The Cutest Cup in the World

This is the cutest idea I've come across in ages.

Start with your basic orange.  Score the rind around the center -- just the rind, not the fruit.

Drop the orange into a pot of boiling water.  Boil for five minutes, then remove orange from hot water and let cool a minute or two.  The rind should have separated a bit from the fruit.  Once it's cool enough to handle, carefully pull one end of the rind down (to form the bottom of your cup) and the other half up, to make the drinking part of your cup.

See?  How simple is that?  Would this not be darling for a little girl's tea party?  Or for a picnic lunch with your sweetie?  It doesn't get any "greener" than your own fruit providing the drinking vessel.

By the way, in case you're wondering . . .

. . . flaming cognac, even with  a pinch of sugar, a clove, a cinnamon stick, and served in the most darling cup in the world . . .

. . . is disgusting.  Absolutely disgusting.
Ugh.
If you have any cognac, just pour that stuff right down the drain.
My little handy hint for the day.
But the orange cup?  Priceless.  Next time I'm trying it with warm apple cider.

NOTE:  Idea from The Pyromaniac's Cookbook by John J. Poister.  A very fun book, even if I spit out  the cognac.

Apple Almond Rice Mix

We are only a few days into 2012, and it is shaping up to be a mighty fine food year already.
Mighty fine.

From the authentic Mexican restaurant seafood dish of shrimp and octopus cocktail topped with avocado, an oyster, cilantro, drenched in oyster juice (yum)

to the homemade mocha frappuccino which, turns out, can be blended most adequately at the bathroom sink of your basic Motel 6 room (do I love my happy frappies?  Indeed I do)

to the apple almond rice mix, which can be stirred up ahead of time and bagged for your pantry, ready to be simmered later with water, apple juice, and a touch of butter for a slightly fruity, crunchy, very flavorful side dish.

2012.  Oh yeah.  Bring it on.

NOTE:  I omitted the parsley flakes in this recipe because I didn't have any.  The recipe makes four bags of mix, but you can divide it your first time to see if you like it.  Recipe kindly provided by the USA Rice Federation.

Apple Yogurt Salad

Louise over at Months of Edible Celebrations has one of the most entertaining food blogs around.  Every post, she culls through old cookbooks, researches food holidays, tells her readers about historical events and magically connects them to food.  If you've never stopped in for a visit, you must go, and soon.  You are in for a treat.

When Louise posted her challenge earlier this month -- to try out a recipe from a cookbook you own that corresponds with one of the October food holidays she spotlighted on her blog -- I knew I had to give it a go. 

We've got an apple tree

and I happen to have a few cookbooks  . . . and October, according to Louise, is Apple Month. 

So just in under the October wire, here is my apple contribution.  Not the grated apple pie I made, not the baked apples with custard sauce, not the applesauce or apple and cheese platters -- though they were all yummy.  But the recipe I'd like to share for Louise's cookbook party is this humble apple yogurt salad.  It's easy, tasty, and healthy, passing my test for a recipe that's a keepr.
Taken from this book, one in my collection that I really ought to use more, this delightful little dish serves 6, at about 100 calories apiece.

APPLE YOGURT SALAD

1/4 c. walnuts, chopped
2/3 c. plain yogurt
1 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. honey
2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced
lettuce

Toast the walnuts at 350 degrees until lightly browned -- 5 minutes or so.  Stir together yogurt, lemon juice, cinnamon, and honey.  Toss sliced apples with yogurt mixture and serve on lettuce leaves.  Sprinkle with walnuts.

Panzanella

And to think, until a couple years ago, I'd never even heard of panzanella, also known as bread salad.  Thanks to the wonderful world of blogging, this is now one of my favorite quick summertime meals -- especially once the home-grown tomatoes are flourishing.

Which they are. 

One of the things I love most about this recipe is I usually have all the ingredients on hand.  It takes less than a half hour to throw together. 

And it is delicious.

Did I mention how delicious it is?

In the book Real Simple Celebrations:  Easy Entertaining for Every Occasion, author Valerie Rains suggests that rather than freezing those hot dog and hamburger buns left over from summertime barbecues, you use them in this salad instead.  Brilliant idea.

