Pots and Pins

Tablecloth Apron...Mosser Glass...

What to do with Auntie Blanche's old tablecloth?  Cut it up and make an apron out of it!  Sew cute!

No one will ever know that I didn't embroider all those flowers on my "new" apron...never!  Now, if that's not enough to get your blood flowing, let me show you my new purchases...Mosser Glass ...ever heard of it?  I had not until I went with the Aussie one day to Trophy Cupcakes (the 2nd best cupcakery in Seattle, New York Cupcakes is numero uno in my book!) to do yet another taste test (research can be so time consuming!)...the Aussie noticed the beautiful pink cake plates...milky pink...which got her juices flowing to the point that she asked all kinds of questions about the plates, looked 'em up on line and then managed to place an order for WHOLESALE!  Of course, she was kind enough to let her good friends order a few items too!

Nesting bowls in green...beautiful, no?  6-inch and 9-inch cake plates...still kicking myself that I didn't get a 12-incher too!  Check out their catalog 'cause I'm sure they'll have something you just can't live without!  

Corn Saute Salad...

How hard can it be to grow corn?  It's not like farmers are rocket scientists, no disrespect intended, but we're talking about putting a few plants in the ground, watering daily, and letting luck and Mother Nature take over.  I decided to give it a try - a few years back and granted, my history with trying to grow tomatoes should have set off all kinds of warning flares but I was told that corn was EASY to GROW.  I bought into the lie.  Corn is not easy to grow...not when you have slugs, raccoons, rabbits and 3 days of sun a season.  After trying for 3 years, spending over $300 and having corn stalks that rivaled my LAWN in height, I've realized that corn growing is best left to the experts because maybe it IS rocket science!    

Fresh corn has arrived in our local store - fresh from Argentina or somewhere waaay down south...but it's darn good.  As much as I love corn on the cob, I also love eating it as a salad...with crunchy bacon bits and the zip of red and green peppers!

Just look at how colorful this dish is!  And it tastes great!  I'm going to serve this at our annual 4th of July bash...the one where the mister and I sit in front of the TV and watch fireworks from around the country...so fun...like watching paint dry.

Corn Saute Salad - Adapted from The Inn At Little Washington Cookbook, A Consuming Passion by Patrick O'Connell

6 ears fresh sweet corn (approximately 5 to 6 cups of kernels)

6 strips of bacon, diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 green bell pepper, finely diced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Shuck the corn and brush off all the silk.  Strip the kernels off the ears with a sharp knife.  (If you stick the ear of corn into the hole of a Bundt pan the corn will fall into the pan and not go all over the kitchen.)  In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from skillet, add the red and green peppers to the pan and sweat over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add the corn and saute for 3 to 4 minutes more.  Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper.  Return the bacon to the pan and add the cilantro.  Remove the corn mixture from the pan.  You can serve this salad warm from the pan, at room temperature or even cold from the refrigerator.  Serves 6.

"Experience teaches you to recognize a mistake when you've made it again."  ~ Unknown

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One year ago today:  Shrimp and Macaroni Salad

White Baked Beans...

I didn't know a thing about the Inn at Little Washington in the little village of Washington, Virginia, until I bought their cookbook at a garage sale.  Since the mister was raised in D.C., and is a self-appointed know-it-all for all things "East Coast" I asked him if he'd heard of the Inn at Little Washington and he stunned me by saying, "Yeah, I've eaten there...it was once voted the best restaurant within a 150 mile radius of D.C."   The man can't remember what size potty pants he wears but he could remember that!     

Patrick O'Connell, the cookbook author, calls this recipe My Grandmother's Baked Beans and said he grew up eating them at every picnic and family gathering.  Sugar was his granny's secret ingredient and he said "to think of them as carmelized baked beans."  Now doesn't that sound good?  Well, they are...they are mouth watering good...they are worthy of the 4th of July picnic you're planning and would pack up nicely for your escape to the beach.  You must try these beans...they only have 5 ingredients and they're not your average run-of-the-mill baked bean...they're so much better!

