Grandma's Kitchen Table

Tuesdays with Dorie: Coconut Tea Cake

Thanks to Carmen of Carmen Cooks for her Tuesdays with Dorie pick of Coconut Tea Cake, found on pages 194-195 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook.  Carmen has the recipe posted on her site. 

  

I decided to make a fourth of this recipe in a little individual shortcakes pan that I have as I figured the guys would be more likely to eat this type of cake if berries and whipped cream were involved.  I was right, it was a hit as a shortcake.  The cake itself is very flavorful as it has vanilla, coconut, and rum in it, all flavors that taste lovely in a cake.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can see using this recipe often for shortcake treats.  Thanks, Carmen, for a lovely pick this week. 

 

Next week:  Erin from When in Doubt, Leave it at 350 has chosen Mocha-Walnut Marbled Bundt Cake, found on pages 180-181.  TWD blogroll found here. 

USA Swim Sectionals - March 25-28, 2010

We are now on a break.  For the next 11 days, there is no swim practice.  No swim meets, no swimming at all.  Short course has ended, long course begins on April 10th.  What will we do with our time?  Well, after all the busy times of Holy Week and Easter, there will be college visits over spring break...to check out, what else, college swim programs. 

 

Sectionals came and went.  The Nat in Indianapolis was host this year, which made it nice and convenient for us:  13 miles travel and no overnights! 

 

Sectionals were long course, so Matt was not trained in long course after swimming all these months of short course, and the good thing from the weekend, is that he did not lose as much momentum as he usually does switching between the two.  He pretty much went in and came out really well.  Even swimming against a bunch of college kids. 

 

He swam 4 swims and 3 relays.  Went in seeded 6th of 77 in the 50 Free, and finished 6th.  Went in seeded 16th of 90 in the 200 Free, and finished 10th (but 8th in time).  Went in seeded 10th of 71 in the 100 Back, and finished 12th (but 11th in time).  Went in seeded 13th of 100 in the 100 Free, and finished 9th (but 6th in time).  One cannot jump between brackets during finals, so that is why his time was better in three of the swims than his actual placings, you get to keep your time, so that's what is most important.  

 

All his relays finished second, which was not bad considering Daniel and Harrison were on spring break at their schools and were cruising literally with their families instead of swimming at the meet. The last relay of the meet was the 400 Medley:  Nik at backstroke, John at breaststroke, Mike at butterfly, and Matt at freestyle.  In the relays, they only swim the fastest in the finals session, so in the relays, a team could finish faster in the morning and keep their time, so that in the evening finals, if that team had a better time, they could place in the top 8.  And so it happened. The amusing part was that the guys didn't know that when they were swimming, they thought they were swimming against the fastest teams, so as you can see from the photos, Matt is anchoring and way ahead of anyone else coming into the finish (meaning there was not the usual pressure of bringing it home), so when he touched in, they thought they had gotten first, but a team from the morning session had a faster time, so Matt's team ended up second. 
Although they were disappointed, it did bring home the fact that just because you think you have it all in the bag, you shouldn't ever let up. 

 

That said, it was a wonderful season full of lots of firsts and new accomplishments.  Time to retire the yards and swim in meters.  Time to work on long course times.  But first, starting Friday, it's time for spring break!

Friday's Favorites Fare

READING:  The Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs. I like to have books at swim meets that I can pick up and put down quickly because swim meets are very distracting for attempting serious material...swims to watch, photos to take, people to chat with, etc.  Also reading Henry James (after my Edith Wharton kick, I felt it was only right and all, and then maybe after HJ, I should segue into re-reads from college days of Turgenev, Flaubert, and Zola...if you get the connection between them all, you either have an extensive reading background or were a literature major in college.  I have decided that Henry James is like reading Hemingway in timing:  he takes way too many pages to say he went from one room to the next and why.  My patience is not very simpatico with Henry James or Ernest Hemingway, despite their reputations as great writers.  After spring break, I am moving back into more serious fare, thinking of doing WWII finally through the rest of the year.  Yep, thinking.   

