Beer Braised Sirloin Tips with Mushroom Sauce

This is a great recipe for a work/school night. I had dinner ready in under an hour tonight, and it was lick-your-plate yummy. This is another recipe that calls for 1 cup of dark beer, so buy the big bottle and sip the rest of the bottle while you cook.

1 t dry mustard
1 t brown sugar
1/2 t dried thyme
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t paprika
kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds sirloin tip steaks
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, preferably half shiitakes and half crimini
2 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and light green parts separated from dark green, but using both
1 c dark ale or porter, such as Guinness
2 t Worcestershire sauce

Mix the mustard, brown sugar, thyme, ginger, paprika and 1 t salt in a large bowl until well combined. Add steaks and toss until well coated.

Remove and discard stems from shiitakes, if using, and trim stem ends from the crimini. Wipe all mushrooms clean and slice 1/4" thick.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering , add half the steaks and sear them until nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side (the steaks will brown quickly because of the sugar in the spice mix). Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining steaks.

Reduce heat to medium, and 1 T butter to the pan, and let melt. Add the mushroom and scallion whites. Cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms soften and begin to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Pour in beer and Worcestershire sauce. Scrape bottom of the pan, and raise heat to medium, bring to a boil and cook uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.

Return steak and any accumulated juices to the pan, cover tightly with lid and reduce heat to low simmer. Braise, turning the steaks after 8 minutes, until tender and cooked through, about 14 minutes total. Transfer steaks to plate or serving platter.

Cut the remaining 1T butter into four pieces and swirl them into the sauce. Stir in the scallion greens. Serve steak topped with sauce, along with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.

Serves four.

Bloody Mary

Fall has so many wonderful things... apples, pumpkins, wood fires, colored leaves. I love all of it, and I love that it's the beginning of Bloody Mary season.

As for how it got it's name, there are a few theories, but I like that one that says it was named after Mary I of England, a sixteenth century queen who was nicknamed Bloody Mary because of the number of people she had put to death. Of course, given the way English royalty condemned people to death, it surprising we don't have a whole lineage of drinks... the Bloody Henry, the Bloody Richard, the Bloody Harold. Perhaps the Brits gave Mary the nickname because such behavior was unbecoming to a female.

If you like yours hot and spicy, you've got to try this recipe...

Bloody Mary

2 1/2 ounces vodka

5 ounces V-8

1/2 ounce lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

3 dashes Worcestershire sauce

2-3 dashes Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon grated fresh horseradish root

1 celery rib

1 lemon wedge

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine vodka, V-8, lemon juice, pepper, salt, celery seed, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce. Shake well. Strain into a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes. Garnish with celery and lemon wedge.

I Love Apples... a Bushel and a Peck

Okay, technically it was a 1/2 bushel and a 1/2 peck, but it was still a hell of a lot of apples.

I bought a 1/2 peck of Cortland at the store, because I couldn't wait to make apple crisp with this year's fresh apples. Two days later, we went apple picking and picked a 1/2 bushel of Cortland, Macoun and Honey Crisp.

I made more apple crisp, and apple pie, along with a banana bread from three overlooked bananas.Every snack request has been met with apples. They've been regularly munched and packed in lunches, but I still had a 1/4 peck left and they weren't so crispy fresh anymore. Today I made a big pot of chunky applesauce...

another round of apple crisp...

and apple mini muffins.

All my recipes came from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. It's the first cookbook I ever owned, and I always seem to turn to it for the classics.

I still have 10 tiny apples left, but I think I'll chuck them down the hill for the deer to munch on.

Steak, Guinness and Cheese Pie

This is what we had for dinner tonight. It's not a quick meal since it requires 3 hours of cooking time, but the filling can be made a day ahead which cuts the cooking time on the day of to under an hour. The recipe is a little vague, but I took it from a Jamie Oliver recipe featured on the Food Network and adapted it to be my own. My favorite adaptation is step #8.

