Grandma's Kitchen Table

Twitter Chef Avatar Fun: James Beard's Shrimp Mornay

      We are having a bit of avatar fun over at Twitter, my baking/cooking pals and I, just to shake things up a bit and confuse everyone each month as to who is who and all.  Nancy came up with the great idea of each of us picking a different chef for each month, all of us making anything we each selected to make from that chef's recipes, taking a photo of our efforts, and using that photo as our avatar for that month. 

      February's avatar chef is James Beard, chosen by Nancy.  The recipe I chose is from The James Beard Cookbook and is Shrimp Mornay. 

Shrimp Mornay

(Serves 4) 

2 pounds of shrimp
 2 cups of Mornay Sauce
 Butter Buttered Crumbs
 Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

  Boil the shrimp
 Make Sauce Mornay (recipe follows)
  Heap the shrimp into a buttered serving dish, top with Mornay sauce, buttered bread crumbs, and Parmesan Cheese
  Place under broiler to brown a little

  Mornay Sauce
  4 Tablespoons of Butter
 4 Tablespoons of Flour
 2 Cups of Milk
 Salt & Pepper
 Additional 4 Tablespoons of Butter
 1/2-1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

  Melt the butter
Blend in the flour
 Pour in the milk slowly and stir until thickened
 Add additional 4 Tablespoons of butter and 1/2-1 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Stir until thick and well blended

      This was absolutely delicious, the sauce is easy to make and just perfectly wonderful.  Nancy suggested that I play into the February Valentine's Day theme by trying to make a heart with the shrimp in the recipe, so I tried to do that on the top, one shrimp heart to top it all off.  Thanks, Nancy, for the James Beard pick and the shrimp heart idea, I am really going to enjoy making James Beard recipes this month. 
      Next month it's Margaret's turn to pick and her chef of choice is Emeril Lagasse.

Bake! Florida Brownies

      The ninth recipe that I made from Bake!  by Nick Malgieri was Florida Brownies, found on pages 198-199. 

      It wasn't really my turn to pick a Twitter recipe as we are supposed to be doing Margaret's pick, but Margaret has a lot on her plate this week, so we postponed her choice of Danish Cheese Pockets (p.113) until next weekend.  In the meantime, my guys wanted something chocolate, and these looked like a fine way to provide that for them.  Leslie joined in this week as well because there has never been a brownie recipe that Leslie is not fully onboard with joining in...she is just that fond of brownie type things. 

      Ingredient list:  sugar, flour, butter, eggs, salt, vanilla, and unsweetened chocolate. 

      It all comes together quickly and easily and bakes for 35 minutes.  After it cools, the brownies go into the refrigerator overnight before they are cut and eaten. 

      Mark and Matt thought these were very tasty and would happily eat them anytime I care to make them, which means anytime.  They were a big hit here.  Definitely a repeat.

      Get the book and Bake! with us, we will even let you choose recipes in rotation with us, yes, we will!

Modern Baker: Pizza Chiena: Neapolitan Meat & Cheese Pie

      The third recipe I made from the Savory Tarts & Pies section of The Modern Baker  by Nick Malgieri, was the one for Pizza Chiena:  Neapolitan Meat & Cheese Pie, on page 151.  (We are not publishing recipes from the book, so if you like what you see, buy the book and bake along with or without us).    

      The ingredient list for the crust dough:  all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, eggs, olive oil, and water.   The filling ingredients:  ricotta, eggs, pepper, Pecorino Romano, parsley, prosciutto, Italian basket cheese, soppressata, fresh mozzarella, and capicola. 

      I made a half recipe as this thing is huge and weighs a lot.  I figured a little would go a long way when serving and I was right.  This was my first experience with an olive oil dough for the crust and while it was easy to make, easy to work with, and easy to roll out, I did not care for it at all.  It seemed heavy and oily and not at all tasty.  That said, Mark liked it just fine. 

      The filling was fun to make, layers of meat and cheese topped off with the top crust of dough.  It got a nice egg wash and went into the oven for an hour.  After an hour it was nicely browned.  We let it cool for a bit as the cheese was hot and loose, after about ten minutes it was cooled sufficiently to cut into slices/pieces without everything oozing out too much.
      Mark loved it.  He loves Italian cured sausages and things of that nature and also loves cheese, so the combination for him was a winner.  I am not fan of sausages so I only had a 50/50 shot at best at really enjoying this.  The cheese parts were good, the sausage and crust parts were not to my liking...not because of the recipe, but because of personal food preferences.  Would I make this again?  I would make it if Mark requested me to do so, otherwise, I think not, again, personal preference so don't let that deter you at all as it was fun to make.