LISTENING TO:  The Beach Boys...something light, fast, fun, and conducive to getting blog posts caught up.

COOKING BYTES:  Phyl, the bread baking lawyer from Ohio who has already completed all the breads in the BBA Challenge, is getting up a new group to blog the book The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri.  I like the book as it is filled with new and different things to bake (some savory, some sweet), things that Tuesdays with Dorie doesn't necessarily have, or maybe different recipes from what that group has going with that book.  He is going to do the book over the next two years, starting in April.  I figure that I have eaters here for the next 18 months or so, then not so much, so if I want to bake, I better do it now.  Look for posts from that book every now and again, thinking maybe Saturday posts for that one is the plan at the moment.

FAV NEW FIND:  It's always fun to find a package on a cold, rainy, and busy day.  So it was that day when Margaret's Secret Baker package for me arrived, filled with three different kinds of cookies and a loaf of pumpkin bread.  (She knows the guys are big eaters, so I have a feeling she packed that box with them in mind!)   

 

Let's see, there were Coconut Oatmeal Cookies, Snickerdoodles that melt in your mouth, seriously, and Unbelievably Great Peanut Butter Cookies with Reese's Chips in them (Alex loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups).    It was all very much appreciated, and very quickly eaten by very appreciative guys...I loved the Coconut Oatmeal Cookies the best as it was a recipe created by Margaret, so I hid a couple of those away just for me.  In a household of guys, cookie hiding is sometimes necessary.

FAV THING THIS WEEK:  Well, it wasn't this week, rather last week, but it was awfully fun to watch Matt go up and get his trophy, medal, letter jacket, etc. for the CHS Swimming Championship at the awards dinner.  Since he transferred schools, and CHS swimmers do not get letter jackets until their second year of participating, I was surprised that his lettering the previous two years at Guerin transferred to CHS and he got to have a letter jacket, etc. this year.  He was very excited about all that, naturally.  Just fun to see.

GOING TO:  The USA Sectional meet are these four days (Thursday through Sunday), both morning prelims and then evening finals, so if you're looking for us, I would start there.  In the meantime and off-times are the NCAA Championship games.  I can't think that we will fit a whole lot more in of the weekend.

PRAYING FOR:  People suffering...awful to be the one suffering, awful to be the one watching...please join me. 

BBA: Light Wheat Bread

The eighteenth Bread Baker's Apprentice challenge (from the book by the same name authored by Peter Reinhart) was Light Wheat Bread, and is found on pages 181-182. 

 

This was an easy bread, gave me a chance to work with whole wheat flour as the recipe uses both that and bread flour.  I decided to change it just a bit as it called for powdered milk and water.  I cannot stand the taste of powdered milk, so I just used whole milk in place of the other two ingredients. 
The bread was wonderful, soft and lovely for sandwiches and just crackly nice for toast.  Definitely a repeat.

 

Nancy, Cathy, Jessica, Melissa, Sarah, Di, Leslie, Margaret and I are baking on a slower schedule.  If you would like to see their Lavash, click on their names and visit their sites, or you can visit the main group and marvel how they are so far ahead of us.  We'll get there...Slow and Steady.  Our next challenge:  Marbled Rye Bread, found on pages 182-186.

CEiMB: Pasta Puttanesca

The recipe chosen two weeks ago for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's book The Food You Crave, (yes, I am running a bit behind, so thanks for being patient) was selected by Jen from What Jen's Cooking and was Pasta Puttanesca, found on page 158.  Jen also has it posted on her site. 

