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I've got a bad case of the Blues today...can't wait to watch those boys scream across the skies over Lake Washington...there ain't NOTHIN' better than this!
Bobbing in a boat on the lake while the Angels fly upside down over our heads...now that's livin' folks! I've got the cooler packed with my best "Blues-Watchin' Food" for our feast upon the waters...I'll be posting those recipes just as soon as I get over my Blues. Got to run now...I feel the need...the need for speed....
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The heat has gone to my head...I've spent the last week in SLC visiting the fam and Baby Max who continues to be the most amazing baby on the planet - so, so darling...really, I'm not lying - if you could see him in person, in his natural habitat, you would whole-heartedly agree.
It was in the upper 90's all week in Utah and now I'm home and guess what? Seattle broke all kinds of heat records!!! 102 stinkin' degrees!! On the East side, where we live, the temp hit 107 degrees...now, for you in the West, that's nothing - 107 is hardly worth mentioning because that's NORMAL for you...and for you in the South, well, 107 degrees is porch weather with a mint julep on the side...for you in the Midwest, 107 degrees is not even an issue because the gnats and mosquitoes are more bothersome...for you on the East Coast, 107 degrees is just an excuse to fly to your private islands...but for us in the Northwest...no, let's get personal...for Me...anything over 75 degrees is hot...and 107 degrees is equivalent to being on a gas grill, wrapped in foil, with the lid on...
And I'm off topic...so I'll self-correct (my new challenge) so I can tell you about my latest weakness...refrigerator pickles.
The Boy's nickname is Pickle...as they are his favorite food...so I try to always have them on hand. The mister likes them too...not surprising, he's quite partial to vinegar. These are super easy to make and they have a really fresh taste, since they're not processed they are crisp, not mushy. They will keep in the fridge for two weeks, if they last that long! And here's the best part...you can continue to add cucumbers to the jars - so don't throw out the brine when the last pickle gets eaten!
Refrigerator Pickles ~ Adapted From My Grandma Annie Merle Conners
2 quarts water
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup salt, not iodized
15 to 20 small cucumbers, thin-skinned and firm, sliced or whole (I make one jar with sliced and one with whole pickles)
1 cup chopped or sliced onions
4 cloves garlic
1 large stalk fresh dill
Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil in a large pan. Meanwhile, wash cucumbers and onions. Peel onions and either slice or coarsely chop, set aside. Sterilize four quart jars and lids with wide mouths. In each jar put one clove of garlic and 1/4 of the dill stalk. Divide cucumbers and onion among jars. Fill jars up to 1/2" from the top with boiling liquid (you will have some brine left over.) Wipe top with clean towel. Put on lids and screw bands on tight. Let sit on counter until room temperature and then put in refrigerator. Will keep for two weeks. Makes 4 quarts of pickles.
"Mother said there would be days like this but she never said there would be so many!" ~ Unknown
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One year ago today: Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes
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One week till blueberry season "opens" around here...so in an attempt to make room in my freezer for this years crop, I'm desperately trying to use up LAST year's crop! About a month ago I made Blueberry Boy Bait from Smitten Kitchen. She adapted an old recipe and made it sound mouth-watering good...and it was good...a rich and moist cake with a taste of blueberries...not quite the blueberry buzz I was after. As luck would have it, a week later I got my copy of Bon Appetit and there, in the July issue, was the recipe for Blueberry Crumb Bars - calling for MORE blueberries than a 9x13 would be expected to hold! Sounded perfect...and it is.
The crust is made from old-fashioned oats, brown sugar and almonds...it's got the perfect blend between crunch and chew. Then there's the center...blueberries combined with strawberry preserves...sweet...over the top sweet! But not to worry, the topping, which is some of the reserved crust mixture, tempers the sweetness to just the right pitch...your taste buds will be singing on key with this one!
