NOTE: This article is a work in progress made public for our testers while I work on this and other articles that will be created from it. Stay tuned. Also Sunday, October 4th Livestream with Aya Katz and Julia Hanna showcased this recipe in cupcake form and the Vegan version. Excitement! Thank you.

It took some trial and error to get a recipe for this type of almond cake that worked when there was so much fat, no egg white, no starches, and to have to replace sugar with honey (which while honey is overall higher in carbs than regular sugar, because it’s a wet not dry ingredient we were able to ultimately use less, (but the difference in carbs ended up being minuscule really, just fyi). All these factors ultimately affect the success of a fluffy sponge. Working with one substitution is easier than working with many. But I was up for the challenge.

I will say this is a cake that will love you sooo much if you love it back by giving time and care to each step. I learned that the hard way. But I learned.

My fourth almond and honey cake test was a fairly good success, especially when compared to its predecessors. It has the stability we were hoping for, it’s moist and spongy, it’s kinda like really really soft cornbread but not. Carrot cake, but not. Like a yellow sponge that was in the oven a bit too long initially and then softening as the days went by as opposed to drying out (this was a major plus).

After Aya’s first test of this, she said it was delicate like an Ezekiel bread. Flavor is fairly simple. I personally really would have liked to taste a stronger honey flavor in the sponge like in the first test cake (which turned out horrendously by the way stability wise). For this fourth cake I noticed each ingredient’s flavor separately, especially the next day. This is probably a cake you’d want to use your best ingredients in to really showcase the flavors and textures they have to offer. And this is also a cake you may want a really flavorful buttercream or a honey and spice drizzle for; or you could add a pow of flavor into the batter somehow and top off with a honey buttercream or creme pat or custard.

So bake 4 of this almond cake is presented. With a lot of information. So if you’re new to the world of baking in general or cooking with almond flour or honey, this recipe should cover all your questions. But you could always ask in the comments section below. Let us know how it goes for you and if you have any tips you’d like to share about this recipe.

Before you begin: If your mouth, lips, or ears have recently had any tickling or itching after eating a few almonds, I don’t suggest eating this cake plain. This means you might have some sort of sensitivity to almonds that could give you an allergic reaction of some sort if too much is ingested at once. This did happen to me after eating a whole slice of this cake. I had to take a benadryl.

HOWEVER, when i poured a syrup of honey, cinnamon, clove, and brandy on it a few days later, i was absolutely a.o.k. and was able to digest perfectly. The syrup does have a lot of honey, so perhaps my body was happy because of the medicinal properties in honey, which act as a natural anti inflammatory, antibiotic, and digestive aid. Whatever the reason, that addition worked for me, but it may not work for you.

Do not give honey to children under two.

The Almond Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 Stick butter (8T) salted or unsalted

• 1/2 c honey

• 3 1/2 t baking soda (1/4 t baking soda for honey, 1/4 t for yolks and cream, 3 for almond flour)

• 6 egg yolks

• 1/2 c full fat whipping cream

• 3 c almond flour, blanched, fine

*T=Tablespoon, t=teaspoon, c=cup

Tools

• measuring spoons

• wet and dry ingredient measuring cups

• 3-4 medium to large metal or glass bowls for mixing, and sifting in 3 parts. If you have to reuse bowls, take out the part you finished very carefully keeping the air and softness in tact and put in a different container; then wash your bowl very well and dry super duper well before mixing the next ingredients.

• sifter

• mixer hand held or stand with both paddle and whisk attachment (please make sure you wash and dry your attachments thoroughly between mixtures, this is extremely important until you get to the final combining of all the mixes into one batter.

• spatula

• paper towels

• knife or spoon for butter

• deep baking or roasting pan for your bain marie

• 1 nine inch baking round

Method

1. Preheat oven to bake 325F (not convection, just regular bake, convection has so far been a disaster for this recipe. So please don’t preheat to 300 convection — note that if you’re using convection in any recipe, it’s 25 F degrees lower than the recipe calls for.)

2. Get your bain marie ready. Use a roasting pan with deep sides that will fit your cake or cupcake tin inside of it nicely with some extra space on the sides. Place your tin in your roasting pan, and fill the roasting pan with water (cold from the sink like I did, or up to a boil from the stovetop or a little of both) to about 3/4 of the way up the wall of your tin. Take out your tin, dry it, set it aside and place your bain marie on the middle rack or your preheating oven so that it heats up or cools down with the oven. If you choose not to use a bain marie, skip this step.

3. Cut up 1 stick of butter from the fridge into workable pieces (about a tablespoon, or more or less, sized pieces; but it’s your choice really) and toss them into your bowl, glass or metal, not plastic. Whip on high speed with a paddle attachment preferably. I have a stand mixer so I can work on other things while a machine is doing it’s job, but a hand mixer is just fine. Because most hand-held mixers have flat edges to their attachments they work just fine as a dual whisk/paddle. If doing by hand, use a tough spatula or a wooden cooking spoon. Cream fast with that spoon or on high with your mixer until butter is really light colored and it’s creamy and fluffy and doesn’t look like it could go back to butter anymore. It should look like whipped spreading butter you can buy in the round containers. You’ll notice the puff and lightness. (It would have been helpful if I took a picture of this, at some point here I will.) When you start thinking it’s done, chances are you could go a bit further, but when you start thinking it might be ready, then it’s time to add the honey. (See the difference in thought?) It’s okay to stop the creaming process at this point if you need to take a breather or get your honey ready.

4. Grease your measuring cup with water, oil, butter, lard, cooking spray or whatever works best for you, before filling with 1/2 c honey, topped with 1/4 t baking soda right in the center . You just have to make sure there isn’t a bulky residue of it that will fall out with the honey because that could effect the process. For greasing my measuring cup for the honey, I tried oil and butter and neither worked that great so I just added a bit more honey into the greased measuring cup I was using to accommodate for the amount that I wouldn’t be able to get out easily. Just look at the measuring lines on the side and you’ll be able to tell how much went in.

5. Keep or turn your mixer back on high speed while drizzling in honey. The baking soda on the top will slide into the whipped butter and incorporate just fine. You can pause the drizzling if you think your butter and honey mixture need more time together before adding more. You don’t want to overburden your creamed butter with too much liquid. You don’t want your creamed mixture to break or deflate any more than it has to. The butter and honey MUST be totally incorporated and as one. You do not want to see the honey in the final product. You don’t want to see too much honey while you’re creaming the two. You do not want to see any honey droplets or streaks, and no separation when you stop the creaming process and set it aside. It should look just as is did when it was just the butter but more fluffy. It shouldn’t be quite shiny or you’ve added too much honey overall, assuming you mixed the crap out of it. Trust me it is better to start over from scratch and keep trying until you’re confident, than to try to keep going when it’s not right, because it WILL affect the outcome of the cake and not in a positive way. (“Oh, my!” and positive aren’t the same.) Once you’re sure it’s whipped to perfection, go ahead and put it in your fridge to keep cool.

6. Separate your 6 yolks and place the yolks into a new glass or mixing bowl. Whisk on medium high until they are lighter in color and they have the texture and consistency of a thick custard or the center of a room temperature Cadbury egg. When you stop your mixer and lift up, the peaks shouldn’t want to drip back into the bowl. The size should have doubled. So don’t stop until this happens.

7. To your creamed yolks, slowly drizzle in your whipping cream. Don’t let your whipping cream take over the egg yolks. Once incorporated keep whisking. The whipping cream will grow and fluff, adding to the yolk thickness, and make peaks as it would on its own. Sprinkle in 1/4t baking soda at any point during the adding of the whipping cream. Don’t overwork, but time should be given for this transformation. The peaks should be the same as they were for just the yolks, stiff but soft all over. Set this mixture aside.

8. In a large bowl, use a fork or a hand whisk to blend your 3 cups almond flour and 3 tsp. baking soda (and salt if you’re using non salted butter but feel like you want the salt. Over a large bowl or a big sheet of parchment paper, sift. Then sift again into a big glass or metal bowl, big enough for adding what you’ve already worked on to make your final batter, and set aside. Double sifting almond flour is, I feel, important but it’s not necessary. Sifting it is.

9. With a spatula, gently fold in 1/3 to 1/2 of your creamed yolk/cream/baking soda mixture at a time, incorporating without taking too much air out. If you want to use your stand mixer, on a low setting, with the whisk attachment, mix to almost completely combine. You can use your paddle attachment but it might butter together everything and you don’t really want that. If using a hand mixer move your mixer slowly in big spiral circles clock wise. Your batter will be sort of grainy and feel a bit like play doh. If you’re good folding in with a spatula, I’d totally recommend using that method because you can be gentler with your combining.

10. With a large serving spoon, gently spoon your fluffed honey butter and place here and there over your batter. Make sure you don’t see any separation or honey droplets, streaks, etc, on their own. If you do, whip on high again and let it sit aside while you check to make sure it stays combined. Fold in with your spatula, even more gently than with the creamed yolk cream. You can always finalize your batter by slowly whisking on low speed, as you did before (I did this for 5 or 10 seconds.) It will look and feel like a grainy cookie dough.

11. This batter rises by about half, so I put all the batter into one 9”round, placing it in the middle, and gently easing it to the edges, smoothing it without pressure to as flat a top as possible. Because your cake batter has so much fat content, it’s not going to stick to your baking pan, especially if it is a non stick one, that’s truly going to be overkill and will effect the bake. If you’re using an 8 or 9 inch round, don’t butter and flour the sides, don’t bother with lining it with baking paper you won’t get your cake out. I’m telling you this based on the results of my practice bakes. Messing with my pans in any protective way just messed up the edges of the bake.

12. Place baking round or cupcake tin slowly and gently in center of bain marie in the oven making sure you don’t burn yourself and that the water doesn’t have a chance to slosh or splash. For one 9 inch round, set your timer for 25 minutes. It could take up to 35 minutes, depending on your oven. (Note for aya, who will be trying this in cupcake form, set your timer for 10 minutes, could take 15)

13. READ THIS BEFORE YOU PLACE YOUR CAKE IN THE OVEN OR SOON THEREAFTER: Check at your first timer set. This is the tricky part. If you touch or pierce the top, and it’s not ready to be touched, it will deflate the cake center and your bake won’t recover or cook the same after that. So to prevent this what you need to do is put on your oven mitts and start to carefully lift it out of the bain marie keeping your eyes on the bake the second your mitts touch the pan. If it obviously starts to wobble, don’t continue picking it up, put it back down, close the oven door, don’t check for at least another 8 minutes. If there isn’t a prominent wobble, then you have to carefully lift the bake and slowly tip it side to side and watch for any movement, stopping the moment you see movement and then repeat the other way, stopping the moment you see movement, to make sure and to judge how much of your bake is effected. A smidge of movement is fine, it’s beneficial to your bake’s outcome if there is a smidge of something maybe happening, like barely seeing anything happening, or a slow even movement that doesn’t threaten to go over the sides if you tip too far; IF THIS OR IF no movement is happening at all, then it’s time to turn off the oven, keeping the oven door open and leaving it be for 3 to 5 minutes and then place it on a cooling rack or counter while still in its round or cupcake tray. At no point up till now should you be poking anything into your bake! Don’t remove from trays or cupcake wrappers until just a slightly warm temperature. You should be able to touch the baking pan with no problem. If your cake isn’t cooled enough, it will break apart when removing. (Using a toothpick or other implement to check to see if your cake is done doesn’t work here. Almond flour will always stick.)

Notes:

Because we’re working with fats, humidity and heat can affect the outcome of this cake. If your kitchen is cool or chilly in temperature, go ahead and leave stuff out, but if your kitchen is warm or humid, probably best to store things in the fridge until they’re needed again. Ingredients don’t need to be room temperature, except of course for the honey. In fact for some reason everything worked better as did the final bakes of the ones where the butter and eggs and whipping cream were straight from the fridge or out just a short bit.

You don’t need to add salt as there is already salt in the egg yolks naturally, as well as in the baking soda. I like the salted butter but would have been pleased with the unsalted, I wanted to use what I already had lying around in terms of butter because it can be expensive.

Bain maries and sloshing issues. One reason you place your bain marie in the oven first is because moving it into your oven you’ll notice sloshing. you don’t want the water to slosh into your batter. This way you can just take your tin and place it gently into the water bath and do the same when taking your tin out without the sloshing.

Why a bain marie for this bake? Because it helps to provide an even gentle heat around the food. It acts as a diffusion buffer. It also keeps high fat desserts from separating or cracking during the bake and keeps the insides moist; and some people use this method for molten center cakes. If a food normally creates a crust you may not want for your particular bake, like a batter made with almond flour or cornmeal, a bain marie will prevent that crust creation on the sides and bottom, at least in terms of severity and thickness.

Concerning the bain marie, when it comes to bakes,(french baguettes and eclairs in particular) misting the dough or placing a pan of water in the oven (not a bain marie per se, but still) is what caused the outside of the baguettes and eclairs to crisp and crust. Now this cake does have a crust but when in the bain marie the crust effects the top mostly. As I mentioned, the bain marie helped minimize or prevent a crust layer from happening in the parts that were in the baking round. But it could not stop the top from forming a crust, obviously. So my conundrum is, is there a crust because of the humidity from the bain marie within the oven, or is it just what is meant to happen no matter what? Almond cakes and cakes with honey are known to brown and crust. I’d like to test temperatures and cook time more. possibly even find a way to protect the top like people do for pie crusts. I think that if we could relieve this cake of a crust, then people wouldn’t want to mistake it for a cornbread. I didn’t mistake it, but i could see where they would initially respond that (as my family did).

Ingredients, methods, science and notes:

Because yea, I kinda took a lot into consideration and may have gone overboard.

The process of creaming your butter and then creaming your butter with the honey and baking powder combo is very important to the leavening of this cake. What’s happening is not only are you incorporating the acid of the honey into the fat of the butter, essentially creating one ingredient here, but also you’re building up air. These ingredients can’t aid in the leavening of your sponge if you don’t allow this process time. The same is true later for your yolks and whipping cream.

