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Good News! The Girl is Home...

Thanks to all of my blogland friends who emailed and said they had prayed for my girl...they must have worked because she was finally able to come home from the hospital today - which thrilled Baby Max to no end!  She was diagnosed with Dieulafoy's Lesion - some rare condition which only 5% of the population has...I think she should buy lottery tickets, I mean, with those odds how can she lose?!?  She is doing well, is incredibly thin, pale and weak but I've got a few days to fatten her up before I return home.  I had planned on showing you some wonderful pics of Baby Max, just so you can see he truly is the most wonderful boy in the world...but left my camera at home!  Thanks again for all of your kind words!

Winter Blessings Pillow...

Here's one of my latest projects that have helped to keep me sane this last week...it's from Crab Apple Hill Studios, a delightful pattern company - I just love everything they make.  This came together quickly and and is just adorable when finished.  This pattern is called Crazy Quilt Snowman. 

As usual, I didn't stick strictly to their pattern, I have such a hard time doing that!  And because my mind wanders or just plain checks out, my pillow ended up looking quite a bit different than the pattern...not nearly as cute but I had other things on my mind - like the girl...thanks for all of your kind comments and prayers!  She still needs them!  I flew to SLC yesterday, got to see the girl and Baby Max so that eased my mind a bit but they still have no idea what is going on...she's in a great hospital and has great doctors so I'm hopeful that maybe tomorrow we'll get good news...all of my fingers and toes are crossed! 

Chocolate Cream Pie In A Coconut Crust....

I am missing twist ties...you know, those little things that come with plastic bags and seem to breed in the kitchen drawer?  For the last several years now I've only purchased Zip-Lock bags, which do not come with twist ties...and every time I've needed a twist tie, like to secure Caesar-Beezer-The-Wonder-Dog's poop to his collar when we walk (I may sleep with the dog on my bed but I'm not about to carry his poop!) I've reached into my vast supply and pulled one out...well, my vast supply is no longer vast...in fact, it's depleted!  And just where does one buy twist ties?!?   I have no idea but I am missing them!  If you have extra twist ties and want to send them to a good home let me know and I'll tell you where to send them - I'm not kidding!

           

This pie is, in a word, decadent.  Deliriously so.  The chocolate filling is silky smooth and richly dense, it's almost fudge like yet not.  The whipped cream is needed to cut the chocolate just a bit, so don't forget to put some on - fresh too, not that fake stuff in the plastic tub!  Now, let me tell you about the crust...I've made coconut crusts before, with some very intricat e recipes and they've turned out great but none of them compare to this!  This crust has two ingredients - coconut and butter - so tell me how can one go wrong?!?  Melted butter, mixed with the coconut and pressed into the pie tin and then baked until the coconut is toasted and full of chewy flavor...I'm telling you, you will LOVE this pie...so much so that you'll want to include a thank you to me when you send me your twist ties!

     

     

I just can't leave this pie alone - one forkful at a time I end up eating the entire thing!  The mister does not like chocolate desserts - he only eats "white" desserts...which makes him a dessert racist.  I did take a few pieces to some friends, if only to save myself the calories - it was a hard, hard thing to do! 

Chocolate Cream Pie in a Coconut Crust - Adapted from Several Sources, including King Arthur Flour and Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Crust:

2 cups flaked coconut

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine coconut and melted butter.  Press into a 9-inch pie plate.  Bake at 325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or till coconut is a light golden brown.  Cool completely.

Filling: 

1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup heavy cream, divided

3 large egg yolks

2 cups milk

Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate for shavings on top

To make the filling:  Place the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and set aside.  In a saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt.  Add 1/4 cup of cream, whisking until the mixture is smooth.  Repeat with another 1/4 cup of cream.  Whisk in the egg yolks.  Place the saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the remaining cream, and the milk.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly as the mixture thickens; boil for 1 minute.  Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture over the reserved chocolate and butter, stirring until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.  Pass the filling through a strainer to remove any lumps.  Place plastic wrap on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and chill thoroughly. 

To make the topping:  Whip the heavy cream till it starts to thicken.  Add the sugar and vanilla and whip until the cream is as stiff as you like.  

