Recipeless Wednesday: Strawberry Simplicity

One does not need a recipe for fresh picked strawberries.  They are simply perfect just as they are.  These berries were so sweet, juicy and delicate they instantly melted in my mouth.  Words can not describe their utter perfection.  

We picked 25 pounds of these red beauties, which we believe were the Jewel and Winona varieties.  A few pounds found their way to homemade jam, but most of the berries were eaten straight out of the box.  I ate a good 4 to 6 pounds myself.  In one day.  And yes, it was worth the stomach ache.  

I don't think I could eat 4-6 pounds of berries every day, but I could definitely go for a strawberry spinach salad drizzled with balsamic at least once a day.  Strawberries and balsamic vinegar are meant to mingle.  It may sound odd to you, but they improve each other, drawing out new flavors you don't want to miss.  (Though this particular batch of berries needed no improvement.)  

If I haven't inhaled all the strawberries straight up, then I also enjoy stirring them into lemon yogurt.  In my world strawberries straight out of the field are pure delight.  I may even pick a few more pounds this week, just because I can.  Yes, these berries are a gift that undoubtedly belong on this week's thankful list. 

Food for Thought: "If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable." -Rainer Maria Rilke

Random Recipe Wednesday: Instant Frozen Yogurt

I bet you remember the frozen banana "soft-serve" craze of last summer.  I made countless batches of the creamy concoction, but this summer it's time for something new.  Instead of whirling up creamy frozen bananas, I decided to play with frozen grapes.  

Have you ever tried frozen grapes?  You should try frozen grapes.  They're a great snack in the summer heat.  Unlike other fruits they stay semi-soft even when frozen, kind of like bananas do.  With that same frozen-but-not-icy-or-rock-solid texture, I figured gapes could also be turned into a creamy frozen soft-serve.  Of course this had nothing to do with the 2 gallons of frozen grapes in our freezer (you'll never guess what was on sale a few weeks ago).

Random Recipe Wednesday: Lemon-Fennel Cottage Bread

While the Internet is a great recipe resource I've more recently found myself lost in the pages of a good cookbook or magazine.  Not everything can be found online.  Lately I've been testing an awful lot of recipes straight out of cookbooks.  I'm not quite sure how the copyright aspect works so I haven't been posting them here.  Sometimes I think I can only tell you about recipes I've changed and developed, but that's silly, like a musician only playing songs he wrote himself.

I'm currently loving The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book.  As in I'm actually reading it page by page, not just flipping through to glance at recipes.  There's just so much practical information on bread baking.  I get this dorky, excited sparkle in my eye as I digest the wealth of knowledge in every chapter, as if someone were sharing a vast secret with me.  A thorough understanding of the hows and whys is the key that unlocks, well everything.  Okay, maybe not everything, but it gives you the power to create and fix and improve to your heart's content.  Plus, everything about making bread just feels so...right.

Since I can't post the copyrighted recipe here, I'll just tell you about this loaf. (For the recipe and fail-proof instructions check out The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book from your library, renew several times, then finally give in and buy yourself a copy.)  I've been planning all along to post a recipe for a yeast bread made with cottage cheese.  When I got to the chapter on dairy products and read the recipe for a lemon-flavored loaf utilizing cottage cheese, I just couldn't resist any longer.  Later I saw a lemon-fennel loaf and knew I had to try the flavor combination.  The cottage cheese, which completely disappears, gives extra rising power while boosting the protein and calcium in each slice.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Chocolate Overdose

I had every intention of sharing a slice of homemade bread with you today.  I've also been waiting to tell you about a pie crust, a few rhubarb recipes and several red cabbage recipes I've been playing with.

Instead you get chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.  Plus a hefty dose of peanut butter.  Because after making 10 pies and 7 cheesecakes at work, that's what I'm giving you too.  If you're looking for an ultra rich dessert this Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake is just the thing. The cheesecake is rich enough on it's own, not to mention the chocolate cookie crust and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate ganache poured over the top.  This recipe also scales up well, just in case you were wondering what to do with that extra 14 pounds of cream cheese in your fridge.

