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.
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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.
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Posted in Travel, on April 5th, 2009.
A couple of weeks ago my friend Linda and I visited the gorgeous “flower fields” in Carlsbad. If you measured the rows, I’m sure it would be many, many miles of rununculus. In full bloom. Turning their faces to the sunshine. Since this is a Sunday, I’m thinking about God, that’s he’s at work here, reminding us of what he’s created for us to enjoy.
Posted in Beverages, on April 4th, 2009.
Well, I suppose this photo doesn’t look like much. But then, a regular, ordinary martini with gin and vermouth plus an olive doesn’t have much “color” character either. I don’t happen to like gin or vodka martinis at all. But the newer-fangled boutique martinis, that’s another story altogether.
The other night I attended a very fun cooking class with Phillis Carey. She teaches a few classes a year about margaritas and martinis (always to sold-out crowds). This one was no different! Packed. It wasn’t JUST martinis, of course – Phillis made three possible entrees and a dessert to go with the three different martinis. This martini was my favorite.
If you have the ingredients on hand, this has got to be a cinch to make. Usually Phillis doesn’t serve this with a sugared rim on the glass (in our case, plastic cups), but the cooking school staff got carried away dipping in lemon juice and dunking in superfine sugar. So you can eliminate the sugar if you’d prefer. The drink really doesn’t need it as it’s sweet enough. You can barely see a little wedge of pear floating in the bottom of the cup – I took it off the rim and let it soak – ooh, it was tasty after it had been in the martini for 10 minutes. Probably just ONE of these drinks would be enough before dinner or you and your guests might be, well, lying supine for the rest of the evening.
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Servings: 4, I think, if each part below is a jigger
4 parts Absolut pear vodka
2 parts Triple Sec (Bols brand is best)
2 parts canned pear nectar
1 part fresh strained lemon juice (measured after straining)
1 canned pear slice
1. Pour all the liquids in a shaker over ice. Shake and serve in a martini glass. (You can serve the martini over ice if you prefer.) Press a pear slice on the edge of the glass.
So maybe instead of wasting a paragraph of text telling you how I came about making this into a soup, perhaps I should just say – instead – I wanted to try this recipe for pork shanks and made it with more chicken stock and planned on making a soup. But I’d be lying. I wanted to make the Spanish Pork Braise which is kind of like osso buco, except it’s pork instead of veal. But after defrosting what I thought were pork shanks from our 4-H pig, I discovered the two packages were ham hocks. The packages said “pork shanks.” And the other package I thought was going to be nice smaller pieces of pork chunks, ended up being ground pork sausage. Sigh. So what to do? Improvise, of course.
The recipe calls for all kinds of interesting herb and chile flavors, and they all sounded wonderful. I didn’t have prosciutto, so knew from the get-go I wasn’t going to add that. I cut way down on the beans since it was going to be a soup. I used pinto (pink) beans instead of garbanzo, and the gremolata I had was leftover from the night before made to go on grilled chicken.
All the chiles and herbs added a lovely depth to the broth. The celery, onions and carrots gave it texture. The meats (both) gave it good flavor. The chili powder gave it just a little bit of bite, but not much. Perfect, actually. And the gremolata sprinkled on the top (you can barely see it in the photo) gave it a little zing. It went together easily enough, simmered on the stove for an hour or two (I made the beans from scratch in a separate pot), and provided a tasty repast with a nice slice of ciabatta to go with it. And I have enough for at least two more meals. Yes, I’d make it again and I’d double the amount of vegetables. If you would like to make the original recipe, head over to epicurious. There are a variety of other things added to their recipe.