      If you would like to bake along or be a part of the Modern Baker group, you will find all that, plus a tab to link to the blogs posting the Breads, with the blogroll here.

French Fridays with Dorie: Chicken B'stilla

      The twelfth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Chicken B'stilla, found on pages 222-224. 

      Mary got up one morning and said on Twitter, "Do you want to make this with me?"  And so we did...each in our own kitchens, but commiserating together just how much we don't really like working with filo dough...yet.  We both had issues with it tearing and crumbling, a bit of a frustrating experience.  That said, it all tasted wonderful when we poked it all here and there and came up with something that actually resembles what the photo in the book looks like.  I love filo (phyllo) and the idea of it always, so definitely need to make a date to just grab a box of it and play around until I feel comfortable working with it in the future.  Think of all those Greek recipes I could be making that include phyllo!

      Ingredient list:  chicken thighs, onions, garlic, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, saffron, chicken broth, lemon juice, eggs, honey, pepper, cilantro (I left it out), parsley, filo dough, butter, almonds, and cinnamon sugar. 

      The filling is made (you can actually make it ahead and even refrigerate it until you are ready) and then placed into the filo crust.  (I made half a recipe which fit nicely into a six inch cake pan.)  After it is baked, it is unmolded and cut into slices for serving.  I'm a little messy on that part, so please be charitable. 

      It was all delicious, very much like a chicken pot pie actually, and Mark enjoyed taking it in his lunch the next day as well.  

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

CEiMB: Fettucine with Creamy Red Pepper Feta Sauce

      The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's recipes online at FN Tv, was Fettucine with Creamy Red Pepper Feta Sauce chosen by Jess of Learning to Love Vegetables.  You can find the recipe here. Thanks, Jess, this was a very good choice for this pasta-loving family.

      This week's recipe is certainly easy, all you have to do is boil the fettucine, and make the red pepper feta sauce with jarred red peppers, chicken broth, olive oil, onion, garlic, feta, a little salt & pepper. 

      When the pasta is ready, toss the pasta in it, top it with some crumbled feta and parsley.  It's that simple. 

      The taste is light and refreshing and the feta really shines, so splurge on a good feta for this.  Definitely a repeat, it was delicious. 

      Next week's assignment is Four Cheese Baked Penne, chosen by Lindsay of 71 Cookbooks.  You can find the CEiMB blogroll here.

Thirty Minute Thursdays: Spaghetti ai Gamberi, Pomodoro e Capperi (Spaghetti with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Capers)

       This week for Thirty Minute Thursdays, cooking our way through Giuliano Hazan's Thirty Minute Pasta book with Glennis, Abby, and whoever else wants to join us, I made Spaghetti ai Gamberi, Pomodoro e Capperi (Spaghetti with Shrimp, Tomatoes, and Capers), on page 98. 

      Shrimp is always an easy thing to make on week evenings because it cooks quickly and is easy to keep on hand in the freezer.  It's also something we all like, so I know that when I say we are having shrimp, the guys are going to be looking forward to dinner.
      Ingredient list:  onions, olive oil, tomatoes, shrimp, fresh oregano, capers, salt & pepper, and spaghetti. 

      Simply delicious, definitely a repeat.  If you like the looks and sounds of it, buy the book as I am a believer in encouraging people to support the authors who put together these fabulous books by buying a copy, so you won't find the recipes posted from this book here.  (Buy it, the recipes are easy, the ingredients are easy to locate, it's not pricey, and there are photos of almost all the recipes.)

Tuesdays with Dorie: Nutty, Chocolaty, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake

      Thanks to Jennifer, from Cooking for Comfort, for her pick of Nutty, Chocolaty, Swirly Sour Cream Bundt Cake, found on pages 182-183 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook.  You can find this recipe here, or buy the book and you can have them all! 

      I wasn't going to make this, as guys are not that fond of cake for some reason, but we were lacking in desserts, so I made a half portion, netting me six little mini bundts which I can send off in lunches this week.  Who doesn't enjoy a nice little sweet treat in a lunch, right? 