Blueberry Crumb Bars - Adapted from Bon Appetit, July 2009 Issue
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped almonds
Filling:
4 cups frozen blueberries (do not thaw) or 3 1/2 cups fresh
1 cup strawberry preserves
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter bottom of 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Whisk flour, oats, sugar, salt and cinnamon in large bowl. Add 1 cup butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture sticks together in small clumps. Transfer 2 cups to medium bowl; mix in almonds and reserve for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust until golden and just firm to touch, about 22 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.
Filling: Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Spread evenly over crust in pan, then sprinkle reserved topping over. Bake bars until filling bubbles thickly at edges and topping is golden brown, about 40 minutes, cool in pan on rack. Cut lengthwise into 4 strips; then cut each strip into 6 pieces, forming 24 bars.
"If you're going to be able to look back on something and laugh about it, you might as well laugh about it now." ~ Marie Osmond
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A while back the mister and I went to the last of the travel seminars I signed us up for - this one was on Paris and we loved it - came out of the old Edmonds Theater drooling for baguettes and pastry...but since the mister is now "doing" the Atkins Diet we had to to be good - we went in search of a side of beef instead. Luckily we found something better - the Edmonds Farmer's Market - brimming with fresh vegetables of all kinds - they were so pretty to look at we forgave them for not being flaky and buttery and filled with chocolate.
The longer these sit the better they taste - I like to make them a day ahead but that's not always possible - because they are so good it's hard to wait.
Marinated Maters and Cukes - Pots and Pins
4 medium tomatoes (I like to use yellow tomatoes just for the color)
1/2 of a large English cucumber, thinly sliced, peel left on (the peel on an English cuke is very thin so there's no need to peel it)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 quarter teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, toss until cukes and maters and coated. Refrigerate until cold, or overnight. Serves 4.
"Why is there so much month left at the end of the money?" ~ Unknown
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One year ago today: Key Lime Pie With Coconut-Graham Crust
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I just made that name up...because to me, that's what these tasty little "cookies" should be called...they look like haystacks all mounded up and the taste is going to get you hooked with the first bite. I had these for the first time about a week ago - a friend made them and called them "Ushers." It's a recipe that's been around for a long time so you've probably had them and might even know them by a different name, too! These are fast and easy "no bakes" - the perfect treat when you don't want to heat up your kitchen by turning on the oven.
Peanut butter plays second fiddle here, followed by crunchy Chow Mein noodles and Corn Flakes! Tasting is believing so get out your wooden spoon and give this one a GO!
Butterscotch Haystacks - Adapted from Janice Ryther, The Queen of No-Bakes
1 package (11 oz.) butterscotch chips
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups corn flakes
2 cups crispy Chow Mein Noodles
In a medium saucepan combine butterscotch chips and peanut butter over medium heat, stirring until melted. Remove from heat and stir in corn flakes and chow mein noodles, mixing well to coat. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper lined baking sheets. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Makes 18 large haystacks or 36 small haystacks...betcha can't eat just one!
"Beauty to me is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick." ~ Gwyneth Paltrow
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Two ingredients can and do make a wonderful dessert...two. I was skeptical but tasting is believing and and you just need to give this a taste. The mister, he with limited taste buds, couldn't stop eating the "remnants" in the pan...these just flew off the plate. Think about the center of an Almond Joy or a Mounds bar...that's what these taste like...only the coconut on the bottom and top gets toasted so you'll get a bit of crunch with the chew...delectable!
