Shortbread

I've been making this for years in the winter holiday season, and sometimes make a LOT, package it in waxed paper sandwich bags with ribbons and hand it out to friends and neighbors.  This was one of those years, and one colleague asked for the recipe, so here it is!

This makes two circular pans of cookies, about 28.  I doubled it and made cookies twice this season, and just now made another batch for an upcoming party.  They last for weeks and get even better as they dry out.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ sticks of unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ½ sticks of salted butter, softened
• ¾ cup confectioner's sugar
• ⅜ teaspoon salt
• ⅜ teaspoon double-acting baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar for topping

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.  Put parchment paper into the bottom of two 9" round cake pans, simple metal ones work well
2. In a mixer on a slow speed, mix together first 6 ingredients until evenly crumbly, do not overmix into a batter - this should be pretty dry
3. Divide the mixture between the two cake pans
4. Using a wide spatula and another piece of parchment paper, press down on the crumbs and compress them into the pan
5. With a spoon, sprinkle the granulated sugar on the top
6. Put the pans in the oven in the middle, and bake for 7 minutes
7. Take them out and use a silicone knife (if you have one) or a sharp knife and cut wedges, you can also press some decorative patterns on the edge with a fork at this time if you want to
8. Return the pans to the oven and bake another 7-12 minutes, or until lightly browned
9. Let cool, and separate carefully

Gingermericubes (Ginger, Turmeric and Lemon juice ice cubes)

Equipment

• ice cube tray
• food processor
• peeler
• gloves, optional

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb fresh ginger root, preferably organic
• 1/4 lb fresh turmeric root, preferably organic
• Lemons.  Lots of lemons.  Last time I used 10, which was too many...but 6 would not be surprising.

Method

1. Peel the roots.  If you care about staining your hands and fingernails, wear gloves
2. Put the peeled roots into the food processor.  It will stain!!  So just be ready for that.
3. Pulse to fine.
4. Put the diced root mixture into the ice cube tray compartments.  
5. Juice and strain the lemons into a spouted measure, and pour into the compartments until they are just full.
6. Freeze the cubes.

 Use these in Bone broth (one cube per quart) or in soda water.

Chicken bone broth (Instant Pot)

Equipment

• Instant Pot (at least 6 quarts, big enough to hold a whole chicken)
• Strainer
• 4-5 Quart Mason jars

Ingredients

• 1 small whole frozen chicken
• 2-4 Frozen chicken feet (if you can get them)
• Salt
• Water

Method

1. Put the chicken in the pot, and fill almost to Max with water.  You could go all the way to Max if the chicken is fully submerged, but if anything is poking out give yourself a little leeway.
2. Add 1 Tablespoon of salt, or a little less
3. Seal the Instant Pot, turn venting off.  Set to Meat/Stew for 90 minutes.
4. When it's done, you can release manually or naturally.
5. Remove the chicken from the pot.  I usually put it into a glass baking dish, and spread out the meat to cool slightly.
6. If you need some broth for a recipe, remove it.  It's pretty darn good right now.  
7. Use the chicken meat for something delicious like Kota Soupa Avgolemono or Chicken Casserole (recipe TBD).
8. When you can, start separating the skin and bones and other inedibles, and put them back into the pot with the broth.
9. Add the chicken feet to the pot.
10. Close the pot again, and leave the vent open.  Slow cook as long as you can -- 20 hours is good!
11. When the broth is done slow cooking, strain it into the quart jars.
12. Cool the jars, and when you need to use the broth, skim the fat off of the top.

I do this about every other week.  Every three days, I'll open up a quart, skim the fat and drop in a Gingermericube.  The next morning, I shake it up and then pour out a mug and heat it in the microwave, and drink it as my breakfast.  Delicious!  I don't get sick very often at all -- just recently, I did get a cold for the first time in two years, and I hadn't been drinking my potion recently.

Doug's Piña Colada Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Thoroughly mix the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

1 cup unsweetened dried diced pineapple
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sugar
1 13.5 ounce (400mL) can coconut milk
1/4 cup small pearl tapioca
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup The Kraken black spiced rum

Pour mixture into:

1 gluten free pie shell

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

Gluten free.
Ovo-lacto vegetarian.
Not dairy free, egg free or vegan.