The salt issue and the butter you choose: Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter from grass fed cows is probably the best to use for this recipe because of its nutritional makeup. Salted or unsalted is a taste preference. I noticed that for the second test cake, where I used much less honey per butter ratio, the consistency was almost there, but between the baking soda amounts used for that bake and the use of salted butter, salt flavor was overload and prominent and it had a burnt something or other kind of aftertaste. It somehow picked up too much baking soda flavor. It was the one cake that didn’t taste good at all, the rest tasted great despite their looks. The recipe for this cake number 4’s ratio, I don’t think I could imagine using unsalted butter, but that is a preference, and I’m wondering if the bake that resulted might have tasted sweeter using an unsalted butter instead? In my 4 bakes enough honey tends to mute salt. Your taste buds will tell you what kind to use though. If you only have unsalted but feel you need salt, just add 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. salt (doing so won’t change the consistency result of this recipe). (But note for Aya, I don’t know in this recipe if the salt brings out or mutes the honey as I’ve read it could do either; I didn’t test that, and obviously based on my previous three cake tests it can possibly go either way.)

Note also that yolks have about 8 mg of sodium each. So I really wouldn’t bother adding salt, especially if you’re wanting low salt. And I’d even think about trying this with unsalted butter just to see if I like it better.

The butter you use: I used Members Mark brand butter here because it was cheap and I needed to go though a lot. I feel that final consistency and bake are possibly effected greatly depending on the butter you use. The last “normal” cake I made before this one, a Whole Orange Spiced Cake was a bit on the greasy side. That never happened before, but then I’d always chosen better butter brands for cakes and pastries (say that 3x fast) to make me seem like a better baker, and also because better ingredients just do their thing better. It’s really worth the results and and result in less kitchen conundrums. So comparing nutritional values and ingredients could be important. Butters, like any other ingredient, aren’t all equals.

Why cold butter: cold butter emulsifies better than a room temperature butter. So since we are adding liquid honey, the butter in the end does a much much better job from the fridge than at room temp.

Honey: Remember, you can pause the drizzling of your honey if you think your butter and honey mixture need more time together before adding more. And if it looks as thought the butter won’t be able to take more honey, stop before it gets to that point and beat beat beat, adding butter is fine as a solution if you’ve accidentally put in too much honey, and then just divide your mix. I’ll say again, it’s critical that the honey and butter are totally blended with no sweat or streaks left. And you don’t want to lose the fluff of your butter or you’re losing part of the fluff of your cake. The baking soda will only be able to do so much, and we aren’t adding baking powder.

Honey, why use less and what kind: I do know that the lighter the honey, the better for baking because of sweetness and strength. Too strong can be quite overpowering in a bake. Besides the flavor, one reason why using less honey than the amount of sugar a recipe calls for is because of all the water in honey. Honey is about 20% water. You’re basically mixing two liquids together (butter, even though it’s not in a melted state, and honey), not a liquid and a dry (butter and sugar crystals) as most recipes call for. Another way to look at it is that with butter and honey, you’re mixing a fat and an acid and water, not a fat and a carb and gluten and water. We aren’t working with carbs and gluten like we would be if we were baking a yellow sponge cake.

Honey and baking soda: You’ll also want to add baking soda to help with the water in the butter and honey, and to stabilize and leaven your batter from the get go. When liquid, acidity, or heat, hit the baking soda, it encourages a leavening action each time. For every cup of honey they say to add 1/4 t baking soda. In this recipe, the honey is the only acidity in the cake. So adding baking soda at the same time the honey is introduced gives a kick start to its process. I tried the butter honey with less baking soda (1/8th for the half cup of honey used), more baking soda, and no baking soda, and it didn’t do so great. This step held its own with less weeping and separating once I included the 1/4 t for the 1/2 c honey.

Honey and crusting or browning: Honey could be part of the reason of top browning on this bake. I did accommodate by lowering the cooking temperature by 25 degrees, which should be done for honey as well as for almond flour. With the use of the bain marie, it’s possible the regular temp of 350 F could be used for a quicker bake and possibly therefore less time browning? I didn’t test this.

Crystallized honey: If your honey has any obvious crystallization, loosen up your honey before measuring, warm slightly and make sure there are no visible crystals and stir; or you can cream it with a mortar and pestle or a spoon. If your honey is quite crystallized, adding your honey to the creamed butter might shrink and tame the crystals, but it will do so at the expense of your butter, so be sure to cream your crystallized honey or warm your honey back up by placing the bottle in a warm bath until it turns back into full liquid, before adding it to your creamed butter. I didn’t do any tests that utilized honey crystals or crystallized honey; I made sure i was using honey that would be consistent. Crystallized honey isn’t uniform as the crystals are different sizes and therefore I would not have been able to measure consistently, and I couldn’t account for any faults in the bake

Honey and liquids: They say that if more than 1c honey is used in a bake, lessen any additional liquids by 1/4c per c honey because honey retains moisture (honey is about 20 percent water, so reduce accordingly, like for 1c honey reduce liquids by 1/4 c). I didn’t do this here, instead I reduced the honey because I needed the air production of the creamed butter more than I needed the sweetness. Plus there is enough liquid and acidity in 1/4 cup for the baking soda to be able to leaven appropriately.

Honey as a substitute for sugar: I’ve read that for every cup of sugar substituted, use 1/2 cup of honey, and I’ve also read 3/4 cups of honey. I think this depends on the other ingredients, how sweet you want it, and what methods are used in your recipe. In this case I went 1/2 c of honey because I used 1 stick of butter (8T), so therefore if I were adding sugar not honey, I would have used an equal amount of sugar as is the general rule. So far that amount has worked best.

The yolk: Yolks add color and creaminess. Yolks make up a third of the egg. Yolks are utilized in baking for their fat and emulsifying abilities and texture and under low heat they make great thickening agents. When aerated, an egg yolk will only double in volume. Most recipes prefer eggs to be room temperature unless otherwise noted. I’m otherwise noting. It’s nice to be able to get the chill out of them, but once adding the cream, it worked better if the egg hadn’t been totally room temperature at the start of the creaming process. Especially since we’re having to cream it for so long therefore creating heat that will be there when adding the whipping cream which really needs to stay as cool as possible to whip properly. Yes, yolks bind and emulsify best at room temperature, but they will quickly get that way by the time you add the whipping cream. Egg yolk helps carry other flavors but at the same time muddies mellows and mutes. I’m wondering then if this would be a good place to add flavor to this bake, in the yolk as opposed to in the butter; worth a try if experimenting.

Eggs contribute to the overall fat and moisture content, so if you decide you want to only use yolks rather than whole eggs, adjustments have to be made. because essentially you’re decreasing moisture

the fat in yolks helps to shorten gluten and tenderize the final product.

Baked goods made with yolks only are richer and more tender than those made with whole eggs. Less water equals less gluten development, and the fats in the yolk weaken the gluten that is present.

I didn’t try this as cupcakes yet, so I can’t report on how easy they are to take out of the paper. But if you watched our cake test video, it looks like there wasn’t any issue.

Thoughts on this cake number 4:

Wondering if leaving out the 1/4 tsp baking soda added to the yolks and cream should be left out. I’m not sure why really, but I feel like I should try now that the cake worked out, but I’m out of personal tries for now. Time in oven should be played with. Making a batch and then taking one cupcake out at the earliest check to the latest check, letting them set, and seeing which texture and consistency is the best. The second day of the successful cake number 4 completely crumbs apart but the moisture is still there and that is lovely, there’s a sweet, buttery, almond aftertaste. I’m wondering if placing a baking tray on the rack above the bake will help the top of the cake not crust so much. I would like to try this a few more times, playing with temperature and time and bain marie level as well. Maybe even placing parchment paper, or foil like one would for a roast, or both? If the ingredients were refrigerated a bit before the final incorporation or after the final incorporation, then would it take longer to crust therefore reducing crust?

I’m a lover of Grapefruit. And I know enough to know that there is a right way and a wrong way to prepare a grapefruit.  I like to think of it as the fine art of Grapefruiting.  So you can imagine my delight when I found that Good Housekeeping’s Book of Good Meals, 1929, had a section dedicated to proper Grapefruit preparation.  I had to share.  Here are some tips for preparing Grapefruit. 

Grapefruit.    When I cut grapefruit, I do it the lazy way.  With a sharp knife, I cut the grapefruit through the middle, not from point to point (not top to bottom, or belly button to belly button).  This way rather than having orange slices, I have triangles in a cup.  I place my grapefruit in a bowl and I take a smaller sharp knife and cut around each triangle at a bit of an inward angle. I take a teaspoon (if I'm going to be fancy about it I use a grapefruit spoon which is a tiny spoon with a perforated point - but this doesn't normally happen) to scoop out each bite-size triangle.  Then I slurp up all the juice, using the grapefruit as a cup. 

But here is the old fashioned way of preparing grapefruit. To prepare a grapefruit after cutting, remove the seeds with a fork.  Then, with a sharp knife, cut around each section separating the flesh from the partitions.  With scissors, cut down each partition from the edge to the core.  Insert the knife again and separate the core from the fruit shell.  With the scissors or finger tips lift the center, bringing the partitions with it and leaving the fruit sections intact.

How do you prepare your grapefruit?

The following photo is not part of this delectable book, but they are of the era and thought all would enjoy.

Yes, there really is a Pie Town.  It's located at the top of the Continental Divide in New Mexico, U.S. of A,  just east of where highways 60 and 603 meet.  If you're not familiar with where that is, most people are familiar with the town of Albuquerque, New Mexico (even if we can't always spell it), and Pie Town is about a three hour drive from there.  There are no traffic lights or stops, and they don’t have a gas station.  

The destination you want is the Pie-o-neer Pie Shop, and yes, it is well worth the drive!

We really couldn't believe that we'd already spent a whole week in New Mexico before someone thought to tell us that there was a place called Pie Town, and that, true to it's name, there were shops that sold pies.  I know!   Guffaw, right?  Lots and lots of warm, delicious, decadent, handmade, homemade, made from scratch, perfect pies, right in our midst.  

How does one go through life not knowing these things?  I mean really!  And oh how we'd been craving pies.  We would have been there much sooner, perhaps even camped out for a few days if we had to, had we known of it's heavenly existence.

Any New Mexican culinary adventure would not be complete without a visit to this little New Mexico pie shop.  

People from literally all over the world come to visit the Pie-o-neer Pie Shop just to enjoy a slice of pie with some coffee or tea.  Kathy Knapp, owner of Pie-o-neer, loves this fact.  She offers visitors a journal and a pen so that they can write a little about themselves, where they’re from, and what brought them to Pie Town.  Each day after the shop closes, she sits and reads through every single one of her visitor’s entries and smiles.  And when her shop journal fills up (and each fills up fast) she stores it and pulls out a new one.  

Things you need to know:

♥   Once they’re out of pies they’re out of pies.

♥   They make whatever kinds of pies they feel like making each day.  So if your heart is set on a certain type of pie, and you know when you’ll be visiting, you'll need to give them a heads up.  Be sure to call ahead by at least a few days.

♥   They’re not always open and they don’t always hold the same hours, so you’ll want to check for updates via e-mail, their Facebook page, or by phone.

♥   Each pie is handmade from scratch every time.

♥   Their signature pies come with signature smiles.

♥   They have an adjoining art gallery filled with amazing local art. 

And I know that all of you want to see some of the photos I took here, no talk about pies would do without pictures after all.  Enjoy:

Photos ©2013 Michelle pg Richardson for Eye on Life Magazine

During our visit to New Mexico, we had no idea how awesome the cuisine is there.  Unexpected surprises all over the place.  They know their food, they know their local farmers and they know flavor. 

On the subject of burgers, we were told by family and friends in New Mexico, that “the place to go for great burgers and a fun time would be Bobby’s place over in San Antonio.  It’s worth the drive out there.  Sit at the bar if you’ll all fit,” they said.  (There are six of us.)  “If he’s not in the kitchen Bob’ll come out and start talking.  He’s like a big soft bear, you’ll like him.  He’s really funny and likes to tease.  But you’ll have a wait,” they said.  “They’re always packed and it’s a small place.”

When we found this very unassuming place we realized that Bobby’s meant Buckhorn Tavern.  The Buckhorn Tavern.  The voted #7 in America by GQ Buckhorn Tavern.

Bobby Olguin, owner of a little place called the Buckhorn Tavern in New Mexico on the edge of San Antonio, won Food Network's Bobby Flay Throwdown with his Green Chile Cheeseburger.  That was back in 2007.  If they were to do it all over, Bobby Olguin would win again.  Hands down. 

Mr. Olguin looks like he'd cook a mean burger too.  He's large man, about 6'3 I'd say, with a twinkle in his eyes, always at the ready with his spicy green chiles and a spicier wit. 

If you're anywhere near New Mexico, you have to make the trip to Buckhorn Tavern and you have to try anything here with their signature green chile blend. 

While in New Mexico, land of the green chile, you'd be hard pressed to find a restaurant or food truck that doesn't serve them in or on something.  But here at Buckhorn's they REALLY know their chiles.  They are by far the best tasting and most lip tingling.  This is because their chiles are an exclusive blend of the best green chiles - all locally grown. They come from Sichler Farms (a hop skip and a jump from the tavern), Rosales Farms (in Albuquerque, NM), and Bueno Family Farm (located in South Valley).

Their burgers are served cut in half, which is a good thing because they're so big.  They're also incredibly juicy and oh so messy so you'll need all those napkins that are brought to you.  The taste?  In a word: Phenomenal.

Burgers aren't the only bit of perfection on the menu. They've got no meat burgers, nachos, cheese fries, hot dogs, burritos, chips n salsa, grilled cheese, and onion rings to name a few. 

Their onion rings are perfect.  Perfect! Crispy, crunchy, and you can bite right through the onion, nice n neat.  Eat them fast before everyone else at your table steals them first.

They don't skimp and they're prices rock.

Inside, you'll find two main eating areas.  Smaller tables in the front room and longer tables, perfect for big families or dining out with friends, in the back.  The decor is a bit of an eclectic New Mexican, part diner, part tavern.  If you get there on the right night, you'll want to sit in the back room to enjoy some live music over beers and burgers.

