Gardening in My Bathrobe and Cooking in Stilettos

Southwest Skillet Ensemble

2011-03-07T14:43:00.003-05:00

Last week I was having a hot, mental debate over whether to fix Heather Bakes, Mexican Quinoa Casserole or my trusty Cuban Black Beans & Quinoa for dinner. I'm not very good at decisions, so I decided to combine the two. The outcome? A-mazing!

Southwest Skillet Ensemble

3 - Cloves Garlic

1 - Small Onion

1 - Green Bell Pepper

1 - Medium Zucchini

1 - Medium Yellow Squash

1/2 Teaspoon - Crushed Red Pepper

1 - Large Can of Diced Tomatoes

1 - Can of Black Beans

1 Cup - Quinoa

1 Cup - Water

1 Teaspoon - Cumin

1 Teaspoon - Oregano

Salt & Pepper to Taste

***Optional: 1 Cup - Shredded Cheese (of your choosing)

- Chop Veggies

- Sautee veggies in jumbo skillet 'til soft, and almost fully cooked

- Add Spices

- Add tomatoes, beans, quinoa, and water (don't drain the tomatoes and beans--you'll need the juices for the quinoa!)

- Stir to combine, and bring to a boil

- Reduce temperature to low/medium-low and cook for approximately 30minutes or 'til quinoa is fully cooked

***Optional: Top with shredded cheese and place in 350F oven for several minutes 'til cheese if melted and gooey.

BOB Scones--Buckwheat, Oats, and Blueberries

2011-03-04T17:19:00.004-05:00

Recently I made a trip to Martin's Farm Market in Hagerstown, MD, which means my cabinets are now stuffed with lots of cool spices (most are less than $1!) and other fun healthy baking/cooking things like flax seeds and steel cut oats. Truth be told, I'd never actually had or used steel cut oats 'til a few days ago. However, I always hear them talked about in relation to healthy things, so I figured, why not?

BOB Scones
1/2 Cup - Steel Cut Oats
1/2 Cup - Milk
1 Teaspoon - Cinnamon
2 Cups - Buckwheat Flour
1/3 Cup - Sugar
2 Teaspoons - Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon - Salt
1/2 Cup - Butter (grated or cubed and chilled)
1 Tablespoon - Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup - Blueberries

*For Optional Topping: 1 Egg and 1/2 Cup Raw Sugar

- Preheat oven to 375°F

- Add milk to oats to soften them, stir in cinnamon, and chill while you're mixing the other ingredients.

- Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar--stir and add butter.

- If you're using a stand mixer, beat on medium with the paddle attachment 'til butter is cut into dry ingredients and about the size of small peas. Otherwise, us a pastry blender, two knives, or any other trusty method you may have for working butter into flour.

- Add the oat mixture, 2 eggs (slightly beaten), and vanilla to the flour/butter mixture, and beat 'til ingredients just come together--be sure not to overbeat!

- Fold in Blueberries

- On a floured surface form dough into a square and cut into triangles using a sharp knife

*For topping: beat one egg, brush egg over scones, sprinkle with sugar and bake as directed.

- Place triangles on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 17 minutes.

Wild, Wonderful Winter Wonderland

2011-02-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

Today's Lesson: never trust a Rodent. Good Old "Prostitution Phil" (don't ask) predicted an early spring, and last Friday when the temperatures were topping 70, it started to look like he might be right! However, as I sit here looking out my window at over 6" of snow, that groundhog should just be glad that even West Virginians don't consider Groundhog Goulash a delicacy.

The funny thing is, I'm one of those crazy people that usually really likes snow, but after being able to run outside in shorts last week, even I was less than thrilled with the forecast. But hey, if you can't beat it, photograph it!

Here's How My Garden (hopefully) Grows

2011-02-14T13:22:00.003-05:00

Several weeks ago I put in a massive order to Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. Not gonna lie, the day the seeds arrived in the mail was really exciting! Not only are they all the packets so pretty and exciting, but they also brought with them the promise of Spring. I've already started the tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, and eggplants; later this week I'll also start some cabbage and broccoli. It doesn't matter how many times I start a garden, there's something about watching seedlings sprout that never ceases to amaze me.

Below is a list of what I plan on growing this year (so far anyway):

Dragon Tongue Bush Bean

Romanesco Italia Broccoli

Chioggia Beet

Cour Di Bue Cabbage
Cosmic Purple Carrot
De Bourbonne Cucumber

Pandora Striped Rose Eggplant

Rocky Top Lettuce Mix
Albino Bullnose Pepper
Purple Beauty Pepper
Five Color Silver Beet Chard

Tomatillo Purple

Orange Fleshed Purple Smudge

Mortgage Lifter Tomato

Violet Jasper or Tzi Bi U Tomato

German Red Strawberry

Reisetomate Tomato

Here's Praying for a Bountiful Growing Season!

Sweet Potato Fries & Avocado Reubens

2011-02-04T16:26:00.003-05:00

Rational I am not, so it should really come as no surprise that I hate sweet potatoes, but I Love sweet potato fries (or SPFs if you will). Frozen ones are meh, some restaurant ones are OK, but homemade ones, dear readers, are the best you'll ever have. I think the biggest advantage to homemade SPFs is that you're totally in control--the sweet potato is your oyster, or let's say mussel, I don't like oysters either. Anyway, you can cut them to any thickness and you can make them sweet, savory, spicy, or all of the above! Below is how I made them last night, but like I said, feel free to change it up as your tastebuds see fit.

Sweet Potato Fries

3 - 5 Medium Sweet Potatoes

1/4 Cup - Canola Oil

1 Tablespoon - Sesame Oil

1 Tablespoon - Salt (I prefer Kosher or Sea)

1 Teaspoon - Garlic Powder

1 Teaspoon - Basil

1/4 Teaspoon - Cayenne Pepper

- Preheat oven to 400°F

- Wash SPs and butcher into whatever shapes you desire. You can peel them if you like, but I prefer to leave the skins on.