Here are the instructions based on the recipe from the book:

PANZANELLA (BREAD SALAD)

2 hot dog or hamburger buns, cut into 1-inch pieces

2-4 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

4 - 8 oz. crumbled feta cheese

1/4 c. thinly sliced basil

1/4 c. olive oil

1 T. balsamic or red wine vinegar

1/4 t. Kosher salt

1/8 t. black papper

Place cut up buns on baking sheet; bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.  In large bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, cheese, and basil.  Add the oil and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the toasted bread and toss.

So is anyone else swimming in tomatoes?

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.

Red Onion Preserves

I've made this recipe twice so far this summer, and there are more red onion preserves in my future, I can just feel it.  Kahuna's garden is going strong, and we have a plethora of onions, I tell you, a plethora. 

This tasty little condiment is wonderful on homemade pizza; as a side dish for grilled meats; and on open-faced sandwiches on toasted English muffins with melted Swiss cheese.  Yum.

The recipe is (slightly) adapted from a beautiful book called Cooking in the Moment:  A Year of Seasonal Recipes by Andrea Reusing.  I changed a couple of minor things, according to my taste and what I had on hand, so will post it here the way I made it.

RED ONION PRESERVES
2 T. olive oil
4 medium red onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt
1 c. dry red wine
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. honey
2 t. ground coriander seed

In a medium-sized pot over low heat, cook olive oil, onions, garlic, and a sprinkling of salt, covered, for about 10 minutes, until onions get soft.  Add wine, vinegar, honey, and coriander and cook, uncovered, for about 20 more minutes at medium or medium-low heat.  The liquid should start to get syrupy.  When it's done, put into jars and use as needed.  Reusing says it should keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator and I agree.

You can cut this recipe in half to give it a try; you'll end up with one small jar.  I'm thinking I will freeze some of this to use later in the year.

So how does your garden grow? 

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.

Scrumptious Homemade Mayonnaise

Do you know what these are?

Yes, I know they're artichokes. But do you know what they really are?

Vehicles. Vehicles for mayonnaise. Vehicles for this mayonnaise.

Creamy, beautifully pale yellow, thick and smooth and tasting of lemons mayonnaise, the kind where, after you've tasted it, you look around for any respectable excuse to eat it.

This was my first attempt ever at making mayonnaise.

It took a fair amount of steady hand whisking to achieve the finished results (so if you already have a serious case of tennis elbow, consider yourself forewarned). But it was well worth it. I will definitely be making this again. Many, many times.

Because thankfully, we have lots more artichokes in the garden.

LUSCIOUS MAYONNAISE
1 t. salt

1 t. dry mustard

1/2 t. sugar

2 egg yolks

2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 c. oil (recipe calls for "Wesson oil"; I used Canola)

In medium bowl, mix together salt, mustard, and sugar. Add egg yolks and 1 T. of the lemon juice and whisk for a minute or two. Add the oil in droplets, whisking all the while. Keep adding the oil very, very slowly, so it incorporates into the mixture. As it thickens up, you can add the other T. of lemon juice. Keep going until all oil is incorporated.

This recipe was from the exceedingly delightful book Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns, and Other Southern Specialties: An Entertaining life (with Recipes) by Julia Reed.

Reed adds a pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste, at the end, but I did not. I also cut this recipe in half, because I wasn't sure how much we'd use or how well it keeps. I will probably cut the recipe in half next time, too.

By the way, after making this I was quite proud of my cooking prowess and thought I'd check in with Julia Child for the inevitable congratulations. Child says that while "you should be able to make it by hand as part of your general mastery of the egg yolk," she prefers to make it in the food processor. She finds this "takes no skill whatsoever."

Hmmph.

Scientific side-by-side comparison: On the left is store-bought mayo. On the right is the one I made myself. Apparently with no skill whatsoever.

Beans 'n Bacon

There is almost nothing more fun than poking through an old cookbook. And this old cookbook, published in 1966, is a doozy.