You will be waiting to be seated for a decent amount of time, and it doesn't really matter what time of day it is, nor does it matter what day of the week. The inside waiting area is fairly small; there are three benches that seat about two people each.  There's also a small bar just outside the kitchen, where you can order a drink (hard or soft) while you wait.  Expect a line outside.  If you don’t see one, either you’re in luck or they’re closed.

Lunch and dinner times, of course, have the longest wait.  And because they ask "who's next", inevitably, if you're not pushy or around people who are fair, you'll get people who aren't ashamed of saying they are next when they're not.  So patience before dining is key.  Do not be starving when you get there.  But do be hungry because the portions are pretty darn big and taste soooo awesome you'll keep eating just for the taste.

As far as service goes, it's fast and friendly and laid back.  During our visit, there was only one waitress there and she served every single table, all by herself.  I kid you not.  During lunch hour too.  She's one of the best servers I know.  She was so fast it was hard to take a photo of her. 

If you want to take pictures, the lighting isn't that great, so watch your settings or expect to edit your photos in a good photo editor.  And know this, eating will take precedence so you probably won't be taking a lot of food photos unless you're taking pictures of other people's food while you're waiting for a seat.

Be sure to check their website for hours of operation.  And do buy one of the awesome tie-died t-shirts or tank tops they have for sale on the back side wall.

Whether on vacation, traveling for business, or going on a much needed retreat, we're all looking for that perfect place to stay for the perfect price.  We're also looking for all the amenities and inclusions that place has to offer; in other words, we are looking for the most complete package we can get our hands on.  While those offered extras can be the icing on the cake, for many of us those things can be the deciding factor as to whether or not we choose to stay at one particular establishment over another.  We'll even pay extra. 

A free breakfast is something we've come to expect from most any hotel, inn, or bed and breakfast, but this doesn't always mean that a free breakfast is included, and it doesn't always mean that breakfast will be any more than free coffee and a doughnut (in fact I've found that seems to be the going definition of a continental breakfast).  But while this may be the case, more and more Inns and Bed and Breakfasts are setting a higher standard to their breakfasts than ever before.  This is a very good thing.

When that breakfast includes perfect ambiance and a variety of delectables,  you know you've made the right choice.  Breakfast is, after all, the most important meal of the day, especially so when traveling. And it is very true that how you take your meal, any meal, is important for your whole being; it sets the tone for the whole day.

At Los Poblanos they offer more than just a breakfast, they offer a breakfast experience, and they offer it for free to Inn guests.  A gourmet paradise?  Yes. But it's not all about gourmet, it's about ingredients that are fresh, local, and organic. Their breakfast menus offer 1) something familiar with a gourmet twist, 2) something you've probably never had, with unexpected ingredients, 3) a traditional breakfast ordered off menu and made your way, and 4) they offer two small side buffets of house made helpings ranging from  fresh squeezed juice, to granola, along with other assorted local and farm fresh embellishments that satisfy any pallet. 

Aside from the traditional breakfast ordered off menu and the buffet items, all of which are offered everyday, each of the seven days of the week gives you two different Los Poblanos specialties to choose from.  So if you spent a whole week, and were traveling with someone, you could theoretically try 14 different specialty breakfasts.  We were guests for two nights and so our breakfasts were as follows:

More information:

• You don't have to be a guest at the Inn to enjoy a beautiful breakfast at Los Poblanos, but you will need to call ahead, as guests take top priority.

• You will receive a bill at the end of your meal even though it's free to guests. A polite way of showing just how much you've saved, and also so that you can see how much you should tip.
  

• Breakfast is served from 8-10 am each day.

• If you're lucky, you get to see one of the chefs picking fresh ingredients for your meal from the raised garden in the courtyard located outside the dining room on the west side. Feel free to stop and chat with them, they'll answer any curiosities you may have.
  

• Outdoor eating is available on the patio off the east side of the Ventana Room (dining room).

• I especially recommend a relaxing swim in the pool before breakfast.

We came to discover a whole new world of culinary delights that revolved more around ingredients than it did about food names.  In fact we came to find out that much of culinary New Mexico is about locally grown and harvested indigenous foods from organic, sustainable, and artisan farms.

​I love hard boiled eggs.  Not only are they the healthiest form of egg to eat, but the possibilities of what you can do with them are endless. Here is my favorite recipe for perfectly tangy and creamy deviled eggs.  They make you want more and more and more (as is so often the case with fabulous deviled eggs).  We all have our favorite recipe for this bit of heaven. But you know your recipe is awesome when you can take what's left of your filling and eat it by the spoon full, spread it on morning toast, and smooth it on as a spread for just about any sandwich and make it taste even more amazing.  If you've got a huge smile on your face, your deviled egg recipe is spot on.

Because of the abundance of eggs that are so necessary to celebrate, Spring is the perfect time to experiment with deviled egg recipes.  Fortunately, hard boiled eggs last a pretty long time: a week if they are still in their shells.  Once pealed, about 3 days.  So that gives me plenty of time to do a variety of things with my Easter eggs, because lets face it, just hard boiled can get boring fast.

I turn to deviled eggs mostly because they are a favorite to snack on, or to enjoy at a party or as an appetizer with friends. They're devilish to say the least and I must say I lust after them. Creamy and perfectly tangy... if they're done right.  And when I've got a lot of home office work to do in the morning, tangy deviled eggs are great to snack on and keep me going with some hot tea or coffee.

One of the tricks to a good deviled egg is texture.  Now I know people like to see photos of deviled eggs whose filling has been squeezed and piped, fluted and pinched, out of a pastry bag.  But when it comes down to it, here's what i think of that idea: No.  I am sooooo not going to go through the trouble of squeezing anything through anything, no matter how "pretty" they turn out.  I'm also not cleaning up any extra bags or attachments, and I don't see the need to pollute the world with unnecessary disposable plastic objects (yes they do come disposable, and no).

By texture, though, I don't simply mean the wonderful creamy center of this sinful finger food, I also means the smoothness of the white. We all know that if the shell takes off too much and leaves the white of the hard boiled egg pocked, you may as well throw it out or chop it up for something else, because as far as deviled egg texture goes, it just won't do. Not to mention it tends to somehow or other do something not so nice to the flavor. For this reason, I will always boil more eggs than necessary, just in case. However I do have a simple trick that I've provided for you in the tips section below, on how to best avoid this dramatic situation.

In this recipe, my ingredients are few. And they are nice and tangy, giving my creamy deviled eggs enough of a zip. I don't go for sweet, or tangy sweet, I go for tangy creamy.  While you can certainly get all wild and crazy and as lavish as you like with your deviled eggs, I find that simplicity with everything in life is best.  Most deviled eggs  are in fact simple and are made with few ingredients.  Experimentation, however, is your best bet to finding your own trademark deviled egg recipe.  Experimentation, coupled with the fact that I found I was desperately craving deviled eggs but was out of my usual ingredients, brought me to this taste of tangy egg heaven that I now can't live without. 

My secret ingredient to perfectly tangy deviled eggs? Lemon, lemon, and more lemon.  Sometimes this means a whole lot of fresh squeezed lemon juice.  Other times, not quite as much.  But lemon juice is a must for the perfect tang.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 eggs

• 1-3 t capers

• 2 T Hellmann's (or homemade or your favorite, plain) mayonnaise

• 1 T mustard (I like Plochman's or Stonewall Kitchen mustard best for their tang and color)

• 2-3 t fresh juice of 1 lemon (if you're a lemon lover, by all means add more to taste and preference)
  

• sprinkles of Paprika for color if you like
  

PREPARATION

1. Cook eggs for at least 20 minutes. 30 minutes if you like them well cooked with a bit of green on the outer yolk like I do.

2. Immediately rinse in cold (or iced) water and let cool. I take the pot and place it directly in the sink and let the cold water push out the hot water. This usually takes about a good minute. Then I let them set for 5 minutes.

3. Peel eggs.

4. Cut in halves lengthwise.

5. Remove egg yolks by gently squeezing the white just behind the yolk on the backsides of the eggs - Place the yolks in a glass bowl - set the white of the egg on a deviled egg platter or a sturdy plate with a good rim. You want to use a glass bowl, not a plastic or metal.
   

6. Mash yolks well. I use the back of a fork for this.

7. Add mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice.

8. Mix thoroughly with a fork - or a small spoon can be used at this point, using the backside as well as the scoop side to assure a good mixing and a creamy texture.

9. With a small spoon, dollop your mix into the centers of the set aside egg whites. Be generous. Even if you're generous, there will still be filling left over.
   

10. Top with capers. - If you prefer the taste or texture of more capers, you can add 2 teaspoons of them into your mix in step three and skip this step altogether or add them here anyway.

11. For color, you can add a few shakes of Paprika, either before or after topping with capers.​​

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TIPS

For some reason, adding a tablespoon of cider vinegar when eggs are in full boil helps the shells separate from the whites better.

Be sure to check the expiration date on your eggs as there is no point in going through the hassle of cooking bad eggs.  In fact it's always a good idea to check the expiration of all your ingredients before using.

Eggs that are too fresh do not peel well either, so don't take them from your hen house straight to preparing them for deviled eggs.  Unless of course you like to suffer through trying to peel eggs that just won't peel. ​

Always test one hard boiled egg before you peel all the eggs you have been boiling.  You want to check for peel-ability, of course, but you also want to check to make sure they are fully cooked.  Be sure they are all cut in half longwise.  Check for color too; I usually like a bit of green around the yolk, and you definitely want to make sure they are cooked all the way. 

More Tips

Whatever you do, do not let your cooked yolks sit out for any substantial amount of time after cutting your eggs in half lengthwise and removing the beautifully cooked centers.  Your mix will be much tastier, all the flavors will blend nicer, and the color will last longer.  You don't want them to look like they were exposed to air for too long.  I've found that it does change the texture and the color.  Also, it's a good idea to keep your deviled eggs cool so that they stay optimally cool and fresh when finally setting out for serving. 

The type of mustard you choose plays a big part in flavor, so do chose a good one. Just because it's good for a sandwich, does not mean it's good for a deviled egg (although it may be).  My personal favorite for deviled eggs is Plochman's Mustard, followed only by Stonewall Kitchen's Ballpark Mustard.

While some prefer the sweet of pickle relish, I prefer the minimal tang and softer sensation of  capers in my deviled eggs. So why Capers? Not only do capers taste great and enhance the tang of the lemon in this recipe, but Capers are subtle in their flavor and texture; I do not find them to be over powering at all, and they add a nice texture to the filling of this recipe should you choose to add them in the mix as well as for a garnishment.  Not to mention, Capers stand supreme in the world of antioxidant foods.

Hope you enjoy this recipe. It's a hit at all our parties and on lazy afternoons and with my taste buds and tummy when it's just me, myself, and I.

Got any tips of your own?  Feel free to share them in the comments below.

Deviled eggs extra, using dill instead of capers:

​Calamata olives from Greece - Tortellini from Italy - Italian style salami locally hand crafted in St. Louis - double gloucester cheese with chives - fontaine cheese - aged 8 year Wisconsin cheddar - chevre cheese with sundried tomatoes and herbs - cantaloupe wedges - organic gala apple slices - toasties - herb crackers - fig spread - ice water - wine.

The night was filled with, "try this with this and then put this on it..."  At least at first.  Then talk and laughter turned to food memories and other dining delights, then to the days happenings.  And so it went, through dessert. No one's plates matched.  Everyone used their fingers.  Files I had been working on earlier that day were still on the table, just shoved aside out of our way.  And it was perfect.

It really is so easy to have a relaxing evening, where dinner lasts a good while and is filled with all sorts of foods to taste, improvisation, conversation, and good friends. ​

People don't do it often enough, I think.  Perhaps because It's so easy to get caught up in wanting everything looking perfect and like they have it all under control.  Like serving means that they have to impress.  But it's really not about that at all.  It's not about how Martha Stewart you are, it's about offering your self and sharing with family and friends.

A good friend is not going to care how perfect your home is or isn't.  Is not going to care if your presentation is just so, or not.  A good friend just wants your company, wants to cherish some of life's moments with you.  And sure, some great food offers a fabulous backdrop to all of that, but it can be just that, a backdrop, a mix and match, a cornucopia of life's pleasures and sustenance, better to be enjoyed with others when you can.

In the good old days, back when I was a kid and my grandparents were still alive, dinner always lasted a very long time, no matter whose house it was at.  Dinner would start around 6 or 7 and would last until 8 or 9.  Not because there was so much to eat, but because there was so much to say and so many people to dine with.  Homes were open to friends and family.  Kitchen cooking offered a variety of courses, leftovers were turned into something new, someone would bring along this food or that drink.  And it all seemed to work out just fine.  A table full of laughter and gossip.  The more crowded and chaotic the better, it seemed.​

These days I create those special dinner moments whenever I can.  Although I lead a busy life filled with children, pets, work, never ending chores, and a limited budget, I find a way.  There's no point in finding excuses of why not, there are too many reasons for finding excuses why you should.  ​

Especially when it ends with this: ​

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This morning my husband wanted sausages and eggs goldenrod and and and.  I wanted bacon and deviled eggs.  But it was not meant to be, on either count.  There was not going to be a grocery run for the bacon or sausages, first of all.  And secondly, there's the fact that sometimes life offers too much in a day, and tired weary bones don't always feel like getting the dishes done, even if it just means sticking them in a dishwasher.  And while young, energetic children should be on top of these things for their poor old tired parents, finding ways to hide from the kitchen is apparently a much better way to release that energy. 

Three hours and one huge hunger headache later, the kitchen mess was taken care of, slowly but surely.  I decided on scrambled eggs on muffins and toast with a side of fresh fruit, and jam for those who wanted their sandwiches open faced. Always have eggs and bread and butter on hand, always.   The brunch was a hit and it was just as fabulous to look at; and not just because everyone was hungry, which can happen you know, people will eat the darndest things and swear by their goodness when they're hungry, but not in my family.  In my family, if it sucks, no matter how far into their heads from hunger their eyes are, they'll say it sucks, there's no going around that.  This one rocked.  Which is a very good thing, because it's not amusing to cook for people who don't appreciate your creative efforts in the kitchen. 

