Pots and Pins

Blueberry Crisp...

We celebrated our anniversary this past Saturday...we went ring shopping.  The mister has promised me an "upgrade" for a while now...and we found, well, I found, the perfect ring. As I was trying it on, reflecting the sun off the diamond into the mister's eyes...I was so excited - giddy really.  It was just too good to be true...me and the mister in a jewelry store without shackles on his feet...and he's saying, "Well, do you want it?"  Of course I wanted it...but as the sales lady was adding up the cost...mounting fee, band price, sizing fee, taxes, taxes, taxes...it hit me...what would the REAL cost of the ring be?!  Did this mean I would have to step and fetch even more?  Pristeen laundry on demand?  Meals served in a timely fashion daily?  As if he was reading my mind, the mister says, "Well, you know this means you're going to have to curtail your spending...and we won't be going on a trip..."   Gulp!  STAY WITHIN BUDGET?!?  No trip?!?  And there it was.  That would be the "punishment" for buying the ring...there is ALWAYS a catch!  So I told him and the sales lady, that I would have to think about it...oh you should have seen the lady - she flew into action in a hurry - gave me every line she could on why I shouldn't wait....I deserved it...I earned it...it was so beautiful on my hand...and on and on...but something was amiss...the mister HATES parting with money...and yet he was being so pleasant...was it the spider luring the fly into the web?!?  It was all too unreal...the mister in a jewelry store of his own free will...eager to part with his cash...smiling...it scared the hell out of me!  We walked out of the store without buying the ring...(I have no problem spending $50 a hundred times...but spending big money makes the inside of my scalp itch.)  I've spent two days thinking about it...still can't decide...so I've left it up to the mister...if he REALLY wants me to have the ring he'll buy it for me without me being there (then it won't be my purchase!)  To take my mind off the ring I made a Blueberry Crisp  - it was so good it almost made me forget about the ring entirely...

Fresh out of the oven, the blueberry filling bubbles up over the crumbly topping and it smells just unbelieveably good.  I served this with ice cream but it's just perfect on it's own.

Blueberry Crisp - Adapted from Baking Illustrated

Filling:

2 cups blueberries

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/8 cup instant tapioca pudding

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

Topping:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup almonds

3 Tablespoons butter, cup into 1/2-inch pieces

Mix all filling ingredients together and pour into an 8-inch baking dish.  For the topping, place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefly to combine.  Add the butter and pulse 10 times, about 4 seconds for each pulse.  The mixture will first look like dry sand, with large lumps of butter, then like coarse cornmeal.  Add the nuts, then process again, four or five 1-second pulses.  The topping should look like slightly clumpy wet sand.  Be sure not to overmix or the mixture will become too wet and homogeneous.  Refrigerate the topping for at least 15 minutes. 

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.  When topping is chilled, distribute evenly over the fruit.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking until the fruit is bubbling and the topping turns deep-golden brown, about 5 minutes more.  Serve warm, with ice cream, or not.  Serves 4 to 6.

"Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing."  Redd Foxx

Random Things...

I have a friend who wants to make a quilt completely out of selvedges...so I've been saving mine for her...If you would like to help her out and I do hope you will, leave me a comment and I'll let you know where to send them...she needs the selvedge part with the words and/or color dots and about 2 inches of fabric - I think she's nuts but I know it will be a very fun quilt when it's all done!

These are a few of the cupcakes I made for a party over the weekend...chocolate fudge with marshmallow  cream topping and a chocolate ganache frosting...lemon cupcakes with lemon curd topping and a lemon cream cheese frosting...plain old vanilla cupcakes (which were excellent!) and a vanilla butter cream frosting...

The cupcakes were for a suprprise engagement party for the Aussie's son and his new fiance...it was held at the perfect party house on Saturday and we had the most perfect party weather!  Engagement parties are BIG in Australia and are followed by a  more intimate wedding and reception...makes sense to me! 

My Pickle Pops arrived in the mail!  They were immediately put in the freezer and I had to wait an entire day until they were ready!  I have to say, the first taste was not all that great...but it kind of grew on me and I ended up loving it! Since I ordered 20 I will be having a Pickle Pop a day for the next few weeks!  Oh, and here's a really great thing about Pickle Pops...they only have THREE calories and ONE carb!  I love the saltiness of them...they just might be the perfect diet food!

