Pots and Pins

Kale Salad with Apples and Gorgonzola...

Kale.  Yes, that's right.  Kale...I did not mean to type Lake, I meant Kale, it's not a typo.   Let's play a round of True Confession, shall we?  You start...okay, I'll start.  I walk four miles a day and I eat Kale.  Your turn.  I know, I know, I know...you're wondering if this is really me or is someone else writing this post?  I even had to stop and think and remind myself that YES, this IS the new me...but wait, you say, didn't you just post a recipe a few days ago for Milky Way Pound Cake?!?  Umm...yes...and it was delicious, and that's just ONE of the many reasons I walk four miles a day!  It's taken years for me to get this through to the inner sanctum of my cranium...if I exercise then I can eat what I want and as much as I want...it's the closest thing to magic that I know. And turning Kale into something tasty enough that you'll WANT to eat it is the next closest.

A while back I was invited to a cooking class/demonstration - and I almost didn't go - the mister had some imaginary pain and I was torn between putting on my Florence Nightingale Hat or my Cooking Class Hat...one phone call to a friend helped me choose the right hat...I said goodbye to the mister and hello to Kale...and Ashley and Lisa. 

 

 

 

The class was at Ashley's home - which was like walking into the pages of House Beautiful or Country Living. Ashley and Lisa, two of the nicest people on the planet, are enthusiastic and talented cooks who are also vegetarians...except for the occasional piece of bacon...and this recipe was among the many they made and shared with us that night.  When Ashley first came across this recipe she said she and her family liked it so much they even had it for breakfast the next day!  When she said that I could almost feel my eyes about to roll, I mean, it's one thing to eat kale (something I had never done) for dinner, as a side, a very teeny, tiny side but to eat it for breakfast!?  So brace yourselves...I can now say I, too, have eaten kale - willingly - for lunch, dinner AND breakfast!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides the kale, this salad contains dried cherries, red onions, apple chunks, Gorgonzola cheese crumbles and dry-roasted sunflower seeds...(and occasionally, bacon!)  I have fallen in love with this salad - it's fresh and clean tasting, with a simple dressing of olive oil and apple cider vinegar, it's the perfect side to any meal or the perfect meal all by itself.

Over the last several weeks I have probably made this a half dozen times...I'm nuts about it, even though I know it's good for me, has no added sugar or cream or butter, and except for those rare days when I add bacon, it's about as healthy as it gets around here!  Try this, with or without bacon, it will surprise you!  I will be posting the other recipes from Ashley and Lisa's wonderful class soon...they are all keepers! 

Kale Salad With Apples and Gorgonzola - Adapted from Cookus Interruptus via Ashley Serafin and Lisa Sharp

1 bunch kale

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup dry-roasted sunflower seeds (original recipe calls for toasted sunflower seeds or candied walnuts)

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup dried cherries (original recipe calls for 1/3 cup currants)

3/4 cup diced apple (about 1/2 of an apple, I like to use Fuji apples)

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked until crisp, drained, crumbled - optional(!)

De-stem kale by pulling leaf away from the stem.  Wash leaves.  Spin or pat dry.  (You need to get as much moisture off the leaves as possible so the dressing will stick to the leaves, it doesn't stick to wet leaves.) Stack leaves, roll up and cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade).  Put kale in a large mixing bowl and add salt.  Massage salt into kale with your hands for 2 minutes.  (If using plain sunflower seeds, toast them by putting in a dry skillet over low to medium heat and stir constantly for a few minutes until they change color and give off a nutty aroma.  If using dry-roasted you do not need to toast them.)  Put kale in a fresh bowl and discard any leftover liquid.  Stir onion, currants, apple, sunflower seeds and bacon, if using, into kale.  Dress with oil and vinegar and toss.  Taste for salt and vinegar, adding more if necessary.  Toss in cheese crumbles.  Serves 6.  (IF you have leftovers, this will taste even better the next day.)

Milky Way Pound Cake...

