favorable comments. Generally, I do this BEFORE I make the dish. I should do it before I ever even decide to make it (like before I buy specific ingredients!). Read the rest of this entry »

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(This post was written a week or so ago and I’ve set it up to post while we’re en route to Australia. At least you’ll get this one recipe during the next many weeks we’re traveling.) Recently I bought a new batch of frozen meat and fish from our home-delivery meat guy. This time he had boxes of orange roughy, a fish I haven’t seen much lately. I’ve always liked orange roughy, and I’ve read that through conservation fishing methods at least it’s still available – some. It’s a deep water fish in the perch family. Anyway, I gladly bought a box. It was easy to figure out what to do with it – I opened up Phillis Carey’s cookbook and found just the ticket. Quick and easy, and full of taste, even if I had to alter the recipe a little bit.

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As this is posting on my blog we will have already arrived in Australia for a 4-week tour including New Zealand. After a 16-hour flight from Los Angeles to Melbourne, we have a layover for awhile, then get on yet another plane to fly to Hobart, Tasmania where we start our tour. Hopefully I’ll have wi-fi in some of the places we’ll stay so I can post a few pictures. We’ve never been to Australia or New Zealand, even though we’re relatively seasoned travelers.  There’s a 16-18 hour time difference from California, so we’ll be in serious jet lag, no doubt. More as soon as I can . . .

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Well, if lemon isn’t one of your favorite things, then forget this post. But if your taste buds sing when you encounter lemon, then this recipe’s for you. Creamy. Smooth. Tart. Sweet. Everything with lemon. My DH hasn’t had this yet (the little piece above and the recipe came from a cooking class I attended, with Phillis Carey a few weeks ago), but when he does he’ll swoon. Do men swoon? Probably not. But he’ll be all over this little piece of heaven since he loves cheesecake and he loves lemon too.

There are only eight ingredients in this little number: graham crackers, butter, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, zest, eggs and prepared lemon curd. It’s not all that hard to make, and a 9×9 pan will make 16 (small) servings. You don’t want a lot since it’s rich, sweet, tart. First you make the graham cracker bottom crust and press it in the pan. Then you make the cheesecake part in a food processor and that gets poured over the crumbs. It’s baked for about 40 minutes. Once out of the oven you spread the lemon curd over the top, let it cool to room temp, then chill it for at least 5 hours or overnight if you can make this a day ahead. You could also make this in a springform pan and cut small wedges. Either way. . . delicious, that’s all I have to say about it. Serve to 16 friends, or better yet to 14 good friends, saving the last two slices for yourselves as leftovers.

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A year ago: Shrimp with Creamy Grits
Two years ago: Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Cannellini Beans
Three years ago: Chicken Breasts with Garlic Lemon Crust

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Wendy Perrin is a journalist who writes regularly for Condé Nast Traveler magazine. I always read her articles in the monthly magazine. This month she’s written up an article titled “Confessions of an Unfashionable Traveler.” She travels a lot, obviously, as a writer for a travel magazine. So she likely had sage advice, I was sure. Yup. Here’s a synopsis of her article. Next week we’re going on a trip – the suitcase is open on the guest room bed, so this advice was quite timely for me.

She carries on two things: a wheelie (she never checks luggage unless the airline won’t let her) and her unchic purse/laptop case/camera bag. She doesn’t use toiletry kits, but opts instead for Ziploc plastic bags to hold her necessities. She carries any dressy or business clothes on hangers, in dry cleaner-provided plastic bags. If you value utility over fashion (her words), here’s what she does:

1. Use a carry-on suitcase with few structured compartments or other doodads (you can get more into one, large open space). She uses a 22-inch Travelpro Rollaboard, stowing in the outside compartment (zipped pocket) a jacket or raincoat and a Pashmina which she uses as a blanket on the flight rather than the less-than-clean airline blankies.

2. Think of Ziploc bags as the “Swiss Army Knife” of your packing system. Meaning, she uses different sizes of Ziploc bags (one for liquids, gels, etc.; another for dry toiletries; another for her electronic  accessories and one for her makeup).  She takes several sizes of empty Ziploc bags (which take up no room in her wheelie). She uses a sandwich sized Ziploc for the flight stuff: lip balm, nasal spray, teardrops, hand cream, earplugs, eye mask, Vitamin C and that one goes inside the larger Ziploc that holds all the liquids and gels, then she pulls that small one out once she’s past the security checkpoint or on board the plane.

3. For clothing, stick to neutral colors and limit patterns as much as possible. She packs a lot of black (not only because it’s neutral, but also because it doesn’t show dirt) then she adds color with tops, shirts, or her pashmina. Her pashmina goes with her everywhere (in her purse) because it will provide head cover if it rains, warmth if it’s cold, or a splash of elegance if she needs it somewhere.

4. Pack old garments you’ve been meaning to replace. That way, you can discard them along the way in case you find something new you’d like to buy – to take its place.

