Last night, a while herd of spring breakers arrived home. My daughter was flying in from Denver, and arriving right around midnight, so my son and other daughters, who could have left West Virginia around 4PM, delayed their departure until 6PM, so they'd be passing the airport when their sister arrived, saving Mom an hour's trip. Their joke was that, since they were driving my Suburban, they could fling a door open, heave out a tow rope, and sister could stand on her wheeled suitcase, grab the rope, and tow herself in. It would appear, however, that they did stop my truck to let her in. Trust me, however, they were all ready for the beef stew which was waiting when they walked in the door at 12:30AM. It was a darn good thing I made 2 gallons of stew, because it was all gone! Poor Jeffrey had no stew for breakfast.
Because they were coming in late, and I didn't want to be fussing with baking powder biscuits at midnight, I made Quick Sally Lunn bread instead. This is a baking powder version of the classic very rich bread. I made two loaves, and there were a couple of crusts left for Thor. Poor baby! He was so excited that so many of his people were home, I'm not sure he cared too much.
QUICK SALLY LUNN BREAD
2 eggs3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
Beat the eggs until light, and add the milk and oil. Sift together the dry ingredients, and mix into the wet. Turn into a loaf pan, and bake at 375 for about an hour. It's crumbly when sliced, as you can see in this picture, but it's worth every bit of chasing the crumbs.
And, as a Saturday bonus, here's Thor, preventing two of his friends from going to bed after dinner. He was certain they'd leave him again, and a happier boy was never seen that Thor this morning when they descended from the second floor in search of coffee and food! And, yes, Jeff was behaving like a total goof, but it was 2AM, after all!
Monday, we'll report on Pi Day. Hope you all have as nice a weekend as Thor's having!
Quite some time ago, we were friendly with a Chinese lawyer, whose wife, Betty, was the best cook on the planet. Well, maybe his mother was best, but Betty was a close second. Betty and her mother in law would host a Christmas party every year, invite about 100 of their closest friends, and do all of the cooking. Chinese food, of course. It was beyond wonderful. We went to Betty's house a number of times for dinner, too, and the food was beyond wonderful. When I grow up, I want to cook like Betty.
One of the things I remember Betty serving was a simple dessert consisting of sliced oranges in a dressed up syrup; I asked her about it, and never made it. I think that was 1991, but it could have been 1990, too. Well, I was staring at a bag of oranges which were not really sweet enough to be a wonderful snack, but we really can't throw away oranges, now can we? Suddenly, I remembered Betty's oranges from approaching 20 years ago, and was inspired! So, sifting through my memory banks, and thinking carefully, I present you with....
BETTY'S ORANGES
3 oranges
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp Cointreau
Peel and zest the oranges, being sure to remove all the white pith from the oranges. Slice thinly across the width of the oranges, so you have pretty little sections. You really might want to remove the seeds, although I didn't, and everyone lived through it. In the a 2 cup measuring pitcher, mix the sugar, water, Cointreau and orange zest. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, until the syrup thickens, stirring every 30 to 45 seconds. Put the oranges in a large serving dish, or individual bowls, pour the syrup over them, and chill at least an hour. Serves 4.
If you're not a fan of Cointreau, you can replace that with more water. Since it's cooked, there's no alcohol in it to prohibit small children from eating it, although you might not want to admit that to them. And, Paula, this one's safe for your smallest child, and it seems like it's Lent-friendly, too.
Tomorrow is Pi Day, 3.14. I hope everyone's planning pizza pie, dessert pie, and any other pie your heart desires! Beat your vague memories of Geometry into submission! Tell them you know what Pi really means: tasty stuff! Happy Friday!
What's a dog to do when it's been raining for three days?
Sleep.
And bring a lobster to school.
Mom spends a lot of time wiping up muddy footprints. Happy Thorsday, everyone! It's supposed to be sunny later today!
