Chocolate, Marshmallow, and Caramel...

Yesterday I made a batch of marshmallow and let it sit overnight to set up. This morning I cut it in chunks and cooked half of it with some butter to use as a base for Rice Krispy Treats. Now, these aren't your typical Rice Krispy Treats! These are vanilla-y and rich, and use chocolate-flavored cereal instead of the plain rice, and they have a swirl of leftover burnt caramel sauce throughout. I have tried making regular Rice Krispy Treats with the homemade marshmallow before, skipping the step of letting it set up overnight, and the result was a gooey mess without the right texture once it was all done. It's worth it to take the extra time! Yummm.

Crispy Cocoa Treats with Burnt Caramel Swirl

about 27 large marshmallows (1/2 a 13x9" pan recipe)

3 tbsp unsalted butter

4 cups chocolate flavored crisp rice cereal, such as Envirokids Koala Crisp

3 tbsp burnt caramel sauce, or your favorite prepared variety

Grease your pan of choice well and set aside. I used an 11x7" glass pan, but if you like thicker bars, use an 8" square pan.

In a 3 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the marshmallows until melted and mixed with the butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the cereal. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce over the top and fold it in, not mixing too thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan.

Grease one hand well and press the cereal mixture firmly into the pan. Warm the remaining sauce in the microwave for a few minutes, if necessary, and then lightly drizzle it over the top of the treats using a spoon. Let sit until completely cool, then cut into squares.

Refreshingly Cool

Yesterday I returned from a few days spent in Portland with my sister. I was supposed to be helping her move, and while we did work pretty hard for a while, we soon ran out of boxes. Luckily, just about everything was packed and had been hauled up to the living room for loading, but without transportation (her husband took the truck, their lone vehicle, to work that morning) we were at a stand still. So we headed downtown to do a little shopping and grab some lunch.

There's some really great stuff downtown, if you don't already know. First off, Penzey's has recently opened a store on 10th!! I was stoked, and we made that our first stop. Transportation is pretty much free, so while we did do tons of walking, it was nice to hop on a street car if needed. There are many great sit down restaurants in and around Portland, but my favorite way to grab a bite is at the many local food carts. What a wonderful idea!

The food carts are a great way for smaller businesses (often one-man or woman operations) to sell their specialties. Because it's usually the owner working, the food is prepared with care and so much...soul. The ingredients are most often top-notch and they want you to return, so customer service is fabulous. I like that I can get an assortment of wonderful treats (and even the savory stuff qualifies as treats here), not have to hop restaurants, and a full meal costs around $10.

One cart I often return to is the soup wagon. Now, I like soup, but I'm not obsessed with it by any means, especially on a 90 degree day. But that afternoon they were serving chilled varieties that were absolutely to die for, and very refreshing as well, and also glasses of watermelon lemonade. We finished our summer soup and sandwich fix with a cup of handmade frozen yogurt from another cart topped with fresh organic blueberries (the young, cute guy had even cultured the mixture himself).

As a treat for my family upon returning home, I whipped up an ice-cold pitcher of Watermelon-Mint Lemonade, inspired by my afternoon indulging in the food cart fare. It's slightly sweet, deliciously cooling, and might just be better than the glass I had the other day....

Watermelon Mint Lemonade

8 oz lemon juice*

5 cups watermelon puree (place chunks in a blender and pulse until liquid)

5 1/2 cups water, divided

3/4 cup sugar**

few sprigs mint***

Place 1 1/2 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the sugar, stir to combine, and simmer until dissolved. Add the mint, cover and let steep 30 minutes. Strain.

Meanwhile, strain the watermelon puree to remove seed pieces. Pour the juice into a large pitcher and stir in the lemon juice. Add the mint syrup and the 4 cups water; stir to combine. Serve over ice, or chill until needed.

*Juicing fresh lemons always provides the best flavor, but it can be difficult to get a good price when it's out of season (citrus is a winter fruit). 1 lemon equals about 1/4 cup juice, so you'd need to buy 4-5 whole lemons. The bottled varieties, including organic brands, have preservatives in them and taste cooked. Bottles of Minute Maid Lemon Juice are available in the freezer section, by the juices, and don't have anything but the lemon juice in them.

**I used evaporated cane juice to make the simple syrup. Agave works well also (or even honey), but start with 1/2 cup to make sure the final lemonade isn't too sweet. You can always stir in more later, if needed.

***Use whatever fresh mint you can get. If you are growing it, even better. I use apple mint for the lemonade, but pineapple mint would be fabulous too.

Biscuits With A Smoky Twist

I made these biscuits for dinner to go alongside a bowl of garden-fresh soup and a pile of salad, but they would be equally wonderful for breakfast or to grab on the way out the door for a quick lunch also. They're light and flaky while still being somewhat whole grain. If you can find granulated maple sugar, use it in place of the turbinado sugar called for in the recipe.

Smoky Bacon and Cheese Biscuits

1 cup whole barley flour

1 cup cake flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt (smoked or regular)

1/2 tbsp turbinado (raw) sugar, or granulated maple sugar

4 tbsp cold butter

1/3-1/2 cup grated smoked cheddar cheese, such as Tillamook

3 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, cooled, and chopped

2 tbsp fresh chopped chives

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the barley flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the cheese, chives, and bacon pieces.

Whisk together the sour cream and milk. Pour into the dry mixture and stir to combine. Turn out onto a floured cutting board and knead a few times. Pat into a rectangle and cut into 8 squares. Place biscuits onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake 12-16 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned. Serve warm.

