Better than Basic Betty

Saturday update

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:07:00 +0000

I did not make the jello shots.

On reflection, that's probably a good thing though I was looking forward to trying them out. Ah, well, they will keep until the next party...perhaps Superbowl?

I did make 2 delicious lasagnas for my party--one red, one white. The red lasagna was traditional with a tomato based meat sauce ( I got to use some of my garden canned tomatoes here), mushrooms and layers of ricotta. The white was an Alfredo lasagna with chicken, spinach and of course a layer of ricotta. Both were delicious, though I personally preferred the red (because I'm not a fan of Alfredo sauce).

Although I originally looked on allrecipes.com for a white lasagna recipe, I admit that I didn't really use the recipe to make the dish. Lasagna is lasagna...the doing should be the same even if the ingredients are different. Here's the example recipe I used if you're interested: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lasagna-Alfredo/Detail.aspx I hope you try it and like it.

Red Wine Jello Shots = Jiggly Sangria that makes me smile?

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:33:00 +0000

I just found a recipe for Red Wine Jello Shots....they sound like sangria! I have a girl's weekend planned for 85 (really 12) of my closest girls and I think these sound like they'd be a hit...at least they would with me.

Oy.

Maybe getting tanked off of jello shots would not be the best idea. I'll let you know on Sunday, I guess.

Here's the recipe from http://www.drinkstreet.com

3 ounces lemon jello (small package)
3 ounces Orange Jello (small package)
16 ounces Water (boiling)
4 ounces Red Wine

Mix the two jello mixes with the boiling water until the powder is fully dissolved and then add the red wine to begin setting the jello. Because this recipe calls for less water than jello normally does, it may take longer to cool than the box indicates. If you prefer a mixture that cools more quickly, you may wish to add a small amount of cool water. Pour the mixture into paper cups.

Already neglectful...and fondue

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 14:44:00 +0000

So much for my grand statement about keeping up on my blogs huh?

It's already the fifteenth of the month and I've started slacking on my end of the bargain. But since I don't really have any readers, I guess the bargain was with myself. Not sure what that means for "my end" of it.

As promised, here are some of the links to the fondue recipes used at my Halloween Fondue party.

Starting with dessert...The amaretto was well balanced with the chocolate in this fondue. I used Ghirardelli 60% dark chocolate bars as the chocolate base. I believe a nice, not too dark, but dark chocolate is perfect for most dessert dishes.

I served this in a homemade fondue pot that I constructed out of a Pyrex bowl, tea light and a tall skinny pumpkin. I wish I had a picture of this--it turned out better than I expected. Originally, I had planned on carving flames into the side of the pumpkin, however, the pumpkin was so hard I could only manage to carve a hole into the side for ventilation. Instead, my friend Tabitha painted flames on the side of the pumpkin to dress it up.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/amaretto-chocolate-fondue-recipe/index.html

Served with: mini rice crispy cubes (vanilla and chocolate), marshmallows, banana, strawberries, pineapple, pretzels, and Oreo cookie straws.

The cheese course...this fondue was good, but a little more pungent than I expected it to be. I think my guests felt the same way because well over half of it remained at the end of the night. I think if I make this again I will adjust my cheeses--not sure what I'll substitute--or go to a good cheese store so I can taste the cheeses before using them in the fondue. I would also recommend chopping the pancetta finely. Most of it sunk to the bottom of the fondue, leaving a giant meat ball scorched to the bottom at the end of the night.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/italian-cheese-fondue-recipe/index.html

Served with: Steamed broccoli and cauliflower, carrots, bread sticks, and grilled Kielbasa. Also delicious: asparagus spears, cubed focaccia, cooked shrimp.

Ahh the Shabu Shabu...This lovely ginger tomato broth is intended to be served with sea food--scallops, shrimp, fish, etc. Since I didn't want to spend a ton of money on this party but still wanted to fill up my guests, I skipped the seafood and left the shabu shabu a little thicker serving it with mini grilled cheese sandwiches. It was a hit!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/danny-boome/savory-tomato-shabu-shabu-with-seafood-dippers-recipe2/index.html

Served with: Mini Grilled cheese sandwiches, toasted and cubed dark rye, grilled Kielbasa, cubed grilled chicken.

A new year, a new goal

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:34:00 +0000

After a long hiatus, I decided to dive headlong into the blogoshere once more. Keeping up on four blogs while maintaining other projects and a full time job will, I expect, get a bit hairy from time to time, but I've always been up for a challenge. I've also been all about burning my candle at both ends.