Steak, Guinness and Cheese Pie

2 pounds beef brisket, cut in 1 inch cubes

1 frozen puff pastry sheet, defrosted

3 onions, sliced

olive oil

1 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T butter

2 sticks celery, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1/2 pound or so crimini mushroom, sliced

1 large bottle Guinness

1 heaping T flour

1 small can beef stock

2 handfuls shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 egg, beaten lightly with fork

1 package frozen peas

1. Saute onion in a large heavy pot in a little olive oil.

2. Stir in rosemary.

3. Add garlic, saute about 30 seconds.

4. Add butter, stir until melted.

5. Add celery, onions and mushrooms. Saute about 3 minutes.

6. Add beef, a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until well mixed.

7. Stir in flour.

8. Add 3/4 of the bottle of Guinness. (Drink the rest while you cook.)

9. Pour in beef stock to top off. Liquid should not fully cover other ingredients.

10. Bake at 350 degrees in oven safe pot or bowl. For saucier pie, cook covered. For thicker pie, cook uncovered. Or do a combination of both to suit your preference.

11. When filling comes out of oven, stir in one handful of cheese.

12. Put filling in a 8-10" square pan (glass or stoneware is best).

13. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

14. Place puff pastry on top of filling.

15. Brush top of pastry with beaten egg.

16. Score top of pastry lightly with knife for venting.

17. Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes until bubbly and golden.

18. Serve with cooked frozen peas.

Serves 4 to 6.

Independence Day Recovery Period...

That's what I'm in right now. No, I didn't drink too much. I had one beer. It's all I had time and energy for. I started the day with a protein rich breakfast, because I knew my next meal would be late. I do live from meal to meal. I have a love affair with food, and we can't be apart for long. I got all decked out in my red, white and blue and got to wear my once-a-year socks.

My first stop was our library's book sale. I wanted to be there at 9am when the door opened, so I wouldn't miss anything good. Hardcovers and big paperbacks were $2, small paperbacks and movies were $1. I also have a love affair with books, and I can never have too many.

After that I had to set up for a morning of performances, and be ready to start at 10:30. First I played clarinet in the town band in the parade, then I performed in an hour long concert with the town band, and finally played djembe drum for a short concert with the a group of community drummers. It was a lot of fun and went well, but I get a little nervous when I perform, so I takes more energy than it should.

I got lunch around 1:30, (oh, food how I missed you) and checked out all the town festivities, and ended up playing music trivia with a group of around 20 people (most baby boomers with song from the 70s) for an hour or so. At the end of the game, I dragged myself home and collapsed on the couch for a couple of hours. We grilled some burgers for dinner (that's where the beer came in), ate some festive cupcakes which we made the day before(more fun with Wilton Color Spray) and headed back downtown for a concert (which I didn't play in) and firework viewing. Not surprisingly, that night was the best night's sleep I've had in weeks.

Wilton Color Spray and the Story of the Three Birthday Cakes

I mentioned yesterday that I made three birthday cakes for Pipsqueak. You've already seen the first one... the rainbow cake. I did the colors with Wilton Color Spray which I loved using. I was afraid it would run since I was putting it on a vertical surface, but as long as I held the can back six inches as instructed, it held beautifully.

I loved using the color spray so much that I used it on the next project... cupcakes for her class on her birthday. I made them bakery-fancy with piped on frosting and used two colors of spray in sort of a yin and yang pattern. Then I topped them with coordinating sprinkles. I was really happy with the way they turned out, and plan to make color spray and regular part of my kid cake repertoire (as if I had a repertoire). I recommend Wilton Color Spray, and no one paid me to say that.