So here is the hit recipe, ready for any adjustments you'd like to make.  It's quick, it's easy, it's healthy.

You'll need the following supplies and ingredients:  

• a mixing bowl

• a frying pan

• a fork or whisk

• a spatula

• eggs 1-2 per person

• butter

• milk

• iodized salt

• pepper

• parsley

• shredded mozzarella

• shredded Parmesan

• English muffins or toast

• banana(s), tangerines, or your fruit of choice

• jelly, jam, or preserve of your choice

• any other ingredients you'd like to add to your eggs

What to do:  Scrambled Eggs

Crack your eggs into your mixing bowl.  Add a splash of milk.  A pinch of salt.  A few cracks of pepper.  Chop up a bit of fresh parsley (any kind you prefer, as much or as little) and throw that in.  Whisk well.  I use a fork to whisk as I have never been good with a whisk, ever.  

Heat some butter in your frying pan.  Make sure the heat isn't high.  A medium or medium low temp on a large burner is best.  When the butter is melted, and it should be enough to coat the bottom, add your mix.   

From the very beginning, use your spatula (facing down, not like you're going to scoop)  to keep the egg off the bottom.  Do NOT stir.  You want to scoot your spatula across the bottom of the pan, one side to the other, one side to the other, all the way through, till the eggs are almost done.  This will frill and layer and fluff your scrambled eggs perfectly and no part of your eggs will get burned or brown.  Add butter to an open space on the bottom of the frying pan as you like if the bottom of your pan gets too dry. It will coat and mix right in just fine.

When your scrambled eggs are almost done, you'll know, because they'll still be wet, but your spatula won't want to scoot the same way as when the moisture was prominent.  At that point, you carefully flip large sections of the egg over.  Then turn off the heat.  It will cook the rest of the way on its own for a few minutes while you add sprinkles of Parmesan and Mozzarella to the top. 

For the English Muffins or Toast: 

I use a toaster oven.  Toast until the muffins or bread are warm.  (Be sure to slice your English muffins in half before placing them on the rack.)  Once warm, pull out the rack a bit (protect your fingers so you don't get burned) and add a pat or two of butter on each.  Push the rack back in with a fork or something (the rack will of course still be hot), and let it toast the rest of the way, probably about a minute or less from the time you see the pats of butter have melted.   This technique will allow for a perfect crunch smoosh to your toast or muffin.

A quick word about jelly, jam, marmalade, and preserves: 

It's worth buying a fabulous one.  You'll know it's fabulous because its ingredients will be few and nutritious, and while it’ll probably be found at a roadside stand direct from a local farm, or at a reputable specialty shop like Stonewall Kitchen (one of my favorites going on 18 years now) really you can find a good jam, jelly, or marmalade at a local grocer.   A little will go a long way, and I do mean a little.  A thin spread, if you've bought a perfect one,  does the trick and tantalizes the taste buds like nothing else.  Cheap sugary jams jellies and preserves require the piling on method.  Not good for you. 

Like butter, and anything else in life, your embellishments should be enjoyed in moderation and should be great for your body and soul. 

And there you have it.  A tasty bit of heaven for Sunday or any day's brunch.  From our kitchen to yours.  We'd like to know your favorite extras you include in your scrambled eggs.  Feel free to share in the comments below.

Enjoy!

It is important to keep a perfectly stocked pantry as often as possible, for many reasons. 

1. When your pantry isn't properly stocked, you lose time you could be spending doing something you love with the people you love, like cooking and eating with them, for example.

2. You'll also find you have to go to the grocery more often; and when you do go, you end up buying what you should already have. More things to have to buy equals more things to forget, not to mention more money spent because you don't buy in bulk.

3. You'll be ordering out more than you ought to because you're missing ingredients and don't feel like getting them.

4. You can't be as creative as you'd like to on a whim be because you're missing base ingredients.

5. You may skip important ingredients that could offer better nutritional value and flavor to the meals you serve your loved ones.
   

You don't have to be a well established cook to know what to stock in your pantry.  While there are general items that are essential to the core of most meals, breakfast, lunch, or dinner, yours may differ from that of, say, your neighbors The Putnucks.   Here are some things you'll want to ponder on while making your Perfect Pantry List:

1. What foods do you normally like to cook?

2. What recipes would like to be cooking?

3. What ingredients do those meals have in common? (Make a physical list.that you can refer to)
   

4. What ingredients stock well in bulk that you could keep in your pantry for a good period of time? (Think perishable vs non perishable)

5. What ingredients should you be adding to your meals that you don't because you haven't thought about the above points in detail.

Know your space and utilize it.  Look at your key and common ingredients and make sure that you have the space and the storage solutions (like canisters, jars, bins, shelving,  and whatnot) to keep them properly.  Prioritize from there.

Time of year may be an important factor to look at, as well.  You'll find that you crave or like to cook different kinds of meals in the summer then you do in the winter spring or fall.  When you do your seasonal cleaning to the rest of your home, don't forget about doing the same for your pantry. For example, in our home, we need to think about stocking up on different kinds of flours, oils, iodized salt, pepper, sugar, butter, garlic, rice, and pastas, before we move on to the next level. 

And don't forget that a perfectly stocked pantry saves you money and time in the long run.  So think about this: Buying fresh, seasonal items, while they are in season, and then drying, freezing, canning, or jarring them, can save you money in the long run, and allow you to make those certain foods you like to make during those off times of year, without worries.  I can't tell you the amount of times we've just really wanted a blueberry pie in the middle of winter, and have had to spend 6 dollars per container for a few ounces of blueberries in each, and ended up making a 30 dollar pie because we didn't think ahead but had to have it.

Tips: We buy the butter when it's on sale and freeze it.  And we don't wait until we're out of something to stock up on it again.  If there is a sale on something we keep a stock of in our pantry, and we have the space, we go ahead and restock up to the amount we have space enough for.  And if you have kids, be sure they are familiar with your pantry items.  They're a big help when it come to keeping track of what you've got and what you might be running low on.  Not to mention being familiar with staple foods and a well stocked pantry, paired with a child's innate curiosity, just might influence some delectable and creative meals of their own.

This recipe is meant for those who feel a bit more comfortable in the kitchen.  While apricot glaze is fairly easy to make, it is one of those recipes that can be honed to one's own tastes and textures and therefor is, to me, a creative outlet and relaxing experience for those going into the process with no fear. This is not just for those who already have an idea of what they are doing when it comes to glazes, it is also for those with enough confidence or enough desire to play around and be imaginative with ones ingredients.  If you know what a glaze is and or have eaten food that has been glazed, you're good to go. 

Whatever you do, please don't be one of those people that paints on some glaze at the very end and attempts to pass their concoction as an apricot glazed pork roast. Not only is that cheating, but it undermines the cooking process and swindles dining companions out of what could have been an orgasmic experience.

Ingredients

For the Roast itself:

• Pork roast, 5lbs, not to be confused with a pork loin. It will come tied in string to keep it together as it has no bone and has been rolled as it is not technically one solid cut of meat. You want your pork roast to be about room temperature before cooking. I say about because if your room is usually at 50 or 90 degrees, I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to the people that enjoy a 70 degree Fahrenheit room. Be sure to rinse your pork roast well under water and DON'T let that water (it will be dripping from your hands as well as the pork roast, obviously) get on ANYTHING if you can help it. This will probably be just enough for 6 people, unless they eat like birds, in which case you'll definitely have leftovers.

• Frying pan and about a tablespoon of cooking oil for searing your pork roast.

• Shallow roasting pan lined well with tin foil (I double foil) to catch drippings below the broiling/roasting rack which has been coated well with Pam Olive Oil Spray or some such spray used so that food doesn't stick to your cooking surface. The foil lined pan and Pam laden rack, will save you hours of soaking and scrubbing after all is said and done (best advice I've ever been given for cooking pork roasts, and for that matter, pork anything).

• Tongs for flipping the pork roast when it's time to baste.

For the Apricot Glaze, in order of appearance:

1. Small pot - not tiny, just small, use your judgement. If you find the pot you're using seems too small or too large, switch pots.

2. Plastic spatula for stirring - there's going to be a lot of stirring. If you're one of those people that leaves their spatulas in the pot when they're away from the stove, please invest in a set of spatulas that are heat resistant and specially made for being left unattended. Don't take this advice personally. I am one of those people.

3. Apricot spread or jelly - 2 small jars will do, as this will allow (at least for this particular recipe) enough for diners to use as a condiment on their slices of pork roast once it has been cut and served.

4. Stick of butter - the whole thing, not one of those silly half sticks. I used sweet cream salted organic butter at room temperature.

5. Salt - to taste, which could mean anywhere from none to, I suppose, a whole tablespoon (but that would be crazy). My personal preference is to use a pinch, as in how much I can pinch between my thumb and pointer finger.

6. Water - about a cup. Some people prefer to use chicken or vegetable broth, even beer or bourbon, but I don't always have stock or broth on hand, and it is rarer that my pantry or cabinets hold beer or bourbon (unless, of course, I'm making chocolates, then you might find some liquor, or a lot). Water works just fine. In fact I tend to like using water a bit better, and find there's less overall fussing over flavors when I use it.

7. Chipotle powder - to taste. I can see where some home chefs could be quite generous with chipotle powder in their apricot glaze, depending on one's mood. It's going to give a sensation of heat in the back of the throat about two seconds after tasting. How much heat experience and for how long you want it to last, that is up to you. Choose wisely, you can't go back.

8. Pepper - to taste. I find that cracked pepper is best. I like to grind it myself and usually don't put in more than a couple of full turns. Enough to give my apricot glaze a hint of pepper but not enough for anyone to know it's in there.

9. Sage - fresh and organic is best, in my opinion, and definitely chopped fine. Use as much or as little as you like. If you're not sure, start with a little, and add more as you desire.

10. Basting brush - For basting your pork roast in apricot glaze. Please don't use a brush who's bristle hairs shed. Nobody likes that.

Set your oven at 325 degrees F.  While your oven is heating, prepare your roasting pan and set it aside.  Then put oil into your frying pan and turn the burner on.  Then wash your gorgeous pork roast (keep those strings on!).  Pat it dry.  Wash your hands WELL.  By this time your frying pan should be heated, so place your rinsed pork roast into the frying pan.  Start searing it on all sides (use high heat so that it can actually sear; you're not cooking your roast right now, you're searing to keep the juices locked in).  Once seared, place it in your roasting pan.  Don't put it in the oven yet, you'll want to glaze it on all sides first.

For the glaze:  You can make the glaze before or after the above pork roast preparations.  I usually do it before hand, but honestly I don't think it matters either way.  In your pot, you want to scoop out both jars of apricot spread or jelly (whichever you're using).  On a small burner, on medium to medium low, start heating it up, all the while stirring with your spatula.  Once it starts to warm up and soften, I go ahead and put the heat on low.  Then I add the butter and stir until it's all melted.  Add salt.  Stir.  Taste. It should not be anywhere near your finished flavor yet, but you really do need to know whether or not you've added too much salt.  Now add your cup of water (more or less is up to you).  Stir in fully.  Add pepper. Stir.  Add chipotle powder.  Stir.  This is where I usually taste and then accommodate my taste buds, making any modifications I would like.  I let it do it's thing for a while (still on low heat) while I chop up my sage.  I throw that in and stir. Then I taste and decide on whether or not I want to add any more sage or anything else.

Don't worry if the glaze seems too liquidy at first.  In fact to me, it's beneficial to begin your basting process with a more liquidy glaze as it will reduce just enough, and just in time, for the final glaze. Whatever you do, please don't be one of those people that paints on some glaze at the very end and attempts to pass their concoction as an apricot glazed pork roast.  Not only is that cheating, but it undermines the cooking process and swindles dining companions out of what could have been an orgasmic experience.

And now back to the pork roast: Baste your pork roast with your fabulous apricot glaze all over.  Cook with the fattiest side up.  Baste all over every 15 to 20 minutes, bottom side first (this is where your tongs come in - for flipping, you don't want to pierce your pork roast with a fork). 

If you've done a perfect job with your basting, you'll notice that your apricot glazed pork roast will have an almost burnt look to the fattier parts on top and a bit on the sides, about half way through full cooking time.  This comes from the sugars in the apricot glaze you've been basting it with.  A delicate and gorgeous caramelization happens to the fat in this basting with glaze process.  It is not getting burnt or being cooked on a temperature that is too high.  Nor will it taste anywhere near burnt.  Do not under any circumstances decide that perhaps you should turn your pork roast over and cook it fat side down.  This almost burnt look means you are an awesome cook.  The flavor in these places will be unbelievably wonderful.  Serve them to the ones you love the most.

In general cooking time for pork is about 20 minutes per pound.  My five pound roast took about three and a half to four hours to cook.  The shape will make a difference in cooking time.  If you have a meat thermometer that has not been through the dishwasher (in other words one in proper working condition), you'll want the middle of the pork roast to register at a temperature of 170 degrees F.  Once done, take your pan out of the oven for one final thick glazing and let it set on your stove top for about 20 minutes before setting your apricot glazed pork roast on a platter to cut and serve.  Don't forget to cut off all the strings before slicing.

Our favorite side to go with the apricot glazed pork roast?  Perfect creamy buttery mashed potatoes.

Have any glazing experience or tips you'd like to share?  Our readers want to hear from you.  Or maybe a favourite side?  Let us know in the comments below.

Back in the 1980’s when I was growing up in the San Bernardino Mountains, my mom decided she wanted to plant a few apple trees so that we would always have fresh fruit in the fall and winter months.  My mom planted  a yellow delicious and two northern spy apples, and these trees are still going strong over twenty-five years later.  Certain years the apple crop is more bountiful than others, but with three apple trees you are bound to get more than enough apples, and usually have a few to share.  Around this time of year my mom used to love making apple pies, and that is one tradition I have continued as an adult.  There is just something very homey about the smell of a cinnamon-infused apple pie baking on a crisp autumn day, which conjures up memories of the mountains and the leaves changing colors.  

Rustic homemade pie cannot be replicated with store bought pies, which are usually bland and overpriced in comparison.

I like to make my apple pies a bit rustic looking and simple by sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on top, but you can always make ornate designs on your apple pie with left-over dough from when you cut off the excess.  