Chicken's a nice, forgiving meat. If it's overcooked a little bit, it doesn't really harm it, whereas if beef is overcooked, kiss your delicious dinner goodbye. There are also countless ways to cook chicken, and because it's mild flavored, it can become just about anything. Really. So, yesterday I forgot to hunt up a meat idea in the freezer. So I turned to chicken pieces, which I thawed just a bit for 5 minutes in the microwave. While the original recipe called for a whole chicken, cut into pieces, this still came out great. True to my children's traditions, this has now been dubbed "Shreddy Chicken". Their names are nothing if not exactly descriptive - not poetic, but descriptive. So, without further ado, here's my adaptation of Pierre Franey's
POACHED CHICKEN
3 pounds chicken pieces, with or without bones
6 cups water
2 carrots, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut in eighths
2 ribs celery, cut into chunks6 peppercorns
4 cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups rice
1/2 cup heavy cream2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup lemon juice
Put everything except the rice in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is done. Put the rice in another pot, and strain 3 cups of the chicken broth out of the chicken pot. Add it to the chicken with 1 tsp salt, and cook, covered, 20 minutes, until done. 5 minutes before the rice is done, add some chopped chives, if desired. As the rice is cooking, whisk the cream with the cornstarch, and stir into the chicken and broth in the first pot. If necessary, rinse the mixing cup with a tiny bit of water and add it to the chicken broth, to get all of the cream and cornstarch mixed together. Continue to simmer until the rice is done, by which time the sauce will have thickened. 5 minutes before the rice is done, add the lemon juice to the chicken broth, and serve over the rice.
I served this with asparagus sauteed in butter and fresh ground pepper. No one left anything for poor Thor, so I had to mix bread with a little bit of gravy. Our furry children must have human food, too, or they feel they've not been fed. Remind me to tell you some time about our cat named Graceful who loved spaghetti and green beans....
A while back, Prudence Pennywise and others made Floating Islands for Tuesdays with Dorrie. I don't participate, because I've never been much good at taking directions, but I did tuck the idea into the back of my head. Since my dearly beloved greatly enjoys meringue, I thought I'd give this a whirl. With recipes and guidelines from Fannie Farmer, I came up with this lovely offering! And, remember, this is pretty easy; made ahead and assembled at dessert time, it was a hit in my little corner of the world.
FLOATING ISLANDS
"Ocean" (Creme Anglaise)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Islands
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
To make the ocean, first prepare the Creme Anglaise (also known as Sauce Anglaise). Scald 2 cups milk in the microwave. Beat 3 eggs in the top of a double boiler with the sugar. Slowly add the hot milk, while stirring, and then sprinkle in the salt. Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, until the sauce thickens so it coats the back of the spoon (it will never be as thick as custard). Stir in the vanilla extract (or sherry or brandy, if you so desire), place plastic wrap on the surface of the Creme, and chill for a couple of hours (or overnight).
To make the islands, whip the egg whites, sugar and vanilla until very stiff. Heat the milk to a low boil in a small saucepan. Scoop large spoonsful of the meringue out of the mixing bowl (about the size of a whole egg, or larger), and cook by poaching in the simmering milk for about 3 minutes, turning once. You'll only be able to cook one piece at a time. Place on a plate, and cool to room temperature; the islands will deflate very quickly.
For my dessert sauce, I simply put about 1/2 cup thawed strawberries (left from last summer's expedition) in the blender with 2 tbsp of sugar, whirled vigorously until it liquified, and chilled it until ready to use.
To serve, spoon Creme Anglaise into a serving bowl, and float an island in it. Drizzle a dessert sauce over the island, and serve. It was a perfect anniversary dessert, and would be great after a nice meal for adults, or holiday dinner. And, Paula, your little one can eat it, too!
I needed a size 1. I found a size 5. I had one day to find the right dress, so I took the 5.
We'd been dating 7 weeks.
I thought he was perfect. He was 31, tall, nice looking, talkative, extremely self-confident, self employed and successful. What did he want with a cynical, cantankerous, quiet 18 year old like me?
No one was invited. The picture was taken by the minister. That was 30 years ago yesterday. He is the best thing that ever happened to me.
Bacon Meatloaf! Words to warm the cockles of a man's heart.
My 12 year old really loves meatloaf. It's right up there at the top of the best things in life, in his book. My husband has never been able to understand why meatloaf doesn't taste like meat (bread fillers, of course). So, I came up with this recipe, and there were no leftovers for Ryan's lunch today. Poor Thor didn't even get much in the way of scrap.
BACON MEATLOAF
3 pounds ground beef
1/3 pound white cheddar cheese
1/2 onion
1 egg
1 tsp salt
6 to 8 strips raw bacon
In the food processor, chop the onion and cheese (add the egg to make the process faster). Mix this mess with the beef and salt, and form into a loaf. Cover the top of the meatloaf in strips of bacon, and cook at 350F for about an hour.
I served this with green beans and heart attack potatoes. This dinner gave new meaning to my daughter's phrase "heart attack goodness on a plate!"