 

This is an excellent recipe, tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, olives, capers, oregano, argula (I used fresh spinach instead), and I did put on Parmigiano Reggiano after the photo.  I did not use the anchovy paste.  Guys would flip if they knew that was in there so I just left it out.  I followed the instructions, except that I simmered it longer as I had learned from cooking with the Marcella Hazan book how to do that so that it really brings out the flavor of the tomatoes and ingredients in a deep and lovely way.  Ellie has it simmering for just a short time, five minutes, but I took it as far as it needed to go, about 30 minutes, to have all the water and juices reduced down to where it looks like the photo here...hard to describe, you just know it when you see it as you are cooking.It's thick, juicy, and yet not runny. This adds so much richness and taste, each flavor being distinctive, yet an overall blending of the ingredients together.  It was good after the recommended 5 minutes, but it was heavenly after the longer simmering time.  Try it, you will see what I am talking about in this regard.

 

A winner of a recipe.  We all just loved it.  Thanks, Jen, for a wonderful pick.   

 

This week's recipe (and I hope to get to that sometime over the weekend):  Marinated Chicken & Grape Skewers, recipe found in Ellie Krieger's book, So Easy, on page 185.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Dulce de Leche Duos

Thanks to Jodie of Beansy Loves Cake for her Tuesdays with Dorie pick of Dulce de Leche Duos, found on page 161 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook.  Jodie has the recipe posted on her site. 

 

The recipe for this is very easy and the cookies are delicious.  I only made half a batch as I wasn't sure I had enough dulce de leche, so they disappeared within a day as that was just 18 sandwich type cookies. 

 

The only tricky part of the recipe is making the dulce de leche for the cookie and the filling as it was not available in the stores around here.  I found a recipe for it in David Lebovitz's book The Perfect Scoop, that was very easy, just baking a can of sweetened condensed milk in a pyrex dish in the oven for an hour and a quarter and then cooling it.  The most difficult part is making sure boys don't eat it thinking it is pudding because then you have to make it again.  Just saying, beware, it looks like butterscotch pudding, and is very tasty. 
Once the cookies cool, you use the dulce de leche as a filling.  

 

Although I liked these just fine, one was quite enough as they are very sweet and filling.  The guys, however, were eating them by the fistfuls.  Definitely a repeat.  

 

Next week:  Carmen from Carmen Cooks has chosen Coconut Tea Cake, found on pages 194-195.  TWD blogroll found here.  

Tuesdays with Dorie: Soft Chocolate and Raspberry Tart

Thanks to Rachelle of Mommy? I'm Hungry! for her Tuesdays with Dorie pick of Soft Chocolate and Raspberry Tart, found on page 354 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook.  Rachelle has the recipe posted on her site:  oh, does she ever, wait until you see hers! 
The recipe for this is very easy, just make a sweet tart pastry shell from Dorie's recipe on page 444, fill it with a mixture made of  two kinds of chocolate, cream, butter, sugar, pour it over some raspberries, cook, cool, and eat, with, at our house, lots of whipped cream because the guys are all about the whipped cream around here. 

 

It received favorable reviews, but did not disappear as quickly as some of the other desserts, so I am thinking that making minis from this next time would be a great option, or having it at a dinner party.  

 

Next week:  Jodie from Beansy Loves Cake  has chosen Dulce de Leche Duos, found on page 161.  TWD blogroll found here.  

Cooking Italy: Roasted Chicken with Lemon and Braised Leeks

The recipes for the Cooking Italy group I chose to make were Roast Chicken with Lemon, found on pages 325 and Braised Leeks, found on page 452 of the cookbook we are using:  Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.

 

Can you stand another chicken recipe on this blog?  I can't help it, we love a roasted chicken here and I never tire of trying new recipes just to see if it is better than the last one.  So far, I can't say that any of them are better than the others, they all have their points of love, but I keep looking, and in the meantime, there's just a wonderful array of roast chicken recipes that are all worth making.  Marcella's recipe is wonderful!  (The picture shows a lovely roasted bird, except that part of the skin was dislodged as I had trouble turning it over because this was the largest chicken ever, like five pounds {which is the sort of thing that happens when husbands run to the store for chicken}, and that's not supposed to happen, so you will do better than I did here on my first attempt, I am sure, and not have part of the skin lurking elsewhere.) 

