Homemaking in the Fall

Turns out sometimes you're too busy being productive at home to actually blog about being productive at home.  Like a squirrel gathering nuts, I have been nesting -- saying goodbye to the season past and preparing for the one to come.

There were the leaves collected and flattened and traced and turned into the cutest autumn towels ever.

Idea from this delightful book.

There were the home-grown tomatoes, transformed into oniony/Parmesan-y tarts, soup for the freezer, dehydrated disks, and juice, glorious juice.

There were the apples made into chips, dehyrated snacks, and a nice little side dish doused with a citrus-y dressing of orange juice, lemon juice, and diced red onion.

There was the eggplant --  itty bitty ones, to be sure, but enough for a quiche and lovely cracker spread and a couple other dishes I forgot to photograph ;)

And finally, the peppers.  Are they not gorgeous?

This year, rather than making pickled peppers, I opted for lots of slivering for the freezer, and a wee bit o' roasting.

To roast, just cut them in half and remove core and seeds, put them in the oven on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 10 minutes or so, until quite blackened, then sweat them out in a sealed zippered plastic bag for 20 minutes before peeling.

A bit of work, I'm not gonna lie.  But in the end, the roasted peppers, pureed with a clove of garlic and a bit of olive oil, circled around a platter of lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, salami, and tomatoes -- probably the best meal of the season.

Happy fall.

Y'all.

NOTE:  Instructions for roasting peppers came from an old issue of Cooking Light magazine.  Salad idea with the roasted pepper puree came from another old magazine clipping -- maybe McCall's?  Not sure.

Pasta Salad with Pesto, Feta, and Sun-dried Tomatoes

September?  How can it be September already?  I still haven't gotten myself to the mall to buy a new swimsuit.  I still haven't finished using my five-year-old can of spray tan on my lily white legs.  I still haven't roasted any tomatoes.

Alas, the calendar says it really is September, and even I know better than to contradict my calendar.  There is still enough summer left to make this amazing pasta salad, which I discovered recently via Mary at her blog, What's Cookin' with Mary.

The toasted slivered almonds provide the crunch, the feta cheese gives the squish and creaminess, the sun-dried tomatoes add the surprise of yum.  I believe we have found ourselves a new summer staple here at the castle. 

This would be a great addition to a potluck, by the way.  The only changes I made to Mary's (really, her brother's) recipe is I omitted the onions.  It just tasted so perfect already.

So go pop by Mary's and print out this tasty, tasty dish.  And tell me about anything good that's going on in your kitchen.

Roasted Thai Chicken

I rarely get the chance to roast meat since Kahuna usually wrestles it away from me for the backyard grill.  But this chicken?
Mine.  All mine.

The recipe for this tasty lime-coconut version came from a recent issue of Counry Living magazine.  It turned out moist and flavorful with a bright hint of lime.  Mmmmm.

You start by layering your roasting pan with lime slices.  Then you pop in the blender (or food processor) some lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, salt, and my new favorite ingredient, cream of coconut (see this post for more about that).

You're also supposed to add hot chiles  . . . but sorry, no stinkin' way. Any food that calls for wearing gloves while handling most definitely does not belong river-rafting its way down my throat. I know, I'm a wuss.  But that's my policy and I'm not wavering.

Take this oozy mixture from the blender and squirt it over your chicken, underneath the skin and into little knife-piercings you've made on the thighs.

Then bake away.
Recipe here.
Anything good cooking at your house?

Today's Quiz

So which of the following was this week's biggest hit at the castle, the recipe I'll definitely be making again?  Was it

these jam-filled muffins?

Was it this shortcake topped with

blueberries and home-grown peaches?

Was it these oven-barbecued spareribs?

Was it . . . wait a minute.

Was it this three-berry freezer jam, made with home-grown strawberries, blackberries, and store-bought raspberries?

I'll give you a minute.

(Idle whistling.  Whistle whistle whistle.)

Ready?

You sure?

If you guessed jam-filled muffins -- nah.  Too much muffin, not enough jam, even though the jam kind of oozed out the sides of the muffins.  Not bad, but not stellar.

Did you guess the fruit-topped shortcake?  This was definitely tasty, but I am still auditioning shortcake recipes.  I believe this is the fifth so far this summer.  No worries, friends, I will bravely soldier on.

The spareribs?  Ding ding ding ding, we have a winner.  I loved these.  They came from a children's cookbook but I am not ashamed.  They were simple, tasty, foolproof.  I love that in a recipe.

The cute little table runner is a demonstration of my current obsession, using up fabric scraps to match flowers from the garden.  Yesterday Kahuna spotted yet another little tabletop trivet and announced, "You are dangerous."  Yes indeedy that's me.  The dangerous little scrap hoarder.

The three-berry freezer jam, just finished, tastes promising but is still runny, even after the recommended 30-minute wait time.  It may debut as ice cream sauce rather than jam.  Nummy either way.

Here, then, is my favorite of the week.  I'd love to hear about yours.

OVEN BARBECUED SPARERIBS
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. hoisin sauce
1/4 c. chicken broth (I used powdered bouillon mixed with water)
1 t. ground ginger
1 rack pork spareribs (3 - 4 pounds)

In bowl, mix sugar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chicken broth, and ginger.  Cut rack of ribs into manageable pieces and place in large plastic zipper bag (gallon size).  (The ribs I bought were not quite 3 pounds so they all fit into one large bag; if you buy more ribs, you may need to use a second bag.)  Pour in the marinade and let soak four hours or overnight, turning occasionally if you think about it. 

