tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174564422024-02-28T06:54:51.154-05:00Feed Your Kids<center>Getting my boys to eat, sometimes its a chore, other times it's the easiest thing in the world. <br>Everytime I cook with them I learn something new.</center>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-59654424821176790382008-07-14T13:25:00.003-04:002008-07-14T13:41:18.034-04:00Figs coming inI know, I know ... it's been a long time since I last posted .. <br /><br />What excuse do I have? None .. slackness .. evil wow <br /><br />But on to other things.<br /><br />The year before last I received a fig tree for fathers day from the boys. We planted it out back and there it grew .. slowly .. not making friends with the Lemons or the Satusma. I'd watch it and for the past two years there would be a few figs and they'd always disappear rapidly before I could get to them. <br /><br />Yesterday I was mowing and as I circled the fig tree I could see some ripe figs. Purple brown bags of yumminess. Being the geek that I am I went inside after finishing the mow and looked up how to tell when figs are ripe. <br /><br />Turns out when they hang vertically they are ready. They'll be colorful and look 'full' . So I went back out to the little bush and sure enough there were four that were ready to be eaten. Now, to be honest with you, this was my first experience eating a fresh fig. I've just never had the opportunity. I have eaten plenty of fig preserves, dried figs and whatnot. But never an honest to goodness fresh fig. <br /><br />So, I decided to take advantage of being the one that picked them and tried one right there behind the bush, in the sun. The heat of the day just starting to build up. <br /><br />It was wonderful, what a flavor, unique ... There was a light sweetness, like a honey, then a 'summer' sort of flavor, like a watermelon almost. <br /><br />Sitting here now, writing this post a day later, I can feel the sun on my shoulders and taste the fruit in my mouth. <br /><br />I'll be watching this bush everyday for the next few weeks as the rest of th fruit ripens. Will Pamela and the boys enjoy them? Maybe .. if they make it to the house. <br /><br />Davexunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-90933749943051036762007-09-11T15:06:00.001-04:002007-09-12T10:52:25.115-04:00Easy Spring-Loaded Chopsticks<span xmlns=""><p>Cub loves Sushi; it's his favorite food in the world. He will sit down and eat it until he's like a beached whale. Then he'll run around a bit outside the restaurant and by the time we get home he's hungry again. </p><p>One of his favorite treats is stopping by the Sushi counter at Publix when he goes grocery shopping with Pamela. I think he might even prefer to get sushi over getting ice cream.<br /></p><p>He doesn't quite have the hang of chopsticks yet though. <a href="http://www.howtoons.com/toon/springloaded-chopsticks/">These might just do the trick</a>.<br /></p><p>When I get home tonight we'll be trying a pair, and running down the road to pick up some Sushi.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Dave</p></span>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-81684479198849679822007-08-19T22:20:00.000-04:002007-08-19T22:33:44.527-04:00Peanut Butter & Oatmeal CookiesPamela made some deeelicious cookies this weekend.<br />Cub and I tried to stay out of the kitchen as much as possible just so we wouldn't eat the cookie dough before they were baked.<br /><br />Preheat oven 350<br /><br />Cream together ---<br />1 1/4 cups Peanut Butter (Sesame/Cashew ... whatever)<br />1/2 cup Butter<br /><br />Then add ---<br />1 cup Brown sugar<br />1 cup plain sugar<br /><br />Once this is all incorporated, stick your finger in and taste ... mmm , maybe we should just stop here and get out the spoons ... nonono .. must continue.<br /><br />Ok , add ---<br />3 eggs<br />1 tsp vanilla<br /><br />In a separate container mix ---<br />1 cup WW pastry flour (dont have it? Me neither, use AP flour instead)<br />1/4 cup Wheat Germ (it's in the back of your fridge, behind the milk)<br />1 tsp baking soda<br />1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />3 cups oats (regular, quick, just not instant)<br /><br />Pour the dry into the wet and stir for a few secs. Get everything wet. Roll into balls (a bit smaller than Ping-Pong Balls), put on the tray and impress with a fork. <br /><br />Bake for about 10 minutes.<br /><br />Be sure to send the kids outside before the first batch comes out. Eat those quickly, with a glass of milk hunched over the hot tray ... Hey! It's only fair! You baked! All the kids did was eat the dough and try to pour all the vanilla in.<br /><br /><br />Davexunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-72679391497200942612007-08-18T17:39:00.000-04:002007-08-19T08:21:11.882-04:00Fridge CurryIt's a lazy Saturday afternoon and I am tired of watching the weather channel for updates on Hurricane Dean...And I am hungry.<br /><br />I go scrounging in the fridge, and I see the package of sausage I had pulled for breakfast in the morning. It's not going to last. I pull it, two heads of broccoli, some Greek yogurt, one half of an onion left over from earlier in the week and the last of the diced garlic.<br /><br />Off the produce counter get that paper bag that may or may not have good potatoes in it. (close your eyes, say a little prayer to your kitchen gods .... peek in the bag .. yes! still good!) Get about six good sized Yukon golds out and grab a green apple. Peel all of the above, leave the taters whole, dice the apple into big chunks and cut the broccoli into florets (make sure to cut the stem up also .. lots of yummy goodness there as well).<br /><br />I fill a pot with water, salted to sea like and put my trusty cast iron skillet on the burner , both of them set to high. Drizzle some olive oil in the skillet and when its hot drop the sausage in. When the sausage is nice and brown add your rough chopped onion and the last of the pre-chopped garlic. (Yes, I buy the big jugs of pre-chopped garlic, it makes life easier.)<br /><br />Turn the heat down a bit, add some salt and pepper, rummage above the stove in your spice cabinet. Pull down some red curry, yellow curry, a cardamom pod or two and some cumin. When the onions have started to brown and wilt pour in two shots of bourbon to de-glaze and then add the spices. To this add about three-quarters of a cup of water and a can of diced tomatoes to help make the sauce.