To assemble the pie:  Spoon the cooled filling into the baked and cooled crust.  Top with the whipped cream.  Use a grater to create chocolate shavings for the top of pie.  Serves 8 normal people or one glutton.   

"A lot of disappointed people have been left standing on the street corner waiting for the bus marked 'Perfection.'" ~ Donald Kennedy

Coq Au Vin...

Get out the violin...yesterday I told you the girl was released from the hospital and went home.  We all breathed a sigh of hesitant relief - well that didn't last long and the SIL took her back to the hospital in the middle of the night.  More bleeding.  This time they went to the BIG hospital and after running several tests they have admitted her.  This new set of doctors told her they think she has pancreatitis...but, with my vast medical knowledge, I don't concur...a quick search on Google told me that she has NONE of the symptoms of pancreatitis...except the bleeding...but then, what do I know?!  I would have already been on a flight and would be there now holding Baby Max except that the mister is having his OWN issues!  His timing is impeccable as always!  He is having a colonoscopy today and needed me to take him and drive him home...he's a bit of a baby when it comes to anything medical about himself...so I've stayed here to see him thru this "trauma"...he's acting like they are going to drive a Mack truck filled with Teamsters doing the Flamenco up his backside - oh if only!           

I'm worried sick about the girl and it's so very hard to keep my mind on anything...if I just keep going through the paces, doing my usual thing, then I can pretend just a bit that all is well....so, in that vein, on to Coq au Vin, or as I like to call it, Drunk Chicken!  I've taken huge liberties with this classic French dish...first I didn't cook it in a Dutch oven on the stove top or in the oven...and I didn't braise the chicken first - nope, I sent it straight to the crock, got it crocked and then cooked it to pieces!  

And it is magnifique!  The chicken is simmered in a chicken broth and wine with bacon, carrots, muchrooms and onions...the flavor is not to be beat - try this, it's easy and the perfect prescription for a day filled with angst!

Coq au Vin - Adapted from several different recipes

1 1/2 cups peeled baby carrots

3/4 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

5 slices thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into strips

10 small button mushrooms, wiped clean

2 teaspoons each minced garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme

1 whole onion, chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1 whole chicken

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

In a large crock-pot turned to high, combine carrots, broth, paste, mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, thyme, onion, and wine.  Mix well.  Set chicken in crock and top with bacon pieces; spooning some of the broth over top.  Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.  Remove chicken and vegetables with slotted spoon to a serving dish.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Serves 4 to 6. 

"If you do things well, do them better.  Be daring, be first, be different, be just."  ~ Anita Roddick

Broiled Grapefruit...

First the good news...the girl was released from the hospital late this afternoon.  She is happy to be home with Baby Max, who endured 36 hours without his mom like a champ, what more can I say?  He is a perfect child.  Now the not-so-good-news, her doctors have no idea why she lost more than half her blood or where she was bleeding from!!  The endoscopy was negative as was the colonoscopy.  They next had her swallow a camera, a teensy-weensy camera that takes pictures of her innards and sends the info to a computer taped to her abdomen...maybe it will find something - it will be done "diagnosing" at 10:30 p.m. MST.  I was not happy that she was released...I mean, how do you go from the ICU to home without passing some type of test or stone?!?  She was in a small regional hospital and while she and the SIL felt she got good care I'm not so sure...where is Dr. HOUSE when you need him?!?  But what do I know, I'm just the mom who is 800 miles away and HIPA prevents me from even asking if she used Kleenex!       

I made this for the mister and me last night...it's one of my favorite late night snacks, except that I can only eat this after 7:00 pm and before 8:30 pm as grapefruit interacts badly with one of the drugs I take so I need a clear 2 hour window before and after...weird but something I'm willing to do just to eat this.  I first discovered this about 20 years ago in one of my many diet books...and it said to put Sweet n'Low on top of the grapefruit...it wasn't bad but the aftertaste always bothered me.  I started using regular sugar, which was better, but brown sugar is the key!  Sprinkle one to two tablespoons brown sugar on half of each grapefruit (or however much your glucose meter will allow!)  Place under a broiler for about 3 to 4 minutes, until the brown sugar has melted and the edges of the grapefruit begin to brown slightly. Remove and eat at once!  They are sweet and delicious and even with the brown sugar they are still good for you so you don't have to feel guilty!  Use a  grapefruit spoon (or a knife to cut around the edges) to eat the with - it's so much easier.  I once had 12 grapefruit spoons but since they were sharp they were the spoons the kids took to play outside in the dirt with...now I have two. 