Finally, I made the family cake on Friday morning. We have a family party (me, Sweetie, my mom and Pipsqueak) on her actual birthday. It was nearly 90 degrees on Friday, and if you've ever tried to frost a cake in that kind of heat, you know it can be disastrous. It was just a standard yellow cake with cream cheese filling and chocolate frosting. The layers kept slipping, so I used skewers to hold them together. Then the filling started oozing out the sides like lava. When I started putting on the chocolate, it was slipping down the sides almost as fast as I was putting it on. I had to work really fast and put it in the fridge. I'm glad I wasn't trying to impress anyone. It wasn't pretty but it tasted good.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

On Saturday night, a tornado touched down in Washington, Vermont causing considerable damage. There was golf ball sized hail in South Royalton, Vermont. Mother Nature dished up a bit of minor drama in our corner of Vermont.

It had been sunny and warm all afternoon. Pipsqueak went to a birthday party, and the kids spent a lot of time outdoors chasing each other around with water balloons. When we got home at 3:30, I started prepping for our dinner guests. We were having tandoori chicken on the grill with mango jasmine rice, a salad and crème brûlée for dessert. Sweetie made the crème brûlée in the morning. When our friends arrived just after 5 pm, the chicken was marinating, the ingredients for the rice pre-measured, the salad in the fridge, the dressing made and table set.

About the time the first round of martinis were served, the clouds had rolled in and it was getting windy. Beginning with one major gust of wind, our power went out and the deluge of rain and pea-size hail fell. Being the unflappable family, we lit some candles and made another pitcher of martinis. Before long, it began clearing and we were treated to a beautiful double rainbow, which we all went out in the remaining sprinkles to fully enjoy. I should have taken a photo, but being well into my second martini, I probably would have taken a photo of my finger instead. Geez, a tornado and a rainbow! Where are the tin man and the scarecrow?

The dinner went off without a hitch thanks to a grill, a gas stove and a blow torch. (The blow torch was to caramelize the crème brûlée.) Now how do we top that next time those friends come over?

Perfect Little Cupcakes

I saw Giada De Laurentiis making these cupcakes on the Today Show last week. There were a couple of little girls helping her, and I thought, "Ooo, how fun for Pipsqueak and me." It was one project that did live up to the expectation. The cupcakes are delicious and simple and, we did have fun making them.

Mascarpone Mini-Cupcakes with Strawberry Glaze

• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese, softened
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 box Duncan Hines white cake mix
• 1/3 cup frozen strawberries, thawed and drained
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 4 mini muffins tine (a total of 48 muffins) with paper liners.

In a large bowl combine cheese, egg whites and vegetable oil. Using a mixer, beat the ingredients until combines and creamy. Add the cake mix and 1 cup water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the muffin liners to just below the rim and bake until puffed and golden about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly in the tins, then transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Meanwhile, puree the strawberries in a blender or small food processor. Sift the confectioners sugar and place in a medium bowl. Pour in the strawberry puree and whisk until smooth. Either dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes into the glaze or spread glaze on muffin. Let the cupcakes sit for a few minutes for the glaze to firm up, then serve.

My Iron Requirement

I lied. I didn't come back Monday. I wasn't inspired. Some sun might help. It has been cloudy or rainy here for more days than I can remember and now it's snowing. There's no chance of seeing that yellow orb in the sky until Thursday. Even my dog, Monty, is fed up. He goes out to do business, and then comes back in and goes to bed. Normally, he stays out for hours barking at the birds.

If the sun wasn't going to inspire me, I sought some inspiration from you, the bloggers that I love and read. Claire from This and That and K from Blog Goggles blogged about things they want, so I started thinking about what I want. Thanks for the inspiration, ladies.

I want a Lodge cast iron grill pan. I'm addicted to cast iron, which is something that I thought would never happen. Sweetie got this 12" pan, the first in our cast iron collection. I hated it. It was too heavy, and I couldn't move it around easily. Once I started using it, I loved its even heat and versatility. I can brown meat on the stove and put the whole pan in the oven to roast. I also love how easy it is to clean... just rinse and scrub with a brush and rinse again. This pan lives on our stove because it gets used at least once a day.

We got a cast iron dutch oven or stock pot on temporary loan from some relatives that were between houses. Once they reclaimed it, I had to go out immediately and buy one for myself. It is the cooking vessel for every soup and stew I make. I couldn't live without it.

