The Posts of Autumn: Applesauce!

One of the easiest things you can make with a bunch of apples is applesauce.  Applesauce freezes well, can be mixed into many baked goods to replace eggs and sugar, and is a treat when spiced just the way you want it.  Some people even like a few raisins in their applesauce!  Last weekend was a delightful time, as I went with a friend over to the Wenatchee valley in the heart of apple country here in Washington state.  Along the Columbia river, around Lake Chelan, we enjoyed the crisp autumn air and tons of apple orchards.  Every farm you see seems to be selling the fruits of their labor (ha ha).  We chose one orchard and picked up a couple 5-pound bags and a box that was 15 pounds of apples.  Well, my friend picked them up.  The deal was he'd buy if I made the sauce.  Fair enough!

Making applesauce requires very little special equipment.  You need a large stockpot with a lid, a ladle, a vegetable peeler, a wide-mouth funnel, an apple wedger, and quart-sized Mason jars.  I've found the boxes of Mason jars at the grocery store and the wedger and funnel at larger drugstores in the gadget aisle.  Any store that carries kitchen items like Bed, Bath & Beyond or even Target should have all of the above.  My 25 pounds of apples were actually so much that I had to do it in three batches and ended up filling 15 Mason jars.  Please also note, this method is not actually heat or pressure "canned", so they must go in the fridge or freezer or they will go bad.  For this batch, I used 20 pounds of Jonagold and 5 pounds of Winesap apples.  Make sure your apples are ripe, and a few bruises won't hurt at all.  This is one case where soft apples is a plus!

Unless you have one of those doohickeys that slices/peels/cores the apple all at once, you're going to have to prep all the apples.  You can keep tossing the apples in while it starts to cook.  Take your stockpot and put in 2 cups of water, with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar.  This helps  keep the apples from turning brown to fast as you fill the pot. Turn on the stove to medium-low.  Cut off the top and bottom of your apple with a sharp knife.

Now peel your apple.  The peeler in my photo is rather old, and I ended up going and buying a new comfort grip one by the second batch.  You're going to be doing a LOT of peeling.  Then center the wedger over the core and shove straight down quickly and hard.  Note I'm on a cutting board.  Carefully remove and throw away the core.  You may have to use the knife to remove any core bits/seeds from your wedges, as apples don't usually grow perfectly round and symmetrical.  That's okay, they all taste good in the end.  Toss the wedges in the pot.

Fill the pot with apple wedges to approximately within 2 inches of the top.  Every few layers of apples, you'll want to sprinkle in cinnamon to taste and stir it up with the ladle.  I like a lot of cinnamon, so my final product is a very russet-brown applesauce.  It's fine if you prefer no cinnamon, or even pumpkin pie spice instead.  Once full, put on the lid and turn up the heat to medium until the apples begin to boil.  Be sure to watch it as the apples can foam a little.  Once they boil, stir them well and reduce the heat to low.  Replace the lid and let the apples cook for several hours.  This time can vary depending on the ripeness and type of the apples you chose.  Jonagolds are a bit soft when ripe, so mine went mushy within a couple hours.  Adding the crunchier winesaps to the second batch took a couple extra hours.  Make sure to stir it every half hour or so to prevent sticking.  The apples will eventually start to disintegrate as you stir.

 

When the apples have gone mushy to the texture you prefer, it's time to put them in jars.  This can be anything from still chunky, to very smooth if you use a handblender before jarring.  Make sure your jars are clean and dry and turn off the heat.  Put the funnel in a jar, set it next to the pot, and slowly ladle the applesauce into the jar.  Fill it to within 1/2 inch of the rim, then screw on the lid firmly.  Be careful as the glass will heat up quickly.  You may need potholders to move it out of the way for the next jar.  Let the jars cool to room temperature on the counter.  Since you put the applesauce in while it was hot, you will hear the jar seal after a while as it cool, a metallic pop.  It's the opposite of the sound when you open a jar of pickles, for example.  The little ridge in the top of the lid will depress.  Don't worry if it doesn't, that just means it wasn't that hot and you'll have to eat that one first...  Once they're room temperature, they can be put in the fridge for a month or so, and the freezer for longer.  I don't sweeten my applesauce, because I have diabetic relatives and friends.  They can then add whatever sweetener later they wish.  If your apples were very ripe, you may not need sweetener at all.  Enjoy your taste of autumn later in the year; after all, you Put a Little Love in It!

