Wordless Wednesday

WIL: Eat Your Veggies!

I believe in the power of sister-friends. The older I become the more certain I am that sister-friends are life support, entertainment, wisdom founts and cheerleaders all rolled into one loving package.

I belong to a fabulous group of ladies called Women in the Light. Our fearless leader Jennifer V. established the group to encourage women of all ages, circumstances and abilities to build close and trustworthy relationships. We are a patchwork quilt of life seasons, careers, marital statuses and backgrounds. We all claim to follow Christ, but belong to different Christian denominations. None of us are hung up on the non-essentials of our faith.

The food theme for our get together this past Thursday was "Eat Your Veggies". While Jennifer V. is our fearless leader, veggies have not been high on her list of "delicious eats". She has made great strides in the three years I've known her and now will try (and sometimes enjoy) vegetables. So, I was floored when she suggested this theme. I have to hand it to her: she IS fearless.

The photo at the top of this post is a delicious salad that Kelly brought: Spinach, carrots, ripe pears, feta and dried cranberries. It was served with a raspberry vinaigrette.

Jennifer M. brought Balsamic Peppers. They were an awesome balance of sweet and tart. Yum!



Dawn V. made a potato casserole that was to die for. Unfortunately, I missed taking a photo of that dish. I forgot that it was in the oven finishing up. But can I just tell you this? Potatoes, sour cream and cheese = comfort. I also missed Michelle's Black Bean and Corn Salad. I did not realize it was on the menu until forks had been hoisted. And by then... well, it was too late. Okay, it wasn't too late. I just wasn't going to stop eating to take more photos. *blush*

Jennifer V. made a Broccoli Casserole and I made Asian Noodle Salad.






I ate entirely too much food. I had a nice bowl of salad and a plate of all of the goodness.





In keeping with the vegetable theme, there was Carrot Cake for dessert. I just couldn't manage any. I'd already filled up on my veggies.

After our veggie feast, we sat down to continue building our scrapbook cookbooks. Yes, we share all of our recipes between us. Didn't I say that sister-friends are invaluable???

Foodie Field Trip

Every weekend, I am blessed to share Sister Saturday with my older sister. The fact that our homes are built next door to each other is by no means a guarantee that we will see each other throughout the week. However, Sister Saturday is sacrosanct. Our Saturdays are spent together accomplishing a variety of enjoyable outings and necessary errands for the family.

Today, one of our diversions involved a bit of a "Foodie Field Trip" to Petty's Meat Market. Their fresh meats are really the very tastiest that I've ever had. Truly. No. Lie. Yet today we shopped the condiments, seasonings and cold cases. Wow. Forgive the photo quality. All were taken with my phone camera. (smile)

Different types of salt:



We browsed the vinegars. I love to switch up vinegars in home made salad dressings.



We noodled over to sauces, jams and seasonings:



























If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know about my love affair with cheese. Oh, be still my heart! How about some fresh Feta?







Petty's also has an extensive wine selection, but we also skipped that today. Sometimes they have in-store wine tasting with an expert on hand to answer questions.

They always have complimentary beer on tap near the take away deli counters. We did not indulge today... but sometimes do!

Did I mention that they have bulk candy jars? Who says foodies don't like their childhood favorites anymore?



I promise, I didn't buy any candy today. I left with a package of gluten free Lemon Pepper Noodles.... and a smile.


Disclaimer: I was in no manner compensated for this blog entry. I received no monies, discounts or special treatment. Petty's treats all of their customers to excellent customer service, warranting this praise.

It Warms My Heart

I spent the winter holidays year visiting my family and friends back home in San Antonio and my sister-friend and family in Virginia. As always, one of my expressions of love is food. I love to putter around and cook up love for my loved ones.

My first night in Virginia was a c-c-c-cold one. It was getting late by the time everyone made in in for the evening. Everyone was hungry. For me, that meant one thing: soup time!

I made my "semi-homemade" version of Pasta e Fagioli. Easy, comforting and delicious. I served it up with some hot garlic bread and everyone was happy. Soup feeds the body and soul.

Yesterday, my sister-friend called to ask how to make the soup. I emailed her the instructions talking girlfriend to girlfriend. I decided to post it as I sent it:



Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup) E-mail Recipe

Pie,

Here are the easy steps:



1. The "Dump": In large pot dump all of the following:

* Beef Stock (2 Cartons)
* Diced tomatoes with juice (Medium can... 14 oz?)
* Both cans of beans with juice
* corn, with juice (small can...5 oz?)
* Spaghetti Sauce (Full Jar)
* Put on back burner of the stove to boil, turn down to simmer once boiling
* Add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
* Add 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

2. The Browning:

* Brown in cast iron skillet ground beef
* Season with Onion powder, Garlic powder, salt and black pepper (use the kosher salt)
* Brown, drain and then brown until caramelized. (Makes better taste in soup)
* Put browned crumbled meat into soup pot with other "Dump" ingredients
* In the same skillet, add two tablespoons olive oil. Do not wash skillet.
* Brown one onion, small diced. Two cloves of garlic pressed, and three ribs of celery small dice (important to caramelize!)
* Put browned veggies into soup pot with other cooking ingredients.