 

I love the technique as you add no fat whatsoever to the roasting pan, start the roasting with the breast side down after filling the cavity with 2 lemons, salt and pepper, then turning it over to finish roasting on the backside after the given time.  This is one very fine roasted chicken.  So simple, so delicious.  Definitely using this method again and again.   

 

To be honest, I was not sure how well we would like the leek recipe.  Skeptical at best, thinking that cooking leeks for 40 minutes or longer was probably going to produce a pan of mush and we aren't all that fond of mush and overly cooked food here at the house.  

 

Surprisingly, we really liked them cooked this way, just a touch of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and braise the heck out of them.  I did taste them at about 15 minutes into it and loved them that way as well, so am thinking next time I will stop after that time frame just because I liked the texture and color a little better.  That said, the recipe as written was wonderfully delicious.  Braised leeks...who knew?  Definitely a repeat. 

 

If you would like more information on the Cooking Italy group, want to see the menus and schedules, and want to see fabulous food and photos, visit Angela's site here. 

MSC: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes -- Oooh La La!

It's time for another cupcake adventure this month from the Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book.  This one, Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, is found on page 142 of the book, and was chosen by Megan of My Baking Adventures.  Love Megan's blog as she always has very practical wonderful food featured. 

 

You knew this one would be my favorite, right?  Lemon cupcakes, lemon curd, what's not to love?  Dangerous, dangerous things to have brightening up the kitchen, so I made only half a batch, which made 12, and fortunately the guys loved them, so my temptation only extended to two of them.   

 

There are three parts to the recipe, none of them difficult, but it does take a bit of time:  Lemon cupcakes, Lemon curd, 7 minute icing. 

 

Can't be making these too often for sure as they are absolutely wonderful and taste even better than they look, which is saying a lot.  Very lemony.  I think they are probably going to find their way here again the next time I can be sure that there will be enough people around to share them with.  Thanks, Megan, they were a big hit...and oh, so pretty! 

 

Next month's recipe selection was chosen by Jess from Cookbook Habit and is Jumbo Cream-filled Chocolate Cupcakes, found on page 133.   Blogroll and Schedule found here.

USA State Swim Meet - March 12-14, 2010

After high school swimming ends, USA swimming still has a month to go with state and then sectionals for the swimmers who have the times to qualify for those meets before it switches over to long course training for the summer.  State is a little easier to qualify for than sectionals as the sectionals lead to junior nationals, hopefully, for the swimmers who can advance with their times.  Matt already has junior national times in the 100 and 200 Freestyle and the 100 Backstroke, so he is swimming with the hopes of getting a junior national cut time in the 50 Freestyle also.  We shall see. 

 

The USA state meet was one of just getting back in the water to competitively swim some of the swims that went by the wayside during the high school season, i.e. in high school one just gets to swim 2 events, so Matt's concentration was on the 100 Freestyle (he placed third in that in high school state) and the 200 Freestyle (he placed first in that).  He also swims the backstroke, so he was entered in that and the 50 Free, the 200 IM, and the 100 Butterfly (which he and his coach agreed was not a stellar performance so although he made finals for that, he decided to scratch).   

 

The Wall at meets is always a gathering place for the swimmers, checking their times, their placings, their competition, etc.  It also includes the various time standards for the high powered meets, so the guys are always checking those times against their own times to see what they qualify for...I can tell by the way Matt is pointing in this photo that he is checking out the National times at the very top.  The dream.   

 

Harrison has always been slightly smaller and slightly less in stature than Matt, but this year the growth spurt has evened them out!  We've known Harrison since the first grade, so as I look at them standing together, my heart sort of seizes up remembering all the years between then and now and knowing that sooner than I can imagine, they will head off to different colleges, swim for different teams, etc.  Like Scarlet, "I'll think about that tomorrow."   