<br /><br />By now the water should be close to boiling, add the whole potatoes and let them start. Keep the water boiling for about twelve minutes. When the potatoes are almost done drop the broccoli in for a quick blanch. We hate soggy broccoli.<br /><br />As you add the potatoes to the water be sure to add the apples to the sauce so they can have a bit of time to tenderize.<br /><br />OK, the potatoes are done, cut them into chunks, and then its time to plate. Take the sauce off the heat and right before pouring some over your potatoes and broccoli mix in some of that Greek Yogurt. It'll brighten the the sauce with the tartness of the yogurt and give it some body.<br /><br />I recommend a nice cold Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout for yourself, and a big glass of homemade lemonade for the kids.<br /><br />---<br />Davexunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-64796454948930688712007-05-15T11:18:00.000-04:002007-08-19T22:35:07.586-04:00Mango-Banana BreadSo, It's vacation, and you promise to yourself that you'll get to the beach with all the intentions of eating good. You bring bananas and mangos and somehow on the trip from Tallahassee to St. George Island the fruit goes from beautiful specimens to Quasimodo.<br /><br />Will your six year old eat a banana with more blemishes on it than a Daughters of the Confederacy meeting has liver spots? Not bloody likely ....<br /><br />So what are you going to do with all that mangled fruit? Sweet bread of course.<br /><br />Turn your oven on to 350 degrees, and grease your favorite loaf pan.<br /><br />Dry ingredients -<br /><blockquote>2 cups of AP flour<br />2 tblsp Cardamom<br />1 tblsp Cinnamon<br />1 tsp Baking soda<br />1/2 tsp kosher salt</blockquote><br /><br />Wet ingredients -<br /><blockquote>1 1/2 cups mashed fruit<br />1/2 cup melted butter<br />1/2 cup sugar (or honey for a moist cake)<br />1/3 cup buttermilk (or milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice mixed in) </blockquote><br />Mix the dry, mix the wet, combine the two, pour into the pan<br /><br />Bake for an hour or so , until the tothpick comes out clean.<br /><br /><br />Davexunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-7798597241907310402007-05-12T17:51:00.001-04:002007-08-19T22:35:54.744-04:00Beach Style TunafishCub and I came in after playing hard out in the pool at the beach house. Both of us were starving and so Cub decided he wanted tunafish.<br /><br />We got out the makings and worked together to create our masterpiece.<br /><br />1 can of tuna<br />2 tablespoons of sweet relish<br />2 tablespoons of mayo<br />1 chopped hard boiled egg<br /><br />Mix all together thoroughly and crunch up a few saltines into the bowl.<br /><br />Let the boy eat it directly out of the bowl, getting it finished before he even gets to the table.<br /><br />Whats the difference between this and everyday tunafish? .... We are at the beach, thats the difference.<br /><br />Davexunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-20275513212455848272007-05-12T17:21:00.000-04:002007-08-19T22:36:28.326-04:00Pork CurryEaster dinner was one of my favorites, pork medallions with sage and ham.<br /><br />I was in charge of dinner this year and we were expecting a big crowd so I ended up slicing up about 3 tenderloins worth of medallions. With the slices I ended up with about 6 inches on each tenderloin that wasn't really big enough to slice. These I ended up cutting into chunks sprinkling with sea salt and stowing in the fridge for a day to two.<br /><br />The Wednesday after Easter it was time to put those chunks to use. I quickly pan-fried the pork pieces until they were juuuuust done, brown marks on the outside but still pink on the inside. I transferred them to a covered bowl and went on with the rest of the meal.<br /><br />A quarter cup of bourbon went into the pan to deglaze. Along with that went half an onion, two stalks celery and a pinch of salt to draw out the water. Once that had begun to brown and the liquids began reducing I added two tbsp of chopped garlic and 3 tomatoes cut into quarters from our freezer.<br /><br />These tomatoes were from our crop last year, I am finally getting close to finishing off all the freezer stock. This year I am really thinking about learning to can them instead just to save freezer room.<br /><br />Once the tomatoes broke down and released their summery liquids I fished out the skins and stuck an immersion blender in the mix. A few seconds later I had blended up the onions, celery, garlic and tomato into something a bit more like a sauce. It still had quite a few chunks but looked to homogenized.<br /><br />I dropped a bay leaf in and 2 tablespoons of Yellow Curry powder. I also added half a teaspoon of Garam Masala and a shake or two of white pepper. I mixed all the spices in and then put a two pats of unsalted butter on top and the pork cubes back in to finish cooking and heat back up. Put a lid on the pot (I use my cast Iron 13" skillet for this dish) and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.<br /><br />While the sauce was being prepared I had a pot of vegetables boiling, I had a couple of chopped carrots and probably 2 pounds of red potatoes. The size of the potatoes and carrots were approximately the size of something you'd want on your plate. Cut them the way you feel comfortable. If you want carrots cut on the bias, then by all means cut on the bias.<br /><br />Once the carrots and potatoes are fork tender drain them and then put them back in the pot over the heat for a few seconds shaking constantly to dry them out a bit.<br /><br />Unlid the curry and add a cup of frozen green peas into the golden yellow curry. Let that sauce warm the peas through and then you are ready to eat.<br /><br />Put the vegetables on the plate, pour sauce over and then add a dollop of Greek Style yogurt (or strained yogurt or sour cream).<br /><br />Variations include added cashews and raisins at the table to the curry. You could also substitute brown rice or couscous instead of the vegetables.