3. Simmer


* Simmer to meld the flavors about 15 minutes
* Add pasta (about 1 cup dry)
* Cook until pasta tender

4. Remove from heat


* Stir in on large handful of chopped parsley
* Check for salt/pepper
* Cover and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!


It warms my heart that she sent the picture above showing the results. She served it up with a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese (just like I did!)

I love her.

Old School Friday: The Dramatics

I remember watching Soul Train as a little girl with my sisters on Saturdays. No one would move in the den while the show's featured guests were on stage.

I remember this one fondly.

Old School Friday: Mahalia Jackson

My mother used to listen to gospel and spirituals on Saturday mornings as we cleaned our home. We listened to many artists, some that I can no longer remember. We even listened to "static-ky" cassette tapes made from live worship services. (Any one else remember folks doing that in the seventies?)

I do remember a few artists and groups: The Blind Boys from Alabama, Aretha Franklin, Shirley Caesar,Chicago Mass Choir,Reverend James Cleveland, our local Walker Ford Singers and of course, Mahalia Jackson. Here she is singing Silent Night. Enjoy.

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Back in the Groove

Lately, life has been a bit more overwhelming, adventurous, frightening, busy and stressful. It has been a roller coaster of new experiences, destinations, crises and opportunities.I'll spare you the details, gory and glorious... and just say this: I think I'm finally back in the groove. A sense of normalcy is slowly returning.

It slowly dawned on me as I sat with my sister yesterday in Starbucks. We were enjoying our customary Sister Saturday. As we sat planning the menu for our family to enjoy for Sunday dinner, we chatted about a variety of topics that floated in and out of our imaginations. As the rain fell outside, all was right in our little world of steaming coffee and delightful sweets. (The cranberry orange scone was to. die. for.)

Tomorrow my youngest child will celebrate his eighteen birthday. In his honor, tonight's Sunday dinner menu included his favorites. We enjoyed Asian Chicken Wings and Asian Noodle Salad. We rounded out the meal with pot stickers and egg rolls. He was quite happy. This is my little plate. Sadly, I only ate one wing and the noodles. The rest will go with me to work for lunch tomorrow.



Normally the birthday young man asks for the same cake for his birthday:Dark chocolate with Cream Cheese Frosting. He surprised me by asking for a whole different type of dessert.



Behold: Turtle Cheesecake!

I had fun making it. I used my standard cheesecake batter and added a caramel layer, glazed pecans and my signature chocolate ganache. For some reason the caramel layer set up a bit too hard, but none of us minded much. The taste was out of this world.

So yeah.... I think I'm back in the groove. Living my life full of family, friends and food... Things are looking up.

Happy holidays everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Old School Friday: Gone But Not Forgotten

While whiling away time on Facebook, one of my online friends linked to a meme he is participating in on his blog.

It got me interested... as I'm all about MUSIC.

So, with no further ado... with both feet, I jump into Old School Friday.

Enjoy:





See what other bloggers are putting out there for Old School Friday.

For Tonja: Pound Cake!

I was looking for a recipe for a pound cake that did not require sour cream. Turns out that I didn't have any sour cream or buttermilk or even yogurt in the fridge.

What??? Yup. Out of all three.

All of my "go to" recipes for pound cakes require one or more of the missing ingredients. And I personally don't like "souring milk" with vinegar as a substitute for buttermilk...but I digress.

The problem remained: I needed to present a homemade pound cake to my Saturday all day class in my advanced BA program. (yeah, me: I went back to school!)

So... I looked around at all of my bookmarked recipes and found one that I wanted to try. Uh, with a few variations. My changes will be italicized.



Lemon Lime Cream Cheese Pound Cake
(Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy)


Makes two 5 x 9 loaf cakes or one 12-cup bundt cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
Zest from 2 lemons (I used limes)
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
Juice of both zested limes
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter and flour two 5 x 9 loaf pans. I used a 12-cup bundt pan.

Mix the sugar and the lemon zest in a small bowl and rub the zest into the sugar with your fingers. The warmth from your fingers will release the oils from the zest and flavor the sugar. Set aside.

Place the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, about five minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the lime juice, vanilla and lemon extracts. Then, add the flour, baking powder and salt all at once. Mix just until incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours. (my bundt cake took 80 minutes)

Cool the cake(s) on a rack for 20 minutes. Remove the cake(s) from the pan(s) and let cool completely.

Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!



Sorry no pictures. I will see if I can get pictures from happy classmates tomorrow.

Wordless Wednesday

Triple Berry Pie: Summer in each mouthful!

I love fresh berries. You name the berry, and it is a friend of mine. Raspberry, blackberry, loganberry, strawberry, blueberry, huckleberry, mulberry.... I could go on and on.

With my love of berries in mind, imagine how thrilled I was to spot beautiful, plump berries on sale at my local WalMart! They were so beautiful! They looked like edible jewels. I bought two large cartons of blueberries, one small carton of raspberries, two small cartons of blackberries and a huge double carton of strawberries. (I also bought plums and cherries...but that will be a different post.)


As you may remember, our family does Sunday Dinner in a big way every week. With the bounty of berries, I knew I had to make the quintessential summer pie: Triple Berry Pie. It is my stab at cloning Marie Callender's Razzleberry Pie.

The truth be told.... I think mine is better.

Fresh from the oven, the pie looked and smelled heavenly.



I was glad that I had to foresight to bake it on a quarter sheet, as it bubbled over a bit. I'm always nervous cutting the first pie. Will it be set? Will it serve nicely?



You be the judge.





The family loved it. Once again, I was the hero. Add a little homemade vanilla icecream... and *swoon*.


Oh, so good!


I know that this pie will make an encore performance before the end of berry season. It was just. that. good.





Triple Berry Pie

1 Pint Blueberries
1 Pint Blackberries
1/2 Pint Raspberries
1 c. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Real Vanilla Extract
1/4 c. Kraft Minute Tapioca
1 tbsp. Corn starch
1/4 c. water or orange juice
1/4 butter in small pieces

Enough Pie crust for double pie.


Mix all ingredients, except pie dough and butter in a large bowl. Allow to stand at room temperature for thirty minutes, stirring once or twice.

Line pie pan with one half of pie dough. Fill with berry mixture. Dot with butter.

Cover with top crust and seal.

Bake in preheated oven (400 degrees) for 45 to 55 minutes. (Bake first 25 minutes on lower rack, then move to upper rack for remainder of baking)

Cool COMPLETELY before serving.

Wordless Wednesday

I Have the Best Co-Workers!

One of the greatest co-workers in the world brought breakfast! Yipppeeeee!!!!

Lunch On Campus

Lots of folks might complain about having to eat lunch on a college campus.

Not too much complaining happens at my job. *smile*

Lunch outside at the lake today: Ham & Cheese on a croissant, veggies and chips. (I promise I only ate a few chips)

Okay........ I gotta get back inside.......

Sopapillas!!!

Those in my life close to me know about my quirky sense of humor. I've been accused of being a tad corny with my jokes. What can I say? I'm guilty of all that.

No one was complaining tonight, though. Tonight's menu in honor of Cinco de Mayo:

Chicken Enchiladas
Mexican Rice
Beans
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Tortillas

and

.
.
.
.
.
.
Sopapillas for dessert!



I mean, come on...........who doesn't like fried dough? Funnel cakes, donuts, zeppole, sopapillas. They are all good.

Light and airy! Dusted in cinnamon sugar........little pillows of yumminess!



I found the recipe at www.allrecipes.com

Click on the entry title for the link to the recipe. Easy-peasy...........light and breezy.

Wordless Wednesday

The Best of Her Love!

The bond between sisters is special, and if you're blessed...especially sweet. Every time I think of the family that God saw fit to place me in, I want to weep with gratitude. From parents that loved with firmness, laughter, reverence to God and consistency...to siblings that love without condition- I am blessed.

I can remember dancing and lipsynching in the den on Laurel Valley with my sisters. We would perform for our own amusement and for our parents. Sometimes we used records. Sometimes we performed an impromptu accompaniment to American Bandstand. Good times!

Yesterday was a particularly stressful day at work. As I left the parking lot, I called my oldest sister to tell her that I was finally on the way home. (Our homes are next to each other) Jokingly, I asked if she had any alcohol in the house. *giggle* She assured me that she did, and that she was planning to give me a fabulous dinner.

Boy oh, boy.......did she deliver!

To round out that FABULOUS salad, she provided comfort food: Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pizza with sausage and mushrooms! We gilded the lily with a few of their Wingstreet Wings.

Oh, and that innocuous looking drink? It packed a whallop! LOL!!

While there are no recordings of us three sisters in our many performances to share, I did find this jewel at Youtube. I hope you enjoy it. It brings back wonderful memories of growing up in the house filled with joy on Laurel Valley.

A Taste From Childhood

I grew up in a family of six: Daddy and Mommie, older brother and two older sisters. (We got two more brothers after Mommie passed away, and Daddy married Nana.)