My non-stick omelet pan wasn't living up to its name anymore and had to be replaced. Not surprising after 10+ years of frequent service. I found this set of cast iron pans at the thrift store, and I use the middle one for omelets. I don't know what brand they are, and the quality doesn't seem as good as Lodge, but I like the ergonomic handles.

We have one more pan in our collection... a whopping 15" inches in diameter. This one is a bit much for me to handle, but it's necessary if we're cooking meat for more than four people. I can roast an average size turkey in this. It only comes out when we have company.

Sweetie thinks that the difference of cooking in the grill pan would be insignificant, and virtually the same and using the flat pan. Does anyone have any experience or thoughts on this?

(I apologize for the quality of the photographs. Cast iron and flash photography are not friends, but today's natural light is dim or dimmer.)

Let Them Eat Cake.

Sunday was Sweetie's birthday. I asked him what sort of cake he wanted, because around here, you get what you want... once a year. He asked for vanilla cake with chocolate frosting and he wanted it from scratch. Alrighty then... Betty and Duncan (Crocker and Hines, that is) were getting the day off, but I wasn't. I found exactly what I was looking for here at Fine Cooking with the added bonus of being 4 layers and having a raspberry jam/Grand Marnier filling.

He couldn't wait to dig in, although security tried to hold him back.

My evaluation... Making the cake was easy. The frosting had quite a few steps and nearly every measuring cup and spoon in the house had been dirtied. The cake could have been a little more moist, and the frosting seemed at bit too buttery, but the birthday boy was happy.

Mmmm - Mashed Potato Pancakes

A few days ago Kittalog blogged about some Mashed Potato Pancakes. It just about killed me. I had to have some. So the other night I made way too many mashed potatoes accidentally on purpose, and in the morning I served these up with scrambled eggs and bacon.

They were sooooo good. I could feel the plaque collecting in my arteries and my system was in shock since I rarely eat fried foods, but I was in heaven. Here's the recipe:

Mashed Potato Pancakes

• 2 cups mashed potato
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 6 T flour
• 4 T thinly sliced green onions
• salt and pepper
• vegetable oil for frying

In bowl, combine potato and egg. Add flour and onions and mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. In a large heavy skillet, heat 1/8" vegetable oil over moderately high heat until it is hot, but not smoking. Fry heaping tablespoons of the mixture, flattening them slightly with the back of a spoon, until they are golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towel covered plate. Serve hot.

Entertaining Friends

We do a fair amount of entertaining, but it's usually the out-of-town family and friends that visit for a weekend, and I tend to do very little local entertaining. I decided it was time to turn that around and invited some friends for dinner Saturday night.

I love to cook, but I also love to talk, so I didn't want to spend cocktail time chained to the stove. I also find it hard to cook well after I've had a cocktail. I made a delicious roast chicken called Poulet Provencale (recipe below), with roasted fingerling potatoes, and pomegranate and citrus broccoli salad. The chicken was in the oven an hour before they arrived, the potatoes went in the oven just as they pulled in the driveway and the salad was prepared and chilling in the fridge. The table was all set and I used my thrifted table runner from Zimbabwe that has all sorts of colors in it so I can mismatch the table cloth, place mats and napkins and have it still look pretty. I even loosened the reins and allowed our guests to bring something other than wine. They contributed dessert, which was all the fixings for banana splits.

I got to visit with our friends, drink a yummy Cosmopolitan (or two) without fear of burning something or slicing off a finger, dinner appeared effortless (and it practically was), and since I was making old favorites there were no glitches or unpleasant surprises. It was a great evening. I can't take all the credit; Sweetie helped with the preparations, and inspiration came from Sandy at 4 Reluctant Entertainers.

And now for the recipe (I made two chickens for 6 people and had enough leftovers for chicken burritos for 3 the next night)....