When I served this cake for Ali and Blake's Farewell Party, (Blake graduated from dental school, so we celebrated with dinner two days before he and Ali up and defected/escaped/moved to Arizona where it doesn't rain...sissies!) I made the mistake of serving another dessert along side...a dessert that was prettier in appearance but in no way could compete with the subtleties of this deceiving cake. All of my guests took a piece of the pretty dessert...a frozen lemon pie that did look delicious but was really nothing more than lemon-flavored whipped cream...I was very disappointed with it and will not be passing along that recipe.  I'm sure my guests were not impressed either, although no one complained out loud...no one except the mister, who said, "Now this is my kind of pie!"  Yes, that's a complaint to my ears...let me translate for you:  "Wow, this is basically bland and boring and could be eaten with or without teeth by anyone with or without taste buds!"

 

 

 

 

Now this cake is anything but bland and boring...it's addictive...how addictive you ask?  Well, I don't want to call it a gateway drug but you just might get hooked, become dependent and feel the need to stockpile Milky Way candy bars.  Now that you've been warned, I also need to tell you this version of Milky Way Pound Cake is NOT Pioneer Woman's version, which you can find by clicking here.  Her recipe is more cake-like, this recipe is a  pound cake - it's more dense and you will definitely weigh a pound more for every slice you eat - but it will be worth it.

In case you don't hear her...the fat lady is singing!  Look at that, will you?!?  The icing is also made from Milky Way candy bars with chunks of candy bar sprinkled on top...carmelly-chocolaty-tasting and definitely worth the glucose meter hitting new heights.  

Milky Way Pound Cake - Adapted slightly from Ideals Favorite Christmas Desserts, 1994

8 (2.05 oz.) Milky Way candy bars

1 cup butter, divided

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups Buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a saucepan, combine candy bars and 1/2 cup of the butter; melt over low heat.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Candy and butter will not be completely incorporated, that's okay.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream sugar with the remaining 1/2 cup of butter.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition; set aside.  In a small bowl, combine flour and soda.  Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, mixing just until smooth.  (Over beating will cause the cake to be dry!)  Add melted candy; mix well. Stir in vanilla and nuts.  Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan and bake 70 to 75 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool and frost with Candy Icing (below).  Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Candy Icing:

4 (2.05 oz.) Milky Way candy bars, reserve one for topping

1/2 cup butter

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Milk

In a small saucepan, combine candy bars and butter; melt over low heat.  Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of an electric mixer or using a hand mixer, blend in sugar, on low, and vanilla.  Add in just enough milk to make of spreading consistency. Spread over top and sides of cooled cake. Cut remaining candy bar into chunks and decorate top of cake.  

Here's a little cake tip for you...I like to use cake flour when making most cakes.  For years I didn't think there was a difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour...and there isn't a huge difference, but there is a difference.  Cake flour has very little protein compared to all-purpose flour and it's the protein in the flour that allows for a lighter or more dense cake.  It's almost negligible but if you want a really, really light, soft crumb, use cake flour...if you're making a pound cake like this one, use all-purpose flour.

Megan's Quilt...

Megan is a darling, darling girl...sweet, funny, sincere, loyal, honest, smart, corny, happy...and willing to try anything - including making a quilt for herself for college.   She asked yours truly for help...not her best move...she could have asked any of the true quilting experts who live around her but Megan asked me, which tells you something else about Megan, doesn't it?!?  I'm not sure what but I'll leave it at that!  So, fresh from my quilt meeting where I learned about making FOUR half-square triangles at one time...I told Megan I had the perfect quilt for her to make!

Above are the fabrics Megan picked...she fell in love with all of them!  Megan was sent to the quilt shop with instructions to buy sixteen fabrics, 1/4 yard of each, eight light and eight dark...apparently the lighting was very bad in the quilt shop!  But no worries, I happily supplemented from my stash and we went to work...oh, did I mention Megan DOES NOT SEW?!?  Whoops!!  Note to self:  Knowledge of sewing and using a sewing machine is helpful!