The Posts of Autumn: Apple 1: Gala

Washington State is know for its apple production, and it's apple season!  Unfortunately, many other states don't get the variety of apples we produce and are left with Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, and maybe one or two others.  So I'm going to share various apples with you so you can demand your own store start putting them on the shelves.

I went to the veggie stand today and just had to get a couple of these for the sheer unbelieveability of them.  Most of you have probably seen or heard of Gala apples.  Lightly tart, nice and crunchy, a good snacking apple with peanut butter or honey and also good with others in desserts.  They keep their texture well in  the lower-temp baking.  But I'm willing to bet you've never seen ones this big.

Now, I know what you're going to say.  Yes, I do have small hands.  And I know you probably can't tell how big this apple really is without something besides my hand holding it up.  So, here's a comparison.

                        

Yes, this Gala apple is over half as tall as a soda can and easily three times larger than my Google Android cell phone.  (This is the only way an apple can beat Google Android, in my opinion. ha ha.)  It's amazing how an apple can get this big and still have flavor and crunch, but it is possible.  Please, feel free to be amazed at the size of our apples.

I'm off to stuff myself with Honeycrisp slices (which marries wonderfully with Havarti cheese...).  We'll have more unusual apple updates, and some photos this coming weekend of the "Apple Crawl Road Trip" here in lovely Washington State!

Belly Up to the Counter

My neighborhood has recently had the pleasure of seeing a branch of The Counter open here.  The Counter is a build-your-own burger joint, but that's not all!  The options and combos are endless.  Well, maybe not endless, but their list of choices make a possibility of over 312,120 combinations.  If you become a fan on their Facebook Page, you can get the latest news as well as the occasional Facebook-only special. I noticed that my location was offering free french fires to their Facebook fans, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

WOW.  Not only was the combo list easy to choose from and not overwhelming, everyone was so helpful!  My server AND my host explained the little checkboxes  and told me about how the beef patties were made fresh on site and hand-formed.  (They have other non-beef options as well.  please note with monthly specials, I consider these menus current only as of October 09.)  They even had the choice to have my burger "in a bowl", which means on a bed of greens instead of a bun.  A relative just found out she's diabetic and shouldn't eat a ton of carbs, so that's perfect for her.  They were happy to give me a take-out menu to give to her.


I was torn as to whether or not to order a starter, but I'm glad I didn't in the long run.  The weights on their choices are post-cooked weights, so a 1/3-lb burger and fries completely stuffed me.  Free refill on the soda, too.  The burger itself was large and juicy and cooked just right.  The toppings... Oh goodness.  You get 1 cheese, a sauce (on the side so you can control the application), and 4 topping choices in the basic price.  They certainly don't stint on the portions, either!  I chose sprouts, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms, gruyère, and a roasted garlic aioli for my combo.  

The alfalfa sprouts were great as a green on the burger.  Their hint of grassiness and crunch really helped cut the juiciness (not greasy) .  The cheese was deliciously mild, and that had to have been nearly half an onion grilled to translucency and piled on there.  A sweet onion, I could tell.  The mushrooms were an extra dollar, but I love mushrooms.  They were fresh and sautéed just long enough to still have texture while being the perfect soft bed for the onion.

The french fries were also wonderful.  They were cut in a small julienne, like matchsticks almost, and lightly seasoned with something that was a little tangy and a little salty.  The aioli was actually better as a dipping sauce for the fries.  The burger rather overpowered the sauce and I didn't want to waste a drop.  Garlic is good for you! (wink wink)


The check came quickly and I was sad that I was far too full to take them up on the offering of key lime pie.  Next time.  Certainly, the portions were such that I could have split the meal with a friend.  So the Counter definitely gets a thumbs up from me, and welcome to the neighborhood!  I can't wait to bring my family and friends and try new combos.  (including friends who eat veggie burgers)  Thanks, Counter, I'm a fan!

