from the House Of Balsamic CLICK on the picture to travel to the House Of Balsamic
I am sure you are aware that not all balsamic vinegars or olive oils are created equally. There are reasons for the difference… and often times the expense.
For me, I am a bit old fashioned and I enjoy Balsamic vinegar and olive oil as a sauce for dipping bread, in particular , sour dough. I won’t bore you with the retelling of the differences , so here is a site that provides a brief overview. CLICK HERE
If you are interested in buying some rather nice products, click on the picture above. They do make interesting gifts as well.
All of my families super secret recipes appear here … sometimes. It looks like Kristin has something very yummy in mind! Here’s what she wrote today …. Bon Appetite!
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After talking to some of the fine folks at the C-Ville farmer’s market, I found the general consensus in favor of butternut squash pie as opposed to pumpkin pie! Being a fan of butternut squash, I decided to try it out – and it’s yummy! Here’s the recipe I used if you want to branch out. I also used a basic pie pastry recipe that I’ll post later, but I’ll share the secret of the homemade ice cream, too 😀
Butternut Squash Pie
Pie Pastry
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 slightly beaten eggs
2/3 cup cream
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
~14 oz of baked and pureed butternut squash
To prep my squash, I like to peel it, remove the seeds, chop it up into chunks, and let it sizzle in a buttered skillet until it’s soft, but you can bake it as well. Once it’s soft, throw it in your food processor or your blender until you have a nice paste. I find it easiest to combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set them aside, then combine all the wet ingredients and slowly add the dry to the wet, mixing as you go. Once you have a creamy mix, pour it into the pie pastry and bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes, or until you stick a fork in and it comes out clean.
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
Two vanilla beans
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
You can make this one or two ways – it’s easy if you have an ice cream maker, but you can always freeze a metal bowl, throw everything in, and let it sit in the freezer overnight, too. To start, combine the milk and cream in a saucepan. Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise, and scrape out the “seeds.” Stir the “seeds” and bean pod into the milk as you bring it to a boil over medium heat. Then reduce, simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Good time to catch up on your favorite book (I am nose-deep in “The Girl Who Played With Fire” right now). Then toss the vanilla pod, mix all the rest of your ingredients until smooth in a bowl, and chill them for about 2 hours. Then either pour into your ice cream maker or into the metal bowl and solidify. Trust me, it’s yummy 🙂 And you do not want the nutritional information. This is NOT light ice cream, fro-yo, or gelato. This is the real stuff.
Everyone stuffs grape leaves somewhat differently depending on whether they intend the dish to be a side or a main dish. As a side dish, I have seen plain or lightly flavored rice and rice with raisins and pine nuts. However, it needs to be a bit more robust to make it as a main dish and this calls for meat.
If you like lamb, you realize that you have to tenderize it a bit by grinding it and mixing it with some softer meats. In my case, I use pork. Seasonings are up to you, but I like a blend of peppers and salts and my own curry with just the right amount of Fenugreek ( spice of the Greeks). Topped with a dolup of Greek Yorgurt and a few Kalamata Olives and you have a nice lunch!
So, it should be ready when Laura comes home from her first day back.
Nothing like a great choice: Apple, Cherry Pie or Both? and à la mode?
Pies are very simple desserts, but enormously satisfying to make from scratch. If you use your own apples , you may find that they really do taste better; afterall, if you care for your orchard or one tree, the apples will always be more flavorful!
Sautéed apples, varied seasonings and a wonderful sauce makes a pie perfect. CLICK on the picture for our apple pie recipe
I have had far too many pies filled with raw apples and no more seasonings except one : cinnamon. If you make it yourself, you can make it your way…. and your way is usually best! 😉 BTW, the topping requires 1/2 cup of butter which I didn’t list…. funny, my grandmother did that a lot ,to!
Making a cherry pie is wonderful when you use Cherry Brandy (Kirschwasser) and make a nice thick sauce! CLICK on the picture for our Cherry Pie Recipe!
Years ago, Laura and I would drive over to South Pasadena to a place called ‘House Of Pies.’ They carried a wide variety and my favorite of their fruit pies was cherry. For years I tried to duplicate their simple sweet and deliciously thick filling. Mine reminds me so much of theirs.
Maybe I have seen the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ one too many times, but I wanted to make some gingerbread (in the shape of coins) for shipment to someone stationed in a modern day Chateau D’If far away from home.
The nice thing about gingerbread is that it lasts for a very long time and will withstand the most abusive of baggage handlers, plus my daughter Kristin said it was one of the things she was most fond of recieving from home.
I tinkered with the recipe a bit adding more spices ( which is to my liking) and some honey to the molasses.
1/2 cup butter
1 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
7 cups flour
approx 1 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
10 teaspoons of my spice blend*
*( 8 parts ginger, 4 parts cinnamon, 1 part cardamon, 1 part allspice, 1 part cloves, 1 part nutmeg, 1 part mace, 4 parts orange zenst, 3 parts lemon zest)
bake: 350 degrees for 13 minutes
Oh Yes, it is very good… and time only makes it better!
“And I had but one penny in the world. Thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread.” – William Shakespeare