- Place SPs in gallon-sized ziploc bag, add oils & spices, seal bag, and shake 'til everything is thoroughly coated.

- Using a large slotted spoon, scoop SPs onto rimmed baking sheet and spread them around as much as possible.

- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until you've reached desired crispiness.

In my book, SPFs are the main course and anything else on the plate is a sideshow; however, these avocado reubens gave the SPFs a run for their money!

Avocado Reubens
Adapted from the Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, Reuben-esque

Rye Bread

Thousand Island (preferably homemade)

Avocado

Sauerkraut (fully drained)

Swiss Cheese

- Toast bread

- Place on baking sheet

- Slather one half with Thousand Island

- Lay several generous slices of avocado on "dressed" side of bread

- Mound the other slice of bread with kraut
- Top with one (or two, I won't judge) slice(s) of swiss cheese
- Place under broiler 'til cheese is fully melted
- Assemble sandwich and attempt to eat without making a giant mess--good luck!

I Love Snow Days

2011-01-31T14:21:00.008-05:00

Over the past week I've spent a lot of time in kitchen since Mini Coopers and over a foot of snow just don't mix. I didn't do any blogging, but I did do some baking and LOTS of picture taking.

First I made Smitten Kitchen's Marshamallows which are kind of messy, but they are also TO DIE FOR. After eating these, I may never eat another store-bought mallow again.

Then there were these lovely little heart cookies from The Cookie & Biscuit Bible (also pictured above).

And last, but certainly not least, Dorie Greenspan's Linzer Sables--there aren't words to do these cookies justice, but thankfully there are pictures.

Hachis Parmentier Végétarien

2011-01-31T13:04:00.001-05:00

Hachis Parmentier Végétarien

(Blogger Fail: So, I actually wrote this post last week and thought I'd hit the publish button. Oops!)

As the temperature dropped well below freezing, comfort food was a must on Monday night's dinner menu. Then again, I also didn't want to venture out to the grocery store. I surveyed my kitchen stock, and decided to peruse Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table, to see what the French had in mind for a stick-to-your-ribs dish with relatively few ingredients. I'm a sucker for anything with a picture, and the photo of the Hachis Parmentier in the book almost made me forget just how frigid it was outside. Hmmmmm, but did I have the ingredients?

The original recipe called for braised beef and sausage, of which I had neither. The "bonne idée" note on the side, however, suggested using ground beef and sausage (of which I still had neither), but that got me thinking....I did have a couple of bags of soy crumbles in the freezer. I figured that by adding the right spices (Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme à la Scarborough Fair) I could mimic both the savory beef and spicy sausage flavors, and concoct a vegetarian version of this traditional French comfort food. So, does my picture above make you feel all warm and comforted?

Hachis Parmentier Végétarien

As Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table

3 - Cloves of Garlic (diced)
1 - Small Onion (diced)
2 - Bags of Soy Crumbles
1 Tablespoon - Parsley
1 Teaspoon - Sage
1 Teaspoon - Rosemary
1 Teaspoon - Thyme
1 Tablespoon - Tomato Paste
1 Cup - Vegetable Broth
*Salt and Pepper to Taste

2lbs - Potatoes
3/4 Cup - Milk
1/2 Cup Gruyère (grated)
2 Tablespoons - Parmesan or Asiago (grated)
1 Tablespoon - Butter (grated)

- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Sauté garlic and onions in a large skillet 'til onions become translucent.
- Add soy crumbles and spices to skillet, and cook 'til the crumbles are cooked.
- Stir in broth and tomato paste, and cook on medium 'til mixture thickens.
- Spoon "meat" mixture into a 9x13 casserole dish, cover, and set aside.

- Boil quartered potatoes (I leave the skins on) until you can poke them easily with a fork.
- When potatoes are cooked, add milk, and mash them using a potato masher, hand mixer, or immersion blender (my fave!).
- Spoon potatoes over meat mixture.
- Spread grated cheese over potatoes
- Top with shredded butter, and bake for 30minutes or 'til topping is golden brown.

Cuban Black Beans & Quinoa and Vegan Red Velvet Cupcakes

2011-01-12T10:54:00.002-05:00

Traditionally this dish is made with rice, but when I'm looking for that extra boost of protein I often substitute quinoa for rice. This recipe came from my friend Maren's in-laws, and I've probably made it at least once a month since her wedding 2 years ago.

Cuban Black Beans and Quinoa (or Rice)

1 - Medium Onion

1 - Green Bell Pepper
3 Cloves - Garlic
1 Can - Black Beans
1 Cup - Quinoa
2/3 Can - Water (you can add more or less water, depending on how juicy you like things)

- Finely chop onion, pepper, and garlic (I use my Tupperware Quick Chef which is the most amazing thing ever: I just throw veggies in and crank away!).

- Sauté vegetables in a medium skillet using several glugs of olive oil 'til onions are translucent.

- Add beans (juice included), quinoa, and water: stir to combine.

- Cover and simmer for approximately 30 minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked.

Since Tuesday was my Vegan Day for this week, I served the black beans & quinoa with some roasted cauliflower and then I made these a-mazing cupcakes that I found via Tales from a Racey Kitchen for dessert. Below is the recipe for the cupcakes, adapted slightly from the original--this makes 1 dozen delicious cupcakes.

Red Velvet Vegan Cupcakes
Adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World via Tales from a Racey Kitchen
1 1/4 Cup - Flour
1 Cup - Sugar
2 Tablespoons - Cocoa Powder
1/2 Teaspoon - Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon - Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon - Salt

1 Cup - Silk Vanilla Soy Milk
1/3 Cup - Canola Oil
2 Tablespoons - Red Food Coloring
2 1/2 Teaspoons - Vanilla Extract
1/2 Teaspoon - Almond Extract

- Sift together dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients.
- Gently fold wet ingredients into dry, but be sure not to over stir!
- Grease a muffin tin (or use cupcake liners) and fill each one 2/3 full of batter.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow them to cool completely before icing, but I won't judge you if you sample a plain one :)

For the icing I vegan-ized my grandmother's famous red velvet cake icing, and it actually turned out really well!