      The recipe was easy, ingredients mostly on hand (had to run out for sour cream is all).
      The finished little cake is very good.  And, let's just say that if you don't like chocolate, you can make the filling with or without it, some of each, so that that person in your house who does not like chocolate can also enjoy a little bit of cake as well with just the cinnamon, nuts, raisins, and sugar.  Yep, it works, I tried it for you, just to be sure and all.  It's good, it's very very good.  So happy that I made this one. 

        Next week:  Christine from Happy Tummy has chosen Great Grains Muffins, found on pages 8-9. TWD blogroll found here.

CEiMB: Vanilla Spice Oatmeal

      The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's book, So Easy, was Vanilla Spice Oatmeal chosen by Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet.  Mary is just a whole lot of fun, if you haven't visited her blog before, you must do so soon, always something good going on over there.  You can find the recipe on page 39 of the book or here. 

      This oatmeal is absolutely delicious and takes very little time to throw together, so there is absolutely no reason for you not to give it a go soon. 

      It is wonderful as written, but I can also think of other ways to change it up and have it stay true to the concept...simply switching out raisins for dried cranberries, using almonds instead of pecans...it can go on and on.  Such a nice thing to have on a cold snowy morning like we had today.

      Next week's assignment is Fettucine with Creamy Red Pepper  Feta Sauce, chosen by Mary of Learning to Love Vegetables.  You can find the CEiMB blogroll here.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

      Thanks to Betsy, from A Cup of Sweetness, for her pick of Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, found on page 10 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook.  You can find the recipe here. 

      Not much to say this week, they are, after all muffins, and while they are very good, there is not much else to say about them other than they are easy and quick.
      I will also say that I needed to make the glaze a little tighter as it was pretty thin and resulted in a true glaze-type topping rather than the nice ribbons of frosting shown in the book photo.  Note to self, noted. 

      They were good, if you are in the mood for a lemon poppyseed muffin, these will definitely make you happy.   

        Next week:  Jennifer from Cooking for Comfort has chosen Nutty, Chocolatey, Swirly, Sour Cream Bundt Cake, found on page 182. TWD blogroll found here.

Modern Baker: Ham & Egg Tart

      The second recipe I made from the Savory Tarts & Pies section of The Modern Baker  by Nick Malgieri, was the one for Ham & Egg Tart, on page 136, using the Rich Pie Dough recipe on page 128 for the tart crust.  (We are not publishing recipes from the book, so if you like what you see, buy the book and bake along with or without us).    

      The ingredient list for the crust dough:  all-purpose flour, butter, baking powder, and eggs.  

      The filling ingredients:  milk, cream, ham, eggs, cheddar cheese, nutmeg, salt & pepper. 
      Again, this crust is just excellent for these tarts, very flaky and tasty.  The ham and cheese are spread across the bottom of the unbaked tart crust shell and the rest of the filling ingredients are mixed, poured into the tart shell, baked, and cooled for five minutes before removing from the tart pan.
      We ate it hot from the oven and loved it.  Mark said it was his "new favorite quiche-type thing," declaring it "excellent."  Will it be a repeat? Yes, it was great, another winner from this wonderful book. 

      If you would like to bake along or be a part of the Modern Baker group, you will find all that, plus a tab to link to the blogs posting the Breads, with the blogroll here.

Bake! Individual Coconut Cakes

      The eighth recipe that I made from Bake!  by Nick Malgieri was for the Individual Coconut Cakes, found on pages 134-135. 

      It was my turn to choose a recipe and I was looking for something to put into the guys lunches that would also be portable and available for snacking for them.  I found just the thing as the little cakes are made in mini-muffin tins.  Phyl and Margaret agreed that it was a recipe they found appealing, so we scheduled a Twitterbake for this afternoon. 

      Ingredient list:  sugar, flour, unsweetened coconut, sweetened coconut, egg whites, salt, lemon zest and butter.  It all comes together quickly and easily and bakes for 15 minutes.
      One little cake is very rich and satisfying if you are looking for just a little something.  Light, moist, coconutty, and delicious!  Definitely a repeat.

      Get the book and Bake! with us, we will even let you choose recipes in rotation with us, yes, we will!

Sophie (May 28, 1994 - January 15, 2011)

      Goodbye, Sophie.  In all of her 16.5 years, Sophie was never ill, never needy, never made a single mess of any kind, was always a sweetie, and held reign over those those two Tibetan Spaniels that showed up when she was ten.     

      In November we found out that Sophie had kitty cancer and there was nothing to be done about it, that we could bring her home for a bit, but when she started showing signs of suffering, it would be time to say goodbye.  