Even though I get my organic apples from my mom’s apple tree, if you have a enough land to plant one, I guarantee you can save a great deal of money by picking the organic apples each fall.  The apples from your own trees more healthful and tasty from the grocery store, and you can take pride in witnessing the life-cycle of the apples forming from blossoms to fully grown fruit.  

The apples from my mom’s trees are not as large as the apples you buy at the store, but I actually prefer smaller apples because these are perfect for snacks, and easier to cut up for apple pies.  Of course this means that you have to cut a few more apples than you would with the larger variety, but I assure you the taste and the crispness of the organic apples is well worth the effort.  Besides, your family will have many fond memories of picking their own apples and making a pie, which are memories a store bought pie will never create.  

Cost:

Between 10 and 15 dollars, depending on how many of the supplies you already have in your pantry. If you have an apple tree, then you can easily make several apple pies for under 5 dollars.

Tools:

• 2 large mixing bowls

• 2 large mixing spoons

• 1 cutting board

• Wax paper

• 1 rolling pin

• 1 large re-sealable plastic bag

• 1 small knife for cutting apples

• 1 nine-inch pie pan

Ingredients for Pie Dough:

• 4 cups of flour

• 1 cup of oil

• 1 cup of milk

• 2 teaspoons of sugar

• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

NOTE:  The above ingredients will be divided in half for making the bottom and top halves of the pie crust.

Ingredients for the Pie Filling:

• 8 large organic apples (I used about 16 small organic apples for my pie)

• 2 tablespoons of flour

• ½ cup of room temperature and cubed butter, preferable unsalted

• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg

• 1 cup of sugar

Instructions for the Pie Dough:

1. Pour the milk and oil into a large bowl and mix the liquids together with a spoon.

2.  Slowly add the flour , sugar, and cinnamon to the bowl, and stir the dough into a ball with a large wooden spoon.  Using a food processor will eliminate the elbow grease needed for stirring the dough by hand, but there is just something stimulating about doing it yourself.  It is easier to make two separate batches for the pie dough, so I mix together ½ cup milk, ½ cup oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 2 cups of flour together to make the bottom crust of the pie, and then I repeat the process to make the top crust of the pie.  

3. Form the fully stirred dough into two balls with your hands, and put these in a large re-sealable plastic bag.  Allow the dough balls to refrigerate for an hour.

Instructions for the Pie Filling:

1. Rinse and chop the apples into small pieces to put in a large mixing bowl.  Many people prefer to peal the skin off the apples, but I cut this up whole because there is great deal of flavor and nutrients to be found in the skin of organic apples.  Simply make sure to discard the cores and seeds when cutting up the apples.

2. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cubed butter to the cut up apples, and thoroughly mix all the ingredients together with a large spoon.

Instructions for Assembling the Pie:

1. Place one of the chilled dough balls between two sheets of wax paper and roll it out with a rolling pin.  Save the wax paper for rolling out the other dough ball.

2. Lightly oil the pie pan and place the rolled out dough inside.  Cut off the excess dough from around the edges of the pie pan.

3. Pour the apple filling into the pie pan while making sure to evenly distribute the apples.

4. Roll out the second dough ball between the two sheet of wax paper.

5.Put the rolled out dough over the pie, and cut off the excess with a knife.  Use your fingers or a fork to crimp the edges of the pie.

6. Cut vent holes on the top of the pie so heat and moisture can escape, and use extra dough to make pretty designs on top of the pie crust, if desired.

7. Lightly sprinkled the top of your pie with a bit of cinnamon and sugar to give it a rustic look.

8. Place the pie pan in an oven preheated oven at 425 degrees for about twenty minutes.  After  about twenty minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degree Fahrenheit, and bake for another twenty minutes, or until the crust begins to brown and the apple mixture is bubbling out of the vents on the time of the pie crust.  Times may vary according to your oven.

9. Carefully take the pie out of the oven with mitts, and place on a cooling rack for about an hour.

NOTE: Apple pie tastes delightful when served with a bit of vanilla ice cream, which is something I need to purchase the next time I make apple pie.

Nutrition Facts

User Entered Recipe

16 Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 389.2 Total Fat 20.5 g Saturated Fat 4.8 g Polyunsaturated Fat 4.3 g Monounsaturated Fat 9.8 g Cholesterol 16.8 mg Sodium 7.2 mg Potassium 69.7 mg Total Carbohydrate 52.1 g Dietary Fiber 4.3 g Sugars 26.0 g Protein 3.6 g
Vitamin A 4.9 % Vitamin B-12 0.2 % Vitamin B-6 0.1 % Vitamin C 4.8 % Vitamin D 1.6 % Vitamin E 14.8 % Calcium 2.5 % Copper 0.2 % Folate 0.1 % Iron 7.0 % Magnesium 0.2 % Manganese 3.8 % Niacin 8.1 % Pantothenic Acid 0.1 % Phosphorus 0.2 % Riboflavin 6.3 % Selenium 0.2 % Thiamin 10.1 % Zinc 0.1 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

In our home, mashed potatoes is an autumn staple to most of our dinners.  They warm and fill your tummy just so, and accept a lot of ​flavors: from herbs and spices to meats and vegetables, and even autumn fruits.  Not to mention, potatoes are also much more than just starch.  They hold many valuable vitamins and minerals.​ In fact, did you know that you can live on salted and  buttered potatoes?  Butter holds key nutrients that potatoes do not, and vice versa. Salt is simply a must for survival, especially iodized salt.  Together they hold everything you need.  Mashed potatoes have often found their way as a main course or variable side on our dinner table, and will continue to because of this.  Not to mention, they taste soooo perfect when done correctly.

Knowing how to make a perfect mashed potato is the foundation to so many kitchen cooking meal options.  You can make double batches easily so that what you don't use one night can be re-purposed for the next.  As we are a family of six, I find this method useful and efficient, and helps time and space wise.  In fact for this recipe, I'll be writing out the same amount I normally do; so if you are a family of two, three, or four, you'll have left overs for a third day (though I wouldn't save them for longer than that, as they are potatoes and therefore have a short fridge life and I wouldn't recommend freezing them).

Cost:​ under $10

Cook Time​:

• Prep time:​ 10 minutes

• Cook time:​ 20 minutes to boil, 5 minutes to whip

• Ready in:​ 30-40 minutes

• Yields:​ 12 1 cup servings
  

Ingredients:​

• ​5 lbs organic russet potatoes peeled and cut

• ​1 fourth cup to half a cup organic fat free milk

• 2 sticks salted organic butter​

• 5 teaspoons iodized salt​ (1half teaspoon for boiling potatoes, 4 and a half teaspoons for whipping)

• 1fourth teaspoon olive oil (for boiling potatoes)​

• water (for boiling potatoes)​

Tools:​

• ​cutting board

• ​sharp all purpose cutting knife

• large cooking pot​. (If you're not sure what size your pot is, it should be able to hold 5 pounds of cut potatoes with room for water to cover and exceed the potatoes by an extra one to three inches plus room for boiling where you won't get too much water bubbling out over the sides.)

• stove top

• oven pads or mitts​

• colander​

• hand mixer​

• large mixing bowl​

• ​fork
  

​Note:

​The key to perfect autumn mashed potatoes and variant recipes, lies in the ​potatoes you use and their preparation. First and foremost, organic potatoes hold more flavor.  Firmness is also important.  The harder the potatoes, preferably no green showing through the skin, and definitely no "eyes", the better for a fluffier, more nutritious, and less starchy (or gluey) mash. 

Peeled potatoes for mashing is optional but skin-on potatoes will not be considered in the instructions below, but here are some tips for if you are going to leave them on.  There are times when I know that leaving the skins on with add a sought after texture to certain combinations.  There is also prep time to take into consideration.  Washing but not peeling, and going straight to cutting and boiling can save you 5 or so minutes you may not have.  Peeling only some of the skins, or some of the potatoes, is another option you may want to consider.​  If you are leaving some or all of the skin on, you'll want to make sure you scrub your potatoes gently with a wire brush while under cool or lukewarm water before cutting.

Recipe Instructions​

1. Rinse and peel your potatoes. Then rinse again before placing them back on your cutting board.

2. ​With your knife, cut each potato lengthwise.

3. ​Cut each half width wise (not lengthwise) in half inch pieces. This allows your potatoes to cook quicker.

4. Place cut pieces into your cooking pot as each potato is finished. ​

5. Fill your pot with cool water from your sink, making sure that you have one - three extra inches​ of water as: a) your potatoes will soak up quite a bit of it, and b) it is the boiling action that helps them soften and that causes the starch to cook out better, especially if you want your potatoes to come out creamy but not dense or sticky thick.

6. ​Add your 1 fourth teaspoon olive oil and 1 half teaspoon salt to your pot of water and cut potatoes.

7. Set pot on large burner on stove top and turn fire on to high.​

8. Once the water starts to boil, you can turn the temperature to medium high, but depending on your stove top and pot, you probably shouldn't turn it lower than that because you want it to be at a fairly steady boil throughout the cooking process.​

9. Set your timer for 20 minutes at this point. ​

10. You'll know your potatoes are ready when you have absolutely no trouble at all ​forking them. (see photograph below)
    

1. Turn off the stove and ​if the handles of your pot are hot, use oven pads or mitts to remove your pot from the stove top.
   

2. Place your colander into your sink.

3. ​Dump the boiled potatoes and water into the colander, careful not to back-splash any of the hot water onto yourself. Gently shake out the water, careful not to lose any potatoes.

4. ​Dump your drained potatoes into your large mixing bowl. ​

5. Add one stick of ​butter. It should start melting. To help it along, use a fork to stab it into smaller pieces.
   

6. Use your had mixer​ until the butter is mixed in. Start at a low speed at first with an up and down motion crushing and mashing down on the potatoes so that they get crushed into smaller pieces (about 30 seconds). Then start turning your hand mixer to the highest speed and whip in a circular motion (for about a minute).
   

7. Add two teaspoons salt (sprinkled around, not just dumped in one spot) and whip thoroughly into potatoes. (about 30 seconds)
   

8. Add half of your second stick of butter. Fork into pieces to help the mixer along. Then whip thoroughly. By this time you should know if you're going to need to add the milk or if you can do without it. If your mix is fairly moist and not flaky, you're fine. Otherwise, add in your milk. 1/4 of a cup only then whip (about 1 minute).
   

9. Add the rest of your salt (sprinkled around as before, not just dumped in one spot) and whip thoroughly into potatoes (about 30 seconds).​

10. Add the rest of your butter the same way as you did the other two times, and whip (for 1 minute).​

1. If your potatoes look similar to the photo below, your potatoes do not need any more liquid. If they don't look as creamy and rich as the photo below, then now is the time to add the other 1 fourth cup of your milk and whip for 1 minute.
   

2. Taste. If you need more salt, you can add little by little, whipping well before adding any more. ​

3. Done

Remember, potatoes will hold their heat better than most foods.  But once they cool down, they cool down fast.​

There are things you can do to make a burger and potatoes just right for the autumn and winter months, right in your very kitchen.  Broiling your burgers is one of the healthiest ways to go, and with the increase in obesity, cardiovascular, and cholesterol issues hat people face today, the further away from fried foods we can get, the better.  By broiling your organic, grass fed beef you can have a perfect burger and keep a healthy body and mind while you're eating it.

cost: $5 or less per person

Cook Time for Fall Broiled Organic Grass fed beef Burgers:

• Prep time: 5-10 min.

• Cook Time: 20-25 min.

• Ready in: 30-40 min

• Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients for Fall Broiled Organic Grass Fed Burgers:

• lbs 90% lean 10% fat Grass Fed hamburger beef

• 1/3 cup ketchup

• 2 tablespoon whiskey

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley - see note below.

• 1/2 c. (total) finely chopped yellow onions, garlic, red/green/yellow peppers (all optional)

• 6 hamburger bun

• condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo, other of your choice) - see note below.

• toppings (lettuce, onion, tomato, cucumber, pickle, cheese, bacon, avocado, other of your choice) - see note below

• for mixing and cooking: roasting pan, bottom grate, foil paper, mixing bowl

Note:

You may want to keep it scarce on the condiments and toppings.  This is a very flavorful burger that does alter the taste of your condiments and toppings.  the milder the condiment or topping the better (I have found that while I don't normally prefer mayonnaise or  cucumber, on my burgers, these two work extremely well for the pallet.

Also note that organic grass fed beef is a denser and normally fresher meat and should therefor be cooked to a medium center for juiciness.  Because of its hearty denseness, this is also why you want the parsley in your burger.  The type of parsley you use is up to you.  A curly parsley is fine but is normally used as garnish.  The best parsley is Italian, or flat parsley, also known as chervil by the French.

Whiskey can be replaced by beer or wine.  Note this will change the base flavor of the burger.  Liquor can be considered optional, but is highly recommended for flavor and heartiness.  Also note that calories from any liquor you use burns out.

Recipe Instructions:

While heating the oven to broil at 450 degrees F (convection heat if possible), cover your roasting pan with aluminum foil to catch drippings and for easy cleaning.  The use of foil is optional.  Place a roasting or broiling rack inside.   

In a mixing bowl, place all ingredients (minus condiments, toppings, and hamburger buns).  Mix well by "fisting" and folding. Not so harsh though, you don’t want a tough burger, just enough to make sure ingredients are fairly evenly distributed.

Take a large handful of mixture into the palm of your hands and shape into patties.  You will get 6 large burgers exactly if your handful is the right size.

Place your shaped organic grass fed beef burger patties on the roasting rack that has been placed in the foil covered roasting pan.

Your roasting pan of organic grass fed beef burgers will then be placed on the middle rack.  Cook 10 minutes on each side.  I flip them over with metal tongs.  Once your burger has a deep caramel glaze sort of color, it will be ready to flip and you'll notice that the side that was previously facing the bottom of the pan will look cooked but light and bland.  Once you see that same deep caramel glaze sort of color again, your burgers will be done. Watch out for over cooking as grass fed burgers can get dry fast.