Nana's Red Velvet Cake Icing, Vegan-ized*
5 Tablespoons - Flour
1 Cup - Silk Vanilla Soy Milk
1 Cup - Sugar
1 Cup - Vegetable Shortening
1 Teaspoon - Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon - Lemon Juice (optional)

- In a double boiler cook the flour and milk (adding milk gradually), stirring constantly 'til mixture thickens.
- Set flour & milk mixture and side and let it cool.
- Beat Sugar, shortening, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl until sugar fully dissolves.
- Beat in flour/milk mixture.
- Add in lemon juice if desired, and beat until you've reached your desired consistency.

*For the regular version just use regular milk instead of soy and butter in lieu of shortening.

Ramp Pesto with Whole Wheat Penne & Cherry Tomatoes

2011-01-07T15:35:00.010-05:00

Ramps--one of West Virginia's greatest natural resources, or at least I think so. If you're not familiar with ramps, they're similar to a leek or scallion in both appearance and strength of taste; however, their flavor is so distinct that you'll never mistake a ramp for any other vegetable.

In recent years ramps have found their way into upscale restaurants, but long before that wee Richele was out in the woods digging ramps with the fam.That's right dear readers, true West Virginians don't buy ramps at a store, you go out in the woods (preferably near a "crick") and dig them up yourselves.

Mom, Me, PopPop, and Granny

Pictured right you'll find me with my mother and grandparents (the former residents of Spring Maples) out on a dig. My mother informed me that I had nothing less than 3 pairs of shoes with me, so looks like that whole shoe addiction thing has been an issue for quite some time.

Anyway, ramps don't pop up 'til Spring, at which time I will post LOTS of ramp recipes. In the mean time, I was digging through my freezer and discovered some ramps that I blanched and froze last spring and forgot about 'til now. Ramps in January? Yes please!

I wasn't sure how the frozen ramps held up, so I decided to make a ramp pesto which was pretty amazing. I kept it simple and paired it with some whole wheat penne and sliced tomatoes. Select family members were a little weirded out by the initial color of the pesto, but once they tasted the final ensemble they shut up--mainly because they were stuffing their mouths full of pesto-coated penne.

Ramp Pesto

3 Cups - Ramps

1/3 Cup - Soy Nuts

2/3 Cup - Asiago Cheese

2/3 -1 Cup - Olive Oil

- Pulverize ramps, soy nuts, and cheese with an immersion blender or in a food processor or normal blender.

-Drizzle in olive oil while blending.

- Add salt and pepper to taste.

to make the rest of the dish....

-Halve a pint of cherry or grape tomatoes and sautee 'til slightly soft.

- Prepare pasta as directed.

- Combine pasta, pesto and tomatoes, and toss 'til pasta is thoroughly coated in pesto.

- Top with remaining shredded cheese.

As a bonus, here's another picture from my ramp-digging adventure :)

Wee Richele circa April 1984

Putting it to Pen: My 2011 Goals

2011-01-04T15:18:00.002-05:00

Many people set resolutions, but I prefer to set goals. There are many things I hope to accomplish in 2011, but I will--come hell or high water--at minimum do the following:

1. Overhaul the Downstairs Bathroom: When I first moved into Spring Maples 2 years ago one of the first things I did was rip the ugly wall paper off the bathroom walls; however, that is where the bathroom remodeling ended. The downstairs bath isn't huge, and I already have some ideas in mind (which Garnet Hill seams to read, but that's OK because they're having a HUGE sale), but I'll post more on that once I commence renovating.

2. Go Vegan One Day Per Week: I'm doing this for two reasons--first, for health reasons (I am a cheese fiend and actually consume far too much) and second, to expand my cooking horizons. I love milk and cheese and butter, so don't worry, I'm not actually giving them up for good.

3. Run a 10K and Finish a 5K in Under 30min: I love running and can actually run decent distances, but boy am I slooooooow. I have a plan, though, really I do! I bought a digital watch with a timer, and I've started keeping a training log on RunnersWorld.com that's pretty nifty. I've also set some reward points for myself (don't judge) i.e. if I run [insert number] miles in January, I can treat myself to a new piece of running gear from Lululemon. Hey, we all have our own motivators--most of mine involve shopping!

Throughout the year, I'll blog about my progress as I deem it relevant/interesting. For instance, today is my first Vegan day! So far, so good. I had some Silk soy milk with my espresso this morning, an apple & peanut butter for lunch, and I have a Larabar for a late afternoon snack. For dinner tonight I'm going to make my friend Katie's Amazing 7 Can Soup with just a few tweeks. This soup is delicious, filling, and it re-heats beautifully. Below is the recipe and how I've adjusted it to be Vegan-friendly.

Katie's Amazing 7 Can Soup

1LB - Ground Meat or Soy Crumbles (I didn't use either)
1 Package - Taco Mix
1 Package - Powdered Ranch Mix ( I also left this out and just added chili powder, cumin, garlic, and basil
1 Can - Rotel
1 Can - Corn
1 Can - Diced Tomatoes
3 Cans - Beans of Your Choosing (I used Kidney, Cannelini, and Pinto)
1 Can - Water

- If you're using some form of meat or soy crumbles, brown them in a large stock pot and when cooked sprinkle with seasoning packets.

- Dump in the rest of the ingredients.

- Bring to a slight boil, reduce to medium-low and cook for about 20 minutes or until thorougly heated.

- Top with crushed tortilla chips and shredded cheese if desired.