      Although she kept the suffering part from us, she was visibly slowing down, neglecting to eat, sleeping most of the day away, walking very slowly, etc.  So it was time we said goodbye to Soph.  I thought I would just post a nice photo of her taken today because she was one really great pet for all those years...that's a long time to live with someone, and she did it so nicely. 

      Sophie arrived when the boys were two years old, Matt summed it up best when he said, "I don't remember a time without Sophie being here."  (She wasn't feeling the greatest, so she looks a little grumpy, but otherwise these are nice photos of her.) 

      The two Tibbies?  Well, frankly they are looking at us all a little accusingly as apparently they know that Soph is not coming back.  It's a little disarming to have to address the accusations as they keep searching throughout the house for her.  She will be missed by all of us, she was just that loved.

Friday's Favorites Fare

READING:  The Kingdom of the Hittites by Trevor Bryce   

LISTENING TO:  Fleetwood Mac
SWIMMING NEWS:  CSC Winter Invitational Swim Meet Friday-Sunday 

COOKING BYTES:  There has got to be an easier way to work with phyllo dough.  It drives me nuts.  I had to make something with it this week for FFwD and I had it break on me, had it rip and tear, had it fall apart, etc.  Every time I work with it, it frustrates me.  I am seriously thinking of getting a box and working with it non-stop for an afternoon, one application after another so that I can get the hang of it.  There has to be some sort of trick to it that I am not currently getting. 

FAV NEW FIND:  Just realized Monday is MLK day and Matt has the day off from school, which will be nice after a lot of choir and swimming commitments for him this weekend.  Yep, looking forward to Monday!

FAV THING THIS WEEK:  Getting all the holiday decor put away and getting things back to normal around here, which always feels good, believe it or not.  I love the decorations, etc., but I also enjoy things getting back to everyday. 

GOING TO:  Three day swim meet, some choir commitments, and not much else as that should occupy most of the weekend...see you on the other side!

PRAYING FOR:  Prosperity, Health, and Happiness for all of you in 2011, please join me.



Thirty Minute Thursdays: Fusilli alla Salsiccia e Zucchine (Fusilli with Sausage and Zucchini)

      This week for Thirty Minute Thursdays, cooking our way through Giuliano Hazan's Thirty Minute Pasta book with Glennis, and whoever else wants to join us, I made Fusilli alla Salsiccia e Zucchine (Fusilli with Sausage and Zucchini), on page 150.  Another delicious meal in the thirty minute time frame, I am loving this deal. 

      Mark likes sausage and every once in awhile I try to find something that uses sausage as an ingredient, so that it goes further and you don't have to feel quite so guilty having a little of it instead of a huge hunk of it.  This recipe fit the search and Mark and Matt were delighted with it. 

      Ingredient list:  onions, butter, Italian sausage (the recipe suggested pork sausage, but also said one could choose), zucchini, salt, tomatoes, fusilli, and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

      Definitely a repeat, the guys ate a great amount of it and there was even some left for Mark to take in his lunch the next day and Matt to have for breakfast (yes, I said breakfast, swimmers eat all sorts of things at odd times of the day as they are always hungry)! 

      If you like the looks and sounds of it, buy the book as I am a believer in encouraging people to support the authors who put together these fabulous books by buying a copy, so you won't find the recipes posted from this book here.  (Buy it, the recipes are easy, the ingredients are easy to locate, it's not pricey, and there are photos of almost all the recipes.)

CEiMB: Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars

      The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's book, So Easy, was Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars chosen by Heide of Chez Zero.  You can find the recipe on page 40 of the book or here. 

      These bars mix together quickly and bake for just 30 minutes, so in no time at all you can have a homemade granola type bar with a nice fresh taste for bigger savings economically than buying commercial pre-packaged brands.  They are good, nice and flavorful with the fruit flavors, the nuts add a nice crunchiness, and overall they are a bit chewy in texture, quite nice all the way around. 

      Next week's assignment is Vanilla Spice Oatmeal from Ellie's book So Easy, on page 39, chosen by Mary of Popsicles and Sandy Feet.  You can find the CEiMB blogroll here.

Bake! Buttermilk Biscuits

      The seventh recipe that I made from Bake!  by Nick Malgieri were the Buttermilk Biscuits, found on pages 180-181.  It was Margaret's turn to choose a recipe since she just got the book and started joining us in Bake!-ing along. 