 

Just Bread... or is it?

How exciting!

Foodbuzz has sent me two whole loaves of bread to try, deliciously heavy whole grain goodness.  I may have to do my special grilled cheese sandwiches again.  The late summer has left the food blog a little sparse, but I expect it to pick up again with the upcoming holiday cooking.  Especially since food may be the masis of many gifts this year...

Have you ever given food as a gift?  What did you give and what was the occasion?  Share!

Les Champignons (Mushroom Review!)

I had the recent good fortune to get in on the reviewing of some locally harvested dried mushrooms from marxfoods.com. I say local because they're all harvested in the Pacific Northwest. I actually received four different kinds, a pretty good sized "sample" each. As you may have heard, Seattle hit record high temperatures lately, so it's taken me a little while before I could bear to cook anything.

I inhaled the delightful aroma of each type of mushroom as I opened its Ziploc bag. It was pleasantly surprising to see the size of these mushrooms as well.

The porcini were mostly dry with a little give, like a dry sponge. The aroma was quite strong and earthy, like a rich earth in a forest.






The oyster mushrooms were hard and had a much lighter, more woodsy aroma. There was a faint kind of sweetness as a top note to the smell. Very enticing.






These were "black trumpet" mushrooms. I haven't seen these before. Dry and thin, almost leafy like lettuce. Their smell was more what I'd call "mushroomy", quite plantlike and dark. But not overpowering!





The last were the morels. I was surprised at how large they were. Their appearance is a bit off-putting at first because the cap is honeycomb in texture, which made me think of tripe. But the odor was delicious! Earthy, yet light, and quite reminded me of tilled loamy soil after a summer rain. They smelled how I imagined a "wild" mushroom would smell.

After reviewing the suggested recipes (and there's a LOT of recipes) on the marxfoods.com website, I noticed each one had an egg dish of some kind. That settled it, we were having wild mushroom omelette for dinner! I'll warn you, this is very filling and rich. We had it with no side dishes and we're stuffed. I cook for three people in my household.


Wild Mushroom Omelette

1 large dried morel mushroom
2 large dried oyster mushrooms
2-3 medium dried porcini mushrooms
3-4 medium dried black trumpet mushrooms
generous pinch sea salt ( I prefer my alderwood smoked sea salt)
cracked black pepper to taste
1/2 cup minced sweet onion or 1/2 cup dried onions
6 eggs
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Place your mushrooms in a bowl of hot water and cover for an hour until softened.
   
2. Squeeze excess liquid out of your mushrooms. This liquid is rich in vitamins and great to freeze, saving it for soup stock or gravies.
3. Finely mince your mushrooms and place in a large frying pan with your onions and 3 tablespoons butter. (I used crispy fried onions made by a local Scandinavian food store)
4. Sauté for 3-5 minutes over medium heat and shake pan to evenly distribute them in a layer. Add the last three tablespoons of butter and let it melt.
   
5. While sautéeing, crack the eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork to mix well.
6. Gently pour the eggs over the mushroom/onion mixture. You may need to stir with a spatula to incorporate it well, but go quickly or you'll end up with scrambled eggs.
7. Let your omelette cook UNTOUCHED until it crisps around the edges and starts to pull away from the pan. Continue to cook until only the center still looks wet.
8. Unless you have a huge spatula, you'll likely have to cut it in half to be able to turn it. Flip each half of the omelette quickly but carefully. Note the bottom is a lovely golden brown and the butter is sizzling!
   
9. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Remember a sharp cheese will be a bit salty too.
   
10. Cook another 3-5 minutes to firm up everything, then remove each serving to a plate. I found about a half to a quarter of the omelette would be enough due to the richness of the butter.
11. Sprinkle a little cheese and enjoy! Remember to Put a Little Love in It!

I really loved this. The mushrooms gave the omelette a wonderful richness. You could smell the earthiness, but neither the scent nor the taste were overpowering. In fact, I thought they balanced the egg quite nicely. And using real butter gives your omelette a delicious crispy edge that melts in your mouth. Now I just have to decide what to do with the rest of the mushrooms. I'm thinking maybe a pasta dish for a friend who a really Fun-gi....