Poulet Provencale

• 1 pound tomatoes (3 to 4 medium), cut into wedges
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges, leaving root ends intact
• 1/2 cup drained kalamata olives, pitted
• 4 large garlic cloves, sliced, plus 1 teaspoon minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 whole roasting chicken (about 5 1/2-6 pounds)

Preheat convection oven to 400°F for regular oven to 425°F with rack in middle.
Toss together tomatoes, onion, olives, sliced garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence, fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 13- by 9-inch or other 3-quart shallow baking dish. Push vegetables to sides of dish to make room for chicken.
Stir together minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, remaining teaspoon herbes de Provence, and remaining tablespoon olive oil. Remove excess fat from chicken and pat dry, then rub inside and out with seasoning mixture. Tie legs together with string, then put chicken in baking dish.

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of a thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Let chicken stand 10 minutes before carving. Serve with vegetables and pan juices.

Sunshine Martini

... but first, I have to talk about the weather. It's cold, and not just your regular, "brrr, it's chilly!" cold. This is frigid, run-from-the-house-to-the-car cold. How cold is it?

Yes, that's a "-" in front of that 13. Down in the valley, as I was taking Pipsqueak to school, it was 20 below. I was told yesterday that cold air settles in the valleys, hence the colder temps. One of the lunch ladies was right inside the door, passing cups of hot chocolate to everyone as they came in. But enough about that... it'll warm up.... someday.

In the meantime, we have all these oranges, and if I have a drink in the evening, I can forget for a few minutes how cold it is outside. I created what I named a "Sunshine Martini" the other night.

In a shaker half-filled with ice, put:

• 2 oz. Absolut Mandarin
• 1 oz. fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 oz. triple sec

Shake well and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with orange zest.

It's one of those sneaky drinks where you don't think you're drinking alcohol... until you try to stand. up.

Hapless Cook Wins Lesson from Martha Stewart

My aunt sent me an article in the mail about a woman who won a cooking lesson from Martha Stewart. In order to win, you had to write an essay about what an inept cook you are. Here is the winning entry courtesy of Kelley McDade, age 32 of Springfield, PA:

Recipe for Disaster

1 cup burnt pudding

4 hamburger hockey pucks

2 cakes with Grand Canyon size craters

1 rolling pin covered in dough

2 pounds meatloaf "surprise"

one-half cup brownies stuck to pan

3 T congealed cheese sauce

Take one average female and remove all traces of inherited cooking ability, making sure to dispose of the Pennsylvania Dutch delicacies and rich Italian indulgences her grandmothers are famous for. Add a dash of not-a-clue and mix well. Let rise for 32 years, then add one fiance and one house perfect for entertaining, mixing well after each. Once the panic has clearly risen to the surface, skim with a melted spatula and discard. Place mixture in slow cooker and add ineptitude, high standards and perfectionism. Cook at high temperature until ego is tender. Serve immediately in heaping bowls of frustration. To garnish, take to Martha Stewart for a cooking lesson.

She's a good humor writer; I'll give her that, but once I was done laughing, I found it a little sad. How can a 32 year old woman not know how to cook. Is it fear, laziness, disinterest, or is it possible to be so inept at cooking that if it doesn't require opening a box first, it's impossible. This woman crochets, sews and cross stitches, so obviously she can follow instructions. That's all a recipe really is, a list of step-by-step instructions. It doesn't require any magic.

During her cooking lesson, she roasted a chicken. Martha asked her if she'd ever put her hand inside a chicken. She had not. Doesn't that sound like she hasn't really tried? Then she put the chicken breast side down, so Martha filled her in on the anatomy of the bird.

Reading this made me reflect on how I learned to cook. I used to watch my mother as a child. She make delicious meals in the pressure cooker, like pork chops with potatoes and carrots and beef stew. We made donuts, cakes and cookies together. Our meals were half home cooking and half out of the box; we would eat tv dinners, hamburger helper, and beans and hot dogs. I did grow up during the birth of prepared foods, after all. All through it, I was paying attention. When I a teenage, I tried cooking alone: lasagna, fruit pies and brownies mostly. Once I moved out, it was all up to me, but I never felt like I was floundering. I was armed with a Betty Crocker cookbook, lots of determination and a little know-how.