5. Go light [packing] things you think you might be shopping for on your trip.

6. Pack toiletries that are not only travel-sized but also multi-purpose. Like moisturizer + SPF, travel-size Neutrogena make-up remover pads, shampoo-conditioner in lieu of shaving cream, non-prescription drugs (like aspirin, Motrin, Sudafed, Imodium) all in one small container. And take disposable soap sheets instead of packing liquid detergent for hand washing.

7. Save the plastic bags that dry cleaning comes in – use those when you travel – hold all your hanging garments in one hand and gently fold the group into thirds so they lay flat. Men’s dress shirts should stay in the folded, cardboard-collared form.

8. Wear the heaviest or bulkiest items on the plane. Usually she wears her sturdiest shoes on the flight, and packs sandals and/or strappy dressy shoes in the wheelie, wrapped in grocery store plastic bags and stuffed with underwear.

9. Fold [casual] clothing to avoid creases. She puts her casual clothes in the bottom of the suitcase, folding them in overlapping layers (fewer wrinkles that way). If you have to pack a jacket, turn it inside out first.

10. Somewhere when you travel you’ll likely get wet. Take the right kind of outerwear with a hood (so you don’t have to take an umbrella). Make sure the jacket has interior pockets (to put valuables). She prefers a Gore-Tex parka for colder weather. (Oh, and my addition: take a Ziploc plastic bag in your suitcase to put any wet clothes into, just in case your overnight hand washing didn’t quite dry or you went swimming just before your flight.)

11. Take two or three accessories that will dress up your outfit if needed (she recommends pearl earrings, necklace and a scarf). Mostly this advice was aimed at business travelers (to perhaps get hotel upgrades). Her husband wears his Rolex, Mephisto shoes and his Montblanc pen placed strategically in a visible pocket. [FYI: I don’t own any pearl earrings, or a pearl necklace, though I do have a couple of really good scarves. My DH doesn’t own a Rolex, Mephisto shoes or a Montblanc, so I think we’re nixed on all but one count.]

12. Pack a thin, lightweight duffel bag (she uses a LeSportsac nylon duffle) in case she buys more stuff than she can pack in her wheelie. In that case she checks her wheelie and carries on the duffel.

13. The best status symbols are plastic. By that she means that her frequent-flyer elite status card, her family credit card that gives her airport lounge club membership and priority at check-in, in the security line and at boarding. She happens to use a Continental Presidential Plus MasterCard (which waives checked-baggage fees on Continental when she flies with her family).

Article from Conde Nast Traveler, 10/2010. Photo of the wheeled duffle  from stylehive.com, and I just added the photo for fun – Wendy Perrin didn’t recommend this type of bag. Read item #1 for her preferred wheelie.

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Do you know what a la mode means? It’s French, and originally meant in the current style, or fashion. I believe it may have pertained more to clothing than food. But here, and in French cooking, a la mode does still mean in vogue, in style. Restaurants here in the U.S. use the phrase a la mode to describe a dessert when it’s served with ice cream. Like apple pie a la mode.

This pot roast – well, it’s just that this has been in style for at least a century, and it’s just so infinitely good. Delicious. Succulent. Comfort food. Melt in your mouth scrumptious.

This is a recipe I’ve been using for about 40 years. Gee, that makes me feel ancient. 40 years. It appeared in the San Diego Union Tribune in October of 1973. I have an aging yellowed newspaper clipping that I scotch taped to the page in my ring binder and had written in the date. The short article was written by a food writer named  Zolita Vincent. I have adapted it (more wine, seasonings, different side veggies, and I make it with a smaller piece of meat).

PICTURED LEFT: (1) that’s the 9×13 pan I started with, lined it with two pieces of heavy-duty foil – I patched two together with a seam in the middle; (2) the chuck roast nestled in the middle; (3) the roast was broiled/browned on one side with the red onions and carrots nestled alongside – they got broiled too – for about 5 minutes; and (4) once browned on both sides and the red wine and other stuff was added, I sealed it up tight as a drum and it went into the oven for 3+ hours.

In the traditional French method (I looked at one of my Julia Child cookbooks for this) the roast is marinated in red wine and herbs for 2-3 days before it’s baked. I didn’t plan that far ahead, and never seem to.

This recipe is a short-cut method of making the plan-ahead recipe. Part of the great flavor comes, though, from the red wine you pour all over the roast. Since it’s baked at a low heat (300°), it just barely simmers, which makes the meat so tender and succulent. The onions, carrots and celery also provide a lot of flavor (you toss those out after the roast is done – they’ve expended all their flavor to the roast and the sauce). So you make other veggies to serve with this, or you can open up the foil packet about 1 1/2 hours before it’s done and add new onions, carrots and some potatoes, if you choose.

Personally, I prefer mashed potatoes with a pot roast any day. And that’s what I did this time. I also quick-sautéed some thinly sliced mushrooms in some olive oil and butter to serve along side. I’d also baked a couple of red onions too, for the last hour (not sealed in foil, though).