 

Some kicking back time up in the stands having a drink and checking out the psych sheets...you can tell this is a more relaxed meet as the boys are kicking back in the stands and not down on deck focusing and gearing up for serious swims.  They have their junior national cuts, so now they can relax a bit more.

 

Matt, Harrison, Jack, and Charles down on deck posing for a shot for the blog...the swimmers like to see themselves here on the blog, so I try to get shots that are usable, i.e. wearing the longer swim trunks and not the tiny little Speedos. 

 

With the re-entry into USA swimming, comes re-entry into swimming with the college kids, etc.  High school swimming is just that, high school aged swimmers.  USA is different in that once you hit age 15, you swim with all the swimmers over the age of 15, meaning a lot of college kids.  Even then, Matt pretty much holds his own, so after four months of not swimming the 100 backstroke much, he still placed 5th and Harrison still placed 8th.    

1st and 2nd places went to Purdue college kids, 3rd and 4th went to the same old contenders that Matt has faced in that swim since early on ever since he has been swimming USA since he was seven years old, so no real surprises there.

 

The swimmers have all known each other for all these years, so it is fun for them to get to state and compete with each other each year.

 

 
When it comes to relay swimming, it is difficult to beat a CSC relay team. 
CSC had two relay teams, placing 1st (Nick, Daniel, Jonathan, and Matt) and 3rd (Mike, Kiernan, Harrison, and Charles).  The winning team supplies the person handing out the awards, so for our team, it was Roch for this race, always nice to have Roch around.

 

Matt tied for 7th in the 50 Free, and for the life of me, I cannot remember how he placed in the 200 IM, not one of his usual swims.  It was good to be back as a USA team with Daniel and Harrison being able to swim on the team again now that the high school season has ended. 

CEiMB: Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's book The Food You Crave, was selected by me and is Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo, found on pages 86-87.  (The recipe is all over the net, so while I don't usually give recipes on my site, this one is easy enough to find, so I will share it here as well, with full credit to Ellie and her recipe book listed above.  Buy her books, you won't be sorry, as you will cook from them time and time again.)  

 

I had a list of about 100 recipes that I wanted to choose, but it's still soup weather, and soup is one of my most favorite lunches, so soup it is this week.  The soup goes together easily and makes a very large pot of soup just wonderfully full of flavor.  There aren't any unusual or expensive ingredients, which makes it a great choice as well. 

 

I gave it a run so that I could make sure I could highly recommend it.  I made it exactly as she wrote it and it was wonderful.  The next time I made it, I upped the lemon to 4 Tablespoons as that was the size of my lemon, and it was even better in my opinion because I love lemon and it went so nicely with the chicken and thyme.  The third time I made it, I used lemon thyme as well as the extra lemon juice, and although the recipe was perfect as originally written, it is now highly addictive to this lemon-loving nut.  

 

The soup freezes well, as I tried that, and is just great to have on hand in the freezer.  Am thinking this is a recipe not just for soup-eating weather, but one I will use year in and year out.  I hope you all enjoyed making and eating it as much as we did. 

 

Next week:  Pasta Puttanesca, recipe found in Ellie Krieger's book, The Food You Crave, on page 158.

 

 

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

4 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into small chunks
Pinch of salt, plus more to taste
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup orzo, preferably whole wheat
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring, a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep the soup hot but not boiling.

 

Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Makes 4 servings
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups
Per serving:
Calories 280; Total fat 10g (Sat fat 2g, Mono fat 6g, Poly fat 1g); Protein 26g; Carb 22g; Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 139mg; Sodium 291mg
Excellent source of:
niacin, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C
Good source of:
copper, folate, iodine, iron, magnesium, molybdenum, pantothenic acid, thiamin, vitamin B12, vitamin K, zinc

Tuesdays with Dorie: Thumbprints for Us Big Guys

Thanks to Mike of Ugly Food Dude for his Tuesdays with Dorie pick of Thumbprints For Us Big Guys, found on page 164 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook.  Mike has the recipe posted on his site today. 