Christmas at Spring Maples the 2010 Edition: Part 3

2010-12-27T09:19:00.002-05:00

So I lied, I'm sorry. I got wrapped up (literally) in Christmas business, and barely even had a chance to check my email! Hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas--I know I did! Some of my gifts included a crêpe pan, Peugeot salt & pepper grinders and Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table. I have yet to try a Dorie Greenspan recipe that I haven't loved, so as I cook my way through the book I'll be sure to share my experiecnes. I'm also anxious to attempt crêpes, and as always I'll post my failures along with my [hopeful] successes.

Below are the rest of the Christmas pictures, I really have nothing to say other than NEVER turn me loose with a staple gun and extra lights after a few glasses of wine :)

I also decided to do a mini-photoshoot with Schatze before I headed out for the Christmas Eve Candle light service. Here are some of the outtakes :)

Christmas at Spring Maples the 2010 Edition: Part 2

2010-12-23T12:50:00.014-05:00

As mentioned in my previous post, Christmas 2009 was my first Christmas as the mistress of Spring Maples. I was a brand new home-owner and feeling awfully advantageous, so I decided to tackle two full-sized, live Christmas trees. It was a perfect plan--I could use my ornaments on one tree, my grandmother's on the other, and a tree in both front windows would make for symmetrical lighting from the exterior.

This year, I was not so motivated. I HATE putting the lights on trees more than anything, and the thought of putting lights on two trees was more than I could handle. So, since I was only doing one tree this year, I wanted a REALLY BIG ONE. I went to Simmon's Tree Farm in Bedington and found this doozy (pictured right): think it's big enough?

I also felt inclined to saw it down myself. Let's just say Paul Bunyanain't got nothin' on me!

My mom helped me drag the tree to the truck (hijacked from the dear little brother), and one of the tree farm workers helped us strap it in the bed.

Now if there's one thing I've learned about myself, it's that every project I tackle is always an adventure (read: disaster). Less than a mile from the tree farm I was cruising along at a whopping 30MPH, and next thing I know the tree was flying out the back of the truck. OOPS! Fortunately, the only person behind me was an incredibly awesome Frontier employee who not only had enough sense to keep his distance, but he stopped and helped us re-secure the tree back into the truck. Ten miles and 20 minutes later, we finally made it home; however, the fun wasn't over.

Once I started trimming the bottom branches off, I quickly realized that the tree was too big for any of the tree stands I had around the house. I sent Mom on a mission for a bigger one, and I continued to hack away at the bottom of the tree.

She returned with a jumbo tree stand, which fit; however, the trunk of the tree was soft, so instead of supporting the tree, the screws from the stand just kept digging into the trunk. Mom held the tree upright while I placed a frantic call to my grandfather. He came down right away with several pieces of wood, which were just what we needed!

Truth: I'm a little late on this post. I've had the tree up since the first week in December, but better late than never, right? As painful as the tree-getting experience was, putting the lights on was physically even more painful (it's a Scotch Pine, I'm heading to Bliss after this post to try and salvage my hands). BUT, the tree is lit, decorated, and Tiger has "watered" it more time than I even want to discuss.

Tonight or tomorrow I'll conclude my Christmas mini-series with the grand final--everything is all lit up! I'm pretty sure I'm sending the entire electric company on va-cay this year.

Traditional Chicken Pot Pie in 7 Simple Phases

2010-12-21T17:35:00.003-05:00

Chicken Pot Pie has always been one of my favorite dishes; however, I've actually only made it twice in my entire life. The first time, I used one of my aunt's recipes, but then I lost her recipe, so I was well, lost. I googled A LOT of recipes, but they either only made one measly 9-inch pie crust, or they had too much butter and not enough vegetables. I also found a lot of recipes that called for roasting the chicken, but why roast it when you can boil it and make your own chicken stock? I stumbled upon some article discussing the 3 basic parts of a pot pie--crust, gravy, filling. I can make crust, I can make gravy, and tossing some meat and veggies in shouldn't be that hard, right? It wasn't. Using my tried and true methods for cooking each element, I came up with what I consider a perfect pot pie recipe. It make a large 9X13 casserole, uses homemade broth, and has plenty of veggies (I even put in peas, just for Granny's benefit).

For this pot pie, I used chicken breasts from Legacy Manor Farm, which is home to some of the happiest meat in the area (seriously, go visit the farm, it's awesome). It would also be easy to make this a vegetarian recipe by using a vegetable stock, omitting the chicken, and perhaps throwing in some extra vegetables.

Traditional Chicken Pot Pie in 7 Simple Phases

Phase 1: Stock Talk--Invest Your Time Wisely and Multi-task
3 - Large Chicken Breasts
3 - Stalks of Celery
*Several Sprigs of Parsley, Rosemary, and Thyme
*Salt and Pepper

- Fill large stock pot 1/2 to 2/3 full of water, dump ingredients listed above into pot.
- Bring pot to a boil, reduce to medium and cook at a slow boil until chicken is fully cooked.
- Remove chicken from stock, set aside, and shred when cool enough to handle.
- Reserve 6 cups of the broth, and then freeze any that remains.

Phase 2: Vita-Meata-Vegetables

6 - Carrots

6- Small Potatoes

1 Cup - Frozen Peas (or more if you want, gross)

- Place in medium to large pan and add just enough water to cover vegetables

- Bring contents to a boil, cover and simmer until vegetables are tender.

- Drain vegetables and set aside.

Phase 3: All Aboard the Gravy Train
1/2 Stick of Butter
1 Medium Onion, Diced
6 Cups - Broth
1 Cup - Milk
1/2 Cup - Flour
- In a medium sauce pan, sauteé onions in butter 'til onions are translucent.
- Add broth to pan, and bring to a boil

- Using a jar or other sealed container, add milk & flour and shake 'til combined.

- Slowly whisk milk-flour combo into boiling broth.