  This photo is really just for the girl...she is a Frasierphile...you know, the TV show Frasier?  She's an addict...a devoted fan who can quote any line from any episode...Well, I learned the other day that this is the "Frasier Building" from the TV show...where Frasier would sip sherry while admiring the views of the Space Needle from his living room and Niles could spy on Daphne as she cooked up something on the Gaggeneau...it's on Queen Anne Hill next to Kerry Park...

Oh Baby Max...the girl was playing dress up with him the other day - she thinks he's a toy!  But he seemed to enjoy it.  He's now sitting up and continues to be the most wonderful baby in the world...never cries, always smiles and laughs, and is happy, happy, happy! 

 

Fresh Corn Cakes...

Knee-high by the 4th of July...corn!  Fresh local corn is just hitting the market...so we'll be knee-deep in corn for the next month or so...freezing some, roasting more and munching continually.  This recipe is about as Southern as they come...I like to eat these for breakfast but the mister won't, he says corn is strictly an after-noon type of food so I make them as a side and sometimes we have them as the entree with a salad.  They can be dressed up with sour cream, avocado and salsa or eaten plain, which is how I like mine, with just a sprinkling of cilantro.

 

This year I didn't plant corn because the mister decided that we needed to put in rhodies in the "corn corner."  So while I was out watering HIS rhodies, I reached for a  weed, pulled it and heard a rustling sound...I looked up just in time to see a family of raccoons jump from their beds in the weeds to the trunk of a tree where they scampered quickly up the side to a high branch...keeping their eyes on me the entire time...they scared the livin' dickens out of me!  Raccoons are not nice, I just heard on the news the other night that some raccoons have actually attacked people!  So I consider myself lucky to be alive!  I could have been skinned by those coons and not even gotten a hat out of the deal!  The lesson here is don't pull weeds.

   

Use fresh corn if you've got it, it will taste much better but if not, frozen or canned will work just fine.  These are so good hot from the griddle, the hint of chives will delight you but the corn is the star and it's all held together with cheese...mmmm-mmmmm good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Fresh Corn Cakes - Adapted from Southern Living, July 2008, by Magdalena DiRocco

2 1/2 cups fresh corn removed from the cob (about 5 ears)

3 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons fresh chives

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pulse first 4 ingredients in a food processor 3 to 4 times or just until corn is coarsely chopped.  Stir together flour and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in corn mixture just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Spoon a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each cake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or large non-stick skillet to form 3-inch cakes (do not spread or flatten cakes.)  Cook cakes 3 to 4 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked.  Turn and cook other sides 2 to 3 minutes.  Repeat with remaining batter. 

 

 

"Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?"  Charlie McCarthy (Edgar Bergen)

Halloween Apron Giveaway...

The recent apron giveaway at My Wooden Spoon got me all excited to have another apron giveaway myself!  And since I'm waaaay into halloween mode these days...what else could I give but a halloween apron?! 

If you'd like to have a shot at winning this apron, all you have to do is send me a comment saying so - that's it!  Only one comment per person please!  But if you blog about it on your blog and let me know, I'll give you 5 more entries!! 

Just look at it - it's stinkin' cute is it not?!  My thanks to Miss Virginia for being my body double once again.  This contest closes on Sunday, August 31st at 6:00 pm pst.  The winner will be announced on Monday, September 1st. 

Really, this is so cute that if I didn't already own one just like it I would insist on buying it! 

Blueberry Tart...

This is why I'm fat...I tried my best to just have a taste...but one led to another and then another and before I knew it I had finished off TWO pieces of blueberry tart...TWO!  The mister came home and had his first piece before dinner as an appetizer.  Then, after dinner he had his second piece for dessert.  A few hours later he had his third piece, which he said was in the name of research as he wanted to make sure the tart tasted as good cooled as it did warm.  There were 3 pieces left this morning...the boy ate one for breakfast...then I had a piece because, well, I didn't want the boy to eat alone, that would have been rude.  That leaves one piece...it keeps calling to me...eat me!  Eat me!  I'm going to channel Jenny Craig for help soon!

The crust has sour cream in it...just one of the many reasons I love it...it comes together quickly in the food processor and after an hour in the fridge it's ready to be rolled.  The filling is hot and bubbly out of the oven and as it cools the juices set up nicely, thanks to the instant tapioca and a bit of cornstarch...but not to worry, you won't taste the cornstarch, only the butter and the hint of lemon and the blue-blue-blueberries!

Dream Acres Diary, my new favorite blog, divulged this morning that she runs every day...while I dust my treadmill...Queen Latifah are you there?  It seems like the entire world runs or works out - one day at a time - oh Valerie, did you really get back into your skinny jeans?! I guess I'm going to have to start doing something...as lifting my right arm to my face 24 hours a day is not working!