 

The recipe says it makes 60, using the required teaspoon (a teaspoonful is for Big Guys? Hmmmmm), I got 6 dozen (72) of these little yummy cookies.  Butter, flour, almonds, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, jam, and powdered sugar and just a small amount of time nets you a very nice tea cookie. 
The guys went through 3 dozen in one sitting, without even a drop of tea.  Anything that is small seems to just be what they refer to as "one bite wonders" and don't sit around here for long. 

 

The ones in the photo have black raspberry jam and strawberry jam in them.  The jam gives them just a little sweetness as the dough is not overly sweet.  Definitely a keeper, definitely will make again.  Definitely need to double the recipe next time. 

 

Next week:  Rachelle from Mommy? I'm Hungry!  has chosen Soft Chocolate and Raspberry Tart, found on page 354.  TWD blogroll found here.  

Why I Have No Fingernails Left at the End of State aka Just How Close It Was

With all the excitement of the Olympics now a thing of the past, here's our own version of sports excitement from the swimming pool at the High School State Swim Meet.  Matt is in Lane 4 (center lane) in a gray cap with a blue greyhound, Ethan is in a red cap in Lane 5 (to Matt's left) and Daniel, one of Matt's good friends that swims in CSC with him but for Park Tudor during the high school season, is in Lane 3 (to Matt's right).  If you watch after the race, the ribbons are awarded on the podium, and then there is a short interview with Matt by a reporter.  Okay, maybe not quite as exciting as the Olympics to you, but it definitely was to us!  Click here.

BBA Challenge: Lavash

The seventeenth Bread Baker's Apprentice challenge (from the book by the same name authored by Peter Reinhart) was Lavash, and is found on pages 178-180. 

 

Lavash is a sort of bread that is more like a cracker, thin and crispy.  You don't need any special ingredients, just bread flour, salt, yeast, honey, vegetable oil, water, and whatever topping you desire, i.e. seeds, salt, etc. 

 

My first attempt with it turned out well, was very tasty, and easy enough to make without a lot of fuss.  I am eager to make it again so that I can roll the dough even thinner now that I know how it handles, what to expect from it, how it bakes, etc.  The edges of my first attempt were nice and crispy, but toward the middle it was a little thicker and while it tasted wonderful, it wasn't as crispy and crackly as the edges.  Practice makes perfect, and I intend to practice this one again soon. 
The directions show you how to make the crackers a uniform size and shape or instruct you how to break the baked bread into shards.  I liked the look of the shards, so I went with that method.  We ate it with cheese and also with sweet jalapeno jam, both delightful.  While the topping list can be varied, I made mine with toasted sesame seeds and sea salt, a great combination for us. 

 

Nancy, Cathy, Jessica, Melissa, Sarah, Di, Leslie, Margaret and I are baking on a slower schedule.  If you would like to see their Lavash, click on their names and visit their sites, or you can visit the main group and marvel how they are so far ahead of us.  We'll get there...Slow and Steady.  Our next challenge:  Light Wheat Bread, found on pages 181-182.

CEiMB: Peppercorn Pork with Wine Sauce

The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's book The Food You Crave, was selected by Rachel at Rachel Hearts Food and is Peppercorn Pork with Wine Sauce, found on page 196.  Rachel has it on her site today as well.  Thanks, Rachel, this was a great recipe, one that we will use again and again. 

 

The recipe was amazingly easy, very tasty, and although I cannot photograph meat for the life of me, on the plate it looked wonderful.  I liked learning the new technique, well, new to me, of slicing the pork as directed so that it will cook faster, always a plus on a week night.  The sauce was light and tasty and although the Whisk Chick in me wanted to add that tiny bit of butter at the end to smooth it all out, I resisted, and I have to say that I did not miss it.  The sauce complimented the meat nicely.  Definitely a repeat:  we all loved it. 

