Brandy Molasses Mustard

So... there I was, trolling Facebook.  Imagine my delight when Marisa from Food in Jars posted about homemade mustard.

I happen to have a ginormous stash of mustard seed, both whole and ground.  This, of course, is due to my not reading the fine print when I ordered it.  I thought I was buying a one-pound bag of each and instead, ended up with several pounds of seed and a couple of pounds of ground mustard.  Solution?  Make a lot of things that require mustard, of course!

I'm pretty lucky that my middle kidlet loves all things mustard.  She'll eat it on anything.  I tend to like mustard with pretzels and ham... and little else.  Well, until this stuff.

Once obsessed with Stonewall Kitchen's Bourbon Molasses Mustard, I decided to try to replicate it.  I think this version is pretty close, except I swapped out brandy for bourbon... because that is what I had on hand.

Brandy Molasses Mustard

1 c. whole yellow mustard seeds

1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix above ingredients in a non-reactive bowl; cover and set aside at room temperature for a day.

In a saucepan, mix the above with: 

1/2 cup cane sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1/3 cup ground yellow mustard

3 Tbsp brandy

1/2 tsp turmeric

Bring to a boil.  Allow to boil 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly.  Pour into a sterilized quart-sized canning jar, or smaller jars if that is your preference.  Process 10 minutes in a hot water bath, or store in the refrigerator.   Makes 1 quart.

Let sit for three weeks before using.  If it is too sharp, let sit for another week.  

Jalapeno Bread & Butter Pickles

It has been a strange, tiring week.  I sent a resume in to a posting that I would really love, and had an appointment for an interview less than a half hour later.  So, I might be relocating to Boston.  I'll be visiting at the end of the month.  Fingers crossed!

The weather is getting warmer here in Florida; high 80s during the day; mid-60s at night.  With Memorial Day creeping up on us, I am craving a burger.  I'll have one, in Boston, surrounded by family members that I haven't seen in well over a year.  As if it doesn't get any better, I'll be topping my burger with the Jalapeno Bread & Butter Pickles that I made today, thanks to Elise.

It really doesn't get any better than that.

Sweet Chili Fried Eggs & Avocado

The combination of eggs and avocado has been around for a while.  Who hasn't seen an avocado sneak onto a plate of huevos rancheros, looking at you with feigned innocence?  I came across a baked egg in avocado on Pinterest recently, and tried it.  Booooring!  It was definitely flat in the flavor department.  Something needed to cut the richness of the yolk and avocado.  But... what?  That's usually the function of the salsa.  I was on a mission!  (Not really.. I was just hungry).  

I thought of ways to give that combo some zing.  Lime?  Vinegar?  Frankly, the thought of citrusy fried eggs did nothing for me.  But... add a squeeze of lime to some avocado?  It's magic.  It makes your taste buds wake up and say "hello!"  Squeezing lime over things always makes me want pad Thai.  I know, I know... a lot of people think about an icy cold beer... but not me.  So, "eggs and avocado do Thailand" was in full production.  I'm happy to say that it was absolutely delish.  Sweet, sour, creamy, spicy... made my taste buds supremely happy.

Sweet Chili Fried Eggs & Avocado

(serves 1 rather hungry person)

1 avocado, pitted, sliced, and scooped out of its skin

1 wedge lime

2 large eggs

1 tsp. neutral-flavored oil, such as canola or grape seed

1/2 tsp Thai fish sauce

3 Tbsp sweet chili sauce

pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup cooked white sticky rice (leftovers are fine, just reheat them with a teaspoon of water)

Place the avocado slices on a serving plate.  Squeeze the lime over the avocado.  Add the hot rice to the plate.  Set aside.

In a hot nonstick skillet coated with the oil, fry the eggs to desired doneness (I like mine over-medium).  Once eggs are done, add the fish sauce to the pan and swirl the eggs, coating  them with the sauce.  Remove eggs from the pan, and set on top of the rice.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Top with sweet chili sauce.  Enjoy!

Don't blame me if you want to eat this every day.  It's that good.