      As always, I am rather nervous undertaking any sort of biscuit recipe as I have not been terribly (read "at all") successful in making biscuits that resemble the light feathery things people tend to wax on and on about.  I did want, however, to be a good team player, so I procrastinated about as long as I dared and then I dove in figuring I had nothing to lose.  Good thing I did because I finally did it...I made biscuits that were light and fluffy and oh-so-delicious!  I just needed the right recipe, and this one is definitely it.  The search is over.
      Ingredient list:  flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, butter, and buttermilk.  It all comes together quickly and easily and bakes for 15 minutes. 

      The guys were thrilled with the result, which is the whole reason I bake/cook in the first place.  If you think you can't make good biscuits, this is definitely your recipe.  Definitely a repeat.

      Get the book and Bake! with us, we will even let you choose recipes in rotation with us, yes, we will!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Chocolate Fluff-filled Madeleines

      Thanks to Margot, from Effort to Deliciousness, for her pick of Chocolate Fluff-filled Madeleines, found on pages 170-171 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook.  You can find the recipe here.  Margot makes terrific toffee, just ask Matt, she sent us some with her recipe and I have been answering requests for toffee from Matt ever since.  He even calls it Margot's Toffee (don't tell David Lebovitz that, however).   

      Before I begin, let me just say that I am a Madeleine baker.  I have tried various recipes with varying results.  I have tried various Madeleine pans with varying results.  I have a recipe that I have found that works well, tastes delicious with that melt-in-your-mouth quality that I associate with a drop-dead great Madeleine recipe, and I am not one to toy around with A Good Thing. 

      That said, my TWD baking pals on Twitter and I embarked on the journey that was this recipe when we all woke up with the same inclination to bake Madeleines that day.  All of us had varying degrees of success.  I think my efforts were the worst of the bunch actually, something that does not set well with me as I always think of myself as a person who can make great Madeleines on a moment's notice.
      I love Dorie's recipes, I do.  Week after week, I am the one who always bakes everything as written figuring Dorie knows way more than I do and I am here to learn from her.  That said, the very first recipe that I baked when I joined the TWD group was Dorie's for Madeleines.  And it was good, it was very fussy in preparation compared to my It's A Good Thing recipe, and it didn't taste quite as good as It's A Good Thing recipe, but I was happy to have made them. 

      Enter this week's chocolate Madeleine recipe.  Already, if you know me at all, it has one strike against it because it is chocolate and I am just not a fan.  I like my Madeleines very traditional.  Looking beyond that, I think the greatest "fail" I had with this recipe is that my butter separated and sank to the bottom of the bowl when it was chilling in the refrigerator.  I did not realize this when I was scooping the batter into the Mad Pans and when I got near the bottom I thought, "Uh, oh, what's THIS?" I knew I was probably in trouble as all the congealed butter on the bottom was definitely not in the Madeleine batter in the pan already. 

      It was not going well, so I just chopped up the butter, poked it into the batter in the pans and popped it into the oven anyway.  "Why would you do that?" you ask.  Because I have guys over here that will eat most anything chocolate so I figured it wouldn't be a total loss even if I had to make them again with a slight variation to Dorie's recipe (which I try never to do), i.e. no chilling of the batter, just straight into the oven. 

      Apparently they tasted fine, although they did have large holes in the cookie (see above photos), they tasted okay and even better with the fluff inside and chocolate icing outside. 

      Will I make them again?  Yes, I might.  Just to see how it works with going straight from mixing the batter in the bowl to the pans and then into the oven without the chilling.  I am very eager to see how everyone else did with this recipe because I am fairly certain, that knowing Dorie's attention to detail, the whole congealed butter drama was something that I didn't do correctly.  Now, if I could just figure out what that was, I could correct it.  

      Next week:  Betsy from A Cup of Sweetness has chosen Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, found on page 10. TWD blogroll found here.

French Friday's with Dorie: My Go-To Beef Daube

      The eleventh recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was My Go-To Beef Daube, found on pages 243-245. 

      This recipe transforms the lowly chuck roast into something very special in taste alone...it looks like a bunch of meat and vegetables thrown together, but it all melts on your tongue and the flavors are better than anything you can imagine, you will need to make it to see for yourself just how good it is.  Oh, and when you make it, don't be substituting this or that or changing that or this because it won't be the same thing, and you definitely want the same thing, the recipe is perfectly wonderful as written, I didn't change a thing, so I speak from experience.