A Healthy, Tasty Zucchini Bread Recipe

For breakfast today I made a healthier version of Zucchini Bread. I know that canola oils are better for us than fats that are highly saturated, but the versions of zucchini bread of the past are a little too oily for my taste. Sometimes they're soggy as well, and I actually never cared much for the stuff growing up. Of course, as an adult with large quantities of the squash in the summertime garden, and a husband who loves the bread (especially slathered with cream cheese), I figured I should make up a version that I can enjoy as well.

Zucchini Bread
This recipe is easily converted to muffins. Grease the muffin tin, or line it with papers. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

1 large zucchini, about 1 lb
1 cup whole wheat or whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice (it seems like a lot, but it's perfect)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar*
1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8" loaf pan and set it aside.

Slice the zucchini in half. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds (but not too much of the flesh). Grate the seeded zucchini. Place it in a colander and press to squeeze as much water as you can from it.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and sugar.

Whisk together the yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, butter, and applesauce. Pour into the dry mixture and add the zucchini shreds. Fold and stir just until thoroughly moistened (don't overdo it).

Pour into the prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Toasted, chopped walnuts are a good addition as well, if your children like them! (My daughter picks them out.) Use about 1/3 cup.

*Original zucchini bread recipes call for up to 1 1/2 cups of sugar. That is way too sweet for me, but you can add more sugar to this recipe if desired without any issues.

Too Much Time In The Kitchen!

Pictured is a little cake that I made for my younger sister and her husband to help celebrate their move to the house they just bought (their first). I am flying up to help them move tomorrow night, and I thought it would be nice to bring along a sweet treat as a housewarming gift.

Of course, it was also my excuse to experiment with fondant a little, since I have virtually no experience with the stuff! Well, I did make it one time a few years ago to cut little bats out of it for my son's Batman cake, but that was the extent of it. It's a lot of work compared to a buttercream icing (because you get to make that too), and it's kind of tricky to get just right. I won't buy the Wilton concoction that is supposedly edible...it's expensive and it doesn't taste good. People end up peeling it off and throwing it away. What a waste!

There's a really great tutorial on making marshmallow fondant here. It just takes a lot of time and is very messy. But, it tastes great, is relatively easy to work with, and is very inexpensive. My daughter's birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I have a plan for the type of cake I want to do for her, which uses fondant for a smooth finish. So I needed some practice before a stressful party day, and bringing my sister and brother in law a cake seemed like the perfect excuse!

I made a chocolate cake in an 8" pan and 12 cupcakes so my husband and kids wouldn't feel slighted (and to share with friends). To keep the cake moist I followed a trick professional bakeries use, which is to drizzle a simple syrup over the warm cake.* I infused that with Grand Marnier for a subtle hint of orange flavor. Then I cut the cake in half so it'd be two layers.

Next I made the French Buttercream Icing, only I infused the milk with a large pinch of crumbled saffron as I was cooking it with the flour for the base. That filled and crumb-coated the cake, and then I topped it off with the naturally colored fondant.**

I did try one cupcake to see how they the flavors played together, and they're divine! Yum. I made it a day in advance to see how the cake will be tomorrow night; fondant is supposed to seal the cake and keep it moist up to three days. It could be useful to make my daughter's cake a day in advance also if it's just as good then! I have found that the cardboard bakery boxes sold at craft stores work really well in keeping cakes fresh also. Check the comments in a day or two to see if the cake held up on the plane and how it tasted on day two.


*I know syruping a cake sounds like the cake would turn out soggy, but it doesn't! Many bakeries do this to their cakes so they stay fresh and moist, even after being cut. The trick is to add the syrup when the cake isn't hot, but still very warm. Then it binds to the crumb perfectly.

**I bought my natural food colors at King Arthur Flour, but Whole Foods, Market of Choice, and some other well stocked natural foods stores carry them as well. Expect them to be more subtle and pastel than artificial colors. (Just don't EVER get the green. It's more chartreuse...yuck!)

Not Necessarily Shortbread

We are having slightly unexpected dinner guests this evening, so I am quickly coming up with a more full menu than what I'd originally planned for just us. Serving dessert is a must, of course, since that's how I do things! Getting creative with what I have on hand posed to be a bit challenging, as I didn't want to set out something too heavy on a hot summer day. I whipped up a small batch of Lavender Shortbread-Inspired Cookies and made a quick trip to the store for some organic blueberries, which I would later puree and turn into a refreshing sorbet.

Traditional shortbread rings of just butter, flour, and a hint of sugar pressed, cut and baked. Naturally I can't leave that simple of a recipe alone and have to tweak it a bit. It seems that each time I've made shortbread it's too crumbly anyhow, and it breaks apart even after it's been baked. By adding a little cream I created a flaky pastry-like cookie, and I threw in a hint of fresh lavender to add a little extra flavor.

Lavender Shortbread-Inspired Cookies

Feel free to experiment with the amount of lavender you use. I like just a hint, as I think too much gives food a soapy flavor, but some people really enjoy eating floral-scented treats and might opt for more than I used.

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

3 1/2 tbsp sugar

pinch salt

few tbsp whipping cream

1 tbsp fresh lavender flowers

sanding sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Using a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, butter, and salt to thoroughly combine. Add 1-2 tbsp cream, pulsing to combine. Add more if necessary, until you have a non sticky dough that can be easily pressed together using your fingers. Gather into a ball. Chill dough, if necessary (I chilled the extra after rolling the first bit out to make it easier to work with).

Roll dough out onto a Silpat mat or a piece of parchment paper. Cut into shapes, or use a knife and cut into rectangles or squares. Peel away excess dough and set the mat or parchment onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle cut out cookies with sanding sugar, if using. Bake about 20 minutes, just until the edges start to lightly brown. Remove to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough.