As to what I've been up to since my last post back in October....well. I spent the majority of July through October traveling for work and decided to throw a delicious, if ambitious Halloween shindig involving three types of fondue (resipe posts to follow). The next day, November 1 marked my first day of my very first NaNoWriMo. This pretty much consumed my November.

December flew by and since I don't want to bore you with details, just know that I had a successful month with my craft business (www.etsy.com/shop/notyouraveragemartha) and a moderately successful Christmas with gifts. Unfortunately, my friends especially got shafted on the gift front this year though I still have three gifts sitting on my table ready to give away. However, I doubt I'll see these friends of mine until the spring thaw.At least that is how it's starting to look.

I am proud to say that I only had one Christmas/Holiday melt down this year and it was fairly mild. So where does that leave me for this brand new year? We're almost ten days in and I'm still catching up on some gifts but I did manage to take down the decorations today. I'm concentrating on resting up this month since my plans for the rest of the year explode as of February 1st.

I have loads of recipes and stories to share about the last few months--I can't wait! I hope for 2010 to be more consisent with my posting and more entertaining as well. Off to bake cookies (chocolate chip)....keep eating!

Traveling again....

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Starting Monday, I'll be traveling for work once again. If anyone has recommendations for restaurants in Moline, IL or nearby, I'd greatly appreciate them.

By early next week, I hope to have several posts of my adventures in canning. Today I made Pepper Apple Chutney, Habanero Apricot Jelly and Pepper Orange Marmalade.....I can't wait to try and give them as gifts!

Also, look for my my recipe for Mediterranean Pizza this weekend....best homemade pizza ever!

Until then....happy eating,
~D

Creme Brulee French Toast

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:33:00 +0000

Every Easter, my mom makes this recipe for our Sunday morning brunch. She also makes breakfast enchiladas which, I confess, are not my favorite. When I told her I was making the French toast for Labor Day brunch, she said, "That sounds good. I should make breakfast enchiladas." If you're perplexed, well, so was I in that moment. To her, these two recipes must always be eaten together.

The fat and sugar content as well as the time consuming prep makes this treat better for special occasions rather than the every day. The recipe I've posted below is essentially the same recipe originally featured on Allrecipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Creme-Brulee-French-Toast/Detail.aspx with a few details changed. I find it is better to use a softer bread such as a basic white loaf, thick cut or slices doubled up, Challah or brioche rather than French bread as the recipe suggests. I've made a few other changes which you'll see in the recipe below.

Creme Brulee French Toast

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
Sliced Challah, crust removed
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest from one orange

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix in brown sugar and corn syrup, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Do not boil! Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

After removing crusts from bread, arrange in the baking dish in a single layer (double layer if using Wonder bread or some other store bought sandwich bread). In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, half and half, milk, vanilla extract, orange zest, and salt. Pour over the bread. Cover, and chill overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove the dish from the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until puffed and lightly browned. Enjoy immediately, but be careful, it's hot!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:43:00 +0000

When I was a kid, my grandmother would make these cookies for me just about every time I would come over to her house. They are still my favorite cookie. No, there's no chocolate involved--even though I don't normally DO dessert without it, but not everything needs chocolate to be delicious! (Blasphemy? I think not.)

The ingredients are fuss free and simple and the shape and texture of this cookie is, as said above, cakey and soft. The sour cream gives the cookie a little tanginess which is offset nicely by the sweet and slight spice of the cinnamon sugar.

Cinnamon Creams

1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
1/2 tsp. Almond Flavoring

Cream above ingredients.

1 tsp Baking Soda
2 1/4 - 1/2 cups flour

Add in dry ingredients. Drop by spoonful into cinnamon sugar and lightly coat ball. Place on greased sheet pans in 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes or until top of cookie springs back to touch. Cookie should not brown at edges.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:44:00 +0000

I came across this salad today while going through my files of yummy summer sides. Apparently, I'm not quite ready to let go of my favorite season even as Labor Day looms. Already we've been experiencing cooler temperatures in Minnesota and while I'm excited to start cooking with Fall veggies, my garden is still producing tomatoes by the bushel.

For one of my summer parties, I decided I would create a meal that my gluten free friend could eat without worrying how it would effect her body. Originally, I was going to make a sort of Greek Couscous salad. Couscous is made with wheat. Strike that.