If you don't feel like using 14 pounds of cream cheese in 7 cheesecakes, then perhaps you'll fall for this Black-Bottom Peanut Butter Mousse Pie.  Graham cracker crust, a layer of silky chocolate and light peanut butter mousse make one rich forkful after another.  As if we don't have enough reasons to love chocolate and peanut butter.  But I'll leave the rest of the swooning to you, I've had more than my fair share of chocolate for the day.

Food for Thought: "An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up." -Proverbs 12:25

Random Recipe Wednesday: 2-Ingredient Chocolate Mousse

Just chocolate and water.  That's it.  No heavy cream.  No butter.  No sugar.  That can't really work, can it?  Normally when melting chocolate you should avoid water at all costs.  Just a little water and the whole thing will seize up, turning to a grainy, lumpy mass.  Needless to say the idea of purposely adding water to my chocolate to create mousse was quite intriguing.

After a little digging I learned the method originally comes from Hervé This, the father of molecular gastronomy.  There's no need for me to reinvent the wheel here.  A quick Google search will link you to multiple blog posts (like this one) featuring this simple mousse.  I'm just popping in to tell you I finally tried it, and it worked.  You should try it too.  Because clearly, since we're making mousse with water instead of heavy cream and butter, we can call it healthy and justify eating one silky spoonful after another.  

In short, you melt chocolate and water then whip it over an ice bath until the desired consistency is reached.  Or you might whip it over a bag of frozen vegetables if you're out of ice.  Just saying.  Depending on your chocolate to water ratio and the amount of whipping effort you put in, you can end up with thinner pudding-like consistency or a thicker scoopable consistency.  If you're not pleased with the final outcome simply remelt and re-whip, though you can't really go wrong with rich, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate.  As you can see mine turned out more like a firm truffle the first time, perfect for scooping but not as mousse-like as I intended.  I melted it back down, added a few tablespoons of water and then whipped it for a slightly shorter time.  After that it pretty much went straight from bowl to mouth quicker than two clicks of a camera. End of story.  

There was some sort of weird magnetic attraction between my finger and my tongue throughout this process.  It sort of interfered with my ability to give you specific measurements. Accounting for this variable, which you too will likely encounter, I'd say start with 5 ounces of 72% dark chocolate and 1/2 cup water.  Sample and adjust accordingly.  That is, assuming you have any left to adjust. 

Food for Thought: "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." -Leonardo da Vinci

Random Recipe Wednesday: Kindergarten Cookbook Recipes

I stumbled upon a cookbook my class made in kindergarten (or maybe 1st grade).  Our Mother's Day Cookbook was made up of recipes from a kid's perspective.  As you'll see below, some of them are quite funny while others aren't too far from an actual working recipe.  The pages are now falling apart and several are missing, but my mom has still saved it all these years.  

My friend Alissa and I decorated the cover. I'm guessing that's me at the oven, which appears to be complete with an off/on switch.  

The recipe I contributed was for my mom's favorite cookies.  The real recipe is a crackled chocolate mint cookie rolled in powdered sugar.  Rolling in "white powder," a.k.a. powdered sugar, was the favorite part of the process.  My brother and I would be covered in powdered sugar and sprinkle it on each other like fairy dust.  I'll show you the pictures sometime along with the real recipe.  Apparently my mom always made these and gave them to other people since I specified that in the directions.  Sharing cookies is a hard lesson to learn. 

My friend Alissa also had a cookie recipe.  Hers baked for 10 hours.  When you're waiting for the first cookie it does seem like 10 hours.  Unless, of course, you've already eaten 10 cookies worth of dough. Which I never do. 

Cake also takes a good 9 hours in the oven, a super hot oven to be exact. 

If  you don't want to bake it that long then try this version.  All you have to do is mix and put in the refrigerator until tomorrow. 

Cupcakes, on the other hand, bake in only 10 minutes. But you must have "cupcake things." 

Cooking is less specific than baking.  Just put a little bit of sauce on your steak and grill until everything else is done. 

Hey, look....there's the powdered sugar I needed in my cookies. This kid used it in his meatballs.  Once the spaghetti is wiggly be sure to put it on your plate and then eat it.  

I sure hope snack time wasn't based on our recipes. 