Mommie was a working woman. She taught Special Education at Loma Linda Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas. But our family still had home cooked meals almost every day. In fact, going out to eat was reserved for special occassions. As we girls got older, we shared the dinner cooking duties. For this, I am eternally grateful. All of us know our way around a kitchen!

Mommie made up many recipes. She used whatever was on sale, in the kitchen cabinets or in the backyard garden. All of her creations were tasty. One thing that I remember about childhood was that homemade desserts were rare. Oh sure, we had the occassional cake made from a mix. Even more rarely, we had a homemade Sweet Potato Pie or Pound Cake. But we all knew we'd hit the jackpot when Mommie made Raisin Dumplings!

I know, I know.... you are all wondering, "What the heck are Raisin Dumplings?" So, to answer your question,

BEHOLD:




Made from humble ingredients, these tender and tasty morsels made us feel loved. (And we WERE loved!)For some strange reason, I am the only daughter that actually knows how to make these. I think that they are actually quite easy to make. (I do cheat with refrigerated pie crust dough for the dumplings, though)

My Daddy and brother in law prefer them warm and served with vanilla icecream. My oldest brother and sister prefer them after cooled and chilled in the fridge. As for me.... I like them any way I can get them. Although, I admit that I rarely eat more than a spoonful as they are very rich and delightfully sweet.

I made these for Daddy and Nana last week during their visit. They were happy. So was my brother in law. He's hooked, too.

I hope you will try this recipe. Let me know what you think!





Raisin Dumplings (adapted from Dorothy's Raisin Dumplings)

INGREDIENTS:

1 15 oz. Box Raisins
4-6 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1/3 c. white sugar
1 stick butter (no margarine)
1 pkg. refrigerator pie crusts, in pieces
1/4 c. heavy cream

METHOD:

Measure first 8 ingredients into a heavy bottomed sauce pan, using enough water to cover the raisins by two inches.

Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occassionally until raisins are plump and tender.

Return mixture to a gentle boil. Drop crust pieces in slowly, stirring gently. Cook until mushiness leaves dough, and mixture thickens.

Remove from heat. Stir in heavy cream. (Mixture will continue to thicken as it cools)

Allow to cool until just warm. Serve in bowls with a good vanilla icecream.

The Risotto Who Loved Me

I don't know about most of you. But as for me, I am at times intimidated by "frou-frou" foods. I worry if I will master the technique. I worry that even if I master the technique, the family won't like the food. I worry that I will waste money on fancy-schmancy ingredients, for a let down.

In spite of my many reservations, I kept hearing a sensual whisper in my ear. "Risotto" Every time I turned on Food Network some one was making "Risotto". And each time I watched them stir the thick, creamy and steaming hot "Risotto", my mouth watered. I love rice. I love rice pudding. And "Risotto" looked like a hip, savory and oh-so-worldly cousin of rice pudding.

Today was the day that I faced my ambivalence. Today was the day that I became intimate with "Risotto".

To accompany our dinner of roasted chicken, glazed carrots and steamed brocoli, I made "Mushroom Risotto." Oh. My. Word.

This dish didn't just call my name. It called me "Baby".


Mushroom Risotto

Prep Time: About thirty minutes

2-3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 pound of mixed fresh mushrooms (I used portabellas,white,shitake,& oyster)
2 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Bay Leaf
1 lb. Arborio Rice (I used Bellino)
1/2 c. medium dry white wine (I used Mondavi Chardonnay)
2 Cartons Low Sodium Chicken Stock (not broth.. I used Swanson 26 oz.)
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
4 Tbsp. Butter (no substitutions!)
1/3 cup. shredded Parmesan Cheese (no substitutions! I used Frigo)

Method:

Pour all stock into a pot. Warm till just below the boil on a back burner of the stove. Keep at this temperature for the whole process.

In another large, heavy bottomed sauce pan warm oil until fragrant. Add half of the mushrooms finely chopped and cook until golden brown on edges. Add the minced shallots and garlic and bay leaf. Stirring, cook until vegetables are translucent.

Add all of the rice. Stir to coat every grain with oil. Cook for about three minutes. Stirring constantly.

Add white wine and stir until absorbed.

Add one cup of stock and stir until absorbed.(A ladle is very helpful) When all liquid has been absorbed, add more stock. Continue until the half of the stock has been used. Continue stirring.

Add remaining larger pieces of mushrooms with an addition of stock. Cook until liquid is absorbed. Continue until all of the stock has been used. Remember to stir attentively.

Once all of the liquid has been added and absorbed, turn off the heat. Taste for salt, add pepper to taste.

Stir in butter and cheese.

Remove bay leaf and serve.

*Recipe serves 9 normal people or a famished family of 5.