<br /><br /><br />Davexunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-89865975599325856842007-04-15T10:21:00.000-04:002007-09-12T10:53:47.092-04:00Ice Cream MADNESS!We made the first Ice Cream of the season last night. Cub declared it 'the best ice cream ever!'.<br /><br />It's a pretty simple recipe -<br /><ul><li>2 cups whole milk</li><li>1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk<br /></li></ul><p>The original recipe called for heavy cream, but I am getting old I don't need that extra fat. I wouldn't suggest going down to 2% or Skim milk, it just won't have that mouth feel.</p><br />That's it .. for the base. Now you add what you want for flavoring and chunks.<br /><br />I decided to raid the secret stash of Thin mint cookies in the freezer. We used a whole sleeve but I think you could cut back if you wanted to (YEA RIGHT!). I put them in the blender and ground them up for a second or two, it left some chunks and pulverized a bit.Of course there were a few cookies a piece that we had to 'test' for freshness. They were A-OK.<br /><br />So make your base, and put it in the fridge and let it cool down. I recommend making it the night before. The colder the mix is the quicker and thicker the ice cream will be initially. It will look and feel like Ice Cream and not frozen milk right out of the mixer.<br /><br />Really that's what it is all about,that first taste you get right out of the mixer. Standing around the island scooping some into the bowls, some into the container, more into the bowls, less into the container .. so on and so forth.<br /><br />Our directions on our ice cream maker indicate to start the machine and then add the mix, please be sure to consult your instructions to get the highest satisfaction. Cub and I let it run for about 15 minutes and then added the crumbled thin mints. Let this go for another 5 minutes or so.<br /><br />Use this time wisely. Get your bowls out, your favorite ice cream spoons, and a container to use for the rest of the ice cream. This one will need to be a freezer proof container. Try to make sure that it wont be too big for the remainders. When you put the ice cream in that container take a piece of plastic wrap and push it down on top. That will help guard against freezer burn and those ugly freezer smells.<br /><br />I think next time we are going to try a sorbet, or my favorite ... sherbet!<br /><br />Enjoy!<br />Davexunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-59425104050666984512007-04-08T22:27:00.000-04:002007-04-10T10:13:16.014-04:00Easter Eggs<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk_Y12ZvRn1Q1XUOfGZ0tvg3C_D7fNOjYGp6y4Khlxv5Dmhf83lM7NmvsASKjaLsAdiS46MiHEkldWkzH-2FLlTURCNj_Qmf0AbDI6zcS2w-Eh_blYIzIaoed2HpgmzSJbNyo/s1600-h/100_1586.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYk_Y12ZvRn1Q1XUOfGZ0tvg3C_D7fNOjYGp6y4Khlxv5Dmhf83lM7NmvsASKjaLsAdiS46MiHEkldWkzH-2FLlTURCNj_Qmf0AbDI6zcS2w-Eh_blYIzIaoed2HpgmzSJbNyo/s400/100_1586.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><br />And the great chicken egg massacre of 2007 begins. <div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-74645543638874271312007-03-29T20:49:00.000-04:002007-04-07T23:51:08.291-04:00Hazelnut Chocolate Cake<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZM7khCYQcr_rgutS7fPjtcO_JuK-eIcMvj7dtL1QIg8kcZC6PSw-Fk8mLbp7hXBw2UAAhEmWLKSokktg9LjiwfEVp6EoKFkgNcbat3cU64omb5mMNcxIgq3k1XW8knRsa4SD/s1600-h/100_1504.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZM7khCYQcr_rgutS7fPjtcO_JuK-eIcMvj7dtL1QIg8kcZC6PSw-Fk8mLbp7hXBw2UAAhEmWLKSokktg9LjiwfEVp6EoKFkgNcbat3cU64omb5mMNcxIgq3k1XW8knRsa4SD/s400/100_1504.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br />Chocolate Hazelnut cake! mmm what a great great great birthday cake ... Thanks to Pamela <div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-36756756144233738642007-01-30T20:13:00.000-05:002007-01-30T20:27:05.296-05:00Thumper Cakes<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ASPIOsorljJQZxSJhPyqWmse7Hwb9Wolm-rAtihlniDWbBWZUjrLVzUkH9lmySlLqkV_LsdPUgf9K4ZhFKg67I7CeEl0PBYxJxoaIgts07zR2l4b1zLChWFvIrQM_ZmAGBBZ/s1600-h/100_1313.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ASPIOsorljJQZxSJhPyqWmse7Hwb9Wolm-rAtihlniDWbBWZUjrLVzUkH9lmySlLqkV_LsdPUgf9K4ZhFKg67I7CeEl0PBYxJxoaIgts07zR2l4b1zLChWFvIrQM_ZmAGBBZ/s400/100_1313.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><p><br />Thumper and I decided we needed cupcakes this weekend. So I looked at a few recipes, got the general jist and away we went into the kitchen.<br /><br />These were Banana-Chocolate Chip Cupcakes we ended up with. </p><ul><li>2 cups flour</li><li>2 bananas</li><li>3/4 cup milk</li><li>2 eggs</li><li>1 tsp salt</li><li>2 tsp baking soda</li><li>1/2 package milk chocolate chips</li><li>3 Tbsp Cocoa</li></ul><p>Preheat the oven to 350, spoon the batter into the paper cups, try to be neat ... but remember you have a 3 year old helping, so thats pretty much impossible. </p><p>Bake for about 20-25 minutes until done. </p><p>You can frost them if you decide to. But! remember they transport much easier without the frosting. I can give one to Thumper without worrying about stickyness everywhere in the TV room. </p><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-11310471266710796772007-01-11T21:03:00.000-05:002007-01-11T21:28:56.032-05:00Thursday night Gratin<p>Came home tonight to find Pamela greeting me at the door as she ran off to the market for essentials (dog food, milk, kitty litter), so I went searching the cabinets for dinner fixings.<br /><br />On the counter was a couple of potatoes left over from baked potato/chili night on Monday. Looking in the fridge showed a 1/2 stick butter some milk and an opened bag of Mexican mix shredded cheese.<br /><br />Turn the oven on ... 425 degrees ... now .. go do it, while you get the rest of the ingredients and tools necessary to do the job.<br /><br />Washed the taters, and then did a quick and dirty job peeling them. Not really caring if I got it all peeled off, just .. I don't know ....60%? 75%?<br /><br />I sliced them into thin slices, layering the casserole pan with a few layers, making sure to each layer (salt, black pepper, and Italian Seasoning). On the top layer after the seasoning I added the cheese and then about 3/4 of a cup of milk.