The Holy Grail of Blueberry Muffins

Many years ago I somehow got the idea to google "To die for blueberry muffins" and came across this amazing recipe entitled "To Die For Blueberry Muffins." Funny how that works. I didn't want to dick around with all of the crappy blueberry muffin recipes - oh no no no.... Straight to the "to die for" ones for me! And I mean for god's sake...with a name like that they must be good, right? Right.

Turns out  they are. They are absolutely the best bakery-style blueberry muffin. Lots of loft, just the right amount of sweet. Light and airy but not too much so. Crispy, crunchy top. Bad for you, but "low fat" by Dunkin' Donuts standards. A definite winner.

Here in the great northeast, we're rounding out the end of blueberry season. Blueberries started ripening a bit early this year and the delicious blueberry plants that grow wild all over this area are more or less done producing. At the lake house where we spend a lot of our summer weekends, the grounds are covered in low-bush blueberries, as well as a few high-bush blueberry bushes that grow outside the windows. To top that off, there's an island in the middle of the lake called Blueberry Island that is virtually covered in blueberry bushes.

In the photo to the right, Ein and I are kayaking out to see if there are any blueberries ready to be picked (last year - the island is just to the left of his head, in the distance). This  year I didn't get the chance to go up the weekend the blueberries were ready, but Aj brought home a big Solo cup full of them. We munched on some, but there was still about half a cup left. Combined with almost 2 pints of blueberries I picked up at the local farm stand, I was looking for something to do with these tasty treats. Maine and NH blueberries are wonderful - a lot of times the wild ones are MUCH smaller than the kind you buy in the grocery store. Their flesh is firm and tart yet sweet. They aren't mushy at all like the over-ripe blueberries that often have to travel so far to reach Southern and Western states. They're a real ground-to-mouth pleasure.

So of course I remembered this recipe, which I made without hesitation and was once again impressed by the loft, texture and taste of these great muffins. I didn't use the streusel topping, but if you do make sure to use brown sugar instead of white and don't load it on or the muffins won't rise all the way. Though I haven't tried it, other commenters claim that the recipe is great with just about any kind of fruit substituted...so give it a shot and use what you have on hand! Even though this isn't my recipe, it's certainly one worth sharing.

When you move to a new part of the country there are all kinds of things that get lost in translation. Like "blinker" versus "directional" or the New England classic "wicked". There's the difference between "chowda" and "chowder" and then....there is the New England version of "hot."  Not food hot, but weather hot. See, where I'm from in the dirty south, hot means over 98 degrees. Hot is when you open your car door and your hair singes. Hot is HOT. Here in New England, hot is somewhere between 80 and 95 degrees. Anything over that means you probably shouldn't leave your house.

Now...when I first moved to New England, I knew winters were going to be cold beyond anything I knew, but I wasn't prepared to have winter end and summer begin just to hear people bitching about how hot it was. Really? Two months ago you were sick of the miserable snow and now you're sick of the heat. To me, this was and still is mostly incomprehensible. The only reason winter in New England is tolerable is because of snow (which everyone else seems to hate). This past winter we almost had an entire winter season without snow, and I was not happy. But there's a silver lining in that we also had very few days where it hit the teens and negatives. So now it's summer, and I've got my little garden growing and the days average around 85 degrees, which, for July, seems a little obscene. Like... my home town is enjoying a solid 94 degrees while I sit in a house with only one window unit running to keep it cool.

All I can say is that if this is "hot", I love it. I love being able to walk around without feeling like I'm going to suffocate on the muggy, cotton candy heat of the southern summers. The nights cool down to the low 60s and the days mostly stay in the mid to high 80s. Every part of the country has its own perks, no doubt about it, but I am falling in love with the beautiful (and bountiful!) springs, mild summers, stunning falls and snowy winters of New England.

In fact, this time of the year brings a particularly great New England treat - wild blueberries. In the south, the wild blackberry brambles are absolutely delicious, and in New England the wild blueberries grow bountifully. We have a patch of what's called "low bush" blueberries in our back yard, and it gets bigger every year. The blueberries love the woodsy pine floor of our back yard and they make these tiny, cute little blueberries that are quite tasty and perfect for pancakes and muffins.

For the past two summers, I've made a blueberry tea with the blueberry leaves and about a half cup of blueberries. No matter where you are in the US, if you can get your hands on some blueberry plant leaves I'd recommend this light, antioxidant rich tea infusion. It's perfect for that summer day - whether it's 80 or 100 degrees.

Fresh Blueberry Tea Infusion

NOTE: You'll need to make this the day before you want to drink it.

• A few blueberry stems with leaves
• Half a cup of blueberries
• 2 tbsp local honey
• 1 sprig mint

1.  Boil 8 cups of water until at a rolling boil. Add blueberry leaves and remove from heat.
2. In a large pitcher, crush blueberries lightly with a fork.
3. Drizzle 2 tbsp honey over blueberries.
4. Add sprig of mint into pitcher.
5. After 5-10 minutes, pour the hot water with the blueberry leaves in it into the pitcher.
6. The mixture will look brown the first day, but by the second morning it will be a pleasant reddish blue. Strain (or use a pitcher with a tooth spout) and serve iced. Will stay good for 3-4 days.

A Summer Salmon Recipe

So I won't get into details about why I haven't been posting. Let's just say life's been busy and yadda yadda. Since I've last posted, things have happened (which is good because god what a boring life I would lead otherwise!) Things that have made my culinary adventures more exciting! Things called Pinterest. Yes, Pinterest. What is Pinterest, you ask? Well if you are female and under 50 it is a requirement for your life. It's a giant online pinboard filled with fashion, crafts, home design and yes - FOOD. Great recipes from all over the web and lots of little helpful hints about gardening, cleaning and cooking. So far, I've made many recipes I've found on pinterest and had pretty good success with most of them. Things like Carrot Cupcakes, Avocado Enchiladas, Slow Cooker Tikka Masala, Baked Crab Rangoon and so much more. Yes, Pinterest is the place to be!

Now after all that going on about pinterest, here is a recipe I DIDN'T find on Pinterest! This actually came from a manager of mine for our most recent newsletter at the bookstore. (Readers like to cook!) This recipe is DYNAMITE. Absolutely delicious. Made me come blog after 4 months kind of delicious. Second best salmon of my life delicious. Just delicious.

Grilled Salmon with Mango and Cherry Salsa

Salmon:

• 2 salmon fillets a quarter pound each (I used wild sockeye, skin on bones in)
• Salt
• Olive oil

Salsa:

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded and diced cubed (quarter inch cubes)
• 1/2 cup cherries, seeded and cut into quarters
• 2 tbsp red bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp jalapeno, finely diced
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar if you must)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Heavy sprinkle of cumin
• Light sprinkle of cayenne
• Salt to taste

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the mango salsa, mix and set aside. Let it sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes. Toss before topping salmon.
2. Coat salmon generously in olive oil and salt. Preheat grill to medium high heat (Charcoal - approx 6 inches below grate). Grill 5-7 minutes per side, or until done. 
3. If your salmon has skin, peel the skin off of the salmon before plating and covering in salsa. 