Elephant Ears (Fried Dough)

Combine:

 3/4 cup warm milk

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tblsp sugar

3 Tblsp melted butter

1 Tblsp active dry yeast

Let yeast proof (get foamy). 

Mix in: 

2 cups all purpose flour

Knead until smooth, cover in bowl and let rise 30 minutes.

Knead lightly, divide into 8 small balls.

Flatten and roll balls into "ears". 

Roll them thin, as they will fluff and blister when fried.

Fry in 350 degree vegetable oil, turning once to lightly brown each side.

Keep warm in oven until done frying all 8.

Brush both sides of each piece with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Serve immediately.

Gluten-free spicy beef wraps

I made these for lunch yesterday. Meli asked for another, and probably would have had a third had I not put everything away.  All ingredients from Whole Foods, of course, and designated by brand because ymmv with other brands.

For each wrap:

• Rudi's gluten-free fiesta tortilla
• A few smears of Whole Foods hand-dipped spring onion/jalapeño spread over the tortilla
• 2 slices applegate farms roast beef
• 2 slices of tomato
• Handful of organic girl super-greens
• Roll it up, cut roll in half, enjoy!

Chicken with Prosciutto, Sage and Fontina

Meli and I were at a loss the other day.  Sometimes dealing with gluten-free and Kiddo's pickiness can be exhausting.  So I used the "what do we have on hand" method, googled a few recipes and did some melding and modification to produce this, which was fantastic over gluten-free pasta.

I started with this: http://www.marthastewart.com/339345/chicken-with-prosciutto-and-sage

But instead of flour, used Masa. Also I added cheese and used all whole sage leaves and finished in the oven and used Masala instead of white wine...and the preparation was like this.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup masa
• Course salt and fresh ground pepper
• Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 8-10 fresh sage leaves
• 2oz prosciutto, sliced thinly
• 2oz fontina cheese, sliced thinly
• 3/4 cup masala wine
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• Gluten-free pasta, prepared according to package directions

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine the masa, salt and pepper in a dredging pan.
3. Slice the chicken lengthwise with a thin knife into 2-3 slices per breast, depending on the thickness of the breast
4. Dredge the chicken in the flour.
5. Melt half a stick of unsalted butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium heat.
6. Add 8-10 fresh sage leaves, fry briefly until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
7. Add the chicken and fry on one side until lightly browned, then turn over.
8. Brown the other side of the chicken.
9. Top each slice with a slice of prosciutto and a slice of cheese. Fontina was great, mozzarella would be less salty, also good.  Add wine and broth to the pan, put it in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes.
10. Serve over gluten-free linguine, and add the fried sage leaves as garnish.

Cotija Cheese and Jalapeño Tamales

I love tamales, so I thought I'd give making them a shot. They were a lot of effort, but they were well worth it!

The tamale dough was made by mixing together:

2 cups of masa flour (finely ground nixtamal, which is corn treated with lime)
1.5 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup salted butter
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

They were filled with:

3/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese
4 medium jalapeños, seeded and finely diced

They were rolled in:

Fresh corn husks from 4 large ears of corn.

Mix tamale dough thoroughly and spread on corn husks. Rather than purchasing dried husks and soaking them, I bought some fresh ears of sweet corn (which will be used in another dish), cut off both ends and unrolled the green husks.  I discarded the outer tough leaves and anything too small to use. I put the useful ones in a bowl of warm water to keep them from drying out.  Four large ears of corn gave me enough husks for this recipe. I spread the tamale dough from one the closest long edge, leaving about a one inch gap on the far edge and at each end. Sprinkle diced jalapeño and crumbled Cotija on the closer side of tamale dough and roll up. Fold the ends and put in steamer tray. Once you've wrapped all your tamales and packed them into the steamer tray, steam them for 1.5 hours.

Once they are done, unroll and enjoy!