Has anyone seen Kirstie Alley lately?  Did she keep the weight off?  She would love this tart!  It does ooze a bit while baking but after it's cooled it's easy to move to a platter.  This is a free-form tart - so it's okay if it's uneven in appearance - it's supposed to be.  Just look at all those berries!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blueberry Tart - Adapted from Baking Illustrated and Several Other Recipes

Crust:

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons ice water

1 cup flour

1/4 cup crushed graham crackers (about 4 crackers)

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons unsalted cold butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Filling:

4 cups fresh blueberries

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons instant tapioca

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Sprinkling of sugar

For the Crust:  Stir together the cour cream and water in a small bowl.  Set aside.  In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and graham cracker crumbs and process for five 1-second pulses.  Scatter half of the butter pieces over the flour mixture and process to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is the size of small peas, about five 1-second pulses.  Scatter the remaining butter over the flour mixture and pulse to cut the butter into the mixture until most of the butter is incorporated and some pea-size bits remain.  While processing, pour the sour cream mixture through the feed tube until the dough just comes together around the blade, about five 1-second pulses.  Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, flatten into a 6-inch disk, wrap tightly, and refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove dough from refrigerator, wrap and place between 2 large sheets of parchment paper.  Using a rolling pin, roll dough out to about a 13-inch round.  Slide the dough, still between the sheets of the parchment, onto a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Make the filling:  In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, tapioca, cornstarch, lemon juice, zest and salt.  Mix well with a large wooden spoon, being careful not to crush berries.  Let mixture sit for 15 minutes.

To assemble the tart:  Remove the dough and baking sheet from the refrigerator and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper.  Pile the fruit in the center of the dough, leaving a 2 1/2-inch border of dough.  Pour berry mixture into the center of the dough,  and dot the berries with the remaining butter pieces.  Fold edges of the dough up and over the fruit, pinching lightly to secure.  Brush the top of the dough lightly with water and sprinkle some sugar on top.  Bake until the crust is golden brown and crisp and the fruit is bubbling, about 40 minutes.   Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and allow the tart to cool for 10 minutes.  Using a large spatula, transfer the tart to the wire rack to cool for an additional 10 minutes.  Tart may be served warm or cold.

"Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment."  B. LePatner

Blueberry Picking in a Monsoon...

Growing up as a dirt-eating-desert-child, when it did rain, I immediately ran inside so I wouldn't be electrocuted by lightning...a deep fear I had as a child...now that I'm older and so much more wiser, I spit on the rain.  Stephanie wanted to go pick berries to make a fresh blueberry pie for her son ...when she asked me if I wanted to join her, a few days ago, it was sunny outside and I yes!  This morning, however, it was raining...and not the typical Northwest rain...no...no drizzle about it...it was POURING down...but instead of calling and backing out, the NEW ME donned a rain jacket, rain boots and a ball cap and off I went!  I'm so proud..the new me is a much braver version than the old me.

That's Stephanie in the Little Red Riding Hood Ensemble...she is quite the expert picker...when her bucket was poured out to be weighed she didn't have any leaves or stems or rotten berries...I had them all!  When we first got to the U-Pick place, Mt. Si, in the background was barely visible...but as the morning went on the clouds lifted a bit and the mountain came out...as we Northwesterners like to say.  It was incredibly beautiful - even in the rain.  Mt. Si is about 5,000 feet high - we once went on a family outing there and we were going to hike the mountain, which has trails all the way to the top...we made it about 50 yards before the kids started whining - and I was ever so grateful that I had raised

wusses!  I took Stephanie's advice and froze a lot of my berries - laying them flat on a cookie sheet until frozen and then putting them into Zip-lock bags.  Now when I want blueberries  for my oatmeal I can just toss in a few frozen ones - they'll cool the oatmeal down as they defrost.

Of course there is a blueberry pie in my future and possibly a blueberry crisp...but right now I'm all blueberried out!   

Vintage Apron Giveaway...

Who doesn't love aprons?!  They are practical and pretty...and winning one would be great, right?  So hop on over to My Wooden Spoon to get all the details - she is giving away a vintage apron to one of her readers and it just might be YOU!  This contest ends on August 25th...tick-tock!

Oh, My Wooden Spoon is also doing ANOTHER giveaway!  Sheesh!  Two in one week!  If you're a Paula Deen fan and really, who isn't, you will love this one...