Now THAT is summer cookin'

Divine Chicken a la King Casserole

When I was home visiting my family for Christmas, my dad passed on a family treasure to me. Was it an old piece of jewelry? A beautiful chest of drawers? An old trinket passed down? No - it was a ratty old cook book. Except - it's like Aladdin's lamp. You open it up and point to a recipe - you make it - it's delicious. You open it up and point to a recipe - you make it - it's delicious. Over and over! Apparently half of the food I grew up with came out of this cookbook. So I can't even tell you how excited I am to have it!

So what is this magical cookbook of wonder? It's called "Bayou Cuisine" and it's an old church cookbook from 1979. In fact, if you are totally interested in it, there are a few used copies on Amazon.com here. The inside cover tells me it's a "pot pourri of delta cookery, art, and history" -- perrrrrfect.

There's a lovely old watercolor and a poem on the inside cover.

I must go to my home in the swamps again,
Where the tall, tall cypress grow,
Where the bayous sleep,
And the brakes are deep,
Unused to ice and snow

I must go to my home in the swamps again,
To the simple things I know,
Where the willows weep,
and the love-vines creep
and tangle
South winds blow

Could anything be better? Well, yeah actually. The freaking recipes in this dang holy book.

Today Aj and I weren't sure what to have for dinner. So we opened it up, and the first thing I saw was Chicken Casserole (With Rice) -- Ok so I am a fan of 1) Casserole 2) Chicken and 3) Rice - a quick scan of the ingredients told me this was obviously a take on Chicken a La King. The cookbook classifies the recipe as French and puts it next to Coq au Vin. Done. Decided.

So, loving husband that he is (not to mention I cooked the last 3 nights...) Aj whipped this recipe up in a jiff. It was pretty much the BEST THING EVER. You 100% MUST try this recipe. Definitely getting made again. There was barely even enough for leftovers and there's only two of us!!! The book says Mrs. Jamie Whitten submitted this recipe, and I thank her from the bottom of my heart...err stomach.

Without further ado, the magical "French" recipe (right, because those French people put cornflakes on everything...):


Chicken Casserole (With Rice)

• 2 C. Diced chicken (uncooked, small cubes)
• 1/4 C. Mayonnaise (as always, I used Cains)
• 1 C. Cooked rice (White long grain)
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 4 Oz. Can of Mushrooms
• 1 C. Diced celery
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
• 1 Can cream of chicken soup
• Cornflakes (Kellogs)
• 2 Tbsp butter

1. Combine all ingredients except cornflakes and butter and mix together. Place them in a 9x9 casserole dish.
2. Mix 2 tbsp butter (melted) with 1 cup corn flake crumbs. Place on top of casserole.
3. Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 350°F.

Serves 8 (Aka 4)

Snowy Chicken! ... Errr...

Well, today brought snow! FINALLY! Most years we've had snow well before Thanksgiving. Last year we didn't get it until after Christmas. This year we got a huge burst in October and then....nothing. We got a little sprinkling this morning to finally break the dry spell. It really wasn't much... about an inch of snow and then sleet/slush, but it was a huge relief to finally get something white on the ground. It will probably have melted in a day or two, but at least we "broke the ice." Har har.

So it's the new year, and usually I try to make some kind of resolution for the year. Last year I resolved to read and review 52 books. I figured that writing something about the book would help me remember what I liked and didn't like, and possibly help me retain the story as well since I am notorious for forgetting. This year, I've resolved to cook and blog more, craft more, watch 52 movies, and read 25 books. It sounds like a lot, but really it's just finding the balance between work and all of the things that make my life exciting and enjoyable. I also have an ongoing goal to eat better and exercise more. I'd like to be healthier, and stop eating all of Aj's junk food. Plus my pants are getting a little tight and all my clothes are too cute for me to replace. So I have to replace quantity with quality when it comes to food!

If you've noticed that the two recipes I've posted this year are "light" it's because of this, but I promise I don't substitute taste for fewer calories. When you rely on flavors and spices in your cooking and avoid heavy creams and too much butter or oil, you're really not missing out on much. In many cases it's better for you and better tasting. If I didn't tell my husband that things were low fat, he'd never know. In fact, he walked into my studio yesterday and exclaimed that the muffins I made were delicious and was rather surprised to hear they were "light."

Do be careful, though, because a lot of foods that advertise "light" are a huge composite of things that are bad for you and have no nutritional value. It's best to eat foods with the least amount of processing, and to monitor how much you are eating. Just make sure to look at the ingredient list before you grab that "light" or "fat free" or "low fat" snack. If you don't know what's going into it, don't eat it.

Anyway, enough blathering. I should try to blog earlier rather than later, and maybe I'd be wittier!

Rosemary and Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken

• 2 Chicken breasts
• 1/4 C. Whipped cream cheese
• 3 Tbsp. Low fat sour cream
• 1/2 Medium onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 1-2 oz. Grated smoked Gouda cheese
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 4 Crushed Kalmata olives, pitted
  
• Rosemary
• Cayenne
• Oregano
• Paprika

1. Cut chicken down the center, and then expand the pocket by cutting sideways to the left and right of your first cut.
2. Mix together all ingredients except the onion, holding aside some of the grated cheese. Use the seasonings to taste, with very light cayenne. Once blended, add the onion and mix again.
   
3. Stuff the chicken with the mixture. You may have extra left over depending on the size of your chicken breast.
   
4. Grease a 9x9 pan with cooking spray and place the chicken in it.
5. Cover the chicken with a sprinkling of grated cheese and rosemary.
   
6. Bake on 375 for 30 minutes.

Per half chicken breast, just 170 calories, 7 grams of fat and 14 carbs! This great dish also packs 14 grams of protein per half chicken breast. Pair it with mashed butternut squash, cheddar broccoli, summer squash or asparagus or to try the potato that is featured in the picture, follow this link. (Though we used red potatoes) Yum.

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Light Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

So I know it's been a while since I blogged. Yes yes, a long while. I know. There has been a lot going on with the holidays (and a decent amount of baking!) and Aj and I just got back from a visit home to see my family in Mississippi. We had lovely southern foods and when we left, the airport smelled like bacon. The south is a good place to eat! But all that for another time. It's kind of late, and I want to get to the gist of the post: Light Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins! Yum!

How can the words Chocolate Chip and Light (with the low fat connotation) be in the same sentence? See, I have this great banana nut bread recipe. And I can do almost anything to it and it still is moist and amazing. When we got back from the airport there were two mostly black bananas sitting in my fruit bowl. I am not a banana person. I don't eat them. I don't even like the smell of them. But for some reason I DO like banana nut bread! So I thought I'd whip up a batch since I have not only a Kitchenaid (last Christmas!) but also a Dishwasher (this Christmas!) --- how nice to not even have to do your own dishes. Ah, it's like the space age.

Anyway I had the bananas, and some chocolate chips left over from a batch of holiday cookies that I tossed in at the last minute. (The chocolate chips, not the cookies. That would make for an interesting muffin... Eck.) These muffins only have 132 calories each, with just 3 grams of fat and 3 grams of protein! They would be a perfect pair with your morning coffee and some fresh fruit for a really good breakfast. The best part is they taste like they shouldn't be low fat or low calorie at all!

Well, without further ado...