I eventually ended up deciding to use Quinoa instead. Although is is a grain, it is not related to wheat, whatsoever, and the consistency is similar to couscous. Plus, it has a neat texture.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

2 cup quinoa
4 cups water
4 cloves garlic, diced
½ cup scallions, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 ½ cups cucumber, diced
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, rough chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese
½ cup black olives, pitted and halved
salt and pepper, freshly ground to taste

1. Bring quinoa and water to boil, cover and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes. Let quinoa cool to room temperature, then transfer to a serving bowl.
2. Mix the garlic and scallions thoroughly with the quinoa and add the remaining chopped herbs and vegetables. Stir in the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Finally, mix in the goat cheese and olives and season with freshly ground salt and pepper.
3. Set aside for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to develop and blend.

This makes a HUGE bowl of salad. Make sure you have a large guest list or halve the recipe.

Tropical Mojito Fruit Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:21:00 +0000

Notes after the fact: I didn't have access to a ripe papaya so I substituted pomegranate seeds instead (not a popular choice with the kiddies). Also, it should be noted that the mint flavor was quite strong and the rum flavor....not so much. In the future, I would reduce the mint and up the alcohol content by soaking some of my apples in rum before hand. Of course, don't let the kids eat it then....

This recipe will be featured on writer, Natalie Duvall's website: http://www.natalieduvall.com/writersandrecipes Check it out! Pictures to follow soon!

Tropical Mojito Fruit Salad

Ingredients
1 Fresh Pineapple, diced
1 Ripe Mango, diced
1 Ripe Papaya, diced
1-2 Large Bananas, sliced
1-2 Honeycrisp Apples, diced
Fresh Mint , 10 leaves
Juice from 3 limes
2 tbsp. rum
1 cup water
1 cup raw or turbinado sugar

Directions
1. Soak the mint leaves in the lime juice for half an hour.
2. In a saucepan, combine sugar and water over medium-high heat.
Cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring, and bring to a boil. Reduce
to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, and add rum. Cool to room temperature.
4. Remove the mint leaves, chop, and set aside.
5. Dice the fruit and place in a large bowl - make sure all of the fruit, except the
banana, is chilled.
6. Add the chopped mint to the lime-mint juice, then pour into the fruit bowl.
7. Stir to coat the fruit and drizzle with the rum simple syrup.
8. Chill or serve quickly.

Holy Tomatoes!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:10:00 +0000

First thing Saturday, after a late night thanks to delayed flights and bad weather, I checked out my garden. What I say astounded me. I had an inkling that four beefsteak and two Roma tomato plants would produce quite a few tomatoes but I had no idea that I would pick about fifty at once! Of course, this number doesn't include the number of almost ripe tomatoes I left on the vine for a few more days. I will pick them tonight and I am afraid of how many I'll find.

Sunday, my mom and I, with the help of my friend Summer, canned 26 pints of tomatoes (pics to be posted soon!). I did give a few away and also made some fresh salsa or there would be a few more pints added to that number. Tonight, I am going to try my had at making marinara from scratch and canning that. I'm excited.

As for my cherry tomatoes, I regret to inform you that my yellow pear plant saw the end of it's life on Saturday. Early on in the season, the plant fell over and the main vine must have been damaged. Although I got quite a few tomatoes off of it before it died (as seen in the picture) I was still sad to pull it. As a result--I saw no need to keep it in the ground dead!--I may have killed off one of my beefsteaks as well. This morning, we had a boomer of a storm and as I drove past my little garden on my way to work, I noticed the plant that had been next to the pear was on the ground despite tying it to the fence.

Regretful, sure, but then, it's not like I won't have more than enough tomatoes if my "pro-activeness" did harm the plant.

In the weeks ahead...

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:51:00 +0000

While languishing in New Hampshire for work, I have had to explore restaurants, sandwich shops, and other fine (and not so fine!) establishments in search of sustenance. What I wouldn't give for my kitchen! I have one week left here in Manchester and several new places to explore.

In the weeks ahead, expect to see several Greek inspired dishes including a to die for Greek pizza, a delicious summer fruit and Balsamic salad.

I have several fresh tomato and hot pepper dishes planned as part of the summer bounty posting series including adventures in canning!

Remember, football season is right around the corner which means I'll be making lots of entertaining foods--meatballs, dips, wings, you name it! Stay tuned!

Review: Julie & Julia (Novel) by Julie Powell

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 11:22:00 +0000

Part 1: Julie & Julia is everywhere, thanks, in large part, to a very successful movie made from this book. I've heard many wonderful things about the movie and very little about the book itself. The movie: Meryl Streep gives an amazing performance as Julia Childs.....Don't go to the movie hungry or your stomach will be eating itself by the end of the film.... The book: ????

