Brown Paper Packages

Finished wrapping for Christmas! Trying to go green—didn't buy any paper this year. I cut up paper Stop&Shop bags and used those. The only real problem was running out of tape, it turns out staples aren't so cute for giftwrapping.

Christmas Tree!

December 1, 2012: Christmas tree shopping! Done and done.

Ombre Cake with Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

We're celebrating the Mollidays! For Molly's birthday, I made a pink ombre cake with dark chocolate buttercream frosting. Mom and I had to go  to the store to get 2 more cake pans so I'd have enough to bake all 4 layers at once. After mixing up 1 box of yellow cake mix, I poured the batter into 4 cups and added 1 drop of red food coloring to one, 3 drops to the next, and a about 8 drops to the last one. In retrospect, I should have added more than 1 drop to the first layer, as it turned out to be too pale.

Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
3.5 cups confectioner's sugar
1.5 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
12 tbs unsalted butter
10 tbs milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs corn syrup

Combine sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl. In another bowl, cream together the butter and 1/2 cup of the cocoa mixture. Alternate stirring in milk and cocoa. Keep beating until it comes to the desired frosting consistency. Stir in the vanilla extract and corn syrup.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Spinach and Bacon

"Healthy" Sweet Potato Skins
Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 tsp EVOO
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bag baby spinach
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 slices turkey bacon (I used 4 slices regular - not so healthy!)
4 oz low-fat cream chese
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake sweet potatoes on a baking sheet for 45 min or until fork-tender.

2. While potatoes cook, heat EVOO in a deep saute pan and cook onion 2-3 min until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 more min.

3. Add the whole bag of spinach and scallions, cover and cook 3-4 min, until spinach is wilted.

4. In another sauce pan, cook the bacon until crisp and transfer to a plate with paper towels until cooled. Chop into small pieces. *Note: I cooked the bacon in the microwave.

5. Let the potatoes cool 5 min. Carefully slice them in half and scoop insides into a bowl. Add cream cheese, buttermilk, s+p. Mash together.

6. Brush the outside of each skin with veggie oil. Fill each shell with filling and sprinkle with cheese. Cook 15-20 min until golden brown and crispy. Top with bacon bits.

Source: Cook Yourself Thin

Hurricane Sandy Hits RI

 Sunday was full of storm preparation for Hurricane Sandy - setting up the barograph and exchanging our indoor-outdoor weather station at Home Depot. We stocked up on flashlights, batteries, and canned goods at Stop and Shop. Filled buckets on the porch in anticipation of flushing the toilet with no power. The wind and waves were big and I took some pictures of the surfers and windsurfers at the beach in Matunuck. Since we live on a good point break, house guests magically appear whenever storms roll through. We had two "water sports enthusiasts" staying with us, they were lucky to get out before things got really bad on Monday afternoon!

We were supposed to evacuate but didn't, as our house is on pretty high ground. The homeowners (who live across the driveway) are ready for the apocalypse, so our farm is in good shape. The hand-pump for well water is coming in handy. The pigs and cows didn't seem to be bothered by the storm but the sheep were all huddled together under a tree to stay dry. A tree fell across the driveway on Monday and within 20 minutes Eric (the homeowner) had his tractor out and was pulling it out of the way - we think he was just excited to use the tractor for something!

The electricity started to flicker just as I was mixing dough for sugar cookies. I made them in record time - racing the loss of electricity - and had no sooner pulled them out of the oven than the power went out. Good thing I didn't opt for bread with a longer baking time! (Nate posted a picture to Facebook - "Will El finish the cookies before the power goes out?")

My barograph runs on electricity (who came up with that idea?) so we've had to advance it by hand ever since the power went out at 3 on Monday - it looks like a diagonal line going down then steps coming up.

We've been cooking dinners on the neighbors' grill and playing Scrabble by candles and an oil lamp. Nate beat me on Monday with "Flog" and last night I got him with "Queasy"...those triple letter scores are a killer!

Now (and until we get power back) I am working and showering at URI. National Grid says my office won't have power until Saturday. I've only been asked my major once so far.

Hurricane Sandy Dinner

No power! Nate cooked the lamb, red pepper and onion kebabs on the neighbors' grill.

Orange-Glazed Salmon

My first seafood cooking experience! I adapted this one from Cook Yourself Thin. The recipe called for mango nectar but I used OJ instead.

Orange-Glazed Salmon
Ingredients:
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp minced ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp rice vinegar
5 oz orange juice
2 salmon fillets, about 1" thick

1. Stir together first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15 min uncovered, until reduced by half.

2. Place salmon on a rack in a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 5.5" from heat 5 min. Brush fish with 1/2 OJ glaze, then broil 3 more min until fish flakes with a fork. Spoon remaining glaze evenly over the fish.

Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
Fresh spinach
Thinly sliced Bosc pear
Shredded carrots
Asian bean sprouts
Toasted sliced almonds (optional)

Dressing:
3 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbs OJ

Roughly chop the spinach, toss all ingredients together.

*Note: January 4, 2013: Cooked this again with a bourbon glaze: bourbon, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a bit of mustard, brown sugar, honey, s+p. Delicious!

Pork, Artichoke and Fresh Bread

Hearth Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
1 packet (1 tbs) active dry yeast
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs salt
2 cups warm water
5.5 to 6 cups all purpose flour (I used Bread Flour)
cornmeal
boiling water

1. Mix together first 4 ingredients. Let stand until yeast, sugar and salt are dissolved. Gradually add flour, mixing until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl.

2. Knead for 5 min, sprinkling flour as needed to keep it from sticking to the counter. Let rest while you scrape out and grease the mixing bowl, then knewad again for 2-3 min.

3. Put the dough in the bowl and turn it over to grease the top. Cover witha warm damp towel and put it somewhere draft-free (I used the microwave) for 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in bulk.

4. Punch down the dough and briefly knead out air bubbles. You can repeat step 3 if you want. Shape the dough into loaves and put them on a cookie sheet generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Let rest for 5 minutes. *Note: I didn't have cornmeal so I skipped it. If you're going to do this, grease the pan because my bread totally stuck!

5. Lightly slash the tops of the loaves and brush them with cold water. Place on rack in a cold oven with a roasting pan full of boiling water on the bottom rack. Bake at 400ºF for 35-45 min, until the crust is golden brown and sounds hollow to the touch. *Beth recommends spraying water on the bread about half way through cooking for a crsipier crust.

For lighter bread, let the loaves rise again after shaping. Preheat the oven and roasting pan with water to 500ºF for 15 minutes. Brush the loaves with cold wanter then bake for 10 min. Lower temp to 400º and bake 10 more min.

Source: King Arthur Flour

Winding Down in the Garden

Arugula Tomato Pasta

Dahlias, Peppers and Tomatoes

August 24 harvest: Dahlias, Sweet Tangerine Dream Peppers, Tumbling Tom yellow tomatoes, and Patio Princess tomatoes.

Summer Corn Fettuccine

Recipe from Rachel Ray's Look + Cook. Planned Sunday dinner. Serves 4 to 6 (I will halve).
One thing I love about Rachel Ray is that she is so laid back in her recipe delivery. Instead of specifying a specific type of cream, she tells me to use whatever I put in my coffee. Instead of making me measure my parsley, she tells me to throw in a few handfuls. Hooray for stress-free cooking! She also adds that for year-round local veggies, you can grab a bunch of corn at the end of the summer, cook the ears and then scrape and freeze the kernels. Brilliant!

Ingredients:
Salt
1 lb fettuccine
EVOO
6 slices smoky bacon, chopped
6 ears corn (I will be using frozen)
3 shallots, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
black pepper
1 cup cream (whatever you put in your coffee)
2 TBS thyme
1/2 cup chicken stock or dry white wine
A few dashes of hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper
A couple handfuls of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup chopped basil or 1/4 cup chopped tarragon leaves

Heat a large pot ofwater to boil for the pasta. Salt and cook to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet with a drizzle of EVOO over medium heat. Cook the bacon a few minutes until crisp.

Scrape the corn off the cob. Add 3/4 of the corn to the bacon with the shallots and bell pepper, season liberally with s+p. Cook 5-6 minutes, until tender.

Puree the remaining corn with the cream.

Stir in the thyme and stock or wine to the corn mixture, reduce for a minute. Then stir in the corn-cream mixbure. Reduce heat to a simmer, cook 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the hot sauce/cayenne pepper.

Drain the pasta, toss with the sauce, parsely, and about 1/2 cup cheese. Top with basil or tarragon and pass the remaining cheese at the table.

Key Lime Pie

I've been making this recipe for years and can't remember the origin. It serves 8 and is a crowd-pleaser! The lime packs a punch so feel free to serve sparingly. You can also add a dash of rum to the filling.

Crust:

1/3 cup melted margarine

1.5 cups crushed graham crackers (1 sleeve)

1/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 9" pie dish w/ margarine. Combine ingredients and press into the bottom and sides of the dish. Bake 10 minutes, let cool.

Filling:

Two 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk

5 egg yolks

Grated zest of 1 lime

1 cup lime juice

Whisk ingredients together then pour into crust. Bake 10 min. Cool to room temp.