 

Next week:  Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo, recipe found in Ellie Krieger's book, The Food You Crave, on pages 86-87.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Toasted-Coconut Custard Tart

Thanks to Beryl of Cinemon Girl for her Tuesdays with Dorie pick of Toasted-Coconut Custard Tart, found on pages 344-345 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook.  Beryl has the recipe posted on her site today. 
This was a very rich recipe.  Even the guys were eating very small pieces compared to what they usually serve themselves.  We all enjoyed it, but I have to say this is maybe a once every other year kind of dessert because of its overwhelming sweetness.  Having a rich cookie dough tart crust, a rich custard, the whipped cream on top, etc. made it all a bit much for anything more than one very thin slice.  The flavors were excellent, rum and vanilla in the custard and whipped cream definitely added a little something special. 

 

My custard set up fine in the refrigerator, but when I put it into the tart shell, it suddenly went soft, a little too soft, as it did not hold up to slicing.  Did not affect the taste, but the appearance was a little lacking as it oozed all over the dessert plate.  Luckily I bake/cook for guys and they really don't see that as any sort of problem at all. 

 

Photo this week found Matt urging Mark to be in the photo as well.  Of course, that quickly turned into "who is taller" as the race is on, Matt eager to best his dad in the height department.  I think it is still up for grabs, but hard to tell as they both draw in their breath and raise their chins thinking that is going to add to the inch count.  Matt says his shoulders are clearly higher than Mark's.  I try to stay neutral, but secretly, I think Matt's got him this year, Mark being 6'4" tall and Matt just a little taller than that now.   I'll let you be the judge...kids so eager to grow up and be adults.     

 

Next week:  Mike from Ugly Food Dude has chosen Thumbprints For Us Big Guys, found on page 164.  TWD blogroll found here.  

They Celebrated

State swimming wrap-up.  At State, after each of the swims there is a little break where the swimmers in that heat get to swim a victory lap before they assemble everyone on the podium for awards, medals, and photos.  (Photo is Matt's victory lap after his 200 Freestyle, that smile says it all!) 
I know that I have talked about this before, but the friendships made through swimming are a wonderful thing.  The swimmers who swim on Matt's USA team are the elite swimmers on the high school team as that is just the way it goes, a good swimmer who does not swim USA club cannot possibly hold his own in the high school realm against those who all swim high school and USA club...that year 'round training makes the swimmers ready to compete at the highest levels.  Most of the CSC USA club swimmers go to Carmel High School, but there are a few who attend private schools, like Matt did with Guerin the previous two years, and Daniel does with Park Tudor, Harrison and Ali at Brebeuf, etc. 

 

This year Daniel was the only swimmer from his high school team to qualify for state, so the CHS swimmers just sort of incorporated Daniel into their space, warming up in the pool, etc., as after all, Daniel was "one of them" no matter what high school he went to, just like they did for Matt when he was at Guerin.  When it came time at the end for the celebratory podium jump into the water for a victory swim, the CHS swimmers all urged Daniel to get up on the podium with them and swim as well.  Daniel had second and third place finishes in his swims (no relay swims as he was the only qualifier from his team), which was fantastic and the boys wanted him to jump with them in celebration.  Daniel, bless his heart, stood on the podium at the very end, shown in the photo above, (the podium shows seniors at the top, followed by juniors, etc. down to the end), but the swimmers all encouraged Daniel to get up to the top with the rest of the seniors and the photo shows Matt motioning and urging Daniel to come up higher to be with the seniors, the same seniors Daniel swims with in the CSC USA team. 
It was heartwarming and special that in all the chaos of the win, others were not forgotten.  Daniel moved up, took his place with the seniors and jumped with glee.  It was one of those moments that made the day that much more special.
(Photo:  The Jump into the diving well at the pool...freshman, sophomores, juniors, seniors, coaches...in that order...everyone in!)