White Baked Beans - Liberally Adapted from The Inn At Little Washington Cookbook, A Consuming Passion by Patrick O'Connell

3 cans (14.5 oz.) white beans, such as Great Northern, Cannillini or Navy beans

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

5 strips bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and cooked until crisp

1 cup water

4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Drain beans and rinse with cool water.  Place beans in an earthenware crock or bean pot.  Stir in sugar, salt and bacon and add 1 cup of water.  Top with butter and bake, uncovered, for 3 hours.  If the top layer of the beans begins to burn or becomes too dry, cover the pot with aluminum foil.  Serves 6.

"They should put expiration dates on clothes so we would know when they go out of style."  ~ Garry Shandling

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One year ago today:  Chicken Salsa Soup  

Maple Cake With Maple Icing...

Or, as the French would say...Gateau et glacage a'lerable...of course that's without all the fancy punctuation marks...however you say it, it's absolutely one of the most surprising desserts I've ever made.  Surprising in many ways, here, let me count them for you!

1.  It has a firm, dense texture with a crumb so moist it's almost crumb-less...as in, there were hardly any bits left to pick up on the plate.

2.  The maple flavor is there but it's not over-powering...it won't make you think of pancakes or waffles...it will make you think of Vermont in the fall, red and orange leaves swaying gently on a cool breeze, birds singing, deers leaping...over the walnuts in the cake...fork full after fork full.

3.  The icing...mmmmmm...it's like marshmallow whipped to a frenzy - only it's meringue with maple syrup drizzled throughout - even on top.  The Blond Bombshell tasted it and as her eyes rolled back into her head she had herself a little moment of ecstasy...she does love a good frosting.

There, three reasons for you to make this cake...if not today, then tomorrow...or if your kitchen is just too hot to bake, then save this recipe for the fall...when the weather changes and you want real comfort food...this is the cake to make.

The batter is thick, so it's lightened with stiff egg whites folded in...and then there's the walnuts - oh my - walnuts and maple syrup, is that a marriage made in Heaven or what?  This makes one 9-inch cake - but not to worry, it rises up beautifully and with the mounds of frosting on top it looks like a double-decker - and it will serve 8!

See the picture above with the candle?  That's what started this...the mister and I were out and about one night, we stopped into a darling little shop that sold bric-a-brac (love that!) and candles and the mister said, in front of the shop owner, "How are you fixed for candles dear?"  Oh, did I mention the shop owner was young and thin and beautiful?  He is always on his best behavior around those types...so I took that as a sign to purchase a candle or four...and the very helpful shop owner said their best seller was Maple Syrup...sold!  Inside the maple syrup candle packaging was this recipe...normally I would have tossed a recipe from a candle company but the scent of the candle beguiled me...and so I made the cake and dang, I mean, DANG! if it wasn't delicious!

Maple Cake With Maple Icing ~ Adapted From Cake Candle

1/3 cup shortening

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup maple syrup, dark, grade B, if possible

2 1/4 cups cake flour (do not substitute)

1 Tablespoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk (whole milk, if you please)

3 egg whites, beaten until stiff

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Maple Icing:

1 cup maple syrup, plus 1 tablespoon, separated

pinch of salt

2 egg whites

To make cake:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9-inch square pan; line the bottom with waxed paper; grease paper.  Cream shortening with sugar; stir in the syrup.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with the milk.  Fold in beaten egg whites.  Stir in walnuts. Turn batter into prepared pan.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.  When done, a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.  Remove from oven and let sit in pan for 10 minutes then turn cake out onto a rack and remove paper.  When cake has cooled, spread top and sides with Maple Icing.

To make icing:  In a large bowl, beat 2 egg whites with pinch of salt until stiff (the mixture will expand when the syrup is added.)  Boil maple syrup in a small pan over medium-high heat until it spins a thread, about 232 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Pour syrup slowly over stiffly beaten egg whites, beating constantly with electric hand held mixer.  Continue beating until mixture is stiff and stands in soft peaks.  Frost cooled cake.  Drizzle additional tablespoon of syrup over the top. 

"Nothing is worth more than this day."  ~ Goethe

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One year ago today:  Soda Muffins

Bejeweled Mirror...