Blueberry-Basil Sorbet

3 pints fresh blueberries, washed

1 small handful fresh basil leaves

approx 1/2 cup agave nectar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Puree the blueberries in a blender or food processor. Strain to remove the skins and seeds. Rinse out the blender jar (it doesn't need to be super clean) and pour the strained puree back in. Add the lemon juice and basil and puree. Add the agave, to taste. It should only be slightly sweet, not overpoweringly so, so that the fruit has a chance to shine instead of the sweetness.

Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze. Makes about 1 qt.

Colorful, Garden-Fresh Bites

With the heat and lack of pots and pans, dinner planning has been difficult for me lately. I've been relatively uninspired, and tonight I didn't have anything on the menu. It was starting to look like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich type of evening.

While there's certainly nothing wrong with a simple sandwich-themed meal, we happen to have so many fresh vegetables bombarding us from our garden at the moment, and I'm getting a little tired of eating them just steamed or grilled, plain. So I needed to come up with something adventurous for them to shine in. I packed the kids into the car and headed out to one of our local butcher shops to see what might appeal. I grabbed some all natural thick dinner franks and came up with an easy idea. I pulled some purple (they're actually blue, but look purple), Yukon Gold, and red potatoes out of the garden and boiled them while I steamed some beans and grilled the sausages. Tossed with a red wine vinaigrette the combination made for a delicious warm salad!

Rainbow Potato Salad with Grilled Sausage

Be sure to use a waxy potato suited to boiling for this recipe. Don't use the regular Russet baking potatoes...they're too dry and don't have the buttery texture that reds, yellows, and blues have. This is a simple recipe without too many conflicting flavors. Serve with a buttered piece of toast and some fresh fruit.

About 1-1 1/2 lbs assorted potatoes (blue, red, yellow, or a combination)

2 handfuls green and/or yellow beans (about 1 lb), ends trimmed

1 Kielbasa sausage, or your favorite thick sausages for grilling

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Preheat grill to high.

Wash the potatoes well and cut into large, bite-sized pieces. Keep them about the same size so they cook in the same amount of time. Place in a saucepan and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, but still firm enough to keep their shape (10-15 minutes).

Place the sausage(s) on and grill over medium heat until cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Place the beans in a saucepan with a little water and steam until crisp-tender, 5-7 minutes. (If you don't want to steam them, you can also place them in a foil packet and grill alongside the sausages.)

Drain the potatoes and place in a large glass bowl. Add the beans. Slice the sausage(s) into coins and add to the bowl. Drizzle the vinaigrette over, toss to combine, divide between plates, and serve.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp cool water

3-4 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and water. While whisking, slowly add in a thin stream the oil. The mixture should thicken slightly as it emulsifies. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Homemade "Processed" Food

Pizza pockets have been around a while, and have been very popular with all ages...just look at the success of Hot Pockets and the off-brands that are sold alongside. Little handpies are certainly nothing new, sweet or savory, and they're a great food to keep in the freezer to toss in a lunch box or heat up for a quick dinner. The possibilities for fillings are endless too...

~seasoned, browned ground beef, cabbage, and onions (for my mother-in-law's German Cabbage Rolls)

~taco meat, salsa, and cheese

~marinara, mozzarella, and pizza toppings

~thinly sliced steak, pepper jack cheese, mustard, and onions

~ham, broccoli, and cheddar cheese

~cheddar or brie cheese, cooked apple slices, and bacon

...and just about any leftover that you might have sitting in your fridge if you don't feel like making a different filling. I made three different types, a pizza one using Yves vegetarian pepperoni, a steak and cheese variety, and some that had leftover shredded BBQ chicken, grilled corn kernels, a smear of BBQ sauce, and mozzarella cheese. The tidbits of the last few days' dinners were put to good use!

You are welcome to use whatever roll recipe is your favorite, or even frozen dough from the freezer section in your grocery store. I use a whole wheat recipe from King Arthur Flour, but even just substituting half whole wheat flour for the white flour in your regular roll recipe will do just fine to make them a little healthier. I reduce the sugar/honey as well, because while sweet rolls are nice alongside dinner, I much prefer a more savory taste for encasing my pizza pockets! (You want to keep in a little sweetener to help the dough rise.) If you wish to "label" them so you know which are which, a smear of pizza sauce on the top, a corn kernel, an olive, etc will help you identify each one as it emerges from the oven (or freezer later on).

To make the little pockets from your risen dough, divide it into equal pieces, about fist-size. Let rest about ten minutes. Take one dough ball at a time, roll it into a circle, fill half, fold the other half over, and seal. Place it on a greased cookie sheet and repeat until all are filled. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until beginning to brown lightly. Cool on a wire rack at least ten minutes, then serve warm. If you make extra for the freezer, let them cool completely, wrap individually, and freeze until needed. They can be reheated in the microwave, but I prefer to let them defrost overnight in the fridge and then heat them in the oven for a few minutes so they don't have a chance to get soggy.

August Treats For The Heat

Today is an ice cream day. It's 90 degrees, we're sweating without any air conditioning, and we deserve something icy and delicious! This morning I worked hard getting things prepared so when the afternoon lethargy set in I wouldn't have any excuse to not make a fabulous dessert.

The pictured dessert is vanilla ice cream with salted, buttery toffee chunks smashed in, served over grilled nectarines. To finish it off I made a salted caramel sauce to drizzle over. I cooked the caramel almost to the point of burning it, making it deep brown and very smoky flavored. Divine.