My cooking has evolved over the years. My first husband was a strictly meat and potatoes guy; anything beyond that was unappreciated, if not discouraged. Now, I have a very appreciative and experimental audience, so I try foods from many cuisines as well as old fashioned home cooking. Cooking has become a hobby to me instead of just a necessity. Between planning, shopping and actual preparation, I spend a little more than 8 hours on meals for the family.

Have I had flops? Oh, have I! Recipes aren't always right, or perhaps it's my interpretation of them. There was a pasta dish that was so spicy it was inedible, meat that was too tough and tasteless chicken. But I have plenty of hits... perfectly liquid molten chocolate cakes, savory soups and stews, and succulent, flavorful foods.

I get Pipsqueak involved in the cooking whenever I don't have time pressures. She seems engaged by it, and has invented her own drinks and desserts. At age 6, she can make scrambled eggs from start to finish and make a sandwich. I hope she is getting early foundation for knowledge and love of cooking.

As for Ms. McDade, I wish her well, but I don't think one lesson from Martha Stewart will a competent cook make. It takes a lifetime of trials and errors, and an interest that I don't believe she has. Lucky for her, her fiance cooks.

When Life Gives You Oranges....

make Orange Chicken.

Serves two to three.

1 large navel orange

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 Tbs. rice vinegar

2 tsp. light brown sugar

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup cornstarch

3 to 4 Tbs. canola or peanut oil

4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (keep whites and greens separate)

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the zest from the orange in long, wide strips. If necessary, remove any large patches of bitter white pith from the zest strips with a paring knife. Juice the orange into a small bowl and mix with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.

Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 tsp. of the salt. In a mini chopper or food processor, process the egg whites, cornstarch, and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt until smooth. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with the cornstarch batter.

Heat 2 Tbs. of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or large stir-fry pan over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Using tongs, transfer about half the chicken to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, flipping every minute or so, until the chicken browns and crisps all over and is firm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes. With clean tongs, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil to the skillet (or 2 Tbs. oil if the pan seems very dry) and repeat the cooking process with the remaining chicken; transfer to the plate.

Put the orange zest strips in the skillet and cook, stirring, until they darken in spots, 15 to 30 seconds. Stir the orange juice mixture and add it to the pan. Let it boil for about 10 seconds and then add the chicken and the scallion whites. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce reduces to a glaze and the chicken is just cooked through (check by cutting into a thicker piece), 1 to 2 minutes. If the chicken isn't cooked through but the glaze is cooking away, add a couple tablespoons of water and continue cooking. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens.

***********

A few of you have admired my Wearever juicer. You can own this useful bit of nostalgia, too (although yours will lack the sentimentality and soul of a family heirloom). Ebay has a slew of them here (well, actually 10 of them right now, but that might qualify as a moderate slew).

Sunshine in a Box

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog posts. It seems like a long time since I've done a normal post, but here I am with the holidays packed away in boxes and the tires of my life back in their tracks.

Speaking of boxes, our co-operative market is having their annual citrus sale this week... cases and cases of grapefruits, pink and white, and naval, cara cara, juice and blood oranges, all at rock bottom prices. This might be the highlight of January for me for two reasons: I love food, and I love a great deal. I picked up a case of pink grapefruit and a case of juice oranges, but I'm going back for another case of juice oranges on Friday. I feel like 100 of them just won't be enough. Fresh squeezed is the only orange juice I'll drink; I'd rather not have any than drink the stuff from concentrate. It's too bitter and acidic tasting.

We have a juicer attachment for our Kitchenaid Mixer, which I'd probably use if I was going to make a pitcher of juice. But for a glass or two, I prefer this vintage Waring hand juicer that my mother passed down to me. Just put a half an orange in the hopper...press... and pour. A little pulp can get by, but I don't find it offensive when I have a glass of this sweet, sunny nectar.