  

Afterward there was a party to celebrate with lots of pasta and a cake or two.  

 

The guys were all in great spirits, the coached talked about the day, the year, the swimmers, and the future. 

 

The seniors talked and then the juniors spoke of the commitment to bring home another trophy next year.
(Photo:  The Juniors now in charge:  Mike, John, Sean, Fillipo, Kiernan, Cameron, Matt, and Tyler.) 

 

(Photo:  Matt and his head coach for high school as well as his CSC USA team, Chris.  I think Chris still has an inch or so on him, but there will come the day, that Matt will catch up in height.)  

 

 

And did I get a photo of my son with the trophy?  Somehow he and Nik scooted out of there on their way to Stephanie's post-post-state party before I could suggest such a thing, but fortunately, Mike was still available and happy to pose with the trophy he had a big hand in winning for the team. 

 

A final photo of the guys just kicking back and having a good time excited for their high school season to have such a great ending and ready to move on to the nationals with their USA state and sectionals competitions coming up in the next couple of weeks.  And who will their opponents be?  All the same kids they battled at high school state in the finals.  After 11 years of swimming with all these same swimmers in Indiana, it's just as much fun for the parents to go and watch those swimmers and see their accomplishments as it is our own team.  Well, maybe we cheer a little harder for our own team, but it is exciting to see Kyle breaking all the records and whether or not Matt can finally beat Kevin in something...yep, pretty darn exciting all the way around. 

(Photo:  Nik, Jonathan, Matt, Mike, Kiernan)  

They Did It! CHS Boys Swimming and Diving Win State

(Photo:  Trophy Time...Matt is sitting on the podium, fourth from the left in his CHS warm up suit.  Roch is first coach on left with Chris, the head coach, beside him.) 

 

They did it...the CHS boys swimming and diving team won the State Championship on Saturday.  I have the worst pictures imaginable because I was just too excited, nervous, distracted, etc. to take photos...fortunately there were photos from others and the professional ones to mark the occasion.  Here's some of what I have, be kind.
(Photo:  200 Freestyle race, Matt leading with Ethan not far behind and Daniel (Matt's good friend from CSC swimming who swims for Park Tudor) in third.  A very exciting race right down to the touchpad.  Most importantly for Matt, he managed to get in first against very tough competion!)  
 Matt had the allotted four swims, two individual (200 Freestyle and the 100 Freestyle), and two relays (200 Freestyle Relay and the 400 Freestyle Relay).  He placed first in the 200 Freestyle...sorry, no photo of him on the podium, I was absolutely in awe that he won that race and got first, let alone have the presence of mind to get a photo of the occasion.

 

(Photo:  For the finals, the top 8 get an escort to the starting blocks before they swim, Matt is fourth back and Jonathan is in this race as well further back.) 
He placed third in the 100 Freestyle, which is just where he really was this year as he went into the weekend seeded fourth in that event, Harrison's goggle malfunction knocking him out of the first seed, and Nathan and Tyler really have pretty much owned that swim all year, although Matt did beat each of them prior to this, it finished right where it should have so he was happy with his swim.
(Photo:  400 Freestyle Relay, Matt swimming anchor and in to a big finish against the Munster team, a very tight race right to the end, sealing the deal of a CHS victory over Munster for the state title this year.) 
The 200 Freestyle Relay finished second and the 400 Freestyle Relay, the last event of the meet, finished first.  Happy Happy Boy, Happy Happy Team!
(Photo:  It's a celebration...all swimmers and coaches in the pool!)

  

Tradition holds that at the end of the meet, the first place team and their coaches gather on the podium for a final jump into the water in a wave of celebration. 

 

It was quite a weekend.  Matt ended up with 2 firsts, a second, and a third and had scored the most points for his winning team.  Not bad for a junior.  What's next?  State finals for USA in two weeks, followed by Sectionals for USA at the end of the month.  Then I think we have a week off before long course training.  I think.