 

 

 

 Another note to self:  Making FOUR half-square triangles at one time may SEAM like a good idea and I still think, in a quilting world where wavy, puckery, and a lack of matching points doesn't matter...it is.  But having a NON-sewer/quilter sew with bias pieces is a crazy-stupid-demented idea!  BIAS is a true FOUR LETTER WORD and fabric cut on the bias stretches more than the waistband on my pants!!!

But like the Captain of the Titanic, I assured Megan all was well and she continued to sew and sew...meanwhile, I searched for drugs...if her quilt was going to be wavy because of me I wanted a more valid reason than stupidity!  After Megan left - after sewing all the pieces together, I laid out her quilt on the floor...so far, so good...no real stretching!  Maybe I was going to get away with it!!!

And then my friends, I decided to sew a row together, so when Megan came back over to sew she would have an example...and after sewing just ONE row together I knew I was sunk...as in Titanic sunk...I had to be so careful and at the risk of having this post rated "R," I feel the need to tell you I had to use PINS!!!  Yes, I'm sorry, another FOUR LETTER WORD!!! Godfrey!  Things were going from bad to worse at a breakneck speed!  (The good news is because of the bias, I was at least smart enough to NOT have Megan use the IRON...there I go again, I just can't stop with the 4 letter words!!)  Now I knew I had to sew all of the pieces into rows for Megan - she not really knowing how to sew and there was no room for error...and then I thought, mistakenly, that everything would be fine and Megan could still sew the rows together...after all, SHE was wanting to MAKE her quilt herself!!!  But I couldn't help myself...I had to sew two rows together to see how stretchy they would be...and again, I might as well continue with the Titanic theme...I began to gasp for air, blow bubbles and got a real sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach...Stretchy doesn't begin to describe the rows...I realized there was NO way Megan could sew them together...so row by row, I put in PINS...sticking myself literally and figuratively...until the top was completely sewn together.

I'ts not too bad!  There is hardly any stretching, thanks to pins and a bit of divine intervention!  Megan came over to sew her quilt...she walked in and saw it was done for her...she said she didn't mind but I detected a bit of disappointment...we talked about bindings and I assured Megan that I would NOT sew that on for her...little consolation, I know.  So I gave her the top, told her to get her backing and batting and we'd talk about getting it quilted...I'm sure she can do that, right?  I mean, she had no sewing experience when she started her quilt and still has none, but I'm sure she can do it...if I can just STOP myself!

Searching and Secrets...

    I'm as happy as a feline in a Mouse House!  My NEW and IMPROVED SEARCH feature is up and working and you're going to LOVE it! 

  My thanks to a very special cat...meow!

So if you want to find my recipe for Brown Sugar Strawberry Pie, just type it into the SEARCH box, on the left, or maybe you want the recipe for White Baked Beans or maybe you want the recipe for Cafe Rio Chicken Salad...wow, I'm making myself hungry!  Give it a go - it's going to be a life saver for you AND me!

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Now...on to Secrets...My sister, the one who is younger and looks more beautiful than me, (That may or may not be true...but, someone is having "fun" with my blog...as in HACKING!!  However, by allowing the hacker to hack, big of me, no?  I shall now consider myself SQUAREmeowEVENmeowPAID IN FULLmeowmeowmeow!)  Now, back to the important matter at hand...my sister...the one who is younger but looks older, albeit more beautiful...(happy now?!?!) called me the other day and said she was browsing through the new cookbook my mom had given her for her birthday...and she came across a recipe for Armenian Meat Pies - it sounded familiar - and then she noticed it had been submitted by ME!  She called mom to ask her if she knew I had a recipe in the book and mom said no...and they both wanted to know why I didn't tell them!  Well...it's because I didn't know!  Books take forever to be published and by the time this one was out I had completely forgotten about the recipe I submitted! 