Light Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 2 Overripe bananas
• 1 1/4 C. Flour
• 3 Egg Whites
• 1/2 C. Splenda for baking
• 1/2 C. White sugar
• 1/2 C. Cinnamon apple sauce
• 2 Tbsp. Vegetable oil
• 1/4 C. Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 Tsp. Baking soda
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• Healthy sprinkling of All Spice

1. Combine all ingredients and mix until well blended. Small chunks of banana are OK.
   
2. In a muffin tin, insert 12 muffin cups (I spray my muffin liners with non-stick spray with great results). Distribute batter evenly in muffin cups.
3. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes at 350°F or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

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Olives, Bagels, and SNOWTOBER

So for those of you who didn't know, New England had the most snow ever in October in 140 years. Typically, a little bit of snow is not such a big deal, but the problem with snow in October is that it was heavy, damp snow and the trees still had all of their leaves. The snow started around 4 pm on Saturday, and continued into Sunday morning. Aj and I were out shoveling our driveway around 10 at night and all around us we could just hear trees snapping. The leaves gave the snow something extra to grab onto, and the heavy weighted snow just became too much for the limbs, and they took out tons and tons of power lines.

Many people think losing power is "fun" and "rustic" and believe me I think the same thing...for the first day. Sure it's fun to heat up soup on your little propane burner and have a nice warm fire in the fireplace. Only... when it's in the 20s outside and all you have are duraflame logs that you picked up at the last minute (thank goodness) and the light you are reading by starts to go down with the sun.... well it's not so awesome then. Because you'll find that you need light to do things. Light to play board games. Light to read. Light to make food. Light to go down into the basement and let the dogs out. And it continues to get cold cold cold and you worry about your food spoiling because even though it is cold you're not sure it's THAT cold. So we were relieved to get power back on Tuesday night. On the down side, the Nashua Used Book Superstore that I am currently overseeing didn't get power back until Friday, and no amount of harassing Public Service of New Hampshire made it come back any faster. BUT the snow is MOSTLY melted at this point and now it's November, so snow is acceptable and even expected. But snow in OCTOBER? Starting things off a little early this year, huh New England?

Right before the storm Aj and I had gone to the grocery store and spent about $100 on mostly perishable goods, but luckily everything (even our milk) stayed good! Taking Aj to the grocery store is fun, but also a bad idea. While we were there he got into a conversation with the Deli lady and ended up buying stuffed grapeleaves. Needless to say he didn't like them and they ended up in the trash after a couple of days. But he did also pick up some cream cheese and green olives to make what is simply called "Cream Cheese and Olive" --- I did a little research and this appears to have been a popular thing in the 70s and 80s, and many people in the area had it on sandwiches as kids. I had never heard of it before I moved up here and met Aj's family, but it was something he remembered and loved from his childhood, so he made it. It's essentially half a jar of chopped pimento stuffed green olives, about 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive juice, and a box of cream cheese. It's actually very good, especially on Ritz crackers. I also ate an excessive amount of it on saltines. And one morning I had some on an everything bagel with Lox ...well...that was just overwhelming and way too strongly flavored, but otherwise it's really good! Perhaps another addition to my New England Food Knowledge, aka NEFK.

Over Christmas they also make this Velveeta and Olive spread that, by all rights, should be disgusting but is addictive. All I know is it involves Velveeta, mayonnaise and olives and probably is straight fat but is super delicious and only made at holidays, so it is OK. Any other time of the year you ask me to combine Velveeta and mayo and I will probably punch you in the face, but at Christmas time I suppose my taste buds and food sensibilities are a little more charitable.

So after we defeated Snowtober and moved on to the next level (aka got our power back) I wanted to make dinner. I ended up making another one of those "what have you got in the fridge?" pasta dishes last night that involved pancetta, garlic, shallots, the rest of that jar of green olives, cream cheese and smoked Gouda with farfalle. It was quite tasty. I know my pictures suck, but I keep taking them with my phone. Just imagine they look better than they do and we'll be all set. Anyway, this was a very tasty meal. I continue to encourage "what have you got in the fridge?" pasta.

And today, since I had the day off from work at the bookstore, and was doing freelance writing from home, I decided not only to do laundry (!!!!) but also to make BAGELS. That's right people, YOU can make bagels. This is miraculous information, I know. Sure, we all thought bagels were pre-made by gnomes at Pepperidge Farm and Panera and distributed throughout America, but we were wrong. Bagels can be made by HUMANS. So now that we've gotten that out of the way, I will tell you this was my second adventure making bagels. The first time Katie and I did it start to finish by hand, and we've been wanting to make bagels again for quite a while, but this time I invited her over and we used my bread machine to make the dough for us.

The problem with a drafty New England house is that is ...well.. drafty. (No, the problem is not that it is in New England, sorry.) Drafts are the enemy of rising bread, but an enclosed bread maker gives your dough a perfect first rise, and I am fully willing to sacrifice the 2 hours and 20 minutes it would have taken me to mix, knead, and rise the dough by hand for the sake of ease a bread maker offers and the ability to go off and do other stuff. Bread makers are awesome and you will never hear me say otherwise. So you put the ingredients into the bread maker, wait, do other stuff, hear the beep of the bread maker and take out the dough, then shape it and boil it and cover it in toppings and bake it and BAM, best bagels of your life. Seriously Katie and I could not stop eating these delicious treats. Now, I will make no claims to being a bagel connoisseur but these were legitimately the best bagels I've ever had, and Aj liked them just as much. Here is the recipe, adapted from this one based on some of the posted comments. You do need a bread machine for this, though you could probably adapt it if you don't have one.

Best Bagels of Your Life

• 1 1/8 C. of water at 110°F (this is pretty warm. I always measure the temperature with a candy thermometer)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 C. bread flour
• 1 packet rapid rise yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
• Egg whites for glazing
• 3 Quarts boiling water
• 1 Tbsp cornmeal
• Toppings

1. In the bread machine, put the water, salt, sugar, bread flour, and yeast in in the order recommended in your bread machine. Put it on the dough function and walk away.
2. When the dough is finished with its first rise (the machine will beep or let you know somehow) take the dough out gently and lay it onto a flat, lightly floured surface. Let it rest for about 5 minutes, and then divide the dough into 8 pieces. I rolled it into a log and sliced gently to make the divisions and then tore the pieces off.
   
3. Lightly flatten the dough into plump discs and poke your thumb through the center, gradually spinning the dough in your hand until the centers are about 3/4s of an inch to 1 inch in diameter.
   
4. Lay the dough rings out on the floured surface and cover with a clean cloth. Let sit for 30 minutes.
   
5. Around the 20 minute mark, begin to heat up the 3 quarts of water to boiling. The original recipe recommends putting 3 Tbsp of white sugar into the water at this point, but I forgot to do that and so I don't know what kind of difference it makes.
   
6. When the water is boiling and the dough rings have risen for 30 minutes, put the dough rings 2 at a time into the water, letting them boil for 30 seconds on each side. Take them out and place them on a clean cloth to drain slightly. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
   
7. Transfer them to a baking sheet with cornmeal scattered along the bottom and brush them lightly with the egg white.
8. Put your toppings on. We used Pepperjack cheese, and a thick cinnamon sugar mixture made with natural cane sugar.
9. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, keeping an eye on the bagels after the 15 minute mark and waiting until they are pleasantly golden before removing. If you made a sugar/cinnamon one, eat it warm with ample cream cheese.
   

If you want to mix in raisins or jalapenos, etc. you would do this during stage 2, before you form the dough into the bagels. I am not sure how heavily kneading the extra ingredients into the dough would affect the bagels, but hopefully they would rise the same. We plan to try to mix in some raisins to our next batch.