<br /><br />The oven was hot and ready by then, so I covered it in foil and then put it in the oven, let it bake for about an hour, then pulled the foil off and turned the broiler on and allowed the bubbly mixture to get brown on top.<br /><br />Pull it from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes, then plate and enjoy! We had ours with a Kielbasa that I sliced into rounds and stir fried in the cast Iron skillet until they has nice crunchy bits.</p><br /><br />Variations to the theme:<br /><br /><ul><li>Add a thin layer of carrots</li><br /><li>Add some caramelized onions</li><br /><li>Add some browned Italian Turkey sausage</li><br /><li>oooohhhhh some peas! for a bit of color... </li></ul><br /><br /><p>This was almost as easy and pain free as making Quiche, but not quite. <br /><br />Cub ate everything we put in front of him (potatoes, cheese... how can you lose?). Thumper on the other hand, ate a few pieces of kielbasa and called it good. *SIGH* </p>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-8411300914022625692007-01-02T22:12:00.000-05:002007-01-02T22:27:44.945-05:00Cub's Hot MilkCub loves hot chocolate, no doubt about it, Don't most kids (and most adults)? But what Cub really wants to drink is 'Hot Milk'. I think I made it for him the first time when he was about 2 and it's been his favorite ever since.<br /><br />It's pretty simple to make, I imagine most of you have made it once or twice.<br /><br />Take your nice heavy saucepan, put it on the burner over medium heat. Add the following ingredients in no particular order.<br /><ul><li>2 Cups Organic Whole Milk</li><li>1 Cinnamon Stick broken up</li><li>3 TBS Honey</li><li>1 TSP vanilla Extract</li><li>1 Cardamom Pod broken open, let the seeds float in the milk</li></ul><p>Heat the milk to just a bare simmer, don't walk away from the stove, stir the milk, smell the delicious aromas. </p><p>Pour it into your favorite mug, the one you found, you know ... the one with the chip in it, the one you reach for on lazy Sunday mornings. Pour the milk in through a sieve to get out all the 'bits' and grate a bit of nutmeg over the top. </p><p>Enjoy ... when the others ask you what you're drinking, just point them toward the saucepan and share. </p><p></p>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-42300410383023339262007-01-01T15:58:00.000-05:002007-04-16T23:42:25.198-04:00Thumper Scones<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">So, Thumper decided he wanted to help a recent Sunday morning making Biscuits/Scones. I had been reading online about the differences between the two, and there really didn't seem like much change to the routine, so I was willing (like I had a choice) to let him help in the preparation. </span><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><br />We started out with the basic Biscuit recipe and then went off on a tangent from there. I pulled down the 'sweet' basket of spices and we opened jars and sniffed the products. Rolled the Nutmeg across the counter and shook the Vanilla bottle to make sure there was enough extract to be added and have enough for "Cub's Hot Milk" to go with the bread.<br /><br />Finally it came down to Cinnamon, Vanilla, Freshly grated Nutmeg and a couple of handfuls (his and mine) of dried fruit - cranberries, blueberries, cherries. Coming up a close second was Cardamom, Raisins and Chocolate Chips (His momma put a kibosh on those.. darn her).<br /><br />I started with the basic Biscuit recipe (at this point turn the oven on ... 450 degrees)-<br /><ul><li>1 1/2 Cup AP Flour</li><li>1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour</li><li>1/2 Stick of Butter</li><li>1 TBS Baking Powder</li><li>1/2 TSP Salt<br /></li></ul><br />I chunked up the butter, threw it in with the flour mix and used the pastry knife until it was crumbly like sand. Then we added the 'new ingredients' -<br /><ul><li>3 TBS sugar (white, brown, honey, stevia, whatever ...)</li><li>1 TBS cinnamon</li><li>3/4 cup all together of dried fruit (more or less)</li><li>a couple of scrapes of Nutmeg</li><li>a splash of Vanilla</li></ul><br /><br />Then I realized we needed something to make it all stick together and also something to help it rise. So I added 1 TSP baking soda, and put it all in my Kitchen Aid Mixer, added the dough hook and started it swirling. Slowly I added Buttermilk until a very tender dough was in the bowl.<br /><br />I pulled it out and dropped it on the Whole Wheat Flour dusted island in the middle of our Kitchen. Thumper fingers immediately went into it and started poking. I kneaded it just for a second to let my hands warm it up a bit and to shape it. I patted it out to about 2 inches thick and then I let Thumper push the cutter in and make the biscuits/scones.<br /><br />We placed them on a Jellyroll pan all bunched together and pressed our thumbs down on the center of each just to create a dimple. Into the oven they went and 15 minutes later our masterpieces came out.<br /><br />They had risen beautifully and were golden brown on the top. They split easily with a fork and were devoured in no time. They go really well with just plain butter (Cub's Fav), Nutella (Thumper's MUST) or </span><a href="http://www.dengamlefabrik.dk/Product.aspx?intProductid=9&intCategoryid=1"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Strawberry-Rhubarb Marmalade</span></a><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"> (my all time favorite)</span><br /></span>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1156015421363521152006-08-19T15:22:00.000-04:002006-08-19T15:28:34.226-04:00Tomato closeup<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7606/1350/640/100_0847.jpg"><img style="display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7606/1350/320/100_0847.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /> Can I just say, there is NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING, good about a store-bought tomato when you compare them to homegrown. <a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><!-- technorati tags start --><p style="text-align: right; font-size: 10px;">Technorati Tags: <br /><a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/garden" rel="tag">garden</a>, <br /><a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/tomato" rel="tag">tomato</a><br /></p><!