"If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun."  ~ Katharine Hepburn

Crazy Hearts Part Three...

  Part of me wishes I'd just stuck with the table runner idea - but the other part of me loves this very basic little quilt.  I was going to make a pieced heart border but my concentration level is non-existent today (no word yet on the girl) so I just sewed on wide borders and called it good.  It's big enough for me to wrap up in (with Baby Max) when I sit down to eat a piece of chocolate and watch a good cry-movie on Lifetime.  It's not pressed as you can see because I don't iron as I go...not the seams or the blocks or even the finished top - I think ironing is over-rated, except for my new found love of ironing bed sheets, thanks to the Aussie for that bit of OCD-ness!  As with ALL QUILTS...once they are washed and dried (to shrink the batting) all of that ironing becomes moot!   

I don't know if this top is done yet or not - I'll have to live with it a bit before I know - I might applique some crazy hearts in the borders out of different cream/white fabrics or I might embroider something in the borders with red ribbon - like a love poem - something sickly sweet...the idea of that appeals to me...How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways...I love thee when thee picks up thine socks, I love thee when thee takes out the trash, I love thee when thee buys me things!!  Oh how I love thee!  That has a nice ring to it, don't you think? 

Francais Lemon Tart...

We're having a bit of an anxious morning...which began with an anxious night...the girl called late last night to tell us she wasn't feeling w ell.  I, being a graduate of Oprah "U" and a follower of the fascinating-scrubs-wearing-without-underwear Dr. Oz (don't tell me YOU haven't noticed!) asked all the approriate questions...what did you eat?  Do you have a fever?  Have you gone potty?  What?  Black stools?  For how long?  Weak, dizzy, pale, black stools...now, I may not be a doctor, nor do I play one on TV, but I'm smart enough to know that 2 + 2 = a trip to the E.R.  So the SIL called the neighbor, who came to stay with Baby Max (the most beautiful boy on the planet) then he drove the girl to the hospital.  They put her in ICU, pumped her full of blood, 4 transfusions at the latest count and said she was bleeding internally, possibly from an ulcer.  She had an endoscopy and the good news is they found nothing.  The bad news is they found nothing...so it's not an ulcer and they're keeping her for the night; she's scheduled for more tests in the morning...they need to pinpoint where the blood is coming from so hopefully one of their tests will give them the answer and soon!  It's very frustrating being 800 miles away at a time like this...so I did the only thing I could...I went into the kitchen and made this lemon tart.  It did nothing to cure the queasy feeling me and the mister have...but like I said, it was the only thing I could do!

     

 

 

 

 

It just occurred to me that talking about black stools and a lemon tart in the same post is very unappetizing...but oh well, both are on my mind and not being in control of all of my faculties today I beg your forgiveness. Under different circumstances I would take the time to rave about this tart...today all I can tell you is this dessert is amazing in it's simplicity...tart and creamy and definitely worthy to hold center court in the finest French pastisserie or on your kitchen table.

    

You will need a 10-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom to make this -  so beg, borrow or buy one today.  This recipe was originally featured in Gourmet's May 1981 issue and was worthy of the recent encore.  I'll let you know about my girl and how she's doing tomorrow (poor Baby Max woke up this morning without his mom!!!  That just breaks my heart !!)...in the meantime how about mentioning her in your prayers...I know it couldn't hurt and I'm pretty sure it just might help and right now that's about all anyone can do!!

Lemon Tart -  Adapted From Gourmet, Jean Banchet

For Pastry Dough:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening

1/3 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

For Lemon Curd:

3 whole large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Make Pastry Dough:  Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.  Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork until incorporated.  Squeeze a small handful:  If dough doesn't hold togehter, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring until incorporated.  Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.  Turn out onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions.   With heal of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to disbrtibute fat.  Gather all of dough together and form into a 5-inch disk.  If dough is sticky, dust lightly with flour.  Chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make Lemon Curd:  Whisk together whole eggs, yolks, sugar, zest, and juice in a medium metal bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water.  Cook, whisking frequently, until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon.  Remove bowl from heat and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time, letting each one melt before adding the next.  Transfer to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap.