Guest blogger,
Alpheus68

Fatayer / M.R. 4

There's a restaurant in the Coventry neighborhood of Cleveland Heights called Tommy's, that has the most amazing sandwich called the M.R. 4 -- they would take a fatayer (spinach pie) from Aladdin's Bakery and doctor it up with falafel and banana and tahini sauce.  It was this gorgeous mix of savory, sweet doughy deliciousness.

I haven't lived in Cleveland Heights for nearly 20 years, but I still miss this dish.  So I decided to try to recreate it tonight. 

Start with a pizza-like dough recipe -- I used this one from Dede's Mediterannean blog, which was great but could have used a longer second rising than I had time for. While the dough is rising the first time (and the second time, after dividing into 8 portions) make the filling.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 5 oz baby greens
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbs butter
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 oz feta cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 slightly green banana
• 1 tsp tahini

Preparation:

1. Saute the mushrooms and onions in the butter until the mushrooms start to express their juices
2. Add the greens, stir and put a lid on and steam for 5-8 minutes.
3. Put the mixture into a colander to cool and drain.
4. When it has drained, put the mixture into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

I watched the video of Dede making fatayer to learn how to fill the pies -- it's worth a watch.

I baked the pies at 400 F for 8 minutes, brushed with olive oil, then baked for another 10 minutes.

I will definitely do this again!  I think the kids would even love them without the cayenne pepper.

Salt-baked potatoes

There used to be a restaurant within walking distance that I loved.  It was a good steakhouse, but what I really craved were the salt-baked potatoes.  I've searched for years for a method to produce those potatoes...slightly crusty on the outside, salty but not over-salted, fluffy and creamy on the inside...I finally hit upon it tonight.

For 2 medium-to-large Idaho potatoes, scrub them and then bury them in rock salt in a large metal loaf pan.  It takes about 2 cups of rock salt.  Bake them at 350 for at least 90 minutes.  Remove the potatoes and brush off all the rock salt.  You can re-use the salt, so keep it for the next time.

Simple perfection.  I may never eat potatoes another way again.  We roasted them at the same time we were roasting some beef, and frankly we much preferred the potatoes to the beef.

Orange Pork Stir-fry

Cooking for my family is tricky.

• B (8) would subsist on dessert, if he could.  He eats like a bird, and always, ALWAYS leaves at least one bite on the plate.  The trick is to give him small portions so there isn't so much wasted.  He's underweight and pretty small, and only somewhat physically active.  He does like spicy food, though.
• Kiddo (8) would subsist on carbs and cheese if he could.  And ketchup.  He cannot stand even the hint of spiciness.  He's a little overweight but very physically active and never seems to stop growing.
• E (12) toys with vegetarianism, is growing like a weed, and worries overmuch about food safety.  She's prefers simple spices.
• Meli is tall and thin and could stand to gain some muscle weight.  He seems to be able to eat anything and not gain weight -- 7 donuts in a sitting?  Check.  Double cheeseburger and fries?  How about two?  An entire large pizza?  Why not?  His cholesterol could be better, though.  He's currently cutting out most carbs.  I'm not entirely sure why.  He's a great cook, but it tends to be heavily fatty and saucy comfort food.
• I've gained 15 pounds since I met Meli, yikes!  I love to cook and get bored with the kid's preferred foods.  I work out about 4 days out of 7, if not more, and count calories, but hey, I'm over 40 and it's hard to get that weight off and keep it off.  My cholesterol could also be better.  Meli and I both love spicy foods from all sorts of ethnic backgrounds.

So I was thrilled when what I made last night pleased EVERYBODY.  I kept the veggies and the meat separate and didn't put any sauce on them, and served the sauce separately.  I didn't measure or write it down while cooking, sadly, but here's the gist.