Years ago I decorated the back of a small hand mirror with jewels for my mom.  Every time I go to her home I see it and wonder why I never made myself one - it's just so dang cute!  So, on this last trip to see mom, and seeing her fabulous mirror yet again, I vowed to go on a search for a hand mirror that I could "jewel-up" the minute I got home...this is my finished product...and I must say, if I didn't already own it I would want to!  

It's so pretty and sparkly...and the BLING is almost palpable in person!  It's covered in old pearls and real fake diamonds! I used old earrings and necklace pieces, along with a few strategically placed shells and stones...this will no doubt be the start of mirror envy amongst my friends...Oh mirror, mirror on the wall, Now who's the fairest of them all?!

Cream of Sweet Potato Soup...

We've had 27 days without rain.  We live in Seattle.  If you look up the meaning of the name Seattle it will say rain.  We've had nothing.  Nada drop.  And instead we've had the most glorious of June's on record.  When the mister told us we were moving (for the 9th time) to Seattle, and we were packed up like Samsonite luggage without much say, I only knew it rained here.  The day we arrived it poured...buckets and buckets of rain as our furniture was being moved into the house.  Everything was a soggy mess!  Except the mister, who, after depositing us in the rain forest promptly flew out to sunny California for a meeting.  But I've grown to love the rain and the gray skies...they make for perfect days of quilting or whipping up comfort foods over a hot stove.

      

 

Sunny skies and warm temps do not inspire hot soups...but having a friend who's mouth was BOLTED shut from surgery did!  I was so sad for her but so happy to have a real excuse to heat up the kitchen!  This is one of my all-time favorite soups...it's creamy and rich and instead of chicken broth I use Mushroom Broth...it's pure decadence.  You may want to heat up your kitchens and raise your own body temps by making this right away...or you may want to wait and make it in the fall - it's the perfect "harvest" food and it would be a fabulous starter for your Thanksgiving feast!  But if you don't make this soon, and something bad happens, like you have to have your tongue amputated, you'll be so sorry you missed it! (Tongue amputations are rare...but why risk it?)

Cream of Sweet Potato Soup - Pots and Pins

1 carton (32 oz.) Mushroom broth (I use Pacific Organic broth, available at Whole Foods)

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large onion, diced

4 stalks celery, thinly sliced

4 large carrots, diced

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon curry

1/2 stick butter

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup cream

In a large Dutch Oven, heat olive oil and butter together and add the onions, carrots and celery.  Saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle the flour over top of veggies and saute for an additional 3 minutes, stirring to cook the flour just a bit.  Pour in broth and add sweet potatoes, salt, pepper, and curry.  Bring mixture to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, puree soup in the pot.  (If you don't have an immersion blender then you can use a regular blender, process 2 cups at a time, and then go BUY yourself an immersion blender!)  Stir in the cream and bring the heat back up until the soup is heated through.  Do not boil.  Serve hot.  Serves 6.

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits and blackberry jam rounded out the "care package" to my friend...who was definitely worth heating up the kitchen for!

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"How far that little candle throws his beams!  So shines a good deed in a naughty world."  ~ William Shakespeare

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One year ago today:  Cute Apron

Onion, Bacon and Gorgonzola Tart...

Imagine you're sitting on a balcony at a white linen covered table, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea on a clear, sunny day...imagine that you're sipping something wonderful from a long-stemmed crystal goblet while staring into the eyes of someone you love...imagine that the breeze off the ocean, several hundred feet below, gently tosses the hair from your face, revealing a smile you just can't resist as you bite, ever so gingerly, into this Mediterranean delicacy...Okay, now snap out of it and get a grip!     

To be perfectly seriously, this recipe will transport you - to where ever your "Eden" might be - and it might even have healing properties - I can't be sure - but it will definitely put you in your happy place!  The base of this recipe is the Onion Puree I posted yesterday (so scroll down) and it gives this tart the most incredible flavor.  And can we just talk a minute about bacon?  Thick and crispy, chewy and decadent...can one ever get enough?  It is married with the onion in the most happiest of ceremonies...and then there's the Gorgonzola...Mmmmmm...there is just nothing more I can say - oh wait, I thought of something...Make this tart - make it and eat it - and let yourself be carried away.