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Recipe: Steve Johnson in Bon Appétit, September 2006
Servings: 7
PORK:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion — chopped
2 large carrots — chopped
5 large garlic cloves — chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
6 medium pork shank pieces — 2 1/2 inch thick, or a large ham hock
1 pound pork sausage
28 ounces canned tomatoes — (28 ounce) tomatoes coarsely chopped
1 cup dry Sherry
3 whole dried ancho chiles — halved, stemmed, seeded (or Guajillo)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3 cups water (about)
2 cups canned beans — garbanzo (or other variety), drained
GREMOLATA:
1/4 cup Italian parsley — finely chopped fresh
1/4 cup toasted almonds — (optional) chopped
1 tablespoon grated orange peel — or lemon zest
1. PORK: In a large heavy-bottomed pan heat the olive oil until it’s shimmering, then add the chopped onion. Saute for 3-4 minutes until it’s translucent, then add the carrots and celery. Continue to saute for 5 more minutes, then add the garlic. Add the pork sausage meat to this mixture and saute until the meat is no longer pink. Add the fresh thyme, chicken broth, pork shanks (or ham hock), tomatoes, Sherry, chiles, tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, cumin. coriander and water.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour. Skim off fat, if at all possible. (Ideally, make this one day ahead and chill overnight to remove the fat and allow the flavors to meld.)
3. Add the canned beans (or make them yourself and add them to the stew/soup mixture).
4. Remove the ham hock and cool briefly. Remove meat, shred and return to soup pot. If you have pork shanks, they may be served in the soup bowl, or you may remove them from the soup and discard the fat and bones, returning pulled pieces to the soup pot to reheat.
5. GREMOLATA: Finely mince the parsley, almonds and orange (or lemon) peel. Cover and set aside.
6. Taste soup for seasoning – add salt if necessary, and pepper to taste. Remove pieces of whole chile and discard. You may add other vegetables at this point if you’d like and simmer just until tender.
7. Scoop about 2 cups of soup into a wide soup bowl and sprinkle generously with the gremolata. Serve immediately.
Per Serving: 657 Calories; 37g Fat (51.6% calories from fat); 49g Protein; 30g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 160mg Cholesterol; 682mg Sodium.
A year ago: Ham & Asparagus Frittata
Posted in Vegetarian, Veggies/sides, on April 2nd, 2009.
This was served the other night as a vegetable side dish. I added asparagus to it (just because I had some and needed to use it). It’s very easy – I’ve compared ingredients to see if this Italian vegetable pie is actually similar to the newer-fangled “impossible” pie. The kind that makes a shell of sorts, as it cooks. It’s similar, per my brief search on the ‘net. This one doesn’t have any baking powder in it, has only one egg, and uses more flour.
The recipe on which I based this tart came from a website called Sherrie’s Kitchen. Sherrie is a German by birth and has oodles of German recipes on her site (though she lives in England). And a few Italian recipes too (this one). I also added some thyme to the mixture and some shredded Parmesan (the real stuff) to the top. It’s easy to burn this (because of the cheese), so watch the top carefully and reduce heat if it starts to brown too much. Do not put these at the top of your oven as they’ll get too brown too soon. And be sure it’s done – it’s hard to tell since the bubbling and browned cheese will give you the illusion it’s done after 10 minutes. Do bake it sufficiently.
What you end up with is a pie. Yes, a veggie pie. With a kind of pudding or custard or batter around it. Because the zucchini contains so much water, it’s vital that you salt it and let it sit so you lose some of the fluid before you begin assembling this dish. Because of the salt on the zucchini, I eliminated the salt in the batter. Taste it, though, to see if it’s salty enough for your tastes. If you like Parmesan, add more. Eliminate the asparagus if you don’t have it. Don’t like thyme? Change it to marjoram or oregano. Want it more puffy? Add another egg. This is the kind of dish that’s quite forgiving, I think. Have yellow squash instead? That’s a no-brainer. Of course you could substitute. My DH enjoyed this immensely, as did the group of friends we had over for a potluck dinner. And the leftovers are almost better than when they’re fresh out of the oven. I heated pieces for 60 seconds in the microwave and they were just perfect.
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Recipe By: adapted from Sherrie’s Kitchen website
Servings: 12 (makes two pie pans)
2 cups zucchini — thinly sliced (about 4)
1 1/3 cups asparagus spears — chopped
1 cup onion — diced
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups milk
1/2 cup olive oil
1 egg fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese — grated (or Pecorino)
1. Salt zucchini and onion and leave in a colander to drain for 30 minutes. Shake colander over your sink before proceeding.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
3. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil (of the half cup measure) into each pie pan, coating the bottom and sides of each pan to prevent sticking.
3. Sift flour. Whisk in milk and 1/2 cup of olive oil to make a batter that is quite liquid. Whisk in the egg, stir in the zucchini, asparagus and onions.