Honey Lavender Shortbread Cookies

I know what you're thinking. Lavender? in food? There's actually quite a long tradition of culinary lavender. It's a hit in baked goods and citrus desserts and the occasional bit of poultry. If you'll recall, I had lavender whipped cream on poached pears this past New Year's Even when I did a 24,24,24 dinner for Foodbuzz. A friend and I recently went to a local lavender festival and he was sweet enough to buy me some lavender honey. Since I still had the lavender from New Year's and it still is really strong-smelling, I just had to make something special! I made the cookies early this morning as it was already 70 degrees around 10 am, so I apologize for the lack of photos. Here's a photo of the lavender farm instead. (CedarBrook Lavender in Sequim, WA, they have an online gift shop and you can even stay there!)


I actually made several batches of this recipe. After all, if someone gives you an ingredient, it's polite to share what you make in return. As always, I also Put a Little Love in It.

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon dried or fresh lavender
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar. For my friends who don't do sugar, substitute the same amount of Splenda.)

1. Combine flour, salt, baking powder, and lavender in a medium bowl.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter, honey, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. (Alternately: I did this step in my KitchenAid mixer, then added the dry ingredients. Mix on medium-low until well blended and it pulls together off the sides.)

3. Spoon dough out onto a large rectangle of parchment paper and roll in the paper to form a log. Transfer dough to refrigerator and chill until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the log of dough into 1/2-inch slices. Place the slices on sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart, and bake 8 minutes, or until light golden brown.

I had difficulty with the first log staying in shape while I sliced it because it's so hot here. There are three other traditional shaping methods you can use for shortbread.

A: Roll balls of dough with your hands about the size of a walnut or large marble. Flatten with your hands and back as above, about 1 inch apart. This recipe does NOT make cookies that spread out very much.

B: Spread the cookie dough in the pan until about 1/4 inch thick, then score a grid on the dough with a knife or the edge of the spatula. You can then completely cut the squares on each batch as you take them out of the oven with the edge of the spatula. I ended up doing this to cut down on the time I spent in a hot kitchen. They may take about 5 minutes longer to cook , so watch those edges carefully! Even if the center isn't golden, they ARE done.

C: The "Scottish method" is to pat the dough into a round pie pan and score as above, cutting it like you would a pizza. This makes triangular pieces which are a bit trickier to get out. But they do make lovely first layers on a plate with some fresh berries and whipped cream!

Variations on this recipe can really end up any flavor you like. I made a lemon batch by leaving out the lavender and putting a tablespoon of lemon extract in with the butter and sugar. The lavender is such a delicate flavor and aroma above the butter and these go incredibly well with a good pot of Earl Grey tea. Alas, since it's 81 degrees here right now, I'm having them with iced tea. Enjoy!

A Delightful Delivery

You may now notice on the right there under the subscribers, a new logo and link to the page. Spud.com is a food delivery service available in many major cities. I just love them and am joining in a mutual sponsorship here. If you join using my code, I will get $25 worth of free food after you place your first order. Just think, more free food means more recipes I can make for you! From their own blurb:

"spud! is the only 100% carbon neutral online grocer that delivers organic, local and affordable produce and groceries right to your door. Sign up at www.spud.com and use promo code CRSEA-OCOMEG to receive $25 off over your first 4 deliveries. ($5 off your first 3 orders, $10 off your 4th)."

Some of you may recognize Spud as the delivery service I used last New Year's Eve in order to get my Thundering Hooves leg of lamb here on time for the 24,24,24 dinner on Foodbuzz. I've also used them for wonderfully fresh and local veggies when I don't feel like going to a market or when they have something the market near me may not. They have some normal grocery items too, but the meat and veggies are just divine. I also love how it calculates your carbon footprint by telling where everything is coming from. It really helps me support local growers when I can pick the strawberries from Bellevue or Whidbey Island rather than from Mexico. (for example)

So please feel free to sign up (free!) and give them a try if they're in your area. Oh, and I have no problems at all with the produce box, even though I live in an apartment building. They're even brought it up to the door when I requested and we're home. Wonderful customer service. Thanks, Spud!

