Pots and Pins

Polenta Bites...

I discovered that SOME people, like the Blonde Bombshell, do not like polenta!  She actually said it was an "acquired taste!"  I'm thinking her taste buds need electric shock therapy because really, polenta is so benign, so mild, so adaptable...it takes on the flavor of whatever it's with...a food chameleon, if you will.  So when I served these polenta bites and they were not immediately scarfed up, I questioned the Blonde Bombshell and that's when she dropped her bomb - that she didn't like them.  I was shocked.  Visibly shaken.  Unable to speak - but only because I was too busy stuffing them into my face to PROVE to her that they were delectable and delicious and nothing if not totally divine!  She believed none of it.  But you must...surely you must.  These are beautiful little appetizers, and tasty and if you have a party and serve them I am certain your guests will love them...just don't invite the Blonde Bombshell!

  

You can top these "bites" with whatever you like...I like to use chopped up Kalamata olives and a sprinkling of shredded Parmesan cheese - super simple and super good...no matter WHAT she said! 

Polenta Bites - Adapted from Michael Chiarrello

To Make Kalamata Polenta Bites:

1 package(16 oz.) Polenta, cooked, according to package directions

1 jar (12 oz.) pitted Kalamata olives, finely chopped

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

To Make Ham and Cheese Polenta Bites:

1/4 lb. thinly sliced deli ham

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 slices, Deli Swiss Cheese, sliced thin

1 green onion, thinly sliced

Make Polenta, according to package directions.  Spray rimmed cookie sheet with cooking spray.  Pour hot Polenta out onto cookie sheet, smooth.  Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.  When firm, slice Polenta into 2-inch squares.  Top Polenta with chopped Kalamata olives and a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese.  To make ham and cheese Polenta bites, top pieces of Polenta with a thin coating of Dijon mustard.  Place a small piece of Deli ham on top, along with a small piece of Swiss Cheese.  Top with a few pieces of green onion.  Serve cold.  Makes 50 2-inch Polenta pieces.  You can use your creativity to come up with other toppings...salami and cheese, mushrooms and cheese, cream cheese and a Vidalia onion slice - the possibilities are limitless!

"Don't get too comfortable with who you are at any given time - you may miss the opportunity to become who you want to be."  ~ Jon Bon Jovi

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One year ago today:  Italian Cream Cake

Maple Cream French Toast...

We had a late breakfast, the very rich and filling Maple Cream French Toast...and that led led to a late lunch and by dinner time neither of us were hungry...and since we were both exhausted from a long day of all work and no play, we headed up to the booed-wah, put on our pj's and climbed into bed.  The mister, with remote in hand, began his routine channel-changing, waiting until I was just about to get interested in something before he clicked away.  It really is amazing how much I can follow a TV show by just seeing 6 seconds of it every 3 or 4 minutes!  Around 9-ish we were both hungry and I wanted something that didn't come out of a plastic bag...so I made us Tomato Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches...The mister was thrilled when he saw me enter the bedroom carrying a tray of food, and then he said, "You're serving me soup in bed?  What's the occasion?  Is it our anniversary or something?"  And you know what?  It WAS our anniversary!  I had forgotten (blocked it from my mind) and so had he...so we celebrated our anniversary by eating tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches in bed...might have to make it a tradition!

  

Mmmmmmmaple....and cream...what a way to start the day!  This French toast is my new favorite breakfast...and if you're not a breakfast eater, this will make a believer out of you!  Just use a good day-old bread.  I had Italian bread on hand, but Challah would be great to use, too.  Cut your slices thick so you can have one big chewy bite after another and just try not to moan, when you taste the custard-like center with all of it's maple-y goodness...my oh my!

Maple Cream French Toast - ME

1/3 cup cream

1/4 cup maple syrup (If you don't have REAL maple syrup, then you can add 1 teaspoon of maple extract to the mixture to enhance the maple flavor.  I like to use REAL Vermont maple syrup, not the watered-down kind that's usually available in grocery stores.)

4 eggs

8 slices good, day-old bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices

2 tablespoons butter

In a medium bowl combine the cream, maple syrup and the eggs, beating with a whisk until combined.  Dip bread, one slice at a time into egg mixture then set on a plate for 2 to 3 minutes to allow mixture to soak in.  Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter in skillet.  Place 4 slices of dipped bread in skillet at a time.  Cook approximately 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.  Serve with additional maple syrup.  Serves 4.

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"Keep your fears to yourself but share your courage with others."  ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

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One year ago today:  Foccacia

Winter Whimsey Quilt...