I'm pretty sure I bought it at a library book sale, and have tried maybe half a dozen recipes from it over the years. The recipes are excellent -- easy to make, different, and, as you might guess from the title, economical.

And the text is grand fun to read. This is from the foreword, by Louise Bogan: "Poets are often out of funds. Many times they try to keep body and soul together by eating candy bars, apples, doughnuts, and an occasional hamburger, usually standing up. This is a mistake. Meals should be eaten sitting down."

The dish I made tonight, called simply "Conde," starts with sauteed pieces of bacon and sliced green onions. Add to it a can of kidney beans and a couple of other ingredients, and you've got an inexpensive dish that you can serve with a salad, some fruit, a roll perhaps, and call it dinner.

1/4 lb. bacon, diced
4 green onions, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 1/2-lb. can kidney beans
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1 c. water
1/4 t. gumbo file powder (I didn't have this, and after looking it up online, decided I didn't need to substitute anything for it)

Brown the bacon and onions in large skillet. Add rest of the ingredients except for the file powder and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the file powder and serve.

Do you have a favorite "nickel dinner," as author Ann Rogers puts it?

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

Yummola.

That's the best word to describe this blue cheese salad dressing. Recipe thoughtfully provided by Lisa who blogs about family, faith, food, nature -- lots of fun stuff -- over at Moore Minutes.

I've tried five blue cheese dressing recipes over the last month or two. Most have been edible (well, except for the one that was mainly water and vinegar). But I was looking for that knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark recipe. I love making foods from scratch but honestly, if I can't at least duplicate the quality of what I can buy at the store, I'm not sure it's worth the trouble.

Until this recipe, I had always liked store-bought blue cheese dressing better than what I could concoct myself. But now? No stinkin' way. Lisa's recipe is superb. Better than the stuff I've been buying. Reminds me of the cold, creamy, chunky dressing you'd get at your favorite restaurant.

LISA'S BLUE CHEESE SALAD DRESSING

2 c. mayonnaise (do not use fat-free or light mayo, says Lisa. Also, no Miracle Whip)

1 c. sour cream

3/4 c. buttermilk (I used regular milk with a couple t. of lemon juice added; let sit 5 minutes)

tub of blue cheese crumbles

a few drops Worcestershire sauce

a few drops red wine vinegar

garlic salt

onion powder

pepper

dash of salt

Stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, and blue cheese. Add in seasonings and refrigerate.

This makes a lot, so feel free to divide if that works best for your family.

What do you think? Do you have foods you prefer to buy ready-made because you can't find a great homemade version?

NOTE: I've linked this post to Works-for-me Wednesday, the blog carnival where you can get all kinds of great new ideas. Check it out here.

Fruity Tangerine-Banana Dessert

Here's a fruity, warm compote-ish dish that tastes just right this chilly time of year. You can serve it as a side dish or dessert, whichever you prefer.

rind of 1 tangerine
2 T. butter
3 T. brown sugar
2 peeled tangerines, broken up into sections
2 peeled and sliced bananas

Mix tangerine rind with butter and brown sugar. Set aside.
Into three individual baking dishes, divide up tangerine sections (you can leave small sections as is; cut larger ones in half, if desired) and banana slices. Top with dabs of flavored butter. Heat at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Serves 3.

Now my question to you: Do you have any quick and tasty fruit ideas to share?

Note: Go check out 3 Sides of Crazy's Simply Delicious Sunday Recipes for more culinary inspiration.

Super Easy Pesto Mushroom Appetizers

Here's a super simple appetizer recipe that goes together in minutes.

You take 10 or 12 good-sized mushrooms. Remove the stems and set aside for another use.

Fill the centers with a spoonful of store-bought pesto sauce with basil (found in the refrigerated section of your grocery store, by the cheeses and lunch meats). Place in a pie tin and broil for about two minutes, until hot.

That's it.

Note: Check out Make Something Monday for more creative ideas.

Lemon Curd

I am thrilled to be able to report that this year the deer have bypassed our little tree as their midnight snack, and have left all these beautiful yellow jewels for me to grate and squeeze in my neverending quest to locate mouth-watering recipes. I know, work, work, work. But someone's gotta do it. May as well be me.