Ice cream bases are so forgiving and vary so greatly that you can taper just about any recipe to your own standards. When my husband and I were first married and didn't have much money we'd mix up milk, sugar, vanilla, and a crushed candy bar, freeze it and call it a cheap Blizzard. While custard bases take a little extra effort, they are rich and creamy and keep better in the freezer, staying creamy and easy to scoop. Because the milk is heated first, it's easy to infuse with just about any herb or flavor you'd like (see variations, below). While there are many recipes floating around, I like to keep with the custard theme, but I don't use as many egg yolks. The resulting custard doesn't get as thick, but it's still rich, creamy, and delicious after it's been frozen, and it doesn't leave as much of a coating on the roof of my mouth!

Basic Vanilla Ice Cream Base
If you'd like a more rich base, add 6 egg yolks instead of 3 and increase the amount of cream used, reducing the milk.

2 cups cream
2 cups lowfat milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
3 egg yolks

Heat the milk, cream, 1/4 cup sugar, and the vanilla bean until the mixture simmers, stirring occasionally. Watch to make sure it doesn't boil over. Once it begins to boil gently, remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let steep 20-30 minutes. (Or just stir in the extract and skip the steeping part.) Scrape the vanilla bean into the cream so you have lots of seeds present, and discard the pod.

In a medium glass bowl, whisk the egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar. While whisking constantly, gradually add 1 cup hot milk. Pour the egg yolk-milk mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly to prevent curdling and to incorporate the rest of the hot cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened (because of the few yolks it won't get thick, but it should slightly coat the back of a wooden spoon).

Strain into a clean glass bowl. Let cool about 30 minutes, then place in the refrigerator to chill, 2-3 hours. It's very important to be patient and let it be completely chilled. If you try to freeze the mixture before it's cold, it will melt the ice too quickly, and it will have an icy texture.

Freeze in your ice cream freezer. Makes 1 quart.

Variations:
Fresh Mint- Add 1 handful fresh mint leaves to the milk in the first step, omitting the vanilla bean. Let steep 30 minutes, strain, and proceed with the rest of the recipe. If you'd like to add some chocolate, after the ice cream is frozen, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Drizzle over the ice cream, folding, and smashing it in.

Lavender Honey- Add a few tbsp dried lavender (or a sprig or two of fresh) and let steep, omitting the vanilla bean. Use honey in place of the sugar, keeping in mind that honey is often a little sweeter (maybe try 1/3 cup total instead of the 1/2 cup sugar).

Salted Butter Toffee- Make the vanilla ice cream. As it's chilling, make the toffee. Stir together 1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup), 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tbsp agave nectar. Add a pinch or two of your favorite sea salt (I used smoked). Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until at least 300 degrees (I like to leave it until it's a little darker, but watch closely so it doesn't burn). Pour into an 8" ungreased pan and let cool. Break into chunks. After the ice cream is completely frozen, but still soft, fold and smash in the toffee chunks. Chopped peanuts and/or chocolate chunks also work well with this toffee ice cream!

Almost-Burnt Salted Caramel Sauce
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup cream
sea salt (smoked sea salt, if it's available)

In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, lemon juice, and water. Cook until beginning to turn light brown, about 20 minutes. Once the color starts to change, watch it carefully. Continue cooking until it turns a deep reddish brown, almost burnt, but not blackened. When you start to think uh-oh, then it's probably ready! Pull it off the heat and quickly, but gradually, stir in the cream. It will bubble up and expand, so don't add it so fast that it boils over. Stir in several pinches of salt, to taste, being careful to not burn your tongue as you taste it off a small metal spoon. I used about 1 tsp smoked sea salt for mine. Let cool.

To serve, warm slightly in the microwave or over medium heat on the stovetop, stirring.

How I Do Things...

People are always talking to me about food. While this may not be that much of a surprise, I am always amazed that total strangers seek me out and strike up conversations quite often. At our yard sale yesterday a little old lady (whom I've never met before) asked me all sorts of questions relating to high fiber foods for her husband, who seems to be having some...um... issues with fiber related functions. Why me?! And then, at dinner later that evening, a friend of my mother in law's asked me all about our diet and how we eat because she wants to lose some weight.

Actually, a lot of people who know how I cook must think I'm some sort of expert on nutrition. For the record, I have never gone to culinary school, and I never studied any sort of dietary course in college...in fact, I never even finished college! I do a lot of reading, I try to follow some common sense approaches, I remember the things I was taught while growing up, and I practice moderation.

A lot of women ask me about weight loss techniques. If you don't know me personally, I am not super thin, but I am 5'7" and about 120 lbs, a healthy weight. I think I must have a really good set of genes and am blessed with a high metabolism because I have always been a "normal" weight. But I also have some habits that (I think) I can credit with helping me keep my shape, and I'll share those here.

I have never eaten that much, with the exception of my two pregnancies. Then I was hungry! But I was able to maintain some discipline just the same, ate quality foods, and nursed the babies. The weight I did gain melted right off.

I don't eat salad dressing, unless it's a special type of gourmet salad that calls for it. Mostly, this is just because I'm weird, but it's also because I like the veggies plain (no lemon, no salt and pepper, etc).

I bake a lot, but I give most of it away. Why? I like to share, I get bored with the dessert after having it once, maybe twice, and I want the excuse to make something else. I use the best quality ingredients I can (you are what you eat).

We eat a lot of produce, and much of it is organic. We often have fruit at breakfast, I always serve veggies at lunch (and fruit too if it wasn't at breakfast or if we have a lot of it), and dinner consists of at least one pile of vegetables and a fruit as well.