After TWO days of sewing/cutting/ironing I'm still not done with this dang top...which has to be at the quilter's today...but I had to take a break to show you how it's coming along...

And yes, you read me right...I did indeed iron...but only because this quilt is for someone else...otherwise I wouldn't waste my time!  My thanks to Lori who rushed to my aid when the thing was starting to go wavy on me!  She's something of a miracle worker with fabric...and it's dang good to have a friend who's a miracle worker.  Only three more borders to go and then the top will be done.  This is a new pattern for Lavender Rabbit and Maywood Studios  sent me the fabric for FREE!  It's so fun to get fabric in the mail but free fabric is WAY more fun!  (Maywood does not sell to individual customers but they have a "just looking" section on their site so be sure to go have a look - they have some great fabrics!)  When this quilt comes back from the quilter, I'll sew on the binding and send it off to Maywood - they will keep it for a year and this little quilt of mine will travel all over the country to different shows and events...then I'll get it back.  Okay, back to the sweatshop!

100th Shower...

I'm sure I've given at LEAST a hundred showers over the years...and this one was my all-time favorite...a baby shower for Ali.   I just adore Ali so I pulled out all the stops!  Unfortunately I didn't take a lot of pictures - just as I was going to grab my camera the guests started arriving and then I forgot!  I must remember to buy myself some ginko beloba!  

The diaper cake turned out great...and really, they are SO simple to make, why anyone would EVER buy one is a mystery to me!  You just need 4 hands (two is NOT enough,) tape and ribbon...oh, and diapers.

The Lemon Sisters, thinly disguised by this blurry shot, sang some "new lullaby's" for the new mom...The Lemon Sister on the left is truly an evil genius and wrote some very funny lyrics, which her two sibs helped to deliver in the most hilarious way...their sister on the far right brought along her uke to accompany them, adding just the right touch of "corn."  I had to get in on the act so I wrote some lyrics to another lullaby, which they belted out like they were opening at the Met - it was worth the price of admission, which was free.    

My apologies to the little sister, who is pictured at right...I couldn't show you the cute name banner or the beautiful dress without showing her, too!  The beautiful blessing gown was made by Margaux, mother of the new mom-to-be, out of the "extra" train that was cut off from her wedding dress!  The train was much too long for what the bride wanted, so they altered it and her mom saved the extra fabric, thinking that one day it might come in handy.  I wish I had taken a close up of the detail in this little gown - it's just amazing. 

I have another friend who bought several wedding dresses at a bridal shop that was going out of business...she paid $25 for each one, thinking one day her daughters might wear one when they got married...or she planned on making blessing gowns if and when she got a grandbaby...well, 3 weddings and 3 grandbabies later, those dresses are still intact.  She recently dragged them out and we had an impromptu fashion show...it was hilarious because from the front they looked great, but from the back they were unable to be zipped as none of us are a size 4!

I made 30 baby-bottle-shaped cookies for favors...and they were dang good!  Pink sugar crystals for the nipple and white sugar crystals for the bottle...If you need a great sugar-cookie recipe, click here.

I made some great food, too....in my humble opinion...and I'll be sharing those recipes with you soon. 

In the meantime, I'm going to tell you about two recipes that you simply MUST MAKE NOW:

 

Pictured above is Grandma Iny's Cake From Pioneer Woman ...I hesitate to tell you what it's really called because I fear once you know you won't want to make it, let alone eat it...but when Pioneer Woman says it's great and when I second that, then you must trust us...it's great...so brace yourself, it's called PRUNE CAKE!  I know, I know, prunes...they're not just for constipation any more!  This is such a moist and wonderful cake, thanks in part to the amazing syrup/glaze that is poured over the top.  Think spice cake or applesauce cake, or even gingerbread - that's what this tastes like...except better.  This is made in a 9x13-inch cake pan, but I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter and made these sweet little desserts...and served with a dollop of whipped cream, well, they are something to write home about!     

The other recipe I have for you is from Smitten Kitchen - it's pictured above.  I have already made THREE batches in the last THREE DAYS... Chocolate Caramel Crack(ers) .  Think of it like crack, because it's THAT addictive.  If I continue making batch after batch I will need to find a 12-step program soon!  They are made with SALTINES...and SALT is the operative word here...salt and chocolate...salt and caramel...topped with toasted almonds...I'm starting to salivate just thinking about it!  If it weren't for Smitten Kitchen and her steady delivery of the most incredible recipes, which has contributed to the  steady increase on my scales, I wouldn't be able to bestow this honor on her...I have named my back fat after her. A high honor, no doubt, and one that deserves no thanks.  It was my pleasure - literally.  (This note added after my original post....the Fashionista made these for me years ago...and I had totally forgotten about them!  Which can only mean at some point I was kidnapped by aliens, taken to their Most-Excellent-Recipe-Memory-Erase-Center where my memory was wiped clean, and then returned to Earth totally unaware of their hideous act!  Else, how could I have forgotten something so delicious?!?!)   