-- technorati tags end -->xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1156015330945185302006-08-19T15:20:00.000-04:002006-08-19T15:28:50.940-04:00Tomato picture 1<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7606/1350/640/100_0843.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7606/1350/320/100_0843.jpg" border="0" /></a> <br />We had about 8 bowlfuls like this of tomatoes this year before we got tired of picking them ... I know , I know .. shame shame <a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a> <br /><br /><!-- technorati tags start --><p style="text-align: right; font-size: 10px;">Technorati Tags: <br /><a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/garden" rel="tag">garden</a>, <br /><a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/tomato" rel="tag">tomato</a><br /></p><!-- technorati tags end -->xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1151355052587498942006-06-26T16:47:00.000-04:002006-06-26T16:50:52.620-04:00Tomatos fresh from the garden<p><br />As the 'Aught-Six' Zucchini Invasion wound down we find ourselves caught up in a Tomato infestation of massive proportions. Going out into the garden we find it overgrown with those luscious red globules. <br /></p><p><br />I admit that early on in the season I was slack about pulling the suckers off the tomato plants. I pretty much just planted them, freshened the compost and then watered them on occasion. Our dear neighbor one day asked if I'd like to borrow some of her 'tomato food' to sprinkle on the plants. I told her no, I was trying to just let them grow , no need to egg them on. <br /></p><p><br />This weekend I went out to the garden and found it overgrown with Tomato vines everywhere. It looked like a jungle out there. The poor basil plants I have put in the same bed were being crowded out, luckily they were planted towards the edge of the bed and get some late afternoon sun. <br /></p><p><br />The names of the bigger tomatoes escape me now, but the grape-tomatoes I planted never bushed and instead went straight to vine and spread all through the interior of the patch. I went out there and could just reach in and pull handfuls of sweet little tomatoes, bright red and bursting with goodness. I stood out there and ate them by the handful, enjoying the warm liquid as I popped each one in my mouth. <br /></p><p><br />Looking out to the garden you can see patches of red everywhere. I picked a large metal bowl full of tomatoes yesterday afternoon. Some were on top, some on the outer edges of the wilderness and some, I had to get down on my knees and carefully stretch out to just barely reach some underneath and towards the center of the garden. <br /></p><p><br />Cub and I sat on the steps going into the house , in the shade and pulled off the stems and tossed them into the grass. I pulled one of the baseball sized fruits out of the bowl and bit into it. The sun-warmed innards of the tomato dripping down my chin, I offered Cub a bite. He shook his head and proclaimed 'no way!' in a way only 5 year olds can. He was willing to plant and to weed, and to pick, but the only way he was going to eat one, was cooked down in a sauce over some linguini or penne pasta. <br /></p><br /><!-- technorati tags start --><p style="text-align:right;font-size:10px;">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/garden" rel="tag">garden</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/grape-tomato" rel="tag">grape-tomato</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/pasta" rel="tag">pasta</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/sun" rel="tag">sun</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/tomato" rel="tag">tomato</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/zucchini" rel="tag">zucchini</a></p><!-- technorati tags end -->xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1151077534680213512006-06-23T11:41:00.000-04:002006-06-23T12:00:37.123-04:00Fried Tilapia<p><br />Last night I had a taste for a plate of pan-fried flounder. You know the type, thin, breaded, crispy with lots of remoulade on top. hmmm just typing this makes my mouth water. <br /></p><p><br />But, the fish monger at Publix didn't have anygood looking flounder. So I settled instead for some Tilapia. Which is good in its own right for sure.<br /></p><p><br />I ended up pan frying it also, lightly breaded in some canola oil/butter. It's an easy and quick fry. I cracked a couple of eggs in a shallow bowl, poured a bit of milk in there and whisked it together. Took another shallow bowl and filled it with homemade bread crumbs some spices/herbs out of the cabinet.<br /></p><p><br /></p><ul><li>2 cups of bread crumbs</li><li>2 tblsp of Italian herbs mix</li><li>2 tsp salt</li><li>1 tblsp garlic powder</li><li>1 tblsp onion powder </li></ul><p><br />Sprinkled some ground pepper on the fish, dipped it in the egg mix, then coated it in the bread and slid it gently into the pan of hot oil. Let it stay for about two minutes and then flipped it. Let it stay until brown and then off to a rack on some papertowels to wick away any oil waiting on the surface.<br /></p><p><br />Cub really enjoyed the fish and ate a filet and half himself, Thumper preferred the rice. Along with this we also had a nice fresh garden salad and some really yummy baked <a href="http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/health/Food_Guide/Christmas_Rice.htm">Christmas rice</a>.<br /></p><br /><!-- technorati tags start --><p style="text-align: right; font-size: 10px;">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/breaded" rel="tag">breaded</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/butter" rel="tag">butter</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/fish" rel="tag">fish</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/Flounder" rel="tag">Flounder</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/pan-fried" rel="tag">pan-fried</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/rice" rel="tag">rice</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/Tilapia" rel="tag">Tilapia</a></p><!-- technorati tags end -->xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1150467855340779542006-06-16T10:13:00.000-04:002006-06-16T14:49:59.513-04:00Danish EconomyMy buddy Dave sent me this link to a discussion on the Danish Economy after the Muslim 'boycott' due to the comics that were published in the newspapers.