Immigrant Dish

One of my prize acquisitions from my New York trip was a cookbook from Ellis Island, full of recipes brought over and people's stories. It's an enthralling read! I noticed that many of the countries from where my ancestors came (although none specifically came through Ellis) had a dish with some commonalities. They all had some kind of dish that involved a meat/rice mixture with onions and cabbage. So, I decided to go with the commonalities of dinner to honor all my ancestors. I give you... Immigrant Dish!

1 lb. hamburger
4 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Cup instant rice
1 medium onion
1 small head of cabbage
1 jar sauerkraut
salt and pepper to taste (I relied on my usual freshly ground black pepper and smoked sea salt)
1 Cup water

Rinse your cabbage and remove any outer leaves that are damaged or spotty. Cut the core out of it from the bottom and slice into 1/2 inch wedges. Put in a large pot of boiling water on the stovetop. Let it boil while you make the meatball mixture.

In a medium bowl, put the ketchup, rice, and salt/pepper to taste. If you need a little extra flavor, Mrs. Dash is an invaluable flavoring that will help you cut down on salt without losing and taste. Mix this very well until the rice is well-incorporated. Mixing this with your hands is also a great stress reliever. Form mixture into 2-inch (or slightly smaller than a golf ball) meatballs. Turn on your oven to preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Peel and slice a medium onion thinly.

In a medium oven-safe pan that has a lid, put about 3 Tablespoons of sauerkraut. You don't have to drain or rinse this. Use a pasta fork or slotted spoon to take the cabbage out of the water and layer it in the oven-safe pan. After putting in about half of the cabbage, layer the onions, then the rest of the cabbage. Feel free to add a little salt and pepper between layers.

Place the meatballs on the cabbage and sprinkle another couple spoonfuls of sauerkraut over them. Carefully pour the cup of water into the pan. You need this because it will be cooked at a lower temperature than many things, and moisture is key with the "low and slow" method. Put on the lid and cook in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until the meatballs are completely cooked through and browning a little.

Use the pasta fork/slotted spoon to serve into a bowl when done. You can add a salad for more vitamins, but it's hearty and filling with even a nice slice of bread and a glass of cold milk. I honor my mothers before me with this dish and appreciate all the work they put into something similar to feed their families. For them, I Put a Little Love in It.

New York Noshing, Part Two

There's more to come, but I thought I'd tantalize you with my favorite during the trip. A little ways from the hotel (it was so convenient!) was a wonderful little restaurant called Vinyl. It's got a delightful theme of music. The menu covers are record album covers, the logo is a record spinner, the tables are tiled with mirror ball pieces, and they play wonderful 60's to 80's music. Cute, we thought. Little did we know the décor was nothing compared to the incredible food!

We started off with an appetizer called "Disco Fries". This came in a really cool presentation of a paper cone inside a metal cone holder, and a side of an incredibly smooth and mild Fontina cheese dipping sauce. The fries were cut tiny and skin-on, and a sprinkling of very fine salt on top really made these one of those "Can't quit nibbling" items. The taste was so good, we didn't use the ketchup they brought to the table. T and I each also had a Sex on the Beach to drink with dinner. Very well blended, but I actually expected it to be pinker. Perhaps the East Coast doesn't use Grenadine in them? Oh well, they were still delicious.

T ordered a NY steak with fries and an olive oil/peppercorn sauce. She wasn't crazy about the strength of the sauce, but she just loved the perfect steak. She ordered it medium-rare and I could tell by the level of pinkness that they'd gotten it just right. She was impressed with the quality and tenderness of the meat. It also came with the hand-cut steak fries, so we were loaded with fries. Good thing we love to share our food!










I decided to be adventurous and ordered a smaller item off the starter menu, as I knew I was going to get dessert. I chose the "Uptown Sliders". The one I picked was two little sandwiches on locally-made brioche bread, with shredded duck in a sweet and spicy sauce with a side of homemade thinly sliced sweet pickles. The amount of sauce was just right and the sweet and spicy was perfectly balanced. The meat was rich enough that the two little sandwiches were actually the perfect amount. And the pickles... Oh, the pickles were divine! I haven't had homemade pickles in FOREVER, and I just slurped these all up. It would have been a sin to leave one behind.