Let stand for 3 minutes and serve.​

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​

Comet Coffee, located at 5708 Oakland Avenue in St. Louis, is THE #1 coffee, tea, and pastry shop in town, hands down.  What makes this independent coffee shop so great? Well, for starters, Comet Coffee is committed to serving St. Louis exceptional quality and flavor in every drink and pastry they create and serve, making for very satisfied customers.  Along with your classic coffee drinks, you'll find coffees and espressos you can't find at any other local coffee shop; all traditionally crafted with perfection.

Their coffees, teas, and pastries include organic ingredients  (which is a major plus in my book).  Their goal:  what isn't organic now, will be in the future.  Not only does Comet Coffee use organic ingredients, but those divine, eat-me-now pastries are each  handmade, from scratch, in shop, by their very own pastry chef and co founder Stephanie Fischer.      Her passion: French Pastries. And you can taste the influence, even in her organic-blueberry muffins (featured below). 

I've created a fabulous photo essay, with commentaries below of some of Comet Coffee's marvelous offerings, to tempt your senses.  But first, here's a bit about their ambiance.

I got to meet the creatives and entrepreneurs behind Comet Coffee on Monday and I have to say, it was the best afternoon I've had in very long time. It was like the perfect spa weekend, only better because there was food and drinks, and everything tasted soooo divine.

There is definitely something about the feel of Comet Coffee that makes you want to relax, enjoy, and linger on the palate of pleasures set before you that seem to come so easily in everything they create.  You may not notice it at first, but you do sink into the vibe of this gem of a place and this is an important feature of any coffee shop.  (Outside patio seating is available.)

Hours of Operation:  Monday through Saturday 6am-5pm

Comet Coffee phone: (314)932-7770

Special events: Grand Opening set for September 7, 2012 - A ribbon cutting, some complimentary mini-pastries, the debut of a special Kenyan coffee and more.

• Yes! Even though they aren't officially open, you can still stop in for a fabulous drink and pastry.
  

And now, as promised, that fabulous photo essay, with commentaries of some of Comet Coffee's marvelous offerings, to tempt your senses.  Google map link provided at the end of the show.  Follow Comet Coffee on Facebook for daily features, pleasures, and happenings:

Coffee shops are mostly about coffee, sure, but when I go to a coffee shop, I always wonder what kind of teas they serve.  You can tell a lot about the quality and expertise level of a coffee shop by the teas they offer. The finer the quality of the teas they serve, the more exceptional  of an establishment they are. 

Comet Coffee offers perfectly brewed teas, and I don't mean the kind in a teabag that gets tossed on your table with a metal pot that leaks.  Nor do I mean the teas that are entirely too hot to even sip that have no flavor anyway.  No, I mean elegantly beautiful loose teas, measured and brewed precisely and to perfection before being brought to you in a sweet and simple mug, a glass carafe of your tea on the side for personal refills. 

What you see here is organic Blend 333 with rosehips, chamomile, and peppermint, by Intelligentsia, a green, direct trade, tea, coffee, and espresso company that buys direct from farmers they know.  I really mean it when I say that Comet Coffee brews their teas to precise perfection.  Not only could I taste every beautiful note of rosehips, chamomile, and peppermint, but, and here's the shocking part... it did not need any sugar!  This from a girl who loves to pour on the sugar into just about any tea I have.  It was as refreshing as Comet Coffee owner Mark Attwood promised.  And, my organic Blend 333 was even served at the perfect temperature.  Now if you really really have to have a sweetener (and I promise you, you don't) Comet Coffee does offer a variety of sweeteners like agave nectar, honey, and a variety of sugars,

Pastry Chef Stephanie Fischer is the creator of these organic-blueberry muffins.  The crumbly top crunches just so, but isn't at all dry and powdery.  And the inside is so incredibly moist and cakey, the way a real cupcake should be.  Satisfying.  Yes, what you get is a cupcake you can really sink your teeth into.  One that offers organic blueberries, moist cake, and bites of crunch in every mouthful.  New batches made every 10 hours for freshness.  And never fear, Comet Coffee owner Mark Attwood assures me that, "Stephanie always prepares fresh batches of blueberry muffins and cheese scones every day and then prepares whatever inspires her!"

There is something very special about Comet Coffee's Iced Costa Rica.  Unlike just about every iced coffee that's served to you in other places, this iced coffee is not only fresh brewed, but it is real iced coffee (not coffee poured over a bunch of ice).  Comet Coffee's Iced Costa Rica is flashed chilled, actually dripped over and through ice, thus its clear look and super fresh crisp flavor.  Very refreshing.  Normally served in a 16 oz. glass.

Remember when I said that Comet Coffee's in house pastry chef Stephanie Fischer's passion was French Pastries? Well here is a prime example.  And Stephanie's French Chocolate Eclairs are authentic to a T.   You won't find any so perfect this side of France, not in St. Louis anyway.  You also won't find any fillers or preservatives in anything she makes. 

This eclair is not your ordinary eclair, and by ordinary I mean the kind that shops sell willy nilly without a thought or care to what an eclair really is.  I dare you to find one that is so absofrickinlutely perfect in every way.  This traditional, French, Chocolate eclair has the perfect pastry body, with just enough cream, and a perfect delicate top layer of smooth chocolate that breaks just so with every bite.

This amazing desert from Comet Coffee is an Affogato, made with homemade in shop Organic Tahitian vanilla ice cream covered in homemade in shop caramel sauce with a double shot of espresso poured over.  Oh yeah!  A little warning, their espresso is a strong traditionally made espresso, so use that silver spoon wisely.  Be sure to get a little bit of each ingredient into every spoonful for ultimate wow.

If it has vanilla in it, and it's made by Comet Coffee, then it's made from the beans housed inside one of these huge and gorgeous organic vanilla pods that come straight from Tahiti.  Comet Coffee uses these marvelously scented and smooth flavored beans to make their own vanilla extract, ice cream, lattes and even their own whip cream.

Don't be alarmed if you get served a glass of mineral water with your espresso, macchiato, or traditional 16 oz. cappuccino. 

Mineral waters are served to cleanse the pallet.  Far out.  A tradition I wasn't aware of, but it's really nice.  I'm not much of one for mineral waters, but this one really works for me.  Very refreshing and crisp without that mineral taste that usually tingles the sides of the back of your tongue.  This one goes down smooth and fresh when sipped after an espresso, as I did.

Yes, I have saved the best for last.  This Organic Tahitian Vanilla Latte from Comet Coffee is my favorite drink EVER!  I was blown away from the very first sip.  I am not a latte lover by any stretch of the imagination.  Until now.  This latte is thick, perfectly aerated, and totally whip creamy.  It takes me to my own private world of no-time where I snuggle in a cozy comfy chair, thinking about nothing at all, a smile on my face, this cup of Comet Coffee Organic Tahitian Vanilla Latte at my lips.

We love it when you like us.  Don't forget to click on the heart/like button just below this article for a super fun heart fireworks animation.  And be sure to share this with your friends and social networks via the share button below.   From all of us here at Eye On Life... Happy Reading!

Cook Time:

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
  

• Cook Time: 0
  

• Ready in: 5 minutes
  

• Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

• California White Grapes (1 cup)
  or any white (green) grapes

• Red Tokays (2 cup)
  or any red grapes

• Juicy Oranges (to yield 2 cups juice)
  valencias are best to use

• Knife for cutting grapes and oranges in half (I just use a paring knife)

• Glass serving bowls or cups (always serve your fruit cocktails in glass)

Note:

While California White Grapes and Red Tokay (aka flame grapes)  are used in this recipe, you can really use any white and red grape combinations you prefer.  I have heard that it may be harder to find Red Tokay grapes since they do contain seeds and are therefor not as popular anymore. However I have personally had luck finding seedless ones.

Instructions:

Rinse the grapes, cut them in halves, and remove any seeds.  Most grapes are seedless, as I've said before, so this saves a lot of hassle. 

Cut your oranges in half and squeeze them to make juice.  Place in the refrigerator until just before serving so the juice stays fresh.  Allow one-third cupful of seeded grapes and one-quarter cupful of orange juice for each glass you'll be serving.  Arrange the grapes in the glass and your orange juice over them.  There really is no need to add sugar, especially since a good fruit cocktail is a bit on the tart side; even so this is naturally sweeter than most fruit cocktails.

Thankfully, a cheap canned fruit cocktail is not our only choice.  Fruit cocktails can me made with any combination of fresh fruits available from your yard, local farm or farmer's market, or grocer.  And, with the variety of fruits available now year round, fresh fruit cocktails can be had even in the dead of winter. 

What makes a fruit cocktail:

The difference between a fruit cocktail and a fruit salad is, for one, the size of the cuts of fruit used.   By definition, a cocktail is an appetizer made by combining pieces of food, such as fruit or seafood.  So all the fruits in your fruit cocktails should be cut into tiny bite sized or half bite sized pieces (so that a few pieces can be eaten at once).  And no skin is left on except on cherries or grapes. 

Another difference is that fruit salads tend to be on the sweeter side.  A true fruit cocktail should be on the tart side.  It is prepared with fresh or canned fruit, either by using a single tart fruit or a combination.  The combinations are innumerable, but they should always contain some tart fruit. 

The juice may be poured over the fruit and in this case it is eaten with a spoon; if no liquid is used, a fork is preferable.

On Serving Fruit Cocktail:

It is important that fruit cocktails be served either in glass bowls or on glass plates, depending on whether they are served with juice or not. 

Check out this fruit cocktail recipe from our What to Serve Pages:

Note this recipe asks for the skin of the apple to be removed from the top to about one-third of the way down. This apple has simply been cored. Fall is usually the best season for cooking and baking with apples.  But thankfully,  with groceries the way they are, you can find good apples almost all year round. 

While Christmas Season is the usual time for baked apples glace, I find myself craving it at other off times of year and feel obliged to satisfy that craving (especially in late June early July).  So here is a vintage recipe for Baked Apples Glacé, a simple, healthy, and tasty part of any menu.

For General Rules for Cooking Fruit, click HERE.

Serves six.

Ingredients

• 6 firm red apples

• 1 cupful sugar

• 1 1/2 cupfuls water

• 3 tablespoonfuls sugar

See notes and additions below for some other ideas

 What to do - Recipe

Core and peel the apples about one-third of the way down from the stem end.  Then place them in a deep dripping pan or casserole, which has a closely fitted cover. 

Meanwhile make a thin syrup of the one cupful of sugar and the water, boiling it for six minutes.  Pour this syrup over the apples, cover them tightly and place in a 400 degree F. oven. 

Baste the apples occasionally until they are quite tender, but still whole and perfect.  Remove the cover and place one teaspoonful of sugar in the cavity of each apple, also sprinkling sugar over the peeled surface. 

Then place the pan under the heat of the broiler, or in the top of a very hot oven until the sugar has melted, and the peeled section of the apple has taken on a  very light delicate shade of brown.  Baste once or twice during this process. 

Serve with plain or whipped cream. 

Note and Additions

Keep in mind this is a general recipe.  You can serve this with a variety of things.  Vanilla ice cream is a favorite.  I prefer an ice cream with a bite, something with pieces of caramel or toffee.  Walnuts and pecans for those who don’t have allergies to nuts is also fantastic and can be sprinkled on or under the ice cream or whipped cream or both.  Raisins are also popular.  Adding 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the sugar and water syrup is also a great idea.

Cooking fruit is really very simple.  But there’s a right way and a wrong way.  Proper preparation and cooking could mean the difference between success and, “Oh, dear!”  Good Housekeeping’s 1929 “Good Meals and How to Prepare them” offers the following tips that are still top notch today.  Find out what to do with Fresh Fruit (for example to be stewed, for compote cooking in syrup, baked or scalloped, steamed) - Dried Fruits - and Fruit Whips.

FRESH FRUIT.   

a.  Stewed:  Wash fruit, pare or peel and cut in pieces or leave whole if small.  Add enough water, hot or cold, to keep from browning.  Cover and cook until tender.  Add sugar to sweeten if necessary.

b.  Compote cooking in syrup:  Make a syrup using two cupfuls of water to one cupful of sugar.  Put the prepared fruit in the hot syrup, cover closely and simmer until tender.  A small amount of the fruit should be cooked at a time and drained out of the syrup.  The same syrup may be used until all the fruit is cooked, then poured over all.

c.  Baked or scalloped:  Wash the fruit.  If there is a core, remove with a corer or cut fruit in half and scoop out the core.  Lay in baking dish and sprinkle with sugar and spices if desired.  Barely cover the bottom of the dish with boiling water.  Bake at 400 degrees F. until tender.  Baste with the liquid in the dish several times during the baking.  Add in extra boiling water if necessary.  Apples, quinces, etc., may be baked in a covered dish in less time, removing the cover for the last ten or fifteen minutes to brown.

d.  Steamed:  The steamer or the pressure cooker is excellent for cooking winter fruits.

DRIED FRUITS. 

They should be carefully washed in several waters and any hard parts removed.  Soak six hours or overnight in cold water or for two hours in boiling water and cook in the same water until tender.  Do not add sugar unless very tart.  Dried fruits after soaking may be cooked by any of the methods used for fresh fruits.

FRUIT WHIPS. 

Prepare one cupful of fruit pulp such as apple-sauce, sieved cooked prunes, or apricots, fresh or canned peaches; quince sauce, etc.  Beat three egg whites until quite stiff, add sugar to taste and continue beating until blended.  Fold the fruit pulp mixed with a little lemon juice, into the egg whites.  Chill and serve with custard sauce.  Or pour into greased pudding dish and bake at 300 degrees F. for thirty minutes.

Enhance a beautiful salad with one of these vintage to modern homemade, healthy, and low-cost salad dressings.I don’t know about you, but I hate the idea of spending money on non-organic commercial salad dressings that I could make more cheaply for myself while also eliminating the chemicals they contain. We still don’t know the ultimate health impact of the food industry’s rise during the last century (persisting well into this century) that made preservative additives, artificial flavor enhancers, and addicting salts and sugars an accepted part of a food product. Although we’re all looking for convenient, easy-to-prepare foods, we don’t have to pay a questionable health or dollar price or spend a lot of time and effort to have delicious, homemade salad dressings in our kitchens.