<br /><br />The net effect on the Danish economy by the Muslim boycott of products from<br />Denmark: <a href="http://the-post-postmodernist.blogspot.com/2006/06/hitchens-danish-buycott-worked.html">The Post-Postmodernist</a><br /><br />Let me just add to this by saying ...<br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br />So let me just encourage you all to stop at the local market tonight<br />and pick up a 6 pack of Tuborg or Carlsberg beer, maybe some Danish<br />Havarti or Blue cheese, a block of Lurpak butter, and some "Den Gamle<br />Fabrik" Raspberry preserves, stop in the bakery and get a good loaf of<br />crusty multigrain bread and have a nice meal.<br /><br />Often in the mornings (especially on the weekends) the Danes will have<br />hard rolls or huge slabs of crusty bread, slathered with butter and<br />then you put a slice of cheese or some preserves on top (or my<br />favorite way ... BOTH). Drink some nice dark coffee or tea or if it's brunch .. The beer!<br /><br />wow .. I am salivating .. I think I am most surely going to stop at<br />Publix on the way home for some fixin's.<br /><br /><div class="tag_list">Tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Denmark" rel="tag">Denmark</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Danish" rel="tag">Danish</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Carlsberg" rel="tag">Carlsberg</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Tuborg" rel="tag">Tuborg</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/beer" rel="tag">beer</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cheese" rel="tag">cheese</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Havarti" rel="tag">Havarti</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/Lurpak" rel="tag">Lurpak</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/butter" rel="tag">butter</a><br /></div><br /><br /></span>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1149342437550492222006-06-03T09:38:00.000-04:002006-06-16T16:14:14.203-04:00Saturday Morning Biscuits<p><br />Ah! The weekend, and with it comes more opportunities to cook for my family. I try at least one morning during the weekend to make breakfast.<br /></p><p><br />This morning it was biscuits.<br /></p><p><br />Now biscuits are a southern tradition. They are the bread of the south no doubt about it. Every restaurant you go to the main breakfast always ALWAYS comes with biscuits. I love biscuits the savory softness of the dough just makes a day perfect.<br /></p><p><br />My favorite topping for a biscuit? Strawberry Rhubarb preserves , especially this <a href="http://www.solvangrestaurant.com/ScandinavianDelights.html">Danish brand</a>.<br /></p><p><br />Biscuit ingredients are simple and putting them together is easy also. For a long time I treated the dough like I would bread dough, and lemme tell you that's wrong.<br /><br />Instead treat your dough like you would with pie crust. The key is to not work your dough too much.<br /></p><p><br />I mix the dry ingredients with the butter, make sure the butter is incorporated. Only after the mix looks crumbly (like that very top layer of sand down right where the tide has retreated from) do I add the milk.<br /></p><p><br />I give the mixture a few quick stirs to combine it all and then I either pour it out onto my cutting board and pile it all up and press it together (no kneading! Just compression) or I pour it all into a resealable plastic bag squeeze it all down together and let it sit in the fridge for a bit. What this process does is let all the flour hydrate with the milk and what ever tiny little bit of butter has melted.<br /></p><p><br />Give it all about 10 minutes to rest (clean your mixing utensils at this point) and then press it out on the cutting board to the appropriate thickness. I like thick biscuits so I go about an inch thick. Now cut it into rounds and bake.<br /></p><p><br />My favorite biscuit cutter is a mushroom can that I salvaged one night. I cut both ends off (I have one of those can openers that doesn't leave an edge) and it cuts the perfect size biscuit. You know when you cut biscuits, you push straight down no twisting right? When I put the biscuits on the baking sheet I crowd them all together one right up next to each other it helps them rise up higher.<br /></p><p><br />Ingredients -<br /></p><ul><br /><li> 2 cups sifted AP flour</li><br /><li> 1/2 stick butter (or other shortening)</li><br /><li> 1 tablespoon Baking Powder</li><br /><li>1/2 teaspoon salt</li><br /><li> 3/4 cup milk (cream .. 2%, whatever)</li><br /><li></li><br /></ul><p><br />Preheat oven to 450, bake for 10-12 minutes.<br /></p><p><br />Oh! A little trick on the butter .. The night before, put the butter in the freezer for about 10 minutes and then coarsely grate it. Leave it in the freezer until you are ready to make biscuits.<br /><br />This helps incorporate the dough much quicker and helps create layers in your biscuit.<br /></p><br /><!-- technorati tags start --><p style="text-align:right;font-size:10px;">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/baking" rel="tag">baking</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/biscuit" rel="tag">biscuit</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/biscuits" rel="tag">biscuits</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/bread" rel="tag">bread</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/breakfast" rel="tag">breakfast</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/butter" rel="tag">butter</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/recipe" rel="tag">recipe</a>, <a href="http://www.technorati.com/tag/southern" rel="tag">southern</a></p><!-- technorati tags end -->xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1149262370474126642006-06-02T11:31:00.000-04:002006-06-16T14:51:27.206-04:00Tomato-Meat SauceThis is one of those tomato sauces that is labor intensive but in the end is worth the time. You'll spend an hour and a half doing nothing but working on the sauce. Once you get to the point of completion you can let it simmer while you get the rest of the dinner prepared.<br /><br />This turns into a thick meaty sauce, full of flavor and goes great over fettucini, shells, or as a base for a lasagna.