- Reduce to simmer and continue stirring 'til broth is desired consistency.

Phase 4: It's as Easy as Pie

3 Cups - Flour
1 Teaspoon - Salt

1 Heaping Cup - Crisco

Approx 1/3 Cup - Iced Water

- Mix salt with flour.
- Cut in shortening 'til the size of peas (ugh, even the mention of peas)

- Slowly mix in water, 'til the flour will just hold it's shape.

- Divide dough into 2 pieces (one for the base crust and one for the top)

- Roll out bottom dough on floured surface and transfer to 9X13 casserole.

- Roll out top dough 'til you're ready to put a lid on things.

Phase 5: Come Together Right Now

- Add shredded chicken and reserved vegetables to gravy mixture.

- Dump the proverbial pot pie guts into the casserole.

- Place top dough over mixture, pinch edges to seal, and then poke several vents into the top.

Phase 6: Hot in Here

- Preheat oven to 400°F

- Bake for 45 minutes or until top crust is nice and golden brown.

Phase 7: Gonna Get Dirrrrty
-Make someone else do the dishes.

Great Grandma's Meringues

2010-12-16T17:01:00.002-05:00

For a cookie that involves very few ingredients and seems relatively simple, meringues are temperamental little devils. When I mentioned to my mother that I wanted to attempt good old Jessie Bernice's meringues, I was cautioned to be sure and check the weather first. What? Huh? Seriously? Apparently making meringues on a humid day will cause them to become chewy and/or flat--regardless, it ruins them. So, I heeded her warning and awaited a crisp, dry day to commence meringue madness.

After successfully making 2 batches, I must say I'm kind of obsessed with them at the moment. They're awesome because you can make them almost any flavor and you can dye them fun colors! Since all of my Christmas decor is pink and green, obviously I made pink and green meringues. The pink ones are almond flavored and the green ones are mint--perfect for an after dinner treat!

Great-Grandma's Meringues
4 - Egg Whites
1 Cup - Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon - Cream of Tartar
1/2 Teaspoon Flavoring
Several Drops of Food Coloring (technically this is optional, but in my kitchen, fun colors are a must!)

- Preheat oven to 175°F
- Beat eggs 'til frothy
- Add Cream of Tartar
- Beat 'til soft peaks form
- Slooooooooowly add sugar while continuing to beat the egg whites (p.s. I heart my Kitchen Aid stand mixer a lot at times like this)
- Add in flavoring and color and beat 'til incorporated
- Using a pastry bag or a spoon, dollop mixture onto parchment-covered cookie sheets
- Bake for 1 Hour
- Turn oven off and allow meringues to cool IN THE OVEN for 1 Hour

Under no circumstances open the oven door during the 2 hours that the meringues are baking/cooling.

From the Nancy Drew Cookbook--Mrs. Nickerson's Holiday Cookies, Flop or Fab?

2010-12-15T15:15:00.011-05:00

I love Nancy Drew--maybe not as much as the Hardy Boys, but I'm still a big fan. Over the past few years I've been ebaying the 50's-60's versions of the books. I've read the earlier ones, and it's actually quite interesting to compare how the books were changed between the first and second printings. In my quest to collect the whole series, I stumbled across the Nancy Drew Cookbook. Published in 1977, the book has some very "interesting" vintage recipes, and the ones I've tried have been quite good (love the 99 Steps French Toast) . Regardless, the recipe names and the "Drew's Clues" alone, make it a cookbook worth buying.

As part of my Christmas baking extravaganza, I decided to try "Mrs. Nickerson's Holiday Cookies." Before I say anything bad, the cookies are really tasty and similar to a madeleine. The recipe as written, however, has a lot to be desired. Let's just say if that's a sampling of Mrs. Nickerson's cooking, it's no wonder that Ned was always at the Drew's house snarfing down Hanah Gruen's culinary delights.

Below is the recipe as written, with my notes in red. It took me 4 rounds to get it right, but I'll share my tips and save you the time, trouble, and really hideous cookies.

1 Stick Butter

2 Eggs

1 Cup Sugar

1 Tablespoon Milk

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Flavoring

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1 1/2 Cups Flour
2 Squares Bitter Chocolate, Melted or
2 Tablespoons Cocoa (I opted for the cocoa)

You need 3 Mixing bowls! One medium, two small. Mix butter, sugar, salt, baking powder, and flour together in one of the bowls. In another bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the milk and vanilla. Add slowly to the dry mixture and stir. I thought the mixing combos were a little odd, but I followed them anyway. You'll also notice that this doesn't look like much batter, but it stretched way further than I expected and made 63 cookies.

Place 1/4 of the batter in the third bowl. Add the melted chocolate or cocoa. Heat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a cookie sheet, if you want to burn the edges and have the cookies stick to the sheet. Instead, I recommend placing a piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet. Drop both kinds of batter on it, a teaspoon at a time, side by side so they're touching.

Flatten together with a wet fork, if you want soggy cookies. These cookies will flatten enough on their own medling the two doughs together. Add white, red, or green sugar as decoration if you want really ugly cookies. Bake for 12 minutes if you like your cookies to double as weapons. I suggest baking for 9-10 minutes depending on your oven.

Christmas at Spring Maples the 2010 Edition: Part 1

2010-12-07T17:22:00.006-05:00

Front Window Wreaths Awaiting Their Hanging

While I spent many a Christmas as my grandparents' guest at Spring Maples, 2009 was my first Christmas as Mistress of Spring Maples aka Decorator in Chief (DOC). My first order of business as DOC was to stray from traditional Red and Green holiday hues, channel my inner Lilly Pulitzer, and deck the halls in Pinks and Greens.