• 1-2 cups rice
• 2 thick boneless pork chops
• 1 navel orange
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 small knob of fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 3 Tbs mirin
• salt
• 1 bell pepper, red or orange or yellow
• 1 small head broccoli
• 2 cups snow peas
• 1 Tbs sesame seeds
• 1 container shitake mushrooms
• Sesame oil and peanut oil

1. Start the rice cooking
2. Put the chops in a glass dish
3. Zest and juice the orange into the dish
4. Mince the garlic and ginger, add to the dish
5. Add the soy sauce and mirin and a pinch of salt per pork chop
6. Set the pork aside to marinate while you're preparing the rest
7. Heat a wok
8. Slice up the bell pepper into thin rounds
9. Break up the broccoli into flowers
10. Chop the mushrooms
11. When all the ingredients are prepped, add a splash of sesame oil and enough peanut oil to the wok for stir-frying...about 2-3 Tbs?
12. Add the bell pepper to the wok, stir-fry for about a minute
13. Add the broccoli, stir-fry for about 2 minutes
14. Add the snow peas and the sesame seeds, continue stir-frying until all the vegetables are crisp-tender
15. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and keep warm.
16. Add the mushrooms to the wok but keep them to the sides of the pan
17. While they sweat, remove the pork from the marinade and slice it somewhat thinly...about 1/2 inch slices.  Save the marinade in the dish.
18. Add the pork to the wok and stir-fry with the mushrooms until it's done, it should spring back when pressed.  About 5 minutes?
19. When it's done, put it into a serving dish
20. Pour the marinade into the wok and boil it for a minute, then transfer to a sauceboat.

Serve everything separate -- the carb-lovers get lots of rice, the kids who can't stand spice get fairly plain veggies that taste great because of the sesame oil and seeds, the sauce is amazingly good for those who can stand a little spice, everyone loves the pork which is juicy and tender and only very slightly flavored by the orange sauce, and since it's all cut up small not much went to waste.

Pear and Ginger Phyllo Triangles

These are amazing.  Sweet, savory, tart, creamy, crunchy...I really wish they weren't all in the freezer now awaiting reheating for the party.

Meli and I made these, Jezebel sauce, sugar cookies (not yet decorated) and raisin-filled Christmas cookies this evening.  Oh, and dinner.  I'm exhausted, but it's been a great day.

1 egg
1 lemon, zested and juiced, zest chopped finely
8 oz mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped finely
3 oz triple creme goat brie (or regular brie), chopped
2 medium pears, cored and chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 pound phyllo dough

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Beat the egg in a medium bowl with a whisk.
3. Add the lemon juice, zest and mascarpone and mix well with a rubber spatula
4. Add the ginger and brie and pears, mix well
5. Make the triangles:
1. Take a sheet of phyllo, lay it on a large cutting board long side up, and brush it with butter
2. Take a second sheet of phyllo, place it over the first sheet, brush it with butter
3. With a sharp knife, cut the phyllo lengthwise into four strips
4. Place a heaping teaspoonful of filling at the bottom of each strip
5. Fold from the bottom right corner over to the left side, then fold the resulting triangle up, then the next resulting triangle over to the right side, then up again.  Continue in this fashion up the strip.
6. Put the triangles on a cookie sheet.
6. Bake them for 20 minutes.
7. If not serving immediately, transfer the slightly cooled triangles into plastic storage containers lined with parchment or wax paper and freeze.  Make sure there is paper between each layer.  Freeze.  They can be reheated for 10-15 minutes in a 350F oven straight out of the freezer.

Christmas party and Children's play

When we were young, my parents threw an annual Christmas party where one of the features was that the children put on a holiday play.  It was so much fun!

I am my mother's daughter, and decided to attempt to replicate her insanity this year.  We've had over a dozen kids over here rehearsing for the production and generally making (adorable) menaces of themselves.  The house has been transformed into a space suitable for putting on a play and having a bunch of people over.  This weekend, we are decorating, cooking, cleaning, and shopping for the party next weekend.

I find that a lot of advance planning and cooking are the key to enjoying myself at parties.  Luckily, Meli agrees!  The shopping list is being split into "today" and "later", the cooking list has assignments and days written on it.