PICTURED: Pepperjack cheese bagel.

Contemplations on Apples and Winter Setting In

Just two weeks ago we were enjoying 60 degree days, and now we're looking at the prospect of snow. New England weather can be extremely fickle. Last year, we had no snow almost all the way through to Christmas, but it snowed at the last minute. This is particularly terrible because it is no less cold, it's just not pretty and you don't get any snow days. Aj and I did manage to make it to Mack's Apples this year to pick. Typically we go to a more local farm, but this one was only about 25 minutes away and had a lot of Honeycrisp apples, as well as a delicious hybrid called Jonagold.

Honeycrisp apples are my #1 "eating apple", and closely behind that are Jazz and Pink Lady. For baking, I haven't figured out my favorite yet. Jonagolds are supposed to be great for baking, but I found them to get soft a little too quickly in the oven. (Here's what Midwest Living says about Jonagolds:Jonagolds (left) are daughters of Jonathan and Golden Delicious, with the best of both worlds--firm flesh and a sweet-tart taste. ) Finding the right apple for what you are baking is imperative, because apples have very different tastes, consistencies, and abilities to hold up when heated. So every year is a process of elimination and trial/error.

We liked Mack's Apples a lot and also picked our own pumpkin there. Speaking of which, only a few days after picking the pumpkin we woke up and saw some smashed pumpkins in the street, and were very scared it was ours! But ours was safe on the porch. I don't know what hoodlum kids did it, but it's annoying! I think they belonged to the family down the street, who I am sure was disappointed that they didn't get to carve their pumpkins. I may try to carve ours tomorrow, which means pumpkin seeds! Yum.

We'll probably go back to Mack's Apples next year for another harvest. We picked 22 pounds of apples and hardly have any left. Aj keeps eating two a day! I wanted to use some of the apples to make a crisp, which I haven't done before. Typically I do a lot of fried apples (Southern thing) and baked apples, but this year I made a 5 pound apple crisp (five pounds of apples, that is)! I used a recipe from Ina Garten and it turned out very nice. I mixed the topping a little too long so it came out almost like an oatmeal cookie topping instead of a streusel type topping. I also had to do some substituting because I didn't have all the ingredients... Here is my messed-up but delicious version of the recipe!


Cookie Top Apple Crisp
Filling

• 5 lbs Jonagold or other baking apple
• 3 Tbsp. orange juice
• 3/4 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 C. white granulated sugar
• 2 Tsp. cinnamon
• 1 Tsp. baking spice

Topping

• 1 1/2 C. flour
• 3/4 C. granulated sugar
• 3/4 C. packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 1 C. rolled oats
• 2 Sticks salted butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Peel core and cut the apples into wedges. Mix with the remaining filling ingredients and toss in a large bowl (I used a flexible baking sheet to help keep the apples from overflowing).
3. Place the apples into a 9x14 baking pan (I used glass, not greased).
4. Combine all of the ingredients in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Mix on 2 until the consistency of a cookie dough.
5. Crumble the dough topping into small bits across the entire top of the crumble.
   
6. Place on a baking sheet and bake 1 hour or until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly (I did 50 minutes but should have baked less - it all depends on your oven.)
   

Parsley Schmarsley

Ah Autumn is here! The trees are really starting to change at this point, and the weather is crisp and beautiful. I do worry, though, because we have yet to go apple picking or to snag our pumpkin for the year (and I have a great toasted pumpkin seed recipe I really want to try). We did go to a place called the Topsfield Fair last weekend, though. It's New England's biggest agricultural fair and it's only about an hour outside of where we live, so we got out of work and headed down and ate our fair share of fair food (though they didn't have what I wanted most - the chicken on the stick with the pickles in between all deep fried...maybe that's only a Southern thing) and saw New England's biggest pumpkin for 2011, which was 1.6 tons.

While at the fair, we were going through an exhibition/sales type tent and came across this guy doing "as seen on TV" demonstrations for something called a " Swiss Super Peeler" - not that great (or is it?) BUT they also had a Swiss Super Julienner (I doubt that's what it's called) that juliennes veggies in a jiff. Really nice, thin, restaurant style delicious veggies. That's what I'm hoping anyway. As I was walking away I checked my bag and ended up with a peeler, so I went back and exchanged it. I haven't used the thing yet, so who knows if I've been hornswaggled. Although judging by the videos on Youtube, apparently they've been "selling them for 27 years!" Youtube Video. They don't show the julienne veggie cutter though because I guess it's a new product. Well I'll get back to you and let you know how amazingly awesome it is...or isn't.

So last night Aj, my most wonderful husband, made dinner. I had this recipe that I had gotten from the supermarket - it was attached to a coupon (you know, the kind they put on to convince you to buy the product with the coupon because the coupon is way more than you would ever purchase in normal circumstances) and I thought it looked pretty tasty. Sausage & Tomato Rigatoni. I had some turkey kielbasa in the fridge that I wanted to use up, and I thought this looked pretty easy so Aj got the job (although don't get me wrong, he's a good cook and can make things that are quite complicated).

I have to tell you, when I look at a recipe and it says "fresh parsley" I snigger and think to myself why would I buy a bundle of parsley to get 2 chopped tablespoons to top off this recipe? Legitimate concerns, but last night I decided there was DEFINITELY a reason people put fresh parsley into their dishes. See, if I had made the recipe I would have skipped out on the fresh parsley, but because Aj made the recipe and wanted to follow it as instructed he picked up parsley at the grocery store and I'm glad he did! So when you make this recipe, make sure to include the parsley because it genuinely makes a difference.

This recipe is nonetheless doctored; the original recipe calls for the green-bottle Parmesan cheese and Italian sausage, which both got substituted in my version of the recipe.


Turkey Kielbasa & Tomato Rigatoni

• 4 C. rigatoni, uncooked
• 1 package turkey kielbasa
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Red pepper, chopped into large chunks
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley (Don't ignore it!)
• 1/4 C. Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook the pasta and sausage as directed on the packages, omitting salt in the pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add the peppers and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes or until the peppers are crisp but tender.
3. Cut the sausage into 1/4" thick slices and add to the skillet.
   
4. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently.
5. Drain the pasta and plate the servings, scooping the sauce over the top and sprinkling with parsley and cheese.
   

Steak Lovers Unite!

Now forgive whatever parts of this post doesn't make sense and/or are offensive, as I have had some wine and cannot be held responsible for what I type. Today I finally managed to get to the grocery store, and I picked up some stuff for a "fancier" type of dinner. You know the filet that comes prepackaged with the bacon wrapped around it that you don't want to buy but you do because your grocery store doesn't have any other kind of filet? And you're thinking as you buy it "Oh god. What did they do to this meat. Why is this filet so cheap?" Well that's what was for dinner! I've succumbed to the ease of this prepackaged filet many times in the past months. It's not that terrible, but let me advise that you don't eat it often. It's probably like tuna fish...not toxic... in small quantities.

Anyway, though. I use a recipe out of my Williams Sonoma cookbook that I talked about in this post and usually I just use their quick method for cooking filet mignon but this time I decided to make the recipe... kinda. Let's get this straight... I'm not LAZY exactly but when it comes to marinating steaks in bone marrow juice for 6 hours... well let's just say both "ew" and "I have better things to do." I am just not really going to sit around poking bone marrow out of cow bones...not to mention then I'd have to buy cow bones and who knows what kind of look the cashier would give you. Just not for me. I'm not that crazy yet.