4. Divide the batter between the two pans. Smooth the top of the batter to prevent slices of zucchini from protruding. (Some will do so anyway.) Grate a substantial amount of pepper on top of each and sprinkle with the grated cheese.
5. Bake in middle of the oven for 20 minutes at 450 degrees, reduce heat to 425 and bake for 10-15 minutes more, until deep golden. Cool for about 5 minutes before cutting into wedges. May be served warm or at room temperature.
Per Serving: 152 Calories; 11g Fat (61.4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 21mg Cholesterol; 21mg Sodium.
A year ago: Tandoori-Style Cauliflower
Our Meyer lemons are so ripe they’re almost falling off our trees (1 regular and 2 dwarfs), so I’m using lots of things with lemons these days. This weekend I need to make homemade margaritas for a family gathering and I’ll use oodles of them, most likely.
As you’ve read here before, I’m the first to admit that chicken breasts can be challenging for most cooks – you want to infuse them with lots of flavor and also not overcook them so they’re dry. Dry = tasteless. The trick is taking them off the fire/flame when they’re JUST done and not later. It was some years ago that I learned at one of Phillis Carey’s cooking classes, that flattening chicken breasts to a mostly even thickness is one secret to success. Phillis has written an entire 
BOOK about cooking chicken breasts, so she comes by her knowledge with a lot of experience under her belt. If you have one of these pounders (pictured at left), great. If not, use a regular meat pounder turned on its side – you do not want to pulverize the chicken flesh. You just spread it a little bit, that’s all.
This recipe came from a 2005 Gourmetissue. As I recall, the editorial staff asked employees for favorite recipes they’d share in the magazine. This one was provided by Food Editor Melissa Roberts-Matar, from her father Richard Roberts. The recipe does not come with any sauce or garnish. Hence, I decided to add a bit of zip to the mixture by sprinkling on a gremolata. Traditionally gremolatais sprinkled on Italian osso buco as a garnish only. But it’s zippy – lemon zest, finely minced garlic and Italian parsley. If used in profusion it could overpower this, so be gentle until you know that you really like it and can handle the pungent garlic. And whatever you do, don’t overcook the chicken.
If you’ve pounded the breasts, you simple put them in a bowl or plastic bag and add the marinade. What’s unique about this concoction is a raw EGG. One whole egg gets whizzed up in the blender with the other ingredients, so the liquid becomes emulsified – looks more like a salad dressing than a marinade. It has some fresh squeezed lemon juice and vegetable oil. It also called for poultry seasoning. Since I didn’t have any, I made my own with dried sage, dried thyme, pepper, marjoram and a dash of ground cloves. So my recipe differs somewhat from the original. The chicken is marinated for at least 8 hours, and up to 24.
If you check on the recipe at Epicurious, you’ll find that a couple of people thought it was dry and tasteless, but most people who made this raved about it. So beware of overcooking, that’s all I can tell you. The chicken is grilled, first searing both sides, then baked (inside the grill) off heat until they’re done. If you don’t mind inserting a meat thermometer into chicken breasts (the absolute best way to know when they’re done) cook them until they reach 155 degrees, and not a moment longer. Whisk them while they’re sizzling hot to a heated platter and serve. Chicken doesn’t need to sit and rest as red meat does.
The gremolata ingredients are added in this recipe at the bottom. Hope you enjoy that – it makes a huge difference. I like lemon-garlic-parsley, so for me I could add a lot of it. You could also serve this with a fruit salsa, but I think it would detract from the delicate lemon flavor of the chicken. If you prefer a sauce, make a savory lemon sauce to go with it. I’d want a clear lemon sauce, probably made with cornstarch, chicken broth, lemon juice, and that would be about it. Or a chimichurri sauce would also go perfectly with this. If you enjoy lemon, you could also give the chicken breasts a little squeeze of lemon just before serving, too. The lemon flavor definitely permeated through the chicken. I might give it the full 24 hours marinating time, next time. Shall I say it one more time? Don’t overcook it, that’s all.
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Recipe: adapted from Melissa Roberts-Matar of Gourmet Magazine
Servings: 6
NOTES: If you have poultry seasoning, you may use it (1 teaspoon) instead of the sage, thyme, marjoram and cloves. Could also be served with a clear lemon sauce or chimichurri sauce.