We were absolutely stuffed by the time we finished all this and our drinks. T and I knew we wanted dessert, so we asked for that to go. She chose a delightful cocoa cake that was chocolatey without being too overwhelming. (It had cute little tiny chocolate chips on the top!) There was a mini-fridge in our room, so we enjoyed our dessert after relaxing and checking our email in our room that evening. Her cake came with a little plastic cup of creme fraiche and some sliced fresh berries sprinkled over it. She let me try a bite and I was thrilled with how it was chocolately, but not in a heavy way. It was incredibly moist, too!

My choice was another foodie goal of mine. I wanted "real" New York Cheesecake. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, and I adore cheesecake. The one I ordered from Vinyl was a plain style with a vanilla-infused cream on top. OH. MY. GOD. Now I understand the difference. It was the most creamy, smooth, tall, perfect cheesecake I've ever had. The vanilla cream was a great complement to the melt-in-your-mouth cake on top of a crust of perfectly ground and buttery-rich graham crackers. Garnished with a mint leaf and sprinkled with fresh berries, that's my favorite dessert from now on. It was the perfect end to a wonderful day. And so rich, I had to save half for the next day. Two or even three people could easily split this. I managed, though....
So if you're in New York, take the subway for fun, but make sure you get out in Chelsea around 15th Street and go to Vinyl. (Yes, they had a couple vegetarian options) You won't regret it.

Vinyl
102 6th St at 15th St
New York, NY 10011
212-400-2118

New York Noshing

At the end of May, I had the great luck to go to New York for 5 days. I set some foodie goals, and I bring you the delicious results!

My first night was tiring, so I went with the easiest goal. Real New York Pizza. I lucked out, as there was an adorable four-table tiny pizza joint across the street from my hotel. So I and my companion popped over to Due Amici Pizza in Chelsea and grabbed a couple slices. Lucky thing we did, as the line out the door filled up behind us! I chose a cheese pizza with black olives and mushrooms, and T chose a classic pepperoni and mushrooms.




Absolutely delicious! Even though they warmed our slices in a typical pizza joint flat oven, the bottom of the perfectly thin crust was lightly charred and tasted like a wood-fired pizza. The crust was great too, with the edge risen just enough to keep the sauce and topping in without being large enough to make you feel like you're wasting bread.

The slices were huge, too, easily the breadth of my hand across. Two were almost too much for me, but I made the sacrifice and ate it all. Four slices of pizza and two cokes, less than $20. Great deal. And it was amazing, but everywhere seemed to have a pizza joint! As much as I make fun of the fact that there are 6 Starbucks within 2 blocks of my work, this is how pizza joints are in New York. You can't go a block without finding one. Too bad I couldn't try them all...

Stay tuned for more New York food posts...

Chocolate Ice Cream, No Cooking Involved!

I know what you're thinking. "How can Ice Cream be healthy?" Well, this is a version that will not only satisfy your sweet tooth but also make your eyes roll with how creamy and smooth it is. And, you can make it even if you're out of milk! I used my ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid mixer, but you can use any ice cream maker that will hold a quart or more.

2 cans (about 3 Cups) of unsweetened coconut milk (NOT the lite, you want full thickness.)
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding
1/4 Cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 Tablespoons fat-free Hot Fudge Sauce

Containers to store your ice cream in the freezer.

1. In a large bowl or in your mixer, mix all ingredients until smooth. If the pudding mix thickens too fast and you can have dairy, add 1/4 Cup of milk to thin. Most coconut milk can be found anywhere you can buy Thai food. Thai Kitchen is another excellent brand, we have several options even in drugstores here in the Pacific Northwest. I bought the above two cans at a chain drugstore in the food/snack section for less than $2 each. There will be a faint coconut taste to the ice cream, but this could be overcome by carefully upping the cocoa amount.
2. Take your ice cream freezing unit out of the freezer. Most of them require at least 15 hours in the freezer before, I leave it in for 24 just to be sure. Use a spatula and quickly get all your ice cream mix into the container.
3. Attach the dasher according to your maker's instructions and proceed to churn! My ice cream maker takes about 20-30 minutes. I have found that the pudding mix, being thicker, makes it take about 40 minutes. It WILL increase in volume.
   