Earlier in the day I asked the mister to bring me a flat-rate box from the Post Office...I was going to send a "care package" to friends who are serving a mission in the Marshall Islands. The mister, while stuffing his face with coconut chews, went on and on about the cost of shipping this box to a "foreign country." I told him the Marshall Islands are a US territory - an atoll - not a country and that FLAT RATE means FLAT RATE - no matter how much the box weighs it will only cost $13.98. He didn't believe me...he, now in full caveman posture, said I didn't have a clue as to what I was talking about...Guam was a US Territory and it was a COUNTRY and it would cost what's left in our 401K to send something there...Well, I wasn't sending anything to GUAM but if I was and if I was using a FLAT RATE box it would only cost $13.98...and then he said, "I'll bet you $500 that you're wrong." Yes, he did. Of course I took the bet. If would have been rude not to. I'm writing this $500 richer...my thanks to Joyce who reads my blog and wanted to make my Cherry Bomb Pork Sandwiches but couldn't find all the ingredients in Majuro...because if she had I wouldn't have sent the box and I wouldn't have had the opportunity to once again beat the mister at his own game.
While this is super easy there is one teensy little difficult part...letting them cool COMPLETELY before removing them from the pan...which takes an agonizing 30 or 40 minutes...but so worth it.
Coconut Chews - From Country Living, August 2009
1 (14 oz.) package sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Combine the TWO ingredients in a medium bowl, then spread in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (coated with non-stick cooking spray) and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.
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"Save a little money each month and at the end of the year you'll be surprised at how little you have." ~ Ernest Haskins
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One year ago today: Shrimp Rolls
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I love flea markets, thrift shops, antique stores...and Value Village, which is conveniently located 8.4 miles from my house and is one of my favorite haunts. This is my latest treasure...
This is a White Sew Cute "Barbie Pink" kids sewing machine and it's FAB-U-LAS! It is electric but can also run on batteries - so it can travel! I found out I can order a presser foot, which would make sewing a bit easier because when I pushed the ON button this baby took off! I haven't worked out the kinks with the bobbin - but I'm sure when the instruction booklet I ordered gets here I'll be able to figure it out...in the meantime it's been very fun to play with! You can buy them retail for $49.99 at all Hancock's and Joann Fabrics ...this little beauty set me back $6.99.
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Mini as in bite-size. As in one bite and it's gone. As in fast and furious will be your reach for a second one! If you keep a box of these ready-to-fill tart shells in your pantry then you'll always be prepared for unexpected guests. Buttery pastry shells and hold onto your seats...they're MADE IN FRANCE! (Oui!) You can have them at your fingertips just by opening a package - what more could you want?! Oh, maybe the filling...and here's where it gets fun...because you can fill these beautiful little tarts with sweet or savory! They would be perfect for little quiches or chicken salad but I love them with canned pie filling...hey, as long as I'm using boxed pastry then why not use canned filling! And not that I would ever recommend this but if you're so inclined you could even top these with that canned, squirt-on whipped cream!
They're so pretty - and even better they are dang good! The box says, "It's like having your own personal pastry chef right at home." I almost got the vapors reading that - who wouldn't love a personal pastry chef - a little French man named Frenchy who wears a long apron...and nothing else...kidding...he'd have to wear hot pads at some point!
Mini Filled Tarts
1 box (6.3 oz.) Clearbrook Farms Mini Bite-Size Sweet Tart Shells (24 to a package) (These are available at Cost Plus Markets and other specialty food shops.)
1 can (12 oz.) pie filling, (I used blueberry and cherry)
1 cup whipped cream (I made REAL whipped cream - I could only carry the canned thing so far!)
Remove shells from box and fill with pie filling. Top with whipped cream. Refrigerate until serving. Makes 24 mini tarts - perfect for baby or bridal showers or for taming a wild mister after a long day as a global magnate.
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"Summer afternoon...the two most beautiful words in the English language." ~ Henry James
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One year ago today: Tarragon-Cream Chicken Pot Pies
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It's not Monday so that means I've already blown my weekly diet...but that doesn't mean I'm not trying...oh no...I'm definitely still trying ...and this is my workout schedule for the next few days, courtesy of Real Simple Magazine, who says:
Thinking about losing weight burns 132 calories
Running your finger around the bottom of a frosted cake burns 215 calories
Cleaning out your email in-box burns 339 calories
Fretting about whether or not you turned off the iron burns 240 calories
Opening your child's plastic-wrapped Happy Meal toy burns 516 calories
Scooping very cold ice cream burns 655 calories
Pacing in front of the pantry door burns 826 calories
Taking off a wet swimsuit burns 1,500 calories
I'm working on the thinking part. It's tough. Especially when there's jam to eat.