You can win a copy of Paula Deen Celebrates!  plus kitchen towels, a mortal and pestle and two wooden spoons...as Paula herself might say, it's a dang good deal ya'll!  Hurry now, this contest ends on August 22nd.

Lemon Crostata...

My horoscope said that I shouldn't do anything out of the ordinary today...staying at home and baking is certainly not out of the ordinary but making a dessert with as many steps as this one has is...but it was worth it - just for the crust alone and that's not even the best part!

Typically I don't put a lot of stock into horoscopes/astrology/numerology but I do think it's fun to read...when I was 9 1/2 months preggers with the girl my doctor said I would need a C-section and told me to pick a day in the first part of the week for the surgery/birth...well, how could I realistically do that without first "consulting" something or someone!?!  I mean, would I want her to be born on a Monday if that meant she would never eat lettuce?  And Tuesday, not the first day of the week but the second, would that make her afraid of spiders?  Wednesday?  Would this mean she would have allergies and talk in her sleep?!?  Such a huge decision could not be left to me alone...oh no...I immediately pulled out my book on astrology ...it was a compendium of nonsense, really, but after reading all about the different days I decided that Tuesday the 20th would be the best day for the girl to be born mainly because the 19th and the 21st were not "good numbers"...although I was married on the 19th...

And as it turns out the girl doesn't eat lettuce, is terrified of spiders, suffers terribly from allergies and talks in her sleep...so much for astrology!  Today I threw caution to the wind and did something EXTRAordinary...I made this crostata...time consuming, yes, but it's one of those desserts who's memory will linger long after the last crumb has been nibbled.  The crust is made with almonds and is crisp and flavorful... the lemon curd is smooth and tart with just the right zing...you're going to love this!                

The girl would love this too and if she lived nearby I would take her a piece this very minute because if you're born on a Tuesday that predispositions you to love lemon desserts...I think I read that somewhere.

Lemon Crostata - Gourmet Magazine, April 2008

Pastry:

3/4 cup whole almonds with skins, toasted and cooled

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 1/4 sticks unsalted buter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoons almond extract

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:

5 large egg yolks

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into bits

1/8 teaspoon salt

Equipment:  8-inch springform pan; pastry/pizza wheel

Make dough:  Pulse almonds with 1/4 cup flour in a food processor until finely ground, being careful not to grind to a paste.  Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.  Chill 1 tablespoon beaten egg for egg wash and beat remaining egg into butter mixture.  Beat in vanilla and almond extracts.  At low speed, mix in almond mixture, zest, salt, and remaining 1 3/4 cups flour until dough just forms.  Halve dough and form each half into a 5 to 6 inch disk.  Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 20 minutes.

Make Filling:  Beat yolks with 3/4 cup sugar using cleaned beaters until very thick and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a heavy medium saucepan and stir in zest, juice, butter, and salt.  Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and mixture begins to bubble, about 6 minutes.  Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with parchment paper, until cold, at least 1 hour. 

Bake Crostata:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in middle position.  Generously butter springform pan.  Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep other piece chilled) between 2 sheets of parchment paper into a 12-inch round (dough will be very tender).  Remove top sheet of parchment and invert dough into springform pan.  (Dough will tear easily, patch it with your fingers.)  Press dough over bottom and 1-inch up side of pan, trimming excess.  Chill shell and roll out remaining dough between sheets of parchment into a 12-inch round.  Remove top sheet of parchment, then cut dough into 10 (1/3-inch wide) strips with pastry wheel and slide, still on parchment, onto a baking sheet.  Chill until firm, 30 to 45 minutes.  Bake shell until bottom is pale and golden and edge is golden, 15 to 20 minutes.  Cool shell in pan on a rack, about 30  minutes.  Spread filling in shell and arrange 5 strips 1 inch apart on filling.  Arrange remaining 5 strips 1 inch apart diagonally across first strips to form a lattice with diamond-shaped spaces.  Trim edges of all strips flush with edge of shell.  Brush lattice top with egg wash and sprinkle crostata with remaining tablespoon of sugar.  Bake crostata until pastry is golden and filling is bubbling, 35 to 30 minutes.  Cool completly in pan on a rack, about 2 hours (juices will thicken).  (Dough can be chilled up to 2 days.  Crostata is best the day it is made but can be baked 1 day ahead and chilled, covered (once cool).  (You can choose not to put the lattice top on the crostata, which is how I now like to serve this, it makes it a bit easier and the leftover pastry can be used to make something else.) Serve at room temperature.)