We limit juice to being 6-8 ounces of 100% fruit juice, once per day. I know all the hype about this "sugary" stuff, but we like it and so it's limited! We don't drink soda (even the diet kind). Rarely we'll have lemonade or something similar, and during the summer I try to keep unsweetened herbal iced tea on hand for the kiddos and myself (Stash Mango Passionfruit is a big hit). My husband likes his coffee.

I don't have any addictions. I fact, I can't stand it when I do start to get addicted to a substance (like caffeine), and I quit when I feel that. Maybe that's a control issue...? I only have my nonfat caramel latte when I really need it, like if I'm driving home after a long trip and need a pick-me-up...but more often I'll choose black iced tea instead.

We eat a lot of whole grains, and really limit the refined flour. Refined (white) flour is saved for desserts instead. We have whole grains at breakfast, whole wheat bread for our sandwiches at lunchtime, and polenta made from stone-ground cornmeal, brown rice, quinoa, etc for a side with our dinner. It's healthier, sure, but it also keeps us more full for a lot longer after eating, and we consistently eat less because we get full faster. My husband can eat half of a large pizza from a restaurant, but with a homemade whole wheat crust he'll be lucky if he can stuff in three pieces. Same goes for pasta.

We limit our sugar consumption. We don't eat artificial sweeteners; we just reduce our overall intake of sweets. I love my desserts, obviously, but we have one piece or one serving, after dinner. The rest of the day we've planned for that treat. This includes thinking of extra added sugars in products (like ketchup or sauces, or in that morning's muffins). It's all about balance.

We limit our intake of processed foods, relying on whole foods as much as possible. If we're going to have cereal it's once or twice per week. We rarely have crackers around, and if the kids need a snack they're pointed to produce, nuts, or a string cheese.

I keep myself on a meal schedule. Well, mostly that's for the kids and to avoid crankiness, but I do get a little difficult myself if my blood sugar gets too low. I do best with three meals, and we don't eat a lot of snacks at my house. I have found that eating an earlier dinner works very well for me, personally. If I eat later than 6:30 I will eat twice as much as I would have before then! And I never eat anything after 8 or 8:30 PM, even if I feel hungry, because I'll get a stomachache and may not sleep as well.

We stay active as a family. My husband does Crossfit, and he often takes the kids to the gym. They love it there, and he lines them out with a mini-workout too. We go for family walks, we try to limit the video watching to one per day (we don't have cable or any channels, by choice), and we just try to do what we can to burn off energy. My hope is that we're teaching our kids the basics of living a healthy lifestyle, and when they're on their own some day they'll fall back on that (after they rebel in the face of the college all-you-can-eat-cafeteria phase, of course).

These are guidelines that have worked for me...so far. Who knows what the future will bring, although I'm hoping that I'm making the healthiest choices I can now so I won't have to adjust too much as I get older and my metabolism slows down. The bottom line is, is that everyone's different, and everyone's body reacts differently to different types of foods. I think if you're eating well and not eating too much of any one thing (with the exception of whole fruits and veggies...you can never eat enough of those) then your body will be healthier too. But that's often easier said than done! Now I've laid it out there, and hopefully future family BBQs or other fun events can steer clear from diet-related topics....

Dill Pickles

While it may seem like I'm slacking in the cooking/baking/blog posting departments lately, I must beg to differ. It's late summer and that means I'm up to my ears in canning projects. I suppose I could post all the recipes I'm doing, but it seems redundant and boring to post how to can peaches in a light syrup...you can google all that elsewhere!

As for cooking, I have been mostly grilling super easy fare. Lots of veggies from the garden, cuts of fish or meat from the deep freeze, fresh fruit, and grilled flatbreads are the norm right now. Even if the temperature in my kitchen was somewhat conducive to cooking, I couldn't do much if I wanted to! I needed to update my pots and pans set, so I placed an order with a small local shop for a new set of stainless steel All-Clad. Afraid that it would take me a while to sell my old Calphalon set, I listed it in the paper. Well, they sold very fast and now I am waiting to receive my new pots, getting creative with canning in the limited few that I still have.

I am posting my dill pickle recipe below because it's different than most that are published currently. The Ball Book of Canning uses sugar to temper the vinegar in every recipe, but I do not like the taste of sweet pickles! I tried a few last year and was not impressed, giving most away. Usually the vinegar to water ratio is 1:1 in pickled vegetables, but the following recipe is safe, as long as it's not messed with. Ball actually has the same ratio listed for their dill recipe, but they add sugar and pickling spices too. In this case, sugar is not a preservative; it's for flavor and to temper the sourness of the vinegar. I like my pickles with lots of dill, a little garlic, and no other flavors...bare bones pickles, if you will, more like the classic store bought flavor (only so much better!).

Classic Kosher-Style Dill Pickles

7 lbs pickling cucumbers

7 quart jars, lids, and rings

lots of ice (approx 1 1/2 bags cocktail ice)

cold water

6 cups white vinegar

3/4 cup Kosher salt (or canning/pickling salt will be fine too)

14 garlic cloves, peeled

7-14 dill heads (the flowery part)

Rinse and scrub the cucumbers well. Slice the blossom end off (if you can't tell which is the stem end and which is the blossom end, take a thin slice off each end). Place the cucumbers in a large bin of ice water (I use my kitchen sink) and let them soak at least 2 hours.

Boil your jars at least ten minutes, and bring the lids and rings to boiling as well. When the lid water is boiling you can turn it off and let them stand in the hot water until you need them. Keep the canner boiling, though.

Combine 8 cups cool water, 6 cups vinegar, and 3/4 cup Kosher (or pickling) salt in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil.