Anyway, I was able to put together a really delicious meal in about 40 minutes. Would have taken less time if I had more than 2 operational stove top eyes to work with... Damn you 1950s kitchen! You are funkyretroawesome and yet you suck. We had long grain wild rice, wheat rolls, filet mignon with "bordelaise" sauce, and garlic asparagus. Delicious! (Anyone else see filet mignon and say in their head "mig-non" for giggles? Ok, good.)

For the long grain wild rice I opt for Carolina brand - it's cheap (under $1 per package) and has a great flavor. For the rolls, I had some pre-baked frozen rolls that you just pop in the toaster oven for 12 minutes and they are crusty and very tasty. In this instance, I used Rhodes rolls out of the frozen aisle. The asparagus was fresh, and always tastes better with fresh garlic, though I used bottled minced garlic. And the filet was tender and delicious with the quick'n'easy "bordelaise" sauce. Below are the recipes for the asparagus and the filet, and this recipe serves 2.

Filets Mignons with "Bordelaise" Sauce and Garlic Asparagus

• 1 Package pre-bacon-wrapped filet mignons (2 Filets)
• Olive oil
• 1/2 Tsp beef bouillon concentrate (I use "Better than Bouillon" brand) combined with 1/4 C. water
  
• 1 Medium shallot, minced
• 3/4 C. Red Wine (I use a Michigan wine, Grand Traverse - best red wine for people who don't like red wine.)
• Butter, unsalted, unsoftened
  
• Pinch of Thyme (dried OK)
• 1 Dried bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• Asparagus 1/2 bunch
  
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Remove the filet from its packaging and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub it lightly with olive oil on both sides and let it sit.
   
3. In a shallow skillet, melt 1/2 tbsp butter and add shallots, cooking until translucent about 5 minutes.
   
4. Add the wine, thyme, and bay leaf and simmer uncovered until it's reduced by 3/4ths about 12 minutes.
5. In the mean time, heat about 1/2 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet, and sautee the garlic lightly. Add the asparagus, and cook over high heat for about 3 minutes, and medium heat until the asparagus is cooked but still slightly crisp, about 10 minutes, tossing regularly to keep the asparagus from burning.
   
6. If you have a double oven, place the asparagus in the oven that is not on. If not, place it (skillet and all if possible) in the microwave and close the door.
7. At this time, when the wine mixture is reduced, add the 1/4th cup of beef bouillon and let it continue to simmer uncovered.
   
8. Heat a well seasoned cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Return to the filet and coat it lightly in fresh cracked pepper and salt. Place it in the skillet, and cook on one side 2 1/2 minutes. Flip and cook 2 1/2 minutes on the other side.
   
9. Transfer the whole skillet into the oven and cook 3 minutes for rare, and 5 minutes for medium. If you like it really well done, you probably shouldn't be eating filet.
10. In the mean time, while the filet finishes, continue to stir and simmer down your sauce. Let it cool for a few minutes. When the filet comes out of the oven and/or the sauce has cooled a bit, take 1/2 tbsp chilled butter and mix it in until it melts - this will thicken the sauce a bit.
    
11. On the serving plate, pour the sauce over the filet, and serve the asparagus and other sides together. They all blend well with the "bordelaise" sauce.
    

Spring...Summer... AUTUMN!

Hmm. I just realized how odd the word Autumn looks. Well... That aside, autumn is my favorite season. In the South, I loved spring because it brought the dead world back to life, and the blooms were amazing and the weather was even better, but in New England, it's autumn that has stolen my heart.

New England autumn is absolutely stunning. With so many deciduous trees, and lots of rain, the colors in the fall are absolutely magical. From late September to October and slightly into November, the leaves catch fire in yellows and oranges and reds. But it's not even the trees that get me so excited. New England comes together as a community in the fall. There are pumpkin festivals and hot Yankee soups in fresh bread bowls and tours of cemeteries in Salem and best of all, there are apples. Autumn is apple harvest in New England, and I absolutely adore the U-Pick apple orchards all over the state. Every year since I've moved up here, Aj and I go to the orchards at least once or twice. We're learning the different types of apples. What's best for pies, baked apples, caramel apples, eating, storing through the winter.... It's a past time that a lot of people up here take for granted, but being from the outside I can see the pure magic of it. I can't wait to do all of these things with my children some day.



The trees haven't really started to change just yet, and the apple orchards will operate until late October, but I am already in the autumn mood. I can't help but think of hot spiced cider and caramel apples and pies. Yum! Here is a recipe that I think is good for fall nights. The original recipe called for ricotta cheese, but I substituted marscapone in a pinch. It's good either way.

Spaghetti with Sweet Potatoes and Marscapone

• 12 Oz. Spaghetti (about 3/4 box)
• 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 2 Small sweet potatoes, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
• Sea/Kosher salt & cracked black pepper
• 2 Shallots, sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 Cup marscapone or 1-2 dollops per plate

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. I like to cook mine a few minutes longer because I think Al Dente is Italian for "gross."
   
2. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water before you drain the pasta.
3. Meanwhile in a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the potatoes, pepper and salt (to taste) and cook, covered, stirring every few minutes for 10 minutes.
4. Add the shallots and rosemary and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender about 3-5 minutes longer.
5. Toss the drained pasta with the potato mixture, Parmesan, and the reserved cooking water. Top with a dollop of marscapone.
   

Pork, Pork, Pork!

There was a time, once, when pork was not something I liked... at all. Needless to say, those days are gone. In fact, after I went through the menu for this week I realized 3 out of 4 dishes included pork. The thing is, pork comes in so many forms it's hard to keep track! Between prosciutto and pancetta and pork chops and loin.... The thing about pork, though, is that it can have a lot of different flavors and that makes it enjoyably versatile.

So far, the two recipes I've made out of the Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook are really good and will be made again. Our favorite of the two was definitely Fettuccine With Vegetables and Prosciutto. It had a very mild flavor and tasted very fresh. I have to wonder if these recipes made it into the newer edition of the cookbook. The great thing about this cookbook is that it tells you whether the meal is fast, low fat (and includes nutritional counts) and the instructions are quite concise and easy to follow. Plus there is an abundance of photos, which we all know quickly converts me to a cookbook.

Last night, we had Rosemary Porkchop Skillet which was surprisingly quick and easy, though I think that the pork was a bit over-done. (Most likely due to my ridiculous stovetop that knows only two settings -- hot as hell and off) Then later in the night I had some friends coming over for dessert and a chat. I didn't want to go buy a dessert so I figured I would make something I had all the ingredients for. I chose this Crockpot Chocolate Mud Cake recipe. It was a real winner - simple to make, and perfectly hot and delicious when it came time to eat. I served it up with vanilla bean ice cream and it was a big success. I did have to do some research on Dutch-processed Cocoa versus Unsweetened Cocoa and luckily I was able to substitute Unsweetened Cocoa for the Dutch-processed. I imagine it also helped the mellow sweetness that I used milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet. The cake was floating on a sea of melty chocolate sauce. This recipe will definitely be going into my favorite-recipes cookbook. If you decide to make this recipe - put a papertowel under the glass lid of your crock pot before you start cooking. It doesn't affect the cake at all but prevents the condensation from dripping onto your cake as you remove the lid or check to see if the cake is ready.