This is dang good jam - fast and easy too - and since it's freezer jam there is no processing time to deal with - no sealing issues either - just cook, stir and pour. Rhubarb, tart and zesty, tamed by sugar and mellowed by blueberry pie filling and then - strawberry Jell-O brings it all home...I'm telling you, this will get you out of bed in the morning!
Just look at that color! Crayola's got nothing like this! This recipe was sent to me from the Blonde Bombshell, via her daughter, via her mother-in-law - so I thank them all profusely, and if you make this you will too!
Rhubarb-Blueberry (Rhuberry) Freezer Jam - Adapted From Jana Dahl
5 cups rhubarb, chopped (about 8 good, long stalks)
5 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 can (21 oz.) Blueberry pie filling (I used the Wilderness brand)
1 large box (6 oz.) Strawberry or Raspberry Jello (I used strawberry)
In a large pot combine the chopped rhubarb, sugar and water. Stir over medium-high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Mixture will be thick but as the rhubarb heats it will soften and "melt" down. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture comes to a full boil. Boil for 5 minutes then add the blueberry pie filling and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in strawberry Jell-O, and mix well, until it is dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into hot, sterilized jars or clean, plastic containers. Let sit on countertop until cool and then put in freezer. Makes about 9 cups of jam.
"People who give will never be poor." ~ Anne Frank
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One year ago today: Spicy Peanut Slaw
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A few weeks back, Smitten Kitchen had a post for Watermelon Lemonade ...it just sounded so good, you know? I read that post at 11:00 at night, in my pj's. And I wanted some right then and there. So I quickly changed, yelled to the mister that I'd be right back and got in the car and headed to the store to buy the necessary ingredients...watermelon and lemon. By midnight everything was ready to go - the mister, not being a late-night man, was not amused by my antics and came into the kitchen to express his displeasure...I handed him the first glass - he drank it and fairly spit it out! It was not NEARLY sweet enough for him...a man with a sour disposition needs a lot of sugar...so I doctored it up a bit for him and then he was happy - even if only momentarily. In the last two weeks or so I've made the watermelon lemonade several times...and each times I've played around with the amount of sweetening - using the simple sugar syrup Smitten recommended and Sweet n' Low and even mixing the watermelon puree with lemonade from a mix...all were good but as good as they were I wanted something M O R E....
Why was I trying to "reinvent the wheel?" I don't know! But I was and my first step was to pretend I knew nothing about Smitten's lemonade...so I could make my own...starting with Diet 7-Up (diabetic, remember?) and then I added watermelon puree...no need to fuss with simple syrup or Sweet n' Low or sugar...it came out perfect every time! Okay, so it's not REALLY lemonade...but it's dang good! It's a beautiful pink color and you can add more puree for more watermelon taste if you want - it is summer in a glass, no doubt about it!
Watermelon Up Cooler - Adapted Liberally From Smitten Kitchen
2 bottles (16.9 oz.) Diet 7-Up
1 small seedless "personal size" watermelon, or 3 cups chopped watermelon, seeds and rind removed (If you use the entire small watermelon you will have extra watermelon puree...a good thing to have!)
ice
Put 3 cups chopped watermelon in the blender and puree. This will give you about 2 1/4 cups of watermelon puree. Pour the Diet 7-Up into a pitcher, pour watermelon puree in and mix well. Serve with ice - makes 4 to 5 servings. If you have a porch, go to it now, sit back, relax and taste summer!
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"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith." ~ Steve Jobs
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One year ago today: Gingersnap Ice Cream Sandwiches
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