I began reading Julie & Julia last night and while I've been so far enjoying the story of Julie (despite random jumps into the past), I've found the secondary story of Julia, told from the POV of Paul, so far, distracting.

Interestingly enough, I like my stories to be told in a fairly straightforward manner (interesting because I rarely tell a story in such a way). Leaping from primary to secondary plot and from past to present and back again can be distracting if not done in a seem less way. Thanks to a writer's education at Seton Hill University, I notice things that pull me from the story far more readily than I had in the past. I usually manage to overcome this personal flaw and educational pitfall by forging ahead with the novel in spite of these little problems with plot and story.

Currently I am about a quarter of the way through the book--forgive me for not giving a precise page count. The book is at the hotel and I am on break at work. I expect the book to pick up speed shortly and I'm sure I'll be absorbed in no time.....

Part 2: As predicted, I became very much absorbed in this book and, oddly enough, began craving artichokes. I was surprised that the Julia story dropped off especially since the movie previews seems to center so much on her part of the story. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised--when do previews ever tell the true story? Honestly, I wasn't sad to see the secondary story drift away since it only served as a distraction to the real story.

I learned several things from this book...1.) I don't ever want to cook many of the recipes nor cook with half the ingredients mentioned in Mastering the Art of French Cooking most notably brains, bone marrow and aspics. 2.) Not all French cooking is hard. Only most of it. 3.) Be careful of ideas that seem too good.

You might be asking what I mean by that last statement. This blog of Julie Powell's was a fantastic, if somewhat crazy, idea and as a result, one would expect the end result to be crazy and fantastic as well. She did get a book deal out of the project and that is an amazing reward. But I found the end of the book to be a bit of a let down. Her accomplishments are told as more of an after thought and her project never felt finished. Maybe that's the point; I can't really say otherwise. But it doesn't fulfill me need for a satisfying ending.

Was this a good book? Without a doubt. Could it have been better? Well, I think that anything could be better, including this book. Could I have written a more engaging and fulfilling piece of literature? Time will tell.

Summer Hell

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Being struck down by a cold in summer could, in fact, be considered quite tragic. This is especially awful in Minnesota where the winters are long and the warm weather season lasts about as long as a blink of an eye. Okay, maybe 2 blinks.

In any case, having a scratchy throat is the perfect time for two of my favorite meals. Soup and ice cream. Technically, the ice cream was frozen custard and also not a meal--so some would say. Those are the same people who say toMAHto. I'm of the other variety.

For dinner this evening I reheated the homemade chicken dumpling soup I made for hubby when he wasn't feeling well. I never expected that I would also need its magic only two days later.

After our movie, Hubs suggested (or rather announced) that we head to Culvers for some tasty cold treats to sooth our throats. I thought that was a brilliant idea. Now with a moderately soothed throat and pleasantly full tummy, I go to bed and hope to wake up to a less sore throat tomorrow.

Summer Bounty: Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:08:00 +0000

Summer is in full swing and my garden is producing cherry tomatoes by the bowlful. Although many of them don't make it beyond the garden before falling in my mouth, there are far more on my plant than I can eat while picking. The solution? I've taken to asking friends, coworkers and family for recipes using fresh tomatoes. My coworker suggested a simple tomato salad and this was the result. I added a few more ingredients than she had originally intended but I think the nature of this salad allows you to play and change the ingredients to taste. I hope you enjoy it. I plan to many more times this summer!

Greek Inspired Tomato Salad

I used a variety of cherry tomatoes including a yellow pear version. Use whatever tomatoes you have on hand including beefsteak, Roma, even heirloom varieties. The type of tomato isn't as important as the freshness, and, getting home grown tomatoes whenever possible.

2-3 cups of halved cherry tomatoes

(or 1-2 large beefsteak tomatoes cut into bite sized pieces)

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup Kalamata Olives, pitted and halved

1/4 red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp. olive oil or to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine cut vegetables and add salt and pepper. Add vinegar and chill in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. Add olive oil just before serving, garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Welcome

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna Lepsch) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:04:00 +0000

Better than Basic Betty is the way for me to express my love of food and flavor while allowing me to hone my writing and photography skills. I intend this blog to be filled with recipes, reviews of websites, books and restaurants, a forum for my entertaining and most of all I expect the blog to be about fun.

I hope you agree....Thanks for reading and eating!
Deanna