      Ingredient list:  beef chuck roast, bacon, salt & pepper, oil, onions, shallots, garlic, carrots, parsnips, cognac, wine, and bouquet garni as specified in recipe. 

     

      Yes, that's quite a few ingredients to line up but none of them are difficult to find, all of them absolutely work in symphony together.  This takes the better part of an afternoon to orchestrate, but it is so worth it when you sit down to eat it, especially on a cold dark wintery night like we had here this evening. 

     

      Since there are no potatoes in the recipe, and guys here love potatoes, I decided to make some mashed potatoes for them to have with the daube as I knew they would enjoy that...and indeed they did.  The daube is good just by itself, but if you want to see guys really smile, give it to them over mashed potatoes which soak up all that wonderful juice!

     

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Friday's with Dorie: Paris Mushroom Soup

      The tenth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Paris Mushroom Soup, found on pages 72-73. 

      The Soup Queen again found herself swooning at this one, oh, yes, it was that good.  This is no Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup in a can, in fact, there is not a drop of cream in the soup at all.  Okay, I did put some creme fraiche on the top, but only because I thought the photo needed a little something extra, so that and chives was it today.   

      Ingredient list:  butter, onions, garlic, salt & pepper, mushrooms, white wine, parsley, rosemary, and chicken broth.  (I also used chives and creme fraiche from her topping options list.)  Everything listed is easy to find (well, if you can't find creme fraiche, you can always sub in some sour cream) and the recipe directions are very simple, so there is no reason at all to buy anything in a can ever again. 

      If you love mushrooms, you will love this soup, it's very fresh tasting and delicious...okay, in looks alone it doesn't win a beauty contest, but it gets exceptionally high marks from the tasting panel.  

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

French Friday's with Dorie: Leek and Potato Soup

      The ninth recipe I made for French Fridays with Dorie, from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table cookbook, was Leek and Potato Soup, found on pages 66-67.  The Soup Queen herself swooned at this one, oh, yes, it was that good.  And, just so you know, it's not easy making The Soup Queen swoon as she is very particular about her soups. 

      Ingredient list:  butter, onion, garlic, leeks, potatoes, fresh thyme, fresh sage, chicken broth, and milk.  I also used chives and croutons from her "optional toppings" list. 

      These seem like lowly, mundane, common, everyday things, don't they?  Well, I agree...but Dorie magically transforms them into a wonderful, wonderful soup that leaves you anticipating each spoonful...something a good soup will do down to the very last one in the bowl.  Don't believe me?  Give it a try...and this cold weather just screams "soup season!"   

      If you would like to learn more about this group, you can click here. Enrollment is open, feel free to follow along officially or unofficially. The group posts weekly on Fridays.

 

Bake! New Orleans Praline Pound Cake

      The sixth recipe that I made from Bake!  by Nick Malgieri was the New Orleans Praline Pound Cake, found on pages 138-139.  It was Phyl's turn to choose a recipe and since he is a big fan of pound cakes, and they were going to be using them for a fondue party, he selected this one for us all to make. 

      The batter went together easily and was light and fluffy (click here to see Phyl's post which shows the batter).  Ingredient list:  flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon, rum, and pecans.  Everything in it to taste very praline-ish New Orleans-ish!
      I thought the pound cake was delicious and Mark particularly enjoyed having it to take in his lunches this week.  I'm sure we would enjoy having it again. 

      Get the book and Bake! with us, we will even let you choose recipes in rotation with us, yes, we will!

Four for Four

Photo:  Matt after the 200 Freestyle win, Gus to his right, Kiernan to his left.  

      It was a high school swim meet day, but with a little extra fun as it was the first time I had gotten to see Reyn (Matt's girlfriend) swim as her school was one of the teams swimming against Matt's school.  She swam the 500 Freestyle and the 100 Breaststroke and did very nicely. 

      Matt won his two individual events (100 Freestyle and 200 Freestyle) and his two relays also won, so he had a great day at the pool. 

      As I was watching all the CHS swimmers I was thinking that this is the last high school season Matt will ever have, next year it will be on to college swimming.  Shock waves still tear through me when I think of it all.  I was watching the other swimmers, some of whom we have been swimming with for 12 years now, and thinking how we have seen them all grow up over the years day by day, because swimming is pretty much a daily thing.  Lots of memories through the years.

      Mark was timing in one of the lanes that Reyn was swimming in so it was fun to see the chatting going on between the two while Reyn waited for her lane to clear for her swim.