When ready to cook, heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet (or two, if you need to) with foil and place ribs on foil.  (Throw out marinade at this point.)  Bake for one hour.  Cut to the bone to make sure meat isn't pink on the inside.  If it is, bake 15 more minutes.  (Mine was done after one hour.)  Cut into individual ribs before serving.

Mango-Avocado Gazpacho

I am so in love with this soup, I can hardly stand it.  It's like getting to drink a delicious mango smoothie combined with the fresh herbi-ness of salsa and the creamy mouth feel of guacamole.  I am probably not making a whole lot of sense here -- that's what love does to you.

Two words:  try this. 

Recipe is adapted from The Hot Flash Cookbook by Cathy Luchetti.

MANGO-AVOCADO GAZPACHO
2 cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 large ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
4 whole green onions, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c. minced fresh parsley
1 T. minced fresh cilantro
1 large ripe avocado
juice of 2 limes (4 - 6 T.)
1 c. cold water
1/2 - 1 T. salt (to taste)
2 T. olive oil
1 T. sugar

Prepare first six ingredients (cucumbers through cilantro) and place in large bowl.  In separate bowl, smush up the avocado with the lime juice.  

Add avocado to the mango mixture; add rest of ingredients and stir together.  Working in batches, place a cup or two of the mixture in blender and blend away, to desired chunkiness.  Proceed until the whole batch is blended.

(Optional:  You can add 1 T. minced fresh basil, if you have it -- I didn't.)

Cover and refrigerate at least an hour to allow flavors to blend.  Serve cold.  Serves 4 - 6.

Citrus Shrimp Salad

There have been so many outstanding food experiments lately here at the castle, it's hard to decide which to share first.  From main dishes to fudgy desserts, veggie offerings to salads -- sometimes the kitchen is just on a hot streak.  And all we can do is eat up with a smile on our faces and napkins in our laps, ready to dab our faces prettily when we're done.
This salad, loaded with shrimp, grapefruit segments, cucumber, and edamame (which you can find in the frozen food section), and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, works beautifully as a side dish or a light main dish.  A three-cup serving is about 400 calories. 
The recipe comes from an outstanding publication my mother-in-law sends us called Nutrition Action Healthletter.  Though not a recipe magazine, each issue is packed with readable and informative articles on the latest health and nutrition research. 
And sometimes?  There are even some amazing recipes in there.
Go here, all ye shrimp lovers, to the March 2010 issue to find this outstanding Citrus Shrimp Salad recipe.  Scroll down to the third recipe and announce to your tastebuds it's time to enjoy.

Five Sneaky Little Healthful Steps that Even Diehard Foodies Can Live With

Michele at Fit Foodista blog is hosting a blog carnival on food, health, and wellness.  When I hear the word carnival, I think cotton candy and caramel apples and I am most definitely in.  Here's my contribution to the carnival: 

Five Sneaky Little Healthful Steps that Even Diehard Foodies Can Live With

1.  Don't drink soda, drink water.  Except with pizza.  You gotta have soda with pizza.

2.  Make your own Happy Frappies.  I don't know the exact calorie count of my homemade blended frappuccino, but I'll bet with skim milk it's less than half the 500-plus calorie count of some local coffee shops' offerings.

3.  Good bread without butter is actually quite tasty.  Really.

4.  Instead of joining the rest of the family in shoveling in yummy salty French fries at the drive-through, just take a deep whiff instead.  The smell is just as good as the taste.  Maybe better.  And no calories whatsoever.

5.  Find some form of exercise you love and schedule it regularly into your life.  It will become like brushing your teeth; you will automatically do it without even thinking of skipping.

Bonus tip:  Better one blissful bite of blueberry muffin that actually tastes good than a whole huge fiber-filled wad of muffin that tastes like particle board.  As the author of the book French Women Don't Get Fat says, "Fortunately, with good chocolate, you don't need, and should not want, pounds of it for pleasure.  A couple of choice pieces a day won't disable your budget or your weight maintenance program."

Amen?

Amen.

Have you got any healthful tips to share with those of us who love our food?

Cheese-Oozing Onion Bread

Well I'm not sure I even need to add any words to this; the picture pretty much says it all.  A round of bread sliced almost all the way through, oozing with cheese and diced green onions and poppy seeds.  You pull off cubes of the cheese-soaked bread with your fingers and pop them into your mouth. 

Does it get any better?

No.  It does not.

One word of warning:  The first time I made this, I had no idea how filling it was.  I served it with spaghetti.

We did not need the spaghetti.

The second time, I served with a small fruit salad.

Much better.

This would also be wonderful with a light (think broth-y) soup.

This recipe is officially an appetizer, but if you think cheese fondue, you can call it a main dish and I'd be behind you 100 percent.  Just don't think about calories. 

Tomorrow you can have salad for dinner.  Tonight?  Lick your fingers and enjoy.

 

Go visit Leigh Anne at Your Homebased Mom blog for the recipe and a thorough "Bloomin' Onion Bread" tutorial.  She got the recipe from See Jane in the Kitchen! who got it from The Changeable Table.  You know a recipe's a winner when it keeps getting passed from blog to blog.