Salad dressings are easy condiments to make and among the most versatile staples you can have in your pantry for creating quick and healthy meals. For lunch or at the end of the day, chop up some salad greens and onions, grate a few carrots, add a bit of cheese, hardboiled egg, or cooked chicken, toss in some sunflower seeds, and add a homemade salad dressing that took you only minutes to prepare.

Here are some of my favorite salad dressings, created and tested over time in our family’s kitchens.

Russian Dressing from the 1950s.

This old-time favorite is so easy to make, it’s almost a sin. In the 1950s and 60s, this simple but tangy and sweet homemade dressing graced the vintage dinner tables not only of my family, but also of our neighbors’. In those days, dinner salad ingredients consisted of iceberg lettuce, red onion, tomato, and cucumber.

That’s it!

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons Miracle Whip thinned with a tablespoon of the milk product of your choice (almond, soy, or cow)

1 Tablespoon vinegar

3 Gherkins, minced finely

1 Tablespoon gherkin juice from the jar

1 Teaspoon sugar

2 Tablespoons ketchup

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix well, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two before serving. This dressing will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.

More About Russian Dressing

Debate exists among those who love Russian dressing as to where it came from and when, and whether Russian dressing and Thousand Island dressing (another old-time favorite) are the same. For some Russian dressing history, lively discussion, and a more detailed recipe, take a look at Everything I Know about Russian Dressing.

Basic Herb Vinaigrette from the 1970s

I’ve been making this salad dressing for 25 years. I found the original recipe in a cookbook all those years ago and have modified it over time to reflect my family’s changing tastes and preferences. We love this retro dressing on a pasta salad as well as on a green salad, and also enjoy it as a dressing over steamed broccoli or sugar snap peas.

Ingredients

1-1/4 Cups vegetable or corn oil

1/2 Cup white or red wine vinegar - you can substitute any vinegar you like…raspberry, apple cider, the choice is yours

1/3 Cup white currants, coarsely chopped (optional)

1 Tablespoon garlic, finely minced

1/4 Cup fresh parsley, finely minced

1/4 Cup fresh dill, finely minced

1/2 Teaspoon each, dried basil and oregano

1 Teaspoon salt (or less) - we’ve been experimenting with different salts, and we think the pink Himalayan salt with its essence of salty air is a great choice

1-1/2 Teaspoons freshly ground black peppercorns - don’t skimp on the pepper. Remember that the dressing will be distributed across many greens, vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients. The black pepper will be a great flavor enhancer, not a flavor dominator.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl or jar, whisking or shaking to blend and lighten. Let the dressing sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving to let the flavors pull together.

This recipe makes approximately two cups of dressing and will last in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for about a week.

The Year 2010 and Beyond: An Oil-Free Salad Dressing for a Different Lifestyle

The wonderful vintage and retro dressings of the past are heavily laced with fat, sugar, and salt. In moderation, these dressings are still wonderful to eat, but some people, for a variety of health reasons, need to avoid them. Today, as we learn more about what’s good for us and what is not, many of us are eliminating or cutting down on these fatty, sugary, and salty elements but still want a tasty, creamy, and rich dressing to grace our salads and vegetable dishes.

Our family kitchen has been experimenting with oil-free, low-salt, and low-sugar salad dressings, and we’ve come up with a tangy and fiber-rich, oil-free salad dressing that seems to be pleasing palates all around. The ingredients include artichoke hearts for fiber and creamy texture, cashews and sunflower seeds that add “good” fats and a mild sweetness, and vinegar, garlic, and mustard for a sharp and pleasing tang. When we use this dressing, we also add fruits, such as mango or grape, to the salad ingredients to temper the tang. You can find the ingredients list and preparation method in Sally’s Oil-free Salad Dressing - An Eat To Live Friendly Recipe.

Give these homemade salad dressings a try. Then pat yourself on the back for health and thrift. Bon appétit!

Sadly, the delicious, highly nutritious rutabaga (you may know it as a swede, turnip-root, or yellow turnip) is not available in supermarkets all year ‘round. The reasons are many, but the top two are:

1. It’s not a universally popular vegetable.

2. It doesn’t have a comprehensive distribution system, like grapes for example, to carry it from its cool-weather growing conditions to its consumers in warm-weather environments

What If There Were a Global Rutabaga Distribution System?

What if we had a global, or even hemispheric, distribution system in place to bring fresh rutabaga to the table at any time of year? Think grapes. It wasn’t so long ago that California fresh grapes were the mainstay in US supermarkets, although only in season. Then we began to see fresh grapes from Chile, out of our season.

Fortunately, the Global Rutabaga Distribution Act is now in review at Nation States. Paragraph Six is right to my point:

“[The World Assembly] CALLS UPON WA member nations to, except in cases where private entities already conduct such research, advance research into new and improved methods of rutabaga production and distribution…”

 None of this will happen, of course, without the proper public relations and marketing strategies. To that end I offer my pal, Rooty Rutabaga, as the official global rutabaga distribution mascot.

Meet My Pal, Rooty Rutabaga

Rooty and a couple of his friends came to my house in a grocery bag several months ago, in the winter. I dumped them in my refrigerator crisper and, over the following few weeks, peeled and prepared them for dinners. Somehow, Rooty never made it to the dinner table. As I continued to add fresh produce to the crisper, he must have become pushed to the back. Not too long ago I finally found him, sprouting.

 That day I found him, I put him on my windowsill where he sits today, his topknots growing fuller and greener every hour with not even a drop of water to help them along. He is his own powerhouse.

I think Rooty’s a fine mascot for promoting global rutabaga distribution. After all, he’s a diehard, surviving through all that cold storage. And he made himself born again, considering that lush top growth in evidence today. He’s got grit, determination, and gumption.

Let’s hear it for Rooty, champion of theRutabaga for All Seasons!

Rutabagas aren’t just good for eating. Here are ten ways to use rutabagas in other ways.

Cooking for One gives you more choices than you possibly imagined. Know when to give into those cravings and what choices to make.You don’t have to be single to cook for one.  You can be a mother of four, a wife, or any number of other people who may not live the single life, but who have single life moments just the same.

When cooking for yourself, your options are endless.  The greatest part about cooking for one is that you don’t have to worry about what other people like or don’t like, or what others have or haven’t eaten that day.  The only person you have to think about is your very own self.  What do you like?  What do you want?  What does your own body need?  These questions may all point to the same food.  On the other hand, they may not, and here’s where it gets tricky.

Sometimes all you want and need are leftovers.  You might have been dreaming about those leftovers all night long.  If this is the case, all you need to worry about is how to reheat and savour.  If not, then you have to come up with something just for you. 

Sometimes that’s easier said than done.  Sometimes we just grab something because it’s there or because it’s easy, or because it’s “on our way” to or from wherever.  Sometimes we don’t eat at all because our body isn’t saying anything that really stands out to us and the time slips by before we realize we’re hungry.  Sometimes we eat something out of habit or a memory, like: “I remember how great that burger looked from that one restaurant; I wish I’d ordered that!” or, “I could really go for something at Wong Fu’s again, their delivery guy is so nice and their service is so fast”, not a great reason to eat somewhere, but we do it all the time. Or even worse, maybe our eyes are bigger than our stomachs and we order or make food we wouldn’t have eaten otherwise, certainly not in that amount and with such fervor.

Listening to your body does not always mean listening to and giving into your cravings.  In fact listening to your cravings on a whim could be the worst thing you could do to yourself.  Listening to a craving repeatedly could lead to health issues you shouldn’t have to experience. 

Keep in mind your cravings could be your body’s way of noting a landmark moment, for instance that you’re going to start your period, that you are pregnant, or even that the weather is changing.  It could also be that your craving is coming from desiring a food that’s comforting to you for an emotional reason, or for a flavour that you want to experience or re-experience. 

It’s just fine to indulge here and there, and it’s certainly just fine in my book to eat meals out of order, like breakfast for dinner or lunch for breakfast or what have you.  More often than not, however, it’s a good idea to really get to know your cravings and what’s behind them.  You may be needing something that a certain food or meal you are craving has in it or simulates.  That something may or may not be found in that food.  You may be in need of more iron, protein, vitamin C, calcium, or some other vitamin or mineral that this food may or may not provide for you.  In this case, listening closely to your cravings could be the best thing for you to do. You may really need that steak, or that salad or soup, or those potato skins. 

Don’t sell yourself short. Make smart “just right for you” choices as often as you can.  Get to know your cravings, where they stem from, what they and your body are telling you.  Open yourself up to options you  didn’t know about before by thumbing through magazines and cookbooks and by reading blogs and articles that are specially geared towards “cooking for one”. 

Most of all, embrace those lucky moments when you get to eat in peace and quiet.

• - Mirangue pies

• - Apple or any double-crust pie with raw filling

• - Custard, Pumpkin, or open pies

• - Open cross-cut and “fruit deep” pies

• - Double crust pie with pre-cooked filling

• - Open pies with soufflé filling

• - Pastry straws

• - Pie shells

• - Puff pastry

• - Tart shells

• - Turnovers.

All ovens are not created equal.  Each type and age of oven may heat differently, so stay near your oven at first, about five minutes before ending time, until you get to know the amount of time that works best.  Also be sure to watch out for places in your oven that may cook more and those that may cook less - for example, one of my ovens tends to cook foods and parts of foods faster when placed towards the right side than those placed on the left side.

For your convenience we’ve also included the link to our how to page on simple pie pastry crusts:

MERINGUE PIES: 

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius:  300 F / 149 C

Time:  15 min.

APPLE OR ANY DOUBLE CRUST PIE WITH RAW FILLING:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius:  400 F / 204 C.

Time:  40 min. (reduce the heat slightly during last 10 min.)

CUSTARD, PUMPKIN, OR SIMILAR OPEN PIES:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius:  450 F and then 325 F / 232 C and then 162 C

Time:  10 min. and then 30 min.

CRANBERRY, OR SIMILAR OPEN CROSS CUT PIES, AS WELL AS FRUIT DEEPS LIKE APPLE OR OTHER DEEP FRUIT PIES HAVING TOP CRUSTS ONLY:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius: 450 F / 232 C

Time:  20 min.  40 min. (reduce the heat slightly during last 10 min.)

MINCE PIE, OR ANY DOUBLE CRUST PIE WITH A PREVIOUSLY COOKED FILLING:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius:  450 F / 232 C

Time:  30 min.

OPEN PIES HAVING A SOUFFLE FILLING:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius: 375 C / 190 C

Time:  30 min.

PASTRY STRAWS:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius:  500 F / 260 C

Time:  10 min.

PIE SHELLS:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius:  500 F / 260 C

Time:  12 min.

PUFF PASTRY:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius:  500 F to 550 F / 260 C to 287 C

Time:  12 min.

TART SHELLS:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius:  500 F / 260 C

Time:  10 min.

TURNOVERS:

Degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius:  450 F / 232 C

Time:  15 min.

In this post, you’ll find a lovely variety of adapted vintage recipes, rules, and “how to’s for making pie crusts and pastries to make from scratch.  Included in this article are:

General Rules for Making Pastry - Plain Pastry - Double Crust Pies - One Crust Pies - Pastry Shells - and - Fruit Deep Pies

Also for your convenience, here is our link to Baking temperatures:

GENERAL RULES FOR MAKING PASTRY

PLAIN PASTRY

The plain pastry recipe shown here is the same recipe you can use for the rest of the crusts in this post. You may need more in amount of dough depending on the size and type of crust you are making.

The flour used should be a fine, soft, starchy flour.  Any good shortening may be used.  Everything must be at a low temperature.  Handle pastry as little and as lightly as possible.  Chill pastry when possible before shaping into pies.

Sift together one and one-half cupfuls pastry flour, one-half teaspoonful baking powder and one-half teaspoonful salt.

Cut into the flour one-half cupful shortening.  Use two knives and work until the whole resembles a coarse meal. (This can actually be done with your fingers if you don’t have hot hands. Or, if you have a food processor, since we live in a modern world, a food processor will do the trick. HOWEVER watch it close because it will only take seconds and you must pulse.)

Gradually add cold water (up to half cup should do) to make a stiff dough.  Chill pastry for one hour if possible.

Turn on to a slightly floured molding surface and pat the pastry into a long narrow sheet one-quarter inch thick.

Roll up like a jelly roll and cut off as needed from the roll.

Here are photos to help you along as to what your dough should look like during the various stages. We’ve used a food processor for speed however it’s still super easy to make by hand. CLICK ON A PHOTO BELOW FOR A LIGHT-BOX VIEW AND HOVER OVER EACH PHOTO FOR THEIR DESCRIPTIONS.

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DOUBLE CRUST PIES

Cut off enough pastry for the under crust.  Roll to about one-eighth inch in thickness and a little larger than the pie plate.

Fold the sheet of pastry in half and place on pie plate.  Then unfold pastry.

Press lightly to fit pie plate and trim edges.

Fill lined plate with thinly sliced fruits as apples, rhubarb or peaches, fresh or canned berries as gooseberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.  Sprinkle with sugar to sweeten.  Watery fruits as cherries, blueberries and rhubarb should have about two tablespoonfuls of flour sprinkled over the surface before putting on top crust.

Roll out top crust one-eighth inch in thickness and one inch larger than plate.

Fold in half, make three slits one-half inch in length on center edge of folded side.

Moisten edge of lower crust with a little water and place upper crust in position and trim, leaving one inch on all sides.

Carefully fold and press down upper crust under lower crust all around the edge.  Finish by making marks with tines of fork.

Bake pies according to the temperature chart.  See link at end of article.

ONE CRUST PIES

Roll out pastry, fold, and line pie plate as for double crust pie leaving one inch over edge.  Do not stretch the pastry.

Fold back the edge of the pastry all the way around and bring double fold to upright position.

Flute the double fold of pastry in the following manner: 

Place the index finger of the left hand against the fold on the inside so that it is between the tips of the thumb and index finger of the right hand, which are placed on the outside of the fold.  Press firmly close to the pie plate with the thumb and index finger of the right hand.  Remove the fingers and continue fluting around entire rim of pie.  Pour in uncooked filling and bake.