In a very unlike-me move, I also seem to have written down the nutrition information for this recipe. If you cut your key lime pie into 8 servings, each serving includes:

540 calories

167mg cholesterol

1g fiber

22g fat

338mg sodium

78g carbs

11g protein

37% cal from fat

58% cal from carbs

Mexican Pot Pies

I found this recipe in Southern Living's "Almost Homemade 2012" magazine. They call it Chicken-and-Corn Pies with Cornbread Crust. I call it Mexican Pot Pie. Makes 5 servings. Prep time is about 25 minutes and total time is closer to an hour. I have cooked these twice now, and small ramekins are perfect, although we find 1 ramekin is enough for 2 people to split. It's also easy to make the filling in advance and put it in the fridge or freezer.

Ingredients:
1 (10 oz.) can enchilada sauce (or make your own)
1 (10 oz.) can Mexican diced tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro (i.e. Rotel), drained
2 cups corn (frozen does the job)
1 tsp. chili powder
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 (6 oz.) package cornbread mix (I used Jiffy)
2/3 cup milk
1 egg
2 tbs. vegetable oil
1 cup shredded Mexican 4-cheese blend
Toppings: sour cream, sliced hot peppers

Preheat the oven to 375. Stir together the sauce, tomatoes, corn and chili powder in a  large saucepan over medium heat until combined. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes and then stir in the chicken. If the chicken wasn't pre-cooked, you can stir-fry it while the sauce is simmering.

Whisk together the cornbread mix, milk, egg, oil and 3/4 of the cheese.

Pour the chicken mixture into 5 lightly greased (10-oz.) ramekins. Spoon the cornbread mixture over the hot chicken mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Here the recipe says to divide the ramekins onto 2 jelly-roll pans. I'm not sure what a jelly-roll pan is so I put my 2 ramekins on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for half an hour or until golden and bubbly. Serve with desired toppings. If you don't have ramekins, you can do the whole thing in a big casserole dish.

Eggplant Ragoût

Lisa gave me two eggplants and a whole bunch of other vegetables a few days ago. I've never loved eggplant but wanted to try cooking it so I whipped out The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook and let me tell you: Martha is a genius. Her eggplant ragoût recipe totally rocked! It's all about the fennel seeds. We served it over pasta with a side of breaded chicken. Serves 6. I cut this roughly in half and we had serious leftovers.

Ingredients:
2 tsp whole fennel seeds, toasted (in a dry skillet, heat until aromatic)
2 tbs EVOO
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp thyme
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 lbs mixed eggplant, cut into 1-inch dice
1 zucchini, cut into 1.5-inch-long matchsticks
5 medium plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
s+p

Place the fennel seeds in a spice grinder, process until finely ground. Set aside.

Caramelize the onion with the EVOO in a large skillet on low, 15-25 min. Stri often.

Add the garlic, fennel, and thyme. Stir well, cook about a minute. Increase heat to med/high adn add the white wine. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits from the bottom. Cook 1-2 minutes until about half reduced.

Add the eggplant and zucchini. Cover and cook 8-12 minutes until soft but still retaining their shapes and colors.

Add the tomatoes and 1/4 cup water. Cook on medium-high heat, covered, about 5 minutes until tomatoes release their juices but still retain their shape.

Season with s+p. Garnish with thyme.

Martha's nutrition facts per serving:
124 calories
5g fat
0mg cholesterol
17g carbs
364mg sodium
3g protein
3g dietary fiber

First Sunflower!

The darn bugs are still after my dahlias

First sunflower bloom of the summer!

Echinacea

Butternut Squash

Bachelor's Button 

Sweet Tangerine Dream Peppers

Patio Princess Tomatoes

Purple Dahlias

First Ripe Tomato! (And Japanese Beetles.)

Today I came home to the first red tomatoes! Just two so far, and I'm going to leave them until tomorrow so I have something to look forward to. I also got a picture of the first echinacea bloom, which is not at all the color I expected it to be. I think I had more of a pink or red in mind. The Japanese beetles are everywhere and they are NOT WELCOME! The strawflowers are very cheery and the dahlias make me excited every time there's a new bloom (which is now one every few days).

Garden Envy

Tonight I walked across the driveway to our homeowners' house to drop off the rent check and was rewarded with vegetables! I have serious garden envy of Lisa. Here's why:

Eggplants, celery, pepper, carrots and a rainbow of tomatoes!

My vegetables are not so far along. The flowers, however, are looking pretty good! The first echinacea flower bloomed today but I didn't get a good picture of it.

The strawflowers look like funny little pincushions

The sage and mint hanging basket is lovely draped in morning glories 

Rosemary and oregano make good hanging basket neighbors for the nasturtiums 

The zinnias really pop with color!	I'm still getting a few poppies.

Dahlias are hit or miss. The pincher bugs are really brutal.

Some red peppers are peeping out!	This dahlia is almost as tall as I am!