My first purchase was this a-mazing wreath that I custom-ordered from Flower's Unlimited in Martinsburg, WV. I'm normally not much on artificial greenery, but do you really think I could buy a wreath like this and only keep it for one Christmas? I think not. The picture at right was taken last week, so as you can see it stored beautifully! (P.S. I also totally love that it matches my front door :) )

Last year, I used some tinsely wreaths from Target on the rest of the front windows, but for $1 a piece they barely made it through December. This year, I decided a little DIY project was in order, so I purchase 3 plain evergreen wreaths from A.C. Moore and those awesome pull out bows (they're only a few $ and all you do is pull the strings et voilà: perfect bow!), snagged some Christmas balls I bought at Wally World last year, and made my own wreaths!

And last, but certainly not least, these giant Christmas balls. I found these on post-Christmas clearance at Target and instantly knew their fate. I'm quite please with how they look; however, on a windy day they blow around and make a terrible bonking noise. The first time it happened was in the wee hours of the morning; the dog and I both thought there were bad guys after us.

As noted in the title this is merely the first post in my Christmas at Spring Maples series. Stay tuned for adventures in Tree-Trimming.

Masoor Dal aur Band Gobi aka Red Lentils with Cabbage

2010-12-02T17:03:00.004-05:00

One of the things I miss about living D.C. is Rasika--my favoritest Indian restaurant ever. My options for Indian cuisine are rather limited here in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia, so I decided if I wanted Indian I was just going to have to cook it myself.

I picked up some lentils the last time I was at Martin's Farm Market, and I still had some cabbage and onions from Tudor Hall, so this recipe from Madhur Jaffrey via Smitten Kitchen seemed to fit the bill. I knew I was going to have to run to the store to fetch some spices and considered picking up some frozen Naan(let's be honest, what is an Indian meal sans Naan?!). Then, I thought about it some more and decided to attempt my baking my own from an About.com recipe. I made slight adaptations to both the Naan and the lentils, but these recipes really don't need any tweaking--they're amazingly delicious and I'm super excited about leftovers tonight!

Masoor Dal aur Band Gobi

1 1/4 Cup - Red Split Lentils (masoor dal), picked over, washed and drained

5 Cups - Water

1/2 Teaspoon - Turmeric

5 Tablespoons - Oil (olive, canola, or even butter will work)

3 Cloves - Garlic

1- Onion

1 - Small Head of Cabbage

1 - Large Can of Diced Tomato

*Salt and Pepper to Taste

- Put the lentils and water into a heavy pot and bring to a boil. Remove any scum that collects at the top.

- Add the turmeric and stir to mix.

- Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, turn heat down to low, and simmer gently for 1 1/4 hours. Stir a few times during the last 30 minutes.

- When the lentils are about 15 minutes from being done, break out a jumbo skillet (I have a Pampered Chef monster) and slowly heat oil.

- Add minced garlic to oil, sautee for a few minutes, and then add sliced onion and shredded cabbage.

- Sautee the cabbage and onion mixture until cabbage and onions start to brown, sprinkle in cumin, salt, and pepper.

- Combine cooked lentils and cabbage mixture (I put everything in my jumbo skillet, but the original recipe recommends cooking everything in the lentil pan).

- Stir in diced tomato and cook on medium-low for several minutes to allow flavors to meld together.

Whole Wheat Naan

1 Packet - Yeast
2 Teaspoons - Sugar

3/4 Cup - Warm Water
2 Cups - Whole Wheat Flour
1 Teaspoon - Salt
1/4 Cup - Crisco

3 Tablespoons - Plain Yogurt

- In small bowl mix water, yeast, and sugar 'til sugar and yeast dissolve.

- Cover bowl with a towel and let rest for 10 minutes 'til foamy layer forms on top of mixture.

- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Add yeast water, yogurt, and Crisco and mix 'til combined (feel free to use your hands towards the end)

- Coat another medium bowl with oil, place dough in bowl and turn to evenly coat.

- Cover bowl with towel and allow to rise in a warm area for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled.

- Preheat oven to 450°F

- Tear off golf ball-sized pieces of dough, place on pizza stone or stoneware baking sheet and use your fingers to stretch into desired shape. If you'd like sprinkle with garlic and parsley at this point.

- Adjust the oven rack to the 2nd from the top, and insert naan.

- Bake 13 minutes or until browned on top.

B3 Waffles: Buttermilk, Buckwheat, and Blueberries

2010-11-30T15:47:00.003-05:00

One of the more useful things I found when cleaning out Spring Maples, was a brand new, still in the box, 1970's waffle iron. A waffle iron was never something on my kitchen wish list, but I figured since I found one, I may as well use it! After several trials and lots of errors, I finally made really good waffles without setting off smoke detectors or having a stream of batter across the kitchen floor. Before you make these waffles there are two things you MUST remember:

1. Do not overfill the waffle iron
2. Do not under any circumstance use fresh blueberries*

B³ Waffles

2 Cups - Buckwheat Flour
4 Tablespoons - Baking Powder
2 Tablespoons - Sugar
1 Teaspoon - Salt

2 Cups - Buttermilk
2 Eggs

2 Tablespoons - Melted Butter

1/2 Cup Dried Blueberries**

-Heat and grease up waffle iron as appropriate for your model

-Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl

-Whisk eggs and buttermilk in small bowl 'til frothy

-In small batches add dry ingredients to liquid mixture, and stir 'til combined.

-Stir in melted butter and blueberries, ladle batter into waffle iron and cook 'til golden brown.

*I used fresh blueberries once, and will never do it again. The blueberries adhered themselves to the waffle grid and it took me hours of scrubbing to remove them.

**You could also use a 1/2 cup of raisins, toss in a teaspoon or two of cinnamon and have cinnamon-raisin waffles.

Dark Chocolate Pots de Die For

2010-11-29T14:37:00.004-05:00

These delightfully indulgent desserts are a bit thicker than traditional pots de cremes, yet still maintain that smooth and rich texture that can only come from nice, fattening ingredients. This is a great dinner party dessert since it doesn't require a ton of ingredients or a lot time; it can also be prepared up to a day in advance. The stirring may get a bit tedious, but I find creating patterns as I stir passes the time. As a child when I would help my grandmother cook, I always got stuck with stirring and so (my horsey readers can appreciate this) to make the task less tedious I would trace jump courses or Dressage test patterns in whatever I happened to be stirring.