MARINADE:
1 tablespoon lemon zest — freshly grated
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried sage — crumbled
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme — crushed in your hands
1 dash dried marjoram — crushed in your hands
1 dash ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
– – – –
6 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or other chicken pieces)
GARNISH:
3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from one lemon)
1/4 cup Italian parsley, very finely minced
1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a blender and puree until emulsified. (The egg will give the marinade a thicker texture.)
2. Lightly pound the thicker ends of each chicken breast with a flat-type meat pounder until the meat is an even thickness, about 1/2 inch, between sheets of plastic wrap.
3. Place chicken in a heavy-duty plastic bag (or large non-reactive bowl or dish). Add the marinade and turn chicken over until well coated. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours. Bring chicken to room temp for 30 minutes before proceeding.
4. Discard marinade.
5. Preheat gas grill (or charcoal grill) to medium-high. Bank the charcoal on half of the space, leaving ample room for the chicken to be off direct heat. Oil the grill racks lightly.
6. Grill the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes per side (don’t burn). Remove chicken to the side off heat (gas grill – turn off one burner and move chicken to that area – and reduce temp to medium. Cover grill and continue to cook for about 15 minutes (more if bone-in). If chicken pieces are thinner than 1/2 inch, it will take about 10 minutes to cook through. Do not overcook or the meat will be dry.
7. GREMOMATA: Very finely mince the ingredients (separately, then combine). Each one of these could overpower the dish, so make sure all as small as you can make them. Set aside until ready to use (up to 6 hours).
7. Transfer chicken to a heated platter and serve immediately with the gremolata sprinkled on top .
Per Serving (assuming you eat the marinade, which you don’t, of course): 309 Calories; 20g Fat (60.1% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 104mg Cholesterol; 1155mg Sodium.
Posted in Utensils, on March 31st, 2009.
Just in case you haven’t read or heard about this new Beater Blade gizmo, I’m here to tell you this blade for Kitchen Aid, (Viking and Century too) stand mixers is amazing. All these years I’ve kind of just accepted that some of the batter doesn’t mix much, and you have to stop the mixer numerous times and scrape down the sides. Somebody agreed with most of us cooks (and probably chefs too) that Kitchen Aid missed the mark in the design, and did something about it.
It’s not made by Kitchen Aid, but by a company called NewMetro Design. If you go to the Beater Blade website they make blades to fit 12 models. These are available at some stores. If you do an online search for “beater blade” (mine for the tilt-head is a KA-TH model) you’ll likely find them. Amazon has them too. They’re available for both the tilt-head and bowl lift professional models for Kitchen Aid. The model for the latter is $5.00 more.
This little number works like a CHARM. In this picture above, you can see the opacity of the plastic. The edges are a soft rubber – only the interior frame is hard plastic. It’s not flimsy in the least. And you can see the tiny slit at the bottom – that scrapes the dimple in the bottom of the bowl. I think I paid $24.95 for it, at an independent kitchenware store. I had not seen it except through mail order, up until last week. If you compare the two you’ll notice that the design is certainly similar, but it has rubber edges that scrape the bowl. According to the website, the blade even will gently mix in egg whites for souffles, etc. There are videos at their website demonstrating the uses, although there isn’t one for folding in egg whites. Hmmm; wonder why? I argued with myself that I didn’t need to spend $25 on some kitchen trinket, but am so glad I did. If you’re a baker, you’ll be glad you have one of these. I just wish I’d thought of it myself!
Posted in Uncategorized, on March 30th, 2009.
Just in case you haven’t seen or heard the ads for this HBO series, I’m highly recommending you watch it or record it. The other night was the first in the series, a 2-hour “pilot.” It’s full of the story about Precious Ramotswe, an ample Botswanan woman who decides to open a detective agency. No matter that she’s never been a detective, or owned a business. Jill Scott, who plays the lead, is just wonderful. Absolutely a perfect fit for Alexander McCall Smith’s character he created through the widely published series of books he’s written. Precious is nothing like the stern, man-eating detectives you’ve likely seen on other crime dramas. Instead, she’s sweet and kind, but a resourceful private investigator, using all kinds of wiles to solve her clients’ problems. Extremely well done, and I dare you not to fall in luv with the character. So, watch it, record it, VCR it. Or something. You’ll see a side of Botswana you may never have seen. I’m looking forward to the next show.
photo from the HBO website
Posted in Brunch, on March 30th, 2009.