4. When this is finished, it should be the consistency of soft serve. You can eat it now, but it's really better once hardened. Put it in your containers. (I find this recipe fills two of those soup/salad sized Gladware containers perfectly)
5. Put the ice cream in your freezer for at least 4 hours, 24 if you like it hard enough to make beautiful scoops like in the ice cream parlor.

Enjoy! The pudding gives this an incredibly smooth texture, much like a beloved childhood Fudgesicle(TM). It's cool and summery, and you Put a Little Love in It!

Sometimes Simple is a Classic

Even on a weekend, we sometimes want a simple meal. Something homey, heartening, and familiar is just what we've been craving. A very quick, very simple classic is steak, asparagus with Hollandaise, and garlic bread. I'll admit, I cheat when I don't want to spend a long time in the kitchen. I'll use sauce mixes and frozen garlic bread. That way, I can splurge my savings on getting the best steaks I can for my money.

Steaks:

1 medium to small steak per person. (about the size of a deck of cards or your fist)
tiny pinch of sea salt per steak
dash of cracked black pepper per steak

Asparagus:

1 lb easily feeds 3-4 people. Make sure the floret ends are tightly closed and nothing bends too easily for freshness. Look for a bunch that has similar-sized stalks for even cooking. Now's the season!
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
4 Tablespoons olive oil

Hollandaise Sauce:

1 pkg Knorr (the lowest sodium brand I could find) Hollandaise sauce mix
1 C 2% milk
2 T margarine

1. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly brush a cookie sheet with a little of the olive oil.
2. Rinse off your asparagus stalks and shake off the excess water.
3. Cut off about 1/2 an inch on the non-pointy end to remove the toughest part.
4. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the stalks from the bottom of the tender floret end down to the cut end. This takes a light touch, as it's very easy to peel away too much of the delicate flesh under this skin.
5. Line the stalks up on the cookie sheet and brush with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Put in the middle rack of the oven.

1. I have a propane grill out on the balcony that clicks on. If you use charcoal, you will need to start that before doing the asparagus. For myself at this point, I turned the grill on to high and left the lid closed to clean it.
2. Put your steaks on a plate and lightly sprinkle with the salt and pepper. I use very little salt here so as not to dry out the meat. You really should be barely able to see the salt at all. You only need to do this to one side.
3. Turn the grill down to medium (or when your coals are flameless and white), put the steaks on, and close the lid. Make sure the thickest part of the steaks are over the flame part. I used steaks that were about an inch thick. If you prefer your beef to be well-done, leave the grill on Medium-high or let the steaks cook over your charcoal an extra 5 minutes. I cook mine to medium-rare.
   
4. Take the asparagus out of the oven and set aside. Place frozen slices of garlic bread on another cookie pan and put in the oven.
   
5. Melt the margarine in the milk in a small saucepan at medium heat on the stove.
   
6. As soon as the margarine is melted, but before anything bubbles, whisk in the sauce mix.
7. Using tongs, turn over the bread.
   
8. Continue to stir frequently with the whisk to keep the sauce from sticking. Allow the sauce to heat slowly until it begins to thicken. The sauce is done when it is the consistency of cake or pancake batter. (pourable)
9. Turn off the oven and remove the bread.
10. Retrieve your steaks from the grill, plate with the asparagus and bread, and spoon Hollandaise over the asparagus.

Enjoy! It's a simple down-home meal, but you Put a Little Love in it!

A Really Great Contest!

Wouldn't you love to win $200 to go to a nice restaurant? I sure would. Well, here's your chance! Hop over and enter this neat new contest...

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A Discovery That's a Real "Steel"!

A friend and I recently had dinner at a lovely location that really surprised us with amazing food. We wanted vegetarian options and were out to see a show, so we wandered around and chose the "Steelhead Diner" at Pike Place Market. Wow!