Little Paige will be one lucky little girl - she will have wonderful parents and grandparents, with extended family and friends who will love her to pieces - just like we love her mom.  Have a happy baby Ali!     

Pecan-Coconut Pie...

What if you combined pecan pie with an Almond Joy, without the almond, of course?  Just think about that for a moment...toasted pecans, chewy coconut, rich filling...in a light and flakey crust...okay,  snap out of it - and TRY to tell me that won't cure what ails you!  I came across this recipe on the Good Morning America website - via Alton Brown - that crazy "scientist of food" who always tells us more than we want to know, am I right?  Seriously, what do I care at what temperature marshmallow fluff freezes?!?  This is from Alton's book, Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run from the show of the same name where Alton rode his motorcycle from New Orleans to Minnesota, up the first "highway," the Mississippi River.  He stopped at Ray's Dairy Made in Burton, Arkansas and had a piece of this pie, begged for the recipe, put it in his book, went on GMA and they put it on their website and now I'm regurgitating it for you...because it's THAT good!

  

This couldn't be easier to make either - you'll dirty ONE bowl and a spoon - almost unheard of in my kitchen!  The only hard thing about making this pie is waiting the 45 minutes after it's done baking to cut into it...which I didn't do as I'm not a fan of torture.  We dug in after about 10...and it was amazing...a definite 5 danger!  However, after 45 minutes the pie is still a bit warm, so any ice cream placed next to it will slowly melt, and the pie itself is a bit more "jelled"...much like my bottom half after eating it!  Alton's Food Network show is called Good Eats ...and this is about as good as it gets!

My pie plate was a gift from my mom - she made it!  Well, she etched my name and an apple on the bottom of the plate - so now when I leave it somewhere it's always returned!  Thanks Mom - I love it!

Pecan-Coconut Pie - Adapted From Alton Brown, Feasting on Asphalt:  The River Run, courtesy of Ray's Dairy Made, Burton, Arkansas

10 1/2 oz. granulated sugar

3 large whole eggs

2 oz. unsalted butter, melted

4 oz. buttermilk

3/4 cup pecans, chopped

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

3 oz. sweetened coconut flakes

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

1 pie crust (pre-baked)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, stirring well.  Pour mixture into a baked and cooled 9-inch pie crust.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the pie is golden brown and the center is barely set.  Let cool for 45 minutes before serving.  (IF I had waited the 45 minutes before cutting into the pie, it would have looked MUCH prettier...but in this case, looks didn't matter!)  Serves 6 to 8.

"These are only hints and guesses, hints followed by guesses, and the rest is prayer, observance, discipline, thought and action."  ~ T.S. Eliot

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One year ago today:  Lemon Pound Cake

Where The Wild Things Are...

Because I know YOU have been waiting pati ently...finally I have some pics from Baby Max's 1st birthday party and a few Easter shots too...

  

 

So that's it - a great time was had by all!  Especially Baby Max!!  The girl, pictured above with the SIL, made ALL the food - I think her cupcakes turned out so cute ...the girl is very clever and did a wonderful job with everything - however, her crowning achievement is Max...nothing can beat him! 

Asparagus and Rice Soup...

If there's fresh asparagus in the market then it's spring ... even if the thermometer says 40 degrees!  We actually had snow flurries the other day!  Some spring!  Today looks to be a bit nicer - it's always nice to have sun on Tax Day...truly, the only bright spot for us!  This dish would have received 5 dangs...but I'd say it's a solid 4-danger on the old meter.  The asparagus was a bit on the mushy side after all the cooking - next time I'd make a few changes, like cutting the asparagus in bigger pieces so it can be removed and mashed or blended up and also, I would reserve some asparagus and then roast it so I could add it to the soup right before serving.  But still...it's dang, dang, dang, dang good!

I would be remiss if I didn't give you this heads-up...the mister accompanied me to church on Easter Sunday - he rarely darkens the doors, ever since he realized the roof of the church wasn't lightening proof.  So, since the mister was in church on Sunday, a rare a sighting as a flying Do-Do bird, then you can pretty well be guarandamteed that you-know-what is frozen over...or very close to being so.  Consider yourselves warned.  