It’s been absolutely ages since I’ve had a strata of any kind. We don’t seem to entertain for breakfast or brunch much anymore, and I haven’t needed to make one of these kinds of things in quite awhile. But my friend Linda (who took a trip to Savannah last year) got this recipe from the Green Palm Inn where she stayed, and raved about it (both the strata and the inn). Linda made this for breakfast when I visited her a week ago – we had it on Saturday morning, then as leftovers on Sunday too. It is absolutely wonderful. A keeper. Linda made it with fewer tortillas (she knows I try to limit carbs), but otherwise it was the same as below. You probably could substitute turkey sausage, and you can use low fat milk. Linda prefers using Tillamook cheddar on this, but use what you prefer, or what you have on hand. But whatever you do, you need to make this.
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Recipe: From The Green Palm Inn, Savannah, Georgia
Servings: 8 (maybe 10)
1 whole green pepper — chopped
1 whole onion — chopped
1 pound sausage — Jimmy Dean
14 ounces canned tomatoes — with chiles
1 small can tomatoes — Rotelle brand (14 ounces)
6 small flour tortillas — approximately
8 large eggs — beaten
2 cups milk
3 ounces diced green chiles — canned, Ortega (optional)
1 pound cheddar cheese (Tillamook if available), grated
1. Saute sausage with onion and pepper until no longer pink. Drain the tomatoes and add to the sausage mixture. Saute 5-6 minutes. Let cool.
2. Prepare 9×13″ pan with Pam spray. Tear flour tortillas to cover the bottom. Spread 1/2 of the sausage mixture over the tortillas. Cover with shredded cheese. Repeat the layers – tortillas, sausage and then cheese.
3. Mix 8 eggs and 2 cups of milk. Pour over the layers. Cover with foil and let stand in the refrigerator overnight.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour COVERED. Remove foil and bake until set, about another 30 minutes.
Per Serving: 619 Calories; 42g Fat (61.5% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 255mg Cholesterol; 942mg Sodium.
A Year Ago: Flourless Chocolate Cake w/Caramel Sauce
Posted in Cookies, on March 28th, 2009.
One would think that after making umpteen batches of CC cookies, I’d really be tired of them. Well, remember, nearly all of these are going to a friend of mine who needs to eat them to gain some weight (cookies seem to go down easier than other foods, she says – and only CC cookies, not other types). And hey, I’m doing this cookie testing for the sake of research, right? You know that kind of rationalization, don’t you? Naturally, I do have to taste some of them in the name of quality control, too. Right? Right.
So, if you’ll recall from reading my other posts, my friend Norma really prefers thicker, softer and more chewy (but most definitely not crisp) CC cookies. My last two attempts were moderately successful in that regard – the chewy type, but they were still crispy. I thought perhaps this batch would be better on the chewy scale, since it was in the title. Well, they are chewy, but they’re CRISP-chewy. Not what Norma prefers. For her, these will still have to be dunked in milk. For me, however, they are outstanding – nice mounds of cookie, with crispy edges.
The recipe came from Heather R. (reprinted below by permission) over at Chocolate Bytes (a blog). I subscribe via RSS feed, so get all the updates on chocolate doings there. The title of her post was “The Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie.”
The batter came together as easily as any regular CC cookies – except the proportions of things were somewhat different (different volumes of brown and white sugar, 1 egg plus an egg yolk). The batter looked just like Tollhouse, but it’s NOT. The cookies don’t thin out hardly at all – they make a nice mound. And they’re baked at 325, definitely lower than Tollhouse. The edges are nice and crispy and the insides are chewy, a bit. Not much, but some. FYI: the recipe made 48 cookies, and took 12 minutes in my oven, using Convection/Bake.
Norma will definitely eat them, but they may not be her favorites. I did hold back a few just to test them after a day to see how they are. Ah-hem. Right? As head of quality control, I’m required to do that, right? All my cookies go into the freezer when I make them, and I actually prefer eating them from a frozen state anyway.