This really is a great recipe book - beautiful pictures, tried and true recipes that are filled with down-home goodness!  It would make a nice gift, too!  You can order the book from Amazon by clicking here - I get nothing if you do, just so you know!

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you haven't tried our Armenian Meat Pies...you really should - the recipe makes enough to feed a crowd and the leftovers (if any) are just as good the next day.  Dang good!

Garlic Green Beans...

So we didn't win the lottery...bummer...the bald eagle who stopped by on July 4th turned out to just be a big bird who flew into our cul-de-sac to dine on a squirrel from our yard and not a sign/omen/signal from on high that we were destined to be filthy rich.  Hate that!  So real life goes on...and at a breakneck pace - in the last week I did the following... made two trips to girls camp (after having sewed a banner and a flag for camp), instructed girls on how to pull pranks at camp and not get caught then took them shopping for "supplies", gave quilting lessons to a young friend, hosted a luncheon, baked 5 dozen cookies for a scout trip, made food for two pot-lucks, taught a lesson in church, burned two loaves of bread,  babysat 3 small boys for 7 1/2 hours which included a fairy hunt (no success with catching a fairy but very successful in brainwashing), worked for the mister (not a picnic I promise, he either fires me or I quit, and there's no signing bonus either!) and did all the usual stuff around the manse...yard work, housework and wedding flowers!  (I put all that in here for me, so when I'm bouncing around the padded cell that's in my future, I can look back on posts like this and realize WHY!)

Three large arrangements, one small, one bridal bouquet, 4 boutonnieres...and all of this for a RE-newing of vows!!!  And that fascinated me....this couple, who I don't know, has been married for TEN years and the husband decided to SURPRISE his wife on their tenth anniversary with them renewing their vows - got the minister, flew in the fam from Singapore, ordered the food and flowers and his wife/bride, wore her wedding dress from ten years ago...a short maroon number that she could STILL fit in...Who does that?!?!?  And who would remarry their husband?!?!?  Oh I suppose many of you would...and given enough drugs I just might remarry the mister, but today, being sober and of reasonably sound mind, I would not...he's in the dog house, where he is quite comfortable as he's spent so much time there recently.  I'm just saying, in case he asks, the answer will be NO!  Not until he i$ $ufficiently $orry.

 

 

 

 

Years ago I had these beans at a wedding reception and they were unlike anything I had ever had before - crisp tender, sprinkled with sesame seeds, tossed with toasted cashews and covered in a light coating of oil...and then there was the garlic.  I've had garlic green beans in Chinese restaurants but they have always been served hot...and these are similar except they are not limp and the color has not been cooked out of them.  These are one of our very favorite summer-time sides...they are perfect on a hot summer eve and they are great to snack on!

Garlic Green Beans - Adapted from Michael Barnes

(When I asked the mom (Barbara Knudson) of the bride (Kylee) about the beans she emailed her friend who made them and he sent me the recipe and said, "Nothing makes someone who enjoys cooking feel better than when we are asked for a recipe."  Amen.  And thanks Barbara and Kylee and Michael!)

1 lb. green beans

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 cup cashews, whole or pieces, toasted

Clean and cut ends from green beans.  You can leave whole or cut in half.  In a large pan, with a steamer basket, steam beans for 3 to 5 minutes, or just until crisp tender.  Remove and immediately plunge into cold water to stop cooking, then drain well.

In a large skillet, toast cashews and sesame seeds, over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until lightly browned.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large Zip-lock style bag, combine, oils, vinegar and soy sauce.  Add green beans, cashews and sesame seeds.  Seal bag and turn several times to coat.  Allow to marinate in refrigerator for at least one hour - but overnight is best and these are always better the next day, if you have any left!  Pour entire contents into serving bowl to serve.  Serves 10.

Sew Much Fun!

I am SEW lucky to have great sewing friends!  One of them sent me a package in the mail and when I opened it I couldn't believe my eyes...just look at what she sent! 

  A box full of goodies!  I think I might have even squealed when I opened the box!