PASTRY SHELLS

For a pie in which the filling has been previously cooked as in the case of lemon pie, line a plate as directed for one crust pie.  Flute edge.

Prick with a fork the entire bottom and side surface of the crust to prevent bubbles from forming during baking.  Bake.

The paste may be placed over the back of a pie plate or for individual shells over the backs of muffin tins and baked.  This kind of a shell holds the shape well but can not have the attractive fluted rim.

FRUIT DEEP PIES

Any fruit may be used in a deep pie; peaches and apples are particularly good.

Prepare the fruit and put in deep baking dish, casserole or individual dishes.  Season well with sugar and any spices desired.  A little lemon juice and rind is good with apples.  If fruit seems very juicy two tablespoonfuls flour may be added to each cupful of sugar used. 

If fruit seems dry add a small amount of water.

Cover the pie with pastry rolled one-fourth inch thick.  Cut several gashes in crust and “flute” edge as directed above.  Bake.

Puddings today are a bit different from the puddings of days of old.  These vintage puddings are bready and warm and scrumptious, perfect for the winter season.

Pudding Recipes in this article include:

Cottage Pudding - Chocolate Pudding - Fruit Pudding - Ginger Pudding - Suet Pudding - Plum Pudding - Steamed Dumplings

All recipes serve six.

(Based on Good Housekeeping’s Book of Good Meals 1929).  The photos we have chosen are the closest we could get to for these recipes, just to give you an idea of what you can do with certain puddings.

Cottage Pudding

Ingredients:

Basic -

• 1/2 c. shortening

• 2/3 c. sugar

• 1 egg, well beaten

• 1 c. milk

• 2 1/4 c. flour

• 4 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. vanilla

Additional - none

Cream the shortening, add sugar and vanilla, then egg.  In a separate bowl, mix and sift flour, baking powder and salt.  Add alternately with milk to first mixture.  Turn (fold) into greased cake mixture.  Turn (fold) that mixture into greased cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 min. You can instead pour your final mixture into greased molds and steam for one hour.  Serve with lemon, orange, or chocolate sauce.

Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients:

Basic -

• Use recipe for Cottage Pudding as foundation

Additional -

• 2 1/2 squares melted chocolate

Make like Cottage Pudding.  Add melted chocolate after the sugar (before adding vanilla and egg). Bake or steam like cottage pudding.  Serve with vanilla ice cream, vanilla sauce, or hard sauce.

Fruit Pudding

Ingredients:

Basic -

• Use recipe for Cottage Pudding as foundation

Additional - 1 c. of any one of the following fruits:

• Blueberries

• huckleberries

• red raspberries

• stoned cherries

• sliced pared apples

• rhubarb

• peaches

• stoned dates

• pressed figs

• stoned prunes

• dried peaches

• Any canned fruit drained well, the juice used for sauce.

Mix and bake or steam like you would for cottage pudding.  Be sure to reserve 2 tbsp. of flour to mix with fruit as opposed to your original mixture.  Wash fruit, dry, and chop any large fruit into fine pieces.  Dried fruits should be washed and steamed until they are tender, then chopped as you would fresh fruit.  Mix with flour and stir in last.  Serve with a fruit or hard sauce.

Ginger Pudding

Ingredients:

Basic -

• 1/4 c. shortening

• 1/4 c. brown sugar

• 1 egg well beaten

• 1/2 c. sour milk

• 1/2 c. molasses

• 1 12 c. flour

• 1/2 tsp. soda

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. ginger

• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. salt

Additional - For variation, add any one of the following:

• 1 c. chopped apples

• grated rind of 1/2 orange

• or pour batter over 3 apples, pared cored, sliced and placed in bottom of mold, with 2 tbsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon sprinkled over them.

Mix like Cottage Pudding.  Sift the spices in with the flour.  Combine sour milk and molasses in a separate bowl.  Add alternately to egg mixture.  Bake or steam like Cottage Pudding.  Serve with fruit or hard sauce.

Suet Pudding

Ingredients:

Basic -

• 1/2 c. suet chopped fine

• 1/2 c. molasses

• 1/2 c. milk or water

• 1 1/2 c. flour

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. soda

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

• 2 tsps. baking powder

• 1/2 c. raisins

Additional - For variation, add 1 c. of the following in place of raisins:

• chopped figs

• chopped dates

• sliced citron and currants mixed

• or stoned and chopped prunes

Mix together the suet, molasses and milk.  Sift the flour and other dry ingredients together.  Mix with fruit and add to first mixture.  Pour into a well-greased mold and steam 2 hours.  Or put into 6 individual molds and steam 35 minutes.

Plum Pudding

Basic -

• Use recipe for Suet Pudding as foundation

Additional -

• 2 eggs well beaten

• 1/2 c. flour

• 1/4 tsp. allspice

• 1/2 c. currants

• 1/4 c. blanched chopped almonds

• 1/4 c. citron thinly sliced in strips

• 1/4 c. candied cherries cut in quarters

• 1 tbsp. chopped candied orange peel

• 1/4 c. chopped figs

Make like suet pudding.  Add eggs to suet mixture.  Prepare fruit and mix well with extra 1/2 c. flour and add last.  Pour into greased mold and steam for three hours.  Or pour into greased 1 lb. tin cans and steam for two hours in a pot of water.

Steamed Dumplings

Ingredients:

Basic -

• 2 c. flour

• 4 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/3 c. shortening

• 1/2 to 1/4 c. milk

Additional - 2 c. of any one of the following fruits:

• Apples

• blueberries,

• raspberries

• stoned cherries

• rhubarb

• peaches

• any canned fruit

also add:

• 6 tsps. sugar

• 12 tbsps. cold water

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in shortening.  add milk gradually to make a dough as stiff as for baking powder biscuit.  Divide fruit in 6 greased molds, add 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tablespoon of water to each.  Omit sugar you would have used in previous recipes) and instead use juice of canned fruits (you’ll want to use fruit in its own juice not in syrup).  Place a piece of the dough on top of fruit.  Steam 45 min.

Valentines day is a time to celebrate with your love, of course, but getting together with friends is just as fun.  In vintage times, Valentine’s Day lunches and dinners were popular, as was Valentines Bridge or Tea get together. 

This post provides you with 4 Vintage Valentine Lunch menus, 2 Vintage Valentine Bridge or Tea menus, and 1 Vintage Valentine Dinner Menu.  As we try them out, we’ll link the menu items to each corresponding recipe. 

Have fun this Valentines day and show your appreciation for your friends, family, or that special love of your life with something homemade. 

VALENTINE LUNCHEON MENUS

MENU 1: Tomato Bouillon, Jellied Chicken Salad, Clover Biscuits, Pineapple Ice, Cake, Nuts, Coffee

MENU 2: Fruit Cocktail, Veal Croquettes with Tomato Sauce, Baking-Powder Biscuits, Celery stuffed with Cheese, Strawberry Ice Cream in Heart Molds, Cake

MENU 3: Cream of Celery Soup, Croutons cut in heart shapes, Ham Mouse, Green Peas, Mashed Potato Hearts, Molded Beet Salad, Raspberry Ice Cream, Cake, Coffee

MENU 4: Chicken Bouillon creamed scallops and Mushrooms in Timbale cases, Pimiento Sandwiches, Radish Roses, Celery Hearts, Red Cherry Salad, Sponge Drops, Candied Hearts, Coffee

VALENTINE BRIDGE OR TEA MENU

MENU 1: Creamed Minced Ham with Mushrooms, Heart Shaped Bread and Butter Sandwiches, Peppermint Ice Cream, Cake, Salted Nuts, Coffee

MENU 2: Stuffed Cherry Salad, Pimiento Sandwiches, Chopped Ham Sandwiches, Mints, Salted Nuts, Coffee

VALENTINE DINNER MENU

Cream of Pimiento Soup, Baked Ham, Mashed Potato Cones Sprinkled with Paprika, Creamed Cauliflower, Tomato Jelly Salad, Loganberry Ice Cream, Coffee.

Healthy and nutritious, bouillon is a simple and refined soup made from stock, and is closely related to a consomme in style and look.  Plain, it becomes an important part of a smart detox regimen. 

Bouillon is a terrific base to so many soups and jellies, and can be enjoyed year round as it can be served hot or cold).  Additions can include fish, seafood, vegetables, even fruit. In this article you’ll find a simple, vintage, beef bouillon recipe and one for tomato bouillon. To make chicken bouillon use the beef recipe.

First let us talk about what bouillon is. 

It is clarified beef (or chicken, or vegetable, or fish) stock, highly seasoned and served very hot or jellied with gelatin (recipe at end of article). Jellied consomme was traditionally placed in molds.

How to make Beef Bouillon

This photo, while a consomme, offers the basic look of beef bouillon. On Consommé Classic Consommés By Jack Lang.

Create a beef stock. To clarify beef stock, you must strain your stock finely, refrigerating after cooling to room temperature, once cold you’ll notice a layer of gelatin at the top.  You want to skim that off before using.  This process clarifies your stock.Much like clarifying butter. it’s basically the same process.

Tomato Bouillon

As we publish more vintage recipes, you’ll notice a few of our menus may call for serving tomato bouillon.  Here’s what you’ll want to do. Note you can serve this hot or cold.

Add one can of tomatoes (or fresh peeled and crushed tomatoes), one tablespoonful chopped onion (a minuscule amount really, for flavour), 1/2 teaspoonful celery seed to one quart clarified stock (chicken or beef or vegetable).  You can find celery seed at your local spice shop or in the spice section of your grocery.  Cook for twenty minutes, strain through cheese-cloth or other fine strainer, and serve very hot.

Jellying your bouillon

You may also jelly your tomato bouillon by soaking one tablespoonful of gelatin in two tablespoonfuls of cold water, add two cupfuls boiling tomato bouillon, and pour mixture into a cold, wet mold, and serving cold (fresh out of the fridge) in 1/2 inch cubes.

If you are using this recipe for Valentines Day, your molds should be heart shaped, no cutting required.

Not much has changed in the world of coffee since 1929, aside from the plethora of coffee gadgets and pre-ground coffees available to us now.  Coffee was as much loved back in the day as it is in this day and age.  In fact, almost anywhere across the country (big city’s mind you) you would not be hard pressed to find a 24 hour coffee shop.

In this post, find out the vintage way to make and serve coffee, peculated coffee, drip coffee, boiled coffee, and iced coffee.

One thing thad did strike me is the recipe for making boiled coffee.  If anyone has ever made it the way described here, please let us know about it.  We’d love to here from you.

Coffee tips from our Vintage Book Share:

(Adapted from Good Housekeeping’s Book of Good Meals, 1929)

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING AND SERVING COFFEE

You’ll want to buy coffee in reasonably small quantities, and keep in a tight container.  If bought in the bean, grind as used.  This helped to keep your coffee fresh back in the day.  Nowadays you can buy large tins of ground or pre-ground coffee in seal tight containers that stay fresh for a very long time.

Use two level tablespoonfuls of ground coffee to one cupful of water, regardless of the method.  You’ll want to make sure to serve your coffee as soon as it is made.  If you must delay, keep it piping hot, but never let it boil.

Keep the coffee-making appliance (your coffee maker) very clean, and entirely free from odor of stale coffee.  Like chocolate, coffee tends to absorb smells and flavors.  A solution of borax or baking soda and water boiled in the container was used to keep coffee makers odorless.  I’d go with the baking soda, not the borax.

Serve plain or with cream.  Pour cream or milk into cups before pouring coffee over it.  We are used to working things the opposite way, cream or milk and or sugar after pouring, but it really is a good idea to add coffee to your embellishments.  They will mix better and you won’t have to worry about filling your cup to high or too low.

DRIP COFFEE

If you come across a vintage drip coffee maker, it’s worth giving it a try.  Here’s the process. Preheat your drip coffee pot by filling it with boiling water a short time before using.  Pour out this water just before making coffee. This preparation process ensures that your coffee will cook evenly. 

Once you’ve ground your coffee beans to the consistency of powdered sugar, (yes very fine indeed, so you’ll want to grind your own beans, have them ground super fine, or make sure that the pre ground coffee you are buying is indeed a super finely ground one, place coffee grounds in the proper compartment (the top one), allowing two tablespoonfuls for every cupful of boiling water.

Pour boiling water over the coffee grounds, in the proper quantity, and allow to drip through to the bottom section of your drip coffee maker.  You’ll then want to remove the coffee-grounds container, cover the pot (bottom section) and serve at once. If the coffee can not be served immediately, you’ll need to place the container in a pan of hot water, or over low heat. Note that if your drip coffee pot, with a cloth bag for grounds (coffee or tea bag paper should be fine), is used every day, let the bag stand in cold water each time after washing, as this will keep your bag from clogging.

PERCOLATED COFFEE

When making percolated coffe, you’ll want your coffee beans to be ground to “medium”.  Put your coffee grinds into your percolator.  There should be two tablespoonfuls of grinds for every cupful of boiling water.  Boil water to a rapid boil in the amount needed, and pour in bottom of percolator. Percolate for seven minutes or until a deep golden brown.  Then lift cover, remove strainer with coffee grounds, and serve. If you won’t be serving your coffee right away, set your percolator in a pan of hot water or over low heat on your stovetop.

BOILED COFFEE

(- a bit odd if you ask me, if you’ve done it this way, do tell us!  It uses egg, shell and all.)

Scald the coffee pot (metal not glass) by placing it over an open flame. 

For this recipe your coffee beans should be ground to medium.  Allow two tablespoonfuls to each cupful of cold water.  Set aside your coffee grounds and the appropriate amount of water.

Here’s the odd part:

Beat one egg slightly, and procede to add one-half of the cold water, the crushed and washed egg shell and the ground coffee.  Turn and fold mixture as you pour it into your coffee pot, then pour in rest of the cold water and boil three minutes.  When your three minutes is up, let the boiled coffee stand on the back of the stove for ten minutes and serve.

ICED COFFEE

Fill tall glasses one-half full of chipped ice.  Put two tablespoonfuls of cream or half and half in each glass and pour in freshly made hot coffee.  Serve with powdered sugar and a bit of whipped cream.  Yum!