I portioned this batch into 5 servings, but since I couldn't even finish a whole one, I'd recommend spreading the mixture out over 6 dessert glasses.

Dark Chocolate Pots de Die For

4 - Egg Yolks

1/3 Cup - Sugar
1 Pinch - Salt

1 1/2 Cups - Heavy Cream

1 Cup - Dark Chocolate Chips or Pieces

- In medium bowl whisk together yolks, sugar, and salt until well-blended.

- Place heavy cream in medium sauce pan and warm over medium heat until it just starts to think about boiling, but don't let it actually boil!

- Next slowly whisk warmed cream into yolk and sugar mixture a little bit at a time. It is crucial not to add too much too fast or else the heat from the milk will cause the yolks to scramble.

- Once you've incorporated everything into the medium bowl, transfer that mixture back to the sauce pan.

- Now it's time to camp out at the stove :)

- Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until the mixture finally thickens. There will be times when it seems like it won't happen, but it will, and you'll know it when it does!

-Once custard thickens remove from heat and whisk in chocolate.

- Pour mixture into 6 dessert glasses, chill, and thoroughly lick remaining mixture from bowl.

Thanksgiving Breakfast: Pumpkin Muffins

2010-11-25T10:49:00.004-05:00

While I'm thankful for many things this year, I'm extra thankful that I'm doing absolutely zero cooking and/or baking for this year's Thanksgiving dinner (last year I hosted over 20 crazy family members). If you're hosting today, you probably aren't up for any more baking than is absolutely necessary. However, if you're like me and have abandoned the cooking ship, these muffins are a tasty, easy treat for breafast or just a pre-dinner snack. This recipe is also excellent for using up any leftover pumpkin.

I wanted mini and regular-sized muffins so I divvied up the batter, which made 24 mini and 8 regular muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips
1- Egg

1 - Cup Pureed Pumpkin
1/2 Cup - Milk

1/2 Cup - Canola Oil
1 Tsp - Vanilla Extract

2 Cups - Flour (I would normally use all whole wheat, but I was running low, so I used half white and half whole wheat in the pictures shown)

1/3 Cup - Sugar
1 Tablespoon - Baking Powder
1 Tsp - Salt
1 Tsp - Cinnamon

1/4 Tsp - Nutmeg

1/4 Tsp - Ginger

1 Cup - Chocolate Chips

- Preheat oven to 400°F
- Generously grease muffin tins
- Lightly beat eggs
- Add pumpkin, oil, and milk: mix 'til combined

- In separate mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and spices.

- Add dry ingredients in 3 parts to pumpkin mixture, and stir until the flour is just incorporated

- Mix in chocolate chips
- Spoon batter into tins
- Sprinkle batter with raw sugar (optional, but recommended)
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Vegetable Soup with Rivels

2010-11-22T13:28:00.005-05:00

One of the things I love most about vegetable soup are the endless possibilities--from your broth base to add-ins the choice is up to you! I remember the first time I made this soup, I was looking at my grandmother's recipe and thought, eeew, gross peas. Then it dawned on me that this was my soup and it was going to be pea free!

As for rivels, if you're not familiar with these simple drop dumplings, you have been deprived. My little brother even went through a phase ('til he was at least 18), where he would only eat "rivel soup"--no beans, no veggies, no nothing. From the info I've gathered over the years, rivels are German in origin and a popular addition to soups in the Amish and Mennonite communities. Regardless, rivels are very easy to make and are fantastic in most soups.

Here is the basic recipe I use for vegetable soup, but feel free to use whatever veggies you like. You can also add as much of the vegetables as you'd like.I recommend using as many fresh, organic veggies as possible, but I used frozen corn and okra, since it's November :) For this batch I used a happy* piece of beef from Tudor Hall Farm, but this soup also works with a vegetable or chicken base.

Beef Broth

Place a small chuck roast in your favorite soup pot, fill approximately halfway with water. Add salt, pepper, and any other spices (I used sprigs of rosemary, sage, and thyme tied together with a piece of cotton thread). Cook on medium-high heat until meat is thoroughly cooked and starting to fall apart. Remove herb bunch and meat from pot, let cool, and separate the meat into small pieces to be added back to the soup later.

Veggie Soup
3-5 Quarts Broth (add water as needed/desired)
1 Large Can - Crushed Tomatoes

1 Onion

6 Potatoes

3 Stalks Celery

3 Carrots

3 Zucchinis

1 Small Head of Cabbage
1 Bag Frozen Corn
1/2 Bag of Frozen Okra
3 Tbsp - Dried Parsley

Bring broth to a slow boil, add chopped vegetables and any reserved meat to broth and continue to cook on medium 'til vegetables are thoroughly cooked: 20-30 minutes. Now it's time to make and add the rivels! You can make as many or as few rivels as you want--just vary the proportions--but since my family LOVES rivels, we made a 6-egg batch for a large stock pot of soup.

Rivels

6 - Eggs

3 - Cups Flour (any kind will work, I used whole wheat)

1 Tbsp - Salt

Beat eggs in medium bowl, add salt, and work the flour into the eggs using a fork. Dough should be just slightly sticky, so you may need to add more flour depending on the size of the eggs used. Bring soup to a rolling boil and using a fork or your fingers (my mother prefers the hands on approach as shown) crumble nickel size pieces of rivel dough into the soup. Continue to boil for about 15 minutes or until the rivels are cooked through.