In other news, my garden is growing! Here is a photo of my first "harvest" (though I did already have my other head of lettuce). My green beans got too much rain and a lot of the nitrogen was flushed out of the soil, so I'm trying to nurse them back to health with some Miracle-gro. I think it's working, but it's hard to say. Luckily I took the "don't put all your eggs in one basket" approach this year and I also have a green bean plant in my in-ground garden as well as my container garden. That one is quite healthy but needs a trellis to grow on.


And take a look at my herbs! The basil plant is a new one, though I am please to say that the one I had written off as dead and decrepit has now made a full recovery and has been re-potted. It's quite persistent! (the one in the small pot on the side) Also growing in my garden this year are strawberries, bellpeppers, green onions, and roma and cherry tomatoes. We've also made a planter in the front yard filled with Impatients and Begonias, and dressed up the side of the driveway with some Day Lillies and ..some other perennial I don't remember the name of. And we've planted and mulched the flower beds and trimmed all the bushes. We're actively trying to intimidate our neighbors by our yard. It's awesome. The only bad thing is that the birch tree in our front yard consistently loses leaves almost as soon as it starts making them. We don't know what's up with this thing but it drives us crazy. It's like perpetual Fall here.


We're happy with our yard this year and so happy to have the "birch circle" as we call it, finished. It's been haunting us with its unfinished-ness since March.

Here's the recipe for Fettuccine with Vegetables and Prosciutto - it was quick, mild and delightful. It's fast and low fat.

Fettuccine with Vegetables and Prosciutto

• 8 Oz. dried fettuccine, broken in half
• 1 Pound fresh asparagus, bias-sliced into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 Roma tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
• 3 Oz (a little less than 1/4th a pound) of Prosciutto cut into thin strips
• 1/3 C. grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook and stir asparagus in hot oil for 4 minutes or until nearly tender. Sprinkle asparagus liberally with salt. Add tomatoes and prosciutto and cook about 2 minutes more or until heated through.
3. Add asparagus mixture to fettuccine and stir gently to combine. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
   

What's on the Menu...

As usual, work has been insane. This humorous article on Why Your Used Book Store Clerk Hates You only scratches the surface of why I REALLY have some rough days at work sometimes. Among the non-mentioned is that you would assume that people coming into book stores could read - read signs, read price tags, read signs saying what is down what aisle.... But Alas, A surprising number of customers who seem to be shopping at my book store are merely buying for pretense because it is QUITE CLEAR that they are illiterate and dumb and GOD FORBID we move something in the store because using your EYES to look ten feet is more effort than you can put in. We know, we know.

But my days aren't filled entirely with wacky customers and their inane questions...they're also filled with the fun of unpacking and shelving and ordering books. And that's the part I love. However, sometimes I need a break. And next week is going to be a nice 40-ish hour week where I get out early enough to cook dinner not just once but FOUR NIGHTS next week! That feels nearly impossible right now, but it is written (so it shall be done).

Indeed my shopping list and menu for the week are created and ready for the hated trip to the grocery store tomorrow. At work I picked up yet another cookbook. I'm always telling myself I won't buy more cookbooks but how can I resist Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook with great photos and information on canning and preserving and all kinds of helpful cooking tips for just $1.50! The answer is that I can't. And that's why it's on my kitchen table!

So here's what is on my menu for the week:

Monday: Fettuccine with Vegetables and Prosciutto - Looks simple and delicious! Involves asparagus and Roma tomatoes.
Tuesday: Rosemary Porkchop Skillet - Finally an interesting way to use that butternut squash on my counter....and to use some rosemary from my garden!
Wednesday: Out to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant.
Thursday: Pork with Fennel and Pancetta - Aj is making this... supposed to be quick and easy, but I have to figure out a way to cut down on the fat.
Friday: Spinach and Feta Quiche - It's been a while since we had this and it makes great leftovers for work on Saturday.

I will hopefully also have time to post the successful recipes! Tomorrow is either salt-crusted grilled trout, or trout amandine. Also let it be known that amandine should not be so close to almondine since it involves almonds it is wholly confusing. Those damn French.

Crockpot Japanese Curry

There are a few absolutely great reasons to break out your crockpot no matter the time of year. The first reason is obviously that it's ridiculously convenient - throw a bunch of things in a pot and end up with a (typically) delicious dish! The second reason is that it's one-pot cleanup. The third reason is that you prep it in the morning and come home to a ready-to-eat meal. The final reason is that it puts off minimal heat. And while you may think that's not a big deal, when you have a 1950s oven that brings your kitchen to a toasty 85 degrees every time you turn it on...well...you start to think "What can I make that DOESN'T involve the oven?"

Now, with life in the South, central air conditioning is a staple of life - just like an ice maker in your fridge. In the South, every drink is iced and every building you enter is literally FREEZING. You take sweaters to the movies and restaurants even though its 100 degrees outside and you'll be damned if you don't take a sweater to the refrigerator section of the grocery store. Here in New England, things are a little different. Central AC is a novelty. Most stores only have it on half heartedly. New Englanders believe in a "comfort" level of acceptable cool. Southerners believe in turning your house/establishment into Antartica during the summer months. Because let's face it - it's HOT outside and the last thing you want is to go inside and be HOT in there too.

The first months of a New England summer are a stragetic battle. How long can you go before you have to install your window-AC units, and do you really need to install ALL of them, or can you just get away with one or two until July? How hot do you let your house get before you muster the energy to install an AC unit you're going to have to take out in 3 months? For Aj and I, we installed the first AC unit in our bedroom when the indoor temperature hit 85 (Without the oven on) and the second unit that goes in our kitchen window? Today. June 20th.

We have 2 window units to cool our entire upstairs of 3 bedrooms, a living room, bathroom, hall and kitchen. Why do we suffer through this, you ask? The answer is simple: old buildings and no choice. Not only does our house have ancient kitchen appliances, it also has old pipes, windows, and no central AC. And since you Southerners all had your houses built with AC in the first place (Because what kind of jackass builds a home in the South with no AC?) you don't have these worries. But tons of the houses up here were built when they were still delivering ice on trucks. And really...there's only a few days in the year where heatstroke can be a real issue up here. The rest of the time Northerners just putt around bitching about how hot it is (which is increasingly irksome as I had to listen to them also bitch about how cold it was, as if the same thing didn't happen every year). Not me, though! I'll bitch when it's 85 in my house but not when it's 101 outside. Because that's just it: I'm OUTSIDE. My house? That's man-made and should be chilled to whatever temperature I want so bitching is fair game.

So naturally with two window units to cool my entire upstairs (and nothing to cool the downstairs), I generally have been trying to NOT use the oven. Or if I must, I try to use the mini bottom oven because it's better insulated and ...well...smaller. So today I decided to try something new: Japanese curry in the crock pot. And it was definitely a good choice! Anyone who knows me knows I am a fan of Japanese curry (Chicken Tatsuya Curry) - it's mild, flavorful and slightly sweet. It's become a real comfort food for Aj and myself. So try this recipe out because it's different, and extremely easy, and extremely yummy!