Food for Thought: "Children see magic because they look for it." -Christopher Moore

Random Recipe Wednesday: Savory Orange Hummus

I made this hummus, oh I don't know...a month ago (?) but am just now getting around to sharing it with you.  Don't worry, it's actually long gone; I wouldn't feed you month-old hummus. Sometimes I won't even share my hummus.  This way I can share it with you without really having to share it.  I know.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Pickled Dill-Caraway Carrots

I should probably warn you now that I'm on a pickling spree.  Those pickled grapes made me conjure up a whole list of odd things to pickle.  But let's make carrots first, I don't want to get too crazy on you quite yet.

Our pickling possibilities are endless.  In addition to various vegetables, a few fruits and some other odds and ends, we can mix and match our herbs and spices.  There's also a variety of vinegars to experiment with.  For once I can't seem to work in peanut butter, popcorn or cookies.  I'll have to work on that.

Oh, I also managed to pickle the bottom shelf of the refrigerator followed by the produce drawer and kitchen floor as I spilled pickling brine all over.  On three separate occasions.  Three.  All I can say is, use a container that has a tight fitting lid, not a random disposable container with a mismatched almost-fitting lid.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Sweet Potato Dal

Overkill can kind of ruin a thing for you.  For example, I don't think I'll ever eat another orange-pineapple sandwich cookie in my life.  We must have had those every single day on a family camping trip.  Don't get me wrong, I was obsessed with them at first, but after a 2-3 week road trip I'd had my fill of orange-pineapple sandwich cookies for life.

I almost did the same thing with this lentil and sweet potato dish.  The first time I ate a bowlful I knew I wanted the recipe.  When I was back in my own kitchen I made it so many times over the next few months that I thought I'd never swallow another spoonful.  Wrong.  It's been several years, so I decided to pull out the recipe again.  Nope, definitely not sick of this anymore.  I'm not quite as obsessed with it as I was the first go-round, but it sure hit the spot.  Fragrant and filling, a warm bowlful will leave you feeling satisfied but not overly stuffed.  Sometimes I get so lost in all things chocolate, peanut butter and baked that I forget how much I enjoy something savory from the stove-top.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Garlic-Dill Soda Bread

About a month ago I tried a whole slew of Irish soda bread recipes.  The first recipe claimed to be a traditional family recipe handed down from someone's grandma.  It was so salty and bitter I almost had to spit it out.  The next version I tried resulted in a dense, dry and rather bland bread with a baking soda aftertaste.  I called it quits until a few weeks later when I discovered several cups of sour milk in my fridge.  Rather than dumping said milk down the drain, I decided to give soda bread another go. This time around I baked the loaf in a covered casserole dish.  Bingo.  Except that I then proceeded to eat nearly half the loaf while standing over the stove.

Baking the loaf in a covered casserole dish traps steam and prevents the bread from drying out.  It also produces a loaf with a crisp crust but a soft, light interior.  I was pleasantly surprised with how fluffy the texture is even though the loaf has no yeast.  Better yet it takes only a few minutes to come together and requires no rising time.  It takes just 45 minutes from flour canister to mouth, and apparently only a few minutes more before it's half gone.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Butterfly Pretzels

I don't know about you, but I'm definitely ready for spring.  The sun and chirping birds have caught on, but somehow the temperature missed the memo.  Perhaps we can make some spring treats as an extra hint.  Dear weather, dipped pretzels are not just for Christmas.  Please join us in a delightful celebration called spring.  We'll provide treats, all you need to bring are warmer temperatures.

Don't worry I'm not (that) crazy, I actually made these butterfly dipped pretzels to go along with our Easter evening snack spread.  They're simple to make, though a bit time consuming.  I was already flitting from project to project in the kitchen so why not throw in one more, right?

Random Recipe Wednesday: Egg Adventures

This week we're fully embracing the random and not so much the recipe.  In other words, I've had lots of kitchen 'adventures' lately.  Where to start?  Hmmm, since it's almost Easter, let's start with eggs. 