My DH has had several of these cookies, and tells me he thinks they are the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made. Because I only kept about 10 of them, I may have to make another batch. They’re that good. And then keep researching and testing to find a softer one that my friend really likes. Sigh. More CC cookie research in my future. [grin] And thanks to Heather for the great recipe. She doesn’t remember where she got the recipe, so we’ll credit her for it, for now.
As a result of writing up this post I finally decided to go hunting in my files (remember, I have FILES of recipes, divided up by category, in manila-folder sleeves so they don’t fall out the sides) where I knew I had an article or two about why cookies are thin/crisp/chewy/puffy. Sure enough. I found both. One was from Food & Wine magazine, the other from our local newspaper. I think the articles deserve a write-up of their own – along with photos and taste-tests of the cookie recipes contained within. So, according to both articles, I’ll try two CC cookie recipes that are assured to be soft and puffy. More like what Norma wants. So, stay tuned. Meanwhile, if you like thick, chewy AND crispy cookies, these are your ticket to nirvana. Guaranteed.
printer-friendly PDF
Recipe: From Chocolate Bytes blog
Servings: 48
DRY INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
COOKIE DOUGH:
6 ounces butter — 1 1/2 sticks
1 cup brown sugar — packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside. Mix butter and sugars in mixer until well combined.. Beat in egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
3. Using a cookie scoop, place cookies two inches apart on greased or parchment-lined cookie sheets. [I used Silpats.]
4. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.
Per Serving: 117 Calories; 7g Fat (48.8% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 17mg Cholesterol; 68mg Sodium.
Year Ago: I posted one of my favorite recipes, Grilled Salmon on Watercress Salad
Last summer we purchased a quarter of a 4-H pig. We have a friend whose children, when they were young, used to raise pigs every year, and since the children have sprouted wings and left the nest, she still allows other 4-H kids to board pigs on her ranch. Over the years, we’ve purchased a quarter of a pig several times – mostly ones raised on her ranch. They’re raised with natural products, no hormones, and with lots and lots of TLC. Only once were we disappointed in the flavor of the meat. This last summer’s pig is the best ever. We ended up buying a quarter of the prized blue-ribbon 4-H pig of the season at auction at the Orange County Fair. She was bigger than most and sold for more than many of them, but we got a bit more meat than usual. We have to pay extra for the slaughtering and butchering, and one of us (the group of 3-4 who have purchased the whole pig) has to drive about 40 miles to pick it up, all packaged and frozen. We order what we want – more or less chops, roasts, ground pork, sausage, one ham roast, per family, etc. and they package it up per our instructions. Now I really need to get busy because the next Fair is in July.
When you buy a 4-H pig, you pay for all the poundage, even though a good percentage of it is discarded, or the butcher uses it for other products. I decline the hooves, skin, fat, organ meat, neck bones, bones in general. In some cultures, I know, those odd pieces are prized. Once I visited an Hispanic market and there were whole pig/hog heads for sale. Eek. Not my cup of pig broth. You may want to read my original story about Petunia, our first 4-H pig.
So I’d been trying to use up other meat things in the freezer, and we hadn’t eaten any of ’08’s pig. We heard that the loin chops from this pig were sensational. Oh, indeed, they were. They’re huge. Bigger than any pork chops I’ve ever seen at a butcher store. After defrosting them I used some of Michael Chiarello’s Citrus Rosemary Sea Salt on them and they went onto the barbecue. My DH has this lesson down pat – he grilled them about 4 minutes per side, then put them on a rack, on a small cookie sheet (I’d covered the whole thing with foil) and roasted them off the direct heat at about 350 inside the grill, until the internal meat temp reached 150. We tented the meat with foil for about 5 minutes, while I finished the rest of the meal (snow peas sauteed with garlic, and a salad of field greens and radishes). I also made my favorite mango salsa with cilantro to go with the pork. I used frozen mango chunks (from Trader Joe’s), some red bell pepper, some diced green chiles and a splash of rice wine vinegar.
Oh, my goodness. Were those chops ever good. So juicy. Unbelievably tender meat. Now, I know, you can’t go to the corner market and buy 4-H pig loin chops. Neither can I. But, you can contact somebody in 4-H in your area and see if you could buy a part of one. I recommend it.
What I posted a year ago today: Vermont Cheddar Cheese Bread
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