Duxelles-Stuffed Artichokes

Despite the laboriousness in preparation, I love artichokes.  There is a certain finesse involved in peeling each petal off, dipping it in melted butter or a spicy vinaigrette, and scraping it gently with your teeth.  I cheat the clock by steaming these in the microwave.  The duxelles--a minced, sauteed mushroom concoction is usually found tucked around a tenderloin of Beef Wellington, offer the artichoke an earthy, substantive quality.  This duxelles recipe makes more than you'll need for two large artichokes, and I highly recommend either mixing the leftovers with unsalted butter, rolling it into length of waxed paper, and putting it in the freezer.  The next time you have a perfectly grilled steak, cut a slice and melt it on top.  If you're not willing to wait that long (I don't blame you one bit), slather it on a bagel in the morning.  It's amazing stuff.

If you're new to artichokes, there are a few things you should know about this flower.  When buying artichokes, carefully lift the petals from the sides, looking inside for any bugs or bug... residue.  There's nothing worse than getting a nasty artichoke.  They should look clean, like this:

The petals have a sharp spiny bit at the very tip, just in the middle.  You're going to want to be careful handling these.  As you trim the tips from the petals, gently lift each petal by the side edge to avoid being jabbed by the thorn.  They're nasty little buggers, and the bigger the artichoke, the bigger the thorns are.

Timewise, you're going to want to prep the artichokes after you make the duxelles.  You don't need anything fancy to make these, but a mini food processor will speed things up considerably.  

Duxelles

1- 8 ounce package sliced white mushrooms, minced very fine

1/3 cup very finely minced sweet onion

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 Tbsp. red or white wine

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (if you use the prepackaged stuff , reduce this to 1/4 cup)

Over medium-high heat, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saute pan.  Add onion and saute until translucent.  Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, and thyme, stirring to combine.  The mushrooms will release a liquid after a minute or two:

Stir in the wine, and continue to stir frequently until the mixture is dry and caramelized.  Remove about a quarter of the mushroom mixture from the pan and reserve for another use.  Add the breadcrumbs to the pan and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

After the breadcrumbs have been added.  See the difference?

Prepping the Artichokes:

You'll need:

2 large artichokes

1 lemon (optional)

1/2 cup water

microwave-safe shallow glass dish (ie. pie plate or casserole dish)

microwave-safe cling film, or a microwave-safe bowl that will fit over the plate you are using

Duxelles recipe, above

The first thing you're going to want to do is wash these.  Sometimes they're coated with a waxy coating that you'll need a soft scrub brush to take off (I use an extra-soft toothbrush).  You also may like to have a lemon handy to keep the cut parts from browning, but it isn't absolutely necessary.  If you don't have one, no worries.

Be mindful of the thorns, take the artichoke from the stem, turn it upside down, and brush downward under running water.  We'll save rinsing the inside until after the petals have been trimmed.  

Once rinsed, pull the tiny petals at the very bottom off.  My mom pulls the entire bottom row of petals off after this step, but I don't find it necessary unless they're in bad condition.  Beginning on the bottom row of petals, take a pair of kitchen shears (or scissors), and snip the top third of the petal off.  Continue doing so until you are in the center of the artichoke and you just cannot pull any more petals apart.

Once trimmed, rinse the artichoke under running water, right side up.  Gently separate the petals so the water can rinse any trapped dirt.  Shake them over the sink to dry.  

Slice the stem off of the artichoke, as straightly as possible, so they can stand up in the plate without leaning over.  Place one of the two artichokes in a microwave-safe, shallow glass plate (I use a Pyrex pie plate).  

Using your fingers, gently pry a petal open, and stuff the opening with a pinch of duxelles.  Continue until all of the cut petals have been stuffed (except for the tightly-packed petals in the very middle; don't worry about those).  Repeat with the second artichoke.  If you have duxelles/breadcrumb mixture left over at this point, continue stuffing the petals until you don't have any more stuffing.  Place both artichokes in the dish, and pour   the water into the dish (NOT over the artichokes).  