Finding myself with far too many eggs in the fridge I decided it was the perfect time for some egg experiments.  Thee experiments at once if you really must know.  I planned to feature eggs both yesterday and today, but by the time I finished I was about ready to throw eggs at the wall and then stress-bake an eggless cake.   I resisted both and continued peeling those extremely stubborn eggs and turned them into egg salad.  Sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself again.  

In conjunction with tea from Monday I planned to share Chinese Tea Eggs with you. I dabbled with them last year but haven't tried them since.  I think the eggs below were the first food photo I took with my then new camera.  The crackled appearance seemed like a fun twist for Easter so I set out to make them again.

After hard-boiling the eggs then steeping them for hours in tea, soy sauce and spices you have flavored eggs with an almost stained glass appearance   However, if you put them in the center of the top shelf in my fridge, you will have frozen hard-boiled eggs with shattered shells that rip and tear the rubbery yet frozen egg.  What fun.  Needless to say I wasn't up for another round.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Banana-Raisin Brown Bread

Once again I fell for a deal.  I really need to stop checking the kitchen section of the thrift store every time I get groceries.  But they're right next to each other and you just never know what someone might get rid of.  I've always got my eye out for All-Clad pans, vintage Pyrex bowls, cute props and cookbooks.  Thankfully I don't find what I'm looking for most of the time.  This time, however, I couldn't pass up these shimmering measuring spoons and a miniature ceramic loaf pan.  I literally stood there for 5 minutes trying to decide if I was really going to buy them.  Then I walked around another 10 minutes hoping to change my mind.  As you can see that strategy didn't work.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Carrot Cake Breakfast Bites

Sometimes I get things a little backwards and eat cookie dough for breakfast.  This time I made what some would call breakfast cookies and ate them for supper, snacks and pretty much everything but breakfast.

I hesitate to even say breakfast cookie, because these really aren't cookies.  Let's call them breakfast bites.  Without any butter, oil or sugar you can not have a cookie.  What we do have is a hearty and satisfying breakfast/snack that leaves you feeling full, healthy and energized.  Dried fruit, nuts and oats are ground in the food processor then mixed with shredded carrot and apple and a mashed banana.  See, it's breakfasty but it's not a cookie.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Cauliflower Casserole

Let's talk about impulse purchases again.  The good thing about food is its short shelf life, meaning there's less chance to accumulate clutter.  Cookbooks, on the other hand, have a very long shelf life.  In fact, they spend most of their life on the shelf.  As my cookbook collection continues to grow I must be very careful about what I allow to live on my shelves.  A friend of mine recently introduced me to The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen.  She received it from her grandma as a wedding gift and has been enjoying it ever since.  I was immediately drawn in by the unique recipes and new ideas.  However, I was determined that no matter how much I wanted to finish reading it, I wouldn't go home and impulse buy a copy. (Why yes, I do read cookbooks like books, thanks for asking.)

In order to delay my purchase I decided to first check out a copy from the library and see if it was truly shelf-worthy.  After paging through and noting numerous recipes I couldn't wait to try, I was on the verge of a decision.  Is this cookbook really unique and inspiring enough to deserve a spot on my shelf?  While teetering on the edge of this decision, I found a used copy at a second hand store.  You may remember I'm a sucker for a good deal.

Random Recipe Wednesday: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

You know my obsession of trying weird and random things with food?  We're going to focus a little more on the random than the weird by (temporarily?) replacing Weird Recipe Wednesday with Random Recipe Wednesday.  Wait, it's more like renaming than replacing, because knowing me the recipe will likely involve some sort of weird factor anyway.  Okay, now that that's out of the way let's get started.

I'm a sucker for sales and deals, even when I don't need the item.  What can I say, it runs in the family.  Anyway, last week I happened upon jars of roasted red peppers marked down to 99 cents.  I proceeded to put 3 jars in my cart even though I've had an unopened jar of roasted red peppers in the pantry for several months.  Much to my delight, these sweet peppers rang up for only 89 cents a jar.  Since I now had four jars on hand I figured it was time to open one.  Guess what?  I think I know why they were on clearance.  Instead of the sweet roasted flavor you get when you roast your own red bell peppers, I tasted only a fake-smokey-chard flavor.  They certainly look like roasted red peppers, and the ingredient list doesn't say anything funky alluding to added flavoring.