Crockpot Japanese Curry (Pork)

• 1 Package of boneless porkchops (I used thin-cut) with the fat trimmed off and cut into small 1/4 inch cubes
• Approximately 3/4 lb baby carrots
• 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
  
• 1 XL box (about 8 oz) Japanese curry roux. I used TopValu curry which is a store-brand I got when in Japan, so it's unlikely you can find that here, but any Japanese curry roux would be fine. Available now at almost all Wal-Marts and some Market Basket grocery stores, but please support your local Asian market!
• 32 Oz (or slightly less) of chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked rice (I use my rice cooker and set an automatic timer to be finished by the time I want to eat)
  

1. Heat up 1 cup of the chicken broth to near boiling and put it in a measuring cup.
2. Add the curry roux and mix until it dissolves.
3. Put the curry roux mixture, the rest of the chicken broth, the potatoes, carrots and diced porkchop into the crock pot and turn it on low.
4. Cook for about 7 hours.

Whether it's a cold winter night or a hot summer day this stuff is irresistible!

A Recipe From Mom

UPDATE: Southerners use Hellmann's mayo, but cut back on the lemon juice in this recipe by at least half, since Hellmann's is a vinegary mayo and Cain's is a sweet mayo.

I've been WORKING WORKING WORKING. Last week was a 53 hour week for me. This week should be much more easy going and I'm more or less trapped inside because of the rain. So while Aj cooks his Shrimp With "The Best Shrimp Marinade Ever" I get a second to sit down and blog. The best part is that at the end I am rewarded with grilled shrimp. Sweet.

What I am really here for, though, is to give you a recipe that was my favorite childhood recipe: Chicken Devan. This was the recipe that I asked for when I got to choose dinner. For my birthday, or just a regular weeknight, almost any time I was asked this is what I wanted. And when I moved away to college I kept trying to make it. It just wasn't as good. I went back home and found the old cookbook my mom got the recipe from - it was one of those community cookbooks - a tatty old spiral thing. And I kept making it...but it was never as good as hers. When I moved to New England it started getting worse- almost inedible. I just could NOT figure it out. Finally I had to call my mom and confer with her. Why was it turning out so terrible?! The secret is the mayonnaise.

In the south there is a mayo that my mom uses that you can't get up here (or it is harder to find but I forget the name). Turns out, not all mayonnaise is equal. Miracle Whip is practically a sin against nature. And name brands don't compare. It took me AGES to find the comparable Northern mayo. Turns out it's Cain's mayonnaise. Mayo needs the perfect blind of tang and sweet, and of course it needs to be made with real eggs and oils. So after YEARS (literally) of trying to get this recipe JUST RIGHT....I finally did it. Now it's back on my favorites list and a recipe I would be happy to pass on to family and friends. It's creamy, delicious, easy to make, and just the smell of it makes me happy.

There's one more perk to this recipe: The leftovers are just about better than the dish out of the oven!

It is VITAL that NO ingredients are left out of this or it won't be anywhere near as good.



Chicken Devan

• 3 Chicken breasts - boiled and cubed in small bite-size pieces
• 1 Bag frozen broccoli - cooked/drained
• 1 Can cream of chicken soup (don't skimp, go Campbell's)
• 1 Tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 1/4 C. Cain's mayonnaise
• Dash cumin
  
• 1/4 C. Italian Breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
  
• 1/4 C. Shredded cheese (Cheddar or another melty/savory cheese)
  

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Layer chicken and broccoli in a 9x9 baking dish
3. Cover with sauce, spreading it around as needed
4. Sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese
5. Mix butter and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl.
6. Sprinkle all breadcrumbs on top and then sprinkle with the remainder of cheese.
7. Bake for 25 minutes.
   

What Does My Garden Grow?

The weather has been beautiful and I've been in high spirits. Sunshine will do that to you. It's like some kind of happiness drug. The downside is that when it's gone you have withdrawal that can't be ignored. Sometimes even coffee doesn't help (That's when you know it's bad).


I've been gardening this year and it's so much fun to watch my plants grow. Some of them I've grown from seedlings...those are my favorites. Yes, I do play favorites. From seeds I grew bellpeppers, green onions, and green beans. I also grew basil but once I put it outside it keeled over and died from too much exposure to happiness. It was a miserable plant anyway. (RIP) I'm also growing some cilantro ...it seems to be doing pretty well, but it's not from good seeds so I'm not crossing my fingers. From the store I bought lettuce (which is growing quite well!), rosemary (I plan to keep this alive perpetually), mint and strawberries. I also plan to buy a tomato plant. Somewhere deep inside myself (not that deep, actually), I know that I'm a ridiculous whitey who is growing vegetables in their front yard with overpriced soil and that I could have bought all of this crap at the grocery store and it would have been A Whole Lot Less Trouble. (As it were) . HOWEVER...that feeling is combated by the hope that these won't just provide me with food, but with happiness and purpose and an excuse to be outside on sunny days.

I've also been planting some bulbs and annuals. I don't think the bulbs are going to do as well as I hoped because our house gets very little sunlight (except for outside my bedroom window which appears to get an abundance). My neighbor noticed I had been outside gardening (digging around more like) and brought over some of her "chocolate raspberry irises" --- well aside from being disappointed that I can't eat it and it won't bloom for 2 years... I took her advice and made a flower bed in a sunny spot. I thought it was nice of her to take the time to dig up some of her flower bulbs for me. She's probably trying to make up for that time she gave me the cold shoulder one night when I tried to borrow an egg and she told me to go away. Apparently she thought I was casing her house for robbery and didn't recognize me...She ended up giving me an egg when she realized who I was.


In other exciting news...It's Spring! That means that a lot of great foods are popping up in the wild. Since Aj and I have been trying to learn a little more about the part of the world we live in, and have been trying some camping and foraging and "rugged" skills, we know a little about what is "in season". At a job he was on, Aj found us some morels the other day. They look gross...like brains...and not at all like something you'd pick up and say "Oh man those are totally going to be delicious." Miraculously Aj recognized them from our mycology learning and brought some home in his lunch tupperware. He just wanted to show me for shits and giggles, but when I saw that the SCIENTIFIC NAME of these things was morchella deliciosa I told Aj we were absolutely frying that shit up in some butter and eating it. He was extremely skeptical but let's get our facts straight.

1) There is only one other look-alike morel called a false-morel...it is extremely easy to identify because the stem is not hollow and a true morel's is. Also it isn't poisonous...it will just make your stomach hurt so if you're totally blind and mess up it won't kill you.
2) These mofos are like $30-40 a pound
3) They only grow wild
4) Mushroom hunters search lifetimes for these and don't find them
5) They are ranked in deliciousness only beneath truffles
6) They are only in season 2 weeks out of the year.

It's a damn no-brainer. And I did fry them up. And we did eat them. And they were damn good and caused no gastrointestinal stress whatsoever. Points for us!


Also in season right now are fiddleheads...which are fun. I've never had them before, so we're going to go "fiddleheaddin" (I just made that up, but I'm going to pass it off as something New Englanders do) on Sunday. I'll let you know how that goes. Maybe I'll see if I can't find some fiddlehead recipe in my yankee cookbook.

Well...honestly I was going to give you a recipe that was passed down by my Mom, but I think that will have to wait. I've already blathered enough. So I'll meet you back here and we'll get down with some delicious southern chow.