Cover the dish with the cling film.  If you're using the bowl, put the dish into the microwave and then cover with the bowl.  Microwave on high power for 9 minutes in a 1000-watt microwave.  Let stand in the microwave for 5 minutes.  Wearing oven mitts, remove the plate from the microwave.  Keep the mitts on as you slice the cling film (which, by this time, looks vacuum-sealed).  Be careful: the hot steam trapped in the bowl can cause a nasty burn.  Using tongs, lift the artichokes to serving plates.  Serve these with melted butter on the side, if you wish.  

If this is your first artichoke-eating experience, you'll want to peel the petals from the bottom, one at a time as you eat them.  The only edible portion of the artichoke is the tender bit at the bottom of the petal, where the petal was attached to the stem: 

You don't want to bite into the petal, as the outer part tends to be tough.  Put the bottom half of the petal in your mouth, and pull it out slowly; gently scraping the petal (and the duxelles) between your teeth.  The edible bit just comes right off of the petal.  The petals will have a larger edible bit as you approach the center.  As you get to the VERY middle, you're going to approach the fuzzy, inedible "choke".  Don't spazz and throw it away!  It is super easy to scrape the choke from the "heart" of the artichoke with a spoon.  Each little hair of the choke is attached to to the heart.  Just slide the edge of a spoon in there and scrape all of those fuzzies off.  You should now have the heart of the artichoke.  Dip it in butter... or of you're a gluttonous heathen, go get the remaining duxelles and pack it into the heart (it's okay, I won't tell).  

The "choke" attached to the artichoke heart

Fiery Cucumber Sandwiches

I don't know about you, but when it is hot out, I can't eat anything heavy.  Living in Florida, this leaves me craving food that fills you up, but doesn't make you feel like you have a lead balloon in your stomach.  If you like spicy food that makes your tongue tingle, give this a shot.  It is crispy, sweet, hot, and definitely addictive.

The bread you use for this is rather important.  You want to avoid a harder, chewy crusted bread, because when you bite into it, the cucumbers will slip out the other end.  A bread that is too soft can't support the moisture that the cucumbers produce, and will fall apart in a gummy mess.  Aim for bread rolls that are substantial, with a dense, drier crumb.  My supermarket bakery calls these Water Rolls, and they are somewhat like an Italian bread with a soft, chewy crust due to the egg wash that is applied.

Fiery Cucumber Sandwiches  (makes 2 small sandwiches)


1/3 English cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly (this is not an exact science)
thinly sliced onion, about a tablespoon per sandwich
2 tsp mayonnaise (real mayonnaise!), divided
2 tsp Thai sweet chili sauce, divided
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce, divided*
2 small rolls (hamburger roll sized)

Slice the rolls horizontally.  Spread the bottom of each roll with 1 tsp mayonnaise, and squirt about 1/4 tsp of sriracha sauce directly on the mayonnaise.  Spread evenly on top of the mayonnaise.  Spread half of the sweet chili sauce on the other half of the roll.  Divide cucumber slices and onion slices between the sandwiches.  Place the top of the roll on each sandwich, grab a napkin, and go to town.

Pineapple Bread Pudding

I love pineapples. Quite a bit of my early teens was spent sitting on our front steps scooping pineapple rings out of a can with a fork and eating them, while my friend Robin and I watched cars go by. We lived in a small suburb... watching cars go by was a way to pass the endless amount of time that summer seemed to be, since we couldn't go to the beach until the weekend.

Unlike big hair, Wham!, and acid-washed jeans, my love of pineapple has stood the test of time. It is quite versatile, but one of my favorite ways to eat it has to be sliced into huge, watermelon-like wedges, or tucked into this bread pudding. My kids love this for breakfast the next day, but I love it when it is still barely warm.

Pineapple bread pudding

2/3 cup granulated sugar

5 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

4 eggs

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, in its own juice, drained

6 slices white or wheat sandwich bread, crusts removed, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350F; butter an 8x8 pan; set aside.

Cream the butter and granulated sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Add salt and stir until well blended. Add pineapple, stir until mixed thoroughly, then stir in bread cubes. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Small-Batch Red Currant Apple Jelly

Since I moved to the wild tropics (also known as Florida), I'm a bit thrown back at the endless summery season here. The great bonus, of course, is the abundance of local fruit and veg all year around.