Moroccan Chicken Stew

I loved this dish, but the rest of the family... not so much. They were not big fans of the sweet potato and parsnips. At least I got all the leftovers to myself. I love Moroccan food and African food in general. We used to have a fantastic African restaurant in our area, but it went out of business. If anyone knows of any good African recipe books, please let me know.

1 T olive oil

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces

1 1/2 c. chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cinnamon stick

7 cups of root vegetables, cut into 1/2" pieces (such a potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips or carrots, in any combination using as few or as many varieties as you like)

2 c. chicken broth

1/4 c. dried currants or raisins

1 c. drained, canned diced tomatoes

chopped cilantro

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pot and sauté until light golden but not cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer chicken to bowl.
Add onion to pot and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add curry powder, cumin and cinnamon stick and stir 30 seconds. Add root vegetables. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add tomatoes and chicken with any accumulated juices to pot. Simmer until chicken is cooked through and flavors blend, about 5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve. Serves 6.

Par Jamais

I was at a loss about what to post today, but then something happened. We were just finished with dinner and Pipsqueak was thinking about her dessert choice. She announced that she wanted Par Jamais. Sweetie and I looked at each other with intrigue and amazement. Where had she come up with this?

She doesn't speak French other than a few words often used on trips to Canada, e.g. bon jour, bon soir, merci, au revoir. We asked what this Par Jamais might consist of. "I'll show you," she announced proudly. She brought the following ingredients to the table: ice cream (she informed us that flavor didn't matter, however, our in stock flavor was chocolate chip cookie dough), snack-pack chocolate pudding and Hershey's chocolate syrup. For the sake of cleanliness, I offered to construct said Par Jamais under her tutelage. I was instructed to place two small scoops of ice cream in a dish and place chocolate pudding between the scoops, finally topping everything with swirls of chocolate sauce.

While Pipsqueak and Sweetie devoured her creation, I hit the French/English dictionary. "Par" mean through or by way of. "Jamais" means never. From my four years of French in high school, I remember that modifiers sometimes follow what they modify, so I'll give this a loose translation of "never through" which I think is a great name for a dessert.

Individual Apple Crisp (the last? apple gasp)

I love desserts made in ramekins. A few years ago, I started making apple crisp in them. It looks so much prettier than a blob on a plate and it assures a fair amount of crispiness in every mouthful. I almost out of apples, so this might be it for this year's apple recipes. Here it is:

one small baking apple per ramekin
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup oats
3 T butter, softened
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg

Peel, core and thinly slice an apple for each of four ramekins. Mix remaining ingredients into a lumpy crumb using a fork to break up the butter. Sprinkle a generous amount over each apple filled ramekin. Bake in a 375 oven for about 25 mins until topping is golden and apples are tender.

The topping can be refrigerated for a couple of days if you want to make extra for another day or make it ahead. Leftover apple crisps can be reheated in the oven.

Italian Chicken Soup

This soup is so easy that you can prepare it in less than an hour, yet it tastes like it's been simmering half the day. It doesn't freeze well (zucchini gets too mushy), but with speed cooking like this, it isn't necessary to make it ahead. First I'll give you the recipe; then I'll put my modifications at the end...

Serves 4.
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

2 medium zucchini, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 9-ounce package fresh cheese ravioli

1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
Grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onion, garlic, basil, fennel seeds and crushed red pepper and sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth. Cover pot and simmer 10 minutes. Add zucchini and carrot. Cover and simmer until carrot is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high and bring soup to boil. Add ravioli and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook just until heated through, about 1 minute. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Ladle soup into bowls. Serve, passing cheese separately.

Now for my notes... I don't put the garlic in until just before the peppers, onion and spices are done. I don't want to take the chances that the garlic will burn or overcook. I'll have to write a whole post on garlic sometime. Finally, I use fresh tortellini instead of ravioli. It's more bite size. Pipsqueak doesn't like cheese filled pastas, so I used a chicken and prosciutto filled tortellini.