Trout: Stuffed and Baked with Broccoli

Grilled fish is one of those things that just says "Hey - It's summer time. Live it up." Trout especially reminds me of warm days cruising down the White River in Arkansas catching fish left and right in a canoe with my family. I was never really much for fishing. My dad tried to instill a love for fishing in me from an early age but it never quite caught on. Even now I can't sit still for long periods of time if I'm not DOING something - reading, surfing the internet, knitting...anything. No one ever suggested I bring a book to fishing, so naturally, I hated it and found it excruciatingly boring. I mean really... you expect to take a kid to a lake and have them sit there for hours while they wait for something to bite at the wiggly worm on the hook? Unlikely.

To this day I still don't enjoy fishing...most of the time. But trout fishing holds a special place in my heart. I like how the water is clear and quick and cold and rushing past your canoe carrying you along. I like how the fish bite all the time and you can catch more than you can eat. I like the sun and the family and always being on the move. Not to mention trout tastes quite good. Luckiy for the trout, I don't go fishing. Unluckily, they sell trout at the supermarket sometimes. I had trout on my shopping list when Aj did the grocery shopping, and since "trout" is both singular and plural he wasn't sure whether to get one...or two...or five? And he just got one. Which is obviously not enough for two people. Especially when it's as good as this trout was.


So today after I got back from the gym and planted my strawberries in my new topsy-turvy strawberry planter.... I decided to cook trout for lunch. Trout for One. Trout for Me. Yum! The whole thing came out QUITE delicious and I thought I would share the love with you fine folk.

So without further ado...

Baked Stuffed Trout with Broccoli for One

• 1 Trout
• 5-6 Green Onions/Scallions, chopped into small pieces
  
• 1/4 C. Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 Tsp. dried or fresh garlic (I used sliced dried)
• 1 Tbsp. butter
  
• 1 Head of broccoli, cut into florets
  
• Salt
• Olive oil

1. The trout should be gutted. Make sure you rinse off the whole thing in warm water, even if it was gutted at the supermarket. You want the trout to have a fresh, light taste.
2. Smear the inside of the trout with butter.
   
3. Combine the scallions, breadcrumbs, and garlic and mix well. Stuff liberally into the trout.
4. Put the trout into a bread loaf pan and surround with broccoli.
5. Sprinkle liberally with salt and drizzle lightly with olive oil
6. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Lightly cover with tin foil and bake at 375°F for 10-15 minutes. Fish is ready when it flakes and can be easily removed from the bone with a fork. If your fish is frozen at the start it might take longer to bake.

Buffalo Chicken Salad

So the time has come (the walrus said) to go back to eating healthier. I've been carried away these past few months with things that are just not good for me. Casseroles and pastas with heavy cream and loads of cheese, loads of oils and butters too. Until a week ago I hadn't even been to the gym in 5 months! That's pretty bad. And I'm not typically one to call myself fat or be down on my eating choices but my clothes are getting a lot tighter and I could use the health-boost of eating right.

That being said I've got myself on a 5 meal a day routine. You're laughing I know BUT I think most of our problems come from eating 1) the wrong foods 2) too much of the wrong foods 3) too often. I always snack. Always munching on something or other. I think as a culture we can get to a fine line between boredom and hunger, which is just twisted. SO I've got myself eating breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, and dinner. And I think that's just fine.

One of the foods I came up with for my lunches is a buffalo chicken salad. I haven't seen a buffalo chicken salad that isn't fried and drenched in bleu cheese dressing ...which is disturbing. So I made my own version. It's pretty tasty and not too spicy for my sensibilities. Easy to pack in the morning. Easy to eat. Healthy.


But before I give you the recipe I'd like to post a few other recipes that I made today that I discovered on this amazing new website that my cousin sent me called foodgawker- Their tagline is "Feed your eyes" and for anyone who loves beautiful photos of delicious food, prepare to be overwhelmed and in love! This website completed my life (OK so maybe that's a little dramatic, but it definitely is awesome.)

Here's what I made today:

• Asian Glazed Drumsticks - This recipe was great! The cook time was longer than it said but I think that's because I used a dutch oven instead of a large saucepan. Chicken was nicely spicy and really flavorful. You've gotta have rice with this!
• Chocolate Pudding Cookies with Mini Robin's Eggs - I know I just said I was on a diet but I just fell in love with these when I saw them - and when Aj asked me to get some "keebler knockoffs of girl scout cookies" at the grocery store I thought "I can do better than that." and decided to make these. I ate two of them and boy are they YUMMY! Tell you what though, there is no "Chopping" those hard-shelled robin's eggs...more like smashing with the flat of your knife. You don't know how many of those little punks rolled onto the floor as I tried to chop them up.
• Pineapple Bliss Cupcakes - Mostly I just thought it was amazing that you could mix a can of pineapple and a box of cake mix and it turns into delicious muffins. Awesome. These are SO good. I didn't use any frosting. Just ate them straight. Best part? Low in calories and fat with no frosting! YUMMMMM.

I also made a fresh batch of Pico de Gallo and grabbed some Crystal Light Lemonade mix at the grocery and put some limes and mildly crushed mint into my cup....Amazing.

Well without further ado...
Buffalo Chicken Salad

• 1 Rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat chopped/shredded
• 1/4 C. diced red onion
• 1 C. diced celery stalks
• 1 Tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 Tsp. Paprika
• 1/4 C. Frank's Red Hot sauce
• 2-4 Tbsp. mayo depending on tastes
• Leafy lettuce and romaine lettuce, torn into edible size pieces
  

1. Mix the first 7 ingredients
2. Top the lettuce mixture with 1/2 cup of chicken mixture.
   

Spring and Pico de Gallo

Spring is technically here, but it is just starting to feel like it. Only a few days after spring officially began we got a few inches of snow. Thanks, New England! But it's finally starting to warm up and I'm totally in the Spring Mood. Cleaning, cooking, feeling more alive and active!

When I went grocery shopping this week I made sure to do it early in the morning - the later you wait the more packed the grocery store is (no matter if it's Tuesday or Friday...) and I hate the jostle of carts and the absolute ineptitude with which people park their carts and asses in the middle of the aisle while they look at cream cheese varieties and granola bars. Since grocery shopping can be a severe stress on my life (mostly due to the magnitude of people who shop at the same grocery store I do) I have been making a list of exactly what I need for a week of recipes. That, of course, cuts out impulse buying and makes my shopping much cheaper, but it also makes it so much faster and easier.


On my grocery list were ingredients for Pico de Gallo, something my dad used to make when spring and summer started coming around. If you asked me to define fresh with food, this would be my answer. The tang of cilantro, the crunch of onions and the soft fresh tomatoes just scream YAY in your mouth. Paired with tortilla chips (baked tostitos anyone?) or couscous you get a real treat you can use in tons of ways.

There are a lot of recipes for Pico out there, but the one I swear by is so simple it hurts. Next time you're in the mood for something fresh and healthy, go for this!

Papa's Pico

• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 Bunch cilantro
• 3/4 Small red onion
• 1 Small jalapeno pepper
• Salt to taste

1. Cut the tomatoes into thirds and remove the seeds/innards. Cut the tomatoes by hand into small chunks (I promise it's better to cut this stuff by hand).
2. Dice the red onion.
3. Finely chop the cilantro leaves (not stems.)
   
4. PUT ON GLOVES and cut and de-seed the Jalapeno. If you do this with your hands they will burn for hours. So don't.
5. Mix all the ingredients together and salt to taste (I like salt so I add a lot of sea salt).

Enjoy!