"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good.  Luckily, this is not difficult."  Charlotte Whitton

Garden Art...

This is kind of hard to see but look closely...hanging from the branch of the tree is a round, iron pan rack and dangling from it's hooks are various kitchen gadgets...isn't it great?!?  I think I'm going to change out some of the gadgets for tea cups, just as soon as I can scavenge some...but in the meantime I love the thing...the mister was not amused...he rolled his eyes and then said it was not staying and when he said that he moved his foot in such a way that I was reminded of a bull's hoof in the middle of a bull fight...but it's staying...it's a "conversation piece" and it's already worked!  Ole'!

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The halloween quilt is coming along nicely...I ran into a little dilemma though, since I couldn't "do the math"...first let me explain, there are two kinds of quilters...one kind is smart, analytical, graphic-design educated and they know how to make the right amount and size of blocks to fit any size border...in other words, they can do the math.  The second kind of quilters are creative, artsy, fly-by-the-seat-of-their-sewing-machines and rarely can they do the math...because they don't even realize that math is called for...if the blocks don't line up exactly that's just part of the charm...I fall into this latter group...so not being able to do the math I made my halloween pumpkin blocks 10-inches square...and then added 10-inch square blocks around the pumpkin blocks...but the pattern was too much - it just all ran together.  I should have put in a breaking border but if I'd done that I would have needed to make the 10-inch blocks bigger, as in do the math...so in a little brainstorming session with Lori she remembered a quilt she had seen where rick-rack was sewn to the top of the quilt...making a breaking point between the blocks!  Brilliant!!  She solved my problem...now I just have the stems to attach and it will be ready to be quilted...only 75 days left till halloween!

"Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps."  Emo Philips

Popcorn Cake...

We're on day three of heat-stroke-inducing weather so let me ask you something...when it's really hot outside, do you close the windows early in the morning (to trap what "cool" there is inside) and pull your blinds to keep the sun from beating in?  Well that's what I have done for years and it's kept the house pretty cool...then a few years back the mister decided that we needed to put in air-conditioning...spending thousands of $$$$$ for 3 days of heat a year...I tried to talk him out of this because I would have much rather had a new piece of bling but he was insistent and so we got air-conditioning.  Now, here's the thing, I still go around the house, especially in the afternoon and pull the blinds down to keep the sun out...even with the air on the sun beating in the windows heats things up.  So the mister comes home the other day, walks into the darkened family room and immediately pulls up the shades and declares that pulling them down is totally unnecessary now that we have air.  I disagreed.  I'm the one who is home during the day as the sun beats in, I should know.  But the mister fluffs his plumes and says, "I am a businessman, I know about these things."  Yes, he really said that. 

Responding in like fashion I announced, "Well I'm an Engineer's daughter and I know about these things!"  That's right...I dropped the BIG ONE on him. He knows he can't argue with that!  My dad, the engineer, knows something about everything, he's our "go-to-guy" when we have plumbing issues or car problems or tile trouble...you name it, he can fix it.  He also has the answer to any math question ever devised and he knows history...personally. When I drop the "Daughter of an Engineer" card the mister backs off...he knows he's sunk because if he persists the next card is the "My Dad Is An Engineer and He's On The Phone" card...and that cards scares the hell out of him.

I like to think that some of dear old dad's brilliance has rubbed off on me...surely a little bit has but not nearly as much as I'd like, of course, but let's just say the acorn didn't fall far from the squirrel's mouth.  And in this instance I know my dad would back me up...sun beating into a room heats it up no matter what the thermostat is set to!  So don't let a businessman try to tell you any different!

Popcorn Cake

1 package (16 oz.) regular marshmallows

1/2 cup butter

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

10 cups popped popcorn

4 cups Rice Krispies (I used Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Krispies work great, too)

1 can salted peanuts (optional)

1 cup M&M's

1 cup Skittles

1 cup Dots

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallows, butter, and oil; stir constantly until marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Place popcorn, Rice Krispies, peanuts and candy in a very large bowl; stir in marshmallow mixture until all is mixed well.  Press popcorn mixture into a greased 10-inch tube pan; packing firmly.  (It helps to cover hands with plastic wrap with a little butter on the plastic to push the popcorn down, this way it won't stick.)  Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Unmold onto a serving plate. 

I made two popcorn cakes - one for me and one for a friend's children...I stuck a couple of Barbie's into the center of their cake and wrapped it all up in cellophane tied with a bow - they were thrilled!

"It's a dog-eat-dog world and I'm wearing Milk Bone shorts."  Oscar Levant