Place two garlic cloves and 1-2 heads of dill in each jar (depending on how much dill flavor you like). Pack the cucumbers tightly, to about 1 inch from the top. When all the jars have been filled, ladle the vinegar solution to the tops of the cucs (you should have about 1" head space). Wipe the rims and screw on the lids. Place in the boiling canner, return to a full boil, and process 15 minutes (10 minutes for pints). Turn off the heat, open the lid, and let them stand 5 minutes. Remove to a towel to cool completely before checking the seals. Label with the date and store in a cool, dark place for up to one year. Be sure to not open the jars for at least one month to allow the flavors to blend.

2010 Fair Results

I just returned from our local fair office. This year I entered a few items to be judged at the county fair, and I needed to pick up the prizes (aka money) that I won. The day I was supposed to submit my entries was extremely hectic, and I wasn't able to do the things I would've liked to have done. Next year I'll hopefully have a little more time to enter a layer cake along with some other creative items.

Two of my entries were just grabbed from the pantry, as a little experiment, to see what might happen. The plum jelly is really tasty, kind of tart and tangy, but I use Pomona's Pectin and much less sugar than most people. This results in a more opaque jelly than the typical super sweet clear gel that is so common. I also entered a jar of pickled dill carrots that weren't particularly artistic in appearance but tasted really good, in our opinions. Both took second place in their categories, which was decent. Honestly, I was surprised the jelly placed that high since it was such a different product than the "usual."

Before I continue, I should give a little insight on the judges for these types of events. They're usually older women, maybe two per category, and either have a history with the 4-H program or in teaching Home Economics (which I wanted to, but never was able to take in school). They typically like things sweet or salty, and favor the richness of butter, light crumb of refined flours, and "classic" flavors. At least, that's been my experience thus far. So when I enter items that use less sugar or whole grains I try to be skeptical about what could, or might not, happen.

I also entered some whole wheat focaccia. There was a contest sponsored by Bob's Red Mill for a delicious, original yeast bread recipe, and I correctly thought that nobody else would enter focaccia, let alone with a garlic scape pesto topping. Well, when I looked at my entry at the fair, there was the teeniest sliver removed and a third place sticker was affixed to the tag. OK, so I figured the originality part did well, and maybe the judges weren't so fond of the strong garlic flavor (if they even knew what garlic scapes are!). There was another loaf of bread nearby that also has a third place sticker on it, and I thought we'd tied.

It took me a while to locate the second focaccia, and I was pleasantly surprised when I did. It was in the center case, a big sample chunk removed, and was marked with a first place sticker and a Best of Show ribbon! The ladies must have really liked the roasted sweet onion and rosemary topping. But that prize is much less than the Bob's contest, so I was a little disappointed just the same. Maybe I should have switched the entries...?

Anyway, I went down to the office this morning to pick up the prize money and the leftover goods. I received a check for the fair entries and submitted the form that has to be sent north to Bob's Red Mill so they can send me my prize directly. Only, that form said I got second place in that contest! I asked, and apparently the sticker on the focaccia had been misplaced. I am entitled to the second place prize, which is a $25 check and two free 5 lb bags of flour! Maybe the judges liked the garlic after all...?

Next year I plan on entering something different, more along the lines of buttery-sweet, for the Bob's contest, and I also hope to have a little more time to plan on making some other items that require a little more effort than just a pantry raid. Still, it's always fun to see how others like (or dislike) what I'm doing in the kitchen, and makes for somewhat profitable entertainment.

Saving Some For Later

Canning season always manages to sneak up quietly on me, starting off with a few batches of jam, and then all of a sudden it's full-on, with days full of processing all sorts of in-season produce! The last few days our green and yellow wax beans have been going crazy. That's a really, really good thing, though, so I'm careful to not complain about the extra work those veggies bring me. It was so nice to have a freezer full last winter, and the Dilly Beans were a major hit too. I had never pickled beans before, but we all agreed that this year I'd definitely have to process even more, especially since I'd experimented a little with the flavorings and we now have a pretty good idea of what's tasty and what's, well, tastier.

As I was pickling the jars shown, I used the brine recipe in the Ball Blue Book of Canning. It's a pretty good guide, although it (understandably) hugs the side of over-caution on the recipes. They suggest doing a hot pack, where you bring the beans to a boil before packing, and while you can get a few extra in the jars this way, it's extremely unpleasant, burning your fingers and hands and making the whole process much slower. I prefer to do a raw pack, holding the beans in the palm of one hand and then pushing them into the jar, adding however many more I can stuff in. Cutting them up would allow you to pack more in also, but I like the look of the beans left whole. I found some hearty organic, locally grown red peppers at the Farmers' Market this morning and tossed in a few slices for color.

Dilly Beans
The ratio of vinegar to water to salt in the brine is very important for food safety guidelines, but feel free to experiment with various spices (mustard seeds could be interesting too!).

4 1/2 tbsp pickling or canning salt (kosher salt will work too, but not regular table salt)
4 1/2 cups white vinegar
4 1/2 cups water
about 3 1/2-4 lbs fresh beans, green, yellow, or a combination
2 red peppers, sliced into strips
9 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 head of dill (the flowery part)
whole peppercorns
red pepper flakes, optional
8 or 9 sterilized pint wide-mouth canning jars, lids, and rings

Snap the blossom end off each bean and rinse them all well to remove any debris.

Bring the water, vinegar, and salt to a boil. Place the hot jars on a towel. To each one, add: 1 clove of garlic, 2 sprigs of dill (each little flower portion on the head is a sprig), and 2 or 3 peppercorns. If you like a little zing, try adding 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (my husband LOVED this variation, but my kids liked them better "plain.").