This is about as comforting as it gets.  It's cooked for an hour and a half, so the broth is reduced by a third and the flavors are condensed and married in the most delightful way.  You'll like this...I promise.

Asparagus and Rice Soup - Adapted from Country Living, May 2009

4 large garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups 1/2-inch-cubed potatoes (about 2 russet potatoes)

3 cups chopped leeks, 1/4-inch of white and all green parts

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste

1 1/2 lbs. fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch chunks

4 cans (14 oz.) vegetable broth

1 cup water

1 cup Arborio rice

freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving

Saute garlic with 1/3 cup olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, 6-quart pot over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until crusty but not browned, 4 to 5 minutes.  Add leeks and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add vegetable broth, water, bay leaves and salt.  Stir well, scraping potatoes from pot bottom.  Cover, bring to a boil, and add cut asparagus.  Lower heat to vigorous simmer and cook, uncovered, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until reduced by a third.  Add rice, bring to a boil, and cook 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and season with pepper and more salt to taste.  Stir in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese.  Ladle into soup bowls and top each bowl with additonal cheese.  Serves 8.

"Puttering is really a time to be alone, to dream and to get in touch with yourself...To putter is to discover."  ~ Alexandra Stoddard

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One year ago today:  Black Bean and Corn Salad

Stuffed Ciabatta...

To anyone who quilts, having a "stash"...fabric on hand...scraps left over from various projects...is a necessity.  Sometimes when I'm in the middle of pieceing a quilt, thinking I'm using the perfect fabrics, I might realize that I need a little piece of something different to make it "pop!"  Being able to go to my stash and pull out that perfect piece is every quilter's dream...suffice to say that my stash is my quilting life-line...it's something I've been working on/accumulating for years and years.  It's also something that is quite out of control at the moment...so I was telling the mister last evening that I have hired someone to come and help me organize my stash.  Oh, he knows what a stash is, he refers to it as his retirement fund.  He also knows how important my stash is...and he said to me, "Why would you do that?  Why don't you just throw it out and get rid of the clutter?"

  

Now you may think the mister was trying to be helpful...trying to give me a solution, offering me an easy option...you may think that but you would be wrong.  The mister was baiting me.  You see, there are no longer any sports to watch on TV (that he cares about)...basketball is over and football doesn't start until August and baseball holds no interest for him...so he has NOTHING to entertain him except ME.  And he loves to play BAIT.  That's where he says something incredibly stupid, like "Why don't you just throw it out?" which is the bait...and then he sits patiently and waits for me to react to his stupidity so he can POUNCE with something pithy and witty in return ...thereby securing a WIN.

   

Please tell me you've played  BAIT  before?!?  For years the mister was the reigning champion...he would say something, I would react, he would win.  Finally, I caught on...it took me a while due to brain cell degeneration from child rearing...so now, like last night, when we play  BAIT  he does NOT win.  I'll let you in on a little secret...to win at  B A I T  you have to  W A I T .  That's right...I wait him out...I don't react. I smile, giving him the impression that he's King of Bait...and I say nothing.  Nothing.  Given the mister's attention span is long as his...pinky...it doesn't take but a moment or two before he loses interest and I can then begin to polish my crown.

Ohhhhh...the stuffed Ciabatta...I didn't forget...how could I?  It's everything you want a sandwich to be...meaty, chewy, cheesy, full of flavor and quite possibly an E-ticket to a coronary event...but worth it!

Stuffed Ciabatta - Pots and Pins

4 Ciabatta rolls, cut in half, inside bread removed

1 bunch fresh basil leaves

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers

1/2 lb. dry Italian salami

1/2 lb. shaved smoked turkey

12 oz. fresh Mozzarella, sliced

8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shredded

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

juice from one lemon

salt and pepper

aluminum foil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush insides of Ciabatta rolls, after slicing and scooping out the center, with olive oil. Layer all of the ingredients on top of both sides of each roll.  Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top of tomatoes, add salt and pepper, carefully place the Ciabatta tops back onto their bottoms and wrap tightly in foil, sealing the edges.  Put in oven and bake for 35 minutes.  Remove foil and serve hot.  Serves 4. 

"Style has nothing to do with money.  Anybody can do it with money.  The true art is to do it on a shoestring."  ~ Tom Hogan

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One year ago today:  Family, Fajitas, Flan and Firearms

Happy Easter Cupcake and Silk Tie Eggs!

