I took a recent trip to Charleston. As anyone who has ever been to Charleston knows, the food in Charleston is incredible!! And, as anyone who has ever been to Charleston in mid-July knows, it can be VERY VERY hot! It was really hard to admit, though, that on my last trip, my favorite thing that I ate was a handmade popsicle in the farmer's market. A blackberry mojito popsicle, no less.
Inspired, I quickly ran out and bought those plastic $1.29 popsicle makers and gave it a go. And... it failed miserably. I know what I did, so I will be trying again, but making lemons out of lemonade, luckily, I had a bit of my mix left over, which became one of the best and most refreshing cocktails that I have had in a long time! So, the popsicle mix is now a cocktail, and I will be posting ice pop recipes soon...
Watermelon Slushie
1/2 of a medium-sized watermelon (seeds removed)
2 limes
4 tablespoons agave nectar (more or less to taste)
1 cup Grey Goose (or other) vodka (more or less to - ahem - taste)
Place the watermelon, lime juice and agave nectar in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the vodka and pulse to blend. Serve over ice with a slice of lime or a sprig of mint.
Cheers!!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Knitting night gumbo
I have two lovely friends, April and Kim, who join me every so often for knitting (actually Kim crochets). They make beautiful things - I just play around with yarn. But, whatever, it is a chance for us to gossip, have a cocktail or two, and eat. I had just picked up some fresh okra and corn, and had to use it up, so I made this gumbo. It was delish, if I do say so myself.
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
2 andouille sausages (cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces - bite size)
1 large or 2 small chicken breasts (cut into pieces - similar in size to the sausage)
2 ears of corn (kernels removed from the cob)
1 lb of okra (stems and tips removed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
2 cups shrimp (shelled - I leave on the tails)
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons gumbo file (this is powdered sassafrass leaves, and can be found with the spices)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sautee the onions and peppers in olive oil, until onions are golden brown, and both are softened. Add the sausage and chicken, being careful not to burn the vegetables - brown both. Add the okra and corn, and the tomato sauce and chicken stock, reserve 1/2 cup of chicken stock. In a separate pan melt the butter and flour. Cook through, and slowly add the reserved chicken stock. Once combined, add butter / flour / stock mixture to the pot. Add the file, and simmer. Add the shrimp. Simmer for 10 minutes. Once everything is cooked through, add salt and pepper to taste.
1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
2 andouille sausages (cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces - bite size)
1 large or 2 small chicken breasts (cut into pieces - similar in size to the sausage)
2 ears of corn (kernels removed from the cob)
1 lb of okra (stems and tips removed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
2 cups shrimp (shelled - I leave on the tails)
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons gumbo file (this is powdered sassafrass leaves, and can be found with the spices)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sautee the onions and peppers in olive oil, until onions are golden brown, and both are softened. Add the sausage and chicken, being careful not to burn the vegetables - brown both. Add the okra and corn, and the tomato sauce and chicken stock, reserve 1/2 cup of chicken stock. In a separate pan melt the butter and flour. Cook through, and slowly add the reserved chicken stock. Once combined, add butter / flour / stock mixture to the pot. Add the file, and simmer. Add the shrimp. Simmer for 10 minutes. Once everything is cooked through, add salt and pepper to taste.
Cheaters Blueberry Cobbler
So, I can't really take credit for this, but I can take credit for a slight modification. For me, the recipe doesn't include ENOUGH blueberries. For me, more is more! This is the easiest cobbler, and so, so delicious. I add 1 1/2 times the blueberries that the cobbler calls for. I have also doubled the cobbler, and still works perfectly. I don't know who you are, Bill, but you have made my summers much much better. I'm trying this with peaches very soon. Enjoy!!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bills-Blueberry-Cobbler-15274
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bills-Blueberry-Cobbler-15274
Friday, June 24, 2011
Ratatouille!!!
This is such a popular dish in parts of Europe, that we used to be able to buy kits in the vegetable section of the supermarket. It contained an eggplant, a zucchini, a tomato, a pepper...
This is a great go-to weeknight dinner, and a dish that gets better after a few days.
1 large onion
1 bell pepper (red, green, or yellow - I prefer red for this dish, but any are OK)
1 medium eggplant
2-3 zucchini
1 tomato
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
Olive oil
Sugar, salt and pepper taste
Chop onion, pepper, zucchini, and eggplant. These pieces should be uniform and should be no bigger than "bite sized."
In a large stockpot, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and begin to cook the onions. Cook these slowly, adding 1 tablespoon of sugar, and salt and pepper. When the onions are translucent and just browning, add peppers, cooking slowly.
Once the peppers are softened, add the eggplant and zucchini, stiring regularly.