Here's the progress on the menu so far:

• Spanakopitas - Mom will make these, they can be frozen and reheated night of.
• Gingered Pear & brie triangles - I'm going to make this up today, I'll be creating the recipe so will blog about it later (hopefully).  Also will be frozen and reheated night of.
• Deviled Eggs - Meli will make on Friday
• "Crack" dip and Tostito scoops - Meli or I will make on Saturday, it's so easy...look up Rotel Sausage Dip on the web
• Fried duck, pancakes and duck sauce - Meli will fry the duck on Saturday and chop it up, I'll make the pancakes and duck sauce on Thursday and steam them right before serving.
• Crab beignets and Aioli - Meli will make these right after frying the duck, the aioli will be made Friday night.
• Roast beef sticks - deli roast beef (Whole Foods in-house is the best!) spread with a horseradish garlic oil, covered in arugula and wrapped around grissini (skinny Italian bread stick).  I'll prepare those Saturday morning or possibly Friday night.
• Dolmades!  I'm going to make these Tuesday or Wednesday, put them at the back of the fridge in their serving dish, which is a nice stoneware pot with a lid.
• Gravlax and toasts - Meli will make the gravlax on Thursday evening.
• Crudites & blue cheese dip - day of.  Crudites also include "ants on a log" which is something I had never heard of before, celery sticks filled with cream cheese and topped with raisins.  Meli makes the blue cheese dressing and it's fantastic, I think he'll make it Friday night.
• Cheeses and crackers - Baked Goat Brie with Fig Preserves, Cheese ball, and cream cheese topped with Jezebel sauce.  Jezebel sauce will be made today by Meli, cheese ball will be made Thursday or Friday.
• Hummus and pita
• Fruit tray with yogurt sauce and chocolate fondue - I already made an orange pound cake for dipping last night, it's in the freezer.
• Scotch egg nog, will be made early in the day on Saturday.
• Cookies - I made chocolate-hazelnut meringues this morning, Meli made dough for sugar cookies last night, we'll decorate those today, Meli will make raisin filled sugar cookies as well, and macaroons will be made on Wednesday or Thursday.

Spanakopita

This is the recipe from The Grecian Plate, a fantastic cookbook produced by the Greek Orthodox Church in Durham, NC. I've made a few annotations in italics, because I do it slightly differently

• 3 (10-oz) packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed (or lots of fresh spinach or dark leafy greens, kale is great!)
• 4 medium onions, chopped (I only use one large or two medium onions, usually)
• 6 whole green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper (I use fresh ground, and probably more like 1/2 tsp)
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup minced fresh dill (optional)
• 1 tsp cream of wheat
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup cottage cheese (can be replaced by chevre for the lactose intolerant)
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 1 pound phyllo
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups butter, melted and warm (I don't usually use this much butter. I start with one stick and add a bit of olive oil, that's usually enough for the whole pie)

1. (If using frozen spinach) Drain spinach thoroughly in colander, squeezing out excess moisture.
2. In a large skillet (if using frozen spinach, or a large non-reactive pot if using fresh greens), saute onions in olive oil over medium heat until tender, stirring constantly.
3. Add spinach, water, seasonings and herbs; cook until liquid is absorbed.
4. Sprinkle cream of wheat over top; cool.
5. In a large bowl, combine eggs and cheeses; stir in spinach mixture, blending well.
6. Set aside.
7. Assemble pita (following directions are mine, the cookbook has a slightly different detailed set plus diagrams)
1. Phyllo should be defrosted
2. Set out two large cutting boards, and a large, wide baking pan. Have the melted butter and a pastry brush ready.
3. Carefully unfold the phyllo on the first board, cover with waxed paper and a very slightly damp towel (not too wet) -- this might not be required at all if you can work quickly enough so that the phyllo doesn't dry out.
4. Working as quickly as you can, transfer a sheet to the second board, brush it lightly with the pastry brush and place the phyllo into the pan. Overlap each sheet, allowing overhang on all sides. Use about 2/3 of the phyllo in this manner.
5. Pour the filling in, then fold the overhang over the top of it.
6. Add the remaining phyllo sheets on top, this time not overhanging.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown (or you can freeze it, bake it later.

Vanilla Mint Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Yesterday, Mr. D brought over beautiful fresh peaches, cream and milk and an ice cream maker and we all made ice cream. Kiddo was so enamored of the process (but not so crazy about the peach flavoring) that he decided we should make ice cream again today, but this time with mint and chocolate. "Dark chocolate, Mom." He helped with all the steps, encouraged me to make up the recipe and write it down. Smart kid!