Once the roast was done, I poured out all the liquid in that foil packet into a saucepan (leaving the roast inside, and resealed it to keep it warm), and added some thickening. Actually I tried using something new . . . I read about this stuff in the King Arthur Flour catalog – it’s called Signature Secrets Culinary Thickener. Like using flour or cornstarch (which is what my original recipe called for), this new-fangled stuff will dissolve and thicken without mixing with water, doesn’t clump, and will thicken even COLD liquid. Imagine that? I’m a new believer in this stuff. It’s not cheap, but you only use a tablespoon or so at a time. Great product.

Anyway, I thickened the sauce/gravy, added just a bit of water because it was a tad too salty for me, and spooned it over the slices (well, you can hardly slice the meat as it falls apart with the touch of a fork) and over the mashed potatoes. I think you could make the pot roast in a crock pot too, although I’ve not tried adapting this recipe to that method.

Yum is all I can say. And if you’re a regular reader of my blog, and I tell you this one is a keeper, trust me. You can do all the prep work ahead of time (don’t broil/brown the meat, though until you’re ready to roast it).

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A year ago: Italian Sausage and Tomato Soup (a real favorite)
Two years ago: Wednesday Breakfast Scones (from a Portland, Oregon bakery)
Three years ago: Heavenly Cream Cheese Brownies

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This is a repeat . . . of one of my favorite recipes. Since I made this for a big family birthday party recently, I took some new photos of it. This particular batch I used fire roasted tomatoes that were in tomato sauce. Usually it’s just tomatoes, drained. So this time using all of the sauce, it stuck to the pasta, which maybe is a good thing. And although this is a cold or room temp dish, you could serve it anytime of the year, really. But somehow I associate it with summer. I’m sure in Italy they probably used fresh tomatoes, but this recipe calls for canned. Sometimes I add in some halved cherry tomatoes. Here’s another shot:

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Oh my goodness, is this stuff ever good. It made my taste buds sing! And isn’t the color just beautiful?

If you’re not a hummus fan, this may change your mind since it contains no garbanzo beans. If you are a hummus fan, making it with green peas will just enhance your experience. To my mind, the tahini (sesame seed paste) is what makes this dish. It gives it oodles of flavor. The lemon juice also helps, and I love cumin, so I added a bit more than this Cooking Light recipe suggested. The original is available online.

The recipe indicated cooking the peas. Why, I said? Not necessary since it would be pureed. So I used them straight out of the bag (but defrosted). There’s some garlic in it, some Italian parsley and some olive oil. I added more oil than the original recipe because once it was whizzed up in the food processor it was a bit too dry – it threw a good part of it up on the sides and it didn’t puree well enough. A little more oil (about a tablespoon) in the bowl fixed that problem. Let it mellow for an hour or two (or it can be served immediately). Serve with some kind of soft Middle Eastern bread. We had sangak bread to serve alongside (you can see a few torn pieces on the right of the bowl in the photo up at the top).

One other thing – this appetizer is a CINCH to make. Talk about easy. It took about 6 or 7 minutes to make. Really. Once whizzed up, I scraped it out into a serving bowl, sprinkled it with zahtar (I didn’t have any sumac on hand), covered it with plastic wrap and zipped it out when guests arrived. I really liked this – the flavors just burst in your mouth. Do try it.
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You ever get hungry for breakfast food at dinner time? Since we don’t eat eggs and bacon except on rare occasions, I decided one night that breakfast food appealed to me. I was going to make yeast waffles, but that takes an overnight sit in the refrigerator for the batter. No time for that. In my stack of to-try recipes I had this one for oatmeal pancakes, that I’d read over at Smitten Kitchen blog. She got the recipe from Good to the Grain: Baking with Whole-Grain Flours (a cookbook that makes grains and other healthy foods much more appealing). I’d read something about the book at another blog too.

The pancakes were easy to make, although I did have to make oatmeal as part of the recipe. If you happen to have leftover oatmeal on hand you’ll save an extra 10 minutes or so, and dirtying up another pot! First, though, you have to make some oat flour in the food processor (just whiz up enough dry oatmeal until it’s flying all around in the workbowl). That gets mixed with the other dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, baking powder).

Then you mix up the wet stuff: the cooked oatmeal, milk, eggs, melted butter. That gets poured into the dry mixture and you very gently fold and whisk lightly (use a heavy hand with it and the pancakes will be heavy and tough).

Confession time: I didn’t re-read the directions as I was doing it and I added in ALL the cooked oatmeal – the recipe indicated making two cups worth and you only needed to use one. So I had to thin down the batter some. The recipe you see below is my convoluted version, which made those lovely thin double-sized dollar pancakes in the photo above. The recipe made way too many for the two of us, so I placed the extras in between pieces of waxed paper and put several  stacks into bags in the freezer. They microwave (to reheat) just fine. Be careful and don’t overdo the time, though. They were fine with just a bit of butter, but sublime with some real maple syrup. The bigger ones (top photo) were thicker, more chewy, with more of an oatmeal texture. The thinner ones I liked better, actually. But either way, they’re very tasty. Very oatmeal-y, if you will.

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A year ago: Pork Tenderloin with Maple Mustard Vinegar Sauce
Three years ago: Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

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