I happened upon a couple of half-pints of red currants on offer at my local grocery store. I snatched them up and headed home to make the tart, versatile jelly that I love so much. Slather it on toast, croissants, or mix it with a bit of Dijon mustard and glaze some chicken breasts with it.

You'll find that the measurements don't require a certain amount of currants, but as long as you have at least a cupful, you can make enough of this ruby red jelly to last you for a week or so. This recipe doesn't require any additional pectin, it will softly gel thanks to the apple. The jelly is unprocessed, and is unsuitable for long-term storage.

Small-Batch Red Currant Apple Jelly

1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled and grated
minimum 1 cup red currants, stems removed
1/3 cup water
granulated sugar
cheesecloth

Prepare several layers of cheesecloth in a sieve, and place it over a liquid measuring cup In a nonreactive pan, heat the water, apple, and currants until it comes to a simmer. Gently crush the berries with a spatula or a spoon to encourage them to release their juices. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and scrape into the cheesecloth-prepared sieve. Allow to drain. Resist the urge to press the solids into the cheesecloth; this will result in cloudy jelly. If cloudy jelly doesn't bother you, of course, go right ahead and squeeze the last essence from the simmered fruit.

Measure the liquid. Wash out the nonreactive pan, and pour the liquid back into the pan. Add the same measure of sugar as there is liquid to the pan. I had a little under 3/4 of a cup, and added enough water to bring it to 3/4 cup. Have a couple of clean heat-safe glass containers (I use Pyrex 6 oz. custard cups, but feel free to use a proper canning jar). Heat the juice and sugar to a rolling boil, stirring. Keep an eye on it, as it does have a tendency to boil over. Once the mixture boils, time 5 minutes for a batch under 2 cups of liquid, and 10 minutes for a batch over 2 cups of liquid. Pour hot liquid into the glass jars, and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Eat within a couple of weeks, if you can manage to make it last that long.

Pudding, two ways

I have a thing for pudding. It is comforting and creamy and delicious. I grew up with pudding out of a box, and never really had anything outside of it. Of course, I preferred the cooked over the instant, which I find has an odd, gritty, fake flavor about it.

The first homemade pudding I had was made by MB, my college roommate, in the tiny galley kitchen of the apartment we rented. Little did I know, MB was about to change my view of pudding forever. There were eggs in her pudding, which apparently is more of a cooked custard, but it was lush and silky and delicious. I loved the stuff. I also had no idea how to make it. Since the hallmark of the starving college student is a lack of cashflow, I wasn't about to waste precious quantities of milk on the chance that I'd make chocolate scrambled eggs.

It wasn't until I was searching for a from-scratch recipe for banana pudding that I came across something that resembled MB's recipe ingredients, which she refused to share. I tweaked it and whatnot, and came up with the silky glorious result that will follow your constant stirring.

The uses of pudding are nearly endless. Use it to drench torn layers of pound cake topped with berries (for the vanilla) or dribbles of salted caramel (for the chocolate). Tuck it into the soft folds of a baked meringue. Put it into the ice cream maker after it cools for a dense, frozen custard. Or, do what I'm doing today; sit by the fire with a still-warm bowl of pudding on a chilly, rainy sort of day.

The Pudding

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar for vanilla, or 1/3 cup sugar for chocolate

2 large eggs

1/4 plus 2 tsp. all purpose flour

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks

In a 2-qt, heavy bottomed saucepan, whisk sugar and eggs together until well blended. Add flour, and whisk until no visible lumps remain. Slowly add the milk until all is incorporated. Turn the heat to medium, and whisking constantly, stir the pudding mixture until it is thickened and coats the whisk, about 5 minutes. As the mixture begins to thicken, turn the heat to low. It is important to stir the pudding mixture the entire time, or else it will begin to curdle on the bottom of the pan, and will result in a grainy texture. Once the pudding coats the tines of the whisk, turn off and remove from heat. Add vanilla. Add chocolate, if desired, and whisk until all of the chocolate is melted. Pour into a heat-safe bowl and lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

Of Poison and Delight...