This tart, cut into small slivers, would make for an excellent appetizer or served in larger slices with a green salad, it's a lovely main course.

Onion, Pancetta and Gorgonzola Tart - Adapted From Mediterranean Flavors by Nick Stellino

1 refrigerated pie crust (or use homemade)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup diced bacon

1 cup Onion Puree (see next post, below)

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Line a 9-inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom with the pie crust and prick the bottom with a fork.  Cover the tart shell with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut a square of aluminum foil 4 inches larger than the diameter of the pan and line the tart shell, draping it over the edges to keep them from browning too quickly.  Weight the foil down with pie weights or dried beans and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and cool completely before filling.  (The tart crust will be par-baked, it will finish baking when filled.)

Decrease the oven heat to 350 degrees.  Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan set on medium-high heat until sizzling, about 2 minutes.  Add the bacon and cook until crispy brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Set aside.  Mix together the onion puree and the egg yolks.  Pour the filling into the partially baked and cooled tart shell and sprinkle with the cooked bacon and crumbled cheese.  With a spatula, gently push the toppings down into the filling.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top and crust are browned.  Cool for 10 to 15 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature. 

 "I am not afraid of tomorrow for I have seen yesterday and I love today."  ~ William Allen White

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One year ago today:  Macaroni and Maters

Onion Puree...

I think I've discovered the holy-grail-of-food...and this is it.  The possibilities for using this puree are endless.  Endless.  Just having this on-hand - in my freezer - makes my heart beat just a scoosh faster.  I couldn't love this any more.  Truly.     

Having bought Nick Stellino's Mediterranean Flavors cookbook at a garage sale for a buck, I soon realized, after pawing through it, I would have paid full price...maybe even double.  It's THAT goooood; I've already dog-earred about half the pages and drooled on the other half.  I decided the first thing I would make was his Onion, Pancetta and Gorgonzola Tart, which calls for a cup of this onion puree. (That recipe will post soon.) This puree will have your kitchen smelling like a 5 Star restaurant on a Saturday night...you just won't believe the magic that comes from cooking onions in chicken stock and Marsala wine.  And I don't want you to take my word for it...you MUST make this!  It can flavor soups, stews, roasts, gravies, sauces...or it can be used as a topping on chicken, pork, beef or fish...like I said, the possibilities are endless!

Using this onion puree as a flavoring agent in other recipes will give them a depth of flavor that you just can't get any other way...you will be tempted to consider this your "secret weapon!"  But don't keep it a secret - it's too good for that!

Onion Puree - Adapted From Mediterranean Flavors by Nick Stellino

5 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup dry Marsala wine

2 quarts chicken or beef stock

Place all ingredients in a 4 quart stockpot.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes.  Cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the onions have cooked down to a very thick consistency.  Remove the bay leaf.  Put the onions in the food processor or blender and process until creamy.  Place in ice cube trays and freeze.  When frozen, take out of the trays and place in freezer bags.  (Note:  If you use homemade stock, then add salt to taste to the onions.  If you are using canned stock, do not add salt, as the stock is already very salty.)

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"You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late."  ~ Italian Proverb

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One year ago today:  Grilled Italian Sandwich

Garage Sale...Tomorrow and Saturday...

For all of you who know where I live...Bright and early I'll be opening my doors to sell my wares...treasures galore!  In fact, I'm certain they are, at this very moment, breeding in my garage so by tomorow morning they'll be thousands more treasures for you to buy!

If you come, you simply cannot leave empty-handed...you must HELP me by carting off at least ONE item...think of it as your good deed for the day! 

Baby Max's Lair...

Project Nursery is featuring Baby Max's nursery today!  I don't mind telling you that I am thrilled about this - it's nice seeing my handiwork on someone else's site!  Unfortunately they did not have a picture of Baby Max in his little lair but I just happen to have one to show you today...I'm under the illusion that WE can never see too many pics of Baby Max!   

Project Nursery is a great website full of ideas for the new mom...and the old grandmom...along with design ideas they also have party ideas...so go, check them out!  But first, just tell me this, isn't he the cutest little baby on the planet?!?