 

 

 

 

 

Check out this darling dish cloth that's been embellished with a darling bird...soon to be a dirty bird!  A package of vintage buttons!!  Nine of them!  A charm pack of beautiful Robert Kaufman fabrics...they are bright and happy - just like my friend!

My new notebook is so sweet - perhaps I'll use it to keep track of what I spend on fabric...NOT!  No one should know that!  But I'll use it for something, that's a given.     And the last item I pulled from the box was this darling container of bottle cap magnets - Ca-Ute!

Let me tell you about my friend...Nanette is her name...coincidence?  I think not!  There are very few of us in the world...I've only met 7 others my entire life!  (Although Nanette is kind of my middle-middle name because growing up all I heard was No! No! Nanette!)  So when I meet someone with my name, I just know I'm going to like her...and when I met Nanette, in Blogland, I liked her immediately! 

I had planned to go to the spring quilt market in Salt Lake City, where I would be able to finally meet my friend in person...but due to an airline ticket purchase snafu, I wasn't able to go...and I cried to Nanette about missing out on market and all the fun!  So she sent market to me!!!

Nanette is the brains behind Freda's Hive, the wonderful blog that gives us all so much inspiration!  She is creative (writes and sells her own patterns) and warm (never has an unkind word to say about anyone - including HER mister!!  How is that possible?!?!) and wonderful (she has friends all over the place, is a mother to 8 children and a grandma to one adorable little cherub - she must have magical powers to do all that she does!)...and she has a heart of gold...GOLD I tell you!!  Go visit her, click here, she has just debuted her new flag quilt and it is amazing! 

Getting a package in the mail is about as much fun as a person can have...Thanks so much Nanette!!  I just love everthing!!  

Angel Food Berry Cake...and a Suprise Guest!

This is one of those cakes that you really don't need a recipe for...since your mom, or your Aunt Tillie or the church lady with the blue hair has made it a million times and you already know about it...but just in case, today I'm going to give you one along with a pictorial refresher for one of the best summer cakes there is...

 

 

 

Summer arrived a day early this year - we actually had a nice 4th of July - sunny, warm, blue skies...so, so wonderful!  It truly was a picture-postcard kind of day...and a day like this, in the Northwest, and a holiday no less, needed a cake worthy of the celebration - this one is it!

 

To really finish this off the cake, mashed strawberries are allowed to sit for ten minutes, until they are nice and juicy.  Then they are poured over the top of the cake - the berries and the juice run down the sides and into the middle and it's a sight to behold!

If you're going to be transporting the cake, stick a few wooden skewers into the cake from the top down, to secure the layers.

 

 God bless America!  Is that not grand?!?  Keep it in the refrigerator until serving time - it's light and refreshing - the perfect ending to a great meal!

Angel Food Berry Cake - Pots and Pins:

Here's what you'll need...give or take a berry: 

1 store bought angel food cake

2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

1/2 cup powdwered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups (1 1/2 pints) strawberries, one reserved to mash with 2 tablespoons sugar 

1/2 pint blackberries

1/2 pint blueberries

Using a serrated knife, slice the angel food cake into four layers.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla.  Spread one quarter of the cream over the layer, top with a mixture of berries, as many as you like.  Repeat with remaining layers. 

Mash reserved cup of strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar (you can use less if your berries are really sweet) and allow to sit for ten minutes.  Pour strawberries over top of cake, allowing berries and juice to drip down the sides.  Keep in refrigerator until serving time.  Serves 10.

This mister heard a bunch of crows squaking loudly - and continually - enough to roust him out of the lawnchair to go and see what the commotion was all about...and there it was...a Bald Eagle!!  It was sitting in the tree across the street from our house...think about it...a Bald Eagle on the 4th of July!!!  Is that an omen/sign/signal to buy lottery tickets or what?!?! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So if I don't post for a while you'll know that the Bald Eagle, sent to us on the 4th of July, prompted us to buy lottery tickets...and we did...and we won...well, that's if you don't hear from me...if I do post in the next few days you'll know that we did not win the lottery, the Bald Eagle was Uncle Sam playing a joke on us and the crows will be fewer in numbers as I will have invested in a new sling shot!