Hope you all had a lovely Square Root Day yesterday. Having studied squares and square roots in 7th grade math the day previous, we were primed. Learned a little about how to find an imperfect square root, and I even cut my carrots square for the occasion. Yes, I'm an odd duck.
But it was an awfully cold Square Root Day. So we actually had poached chicken for dinner, along with a nice, warm rice pudding for dessert. Some of the kids were less than enthused about the whole idea of rice pudding, but I love the stuff. This one was baked in the oven, helping to heat my house, and stave off the 15 degree weather. Have I mentioned that I really, really, really can't wait for spring to arrive? If I didn't sunburn in about 12 minutes, I'd have to migrate to a warmer climate.
OVEN BAKED RICE PUDDING
3 eggs
1-1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup cooked rice1/2 cup raisins
Combine all ingredients in a baking dish. Bake at 325F for 45 to 55 minutes, stirring once after about 30 minutes. Serves 6.
Of course, I doubled this. And there was still some left for my breakfast today. I hope you all don't mind, but I'm off to fill my face.
And, to prove I'm a complete nutcase, Happy Grammar Day. This is the only day whose date is a complete sentence: March 4th. March forth. Maybe we'll make punctuation pretzels today.
This weekend, one of my sons came home from college for spring break. He was supposed to arrive Friday, but had a very minor fender bender because of ice (no damage to him or the post, and only a minor ding in his truck bumper), so he decided to stay there until Saturday.
If you ever meet a Jewish grandmother, she will always tell you that everything can be cured with chicken soup. Well, I knew chicken soup wouldn't cure a ding in a bumper, but it sure would make the idiot, er, I mean driver, feel better about it. A couple of weeks back, we were having issues with our drain line (tree roots), so couldn't use the garbage disposals for a while. I ended up with 3 chicken carcasses wrapped in foil and frozen, along with the giblets from aforementioned chickens. Well, homemade chicken broth sure did sound good to me!
I started with instruction from Julia Child and James Beard, and here's what I came up with for a marvelous chicken soup.
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
3 chicken carcasses (leftover from dinners)
3 sets chicken giblets
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, cut in eighths
2 ribs celery, quartered
1 garlic clove, minced10 peppercorns
6 quarts water
Put all ingredients in a pan; bring to a simmer. Skim off the scum as it forms on top of the broth. Simmer for a couple of hours (2 to 3), or until the carcasses fall apart. (Note: Julia Child says not to boil the broth, or it becomes cloudy. I can testify to the veracity of that statement.) Strain through a cheesecloth lined strainer. Pick through the bones for chicken scraps, after they cool.
To make the soup, return the broth to the stockpot. Add the chicken scraps, and about a pound of cooked chicken chunks. Slice 2 carrots, mince 1/2 onion, slice 2 celery ribs, and simmer together about 30 minutes. Add 1/2 pound egg noodles or rice, and cook until the vegetables and starch are tender. Serve with baking powder biscuits, and prepare to have no leftovers.
I didn't even get lunch on Sunday from this - Boo Hoo!
I saw an AP article yesterday in my local paper, which many of you have likely seen. Of course, I can't find it linked on my local paper's website, so here's a link to the exact same article in a paper in Arkansas.
I was really disturbed by this article. The woman won a $100,000 grant for a reason I couldn't find mentioned in the article. She was urged to take a vacation, but didn't. (This led to the question, as an aside, what was the purpose of the grant? Who gave the grant? Did they intend to give grants for vacations?) Instead, she bought 40 digital cameras and gave them to poor mothers to document hunger.
Now, here's my question. Wouldn't those 40 poor families, and many more like them, have been better served had she written a basic guide to eating very frugally, but nutritiously, including the simplest of recipes? She could have had this published through Amazon's Book Surge or Lulu, and I'm sure there are other independent publishers out there. I'm sure $100,000, or even half of that, would have paid to have a lot of copies of such a book published, and she could have simply given them to the welfare department to be handed to everyone who applied for benefits.
I've long believed that poor people could, given the information, cook in a nutritionally sound manner for a small sum of money. A dozen eggs is under $2, as is a pound of spaghetti, and those two items alone would go a very long way to feeding a family of 2, 3 or 4 for a day.
So, was her arranging a photo display of hunger for $100,000 a silly expenditure? Or am I just stupid, and missing something here? After all, remember the old proverb to the effect that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.