Two quick things to show you before I head back to the kitchen to finish up the feast...the first is something I discovered on Bakerella's Blog - and if you haven't been to Bakerella's Blog then WHAT ARE YO  U WAITING FOR?!?!  Hers  are much cuter but I was in a hurry  - I ended up using Rainbow Twizzler's and Peanut M&M's because I was fresh out of whatever it is she used...but seriously, they're dang cute and what's even better is they taste great too!  

I used a Butter Lemon Cake Mix - yes a Mix!  And baked these without cupcake papers in my large muffin tin so I only made 6 of these...1 got eaten immediately, leaving 5...2 went to the neighbor boys leaving 3...one for each of us - that's right, it's just me, the boy and the mister...I wasn't allowed to invite anyone to dinner because it's not JUST Easter but MASTER'S Sunday...a true High Holy Day if there ever was one!  The mister and boy did not want any interruptions...but, they still want their feast!  The second thing I have to show you is this:

Okay, so they don't look like much but I'm going to try a second batch later today and hopefully I'll have better results...but these are made with Silk TIES!!!  Silk Men's Ties!  Dawn sent me the link (thanks Dawn) and you've just got to check this out for yourself - go to Our Best Bites and scroll thru their wonderful tutorial...her eggs are incredible!!  And it was SO easy and SO fun!  I blew out the eggs first, so I could keep them and I discovered that blown eggs float so you'll need to weight them down in the pan with a plate or something.  Grab some ties from your hubby's stash and in 20 minutes you can have beautifully designed eggs!  Again - they're SUPER easy...this is definitely going to be an annual thing from now on!

Okay - got to get back to the kitchen - Happy Easter to You!

Potatoes Nan-a...

With only hours to go until the big feast - I realized that I hadn't given you this recipe - and if your menu isn't set in stone - these would be a great addition...creamy, cheesey potatoes - what could go better with an Easter feast than this?  Of course, this is a total rip-off of the classic Pommes Anna, or Potatoes Anna...which is a lovely dish in and of itself but after tweaking it a bit, I can tell you that I think Anna, whoever she is, would have been pleased because these are dang good...as in a 5 danger on the old meter!

   

Allow me to pause from the recipe for a moment...because I have big news to share, well, big for MY world...the mister broke all kinds of records last night - world land speed records!  He walked into the house at exactly 7:10 pm, set down his crap, turned on the TV, patted the wonderdog, uttered something unintelligible to me then raced up the stairs - as in two at a time.  At 7:14 he reappeared in the kitchen, wearing his pajamas.  4 minutes flat, and that included a potty stop.  4 minutes.  And they weren't even new pj's...I can't even imagine how much faster he would have been had they been new?!?  So today I'm going to purchase him some new pj's for Easter - that's kind of our custom - and I'll be watching, with a stop-watch to see just how long it takes him to get the new ones on...if you hear a sonic boom just before dusk, you'll know what it was!

 

 

If you have a slicer attachment on your food processor (I do not) or if you have a mandoline, then thinly slicing the potatoes will take no time whatsoever...I sliced mine by hand - trying my best to keep them as thin as I could without adding any flesh - and really, that's the only hard thing about this recipe...layered into a pan that can go from the stove to the oven, sprinkled in between layers with cream and Parmesan cheese - these will make your Easter feast - or any feast - worth the calories! 

Real Potatoes Anna don't have Parmesan cheese or cream...pity, really, because as good as the real ones are, these are TEN TIMES BETTER!

Potatoes Nan-a - Pots and Pins

10 to 12 medium potatoes, thinly sliced, skins left on  (I used Yukon Gold)

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 cup cream

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

salt and pepper

Fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large skillet that can go into the oven, pour 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Put one layer of potatoes in pan, completely covering bottom of pan and brush melted butter on top of potatoes, sprinkle about a tablespoon or so of cream over potatoes, sprinkle about a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese over the cream and add salt and pepper.  Put on a second layer of potatoes, completely covering the first, and repeat with the butter, cream, Parmesan and salt and pepper.  Continue in this manner until the pan is filled to the top with the layered potato mixture. Then if you have any cream or butter left, pour it over the top and finish with whatever Parmesan cheese you have left. Put pan on stove top and over medium-high heat, cook until bottom layer is brown, about 5 to 7 minutes.  (You can check by using a spatula to carefully lift up the layers.)  When the bottom is brown and crispy, put into the oven and bake for 1 hour, until the top is golden brown and crispy.  Remove from oven and slice into wedges, top each serving with a sprinkling of fresh chives.  Serves 8. 

"Giving presents is a talent; to know what a person wants, to know when and how to get it, to give it lovingly and well."  ~ Pamela Glenconner