There's just something about rhubarb that is delightfully forbidden. After all, the oxalic acid in the leaves is toxic (and to some extent,also found in minute quantities in the stalks).

That said, I love the stuff. My brother and I used to dip raw stalks in sugar and crunch on them like celery sticks. Most people mix rhubarb with strawberries and hide the whole lot inside of a pie.

Not me. Rhubarb is for jam. Open some of the stuff in the dead of winter, close your eyes, and you can feel spring creeping in. I generally don't like traditional rhubarb jam recipes because they all have an abundance of strawberries in them.. or... heaven forbid--Jell-O.

Jell-O does NOT belong in jam, in my opinion.

I do throw a few strawberries in to give the jam some depth of flavor and a hint of sweet fruit... but for the most part, this jam is *pow!* sweet-tart delicious goodness.

If you've never grown rhubarb before, I would highly suggest dropping $6 or so at your local garden center for a gallon-sized potted plant. Hide it in the corner of a garden, and you'll be rewarded with an abundance of the first fruit to ripen in the next spring (okay, it's a stalk, but I'm calling it a fruit.) You should divide it every 3-5 years or so, and relocate the entire plant every 6 years. Always cut it before it sends up a seed stalk (if it does, do not harvest).

Rhubarb Jam
10 cups rhubarb cut into 1 inch pieces
5 1/2 cups granulated sugar
zest of one navel orange (a small one)
juice of above orange
1 1/4 cup strawberries, chopped into small pieces (about 10 large strawberries)
one envelope of liquid pectin (such as Certo brand)

Combine rhubarb, sugar, orange zest and juice in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set inside refrigerator for 12 hours. Start water bath and add canning jars, lids, and rings to boiling water to sterlize. Strain the rhubarb mixture into a heavy stockpot, pressing on the rhubarb to extract all of the liquids. Set rhubarb aside. If any sugar remains in the bowl, scrape it out with a rubber spatula and add to the liquid in the pan. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and allow to reduce in volume by half, making sure that the mixture does not burn. Add strawberries and reserved rhubarb. Cook until rhubarb is tender and breaking down; about 10 minutes. In the meanwhile, put a small ceramic plate into the freezer. Add Certo to the jam pot, bring mixture back to a boil, and stir for one minute. Turn heat off. Take plate from freezer and drop about a tablespoon of jam onto it. Wait 30 seconds and tilt the plate then run a finger through the jam, it should leave a clean trail. The jam should not be liquid enough to fill the space where your finger went through. If it is not done, boil for another minute. It does thicken and set when it is completely cooled, but in the case that your finished product is too liquid, it makes a great topping for waffles, pancakes, and ice cream. Fill sterilized jars with jam, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe off the rims of the jars using a cloth dipped in hot water. Place lids on the jars, and screw rings onto the jars, but do not tighten completely (you want them on firmly, but not so that air cannot escape from the jars when you process them). Return filled and sealed jars to the hot water bath and boil (process) for 10 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool completely overnight. Yield: 8-10 half pint jars.

Any remaining jam should be refrigerated if it lasts that long.

Ricotta Cheese in the Microwave.

I made my own ricotta cheese tonight, and let me tell you, it was so simple that I cannot believe that I haven't been making it all along. If you have a microwave-safe bowl that can fit about a quart of liquid, either some cheesecloth (which you can find in larger grocery stores in whatever isle they're hiding "gadgets" and the like) or a fine sieve, you can make it too.

How to go about it:

1 large microwave safe bowl. I use a Pyrex 3 quart glass bowl.
several layers of cheesecloth set into a colander OR a fine-mesh sieve
1 quart of whole milk
1 fresh lemon (bottled lemon juice is not going to work in this), juiced.
1/4 tsp salt (or 3/4 tsp salt, for ricotta salata, which follows)

Pour milk into bowl.
Put the bowl into a microwave. I tested my time on a 1000-watt microwave, so your time may be more or less depending on the power of yours. Set time for 3 and a half minutes. When time is up, stir milk. Microwave for another minute. Stir. Microwave for 45 seconds. Test the temperature. The milk should NOT be boiling or simmering. It should just be hot with steam rising off of the surface. Remove bowl from microwave carefully.
Stir salt into the milk.
Stir 2 Tbsp lemon juice into the milk, stir gently for a moment, then let the mixture sit undisturbed for 30 minutes.