      CHS won the meet, the swimmers retired to O'Neil's house for a victory celebration, and everyone is looking forward to swimming a USA meet next weekend because you can't have enough swimming going on...ever. 

Modern Baker: Swiss Onion & Cheese Tart

      The first recipe I made from the Savory Tarts & Pies section of The Modern Baker  by Nick Malgieri, was the one for Swiss Onion & Cheese Tart, on page 140, using the Rich Pie Dough recipe on page 128 for the tart crust.  (We are not publishing recipes from the book, so if you like what you see, buy the book and bake along with or without us). 

      After finishing up the last section, we are now moving into this next section of the book, Savory Tarts & Pies for the next three months.  There are 15 recipes in this section, so that averages about 5 a month if you want to make them all (except if you are me, tend to put things off, and have to do 5 in the last week as has been the case so far, I think).  

      The ingredient list for the crust dough:  all-purpose flour, butter, baking powder, and eggs.   The filling ingredients:  milk, cream, flour, eggs, butter, onions, cheese (I used smoked Swiss cheese as I had that on hand), bacon (I used a smoked one to go with the smoked cheese), nutmeg, salt & pepper. 

      I like to make pie dough crust in the food processor, and this recipe calls for that. It was fast, makes a lovely dough that is easy to roll, and the end product is very tasty. 

      The filling ingredients are mixed, poured into the tart shell, baked, and cooled for five minutes before removing from the tart pan.  I baked it for the time specified and that ended up being exactly how we like quiche-type things, when the eggs are cooked, but still soft and not set so hard that they are rubbery.
      We ate it nice and warm and I loved it...anything with onions is always appreciated.  The guys?  Well, they ate it, said it was good, and then promptly said afterward, "This isn't a repeat for us as we don't really like that many onions all that much."  Noted.  Will it be a repeat?  Oh, yeah, in mini form, for me as I thought it was great! 

      If you would like to bake along or be a part of the Modern Baker group, you will find all that, plus a tab to link to the blogs posting the Breads, with the blogroll here.

Friday's Favorites Fare

READING:  One Big Table by Molly O'Neill   

LISTENING TO:  Bizet's opera Carmen
SWIMMING NEWS:  MIC meet this weekend 

COOKING BYTES:  It's always fun when a cookbook author visits your site and leaves you a nice note or emails you thanking you for cooking from their book(s)...had TWO notes this week, so that was fun.  

      And, it's always fun when one of your best friends drops by with leftovers from her party...cookies for the cookie loving guys that live here...thanks Katie W!

FAV NEW FIND:  Okay, don't laugh, but Swifter has a new dusting wand that covers top and bottom and sides, so if you are dusting between things, you don't have to flip it over to get the top, bottom, and sides.  Very nice.  It's the little things, you know.

FAV THING THIS WEEK:  It was fun to get back to school and see all the high school students and hear about their break and holidays.

GOING TO:  Take all the Christmas decor down (yes, it's still all up and I'm still enjoying it), Colts play Saturday, IU plays Sunday night, MIC swim meet on Saturday, a movie on Sunday, hopefully a Twitterbake/cook somewhere along the line...and probably tuck in as much reading as possibly on these cold days and cold dark nights.

PRAYING FOR:  Prosperity, Health, and Happiness for all of you in 2011, please join me.

Thirty Minute Thursdays: Linguine alla Sorrentina

      This week for Thirty Minute Thursdays, cooking our way through Giuliano Hazan's Thirty Minute Pasta book, I made Linguine alla Sorrentina (Linguine with Fresh Tomatoes, Basil, and Mozzarella), on page 93, because I handed the book to Mark and said, "I'm making parm-crusted pork chops for dinner Thursday, pick a pasta to go with it, please," and that's what he picked.  

      It was easy, came together in the 30 minute time frame, and was just delicious. 

      Ingredient list:  fresh tomatoes, onions, olive oil, salt & pepper, fresh basil, mozzarella, and linguine.  Cooking the onions and tomatoes as instructed results in a very flavorful fresh-tasting sauce. 

      Definitely a repeat, the guys wiped out the entire pan of pasta in one sitting.  If you like the looks and sounds of it, buy the book as I am a believer in encouraging people to support the authors who put together these fabulous books by buying a copy, so you won't find the recipes posted from this book here.  (Buy it, the recipes are easy, the ingredients are easy to locate, it's not pricey, and there are photos of almost all the recipes.)