Chop the tomato. Mince the garlic (I like to make it into a paste by chopping it with a bit of sea salt). Remove the ribs from the jalapeno, and chop in to fine pieces. Add all to the stockpot.
Cover, and cook for about 30 - 45 minutes, until vegetables begin to meld together.
Serve with feta cheese, chopped olives and/or chili flakes. Each person should add as much as they like. And, don't forget the crusty bread!!!
This is a great go-to weeknight dinner, and a dish that gets better after a few days.
1 large onion
1 bell pepper (red, green, or yellow - I prefer red for this dish, but any are OK)
1 medium eggplant
2-3 zucchini
1 tomato
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
Olive oil
Sugar, salt and pepper taste
Chop onion, pepper, zucchini, and eggplant. These pieces should be uniform and should be no bigger than "bite sized."
In a large stockpot, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and begin to cook the onions. Cook these slowly, adding 1 tablespoon of sugar, and salt and pepper. When the onions are translucent and just browning, add peppers, cooking slowly.
Once the peppers are softened, add the eggplant and zucchini, stiring regularly.
Chop the tomato. Mince the garlic (I like to make it into a paste by chopping it with a bit of sea salt). Remove the ribs from the jalapeno, and chop in to fine pieces. Add all to the stockpot.
Cover, and cook for about 30 - 45 minutes, until vegetables begin to meld together.
Serve with feta cheese, chopped olives and/or chili flakes. Each person should add as much as they like. And, don't forget the crusty bread!!!
Guest Blogger!!
I'm not the only one who likes to cook in my house. My beautiful and mutli-talented daughter, Maddie, is an amazing cook, and wants to share. Of course!! If the picture below is any indication of what she is going to contribute, we are all in for a treat. Just a reminder, she is only 11 (although she prefers to say 12, since she prefers to round up), and she did this without any help!
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Crise Coeur
In a rush to get to the outdoor symphony concert, I decided to bring a tried and true, easy to make, easy to transport "something to share." I ran to the store, grabbed a baguette, got some nice, dry, very thinly sliced ham, and some European butter (plusgras - meaning "more fat" - he he!). I sliced open the baguette, slathered it with butter (unsalted, and it has to be good butter), and a layer of ham. Sliced it into pieces, wrapped it in foil, and put it back in the baguette bag. Easy peasy!
Everyone loved it, but, for full disclosure, the ham and butter sandwich was blamed, when my friend went to the ER with complaints of chest pains. Oy vey! I will just have to cut smaller pieces next time!
Everyone loved it, but, for full disclosure, the ham and butter sandwich was blamed, when my friend went to the ER with complaints of chest pains. Oy vey! I will just have to cut smaller pieces next time!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
B'Stilla
I brought leftovers (not even the first run) of this dish to a lake party at my friends, Mark and Julie's, house. Joe, their son, and Mark loved it, so I promised to send them the recipe. In fact, it is one of the inspirations for this blog.
I start with a spice mix - as any good Moroccan recipe should.
Spice mix
1 star of anise
20 cloves
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground nutmeg
5-10 peppercorns (depending upon how spicy you like it)
Starting with star of anise, cloves and peppercorns, grind using a mortar and pestle or a spice / coffee grinder. Pick out any hard bits that you can't grind. Add remaining spices, stir well, and set aside.
B'Stilla
Approximately 20 sheets of filo dough (9" by 14"). This varies by brand, but you would use about 8 oz.
2 chicken breasts
1 star of anise
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Slivered almonds (optional)
1/2 stick butter (not margarine), melted
Powdered sugar
Cinnamon
Poach (simmer gently) the chicken breasts, with the star of anise, for approximately 20 - 25 minutes. The chicken should be thoroughly cooked through. Remove the chicken from the water (reserving 2 tablespoons of the water), and set aside to cool.
Once cool, shred the chicken. Add the reserved water, spices (from above), salt, and eggs. Add the almonds, if you choose to include them. Mix together and set aside.
Butter the bottom of a pie pan. In a pinwheel method, overlapping each, lay out the filo dough. Butter betewen the layers. You can lose a few sheets, but if you lose too many, you will have gaps in your pastry. Once you have laid out most of the sheets, spoon in the chicken mixture. Fold the filo over the mixture, making sure to close any gaps. The chicken mixture should be fully covered. Butter between layers, and use additional filo, if needed. Butter the top of the pastry, once closed.
Bake for 30 - 45 minutes in a 325 degree oven. The top should be brown and crispy.
Serve immediately, with generous sprinklings of cinnamon and powdered sugar (yes you heard that right). This is a savory AND sweet dish. The smell will be heavenly in your kitchen. Enjoy!!
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