The curds should separate from the whey... this generally looks like little white chunks (curds) in a clearish yellow liquid (that's whey). Strain the mixture into the sieve or cheesecloth until all of the liquid is drained out. If you're using cheesecloth, you can gather up the ends and give the cheese a gentle squeeze to drain it.**

Put your cheese into an airtight container and use it within the week. Yield: about 1 cup of cheese.

**If you want to make ricotta salata... which is salted ricotta that has a firm texture, the cheesecloth method will be the best method for this. Follow all of the above steps, but gather the ends of the cheesecloth and gather them over the cheese. Place the colander into a larger bowl. Top the cheeseclothed cheese with a plate, then weigh it down with some cans. Place in the refrigerator for 2 days. Serve cheese with crusty bread and sliced fresh fruit (figs are amazing with this).

Butterscotch Blast Cookies

The whole whirlwind of getting things ready for school also includes making cookie dough and cookie mixes so that when the kids need either something in their lunchbox or an afterschool snack... I'm at the ready. This particular recipe can also be put into quart-sized jars and given as gifts, with instructions to add the butter, egg, and vanilla. I usually just blend the dry ingredients, pop it in a freezer bag, and leave them in the freezer until I need them. One can also mix the wet ingredients in and freeze the dough. Either way, this makes a dozen and a half 2 inch cookies.

Butterscotch Blast Cookies

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup english toffee baking bits (such as Heath Bits-o-Brickle)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*F. Blend flour, salt, soda together in a bowl. Set aside. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg, and blend to combine. Add vanilla. Add the flour mixture slowly, until well mixed. Stir in oats, pecans, chips, and toffee bits. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, drop by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool on the baking sheet for one minute longer. Makes 18 cookies.

For Gift Jar instructions: Mix 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract together. Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, drop by heaping tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes and let cool on the baking sheet for one minute longer. Makes 18 cookies.

Huevos Mom-cheros

Since there is no possible way to make huevos mom-cheros look appetizing on film, I am not posting a photo with this one. Just make it. Trust me... it's a fantastic (albeit healthy) way to start the day. And its quick. Really quick.

Huevos Mom-cheros

4 egg whites
1/2 cup salsa
2 Tbsp. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 Haas avocado, diced

In a microwave-safe bowl, cook the egg whites in the microwave (I use 1000 watt) on high for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove from microwave; caution, bowl may be hot. Sprinkle cheese on the eggs and top with the remaining ingredients. Serves one.

When Life Hands You Lemons...

I really like lemons. Zesting a lemon is by far, one of the most fragrant experiences you can have, in my opinion. Nothing smells quite as alive as a lemon. Lemons clear your head, shooing away the fog of the day.

This loaf is my version of Dorie Greenspan's Yogurt Cake with Marmalade Glaze which appeared in the February 2005 issue of Bon Appetit. I usually have a slice with a cup of tea in the middle of the night after the kids have long been asleep. It both relaxes and recharges me, and if you think that is a juxtaposition of sorts, just try it and you'll know what I mean.

Lemon Yogurt Loaf

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup fat-free Greek style yogurt (or regular fat free yogurt if Greek isn't available)
1 cup sugar
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1/2 tsp pure lemon extract
1/2 tsp (packed) finely grated lemon peel
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, for greasing the loaf pan

For Glaze:
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 lemon (with peel), sliced extremely thinly, seeded, and chopped

Preheat oven to 350*F.
Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch nonstick loaf pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, stir the flour and baking powder together with a fork. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon extract, lemon peel, and vanilla; whisk until well blended. Add all of the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture and whisk until combined and there are only smallish lumps. Whisk in oil until combined and no lumps appear. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.

While loaf is baking, place glaze ingredients in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat over medium low heat until mixture starts to bubble. Gently swirl pan until all of the sugar is dissolved. Simmer for an additional 3 minutes, or until the lemon peel becomes translucent. Turn heat off and set aside.