<br /><br /><ul><br /><li>1 lb meat (bison, turkey, sausage .. whatever)</li><br /><li>1 #16 can Peeled Whole Tomatoes</li><br /><li>1 onion chopped</li><br /><li>4 garlic cloves</li><br /><li>2 cups beef broth (you can substitute 1 cup of wine for 1 cup of the broth) </li><br /><li>seasoning to your liking</li><br /><li>Extra Virgin Olive Oil</li><br /><li>Canola Oil</li></ul><br /><br /><span class="fullpost"><br />Take your cast iron skillet and put it on the burner on medium heat. Let that skillet do what it's supposed to and absorb the heat.<br /><br />Meanwhile, coarsely chop the onion and smash the garlic. When the skillet is ready pour a tablespoon of Canola oil in and add the onion. Hold off on the garlic, we don't want that to burn. Stir the onions a few times get them coated in oil. Then just let them go, let them simmer and brown, you want to let them get dark and sweet.<br /><br />The aroma will queue you to when its done. When your mouth starts watering uncontrollably you'll know the onions are close. At that point add your garlic and add half a cup of broth. Let the broth reduce until its almost gone. Now remove that mixture to a bowl.<br /><br />Now add the meat, brown it down until its done. Add a half cup of broth and again let it simmer down until its almost gone.<br /><br />While the meat is browning open the can of tomatoes and drain it. Make sure you save the liquid. Take the drained tomatoes and de-seed them, break them up and get rid of any ugly chunks.<br /><br />Pull the meat out of pan and de-glaze it with a half cup of broth, add the tomatoes and let them simmer down until they are dark and full of flavor. This is a good spot to add more nutrition, maybe a cup of spinach or grated zucchini. Pull it off the heat and get your handy stick blender out and grind it all down to a nice sauce.<br /><br />Put it back on the heat and put back in the meat and onions. Pour in the drained tomato liquid and the rest of the broth. Let it all heat up and start bubbling at this point the sauce is ready for use, but can by all means simmer longer until you are ready to go.<br /><br /><br />Dave<br /><br /><div class="tag_list">Tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/recipe" rel="tag">recipe</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cooking" rel="tag">cooking</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/tomato" rel="tag">tomato</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/sauce" rel="tag">sauce</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/onion" rel="tag">onion</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bison" rel="tag">bison</a><br /></div>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1149175027463145902006-06-01T11:07:00.000-04:002006-06-16T14:57:32.546-04:00Zucchini-banana breadThis makes two loaves or however many cupcakes you can fit (haven't actually tried that). Let's say maybe 2 dozen? <br /><br />The recipe makes a nice dense loaf very moist and it will stay that way, due to the honey in the mix which attracts moisture from the air. <br /><br />You can of course adjust the spices to your own tastes, the cardamom is just what I had in the cabinet, nutmeg is alway respectable. I love the flavor of cardamom sometimes I drop a pod into my pot of coffee for that extra pop of flavor. <br /><br />3 cups of AP Flour<br />1 stick unsalted butter<br />1 cup Brown Sugar<br />1 cup honey<br />4 eggs<br />2 large banana<br />2 cup grated zucchini <br />1 tsp baking soda<br />1 tsp salt<br />1.5 tsp cinnamon<br />1 tsp cardamom<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><br />Preheat oven 350 degrees. <br />Lube your loaf pans.<br /><br />Cream the butter, add the sugar and the honey slowly until its nice a incorporated. <br />Add the banana, and then the eggs one at a time until everything is mixed up. <br /><br />Sift the flour, soda, salt and spices together, fold into the liquid mix. <br />When its starting to look like a batter then fold in the zucchini and pour into two well greased loaf pans. <br /><br />Bake for about an hour, until the tops look nice and brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. <br /><br />Cool for bit, then pull the loaves out of the pans and onto a cutting board. I usually put a paper towel underneath to keep them from sticking. <br /><br />Once they are cool go ahead and wrap one in tinfoil and hide it in the back of the freezer so on Sunday you can pull some out for brunch. Better yet, walk next door and give it to your neighbor. You do know them don't you? If not, what's a better icebreaker than some homemade goodies. <br /><br />Slice, note the warmth, and the smell of the cake, look at the texture thick dense full of expected flavor. Do you see banana chunks? Note that the zucchini completely disappears. <br /><br />Can you pick out the spices? No? Then you didn't put in enough. Remember the kids are going to eat it, teach them to enjoy the spice and not accept the bland whitebread that pop culture pushes at them. <br /><br />Ready for that first bite? It'll never taste as good as this first piece, you can try toasting it and it will be respectable (especially with a slather of soft lucious butter) but nothing like this piece. <br /><br />This is your piece, the cooks piece. <br /><br />Do you have big cold glass of milk ready? <br /><br />enjoy! <br /><br /><div class="tag_list">Tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/recipe" rel="tag">recipe</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cooking" rel="tag">cooking</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how-to" rel="tag">how-to</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/zucchini" rel="tag">zucchini</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/bread" rel="tag">bread</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/baking" rel="tag">baking</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/banana" rel="tag">banana</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cardamom" rel="tag">cardamom</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cinnamon" rel="tag">cinnamon</a><br /></div><br /></span>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1147024530082607552006-05-07T13:27:00.000-04:002006-06-16T15:04:21.556-04:00Spoils from the Garden Part Deux<p>The other part of the meal was the Chicken Scallopini. Again, another dish with an ingredient from the garden. This one was easy and very delicious, Cub ate almost 2 medallions all by himself. This is a great dish with Baked Brown Rice, or Pasta.