CEiMB: Beef and Mushroom Barley Soup

       The recipe chosen this week for CEiMB, using Ellie Krieger's book, The Food You Crave, was Beef and Mushroom Barley Soup chosen by Jennifer of The Rookie Baker.  Great choice, Jennifer, this was really good!  You can find the recipe on page 89 of the book or here. 

      We got to make soup again this week, lucky me as I love making soup and eating soup.  It's always just so nice to sit down to a bowl of steaming hot soup, especially this time of year with the cold dark nights over the dinner hour.  You can click on the link and get the recipe, list of ingredients, and directions for how to make it, so I will just leave you to do that.  I will say, this recipe is definitely going to be making frequent appearances around here...we all enjoyed it.

      Next week's assignment is Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars from Ellie's book So Easy, on page 40, chosen by Heide of Chez Zero.  You can find the CEiMB blogroll here.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Midnight Crackles

      Thanks to Laurie and Jules, the Tuesdays with Dorie powers-that-be, for their 3rd Anniversary pick (yes, TWD is three years old now) of of Midnight Crackles, found on page 74 of Dorie Greenspan's Baking from My Home to Yours cookbook.  You can find the recipe here.  Aren't they cute with those crackles on the top? 

      We have been a bit sweet-ed-out (I know that is not a word, just go with it for now) over here and I have been in a bit of a snit about needing to make some of the recipes lately as I just haven't wanted to make, eat, or watch anyone else eat all these desserts.  Guys were getting a bit picky as well as there is so much sweet food around the holidays...they were turning up their noses a bit at most of it as well. 

      This morning I was contemplating just ditching the whole endeavor when my Twitter pals took me to task.  After a bit of coaxing (on their part) and whining (on my part), the end result was that I hustled into the kitchen to get my TWD assignment mixed up and put into the refrigerator to chill for an hour. 

      After that hour, I was still dragging into the kitchen wondering who on earth was going to eat these (they are going into the freezer and then to the party on Saturday after the swim meet where they will hopefully be appreciated as senior guys were assigned "desserts" for the pitch-in part). 

      After I rolled their little selves into dough balls, placed them on the cookie sheets, and popped them into the oven, I was a bit skeptical on the whole "crackly top" thing half-way through the baking time as I dutifully switched the pans around, saw nary an indication of a crackly top, and was thinking even louder, "Why am I doing this?" 

      That said, when I returned to the oven at the sound of the timer, their little selves had magically turned into cookies with crackly tops and had me smiling at their cuteness.  (I'm all about the cute in things on a daily basis.)  

      Fortunately, a taster dropped by and pronounced them, "Absolutely delicious...can I have another???"  Cute and delicious...how much more would you want in a cookie?  Definitely a repeat if nothing else for those two reasons. 

      Next week:  Margot from Effort to Deliciousness has chosen Chocolate Fluff-filled Madeleines, found on pages 170-171. TWD blogroll found here.

Twitter Chef Avatar Fun: Thomas Keller Ad Hoc Marinated Feta with Olives

      We are having a bit of avatar fun over at Twitter, my baking/cooking pals and I, just to shake things up a bit and confuse everyone each month as to who is who and all. 

      Last year we played around with bread avatars as it was the Year of Bread.  We were all learning how to bake all kinds of breads, and although that will continue through this year, we decided to change up the avatars each month.  Nancy came up with the great idea of each of us picking a different chef for each month, all of us making anything we each selected to make from that chef's recipes, taking a photo of our efforts, and using that photo as our avatar for that month.  (Great idea, we have come to depend on Nancy for great ideas.)  This way we can all explore some chefs that we may have never had the opportunity to cook from before. 

      I got to pick the first month and chose chef Thomas Keller as I received Ad Hoc for a Christmas present.  That meant I had just a few days to cook something from this huge tome containing some pretty fancy and daunting recipes. 

      What to do?  Answer:  Find something quick, simple, delicious, and worthy of a good photo for the avatar.  It was not difficult, the great chef had just the thing on page 74, called Marinated Feta with Olives.  Feta? Olives?  No need of any further convincing, I was IN! 

      All you need for the recipe is feta cheese, assorted olives, good olive oil, rosemary, thyme, chives, and a piquillo pepper.  (If you want the exact measurements, you will need to buy the book because right now, that's between TK, me, and whoever else owns the book.) 

      Check in next month, it's Nancy's turn and her chef of choice is James Beard.