And Perhaps a Bit of Toast...

There are three sweet spots for me at estate sales... kitchens, attics and libraries.  Included among the many treasures I routinely look for are old cookbooks... I read them like novels... occasionally, I'll find a handwritten dedication and, quite often, the most interesting bookmarks (old letters, cards, photos, grocery lists) tucked inside... 

One of my latest estate sale finds happened to be a vintage book of recipes compiled from various castles and manor houses in Ireland... and while it didn't have any bookmarks of note... it did have a winkle...

I'd never heard of a winkle... and was prompted to do a little research... I thought I'd share... the research, the recipe and, of course, the winkle...

...believed to have been an important source of food since at least 7500 BC ...still collected and also consumed locally... usually picked off the rocks by hand or caught in a drag from a boat... mostly eaten in the coastal areas of Scotland and Ireland where they are commonly referred to as winkles... sold in paper bags near beaches in Ireland and Scotland, boiled in local salt water and with a pin attached to the bag to enable the extraction of the soft parts from the shell ~ Wikipedia

Wilted Lettuce...

I'm not going to ramble whine on and on about the heat and humidity (much)... This time of year it's all about getting in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible... I come home from the market... process my fruits and veggies... freeze a few handfuls of grapes and make a salad... and since my favorite salads have very little to do with lettuce, I usually stick to chopped and scoopable varieties... My current craving is a riff on the iconic Caprese...

You'll need:  3 English cucumbers, 2 pints of grape tomatoes, 12 pieces of string cheese, 2 teaspoons dried basil and a few grinds of black pepper.

Peel and dice cucumbers, slice tomatoes, slice cheese.  Toss the cucumbers with basil, add in tomatoes and cheese.  Toss gently and top with a generous grind of black pepper.  May be served plain or with a spritz of balsamic vinegar.  (It stores well and is a perfect portable for picnics, potlucks or brown bag lunches.)

Closet Cooking...

Yesterday, I made a HUGE pot of soup... with every veggie I had on hand... from the pantry... the freezer... the potato and onion bin... along with the entire crisper drawer... oh, and a handful of barley to top it off...

while it simmered away... off I went to the market for some chewy, crusty loaves of sourdough... Later, I tucked into a large, steaming bowl and shared the bounty with a great neighbor... you'd be hard pressed to find a better meal then this on a blustery Winter's day.  Not surprisingly, once the kitchen was clean (and my belly was full) I was too overcome with laziness to take pics... so I borrowed one from the web... and lucky me, the one that caught my eye (and looked nearly identical to my soup) linked back to what looks to be a fabulous new (to me) food blog...

score and score!!

photo credit... http://www.closetcooking.com/

My Kingdom for a Barcode...

I have more than my share of "it seemed like a good idea at the time" moments. Today at the market was my latest. Think twice if you are considering using the "scan it yourself checkout" with any of these in your basket (the bok choy didn't make it out of the market)... This healthy eating is challenging on so many fronts... I never had a problem scanning a chocolate bar... I'm just saying...

A Chicken in Every Pot...

I've gotten sidetracked on a couple of projects today, so dinner tonight is going to be a very simple affair... a few pantry staples... minimal prepping and voila! dinner is served... an oven-roasted chicken accompanied by my Grandmother's thickened tomatoes...

Thickened Tomatoes

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

3 to 4 slices French bread (torn into large pieces)

3 T. butter

2 T. flour

1/2 c. water

salt and pepper, to taste

Combine tomatoes and butter in saucepan; cook over medium heat for 8 minutes. In a small bowl, combine flour, water, salt and pepper; gradually add to tomato mixture. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add bread, folding in gently. Remove from heat. Serve.

Would You Like Fries with That?

...yes ...yes ...yes and YES! Actually, I've been trying to eat healthier... which is causing a little experimentation in the kitchen... first up were some piled-high nachos with organic pinto beans subbing for their refried cousins... ground turkey replacing beef... topped with homemade guacamole. Yum... didn't miss the extra fat one bit. Yesterday, it was stuffed red peppers... ground turkey and brown rice instead of beef and white rice... a little tomato paste added to the ground turkey filling really punched up the flavor... fried chicken and mac and cheese... watch out ... I think you're next...

One Pot Wonder...

New England dinner... boiled dinner... corned beef and cabbage... is a particular seasonal favorite from my childhood...

Take a deep breath and throw caution to the wind... there will be no measuring... a few pinches and handfuls perhaps... but nothing more... it's cooking... it's an adventure ...it's not chemistry... the pot won't explode with one carrot too many...