*I eat a mostly vegetarian diet, but when I do eat meat I eat what I jokingly call "happy meat." The only meat I eat is purchased from local farms so I know exactly how it was raised, what it was fed, etc.

Valley of the Dolls

2010-11-20T07:54:00.002-05:00

Ghosts, poltergeists, plumbing--don't let anyone try and tell you that owning an old house isn't scary. When I bought my grandparent's house, it was, well, full. As I've sorted through everything from 1960's Harper's Bazzars to 1960's homework assignments, I've found some pretty cool items and some creepy ones as well--namely the dolls.

Some are missing clothing, others limbs, but the strangest part are where they're found. It started as a joke when one of my aunts put a 3 foot doll in an attic window and almost gave the Fedex guy a heart attack. From that point onward, you never knew where a doll, or doll head would appear: there was even one in the shower once!

Over the past year, I decided to document the dolls via photos. As in golf, all shots were played where they lie.

So, who's ready for a sleepover???

Perfect Pumpkin Crème Brûlée--Take That, Wegmans!

2010-11-18T16:32:00.010-05:00

Once upon a time, I got a pumpkin crème brûlée from Wegmans, and it was amazing! Then I attempted to replicate it, and that was not so amazing. I've tried several recipes over the past couple years, but nothing has come even close to the one I bought at Wegmans. While my failed attempts were tasty, they just weren't quite the right texture or flavor as what I wanted them to be. I must admit that I've found very few recipes that I can't conquer, so I decided it was time to battle the brûlée yet again.

I'm slightly obsessed with Saveur Magazine and Saveur.com, so I decided to see what they had in their files. I found a base crème brûlée recipe that was adapted from a Dieter Schorner (former pastry chef at Le Cirque, NYC) concoction. I did a little more adapting since I wanted a pumpkin crème brûlée, and this time, my friends, it was perfect.

I think finding the right recipe was key, but I think using real ingredients is also essential. This time I used real pumpkin (leftover from a Blue Hubbard I roasted and froze last fall) and I used Trickling Springs heavy cream, which is most certainly the real deal.

Here is my adaptation of Saveur's adaptation: bonne chance!

2 Cups - Heavy Cream

5 Tbsp - Sugar

1 Tsp - Cinnamon

1/2 Tsp - Nutmeg

1 Tsp - Vanilla Extract

1 Pinch - Salt

4 - Egg Yolks

1 Cup - Pumpkin Pureé

1. Preheat oven to 275°. In a small pan, bring cream, 2 tbsp. sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
2. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks with 1 tbsp. sugar until sugar dissolves, and then whisk in Pumpkin Puree.

3. Slowly whisk in cooled cream (if it is not cool, yolks will scramble).

4. Strain through a fine sieve (you CANNOT skip this step)

5. Pour custard into 9inch dish or divide custard between 4 shallow gratin dishes (each about 1/2 cup in capacity).

6. Place dishes in a baking pan (or I used a large Pampered Chef skillet), then place pan in oven. Pour enough cold water into pan to come about halfway up sides of dishes. Bake until custard is set, 40-45 minutes for 1 large dish or 30-35 minutes for the smaller dishes.

7. Cover cooled custard with plastic wrap--make sure the custard is cool before you cover it, or else condensation will form and you'll have a layer of water on top of your custard.

8.Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

9. Right before you're going to serve, sprinkle sugar on top of custard and use a blowtorch to caramelize the sugar topping.

Stripetti Squash Gnocchi Skillet Ensemble

2010-11-17T12:39:00.002-05:00

I consider myself a winter squash connoisseur of sorts, so when I first spotted Stripetti Squash at Orr's Farm Market, I knew I had to try it. The Stripetti was labeled as a sweet potato-spaghetti squash combo, so while intrigued, I had no clue what to expect texture-wise, which would obviously affect the preparation. After some googling, I gave up on Stripetti-specific recipes and decided to just try something new. I found several recipes for gnocchi made with Butternut squash, but I thought why not swap in Stripetti instead?

I ended up using this recipe from Active Life Cooking and the Stripetti was my one and only substitution. This was my first attempt at making gnocchi, and while it may not be the prettiest, it's the tastiest, or at least I think so. At first I was a little apprehensive about the Cannellini beans--I didn't really see what they'd offer the dish; however, I added them, and they are an absolute must!

Words of wisdom?

1. Good luck halving the Stripetti: I recommend a chainsaw.

2. If you don't have an immersion blender, add one to your Christmas list.

3. An average size Stripetti makes a TON of gnocchi. I filled 2 cookies sheets and still only used about 1/3 of the dough, so I froze the rest.

Below are pics from start to finish, but they really don't do the flavor of this dish justice. I know that it's time consuming and somewhat labor intensive, but trust me: it's worth the effort.

Good luck saving room for dessert ;)

Aunt Stephanie's English Muffins

2010-11-16T11:48:00.003-05:00

I make no promies as to how often I'll be posting, but I do hope to do better than once a year :) I'm now the proud owner of a snazzy new camera, so hopefully that'll be motivation to post more frequently.

It's a cold rainy day in West Virginia, so it's an ideal day to crank up the oven and do lots of baking! Actually, you don't bake these muffins, you fry them in a dry skillet, but we'll get to that later.

Aunt Stephanie's English Muffins

1 Cup - Warm Water
2 Tbsp - Yeast

*Disolve yeast in water and let bubble

1 Cup - Hot Water

1/2 Cup - Honey

1/2 Cup - Oil

1 Tsp - Salt

*Mix, cool, and then add...

2 Eggs

*Mix eggs with liquid, combine with yeast mixture, and then add...

6-7 Cups Flour (I used Whole Wheat)

*Knead, roll, cut with biscuit cutter or you can use an upside down glass, let rise for 15 min.

*Fry on medium heat in a DRY cast iron skillet for about 3-5 minutes per side or until lightly browned.

Enjoy warm, toasted, or freeze some to enjoy later!