When the loaf is finished baking, allow to cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Place loaf right side up on cooling rack, and set rack over a piece of aluminum foil or back over the empty loaf pan. Using a toothpick, bamboo skewer, or a fork; pierce the top of the loaf every half inch or so. Spoon glaze and lemon peel over the loaf slowly, covering the entire top of the loaf. Let cool completely before slicing.

I promise you that I'm still cooking. Really.

Fava Bean & Greens Soup with Ciabatta Croutons

In the summertime, I tend to flit about like the ants in the proverb of the ants and the grasshopper, making sure that I have enough "put up" for winter. These past few weeks I've been canning jam (strawberry, triple berry, banana-rum, and today, sour cherry.) Tomorrow, I'll be making mulberry jelly, which is a new recipe, since I came across a glut of mulberries yesterday at the cherry picking farm.

This soup is easily created from a few pantry items, some spring greens, and some mushrooms. The ciabatta croutons add a nice crunch to the soup, should you feel you need a bit more substance. Dried fava beans can be found in larger grocery stores with the dry beans, or by mail order. Feel free to substitute cannellini beans or white kidney beans, just don't worry about peeling them first.

Fava Bean & Greens Soup

1 lb dry fava beans, picked through and rinsed, soaked overnight, and peeled

1/2 cup finely minced onion

1/4 cup finely minced carrot

1/4 cup finely minced celery

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary, divided

2 Tbsp. minced fresh sage, divided

1 tsp. each salt and ground black pepper, plus more to taste

1 cup diced shiitake mushroom

32 oz vegetable or chicken stock

32 oz water

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cups chopped swiss chard, collard greens, beet greens,or turnip greens, main stem removed

Garnish: Ciabatta croutons, recipe follows

In a 6-qt stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook until onion is translucent; about 5 minutes. Add garlic and 1 Tbsp each of the rosemary and sage, and 1 tsp each of the salt and pepper. Saute until the garlic is fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add shiitake mushrooms and turn heat to medium-high. Saute the mixture until the mushrooms start to brown; about 5 minutes. Add stock, water, and beans to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beans are tender and begin to fall apart. Turn off heat and allow soup to cool to room temperature.

Using a blender, puree the soup until a smooth consistency is achieved. Return soup to pot and bring to just boiing. Add greens, remaining rosemary and sage, and stir to combine. Cook until greens are tender; about 5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: About four 2 1/2 cup servings

Ciabatta Croutons

Ciabatta bread, about three slices, each one-inch thick

2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, sliced in half

Preheat oven to 400*F. Rub the slices of bread with the garlic. Slice the bread into one inch cubes to yield 2 cups or so. Drizzle the bread with olive oil and cheese, tossing to coat. Bake cubes for 15 minutes, or until well toasted. Yield: Four 1/2 cup servings

Agave Glazed Shrimp

This is my go-to recipe when I have about 10 minutes to whip something together. It is the ultimate quick & dirty dinner. If you cannot find agave nectar (which hides around the sugar section natural food department around these parts), you can substitute Lyle's Golden Syrup. This is really great on top of some buttery cheddar grits mixed in with some fresh corn scraped off of the cob.

1 lb. raw jumbo (21-26) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tsp. canola oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. sliced green onion/scallion, light green parts only

Sprinkle the shrimp with cayenne, salt, and pepper. In a heavy-bottomed saute pan, heat the oil on high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add shrimp and cook about 1 minute on each side, until shrimp are opaque. Drizzle the agave nectar over the shrimp and toss the shrimp until it is evenly coated. Remove from heat and sprinkle with scallion. Serve immediately.

Quick & Dirty Dinners: Taco Casserole

Last night was a Quick & Dirty night. Easy to throw together and filling, this will pretty much cancel any plans for take-out mexican food. It's a big hit with the kids too. A simple salad with ranch dressing rounds this out if you don't feel like throwing some chopped lettuce and ranch dressing on top and acting like a heathen.