This makes 3 quarts.

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 bar (minus a few pieces to snack on) of Escazu 70% dark chocolate with sea salt, chopped finely
• 1 large bunch fresh mint, washed and spun dry, chopped finely
• 1 Tbs green creme de menthe

1. Add cream and milk to a large heavy saucepan
2. Add the split vanilla bean and seeds
3. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat, cover and set for 20 minutes
4. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together
5. When the milk mixture has steeped for 20 minutes, add a few ladles of the milk to the eggs and whisk, then add the eggs back into the saucepan with the milk. Remove the vanilla bean
6. Bring the custard to a low simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 165 degrees
7. Refrigerate the custard in a clean bowl until chilled
8. Add the mint, chocolate and creme de menthe to the custard
   
9. Follow the directions on your ice cream maker
   

Shrimp and Mushroom Phyllo Triangles

On July 11th, I was feeling pretty sad and missing Ms. N tremendously. So I did what I often do as therapy...I cooked. Something she would have been able to eat and would have enjoyed, something new. Bonus: I froze the triangles and will use them at a dinner party I'm having tomorrow night.

The mix for these turned out a bit too soupy, so next time I'll strain the juices from the pan or add more feta.

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 lemon, zest and juice

8 ounces mushrooms, quartered

1 lb shrimp, shelled

1/2 lb goat milk butter

Big bunch mint, chopped

1 tsp crushed red peppers

salt & pepper

1 Tbs olive oil

3 eggs

1/2 lb goat or sheep milk feta

1 lb phyllo

1. Heat the olive oil, add the mushrooms and shallots and saute until the mushrooms start expressing their liquid
2. Add the shrimp and lemon juice, salt, pepper and crushed red peppers. Saute until the shrimp are done
3. Take the mixture off the heat and toss in the mint, let it cool
4. Beat the eggs, mix in the feta. Add the shrimp and mushroom mixture
5. Make triangles as detailed here.

In Progress: Custard, Mango and Strawberry Tarts

Yesterday, Kiddo and I went to Farmer Fred's for pic-yer-own strawberries. I got a basket's worth, some a bit overripe (on purpose). There's a charity sale at work next week, and I intend to go all out on some pies.

Yesterday, I hulled and separated -- about 2 cups were very ripe or overripe, and I set those into a dish in the fridge. The rest I put in a freezer bag and froze.

Today, I used Jaime Oliver's recipe for Short Crust Sweet Pastry to make enough pastry for 4 tarts. This is a rich, eggy pastry, it should go well with the custard. I got to the point where the pastry is in the fridge resting. I'll bake the crusts blind tomorrow or the next day, then freeze them. This is definitely a multi-day project! The plan is to make a vanilla-bean custard, spread it in the baked pie shells, top with the sauce and then layer slices of mangoes and strawberries on top. Then freeze the whole thing.

Then I combined the two cups of strawberries with two tablespoons of sugar and simmered and squished them into a sauce...I suppose I might run it through a blender and strain into a coulis, but I haven't decided yet.

Oh, by the way, the custard and the pie crust both call for lots and lots of egg yolks. I'm keeping the whites and will make meringue cookies with hazelnuts and dark chocolate, they are stunning.

Pasta with Tuna, Spinach and Chickpeas

Have I mentioned how much I like being on my own? And that I love to cook for myself?

I had an extremely busy weekend, and was truly excited to have a Monday night all to myself. I didn't feel like shopping, so threw this together out of my pantry. Seriously delicious.

Ingredients

• 12 oz Tomato Basil Garlic Fettuccini (Rossi Pasta)
  
• 16 oz Organic Frozen Chopped Spinach
• 15 oz Garbanzo Beans
• 5 clove Garlic*
• 2 tbsp Sage, Fresh
• 1 tbsp Lemon Peel
• 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1/4 tsp Coarse Kosher Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper, Black
• 3 tomato Tomatoes
• 3 serving Bonito Del Norte In Olive Oil (Ortiz)
  

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, and put a large frying pan on to heat.