As a shared appetizer, we indulged and had a small plate of Flash Fried Beecher's Cheese Curds. Beecher's produces handmade cheeses just down the hill from the Diner, so I was thrilled to find so much that was local in our dinner. They were hot but not painfully so and the breading was light. While the tartar and tangy mustard sauce dips were not too inspiring, we discovered that a sprinkle of the Alderwood Smoked Sea Salt and spice mix that were on the table really made the cheese zing! You may recognize the sea salt as the same one I used on New Year's Day for the 24, 24, 24 dinner from World Spice in the market.

For our main meals, my friend M chose the vegetarian chili and the beet tartare. He reported that the chili was delicious and hearty, and probably should have chose a cup instead of a bowl. Nice and thick and it came with a large cracker lightly seasoned with fennel. The beet tartare, an interesting interpretation, was divine. (We shared tastes because everything was so good!) A shaped medallion of minced beets was held together with a very light mayonnaise-like sauce and was seasoned with crispy capers and creamery "Oregonzola" cheese. A small side cup of seasoned fried yucca chips reminded me of spicy yam chips. The selection got a two thumbs up from M as we joked about talking like the Siskel and Ebert of food.

My choices were a cup of the Alaskan razor clam chowder and the organic spring mix salad. The clam chowder had a nice light sprinkling of green onion slices and a drizzle of truffle oil. The chunks of potato were the prefect not mushy/not hard texture and the clams themselves were large and very meltingly tender. the actual base was so smooth and creamy, yet delightfully not heavy for being of real cream. There were tiny pieces of bacon in the bottom of this, but I'm okay with that personally on a rare occasion. The salad was crisp and tasty, with a light vinaigrette made with white balsamic vinegar. I especially loved the bits of spiced walnuts and macerated cherries. But the real treat that just MADE the salad was the bits of lavender goat cheese. Yes, this unusual flavor just perfectly balanced the cherries with the dressing and greens without being cloying. It added just a tiny bit of sweetness to the cherries as well.

We were highly pleased with our discovery of the Steelhead Diner and I plan to take the family there soon. Kevin and Terresa Davis, your restaurant is a wonderful place to eat a great meal that won't weigh you down before heading to Benaroya Hall for a concert. You definitely got an A+ from M and I!

Pasta Sauce That's a Real Winner!

A creamy and nutty sauce perfectly compliments Buitoni’s new Wild Mushroom Agnolotti from their Riserva line. It also is a delicious topper for other filled pastas such as four cheese ravioli or tortellini. This original creation of mine is my entry into Buitoni's contest on Foodbuzz.com! Wish me luck, and if you're on Foodbuzz, please buzz the recipe!

1 minced shallot
5 T dried basil
2 T sun dried tomato paste
1 T sun dried tomatoes, minced
2 T of the oil from the sun dried tomatoes
1/2 pint half-n-half
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
1/4 C grated fresh Parmesan
1 t cornstarch in 2 T cold water
1/4 pine nuts, toasted and chopped
2 packages Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti ravioli

1. In a dry saucepan or frying pan on medium heat, toast the pine nuts. Give them a shake every few minutes to keep them from sticking. Toast for 4-7 minutes, or until lightly browned. Chop roughly and put them aside in a measuring cup or small bowl.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté the minced shallot in the butter until translucent and barely starting to turn brown.
3. Add the sun dried tomatoes and sun dried tomato paste, and stir well. Add the oil from the sun dried tomatoes and stir again. Mixture will be very thick.
4. In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a roiling boil. Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the water to prevent sticking. Add the ravioli carefully to prevent sticking.
5. Whisk the half-n-half into the shallot/tomato mixture carefully.
6. Continue to whisk as you mix in the salt, pepper, and basil.
7. Keep whisking as you slowly add the grated Parmesan to fully incorporate the melting cheese.
8. After 4-8 minutes of the ravioli boiling (al dente), carefully pour it into a colander to drain.
9. To the cream sauce, add the pine nuts and the water/cornstarch mix. The sauce will thicken quickly, so make sure to whisk continually.

Plate the ravioli and spoon the sauce over the pasta. Garnish with a little bit of fresh grated Parmesan and parsley (if desired), and serve with a fresh green salad.

NOTE: For a healthier option, you can use “fat-free” half-n-half and omit the butter. Serves 4.