Gather a large handful of beans and two or three pepper slices. Push into a jar (it should be a tight fit). Try to push a few more in to fill up any gaps. Repeat until all the jars have been stuffed. (Don't worry if the beans are as tall as the rim, just so long as they don't over lap or stick out to prevent the rubber from sealing. The beans will shrink as they're heated.)

Ladle the boiling hot pickling liquid to about 1/2 inch from the rim (it's still OK if the beans are above the liquid). Screw on the lid and place in the boiling water bath. Repeat with the remaining jars, placing each one in the boiling water as it's filled. Bring to a rolling boil, cover, and process for 15 minutes. Remove jars to a towel to cool completely, label, and store up to one year. Make sure to not open the jars for a few weeks to allow the flavors to blend. (Sometimes the beans look a little shriveled when they come out of the canner. In a few days or so they'll puff back up as they absorb the brine more fully.)

Gnudi, Another Way...

A few days ago a friend gave me some bright red first-of-the-season tomatoes from her small organic farm. They were unsaleable because they had been grown in the greenhouse and had not been pollinated. Apparently unpollinated tomatoes are more dense, more acidic, smaller in size, and seedless. She suggested I sauce them, and I am so glad I followed her advice!

Of course, I still had some leftover ricotta in the fridge, and with memories of the gnudi we had a few nights ago I had to give it another try! The garden-fresh tomato sauce was a compilation of what I had on hand, tossed together, and formed a perfect accompaniment to the gnudi...as good (maybe even a little better) than the cream sauce. Because the tomatoes were seedless they had less juice. That meant that they broke down nicely and I didn't have to boil the sauce forever to reduce it. I honestly wish I had that type of tomato for ALL of my summer sauce canning that looms in the future (although, roma tomatoes work well if they're seeded too). Absolutely delish!

Garden Fresh Tomato Sauce

This tomato sauce is a base idea...you can substitute or add whatever you have on hand that sounds tasty. Really, all you need for a good sauce is good quality produce: onions, garlic, tomatoes, and a few herbs. Other vegetables can be chopped and added also, if you like. Get creative!

about 2 1/2 lbs Roma tomatoes (or other sauce-type varieties)

3/4-1 cup sweet onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

extra virgin olive oil

about 1 cup fresh basil leaves (a handful), chopped

1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

prepared fresh gnudi or other pasta

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Core the tomatoes while you wait, and set a large bowl of ice water next to the stove. When the water is boiling, add the tomatoes, a few at a time, and let them soak for about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to the ice water to cool quickly.

The skins should easily slide or peel away; discard. Cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze any seeds out. Quarter the flesh and set aside.

Drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a large saucepan. Heat over med-high. When the pan is hot, saute the onion until softened, reducing the heat if necessary so it doesn't brown. Stir in the garlic. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Simmer the sauce until the tomato chunks begin to break down. Add the oregano and basil. Continue to simmer lightly until saucy (but leave a few chunks if you like).

The sauce is ready to serve when it's the consistency you desire. If you like a smooth sauce, run it through a food mill before serving.

Fudgy Muffins For Breakfast!

While it's been somewhat disappointing that our growing season is much slower than the anomaly of last year's, it's still exciting when the produce finally starts growing and ripening. We have yet to harvest any large tomatoes, but the basil, broccoli, green and yellow beans, green onions, and herbs have been prolific thus far. Soon our yellow onions will be ready, and we've had a few ripe Sun Gold cherry tomatoes and a few peppers as well. The zucchini are also doing well. Many people get a bit overwhelmed with the notorious squash as the summer rolls on, but we try to find as many ways to enjoy it as possible, and managed to keep up with it last year pretty well. Some ideas for preparation include the following....

~Thinly sliced lengthwise into ribbons, sauteed in a little olive oil and garlic, and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
~Cut into rounds and placed in a foil packet with or without seasonings and a dab of butter, sealed, and grilled until tender.
~Cut into quarters, brushed with olive oil and either lemon pepper or Italian seasoning and grilled.
~Battered and deep fried, or battered and "fried" as EatingWell does it a little healthier here.
~Baked into a classic zucchini bread and spread with cream cheese.

One of my children's absolute favorite muffins recipes includes zucchini. I use a reduced amount of turbinado sugar (like Sugar In The Raw) and applesauce to lower the fat content while combining with the cocoa powder to make them fudgy and delicious. By incorporating Chocolate Zucchini Muffins into your repertoire, you're also bringing a vegetable to the breakfast table!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I like Dutch-process from Penzey's)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp espresso powder, optional
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 medium zucchini

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line a muffin tin with papers.

Grate the zucchini. Squeeze as much moisture from it as possible, either using your hands (over the sink) or by placing it in a strainer and pressing out the water. You should have about 1 cup zucchini after it's been squeezed.

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and espresso powder.

In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the applesauce, buttermilk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Pour all at once into the dry ingredients and stir to incorporate. When a few wisps of flour remain, fold in the zucchini. Divide between the 12 muffin cups. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.

Forget Ravioli!

I am kind of excited about this recipe! My children didn't make one peep (a miracle) as they inhaled it, and the next time around I'll increase the amounts so we can have leftovers. I made gnudi. Gnudi is a super easy homemade pasta that is assembled the night before, and as it sits in the fridge it forms itself into a rustic ball shaped ravioli-like pasta. This dish was on the table in less than thirty minutes, so it'd be great for hectic weeknights or entertaining guests. It's a splurge, being cheese-based in a cream sauce, but if you plan for the extra calories and consider the dish to be a once in a while treat, then I don't think it's too bad. Surely you'd get double the calories (and sodium) if you were to eat something similar out!