Taco Casserole

1 lb lean ground beef, cooked and drained.
1 10 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained (such as Muir Glen) or 1 can of Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with green chiles (if you want it spicy)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 10 oz can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese condensed soup
1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning (such as Old El Paso)
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 8-ounce bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese
12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters

Serving suggestion:
shredded lettuce, black olives, sliced spring (green) onion, ranch salad dressing

Preheat oven to 350*F. Mix the ground beef, tomatoes, sauce, soup, sour cream and seasoning together until well-blended. Simmer for 5 minutes. Spray a 11 x 7 casserole dish with cooking spray (or a 2-qt oval casserole dish) and place about 1/3 of the tortillas in a single layer. Top with 1/2 of the meat mixture, and 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat tortilla layer, top with 1/2 meat, 1/3 cheese, top with tortillas and remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until heated through and bubbling, and top layer of cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Top with lettuce, olives, onion, and dressing.

Samosa Pot Pie

The filling for this is best made the day before, only because the flavors really have time to meld and intensify. The pastry throws you for a loop at first, as it is the most impossible stuff to work with, but trust me... it will be smooth and lovely when you let it stand for a bit. This is my quintessential potluck recipe. If you're pressed for time, you can always use a refrigerated pie crust (such as Pillsbury) but this one really is easier than it sounds.

Pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. canola oil
6 Tbsp. water

Filling:

6 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled in their skins and cooled.
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 bag of frozen peas (about 2 cups)
1 minced hot chili pepper (I use a red jalapeno), ribs and seeds removed, optional
1/2 tsp ground ginger, or 1 tsp fresh minced ginger
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp garam masala
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice

For serving:
1-2 cups of chutney, preferably tamarind (Naturally India makes a great jarred chutney) or McQuade's Fig & Ginger Chutney

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch dice. Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof saute pan over med-high heat (or a large saute pan, but plan on transferring the mixture to a 13x9 inch pan to bake in the oven.) When hot, but not smoking, add the onion and saute until onion is translucent and browning at edges. Add the peas, ginger, cilantro, and water. Cover, lower heat, and simmer until peas are cooked. Stir every minute or so and add more water if it seems to dry out. Add the potatoes, salt, coriander, garam masala, cumin, cayenne, and lemon/lime juice. Stir to mix. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring gently. Taste, and adjust salt and lemon/lime juice. Remove from heat and let cool before putting it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

For the pastry: Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the oil, and rub the flour mixture between your fingers (like you're rubbing cold hands together) until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the water and mix with your hands until you can form a very stiff ball. It doesn't hold toether at first, so do not add more water to it, just keep at it. Empty the ball onto a clean work surface and knead for about 10 minutes until it is nearly smooth (well, smooth for a very stiff ball. It is still not going to hold together very well.) Form a ball and place it in a zip-top bag with a few drops of oil (about 1/2 tsp) making sure to coat the ball with the oil. Let stand for 30 minutes or longer at room temperature. The dough will soften as it rests. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness to cover whichever sized pan you're using.

Preheat oven to 400*F. Cover filling mixture with dough, cutting a vent in the middle. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until pastry is dark golden brown and filling is hot. Serve hot, or at room temperature with chutney.

Not Quite

So, no, we're not quite over the pox on our house (I'm seriously considering taking out stock in Kleenex.) I didn't even make Samosa Pot Pie, but I will post the recipe today, come hell or high water.

Recouperated

After what seemed like a nonstop cycle of everyone in our family being horrendously ill (you name it, we had it).

I'm going to make Samosa Pot Pie tomorrow, as I received a jar of Fig & Ginger Chutney from McQuade's Celtic Chutneys. It is chock full of good stuff, with nice juicy chunks of fruit and it smells heavenly. I made Turkish Lamb Burgers last night (from the latest issue of Eating Well Magazine) and I put a dollop of chutney on one of my burgers, as I was out of the yogurt topping. Well, it was better than any commerical chutney I've had. It really was a homemade experience with crisp chunks of apple, chewy raisins, spicy ginger, and lovely chunks and strips of fig. Half of the jar is now gone, but I did make sure to reserve enough for Samosa Pot Pie. If it's too hot for SPP, I'm going to wrap the potatoes and peas in tortillas instead of baking it in the oven. Either way, recipe tomorrow.