Into a large, heavy pot with a lid, place a corned beef brisket and a large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer all afternoon until tender. Peel and cut in half several carrots. Core and cut a medium head of cabbage into wedges. Add these to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until veggies are fork tender... slice the beef and serve with a side of boiled potatoes...

Pass the Truffle Oil...Or Not...

As much as I love food... to cook... to eat... to watch food-themed shows and collect fabulous cookbooks... I find I am a narrow-minded ingredient snob... I've never had cilantro... descriptions rife with deep, earthy undertones translate to me as tastes a great deal like dirt... and while I love evergreen trees and adore potatoes in any shape or form... tasting the combination (rosemary potatoes gratin) nearly put me off both for life... so it is with this reasoning (or lack thereof) that I have decided to hunt down some straightfoward, no nonsense cookbooks from our past... not as far back as the settlement cookbook of my Great Grandmother's time... I may like things simple... but I still want my poultry to come to me de-feathered... if I find something easy, wonderful and not canned... you'll be the first to know... check back...

Brrr...Baby, It's Cold Outside...

It's dropped down to low single digits and I've stepped up my procrastination mode... I'd planned on shopping yesterday... I revised that to first thing this morning... I will be eating some very creative concoctions if I don't go out for groceries soon... Bored... that's really what I am... deeply entrenched in the proverbial rut... buying and cooking the same food over and over... lately, I've even caught myself eyeing other shoppers' carts to gain a little inspiration... price check on register 5... stalker on aisle 8... wish me luck...

Stevie Meet Cake...Cake Meet Stevie...

At last, flavor has re-entered my life! I think this cold of mine is surrendering to the vitamin and chicken soup onslaught... I could almost taste my lunch today.

Years ago, I read an interview... Stevie Nicks and food... two topics guaranteed to garner my attention...

...The miniature cheesecake sat in front of Stevie Nicks like a cruel temptation, crowned with a glaze of mandarin oranges and skirted with puddles of chocolate sauce. She took a bite, just to test it. Then she put down her fork, deciding the pleasure was not worth the penance. "I'll eat a dessert if it's really good...but I won't waste a carbohydrate." ~ excerpt from New York Times article (Frank Bruni/November 25, 1997)

Finally! ...an approach to eating a foodie like me could wholeheartedly get behind. (Let's face it people... celery stalks and apple slices are rather feeble substitutions for their bake shop big sisters). So, on those occasions when an apple slice just won't suffice... I offer up my recipe for carrot cake... which I cobbled together after months of trial and error and I think is worth EVERY single solitary carbohydrate it possesses. Give it a try and see if you agree.

Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake

2 cups flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup raisins

1 cup walnuts (chopped)

3 cups carrots (grated)

In a large bowl, and by hand, mix together dry ingredients. Stir in oil and vanilla. Add eggs. Fold in raisins, walnuts and carrots. Pour mixture into 3 ungreased 8" round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes; cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese (softened)

1 stick butter (softened)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

16 ounces powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese and butter with mixer. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and mix well. Frost cooled cake between each layer, then sides and top.

Feed a Cold...

starve a fever... or the other way around? I'll opt for the feed theory... always... in any situation... a little pigging out is always preferable... So, please excuse me for a short while as I tend to this plague (aka common cold) that I've somehow managed to contract.

Visions of Sugar Plums...

It's just about this time every year... after I've singlehandedly eaten my way through several tins of Christmas cookies, that I develop a desparate craving for fresh spinach, beets and all things salad...
Nothing like a hippity skip trip through the farmers' market in the dead of December... Ah well, back to those buttery jam crescents... and maybe just a little eggnog...

Has The Sunny Side Lost Its Up?

Like most of us, I love a great number of things in life... a fairly large quantity seem to fall in the food category... ranking close to the top of these edible affaires de coeur is the humble egg... I traded many a chocolate bunny for dyed eggs early on... and breakfast continues to be my favorite restaurant meal... although now I opt most often for a spinach stuffed egg white omelet with an occasional side of turkey sausage...

I know... I know... toss in a decaf java and I practically have to beat other diners off with my fork to keep them from pillaging from my plate! I do veer off course every now and then and barter with myself... whole eggs (but poached)... thick slices of toast (but without butter)... crispy bacon (but blot the grease and toss the fatty bits)... Who am I kidding? Is a poached yolk THAT much healthier than one that's been lovingly sizzled in a little butter? I don't think so either. And now that we settled that... my weekend is looking a little more interesting...

Play with your food...

As I recall, back in the golden, slightly olden, days of my youth, Halloween cuisine consisted of not much more than apple cider and a plain cake doughnut...