I meant to fry some strips of prosciutto and sprinkle them over the top, but I forgot until I was plating the gnudi. It made for an awesome vegetarian dish anyway, and my husband only grumbled for a second that there wasn't any meat present. We agreed that the gnudi would also be amazing as an appetizer, fried and served with marinara for dipping. Serve with a crisp green salad and, if you really want to splurge, some crusty whole grain bread to mop up the sauce (oh how I wish I'd thought of that earlier in the day so I could've had some on hand!).

Gnudi in a Mushroom Cream Sauce

If you're lucky enough to have wild mushrooms available, by all means use them! Morels, chanterelles, etc would be amazing. I used a grocery store assortment of white button, porcini, and shiitake.

Gnudi:

1 cup freshly grated best quality Parmesan cheese

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese, preferably homemade*

2 large eggs

1/2-1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 tbsp minced fresh chives

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

about 1 lb semolina flour

Using a hand mixer, beat the ricotta until smooth. Add the eggs, Parmesan, and nutmeg. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Fold in the flour and chives and add salt and a few grinds of pepper, to taste (I actually chose not to add salt and it was great).

Sprinkle the semolina over the bottom of an 11x7" pan to cover. Lightly flour your hands and roll the cheese mixture into 1" balls, placing each one in the semolina. When all have been rolled, sprinkle semolina over the top to thoroughly coat. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill overnight. (This step is important because the pasta forms around the cheese as it sits.)

The next evening, put a large pot of water on and bring to a boil. Place a bowl with a strainer in it next to the pot so you have a place to put the cooked gnudi (this makes the transfer easier). Assemble the sauce ingredients.

Mushroom Cream Sauce:

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup freshly grated best quality Parmesan cheese

3 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced or chopped
3 green onions, chopped

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

white pepper, to taste

a few slices prosciutto, sliced into strips and cooked until crisp, optional

chopped Italian parsley

Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Saute the mushrooms until done, then transfer to a glass bowl. Stir in the green onions and set aside.

Wipe out any remaining grease. Bring the cream to a boil, watching so it doesn't boil over, and reduce by half. Stir in the Parmesan, white pepper to taste, and mushroom mixture and keep warm.

While you're sauteing the mushrooms, you can cook the gnudi in batches (multitask!). Place half of the gnudi in the boiling water. When they float (about 4 minutes), scoop them into the strainer with a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining pasta. Save the remaining semolina flour for the next time, or for a different variety of fresh pasta.

To serve, place a little sauce in the bottom of the plate and top with gnudi. Pour another scoop of sauce over the top and sprinkle with parsley and prosciutto, if using.

*I have tried this recipe with both homemade and store-bought ricotta. Store bought works ok, although the balls will be super sticky due to the moisture content in the cheese. Homemade is much nicer to work with because you can get it relatively dry by straining it, and it forms strudier balls more suited for rolling. If your mixture is too "wet," use a spoon and drop it into the semolina. Roll around to coat. They may flatten a little, but will still cook up nicely.

A rich dinner like this one calls for a light, fresh dessert that's not overpowering. I had some blackberries in the fridge leftover from the Farmers' Market, so I whipped up a fresh berry sorbet. If you don't like the seeds, double the amount of berries used and press them through a strainer first.

Blackberry Lime Sorbet

about 4 cups blackberries, rinsed

juice from 1 lime

1/3 cup sugar, agave, or honey

Place the berries in a blender and puree. Add the sugar and lime juice and blend well. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Serves 4.

BPA-Free Canning Lids

My neighbors are out of town, but before they left for the weekend, I managed to strike up a deal with them. They have a gorgeous hedge of raspberries, and I know they usually just eat them fresh and freeze some for later. I offered to make them some jam in exchange for weekend berry-picking access, and they were happy to oblige! So yesterday my children and I headed over and had six cups of ripe, juicy berries in about 30 minutes.

We headed back across the driveway and I began my jam making process. I like to use Pomona's Pectin. You can double, triple, quadruple, or whatever to the batch(es) of jam, and can use as much or little sweetener as you like with a great gel result. I like to use evaporated cane juice because it's less expensive than the other options, but honey, agave, or even fruit juice concentrate have all worked nicely (you can also use artificial sweeteners, if desired).

I have some new canning lids that I wanted to try out as well. Ball and Kerr metal varieties have always been good to me, result-wise, but they are now being lined with Plastisol. Plastisol has BPA in it. So even though you're canning organic produce and trying to provide healthy fare for your family, you're still exposing them to a nasty, hormone mimicking, estrogenic chemical. Ugh. Enter Tattler canning lids.

Tattler canning lids are plastic also, but they're BPA-free and come with a loose rubber ring to create a tight seal. As an added bonus, they're also made in the USA! While I did have to purchase several sets, I would've had to buy a lot of Ball/Kerr sets this summer instead, and the Tattler ones are reusable. I figure I'll make up the extra cost in two or three canning seasons.

If you choose to try out the Tattler lids, follow the directions precisely. I thought I had as I was jamming, but two of my jars did not seal properly. I ended up reprocessing the two to see if I could get it right, and it worked perfectly the second time around. They want you to tighten the ring, then loosen it again before boiling the jar. I did that step, but when they came out of the water bath I didn't re-tighten them. Apparently that's critical because it helps them to form a tight, safe seal once cooled. So after they'd cooled completely I removed the rings, checked the seals, and all were perfect! I could lift the jars by the plastic lids.

I don't like that the lids are plastic, but I do see where metal can give an off taste to highly acidic foods. At least they're BPA-free, reusable (some people have some that still work after 25 years!), made in our country and not out-sourced overseas, and easy to use (once you get the hang of it). You can also use them in pressure canning. Now if only I could find an acceptable substitute for the Plastisol-lined lids for the more decorative jars that I use for gifts!!