<br /><br /><p>I took some thin-cut chicken cutlets and pounded them a bit flatter. Put some fresh ground black pepper on the <br /><span class="fullpost"><br />cutlet. Then I layered a slice of Proscuitto (you could use a nice thin sliced Hickory smoked ham), a few leaves of garden Sage, another layer of the ham, more pepper and the last layer of chicken. I stuck them together with toothpicks and cut them into medallions.<br /><p>During the layering process I had the frying pan heating over medium heat. Once the medallions are all prepared I put a bit of Olive Oil and a pat of butter in the pan. When the butter is foamy its time for the medallions to get in the pan. Let them get all golden brown on one side, then flip 'em. <br /><p>Once You remove the medallions you aren't done yet, it's time to make the sauce. I turn the heat up a bit, and add a 1/2 cup of ... whatever wine you are drinking for dinner. 'Cause this whole thing about white wine with fish, and red wine with beef is for the birds. Whatever kind of wine you like, is the kind of wine you should use. <br /><p> Anyway, back to the sauce. Add the wine, and deglaze the pan, add a pat of butter and some seasonings to taste. Let it reduce for a minute or so and sauce the food. <br /><br />Voila! Enjoy <br /><br /><div class="tag_list">Tags:<br /><a href="http://technorati.com/tag/recipe" rel="tag">recipe</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/cooking" rel="tag">cooking</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/how-to" rel="tag">how-to</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/proscuitto" rel="tag">proscuitto</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/sage" rel="tag">sage</a>, <a href="http://technorati.com/tag/chicken" rel="tag">chicken</a><br /></div><br /><br /></span>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1146679710563527492006-05-03T14:07:00.000-04:002006-05-07T14:07:53.106-04:00Spoils from the gardenLast night we had our first spoils from this years garden.<br /><br />We had some pesto, made with basil from our prolific bushes and some Chicken Scaloppini with Sage from our lone sage plant.<br /><br />I love the smell of fresh Pesto .. don't you? To me it fills the dinner plate with that deep rich scent of green. It makes the tummy grumble and ask for "more NOW!". I always cheat and put a bit on some bread as I am finishing up the meal, just to quiet that inner daemon that makes me want to keep it all to myself.<br /><br />The Pesto was so easy and so fresh that I could probably have just had pasta and pesto if the Scaloppini didn't smell so good.<br /><br />To make the pesto is easy, everyone knows how to do that right?<br /><span class="fullpost"><br /><blockquote>FRESH PESTO - <br /><ul><li>2 big handfuls of Basil (ours are Sweet and Genovese) </span></li><br /><li>1/2 cup olive oil</span></li><br /><li>1/4 teaspoon salt</span></li><br /><li>Pepper to taste</span></li><br /><li>1/4 cup nuts (I use roasted sunflowers this time) </span></li></ul><br />Wash the freshly picked Basil and lightly shake the water off (its ok for them to have a bit of moisture).<br />Pull out the stems and put them in your compost bucket.<br />Stuff them in your food processor and pulse until ground.<br />Add your salt and pepper, begin to pulse again and gently pour in your Olive Oil.<br />Finally add your nuts and pulse once or twice to break them up (don't grind the nut to a paste)<br /></blockquote><br />Voila! Now open the top of your machine. Smells good doesn't it?<br /><br />Many people add Parmesian or Romano cheese to their pesto, I prefer to add the cheese at the plate.<br />The pesto mixes better without the cheese and helps coat all the pasta.<br /><br />When I drain the pasta, I always pour a bit of Olive Oil over the top to help stop sticking. To me, this also helps add a 'base' flavor for the pasta, the oil and the salt. (Salt ... from the water, you do add enough salt right? Add salt to the water, and you won't have to add as much to the final meal.)<br /><br />Cub loved it so much he had second helpings of the pasta. And even Thumper ate some (one strand at a time).<br /></span>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17456442.post-1145996266271229262006-04-25T16:15:00.000-04:002006-04-25T17:20:50.013-04:00Eggs once againSince we are on an egg theme (hey, it's springtime). Here we go with another egg story.<br /><br />As I have mentioned earlier Cub has been intrigued by the idea of Sunny-Side up eggs.<br />He tried some at the Waffle House, but he wasn't too excited about it.<br /><br />I spoke with the guys at work about their cooking theories on eggs. I read a bit online about cooking eggs and Saturday night decided to try cooking my first Sunny-Side Up egg.<br /><br />I put my 'egg pan' on the burner, on about a 4. Just let it heat up while I got the rest of dinner ready. I put some grits in the microwave, pulled out the toaster. Pulled a few eggs out of the refrigerator.<br /><br />Then it was time for the eggs. I put a small pat of butter in the bottom of the pan, Just for flavoring not for lubrication.<br /><span class="fullpost"><br />When the eggs started foaming I broke the first egg into a glass and then carefully poured it into a pan. Tilted the pan about a bit until the egg started to set. Then did the same with another egg. Once they looked a bit set I took 1/2 a shot glass of water, poured it in, and lidded the pan. I left it like that for a few minutes and then (with much trepidation) I pulled the cover.<br /><br />There the eggs were, staring back at me, we eyed each other for a few seconds and then I announced "It's time to eat boy!"<br /><br />Cub was ready, he had buttered toast, a pile of cheese grits, and an empty space for an egg.<br /><br />I slid the egg out of the pan and onto his plate.<br /><br />He took a bite, I took a bite, we both chewed slowly. I glanced over at the boy and he gave me a thumbs up.<br /><br />Woo! Victory!<br /><br />Dave ...</span>xunil.penguinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457837907548739685noreply@blogger.com0