I have bought lemon curd occasionally in the past, to spread on scones or muffins or to plop into the center of blueberry muffins as they bake. (Two thumbs up on that idea, by the way.) But I'd never tried making it before. This year, thanks to the restraint of Bambi and co., I have plenty of lemons with which to experiment.

It's not at all hard -- though it does take some patience to keep stirring until it thickens (maybe 15 - 20 minutes). But it takes the juice of just three lemons and the peels of two, and you end up with one jar to keep and one to give away. Seems like a pretty good deal, to me.

The recipe, by the way, comes from Homemade Christmas: Holiday Recipes, Gifts, Decorations and Memories to Treasure, by Mary Harvey Gurley. I know, I know, Christmas is over, but I already told you last week. I am not done.

LEMON CURD

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter

grated peel of 2 lemons

juice of 3 lemons

3 eggs, beaten

In medium saucepan, place sugar, butter, lemon peel and lemon juice. (The official recipe recommends you use a double boiler, but I never use double boilers, preferring just to keep the pan on low heat. If your stove runs hot, you may need a double boiler. My stove, on low, is barely even on.) Place over low heat. (Again, low heat is hardly even warm for me, so I used medium-low, then gradually moved it up to medium.) Cook until butter melts, then stir in eggs with whisk. Keep whisking until it thickens, about 15 - 20 minutes. (The book warns you not to let it boil or it will curdle.) Pour into jars and enjoy your lovely lemon curd.

Anyone else have great lemon recipes to share?

Note: Check out Tasty Tuesday for more great recipes.

Equally important note: see Tightwad Tuesday for great money-saving ideas.

Jana's Fried Rice

Ta da!

Fried rice.

Who knew it would be so easy?

Jana McBurney-Lin, author of the wonderful novel My Half of the Sky, has graciously shared her fried rice recipe below. Any book clubs out there, looking for a good book to read and a delicious dish to serve at your next meeting, look no further.

Here are Jana's instructions. When you're done cooking and eating, check out her blog at http://www.myhalfofthesky.blogspot.com/.

"I thought fried rice was originated in this country, the story being that a customer came in late one evening to a Chinese restaurant. The customer asked for something to eat, but all the cook had was a little of this and a little of that. Instead of turning the customer away, the cook fried up a dish of leftovers. Fried Rice.

"I did a little research though, and--while the story is similar--the history goes back forever, apparently to Yangzhou (a town between Shanghai and Nanking). I visited Yangzhou the first time I went to China. I was backpacking about, and a fellow traveler mentioned that Yangzhou had purple-sand pottery. I was nearby (in Nanking), and thought, 'Hey, I've never seen purple sand or purple sand pottery. I'll go see what this is about.' It was a tiny town. From the reactions of the children around, they probably had never seen a foreigner in the flesh. I remember walking along the dusty streets, and an old man from a tea shop beckoned me in. He wanted to chat. I didn't speak more than a handful of Chinese at the time, but we had a nice time sipping tea and smiling. (I never did find the purple pottery.)

"But back to the rice. It's easy--and just remember, if it doesn't taste right, add a bit more salt.

"Ingredients:

leftovers: meat and veggies (chicken and pork taste nice, as do bell peppers)

cold rice

3 eggs

salt and pepper

green onions

Take your leftover meat and veggies and chop up small. Take your leftover rice and set aside.(If you don't have leftover rice, make a few cups and let cool.) Take three eggs, whip them into a froth in a bowl. Add salt and pepper. If you have some green onion, chop that up.

Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a large fry pan (or wok). When the oil is heated, add the eggs and fry up til a bit sloppy. Then add your leftover rice, chopped up meat, veggies, etc. When these are heated through, turn off the heat. Sprinkle with green onion. There you have it."
Jana McBurney-Lin, Author, My Half of the Sky, http://www.myhalfofthesky.blogspot.com/

Lynn's note: Delicious. We sprinkled a dash of soy sauce on it. I'm listing it as a side dish, but I think it could count for a main dish, too.