Make Tart:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle.  Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round.  Fit dough into tart pan, trim, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, and fold overhang inward.  Press dough against side of pan, pushing dough 1/4-inch above rim.  Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork and chill until firm, 10 to 15 minutes.  Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights.  Bake until side is set and edge is pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes.   Carefully remove weights and foil and bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes more.  Preheat broiler.  Put tart shell on a baking sheet, then pour lemon curd into shell.  Broil tart about 6 inches from heat until filling is golden in patches, 2 to 5 minutes.  (Watch carefully, tart burns easily!  I burned this the first time I tried it - fortunately I was able to remove the burned top, like peeling plastic off the top of the curd, it came of easily and left no burnt residue...but it does go quickly so keep an eye on it!)  Cool completely in pan on a rack.  Serves 8. 

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."  ~ William Arthur Ward

 

Crazy Hearts Part Two...

  I'm still thinking about how to sew these together...I think they need some sashing to set them off - I'm hand appliqueing the hearts so it's taking a bit of time...but at least I don't feel quilty for sitting in front of the TV...no idol hands in my workshop today! 

Crazy Hearts...

 

I had every intention of making a Valentine table runner with these...but I turned into a Fabric Whisperer and the hearts led me in another direction...stay tuned...in the meantime, here's a little tip the Aussie taught me...to clean your beaters in a jiffy, stick them in a sink full of soapy water and turn them on - who knew?!  (Just stick the beaters in the water, not the entire mixer or you'll have yourself a new hairdo!)   

"If you count all your assets, you always show a profit." ~  Robert Quillen

Italian Wedding Soup...

The mister has already called me twice this morning...once to report on who was nominated for an Oscar and the second time he called to tell me the fog was thick by his office.  Twice in the span of 20 minutes - two bits of information he felt I couldn't live without.  Yesterday he called me 11 times between 8:00 am and 6:30 pm...ELEVEN TIMES!  And then he had the nerve to ask me what I got done during the day!!!  He said, "How's that book coming along?"  Well, let's see here Mr. AT&T...this is how my day went...type one sentence, phone rings.  Type another sentence, phone rings.  Type same sentence as before, phone rings.  I think you get the picture...I personally hate the phone and I hate my cell phone even more.  I don't like devices that "lecture me"...I turn on my cell phone and it beeps that I have 37 missed calls and 29 voice mails...I hit my answering maching button and it tells me I have 57 messages...seriously, who has time to listen to 57 messages?!?   It's mind numbing...and on top of it all I have the mister calling me hourly with his blow-by-blowhard-blows!  I do answer the phone when I'm home - if I can find it - and I do try to keep up but I suppose I'm more of a Pony Express kind of gal...I don't feel that urgency to pick up the phone every 5 minutes and I tell the mister every day as he heads into the jungle, don't call unless there is fire or blood or if you do it better be for something more than a weather report...that reminds me, I need to schedule him an appointment to get his hearing checked!

        

 

What can I say about Ina Garten?  That she is a genius in the kitchen?  I think she is.  Every recipe of hers is easy to follow, uses easy attained ingredients and not only always turns out but is absolutely wonderful.  This is her recipe and it's a dang good one.  I had not used ground chicken before and I was surprised at how much I liked it!  These little meatballs (which are cooked in the OVEN!!) are packed with flavor and the hint of dill in the soup is nice and refreshing - I know you're going to love this soup as much as I did.

 

Italian Wedding Soup - Adapted From Barefoot Contessa Back To Basics by Ina Garten

For the meatballs:

1/4 lb. ground chicken

1/2 lb. chicken sausage, casings removed

2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

3 tablespoon milk

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Soup:

2 tablespoons good olive oil

1 cup minced yellow onion

1 cup 1/4-inch diced carrots (3 carrots)

3/4 cup 1/4-inch diced celery (2 stalks)

10 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup small pasta such as tubetini, stars or shells

1/4 cup minced fresh dill

12 oz. baby spinach, washed and trimmed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork.  With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  (You should have about 40 meatballs.  They don't have to be perfectly round.)  Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.  Set aside.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot.  Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil.  Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender.  Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute.  Taste for salt and pepper.  Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted.  Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan cheese.  Serves 6 to 8.