Chop the sage and garlic together, combine with lemon zest, fresh ground black pepper and kosher salt in a small dish.

Drain the garbanzo beans.

When the water boils, add the frozen chopped spinach. When the water boils again, add the pasta. Boil for about 5 more minutes, then drain. The rest of the steps happen whilst boiling and draining.

In the meantime, add the tuna in it's oil to the pan, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon. Add the sage/garlic mixture and saute briefly. Add the garbanzo beans and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Chop the tomatoes and juice the lemon, add them to the tuna mixture and saute -- basically you want to soften the beans a bit, warm the sauce and incorporate the flavors.

After draining the spinach and pasta, and when the "sauce" is ready (taste!) toss them together.

Kneading for Shah

I had to put my 18-year-old cat Shah to sleep today. It is gut-wrenchingly sad, more than I expected. She always loved to knead my belly, so in her honor I made a big batch of pizza dough.

50% White Whole Wheat pizza dough

Using a mixture of white whole wheat and white flour make the pizzas lighter yet with added nutritional value and texture. I like to make a big batch (which is what is described here) and freeze the extra rolled out personal pizza crusts. They can then be used easily for a weeknight meal.

Ingredients

• 4 cup White Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 tsp Kosher Salt
• 6 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 oz Active Dry Yeast
• 4 tsp Honey
• 3 cup Water

Directions

Dissolve the yeast in warm (not hot) water and add the honey. Let stand for at least 5 minutes.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.

Make a depression in the center of the flour, add the oil and the yeast mixture slowly, incorporating into the flour.

Flour a kneading board (preferably with a dusting of semolina flour or very fine corn meal) and knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes.

Let rise at least 1 1/2 hours in a lightly oiled bowl, covered with a dishcloth. I like to put it in the oven to rise as my house is pretty cold.

For 12 individual thin-crust pizzas, divide the dough 12 ways and roll out thinly, again using semolina or corn meal to prevent sticking. Before topping with whatever you want, brush with a very thin coat of olive oil. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes, or about 2 minutes more if frozen.

Sour Cream Biscuits

These are very light, high-rise biscuits with a sweet and tangy flavor. The use of three rising agents make them foolproof. Variation on Bradley Ogden's Buttermilk Biscuits...I never have buttermilk on hand, so usually just use regular milk, but today I didn't even have enough milk. The sour cream was fantastic! As was the goat milk butter, but it's probably not necessary.

Kiddo and I had these with crisp turkey bacon and scrambled eggs, and wow...what a great breakfast for a snowy NC morning. I baked half of them and put the other half of the dough in the refrigerator. I'll post if that doesn't work out.

The Livestrong.com site finally has a recipe builder that works!!! It's nice to have nutrition facts.

• 5 cup All-purpose Flour
• 4 tbsp Sugar
• 3 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 cup Goat Milk Butter
• 2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
• 2 tbsp Water
• 1 1/4 cup Skim Milk
• 3/4 cup Light Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water, making sure the water is warm but not hot. Add a pinch of the sugar. Let stand at least 5 minutes while you go on to the next step.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Cut the shortening in with a pastry cutter or a fork. Make a well in the flour and add the yeast, the milk and the sour cream., then mix until just moistened.

Turn the dough out onto a floured board. The dough should be soft but not sticky, add more flour if it is too sticky. Pat or roll the dough out to a 3/4 inch thickness. Fold over and repeat this procedure two or three times. Cut with a 2 1/2 - 3 inch biscuit cutter. Place biscuits about 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes, turning the sheet once.

You can bake all the biscuits or save half of the dough in the refrigerator. Makes 24 biscuits.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 biscuits

Amount per Serving

Calories 184

Calories from Fat 75

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 8.1g

12%

Saturated Fat 5.3g

26%

Cholesterol 24.4mg

8%

Sodium

7%

Total Carbohydrate 20.4g

6%

Dietary Fiber 0.8g

3%

Sugars 2.4g

Protein 4.5g

9%

Est. Percent of Calories from:

Fat

40%

Carbs

44%

Protein

9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calories needs.