Happy 4th of July!

  Baseball, Apple Pie, and Quilting...that's about as American as you can get!  Especially if you attend a baseball game and take along your hand-quilting for when the game gets boring, and you snack on apple pie...tell me that's not the definition of a Patriot! 

And so my friends, while you're celebrating the birth of our Great Nation today, I hope you'll take some time to come and visit me over at Sew We Quilt/Stash Manicure, where I'm Guest Posting ...the wicked never rest...

Just click HERE and you'll be magically transported...faster than I can say,

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Peach Tartelettes...

My dear friend Venna just turned 87...and if you think that's old you should see her!  She is the picture of health - takes not ONE drug, has NO aches or pains, does all of her own yard work/house work and walks every morning up and down hills...I swear she's bionic!  I can barely keep up with her and I'm half her age...or thereabouts...I'm still in the "lying about age" phase but Venna proudly announces her age because no one can believe she is 87!

 

 

 

When you're 87 you deserve some recognition, or a badge or a medal...but in lieu of those things, I invited a few of Venna's neighbors to come celebrate her birthday over lunch - and I wanted something special for dessert, but not too sugary or frosted because Venna is not big on sugar...she's more of a Wheat-grass kind of gal!  After reading about these Peach Tartelettes here, I was inspired to create my own much simpler version and I am certain they are equally as tasty! 

With a dollop of sweet, almond-flavored whipped cream on top, these Peach Tartelettes could hold their own along side ANY dessert.  Don't wait for "peach season," you need to make these now and all summer long, they are definitely 5-dangers, as in they are dang, dang, dang, dang, dang good!

Peach Tartelettes - Pots and Pins

10 (5-inch round) tart pans with removeable bottoms

2 packages Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts rolls, (you will use 3 of the 4 rolls)

13 fresh, ripe peaches, peeled, seeded and sliced thinly (you could also use nectarines or a combination of both)

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup toasted, chopped almonds

2 teaspoons almond extract, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar (less or more depending on how sweet your like your cream)

Put sliced peaches into a large bowl; sprinkle with sugar and stir in 1 teaspoon of almond extract.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minute while you make the crusts.  (Note:  I allowed my peaches to sit overnight, in the refrigerator, because they were not quite ripe.  If you are using really tasty, ripe peaches/nectarines, you can just let them sit while you make and bake the crusts.  Allowing them to sit overnight in a bit of sugar makes their natural juices come out, so they sweeten up and it does not make them soggy, so no worries there!)

Make tartelette crusts:  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Unroll refrigerated pie crusts.  Using a 7-inch cookie-cutter (or an upside down bowl) cut out 10 circles of dough, rerolling dough as necessary.  Set circle of dough over tart pan, press around bottom and up sides firmly, poke holes with a fork around bottom, about 4 times.  Repeat with remaining tart pans. 

Bake crusts in 450 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned around top edges.  If crusts puff up on bottom, prick gently with a fork to deflate.  Remove crusts from oven and set on a rack to cool completely. 

Whip cream in the bowl of a mixer until soft peaks form.  Add in powdered sugar, the remaining teaspoon of almond extract and the vanilla extract.  Keep in refrigerator until serving time.

To assemble tartelettes:  Drain juice from peaches or remove peaches with a slotted spoon and reserve the juice for another use.  (You could boil the juice down to a syrup and then pour it over the tartelettes!)  When tart crusts are cooled, place peaches around edges of crust, in a circular pattern, staring with the outside and working in.  Sprinkle chopped almonds on top, then top with a dollop of whipped cream.  Makes 10 tarteletes.

You could change this up in a lot of ways - adding the almonds to the crust so they are baked in would be lovely.  This could also be made as one large tart, if you didn't have 10 shiny new tartelette pans lying about!